By A. Shaw
Paul Street sees Sen. Bernie Sanders candidacy for the 2016 Democratic Party (DP) presidential nomination as an “unworthy endeavor ” and as a dream. Sanders ran for mayor of the largest city in his state. He won the city. He next ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. He won the House seat. He ran for the U.S. Senate. He’s now serving his second term in the senate.
His successes aren’t dreams. They are realities. Clearly, they are far above the level of accomplishment of which Paul Street is capable. Sanders’ accomplishments are only dreams to Mr. Street.
Paul Street says the 2016 DP nomination is unworthy of Sanders, not that Sanders is unworthy of the nomination. Street evidently sees Bernie as so grand and so glorious that even the office of president of the USA is beneath Bernie’s dignity. Fortunately, Bernie is so down-to-earth and modest that he will gladly accept the presidency.
“In recent months, “Progressive Democrats” have been hoping to breathe new life into the United States’ hopelessly 1%-dominated “two party system,”  Mr. Street writes.
Street confuses Sanders’ campaign with the DP-GOP  “system.” The people in Sanders campaign couldn’t care less if this so-called “system” breathes or doesn’t breathe. The people in the campaign care whether campaign breathes or doesn’t. The campaign picks the campaign manager, raises its own funds, hires its consultant, assembles its staff, prepares the all-important strategy and budget — with no input or output what so ever from the  DP or from the so-called “system,” treated by Paul Street as an omnipotent and demonic angel.
This systemic angel has to be something that Mr. Street encounters only in his nightmares.
“Leaving aside Sanders’ terrible record on Israel-Palestine and U.S. imperial policy more broadly and focusing just on domestic policy, it is a complete waste of time – not a worthy endeavor,” Street writes.
Street shouldn’t leave aside anything.
Sanders’ record on the Middle East is lamentably representative of the whole of bourgeois regime, the “system,” and the mass of the US people, especially the Left opportunist element. As for U.S. imperial policy, Sanders consistently and vigorously fights for deep cuts in the bloated U.S. military budget, a tactic designed to undercut imperial policy in the Middle East and imperial policy more broadly.
The left opportunist element always struggles against deep cuts in the bloated US military budget, falsely alleging that such cuts are a complete waste of time as well as an unworthy endeavor.
“Both of the nation’s dominant political “parties” now stand well to the right of majority public opinion and in accord with the views of the elite political “donor class on numerous key policy issues,” Street writes.
Isn’t stating the obvious a complete waste of time?
“Basic candor requires acknowledgement that the Democratic Party has in recent decades become an ever more full-fledged and unabashed rich folks’ party, not to mention a longstanding party of war and empire,” Street writes
Almost everybody has acknowledged in recent centuries –19th, 20th, and 21th – that the DP is and has been a full-fledged bourgeois and imperialist party.
Where has Paul Street been? He just discovered that the DP is a bourgeois party. Before his discovery, what did he think the DP was?
 “As such, it will never allow a candidate sincerely committed to progressive and populist domestic policy goals – much less, one who calls himself (however vaguely) a socialist – become its standard-bearer,” Street writes.
Apparently, Paul Street does only what he is “allowed” to do. He wrongfully attributes the same limitation to Sanders. But sanders intends to become the “standard-bearer” even if the DP incumbents, major contributors, top consultants, and bureaucracy don’t allow it. Street sounds like  somebody who is used to quitting when something is improperly disallowed. Sander plans to rise to state power by strict compliance with constitutional principles and democratic process. So, the constitution and democracy will entitle the rightful winner to assume the role of “standard-bearer.”
” Why help the dismal dollar Dems disguise their oligarchic essence?” Street asks.
Since when has the DP “disguised” its class essence? To the contrary, the DP always shamelessly but proudly exposes itself as a bourgeois party. Indeed, the DP at every opportunity or even in the absence of opportunity, not only conspicuously but also promiscuously exposes itself  — and all of itself with utter vulgarity.
“Why abet their attempt to seem to have had a full and open debate over the issues that concern ordinary Americans?” Street asks..
Sanders debates in a full and open manner with any opponent who dares to confront Sanders. If his opponents flee from a full and open debate, then Sanders cannot compel their participation. The subject of these exchanges is always, at Sanders insistence, the issues that concern ordinary Americans. Sanders isn’t trying to abet “their” attempt to seem to be full and open. Sanders is being full and open himself in political discussions no matter what his opponents and their mouthpieces choose to do.
“As Sanders;’ adviser Tad Devine recently told Salon’s Luke Brinker, “We have not really raised money…” Street writes.
Obama wasn’t the most endowed candidate in the 2008 primary or the 2008 general. He was the most endowed in the 2012 primary but not in the 2012 general. So, being most endowed doesn’t assure victory. Sometimes money wins, other times money loses. True, GOP trash or, in other words, the majority of the judges on the U.S. Supreme Court recently rigged the political scales to favor endowment, but this change does not supply cause for quitting, just because winning is now harder.
“Also significant, the corporate media is highly unlikely to treat Sanders as a “serious” and “viable” candidate – an additional and related death blow to his chances,” Street writes.
The big bourgeois media, like “both of the nation’s dominant political ‘parties’ now stand well to the right of majority public opinion.” The mass of the US people, especially working and middle class liberals and moderates, view the bourgeois media with contempt and suspicion. In other words, the lying cappie press is not as influential as it used to be.Yes, the cappie press is still influential, but  it’s losing credibility real fast.
[Cappie refers to capitalist or pro-capitalist with the same affection and honor that commie refers Communist or pro-communist.]
“A saving grace for a Sanders run would if he were to drop in advance all hopes of winning and using the presidential campaign stage as an educational platform,” Street writes.
Saving Grace! That’s not a saving grace. That’s just a disgrace. Sanders would be adopting the quasi-anarchist and buffoonish stunt of aiming to lose rather than aiming to win. Perhaps instead of aiming either to lose or to win, he aims merely to run. And, of course, he “educates” people. Consider the lessons he would have to teach if he squares with people. How to be a phony candidate. How to perpetrate a political fraud. How to palm-off a campaign as a school or vice versa. How a stuntman impersonates an actor.
Paul Street’s phony campaign is an unworthy endeavor for a person of Sanders’ character.
If Sanders wins, it won’t be the first time. His earlier wins weren’t stunts, dreams, or unworthy endeavors. They were real acts of high accomplishments.
Paul Street sounds like somebody who has never run or helped out in a campaign.