Steinlight
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- Jan 30, 2014
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Progressives, remember this article when Bernie Sanders ends up betraying you to party interests. His "progressive" face is a facade.
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āTis the season once again. You should know it well by now: a āprogressiveā Democrat running in the primaries for president of the United States. Weāve seen it all before, from Jesse Jackson to Dennis Kucinich, left-leaning voters have time-and-again been asked to support candidates that are working to transform the corrupt and war-hungry Democratic Party from within. And each and every time this strategy has failed ā not only to elect a progressive Democrat into the White House, but to alter the party that offer themselves up as a lighter shade of neo-con.
This time around that āprogressiveā Democrat is self-proclaimed āsocialistā Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Even though itās early in the primary push, Bernie is hitting the trail, spreading a message of hope for working class people that heās there to fight for their cause. He wants to create new jobs, challenge Wall Street crooks and take on the corporate control of our political quagmire. These are fine positions to take, but what Bernie isnāt about to tell you is that in order to radically alter the system in favor of workers, the Democrats must be abandoned altogether ā for itās their neoliberal policies, from Bill Clinton on down, that exacerbated the sell-out of the American workforce.
Sure, Bernie will talk tough when it comes to these failed policies. Heāll criticize fast tracked free-trade agreements and corporate plutocracy, but his hardy embrace of the Democrats continues to undermine his own criticisms. Itās as if Bernie got a job at a coal mining outfit in hopes of stopping the melting of ice caps in the Arctic. His bid for the White House is simply a dead end and a waste of scarce resources. Progressives would be better off working to reinvigorate the antiwar movement and Occupy than spending time and money on Bernieās hollow campaign.
Even so, while Bernie may come across as sincere about class politics, make no mistake, heās is a militarist that isnāt about to challenge U.S. supremacy. He supported the ugly war on Kosovo, the invasion of Afghanistan, funding for the endless Iraq disaster as well as the losing and misguided War on Terror. He voted in favor of Clintonās 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which expanded the federal death penalty and acted as the precursor to the PATRIOT Act.
As for Israel, Bernie has been a hawkish advocate that would never halt the $3 billion the U.S. government sends to the country every year. Last summer he backed Israelās murderous bombing of Gaza. Heās even had some nasty words about Palestineās right to resist. It shouldnāt come as a surprise then that several former members of Bernieās staff have also been employed by AIPAC, including Israel apologists David Sirota and Joel Barkin. His is a disgusting record. Want to change in the U.S.ās meddling in the Middle East? Bernie isnāt your guy.
If the Senatorās support for ongoing war and the occupation of Palestine donāt make you squeamish, then you may as well stop reading. I doubt youāll grasp the importance of challenging empire by refusing to cast a vote for a party that pumps fuel into the war machineās tank. Such an effort requires a willingness to step out on the Democrats, especially at the national level, where they have waged war on workers at home and employed a blood-thirsty foreign policy abroad.
The Bernie Sanders campaign, while a slight breath of fresh air in the national debate on class issues, is a complete loser in terms of impact. Thereās no sign heāll break from the Democrats and challenge both parties down the road. Bernie doesnāt oppose U.S. power, nor does his campaign do a single thing to build independent politics in the country, perhaps the last chance to salvage any democracy we may have left. In the end, Bernie Sanders will play the lesser-evil card and plea for us all to hold our noses and vote for Hillary Clinton, who guarantees a future of more war and economic inequality.
Thatās why Bernieās is not a bandwagon Iāll be jumping on anytime soon.
Why Bernie Sanders is a Dead End
*******
āTis the season once again. You should know it well by now: a āprogressiveā Democrat running in the primaries for president of the United States. Weāve seen it all before, from Jesse Jackson to Dennis Kucinich, left-leaning voters have time-and-again been asked to support candidates that are working to transform the corrupt and war-hungry Democratic Party from within. And each and every time this strategy has failed ā not only to elect a progressive Democrat into the White House, but to alter the party that offer themselves up as a lighter shade of neo-con.
This time around that āprogressiveā Democrat is self-proclaimed āsocialistā Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Even though itās early in the primary push, Bernie is hitting the trail, spreading a message of hope for working class people that heās there to fight for their cause. He wants to create new jobs, challenge Wall Street crooks and take on the corporate control of our political quagmire. These are fine positions to take, but what Bernie isnāt about to tell you is that in order to radically alter the system in favor of workers, the Democrats must be abandoned altogether ā for itās their neoliberal policies, from Bill Clinton on down, that exacerbated the sell-out of the American workforce.
Sure, Bernie will talk tough when it comes to these failed policies. Heāll criticize fast tracked free-trade agreements and corporate plutocracy, but his hardy embrace of the Democrats continues to undermine his own criticisms. Itās as if Bernie got a job at a coal mining outfit in hopes of stopping the melting of ice caps in the Arctic. His bid for the White House is simply a dead end and a waste of scarce resources. Progressives would be better off working to reinvigorate the antiwar movement and Occupy than spending time and money on Bernieās hollow campaign.
Even so, while Bernie may come across as sincere about class politics, make no mistake, heās is a militarist that isnāt about to challenge U.S. supremacy. He supported the ugly war on Kosovo, the invasion of Afghanistan, funding for the endless Iraq disaster as well as the losing and misguided War on Terror. He voted in favor of Clintonās 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which expanded the federal death penalty and acted as the precursor to the PATRIOT Act.
As for Israel, Bernie has been a hawkish advocate that would never halt the $3 billion the U.S. government sends to the country every year. Last summer he backed Israelās murderous bombing of Gaza. Heās even had some nasty words about Palestineās right to resist. It shouldnāt come as a surprise then that several former members of Bernieās staff have also been employed by AIPAC, including Israel apologists David Sirota and Joel Barkin. His is a disgusting record. Want to change in the U.S.ās meddling in the Middle East? Bernie isnāt your guy.
If the Senatorās support for ongoing war and the occupation of Palestine donāt make you squeamish, then you may as well stop reading. I doubt youāll grasp the importance of challenging empire by refusing to cast a vote for a party that pumps fuel into the war machineās tank. Such an effort requires a willingness to step out on the Democrats, especially at the national level, where they have waged war on workers at home and employed a blood-thirsty foreign policy abroad.
The Bernie Sanders campaign, while a slight breath of fresh air in the national debate on class issues, is a complete loser in terms of impact. Thereās no sign heāll break from the Democrats and challenge both parties down the road. Bernie doesnāt oppose U.S. power, nor does his campaign do a single thing to build independent politics in the country, perhaps the last chance to salvage any democracy we may have left. In the end, Bernie Sanders will play the lesser-evil card and plea for us all to hold our noses and vote for Hillary Clinton, who guarantees a future of more war and economic inequality.
Thatās why Bernieās is not a bandwagon Iāll be jumping on anytime soon.
Why Bernie Sanders is a Dead End
