It is no use pretending. The 'revolution' is dead -- Bernie's revolution. Whether the real revolution will die depends on what we who supported him so passionately decide to do.
Bernie's 'revolution' was killed by none other than the President of the US, Barack Obama. He struck the fatal blow by prematurely announcing his endorsement of Hillary Clinton. By doing so he effectively robbed Sanders of his chance of persuading non-pledged delegates to switch from supporting Hillary to supporting Bernie.
The Democratic Party has a vested interest in perpetuating itself as it is now. Millions of Americans, especially the young, have come to realize that the Democratic Party is nothing more than the second side of the same coin. The Republicans and the Democrats are both ruled by the rich and the powerful and they both are beholden to them.
It is against this that the people wanted to revolt. Bernie initially so rightly put it, it was not about electing this person or that. But now he is reduced to focusing on "Doing whatever I can" to defeat Trump, and, by implication, electing Hillary.
What the people wanted was a revolution against the status quo. What they wanted was to make America a better place, electoral reform, a reversal of the flow of wealth from the poor to the rich, an end to fracking, universal health care, free tuition in colleges, making an 'adjustment' (as Bernie put it) in our relationship with Israel, putting an end to supporting corrupt dictators who so wantonly disregard human rights, abandoning going around the world toppling popular, freely, democratically and constitutionally elected leaders, to name but a few of their aspirations. In Bernie, this army of passionate millions saw a general and they flocked round him, contributed what little they could, cast their ballots at the primaries and attended in unprecedented members at his rallies.
After Obama's endorsement of Hillary, Bernie changed his direction. The argument is that the country cannot afford to have Trump become the president and all efforts should be to prevent him doing so and the only way to do this is to strengthen the Democratic Party and stand unitedly behind its nominee. Sanders did not want to be a 'spoiler', a second Nader.
We have heard this argument again and again. Yes Hillary is the face of Wall Street. Yes Hillary is opposed to universal health care and almost all the aspirations of Bernie and his supporters. But for now, to prevent Trump becoming president, one must resign oneself to choosing the 'better of two evils'.
If we dance to this tune, there will never be the revolution this country needs and what we, the supporters of Bernie, so passionately worked for.
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