UPDATE: Clearly most readers can not get past their hatred for the Tea Party enough to realize they have affected real political change FOR THE GOP on sequester, the debt ceiling, pork to name a few. All that without the emergence of a charismatic leader which Democratic Socialists have with Bernie.
I am not comparing the ideology of the Tea Party. I’m comparing their methods of using purity tests, and if that is not what the Democratic Socialist revolution is about then please explain how it works.
Obviously none of us like the Tea Party or agree with it’s goals, but if you can get past that I think you would see when Bernie Sanders talks about a political revolution we have an example, the Tea Party:
The Tea Party movement is an American political movement known for its conservative positions and its role in the Republican Party. Members of the movement have called for a reduction of the U.S. national debt and federal budget deficit by reducing government spending, and for lower taxes. The movement opposes government-sponsored universal healthcare and has been described as a mixture of libertarian, populist, and conservative activists. It has sponsored multiple protests and supported various political candidates since 2009. Various polls have found that slightly over 10% of Americans identify as members.
Karl Rove largely succeeded in his efforts to polarize the American electorate. This is where we are.
So let’s put the shoe on the other foot and envision an equal and opposite Wikipedia entry in 2017:
“The Democratic Socialist movement is an American political movement known for its progressive positions and its role within the Democratic Party. Members of the movement have called for an increase in funding for education, healthcare, social security, and more by increasing government spending, and raising taxes. The movement supports government-run universal healthcare and has been described as a mixture of liberal, populist, and other social activists. It has sponsored multiple protests and supported various political candidates since 2017 following the candidacy of Bernie Sanders in 2016. Various polls have found that slightly over 10% of Americans identify as members.”
If you doubt what I’m saying here is a pop quiz. Which movement am I quoting here?
Non-negotiable Core Beliefs
Pro-domestic employment is indispensable….
Special interests must be eliminated….
Political offices must be available to average citizens….
Many blogged on their laptops, or messaged family and friends. The energy began to sweep across the nation.
The media began to take notice. America was deeply moved, right down to her soul. A new voice began to speak, and a new hope was spawned. Gathering crowds grew from hundreds to thousands, and then swelled to the millions.
As citizens became increasingly frustrated by “politics as usual,” [people] across America began seeking a new voice…. [The] concept was far superior because it removed all the obstacles of party lines along with the baggage of confused issues, and focused only on a few key points.
From this humble beginning a movement was born…. from obscurity, without funding, without planning, is a spontaneous force shaking the very glass foundation of the oligarchy that rules in our name, but without our blessing.
Alright here is the link, did you guess right? If you don’t see a parallel, you still have to acknowledge Bernie Sanders is the Occupy candidate. His campaign is an extension of the Occupy movement, which had no political wing. Until now. Ted Cruz and arguably even Marco Rubio are both Tea Party candidates, in the same way Bernie Sanders is a Democratic Socialist candidate. It’s undeniable that the Tea Party has weakened the Republican establishment to the point that a candidate like Donald Trump can just swoop in and pick over the carcass. Kanye West already has a SuperPac for 2020. What we have to decide as Democrats is if we want to support our version of the Tea Party or not.