As
he did in 2016, Bernie is offering something unique to the political landscape:
a transformative vision for a more just and equitable country, and a renewal of
American democracy.
His movement is built upon
four central tenets:
The American political system
is currently broken, unable to respond to the needs of the people and the
planet.
There needs to be a political
realignment along lines of economic self-interest, uniting the working class.
That realignment, combined
with a powerful appeal to common-sense morality (anti-racist, anti-war,
pro-environment, universal inclusion), will build a new progressive majority.
Even so, there must also be a
revival of citizen participation in politics, lest the movement be crushed by
big-money interests.
Sanders is correct on all four
fronts. Until such a program is successfully implemented, America’s endemic
social and political crises will continue unabated.
American politics are locked
in a decades-long stalemate. The Republicans block any major Democratic
initiative and vice versa. This arrangement invariably preserves the status
quo, frustrating anybody who tries to change things democratically.
Sanders’ political
revolution, which unites working people across the racial divide, promises
a release from this stasis, and there’s ample evidence that it will deliver the
kind of electoral victory in the House and Senate required to do just that.
Before I turn to that
evidence, however, let’s make clear what it would mean for American politics if
Sanders were to triumph this November: We could begin to meaningfully deal with
climate change, wealth inequality, the housing and health care crises, and
perhaps wind down our forever wars in the Middle East; under a moderate
Democrat, nothing will get done.
Despite this, establishment
favorites like Sen. Amy
Klobuchar of Minnesota and form South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete
Buttigieg maintain Sanders is a dreamer, his platform would
never make it through Congress, and only their incrementalist goals have a
chance of being realized. What goes unsaid is that the moderate
agenda would do nothing to alter the basic realities of American life in
which the rich get richer while working people continue their slide into debt
peonage.
The moderate Democrats have an
alibi: those evil Republicans won’t let them do more. This, of course, is
total nonsense. It’s their wealthy donors who won’t let them do more. The
Republicans wouldn’t let them do anything.
If, on the other hand, Sanders
can alter the balance of American politics with a new majoritarian coalition,
real, necessary change could happen.
As noted above, Sanders
intends to achieve this by dramatically expanding the electorate — something he
has already done by energizing young voters and deploying his legions of
supporters to the kinds of communities politicians tend to overlook. Sanders
has also proved more popular with the white working-class than Democratic
candidates have in recent election cycles. His appeal to this bloc is the same
as it is to people of color. The difference is that the former has
overwhelmingly voted Republican in recent years. If Sanders could win over even
a portion of these voters, he’d likely break our political stalemate.
One byproduct of a
multi-racial working class coalition is that it would create the conditions to
finally end the American political system’s de facto protection of white
privilege, which the modern Republican Party has been able to preserve and
perpetuate since it began targeting Dixiecrats as part of its racist Southern
strategy.
This is the bedrock of Trump’s
white nativist appeal, allowing him to gain the allegiance of many white voters
without providing any improvement to their material conditions. Sanders can
take a sledgehammer
to that bond by meaningfully bettering the lives of all working
people. This alone could shatter the GOP’s hold on power.
It’s a beautiful paradox that
Sanders’ appeal among the white working class might break the deadlock that has
kept America’s structural racism in place. A Sanders presidency would mean that
anti-racists would control the federal government, which remains the most
powerful instrument available to address this foundational crime of American
society.
A lifetime of following
American politics tells me that little if any progress can be made in this
country without tackling the persistence of structural racism; as long as it
goes unaddressed, it will continue to harm and pervert our collective sense of
justice. The Sanders movement is committed to doing what’s necessary to
overcome this scourge, going beyond the fatuous claims of equal opportunity
promoted by the Democratic establishment. Sanders calls for direct investment
in poor communities of color, universal voting rights and
registration, criminal justice reform and a radical reduction in
incarceration, all while seeking nothing less than the eradication of the
racial wealth gap. It’s an agenda that aims to lift every family into the
middle class. If you think I’m exaggerating, here’s a link to his
platform. Suffice to say that if he were successful, it would truly be a
new day in America.
Indeed, ending our political
stalemate would usher in the kind of progressive change polls indicate Americans
would welcome with open arms. These policies include a reduced Pentagon budget,
sane gun laws, a humane immigration policy (with a direct route to
citizenship), the expansion of Social Security and the erasure of student debt,
guaranteed vacation time, a $60,000 minimum salary for teachers, equal pay for
equal work, a federal jobs guarantee and Medicare for all. Perhaps most
important, we could respond to the climate emergency on a scale scientists say
is necessary.
Of course, no discussion of
climate change is complete without mentioning the other plague on America’s
political system—what I call the lobbying industrial complex. Every Democrat on
Capitol Hill claims to respect climate science, but only the true progressives
have been willing to buck the fossil fuel industry. Given their hostility to
the Sanders agenda, it’s reasonable to assume that big-money donors and even
bigger money lobbying would conspire against him. Perhaps you’re wondering:
Would they succeed?
If he were a mere politician,
the answer might be yes. But Sanders is also the lead organizer of a mass
movement, the central aim of which is to mobilize Americans to take back their
government from big-money interests, and one that is designed to prevail. If
you think any House member is going to get away with voting against President
Sanders’ climate policies, to choose one example, you’re simply not paying
attention. Any such official would face pressure from his or her constituents
far surpassing a handful of expensive suits. Indeed, he or she would be
unlikely to survive a primary; call it democracy in action.
Finally, with the Iowa caucus
less than a week away, it’s important we step back and recognize that the
legions of Bernie backers are having the time of their lives. This is a
magnetic movement, with loads of conscientious, intelligent people of all ages,
from all backgrounds. It turns out that redeeming American society is a blast!
And the fun is just beginning.
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