Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Where to from here?


No, the nominating process isn't over but it's looking pretty grim for Bernie.  A friend posted a piece by "kos" AKA Markos Moulitsas, the fellow who runs the Daily Kos.  The gist of it should sound very familiar to progressives who have been through a few election cycles; Bernie should stay in the Democratic nomination process till the end so he can amass delegates and push the party platform to the left.  Indeed progressive independents should join the Democratic party to help put pressure on Clinton to keep her progressive campaign promises.

The big problem with this idea is that it has no, absolutely zero, chance of success.  Really, none.  I could forgive someone like him posting such a piece in 2008 when Obama was an unknown - perhaps he could be influenced to come up with some real change.  As soon as I saw Obama pick his advisors I knew that was a lost cause.  Instead of change we got more of the same corporate playbook; a Fed-fueled pumping of the financial sector with no gains to most people, more wars and new trade deals to crush the middle class.  I know a lot of people still love Obama, I don't (remember he claims the right to kill anyone, US citizens included, anywhere in the world without due process).  Is he better than McCain/Palin?  Sure - if that's how you want to frame the question, but I believe we deserve better.  We deserve someone like Bernie!  Someone who wants real change, and that isn't going to be Hillary any more than it was Obama.  So if that's your game plan, lotsa luck!  On the bright side, if Obama was "a great President" in your eyes it's pretty much guaranteed you will get more of the same.

Yes, the Democratic nominating process is rigged - it's rigged precisely to prevent someone like Sanders from getting the nomination.  Kos urges Sanders Democrats not to flee the party (a party that abandoned people like them with the last Clinton presidency).  He says "It’s not every day we get to see the creation of a whole new class of people excited about politics."  Yeah, and so quickly given a lesson in how things really work in the media and the Democratic party establishment.  Clinton couldn't care less about this class of people, BTW, they are just in the way of her getting what she wants.  As long as she can convince enough of them to vote for her in the general election, which shouldn't be too hard with Trunp as the likely Republican nominee, she's got it made.

So should people who worked so hard for Sanders, believed his message, and know the truth about Hillary, now work for her in the general election?  Should they vote Green as a protest against the rigged two-party system?  Not vote at all?  There is no good answer.  As soon as Clinton is in the White House again all the progressive talk from her campaign will be conveniently forgotten - you can count on this.  Have no illusions about who you are electing - she is a corporate warmonger for the 0.01%  I believe that Trump may get a certain percentage of the vote just because he is a political unknown - though he certainly has a business history that should make people think twice about him.  Clinton will get a certain percentage of the vote just because she is a woman.  A wash, perhaps.  I bet if there was a "none of the above" on the ballot "they" would be a contender!

As a voter in NY my vote really doesn't mean anything, the Electoral College ensures that.  You can't even argue that the popular vote means anything after the 2000 election.  So if it's Hillary vs. Trump in the general election I'm voting for Jill Stein of the Green Party.  Not just as a protest, but because I think she is awesome and the Green Party would be great for this country.  I'll leave it to others to decide how to deal with their anger and frustration at the rigged system and our pathetic so-called democracy...