By Ardain Isma
CSMS Magazine
Since America’s inception, we were told only establishment politics was deemed worthy of anything serious when it came to changing the course of history. Well, somewhere below the scenic snow-capped mountains and the picturesque valleys of Vermont—the most beautiful state of America with its breathtaking vibrant fall foliage—a senator named Bernie Sanders rose in crimson splendor to prove them all wrong.
His message is straight forward: Uprooting establishment politics and establishment economics, regulating Wall Street of which he calls corrupt and out of touch with the rest of America, winning universal health care, establishing tuition-free for all state college and university students, deracinating institutional racism, bumping the minimum wage to 15$ in hour, increasing social security benefits for all seniors and working toward achieving an America at peace—at last—not the one constantly at war somewhere around the planet in order to feed the needs of wealthiest Americans. In essence, Bernie calls for “a future we can believe in,” safeguarded by a proactive participatory democracy under the banner of what he refers to as “democratic socialism.”
At first, he was dismissed as a fringe candidate out of step with mainstream America. Then, they started boycotting him when it became clear that his laser-focused message is here to stay. This is a message that resonates into the deepest end of America’s heart. Wherever he goes, blazing the trail on his path, the rank of his followers swells to beyond imagination.
At the start of the campaign, back on May 26, when he officially announced his presidential bid, Hillary Clinton and the entire American elite shrugged off the move. The pundits and other opportunists claimed that Bernie Sanders would bring some excitement only to the Democratic base. They added that it would be a great thing for the party to win decisively in November of 2016. Little did they know that Bernie was never intended to play that supporting role in a show commonly designed to camouflage the complete takeover of an electoral process in favor billionaire tycoons. The latter has long seized the show through buying politicians with big campaign donations worth in the billions of dollars.
No matter what happens tomorrow in Iowa, Bernie Sanders has already won this political debate—after having shifted the minds of millions of citizens who have gleefully joined him to denounce corporate greed. Something is horribly wrong “when so few have so much, and so many have so little,” Bernie is telling America. Bernie’s message in its truest sense is a direct assault on bourgeois democracy, and his growing success proves “a new kind of politics is indeed possible in America” as confirmed by Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation Magazine’s editor.
America has never been a society immune to class struggle. The fight for women’s equality at the workplace, the fight for a living wage, not a minimum wage, the fight for social justice on behalf of disenfranchised minorities are all channeled into a dazzling continuum of class struggle. It is not by pure chauvinism that Bernie is warning America about this country becoming an oligarchy. Few people, no matter how wealthy they are, cannot be allowed to decide who goes to Washington. It is not an appalling dubiousness that drives the corporate media to largely shun Bernie while giving free publicity to a regressive rightwing populist like Donald Trump or to send flowers to Hillary each time her name is being referred to in the media. It is being done by choice; and this obstructionism can only be broken through a democratic revolution guided by a progressive vanguard totally committed to the interests of average Americans.
Thanks to the social media, however, there are other means through which voters can be reached. This morning, the latest news from his campaign headquarters confirmed that Bernie has raised $20 million dollars for the month of January alone. He was able to do this through small campaign donations from a pool of supporters said to be numbered about 3 million, and the senator’s campaign network is growing by the minute according to MSNBC. He has no super packs. NO other candidates—from left or right—can claim to have raised so much without the help of their “friends” from Wall Street.
Crafting the firewall against Bernie
Having understood that Bernie may be headed for a possible win in Iowa and for sure in New Hampshire, the entire establishment has tightened its rank to put a firewall against Bernie’s rise in public opinion. They have sent one of their super guns in the persona of Barack Obama to take on Bernie.
President Barack Obama overplayed his role last week by telling the nation through an interview with Politico that Hillary Clinton is “wicked smart” and “extremely prepared” for the job. He went on to say—in reference to Bernie Sanders—one cannot inspire to become president by focusing only on one issue. Obama may feel personally offended by Bernie’s persistence on attacking the upper class, the prime backer of his both presidential campaigns.
Obama may also feel a Bernie win could overshow his legacy or may even shrink the scope of his relevance as the first president of the United States who happens to be black. In any event, Bernie Sanders has already stamped his mark in revolutionary politics in America. Win or lose his progressive views will never be ignored. Meanwhile, you should not dwell on the uncertainty of the future. If you’re truly believe in his progressive ideas, then you have a duty to perform: You should get out and vote.
Note: Dr. Ardain Isma is the chief-editor for CSMS Magazine. He is a scholar, essayist and novelist. He may be reached at [email protected] .
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