A month or so ago, I wrote an angry note on the NPR site complaining that they shouldn’t lump Sanders in with Trump, and that he’s a legit candidate, etc. It got deleted, so, whatever. They suck. What I didn’t really “get” then was that NPR sees the two the same because they have a similar style.

What I really got from the first Democratic debate was that the main difference between Sanders and Clinton, aside from honesty and strategy, is that they have these wildly divergent styles. Sanders is rough, and he knows what most people, particularly white people, like to hear. Clinton, on the other hand, has a lot more appeal to the highly educated, well paid people who write for CNN and the bigger media.

These two, their policies aren’t that far apart. Their main difference is Clinton’s neoliberal voodoo economics versus Sanders’ traditional New Deal socialism. The rest of it is up for grabs.

Make no mistake, NPR is down for the neoliberalism. They might have roots in the journo and academic world, but they’re also the stations with Jaguar, insurance, and stock trader ads. But that’s not why they align with Clinton so much.

They just like her personal tone and style, which exudes power and elitism.

The mainstream non-serious media like Trump, because he’s like television: elitist, but they know how to connect with regular people.

Sanders and Trump are disliked for the same reason - because they aren’t presenting themselves in ways that NPR and the mainstream news staff like.

Of course, NPR are blinded to the vast differences between these two populist candidates.

Sanders was a poor kid from a white ghetto who has developed a lot of middle class aspirations. He’s the rising middle class of the 60s. He’s also always angry, which is fine. That's why he wears the label of "socialism" - it's a way to say "i'm an intellectual, don't like the system as it stands, and am wanting to upset it." Being angry about being poor is the fuel that powers the engine of this country.

Trump is a rich prick from Manhattan; his dad was a landlord and they ran a bunch of apartments for middle class people, so, they know how to talk to working class tenants without pissing them off too much... but also always feel the underlying hostility built-in to the exploitation. Trump knows how to wear his wealth without upsetting average people.

So, what is Clinton? She’s the nice upper middle class or rich white lady from the nonprofit that’s here to run some program in the working class community. It’s probably educational. NPR. Clinton. They’re on the same page.

PS - there’s a whole other race and racism dynamic going on, particularly with white people, but I’m avoiding discussing that here. This is just about Sanders, Trump, Clinton and NPR.