Re-Hashing The Political Divide
Left-Leaning So-Called "Bernie-Bros" Are Once Again Drawing Swords Against Centrist "Hillbots" In A Battle For The Soul Of The Nominal Left.
In a recent "Salon" article by Matthew Rozsa, He argues that there is an argument to be made (or five, as he states) for another Clinton candidacy in 2020, an idea no doubt regarded as repulsive by progressive leftists, and enemies of elitist corruption. The article endeavored to make "The Case For Clinton", listing the following 5 reasons...
Reason one: Russia. You did not misread that. The section explains that "... no candidate can better be described as a nemesis of Russia..." The piece refers to Clinton as "The Winston Churchhill to Putin's Adolf Hitler". Being a nemesis of Russia is now, I suppose, a qualifying factor for the office of President.
Reason two: It would "piss off the misogynistic trolls". Here, while it is a fact that there exists such a thing as "misogynistic trolls", it must be dully noted that they represent a relative few, especially on the nominal left. Sanders supporters, at least those that couldn't stomach a vote for Clinton, voted in many cases for a different female in the race; Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Those, such as Jimmy Dore, host of the Jimmy Dore Show, have had to defend his principled decision to reject both major parties and vote, regardless of gender, on conscience.
Reason three: She has "earned the right" to be the "presumptive nominee". She has not. First of all, there is no such thing in a genuine democracy as being a "presumed nominee". That was part of the DNC's problem in 2016. Furthermore, if there were, it certainly would not belong to someone unable to win against an arrogant bigoted loudmouth with the I.Q. of a rat.
Reason four: We can expect her to be a good president. Matthew Rozsa cites the "beloved 1990's" (you know, the surge of American neoliberalism during the birth of NAFTA, the TPP, and the lambasting of the American labor movement? I thought you'd remember) and her husbands neoliberal accomplishments as evidence of her soaring credentials.
Reason five: She demonstrated a willingness to work with progressives in 2016. I have no words for this.
Supporters Of Sen. Bernie Sanders Are Not Forgetting About Clinton Corruption, And The Idealism Of His Loyal Base May Drive The Debate To The Left In 2020
A recent article published in "The Hill" posited Sanders as the number one option to face off against Trump in 2020. The Hill reportedly spoke with over a dozen Democratic insiders who acknowledged Sanders approval rating of 75% across the board, and a supporter base that is "not going away". Published the same day as the aforementioned prop for Clinton (Nov. 24th), this article does not mention Clinton, although It places center-right vice president to Barack Obama, Joe Biden second, just beneath Sanders in the possible lineup. The Hill makes sure to note that Sanders would be 79 in this hypothetical run for office, albeit just 4 years older than the then 75 year-old Donald Trump, and 5 years older than the then 74 year-old Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden, who took number two on The Hill's list of contenders, would be the same age as Sanders, 79. Newsweek also published an article citing the interviews conducted by The Hill, making the claim that "Sanders will Face Trump... Democrats Say". The Newsweek article employed a more condescending tone, referring to 2020 as "Sanders race to lose", also being sure to note that Sanders will be 79 in 2020. The article makes reference to Sanders' "far-left politics", and notes of course, that he is registered as an independent, a fact which may draw more support than it repels. It is no surprise that Newsweek, the same corporate-leaning mainstream outlet that published an article accusing Sanders supporters of helping Donald Trump, would show disdain for a politician with brass knuckles on for Wall Street corruption.
There is also a small, but growing, number of voters who are to the left of Sanders, and members of outside political parties such as the Green Party, Socialist Alternative, The Socialist Party USA, the DSA, and others unaffiliated with political organizations. The numbers, while they are substantially smaller than either branch of the current duopoly and could not (yet) win an American election, are growing exponentially faster in the era of Trump as many Americans (most of which are between the ages of 18-35) have awakened to the fact that Donald Trump, while an ugly political figure, is not the problem. The problem, the disease, is capitalism. Characters that embody greed and tout "deregulation" as the cure-all to GDP growth are only symptoms of an ever-expansive system. I mention them in this article to make the point while they are in no wise going to win the presidency in 2020, one of the aforementioned organizations are in a position to become what the Green Party was in 2016. In other words, Mimi Soltysik may be the Jill Stein of 2020. If leftist political organizations can manage to organize a strong grassroots movement, they may be able to work their way into viability in the not-too-distant future. Determination is required; Capitalism is doing too much damage too quickly to put leftist movements on the back burner. One can only hope, at least for now, that the front "Berner" is hot enough.