Bernie Needs More Than Just Your Vote

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

04 December 15

et’s face it, entrenched power is not going to give up without a fight. I do believe that Bernie Sanders can win, but to win he will need more than your vote. No, this is not a fundraising pitch, but of course he can use your money too.

What Bernie really needs you to do is get involved, and that involvement can’t end with your vote in the caucus or primary in your state.

The Democratic Party establishment will fight for every delegate, and in many states they can steal a win from the jaws of defeat. They know the rules and how they can be manipulated. For Hillary Clinton, the establishment’s candidate, to win, she only needs to keep the scoreclose. Her supporters can manipulate the delegate selection process to add delegates she didn’t earn. For Bernie to win, he has to win big. The party establishment is not lining up behind him. They will not give him that uncommitted delegate like they will for Clinton. The super delegates will put Hillary over the the top, not Bernie, in a close race.

The super delegates will follow the vote, if it is clearly in Sanders’s favor. But if it is close they will rally behind the candidate they know they have the most influence over. Some of you are surprised when politicians like Sherrod Brown and others come out for Hillary Clinton and not Bernie. It doesn’t surprise me … Senator Brown, while better than most, owes his electoral victories to the state party machine. He raises money from the same establishment sources. So when the lobbying and arm twisting begin, it is coming from people with ties to Hillary Clinton. Bernie supporters may have tried to convince their party officials to back Bernie, but how many of them wrote big checks during the last election cycle? So don’t be surprised if Elizabeth Warren decides she has held out long enough but decides it’s time to cash in on every promise Hillary Clinton’s camp is making. Bernie has to show that he can win before Warren will see it as a wise political move to endorse him.

That’s where we are with the unions … Labor leaders are afraid they will lose their seat at the table if they back Bernie and the Clinton machine wins. Fear is a tool of the Clintons and the establishment.

The National Nurses United came out early for Bernie, but guess what, they have always bucked the establishment. Their largest branch in California regularly backed Ralph Nader. There is no doubt that Bernie’s labor policies are significantly better than Hillary Clinton’s but labor is well practiced at settling for the compromise candidate. The AFL-CIO waits until the nomination is sewn up before getting off the fence. That way they can say they endorsed the winner. Labor no longer has the backbone to lead by choosing the best candidate for workers and then going out and getting them elected. That has to be done by the rest of us now – we can;t wait on labor leaders.

This revolution has to be ready to take back the institutions that have represented the people for generations: Labor, the Democratic Party, environmental and social justice groups, and community organizations. They have all become compromised, all surrendering ground in exchange for small gains.

This article is not intended to discourage you, but to inspire you to join the struggle. As Bernie often reminds us, Frederick Douglass said, “Without a struggle, there can be no progress.” It’s time to struggle. We have a chance to take back power from moneyed class.

What You Can Do

Volunteer for the campaign. You can help even if you’re in a state that doesn’t have a campaign operation yet. For example, this weekend volunteers are coming to Iowa from out of state to knock on doors for Bernie. You don’t have to travel – the campaign will make phone lists available so you can call voters from your home.

Get involved in grassroots groups. Even if you’re in a state that the campaign hasn’t staffed up in yet, there are groups of volunteers already organizing for Bernie: Progressive Democrats of America, People for Bernie, Grassroots for Bernie, and many others. Get involved.

Support alternative media. The mainstream media is part of the establishment that will resist Bernie. We have to go around them. RSN is one publication that is not spinning you the establishment line. New startups like Bernie 2016 TV are critical to getting an unfiltered message to the masses. Donate, volunteer, become the media!

Run for Delegate. This is where the real fight will be. I have been a delegate for Jerry Brown and Bill Bradley and I saw how much easier it is for the establishment candidates (Bill Clinton, Al Gore ... ) to get their people into uncommitted and at-large delegate slots. Party leaders will tell you that they have experienced people to guide everyone through the delegate selection process and that they need to be trusted. In Nevada in 1992 Jerry Brown easily beat Bill Clinton, but by the time the State convention was over the Clinton delegation was bigger than Jerry Brown’s. The overall election wasn’t that close, so we didn’t put up a fight. If it is close this time we need to be ready to fight for every delegate.

Get involved in your local Democratic Party. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to recruit you to the Democratic Party, but if we are going to use that vehicle to take our country back, we will need to take over the party first. The Democratic Party needs reform just like the rest of the political system.

Fight, Fight, Fight. It’s not going to be easy – Bernie is calling for a revolution. The establishment will resist. We have to work harder than those with the entrenched power. There will be ups and downs, but imagine how you you will feel when John Roberts swears Bernie Sanders in as President. It will be empowering, and that’s only the beginning of the work we will have to do to take our country back.

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

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