The Guardian: Socialist politician credits Bernie Sanders after re-election in Seattle

[Omaha Steve]

City council member Kshama Sawant says the Vermont senator’s candidacy has creating ‘enormous momentum’ for change among young people and workers


City council member Kshama Sawant says the Vermont senator’s candidacy has creating ‘enormous momentum’ for change among young people and workers
Seattle city council member Kshama Sawant. Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters/Corbis

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/06/socialist-kshama-sawant-seattle-bernie-sanders?CMP=ema_565a

Kshama Sawant may be the only elected politician in the US who thinks Bernie Sanders has compromised his socialist principles a little too much to win the White House.

Sawant, a Socialist Alternative party member of the Seattle city council who drew national attention last year by driving resistant fellow councillors to pass a $15-an-hour minimum wage law, was re-elected this week after an unusually nasty campaign which saw corporate money swing behind her Democratic opponent.

Sawant credited her victory in part to Sanders, for creating “enormous momentum” for change that has helped engage young people and alienated workers in politics.

“When was the last time you heard a presidential candidate say we need a political revolution against the billionaire class?” said Sawant. “That is not Hillary Clinton. That is not Barack Obama. That is clearly somebody who is fundamentally different.

FULL story at link.

[JackInGreen]

1. And she was on Hartmann yesterday

I crowed right out loud

[Dustlawyer]

2. The battle is joined!

More and more politicians, or people thinking about becoming a politician, can take heart that there is a huge groundswell of support that Bernie has tapped into that others can tap too! We are tired of corporate rule and are ready to fight to overturn it! We need others to run for office that share the same sentiments! We will take this political revolution all the way and get rid of the election system that allows legal bribery of our Representatives. It is un-American, un-democratic, and our job is to first shed light upon what has happened to our Representative Democracy, offer up the solutions to fix the problems caused by this corruption, and then set about fixing them with the power of millions of awakened voters to pressure the other politicians to come around to our way of thinking or be replaced!

[99th_Monkey]

3. "an unusually nasty campaign ...

which saw corporate money swing behind her Democratic opponent.

Hmm .. starting to sound familiar.

[UglyGreed]

4. Sad huh

[99th_Monkey]

6. But she won, so it's all good, in Seattle at least.

Not sure we'll fare as well in the Democratic Primary, but this thing
is far from over.

Go Bernie!!

[UglyGreed]

8. Never give in

and never give up

[SoapBox]

9. Sounds very, very familiar.

But...the correct person won!

And congrats to her!!

[lovemydog]

34. I'm glad she won.

We need more of what she offers, all around the country. I hope many will be inspired by her fighting spirit and run for office. And win.

[jfern]

35. Richmond, CA is another good example of all the corporate candidates going down

Although the winner of the mayor election was a Democrat, the incumbent Green party mayor was termed out, and defeated the corporate candidate for city council. The losing corporate candidate for mayor outspent the winner something like 70 to 1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California_municipal_elections,_2014

[99th_Monkey]

43. Great! Don't you love it, when that happens

When a RW asshole outspends so much & still looses.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Bravo to her for defeating the corporatists.

[SoapBox]

11. ...

[LWolf]

7. I'm thinking about

the kinds of coat tails he'll have...the farther he gets, the more he'll bring along with him. The kinds of candidates that will make the changes we want to see.

[Maineman]

14. Yes!

[bbgrunt]

10. K n R

[me b zola]

12. KnR!

[Live and Learn]

13. K&R Feel the Bern nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. +1000000

[cprise]

15. Good for Seattle n/t

[cui bono]

17. Bern Baby Bern!

[LiberalArkie]

18. K&R

[Bubzer]

19. :)

[Spitfire of ATJ]

20. America really is sick of Conservatives....

We all know their policies and their lies by heart.

[lovemydog]

36. I sure as heck hope so.

Why they keep getting elected to Congress I'll never know.

More leftist candidates have a better shot at defeating them. Those who run as republican-lite don't win. Those who offer genuine policy change, and a stark contrast to republicans, have a better chance of winning.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

44. I know someone who votes Republican because he thinks they're "stronger"....

I used to send him pictures of Boehner crying.

[lovemydog]

45. lol

[Eric J in MN]

21. Kshama Sawant saying that she supports

...Bernie Sanders but wish he'd run Third Party, is a role reversal from 1988.

Then Bernie Sanders supported Jessie Jackson but said he wished that Jackson were running Third Party.

[liberal_at_heart]

22. Sawant is awesome. She led the fight for the $15/hr minimum wage in Seattle. She also is

continuing to fight for a cap on how much rent can increase in the city of Seattle. And she is right about Bernie Sanders. He is engaging disenfranchised voters. It's hard to argue against someone who can get people excited about politics when no one and I mean no one else can.

[Android3.14]

23. "corporate money swing behind her Democratic opponent"

I believe that is the important takeaway here.

[questionseverything]

24. bingo n/t

[artislife]

32. And how much of that money

was sent in envelopes marked DNC or Emily's list....?

[Enthusiast]

25. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

[azmom]

26. K&R

[FlatBaroque]

27. DAYUM! What do you call pre-election coat tails?

[Demeter]

41. A Grassroots Ground Swell Movement

and it's about time! Been waiting all my adult life....since Nixon!

[eridani]

28. Incumbency helped a great deal. The other progressive tenant advocate who was an incumbent--

--also got re-elected (Mike O'Brien). The pro-downtown incumbents, Burgess and Bagshaw, also got re-elected. None of the progressive newcomers who took on incumbents succeeded.

The downtown endorsed candidate won over Michael Maddux (both newbies). District 1 (in which I knocked on about 4000 doors since April) is still up in the air. Lisa Herbold is gaining on Shannon Braddock (supported by independent downtown PACs and donors who maxed out--47%--) with a just about 100 vote deficit to make up. The election must be certified by 11/24. Given that lower income voters vote later and less often, the trend is in Lisa's direction, but far from guaranteed.

Two of the anti-homeless incumbents in Burien easily won, but my guy going for the open seat is up by 76 votes. I'll be hustling for signature validations on his behalf this weekend.

[lovemydog]

37. Thank you for your work knocking on doors

eridani!

[eridani]

38. My ednocrinologist approves too. 10-20U less insilin per day needed when I doorbell n/t

[lovemydog]

39. That's excellent.

Great way to get some exercise.

[Hydra]

29. This is great momentum building

And maybe we'll get her wish(and mine)- Team Hillary is already falsely calling Sanders a pure socialist...why shouldn't he embrace the greatest parts of that and run with them?

Regardless of how this plays out, I'm glad to see the sea change that could finally save us from the disasters capitalism brought us.

[Cheese Sandwich]

30. Great news. nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

31. Just a taste of what's to come.

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[lovemydog]

33. That's fantastic. I like her a lot.

Would have voted for her if I lived in Seattle.

[eridani]

40. She got a substantial amount of support from Democrats

--who were part of her 500 strong GOTV team. A Republican superpac (among other downtown interests) supported her opponent.

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2015/05/in-nod-to-socialist-alternative-sawant-43rd-democrats-give-no-endorsement-in-district-3-race/

Seattle's new District 3 overlaps the state legislative districts 43 and 37. neither LD organization endorsed her nominally Democratic opponent, not did the King County Democrats. (You have to get 2/3 of those present and voting to get an endorsement)

[Zorra]

42. K&R nt