It must be particularly dispiriting for diehard Bernie supporters to have to come to the realization that although their candidate is morally and philosophically right, he is not going to become the Democratic nominee for president, and for good reason. There is a strong — and accurate — belief among rank and file Democrats that he would not be able to beat tRump in November.
When we have hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens sleeping in cardboard boxes under bridges and railroad trusses; mothers having to decide between filling their child’s prescription or buying food; or being tempted to spread her legs for the landlord so that he won’t evict her family — something is very, very wrong in this country. These are the hard realities of American life too many prefer to shut out of their consciousness.
The problem for Bernie is that the right portrays him strictly as a socialist (as if it’s a dirty word) while ignoring the fact there are no homeless people in socialist societies — none. The state simply does not allow homelessness, or any of the other inequities that are the hallmark of an unbridled capitalist society.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a capitalist — and always have been one. But what we are seeing in this country today, with the staggering and growing inequalities in terms of wealth, is not simply capitalism; this is something else entirely. This is unmitigated greed and it will not always be without consequences — violent or otherwise.
If our national policies and priorities — vis a vis poor and economically marginalized citizens — don’t change we’re headed inexorably (albeit slowly, incrementally) towards a time of violent revolution, a time when plutocratic gluttons are lined up against the proverbial wall and summarily dispatched with in the manner in which they so well deserve.
Just because Bernie and his Bros lost this election cycle, no one should lull themselves into believing they have — or will — abandon their principles. Indeed, their numbers will only expand no matter who wins this November.
Social democracy is an idea whose time has come. It can be delayed, but it can’t be defeated. Remember this truism the next time you studiously avoid looking into the eyes of the homeless — and probably addicted — man or woman panhandling at the foot of an interstate exit ramp. You might sincerely believe that you are reacting with disgust, but you actually are reacting with fear. Fear because, there but for the grace of God …
Dr. King paraphrased and popularized a portion of a sermon delivered in 1853 by the abolitionist minister Theodore Parker who said, “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one, but I do know that it bends toward justice.”
Indeed.
One Response to “MANSFIELD: Bye, Bernie”
Walt Bruckner
You lost me with, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m a capitalist at heart.” That’s like me saying, “Sure there there are a few problems with slavery, but that Is nothing we can’t correct with tighter regulations.”