Say you took all the real, not faux, left including all the bloggers, independent journalists, leftist organizations and activists and got them together to form an independent movement. Say they raised over 100 million dollars while building a small army of activists willing to go out and tell people the truth about this country and it's national government and encourage them to "come on the Peace Train", i.e., join the independent movement to challenge the duopoly.
In some countries, Greece and Portugal for example, the left has split into separate parties because of ideological and tactical differences. There have been successes and failures, compromises, capitulations, betrayals and new efforts to try it again. The real left, not the faux left, are organizing into their own political parties and movements and are slowing gaining a voice.
With the two party duopoly in the U.S., the left, except the Greens and some others, is pigeonholed into the Democratic party, a party with over 75 million registered citizens. Those 75 million run the gamut from conservative right wing former republicans to middle of the road to moderate progressives to the far left (whatever of the far left is left, I 'd imagine most are out of the party by now or they wouldn't be far left).
There are some big differences which makes it impossible for all voices to be heard and considered. There are big differences in the ranks of the Sanders supporters themselves, running the same range as for the entire party. That's one problem with backing Sanders and his "revolution". If most of the supporters are current democrats who also approve of Obama's job performance, how are they going to push for revolutionary changes? Hell you say.
Think about Obama's approval rating among democrats. He has maintained throughout his tenure an approval rating among democrats of 80%.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/181490/obama-approval-ratings-historically-polarized.aspx
Now to me and all self respecting lefties I know, that's astounding. We consider Obama a war criminal, a fraud, and a liar. There's no question about approval, we of the far left want the man impeached and tried as an international war criminal for crimes against humanity, and then brought back home and tried for treason against the citizens of this country (TPP). We know that's not likely to happen, but that's the way we view Obama's job performance. There's no difference between George W. Bush and Barack Hussein Obama to the far left, they're both fucking war criminals.
How do you reconcile that within the Democratic party?
I watched a video at the Real News Network, a place I usually only check out when referred from elsewhere as was the case with this one. The video was titled "Leftists love Bernie Sanders, But Here's why many won't be voting for him". The video featured someone named Ashley Smith who made the case that the left loves what Bernie is saying but some won't vote for him because he's running as a democrat. He infers that if Bernie ran as an independent or possibly a Green, then the far left would support him.
I've never commented at the TRNN, but I did on this one, with a simple statement.
"Not exactly. Some on the left are not in agreement with all of Sanders' policy positions. He is an imperialist, Zionist, military industrial complex adherent. If the rest of the left agrees with that, no wonder we're in such trouble."
I also pointed out that the U.S. is an imperialist country that regularly violates international law and commits crimes against humanity so any person that becomes president under these circumstances will become a war criminal.
I was then labeled, by Sanders supporters, an idiot, a shill, and a fool and one person suggested I commit suicide. Seriously.
There is a common trait among many Obamabots and the Berniebots (not all Bernie supporters are Berniebots). They just can't believe everyone else doesn't see what they see, that their man is our best hope who will be the greatest President ever. They just can't imagine why anyone else, especially the far left, doesn't see what a great opportunity this is, how Bernie is changing everything. I suppose it's like any passionate tunnel vision person, they have a hard time seeing the proverbial forest thru the trees.
Talk about getting together. How do we get together over that? In the so called left, we have people who don't believe the U.S. is an imperialist country. I remember a poll taken on Daily Kos in a diary I wrote and the vote was 60/40, with the forty percent stating they didn't feel the U.S. was an imperialist country. We have people who don't believe Obama has commited any criminal acts. There are people typical of the democratic party that are really no different than the bulk of the republican party, same thing only with different lipstick. How else do you explain the support for Bush wars by the republicans and opposition by the democrats, then vice versa for Obama's wars? They're the same fucking people.
What exactly is Sanders' revolution anyway? He seems to go out of his way to call it a "political" revolution but doesn't seem to elaborate much except to infer it will require millions to pressure the "republicans" to pass the damn bills. What that appears to mean, which is what he's been all about not only since the beginning of his presidential campaign but for decades, is channeling the energy of the people into the democratic party. How else do millions of people pressure the "republicans" only?
He's made it clear why he didn't run as an independent, it's because he didn't want another Nader, i.e., he knows an Indie can't win and he doesn't want to hamper the Democratic party chances to defeat the Republicans. If he ran as an Indie he'd siphon off voters from the Democratic party, simple as that. He's all about beating the Repubicians, one reason he won't significantly criticize Hillary Clinton.
That's a revolution? Basically, it's an attempt to strengthen the Democratic party so it can put more pressure on the Republicans to pass their submitted bills and laws. That's Bernie's political revolution. Considering the performance and corruptness of the Democratic party, Mr. Sanders, I know a revolution and that's no revolution.
That gets back to what Ashley Smith was referring to relative to a percentage of the left, mostly far left, or as some Sanders supporters have resorted to, the "ultra-left", not voting for Sanders soley because of his running with the Democratic party. He pointed out how all previous strategies to transform the ruling class Democratic party have failed because the party is irretrievably controlled by party leadership as a ruling class tool.
The far left and the near far left have to think about this seriously. There's no way our views on imperialism, central banking, "real" socialism, and wealth inequality and direct democracy are going to be considered by staying within the Democratic party. It's not possible. It's hard enough in countries that have parliamentary governments or multi party governments, let alone with a very large country limited to two long term oligarchy controlled political parties. Ashley Smith, Chris Hedges, Howard Zinn, Noah Chomsky, and many others are right that if we are to make the progress we NEED, it must come from an independent movement. If we are ever going to overturn Rule by the Rich, it has to be from an independent movement. All efforts within the ruling class political parties WILL BE coopted, neutered, and used to further their rule. We must find a way to organize a long term independent political movement of the far/real left. The main ingredient and what we must have faith in for the sake of humanity, the truth is on our side. Unless the truth matters, nothing else does. Everything else is either a waste of time, a colossal setback, and/or at best treading water.
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