Bernie Sanders, the unity imperative, and Syria
1. Even if Sanders in his comments above is right — and I think things are more complex than he suggests — he is too often tone deaf when it comes to the African American community and the fight against racism.
What is more, he seems similarly unmindful of the alliances that are necessary at this stage of struggle if we have any hope of forestalling the danger of entrenched authoritarian rule. In fact, on too many occasions, his critique of the Democratic Party and the “establishment” echoes the talking points of Trump, and thus mitigate against a united response to Trump and right wing extremism.
It’s not enough for people on the left, including Sanders, to be right. Instead, they have to be right in the right way, that is, in a way that helps in unifying the main social constituencies and organizations that together — and only together — have the power to decisively defeat the main (strategic) danger to social progress and democratic and class advancement at this moment. And, of course, that danger is Trump and Trumpism – not Democrats, not liberals, not labor leaders, not even Blue Dogs in the Democratic Party.
Or to frame it a bit differently, in the face of the present, overarching, and unprecedented danger that the nation is looking in the teeth, the accent of the left in its coalition relations with the varied groupings and institutions opposing Trump should be on unity, not struggle. The latter doesn’t go into hibernation to await a more propitious day to cause a ruckus, but it should be ever mindful of and bend in most instances to the imperative of unity.
2. John Bolton’s first day on the job and Trump is tweeting that the Syrian government will pay a “Big Price” for alleged use of nerve gas. Nothing good can come from this. In fact, things in the Middle East could get very bloody and go downhill very fast. Neither will it help our struggle here.
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