After working for Bernie Sanders to become President in 2016 and 2020, I am now convinced that Progressives and Socialists are unlikely to take over the Democratic Party. I believe that having a truly new political, economic and social structure in our country will require a unified progressive and socialist organization, formed by the existing third parties, the Bernie-ites from within the Democratic Party, and the remnants of progressives from within the Republican Party.
If one studies the Sanders Platform in 2020 and measures it against the platforms of the Green Party, the Movement for A People’s Party, the PSL, the Working Families Party, the Peace and Freedom Party, and the Socialist Party, you will find a lot of communality. The only real difference is the ownership of assets, and even in that respect, the difference isn’t that significant. All these parties appear to agree that the economic structure of our country creates huge political and social problems. While their solutions are different, they are not so different that the proponents of each platform could not work together with the others and devise a common platform.
On Thursday, November 5, 2020, I looked at the webinar for Movement for a Peoples Party. I agree with MPP that a new major party is what our country needs. I don’t agree that their organization is the one that is best for accomplishing that task. Forming a major party needs a lot of hands, a lot of money, and a lot of ideas that a large and solid group can agree on. Is MPP the chosen one?
MPP makes a mistake that seems common in all start-up political groups: it doesn’t have a portal for new people to present their ideas and get a response. The most important quality in a new party is to show new members that it is listening to them. I don’t see that in their website.
I also don’t see MPP reaching out to the Greens, PSL, Socialists and Bernie-ites to join with them. If MPP is to be the new major party, it should be able to get the older third parties to join them. Why not offer to have those third parties become part of the MPP leadership? Why not find out what it would take to have them become part of the movement?
Similarly, MPP should have a road to get participation by the very left wing elected officials in the Democratic Party. By that, I mean Bernie Sanders, AOC, the Squad, and others. I don’t think those leaders are going to join MPP right away, but they should know that MPP wants them. Also, why not reach out to independents, like Senator Angus King in Maine? Or people who ran for President in 2020?
If there is a positive response, then why not call for a Zoom meeting to discuss how a new major party can be formed? MPP can present its ideas, and others can present theirs. It’s important to get connections. Can MPP bring in the large population of Bernie-ites? They should, but this is only going to happen if it reaches out to the many online social groups that supported (and still support) Bernie Sanders’ ideas. MPP says that it was inspire by Bernie, so it should be able to draw in his followers.
I tried becoming a member of MPP back in April 2020. I was disappointed because the group seemed disorganized. I’m hoping that they are more organized now and ready to do the work that’s needed for a new major party. And, if not MPP, then someone else should take on that task. I’m ready to do my part, and I know a lot of other people who feel the same. We’re glad to see Trump go, but we don’t have a lot of hope in Biden. We really need something new, different, and better.
COMMENTS