If Bernie becomes the nominee, I want him to win. The country will need him to win to save democracy from Trumpism.
But here’s the problem: we liberals are great at substance, and terrible at messaging.
Great at substance because we believe in science. Terrible at messaging because we’re stuck in our heads. Effective messaging is emotional, not rational.
To wit: arguing about the meaning of the word “socialism.” This is, I’m sorry, idiotic messaging. But as Bernie rises, that’s what we’re doing. If Bernie becomes the nominee, maybe he’ll win anyway, and for all our sakes, I sure hope he does. But why climb a mountain when there’s a perfectly good tunnel right through it?
What Bernie is campaigning on isn’t even socialism: it’s social democracy, aka FDR-style progressivism. FDR was one of the most popular and successful presidents in history — partly because he wasn’t dumb enough to call himself a socialist when he wasn’t one.
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