Painting the Map Red

Resurgent socialism isn't only a story in Nicaragua. Right here in the land of the free and home of the brave, the world's oldest deliberative body is poised to welcome its first adherent of Marx. Actually, the US Senate has probably harbored more than a few fellow travelers over the years, but until now they all had the good taste not to rub our noses in it. They ran as Democrats, everybody played don't ask-don't tell, and we were happy, dammit!

But Bernie Sanders is under no self-imposed taste restrictions. He's out, he's proud, and he's poised to ride a landslide to victory for US Senate in Vermont.

Even from the state that spawned Howard Dean, it surprises me that a socialist can win high office in this country. You'd think all his opponent would have to do is point out to the voters currently enjoying all the benefits of personal liberty and a free market that his opponent is a SOCIALIST and that would be it.

How does Sanders get around the little impediment that what he advocates is altering the foundations of this nation's historical prosperity for a system with an unmatched record of worldwide failure? By shamelessly buying the voters, of course. A technique also known, by any good socialist, as redistributing wealth to favored groups. According to the Washington Post:

He brings home millions of dollars for veterans and the usual fat subsidies to quaint Vermont dairy farmers. It pays off for him every Election Day.

Bernie's got really crazy ideas," [Frankie Paquette] says. "But he's for the little guy who ain't got three dollars for gasoline in February. That's me and I'm for him."

In other words, as George Bernard Shaw once said, a government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul. Sanders, like any good socialist, gets that appeal.

Maybe the Constitutional framers were on to something when they designed the selection of Senators to be removed from the hands of the seething mob. Repeal the 17th amendment!

Sanders also benefits from a consistent message communicated from the media about why people need not worry about voting for someone with crazy ideas:

Vermonters are a ferociously independent lot who insist on voting for the person and not the party," said Matt Dunne, who is in a tight race for lieutenant governor. "This is part of Bernie's success."

And . . .

Sanders is popular because even if you disagree with him you know where he stands," said Eric Davis, a political scientist at Vermont's Middlebury College. "He pays attention to his political base. He's independent and iconoclastic and Vermonters like that."

As a fan of recycling, I'm sure Sanders is glad to see the Paul Wellstone reporting template being dusted off and used again to such an extent after all these years. A few reminders of what that was like:

But in Minnesota, one of the things they appreciated about him and one of the things he based his campaign on was, look, even if you don't agree with me, you know where I stand, you know what I'm about. So I know that the popular thing was the Iraq vote -- his vote against it, might in fact hurt him. I think probably the opposite is true, and that is it would have hurt more had he voted for it.

In countless conversations with Minnesota voters, Wellstone heard comments like: "I don't always agree with you, but I like it that I know where you stand."

Minnesotans elected Paul Wellstone not despite his strong convictions, but because of them. Like you said, they didn?t have to agree with him on all the issues, but they knew where he stood.

This kind of reasoning is only available to Democrats, of course. Good luck finding any testimonials to Rick Santorum in the press because, agree with him or not, you HAVE to respect him because you know where he stands.

For good or for ill, Bernie Sanders will certainly win Tuesday night. No need to stay up late for that result. Although it might be interesting to stay up and track who the first media person is to describe him as the new "conscience of the Senate" or "General Secretary of Compassion" or the like.