You Say You Want A Revolution?

[demwing]

Bernie's campaign has come much further, much more quickly, than anyone could have imagined. Despite what his opposition would have us believe, Bernie is in the position where, following an admittedly narrow path, he could win the White House.

Now that Bernie's knocking on that door, the entrenched powers are in a panic to throw the deadbolts. The media either blatantly ignores or derides Bernie, team Clinton alternates between shamelessly smearing Bernie and plagiarizing him, and entrenched politicians (the so called "super" delegates, as if their votes were greater, or more heroic than yours and mine) lock arms to support the establishment's candidate, even in states where the citizen voters have clearly indicated a different preference.

Obviously, the powerful will not relinquish power without a fight. So what happens if the DC and Wall Street power brokers successfully stop Bernie from wining the nomination? Is the revolution over?

The short answer is "Hell no"

With a great investment of human resources, Bernie can pull this off. But the system is rigged, and the primary process is a part of that system. If we do not win the nomination, then what should we do to move the revolution forward after the primary?

I think it's time that we start discussing a peaceful "Plan B." What would that plan look like? Organized civil disobedience? A general strike?

When asked how he plans to move his agenda through Congress, Bernie remarks that if we put a million protesters on the ground outside the Capitol Building, then Congress will have to listen. That sounds like a good start, but why wait till after the election?

Hell, why wait till after the primary?

I have no experience organizing an event, but someone reading this OP does. It's time for us to step up and give Bernie the revolution he's asked for.

You say you want a revolution? Good. It's time to act like revolutionaries.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

1. When lower middle class whites are educated into the fact that lower middle class

black and latino people are not why they have such a tough time in life, you will be halfway there.

Until we can do that, nothing else can change.

[FreakinDJ]

28. Interesting ...

Living in the SF Bay Area and traveling extensively through out the South for work certainly has given me an interesting comparison to say the least

care to elaborate ...

[Jackie Wilson Said]

39. ...

"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." ~
LYNDON B. JOHNSON, 1960, remark to Bill Moyers, "What a Real President Was Like," Washington Post, 13 November 1988

[FreakinDJ]

41. Got run out of a Waffle House in Savanna

Undercover officer sitting right there waiting for me to do something too.

What I noticed was the more intolerance was accepted the more wages were depressed

And they sure didn't appreciate my little engineering ass having the final say so if they got paid - or not

[Jenny_92808]

2. I am with you

Go Bernie! I will do everything in my power to help the Bernie campaign!

[redstateblues]

3. Want a revolution?

Show up in the midterms

[Squinch]

26. ^^^^THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^^^^^

[FreakinDJ]

33. Yep - alienating and ridiculing Millennial Voters will go along way to accomplish that

for the GOP

[uponit7771]

42. All threads dead!!!

If Sanders had really lead a revolution and got folks to the polls in the midterms then I don't think HRC would've ran

[NuclearDem]

4. It's not a revolution. It's a candidate who's slightly more to the left than Americans are used to.

Latvians and Lithuanians joined arms for thousands of miles in defiance of the Soviet Union, and earned their independence. That's a revolution.

South Africans endured being murdered, imprisoned, and dehumanized for nearly a century, and earned the right to peacefully elect an icon of their movement in a landslide. That's a revolution.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans suffered in silence for two hundred years, endured one of the worst plagues of the 20th century while the rest of the country did nothing, and then finally said they'd had enough and earned the right to be treated as human beings. That's a revolution.

Harrasing people online, voting in online polls, and then not showing up to actually vote isn't one. Apparently, a lot of the "revolutionaries" are more interested in Spring Break and their brackets than their cause.

The way Americans use that word as just a fucking brand name or some exotic seasoning is just absurd. Movement? Fine. Populist? Sure. Revolution? Hell no.

[lunamagica]

14. +1 Really, when I hear the word "revolution" applied to his camplaign, I just chuckle

[LiberalElite]

16. It's even funnier when Clinton says it. nt

[RoccoR5955]

20. This is true

I can just see bankers in their suits, carrying protest signs, and shouting chants.
NOT!

[FreakinDJ]

32. I guess shoring up Social Security is Revolutionary

No Dem has done it so far

[NCTraveler]

5. The revolution is here and has taken over our primary.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511518764

[Avalux]

6. I'm not an organizer but I'll definitely participate.

Even if he doesn't make it to the White House, it's clear to me that those of us who support Bernie connect with his economic equality message, and that isn't going to change. Despite the ridicule from others that there isn't a revolution (of course it won't be televised - are you kidding?) we know what's going on.

More will join us, we will continue mobilizing and spreading our web of positive progress, in solidarity.

[demwing]

7. Someone here must have the experience to organize an event

Even if you don't have the time or the energy to lead, PLEASE share your knowledge!

[msongs]

12. it's easy - choose location, promote it, and voila, instant revolution. FB, twits, flyers, word of

mouth etc. should be a breeze with all this internet stuff these days. Not like the old days when the printing press had to be hidden in the attic

[H2O Man]

8. Recommended.

Beautiful!

[dubyadiprecession]

9. "Bernie's knocking on that door, the entrenched powers are in a panic to throw the deadbolts"?

Hillary says its fine for bernie to keep running; she knows these primaries and caucus's need to play out.

An election will happen, your revolution won't.

[demwing]

11. Your old road is rapidly agin'

Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand

[HRC isnot prgrsv]

31. She's part of the problem

Read Thomas Frank's new book "Listen, Liberal" or watch Thom Hartmann's interview with Frank on You Tube from Friday night.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBigPictureRT

[hack89]

10. He can't motivate people to vote in large numbers

So what makes you think he can fill DC with protesters?

[noretreatnosurrender]

13. I'm Still Working Plan A

thank you very much. I'm not wasting my time on Plan B when I'm in the Middle of Plan A. This post is premature at best.

[LiberalElite]

15. I think I read online that

There is something planned for next month in D.C. including civil disobedience. I'll look for it later when I get home.

[HereSince1628]

17. In my mind, Plan B is securing the life of the movement after the Sanders campaign

I don't see civil disobedience as especially useful for that.

[demwing]

18. Why?

please elaborate...

[HereSince1628]

37. The movement needs to establish itself as a political force

Last edited Sat Mar 19, 2016, 08:37 PM - Edit history (1)

Sanders has called for a movement that addresses many issues...broadly economic and social justice and the re-establishment of democracy by ending the control of oligarchs and the mechanisms they've used to capture and maintain control.

Civil disobedience as it's roots imply is aimed at -refusal to obey- authority and its structures. Civil disobedience is aimed at changing a target of authority, it isn't intended to establish and maintain a political organization capable of governing. Sanders hasn't spoken at all about acting against civil authority.

Civil disobedience writ large is denial of the authority of existing government itself. That's not what Sanders has suggested. Sanders isn't talking about throwing away the constitution, he's talking about working inside it to insure that government can't be captured by a syndicate of elites and used only for their selfish purposes.

It seems to me the next step is formalizing a political coalition and developing a rennovation plan that remodels the party of the people. In other words that's an -inside- job. It's not a confrontation intended to coerce from the outside.

[sadoldgirl]

19. This is up to younger people than me,

but put your efforts to where it counts: Participate,
infiltrate and take over the local dem party in your
district, but don't imagine that even on the local level
it might be easy. People, who have run your district
for years, are hust as unwilling to give up their status
as they are on a higher level.

This is the part where Sanders says:

GET POLITICALLY INVOLVED!

[demwing]

34. I'm already on a 2 year plan to run for city council

think nationally, act locally

[Donald Ian Rankin]

40. That's an interesting way of putting it...

"People, who have run your district for years, are hust as unwilling to give up their status as they are on a higher level."

Possibly a more neutral turn of phrase would be

"People who disagree with you will try to promote their ideas in just the same way that you're trying to promote yours."

[RoccoR5955]

21. Have you checked out:

these websites?
http://www.wikihow.com/Protest

http://www.ihollaback.org/how-to-organize-a-protest-or-march/

http://www.ehow.com/how_135670_organize-protest-march.html

http://www.peta2.com/achievements/organize-a-protest/

http://www.globalexchange.org/sites/default/files/howtodemo.pdf


These are good starters.
Take it from someone who has organized protests since 1968.

[demwing]

24. I've seen the EHow site, butthe others are new to me

thank you very much

[Trenzalore]

22. No offense

I urge everyone to try it, but if you can't win Ohio, chances are you aren't going to organize a massive general strike in the country.

[demwing]

25. A General Strike is only one possibility

my immediate goal is to initiate a conversation leading to a productive "Plan B" - should one be needed

[Trenzalore]

30. I would focus energy on state wide races

Small increase in turnout in a non-presidential year primary can lead to many progressive candidates winning state legislative seats and state wide races.

[demwing]

35. A worthy cause, but people need to see people

I'd like to focus on a visual - a large protest in DC, followed by regional protests.

Bernie has united so many people, and there is so much energy looking to be engaged. That energy can't last long untended.

[Waiting For Everyman]

23. It would give the Repubs "law and order" to run on.

I'd suggest waiting until after the election. Things can change but in general I think any major protest from our party is going to feed the Nixonesque knee-jerk reflex to the right. They love running on "law and order", I'd suggest not giving it to them.

Dems should position as the bold forward-thinkers but reliable and stable.

[demwing]

27. You're talking about civil disobedience?

CD is only one possibility, but I disagree with your point, respectfully. It sounds like "go along to get along" which, IMO, is not a winning strategy for a political revolution.

In any case, we need these discussions to occur. I could well be wrong, and I'm very grateful for your input.

[Faux pas]

29. K N R-ed

[LiberalElite]

36. This is what I was referring to - NEXT MONTH in D.C. "Democracy Awakening"

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2016/01/27/democracy-awakening-comes-nations-capital-april
SNIP
‘Democracy Awakening’ Comes to the Nation’s Capital in April

At Mass Convergence on Washington, D.C., People Will Demand That Policymakers Address Barriers to Voting, Curb the Influence of Wealthy in Elections

WASHINGTON - Thousands of people will converge on Washington, D.C., this spring as part of an unprecedented movement to demand a democracy that works for all Americans, one in which everyone has an equal voice and elected officials are accountable to the people, not the wealthy.

The landmark three-day mobilization, called “Democracy Awakening” and scheduled for April 16-18, brings together two advocacy communities in one movement. Together, they will press for reform proposals focused both on restoring and expanding voting rights protections, and curbing the influence of wealthy interests and corporations on elections. Polls show that the public overwhelmingly agrees on the need for reforms in both arenas, but this will mark the first mass demonstration calling for change on both these fronts.

More than 100 groups representing a diverse array of issues are organizing Democracy Awakening. Lead organizations include the American Postal Workers Union, Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, Democracy Initiative, Every Voice Center, Food & Water Watch, Franciscan Action Network, Greenpeace, NAACP, People For the American Way, Public Citizen, Student Debt Crisis and U.S. PIRG. A list of all endorsing organizations is available here.
SNIP

[Donald Ian Rankin]

38. For a revolution you need mass public support.

What the Primary is showing is that Sanders speaks for a vocal minority, not a silent majority.