Jeff Roby asks where to next for Bernie Sanders supporters. He has kindly agreed to let us print this article in full. A connection to his website with the article is under Reference #1 at the end of the article.
On This Bloody Morning After …
Yesterday (June 7) was a hard blow. Yes, our votes were stolen in so many ways. The last minute media barrage declaring Hillary the winner probably cost us many, many votes. We have had the weapons of the most powerful political Establishment the earth has ever seen arrayed against us. We have every right to hold our heads up with justified pride in FORCING that Establishment to pull out all its stops. It leaves them having to ask themselves, “What can we do for an encore?”
Our defiant answer: “Not much! Bring it on, motherfuckers! Bring it on!
At the same time, we have to recognize it was a hard blow. Such recognition is not in any way a surrender, a softening of our commitment, a weakening of our fighting spirit, outright defeatism. Rather, such recognition is an absolute precondition for continuing the fight. Bernie certainly gets it:
Bernie Sanders
June 8, 10:03:
“Our fight is to transform our country and to understand that we are in this together. That is what OUR movement is about. The struggle continues. We are going to fight for every vote in Tuesday’s primary in Washington, DC, and then we will bring our political revolution to the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.”
He is not talking about how he will win the Democratic Party nomination. He is now talking about “Our fight.”
Didn’t we know from the beginning that this campaign was not primarily a fight to nominate a candidate? That it was to make a Political Revolution? Remember? But as long as we had a chance to actually send Bernie to the White House, we were able to hedge on just what we were really committed to. Now it is time to take stock.
We know that Bernie had to make some pledges to play by the Democratic Party’s rules. That was our ticket to admission to the dance. But when hounded into pledging his fealty to Hillary should he not get the nomination, he would mutter something like “well, yeah, I guess. But my supporters? Gee whiz! It’s not like I can tell them what to do. If Hillary can convince them that she too is a political revolutionary, she can have at it. But if she can’t, well …”
The ball is clearly in our court. It is understandable that people are still clutching slim reeds of hope. Maybe we’ll be able to flip hundreds of superdelegates whose sole purpose for existing is to make sure that the American people don’t break the rules of the neo-liberal, neo-con Establishment. Maybe Hillary will get indicted and jailed by the very Establishment that has cheated and connived and plotted and broken the very laws THEY set up to keep us out. But I wouldn’t count on it.
How is the Political Revolution to be continued? After the convention? After November? Can we follow Bernie’s lead and contribute and work for those candidates who have had the courage to endorse him?
Finally, can we make a strong showing at the March for Our Lives, organized by Cheri Honkala and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign is announcing the next March for Our Lives.
“This march will take place at 3 p.m. on the Opening Day of the Democratic National Convention at Broad Street Philadelphia, on July 25th, 2016. We’re calling on the poor of all colors, generations, genders and other divisive labels to join us in the ongoing battle against poverty.”
By our supporting this march in force, the Sanders movement can make a powerful statement about its commitment to the poorest in our society.
Hillary will not be there.
— jeff roby
06/08/2016
References:
1-Saint Petersburg Independents - On This Bloody Morning After...
2-Where are Progressives for the US House of Representatives?
3-Jeff Roby on Strategy and Tactics
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