We almost had our revolution.
Sen. Bernie Sanders accumulated nearly 46 percent of the pledged delegates in this year’s Democratic primary race. If he had been able to turn only 180 out of the 4,051 delegates, he would have won.
Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has made the likely fatal error of nominating Hillary Clinton, who stands a good chance of losing to Donald Trump in November.
Despite this, our revolution was not a total failure and we can remain “Still Sanders” long after November has passed, no matter the outcome of the election.
We can claim a few victories from this year and use them as motivation in our continuing fight against corruption, unbridled capitalism, war mongering and the greed, lies and selfishness that embody both Clinton and Trump.
We ousted DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who agreed to step down following the release of emails by Wikileaks showing her favoritism for Clinton during the primaries.
I understand the coverage of this controversy has been tainted by confirmation bias. I know claims that the primaries were rigged aren’t entirely factual.
However, when all Sanders needed was to flip 180 delegates, to turn four percent of the vote, it’s not unreasonable to assume fair treatment from the leader of the Democratic National Committee would have resulted in a small voter shift.
For instance, had Schultz decided to schedule debates during times when more people were available to watch, a portion of those voters might have been persuaded by Sanders’ performances.
The DNC has agreed to reduce the number of superdelegates by two-thirds.
I know Clinton would still mathematically win if superdelegates weren’t a factor. But, if they hadn’t been a factor, the media wouldn’t have been able to paint the primary as Clinton’s advantage from day one.
Certainly, had the media not been able to use the superdelegate count to consistently portray Clinton as unbeatable, we would have seen a small shift in voter preference.
And, remember, all Sanders needed was four percent.
Finally, Sanders forced Clinton to adopt most of his platform. The Democratic platform now includes a $15 per hour minimum wage, expansion of Social Security, a price on greenhouse gas emissions and legalizing marijuana.
Clinton also announced support for a public option in the Affordable Care Act and tuition-free college for families making less than $125,000 per year.
If only she would come out against fracking, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the deregulation of Wall Street, we might have ourselves a real progressive.
Though it would have been anti-democratic, part of me wishes the superdelegates had had the sense to switch their support to Sanders July 26 at the DNC.
After all, he and Clinton now have nearly identical platforms, but he performs far better against Trump than she does.
He also comes with far less baggage and much more integrity.
Alas, while this election will be an important one, it is not the only political moment in which we are empowered. We can and should continue the political revolution Sanders started by voting in true progressives at the federal, state and local levels.
We should continue our protests, make our voices heard and be restless until fairness, equality and justice are restored to all the people of this nation, not just the top one percent.
thshowal@umail.iu.edu
@TherinShowalter
