Kshama Sawant launches petition for Bernie to run Independent
Kshama Sawant, the socialist Seattle City Councilmember, has gathered over 100,000 signatures asking Bernie Sanders to run as an independent.
Blocked by the Democratic Party
Yet it has become increasingly clear that the Democratic Party establishment is completely opposed to this political revolution. Rather than support the candidate who is best positioned to stop Trump and the Republicans, they are hell bent on defending the Wall Street and big business interests who bankroll them.
That's why I've launched a petition urging Bernie - if he is blocked in the rigged primary process - to run as an independent, or as a Green on the ticket with Jill Stein. If you agree, sign and share my petition today!
I signed. She's right, the game is fixed. The elections are rigged. Bernie should not be bound by a rigged election. It's time this revolution got real. No Kerry moment when the election is stolen and he does nothing. No letting the status quo stand. Keep up the fight.
But what about Trump?
If electing a Republican is really Bernie's main concern, there is no reason he could not at least run in the 40+ states where it's absolutely clear the Democratic or Republican candidate will win, while not putting his name on the 5-10 closely contested “swing states.” This could still allow for a historic campaign if linked to building a new party for the 99% and laying the foundation for an ongoing mass political movement to run hundreds of left candidates for all levels of government, independent of corporate cash.
And she makes one more very good point:
the confidence and energy our youthful, working-class political revolution will turn into demoralization and disorganization if the movement is corralled into Clinton's Wall Street funded campaign - the exact opposite of a political revolution!
So sign up. Run Bernie Run!
Comments
Sawant petition
Good ideas. I especially like the "ask Bernie" approach. Respectful. I signed a while back. Go Sawant!
I'm glad this is being broadcast
and it is my understanding that Kshama Sawant of Socialist Alternative wants Bernie as a possible Green Party VP or running 3rd party. She rejects the false political dichotomy of Hillary/Trump. It's just a scare tactic like terrorism.
As is commonly known here and elsewhere, Green is polling at 4% (and rising) which translates to 5 million votes if the GE were held today.
I'm guessing it would be cost-effective to run Sanders as Green VP. Maximum damage against the two oligarchy candidates, and minimum need for name recognition.
Victory is to be found in the message itself, not in the elusive POTUS win.
As Chris Hedges once said in his Chatauqua lecture of 2013, quoting Ralph Nader and his POTUS campaign as a Green in 2000: "If we can get 5, 10, 15 million people as a counterweight, we can begin to frighten the power elite." Green Party got about 3 million that year. Libertarian Party can't touch that record, never have and most likely never will.
Besides, in 2016 GE you can be sure that electoral fraud will be epidemic come November, the Dems trying to cheat the Rethugs and vice versa. Jill Stein and Bernie will have no part of this.
Allegiance by the internal vote fixers, probably it's done by mercenary software engineers affiliated with covert intelligence groups, it would simply be going to the highest bidder.
I can't foresee any third party beating Perot's historic campaign (19% of voters, 20 million total votes) back in 1992. But I'm thinking minimum 10 million votes for Green by Nov. 2016. And that would set the stage for a bigger breakout in future elections.
I look for the outlook to change rapidly around August 1
I think Trump is keeping his powder dry and will come out with his real campaign after the Dem convention and she is the official nominee. At that time we will see the real dirt that Trump has accumulated. I think changing the party from inside is about as reasonable as staying in the Mafia in hopes of changing that organization. If Clinton is not forced to step down as the nominee a third party run by Bernie would make a lot of sense.
federal RICO statutes would apply to DNC and RNC
once sufficient evidence can be established wrt electoral fraud.
Another thing to keep in mind. All the curves for greenhouse gases, global temps and related positive feedback loops are going exponential. It looks linear but when the curves start sky-rocketing into the unknown, this year or 2017, it will be too late and it's all over except for the dying.
Perhaps the gov knows this and wants the most draconian candidate in office, someone who thinks nothing of mass die-offs on a very large scale
and has no qualm about declaring martial law, FEMA camps, nuclear war fast and furious. Hmm, could that be a certain Madam who knows coup d'etats like the back of her hand?
I'm not sure
If this idea is a good one anymore. I would love to see a Sanders presidency, but isn't he a man of his word? He gave his word he wouldn't run independent, so if he is a man of his word, then these petitions are just wasted feel good effort on our part. And if he does run independent, then he is no longer a man of his word, and sadly becomes attackable on his trustworthiness and integrity. I know that idea is laughable, given the current presumptive nominees, but that is an unfortunate truth.
I would much rather he run as VP for Jill Stein, as that would be a winning combo, and have the benefit of creating a viable 3rd party to stop (or at least slow) the rightward, oligarchal drift we've been seen our nation travel. Plus, I'm pretty sure "sore loser" laws don't prevent someone from being VP on a presidential ballot after losing a nomination, and him doing so wouldn't break his word to not run independent. Pretty sure he can be a Dem VP on a non-dem ticket.
I know, I'm really torn on this issue, too.
on the one hand, we respect him precisely because he has integrity and keeps his word. But on the other hand, when he said those things, it was with the assumption that the primary would be a fair contest.
But in the end, as much as I'd love him to run independent, I don't think he will and I'm not sure he should. Maybe he could put some support and energy behind Jill Stein, though.