Bernie and the Greens

Here is why Bernie should not run as a Green nor should anyone serious about Green Party as an option in the US want him to:

If the Greens want to build a party, they cannot do so as a quadrenniel factor in most of the nation. They must do what every other party has done, build from local town and county races.

Let us place the Green party’s reach in the proper perspective: Not being on the ballot in 25 states is the important statistic. This shows how seriously Green Party leadership appears to take electoral success.  The RepubLicans of 1860, though they had been at it less than a decade, were far more electorally entrenched.

Sanders as a Green will however serve as a perfect scapegoat should Hillary manage to lose despite all Republican efforts to creat a walkover for her. The Dems and the press will blame it all on Bernie. If Hillary, as she might, loses let it let it be seen as the fault of the Dems own Clintonista / FIRE / neoliberal wing, not the left. Given a choice between Trump and Clinton, intelligent dissenters will go to the polls and skip the Presidential line. Or not vote at all if there are no good choices.

One reason we are in the mess we are in currently, beyond the fact that lefties remain more interested in electing Presidents than schoolboards, county commissioners and sheriffs etc, is that Al Gore’s loss as the original Bring Back Bill option is blamed on Ralph Nader rather than Gore’s failure asa candidate who could not carry his home state. Hillary is not the dullard Al was but as a matter of charisma, she is about as comfy a ballot box companion as say Bob Dole or Mike Dukakis. In the end, being elected president is as much about that kind of appeal as being elected class president.  Hillary is nothing like a shoo in and the Democratic leadership might be behind a Sanders / Green option because they see the need for a scapegoat.

If the Greens really believe that elections = revolution then let them win some elections in nonPresidential elections.

Let those of us disgusted with the options express it in the taditional American manner, by refusing to vote unless there is some useful result to be obtained.

Dave Marsh edits Rock & Rap Confidential, one of CounterPunch’s favorite newsletters, now available for free by emailing: rockrap@aol.com. Dave blogs at http://davemarsh.us/