Sanders and Trump both have wildly enthusiastic supporters and, I submit, for the same reason: they are backed by people who feel that their party didn’t come close to fulfilling the promises made or the visions dangled before their pleading eyes.
The GOP promised to undo a woman’s right to choose, to get Christianity back into the schools, to roll back gender equality, force gays back in the closet, defend “family values,” shrink government, reduce welfare and food stamps, defend the middle class, create jobs …. And they have done little to none of it. No sooner do they in office but they go back to being Republicans — supporters of the bankers, the upper echelon, the country-club set — and clearly don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone else.
The Democrats have had their version. They promise hope and change, a rebirth of the middle class, universal health care, support for education, rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, support for the environment, redistribution of wealth, breaking up the too-big-to-fail banks, instituting a progressive tax code. And when they’ve been in the White House, it hasn’t happened.
The folks flocking to Trump and to Sanders are the ones who’ve just fucking had it with things as usual. Those packing Trump’s speeches are mostly poorly educated, frustrated, working class whites who’ve finally seen that their Republican party never cared for them, not ever, not one whit.
Those chanting and dancing in the aisles for Bernie are better educated, idealistic, even romantic. They’re seriously disappointed in Obama, see Hillary as just an extension of the Bubba-Barack moderate, Wall St friendly, pro-business axis that doesn’t really care about the things they hold dear.
So we have an amusing drama shaping up. We could very well have a presidential election with two candidates running on the same platform: “My people screwed you. I will not.”
But, of course, whoever wins will screw their people. They must because the ones on the other side of the chamber will never, ever let them fulfill their dreams. And the winners? The winners will be those that always win: the oligarchs.
Ever Bernie won’t be able to stop it and Donald won’t want to.
And that’s the downer for the day…