So, I watched that Ellison / Sanders DNC Chair Rally. Was good. 100k people joined me.
And I got to thinking. Sanders made a big deal out of working the convention, putting our mark on the party platform, scoring the delegates, and getting the word out for reform among the people.
What was said?
It's a piece of paper nobody looks at, nobody cares about. The delegates don't matter, because we lost. The race is over, votes and all that didn't do squat.
All truth, until it’s not.
Bernie Sanders isn't modeling the same old politics we are used to. He's about motivating people to change, building consensus on what to change and why it matters. And he's thinking into the future at all times, leaving us, and him outs to proceed. (I disagree with the idea of the woman in the linked video turning liberal. What happened is she found common ground with us, something to vote FOR.)
Most importantly, Sanders doesn't put an end cap on reform for the people. It's just not over, until the people are living under a better government that serves everyone, not just the one percent.
I'm paying more attention now.
See, that platform is coming in very useful. If we get Ellison, he will point to that and say, "this is a Democrat" and he will bend the party away from the "way of Comedy Central Democrats" and toward us along with the ideas we want to see happen.
That changed platform is the record of us, making our mark. It's our fight, remembered in an enduring way. A bit of official history. All of what lead up to that piece of paper makes it as important as WE want it to be. Given what I saw this year? The platform matters.
We were there, we were large, we put a vision of a bright future out there, and we mattered then and we matter now.
Now, those delegates are all over the country organizing for change, getting into party business, keeping touch with their staff, volunteers, and everyone. Nobody had to change sides, and Sanders made damn sure the delegates remained our delegates. Why? Because the cause behind those delegates remains a valid cause!
And after the shit that went down in Philly? You bet the majority of them are looking for some payback! Well deserved too. I'm on board with that. We got shit on, and it's not OK. And had it gone a bit differently, had we been recognized, I’ll bet Trump wouldn’t be President elect today too.
More importantly, look at how it's all starting to line up:
Had Clinton won, all of this would be pointed at the Democrats, and a nice family fight to go left would happen. But she lost, as did the party itself.
Now, because Sanders didn’t put an end cap on it, capitulate essentially*, it's all about repopulating it with our kind of people, our politics, and that platform, primary, movement work is perfectly positioned to keep building on a very positive message that has broad support! The future of the party, it’s ability to win big, take this back, centers right on all those people, the movement and ideas.
The struggle continues.
Soon, say Ellison wins it, party reform work will begin, and Ellison along with Sanders can position the party, get people into place --our people, not the same team who brought us here, and begin recruiting for an awesome mid-term election!
I know, it's tiresome, but the truth is, we have got to stay in it enough to nail the mid-terms this time. No checking out. Stakes are way too high.
Sanders wrote his book, has a tour and reason to engage the nation again. Doing TV, events, outreach, advocacy, messaging, and all that is needed to build the party again. Most importantly, if we build it, New Democrats don't, and if we hold the chair, New Democrats don't.
It can transform. I don't know if that will be successful, but I see an architect at work here, and I'm game.
I’m just not on board with the same team. That’s over. Time for a new path.
"Our Revolution" is a messaging arm right now. I really do hope we see more, in terms of organizations and you all know how I feel about that too. But, that messaging arm is proving effective to get the word out and keep it all going.
100K people watched what should be a total snooze fest, mid week, after a crushing loss, winter time, creeping up on Christmas.
That shit doesn't happen. Our movement is real. This is all gonna matter!
Now, I'm glossing over some things. Big money, party organization issues, etc... Lots of hard work there for Ellison and Sanders.
Want my guess?
My guess is they will leave some establishment alone. Need the numbers. A transition makes sense to bring everyone along in the best way possible.
But the building, policy focus, etc... will be with us, the Sanders Ellison faction, and the more we win in the mid-terms, the more of the party we own. And if we do that winning on people money, the more power and leverage we have and the less they have.
It's ours to take people! Truth is, this crushing loss has left a big vacuum. We can transform the party by winning elections on people money.
Ellison said last night, "What if we start talking to everybody?"
The man gets it! Take this right to the people. All of the people! And you all saw Sanders talk with that woman. The headline was he transformed her into a liberal.
Critics of that headline are right. That didn't happen.
What did happen is she came to consensus with us on important stuff, priorities and could be voting FOR instead of against.
We do that, and we are gonna win elections. Lots of them.
Each thing builds on the last. Movement politics in action.
ONWARD!
*Yes he endorsed, but didn’t give up the delegates, got the platform improved, and kicked off the growing movement we see today. That’s a win all around, and great positioning for the people centric movement we see today.