Seizing Power

Revolutions are about power, about working people taking control of the future. Bernie’s campaign has achieved more power for working people than any movement in years, involving millions of people fighting for Socialism! And, while not winning the election outright, he more importantly blazed a path that shows how to have a largely peaceful (that depends on the ruling class), democratic revolution. We can do this, comrades!

It’s now clear to me that from the beginning, Bernie’s vision of a path to power was through the Democratic Party. Where would he/we be if he decided in May 2015 to run as an independent? Nowhere. I know I’m repeating myself, but I’m copying Bernie. The Democratic Party is the largest organization of any type in the United States. Arguably, Bernie progressives now hold about 45% of the membership – of course a much lower percentage of the leadership.

Working people – the working class – taking over a union is analogous to the working class, the Bernie progressives, taking over the Democratic Party. Most unions have had corrupt leadership for years more intent on maintaining their positions than actually fighting for workers (just like Congress). Most of those same unions have had progressive caucuses, whose members run in elections year after year, sometimes winning a few seats, rarely taking control. Except the teacher’s unions in Chicago and Los Angeles in the last few years. There are others. Some Teamster locals. Teamsters for a Democratic Union is an example of a national caucus that has had some success.

My point is, when progressives lose elections in the unions, they don’t quit the union, okay? They might split the union when they do take over, see UE vs IBEW, etc. And it’s possible down the road that the Democratic Party will split if the progressives get “too much” power, but then we’ll have that viable third party we’ve been drooling over for so long. But not now. Let’s follow Bernie’s leadership that has gotten us this amazingly far and stop talking about not supporting the ticket or voting Green or writing in Bernie. Now the strategy is for progressives to start at the County Committee level up to the DNC, get our people in there. If the Party wins in November, if it wins the presidency and both houses of congress, it will be that much more powerful and more necessary for us to battle for control of it. I’m no $hillary fan, but it isn’t about her, it’s about the Party. A major factor preventing Bernie’s victory was his joining the party and entering the campaign too late.  If he had been it the Party for 2-3 or more years, he could have gotten more of his people elected to the DNC. That may have prevented at least some of the irregularities, in Brooklyn, Nevada, California, Arizona, Puerto Rico.

One  thing we do need to be very wary of with $hilary is this new push (those 51 diplomats) to put troops on the ground in Syria and try to overthrow Assad. As soon as the Convention is over, we need to focus on building the antiwar movement.

Far from being the time to abandon the Democratic Party, now is the time to double down on the Democratic Party and take the damn thing over. That’s the revolutionary direction. To go off in these other directions, that's exactly what the ruling class wants us to do. Let's stay united, stay strong.