A Slogan To Believe In

Political slogans are probably as old as politics. Every mass movement or campaign needs a slogan the masses can remember and chant. Thus we had Franklin Roosevelt promising America a “New Deal” and Harry Truman promising a “Fair Deal.” President Obama promised “Change We Can Believe In,” and the Trumpster wants to “Make America Great Again” (apparently by removing the regulations that prevent the Greedy Old Plutocrats, who are already exploiting the hell out of us, from sucking our last dollars out of our pockets)!

Last night I saw an interview of some supporters of Bernie Sanders. In the background was a sign saying, “A Future We Can Believe In!” All right, I have to confess my ignorance. The slogan on the sign was so close to “Change We Can Believe In” that I had to ask myself how a Hillary sign showed up at a Bernie rally. After all it is Hillary Clinton who has thrown a lip lock on President Obama's coat tails even though he is leaving the White House rather than arriving there. Yeah, I know the coat tails comment was a cheap shot. I will also admit there is nothing wrong with pointing out the many positive things President Obama has accomplished or promising to complete or improve what he started. But, thankfully, Bernie Sanders wants to go much further than that, and “A Future We Can Believe In” is not exactly a strong call for revolutionary action. Perhaps that is by design.

The Republicans are already trying to portray Bernie as a wild eyed socialist bogeyman who will deprive us all of the fruits of the free market money tree, and a slogan such as “A Future To Fight For” would give the Republicans something else to misrepresent. Now that I think about it, “A Future To Work For” sounds too much like a new years resolution. In that regard, “A Future We Can Believe In” is positive and offers a comforting continuity. Change, however, is never easy, and the changes we need to make will require some very heavy lifting. That is why I prefer something like “Build A Better Future With Bernie!”

We have to make people understand that regardless of the outcome of the impending Presidential election, we are in for a long and difficult struggle that will require an unrelenting effort from millions of Americans. Money never fights fair! The moneyed interests will oppose every reform and regulation with all of the considerable weapons at their disposal. They, the moneyed interests, will do what they always accuse reformers of doing; they will turn this into the type of class warfare we have not seen since the rise of labor unions!  That is why we must start with a dauntless reformer like Bernie.