US politics: Cori Bush’s message from the grassroots
JVL Introduction
Joshua Leifer, writing in Jewish Currents, looks at the challenge to the American Democratic Party establishment as social-movement activist Cori Bush humbles sitting Congress member (and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus) William Lacy Clay.
It appears, says Bush, that voters in strongly Democratic districts want not just reps who are “progressives by pressure”, but movement leaders representing them in Congress.
Resisting antisemitism smears during the campaign, Bush looks set to join Rashida Tlaib (who also won her primary) and Ilhan Omar in the small but growing contingent of left-wing internationalists and BDS supporters in the US
This article was originally published by Jewish Currents on Wed 5 Aug 2020. Read the original here.
Cori Bush’s Message From the Grassroots
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Amidst all the dreadful news emanating from the US these days we have some good news in the inroads that Justice Democrats are making into the political life of the US. One factor that enables such progress is the fact that sitting members don’t get a free run. They have to participate in a contest for the nomination. We are in a different position in the UK. Sitting Labour MPs, whilst not guaranteed a free run, are very likely to get one. It would be interesting to see what would happen in the UK if the Labour Party introduced “primaries” for candidates in General Elections.
There is a lesson in Cori Bush’s victory and it is that when attacked for support for BDS or opposition to Zionism people, instead of backing down, should defend their positions and go onto the attack.
This was the single major catastrophic reason for Corbyn’s defeat. If only, instead of conceding to the attacks on him and trying to appease the unappeasable, he had gone on the attack and called into question the bona fides of the Board of Deputies things might have been different
Bush for President ! Bring it on !
Good example of the amazing effect of simply arguing your case.
Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as VP, pro-incarceration and pro-Israel, doesn’t bode well for the future.
Great news from the US. Good luck to Cori Bush and all the other activists. Good to see someone giving a strong retort to accusations about antisemitism.
Very positive ..Solidarity.. Great Victory for Hope !
The third successful primary challenge this year against only one in 2018.