Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Should Sanders Build a Progressive Movement All the Way to the
Convention and Beyond?
________________________________________
Should Sanders Build a Progressive Movement All the Way to the Convention
and Beyond?
By Peter Bloom [1] / AlterNet [2]
March 21, 2016
Bernie Sanders won 18 more pledged delegates that Hillary Clinton on Tuesday
[3], but still is more than 300 delegates behind her-and that doesn't
include the Democratic Party's 467 super-delegates who have lined up behind
her, compared to 26 for him.
While Sanders is far from being mathematically eliminated in a contest where
2,383 delegates are needed for the Democratic Party presidentialnomunation,
Clinton undeniably has taken a commanding lead in the march toward the White
House.
As a result, the mainstream media has all but pronounced the Sanders
campaign fatally wounded [4], if not an example of the walking dead. Even
for those who are less dismissive, there appears to be unifying logic
coalescing around the urgent need for Democrats to now unify [5] in the name
of defeating the larger threat of Trump in November. These sentiments were
supposedly echoed [6], though much more privately, by no less than President
Obama to donors.
In the wake of these defeats, his supporters and progressives have sought to
keep his dream of political revolution alive. They point to the fact that
the rest of the election map is highly favorable [7] to Sanders.
Fundamentally, they suggest that this dramatic setback could be an
opportunity for him to more fully articulate and promote his socialist [8]
message.
Yet perhaps the important question is not if Sanders should remain in the
race but rather why and for what ultimate ends. There is significantly more
than just the presidency at stake-there is a progressive movement to build.
The success of Sanders campaign will historically judged not by his own
victory but the degree he ushered in an era for the progressive victory of
others.
Why Keep Fighting?
According to mainstream Democrats and pundits, Sanders' demise is imminent.
His downfall and Clinton's triumph is now an inevitability. It is a matter
of if not when. Sanders has called these political obituaries "absurd [9]"
and has vowed to keep fighting all the way to the convention.
Indeed, without continuing the struggle, the racism and authoritarianism
that Trump represents may be temporarily dampened but be far from
extinguished. To do so he needs to draw on his surprising success to invest
in a progressive movement from the ground up. In this way, to quote one
recent commentator [10], "Bernie Sanders can still lead a political
revolution-even if he loses."
Winning more than the War on Ideas
Sanders has been praised, even in prospective defeat, for moving the public
discourse in a more progressive direction [11]. The very fact that
inequality, unfair trade, the global race to the bottom, the injustice of
the War on Drugs, and the need to end perpetual war around the world are now
accepted mainstream Democratic positions reveals how much he has helped to
achieve in such a short time.
Still, his campaign going forward must be about more than just words.
Rhetoric without concrete demands may inspire the "poetry" of campaigning
but too often loses in the "prose" of real governance. Sanders has largely
won the war of ideas, it is now time for him to turn his attention to
fundamentally transforming first the Democratic Party and with it American
democracy.
Specifically, this involves forcing the Party to change how it operates both
financially and politically. It means urging it to disavow all corporate
money and Super PACs. To renounce its reliance on vested special interests
such as in Wall Street and the arms industry. Such a strategy may sound
far-fetched; however, it has already been shown to be not only feasible but
also quite viable in this very Democratic primary. The uproar over Clinton's
acceptance of money from the private prison lobbyled her to join [12]with
Sanders in calling for a blanket rejection of all future contributions from
this industry.
Additionally, it means promoting progressive candidates at all levels and in
every state. Sanders should take the lead of the so-called "Bernie's Army,
[13]" using his media platform as a Presidential candidate to publicly
advocate for all those running who share his values. Simmering beneath the
hotly contested race between Clinton and Sanders is a brewing Party-wide
civil war [14] pitting progressives against the Democratic establishment.
Sanders has already used this strategy effectively on a smaller scale in the
recent Illinois primary. His attacks against [15] Clinton's support of Rahm
Emmanuel were arguably a key part of his exceeding expectations in Chicago
and almost winning the state as a whole. It is crucial that he takes these
efforts nationally, creating with each stop of his campaign a platform for
promoting a more progressive Democratic Party not just today but tomorrow.
Building a Movement All the Way to the Convention
Yet Sanders does not need to stop at the limits of the Democratic Party.
Part of his appeal and his legislative success [16] has always been his
independence. His new found embrace of the Democratic Party could become a
catalyst for expanding its horizons to include alliances with alternative
left wing parties and protest movements.
The recent presentation of the Greens as a "Plan B [17]" for Sanders voters
offers just such a possibility. Many predictably bemoaned the foolishness of
his supporters accepting the false purity of embracing a destined for defeat
independent. Yet what they miss is the potential of Sanders himself using
such a coalition to make the Democratic Party independent. It is a move that
makes all the more tactical sense given the fact that Trump's appeal lies in
him doing largely the same to the Republican Party but from the Right.
Further, his outreach to black and latino voters would be greatly enhanced
if he moved from the niceties of campaign promises to the realities of
actually helping progressive candidates in these communities and in their
associated movements actually get elected.
The Sanders campaign has come farther than anyone could originally have
imagined. Given his financial and grassroots resources, Sanders is in a
unique position to help build a forceful populist movement committed to
principles of economic, social, and racial justice. It is far from the
moment to surrender. He must build a progressive movement all the way to the
Convention and beyond.
Peter Bloom is a lecturer in the Department of People and Organisations at
the Open University. He has published widely on issues of 21st century
democracy, politics and economics in both scholarly journals and in
publications including the Washington Post, The New Statesman, Roar, Open
Democracy, The Conversation and Common Dreams. His book, Authoritarian
Capitalism in the Age of Globalization, will be released next year.
Share on Facebook Share
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Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [18]
[19]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/should-sanders-build-progressive-movem
ent-all-way-convention-and-beyond
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/peter-bloom
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/primary-calendar-and-re
sults.html
[4]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/16/us/politics/democratic-primary-results.htm
l
[5]
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2016/03/17/hillary_bernie_must_unite_to_bea
t_trump_378508.html
[6]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/us/politics/obama-hillary-clinton-bernie-s
anders.html
[7]
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/03/02/bernie-sanders-advisers
-detail-path-forward/1ComA4SLKY2lbSvkUoBZwK/story.html
[8]
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/18/bernies_last_card_to_play_to_take_out_hillar
y_its_time_to_unleash_his_inner_socialist/
[9] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-sanders-idUSKCN0WK0AB
[10]
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/15/11242926/bernie-sanders-political-revolution-fu
ture
[11]
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/win-or-lose-bernie-sanders-has-changed-hillary-155
024964.html
[12]
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/23/3715544/clinton-private-prisons
/
[13] https://newrepublic.com/article/129047/bernies-army-running-congress
[14]
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/12/the_democratic_establishment_has_gone_mad_an
d_2016_will_be_last_stand_for_party_hacks/
[15]
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/12/tough-words-from-bern
ie-sanders-on-rahm-emanuel/
[16]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/us/politics/bernie-sanders-amendments.html
[17]
https://ricochet.media/en/1017/plan-b-for-bernie-sanders-supporters-jill-ste
in-and-the-green-party
[18] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Should Sanders Build a
Progressive Movement All the Way to the Convention and Beyond?
[19] http://www.alternet.org/
[20] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Should Sanders Build a Progressive Movement All the Way to the
Convention and Beyond?
Should Sanders Build a Progressive Movement All the Way to the Convention
and Beyond?
By Peter Bloom [1] / AlterNet [2]
March 21, 2016
Bernie Sanders won 18 more pledged delegates that Hillary Clinton on Tuesday
[3], but still is more than 300 delegates behind her-and that doesn't
include the Democratic Party's 467 super-delegates who have lined up behind
her, compared to 26 for him.
While Sanders is far from being mathematically eliminated in a contest where
2,383 delegates are needed for the Democratic Party presidentialnomunation,
Clinton undeniably has taken a commanding lead in the march toward the White
House.
As a result, the mainstream media has all but pronounced the Sanders
campaign fatally wounded [4], if not an example of the walking dead. Even
for those who are less dismissive, there appears to be unifying logic
coalescing around the urgent need for Democrats to now unify [5] in the name
of defeating the larger threat of Trump in November. These sentiments were
supposedly echoed [6], though much more privately, by no less than President
Obama to donors.
In the wake of these defeats, his supporters and progressives have sought to
keep his dream of political revolution alive. They point to the fact that
the rest of the election map is highly favorable [7] to Sanders.
Fundamentally, they suggest that this dramatic setback could be an
opportunity for him to more fully articulate and promote his socialist [8]
message.
Yet perhaps the important question is not if Sanders should remain in the
race but rather why and for what ultimate ends. There is significantly more
than just the presidency at stake-there is a progressive movement to build.
The success of Sanders campaign will historically judged not by his own
victory but the degree he ushered in an era for the progressive victory of
others.
Why Keep Fighting?
According to mainstream Democrats and pundits, Sanders' demise is imminent.
His downfall and Clinton's triumph is now an inevitability. It is a matter
of if not when. Sanders has called these political obituaries "absurd [9]"
and has vowed to keep fighting all the way to the convention.
Indeed, without continuing the struggle, the racism and authoritarianism
that Trump represents may be temporarily dampened but be far from
extinguished. To do so he needs to draw on his surprising success to invest
in a progressive movement from the ground up. In this way, to quote one
recent commentator [10], "Bernie Sanders can still lead a political
revolution-even if he loses."
Winning more than the War on Ideas
Sanders has been praised, even in prospective defeat, for moving the public
discourse in a more progressive direction [11]. The very fact that
inequality, unfair trade, the global race to the bottom, the injustice of
the War on Drugs, and the need to end perpetual war around the world are now
accepted mainstream Democratic positions reveals how much he has helped to
achieve in such a short time.
Still, his campaign going forward must be about more than just words.
Rhetoric without concrete demands may inspire the "poetry" of campaigning
but too often loses in the "prose" of real governance. Sanders has largely
won the war of ideas, it is now time for him to turn his attention to
fundamentally transforming first the Democratic Party and with it American
democracy.
Specifically, this involves forcing the Party to change how it operates both
financially and politically. It means urging it to disavow all corporate
money and Super PACs. To renounce its reliance on vested special interests
such as in Wall Street and the arms industry. Such a strategy may sound
far-fetched; however, it has already been shown to be not only feasible but
also quite viable in this very Democratic primary. The uproar over Clinton's
acceptance of money from the private prison lobbyled her to join [12]with
Sanders in calling for a blanket rejection of all future contributions from
this industry.
Additionally, it means promoting progressive candidates at all levels and in
every state. Sanders should take the lead of the so-called "Bernie's Army,
[13]" using his media platform as a Presidential candidate to publicly
advocate for all those running who share his values. Simmering beneath the
hotly contested race between Clinton and Sanders is a brewing Party-wide
civil war [14] pitting progressives against the Democratic establishment.
Sanders has already used this strategy effectively on a smaller scale in the
recent Illinois primary. His attacks against [15] Clinton's support of Rahm
Emmanuel were arguably a key part of his exceeding expectations in Chicago
and almost winning the state as a whole. It is crucial that he takes these
efforts nationally, creating with each stop of his campaign a platform for
promoting a more progressive Democratic Party not just today but tomorrow.
Building a Movement All the Way to the Convention
Yet Sanders does not need to stop at the limits of the Democratic Party.
Part of his appeal and his legislative success [16] has always been his
independence. His new found embrace of the Democratic Party could become a
catalyst for expanding its horizons to include alliances with alternative
left wing parties and protest movements.
The recent presentation of the Greens as a "Plan B [17]" for Sanders voters
offers just such a possibility. Many predictably bemoaned the foolishness of
his supporters accepting the false purity of embracing a destined for defeat
independent. Yet what they miss is the potential of Sanders himself using
such a coalition to make the Democratic Party independent. It is a move that
makes all the more tactical sense given the fact that Trump's appeal lies in
him doing largely the same to the Republican Party but from the Right.
Further, his outreach to black and latino voters would be greatly enhanced
if he moved from the niceties of campaign promises to the realities of
actually helping progressive candidates in these communities and in their
associated movements actually get elected.
The Sanders campaign has come farther than anyone could originally have
imagined. Given his financial and grassroots resources, Sanders is in a
unique position to help build a forceful populist movement committed to
principles of economic, social, and racial justice. It is far from the
moment to surrender. He must build a progressive movement all the way to the
Convention and beyond.
Peter Bloom is a lecturer in the Department of People and Organisations at
the Open University. He has published widely on issues of 21st century
democracy, politics and economics in both scholarly journals and in
publications including the Washington Post, The New Statesman, Roar, Open
Democracy, The Conversation and Common Dreams. His book, Authoritarian
Capitalism in the Age of Globalization, will be released next year.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [18]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[19]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/should-sanders-build-progressive-movem
ent-all-way-convention-and-beyond
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/peter-bloom
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/primary-calendar-and-re
sults.html
[4]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/16/us/politics/democratic-primary-results.htm
l
[5]
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2016/03/17/hillary_bernie_must_unite_to_bea
t_trump_378508.html
[6]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/us/politics/obama-hillary-clinton-bernie-s
anders.html
[7]
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/03/02/bernie-sanders-advisers
-detail-path-forward/1ComA4SLKY2lbSvkUoBZwK/story.html
[8]
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/18/bernies_last_card_to_play_to_take_out_hillar
y_its_time_to_unleash_his_inner_socialist/
[9] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-sanders-idUSKCN0WK0AB
[10]
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/15/11242926/bernie-sanders-political-revolution-fu
ture
[11]
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/win-or-lose-bernie-sanders-has-changed-hillary-155
024964.html
[12]
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/23/3715544/clinton-private-prisons
/
[13] https://newrepublic.com/article/129047/bernies-army-running-congress
[14]
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/12/the_democratic_establishment_has_gone_mad_an
d_2016_will_be_last_stand_for_party_hacks/
[15]
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/12/tough-words-from-bern
ie-sanders-on-rahm-emanuel/
[16]
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/us/politics/bernie-sanders-amendments.html
[17]
https://ricochet.media/en/1017/plan-b-for-bernie-sanders-supporters-jill-ste
in-and-the-green-party
[18] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Should Sanders Build a
Progressive Movement All the Way to the Convention and Beyond?
[19] http://www.alternet.org/
[20] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
