Should Progressives Unify with the Democratic Party Establishment? Hell No! [View all]

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/19/should-progressives-unify-democratic-party-establishment-hell-no

Perhaps the greatest achievement of the Bernie campaign is that it has transformed the political spectrum and the way people (even including a few mainstream pundits) view the spectrum. Instead of a binary band with Republicans on the right and Democrats on the alleged "left," the political spectrum now looks like it’s divided into three parts:

The Republican Right, led by the Trumps and Cruzes, rallies its base through racist appeals, anti-immigrant hysteria, misogyny and "America First" rhetoric – a base that is still sizeable and dangerous, even though it is aging and declining as whites lose their super-majority status, and as young whites aren’t as homophobic or bigoted as their elders.

The Democratic Centrist Establishment, personified by Hillary Clinton and dependent on its base of corporate funders, is adept (though not as convincingly as before) at campaigning to the left with rhetoric about "working families" and "breaking down barriers" – while governing mostly on behalf of an unequal status quo, once in office. (Because of Trump’s unpredictability and Clinton’s reliability, the centrist establishment will likely gain support this year from Wall Street Republicans and neoconservative hawks.)

The Progressive Left, embodied by (but broader than) the Bernie campaign, is gaining popularity by articulating issues ignored by major party elites:

free public college tuition funded by a Wall Street transaction tax
healthcare as a right through Enhanced Medicare for All
ending the drug war and mass incarceration
cuts in military spending
government jobs programs to rebuild infrastructure and transform to renewable energy

Progressives owe a debt of gratitude to Bernie Sanders for what he’s accomplished. But no matter what Bernie does or says or advises at July’s Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, progressives must stay independent of Democratic elites. As the Bernie vs. Clinton primary contest has shown, we and they have different agendas, funders and values.