The poll schedule of Democratic Party ended on June 14 with the polling in Washington primary. Bernie Sanders is reconciled to his defeat but he intends to go to the Philadelphia convention in July end with all his delegates and they will fight in that meeting to get incorporated the agenda of their ”people’s revolution” to build a new America that is more human and takes care of the needs of the common masses, especially the younger people, women, the minorities and the unorganized workers. At his latest rally in Washington, Sanders told his supporters “what I am saying today may appear radical to some people, but that will be the future of America”.

Till June 7 elections, Hillary has got 2777 delegates including 574 super delegates who are officials but not elected while Sanders got 1876 votes including only 48 super delegates. In terms of elected delegates, Hillary has a lead of 375 delegates. The entire Democratic Party establishment was for Hillary and the big newspapers were also against Sanders but this veteran maverick galvanized the election battle in the USA this time in an unprecedented manner and brought to the fold of the campaign millions of new supporters who kept belief in the new America that he proposed. The Democratic Party establishment got unnerved and despite their best efforts at creating problems for the registration of new members who are generally Sanders supporters, Sanders won in 23 states as against 33 won by Hillary.

Hillary has also noted that the Democratic Party campaign was able to reach a new height as a result of Sanders. More and more Americans who were cynical about the Presidential elections because their lives never changed for the better, took a new look and participated in Sanders campaign with the hope that there is a future. Hillary has been forced to give her approval to the agenda of Sanders- a minimum wage of US$ 15 a hour and free medical insurance for all. In fact, Sanders proposes to take forward in a big way the pro-people agenda of President Obama and at the July convention, he will force the Democratic Party leadership to adopt a programme that will incorporate many of his campaign points. That is why Sanders is saying that his campaign and the peoples revolution slogans will have far more significance now since the final battle for the Presidential elections will be starting.

American politics has been radicalized and if Sanders can effectively conduct his campaign at the July convention, the Democratic Party establishment may officially nominate Hillary but they will have to give concessions to Sanders in the formulation of the programme and Sanders will be given an important role in the campaign so that his young supporters do not get disillusioned. Sanders himself is well aware that he has to fight for his programme by remaining within Democratic Party itself though there have been some suggestions from the fringe elements of the left that he should not agree to Hillary under any circumstances. But Bernie has told President Obama that he will be with Hillary wholehog if she is finally the candidate and the Democratic Party will get 100 per cent of his efforts to ensure that Donald Trump is defeated convincingly at the November elections.

Bernie Sanders has given enough indications that even after Hillary is nominated as the Presidential candidate, his campaign on issues which are part of his peoples revolution, is not going to stop. The campaign will be reoriented and it will focus on issues, dear to the masses for transforming the Democratic party agenda. For Bernie, it is a long haul. he is going to build and strengthen a broadbased democratic left in America and he will do this both being inside the Democratic Party as well as being active outside. The Sanders camp will be attending the DP national convention with large number of delegates who are alert, agile and itching for change. They will have the support of millions of supporters, mostly young who are looking for a radical change in the Democratic Party programme to enthuse them to participate in the campaign for electing Hillary Clinton.

American election agenda has certainly turned left and the Democratic establishment can only ignore it to its own peril in the November elections. The Democratic Party has to gain control of senate and Congress from the Republicans and it is very important to have the full support of the new base created by Sanders to achieve that. Sanders also knows that. He is getting full support from the US Communist Party which is backing Sanders to implement his programme in the interests of the US working class, As John Bachtell, chair of the US Communist Party sees it, the battle will be a tortured one- what is important is that voters and the movements remain engaged after the elections. When Obama was elected president in 2008,voters thought that they had done their duty and remained inactive. The void was filled by the GOP and the Party took control of the Congress and the states across the country in the subsequent elections. That situation post 2008 elections has to be reversed with the active participation of Sanders supporters.

The signal from the Sanders camp is that the present level of unity of students, labour , women, minorities and other democratic forces will be expanded to make maximum impact on Presidential elections to defeat the Republican Party candidate and this will get new dimension after the new President takes over since the campaign has to be intensified then for getting the progressive programmes implemented. For Sanders and his left supporters, the battle for building a new America is on, irrespective of the Presidential elections. (IPA Service)