Showing posts with label POTUS16. Show all posts
Showing posts with label POTUS16. Show all posts

Thursday, April 28, 2016

POTUS16: New Politics - The Sanders Campaign and the Left - Part 2

Senator Bernie Sanders’ run for the Democratic Party nomination for president has certainly energized thousands. It has also rekindled an old debate on the American left that revolves around the question: Should the left join, endorse, support, or work for campaigns in the Democratic Party?... New Politics, The Sanders Campaign and the Left
This is part 2 of my series on POTUS16. (Part 1: POTUS16: On Elections and Political Parties - Part 1).

Can the Democratic Party be taken over by progressive forces or is there a need for a new party? You might term this "The Case Against Bernie."
Sanders remains proud of his opposition to the Patriot Act—still supported by Clinton—which authorized mass surveillance by the National Security Agency. So why didn’t he point out the hypocrisy of a Cabinet member not trusting the government with her personal emails but feeling perfectly fine about the most intimate private data of the rest of us being subject to a vast and secret system of government spying?23
This piece written in October 2015 which is pretty predictive of what has happened to Bernie from New Politics, The Sanders Campaign and the Left. There is so much meat in this piece which delves into history of Bernie like movements in the Democratic Party and how they end up strengthening the 2 party system.

Most people see the left as monolithic. It is far from that and I will be exploring some of the forces on the left when I have time after the UFT elections. Some people suggested MORE endorse Bernie to win over the Bernie people in the elections. Reading this article might provide some insights as to pushback from some of the left to out and out Bernie support.

NOTE: Publishing this does not mean I agree with all aspects but a lot of it does make sense. I do not classify myself as an anti-capitalist socialist but as a left wing social democrat who wants strict controls on capitalism - which is where I think Bernie comes from. This piece comes from the anti-capitalist left. I've highlighted some of the points that strike me. Of interest to us is the relationship of labor unions to the Democratic party - especially the way Randi has embedded our union in the party.

The article does not seem to take into account the Bernie fundraising which has gone beyond Hillary's. Is there a future way forward around Citizen's United? Or is it more likely to dissapate as Hillary throws him a few bones for the platform until he fades into the night?

The Sanders Campaign and the Left
http://newpol.org/print/content/sanders-campaign-and-left
Winter 2016Vol:XV-4Whole #: 60

POTUS16: On Elections and Political Parties - Part 1

I want to do a series of posts exploring where we might be going with the Bernie and Trump movements vis a vis the current 2 party Republican and Democratic Parties which have both drifted way right of where they were - like Hillary and Obama are to the right of Nixon.

The so-called "left" actually has a lot of wings - and at times I feel I have touched base with all of them - just within MORE I've seen a wide range of the left - or to use a broader more inclusive term - "progressives." I think a dividing line is whether one is anti-capitalist or reform capitalism drastically left - the latter is where Bernie Sanders seems to be coming from. The social democrats which is where I put myself.

The idea of a viable party of the left with deep roots might have some legs given the post-election landscape. I posted about this sort of Occupy/Bernie follow-up in Chicago: It Won't Be Over Even if Hillary is Nominee.

It is one thing to become a sort of lobby group. Some people might imagine using the super fund raising ability of Bernie people to fuel such left wing lobby group, which I think is a dead end.

What is needed is a political party of sorts though I can't imagine what that might look like at this point.

Meanwhile there is a war of sorts between our allies over whether to vote for Hillary or not, with even some of our allies seeing Trump as a better alternative to her - especially from teachers outraged by the neo-liberal assault on education and the role Randi and Hillary have played in it - check some of the comments on this blog and I even met at least a few people at the NPE of all places who said they would vote Trump over Hillary. Their thinking was that Hillary will be more of the same while a Trump victory would discredit the neo-liberal, war hawk wing of the Democratic Party - and Randi too and he would be so outrageous that would either move the Democrats to the left or lead to a split in the party and maybe even a split in the Republican Party too.

I am meeting too many people who say Bernie is their first choice and Trump their 2nd. Something is resonating.

I will explore the possibilities based on either outcome in follow-ups.

There are 3 options out there for Bernie people.
Vote for Hillary
Vote 3rd Party
and I know this will drive people crazy - vote for Trump -

Arthur Goldstein at NYC Educator will not vote for Hillary or Trump: Hillary's Haters
Mr. Talk returns to blogging with his reasons why we must vote for Hillary:
As Bernie's Ship Sinks, Please Don't Pull the Rest of Us Down With You

Mr. Talk argues against Arthur's 3rd party vote even in Blue states because he feels Hillary need to be elected with a mandate. Like Obama in 2012? That did a lot of good. I think given Hillary's neo-liberalism a mandate for her would justify those policies and any educator who has seen the assault of  neo-liberalism must take that into account. If you have doubts about Hillary my follow-ups will include proof that Hillary in substance is a middle of the road Republican.