Bernie Sanders joined Hillary Clinton today in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to declare his support for her candidacy for president. It's a sad day in America to see this sell out of the 'revolution' he kept talking about during his recent campaign.
You don't create revolution by turning around and supporting the candidate of the banksters, the military industrial complex, the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical corporations, the fossil fuel industry, the corporate media and the rest of the pirate class.
One key reason Sanders did not get the nomination from his party is because Clinton's forces CHEATED repeatedly to steal votes in primary states. Arizona, New York and California were just three examples of systematic voter suppression and vote count manipulation that occurred throughout the Democratic Party primary season.
Early on in this process many on the left claimed that Sanders was sheep dogging for Clinton - helping to round up young people to be moved into her campaign after the senator from Vermont was properly dispatched. I think this has turned out to be true.
What did Sanders get in return for his support for Hillary? He got a couple planks added to the party platform (while failing to get any real action on the bigger issues like TPP, Palestine, fracking). In the end Clinton will be free to ignore these platform planks and once president she'll be free to back-track on any other progressive positions she might take during the campaign against Donald Trump.
I still maintain that Trump running for the Republican nomination was a scripted part of this whole three-ring circus electoral side show. The fact that Bill Clinton called Trump just days before he declared for the Republican nomination race and was "encouraging" leaves me no doubt that this has been a staged event from the start. The Washington Post coverage of that call from Clinton to Trump can be seen here.
There will be legions of Sanders supporters who now feel betrayed by his endorsement of Clinton. The little bit of hope he gave young people who face multiple challenges (climate change, lack of jobs, college debt, endless war costs) has been completely erased as Clinton stands against serious resolution of all these issues.
Sanders could have been a transformative figure during this historical moment that is ripe for change. He walked up to the edge of real revolutionary leadership and backed down. Sanders slinked back into the waiting arms of the corporate oligarchy that funds and directs the Clinton campaign. Sanders will be used to sheep dog his remaining supporters into the Hillary camp and after Clinton moves into the White House he will be a forgotten figure.
It's indeed a sad thing to watch - but anyone with their eyes really open
should have seen it coming.
Bruce
Bruce
Bruce, you were prescient in your prediction as to how all of this stagecraft would turn out. It is sad as I believe many young people are feeling betrayed. At this moment, however, I am starting to "Bern" for Dr. Jill Stein. Thanks for your always cogent remarks and observations.
ReplyDeleteI agree
ReplyDeleteIt was all STAGED.
I agree. And it really really pisses me off...
ReplyDeleteI was hopeful that he'd change his mind. Sadly, Bruce, you were right.
ReplyDeleteWe don't know what Sanders got but after he met with Preisdent Obama and Senator Reid his tune changed. I suspect he will have a more powerful position in the senate. He will do what he has done during his career, speak talking about the corruption of Wall Street, the unfair economy, the need for a soacial safety net -- so he will still be a useful player in the political revolution. But for the electoral revolution to change we need to organize outsie the Democratic Party. Vote Jill not Hill, vote Green in 2016.
ReplyDeleteJust so folks know. Finding some troubling censorship on FB, first disallowing linking to this post on FB, and then when I find a workaround, removing them. I'll see what happens when I share.
ReplyDeleteThe truly sad thing here is that so many well-meaning people put some much hope (and money) into the Sanders "revolution", only to see their hopes dashed. Sanders never really connected the dots. How could we get Medicare for All or free college or an expansion of Social Security while putting $1 Trillion of our income tax money into the military sinkhole every year? How can we have a better society without dismantling the economic system that has destroyed our society?
ReplyDeleteI will vote for Jill Stein, regardless of whether my state is "in play", but that won't solve our problems, even if she were elected, which is not going to happen.