[This hopeful message was originally composed for our Tri-City FUN for Bernie Facebook page, with some of my local activist cohorts in mind. Even so, the main point of this writing is intended for sharing broadly, and that point is a simple one: it’s time to tell Sen. Sanders that he must demand that our votes are actually counted — #BernieAUDITthePRIMARY — it’s now or never, friends.]
Lately, I admit I’ve been struggling to remind myself of something positive about the moment we’re in, and that something is this: this moment is brimming over with HOPE. Our humanitarian, climate-conscious, peace-loving, egalitarian, diversity-celebrating movement is winning. (It’s a thing of beauty. Truly.) But it’s been difficult for me to fully appreciate that aspect of this moment because it is my sincere belief that our movement will be defeated (cheated, in fact) if we don’t — in great numbers — demand an independent and transparent audit of the entire Democratic Primary… before the Democratic Convention.
If we count the votes, I strongly believe that Bernie WINS. Decisively, even. If we don’t, I’m afraid the establishment is going to steal this moment from us.
Friends, I’m concerned that in harping on this issue, I might have recently come across as overly pessimistic about our current efforts. And beyond pessimistic, when it comes to the level of despair I exhibited this morning at our Voter Registration table at the Irvington Farmer’s Market (clothes were “rent,” teeth “gnashed”). The truth is, the last few days have presented me with some challenging moments, and I have faltered. But please understand that I’m not giving up. I will continue to support our canvassing, phone-banking, voter registration, and other efforts, which are essential. I am on board with Tri-City FUN for Bernie, all the way!
But let’s also be realistic about what we’re up against: MASSIVE FRAUD. That’s the elephant in the room (or DINO, in this case). Massive voter suppression and outright, vote-flipping fraud have marred this primary race, and if we want Bernie to get his win, we need to shout it from the rooftops. Sen. Sanders is too much of a gentleman — and Team Player — to do it himself.
FUN people, what the world needs now — more than love and Coca-Cola combined — is the right meme (and IMO we should be working to spread that meme): COUNT THE VOTES! AUDIT THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY!
We need to press Bernie to demand an independent and transparent audit of the Democratic Primary before the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of Americans is made “official.” Before it’s too late and there’s no going back to the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to elect President Bernie Sanders! (Damn, that felt good typing that!)
So let’s not take our chances (or humanity’s) with a second President Clinton or a Chancellor Trump. It’s time to stand up for the movement we’ve built and claim the WIN that we and Bernie together have already achieved (against all odds, even discounting the vote suppression): #BernieAUDITthePRIMARY [That’s right: for Bernie’s sake, I just became an official Twitter person (I’m twitter-pated). JOD_III_Tweets is my handle — as in “You can’t handle the Twuth!” I mean, “the Tweet!”]
Bernie-boosters, I understand that there are other, more conventional, steps essential to winning CA, but as Sen. Sanders himself has said, his path to victory is “narrow.” Mark my words: that path may well become blocked entirely if we continue to accept fraudulent official vote totals. And please, don’t dismiss it as a “conspiracy theory.” The rigging so far has triggered massive citizen outcry in one contest after another, prompting several investigations, job suspensions, state hearings (filled with livid disenfranchised citizens), and even mini-audits… which, according to the citizens in attendance, have been opaque and rigged.
Our winning strategy is simple: AUDIT THE PRIMARY. COUNT THE VOTES. And press the Sanders campaign to join us. (Sign whatever petitions you can find to this effect. I know I have.)
Let’s not risk the future because we’re afraid to be a little assertive: write Bernie, Tweet him, e-mail his campaign, chant it to him at his next yuuuuge rally: “BERNIE, WE LOVE YOU, BUT COUNT THE VOTES! AUDIT THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY!”
Peace, James