Democratic Socialists or main stream Dems. We've been electing "main streamers" for over 50 years and for

[TVguyCards]

140. Forward we go XD

Narrowing it to active politicians definitely helps his numbers by filtering out massively popular figures like Obama, but it doesn't change the underlying reality of the data.

Which makes Bernie Sanders the second most popular if we include everyone. Also, Obama is viewed positively by 57% of Americans. You know who has a bad ranking? Our party. And I want that changed and firmly believe it can be. The energy is on the lft right now and we must seize upon it.

The fact of the matter is that the country remains heavily fragmented. If 54% of the country is not on board (and you lack the broad support of Black voters) you don't have a clear path to "kick GOP ass like never before."

Why is it this only seems to apply to the left progressive and Socialist flanks of the party? I disagree, a lot. Why do I disagree? Well take a look at Republicans who are accomplishing A LOT (sure it's all a bunch of shit) despite them having such low approval numbers. Has that stopped them? No it sure hasn't. So why would it stop us? Especially if we're changing things to better the lives of poor and working class people. We're the antithesis of the GOP because we give a shit about others and through that legislation which truly helps people the numbers go way up.

Also, it's important to note that in modern politics, politicians with a lower national profile or hyper-loyal regional bases (like an independent Senator from a small state for example) will often carry better net favorability metrics because they don't take the everyday national media beatings that presidents, vice presidents, and congressional speakers do.

Bernie is very popular. And he ran twice. He takes a lot of shit from the media for sure. He also doesn't hold back and let things slide which is a reason why for his popularity, it's one thing among several. I'm not here to argue about Bernie however. I'm here because the times aren't changing, the times already have changed. 20 years ago Socialists in Congress was unthinkable. Today it's a reality. And that economic message rings true, rings loud, and is deafening.

My enthusiasm isn't so much about Bernie. My enthusiasm is about the ideology and how we have people who are locked in and focused on issues that impact the lower classes & centers it as their top issue. It's driving lots of hope and excitement in a time when the world is a very dark place and THAT is a very good thing! We Democrats are going to kick some serious ass!