Joe Tharakan | All Berned out

Cup o' Joe | Why Bernie Sanders is not the liberal messiah we think he is, and the reason I support Hillary

By Joe Tharakan 02/14/16 8:27pm

Bernie Sanders has dramatically outperformed the initial expectations for his campaign. After his near-tie in Iowa and huge win in New Hampshire, many prospective democratic voters are full on “Feeling the Bern.” Sanders' honesty, consistent liberal record and focus on big-money corruption strongly resonate strongly with primary voters. He has framed himself, quite successfully, as the populist candidate. He has positioned himself as the Washington outsider who will shake things up and fight against big-money interests corrupting our political system.

As a party, Democrats have a record of electing Washington outsiders with promises of big change over establishment candidates, such as the 2008 election of Barack Obama. Obama’s administration could not implement many of its goals even with Democratic majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate from 2009 to 2011. As a result, Democrats got clobbered in the midterm elections. Under the Obama administration, the Democratic Party has gotten significantly weaker. Compared to 2008, Democrats have lost 13 Senate seats, 69 House seats, 11 governorships, 30 state legislature chambers and 913 state legislature seats. Washington outsiders don’t come in, shake things up and just force their will on Congress.

On top of this, the establishment does not like Sanders. Republicans will be uncooperative with either candidate as a given, but even Democratic leaders do not like him, and for good reason. Sanders has often criticized Democrats with quotes such as, “You don’t change the system from within the Democratic Party” and “We have to ask ourselves, ‘Why should we work within the Democratic Party if we don’t agree with anything the Democratic Party says?’”

Some might say this is a good thing, as the establishment sucks and doesn’t represent the interests of average Americans. Nonetheless, the establishment is, by its nature, established and is not going away within the next two years. If any of Sanders' reforms are going to be passed, it will involve working with a congress where both sides dislike him. Hillary has endorsements from 39 of 46 Democratic senators, 150 of 188 Democratic congressmen and 12 of 18 Democratic governors. By contrast, Sanders has the endorsements of two congressmen and one senator – himself, Bernie Sanders. A large part of the legislative process is done via backroom negotiations founded on trust, party unity and long-standing relationships, which Hillary already has and Bernie does not.

This isn’t to say Hillary will achieve all of her goals either. But Hillary has much more modest, well-thought-out proposals with reasonable chances of passing. And more importantly, she has the honesty to say that candy won’t rain from the sky if she is elected. She isn’t promising free healthcare and free public college paid for by the plutocratic upper class because she knows those things can’t happen at the moment. It’s not a bad thing to be realistic.

Sanders is selling an idealistic, vague vision, while Hillary is using her experienced pragmatism and specific plans. It’s emotion versus logic. Hillary, despite the artful smears, isn’t part of the political machine or some sort of oligarch. Her connections were gained through 25 years of national experience and accomplishment.

Consider this advice Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) recounts from Larry Summers, a close economic advisor under President Obama: “I had a choice. I could be an insider or I could be an outsider. Outsiders can say whatever they want. But people on the inside don’t listen to them. Insiders, however, get lots of access and a chance to push their ideas. People — powerful people — listen to what they have to say. But insiders also understand one unbreakable rule: They don’t criticize other insiders.”

Bernie Sanders has the luxury of criticizing our political system because he is an outsider. As someone who has only been a Democrat for six months, he will have to work hard to gain trust among his own party if he wants to push his ideas forward — trust that Hillary already has, as evidenced by the outpouring of elected officials endorsing her.

I’m not writing this as a smear piece against Sanders. If you are feeling the Bern, then you absolutely should vote for him. Frankly, I think he is a sincere candidate and an honest, heartfelt person. But I don’t think he will be an effective president. I am writing this to point out that Hillary is not the devil she is made out to be. The fact that she is a Washington insider is not the worst thing — in fact, it is precisely why she will make a good president. 

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