Friday, March 29, 2024

The Socialist’s Journal: The Problem for Democrats

hillary clinton-bernie sanders
Hillary Clinton & Bernie Sanders

*A while back I identified Hillary Clinton’s main problem. It was that she didn’t have anyone on the Democratic side of things proposing crazy stuff to make her appear centrist by comparison. In short, she didn’t have a Trump like candidate who would clearly not be taken seriously but make her look more electable.

I was wrong.

It turns out Trump remains a contender even as he doubles down on some of his most nonsensical stances (boycotting a major debate?!).  But even more problematic for Hillary is that Bernie Sanders is an avowed socialist and continues to be a factor in the race.

I am somewhat encouraged by this. I named this column “The Socialist’s Journal” because it signified that my perspective would be a bit off the beaten path. Over the years the country has continued to get more liberal making Sanders a viable candidate. The problem for Democrats is that he is coming out of nowhere which makes it very hard to believe he will garner widespread support in the general election. In addition I know I am in the minority of people who openly claim to be socialist so I have a hard time imagining him being successful in the general election.

Hillary Clinton (with a resume that says First Lady, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State) has been unable to maintain her status as unquestioned front runner. It seems as if liberals are looking for an excuse to vote for someone else. Months ago the question was whether Joe Biden would run but even in his absence Hillary does not seem to maintain any momentum. More and more Clinton seems like an assistant coach who, for whatever reason, does not inspire people to give her the head coaching position.

After two younger presidents (George W. Bush and Obama) it hardly seems likely that the country will elect a 70-something Bernie Sanders as president. And if Democrats are putting up an unelectable Sanders or an anybody-but-her Clinton how can they win this election?

Since the last presidential election I thought about how the Republican party was professing policies (anti-marriage equality) that I thought would ensure they would continue to lose the presidency indefinitely. And yet here we are. I’m not saying I dislike Clinton’s or Sanders’ policies; much to the contrary I agree with much they profess. But somehow I feel the upcoming presidential election is up in the air in a way that I didn’t anticipate last year.

Perhaps this is just the length of the election cycle taking its toll on me. Perhaps it is an indication of latent sexism. Perhaps it is the almost inevitablility of change after 8 years of a Democratic president. But whatever it is I’m getting more and more uneasy with the end result.

trevor brookins
Trevor Brookins

Trevor Brookins is a free lance writer in Rockland County, New York. He is currently working on a book about American culture during the Cold War.  His writing has appeared in The Journal News. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @historictrev.

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