Sanders the Giant Slayer -- First, Topple the Bad
Queen
By Robert S. Becker
June 21, 2015 "Information
Clearing House" -
Is not the first obstacle, for any "radical"
underdog in quest of primary election upsets, to expose the "safe"
frontrunner as anything but? Not just as misguided, dishonest, and
packed with infamous backers, but a vulnerable loser even against a
rightwing clown so bizarre there'd be nostalgia for Dubya. Well, not
quite. Thus, the first array of trials for upstart Bernie Sanders:
roil the field, dislodge the fat cat favorite, then plunge into the
mayhem of the miraculous.
Just like Obama did in '08, arguably his greatest single feat. What
if by 2050 Obama's notoriety has nothing to do with his perverse
presidential loyalty to the status quo but his shocking triumph six
months before his first election? What if this first Hillary slayer,
stopping cold an even more regressive reign, is his great historic
marker? What if the future plays up Obama's role as the David who
vetoed eight years of Clinton Plutocracy 101, run by a gang of her
Foundation Goliaths? Obama's betrayals aside, one may still dread
worse loomed (and looms) on the horizon. Apparently, this Goliath
returns from the dead, inviting a second slingshot of stones.
Okay, Obama the phony "systemic reformer" morphed into Hillary-ite,
even a Dubya clone, one of history's nasty little jokes. Yet, who
doubts any Second Clinton Coming won't prove more hawkish and more
WS-friendly than Clinton I or Obama? Give the smaller devil his due,
trumping the Clinton juggernaut from handing off the baton from the
husband who triangulated our politics, pushing NAFTA and banishing
Glass-Steagall. Would not this weird inheritance match the horrors
of Papa Bush doing the same, first to the older dimwit, now to Jeb,
so far a political halfwit? Thank God when that lineage dries up.
Thus, my not so modest, opening gambit for Bernie Sanders: duplicate
Obama, exile the bad queen, open the floodgates. That alone won't
redeem decades of painful progressive defeats, but counting our
blessings beats enduring more disasters. If he does nothing else
(hardly my projection), an empowered Sanders postpones the death of
the Democratic Party some four or eight years. Not enough for you?
Hardship and desperation make for appreciation of the plausibly
positive.
The Anti-Sanders Brigade
In those terms, I defy Chris Hedges' logic that scoffs at any
"energy invested in these elections, including championing Bernie
Sanders' ill-advised decision to validate the Democratic Party" as
an unequivocal "waste of time." No movement that reduces the
widespread cynical malaise towards elections, beyond any conceivable
third party leverage, and sends a sleazy dinosaur packing refutes
Hedges' overstated "electoral farce." Offsetting the smash mouth
bloodsport that is American politics (Trump, Paul, Cruz, Clinton),
any leading light who dispatches Hillary, ever more dangerous than
Obama as a gnarled Washington denizen, deserves support.
That doesn't deny Hedges' more pertinent observations, "The specter
of meaningless presidential elections caters" to "the idiocy" of
personality soap operas, the production of media- and
billionaire-run parades. That's exactly why Sanders is gaining
traction, as his gritty, anti-plutocracy, anti-inequality and
anti-corruption manifesto spotlights outmoded, bipartisan idiocy.
Just saying No to the "inevitable" winner awards Sanders even
greater importance than Obama's '08 upset. This final exile
dramatizes majority judgment HC should not run (I mean, ruin)
anything beyond the (indictable) family Foundation.
Further, spoiler role aside, Sanders' role as breakthrough political
educator for the uninvolved or uninformed will transform mindsets
and the national debate. He will certainly renew that lost '60's
commitment to justice for all across real-world politics and
government. If the pendulum is ever to reverse, Sanders today looks
to be our best instrument. What more independent or forthright
figure provides to the distressed a vision, if not an agenda that
things can be different, if not better? What other daring (if
measured) "socialist" defines a populist platform that might
eventually revitalize the stagnating role of third parties to push
civilized goals?
Winning Isn't Everything
In short, Sanders offers progressives the best way not to "waste
time" this season. And that doesn't depend on his winning the
nomination or the White House but 1) derailing the Clinton train
(and WH train wreck), 2) dramatizing the unspeakably expensive
"costs" to everything and everybody to sustain income and asset
inequality (the issue of this era), and 3) countering voter
cynicism, on the left and right, about campaigns, elections,
politics, and government. Who else comes close? What other option is
there?
In this context, I anticipate historians to come will excoriate
Obama not only for his rightwing agenda but setting up, then
squandering for a generation chances for a New New Deal. It was
Obama's bait-and-switch hustle (powered by brilliant campaigns) that
played on, then dashed reform hopes on the stultifying, status quo
rocks. Sanders offers respite from this unending shipwreck.
Finally, that returns us to Hedges' still tenuous optimism, "there
is, however, a new, emergent consciousness. It has not reached the
majority. But it has reached enough of the minority to make
resistance possible." That most visible political minority now
stands with Bernie, and whether we're talking resistance or
evolution or revolution remains to be seen. If successful, the
Sanders' movement can stagger HC across NY, CA, IL, OR, WA, VT, and
MA, among others. There's no evidence yet Sanders will automatically
"sheepdog" Democratic voters into Clinton's camp or the craven
corporatism party leaders represent. Unintended or complex
consequences still rule the day.
Bernie the Giant Slayer
"Bernie the Giant Slayer" is good enough to justify rallying the
protest forces, reinforced by his humane and moral notions of
justice, reviving our true national "exceptionalism." There is
nothing "idiotic" about deposing a bad queen (linked to a suspect
king) so we challenge plutocracy triumphant. If BS's earnest,
self-effacing honesty can topple Hillary, elbowing this
Humpty-Dumpty off the wall, that glorious disruption invites more
Black Swans. A bank of Black Swans could feel dispel rows of
arrogant, disgraced WS bankers, even beyond the $30 billion in fines
and penalties paid in the last two years. And the Koch Bros.
conspiracy.
Why, Sanders could even corral Hedge's "emergent consciousness" and
turn it into some thing far more visible, potent, and publicly
decisive. And combining resistance with disobedience could incite
the progressive movement -- one that outlives Bernie Sanders, but
not without gratitude to him for the courage to confront and define,
even threaten the dark forces of American politics and crony
capitalism. For me it's never "idiotic" or a waste of time to
openly, repeatedly reprimand the 1% for acting as if it owns
everything, like every election. Not quite yet.
See also
Sanders delivers blistering condemnation of
business, billionaires: Breathing
a progressive political fire, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ignited
Colorado supporters with a blistering condemnation of billionaires
and corporations, drawing a crowd of nearly 5,000 to Denver — the
largest of his Democratic presidential campaign since the May
kickoff.
Three Issues Candidate
Sanders Didn’t Address at His L.A. Fundraiser:
The independent socialist said a lot of the right things, but he
avoided the topics of foreign policy and Edward Snowden. Also,
what’s his real motivation for running?
Ralph Nader: Trump for President? Giving GOP
nightmares: If he is still
campaigning by Labor Day, watch out Republicans! He will be a big
nightmare for Republican contenders – from Jeb Bush to Ted Cruz,
from John Kasich to Scott Walker.
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