Life of the (wrong) party

[TexasTowelie]

Millions of people heard a defense of socialism from Bernie Sanders, but they also watched a candidate duck a debate with his rivals. Danny Katch explains why.

THE NATIONALLY televised debate between the candidates for the Democratic Party presidential nomination began with a discussion of socialism.

Considering how much American history is bound up with the ruling class's hostility and downright violence toward socialism, this was a remarkable moment--one that shows how Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and self-described socialist, has helped bring the leftward shift in political consciousness into the normally intelligence-free zone of mainstream American politics.

But for most of the corporate media, the key moment of the debate came later when Sanders drew wild applause for coming to the defense of frontrunner Hillary Clinton regarding the controversy over her use of a private e-mail account as Secretary of State. "The American people are sick and tired hearing about your damn e-mails," Sanders said--and was rewarded with a warm handshake from a grinning Clinton.

Political commentators usually look for style over substance. Even the question about socialism from CNN's Anderson Cooper was meant to be about Sanders' "electability."

Read more: http://socialistworker.org/2015/10/15/life-of-the-wrong-party

[Catherina]

1. Rec'd for a hard but truthful article.

I disagree with the conclusion in the last phrase of the last paragraph which makes him look like the sheepdogging opportunist many on the Left accuse him of being rather than someone who carefully weighed where and how he could make the biggest immediate difference according to his beliefs. This isn't about a party label but a burgeoning movement. Labels get reinvented all the time and new ones pop up. It's the people who matter but we need to wake up.