How Sanders Supporters Can Help Build a Progressive Revolution
Bernie Sanders lost Massachusetts by 1.8% of the vote. While this was a virtual tie, the media reported it as a win for Hillary Clinton. And to be fair, it was... slightly. They get to report that Clinton won Super Tuesday 7 to 4 instead of winning 6 to 5, which looks less like a sweep and more like a squeaker. The thing is that it is certainly possible and maybe even probable that had Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Sanders prior to Super Tuesday that might have shifted the balance enough to give Bernie that slight victory. Of course we can never know for sure, but such an endorsement certainly wouldn't have hurt Sanders.
Only Warren knows why she has decided not to endorse either candidate despite sharing Sanders' priority of regulating Wall Street. The thing is that Florida Representative Alan Grayson did endorse Sanders prior to Super Tuesday and presumably raised a great deal of money from Sanders supporters in the process. That's really the key factor in politics... raising money.
Sanders supporters have already shown that they are willing and able to compete with SuperPAC money through small donations to the candidate they support. Grayson is almost certainly benefiting from this, and there is no reason why Sanders supporters can't use this tactic as leverage to not only support Sanders even further, but to also build a strong progressive movement within congress.
There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton has most of the Democratic Congress and Senate endorsing her. There are a variety of reasons why. For one thing, the Clintons are incredibly powerful in Washington and, if a politician supports her, they will likely be rewarded. On the other hand, if a politician opposes her, they will almost certainly be punished later.
Money matters in politics, and politicians need donors. Many progressives donate to various political campaigns, and this can be and should be used as leverage. Maybe Sanders supporters should start sending the message that they will stop supporting various politicians unless they endorse Sanders. We can also reward politicians who do stand up to the establishment by making a donor list. If you endorse Sanders, Sanders supporters will donate to you with the kind of reliable strength we donate to Sanders. If you are running for office, endorsing Sanders could mean a huge boost in small donations. We can build a progressive revolution within Washington and within State and local governments as well.
There are still a lot of states left in this primary season, and it is time to build a progressive revolution. Win or lose, we need to know where our elected officials stand. Are they with the establishment or are they with the working people? Bernie Sanders has inspired hard working Americans to donate a continual stream of small donations to his campaign. This strategy has proven to be even more effective in raising money than SuperPACs. We need to use this strategy to help Sanders win endorsements and to get this progressive revolution started. We can become citizen lobbyists and wield the power of the people.
The Clintons may be powerful in Washington, but they aren't more powerful than all of us together. Could you imagine what would happen if large numbers of Sanders supporters from all over the country donated just $27 to a particular Senate campaign? It could give that candidate a huge bump. A small primary challenger who signs on to our progressive revolution could very quickly become the nominee, and we could replace a "Blue Dog" Democrat with a strong progressive. Or maybe we could sway a conservative Democrat to become more progressive on these issues that matter to us.
On the state level, just a few dollars from large numbers of Sanders supporters from around the nation could really give a candidate a massive advantage. We can turn state governments progressive and address issues on the local level. This strategy won't just build the Democratic Party; it would build a strong progressive Democratic Party. Plus, it will give Bernie Sanders a better opportunity to get his message out to more Americans... including (but not limited to) those Americans in the remaining states that have not yet voted in the primaries and/or caucuses.
This strategy would not just help Sanders, but would also help the Democratic Party and the progressive movement, and in so doing, it would help working Americans across the nation. Because every American deserves the right to tuition free public higher education. Because healthcare should be a right for all people, and no one should have to go bankrupt because they get sick. Because the for-profit prison system is unjust and too many minorities are targeted by the justice system and often punished unequally. Because it is time for Americans to fight back against the top one percent's control of the political process to favor their interests instead of the interests of everyday, working Americans. The progressive revolution is about to begin!
If you like this article, check out Dangerous Talk.
Only Warren knows why she has decided not to endorse either candidate despite sharing Sanders' priority of regulating Wall Street. The thing is that Florida Representative Alan Grayson did endorse Sanders prior to Super Tuesday and presumably raised a great deal of money from Sanders supporters in the process. That's really the key factor in politics... raising money.
Sanders supporters have already shown that they are willing and able to compete with SuperPAC money through small donations to the candidate they support. Grayson is almost certainly benefiting from this, and there is no reason why Sanders supporters can't use this tactic as leverage to not only support Sanders even further, but to also build a strong progressive movement within congress.
There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton has most of the Democratic Congress and Senate endorsing her. There are a variety of reasons why. For one thing, the Clintons are incredibly powerful in Washington and, if a politician supports her, they will likely be rewarded. On the other hand, if a politician opposes her, they will almost certainly be punished later.
Money matters in politics, and politicians need donors. Many progressives donate to various political campaigns, and this can be and should be used as leverage. Maybe Sanders supporters should start sending the message that they will stop supporting various politicians unless they endorse Sanders. We can also reward politicians who do stand up to the establishment by making a donor list. If you endorse Sanders, Sanders supporters will donate to you with the kind of reliable strength we donate to Sanders. If you are running for office, endorsing Sanders could mean a huge boost in small donations. We can build a progressive revolution within Washington and within State and local governments as well.
There are still a lot of states left in this primary season, and it is time to build a progressive revolution. Win or lose, we need to know where our elected officials stand. Are they with the establishment or are they with the working people? Bernie Sanders has inspired hard working Americans to donate a continual stream of small donations to his campaign. This strategy has proven to be even more effective in raising money than SuperPACs. We need to use this strategy to help Sanders win endorsements and to get this progressive revolution started. We can become citizen lobbyists and wield the power of the people.
The Clintons may be powerful in Washington, but they aren't more powerful than all of us together. Could you imagine what would happen if large numbers of Sanders supporters from all over the country donated just $27 to a particular Senate campaign? It could give that candidate a huge bump. A small primary challenger who signs on to our progressive revolution could very quickly become the nominee, and we could replace a "Blue Dog" Democrat with a strong progressive. Or maybe we could sway a conservative Democrat to become more progressive on these issues that matter to us.
On the state level, just a few dollars from large numbers of Sanders supporters from around the nation could really give a candidate a massive advantage. We can turn state governments progressive and address issues on the local level. This strategy won't just build the Democratic Party; it would build a strong progressive Democratic Party. Plus, it will give Bernie Sanders a better opportunity to get his message out to more Americans... including (but not limited to) those Americans in the remaining states that have not yet voted in the primaries and/or caucuses.
This strategy would not just help Sanders, but would also help the Democratic Party and the progressive movement, and in so doing, it would help working Americans across the nation. Because every American deserves the right to tuition free public higher education. Because healthcare should be a right for all people, and no one should have to go bankrupt because they get sick. Because the for-profit prison system is unjust and too many minorities are targeted by the justice system and often punished unequally. Because it is time for Americans to fight back against the top one percent's control of the political process to favor their interests instead of the interests of everyday, working Americans. The progressive revolution is about to begin!
If you like this article, check out Dangerous Talk.
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