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| More dammit, I want more! |
The Democratic Party platform drafted in St. Louis is an excellent start in bringing forth policies that will help end the 40-year decline of the American middle class. These initiatives, if implemented, will create millions of good-paying jobs, significantly improve health care, and reverse the dangerous trend in this country toward an oligarchic form of society.
Do you hear a "but" coming? Because I hear a "but" coming.
But, let us be clear, this is a document that needs to be significantly improved by the full Platform Committee meeting in Orlando on July 8 and 9.
Now here are some of the progressive provisions in the platform as listed by Sanders himself:
At a time when huge Wall Street financial institutions are bigger now than they were before the taxpayers of this country bailed them out, the platform calls for enacting a 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act and for breaking up too-big-to-fail banks.
The platform calls for a historic expansion of Social Security, closes loopholes that allow corporations to avoid paying taxes, creates millions of jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, makes it easier for workers to join unions, takes on the greed of the pharmaceutical companies, ends disastrous deportation raids, bans private prisons and detention centers, abolishes the death penalty, moves to automatic voter registration and the public financing of elections, eliminates super PACs, and urges passage of a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, among many other initiatives.
These are all major accomplishments that will begin to move this country in the right direction. I congratulate Rep. Elijah Cummings (D., Md.), chairman of the Platform Drafting Committee, and all 15 members of the panel for their hard work.
Okay by almost ANY standard that is an incredibly progressive agenda, and the part that Sanders' delegates had in drafting it should give them quite a sense of accomplishment.
But to Sanders it is just not goddamn good enough.
The problems? It does not guarantee a $15 dollar an hour minimum wage, and does not condemn the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP if you prefer.
In other words Sanders has achieved virtually every one of his goals in crafting this Democratic platform, but it is not perfect so he remains dissatisfied.
Now first let us not forget that the Democratic party is NOT married to this platform and there is nothing which forces them to pursue these policies.
Secondly let's remember that just because the Democrats might want to get these policies past into law, there is absolutely no guarantee that such a thing will happen, especially while facing off against an entrenched Republican opposition.
And thirdly the stated reason that the Hillary delegates refused to sign off on an official opposition to TPP, is because our President is for the deal, and they refused to take a stand in direct opposition to his desires.
And lastly Sanders should know that even if the language opposing TPP is not part of the official platform, Hillary Clinton, who has stated her opposition to the plan, will vote against it or not depending on what she thinks is right.
She is not bound by the language of the party platform, so it has no real control over her future decisions as President.
So his op-ed reads like nothing more than the thinnest of excuses for not officially dropping out of the race and endorsing Hillary Clinton.
What he is demanding will not happen, so he wields his progressive purity as a shield to deflect criticism as he continues to milk his last remaining supporters for contributions and basks in the media's attention.
Can't even say I'm surprised.
By the way if you want see just how delusional the remaining Bernie Bros have become just take a listen to H.A. Goodman.
And trust me, he's not the only one holding on to those delusions.
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