So I’m brushing up on my history over the past few days trying to regain some facility with the French Revolution. I studied it in High School. I studied it in College. I have been poring over Encyclopædia Brittanica articles for days. The easy answer is that there are no easy answers to the French Revolution. It was long, bloody and confusing. And it ended with a coup by Napoleon Bonaparte, who then declared himself emperor.
Revolution from Both Sides of the Spectrum
I have been wrestling with the “Bernie Revolution” of the past year and the way that it has devolved into inanity. I have heard a lot of arguments for and against Bernie. I have read a lot of articles, diaries and comments excoriating the man, the candidate and the legislator. I have read the same lionizing Sanders’ record and candidacy. I am equally confused on some level with Sanders as I am with the French Revolution.
revolution on the right
Revolutions by the right are easy. A small group of oligarchs decides that their political space needs a return to the “old order of things” or one person is able to usurp the levers of government.
The template is the European model of the monarchy granted the Divine Right to act on behalf of the nation. Fascism is the modern day example: Hitler, Mussolini, Kim, Pol Pot, etc. Revolutions of the right are characterized by the “strong man” who says “I Alone Can Fix It”.
The theory of the Divine Right of Kings aimed at instilling obedience by explaining why all social ranks were religiously and morally obliged to obey their government. |
revolution on the left
Revolutions by the left are much more difficult to understand. Many start with Enlightenment ideals, as in France, the Soviet Union, and I believe many South and Central American nations. Revolutions by the left get messy because they often start in reaction to brutal authoritarian governments. They tend to be Populist. They tend to rely on appeals to equality and fairness. Justice is a word that is often thrown around.
The problem with revolutions of the left is that they tend to involve multiple actors. As anyone who has been a Democrat for longer than a few months will tell you, multiple people means a multitude of disagreement. The unique challenge of a revolution on the left is maintaining the revolutionary spirit and momentum without devolving into warring factions that splinter the revolution apart.
The One Thing That Makes The US Exceptional To Me
The “American Revolution” started as a revolution from the middle-left and didn’t devolve into the morass of counter-revolution. The nation was able to hold together despite the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. A Constitution was written that forged a nation. The Bill of Rights was added to safeguard the rights of the citizenry.
Yes, the Constitution was (and is) imperfect but it has managed to hold together a diverse nation for over 200 years. We were only promised “towards a MORE perfect union” in the preamble. But that is the beauty of the document. It handed the responsibility of expanding and maintaining freedom to each successive generation of citizens.
This is the sum total of “American Exceptionalism” to me, that we have been given a chance to continue the work towards that more perfect union and a mechanism to do it. No counter-revolution needed here.
The Sanders Revolution and Me
So here I sit, good Democrat that I am, making my peace with the nominating process. I have managed to reach acceptance fairly easily but I am old now. I wonder how I would have dealt with this situation 25 years ago when the electrifying figures seemed to all have a (D) next to their names.
I felt the Bern hard. Sanders was out on the trail talking about issues I cared about with proposals that appealed to me. I desperately wanted him to be our nominee. Hillary lost me with the “3 am phone call” eight years ago. It reeked of neocon hawkishness and I was turned off. I wanted an alternative. I had found one.
But Sanders is not the nominee of my party this year. Hillary Clinton is. It is official. it is done.
And I am now fully in her corner because that’s what is called for now. And to her credit, her organization has put together a great convention so far. Monday night threw more than a few bones to the Progressive wing of the party. Corey Booker blew the roof off. Elizabeth Warren railed against the current state of Republican politics. And FLOTUS shined like like a calming light. Once Michelle Obama finished speaking, I really couldn’t help but come around.
But the Sanders Revolution was never about Bernie Sanders. To his credit, this was a part of his stump speech for a long time. Bernie Sanders brought Social Democracy to the Democratic Party. He pushed us left without threatening violence. He pushed us left without threatening to take his ball and go home. He pushed us left and now we have the most Progressive Democratic Platform in the party’s history.
Bernie Sanders came around. He played by the rules of the game and he conceded with grace. He may return to a state of Independent affiliation but I don’t care. For the brief time he was a Democrat, Bernie Sanders made the party more progressive. And to me, that is the legacy of the Sanders Revolution.
Coalition Building
Here’s a question. How do Democrats gain and use political power throughout US history? They build coalitions. Coalitions are everything in a large nation that has a two party system. It’s how we establish that our vision is stronger and our ideas are better.
Democrats need coalitions and they need votes, as many as they can get. Governing from the left (or the center-left depending on how you calibrate) requires big electoral victories. Take Sanders supporters’ votes for granted at your peril. If a Democratic president is to govern effectively, they need large electoral margins. They tend to do better with mandates in this country. And Hillary Clinton will ultimately benefit from working to earn progressive votes and support.
I have seen some real dismissiveness of Sanders and progressives from Clinton supporters on this site recently. We are not all Bernie Bros or Bernie or Busters. Give us a chance to come around. many of us have already and more will join the effort in the coming days and weeks. But dammit, allow us the chance to get there. Clearly Hillary Clinton is willing to give us the chance to come around. The first two days of this convention are proof of that.
This is where I landed on the effect that Bernie Sanders has had on the Democratic Party, he has expanded the coalition. He opened the tent and ushered a few new folks in. That should be celebrated. We are supposed to be the Big Tent that welcomes everyone. Give the Berners a chance to get their bearings and you may find them useful members of the coalition. Have a little patience, many are new to the party much less the coalition. Try not to get denigrate them. Their energy and passion are exceptional in many cases.
Thanks for reading this longish diary. I greatly appreciate the time and effort.
I write these for myself in order to hone my own thoughts and beliefs. I share my diaries here because I hope that others may enjoy them and may offer their own thoughts. In the end, I get more out of the writing and the sharing than I could ever put into words.
Be well.
Work hard for every Democrat in your district.
Let’s elect Hillary Clinton in November and turn the House and Senate so that she can do the work we all want her to do.
While we’re at it, let’s put progressive voices in any and every office we have the opportunity to do so.