Reclaim Chicago’s Blog

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Editor’s note: If you were a supporter of Bernie Sanders, watching the presidential debates has probably left you feeling angry or, at the very least, frustrated about the choice of presidential candidates on the ballot this November. Donald Trump is so awful he can make a neoliberal Wall Street Democrat like Hillary Clinton look good. But we know that Clinton will not aggressively champion the progressive solutions that are so needed in this time of crisis.

by Tobita Chow, Chair of The People’s Lobby

Now this is a little ironic because my task is to share some reflections on the election. And the election is not our prize.

This past week was a big day for election news. We had dueling leaks from the two campaigns. We finally saw excerpts from the speeches that Clinton delivered to Goldman Sachs and the rest of Wall Street, and found out that she supports cutting Social Security, supports neoliberal free trade, and thinks that we should let Wall Street regulate itself. Meanwhile, the remarks from Trump suggest that he has used his celebrity and his power to repeatedly sexually harass women.

But none of this is a surprise! We already knew this about both of them. We knew that Clinton is a Wall Street-friendly pro-corporate Democrat. And we knew that Trump is a misogynistic monster.
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What’s Next: Building the Revolution after the Democratic Convention

Reclaim Chicago enthusiastically endorsed Bernie Sanders, and our members volunteered thousands of hours to talk to voters about our shared vision for America. Our enthusiasm was grounded in the fact that Sanders’ shares much of our analysis about and many of our solutions for the root causes of our nation’s deep-rooted economic, racial and gender inequality. Sanders’ decades of organizing, activism and legislative fights gave us – and 13 million additional voters – confidence that he would keep fighting for those priorities as president.

Sanders’ campaign advanced the progressive movement by leaps and bounds. He inspired a diverse group people who had never been active in politics or who had long since given up hope that their voices mattered to give precious time and money to his campaign. Millions of working class, immigrants, communities of color, young people and long time progressive and independent voters were united by his vision for a more equal America.
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