While looking at campaign tactics, and trying to predict what the Berners will do next, I keep coming back to “accelerationism.” It’s the naive belief that change will come faster if we destroy our government and start over.
Yes, change will come.
But not the change we want.
Yes, change will come.
But not the change we want.
Name a time when a revolution destroyed a constitutional democratic republic, and replaced it with another, better constitutional democratic republic.
I’ll wait.
(That’s not what happens. Authoritarianism results from revolutions against democracy.)
I’ll wait.
(That’s not what happens. Authoritarianism results from revolutions against democracy.)
“But wait - didn’t America start from a revolution?”
Of course. But it was a revolution to overthrow authoritarianism and replace it with infant-form democracy.
Revolutions that overthrow democracies don’t create new democracies.
If they wanted democracy, they wouldn’t revolt.
Of course. But it was a revolution to overthrow authoritarianism and replace it with infant-form democracy.
Revolutions that overthrow democracies don’t create new democracies.
If they wanted democracy, they wouldn’t revolt.
So I am not really a fan of the title or resulting actions of “Our Revolution.” But I’m not surprised by them, either.
If your goal is not to win, but to make voting look like a shitty thing no one should want, then being mean to people and losing an election is top strategy.
If your goal is not to win, but to make voting look like a shitty thing no one should want, then being mean to people and losing an election is top strategy.
So back to prediction - what will Berners do next?
If I’m right that their leadership is pure accelerationist, they will proceed down the most disruptive and harmful path for America, in an effort to show us that “votes are useless! They don’t work!”
He will not drop out.
If I’m right that their leadership is pure accelerationist, they will proceed down the most disruptive and harmful path for America, in an effort to show us that “votes are useless! They don’t work!”
He will not drop out.
However, and optimistically, it may be that only some of the Berner leadership is accelerationist. It’s a strategy deployed by the corrupt on the naive, but those categories don’t encompass all Berners. I know. I was one in the 2016 primary.
So we may see some splintering.
So we may see some splintering.
One prominent example - @AOC has already started to forge a separate path from the “Not Us, Only Me” accelerationist Berners, focusing on winning issues.
That’s 1 thing that soured me on Bernie in 2016 - when he started losing, the leaders blamed HRC for “stealing our issues.”
Wait.
Wasn’t it about those issues?
Then I learned he’d voted against the Magnitsky Act, and a whole tapeworm of Russia crawled out of that rabbit hole.
Wait.
Wasn’t it about those issues?
Then I learned he’d voted against the Magnitsky Act, and a whole tapeworm of Russia crawled out of that rabbit hole.
If we want progressive policies in 2021, we need to take the Senate and keep the House, as well as winning the White House.
Ppl who claim they want progressive policies, but really only want disruption (to sour you on voting), will now start moving you away from that.
Ppl who claim they want progressive policies, but really only want disruption (to sour you on voting), will now start moving you away from that.
