Dear Americans, Please Stop Dreaming of a Better Nation
Scaling back dreams? Is that what we want?
This political season seems decidedly more bizarre than others have been. It's not just the fact that someone as arrogant and ignorant about real life as Donald Trump is leading on the Republican side. What really troubles me is the assertion that we ought not aspire to achieve the best, most equitable and just solutions to our most serious problems because that is unrealistic, politically infeasible and dooms us to fail. This criticism of Bernie Sanders' platform is really unsettling.
This argument that we ought to tamp down our political aspirations has taken many forms as it is oft repeated by those politicos who seem terrified that Bernie might actually win the Democratic presidential nomination. Some say it's the difference between going with the heart or the head. Others have suggested that you have to ground yourself in reality to actually get things done. And still others seem to suggest that the reason Bernie does so well with young people is that they are somehow hopelessly idealistic and not yet willing to see the realities of political feasibility.
"Despite a half century of really hard work, I do not own a home, I have limited savings, and my retirement plan is Social Security--if I live long enough to actually retire. This is a far cry from what I dreamed for myself."
Wow. I think these arguments might be the most unacceptable and bizarre part of the presidential primary season. Who would ever want to ask our young people to scale back their dreams and goals? As Americans, I thought we have always prided ourselves on our unbridled optimism and our ability to do what others do not believe they can do. We are a nation of dreamers and a nation of doers. And I want every young person in America to keep attaching themselves to a powerful narrative of building a better future. My generation hasn't done so well so far in leaving a legacy of improved conditions, and Bernie offers that hope to me and to the young alike. That is powerful stuff. Why would we ever want to temper that?
The less flattering argument about Bernie's platform is that somehow the issues he addresses and solutions proposed are less well thought out or reflect some lesser degree of intelligent problem solving. That is insulting and just flat wrong. Every issue--from Medicare for all, single-payer healthcare to tuition-free public college to an end to mass incarceration to expanding and protecting Social Security to implementing a financial transaction tax to pay for these incredibly important plans--is grounded in the reality that so many people are being harmed by the lack of appropriate policy change for decades in Washington, D.C. For many years, Bernie stood alone as he demanded a different way to conduct business.
So, as I watch more debates and hear the arguments against Bernie, I stand more determined than ever. I was raised by hard working parents and taught to work hard myself. But despite a half century of really hard work, I do not own a home, I have limited savings, and my retirement plan is Social Security--if I live long enough to actually retire. This is a far cry from what I dreamed for myself.
As a young girl, I used to lay in my bed and dream of the kind of world I wanted to live in. The poster on the wall next to my bed featured a quote loved by Robert F. Kennedy that read, "Some men see things as they are and ask why. Other men dream things that never were and ask why not." In 2016, I cannot abide by any argument that seeks to diminish my nation to one that seeks to do just the possible or the palatable or the feasible. I stand with Bernie. I stand with all those who still dream.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This political season seems decidedly more bizarre than others have been. It's not just the fact that someone as arrogant and ignorant about real life as Donald Trump is leading on the Republican side. What really troubles me is the assertion that we ought not aspire to achieve the best, most equitable and just solutions to our most serious problems because that is unrealistic, politically infeasible and dooms us to fail. This criticism of Bernie Sanders' platform is really unsettling.
This argument that we ought to tamp down our political aspirations has taken many forms as it is oft repeated by those politicos who seem terrified that Bernie might actually win the Democratic presidential nomination. Some say it's the difference between going with the heart or the head. Others have suggested that you have to ground yourself in reality to actually get things done. And still others seem to suggest that the reason Bernie does so well with young people is that they are somehow hopelessly idealistic and not yet willing to see the realities of political feasibility.
"Despite a half century of really hard work, I do not own a home, I have limited savings, and my retirement plan is Social Security--if I live long enough to actually retire. This is a far cry from what I dreamed for myself."
Wow. I think these arguments might be the most unacceptable and bizarre part of the presidential primary season. Who would ever want to ask our young people to scale back their dreams and goals? As Americans, I thought we have always prided ourselves on our unbridled optimism and our ability to do what others do not believe they can do. We are a nation of dreamers and a nation of doers. And I want every young person in America to keep attaching themselves to a powerful narrative of building a better future. My generation hasn't done so well so far in leaving a legacy of improved conditions, and Bernie offers that hope to me and to the young alike. That is powerful stuff. Why would we ever want to temper that?
The less flattering argument about Bernie's platform is that somehow the issues he addresses and solutions proposed are less well thought out or reflect some lesser degree of intelligent problem solving. That is insulting and just flat wrong. Every issue--from Medicare for all, single-payer healthcare to tuition-free public college to an end to mass incarceration to expanding and protecting Social Security to implementing a financial transaction tax to pay for these incredibly important plans--is grounded in the reality that so many people are being harmed by the lack of appropriate policy change for decades in Washington, D.C. For many years, Bernie stood alone as he demanded a different way to conduct business.
So, as I watch more debates and hear the arguments against Bernie, I stand more determined than ever. I was raised by hard working parents and taught to work hard myself. But despite a half century of really hard work, I do not own a home, I have limited savings, and my retirement plan is Social Security--if I live long enough to actually retire. This is a far cry from what I dreamed for myself.
As a young girl, I used to lay in my bed and dream of the kind of world I wanted to live in. The poster on the wall next to my bed featured a quote loved by Robert F. Kennedy that read, "Some men see things as they are and ask why. Other men dream things that never were and ask why not." In 2016, I cannot abide by any argument that seeks to diminish my nation to one that seeks to do just the possible or the palatable or the feasible. I stand with Bernie. I stand with all those who still dream.
This political season seems decidedly more bizarre than others have been. It's not just the fact that someone as arrogant and ignorant about real life as Donald Trump is leading on the Republican side. What really troubles me is the assertion that we ought not aspire to achieve the best, most equitable and just solutions to our most serious problems because that is unrealistic, politically infeasible and dooms us to fail. This criticism of Bernie Sanders' platform is really unsettling.
This argument that we ought to tamp down our political aspirations has taken many forms as it is oft repeated by those politicos who seem terrified that Bernie might actually win the Democratic presidential nomination. Some say it's the difference between going with the heart or the head. Others have suggested that you have to ground yourself in reality to actually get things done. And still others seem to suggest that the reason Bernie does so well with young people is that they are somehow hopelessly idealistic and not yet willing to see the realities of political feasibility.
"Despite a half century of really hard work, I do not own a home, I have limited savings, and my retirement plan is Social Security--if I live long enough to actually retire. This is a far cry from what I dreamed for myself."
Wow. I think these arguments might be the most unacceptable and bizarre part of the presidential primary season. Who would ever want to ask our young people to scale back their dreams and goals? As Americans, I thought we have always prided ourselves on our unbridled optimism and our ability to do what others do not believe they can do. We are a nation of dreamers and a nation of doers. And I want every young person in America to keep attaching themselves to a powerful narrative of building a better future. My generation hasn't done so well so far in leaving a legacy of improved conditions, and Bernie offers that hope to me and to the young alike. That is powerful stuff. Why would we ever want to temper that?
The less flattering argument about Bernie's platform is that somehow the issues he addresses and solutions proposed are less well thought out or reflect some lesser degree of intelligent problem solving. That is insulting and just flat wrong. Every issue--from Medicare for all, single-payer healthcare to tuition-free public college to an end to mass incarceration to expanding and protecting Social Security to implementing a financial transaction tax to pay for these incredibly important plans--is grounded in the reality that so many people are being harmed by the lack of appropriate policy change for decades in Washington, D.C. For many years, Bernie stood alone as he demanded a different way to conduct business.
So, as I watch more debates and hear the arguments against Bernie, I stand more determined than ever. I was raised by hard working parents and taught to work hard myself. But despite a half century of really hard work, I do not own a home, I have limited savings, and my retirement plan is Social Security--if I live long enough to actually retire. This is a far cry from what I dreamed for myself.
As a young girl, I used to lay in my bed and dream of the kind of world I wanted to live in. The poster on the wall next to my bed featured a quote loved by Robert F. Kennedy that read, "Some men see things as they are and ask why. Other men dream things that never were and ask why not." In 2016, I cannot abide by any argument that seeks to diminish my nation to one that seeks to do just the possible or the palatable or the feasible. I stand with Bernie. I stand with all those who still dream.