You know, I don’t even know why I started writing — no, thinking about writing — this week’s column. It is just way, too danged early to write about national politics (since this is a community publication). But, here I go. If you wanna? turn the page, you have my blessings. Turn freely without guilt, young reader, turn freely.
* * *
I have made a conscious decision not to watch either the Republican or the Democrat presidential candidate debates. I have not wanted to hear the blow-hard of any party tell me what they think I want to hear, yell or blame the ‘other party? for all this country’s woes.
Which is not to say, I ain’t trying to keep up on what is happening. I do take time to peek at news stories and opine pieces. During one of these excursions into the darkness that is national politics, I ran across a piece by H.A. Goodman of the Huffington Post. This headline did what headlines are designed to do, it stopped me and I read what was under it.
‘Yes, Polling Trajectory Shows Bernie Sanders Defeating Hillary Clinton and Winning the Democratic Nomination?
Really?
Goodman’s hypothesis can be boiled down to only these few paragraphs for the Oct. 28 column.
‘Clinton held 58 fund-raising events to raise her total; Sanders held seven. As of the end of September, Sanders had brought in $1.3 million total donations from 650,000 individuals since he began running. Clinton’s campaign did not release how many total donors she has. And Sanders ended September with $25 million in the bank; Clinton did not release how much money her campaign had on hand . . .
? . . . With all of Clinton’s fundraising advantages, Sanders is directly competing with her, simply with small donations from ordinary Americans throughout the country . . .
? . . .In terms of why polling trajectory, energy and momentum are the only reasons to look at polls in 2016, Bernie Sanders proves this by the amount of money he’s raised, without a super-PAC and with hardly any major media attention . . .
? . . . Since 57 percent of Americans according to Yahoo do not trust Hillary Clinton and Quinnipiac University reports that swing states find Clinton not honest and trustworthy, it’s doubtful that trustworthiness is a reason Biden voters would automatically vote for Clinton.?
* * *
I think this political year, 2015, is interesting if only that a real change is starting to show itself. I ain’t saying that that change is good or bad, just a change.
Why are the polls showing folks like Republican Hair Piece Donald Trump and Democrat Socialist Bernie Sanders resonating with the populist? Answer: Folks are tired of the establishment candidates.
Hillary Clinton may be a better politician, but does that make her a better person or a leader to be trusted?
In Goodman’s column, he pointed out that in 2014, point zero eight percent (yes, less than one percent) of Democrats would vote for him for president. In September 2015, 31 percent give him the thumbs up, and even after the debate Hillary ‘won? his numbers still kept increasing.
I think the Democrat establishment is starting to Feel the Bern (which is one of the Sanders marketing slogans).
The change — and lets face it folks, the only thing you can really count on in America these days is death, taxes and change — also happening is a voter change. The old white guys from WW2 are fast going away. Their children, the Baby Boomers, are graying up and slowing down. Those born between 1977 and 2000, the famed Millennials are standing up, spreading their arms wide to the heavens and proclaiming, ‘We are here! Hear us!?
I think these voters are less ‘scared? of socialism than those of the old Cold War generations. Because of this, they are open to a more European governing style. They are skeptical of the status quo and are not afraid to embrace change. Defining this social change as right or wrong is losing proposition, and since I loathe losing I won’t go there.
I think folks want, really want, to trust their leaders. They are skeptical of establishment, and regardless of what Sanders represents politically, emotionally he connects as an honest person. Which, if you think about it, really is refreshing.
Your thoughts? Don@ShermanPublications.org, or tweet them to twitter.com/DontRushMeDon