Dr. West said it best

[senz]

35. Thank you, Rebkeh. Dr. West is brilliant, a great analyst, which is much needed today.

I've been concerned about translating Bernie's beautiful awakening into a durable social movement. Of course what Bernie has done is a prod, a good start, but much remains to create a full-fledged social movement. So I appreciate West's analysis:

Political campaigns are not social movements. Even great campaigns like those of Jackson in the 80s, Obama in the recent past or Sanders today are not social movements. We must distinguish between social momentums, social rebellions and social movements. Given the massive national security state and the pervasive carceral state, social movements are rare—past, present and future. The American Empire is more ripe for a counter-revolution than revolution, for right-wing movements than left-wing ones. This is so primarily because of the deep xenophobic roots in the country and profound militaristic sentiments in the culture. Hence, progressive social momentums and chaotic social rebellions are more likely to reshape our priorities and gain some concessions from greedy elites and callous citizens. This is why moral and spiritual dimensions of social activism are crucial—to sustain our will to fight inside and outside the system with little chance of immediate victory!

I think Bernie has lit the moral and spiritual dimension spark, along with others who speak out.

West could also have brought in the influence of the corporate oligarchy and the media monopoly, both of which are masters of opinion making and public manipulation, powerful forces for the rightwing status quo.