Some thoughts on the primary... [View all]

Posted here because why not, I like this community. An old family friend recently sent me an email saying she was tired of the primary, and indeed, the whole election process. She was curious to hear my thoughts, and after sending them to her, I was wondering what some of you might think.

My response (slightly edited due to reasons):

To be honest, after I participated in the Washington Caucuses (I did caucus for Sanders, though I did so rather reluctantly), I began to stop paying the close attention I had up to that point. It began feeling rather pointless and I very much wondered if my attention would be better spent elsewhere. I have to say, I think it has been. More on that in a bit; I have not talked about politics in a while and I feel a large torrent of words about to pour out.

The elections not only consume a massive amount of time, money, and media coverage, but they serve another purpose altogether (whether purposefully or not, I am not going to claim to know). For all the effort that has gone into this election, little will change. There has been intense work and focus by those supporting Sanders and it's something I have never seen before from people my age. The establishment politics have of course turned out in a massive show of force for Clinton, but that isn't what I am interested in. Support for Sanders is strong here in Seattle among people I know who before were never politically engaged or cared to be. I think that's mildly unfortunate, to be honest. It's not that I don't like that they are engaged; that's a fantastic development and something that should be celebrated.

But I fear that they are leading themselves to believe that the fate of the world turns on this election, and should they lose it, nothing can be done. No real movements have arisen from this (yet!). On the contrary, I'd say the Sander's campaign has done so well because of huge movements both in the past and that continue: Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street, Fight for $15, and the growing awareness of the catastrophic environmental path we have chosen have buoyed his message. This is despite the fact that Sanders has only somewhat addressed racism in the US* and continues to promise a relatively moderate future, even compared with other present and past Democratic policy proposals, let alone leftist ones. His demands are much smaller than the movements he draws from.

*Yes, he talks about prisons, education, and many other issues that involve race, but rarely does he focus solely on race, racial education, and combating racism/racial privileges.

But that's the thing--these movements fuel his campaign, not the other way around. In the end, the election of Sanders to the position of president will not do much except raise awareness around certain aspects of these issues. This is a good thing, and an important thing, and is the reason I was willing to caucus for him despite my *very* substantial disagreements about using the Democratic Party as a vehicle for a leftist agenda (a.k.a. socialized health care, free education, public ownership of utilities, etc.--the usual fare).

However, awareness does not create change, something that cannot be emphasized enough. This election continues to promote top-down change, whether you are looking at the right or left wings of the current major American political spectrum. Top-down change can never work. Voting does not protect rights, end un-equal imprisonment, keep police from murdering PoC, provide safety and support for LGBTQIA+ peoples, choke off our sad need to continue gulping down poisonous hydrocarbons, or provide medical care to the poor. Voting is perhaps the single most passive way we have to participate in our democracy.

To say it does do those things would be to disenfranchise the billions around the world who have yet to awake to the power they hold as a single individual piece of society. When people come together, physically, on the streets, in the town halls, in the schools, in the workplaces, and elsewhere, *that* is what creates change. We hold that power when we decide to take it and truly fight for it. Building relationships and connecting people has always been the greatest strength of humanity and will, I believe, be the basis for much change on a global scale in the next few decades. Voting is an impossibly small action in comparison to open-minds and a willingness to engage in the world around us.

But that is not what the media tells us in it's 24 hour circus show, and that is not what people continue to learn. Very few have pushed beyond that, and I suppose we will have to wait and see whether a real, effective grassroots movement will come out of this. I think it has helped push the conversation to slightly wider perspectives, and that's a start. In the meantime, it's become to much for me to watch or pay attention to. I have withdrawn to a few conversations with those willing to listen, and have decided to sit back for the remainder of the primary. *edited stuff removed* I will agitate from the sides for now instead.

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A couple of questions for you all:

How best to discuss with Sanders supporters that his election may not change much? What have you found to be most effective in encouraging people to direct their efforts towards movements, and not elections? I ask this of any previous Sanders supporters here, too.

To what extent do you think any movement will arise from this? What shape will it take? Will it integrate with the movements I mentioned above, in addition to the numerous others out there?

How do you think that we can recognize what Sanders brought to this election (and continues to bring) in the form of awareness while simultaneously affirming that awareness is not the same as action, or even education?

How do we establish that US elections are top-down, undemocratic affairs with people that think voting is the paramount method of changing US politics?

Lastly, more about race--how the f--- do you all get white people to give a shit? Seattle is killing me. Even my close friends, sometimes...and usually I'm pretty good at picking them.