Bernie Sanders has had a tough road to the Democratic nomination all along, but he has been keeping hope alive by winning 8 out of the last 9 contests. Sanders’s insurgent campaign enters a tough stretch that includes #PrimaryDay today in New York and five other northeastern states in one week. The political revolution that Sanders is leading depends upon independents, first-time voters and young voters calling for change and these upcoming northeastern primaries are mostly closed to independents. New York has the most restrictive primary voting laws as registered voters had to have registered with the party last OCTOBER to vote for a primary on April 19th, leaving many independents disenfranchised. (Personally, I have a problem with closed primaries as candidates are ultimately running to represent everyone and all taxpayers are footing the bill.)
Regardless of what happens today in New York, or really the rest of the nominating process, Bernie Sanders has already accomplished so much more than anyone really thought that he would. More importantly, the movement that Sanders is leading is bigger than any one person and folks across the nation will continue building upon this momentum.
The revolution of young voters, online community and small donors that support Sanders is much greater than the insurgent movement of Howard Dean in 2004, another Vermont politician that railed against the establishment. While he hasn’t built the same coalition as then-Senator Barack Obama did in 2008 when he defeated front-runner Hillary Clinton, Sanders’ army of small donors has surpassed that of the Obama campaign.
This political revolution, that includes ending federal marijuana prohibition and the greater Drug War, will only grow as the millennials overwhelmingly supporting Bernie Sanders move up into the next age bracket over the next years and are replaced by a new wave of young voters. Young voters fuel the fights for civil liberties and equality. Young voters are those that are sent to war abroad and feel the brunt of a war waged upon our own citizens at home, so it makes sense that they lead the anti-war movement as well. So members of this political revolution, vote this #PrimaryDay and in every election. We may not win every election, but we are winning the war.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony, a longtime cannabis law reform advocate, was Chief Petitioner and co-author of Measure 91, Oregon's cannabis legalization effort. He served as director of both the New Approach Oregon and Vote Yes on 91 PACs, the political action committees responsible for the state's legalization campaign. As director of New Approach Oregon, Anthony continues to work towards effectively implementing the cannabis legalization system while protecting small business owners and the rights of patients. He sits on the Oregon Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee and fights for sensible rules at the legislature as well as city councils and county commissions across the state. Anthony helps cannabis business comply with Oregon's laws and advises advocates across the country. He also serves as content director of both the International Cannabis Business Conference and the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, helping share the vision of moving the cannabis industry forward in a way that maintains the focus on keeping people out of prison and protecting patients. He was a member of the Oregon Health Authority Rules Advisory Committee, assisting the drafting of the administrative rules governing Oregon’s state-licensed medical marijuana facilities. He first co-authored and helped pass successful marijuana law reform measures while a law student at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He passed the Oregon Bar in 2005 and practiced criminal defense for two years before transitioning to working full-time in the political advocacy realm. His blogs on Marijuana Politics are personal in nature and don't speak for or reflect the opinions of any group or organization.
