Thousands of Bernies? Progressive Groups Aim to Build a Majority From the Bottom Up
August 06, 2017
Excerpts:
Callahan ... recently co-founded a new group called the "Incorruptibles," which aims to build a progressive base in cities and towns across the nation to help run candidates for local offices: in state houses, city councils, planning commissions, select boards and more. "There is only one Bernie Sanders," she told Truthout. "Our goal is to create thousands of Bernie Sanders and fill all levels of government with incorruptible service leaders who represent the needs of the 99 percent." The Incorruptibles, which hopes to focus on base building in local chapters so there is a permanent infrastructure of support for candidates in each area, is just one of many organizations that have sprung up since the Sanders campaign to embrace the "down-ticket strategy." The idea is that by starting off with local offices, over time a generation of like-minded politicians who seek to fight for the people, instead of for the ownership class, will emerge up the ballot as well.
"We think that by putting progressives at the bottom of the ticket, and training and organizing a strong base of support, over time it can have a positive impact up the ticket," said Callahan, director of the Incorruptibles. "As we organize and train activists, we will win with more frequency."
Public Support for the Sanders Agenda
To this day, much of the media, along with many establishment Democrats, like to portray Bernie Sanders and his supporters as extremist, Bolshevik "purity" trolls. Sanders' ideology, however, is not significantly to the left of the average American. Yes, more Americans self-identify as conservative (35 percent) than liberal (25 percent) or moderate (34 percent). But when asked about specific policies, Americans are supportive of most of the major Sanders proposals.
Most Americans support Medicare for All and think the government has the responsibility to cover everyone. According to a poll by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), nearly 80 percent of the country (and even 63 percent of Republicans) says the "economic system unfairly favors the wealthy," up from 66 percent in 2012. The poll also shows 65 percent of the country feels "one of the big problems in this country is that we don't give everyone an equal chance in life." On taxation, 61 percent say the wealthy don't pay enough taxes. About 66 percent of Americans are worried about global warming, compared to just 16 percent who are not. These results show that when it comes to specific issues, the public is largely on board with Sanders' self-described democratic socialism.
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/41518-thousands-of-bernies-progressive-groups-aim-to-build-a-majority-from-the-bottom-up
