Now that Bernie Sanders has made it clear that he will run as a Democrat for the presidency, I want to make it clear to all liberals, progressives, populists, socialists, etc. that I will not vote for or encourage anyone to vote for Rand Paul in the Republican primaries and caucuses next year.
This may come as a disappointment for many of my libertarian friends but 2016 is very different from 2012. We do not have an incumbent President who is running unopposed. Just as it made absolutely no sense for most progressives to vote in the Democratic primary last time, it makes no sense to vote in the Republican primary this time.
I am not at this moment endorsing Sanders because I want to see what other progressives do and say. I think it would be better if only one progressive took on Hillary or if more than one, that they coalesce around one progressive alternative no later than February 21 ( the day after the SC primary).
This is not to say, give no support to Rand Paul. On the contrary, we ought to be promoting his campaign and maybe trying to find a way to get him and Bernie to debate during the primary. Wouldn't that be a great way to kick the establishment?!! Better yet get presumptive 3rd party nominees, Virgil Goode, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein on the same stage along with whoever emerges as the Republican cultural conservative favorite.
What we want is Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders to be the nominees and if not them, then for Paul, Sanders and Ben Carson to endorse Johnson, Stein and Goode at 5pm the evenings of Jeb and Hillary's coronation speeches.
A political revolution to overthrow the corporate military industrial catastrophe remains the strategic goal but we must make this tactical change at this time for the revolution to have a fighting chance of success.
PS ... I use names here as possibilities. I do not think that Jeb Bush will be the GOP nominee. In fact I think the Republican ticket is going to be Susana Martinez and Ben Carson. Hopefully, Clinton takes a dive and we get a Sanders/Warren ticket to oppose them. If we do, I will be expecting Robin Koerner to tell Gary , "No!" and support the Red Democrat ticket instead. (Is red a classical liberal color?)
This may come as a disappointment for many of my libertarian friends but 2016 is very different from 2012. We do not have an incumbent President who is running unopposed. Just as it made absolutely no sense for most progressives to vote in the Democratic primary last time, it makes no sense to vote in the Republican primary this time.
I am not at this moment endorsing Sanders because I want to see what other progressives do and say. I think it would be better if only one progressive took on Hillary or if more than one, that they coalesce around one progressive alternative no later than February 21 ( the day after the SC primary).
This is not to say, give no support to Rand Paul. On the contrary, we ought to be promoting his campaign and maybe trying to find a way to get him and Bernie to debate during the primary. Wouldn't that be a great way to kick the establishment?!! Better yet get presumptive 3rd party nominees, Virgil Goode, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein on the same stage along with whoever emerges as the Republican cultural conservative favorite.
What we want is Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders to be the nominees and if not them, then for Paul, Sanders and Ben Carson to endorse Johnson, Stein and Goode at 5pm the evenings of Jeb and Hillary's coronation speeches.
A political revolution to overthrow the corporate military industrial catastrophe remains the strategic goal but we must make this tactical change at this time for the revolution to have a fighting chance of success.
PS ... I use names here as possibilities. I do not think that Jeb Bush will be the GOP nominee. In fact I think the Republican ticket is going to be Susana Martinez and Ben Carson. Hopefully, Clinton takes a dive and we get a Sanders/Warren ticket to oppose them. If we do, I will be expecting Robin Koerner to tell Gary , "No!" and support the Red Democrat ticket instead. (Is red a classical liberal color?)
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