Comments by "Virginia Lawler" (@virginialawler7725) on "This Is An Unprecedented Moment in History" video.
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Richard Owens I certainly agree wholeheartedly--with a laser focus on the "rescuer" definition, not any specific religious connotation. :-) Our precious nation, reeling after the damage of the degrading Trump "reign," will need widespread, dedicated support to begin to mend after Nov. The road forward to a better nation, a more vibrant democracy for all, will require serious adjustments, compromise and very hard/smart work. Sanders is best equipped to walk that walk with us and for us, and to lead us with his perseverance and persistence when the road gets especially rough, as it will.
Bernie's four consecutive two-year terms as the Independent mayor of Vermont's largest city began in '81 with a win over the five-term Dem incumbent by only 10 votes. He won reelection in '83 and '85 by defeating a Rep and a Dem each time. In '87 he won with 54% of the vote. The Soviet Union was our enemy then, but Bernie and other city leaders persevered to establish a sister-city program with Yaroslavl, a people-to-people example of successful foreign policy! Of course, it might also have been the basis for the still recurring hateful charges by a few (who know better) who call Bernie a communist.
In '90, Bernie became the first Independent elected to Congress in 40 years by defeating the Rep incumbent by 16 pts. He served in the House for 16 years. In '06, Vermont's senator retired, and Bernie ran to replace him. His major opponent was a Republican businessman, the wealthiest person in the state, who spent more money per vote than any Senate candidate in American history, and far more than anyone in VT had ever spent. He also ran "the most negative campaign the state had ever seen. It was nasty!" The citizens of VT didn't like negative advertising, and Bernie won 65%-32%. In '12 he was reelected over a Rep candidate with 71% of the vote.
Sorry for such a long post. Please excuse. Your post just revved me up re part of Bernie's background that might not be well known by at least some readers here. I decided it might help indicate to some newbies what a strong, successful campaign record he has over a many years I can't imagine Biden having the strength or the will to be such a campaigner against Trump, and it will take the very strongest candidate to at least have a chance to prevail over a person who already hasn't minded lying nearly 20,000 times.
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@poison1088 Please take another look at Bernie, who has continued to host even more public service panels, roundtables, town halls, etc., on You Tube since he suspended. He's involved established public servants like Robert Reich, Nina Turner, Cornel Wilde and introduced so many diverse up-and-coming younger leaders like Adolph Reed, "Killer Mike" and "The Squad." He's not perfect, as no one is, but, he's never stopped working for Us since I first learned of him in '63, when he was a poli sci undergrad activist at the U. of Chicago, protesting school segregation. I don't think he should run as an independent/Third Party/etc. because not one such candidate has ever won...and this "unprecedented" time in our nation's history does not seem to be right for even Bernie, to be the first! He has more than 1,000 delegates, and I wish they, with the rest of us, would take back the Dem party from the neoliberals and centrists who support Biden--who has said frequently that with him "everything will basically stay the same"....
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Oh My Good Goth Me, too--about missing Bernie! Do we think Bernie would want--or accept--a position in a Biden cabinet, if Biden does win? Bernie is very needed in the Senate, especially since VT seems to have a popular Rep governor who would appoint a Rep replacement. My reservations about Biden include that his cognitive decline continues and seems to be picking up speed. And, his lifetime of diverse "baggage" is already being used by Trump, who will only count on it more. Bernie was so right long ago to call Trump "the worst president in our nation's modern history.'" But, he does have his hardcore base, and Biden certainly will not be a strong opponent in any debate(s). In fact, I don't have any confidence that Biden can win, period. My biggest hope is for a movement by Bernie's delegates (more than 1,000) at the convention (or even better, before), along with the rest of us, to persuade Bernie to unsuspend and Biden to withdraw. Biden's negatives are many, but, to me, the worst is his threat to veto Bernie's "Medicare4All"--which I believe would come to be cited in our nation's history as an achievement comparable to FDR's Social Security. #NotMe.Us
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