May 15, 2015

Occupy The White House

By Justin Akers / justinakersblog.wordpress.com
Occupy The White House
The Revolution

 

Bernie Sanders is a socialist in the US Senate, the most deliberative, prestigious body of government in a nation that is at the helm of a global capitalist empire. It is an act of political genius for someone to have accomplished such a feat in an era of neoliberal hegemony. He is obviously astoundingly good at politics, but he conceals his political skill with a gruff, grandpa-next-door demeanor.

A zealot is someone who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their ideals. Sanders is a socialist zealot. If you take the time to watch him speak, you will quickly come to realize that he is passionately driven by socialist ideals. That is to say, he is passionately devoted to justice.

Never before in the history of the United States has such a prominent, establishment political figure espoused such a radical economic philosophy in such a sustained and public manner as what you are about to witness in the months ahead.

The Bernie Sanders campaign is incredibly significant, and it is revolutionary.

There are some socialists and radicals out there who want to count all the ways that Sanders is not a true socialist. They say he isn’t radical enough. But the purists are missing the point entirely: Sanders is openly socialist, he is already in the Senate, and he is aiming for the Presidency. Socialism is out now, on the Presidential campaign trail.

Bernie Sanders is not confined to Zuccotti Park. Bernie Sanders is not confined to the pages of an online magazine or a left-wing scholarly journal.

To all the apathetic ones: Wake up and get with the program! Here is our candidate! This is the galvanizing figure we’ve been waiting for!

We don’t have to occupy Wall Street—we can occupy the White House.

 

The Disappointment

I understand that many people were swept up in the Obama campaign of 2008. But there are some crucial differences between the 2008 Obama campaign and what will be the 2016 Sanders Movement.

Obama’s election was a milestone for this country because of who he is, not because of what he believes.

Obama’s life story is fascinating, and his Presidency is significant, but his politics are mundane. He is only a caretaker for Capital.

In 2008, Obama tapped into the enormous potential for radical change that exists in this country.

Unfortunately, since 2008, what we have experienced is more useless and costly war, more wage stagnation, continued high unemployment, massive and unsustainable student loan debt, job insecurity, police brutality, enormous and unprecedented profits for the 1%, and still no affordable health care.

Obama did not bring a revolution to the White House. He didn’t even bring spare change.

 

The Message

Bernie Sanders' life story, while it may be interesting, isn’t even remotely the point.

Bernie himself is not the point. We won’t vote for the man, we will vote for the ideas that animate the man. Ideas are the fire in the man. We will vote for the fire.

The beauty of Bernie Sanders is that he is nothing but a preacher. Nothing but a blunt mouthpiece for an idea that is much older, much grander, and much more important than any individual politician. Bernie is only an individual believer in a long line of believers in a collective ideology: the radical and humanistic ideology of socialism.

This makes him the most radically modest Presidential candidate in history. Like a stylite sitting atop his pillar and preaching at any passersby who will listen, his purpose is merely to convey the message.

He doesn’t want you to like him. He doesn’t want to hold your baby. He doesn’t need to earn his daddy’s respect. He doesn’t need to be the smartest or the suavest man in the room.

Bernie is a nobody, like you and me.

Come join the Party. We will win.

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