What is to Be Done? (Redux)

READERS' FORUM
OpEds

Eric Arnow

“I know EXACTLY how the US political system works”.

George McGovern 1972 campaign button

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]o it’s not like I am a stranger to this infernal system. I backed McGovern in 1972. It was obvious, the Democratic Party leadership got steamrolled by its grassroots. It then proceeded to stab its base in the back. It’s not like that had not happened before.

FDR was constantly thwarted and in 1944, in the face of overwhelming support for Henry Wallace, who wanted peace with the USSR and a world set up for the benefit of The Common Man, instead, a coup occurred, installing the pliant puppet Tru-man (another Oxymoron name), who nuked Japan and allowed the Cold War to proceed.

I supported Nader in 2000 and gave the Democrats one last shot when I joined the Democrats to work for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 long shot candidacy. We all know how the Democrats treated him—Political Siberia.

Rather than go over the whole sordid history of the crypto fascist Democratic Party elite, who meet behind back doors, and fix elections or simply roll over and let the Republicans fix them (1980 October surprise), (1988 Willie Horton canard), or Al Gore caving in on blatant theft of his election and John Kerry caving in on his election, or Hillary Clinton blowing her elections, I want to focus on the present.

There is a resurgence of Left—that is, real Left sentiment. That promises to:

• Make Public Health a national priority to be paid for by the government in toto. We don’t pay deductibles for bombs dropped in the name of National Defense. Why are we having a discussion about ‘can we afford single payer health care’?? This should also include promoting healthy life style, and penalizing junk food pushers.

• Invest in the People: Public Investment in Research and Development, aka Free Education for all those willing to learn new skills—K-PhD, just like Norway or for that matter the ‘oppressive’ USSR that went from 80% illiteracy to putting the first man in space despite two devastating invasions.

• Rebuild Public Infrastructure which is not merely outdated and crumbling but is an actual hindrance to trade and commerce and simply living. That is why the Freeways were built, and now why China and other countries have fast, efficient public transportation.

• Care for a planet that is under attack, not just climate wise, but choking on plastics, toxic chemicals, radiation leaks, deforestion, etc etc. Over 3000 US municipalities have higher levels of lead in their water than Flint, MI. We’re poisoning ourselves to death with corporations leading the way.

• End the out of control for profit racist prison system, which legalizes slavery of poor whites and ethnic minorities.

• Ensure that the current Elections, that are rigged-- from the vetting of candidates, to voter roles, black propaganda media, rigged opinion polls, rigged voting machines etc, are now transparent and fair, with ranked choice voting and guaranteed voter participation, no more gerrymandering

• Put an end to endless war—cut military spending in half at least and bring the troops home to rebuild the US instead of destroying victim countries. There is no excuse for unemployment. The whole country needs an overhaul starting with cutting fossil fuel dependency

• Stopping influence of both pernicious foreign agendas, as well as internal corrupt agendas.

• And notice: No more identity politics and divisive wedge issues, that are irrelevant to the vast majority.

A REAL RESISTANCE

For the first time in my life time, we have not just one but 4 people running for the Democratic Party nomination:

• Bernie Sanders
  Tulsi Gabbard
  Mike Gravel
  Marianne Williamson

All are running on essentially these same points. That’s the good news. The bad news is twofold. First, they are getting the usual abusive treatment described in the above history. And second, their efforts are fragmented, which is exactly what the Establishment wants. The ploy to allow superdelegates to vote in a second round of voting should be obvious: Fragment the vote, prevent a first ballot real Left majority candidate and put in a corporate shill like Biden, Harris, or Buttigieg a former “intelligence officer” in Afghanistan and possible Manchurian Candidate.

(Is it any surprise that the number of progressive candidate elected and active is 4 and the number of “Candidates from a military-intelligence background are seeking the Democratic Party nomination in 40 percent of the congressional districts targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the 2018 elections. They make up the largest single occupational group running in the Democratic primaries”)?.: Source: https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-cia-democrats-from-the-state-department-to-capitol-hill/5657397

Mike Gravel, the Senior Statesman of the Left

Mike Gravel, the now 88 year old Senate hero of the Vietnam War, had the guts to put himself at risk, and read the scandalous Pentagon Papers into the Public Record---Unilaterally declassifying the war crimes and mendacity of the people who foisted that war on all Southeast Asia and the US public.

He has street cred. He ran for president because two teenagers learned about him and got him to be a candidate. Now the Democratic Party denied him a place in the debates placing dubious nonentities in his place. They hate him and for good reason. He calls them liars which they are.

He has just endorsed both Bernie Sander as well as Tulsi Gabbard for President. So this presents a historic opportunity:
How to Finally Stick It to the Democratic Party Serial Abusers

Plan A ( the weak plan). Have Tulsi, Bernie, Mike and Maryann, form a coalition that goes into the Democratic Convention, pooling their delegates to back the one who can win on a majority vote in the first round, cutting out the Superdelegates. And tell the party leadership:

If you play any delegate games with us, we will withdraw enmasse from the Democratic Party and form the Renew America Party. We will defeat your fake candidate as well as Trump, uniting all libertarian anti war voters, progressives and independent voters who boycotted elections for the past 30 years.

Plan B

All 4 candidates have a joint press conference announcing that they’re fed up with being treated like an abused spouse. They’re taking their money and energy, starting a new party now, over a year before the election to give time for down ballot Congress, Senate Gubernatatorial Candidates as well as local grass roots candidate time to organize.

The Alternative

The True Left will be buried by the fake MSM and Democratic Party operative. And the situation will continue to deteriorate. Nuclear War sooner, or ongoing social and environmental disintegration ongoing.

End Note

Are these candidates—any of them—“our savior”? Not by a long shot. Mike Gravel excepted, they have bought into the Russiagate crap and the demonization by lies of the country’s perceived opponents, Putin, Assad, Maduro, Kim Jong Un etc.
To create Dynastic Change, China has been through many times in its long history dealing with leaderships gone bad. Coalitions came about. The immediate goal is to get rid of the corrupt system milking everything and threatening us all with extinction. There will be factions. But the key point is that nothing will change without non negotiable demands.
The first step is to get rid of the Democratic party leadership, either by taking over the Party itself, or more likely, starving it of the base’s energy and money (they get enough from the oligarchs already.

Don’t love the Democrats? Leave them!