‘scandals’ being investigated right up until Election Day. Little has been accomplished because the tactic of blocking everything Obama tried to do has continued; put on steroids. Congress is, and remains, in Republican hands; even more so after 2018. We also didn’t count on was just how much election fraud was out there, how much interference; even from foreign sources.
Some of those who supported Bernie say, “Bernie would have known how to handle this. You wouldn’t have had this if Bernie had become president. He not only would have won with more votes, known how to handle the Republicans, but he would have had long coattails.”
Trump and his supporters lead the way in inspiring as many investigations as possible and Donald Trump is constantly given airtime to make bogus claims, like his private investigators are digging up a lot of dirt on President Hillary. “You wouldn’t BELIEVE what we’re finding.” Of course, like the Birther nonsense, none of that will ever be revealed, but he gets away with the tactic anyway. The mainstream media enable him, follow Trump everywhere. They are mostly silent when it comes to his constant lies. Nor do they bring up blocking everything has been the Republican plan since Obama and is now on steroids. As bad as it was in 2016 with the media it’s gotten so bad they might as well all call themselves “FOX.”
Bleech, blurp, blimble, the ghost of Bruce Willis gets un-shot, the Butterfly flies backwards (What a neat Effect!) and Bill Murray’s Groundhog STILL can’t drive. Off the cliff we go, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!”
It’s 2020 and despite getting almost no coverage during the primaries and the campaign Bernie won the presidency in 2016. Since then we have had multiple investigations: supposed ‘scandals.’ Donald Trump leads the way declaring, “You wouldn’t BELIEVE what we’re finding.” Trump cheers on investigations about Bernie’s supposed communist connections; FOX frames everything President Sanders attempts to do as an attempt to bring back the worst excesses of communism. The fact that socialism and communism are not the same, as usual, is lost in the chaos. Democratic Socialism has been successfully been framed as the same as Stalinism. Though the administration has tried to counter that narrative the MSM behaves as if they’re not even there.
Little has been accomplished because the tactic of blocking everything Obama tried to do has been put on steroids. We thought Bernie would have long coattails. What we didn’t count on was just how much election fraud was out there, how much interference; even from foreign sources.
Just when the administration starts to get traction they are out maneuvered. The Republican noise machine snatches the ball away and successfully frames Bernie poorly. So some of those who supported Hillary say, “Hillary would have handled this! She had the experience!”
Donald Trump leads the polls for 2020. The mainstream media; who follow Trump everywhere, is mostly silent when it comes to his constant lies. Nor do they bring up the fact blocking everything has been the Republican plan since Obama. As bad as it was in 2016 with the media it’s gotten so bad they might as well all call themselves “FOX.”
OK: back to our more present-based unreal reality. I typed these fictional narratives to show two possible “what ifs;” not to be anti-Bernie or anti-Hillary.
While she got (marginally) more coverage than Bernie, there’s no doubt Hillary had a lot more negatives going into the main: 30 plus years of opposition research just to mention one. Bernie had negatives too, and to pretend the Trump, FOX and the other Trump boot licking media might not have tried to raise as much hell is silly. But far more likely they would have used their most effective Sanders weapon: ignore him. Yes, even as president because silence worked.
Bernie packed stadiums, but how many Americans actually knew that? Bernie supporters posted pictures on Facebook, but that’s about as far as it got. You need more than big rallies to become president, or be an effective one. Being president is no guarantee the media won’t shrug and pump up the other side. Unfortunately you need the media.
Most people have forgotten how the media turned on Howard Dean when he mentioned he was going to break up the media conglomerates. The MSM tends to destroy less than pro corporate candidates. I suspect they played a part in sinking Bernie’s candidacy: more than any Democratic leaning election officials may have done in the NYC area.
The corporatocracy has had a long time to set up shop, settle in, and the media is a crucial jewel in the corporatocracy’s kingly crown.
My crucial point here is I don’t think it would have necessarily gone all that much better if Bernie had become president. It certainly wouldn’t have gone as well as her supporters hoped if Hillary had become president. As we fuss at each other Republicans have continued to rig the system to sabotage the presidency or grease the wheels depending on who occupies the White House: the Supreme Court being one of many examples.
Bernie has said so much more and said it better, but I have to give Hillary credit for two things: a lot of Trump supporters being “deplorables.” Charlottesville proved that. And she was right about there being a “vast right wing conspiracy.” And that conspiracy is deeper and far more entrenched now than then. It will be worse in 2020.
”What ifs” may be interesting, but my real hope here is my small effort here might inspire some unity so we can move on to the immense task ahead, and realize how the cards are being stacked against us. Considering all they’ve done over the years they sure as hell aren’t going to make it easier. They are going to make it far harder. Of that no one should have a single damn doubt.
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Inspection is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 40 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks, and into the unseen cracks and crevasses, that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
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