Unlike conservatives and those on the right, progressives and leftists are difficult to herd. We are freethinkers, independent, we constantly question authority, we express our opinions. We are not automatons.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in our approach to our political options.
Organizing the left is like the proverbial problem of herding cats. Conservatives and the right are easily manipulated and directed. They march in lock-step. They follow direction. They spout the party line. They are easily managed and are malleable.
Progressives each have a different opinion about almost everything.
A perfect example is to be observed in our views of how we grow our movement.
There are those of us who believe our future lies with the Green party. There are those who think Bernie Sanders should launch a Peoples’ party, and are busy petitioning him to do so. Most progressives are in Bernie Sanders’ camp, intent upon reforming the Democratic party,
Whether that is even possible is a totally separate issue from what progressives wish to accomplish.
Most everyone who supported Bernie in the 2016 Democratic primaries is onboard for a Bernie run in 2020.
But we are all over the block on how he should proceed.
My opinion is really no more valid than is anyone else’s, but I will share it anyway!
We ought to follow Bernie’s lead. We really have no choice. Bernie will run as he pleases, and we can follow him or not. All the bitching in the world is not going to convince Sanders to run on a third party, let alone start a new one.
Sanders believes the future of the progressive movement lies within the Democratic party.
I was one of his harshest critics when he endorsed the Whore of Wall Street. Like many Berners I hoped Bernie would run as a Green and challenge the two war and Wall Street parties.
In retrospect, Bernie made the right call. He would have lost as a Green. Trump would still have been elected president. But progressives would have been shut out of the Democratic party. The movement would have become marginalized. Bernie and his followers would have become as irrelevant as Jill Stein and the Greens are now.
Bernie was playing the long game. He must have been terrified that Hillary might have won. Had she, progressives would have also been shut out of the process, marginalized within the Democratic party, and the DNC and it’s corrupt hacks would never have been openly challenged.
In that light, there really was no downside for Sanders in supporting Hillary. And with endorsing Hillary, Bernie stood the chance of hitting the political jackpot: a Trump win.
With a Trump presidency, there will be no sitting Wall Street Democrat in the White House. A real possibility exists that the stranglehold that Wall Street hacks have had on the DNC may be broken.
There are more rank-and-file progressive Democrats than there are rank-and-file Wall Street Democrats. More liberals than neo-liberals. More leftists than there are oligarchs.
The reason progressives do not control the party is because Wall Street lobbyists have purchased our elected Democratic leaders.
They owned Obama, Biden, Reid, Pelosi, almost every Member of Congress and the Senate. In turn, those bought-and-paid-for Wall Street sycophants appointed DNC operatives, who appointed super-delegates, who stole the election from Bernie Sanders.
Some of us disagree with Bernie, some are skeptical of his strategy.
Bernie is the leader of those who will follow him. And most Berners will follow Bernie.
The immediate task at hand is to help Bernie take over the Democratic party.
And that is really the only option available to progressives. Every other course of action is a waste of time, energy, and resources. Third parties, petitioning Bernie to fall on his sword, howling at the moon, etc, accomplish nothing.
For those in the Democratic party, let’s get to work on Bernie’s revolution.
For those outside the party, #DemEnter.
For those who disagree, let’s set aside our differences for the next 3 years and get Bernie Sanders (or one of his political heirs) the Democratic nomination.
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Armory of the Revolution 
“Whore of Wall Street”? I agreed with all your article except for that. Beyond an exaggeration, lets not use sexism in fighting our battles.
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From Merriam-Webster: Definition of whore
1
: a woman who engages in sexual acts for money : prostitute; also, informal + offensive : a promiscuous or immoral woman
2
: a male who engages in sexual acts for money
3
: a venal or unscrupulous person
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Democrat, Independent, Socialist, I simply don’t care. Bernie is the point. And like this writer, I’m sticking with him, just as he’s stuck with all of us on issue after issue for decades upon decades. His point of view hasn’t waivered. His fight hasn’t changed, and he’s one of the only ones out front and center daily doing whatever he can to protect us and protect this country from total Trump ruin. The arguments for why to not run as an independent president are sound, as is overtaking the Dem party which needs serious overhauling. Left to their own devices and holding the other side of the political power leaves all us progressive liberals out of the political arena. They and the Repubs still control the show, We’ve got to wrassled it back from them and we don’t have time to build a new political party by 2020 that can compete
with the centuries-old two-party, money-backed systems currently in place. talking the party of the people back to the people is our only shot, in my view.
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I agree with Bernie’s Revolution, but I believe if Bernie is going to take over the Democratic Party and move it to the left, HE SHOULD BE WILLING TO BE A DEMOCRAT.
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Bernie is the elected Independent Senator from Vermont. He caucuses with the Democrats, which makes him a Democrat within the national party..
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It is intellectually dishonest to try to reduce the issue to one between “progressive Democrats” and “Wall Street Democrats.” Creating a nasty label to paper over legitimate disagreements is not what good Democrats do. Most of us who oppose the Sanders faction have nothing to do with Wall Street. We are alarmed by your tendency toward trashing other activists and rejecting compromise and coalition. The day Sanders called Planned Parenthood “establishment” was the day I knew he didn’t understand the movement he wanted to lead.
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Which “legitimate differences” would those be? Representing donors over voters? Taking money from Big Banks, Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Ag? Protecting the one percent instead of the 99%? Supporting fracking, pipelines, Arctic drilling against the environment? Shilling for the healthcare insurers rather than supporting universal healthcare? Killing people with drones versus not? Imposing regime changes on countries we have no business bombing or invading?
And as for Planned Parenthood, it would be difficult to make the case that it is not a part of the establishment. It is supported by the entire Democratic establishment, and in turn it supports Democratic hacks. It is a multi-million dollar bureaucracy that is part of the DC landscape and receives funding from the federal government and most states.
Nothing intellectually dishonest about proclaiming that the emperor has no clothes, and that the corporate Democrats who are bought and paid for by lobbyists are no better than the Republicans. My position is that they are substantially worse, as they masquerade as liberals
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You have the audacity to shove Sanders down our throats, while calling Hillary a Corporate Whore?? You say there are no Wall Street people in the White House since you all got the damn “Orange Baboon” elected?? You need to check out his Cabinet, Appointees and the other people he is hiring!! What I have to say about a Sanders run in 2020 is, he will NOT run on our ticket, as the Bastard cost us the election long with the rest of you stupid Sons of a Bitch!
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Lol! Trump’s cabinet is no worse than was Obama’s. I would argue Obama;s was worse, as they masqueraded as liberals.
As for who cost the Democrats the election, it is easily demonstrated that the DNC cost us the election by rigging the primaries n favor of Hillary. She was a flawed candidate, totally without integrity, with no moal compass, and was comfortable on either side of the major issues.
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I have been a Democrat my whole adult life, but I cannot even pretend to support Democrats who take money (pay to play) and/or join Republicans on important votes. I keep a list. I do not believe in supporting people who are NOT progressives. So what am I to be called? A Democrat or a Democratic Socialist? I do not believe that the label is what is important. I am 100% for Bernie Sanders. He cannot be bought. We either defeat the oligarchs with Bernie or someone just like him or this country will continue downhill long after I am gone. I do not know how long it will be before I can contribute to the DNC. They were horrible. Unless Progressives can take over the Democratic Party, I will just support individual candidates who act like and vote like I expect Democrats to do. Corruption has gone way too far in our country. Too many people are not acknowledging it.
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What happened to the comment I left here earlier?
Bernie’s foreign plicy is too hawkish, and he is too beholden to the dairy industry. This makes him not a true progressive in my opinion. I did not vote for him in 2016, and I doubt that I will vote for him in 2020 unless he changes these policies.
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We on the left do not have the luxury of ideal candidates. I am a Marxist, and can hardly expect a Marxist to be viable. I am vegan, and have not seen a vegan candidate for president except Dennis Kucinich. Generally, the further left a candidate, the more likely they are to consider animal protection and the less likely they are to support military belligerence.
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Why not ask Kucinich to run, then? He is more progressive on many issues than is Sanders, and I think would certainly be a viable candidate.
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I have suggested to Dennis that he run again for president. I thought an excellent move would have been for him to run for DNC chair as a preliminary to campaigning for the 2020 nomination. He gave me no encouragement on either proposal.
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He is still too hawkish on foreign policy, he no too beholden to the dairy industry.
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Very true. Sanders is neither a dove nor is he vegan. He is not my ideal candidate, but he is the catalyst that can create a political revolution in America.
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If progressives want to make a move on the Democrats, they need to get rid of the misogynists first. Sanders’ Presidential campaign was seriously damaged by a large number of misogynists, known as the Bernie Bros.
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That is ridiculous. The label Bernie Bros was created by the Hillary camp. Sanders supporters were hardly misogynists. The Clinton campaign, however, was pandering to the idea that women MUST vote for Hillary because she one. Remember Madeleine Albright and her infamous comment/
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It’s Bernie Sanders policies that count. What outside groups do is not under his control. If you’re saying that Bernie Sanders is a misogynist, that’s a totally different conversation.
Thinking like this is why Donald Trump is now President.
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In this context, “take over” is two words.
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Definition of takeover from Dictionary.com
1.
the act of seizing, appropriating, or arrogating authority, control, management, etc.
2.
an acquisition or gaining control of a corporation through the purchase or exchange of stock.
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Armory
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This is where our energies need to be focused. Let’s get ahold of the Democratic Party.
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We have a Progressive Slate running for the Exec Bd of Nevada Dem Party. Elections March 4. Stay tuned.
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Best article yet on where we are and where we go. Thanks!
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Thanks for the kind words!
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There are so many things wrong with this person’s argument, it is nonsensical at best, delusional at worst. Totally on board with Bernie, we are taking back the Democratic party. Ppl need to stop panicking. @LocalBerniecrats If you’re going to do something, start at grassroots, exactly
What we are doing.
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Who’s argument are you talking about?
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What are you talking about?
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The businessman anti Washington model will have much more appeal on 2020 than it had when Trump emerged. The Democrats need to find their businessman and we need to encourage Howard Schultz, Chairman and Founder of the Starbucks chain. Bernie’s time was now. I would vote for him or Tulsi Gabbard or Nina Turner. Tulsi couldn’t be better. But none of these 3 Political Progressives have much of a chance.
Howard Schultz Vision for Starbucks was every employee gets health insurance and is an owner of the business. Schultz is politically astute, likeable and is to Starbucks what Steve Jobs was to Apple.
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As a 20-something who voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary, I should be your target audience. Yet, I am embarrassed to call myself a progressive when I read blog posts like this. America’s first female candidate of a major party is “The Whore of Wall Street”? Republicans are “easily manipulated” and “automatons”? These insults are completely unnecessary, as a previous commentator has already pointed out. The progressive cause will never grow if it remains in its own bubble.
And you finish your post by asking those who disagree with you to set aside their differences and join your cause? Tough goal, considering you just alienated everybody else.
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Hillary was, indeed the Whore of Wall Street, notwithstanding her gender. There are progressive women whom I will gladly support for president, who are not political whores. I fully expect Tulsi Gabbard or Nina Turner to be president one day, long after the Whore of Wall Street is gone.
As for my contention that the right has malleable automatons, i stand by the description. They are hardly among those who would join us in nominating Bernie, so your contention that i am alienating Bernie supporters is quite flawed.
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If that is how you twenty something read that you’re a very astute learner “Not” You really need to learn how to read something instead of just reading it learn the quotes they are someone else’s words you fool. wow is this what our schools are producing now? Read it once then read it again mull it over think about it before you shoot your mouth off. Then once you see it from more than one direction you can answer this is why in my time they thought children should be seen and not heard. It was supposed to be a reflective time for a child to do just what I suggested to you.
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There isn’t a more apt description of hillary that whore of wallstreet, except perhaps by the addition of ‘corrupt’ whore. And have you ever engaged in discussions with Trump armies? If you had, you’d see what we’re up against. They are unthinking mobs who don’t question anything, as long as it comes from HQ. They are indeed easily manipulated and behave like automatons. Whether that offends you or not.
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No matter how correct it is that Hillary is a corporate tool. If you call yourself a progressiv you don´t call a women a hore. Period. It is this kind of things that makes me confused when I follow american politics, how the left is so unconcious in certain aspects. For example – the leading progressive TV-media TYT – is totally unbalanced in matter of speaking time between male and female. All the time.
I am just a foreign observer, but here – a progressive that doesn´t act as a feminist – not just wants good politics, would have been massacred. Interesting how other males defend Roland abowe. Just saying…
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Whore (from vocabulary.com)
In the original sense, a whore is a prostitute: someone who has sex for money. The word has since broadened to mean anyone who is money-hungry.
Whores traditionally whored their bodies out for money. But today a whore can be a person that compromises himself in any kind of way for monetary gain. It’s also a nasty thing to call someone (especially a woman) who has a lot of sex and is often used as a vulgar insult similar to bitch. It’s not really an appropriate word to call someone, including actual prostitutes.
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Great article, thank you.
May I just suggest that calling all those on the right “automatons” and slapping a “highly malleable” label on them creates further division? You may be right, but until we have a highly scientific study proving this fact, we should assume they also have individual ideas within their party – just like us.
I maybe a hopeless romantic, but I still believe we need to stop promoting the collective “us” and collective “them”. Yes, republicans do this all the time. But I think it’s dangerous and a huge part of America’s problem.
Just like Bernie says, we’re tired of negative campaigns. Let’s follow his lead on that, too.
All the best.
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Yes, Yes, Yes.
Bernie has always been on the right side of history. If we trust and love him, we need to stop second-guessing his depth of experience, insight and knowledge, and follow his lead.
Yes. I will. Let’s.
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I have two major concerns about Bernie. Firstly, he really disappointed me, and I think many others, who thought he was different by doing politics as usual and pushing hillary. Secondly, I think Bernie like all main stream politicians is all about caring for people and not enough about the environment and animal welfare. Helping people means creating jobs with any means and at any cost, especially if the cost is environmental. That is what trump is doing, and it is not pretty.
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Actually if you look at his voting record, he has advocated all during his career for the environment, the vulnerable and most everything we hold dear (some of it he does quietly though – So as to play their game and make changes in OUR favor, the Earth’s favor, the way the opposition does against us) – and he stood with the People at Standing Rock before most of us had even heard about it. More, he is out there NOW, every day, taking on all these evil forces and fighting for us like NO OTHER. I have to look at that. Even if he only gets us off fossil fuels, that would be a MAJOR win for all, animals included. He only backed H because they were not going to allow him any entry as a candidate and I now trust that if he believed a 3rd party win was possible, he would have taken that course instead. By backing her, he pushed her as far left to Progressive values as possible. Now I think, ‘Who are we to second guess this man who has spent a lifetime fighting for us and the environment’? If he runs, he will have my vote.
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Bernie is intelligent, incorruptible, experienced and should be POTUS. It’s a miracle that America has someone like Bernie, but most people don’t see it that way, which is exactly what’s wrong with America, imo. He has the most educated perspective on the political landscape and most people trust his judgment. Unifying under his leadership is what America has been waiting for
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We need bernie
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YES we do~!!! At least some ppl. know what’s going on and what is “right”…
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Reblogged this on Species and Class.
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