By all accounts, when the sun sets on Super Tuesday's 2016 presidential primary showdown, much to the chagrin of both Democrats and Republicans, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will likely be their Party's nominee. With the nation's worst nightmare coming true, many are wondering what to do with this hobson's choice. No matter what happens going forward, Americans will be electing someone they don't trust.
Still, there has to be plan B. While conventional wisdom would suggest Sanders supporters will march in lock step with the Democratic Party to put a Democrat in the White House, a wise observer would say not so fast. The Democratic establishment may be asking and expecting too much from the growing opposition within the Party. Some may consider organizing that opposition into a viable alternative instead. If the Democrats are the Party of choice, then they should welcome more choices.
Unlike the Republicans, the Left have yet to establish a serious alternative to the watered-down goals and mediocre vision Clinton and the DNC represents. While The Right Wing Tea Party may have seemed ridiculous to many at the onset, they did manage to push the Republican Party to the limit. Whether you agree with their message and methods or not, they should be respected for not selling themselves short or selling themselves out. And neither should those on the Left.
Before one swallows one's pride and compromises core principles and values, one should remember why and what one was fighting for in the first place. If nothing less than an affordable wage will be tolerated, don't support anyone who will support anything less. If universal healthcare is your ultimate goal, then anyone who opposes it must be opposed. If free college tuition is your redline, then you allow no one to cross it. If the DNC walks away from these fundamental demands, then the Left should walk away from the DNC.
No matter how silly the Tea Party may have seemed at times, many on the Left could learn a lot from their tenacity. They organized and maintained a strong opposition to their own leadership. They exposed the RNC leadership for being woefully out of touch with the rank and file. They held the Republican Party's feet to the fire and they never let up. Even if it meant shutting down the government or jeopardizing the U.S. credit rating, the Tea Party was willing to scorch the earth to have their voices heard and their issues taken seriously.
While some may call seeking out alternatives amounts to nothing more than sore losers sucking on sour grapes, others will see continuing opposition to establishment forces as a means of ideological and economic survival. To give up the fight while still holding cards to play, should be no more acceptable to those on the Left than it is to those on the Right.
Bottom line: In reality, the very nature of America's political diversity begs for an expansion of political outlets, choices and options. If Americans have outgrown the current two Party system (and they have), why should Left leaning voters be satisfied with the bones thrown at them. To accept the current political construct is to limit the widest range of ideas and possibilities. When ideas and possibilities are limited to accommodate the establishment, broader minded voters are left with little more than a take it or leave it experience. We say leave it. Podcast below!
Comments
Post a Comment