Bernie Sanders: Do Not Despair!
HT: M,K,D
You’d have believed they were giving something away by the
crowds that pushed into the North Central College Residence/Recreation Hall
last night in Naperville.
In fact, they were – and it wasn’t just Independent Senator
Bernie Sanders new book Our Revolution,
which came with the price of the ticket.
Better than that, for a crowd of young and elderly tipping
well over three thousand it was an opportunity to hear the Democratic
runner-up’s advice about what to do after this election cycle setback.
Senator Sanders began by purposely avoiding the promotion of
his book, and instead launched into an unscripted speech after an observation
that “probably more than one or two of you have the election in your minds
right now.”
The audience, sporting various styles and “Bernie” regalia
responded in applause and moans. Sanders
countered with reminding all of us of a song we might consider while we prepare
ourselves for the fight ahead. “Pete
Seeger sang one of my favorite songs,” he proposed, “and I think you all know
how it goes.”
I thought immediately of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your
Land” as a response to Kate Smith’s sentimentally bombastic “God Bless America.” But Bernie’s choice was more pro-labor. More indicative of what ails us now.
“Which Side Are You On.”
“My Daddy was a miner
And I’m a miner’s son
And I’ll stick with the union
‘Til every battle’s won.”
Good Choice.
Despite the unanimous call to sing the tune, Sanders refused
and started his hour and a half talk with the same theme with which he
ended:
“You cannot despair.
You cannot take the time or the luxury of self-indulgence to
despair. It is NOT your right to do so.”
On the streets outside the hall, John Laesch and other
representatives for Northern Illinois Jobs for Justice handed out flyers
inviting visitors to participate in upcoming meetings of Progressives in Kane
and DuPage County. In addition, they
were handing out posters with the symbol to fight the TPP. “We plan to begin a chant to “Say no to the
TPP” while the Senator is introduced, said the fellow. Inside the hall, people meandering through
the security queues were asked to surrender their paperwork and the TPP
posters. The entryway floor was littered
with the signs.
Meanwhile, Sanders reminded us that TPP and some other
political positions between Trump and himself were not necessarily
unaligned. In fact, he reminded us, the
President-elect and he would concur about the terrible trade agreements that
have hollowed out the middle class in the United States.
Citing the myopic platform of the Democratic Party when it
came to comprehending the true state of struggling middle class families in our
country, Sanders identified the smart and insightful side of Trump’s strategy
to win the election. And he warned the
current path of the Democratic Party was not inclusive or economically accurate
enough to regain the backing of most if not all peoples who had been previous
members of the tent.
Contrariwise, he also declared his refusal to negotiate
anything that would come from a new administration that hinted at misogyny,
prejudice, torture, racism, registers, immigration prejudice, or any kind of
discrimination.
Senator Sanders exhorted all of us to be part of the
democratic process. Get involved on the
local level. Be part of the
process. Run for a local office or
school board. Make a difference.”
Furthermore, he cited all of our responsibility to protect
those who might likely be marginalized in these next four years. “If millions of Muslims are placed on a
registry, “ he explained, “it is up to millions of us to say ‘NO.” We cannot
and must not leave them to fight alone.
Like everything we face, it’s about all of us. This is our battle too.”
As of this minute, even though I voted for Hillary and distributed her promos along with the information for other local Democratic and progressive candidates with days of door-knocking canvassing, I am not sufficiently enough of a "real Democrat" to be acceptable to those in mourning over Hillary's loss. Unbelievable. Why? Remember Palin's reaction to people whom she singled out as "real Americans" versus those she denounced, even the Republicans who supported McCain?
ReplyDeleteWTF is wrong? The cognitive dissonance caused by magical thinking is destructive for all involved. For those who referred to Hillary as The Goddess and for those who believed that Trump would Make America Great Again, I am the traitor to their causes.
Yes, entire populations do become insane.
Thank you for the synopsis, John. Even as he did not push the book, I have, thus far, skimmed through parts I have not yet read (up to Chapter 6)--Part Two-"An Agenda for a New America: How We Transform Our Country" is a good blueprint for us/our action groups. And I liked what he said last night (not in the book), and what we all must do:
ReplyDelete"You don't have the right to say 'I'm hopeless,'because it's not about you--it's about your kids and your grandkids and this planet. Please--for the future of this planet--you don't have the privilege of giving up and living in despair."
Great advice from a great man who will NOT give up.