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2016 Postmortem

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pinebox

(5,761 posts)
Fri May 20, 2016, 10:18 AM May 2016

Bernie Sanders’ Real ‘Political Revolution’ Could Happen This Fall [View all]

ATTENTION: READ PLEASE FIRST I am NOT condoning this at all. It is strictly being posted for news & discussion in GDP & that is it.

Keep in mind this isn't a RW site, in fact, it's Canadian.
What do you all think of this?

Bernie Sanders’ Real ‘Political Revolution’ Could Happen This Fall: Sanders, Green Party’s Presidential Candidate?

The push to make Sanders the Green Party’s presidential candidate

Philadelphia – Bernie Sanders, to the consternation of critics in the Democratic Party, pundits in the corporate media, and purists on the hard left, has accomplished an amazing thing. Up against Hillary Clinton, surely the biggest, best-funded corporate-backed candidate the Democratic leadership has run since Walter Mondale lost to Ronald Reagan in 1984 over three decades ago, the once obscure independent Vermont senator has battled Clinton to almost a draw, down by only some 319 delegates with nearly 900 to go (not counting the corrupt “super delegates” chosen for their fealty to party leaders, not by primary or caucus voting.)

By doing this well, as a proudly declared “democratic socialist” who on the stump has been denouncing the corruption of both the US political and economic systems, and as a candidate who has refused to take corporate money or money from big, powerful donors, instead successfully funding his campaign with only small two and three-digit donations from his supporters, Sanders has exposed not just his opponent, Hillary Clinton, but the entire Democratic Party leadership and most of its elected officials as nothing but hired corporate tools posing as progressive advocates of the people.

But now Sanders faces a truly momentous choice. Defeated by the combined assault of a pro-corporate mass media and by the machinations of the Democratic Party leadership — machinations both long-established with the intent of defeating upstarts and outsiders, like front-loading conservative southern states in the primary schedule, and current, like scheduling only a few early candidate debates and then slotting them at times (like opposite the Super Bowl) when few would be watching them — Sanders knows that barring some major surprise like a federal indictment of Clinton, a market collapse, or perhaps a leak of the transcripts of Clinton’s highly-paid but still secret speeches to some of the nation’s biggest banks, he is not going to win the Democratic nomination.

So does he, after spending months hammering home the reality that Clinton is the bought-and-paid candidate of the the banks, the arms industry, the oil industry and the medical-industrial complex, and after enduring endless lies about his own record spouted by Clinton and her surrogates, go ahead and endorse her as the party’s standard bearer for the general election? Does he walk away and return quietly to Vermont? Or does he instead continue to fight for his “political revolution” by another route?

The first and even the second option would mean the demise of his so-called “political revolution.” A Sanders endorsement of Clinton at this point would be a pathetic betrayal of all the energy and money that his fired-up backers have poured into this extraordinary campaign, and it would send a message that fighting against the nation’s ruling elite is impossible, at least through the ballot box. It would also be pointless. Some 25-30 percent of Sanders backers, according to pollsters, have made it clear that they will not support Clinton no matter what — including if Sanders were to endorse her. That in itself could be enough to doom her candidacy. Furthermore, after all his well-grounded attacks on the corrupt funding of her campaign, and of her horrific record as senator and secretary of state, any endorsement he made would be seen as a joke. He would spend the next three and a half months of the general election running from reporters asking him if he “takes back” the things he had said about her earlier — her crooked speech fees from Goldman Sachs and other big banks, her default advocacy of disastrous wars in Iraq, Libya, Syria and elsewhere, etc. Most seriously, endorsing Hillary after all that earnest, heartfelt campaigning, would be a huge blow to his millions of backers and his “movement.”

More at link http://www.globalresearch.ca/bernie-sanders-real-political-revolution-could-happen-this-fall-sanders-green-partys-presidential-candidate/5522636
40 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Interesting points chwaliszewski May 2016 #1
It really is an interesting topic for conversation. pinebox May 2016 #2
This message was self-deleted by its author Autumn Colors May 2016 #17
The long shot black guy won in 08 against the same system Sanders is losing in and he's whining abou uponit7771 May 2016 #3
It won't happen and the movement is bigger than this election cycle. JRLeft May 2016 #4
Did you read first reply? pinebox May 2016 #5
Yes I did and like I said it doesn't matter what he does. JRLeft May 2016 #9
Sure they are pinebox May 2016 #10
Most of them will though and I can't blame the ones who won't. JRLeft May 2016 #13
Personally I don't think most will pinebox May 2016 #18
It wouldn't bother me if most of them didn't. JRLeft May 2016 #20
Same pinebox May 2016 #21
... LexVegas May 2016 #6
Any comment? Anything? Bueller? pinebox May 2016 #7
The self-destruction is delightful. nt LexVegas May 2016 #8
Self destruction? pinebox May 2016 #12
Your first reply is saying Bernie will be a hypocrite when he endorses Clinton....which he will. LexVegas May 2016 #15
I'm not sure he will pinebox May 2016 #19
This comment just demonstrates that you actually are condoning third party. barrow-wight May 2016 #24
Are you aware of the rules? pinebox May 2016 #30
The only Smurfs I know anything about are the cartoons. barrow-wight May 2016 #40
Why does the Hillary symbol have a red arrow pointing to the right? chwaliszewski May 2016 #14
Hey, thanks for pointing that out! brooklynite May 2016 #23
I realize you're being facetious, but... chwaliszewski May 2016 #29
No. Just callow, sore winnerism. chwaliszewski May 2016 #11
This message was self-deleted by its author Autumn Colors May 2016 #16
+1 Independents and Bernie Rs would have no problem with jwirr May 2016 #34
This message was self-deleted by its author Autumn Colors May 2016 #36
Exactly. jwirr May 2016 #39
Speculation by a Canadian blog, backed up with no evidence. brooklynite May 2016 #22
If he lost, that would be the end of his Senate career. I am so torn on this. He said he GreenPartyVoter May 2016 #25
I semi- disagree pinebox May 2016 #31
This message was self-deleted by its author Autumn Colors May 2016 #37
Only makes sense if there is a 4th party candidate lapfog_1 May 2016 #26
Actually if there is nobody who wins 270 then the Republican House picks. forjusticethunders May 2016 #27
If we know whats good for us madokie May 2016 #28
With Clinton as a running mate, even! Orsino May 2016 #32
Pinebox. Great post. JudyM May 2016 #33
This message was self-deleted by its author Autumn Colors May 2016 #38
It lost me at the blanket statement that all superdelegates are corrupt. apnu May 2016 #35
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