The upcoming contests include Arizona, Utah and Idaho March 22 and Alaska, Hawaii and Washington March 26, then a 10-day break around Easter, followed by Wisconsin April 5 and Wyoming April 9. All but Arizona and Wisconsin are caucus states, where the Sanders campaign has usually had the advantage.
The drumbeat from the Democratic Party establishment and the media amounts to a demand that Sanders carry out his assigned role in the presidential election: convincing his supporters, particularly among young people, to back Clinton in the general election, despite the widespread lack of enthusiasm, and in many cases open hostility, towards her right-wing record as a defender of Wall Street and advocate of American militarism, including the Iraq War.
Sanders' spokesmen complained that the nomination campaign was only halfway completed, that there was still time for him to overtake Clinton's lead of more than 300 convention delegates, and that millions more people should be given the opportunity to have a choice for the Democratic nomination.
But more significantly, Sanders emphasized that his campaign, win or lose, was good for the Democratic Party. "People want to become engaged in the political process by having vigorous primary and caucus process," he said. "I think we open up the possibility of having a large voter turnout in November. That is exactly what we need."
This statement demonstrates that Sanders is fully conscious of the role he plays in American politics, using "socialist" rhetoric and occasional calls for "political revolution" to attract youth and working people, only to trap them within the confines of the Democratic Party and insure that there is no political challenge to the corporate-controlled two-party system.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
3
3
2
