Quote Originally Posted by jon1959 View Post
Sanders is the best of the bunch in the Democratic race - but although he describes himself as a democratic socialist, and his political enemies (Trumpers, Republicans, the some in the Democrats' party machine) describe him as a communist, he is really just a mainstream social democrat in European terms.

Nancy Pelosi has come out this week to say she would happily work with him if he wins the nomination and that says a lot about Bernie's threat to the political/financial establishment in the USA. His policies are progressive and mildly redistributive, but not anti-capitalist at all, and in some ways mirror Trump's 2016 appeal to rust belt voters.

If he does get the nomination the slander and vitriol against him will be ramped up. The treatment Corbyn got from a hostile media and political enemies (some of the most scandalous in the Parliamentary Labour Party) will be small change compared to what Sanders will face. However he does appear to be in a stronger position compared to Trump than Corbyn was compared to Johnson.
Bernie needs to distance himself from the current bunch of Democrats, maybe an election too early for Merica to embrace socialism, being loosely tied to Nanshy, Chuck, Nadler and Shitt does not help his campaign. He could possibly take a number of key Democrats friendly to socialism and who acknowledge the harm done by the mentioned and who want no part in their attempted coup, Bernie has a decent base to build on, and if he doesn't pull it off can set the ball rolling for someone like AOC to take it forward.