Can A Disruptor Win Against Trump?
By Thom Hartmann A...
Americans love disruptors, and always have. It's part of our political DNA, stretching all the way back to the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson ran for president as a disruptor, dedicated to bringing down the conservative regime of John Adams who had already put more than 20 newspaper owners in prison for saying bad things about him. Andrew Jackson ran as a disruptor, promising to close the Second Bank of America and return economic power to average Americans. Abraham Lincoln's disruption, although painful, altered our country forever for the better.Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt massively disrupted the fabric of America, and Americans loved them for it. Jack Kennedy ran for president as a disruptor, and after he was assassinated his vice president, Lyndon Johnson, lead one of the largest revolutions in American history with the Great Society and the Civil and Voting Rights Acts. Bill Clinton campaigned as a disruptor, although he failed in that; Barack Obama promised disruption - "Change!" - and brought us a historic presidency and the Affordable Care Act.
Donald Trump ran as a disruptor and now sits in the White House. If Democrats want to take the White House back from Trump, they can't do it by being "nice," or promising to "work with Republicans across the aisle." The American people know that things are not right, and they want someone to blow the system up, metaphorically speaking, the way all those presidents just listed have in the past. This election is not about left or right, socialism or capitalism, or any other of the conventional wisdom.
It's about status quo versus disruptors. And a disruptor will win against Trump.
-Thom
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#2
I was almost convinced that the DEm nominee must be a centrist. That Bernie or Elizabeth could not win. I almost fell for that propaganda from the Right. I do not believe that now. I do believe that the Republicans will find a way to steal the election as they have done it successfully so many times. I had almost decided to stay home and not cast a vote because I do not believe my vote counts. Again they almost convinced me...But I have come to my senses. And although I still believe the Right will find a way to steal the election, we must stand up and make a large show of support for a candidate who represents old Democratic values.
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I completely agree that a disruptor is needed, but the question is obviously who and on what basis is the disruption formed. The electorate is dissatisfied with their status in our country and Trump has played the "swamp" card to perfection. That is not the card for Democrats to play. It seems to me that the country is looking for someone who can cheer them on into a life that works for them. The small business is hurting because it has been overtaken by big conglomerates. Malls have disappeared because they have been displaced by online shopping. The country is not developing jobs that pay enough nor diversity that provides jobs for the massive group who are struggling to pay their bills. As a retiree, I am confronted by a life that does not provide any income but Social Security and my means of living is based on savings that I have made. Since lives are longer than expected and savings are less than needed, the retirees need a support system that works for them without having to take major steps down from a middle class life to a subsistence life. It appears to me that the disruption is needed for the young people starting their lives and the retirees ending their lives. Both need opportunities and none are present in the current situation that rewards those with vast sums of money and holds the rest of us in the status quo or at a loss. My question stiill remains relative to who is the disruptor for these two groups of people where a large faction of voters is located to vote for a Democrat to replace Trump.