Juan González to the Bernie or Bust Movement: Don’t Repeat the Mistakes of 1968 That Elected Nixon

Thousands gathered over the weekend in Chicago for “The People’s Summit,” a major conference that brought together activists, community leaders and organizations to discuss what’s next for the progressive movement in the United States. The meeting began one day after Bernie Sanders announced he would not concede to Hillary Clinton. On the opening night, Juan González moderated a panel featuring Naomi Klein, John Nichols, Rosario Dawson and RoseAnn DeMoro of National Nurses United. Juan looked back to 1968 to examine the role activists took in that pivotal election year that saw the election of Richard Nixon. “Our slogan was 'Vote with your feet, vote in the street,'” said González, who was a member of SDS, Students for a Democratic Society. “I’m here to tell you that the slogan was right, the tactic was wrong.”