ilinamorato

Looking at Bernie's history, I don't think there's any way he would disagree with you.

Right, and that's one thing I'm worried about. Because at some point, it no longer becomes his choice. The man will die someday, and if he dies in office without an appropriate successor coming up behind him, things will be quantifiably worse.

Must be something to do with the circles people run in. I've heard the word quite a bit for the past ten years or so; for example, a Star Trek podcast I listen to made a joke about a character from Deep Space Nine being milquetoast (calling him "Lt. Toast"), and they kept that joke running from 2017 through 2022 or so.

There's no vacation/retirement from social justice.

He doesn't have to fight in this way until he dies. He needs to select a successor, he needs to make sure that the next generation can continue the work, he needs to pass on what he's learned. Lives have chapters, and he needs to be free to flip to the next one: being an elder statesman.

Do I think he deserves some peace and quiet? Of course. Is he going to get any? Sadly, I don't believe so. He's been fighting the good fight his entire life...

Oh, I definitely believe he's continuing because he has to. I wish it wasn't so.

Him stepping back doesn't mean we get a younger Bernie as a replacement.

Certainly not. But Vermont hasn't sent a Republican to Washington since 1989 (unless you count Jeffords in 1994 and 2000, who left the GOP in 2001), and has solidly reelected Sanders (a self-described socialist) to four terms, making it a reasonably safe seat to field a strong progressive voice for.

He's been doing this long enough that there should be plenty of younger Bernies, not even waiting in the wings, but in active government.

Agreed. One problem with this is, of course, gerrymandering; another is that Democrats are staying in office until they're very old. There are plenty of younger Bernies who have tried to get in the game, only to be shut out by establishment Democrats with more money, or by a Republican party that drew the maps to specifically deny leftist voices the chance to be in office.

But there aren't. The closest we got is AOC. And we could use a few dozen like her.

...elected to replace a weak establishment Dem in a very blue state. I agree, but the systemic problems are something we need to really go after if we're not going to do all of this over again every four years.

Bernie isn't holding anyone back.

I don't think he's holding anyone back, at least not actively. I think his presence is just not encouraging the people who could replace him to get in the game.

It would be odd if he was.

Absolutely agree. He really doesn't seem the type.

When he goes, he's likely to be replaced by a milquetoast neolib at best.

There I disagree, but then again I know nothing about Vermont politics.

I mean, I'm not sure what else you expect him to say.

He's doing a great job. When I say Pelosi and Schumer should go, it's because they're cowards at best and traitors at worst and they should be replaced by young people who are...not those things. When I say Sanders should go, it's because he's done a great job, he deserves a vacation and the opportunity to write his memoirs, and there should be someone younger at the ready to take the mantle.

It is still falling.

Nobody cares about ten days. Nobody cares about steep but temporary dips. Certainly not Elon. But the long-term, sustained drop? A three month period where the stock has burned off all the gains it's made since October? That's the stuff people in business care about. They can weather a few days of bad press. When it goes on for months, shareholders start to get grumpy.

Honestly I think Bernie should go too. He deserves a good retirement after a long career of solid work. We need people in office who can run the show for the next thirty years.

From what I've read, he's being pretty clear about primarying moderate "Democrats" and voting out Republicans.

You're looking at the 5-Day graph. Look at the six month graph.

What? It's been steadily dropping since the inauguration. It gets slight bumps here and there, but it's essentially in free fall. It's now lower than it's been since October, and it hasn't had a plunge that lasted this long since late 2022 (and that one wasn't nearly as steep).

Especially when the recession starts in earnest.

Back during the Great Depression (maybe we should start calling it the "first Great Depression," unfortunately), the shantytowns that homeless people started putting together near sources of aid were dubbed "Hoovervilles," after US president Herbert Hoover, whose policies and lackluster response to crises were largely seen as the reason for the Depression.

I betcha the next Hoovervilles will be called Trump Towers.