Sanders vs Trump - Hope vs Fear

Robert Reich. (photo: Perian Flaherty)

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page

23 November 15
readersupportednews.org

 
t’s instructive to compare Bernie’s rally in Savannah, Georgia last night with Donald Trump’s rally in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday. Two southern states, two populist aspirants for the presidency, two immense crowds. But the two events and the two candidates couldn’t have been further apart.

Trump channels the anxieties of Americans into fear and hate. 

Bernie channels them into hope and tolerance. 

Trump told the white, middle-aged crowd he’d seal America’s borders against Mexicans and Muslims. 

Bernie told a diverse, young crowd he’d make public universities tuition-free and reduce incarceration.

At Trump rallies, black protesters are kicked and beaten by Trump’s white supporters. At Bernie’s rallies, protesters are respected and heard. (Yesterday, Trump said of the treatment one black protester got in Birmingham, “maybe he should have been roughed up…. This is not the way Bernie Sanders handled his problem, I will tell you, but I have a lot of fans and they were not happy about it. And this was a very obnoxious guy, a troublemaker, looking to make trouble.”)

Trump's right-wing populism poses a clear and present danger to this nation.

Bernie's left-wing populism offers the only practical way forward.

Rarely in American history has the choice been this stark.

What do you think?

Comments

+8 # Billy Bob 2015-11-23 13:07

What I think is that Trump won't end up being the Republican candidate. And, the real thing we should fear is another Republican who feels and acts (politically) exactly the same as Trump would have, without being so overtly obnoxious as to come right out and admit what he plans to do to this country.

Rubio, or Bush, etc. would be just as dangerous to this country, but they just have the intelligence to be slightly more subtle about it.

 

+1 # REDPILLED 2015-11-23 14:11

It's curious that Reich never tackles the problem of the U.S. Empire, especially how it will make the populist promises of Bernie Sanders difficult, if not impossible, to carry out.

"Empire abroad entails tyranny at home" warned Hannah Arendt. The U.S. National Security Police State will have little left in its budget for needed social welfare programs, repairing crumbling infrastructure, or adapting to catastrophic climate disaster.

 

0 # dbrize 2015-11-23 14:35

Quoting REDPILLED:

It's curious that Reich never tackles the problem of the U.S. Empire, especially how it will make the populist promises of Bernie Sanders difficult, if not impossible, to carry out.

"Empire abroad entails tyranny at home" warned Hannah Arendt. The U.S. National Security Police State will have little left in its budget for needed social welfare programs, repairing crumbling infrastructure, or adapting to catastrophic climate disaster.

And also curious that he sets this as a Sanders/Trump meme and doesn't even mention that Sanders is incapable of combating "Trumpism" unless he defeats "Clintonism".

Hillary Clinton who if anything, is in the pocket of the MIC/international banking cartel/war party as much as any candidate on either side. Going back to Serbia, moving forward, she has always chosen war, intervention and bombing.

The shadow government will be ecstatic to welcome her into the WH.

If Reich, fears Trump, he should also fear a future with Clinton in control.

 

+2 # lpain@effectiveassets.com 2015-11-23 14:18

Trump is appealing to white, mostly male voters who are terrified at the looming prospect of losing their white privilege which has protected them from their inadequacies for so long. This is more about fear than the old, sixties-style prejudice. Pathetic.