Is Sanders part of the establishment or is the Dem establishment that far left?

The Democratic establishment is center and slightly center right. They usually push center right candidates from the Neoliberal, "Third Way", and "Blue Dog Democrat" ideologies. Usually they justify this by claiming a far left candidate would alienate too many people. The problem is the modern Republic establishment has moved so far to the right that Democrats still look like they're left wing when they aren't.

The actual left wing & far left (like myself) are sick of these "Third Way" center right candidates, so we've started boycotting them. The 2010 & 2014 election cycles are perfect examples, since the national Dems kept pushing Third Way candidates while ignoring the far left. In 2010 the Blue Dogs got trounced & nearly all lost their national seats. And in 2014 the Third Ways got trounced & complained about why we didn't turn out, even though the left wing was actively doing minimum wage protests, "hands up, don't shoot' protests and the such w/o national Democratic support.

Sanders, on the other hand, is actually an independent candidate and is an actual socialist. Sanders is also the only left wing candidate that's getting people excited (Elizabeth Warren had a similar effect but won't run for President). The Democratic establishment does not support him but they're used to him voting along w/most of their national policies. It's a tricky situation for them since he's invigorating the base more than their chosen candidates. So if they go too far against him, it'll just push away the far left voters they've been taking for granted.

The DNC is actually having a funding crisis right now because they keep pushing center right candidates & are against the far left candidates. And Hillary's supporters & Bernie's supporters are almost in a civil war right now because she's a center right candidate too. But since the news cycle is focused on the dozen or so Repub candidates, you don't get to hear about this stuff unless you're actually involved in the left wing.

originally posted by: thinline
the democratic establishment/liberal press is not going after Sanders like republican establishment/press is going after Trump. Which means sanders is in the establishment or the establishment is sooo far left, that people like Clinton, Biden, O'Malley are to conservative for them.

Correct. Not only that, thanks to Hillary's email scandal, Bernie hasn't had to fight dirty or get any media attention.

I predict nothing will come of Hillary's email scandal other than the end of her campaign. And I predict that Joe Biden will split the moderate democrat vote and throw the race to the liberal democrats.

Bernie will emerge as the nominee smelling like a rose and looking like an honest, lovable, grassroots underdog.

If that happens I am certain that Bernie is the Democrat Establishment's choice.

***
AND,If Trump splits with republicans and fractures the conservative so badly that Bernie could win WITH A MANDATE to give Congress $18 trillion to spend...then I am certain that Bernie is the Global Establishment's choice.

Scandinavia Is Looking Scary

he trio of countries that form Scandinavia–Denmark, Norway and Sweden–have for years been the heartland of some of the world’s highest standards of living. But it seems the pristine facade has been built on rather wobbly foundations.

Of 28 leading international economies, Denmark had by far the highest share of debt as a percentage of disposable income in 2011 (the latest data available), with Norway and Sweden coming in fifth and sixth respectively.

But that comes at the cost of an enormous private sector debt burden, approaching 300% of disposable incomes in 2011, more than double the U.K.’s rate. There are worries about the solidity of the Danish banking sector. Yes, gross government debt is only some 46% of GDP. But Spain also had robust-seeming government finances before 2007, only to suffer a crisis of confidence when its banking sector started to implode.

The 'Nordic' model ?

Oh HELL NO.

a reply to: AboveBoard

I think the development is the wider recognition among the population that Republicans aren't really supporters of limited government.

The recent threads clarifying left/right fit in nicely with this more accurate understanding of our socialist duopoly.

Republicans want (or accept) big government for their pet projects and Democrats want it for theirs. Both willingly deploy state power for non-criminal offenses and both engage in social engineering/behavioral modification.

a reply to: Sremmos80

I would like to see an example of a country who chose socialism to get themselves on their feet and then gradually stepped back from it and restored the liberal society that preceded it.

If you can show me that, then I will consider that socialism might not be an inescapable downward spiral into the abyss.

a reply to: thinline

The establishment is screwing him in other, less overt ways. Limiting debates, ensuring conversation continues to revolve around him not being electable, super delegates pledging their delegates to Hillary. The only thing challenging that narrative and forcing acknowledgement is his growing base and their use of social media. Also, one of Hillary's super-PAC's threw out negative attack ads last week, in response... the base donated 1.2 million dollars to his campaign.

From what i have seen from bernie interviews, is that the media tries to make him attack hillary or the gop runners, and he usually answer that he wont play that game.

Is comments wont sell newspapers or make for media attention.

So Denmark's survival depends entirely on their Banking system?

The Banks aren't trusting of a left wing position, so the the country could collapse?

That's why the Right Wing are running scared from the swing to the left. Liberal education producing critical thinkers, the Banks run the show and they have been rumbled by more and more people.

a reply to: Cobaltic1978

Oh now we aren't running scared

We have already had 7 years of hope, and change, and with Sanders it's just more of the same.

a reply to: thinline
To answer your question ,yes the Democratic Party is that far left. Only there is no longer a Democratic Party. It passed away with "Teddy" . It is now the Ultra Left Progressive Liberal Party.

a reply to: thinline

Does the senator plan on creating new government agencies to implement the changes he's been speaking about?

Maybe he just wants to make a little extra cash for his family before he kicks the bucket.

It always amuses me how much the right deludes itself into believing that the "established" Democratic figureheads are in any way liberal. There are only a handful of big-name politicians still sitting in office right now that would actively try and push actual liberal, socialistic values.

We had the best shot we've had in a long time at getting socialized medicine back during Obama's early days, and we ended up with a half-ass travesty that just further lines pharma and insurance companies' pockest. Despite promises, Guantanamo is open, war is still occurring (albeit on a much quieter scale). Profit-prisons are still a thing. MJ is still an illegal demon in most states. Minimum wage is still too low, higher education is still too expensive, public schools are still a hot mess, and the criminal justice system is deeply broken. The only real liberal win we've had in the last 7 years is for gay marriage, and, while it was long-overdue, is hardly the large-scale reform I'd like to have seen.

Bernie Sanders represents everything truly, hard-left-leaning liberal. The majority of the rest of the Democratic party are still corporate shills.

the Republicans move further and further to the middle

No, Bernie is not that far left, and hell no there is nothing even remotely moderate about the Republican party today. How anyone could even say that shows just how deluded and ignorant so many Americans are.

We seem to be getting a hit piece on Bernie almost daily now...even comparing him to ISIS...the right must be really feeling the "bern"

originally posted by: muse7
We seem to be getting a hit piece on Bernie almost daily now...even comparing him to ISIS...the right must be really feeling the "bern"

I take him VERY seriously if that's what you mean by feeling the Bern. Not because he is totes awesome and going to change the U.S. for the better, I feel the Bern because the stars and planets of U.S. politics seem to be aligning for him. And that is a giant red flag.

Must suck being on the 'right' and knowing in 12 more years the right of old will cease to exist.

originally posted by: Metallicus
He is a career politician. He still seems far-left for the Dems, but the entire party is moving to the left and the Republicans move further and further to the middle or at least what WAS the middle.

The entire country is being dragged to the Progressive side of things due to the brainwashing of the younger generation in our liberal controlled education system and a left leaning mainstream media.

Bernie's popularity is a natural progression as the world moves towards centralized, totalitarian control and the inevitable loss of personal liberty that accompanies that movement.

This is the opposite of the reality.

There is no real "left" in the US, based on what left actually means historically.

Point of reality, the Democrats on a global scale are considered center or EVEN center right. The Republicans are without a doubt fairly far right on a global political scale.

Yes, Sanders begins to move a bit more left than the Democrat mean, for sure, but even he is not a true far leftist, as in communist or something else.

Ask Europe. Sanders is not a far leftist AT ALL.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

But we *ARE* talking about the Left in the U.S.

a reply to: lightedhype at least Trump is an American whereas Resident Obama is not, that's not even Obama's legal name and he is a Muslim and a liar. but after all "O" is just an average socialist Islamic democrat.

originally posted by: Quetzalcoatl14

originally posted by: Metallicus
He is a career politician. He still seems far-left for the Dems, but the entire party is moving to the left and the Republicans move further and further to the middle or at least what WAS the middle.

The entire country is being dragged to the Progressive side of things due to the brainwashing of the younger generation in our liberal controlled education system and a left leaning mainstream media.

Bernie's popularity is a natural progression as the world moves towards centralized, totalitarian control and the inevitable loss of personal liberty that accompanies that movement.

This is the opposite of the reality.

There is no real "left" in the US, based on what left actually means historically.

Point of reality, the Democrats on a global scale are considered center or EVEN center right. The Republicans are without a doubt fairly far right on a global political scale.

Yes, Sanders begins to move a bit more left than the Democrat mean, for sure, but even he is not a true far leftist, as in communist or something else.

Ask Europe. Sanders is not a far leftist AT ALL.

For the record, he's an unapologetic socialist. I don't mean "hurr hurr hurr, let's call him a socialist because it sounds evil". He's an actual socialist, as am I. And he doesn't normally run as a Democrat; he usually runs as an Independent.