Iowa vote ups hopes for end of US imperialism: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed former US Democratic Senator Mike Gravel, in San Francisco, to discuss US politics after the Iowa presidential primary elections, which saw Republican contender Ted Cruz top the GOP field, while Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton virtually tied with her rival Bernie Sanders.

Press TV: Are you surprised at the results? Let’s start off with the Republican side of things with Ted Cruz winning over Donald Trump. Your take?

Gravel: No, I’m not surprised. In fact yesterday I predicted on this network that Trump would come in second. Now the fact that Cruz won was really based upon the religious beliefs that is involved and so I think Cruz has met his high water; but, keep in mind that Trump came in at 24 percent and was only 1 percent ahead of Marco Rubio.

So, I would think that Marco Rubio is the one that has the future in this aspect in the contest between [him and] Trump.

How would Trump respond to this defeat? I don’t think it will bother him that much, he has got the money to go the distance, he has got the visibility but what he is going to do is he is going to take the air out of his media balloon which he has enjoyed for the last 6 months.

Press TV: Well, let’s cross over to the Democratic side of things. Neck-and-neck still, Hillary Clinton and he rival Bernie Sanders. Tell me about that side of things because of course Bernie Sanders is definitely more to the left of what people would probably think of the way Iowans would traditionally vote. Tell me about that side of things senator.

Gravel: Well, it is very significant. Essentially Bernie has won. The fact that they are neck-and-neck, or they are splitted, [means] Bernie has won. Keep in mind, six months ago he had no organization in Iowa, his funds were minimal and what he took on was the largest political organization within the Democratic Party, the Clintons.

And he also was abused by mainstream media which shows not to recognize him or give him fair treatment and of course, he has got Wall Street, the wealth of the nation that is opposed to him.  So that Bernie came in neck-and-neck is an unbelievable victory and he is now destined to win in New Hampshire and so I think that this is the death knell of the Clintons because they cannot sustain the rhetoric that is being challenged, that is that the billionaire class controls the American culture and the American government and Bernie is challenging that and people are fed up.

And So, I think that we are going to see a revolution and one other that is going to be very significant: With Bernie Sanders winning, you are going to see the end of American imperialism, where we feel we are the hegemon and everybody has got to kneel to us.

The end of American imperialism; that in itself is a global eventuality we can all rejoice with and now what we have got to do is just watch Bernie as he goes through the balance of the race. His rhetoric is what people want to hear, and what people want to have happen.

Press TV: Well, let’s look at that Senator. Is the United States ready for a candidate who identifies himself as a socialist? We know two key phrases in the United States, socialist and communist, have always had negative response in the US. Are we seeing a change in that or what? Tell me what exactly is going on. Your perspective?

Gravel: Yes, very much there is a change going on and you are quite right. The country has been going to the right for the last two, three decades and that is going to end. Now you are going to see the country changing directions going to the left and what is going to change it is the abuse that has been done by the fealty rich people who… once percent controls the 99 percent and the people are fed up with that.

We have an example of this, the turn of the last century, when the progressives were able to get a window of opportunity to bring about some fundamental changes in our society and now we are seeing a repeat of that where the capitalists have abused the power of the people, have taken advantage to enrich themselves and the people are fed up.

So the message that Bernie has -- he is going to be talking about, even though it is going to be opposed by the media, which already has been, it has been opposed by the Democratic establishment, which is the case right now, and of course opposed by Wall Street. So, against all of that, Bernie has been able to carry the day and Iowa, where he came from nowhere, and now we know he is ahead in New Hampshire and I suspect… now the media is going to have to pay more attention to him, he is viable.

And the more they pay attention to him, the more he can repeat his articulation of the problems that Americans face and that will resonate with the people as we go forward. And you are quite right; the concept of socialists has a negative connotation because of the far right, but that is going to change.

The socialist Scandinavian countries have proven that they have a formula and a model for a successful working Democracy to benefit all the people, not just the one-percenters.

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