Ersatz Avenue: Dem Party Takeover is Unrealistic
Like many others, I have been hanging on every statement made by Bernie and his campaign since the Primaries 'ended'. He has chosen his words carefully, using semantics which most of the time leave room for an interpretation other than "he will eventually concede and endorse".
Gleaning these interpretations, honestly has been no easy effort. Followers (and much of the Nation, really) had hoped for something very concrete, particularly in his press conference in VT and his Live Stream address last Thursday. A clear direction; a clear statement of intent. An answer, perhaps, to some Yes-No's. However, it wasn't much of a surprise that this did not happen. The comments from Bernie and his crew have been deliberately ambiguous, leaving the MSM frustratingly and comically grasping for straws and the DNC absolutely fuming.
While that has been a consolation prize which has been fun to watch, I must admit that the undercurrent of the messages which has been coming from Bernie does not necessarily buoy me.
It is difficult not to interpret his words as an eventual step-down. "Our nation has become an Oligarchy" has been replaced with "drifting toward Oligarchy" - not an insignificant revision. If one is to accept wholeheartedly that Bernie speaks with an honest tongue, then in fact 'his' race is probably over; as his statements continue to suggest he will not make a foray outside of the establishment Dem Party. If one is to accept his campaign's messages with a wink-and-a-nod, then perhaps some room still exists for alternate interpretations. But, IMHO, this is getting harder to do than it was, say, 8 days ago.
While we smiled on Thursday at his strafing of the Democrats as an essentially Failing Party...a nosediving machine....the Rx he has Provided us is, in my opinion, the Wrong Medicine.
Young people nationwide have been tweeting about their impetus to seek public office; many websites have sprung up about electing a Progressive Congress.
The spirit is uplifting.
The Avenue, however, is completely Ersatz.
As Jill Stein noted at the beginning of this Primary season: "what is impossible is for a Truly Transformative Change to happen inside a(n established) political party - like the Democratic Party, which is controlled by the Wall Street banks and the fossil fuel giants and the war profiteers. The party has systematically taken down the candidates who actually have integrity, like Bernie Sanders does." https://www.rt.com/op-edge/334275-us-trump-super-tuesday/
If one follows the logic of this developing "Take Over The Party" Movement, it leads to the identical Dead End which the Primaries have just painfully illustrated.
Goal: Take 'back' the Dem Party
How ? : By bumrushing 'em with inspired, informed Progressive Candidates.
Funded by ?: Same funding mechanism Bernie has established; which CAN compete with PAC funding, as we have seen.
(this all sounds VERY good so far)
How do we get 'em into Office ?: We Elect them into office.
How do they get elected into office ?: By the people Voting them in - in Primary first, then Gen'l Election.
(you see where this is headin', now ?)
A Candidate gets Voted in by...?: Winning an election with a greater # of Votes than her/his opponent.
(Remind me which Party we are talking about, here ?): The Democratic Party.
(watch your head, here comes the boom)
The Democratic Party which has just shown itself to rig its Primary elections and intentionally push forward a pre-chosen Winner ?:.............
So, HEREIN lies the problem. The "Take back the Party" notion relies on doing this via a path (Primary Voting Season) which we know the DNC actually rigs with seeming Impunity.
And which we know will not get called out by the MSM.
So, while I agree with Bernie that the Dem Party is a national embarrassment and a failed mechanism at this point (as he aptly illustrated in his address)...it is very hard to make an argument that the Party can be Rehabilitated thru the avenues which it provides and will provide.
Like a stonemason who is continuously working on an impenetrable dike, the DNC is constantly and vigilantly checking their Gauntlet for leaks, and always maneuvering to patch those leaks and possible future fissures which might allow some fresh water to make it through.
Back to my initial comments, I am not certain whether this Take Over Theme is really a final card which Bernie is playing, and in fact he already has capitulated to the phony 2-Party general Election race...or whether his campaign is still holding some cards close to its chest, and this Theme is simply an apt subtext to introduce at the moment to maintain the Bern thru these difficult several weeks.....
As always, thanks for reading. I would imagine this particular piece may not sit well with some (or many), but as usual, I must say: Comments welcome.
Comments
Problem is the Earth doesn't bide its time....
If this were 2004, I would be more in agreement with a "let's just come together and plan and just wait until things get really, really bad - then we'll mobilize".
But the Planet is clearly saying, right now: Time's Up, Homies.
As A Railfan
I am privvy to plans to restore old locomotives. But due to the advanced deterioration most extant relics have endured for decades, few can pass the necessary standards for safe operation without incredibly expensive and increasingly rare restoration services. In addition, the necessary human knowledge to achieve this desired result dies off daily, so that eventually too few will know anything about the operation and maintenance of the Iron Horse to make it a worthwhile enterprise.
I see the major political parties of this nation in a similar light. Both deserve to be scrapped, for few useful parts remain for fewer repairable examples of public servants. Far better to promote the idea of newer candidates, technologies and philosophies rather than attempt to resurrect the walking dead.
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
3 ft gauge myself
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Durango-Silverton
Just so happens I took my first trip out to Colorado a few weeks ago. Road tripped around the state, made a stop in Durango and spent a day riding the narrow gauge train from Duragon to Silverton and back. Talk about amazing scenery, and it was cool to see how well maintained the train still is after all these years. Quite an experience.
Sweet. I come at it from a model railroad angle
I know its so wrong to like steam engines that burn coal....
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
An Apt analogy. Thanks
It is precisely what the Crooked Hillary campaign is banking on, actually. I have since early in the Primaries always felt that more than a campaign, hillary clinton was embarking on a 'training session' for Democrats.
Training them to be OK with things which, to a Dem, are completely unacceptable.
DNC has done a bang-up job, so far. And as you say, if ultimately successful...in a decade from now, nobody will much remember HOW the Locomotive used to run, or was intended to run.
Somewhat like the old railroad pocket watches
which kept time, as long as they were opened and cleaned yearly by a watchmaker. I inherited several from my husband. His watchmaker died before he did. The watch now sits under a glass dome, stopped (I should check the time of death), a museum piece.
OTOH, Guccifer 2.0 is supposed to do a hacked data dump at 10AM, EDT today. Tick, tick.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
IF the country is in the mess Bernie says it is, and
IF Hillary is the mess Bernie says she is, then
Bernie cannot simply quit and say, run for office. His word to the people is much more important than any promise he gave to the Democratic Party.
If this is all Bernie wrote, then it is business as usual and time to get the kids out of the country.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
No need to leave.
Reorganize around Jill Stein and push forward.
"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama
It would be interesting
If Bernie really bails, and he really has no intention of continuing his campaign for Prez....would Jill Stein off the bat start polling the 15% necessary to get her into network debates ?
I would think Yes.
then the followup question would be: would the Committee on Prez Debates (run by the GOP and DNC jointly) then change their rules to require a 25% poll threshold ?
Mm...?
21 states
Unfortunately Stein is only on the ballot in 21 states. It's hard to make an impact that way.
But - Ballot access deadlines are far from over
Greens have another 4-6 weeks. I think by the end of it, they will have made a good 40+ states...
Sanders and Greens need to act
If that's what's going to happen, Sanders and the Greens need to act immediately, Sanders needs to announce that he's running on the Green ticket, and that they need signatures and support immediately to get the Green party and Sanders as the nominee on the ballot. No waiting for the convention to see what the Democrats do. We all know what they're going to do, they're going to put the crown on Hillary's head.
Edit: Please don't interpret this as any disrespect toward Jill Stein. Sanders just has the momentum right now to make a major impact and create a real third party. Currently the Greens are well behind the Libertarians as parties go. A Green party that coalesces around what Sanders has started could be a real contender, much bigger than the LP.
No idea what Sanders is about
"We have to defeat Trump!" OMIGOD TOTAL URGENCY! Kevin Zeese:
The source from this is the WaPo:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2016/06/2...
Now either Sanders didn't do his research, or he's playing along with the Clinton plan here. Trump is Hitler y'know, except that by any actual observation of what he's doing, he's the decoy, a good friend of the Clinton syndicate doing the team a favor by winning the nomination and throwing the election. You know, like all those good Clinton friends who handle the details of election fraud so that Sanders could be punked out.
"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama
MSM seems to have swung toward reporting
that the Emperor has no clothes re Trump. They are eliminating him from the equation as a serious contender. I don't know what will happen to his "base". Back to watching football?
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Trump can go back to the WWE
His fans will go back to WWE-watching. I'm sure the scriptwriters will think of something for him to do.
"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama
Agreed, yet election fraud is still a problem
We must deal with election fraud, or give up electoral methods.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Yup...this is what we are facing
It can be put as simply as you just stated:
"is that ALL you got ?"
Again, either Bernie and Weaver are playing a deft game of bluff... they know there's only one very important card left to be dealt and are waiting...or they have capitulated but are trying to sell it as a non-capitulation.
I don't sleep well at night, these days....
Thx for comment
Be careful, magicsister will come after you
for criticising saint Bernie with a loud BULLSHIT, which she leveled at me a few days ago for similar arguments. This place is devolving into Daily Kos if this lack of respect isn't dealt with, sooner rather than later. I reported it to the administrator with no result.
Got a link?
No. wait, ignore that request, now that I have your attention.
But seriously, can you take such remarks private, please? If you've gone to the admins about anything and saw no result, write to them again. Better yet, call them out in a separate post if you think it so necessary. I've never been ignored by them, any time I ever wrote, and I'm not alone in that.
This place shows a couple signs of devolving into DK here and there, all right. All blogs have such potential--but somehow, I really don't see it being for the same reasons you see it, at least at this point in time.
Taft Hartley Act in 1947 is considered
the first act to start undoing the New Deal after FDR died. It took arguably all the money in the USA to get us where we are today.
The Sanders campaign was about 6 or 7k votes from winning the first 3 races. No candidate has lost the first 3 and gone on to win the nomination in the history of the Iowa caucuses. How many of those that read the above paragraph were aware of that fact? We were that close to knocking out Hillary Clinton in the 3rd round.
Every Oligarchy since the enlightenment (Post Black Plague) has fallen. The Dutch Empire, the Spanish Empire, The French Empire, the British Empire. 400 years of history is on our side.
I have posted my feelings before. I will not repeat that episode, except to say I cannot disagree more with the jist of this essay, get up off the floor dust yourself off, or turn on Netflix.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Interesting interpretation of early contests...
There's actually more than enuff evidence to suggest that Bernie actually won all of the early contests. Nobody wins 6 outta 6 coinflips. and NV was very suspect, as was ultimately realized at their Conv.
I find it funny- this "dust yourself off or get outta the way, you wussy" sorta attitude.
What exactly do you believe the PATH for change IS ? Are you NOT convinced that there is enough evidence to illustrate that the Primary Elections were rigged ?
If your answer to the former question is:"Keep fighting to change the Dems ! We can DO it ! "....I might wonder if you also get satisfaction out of repeatedly banging your head against a wall.
If your answer to the latter is: "get off that vote rigging conspiracy stuff"...I would have to applaud this as a display of Cognitive Dissonance which rivals that of any clinton or trump supporter. (If you care to ignore the IA fiasco, it becomes harder to ignore AZ, Herculianly difficult to ignore NY, and impossible to ignore IL).
I can also argue that for each Oligarchy which has fallen, there have been a dozen Warsaw Uprisings which have been horrifically put down. So, I can just as easily state "mmyeah, Revolts in their infancy get squashed- all the time".
For me, palliative recitations of "all Oligarchies Fall, so this one certainly will" are the absolute antithesis of "get off the floor and dust yourself off". Both being, IMHO lazily misguided under the circumstances (as is your insistence about losing the first 3 contests. If you double check the results - Bernie didn't lose the first 3 Primary season contests)
Roger--
You cannot have an electoral strategy for change without addressing election fraud.
I'm waiting for Bernie, or anyone with a larger audience than a successful podcast or website, to address it.
No doom and gloom, but if I've got no eggs and no flour and no sugar, I probably won't be able to make a cake.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
And the sun rises in the east
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Linky
http://www.essexethical.org/nov08.pdf
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&add...
Scroll down to post 25
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&add...
I've invested years on the issue of election fraud.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Well done and CBC (Congressional Black Caucus)
Well said, GeorgeJohn. I am results-oriented, like you, and I don't see Bernie having a viable end plan to salvage all the work, blood, sweat and tears his campaign has put forth to remake the Dem party. Indeed, the pro-Hillary CBC just "vehemently" told Bern his crusade to democratize the party isn't welcome, thank you very much.
http://www.salon.com/2016/06/20/congressional_black_caucus_comes_out_for...
Just Another Reason To Leave The Democrats Behind
The CBC has achieved a certain level of influence and control (at least as much as Hillary will allow them) and fear losing it. They are willing to freeze the power blocs in place, and to wield their religious conservatism to reverse the social positions the Democrats have taken over the past few decades..
In other words, they want the GOP of the 1950s, and they believe Hillary will give it to them.
Heading off to the Greens once the Convention is done.
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
The CBC may have pissed on their own kids and grandchildren
there. That move is sickening to me, a white woman.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Yup I saw that this morning too.....
If it wee March 2016, I would say it's "Shocking".
But it's June....so the only response I can muster is...."pfsssssssssssssphblllllttttttttttt".......
Disagree with the semantic claim.
What Sanders said during the campaign re: oligarchy:
""We are going to stand up and say no, this country is not going to become an oligarchy."
http://www.wweek.com/news/2016/03/20/bernie-sanders-tells-vancouver-this...
I don't believe he said "we are an oligarchy". The semantic shift is with respect to the rate that we are moving in that direction. e.g. i agree that "drifting" is much weaker way of phrasing the issue.
With respect to strategy, I think the key element is not to get too attached to the party. If the goal is to advance a set of policies, you organize around those policies and support political candidates who have fought for those goals, or show a commitment to fight for the goals. If there's a viable Green candidate, that's fine, same is true with a Republican or a Democrat.
I think the biggest opportunity is probably going to be in states where the GOP is dominant and where the Democratic Party is weakest. The machine states like New York, and New Jersey are much more challenging.
Some of these organizational and volunteer networks pre-dated the Sanders campaign, e.g. through Occupy and groups like the Working Families Party. But I think it remains to be seen how resilient they are long term. Expecting to win with an outsider like Sanders without any institutional support on the first goal was always going to be a long shot.
All of the skepticism with respect to the Democratic party establishment is merited. I don't think it's necessarily easier, however, to build up a national third party as an alternative from scratch. People shouldn't waste their time or money with party committees. However, time and money directed towards candidates or groups focused around the Sanders platform make sense.
It Wasn't Bernie Who Said This
It was Jimmy Carter. He said this both to Oprah and to Thom Hartmann. There may be other shows on which he said this, but I don't have the time right now to pursue this.
Maybe someone else will see fit to do so?
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
Sorry, I hold firm
I have seen several stump speeches, including one in person here in PDX. I oftentimes would find the live feeds in IN, MI, WV, CA, NY, PA...to name a few.
He has described the current political system in this country and how it operates- and has indeed stated this is Oligarchy, not Democracy.
His Revolution has been stated as a way to 'take it back'.
Not 'prevent it from getting there'.
The new intimation that we are "drifting towards" was never something which appeared prior to his Thursday address. the implication is clear: we are NOT there yet (again, a contradiction of earlier Stump statements).
can this be extrapolated to mean: "The Dem candidate will prevent us from going there if we come together" ?
Dunno...but it is a clear step-back in semantics.
Alternatively, (but I doubt word parsing helps)
he could go to the Convention, mention drifting again and suggest throwing out a drag anchor named Bernie Sanders. And the People have the oars. But that would be too clever.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
It's not only about Bernie.
Regardless of what Bernie says or does, liberals better start uniting fast. No matter which course we chose, unity and organization is essential to success.
Behind the Trojan Horsing of the Democratic Party by the Democratic Leadership Council in the 1980s was a combination of the Koch brothers, a number of corporate donors, skilled propagandists who were not overly particular about truth or accuracy and the Clintons, Lieberman and a bunch of Southern Democrats, quite of few of whom had harbored or were harboring Presidential ambitions.
At this point, most Democratic officeholders are big business/bankster Democrats who are powerful, wealthy, laser focused upon perpetuating the status quo and not overly particular about anything. I don't see a bunch of non-organized, non united, idealistic liberals taking over the Democratic Party from within. I am not certain it can be taken over from within at all.
On the other hand, I am not an advocate of forming one new party after another. Historically, they tend to go nowhere. I'd far rather see the left unite as force within an existing party. The new United Progressive Party is either affiliated with Bernie or trying to appropriate his symbolism, etc. I'd really like to know which is the reality.
Even though its actions and inactions have made taking the Green Party seriously difficult for me, I believe it is on the ballot in more states than any political party other than the Democratic Party or the Republican Party and is the only U.S. political party other than those two to have an international affiliate. It probably also has more name recognition than most U.S. political parties. Subject to knowing more about the United Progressive Party, the course I would recommend is uniting to make the Green Party more viable. However, I believe the Green Party has to become a lot better organized and more systematic and goal oriented than it seems to be. I don't think disaffected individuals wandering into that party are going to have much effect, either. So, again, unity is key. And the key to nationwide unity of likeminded people, followed by organizing, is fundraising.
Bernie has proven that liberals can raise money on the internet, if a person people know and trust is soliciting the funds. If Bernie is willing to play that role for a movement that is outside the Democratic Party, great. If not, the first step may be to find someone well-known who is willing to play that role and the second step would be fundraising. That, at any rate, is how I see it.
Unite and do what?
Get behind Hillary?
I dunno, maybe you were snarkin' there, a bit! Because you sure got this right:
And now you know why Jill Stein is allegedly being shut out. The Dems KNOW the Greens have a framework established, plus its international presence. And that has to terrify them.
Unite and be more of a force
The last two paragraphs of my post stated what I thought about what to do.
I appreciate a lot of what you say
although I think maybe you shortchange people a bit by suggesting the 'non-organized, idealistic liberals' label.
But honestly, I agree with the spirit of it - and I'd go further to say: that even IF Progressives mad a VERY organized, intelligent, and well-funded PUSH from within the party, it'd still fail miserably and end up being just a big waste of time, money, and energy.
I agree with you, the Greens seem to have the best infrastructure established; unfortunately they also have some (arguably unfair) reputations to overcome. I also have to say...I have seen the Greens seemingly bail or stumble when faced with actual, likely PATHS to some political seats/positions at the state and municipal levels (so am not sure what that was about - I cannot say it was simply 'inexperience in navigating the waters').
BUT, a charismatic leader would trump all of that (pun not intended).
I appreciate the idea that 'if not Bernie, then someone else'.
Unfortunately, I think if all of this fails to coalesce behind a strong Leader NOW, then a gradual coming together in 2017-18-19-20 is not going to create any sort of Movement which will make the DNC/GOP lose much sleep at night. Because, again.....they will have already completed their Lockdown on America by then.
Thanks for your astute commentary.
I'm not understanding this quote->
Do you mean by infrastructure, the green Party has Ballot Access in 20 states?
In a state like Arkansas, it requires only 1000 signatures. One person can do that over the summer. On the more difficult side California is expected to require 178k signatures. For perspective here in NY we got a tad over 80k sigs for Bernie, in about 30 days, 100% volunteer effort.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Thank you for your response.
Thank you for your response. I think we agree on most of the things I posted, so thank you for that as well.
I didn't mean to short change anyone, at least not any more than I was short changing myself.
I would expect something
would have happened by now to indicate Bernie is still on the same path he was on back in May. That it hasn't siggests Bernie has made a move in the other direction. Which is fine. Bernie has to determine his own exit strategy. We, on the other hand, need to find a path forward.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
Well said
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
patience is a virtue
Let's quit jumping to conclusions. In this thread there's been Bernie sold us out, the summit was to get us to fall in line, shut up and eat your shit sandwich and so on.
Lots can happen. I refuse to despair (at present). No matter what happens, Bernie is good for us and the country. Look how he's caused a conversation. I haven't felt the left this motivated since the 60's.
Keep hope. There is still a narrow path.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
LOL I hear ya
And that's completely fair.
Just wanna add, tho: Bernie is Sellin' Out, Summit is a Scam, and We Are Probably Doomed are all really quite relevant and valid positions and feelings to hold at the moment; again they can be reinforced; they aren't just panic-mode freak-outs.
Just as valid as "All Cards Haven't Been Played Yet, So Let's Just Keep it Togetha' " (FWIW, still my position - although as I wrote, it's taking significantly more effort to sustain and reinforce it than it did 10 days ago).
What I do NOT think is all that valid is the stuff like : "Well, Regardless...Thanks for Opening Up Our Eyes, Bernie ! "
Or "Wow, whatever happens from here... Look at how much we Americans have become Engaged Again !".
Those sorta thangs are just basically crappy, plastic Consolation Prizes; or throwing some Special Sauce on a sh#t sandwich.
yep. Was it over when
the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Fuck no! This was never about Bernie. As he said himself. This is way bigger than Bernie. Sure, we should build the Bernie Monument whether we win, or not, but not really is not an option.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
Persevere.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Thank you, good grief
I've really had it with the 'throwing in the towel' motif here already.
It's gotten so insistent so fast, the first thing I do is ask myself WHY it's necessary. I don't like the obvious answers, actually, so I hope I'm wrong.
Because it seems likely the corruption won't get media exposure
before the convention. Everybody on tv seems to be in cahoots with each other to pretend our world doesn't exist. I don't want us to be stranded with no solid plan B ready to go.
Beware the bullshit factories.
Fair enough; FWIW, original piece had no such motif
Other than stating: the scenario of Progressives changing the Dem Party from within (in the absence of Bernie as their Nom) is really Fantasy. Not an avenue even worth pursuing.
Maybe this is the way his campaign has to roll right now (or maybe it doesn't but they cant come up with a better alternative at the moment). But since they are choosing to do so in such a way, it opens up a lot of questioning, and discourse which can take off in varied directions.
This is what's happening now...
"Not an avenue worth pursuing." Ditto, we agree
However, if you are headed toward the "Libertarian" alternative, as the saying goes f you and the horse you rode in on.
Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. Stephen Hawking
Thank you for writing this--
I totally agree, and would have written it if you hadn't!
We are, as usual, on the same page.
The path toward failure for Bernie:
1)Don't talk about election fraud in any meaningful way
2)Have no plan whatsoever for dealing with election fraud
3)Attempt to gain influence over the Democratic party platform
4)Mobilize a nationwide civic engagement campaign of getting progressives elected at all levels, using--hey! a completely corrupt electoral process.
In other words, waste the resources of the movement on repeated attempts to win a rigged game. Pretty much guaranteed to wreck the movement long-term.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
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