We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, May 23, 2016

If Bernie Sanders Is Real, He Will Run as an Independent

Click here to access article by Gilbert Mercier from News Junkie Post.
Short of a strong left and libertarian ticket led by Sanders, the US election outcome will be a disaster not only for US citizens but globally. Political analysts are making projections that Sanders’ voting block, which is substantial, will not go to Clinton. That is of course if Sanders as part of the fake left, do the unthinkable and endorse Hillary or even worse run on the Clinton ticket as VP.
Most of Mercier's observations about the our current primary elections campaigns differs only a little from my own, but there is one major difference. His perspective completely ignores a deep state which would never allow an individual to interfere with their imperial and neoliberal agendas. 

I think Bernie Sanders well understands this, and would never run as an independent candidate--and not because he because he doesn't believe in the principles affirmed in his political campaign. I cannot, of course, get inside his head to determine his real motivations, but I don't think he is stupid. Beside this, I think it is likely, as has been reported, that he already made a deal with the Democratic party's managers to endorse Hillary in exchange for the privilege of running as a Democratic party candidate in the primary elections.

John Stauber, in article entitled "Why Bernie was Busted From the Beginning" essentially makes the same argument except that he opines that Sanders should have run as an independent candidate from the very beginning.

The most probable outcome of the elections is that Americans will be asked to make a distasteful choice between Donald Sanders and Hillary Clinton. This will leave many millions of Americans, mostly young, completely disillusioned with the capitalist election process. Who knows where this could lead?