Bernie's Revolution Can Help Us Take the Democratic Party Back [View all]

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/33323-bernies-revolution-can-help-us-take-the-democratic-party-back

Almost a year ago I wrote an article called “We Can Take the Democratic Party Back.”

The comment section was full of skepticism. Eleven months later, we are closer to that reality than anytime in the last 30 years. We are not there yet and we have a long way to go. There is, however, a path in front of us and a leader showing us the way to victory.

Imagine Debbie Wasserman Schultz putting together a platform committee that will meet the approval of the nominee of the Democratic Party, whose name is Bernie Sanders. Imagine a platform that is approved by a convention with a majority of delegates supporting Bernie Sanders.

It can happen if we all roll up our sleeves and work to get Bernie Sanders elected. I have been in Iowa for nine months now, and everywhere I go I see signs that Bernie is going to win. I see Bernie buttons on cashiers in checkout lines, and anytime I have Bernie gear on people compliment it.

When I cover various political events, a lot of the crowd is usually undecided or checking out the candidate. Not at Bernie events, where the crowds are excited and committed to the Bern.

I can make no promises here, we have a long way to go, but there is a better chance for us to take control of the Democratic Party than there is to make a third party viable in our lifetime. Yes, we could lose it back to the corporatists as fast as we gain control, but the reward is worth the risk.

It is always an uphill battle to unseat entrenched power, but we have not had a better chance to wrest power from the corporate Democrats than we have today. The various grassroots efforts that are backing Bernie can have a long-term effect if we focus some energy on taking back the party.

We should be packing Bernie’s delegate slates with progressives who are tired of the corporate influence in the party. We need to stop complaining about Debbie Wasserman Schultz and position ourselves to choose the next DNC chair.