[Xmca-l] Fwd: Re: Why I Won't Vote for Sanders

[Bruce Robinson]

Apologies. Apparently the last version of this came through blank.

Like Andy, if I was an American I would vote for Sanders and also be 
actively involved in his campaign, despite acknowledging the limitations 
of his policies and him personally. That is not because I'm 
unsympathetic to David Kelloggs' principles - which I broadly share - 
but because I think Sanders' campaign, despite its Democratic label, 
represents the best chance for a very long time of breaking a sizable 
group of people away from two-party money-dominated politics for 
something better and more to the left. Who would have thought a year ago 
that millions of Americans would vote for someone who openly and 
unapologetically calls himself a socialist? Is it not better to try to 
talk to them, to convince them that they need to maintain an independent 
organisation after Sanders' inevitable defeat as their aspirations will 
never be met through the Democratic Party? Instead David proposes 
waiting forever for something he doesn't believe will happen - a passive 
and consumerist approach to a situation that has changed even compared 
with four years ago.

Of course, whether anything better does emerge depends on a lot of 
factors, not least how Sanders himself reacts. It might be possible to 
make a cold, cynical assessment and say that the odds are against it. (I 
have my own reasons to be cynical.In 1996 I attended the founding 
convention of the Labor Party which ultimately foundered on the 
unwillingness of some union kleaders to challenge the Democrats 
electorally.) But unless the ground is tested it's impossible to know 
and, even if it fails, the far left might still grow and become a more 
visible force in US politics, certainly something that won't result from 
the SWP's campaign.

Annalisa - some UK feminists welcomed Thatcher's election on the grounds 
that a woman prime minister was a step forward. I don't need to tell you 
what happened next. Hillary isn't Thatcher obviously. But there's also 
the disappointed expectations that surrounded Obama as the first black 
President. She is the candidate of Goldman Sachs, not of the women's 
movement.

Bruce Robinson