If this was any other time in American history, a Bernie Sanders-like campaign would've run out of gas and been left stranded on the side of the road awaiting a tow. But his supporters got off the bus, pushed it to the next service station and took up a collection to fill the tank. Still showing up at rallies by the thousands to hear his message and plan for a future they can believe in, these people don't look like they're in the mood to accept Hillary Clinton for an answer. And they don't look like they're in the mood to "Behave" at the Democratic National Convention in July either.
Despite Hillary Clinton's huge lead in pledged delegates, all the momentum is behind Bernie Sanders. His message may have caught fire late, but it's gotten too hot and spreading too fast to be put out now. The flames of the Sanders message are being fanned and fueled by an angry electorate fed up with traditional and conventional ways of selecting a president. Progressives and others have seen how Donald Trump and his angry mob burnt down the Republican Party and they too, want to torch the joint in Philadelphia when they arrive. And come hell or high waters, they'll be there.
With an insurmountable coalition of Independents, Green Party people, Libertarians and thinking Democrats forming under the radar and all with the intention of ripping the corporate roots out of the DNC, Bernie Sanders can bring enough heat this summer to give Hillary Clinton a case of heartburn she'll never forget. By storming into the convention with a streak of wins and threats of third Party and write-in campaigns, theoretically Sanders could have Clinton and the DNC scrambling to save face like the GOP's RNC.
While Hillary Clinton and surrogates are gently nudging Sanders to the sidelines through subtle talk of unifying the Party, Sanders supporters are openly plotting a Party coup or Party split. Clinton and the DNC must be in denial or outright delusional if they can't see the growing size, intensity and determination of the Sanders movement. And that may be the problem. Hillary Clinton and the Democratic establishment are trying to have a conversation with a movement and movements are by nature beyond conversation.
Movements are born out of the frustration of being hopelessly powerless for too long. People join movements because the establishment has failed to understand, meet or even acknowledge their needs. People join movements because they feel they've been written off and left behind. But mostly they join movements because they feel they have no where else to turn.
You can not have huge movements like MoveOn.Org, Occupy Wall Street , Fight for $15.Org and most major labor unions, filling the ranks of those feeling written off, left behind or worse, left for dead. Collectively, their numbers are far too large to be ignored and far too motivated to be left with no where else to turn. In the short term, a really slick candidate might be able to blow enough smoke to blind a few dummies, but in the long run they're gonna feel the heat.
Bottom line: When people realize they're being lied to, cheated on and stolen from by a politician and or political Party they've trusted, it's like any bad marriage or partnership - a divorce may be the only solution. And when lying, cheating and stealing are the chief complaints in any relationship, generally speaking, no amount of conversation or counseling can save the union. At some point, people just want something else. And the American people, Left, Right and Center, have reached that point. Podcast below!
Comments
Post a Comment