Bernie-or-Busters as Anarchist

[kennetha]

It seems to me that the Bernie-or-Bust tendency is sort of an anarchic tendency. In anarchy, no one ever has standing to "rule" over another. In an anarchy, citizens may deliberate together with the hope of reaching consensus. But if deliberation fails and no consensus emerges, the "majority" has no remaining claim to impose its will on the "minority."

I say the Bernie-or-Bust tendency is anarchic because otherwise you can't really explain the conjunction of their intense participation in the democratic primary with their refusal to accept the outcome of that primary.

This is not a criticism, just a passing observation of the philosophical presuppositions behind the Bernie-or-Bust tendency.

It does make you wonder, counterfactually, what the Bernie-or-Busters would have said had the shoe been on the other foot. Suppose that Bernie had emerged as the nominees and the Hilary-or-Busters had refused to get on board?

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. What does that make you?

Mr. Happy, I suppose?

[YouDig]

6. A Democrat and Hillary supporter.

[RazBerryBeret]

2. Or Maybe

they are just voters who really, really had their hearts and minds set on voting for the best candidate of their lifetime?
Or maybe voting for the only chance of their lifetime to get corporate money out of elections?

so were the PUMAs also Anarchists?

[senz]

13. + 100 Well said.

[BootinUp]

3. There is also the young idealist mixed in there (arguably the larger group) nt

[Xipe Totec]

4. Clutch the Pearls!

[GoneFishin]

7. "Suppose that Bernie had emerged as the nominees and the Hilary-or-Busters ...

had refused to get on board."

That would be democratic. They should not vote for someone whose policies are incompatible with their beliefs.

[kennetha]

12. But the primary is a party getting together

to decide who will be our "joint" nominee -- by means of a fair and impartial process.

As long as the process as fair and impartial, then we who participate in the process agree to abide by the outcome.

That's what makes it democratic, rather than anarchic. In anarchic, if no consensus emerges, then no one is subject to the will of the other. There is no mutual commitment to WHATEVER outcome a fair and impartial process delivers.

[GoneFishin]

18. " As long as the process as fair and impartial ". Your premise doesn't apply here, but that aside,

no one should vote for someone who is going to pursue policies that are hypocritical or antithetical to their beliefs, such as war for profit, incarceration for profit, or killing the planet for profit.

Just my opinion. Your mileage will vary.

[Live and Learn]

22. Wasn't fair or the least bit impartial. nt

[3hummingbirds]

8. anarchists

I am a definite Bernie supporter. I am not an anarchist. Do not be name calling. You sound like Trump.

[kennetha]

10. Anarchy isn't name calling

It's actually a well articulated political theory. Not much practiced these days in big complicated states. But there are real arguments for anarchy. Anarchist think there are no legitimate rational grounds for yielding to the state "coercive" powers. There have been lots of serious-minded anarchist throughout history.

[MyNameGoesHere]

15. Actually tRump has been "extremely nice" to Sanders supporters

he has even welcomed them with open arms. Is that what you mean?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. In good company. Tolstoy, Gandhi, Emma Goldman, Anarchists.

[kennetha]

11. exactly

this really wasn't intended as a criticism of the Bernie-or-Bust movement, just an attempt to place it along other sorts of movements.

[senz]

14. "A person who believes that government and laws are not necessary." Dead wrong, kennetha.

[kennetha]

16. That's why I called it

A sort of anarchic tendency. Wasn't saying it is their theory of the state. It was an analogy. It was about their attitude toward the Democratic Party.

[Fumesucker]

17. Just because someone isn't an authoritarian doesn't make them an anarchist

Authoritarians can't tell the difference between anarchists and people who just don't buy their bullshit.

[avaistheone1]

21. ^^^^^THISSS!

Bless your soul.

[qdouble]

19. Bernie or Busters include a myriad of people

There's the Hillary haters, the closet republicans, the green party members, the conspiracy theorists and I suppose some are good people.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

20. This reads like a defense of a disgraceful primary election process. Shoe on the other foot applies

to you, as well. Shit, since Obama got elected, most of DU lost its objectivity. It took on an "as long as we're doing it, then nothing here" attitude. Of course, when the shoe was on the other foot, and the Republicans were in charge, we screamed bloody murder. Bernie and his supporters are doing the Democratic Party a service. Whether Dems glean anything aside from dumping Superdelegates isn't likely.