Capitulating to Bernie Would Be Marching in Our Own Funeral


applicationsTagS

 

Jan Makandal

November 15, 2015

 

electionsSome assert that the Bernie Sanders campaign is helping the struggle to fight capitalism or to construct a combative mass movement. Can anyone explain how this is the case? Did we already forget (as usual), that the Rainbow Coalition had the same ambition? And what happened to that, were no lessons learned by the farce of the Rainbow Coalition? Now some are saying we should now embark on a new scheme to build a mass movement by tailgating a bourgeois politician, a political militant of the capitalist class. To hope that this new quest will give us a different result is ludicrous. This is opportunism at it lowest. Hopping on the Sanders bandwagon in a quest to build a mass movement can only to give the same result already given by the Rainbow Coalition.

 

How is Bernie campaign helping the genuine progressive movement? To argue that Sanders’ campaign is helping our movement even without a clear political line or coordinated practice among all involved, including Sanders himself, is pure demagogy. So far, there is nothing in Bernie’s rhetoric that gives a hint, even a minute hint, that he is helping our movement.

 

In the recent debates and forum, Sanders articulated his own brand of capitalist and imperialist line to make US imperialism work better. He appeals to the workers to join the petite bourgeoisie [middle class], to break from conservatism and live peacefully in capitalism. Forget about you being exploited; forget that your labor power is being violently expropriated.

Like many lesser evils before him, Sanders, if elected, will serve capital.

 

Do we anti-imperialist or proletarian revolutionaries need to hop onto the Sanders bandwagon so we don’t let another reformist opportunity pass us by? No need to “remain pure” goes the argument, whatever that means—just join the carnival of reformism until the next election and wait for our next false prophet to come. And then the question of building our movement remains a satire, an empty bubble.

 

Historically, no struggle starts with an organized majority, although an unorganized majority is interested. How can we build a movement if the organized minority so easily gives in? In fact, there would have not been a Civil Rights Movement if a dedicated minority had not had the willpower to take the bull by the horns and offer their own alternative to the masses.

 

Anyone who thinks we need to capitulate to Bernie to build our movement is either naively lying to themselves, or are professional demagogues.

 

YES, it will take a minority of dedicated progressives and revolutionaries to coordinate their struggle and offer a new alternative to the popular masses and construct political unity with the masses in order to advance in our struggle. Joining the Sanders bandwagon is unconsciously marching in our own funerals, like zombies.

 

We need to transition from a minority position to a majority position. Our autonomous militancy, the class interest of the proletariat, is our guideline to win the masses. And our principle is DEMARCATE TO UNITE.