BradBlog: Bernie Sanders' Three-Phase 'Political Revolution'

[portlander23]

Bernie Sanders' Three-Phase 'Political Revolution'

But, for now, Sanders is in the midst of the far more difficult first stage --- one that requires overcoming the corporate-owned media's marginalization of his campaign. It also entails overcoming the exercise in self-protection by the Democratic Party establishment. Long before the first vote has been cast in either a caucus or primary, the Clinton campaign boasted that its backroom deals had already netted one-fifth of the delegates needed to secure the nomination from amongst the unelected super-delegates --- party leaders who do not have to abide by the will of the electorate in their respective states. Simultaneously Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), the DNC chair and former co-chair of the Hillary Clinton 2008 campaign, has sought to blunt Sanders' attempt to eliminate the "democracy deficit" --- the significant gap between the policy positions of the electorate and their "representatives" occasioned by the manner in which elections are skillfully managed to avoid issues and marginalize the underlying population --- with her imposition of severe limits on the number and timing of the Democratic Party Presidential Debates.

That's the current battle of phase one of the electoral math. More interesting, however, is the dynamics of what could become the second and third phases of a Sanders-led democratic revolution...

In other words, Sanders is "stunned" by how swiftly he's pierced the MSM's electronic curtain, but he's not surprised that, once heard, his message appears to be resonating with the American people.

His hope is that those same numbers work to his advantage during phase two, the general election race, presuming he is able to secure the nomination.

Envisioning a Third Phase

As Sanders discussed in his speech at the DNC Summer Meeting, the target of what he describes as a "political revolution" is much broader than the Presidency. He seeks a radical transformation from our current oligarchy to a functional democracy. It would be a transformation that renders as meaningless the suggestion that Sanders' progressive agenda would be doomed to failure because it would never get past square one in a Republican-controlled Congress.

President Obama, Sanders asserts, made a huge mistake in seeking to negotiate with radical Republicans in Congress, who were committed to making him a one-term President. That negotiating process served only to squander the Democratic majorities then held in both Houses of Congress and to suppress the vote, to the point that 63% of the American people; 80% of young people, were so disillusioned that they didn't bother to even turn out for the 2014 midterm.

"Any serious President that wants to represent working families," Sanders proclaimed, "has to mobilize the people all over this country to make the Congress an offer they can't refuse."

Thus, the success of a Sanders-led revolution will not be measured by him securing the Democratic nomination, or even being elected to serve as President, but by the extent to which the 2016 election and its aftermath transforms our society.

[randys1]

1. Last paragraph is important for his supporters to understand, something I have

said for a long time.

[dreamnightwind]

3. We certainly get that

I've posted about it myself a few times. It's not about Bernie at all, much as I love Bernie, it's about reclaiming our country from the large corporate interests. The large corporations can serve the public interest, or at least not subvert it, if we can get control back, reregulate them, and revoke their charters if they won't work to benefit the greater good.

I don't see it happening in 2016, I just don't think we'll have other candidates in position to run on a Bernie-like platform. If he can win election, or even just the nomination, he can prove the viability of throwing off the corporate shackles, and that the people will get behind those who do. Ideally his coattails would drag a lot of like-minded candidates to office, but the party is too entrenched at this time, there isn't a candidate pool ready to jump in that breaks away so cleanly from our recent history.

So for the first two years, he'll need to do what he can, put the right policy positions out there, get a few choice pieces enacted when possible, and fight like hell to make sure the public knows who is blocking the rest of them and why. I have complete confidence that Bernie is the right man for that, he's been doing it his whole career.

When the policy direction is well established in the public consciousness, momentum will shift, he'll have a lot of support from the people and a lot of anger will be directed at obstructive incumbents. That will enable the wave to start. My hope is we'd get it going for the 2018 midterms. We'll need new candidates (or genuinely reformed old ones) who don't accept the constant dialing-for-dollars and corporate lobbyist model of governing.

It's a heavy lift for sure, but it's what needs to happen. Defeating big money is the key, and our only weapon against that is massive citizen participation, which we're seeing already with Bernie's large activist base.

The people of this country, many of them anyway, DO care, they just lack non-cynical leadership to mobilize their participation. I have no idea if we can pull this off, probably not, I have seen too many good things die because they weren't what the monied interests wanted, but it's really our best and only chance, and if enough of us get on board it can actually happen.

I know that makes me a naive fool in the eyes of many, but sometimes though the truth really is simple and all it takes is enough people to let go of their cynicism and lend a hand. Climate change is the radicalizing catalyst, change HAS to happen, major change, and we won't get there by electing corporate-backed lessor of two evil third way types. I think it's bigger than the Democratic Party, the coming collapse is motivating people to get it right before it's too late.

[daleanime]

2. Exactly.....

[WillyT]

4. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!