The giant American Capitalist status quo seems to think that U.S. workers are in their way, instead of being the reason for America existing. This heads us toward an increasing conflict that is begging for a solution. Therefore:
I would like to see Bernie Sanders nominated for President and Elizabeth Warren for Vice President. Why Bernie for President? Not because he is a man. Rather, because he is the strong visionary. Elizabeth is the strong planner.
Facing formidable radically-conservative Republicans, they together bring a practical balance of political and economic philosophy to winning the actual final election. Bernie has captured progressive-minded young people and is making inroads to the Black community.
Elizabeth recognizes that Democratic Socialism must persuade Capitalists it does not want to kill individual American financial initiative: that it is not selling Communism. Instead, that it seeks a Denmark-like collaboration between Capitalism and Socialism.
These two would bring two diverse complementary strengths to the ticket. Besides, with Bernie’s age, he might be a one time President. And Elizabeth could pick up the job from there with another eight years to go.
If Bernie and Liz won, they would together have a strong combined argument to propose they would strive to forge a win/win situation for both political and economic philosophies.
Democratic Socialism has a major weakness: it is perceived and presented by its enemies as Communism. That is the kiss-of-death to many middle of the road voters. Many Americans, particularly older ones, want to retain their ability to launch, own, and run their own business ventures.
If private initiative is perceived to be taken from them by Democratic Socialism, it will likely lose its opportunity to gain a foothold in America. Better the known greedy Capitalistic system than the unknown idealistic one.
Of course, if they won, Bernie and Elizabeth would have to collaborate in defining priorities. For instance, trying to destroy the profit-making medical industry would prove immensely difficult to accomplish. Likely impossible.
However, offering a non-profit, single-payer government option to Americans invents an interesting dynamic. Allow a new universally-available non-profit option to exist with Obama Care and America’s overpriced for-profit option and we create a refreshing competitive angle to our health care.
If the for-profit medical industry fought against that, they would prove they are not primarily interested in Americans’ health, but rather want to retain their monopoly purely for their own selfish motive.
Assuming the non-profit medical plan were achieved, then Bernie and Elizabeth could focus on the time-sensitive existential issue of climate change, and make headway toward universal non-profit education, allowing private schools to continue.
If Democratic Socialism does not protect private enterprise in America, it is exposing its highly vulnerable Achilles heel. Two third of Americans would like a more human-oriented society. But don’t want to passively huddle inside a government owned economy.
Tens of thousands of American manufacturing, climate-managing, child-care, and other jobs could be offered to now economically-challenged Americans and refugee immigrants by entrepreneurs wanting to compete internationally. Republicans aren’t going to come up with such ideas.
Democrats are going to need to devise and sell such a new vision that refines, not replaces, Capitalism. This is a practical matter. No socially-obsessed philosophy is going to be allowed to knock street hot dog stands, street musicians, and tens of thousands of other individual American entrepreneurs out of the ballpark.
Someone might ask: what about Bloomberg? Just as Trump jumped from Democrat to Republican, Bloomberg has jumped to Democrat. Get real. He’s just a Republican who’s temporarily rebranding himself.
So, for what it’s worth, I vote for Bernie and Elizabeth as our best bet. If they will refine their pitch and place truly competitive alternatives into the Presidential race, they’ll thereby pick up a lot of political fence sitters to their cause.
