Sanders invokes FDR to defend democratic socialism

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Politico:

Bernie Sanders sought to wrap himself in the mantle of Franklin D. Roosevelt on Thursday afternoon, seeding a long-anticipated speech about his brand of democratic socialism with references to the successful efforts by the New Deal architect — who has also featured in Hillary Clinton’s campaign — to end the Great Depression.

 

“Against the ferocious opposition of the ruling class of his day, people he called economic royalists, Roosevelt implemented a series of programs that put millions of people back to work, took them out of poverty, and restored our faith in government. He redefined the relationship of the federal government to the people of our nation. He combatted cynicism, fear and despair. He reinvigorated democracy. He transformed the country, and that is what we have to do today,” said the Vermont senator, an independent who caucuses with Democrats while identifying as a democratic socialist.

 

“And, by the way, almost everything he proposed, almost every program, every idea, was called ’socialist.'"

 

Sanders’ address, which his campaign team had previewed for weeks amid escalating primary season questions about his Democratic credentials, but which was announced only on Wednesday, came just hours after Clinton, the front-runner, delivered a high-profile address of her own in Manhattan — outlining her vision for countering the Islamic State.

 

Sanders stuck primarily to domestic policy — referring frequently to Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pope Francis — and only veered into international affairs in the wake of the attacks in Paris at the end of the speech, instead opting to defend his ideology against what he characterized as “attacks.” At times, the address was an echo of his stump speech, down to individual statistics on income inequality he likes to repeat at his signature mega rallies.

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Bernie the Red.