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writing for godot

Do We Want a Chameleon or an Authentic Person?

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Written by Ralph West   
Sunday, 21 February 2016 02:49
DO WE WANT A CHAMELEON OR AN AUTHENTIC PERSON?

If you have read any of the postings of this semi-retired non-political English teacher, you know that I am 200% behind Mr. Sanders. However, at this time, I fervently wish Mr. Obama, with his unparalleled charisma and oratorical skill, would speak on Bernie’s behalf. I just finished looking at some photos from the 1960s. One of them was a picture of a young Bernie Sanders being carted off to jail in Chicago because he was protesting the Vietnam War. (Apparently, Mr. Lewis, who said he didn’t see Bernie at various demonstrations, did not see this. The anti-Vietnam cause was very important to Martin Luther King.) Another was a picture, same era, of a young Hillary Clinton, posing as a Goldwater girl (“In your heart, you know he’s right”). These pictures tell you all you need to know about the authenticity of Bernie and the chameleon-like changeability of Hillary. She will always be wearing the colors that suit her endless ambition. Right now, it suits her to cling to Mr. Obama. The truth is that Mr. Obama’s hard-won achievements (and they certainly show him to be a great president) are evolving things. It is not good enough to cling to the Affordable Care Act, good as it is. The goal is to build on it and move forward. Hillary is more of a groupie, a seemingly enthusiastic supporter of whatever chic cause seems to suit her needs. She uses the “Democrat party” affiliation to make herself seem real, the same way the late lamented Jeb! used the overused and increasingly worthless term “Conservative” to identify himself. By contrast, Bernie is an authentic liberal or socialist or whatever term you want to apply. Personally, I have no problem with the term “socialist”; all it means is using government for all the people, not for the 1%.

But Bernie really needs the black Southern voters to understand that their best interests are served by Bernie, precisely because his commitment to government for all of them (universal healthcare, for example) is authentic and unwavering. Hillary, by contrast, will always be sure to dress for the occasion as her situation changes. When and if she gains the Oval Office, her lingering dedication to Goldman Sachs, etc., will water down all of her “commitment.” So what does Bernie need? Not this kind of article, not even the wonderful writings of Cornel West, Ben Jealous, Robert Reich, and the like. He needs the kind of full-throated support that only Barack Obama can give – and he can use it NOW, before the rest of the deep South weighs in; those voters don’t read West, Jealous, RSN, and definitely not me! If Mr. Obama really wants his legacy to build on itself after he leaves office, he surely must know that Mr. Sanders is the one who will keep building on it. I really wish he would use his bully pulpit to this end. Further, to a lesser degree, it would help if Elizabeth Warren would speak up. I don’t see what she gains by her continued silence about endorsing Mr. Sanders.

Someone in our midst needs to communicate with Mr. Obama. All we accomplish, at this point, by writing articles for RSN is preaching to the choir. We all need a much larger audience.

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