If Sanders wins, a generation has to prove a point
So, here we go, Sanders is rising in a way Obama did 8 years ago when nobody was thinking he would be able to beat Clinton. We are seeing the same phenomenon now with Sanders going strong in Iowa and from that point on rising in New Hampshire. If he wins there (I am careful with polls), he might really have a shot as a candidate.
What if?
What if he wins it all? What if the USA gets a democratic socialist? I have ongoing discussions about this, but most of the time with older US-citizens that grew up with the word “socialist” being one of the worst buzzwords ever created. Sanders is right now proving that this should be no insult again and his opponents should finally start to attack him with more things beside the “he is red”. This might scare some older voters, but when we look at his support from young voters, the “established” politicians should be scared to death.
But why?
If you are still asking this question, you missed the last 20 years. A mix between wrong foreign policies, an aggressive destroying of all social safety and the fact that business is more and more running Washington (and other western capitals) is the main reason for the Sanders movement and actually even for the rise of Trump (this is all they have in common) and this is why some of the Trump voters might jump on the Sanders bandwagon if they don’t get their guy. It is all about electing someone who is not acting like a classic politician (again, there are universes between Sanders und the useless Trump).
What is even crazier…the other side seems to be surprised that people would vote for a radical change like Sanders, instead of looking at the numbers where big companies are paying nearly no taxes, but students are coming out of college with debts that will last for ages. During my long trips through the USA, I talked to many people about this and the view changed from “this is the price for getting higher” to “this is a way to create an early slave of the system”…and to be honest, I tend to agree to the second one. The system of overpriced education is holding the lower class where it is or creating workers who are from day one on in the hands of banks through their student loans. A country where people are having tough times to start a family and buy a home is a country that won’t stay on top of the game. But let us leave this and come to the main topic and my headline.
A revolution or a real change?
There is massive difference between a revolution and a real change. A revolution is a quick and aggressive eruption, but a real change will last for long time. It is on us (I am 33 now) to make this change a real one. It is easy to elect Sanders and think this is all done business. It is easy to elect Sanders if you are young and running into a student loan that will ruin you for a long time.
What we need to do is to stay with this view once it stops being a movement in our advantage. I am already on the “other side” being a company owner, so also paying taxes and trust me, it takes some time to adjust yourself to this. Of course, I could argument, that I don’t like it because the things being done with my taxes are often wrong (this is true), BUT if I am honest, there is always some own greediness, a chip on your shoulder telling you it is your hard earned money.
THIS is what we have to overcome and we should look into the hippie movement in the 60s as a big fat warning sign. The people protesting then (and yes, including your parents) are in many cases the main actors of the farce we see right now. I am living in Germany and I saw a moral eruption of the 68-generation. A generation that was looking for a revolution, a better world, better rights for all. The same people are now former politicians selling their souls as lobbyists or advocating for mass surveillance of their own people or they are simply part of the corporate system. If you ask them they will tell you about them realizing that being left is only something when you are young and naïve. What they won’t admit is: once you smell money, it is on you to pick your route. These explanations are just a created excuse, a made up story for the own ethic fail, where a whole generation is trying to declare the hippie movement to a long nice summer holiday that had to end.
It is a lie, but the truth might hurt even more. The truth is that if we really want the politics Sanders stands for, we need to change us and this might the biggest challenge. Are we ready to accept a smaller car so someone else can have a home? We all shout “yes” if someone asks the theoretical question, but how are we going to answer it once we stay in front of the car dealer?
