Glenn Greenwald Compares 7 Stages of Establishment Backlash Against Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders

    Jeremy Corbyn, left, recently elected head of the U.K. Labour Party, faced challenges similar to Bernie Sanders’ throughout the Brit’s campaign and beyond. (Corbyn photo by Alastair Grant / AP; Sanders photo by David Becker / AP)

Glenn Greenwald, journalist with The Intercept, has done a great job of recording how establishment reactions to the rise of Bernie Sanders here in the U.S. feel a bit like British déjà vu.

From The Intercept:

Just as was true for [Labour Party leader Jeremy] Corbyn, there is a direct correlation between the strength of Sanders and the intensity of the bitter and ugly attacks unleashed at him by the D.C. and Democratic political and media establishment. There were, roughly speaking, seven stages to this establishment revolt in the U.K. against Corbyn, and the U.S. reaction to Sanders is closely following the same script:

STAGE 1: Polite condescension toward what is perceived to be harmless (we think it’s really wonderful that your views are being aired).

STAGE 2: Light, casual mockery as the self-belief among supporters grows (no, dears, a left-wing extremist will not win, but it’s nice to see you excited).

STAGE 3: Self-pity and angry etiquette lectures directed at supporters upon realization that they are not performing their duty of meek surrender, flavored with heavy doses of concern trolling (nobody but nobody is as rude and gauche online to journalists as these crusaders, and it’s unfortunately hurting their candidate’s cause!).

… Britain is well into Stage 7, and may even invent a whole new level (anonymous British military officials expressly threatened a “mutiny” if Corbyn were democratically elected as prime minister). The Democratic media and political establishment has been in the heart of Stage 5 for weeks and is now entering Stage 6. The arrival of Stage 7 is guaranteed if Sanders wins Iowa.

To read all of the stages Greenwald describes, click here.

— Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata