Bernie Sanders: Please DON'T undermine your campaign speeches with too many policy specifics
This column by Gail Collins, Cornering the Anger Market, makes some excellent points. It's a wake-up call to all Democratic candidates who think they can capture the voters' attention with specific step-by-step plans. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have been the most successful at stoking the voters' fear and loathing.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump is shrewd enough to NOT strain his audiences' intelligence by boring them, or going over their heads, with any specific plans or details. “I'm gonna build a huuuuuge wall and make those dirty Mexicans pay for it!” “Take that Muslim bitch's overcoat away from her and throw her out in the snowbank!” The audience goes into an orgasmic frenzy of hatred, and they don't even have to comprehend any big words or listen to any boring details.
Bernie Sanders is just as skilled at dialing into the public's anger, and he doesn't even have to scapegoat poor people, minorities or refugees. “Congress does not regulate Wall Street … WALL STREET REGULATES CONGRESS!”
“[Wachovia, an American bank later acquired by Wells Fargo] aided Mexican drug cartels by laundering billions of dollars in their cash. Yet the total fine for this offense was less than 2 percent of the bank’s $12.3 billion profit … and no one went to jail. No one went to jail.”
“If you [financial barons] do not end your greed, we will end it for you.”
All right! But then Bernie takes the wind out of his sails by following up his rhetoric with step-by-step details on how he's going to accomplish this. NO!!! Damn it, Bernie, this is America! Most voters don't give a fuck about (or comprehend) the derivatives market, reinstating Glass-Steagall, yada yada. Huh??? Do what now? Oh look, something shiny!
The follow short comedy clip should be a constant reminder for any politician who might forget who his/her audience is, and how to communicate with them:
the Almost Live Lame List
Labels: Almost Live, Bernie Sanders, Gail Collins, Lame List
posted by Tom Harper @ 5:12 PM
6 Comments:
Can't stop laughing over the parallels between the debate audience and the "Lame List" guys. It shouldn't be funny -- it really shouldn't -- but somehow it is. That might be the saddest part of all.
I am surprised at myself...but, I do agree.
SM: I love the Lame List, plus most of the other recurring skits on Almost Live. It's too bad those "Lame List" skits have to be used as a guide -- or anti-role model -- for politicians, but these are the "interesting times" we live in.
jadedj: Sad but true. George Carlin and P.T. Barnum are both shouting "I told you so!" from their graves. Or maybe they're thinking "Holy Shit, Americans are even more gullible than I thought."
In some ways Trump reminds me of the last "peoples billionaire" Ross Perot, an expert of appealing to the common man despite his taxpayer subsidized billions.
They eventually cornered Perot for details and he eventually stumbled. Perhaps Trump will do the same, if he's stupid enough to consent to an Interview.
Erik
Erik: Perot is a reminder of just how far the level of discourse has plummeted in this country since 1992. He was easy to make fun of, with his charts and graphs combined with that folksy manner.
I think Trump will have his public un-raveling at some point, no question. There was a meme on Facebook today that showed Trump paraphrasing his own slogans about The American Dream, and he's just falling all over himself, repeating the same phrases over and over. The caption was something like "remember when you told the teacher you had read the book for a book report, but you hadn't read it, and the teacher has said 'OK, what was the book about?'" Anyway, I didn't tell it very well, but the FB photo was hilarious.
Bernie has one policy specific for everything.....throw money at it.
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