A Progressive or a Radical?

[TBF]

by Mike Davis 10/14/15

Sander is a great economist populist, but not an anti-imperialist. However, in my view, this is only a more urgent reason to become involved in the Sanders campaign and criticize it from the inside, as supporters.

Immediately after the Democratic presidential debate last night, Van Jones offered two astute observations: “class won,” as did Black Lives Matter. The former, of course, was the triumph of the Sanders campaign (although it was actually former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb who inaugurated the debate’s discursive revolution by beginning with “working people” rather than “middle class”) while the latter is a tribute to the thousands who have so doggedly stayed in the streets and rudely interrupted political business as usual.

Angry passion and insubordination joined together can succeed as can Old Testament wrath in the case of our guy from Vermont. For the first time since the election of Ronald Reagan, the continuous Republican rightward shift has not been mirrored by a Democratic accommodation to its premises.

<snip>

And no one since Upton Sinclair has framed “democratic socialism” — as the restoration of the working class’s “fair share” in the national income — in such a commonsensical and compelling way. Likewise, his crusade for free public higher education is a radical “transitional demand” with more resonance among youth and young adults than any other proposal yet presented ...

More here - https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/10/hillary-clinton-bernie-democratic-presidential-debate/

[F4lconF16]

1. I get why many want to distance themselves from this movement.

But I've had more success convincing people of socialism because of him than anything else. And I mean real socialism, not the pseudo-dem-soc Bernie is pushing.

[Warpy]

6. Some years ago, there was a comprehensive political test online, now sadly gone.

I had a lot of my online friends and acquaintances take it and they were all shocked to find out they weren't mushy middle moderates, they were all socialists when it came to the issues. That means people in both parties, there were a few sensible, thoughtful Republicans around back then.

The demonization of the word "socialist" is a leftover from McCarthyism and good, old fashioned corporate red baiting. Sanders is redefining it for all the kids who had that third grade propaganda dinned into their impressionable little heads in grade school and changing a lot of minds in both parties.

This is the genius of Sanders's campaign, IMO. He's waking a lot of sleepwalkers up. It's overdue.

[F4lconF16]

8. Eh, maybe we can find another word for leftists, then.

We need a reawakening as a more united front. One of these days.

[cpompilo]

2. "free public higher education is a radical"? In the '60s most public universities were free

I guess those were the radical old days, huh?

[brer cat]

3. Where were public universities free in the 60's?

Not in GA for sure.

[cpompilo]

4. try the Google: "list of U.S. tuition-free public universities in the 1960s"

[brer cat]

5. That didn't produce much.

Maybe I will try it when I have more time. Thanks.

[Warpy]

7. They were in CA. In the rest of the country, they were cheap

Now, none of them is cheap, especially when you add living expenses in. That is the killer.