The Only Presidential Candidate Who Respects Conservatism
Hillary Clinton is proud to say that she’s made enemies with “The Republicans.” In contrast, the underdog in the race, radical socialist Bernie Sanders, has advocated for a conservative party. On March 30, he told Rachel Maddow:
What you really need in this country is a progressive party standing with the middle class and working class of this country. And yes, a conservative party that is more fiscally conservative. That is where we should be as a country. But the Republican Party today now is a joke maintained by a media which really does not force them to discuss their issues. [Emphasis mine]
Maybe Secretary Clinton has a point after all — what’s more pie-in-the-sky than a Social Democrat wanting serious conservatives to work with? Why give a damn that fiscally conservative Americans don’t have a legitimate party and are instead stuck with the clusterfuck of asshats that make up today’s Republican Party and Fox News?
“Just make sure the other party doesn’t win!”
Supermajorities and “taking back Congress” can only go so far. It’s short-term and, frankly, offensive to Americans who sincerely have conservative political views. Not to mention that the Republicans, left out of the conversation completely, get frustrated and react the following year to elect their supermajority. Democrats and Hillary Clinton need to come to terms with the fact that Republicans are going to win sometimes. About a quarter of America identifies as Republican and a good 40% leans conservative. Those Americans deserve representation, too! And Bernie Sanders is right to call the Republican Party out on not representing the interests of their voters.
Undoubtedly, the party has some work to do. In addition to recognizing the other side’s right to representation, they should stop politicizing social issues and recognize that everybody depends on the government in different ways—bring to the table solutions for how to maintain efficiency in order to keep costs down. They should also push for campaign finance reform and better ballot access for their base instead of wasting time on regressive voter ID laws. They couldn’t be in a better position than right now to talk about money in politics!
The Americans who do vote are polarized and reactionary: electing Donald Trump this year will piss off progressives and have us back at the voting booths in 2018 and 2020 to draft an Elizabeth Warren type with plenty of down ticket wins, but electing the one person Republicans hate more than Obama will have conservatives voting in droves come 2018 and 2020 — more radicalized and less willing to compromise. (And yes, either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton would be a one-term president.)
Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, has worked for decades with Republicans and Democrats so effectively that he’s been nicknamed the “Amendment King.” He and John McCain united for a comprehensive veterans bill, and have nothing but positive words for each other. Sanders’ bipartisanship was noted even before he decided to run for president.
During the campaign, he has constantly brought up his ability to connect with people who don’t agree with him on some issues.
What I’ve said to people in Vermont is, look, we may disagree on this or that issue — my whole life I’ve been strongly pro-choice, I voted against DOMA when I was in the House, not many of us did. I am pro-gay rights. Not everybody in Vermont shares that perspective.
But what I have made clear, I think, over the years, is that I am pro-working families, I am pro-middle class, I am pro-senior, I am pro-low income. And as the mayor of Burlington, as a congressman, and as a senator I’ve carried through on those issues.
And I think what people end up saying is that, well, you know, I may disagree with Bernie Sanders on the abortion issue or the gay rights issue, but I know he’s fighting for me and my kids. And I happen to believe that if you are strong on those issues people will give you a little bit of slack on some of the other issues that you may disagree with.
I realize that “outsider” is a tough label for someone who’s held elective office for three decades, but let’s be honest: the Green Party treats Bernie Sanders better than the Democratic establishment. Donald Trump treats Bernie better than the Democratic establishment! Since the Democratic Party turned Neoliberal, Bernie’s status as a political outsider positions him as the most neutral candidate, oddly enough, to lead such a divided congress. Even if he, too, is a one-term president, Bernie Sanders has made clear is that there’s a seat at his table for conservatives.
