Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

TexasTowelie

(111,314 posts)
Sat May 16, 2015, 08:59 PM May 2015

The ghost of liberal Democrats past

The celebration of Bernie Sanders' campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination is forgetting a long history of dashed hopes after past liberal challenges by the likes of Eugene McCarthy and Jesse Jackson. Lance Selfa, author of The Democrats: A Critical History, looks back at what they did--and didn't--accomplish in this article adapted from his book.

MANY ACTIVISTS and writers on the left welcomed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' announcement that he would challenge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

The April 30 declaration of a number of Occupy activists and others, calling themselves People for Bernie, was emblematic:

We are activists and organizers trying to build a broad, effective movement for democratic change...To that end, we support Bernie Sanders in his bid to become the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. We stand firmly behind Senator Sanders as the strongest progressive possibility in the race right now. His commitment to our values is one of long-standing commitment.


The Progressive Democrats of America had mounted an online petition calling on Sanders to run in the Democratic presidential primary, on the grounds that "{w}e all need a 'fighter' to stand up on behalf of a fair economy that works for all of us, just as Bernie Sanders has done throughout his entire career."

Echoing the message from the Nation magazine, the PDA argues that Democratic voters "would all benefit from a serious primary challenge based on policy substance and real issues rather than trivial personality differences."

Read more: http://socialistworker.org/2015/05/11/the-ghost-of-liberal-democrats-past
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The ghost of liberal Democrats past (Original Post) TexasTowelie May 2015 OP
Thanks for posting - great article swilton May 2015 #1
You're welcome. TexasTowelie May 2015 #2
Thank you. 840high May 2015 #3
You're welcome. TexasTowelie May 2015 #4

TexasTowelie

(111,314 posts)
2. You're welcome.
Sat May 16, 2015, 11:05 PM
May 2015

The review of liberal movements within the Democratic Party provides a number of lessons that should be carried forward into the primaries and the general election.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Editorials & Other Articles»The ghost of liberal Demo...