While independent Senator Bernie Sanders is not my political cup of tea, I do believe that he is an honest, decent man.
In his satirical pieces at the New Yorker, Andy Borowitz is generally right on target capturing the essence of politics and the qualities of politicians — good or bad.
He does so again today with a piece on how presidential candidate Bernie Sanders “is gaining legions of new admirers by shamelessly pandering to voters who want to hear the truth…”
Borowitz writes that critics of the Vermont Senator say that “Sanders has cynically targeted so-called ‘truth-based voters’ to build support for his Presidential bid” and quotes a political strategist as saying, “People come to Sanders’s rallies expecting to hear the truth, and he serves it up to them on a silver platter…It’s a very calculated gimmick.”
Borowitz satirically adds:
But while Sanders’s practice of relentlessly telling the truth might play well in states that are rich in truth-based voters, like the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, critics say that his campaign could stall in states where the truth has historically been less important, like Florida.
Borowitz concludes with words of caution that at some point in Sanders’ campaign voters are going to get “truth fatigue” and start wondering “Is that all he’s got?” He quotes a Sanders critic who is “eagerly waiting for the Sanders phenomenon to come down to earth” saying: “Telling the truth may be working for Bernie Sanders, but it shows a serious lack of respect for the American political system.”
Having seen how so many Americans idolize a man who runs his presidential campaign based on hate, misogyny and ridicule, I am taking the liberty of paraphrasing Borowitz’ words for non-satirical purposes:
“Being vulgar, offensive and disrespectful may be working for Donald Trump, but it shows a serious lack of respect for the American political system.”
Read more here.
Lead photo: Albert H. Teich / Shutterstock.com
Follow Dorian de Wind on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ddewind99
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.