Norman Solomon on the Dynamics Between Political Parties and Movements (Video)

It is clear that, despite several days of speeches focused on optimism and unity, many Democratic Party delegates are less than pleased with how the election is proceeding. On Wednesday night, for example, loud booing from many sections of the audience interrupted former CIA chief Leon Panetta’s speech on military and foreign policy, a clear thumbs-down from progressive Bernie Sanders delegates.

Truthdig contributor Sonali Kolhatkar spoke with California delegate Norman Solomon, who has decades of experience as an activist and media critic.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding—not just from the press but from a lot of us—about the dynamics between political parties and social movements,” Kolhatkar says.

“Usually politicians see social movements as subsets of their campaigns,” Solomon answers. “And of course, the opposite should be the case. Political campaigns should be a subset of social movements.”

Kolhatkar and Solomon delve in to whether it makes sense to vote for Hillary Clinton in November to stop Donald Trump from winning the presidency. “It seems to me it would help, in part, to narrow the discussion to what should go on in swing states,” Solomon says. “We have the same enemy when the votes are counted in November.”

Watch the full interview below:

Check out more of Kolhatkar’s video reports from the convention here.