Noam Chomsky on Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, Syriza and the Power of Activism
In an interview in Jacobin magazine, the linguist and scholar predicts what would happen if Bernie Sanders won the 2016 presidential election and comments on the rise of progressive political parties like Greece's Syriza and figures such as Jeremy Corbyn of the U.K.
Noam Chomsky in 2010. (Nader Daoud / AP)
In a recent interview in Jacobin magazine, Noam Chomsky predicts what would happen if Bernie Sanders won the 2016 presidential election and comments on the rise of progressive political parties like Greece’s Syriza and figures such as Jeremy Corbyn of the U.K.
From Jacobin:
Suppose that Sanders won, which is pretty unlikely in a system of bought elections. He would be alone: he doesn’t have congressional representatives, he doesn’t have governors, he doesn’t have support in the bureaucracy, he doesn’t have state legislators; and standing alone in this system, he couldn’t do very much. A real political alternative would be across the board, not just a figure in the White House.
It would have to be a broad political movement. In fact, the Sanders campaign I think is valuable — it’s opening up issues, it’s maybe pressing the mainstream Democrats a little bit in a progressive direction, and it is mobilizing a lot of popular forces, and the most positive outcome would be if they remain after the election.
It’s a serious mistake to just to be geared to the quadrennial electoral extravaganza and then go home. That’s not the way changes take place. The mobilization could lead to a continuing popular organization which could maybe have an effect in the long run.
[Jacobin:] What is your opinion on the emergence of figures such as Jeremy Corbyn in the UK, Pablo Iglesias in Spain, or Bernie Sanders in the US? Is a new left movement on the rise, or are these just sporadic responses to the economic crisis?
It depends what the popular reaction is. Take Corbyn in England: he’s under fierce attack, and not only from the Conservative establishment, but even from the Labour establishment. Hopefully Corbyn will be able to withstand that kind of attack; that depends on popular support. If the public is willing to back him in the face of the defamation and destructive tactics, then it can have an impact. Same with Podemos in Spain.
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—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata
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