BBB made this statement: “I don't know what it is that is keeping you folks from moving on.”
I’ve been away for a while, actually getting after that which deserves a quick answer here. So, here we go! (miss me? --prolly not, but that’s OK. Really.)
We are not moving on due to a very significant and fundamental difference in party policy vision and what that means for the direction of the nation. The policy vision embodied by Secretary Clinton, simply isn’t acceptable. No joke.
If there is interest, I’m happy to go through those differences too. However, you all are big kids. This part of the answer isn’t hard. What is hard?
Understanding that we are about ideas, and that we aren’t running a typical campaign!
Sanders, and those of us backing Sanders are about these things all happening in parallel, at the same time, not in sequence:
1. Bernie running for POTUS. Yes, that is still happening. It’s not expected to be a success, but hold that thought. It’s important below.
2. Building a movement that will involve more people in the political process. A side effect of this is Sanders is modeling and educating a whole generation of people on how politics can be done, and how it can be done is very different from what all of us are used to seeing these last 30 years or so.
3. Take that movement and reform the Democratic Party, and ideally government overall.
All three of those are in play at any given time. Win or lose the nom, Bernie is doing the education and movement building. Win or lose the nom, the movement is growing and planning to run a bunch of new people. Challengers to pretty much everyone. No joke.
To us, there are absolutely no downsides to maximizing our opportunity during this primary. Notice the platform discussion? Notice how it’s never enough? Want to know how much is enough?
It would be Bernie’s platform. Until then, we do everything we can, exercise every option we can, and we do so non-stop to improve the platform to the maximum extent possible. Things like TPP are completely unacceptable. Ordinary Americans do not need or want the TPP, and of all the candidates out there, only Sanders has made definitive statements against it. Right now, the President is seeking to get it ratified, and we completely oppose doing that and will do all we can to prevent it from happening too.
Sorry Obama. Love you, but TPP is unacceptable.
Notice how there is no endorsement? Apply the same strategy. To get that endorsement, Clinton needs to sell Bernie on just how she plans to do right by our policy ideas, or we aren’t inclined to lend our support. It’s that simple. Democracy in action. The move to improve the platform as well as the talks between the campaigns are all centered around improving on that potential support too. From our point of view, it’s in Clinton’s best interest to come our way because we have the better ideas and alignment with the needs of the American People.
All the while, we are using every opportunity to build the movement, educate people, and now with 20K signups, get people funded and motivated to run for office.
The overall strategy builds on each win for leverage. Wins in the primary helped make a movement and won delegates to improve the platform. Improving the platform will define what a Democrat is, which supports our goal of improving the party. All of that will help our people run great campaigns, where they can point to that platform, wins from the past, etc… and win their elections. Those people become the party, and that builds leverage for other activities.
It’s not over when the primary is over. The ideas are driven by need and we have the best alignment with that need. Because of that, there is absolutely no reason to discontinue ANY efforts. All of it builds toward actualizing those ideas, and that’s what we are in this for.
I’ll stop there, but that is why. From our point of view, there is absolutely no need to worry about Trump being President. Fear and shame arguments fall on deaf ears. Surely we can get along and run with the most progressive platform we can and give Secretary Clinton her best opportunity and support to win?
Exactly. This is what real choice and democracy look like. Enjoy it. We are!
Happy 4th people. Enjoy the holiday. I’ll be around in the comments later.
Saturday, Jul 2, 2016 · 3:43:48 PM +00:00
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potatohead
I missed a key point in this diary that came out in the comments.
Question: “Who are you people to be doing this?”
Answer: We exist due to human need unaddressed by government, and in particular, the Democratic party. This is not denigrating Democrats. I am a Democrat, and I want us to be far more effective Democrats when it comes to addressing the needs of the shrinking middle class.
If there were not a basic and growing human need, we and these differences would not exist.
It is vital everyone understand that, if we are to move on and work together to win against the GOP.