After Bernie Sanders’ crushing victory in the Wisconsin primary (56.6% v. 43.1) on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton landed a low blow challenging Sanders’ political stripes.
Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes? Are zebras donkeys (no pun intended)?
Is Sanders a democrat with socialist stripes or a socialist with democratic stripes?
“Is Sanders [even] a real democrat?”
As usual, Hillary finessed the question. “He’s a relatively new Democrat. In fact, I’m not even sure he is one. He’s running as one. So I don’t know quite how to characterize him… I think he himself doesn’t consider himself to be a Democrat… Look, he’s raised a lot of important issues that the Democratic Party agrees with, income inequality first and foremost. But it’s up to the Democratic primary voters to make that assessment. I’ve been in the trenches for a long time.”
Is this the launch of the “Hillary Presidential Democratic Inquisition” into who is a real Democrat and who is faking it until they make it?
Well!! If we are going to conduct an inquisition to determine the true followers, believers and defenders of the democrat party creed, should we be asking a few additional questions of Bernie Sanders?
Is Bernie Sanders a “real” American? Does he consider himself to be one?
Is Bernie Sanders really Jewish? Does he consider himself to be one?
After all, not long ago Sanders professed his guiding principles when he told Liberty University students, “I am far, far from being a perfect human being but I am motivated by a vision which exists in all religions… and that vision is so beautifully and clearly stated in Matthew 7:12, ‘So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you. That is the Golden Rule.’”
Is Bernie Sanders a flaming pinko (communist) wolf in democrat clothing?
Is he a heretic and an apostate from the true democratic faith?
Is Hillary the anointed Fidei Defensatrix (defender of the [democratic] faith)?
Should we burn Bernie at the stake for being a heretic democrat; or even worse for faking it until he could make it? To the White House, that is.
Who the hell is Bernie Sanders anyway?
Of course, Hillary is implying that she is an “old democrat”. That is the real deal, the real McCoy Democrat.
Ole Bernie is just an imposter and opportunist who is masquerading as a “democrat” to run for the presidency and end run her from the job she believes she is entitled to by predestination.
Hillary’s question got me thinking.
What is the difference between a real (old) democrat politician and a fake (new) one?
Are old democrats politicians establishment democrats? Are they the ones who are in the back pockets of Big Money and Wall Street?
George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Are all democrats created equal or are old democrats more equal than new democrats on the old Democratic Party Farm?
Is Hillary arguing for a seniority system among democrats in which “old” democrats get preferences over “new” ones?
Hillary brags she has raised millions of dollars for the democratic party and that is the badge of her true democrat pedigree. But from whom? Wall Street and Big Money?
Bernie Sanders is not in the back pockets of Big Money and Wall Street. His contributions come from small donors. Sanders has outraised Clinton for third month straight including $44 million in March.
The millions of young people supporting Bernie and coming to the Democratic Party like what Bernie has to say about Big Money and Wall Street, income inequality and a whole host of other issues.
But Hillary’s question about “new” democrats goes beyond Bernie Sanders.
What does it take to be a member of the democratic party?
There are millions of new young men and women who are flocking to the Democratic Party magnetized by Bernie Sanders.
Is Hillary’s litmus test for them to join the party going to be, “Are you a new or old democrat?” All new democrats will be put on probation until…?
Will Hillary extend her comments to the millions of young people coming to the Democratic Party to support Bernie Sanders and dismissively tell them, “Do they really consider themselves to be democrats by supporting Bernie Sanders?
Hillary’s questions got me to ask a few questions of Hillary.
After all, what is good for the gander should be good for the goose (no pun intended).
Who is Hillary Clinton the “old” democrat? What has she accomplished over four decades of “public service” as a “democrat”?
Hmmm!
Carly Fiorina (remember her in the Republican wannbe president “debates” [I did not say insult-fest] candidate pool) said, “If you want to stump a Democrat, ask them to name an accomplishment of Hillary Clinton.” (What if you want to stump Trump?)
I am stumped!
I am an independent voting for democrats almost always. (Why? Uh! Uh! Uh!…)
Since Hillary wants to know about independents and democrats and independents voting for democrats and independents caucusing with democrats, I want to come clean and declare myself an “independent democrat”. (An independent democrat is an independent who votes strapped with a portable oxygen tank. More often than not, the stench in the slate of democrat candidates is so bad at the polling stations on election day, the only safe way to vote is by breathing through an oxygen tank. Pheeew!
(BTW, where the hell is Jon Huntsman anyway? Hunstman is a Republican who served as U.S. Ambassador to China under the Obama Adminstration. Now, there is a Republican with brains. Did I just say that?!)
Back to Carly’s question. Pray tell, as an old democrat with a 40-year career in democratic politics, what exactly has Hillary Clinton accomplished?
During her book tour in April 2014, Hillary was asked to name her “marquee achievement,” or “signature doctrine” as Secretary of State. She gave no answer. Yep. None!
When Hillary appeared before a women’s forum that same month and was asked what was “her proudest achievement as secretary of state”, she waffled. “I really see my role as secretary, and, in fact, leadership in general in a democracy, as a relay race… I mean, you run the best race you can run, you hand off the baton.”
Say what?!
Is that gobbledygook from an old democrat?
Does that mean there is not a single achievement Hillary Clinton can identify as her singular achievement or a proud moment in four decades of public “service”?
Do we really want to vote for an old democrat to become president who cannot identify a single worthy career achievement after 40-years in politics?
Hillary just does not get it.
Here is the deal.
2016 is the year of the new democrats, the millions of young people who are motivated and inspired by a 74-year old man.
Isn’t it amazing that a 74-year old man can mobilize and engage so many young people. Lo and behold, Bernie Sanders has young women flocking to his campaign.
Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State under Bill Clinton and old school feminist Gloria Steinem came out to chastise young American women who support Bernie Sanders. Albright said, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other!” Steinem added insult to injury by blaming young women’s pheromones for their attraction to Bernie: “When you’re young, you’re thinking, ‘Where are the boys?’ The boys are with Bernie.”
Talking about a “special place in hell”, it is said “Hell hath no fury…”
The Millennial Generation is inspired by and follow the guy from the Silent Generation.
It is not about the age or gender; it is about the timeliness of ideas long overdue.
Bernie Sanders’ ideas are ideas whose time has come.
Hillary Clinton of the “old” Democratic Party is what is wrong with the old Democratic Party.
To have been part of a party and not being able to show anything by way of a “marquee accomplishment” over a period of years should be a badge of shame, not fame.
The presidency is part of Hillary’s lifelong power chase. She wants to become president because she is driven by blind ambition. I believe Hillary’s love of power overpowers her love of the people who are source of all power.
I look to a day in America when politicians and leaders will not be judged by the color of their skin, their age, their gender, their religion, their ancestry or their social class but by the principles they have lived by, the content of their character and the content of their service to the least of our brothers and sisters.
Blinded by the pursuit of power, Hillary cannot see the revolution Bernie Sanders has ignited and ushered.
Millions of young Americans are calling for fundamental change in the relationship between the 1 percenters and the 99 percenters. The millions of Americans locked out of the American dream are no longer content to sit by idly and wait. They are raring to charge the locked door.
The old Democratic Party cannot stop an idea whose time has come. Bernie Sanders has won six of the last seven primaries. The old Democratic Party should ask why a 74-year old man is winning among new democrats and bringing to old democrats millions of new ones.
Hillary Clinton may be able to get the nomination, but she will not stop the revolution he has ignited in the minds of the young people of America and the millions of other left out and locked out Americans for whom America is not America to them, to quote the great African American poet Langston Hughes.
On Tuesday November 8, 2016, if my choice is between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, I will choose the oxygen tank.
Hillary wants Bernie to face the people’s judgment: “It’s up to the Democratic primary voters to make [the] assessment [whether Bernie is a true democrat. Voters [should] ask themselves, can he deliver what he is talking about, can he really help people?”
I flip the question on Hillary and ask the people to judge her: What has Hillary delivered after being “in the trenches” of power for 40 years?
It is a trick question.
Hillary has delivered NOTHING to ordinary Americans in 40 years “in the trenches”. Nada. Rien. Nichts. Niente. La sha. Tipota. Méiyǒu. Nenio. Kitu. Nani mo. Nichego. NOTHIN’. Minim!
Hillary will deliver NOTHING to ordinary Americans in the next 4 years from the trenches of the White House should she become president. Nada. Rien. Nichts. Niente. La sha. Tipota…