Bernie Sanders "Leaning Toward" Running for President

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont says he is "leaning toward" running for President according to Huffington Post, which quotes the Senator directly.  The difficulty is how to find the money to run a credible campaign.  The need for money is because of the capitalistic media, which, except for debates, mostly avoids serious coverage of candidates like Sanders.  This is a tall hurdle to overcome.  I hope he finds a way to do it.


Bernie Sanders "Leaning Toward" Running for President


N.B.  Isn't it ironic that the page linked to here included an ad for a Citi MasterCard?  Citi Group is hardly a group which would escape the criticism of Bernie Sanders.  

The 2016 Campaign So Far: Where's My Sanity Pill?

By way of further preparation, today I examine the matter of early announcements for President by self-selecting "candidates."  Yes, I know this characterization can seem almost snide.  But if one looks at the facts, we see that campaign announcements are coming earlier, and the media glitz factor is going up.  Hillary Clinton, in spite of a folksy message, used all the latest computer "social media," techniques for her announcement.  

This campaign is going to be harder than ever to analyze on the merits.  I'll have more to say about this as time goes on.  

For now, we must all do our best to preserve our sanity, by holding on to the original promise of the country despite these nationalized "social media" campaigns.  

Thanks to The Hill.com

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From The Musical Patriot  --  

Ever since Bill Clinton in 1991,  major presidential candidate campaign announcements have been coming earlier.  It's as if the marketing sell campaign has been planned carefully, including the needed announcement date.  The earliest announcement in recent years was Barack Obama in 2007, almost two years before the next election.    Long gone are the days candidates did not campaign, following the conventional wisdom that to do so was beneath the dignity of the office.  Now it is "dignity, shmignity, I'm going for it!"

Dwight Eisenhower could have been called dignified, if not gray.  And Jimmy Carter had his rectitude.  So there is some history for self-selecting, then campaigning and holding one's personal dignity.

But what of the dignity of the office?  Ted Cruz is a grand-stander, not to be taken seriously except for the scary ardor of his "believers."  The other Republican candidates announced so far are little better.  On the Democratic side, as the The Washington Post observed, Hillary Clinton is more a celebrity than a politician.  

There is something slightly oily and seedy about this "campaign" so far which seems new.  The way forward for these candidates has been greased by big money.  The actual dollar amounts will come later, of course.  But for now, as in every year since about 1952, the Presidential election campaign is a media "show," as much as a serious endeavor of a great democracy.  This is a great tragedy.

The Self-Anointed

Before dealing with Hillary Clinton's announcement specifically, it is helpful to briefly set the stage.  We have already at least two "name" Republicans who have announced their campaigns for President, and now we have former First Lady Clinton.

The media-dominated nature of our Presidential contests is on full display.  Who among the American people would chose Cruz, Paul, or Rubio?  How many even know the names?  And Hillary Clinton is not exactly free from baggage.

I intend to make the profit system itself, that very damaging economic way, an issue in this campaign as far as this blog is concerned.  For instance, it is fine for Ms. Clinton to talk about the middle class.  But doesn't this sound like something from twenty years ago?  After all we have had the Occupy movement and people are concerned about poor people.  Perhaps I am not being completely fair to Ms. Clinton.  But the concentration on the middle class is how the media are portraying her effort from the little I have seen so far.  It is still early.  But we are back to my point about the media dominating things.  How I wish this campaign could be other.

More in coming weeks.