How I feel about Bernie

I get a kick out of Bernie Sanders -- I love his NY accent and down-to-earth style. He's not a phony (to quote Holden Caulfield - "Catcher in the Rye" for those too young to know). And, I agree with a lot of his take on things. We do need a democratic socialism that puts people before profit and so on.

But that's not what's at stake here.

It's not about what "I" or "you" like or want.

If we get outside the left-intellectual bubble, I think what most people (aside from the 30-40% Trump base) want at this point of crisis is a return to normalcy, to democratic and civil norms, respect for laws, human decency, coherence. I don't think most people want a revolution. Even Elizabeth Warren's talk of "deep structural change" - and she's been my favorite candidate up to now - what does that mean? I don't think that's what most people are looking for at this juncture. Right now, I think the majority see a return to "normal" politics as I've described it above is the essential step now without which no social progress can even happen.

I don't see Bernie's stance meshing with that. He could well turn off or scare quite a number of middle-of-the-road voters, spurring them to stay home on election day. (And Trump will surely use his past left history to the hilt, video clips and all.)

With Biden's campaign apparently weakening, Buttigieg and now Klobuchar are picking up support from just such voters. As some media columnists are noting, their combined results in Iowa and NH exceed Bernie's, and Bernie and Buttigieg have been neck-and-neck. That tells us something. It all could shift with the upcoming primaries, so we'll see.

Of course, I could be wrong ...