#35 / No We Can't

John Cassidy, a writer for The New Yorker, has just deconstructed the meaning of the Democratic Party caucus results in Iowa. I think his article is worth reading.

Cassidy's article is headlined by a claim that "Bernie Sanders just changed the Democratic Party."

I am not sure that this claim about changing the Democratic Party is actually true, but I do think that the basic point that Cassidy makes is right on target. 

Bernie Sanders is running a campaign that holds out the possibility of real, positive political change. Barack Obama did the same thing, in 2008, building his successful drive for the Presidency on the promise, "Yes, we can!"

Hillary Clinton, so far, seems to be running with a program that tells primary voters, "No, we can't."

As Cassidy says, "In Iowa, at least, that didn’t prove to be a winning message." Nor is that likely to be a winning message anywhere.

Take it from Robyn Morton, a blogger who has reacted badly to this "No We Can't" appeal. 

The fact is, the human world that we construct is always open to new possibilities. The laws that govern our human world (unlike the natural laws that govern the physical universe) are laws that we enact ourselves. 

It's not easy, but we can change the world.

Don't let anyone (including political candidates) ever tell you we can't!

Image Credit: 

http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/bernie-sanders-just-changed-the-democratic-party