Political Revolution

[rogerashton]

Bernie Sanders has been saying that his campaign begins a political revolution.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/26/sanders-begin-political-revolution/27991467/

I’m thinking about what he means by that. In my youth, Democratic Socialists often said that they wanted a social revolution, not a political revolution, as “political revolution” was a phrase that was then associated with violence and dictatorship. (And every coup d’etat in a minor country was called a “revolution,” though nothing important to a Democratic Socialist was changed.) But that was before the “Reagan Revolution.”

Pretty clearly what Bernie means is not violent regime change, nor even regime change within the electoral system, but something both more and, maybe, less. I would describe it as a definite shift in the persistent balance of power within our electoral system. Can that happen? Yes, since it clearly happened here at least twice in the 20th Century: the New Deal and the Reagan Revolution. Cases from Europe could also be given.

What about the New Frontier/Great Society/Civil Rights revolution? I’m just not sure. I’m inclined to say that the electoral balance established by the New Deal really persisted into the Seventies, and that the New Frontier/Great Society was more of a “Hurrah Period,” renewing and extending the New Deal. The Civil Rights Revolution was new, but more a consequence of direct action than of a shift in the electoral balance of power per se. (Direct action was also important in the early period of the New Deal, mostly by labor unions.) It is often said that Nixon was “more liberal” than recent Democratic Presidents. That, I suggest, is because he was operating within the electoral balance of power established by the New Deal, while frantically maneuvering to escape from it.

The Reagan Revolution was not supported by direct action (at least, not open direct action) and was, on the whole, a little less successful than the New Deal in that no conservative popular majority was ever created. However, I attribute the conservatism of the Clinton and Obama presidencies to the fact that, like Nixon mutatis mutandis, they were operating within the Reagan balance of electoral power.

This Bernie hopes to change. Can he? I suggest that in a very small way he already has, by establishing that socialism can be substantively discussed in an American election. Of course, in order to swing the balance of power he has to win, and much more than that, and that’s always a tall order. But it has been done – at least twice in this country.

[ruffburr]

1. Without doubt-

At this point in time Bernie is the only candidate that is not in the pocket of the corps and 1%er's,As such I see him the only chance of saving this country, If you feel the same , money or no, do everything you can to inform the people what's at stake, Some will blow it off but if they hear the name, Bernie, later they may get curious, look up his web site or whatever,I posted a pic of my mag signs on Thom Hartman blog can't figure out how to post a pic here, but the idea is to promote face/name recognition for Bernie if I being not the rocket science major, can figure out this little idea I really look forward to see what great ideas may be out there!

Thanks, Ric

[swilton]

2. Classism

is the new paradigm - from my crude attempt to word some of Bernie's presentation in Keene - the oligarchy creates divisions based upon superficialities (race, gender, religion, immigration etc.) to keep the country from uniting behind fundamental principles of democracy - that many have a voice and that there are issues that all agree on. The policy issues that unite us all are articulated through the issues he is raising in his campaign - ergo the 12 Steps of his program....

1.Rebuilding Our Crumbling Infrastructure
2.Reversing Climate Change
3.Creating Worker Co-ops
4.Growing the Trade Union Movement
5.Raising the Minimum Wage
6.Pay Equity for Women Workers
7.Trade Policies that Benefit American Workers
8.Making College Affordable for All
9.Taking on Wall Street
10.Health Care as a Right for All
11.Protecting the Most Vulnerable Americans
12.Real Tax Reform

While some (especially in the Hillary camp) raise that he has yet to make statements about race or immigration - This is argument is based upon the establishment's paradigm. In my view, the paradigm that Sanders is running on is that of the political revolution. I think he will raise those issues through the lens of classism...racial - immigration issues are embedded through the 12 steps...When people have the benefits of jobs, food and healthcare - there would be less concerns about skin color - national origin....By this logic one could also argue that having the first African American president has done nothing to heal racial or class divides as would the election of the first woman president break the glass ceiling for gender equality. One of the policies Sanders mentions in his program is publicly funded elections - more diversity in public office vis a vis class yields more candidates of color/gender as well as voices as well as higher voter turn-out. In summary - Sanders' campaign seems to argue that the wealth inequalities of the existing system create class divisions so deep that the class divisions transcend those of race, gender and immigration.

[rogerashton]

3. What is important about that list is --

little or none of it can be done without the political revolution Bernie calls for -- and on the other side, the lesson of the New Deal tells us that much of it, and more, are things we can do if we can change the political balance in favor of the working class (and, I think it is important to add, that will shift it in favor of all excluded people as well.)