Bernie's New Organization: A Democratic Party Caucus?

Comments by Jane Sanders, Bernie’s senior adviser, on the April 28 Rachel Maddow Show led me to a new idea: Bernie could form an organization dedicated to rebuilding the Democratic Party. That group might become an official Party caucus. Regardless, it could retain some independence, while working within the Democratic Party.

When asked if Bernie will pursue his commitment to revitalize the Democratic Party if he doesn't get the nomination, Sanders replied:

We want to change the agenda of the Democratic Party. Let's have an open Party. Let's have open primaries and same-day registration…. We need real electoral reform. Bernie has brought millions into the process, but with closed primaries, the Democratic Party is closing the door on them. If the Democratic Party wants to grow, I don't know why you would do that. 

Maddow then asked, “Do you see an organization being formed?” Sanders responded:

Yes. That has always been the intent. Right from the beginning it has been a two-pronged approach: Run for President, and the most important thing is not electing Bernie President. The most important thing is starting a political revolution. That will have to continue..... If he's not the nominee, it becomes even more important. We have to make sure that the agenda moves forward.... There are a lot of things that could be changed pretty easily if people came together and focused on them one at a time.

I find those comments encouraging. As I’ve argued in “Bernie Can Do It” and elsewhere,  I believe Bernie should push to transform the Democratic Party into an activist organization that serves local needs and fights for its platform year-round.  

Toward that end, it needs to be bottom-up, democratic, and inclusive, while providing members the opportunity to shape the organization’s goals. The Democratic Party already meets those criteria to a considerable degree. Bernie and his supporters can make it even more so. They can push to democratize the Democratic Party, help make its platform as strong as possible, actively support that platform, and grow relationships that nurture evolutionary revolution.

Building a democratic, member-controlled national organization is not easy. When Jesse Jackson formed the Rainbow Coalition after his campaign for President, he insisted on appointing the leaders of state chapters, which discouraged participation. After his election in 2008, the Obama campaign decided against either reforming the Democratic Party or encouraging the development of local, self-governing units with considerable latitude to shape their own activities. 

But some unions, activist organizations, and the Democratic Party have established structures that empower members. One option is for rank-and-file members to elect leaders to local bodies, who elect statewide leaders, who elect national leaders. The organization can then establish national policies and authorize local bodies to be self-governing so long as their actions are consistent with national policies. Another option is for the members to elect national leaders directly.

Hoping that Bernie will eventually support their effort, some former Sanders staff members have formed Brand New Congress to support candidates in 2018 Congressional elections. But their approach seems too top-down. Their website is not transparent. It does not describe the organization’s structure, identify who is making decisions, or indicate if the leadership is inclusive and broadly representative. They declare their intent to support candidates in 2018 who back Bernie's 2016 program. But that platform is not the final word. Over time, it will need to be improved. Who will make those decisions? They’ve apparently already decided to back one candidate in every race. Focusing on certain races might be more effective. They will “in general” only back individuals who “have never held or sought public office.” That decision seems questionable. They say they will handle “the logistics of running a campaign [and] let candidates focus on the issues.” That centralized approach could dis-empower local activists. They envision challenging Republican incumbents in Republican primaries. A focus on Democrats seems to hold more potential. They say they will only support incumbents who are “already on board” with Bernie’s platform. But Bernie and his supporters may persuade the Convention to adopt a strong platform that still falls short of everything that Bernie is proposing. It’s not clear if Brand New Congress would support that strengthened platform.

An inside-out strategy requires a delicate balance. We need a powerful, independent force that pushes reform without burning bridges. We cannot insist on getting everything immediately. Persistence, negotiation, and compromise are required. I fear Brand New Congress will not engage in the kind of collaboration that is need to rebuild and reform the Democratic Party.

My hope is that Bernie’s new organization will avoid those pitfalls and adopt a more democratic approach. Shifting from an electoral campaign, which is necessarily top-down, to community organizing, which needs to be participatory, is not easy. But Bernie needs to do it, with humility.

Given the surprises we’ve witnessed this campaign season, trying to predict the future would be foolhardy.