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I didn’t make it to the May 1st march that took place in Anaheim, but I attended an afternoon meeting to elect delegates for the Democratic convention, in Fullerton. I thought that the delegates were for both presidential candidates but not, it was only to choose Bernie delegates. The place was packed, holy mole, that was a lot of people! Then I thought that maybe the meeting was for the entire county, but it was for the congressional district area only, and I was in the wrong district…so I ended up going to Garden Grove.
This place was also packed, and as in Fullerton, as soon as I stepped into the room people were handling me flyers to vote for them. I was impressed with the number of young people and their enthusiasm. In Garden Grove there were more Latinos including a councilmember from Santa Ana, and I even met another Chilean, in all the places! The only person I knew was our friend Lou Noble, who was manning one of the registration tables, but I did not see any of the activists who scare the hell out of you know who, the Teddy Bear guy. I had another holy mole/chingado moment, oh no, they may be supporting Hillary.
About 20 candidates, the majority of them young people, had a minute to speak, and my goodness, they can speak! Most of them ended up their speeches stating or emphasizing: Bernie or Bust!
These caucuses reminded me that the ground for alternatives to the predominant political forces is considerable. I had been getting resigned that in spite of demographic and party registration changes, the county would remain a conservative stronghold, either in the traditional Republican form or the hybrid version including some Democrats.
My conservative friends think that the core of their principles is better than that of liberals or progressives, especially those conservatives involved in the Good Government movement, fighting what they call the “kleptocratic”distortion of conservatism. They disdain the indirectly city subsidized Chamber of Commerce online mouthpiece, run by the Teddy Bear character, which declares itself the bastion of conservative values and tries to frighten its readers over a “liberal” takeover of Anaheim.
The Orange County GOP congressional delegation has already jumped onto Trump’s train. Will local officials do the same? Will their need for party unity force them to do so? If they do, perhaps they will mitigate the “existential threat,” that according to some many of us feel about a Trump regime. If many scholars of American politics’ arguments are characterized by a “distinct note of surprise and disbelief about the lasting power of conservatism” then I no longer feel discouraged by the challenges we face in this county.
The “Bernie or Bust” movement is a dilemma for me though, if Sanders is not the nominee. How do we create jobs, raise wages, protect the environment and provide health care for all? How do we get big money out of politics, make college tuition and debt free, how do we implement a fair and humane immigration policy? How do we take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaires? The political will, the vision, and the political reality is a hard equation to match, especially when the GOP may unify behind a pronounced bigot and racist .
I will cast my vote for Bernie and Bao in the primary, and I count on the delegates at the convention to make a wise decision. I hope that the young people that has been inspired by Bernie will not have to throw chairs at the Democratic establishment, that they will experience a fair and transparent process, and continue to be engaged in this political revolution.
Ha-ha — I wondered what happened to you once I saw you there? I’m glad that you switched only to Garden Grove and not to Hillary.
So what’s your position if Hillary is the nominee, and the VP choice is driven by electoral votes consideration?
I’ll make that decision in October. First she has to go the intelligence test of picking an appealing VP. I expect that she’ll fail, but part of her has to like the idea of choosing Elizabeth Warren.
Isn’t the Dem convention at the end of July? Another cranky and wise old man, Chomsky, who is voting for Bernie in the primary, would vote for HRC in a swing state to stop Trump, if she is the nominee.
There is always a need for a 3rd party, but the timing never seems to be right. The boogeyman may not cause an existential threat to some but to many he does.
I meant “by” October. I don’t rule out a great convention with a great VP pick could win me over — but I don’t expect it. I’ll decide by the last debate; there’s plenty of political work to do for the fall without worrying about California’s electoral votes.
Re: Elizabeth Warren.
Mass. has a Republican Governor, so as much as most of us would support a Warren VP pick, it could jeopardize the Dems controlling the senate. Not worth it.
Better picks might be Sherrod Brown, Tom Perez or Gavin Newsom.
Gavin Newsom is not a Bernie type and would not bring in his supporters.
Warren as the “heir apparent” is worth it. But if she’d go for Keith Ellison, great.
I’d go with Nina Turner, although she is only a State Senator:
Spain, 1936. The left puritans splinter, Franco triumphs. The sad part now is the fervor of the self-marginalizing Greens, “Socialists,” True Believers, bearded Bernie Bros berating women, and saddest of all, those who can read but not comprehend math or history. Their ideological purity is inspirational. This is about truth, and they are Right!
Franco and the fascists or a communist party dominated by Stalin and the Comintern?
Maybe POUM members and anarchists thought it wasn’t going to be much difference either way.
The way I read it, many lefties were against Stalin. It was internal divisions that let the Fascists triumph, not a 1950’s critique of “totalitarianism.”
Then look at it this way: a Franco run fascist Spain or a Spain run like Stalinist Russia?
In the end what would POUMs “purity” be worth? The fighting in 1937 in the streets of Barcelona meant something significant to the “lefties” shooting at each other.
I was noting the teleological nature of your argument, you assume the result without fully recognizing the complexity of the context.
Not that I think I know the full context, just that alternate history is best left to fiction.
When people try to kill each other I assume they think there’s a good reason.
You wan’t to introduce “teleology?” Go ahead. Good luck with that. And good luck with Lady Macbeth.
Meantime read “Homage to Catalonia.”
A bit insulting, Orwell is an intro text. I hope you read more broadly.
The math, according to the recent polls, shows Sanders in a better position than Clinton defeating Trump. History shows that FDR was able to implement a program that by today’s standards would be considered “socialistic”.
The GOP unifying behind a pronounced bigot and racist legitimizes the issue of the lesser evils. In the long term, the ideological purity regarding “free salads or not for Michael Moore” will become a moot point when the climate change will require solutions beyond “isms”.
The only reason Sanders looks more likely to beat Trump is because Trump has been focusing on slamming on Hilary. Polls are also just a way to control the public, to put things into people’s minds and start to think a certain way. Its a way for the Media/the man to control the outcomes of election. What happened to voting, seems like we already assume things before the voting actually happens.
Venezuela ……
Love it !!!!
Bernie Sanders Says Debbie Wasserman Schultz Will Be Gone From DNC If He’s President
He also endorsed her primary challenger.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/bernie-sanders-debbie-wasserman-schultz_us_5740c0cee4b045cc9a713056
About time. She’s been a bad Democrat on lots of things.