A 2016 primary run by Bernie Sanders would be good for Democrats, progressives and the nation

byMeteor Blades


No political magician will defeat the forces that have come to dominate America. No manifesto will deliver us from the plutocrats, the oligarchs, the corporadoes...whatever you want to call them. That task can only be achieved by an outpouring of progressive organizing that spurs collective resistance to the powers that be. That resistance will require a combination of street politics and electoral politics in what will not always be comfortable alliances.

Many of my friends of longstanding have tumbled into despair over what occurred in the midterm elections, and what may happen in the coming years because of their outcome. But I am optimistic. The growing popular resistance we've seen in the past few years—from the Occupy movement to the Moral Monday and people's climate protests to the ongoing wage strikes—convinces me we're on the cusp of a revolt that can overturn what Bill Moyers has labeled the dark shadow of plutocracy.

It goes without saying that success in this crucial endeavor is far from inevitable. The powers that have returned us to an era in which inequalities of wealth and income are greater than the years immediately before the Great Depression are deeply entrenched. Tycoons act as tyrants. Billionaires tell millionaires in Congress how to write the nation's laws. They deploy all the ample clout they can muster to twist in their favor those elements of our economic and governmental system not already engineered to do their bidding. They seek every means to undermine the modest reforms of past eras. They control all but a few bits of the media that relentlessly drench the populace with sophisticated propaganda and petty gossip. They have an enormous reach.

No wonder even some life-long political activists are in despair.

But we can turn this around. Not instantly, of course. Instant solutions often wind up being a snare and a delusion. But to make it happen, we must change how we do some things and do more of some of the things we're already doing. Otherwise, we are destined to be on an victory-defeat-rinse-repeat political cycle eternally, never gaining the traction needed to make permanent progress on economic and a host of other matters. We've seen how disastrous that has been for the vast majority of Americans.

(snip)
Of course, a Sanders' candidacy is the longest of long shots. The latest CNN/ORC poll shows 65 percent of Democrats and independents supporting Hillary Clinton and just 5 percent backing Sanders (his first appearance in this recurring poll). Putting together a campaign infrastructure for a serious run is no easy matter, and Clinton already has a formidable one in place. And even when you're the populist candidate, you have to raise money. Clinton's got backers with very deep pockets. It's doubtful there are any billionaires phoning Sanders and offering to open their wallets.

The reality is we have yet to build some of the crucial pieces of the progressive infrastructure and the progressive movement necessary for creating a political environment where a candidate like Senator Sanders can actually be elected president. If we are ever going to rise above being mere ankle biters, we need to build both.

Nonetheless, having Sanders in the 2016 race, seriously in it, repeating his populist message, encouraging the party to move left, would be very good dfor Democrats, for progressives in and out of the party and for the nation.

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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/07/1349471/-A-2016-primary-run-by-Bernie-Sanders-would-be-good-for-Democrats-progressives-and-the-nation
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