Some questions for Darcy Richardson:
About your book on Bernie Sanders, Bernie, A Lifelong Crusade Against Wall Street & Wealth
Did you write the book about Bernie Sanders?
Assuming you did, I have a few questions:
Do you think it was right that you failed to define and clarify just who the "democratic socialists" are working in the Democratic Party who Bernie has aligned himself with as opposed to the use of the term "socialist" which he apparently was at one time before aligning himself with this grouping of "democratic socialists?
Also, didn't you kind of give him a free ride when it comes to the question of peace and anti-imperialism? Obviously, Debs took the question of the need for socialists to be anti-imperialists as well as being anti-monopoly.
And, isn't peace, opposing Wall Street's warmongering and all the ways Wall Street profits from wars as well as the untold misery and destruction created integral to any "lifelong crusade against Wall Street and wealth?"
There are many distinguishing differences between Marcantonio and Bernie... first of all was Marcantonio's militant and persistent anti-imperialism which Bernie lacks.
There is also a failure to note Bernie's hypocrisy in casting a vote against the war in Iraq and then turning around and voting for every single vote to fund the war/s.
And he is let off the hook when it comes to this insane war against ISIS when he voted to fund its creation in the first place.
There were two solcialists Bernie wasn't compared to:
Elmer Benson who was a very principled socialist who served as a United States Senator from Minnesota who went on to become governor; and then there was John Bernard, the Communist who was elected to Congress--- both on the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor ticket.
I suppose an argument in not comparing Bernie Sanders to John Bernard was that Bernard was a Communist. But, Communists advocate socialism, right?
And if we are going to distinguish socialists from Communists, shouldn't we distinguish these self-serving, pragmatic (imperialism is acceptable) John Dewey-type "democratic socialists" from socialists like Debs and Elmer Benson?
Like Franklin D. Roosevelt Sanders is prone to bringing forward reform concepts that are far too little and far too late... evidenced in his continued talk about health care reform which would leave the profit motive in health care completely intact and his jobs program which is far too little and then his Minimum Wage proposal of $15.00 an hour which fails to take into account the actual cost of living and his talk about the need to act on climate change and global warming but touts the same hypocrisy of the foundation funded outfits bankrolled by the great Wall Street philanthropists who profit form the very Military-Industrial Complex which leaves in its wake the largest carbon footprint of any human endeavor, bar none.
You had the chance to cite the fact that Lyndon Johnson endorsed George McGovern and you didn't take it even though you mention Johnson's "Great Society" and you had the opportunity to introduce your readers to the accomplishments that can be made when liberals, progressives and leftists--- including Socialists and Communists--- work together by providing the example of the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and its unifying influence the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Association which in effect created a type of "new broom" electoral coalition which was used to sweep the Minnesota Legislature clean of the corrupt Wall Street influences from the mining, forestry, banking, energy and big-agribusiness.
Most importantly, if reference to the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party would have been included in your book, this would have perhaps encouraged others to look into its history and draw the conclusion that this is the way to move forward. You bring forward Lafollette even though his great weakness was his anti-Communism which prevented greater unity.
Of course, during his long tenure in Washington, Bernie has made no attempt to stop the attacks by the United States Department of Justice, the FBI, NSA, Military Intelligence and the CIA on his fellow socialists, many of whom are Communists.
And, Bernie is not as pro-labor as you would lead people to believe--- he has voted for "Right-to-Work" by voting for the "Compacts" in the Indian Gaming Industry--- something not mentioned in your book in spite of the fact that around two-million American workers are now employed in this hideously racist industry where corrupt tribal officials front for a bunch of racist, wealthy white mobsters who own all the slot machines, table games, hotels, motels, golf courses amusement parks, restaurants, etc, leaving Native Americans holding nothing but poverty causing debt--- just look at the poverty on the Indian Reservations amidst trillions of dollars in casino driven wealth--- as workers (including Native Americans who are deprived of other employment because of severe racists discrimination who are used as a pool of cheap labor to work in the casinos) are forced to endure smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages and without any rights under state or federal labor laws. When I approached Bernie Sanders about this issue he treated me like dog shit on his shoe going so far as to lie to me about how he voted on these "Compacts" and he turned his back on me and walked away... just like he will do to the American people who are thoroughly fed up and had enough with Wall Street's dictate and poverty causing wars when he tosses his support to Hillary Clinton; all part of the plan from the very beginning.
With all of this said, if I happen to be in the vicinity of my Lake Township Democratic Party Precinct Caucus in Roseau County on March 1, 2016 I will cast my ballot for Bernie Sanders knowing that in return we will probably get nothing from Bernie Sanders--- or the Democrats he supports--- after that.
Maybe you should consider writing a book about the extremely successful socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party.
To bad you didn't include this in the appendix to your book because it might have helped to clarify a lot of things creating such divisiveness among liberals, progressives and the left at a time when our historic unity is needed more than ever before:
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/47/v47i04p154-161.pdfI would also call to your attention the "Full Employment Act of 1945" as initially introduced by populist liberal Texas Congressman Wright Patman. Notice that Bernie Sanders has made no attempt to declare that the president and Congress have the responsibility to attain and maintain full employment.
You might want to write another book detailing the lengthy discussion Lyndon B. Johnson and George McGovern had while sitting under the large oak tree on LBJ's ranch when Johnson made the historic decision to support George McGovern for the presidency after apparently coming to the conclusion that when a Nation's wealth is being pissed away on dirty imperialist wars you can't create a poverty free and racially just "Great Society"--- apparently a lesson Bernie Sanders has never learned.
Come on, Darcy; how does one fight Wall Street without fighting against Wall Street's dirty imperialist wars?
--
Alan L. Maki
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
Cell: 651-587-5541
