Sanders’ victory: How Bernie ended the Cold War in 2016
Before this presidential election cycle, conventional wisdom suggested that socialists in America tended to be cranks, out-of-touch college professors, or both, populating the margins of our political culture. But thirteen million people just voted for Sanders in the primaries, and he won states in New England, the midwest, the plains, and the Pacific northwest. Starting with little money, no name recognition, and few endorsements, he took Hillary Clinton, who had lots of all of those things, nearly to the wire.
Until now, self-identifying socialists went exactly nowhere in U.S. elections. In recent decades, Democrats with national aspirations even tried to avoid the “liberal” label; “socialist” was unimaginable. As early as 1906, the title of German sociologist Werner Sombart’s study of American exceptionalism famously asked “Why is there no socialism in the United States?” It’s a difficult question to answer, but it’s clear that more recently, since World War II, Cold War ideology and fairy tales of American rugged individualism combined to create a culture that lumped together repressive one-party dictatorships and national health insurance. Democratic socialism wasn’t discussed in any productive way, tainted as it was by its supposed connection to the evil communist enemy. That’s changing.
Why now? The simple passage of time is part of the story. There are currently millions of young voters, among whom Sanders was highly popular, who were born after the Cold War was over. To many of them, the face of socialism is a scruffy grandpa type with a Brooklyn accent and promises of debt-free education, not, say, a mustachioed mass murderer. And as someone who teaches college undergraduates, based on numerous conversations with students, I can confirm that Sanders’s socialism doesn’t bother them at all.
In addition to the distance provided by passing years, the sorry state of our capitalist system set the scene. Wall Street deregulation, nakedly corrupt campaign finance rules, and sharply rising inequality have taken their toll on our social fabric, and triggered a loss of faith in our institutions. And none of us should be surprised that in the wake of the entirely avoidable Great Recession, people are looking for alternatives; more promises of tax cuts aren’t so convincing anymore. A democratic socialist suddenly seems to make a lot of sense to a lot of people, and for good reason.
Democrats Adopt Most Progressive Platform in Party History
Press Release
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Pressed by supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic Party platform writers meeting this weekend in Orlando, Florida, adopted a progressive agenda that underscores the need for bold action on climate change, addresses criminal justice reform and calls for doubling the federal minimum wage.
“We have made enormous strides,” Sanders said. “Thanks to the millions of people across the country who got involved in the political process – many for the first time – we now have the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party.”
The Platform Committee also adopted an amendment focused on criminal justice reform which calls for an investigation by the Department of Justice to investigate all shootings involving police officers.
The platform that will be submitted at the Democratic National Convention later this month in Philadelphia also would support Congress putting a price on carbon and methane to discourage continued use of fossil fuels that are causing severe climate change. The platform also says lawmakers must consider the impact on the climate in all federal decisions and invest heavily in wind and solar power rather than natural gas.
Delegates allied with Hillary Clinton’s and Sanders’ campaigns also passed amendments to fight for a $15 federal minimum wage tied to inflation, urged passage of progressive immigration reform and called for legalization of marijuana.
The changes adopted this weekend in Orlando improved platform language passed by drafters at a meeting last month in St. Louis, Missouri. The initial document already included commitments to abolish the death penalty, break up too-big-to-fail financial institutions, establish a modern Glass-Steagall Act, end corporate tax loopholes, ban private prisons and expand Social Security.
The platform improvements were in addition to announcements last week by Clinton who vowed to expand health care and make higher education more affordable.
Clinton on Saturday announced a health care program that her campaign developed in consultation with Sanders. The new plan would allow those older than 55 to participate in Medicare, clear the way for a public option for health insurance and dramatically expand community health centers which provide primary care, dental care, low-cost prescription drugs and mental health counseling.
And in a major development last Wednesday, Clinton announced a plan that would make public colleges and universities tuition free for students in families with incomes up to $125,000 a year. That would result in free tuition for 83 percent of American students.
“While we have made great progress in the Democratic platform advancing the issues that have inspired millions of Americans in this campaign, the fight is just beginning,” Sanders said.
“If we are going to transform America and create a government which works for all and not just the 1 percent we need to elect candidates who will fight for these principles. We need to elect a Democratic Congress and president and make certain that the language in the Democratic platform is translated into law. We must ensure that progress for working families in America does not end on the pages of the Democratic platform but becomes reality,” Sanders said.
Bernie Sanders Wins Policy Concessions as Democrats Seek Unity
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are finally moving toward a truce after a fierce Democratic presidential primary fight, with the presumptive nominee making a series of policy concessions and campaign hires aimed at winning the Vermont senator’s endorsement ahead of the general election.
Mrs. Clinton accepted changes Mr. Sanders wanted to the party’s platform, including calls for abolishing the death penalty, and rolled out new policy goals in recent days that nudged her to the left in hopes of wooing her primary opponent and his voting coalition. [….]
“It’s fair to say that the Clinton campaign and our campaign are coming closer and closer together in trying to address the major issues facing our country,” Mr. Sanders told reporters in a weekend conference call. [….]
Mindful that they would lose some platform fights, Sanders campaign aides said they believed Mrs. Clinton had shown good faith in trying to bridge differences. That has made it easier for Mr. Sanders to come around, they added.
After the Platform Committee adjourned around midnight Saturday, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said the new platform is “clear evidence that the voices of the people who voted for Bernie Sanders are being heard. There’s a place for them at the table in the Clinton campaign.”
Did Hillary Clinton do enough to win over Bernie Sanders’ backers?
Bernie Sanders got what he wanted here this weekend: A Democratic platform stamped in section after section by his progressive values.
Hillary Clinton got what she wanted, too: A path to bring Sanders' supporters fully into the fold a week before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. [….]
"We have made enormous strides," Sanders said in a statement Sunday. "Thanks to the millions of people across the country who got involved in the political process -- many for the first time -- we now have the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party."
He added, in a nod to Clinton: "We need to elect a Democratic Congress and president and make certain that the language in the Democratic platform is translated into law."
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