by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
Emails released by Wikileaks show the Democratic Party corrupted its own primary process to elect Hillary Clinton – a politician who “has nothing to offer aside from not being Donald Trump.” The DNC deployed a full array of dirty tricks against Bernie Sanders, with the help of corporate media. The duopoly system must be dismantled. “The task of leftists is to work towards the establishment of a party that represents the interests of working people.”
Freedom Rider: Wikileaks Exposes Democrats’ Corruption
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
“Wikileaks documents prove to anyone who wasn’t already aware that the Democratic party is unreformable.”
Once again the world owes a debt of thanks to Wikileaks, an organization dedicated to revealing what the powerful want to hide. Wikileaks released a trove of more than 19,000 emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The emails revealed the extent of establishment fears of the Bernie Sanders campaign and also the incompetence and pettiness of Democratic “leadership.” They also made clear what critics have long contended. The Democratic party is devoid of any ideology. It exists to further the interests of rich people and corporations and to expand imperialism. All claims of concern for workers or people of color are marketing gimmicks meant to get votes and keep their racket in business.
Hillary Clinton had nothing to fear from Bernie Sanders. She had more money, the support of black voters in the early southern primaries and obviously support from the party establishment. Sanders never wanted to challenge Clinton, he passed up every opportunity to seriously attack her and made clear that he would endorse her in the end. Yet the DNC went out of its way to hit a fly with a sledge hammer.
DNC staffers wanted to use Sanders’ religious belief or lack thereof to discredit him with southern voters. Others used internet trolls to attack his supporters online. The DNC planned to use the Craigslist website to pretend that the Donald Trump campaign placed sexist classified ads for female employees. After months of accusations that Trump is a fascist it is the Democrats who live up to that description.
“The Democratic party exists to further the interests of rich people and corporations and to expand imperialism.”
Soon to be former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz demanded and received consideration from MSNBC and others in the corporate media to get favorable coverage for Clinton and negative coverage for Sanders. Reactions of indignation show that “journalists” know where their bread is buttered. MSNBC talking heads like Chris Hayes and Joy Anne Reid joined the rest of the corporate media in accusing the Russian government of involvement in the computer hacking. The so-called evidence is as good as the specious claim that the North Korean government hacked the Sony corporation in 2014. The offended scribes downplay the actual substance of the emails. All of their outrage is focused on changing the subject away from corruption and their own willingness to carry the party’s water.
The Democratic role in the political duopoly is to engage in pretense about inclusivity. Yet these people who claim to welcome diversity referred to Latino voters as “brand loyal consumers” who “respond well to story telling.” Of course every part of the Democratic constituency is viewed as a consumer who must buy what they sell. They are corporate actors after all.
The Wikileaks documents also point to an issue that explains why Democrats may win the presidency while simultaneously lose to Republicans in local races. Despite promises to the contrary, money that was earmarked to help candidates around the country ended up in Hillary’s coffers. The paltry and ironic amount of only 1% was given to help other races but team Hillary went to great lengths to spin the story and conceal the awful truth.
The Democrats must be replaced. The task of leftists is to work towards the establishment of a party that represents the interests of working people. Only Trump makes actual reference to workers. Hillary Clinton barely goes through the motions.
“Every part of the Democratic constituency is viewed as a consumer who must buy what they sell.”
While the Democrats went about the business of hammering the nails in Sanders’ coffin he went along with being the sheepdog who keeps progressives in line and in the Hillary camp. His supporters don’t have to go along and must seize this opportunity to leave the Democrats once and for all and start the process of creating something new.
Hillary Clinton has nothing to offer aside from not being Donald Trump. No one even tries to make the case for her without using his name as bogeyman of the moment. He is a useful foil but the Wikileaks documents prove to anyone who wasn’t already aware that the Democratic party is unreformable. The only solution is to jettison this corrupt project and start anew.
This discussion will not be for the faint of heart or the timid. A new party will not be bestowed upon us from the heavens. There can be no talk of spoilers and lesser evilism. Sanders used the word revolution as his own marketing scheme. If people who voted for him really wanted to see revolution they now have a golden opportunity. Of course he must be discredited along with Hillary Clinton, but so be it. This must be the last presidential election when the crooks get a pass.
Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well as at http://freedomrider.blogspot.com. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com.
The U.S. and Israel’s unchecked aggression has plunged the world into a lawless state of imperial violence—yet their latest attacks on Iran have only exposed the limits of colonial power. As Western…
Kizito Mihigo and Victoire Ingabire both challenged Rwanda's foundational genocide narrative. He died in jail, and she is now in custody.
The Democratic Party is in crisis—divided, broke, and struggling to counter Trump’s agenda despite growing public backlash. Internal battles over strategy and leadership have left the DNC paralyzed.
Zohran Mamdani’s upset over Andrew Cuomo in NYC’s mayoral primary has cracked the Democratic machine’s decades-long grip, proving grassroots organizing can muscle out billionaire financing and…
In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Oliver Baker. Baker is Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies…
