It is really weird to me that any Democrat thinks Sanders isn't a Democrat

[marym625]

I think back to the first Democratic Presidential Nominee that I understood much of what was going on. That was Senator George McGovern in 1972 and I was 8 years old.

Obviously, at that age, my understanding was limited. But I was a smart kid with incredibly intelligent parents that made sure we knew what was going on in the world.

In today's political climate, I see so much, especially from neo Democrats, about how the populist movement is wrong, short sighted, socialist, naive, etc etc etc. But if you look at where we are compared to where we were back in 1972, the current populist movement seems conservative to me.

There is no doubt that McGovern, who lost by a landslide, was on the liberal side of the Democratic spectrum. But his loss is attributable to many more factors than his actual politics.

Just as a reminder to people, or a history lesson for the younger Populists, here's what McGovern wanted as far as taxation. If he had been elected, what a different world we would be living in. A much better place as far as I am concerned.

The most urgently needed change in our systems of taxation and public assistance is to place far greater emphasis on fairness. Each American should feel that he is getting his money’s worth and that he is being treated exactly like every other American. Each American should pay his fair share and each American should receive his fair share. That is clearly not the case now.

The federal tax system is basically sound, although it has been riddled with special privileges for the rich. We should move now to establish a fair tax system for all Americans.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1972/may/04/george-mcgovern-on-taxing-redistributing-income/

Go Bernie!