As a followup to my post yesterday Against Self Interest, I found this entry by Representative Bernie Sanders of Vermont which illustrates my point perfectly. He’s an Independent from Vermont who votes with the Democrats but breaks with them on many issues where they lean too far rightward. And he gets elected term after term in a District that is not Liberal in many ways. He gets the support of those who disagree with him on key issues and he gets it consistently because they know where he stands, they like his integrity, and they know they get a fair hearing from him, even when he disagrees with them.

It’s a lesson the Democrats have to learn to be able to win.

Here’s Bernie in his own words, click on the link for the entry to get the whole thing. He’s guest blogging this week at TPMCafe.

Let me be clear. I am staunchly pro-choice. I am a strong environmentalist. I have consistently and actively opposed George Bush’s unilateralist foreign policy and his decision to take this country to war on the basis of false information. Not everyone who votes for me agrees with me on these issues. I do very well with rural conservatives — many of whom are opposed to abortion; are very leary of environmental restrictions and who (at least initially) stood behind the President on Iraq. But they know I am with them on the issues that have immediate relevance for them and their families.

Too often Democrats see that last sentence and think “pander baby, pander”, seeing it as an indication that what has relevance for these people is a narrow self-interest. But what has relevance for them and their families is not milk subsidies as much as it is a functioning economy where people can afford milk, because they know that their kids have to live in that economy. Just because someone will take a handout doesn’t mean they feel good about it or prefer it to a society where safety nets are for emergencies, not buying votes.

I think this is actually where bush falls down on the Social Security issue. He believed he could sell his attempt to destroy Social Security on the basis of making it appear he was putting money into people’s pockets with private accounts. But people are smarter than that. Even if there was a chance that they might win in the private account lottery he was selling they knew that not everyone would, and they have overwhelmingly rejected the attempt to pander to their selfishness.

The signs are everywhere but it appears the Democrats aren’t too good at reading them.