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No Reforming Democrats: Leftist Dogma or Scientific Fact?
http://www.nationofchange.org/news/2016/02/21/no-reforming-democrats-leftist-dogma-or-scientific-fact/But beyond bad will, leftists unwillingness to put their dogma of Democrats incapacity for reform to an empirical, voter-convincing test reveals the Lefts loss of any instinct for political organizing. For Sanders supporters, especially young ones (many, veterans of the Occupy movement), have poured immense energy and enthusiasm into his campaign. And beyond that energy and enthusiasm, what makes Sanders supporters such ripe subjects for leftist organizing, is that Sanders places strong emphasis on the need for political revolution.
Granted, Sanders view of revolution may be a laughably tame one; but frankly, the only fault I find with it is his persistent unwillingness to identify Clinton and the Democratic Party establishment as outright enemies of the needed revolution. Given the increasing nastiness and dishonesty of the pro-Clinton party establishments attacks on Sanders, along with the undemocratic measures theyve taken from the get-go to sabotage his campaign and thwart his nomination, convincing Sanders supporters that Clintons the foremost enemy of his revolution should not be terribly hard. Yet failure to do so, should Clinton win the nomination and Sanders then endorses her (as hes virtually certain to do), will cause his supposed revolution to disappear without a trace once shes nominated; one cant simultaneously endorse a candidate and make that candidate a target of revolution. The sad truth about Bernie is that of his conflicting beliefs in lesser-evilism and revolution, revolution is the one hes willing to sacrifice. But the Left, like Revolt Against Plutocracy, should have seen the immense opportunity to organize the undoubtedly large number of his supporters who feel Bernie should have sacrificed lesser-evilism instead. What, after all, is the point of invoking political revolution you intend to call off within months if youre not nominated? Yet the Left still has the prospect of organizing Bernies revolution-minded supportersby putting its resources behind the Bernie or Bust pledge.
Whether the Left exploits this unique organizing opportunityto build a movement that could endure and grow no matter who gets electedis ultimately a choice between science and religion. As philosopher Daniel Dennett notes in his book Breaking the Spell, a chief function of the concept of the sacred is to forbid empirical investigation of religious beliefs. In leftists refusal to support demands that put the Democratic Party to the testeven though Democrats failing that test could reward the Left (and the Green Party) richlyI see an equally dogmatic defense of leftists sacred, identity-giving belief that Democrats are beyond reform. And the related dogmatic belief that any candidate running as a Democrat must be denied supporteven if hes attempting a hostile takeover of the party. Yet only by putting their religious dogma to an empirical testwhether the Democratic establishment still embraces Clinton despite organized voter rejectioncan leftists hope to exploit the unique organizing opportunity Sanders candidacy offers.
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No Reforming Democrats: Leftist Dogma or Scientific Fact? (Original Post)
eridani
Feb 2016
OP
Mbrow
(1,090 posts)1. k&R Thank for posting
You're working hard this morning.