The Case of Trump and Sanders
Elio Delgado Legón
HAVANA TIMES — Over the past few years, certain developments in the United States reveal that the country’s electorate is disillusioned with traditional politicians, be these Republican or Democrat, and that support for candidates who offer true change is growing.
Change, as expressed by the slogan “Yes, we can,” was the key word of the political campaign of Barack Obama, who many analysts felt stood a slim chance of winning the 2008 elections (given the fact he was black and running in a profoundly racist country).
Obama, however, came out victorious in the primaries, defeating Hillary Clinton, and went on to win the elections against his Republican adversary by a wide margin. Even though he didn’t keep any of his campaign promises during his first term, he was reelected for a second term (perhaps in the hopes he would do so then).
Without a doubt, the US electorate is looking for something new, something that will bring change to their lives. This is demonstrated by the support offered during the primaries to Donald Trump, a man who is neither a politician nor behaves like one, who has had plenty of slip-ups during his public appearances and who has offered no coherent political program (but has rather criticized the country’s existing policies and both insulted and offended ethnic minorities, immigrants and even women in general).
Despite this, Donald Trump remains ahead in Republican Party polls. I still don’t believe he will be the presidential candidate, as he would never win an election against the Democrats, but the support he’s been shown to date is proof of how tired the country’s electorate is of traditional candidates.
Another curious case which confirms this impression is that of Bernard (“Bernie”) Sanders, a man who has always described himself as a democratic socialist and still managed to be elected senator in 2007, as an independent candidate in the State of Vermont. In his campaign for a Democrat nomination, he has been gaining ground in polls. While Hillary Clinton has lost ground, she is still ahead by a wide margin.
Hillary Clinton’s approval is being affected by an FBI investiation into the use of a private server for official matters during her time as Secretary of State, something which is prohibited by law. In the event Clinton had to withdraw from the race, Sanders and current Vice-President Joe Biden would contend for the nomination. In such a case, Sanders would stand a good chance of winning, as suggested by the many people (mostly young) who attend his meetings and listen to his speeches and the far from insignificant 3.6 million followers on Facebook, where Hillary Clinton has only 1.4 million.
Should Sanders win the Democrat nomination, he would stand a good chance of being elected president of the United States, even though he describes himself as a democratic socialist and calls for a radical change of US politics, particularly foreign policy, something unthinkable in a country where, a few years ago, the word “socialist” was considered a curse. The times are changing, however, and minds, particularly those of the young, are more open, expecting nothing from traditional parties and instead supporting those who bring something new to the table, no matter what names people give it.
In other words you made your version up. No one else agrees with you John.
Cubans have been prevented from being made aware of all the facts except those that the Castros wanted them to know. Once aware of the facts, Cubans will make up their own minds.
At times, the Examiner offers an alternative perspective. That’s exactly what is missing in Cuba. There’s only one official opinion. Glad to see that you support a free press.
The antidote to the NYT is the New York Times Examiner website which tears apart the lies and inaccuracies in America’s leading newspaper.
Maybe the Cubans aren’t as enamored of the US as they might be because Fidel told them the real unexpurgated version of US foreign policy history .
I would challenge anyone who believes that the government of the United States is about doing good in the world to read just the INTRODUCTION to “Killing Hope” available free at the “Killing Hope” website.
I recently lent my copy to one of those who so believes and she could not finish it.
This is not at all uncommon among those to whom I’ve suggested this
29 page read.
That epithet was from an old SNL routine but if the shoe fits…….
You failed to deal with the very many points I included with the ad hominem especially about that socialist Obama’s method of introducing single-payer healthcare .
My definition of socialism comes from Marx and a host of other writers who themselves were socialists. .
I’ve suggested you go to an institution of higher learning and ask THEM how they define socialism but I know , for a fact, that you are afraid to do so.
Go watch Fox News and feel safe.
The Democrats are not going to win the White House. The corrupt & incompetent Hillary Clinton is crashing & burning. She’s more likely to end up in prison than in the White House. Bernie Sanders is a self-declared socialist, which makes him the darling of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, but a large majority of US voters will never elect a socialist. Joe Biden will jump into the circus after Hillary self-destructs, but Joe is more of a punchline than a serious candidate.
Despite the best efforts of the liberal media to pump up the Donald Trump clown show, he’s not going to win the primaries where real GOP members vote.
That will leave the field clear for the serious contenders like Mario Rubio, Ted Cruz, & Carly Fiorina to hash it out. My prediction is Rubio/Fiorina all be the Republican ticket & they will win the election.
I know many here will froth at the mouth over the prospect of a Cuban-American in the White House. The best thing about it is the “embolio” it will cause a pair of superannuated revolutionaries in Havana.
Hahaha. Yea, what a rag it is, that New York Times. And nobody watches that CNN channel in any of the 168 countries it is broadcast. I see your point.
I must admit the word “free” doesn’t spring to mind when considering a press owned by a handful of multi-billionaires and run in their own business interests. But more important, is it professional, truthful and enlightening? By those criteria it must rank as one of the worst countries in the world. No wonder US foreign policy is such a disaster when people’s only source of information is that trash.
I wouldn’t want to be restricted to following Cuban media, as I think they do a poor job of reporting the world. At the same time many Cubans have other sources of information. In certain parts of the island, Cubans can watch Miami TV stations. The hotel where we stayed in Havana had CNN playing in the bar.
While only a handful of Cubans could get into the bar and most of these were too busy to stand and watch it, inevitably from time to time a Cuban could watch the TV (if they could understand English).
And many Cubans have the experience of Moses’ family, speaking directly to Cubans and others who have been in the US.
Put aside all of the comments, some with great merit and representing the realities now in the US. The facts are very simple: The Democratic nominee will be elected President. The ongoing fiasco in the House is very simple: For years now the Republican Party has over and over again preached to the nation how pathetic our government is, and they are correct to a degree and corruption is beyond belief more so with Citizens United, and how we need to get government off our backs. Thus the election of some 40-50 Tea Party zealots to the House and some in the Senate, have led to the inability to legislate really needed matters vis-a-vis the crapola of Planned Parenthood, Benghazi, etc
John, you’re doing well in America! Mazel Tov! Wish I had cable and 8 (count ’em) TV news stations. I got rid of Cable/TV a while ago as I needed a CPA, attorney and bridge loan to pay the $225.00 a month bill for watching Twilight Zone. I’m doing Netflix but man are you living large pal! Elio hasn’t a clue what seven news stations are but someday…..
Moses, sorry I missed the insult. Let’s hope John can comment without resorting to such attacks.
” you magnificently ignorant anti-socialist scum”. Is that the best ya’ got, John? Not that you have ever debated your position with the facts, but this ad hominem attack is an all-time low, even for you. Speaking of facts, where is your source that corroborates your definition of socialism?
The US media is constantly running positive news on Cuba. I just saw a 30 minute program on Cuba on CNN. It was no less than the season-opener for the travel show on CNN hosted by Anthony Bourdain. Can you name a country with GREATER press freedoms?
When was the last time anyone saw anything positive about Cuba on the U.S. corporate media ?
I would bet that the ratio of bad to good would be around 100-1 in a country with so-called freedom of the press .
I think that after 54 years of the U.S. trying to starve them all out, they have a fairly good idea about the meanness of spirit abroad in the United Snakes and that killing people is just what people who support a brutal murderous empire HAVE to love doing.
The U.S. public loves guns and violence.
It’s hard for anyone in the world to not notice this fact and the Cuban people are right on the front line
Elio was as accurate in his analysis of the U.S. political circus as are his memories of the Sierra. .
FYI , you magnificently ignorant anti-socialist scum, the ACA was an Obama regime back-door strategy to institute government -run (SOCIALIZED ) healthcare .
It forces people to sign up with the existing FOR-PROFIT healthcare companies which they didn’t use before the ACA passed because they could not afford the premiums.
The government then has to pay the premiums for those who are too poor, thus backing into government ( communist/socialist) healthcare for all in that one fairly big step.
It might have been the one almost- good thing that foreign- born Muslim socialist has done since his election.
Bernie Sanders has zero chance of getting the Democratic party nomination, much less win a presidential election.
I watch about eight different news stations and while they repeat every bit of nonsense coming out of Trump, they carry so little of Bernie Sander’s issues and content or have him on a tenth of the time Trump is given .
The U.S. media is ALL about selling air time to sponsors. Their purpose is NOT to educate the electorate. They will put on anything or anyone who gets the viewers to watch in bigger numbers than their competition which drives up the amount of money they can charge for advertising .
It IS that simple and it IS why the corporate media cannot tell the unpleasant truths; it loses viewers and drops ratings.
Trump is to serious political thought as professional wrestling is to Graeco-Roman wrestling but he (as he said himself ) is an ENTERTAINER and the dumbed-down U.S. electorate loves to be entertained rather than have to think things out for themselves. .
The U.S. electorate loves Trumps celebrity, outrageous and illogical statements and shuns that boring, serious socio-political stuff coming from Sanders .
Trump entertains them . They don’t have the mind or inclination to get into the more serious stuff that Bernie talks about and which really affects their lives.
That having been said, Trump also has zero chance of getting either nominated or winning a presidential election.
The nominees of both parties will be center-right and although the electorate has no part in their selection , those selections will be reflective of the center-right nature of the U.S. electorate.
IMO.
The Castro-controlled Cuban media never fails to report any negative news regarding the US. What Cubans don’t know are the triumphs. My Cuban family was unaware that the US accepts more immigrants than the rest of the world combined. They didn’t know that more Nobel awards for advances in medicine have been won by Americans than any other country. Or, finally, that Americans are the most charitable people on the planet. There are these and many other things that Cubans are not aware of.
The thing I sometimes wonder about is what does the average Cuban know and think about the occurrence of all of the school shootings, in theaters and else where and of the 30,000 Americans killed by gun violence each year.
The question I ask is where does Elio get his information and is this shared by all of Cuba’s citizens or just the “elite!” You seem to have a semi-handle on the political playing field in the US so is this also what the average citizen sees in your country? I don’t think so and it’s amazing how you pontificate on the wonders of the revolutionary fight and yet your fellow Cuban citizens have little knowledge of what’s occurring in the US especially with regards to the ELECTIONS we hold yearly. It is sad and indicative of what is seen time and time again on how the average Cuban has no incentive
to work hard, make a better tool or refrigerator instead of just idly getting by and having zero motivation. Making $25.00 a month Elio doesn’t cut it and quite frankly if I was running the system you so highly speak of I wouldn’t be blaming anyone but the Cuban regime for buildings decaying, water trickling and an overall infrastructure that is on the verge of total collapse. Forget about US politics and get moving on improving life for your average fellow citizen! It’s disgraceful and if it wasn’t for the US Cuban remittances that are generating enormous incoming monies Cuba would be even in worse shape. Ah, the evil enemy!
Elio often struggles in his posts to accurately reflect the true spirit of everyday Cubans and now he fails miserably to opine on US politics. He erroneously fails to acknowledge President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which became law during his first term. Elio is wrong again when he criticizes Donald Trump. Despite Trump’s bombastic style, he has managed to avoid any off-color ethnic remarks. Hillary Clinton is not under investigation for her use of a private server. The non-criminal FBI investigation is based on the possible mishandling of classified information. Bernie Sanders has NO chance of winning the democratic nomination, let alone the US presidency. The word “socialist” is STILL considered a curse. Obviously, Elio is out of his lane in this post. He really should stick to those incredibly detailed 57 year-old accounts of his experiences during the Castro revolution.