Bernie Sanders’ lining up behind Mrs. Clinton left many walking away from him, and like scholar Cornel West, heading for the Green Party. The Bernie or Bust movement, DNC delegates who have refused to back Mrs. Clinton, held a press conference announcing they were going Green and supporting Jill Stein.
Green Party presidential candidate Stein, on the last day of the DNC, praised Sanders’ supporters. But, she said, they were “stabbed in the back” by the Clinton campaign. The problem was “a revolutionary campaign inside a counterrevolutionary party,” said Ms. Stein who welcomed Sanders’ supporters.
Two months ago, she said, the Green Party was totally invisible with no way of reaching the 15 percent support threshold that would put her on the national de- bate stage with candidates Clinton and Trump. “And then we’ve come up as high as 6-7 percent more recently,” said Ms. Stein.
Progress has been made without media coverage and with news of the campaign spreading by word of mouth, she said. It’s a matter of time before the numbers “can certainly double … and get the 15 percent,” insisted Ms. Stein.
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is also gaining in recognition. Ms. Stein, who has debated Mr. Johnson, said she’d be willing to have another third party debate to help secure the 15 percent support.
Another alternative to voting for the lesser of two evils was broached by some Sanders’ supporters and mentioned by Professor Glaude. It is a swing state strategy that encourages voters to only vote for the Democratic nominee in a swing state, a state where two major parties have similar support, and vote third party otherwise. The 11 swing states are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
“Progressives in this country have to begin to strike an independent movement beginning now, to bring the kind of pressure that’s needed,” said Bill Curry, former counselor in Bill Clinton’s White House. He told Real News Network, the Clintons of the world don’t see the “conflict between” being in bed with “big corporations and the wealthy” and their alleged “desire … for social justice and the amelioration of social problems.”
“If millions of American’s commit to being life-long activists for the political revolution, if millions more decide to continue the fight, we could solve these problems ourselves,” argued Tim Heirsted, a Sanders’ supporter. If Bernie backers just give a “fraction” of the time that he gave to the political revolution, it would make a big difference, he said.
“Change is always a bottom up thing. It’s never a top down thing. Change always begins on the street. All of our successes of the 1960s … were the result of grassroots movements countering the powers that be and forcing the political environment to respond,” commented Vincent Hughes, a Pennsylvania state senator. He and his wife, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph-Hughes, sponsored a women’s Town Hall Meeting at the Democratic national convention.
This presidential campaign, as one pundit wrote, brought a heightened sense of awareness of the “lack of social justice,” a deafening cry for social justice and social media networks that resulted in a “political tsunami.”
With Hillary Clinton deemed “untrustworthy” by much of the electorate and having little good news in polling of 18-to-30-year-olds, a demographic Sen. Sanders did well with, not everyone is amenable to choosing the lesser of two evils.
Danny Glover, the actor, activist and a Sen. Sanders’ surrogate, was surprised when he heard Sen. Sanders had called for unanimous support for Sec. Clinton. “I was torn by the fact that he did it; he didn’t have to do it,” he said. “What are the forces that said he had to do this?”
Mr. Glover expressed disbelief that people are being taken in “under the guise of a progressive platform.” “The idea is that most of that is never acted upon,” he added. The Democratic Party platform was called the “most progressive” for the party because some of its planks included commitments to raise incomes and middle class economic security; creating good-paying jobs; bringing Americans together and removing barriers to opportunities; providing quality, affordable education and make debt-free college a reality and ensuring universal healthcare.
Echoing Mr. Glover was Vermont delegate Shyla Nelson, who joined Sanders at roll call, said, “There are many who are concerned about the degree to which the platform, as a symbolic gesture, actually would translate into commitments that are like funded mandates for actual policy changes.” So there is the possibility that the platform may make for big talk but little action.
Atlantic Magazine concluded, “It is unlikely that … platforms will return to the high profile position they once enjoyed. Primary rules, the modern media, and the importance attached to the nominee’s convention speech work against the platforms’ return to center-stage.”
What did take center stage was Mrs. Clinton’s red, white and blue bus ride through Ohio and Pennsylvania where she sought to allay the fears of White men, especially those without college degrees, who hardly support her. As she moves to the right to reach that disaffected group, will she lose core support and open the door for what many, Republicans and Democrats, call the Number One Evil: Donald Trump?
(Askia Muhammad contributed to this report.)
Article Appeared @http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_103240.shtml