After the attacks from the media and some of the debate participants last week, I’ve been thinking a lot about why these attacks don’t ring true to me, even though I’ve been involved with Sanders supporters for more than 4 years. Assuming these are honest attacks, I’ve come up with a few theories around this issue.
Bernie brings in the disaffected and cynical
When I was canvassing for him in the 2016 primaries in a rural area of California, I found there was an interesting group that I was often able to win over - those who stopped participating in elections because they felt it was all rigged and fake -politicians were too polished and never spoke to real issues using plain language. Even among those that said they were voting for Trump in the primary because they were Republican, many said they didn’t like him personally and if the dems put Bernie up, they would vote for him over Trump in the general election. Do I believe some of these folks could be getting salty online? Yup. And I’m glad they are actually seeing something in the system worth fighting for - the alternative is not pretty.
There are things to be angry about
Yes, the numbers are great - lots of jobs, lots of stock earning increases. So why are people so upset? Children are being put in cages, people are working multiple jobs to survive, people are dying without healthcare, people are taking on enormous debt for a college degree which may not give them the financial stability to repay that debt, people are homeless, sick and tired. Yesterday on CNN, Van Jones said something to this point, "There is a lot of pain in this country that doesn't get talked about enough. Bernie has always been consistent in speaking to that pain, and that's powerful."
The past
In 2016, The DNC colluded with the Clinton campaign and media outlets to take Bernie down. These facts are not in dispute anymore. While Bernie supporters put that aside and voted for her in higher numbers than her supporters voted for Obama, we’re still mad about it. And we’re tired of being gaslighted -I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told I am responsible for Trump’s election. It’s in the thousands. Really. So, that might be one reason people encounter some salt online.
Current media coverage and pundits
In the past month, politicians, pundits and talking heads on major left-leaning TV stations have said:
- No one likes Bernie
- All of us who support him bought into a bunch of BS, and they feel sorry for us
- Bernie’s supporters are like Nazis
- Bernie winning Nevada is like the Nazi invasion of France
- Hispanic voters are being duped into voting for Bernie because their kids are manipulating them
- Dems might be better off voting for Trump
- Bernie staffers of color are from the island of misfit Black girls
Twitter versus real life
I have literally never met a Bernie supporter that wasn’t all love and kindness. Think about it - we’re the ones that want everyone to have healthcare, a living wage, the ability to go to college. I’ve interacted with thousands of other supporters across most states in the US. However, I don’t dispute that the people saying they have been attacked have actually experienced it. Does that mean it is a significant portion of Bernie supporters? No. Does it mean that pundits might think that because they think Twitter represents real life? Possibly. Btw, about 22 percent of Americans use Twitter. Roughly 10 percent of those users are responsible for 80 percent of tweets — meaning just 2 percent of Americans are contributing to a majority of the site's dialogue.
May not be real
Yes, Russia interfered in 2016. Yes, they are trying to do that again. The latest says they are trying to get Sanders elected, possibly because they think he will be weakest against Trump. That reminds me of the time the Clinton camp and DNC encouraged folks to attack the republicans running against Trump in the primary and pump him up as a contender, believing he would be easiest to beat. Yeah, that happened. Tell me again how I’m responsible for Trump?
Doesn’t reflect data or my personal experience
Bernie's supporters are diverse across racial lines, across generational lines and are actually more likely to be women than men. As I said above, I’ve spent a lot of time with supporters of all stripes. Walking precincts in 2016 was one of the most fascinating and valuable experiences of my life. It helped me to realize that my own left-right paradigm needed updating, that US politics was changing because of the way that the working class has been left behind and gaslighted about how wonderful things are. I had great conversations about real issues and economic fears with republicans and independents. Ironically, the only folks who were really mean to me (slammed doors and yelling) were Clinton supporters. The only friends I have ever lost over politics were Clinton supporters who were angry when I suggested that Trump’s election should make us curious about who we are not reaching.
So yes, there is likely a mixture of people online who are angry for a variety of reasons. I don't like it or condone it, but I understand it. Hopefully now you do too.
No comments:
Post a Comment