Let's not kid ourselves, the system is def. planning to take Bernie down. We can NOT let them.

[mahina]

The world can't afford for us to be Charlie Brown to the wingers' Lucy again. (Speaking here of the general following a Sanders win, my bet.)

He will not be Yearrrrghhhhed. We've got to be ready for that- ideally we should have a flash response ready for whatever they're likely to sic on him, and innoculate his message from it in advance.

We have to know the Karl Rove/Fox 'news' /Koch bros et al have already cooked up a stream of bullshit and fake flap, probably modeled after the email flap for Hillary, among other schemes.

In addition to everything we all love him for, his stance on public funding of campaigns is a billion dollar risk to the MSM who gets all that money now. We have to know they will use the tools at their disposal to prevent that.

In debate prep, you prepare for the opposing team's likely best arguments and beat them before they are even expressed.

My view is that this moment in history requires a fairly deep and broad change, a reversion to our true American roots and away from corporate control of our government. I feel that Bernie's really our only hope and I think God for him and all his supporters every day.

I know he's going to win, if people hear his message. Silencing him is already not working but we need to get ready for the fireballs because we all know they're waiting for the right moment.

Who was it who said that the aggressor defines the context of the battle? That's why the wingers slandered war hero John Kerry with that idiotic and anti-American swift boat smear. They attack on the candidate's strength. From here, it's hard to stretch our minds to what the right is cooking up for Bernie, but it's necessary to do so.

He is absolutely the best of us. Aloha no Bernie!

[zazen]

1. then they'll attack on any engagement he has in investments, capitalism, to imply corruption

No doubt his campaign is on top of this--but any claim that he's profiting off of corporate greed will be invented/inflated.

I expect that's next.

[Fawke Em]

6. I heard today that he wasn't paying his "fair share" in taxes.

Yet, when I asked for a link to read more about what this person was talking about, they disappeared.

[cantbeserious]

2. Absolutely Correct - No Citizen Need Settle For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils - Go Bernie Go

eom

[wendylaroux]

3. they will do, or say

anything they have to,to do it.

God I dread it,I should probably not watch any tv until afterwards.

I get really pissed,I mean really really really pissed,when someone slams the Bernie man.

[MissDeeds]

28. I'm with you

Bernie is running a clean campaign and refusing to go on the attack. He's not the establishment candidate and they will do anything to bring him down. I expect it to get very, very dirty in the months to come, and it makes me furious.

[WillyT]

4. Yep... He Will Be Attacked From Both Parties... And The Entire Establishment...

He is their nightmare scenario come true.

[nolabels]

66. In parallel with the tRump

And it's even a mathematical equation that a three year old could figure out. How could they of not known the worm would turn in this direction

I guess, like they say, if you play the fool enough, eventually you'll get fooled too

[RobertEarl]

5. Have confidence in Bernie

He's been around. Sure they will take many cheap shots at him. Just let them claim he's made money--- that will just defeat their argument that he's a communist.

The reason they were able to slander Kerry was because Kerry looked like he flipflopped. Bernie isn't flipflopping.

There are so many positives about Bernie, and I can't think of any negatives (and I've been reading DU a lot) and we see the grassroots turnouts for Bernie, which means he is looking really good even off DU that, well, this is a steamroller of a campaign that is gonna move mountains.

[mahina]

7. I can't really tell you how much your post lifted my heart.

Thanks man.

[RobertEarl]

16. You are welcome, Mahina

Thing is, for me, Bernie has been lifting my heart. To be able to pass that on is a wonderful and fulfilling venture.

Oh, there will be attacks, but I don't see those attacks as having any gravitas, and we'll all be present to Bern those attacks to ashes.

[mahina]

17. :) Is that a golden retriever or a coonhound in your avatar?

I Love them both. We don't have coonhounds here but we had a pair of goldens that lived happy healthy lives to 12 and 13.

[RobertEarl]

18. It is a yellow dog

There is an old saying in the south that one would vote for a yellow dog before they'd vote for a republican. Yellow dogs were those dogs sacred of gunshots and the like.

Of course the saying comes from the days of old when the two parties had different policies, but I am proud to say that I feel that way today. When discussing politics on the streets here and I make the claim, it clears things up rather quickly, so I do make use of the term on occasion in RL.

I did own a yellow dog many years ago. He was the best dog in the whole world!

[99th_Monkey]

8. I like the way you think RobertEarl. well said. nt

[hifiguy]

11. Agreed. Bernie's as clean as the proverbial hound's tooth.

He walks the walk, always has, and like Horton the Elephant says what he means and means what he says 100%.

[brooklynite]

9. "He will not be Yearrrrghhhhed."

I take it you're referring to the false assertion that the "Dean scream" was used to "take down" Dean in 2004?

As opposed to blaming Dean for being unable to convert rally crowds to voters and coming in third in Iowa?

[mak3cats]

12. The media over-coverage of the "Dean scream" certainly had a negative impact...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean

Dean conceded that the speech did not project the best image, jokingly referring to it as a "crazy, red-faced rant" on the Late Show with David Letterman. In an interview later that week with Diane Sawyer, he said he was "a little sheepish ... but I'm not apologetic."[51] Sawyer and many others in the national broadcast news media later expressed some regret about overplaying the story.[52] In fact, CNN issued a public apology and admitted in a statement that they indeed may have "overplayed" the incident. The incessant replaying of the "Dean Scream" by the press became a debate on the topic of whether Dean was the victim of media bias. The scream scene was shown an estimated 633 times by cable and broadcast news networks in just four days following the incident, a number that does not include talk shows and local news broadcasts.[53] However, those who were in the actual audience that day insist that they were not aware of the infamous "scream" until they returned to their hotel rooms and saw it on TV.[52] Dean said after the general election in 2004 that his microphone only picked up his voice and did not also capture the loud cheering he received from the audience as a result of the speech. On January 27 Dean finished second to Kerry in the New Hampshire primary. As late as one week before the first votes were cast in Iowa's caucuses, Dean had enjoyed a 30% lead in New Hampshire opinion polls;[citation needed] accordingly, this loss represented another major setback to his campaign.

[brooklynite]

13. ...except that Dean's campaign collapse didn't need any "help"...

...I was in New Hampshire the following weekend, and saw that his team had no idea what they they were doing. Polling is good only to a point; you need field staff to convert voter intent into votes; he didn't have it in either IA or NH. My sense is that Sanders is going to face the same problem.

[Fawke Em]

19. Then you'd be wrong.

He's hired state directors who have experience with this stuff.

Pete D’Alessandro, a veteran Iowa caucus operative dating back to 1999 when he became New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley’s presidential campaign political director, is Sanders’ state director.

(Julia) Barnes was hired for her experience, and she expects to rely heavily on a traditional campaign model, featuring offices up and down the state, paid staff to work in them and a top-down field structure that’s less like Pennington’s and more like most other candidates who have tried to win New Hampshire in the past.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/bernie-sanders-field-operation#.jwLBoALlmz

[mahina]

21. Thanks for the reminder to donate.

Heading to the site now.

[mahina]

20. I accept that having an organization with years of history has value. I'll just leave this here.

http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/votes/

[brooklynite]

23. ...and I'll just respond to it...

I would submit that having lost, the Clinton campaign has learned it's lesson......which involves not ignoring Caucus states. I'll also note that Obama had political and financial resources to achieve victory that Sanders doesn't have at present.

[dorkzilla]

33. you keep saying that but I ask, in the end if the people are behind him does any of that matter?

I'm not trying to pick a fight but that's what made this nation great; one person one vote.

Romney showed us that you can have all the money in the world but if people don't like you or your message it doesn't matter. And not having a bunch of other bought and paid for politicians talking you up doesn't seem like a bad thing at all.

[brooklynite]

39. This is a problem I have discussing the Primary with a lot of Sanders supporters...

"the people are behind him" is a lovely bumper sticker, but how does it translate to real politics? Has Sanders found a way to expand his voter base into black and hispanic communities? If not, how will he proceed once the campaign moves out Iowa and New Hampshire? How will Sanders compete in ten States simultaneously, including one (Texas) where winning requires collecting 1 million votes?

I agree that money alone won't win you the election, but having ENOUGH money (something Obama had in 2008) is a basic requirement.

[dorkzilla]

41. early days, my friend, only time will tell. nt

[Live and Learn]

40. But he does have financial resources.

We, the people are his resources. People are donating whatever they can and donating free work. Don't you worry about Bernie, he will be just fine.

[brooklynite]

46. The September 30 filing deadline will be telling, one way or the other

[Live and Learn]

48. Bernie doesn't look too worried and neither am I.

I plan to donate to the limit for him. If he wins, it will be the best money I ever spent.

[litlbilly]

52. Keep dreaming, what you mean is you hope Bernie has the same problem. not gonna happen, sorry

[mahina]

14. Thank you.

[Live and Learn]

44. You are right. It wasn't the scream. It was Faux News playing it and the DNC and their supporters

throwing Dean under the bus with much enthusiasm.

That will not happen to Bernie. We will ensure it doesn't.

[ram2008]

10. We will see what happens tomorrow

Tomorrow is the start of next weeks media cycle. With the new polls out from Iowa and NH showing Bernie crushing Hillary, I expect the establishment will start bringing out the daggers. Hillary will desperately have to fight back against the narrative that her campaign is crashing because if she doesn't stop the trend this news cycle, she will undoubtedly fall within 5 points nationally against Bernie and things will really spiral out of control. This week will be the establishments last hoorah for Hillary-- if she doesn't stop the slide, expect the establishment to start panicking and whispering for Biden or someone else to jump in the race.

Hopefully Bernie's campaign is prepared; it's about to get dirty!

[mahina]

15. I really think we need to use this time to define him for the general

before the bs machine fires up.

[HereSince1628]

32. I agree anticipation of H> slipping beyond margins of error will be a story

Last edited Sun Sep 13, 2015, 10:22 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't really expect H>, and her coterie to take that sitting down, so we watch for dismissals and resignations within camp H> as well as much sharper attacks by surrogates.

The party establishment is going to react as well, and I agree their reaction is likely to include moving toward launching a Plan B. Who can launch as well as Biden? Pretty much no one at this point, so we may see more trial balloons.


Will they be pushed to an outsider? Murdoch and Wall St have wanted Bloomberg. Insiders have suggested it as recently as the middle of August. Could Murdoch capitalize on Bloombergs outsider stature to be the "Anti-Trump?" Maybe we should watch for that name being floated on Morning Joe.

[Le Taz Hot]

22. You think the take-down will be from the right?

Nope. Look a little farther to the left, but only slightly.

[mahina]

24. all of the above, plus the consolidated media.

I need this man to win.

[Le Taz Hot]

25. It can be done but it has to be done with OVERWHELMING numbers

that not even the DNC-controlled super delegates dare go against the voters. Not even the DNC would be that stupid. On the other hand, there's DWS so, who knows?

[CoffeeCat]

45. Both parties have been corrupted...

…and both parties have powerful politicians on each side who are bought-and-paid-for corporate shills. This cancer that has metastasized on our government is the single biggest threat to America. Most of our politicians don't serve us. They serve their corporate masters. They attend parties with them. Schmooze with them. They plan legislation with them.

We don't have a democracy with this happening.

This disease is far worse on the Republican side, but it has infiltrated the Democratic side, and many of the worst Democratic offenders are those who are in power or the heads of congressional committees.

The power of this structure and the damage that it can inflict is immeasurable. When these corporations want war, our politicians give them war. When these corporations want wind and solar destroyed, our politicians oblige so to enrich their oil and coal buddies. Our politicians cut taxes for them and lessen regulations for them. Pharmaceutical companies, banks, chemical companies, Big Ag, the Health-Insurance magnates--they use our government as their personal plaything. And our politicians have allowed this to happen.

So, in comes Bernie Sanders--and now he's doing well when America is onto these corrupt bastards. I put NOTHING past them. They've spent decades building up this incestuous relationship between politicians and the corporations. It's powerful. It's big money for many. It's job security for the politicians.

There are tens of thousands of "Kochs" across this country who have a vested interest in keeping Bernie Sanders out of office.

Their little wonderland of corruption is in jeopardy with Sanders.

Furthermore, these corrupted sociopaths have invested a great deal of time, money and resources into brainwashing and anesthetizing "We The People." The media misinforms us, lies to us and hides the truth--as do the politicians. Right-wing media keeps the sheep in their place. Sanders threatens to punch a hole in the stupor we've all been in. Sanders allows us to hitch our wagon to someone who truly wants to beat these bastards. Sanders empowers "We The People" and could be a Pied Piper who leads us out of our slumber. A slumber that is a reaction to being traumatized as people, and as a nation.

I'd say that 75 percent of politicians are corrupted, so are all corporations and lobbyists who are involved in this, and 40 percent of Americans on the right who are so brainwashed by Fox and talk radio that they can't see straight.

So yeah. It's a tsunami that Sanders will have to overcome. And they'll do everything and anything to stop him. I think they're all shitting in their Ralph Lauren khakis right about now. They did not expect this.

[haikugal]

53. Oh CoffeeCat, I haven't seen you around enough! What a glorious post this is!

You bet...we're in this to win and it's going to be one hell of a fight. Remember TPTB tried a military coop against FDR....Smedley Butler was a hero that time.

I don't put anything past these people, nothing!!

I agree, we have to be ready.

Feel the Bern....

[freedom fighter jh]

26. K&R. You are right and yes they will, and yes we should prepare, but

if they succeed and Bernie loses the general, all is not lost. Far from it. Bernie is building a movement, and even if he is not a force within the White House, he and his movement will still be a formidable force.

With all my heart I want him to win. But what he is building now will still be around and working after Election Day no matter what the result.

[Ed Suspicious]

31. I agree with you to some degree. On the other hand

a lot of his support is coming from formerly disgusted and apathetic. I think without a win a lot of those go back to apathy. This is our time and we damn well better not let it get away.

[Live and Learn]

43. Agreed, tomorrow may be too late.

They will be bound and determined to ensure that another Bernie can't happen. Maybe Murdoch will buy all the internet companies up next.

[freedom fighter jh]

67. You're right. We need to do all we can.

There is much to lose. But not everything. Bernie will still lead the movement like no one else can.

[zentrum]

27. Yes. It's going

…..it's going to get quite rough.

[BlueJazz]

29. There will be many, many millions spent to bring down Bernie. We can count on it.

Love your post and attitude. Fight!

[Ed Suspicious]

30. Today I've been hearing a lot about how disappointed we will be in Bernie if he wins because

Last edited Sun Sep 13, 2015, 10:24 PM - Edit history (1)

He will have to negotiate to get stuff done and us extreme leftist have no tolerance for that. I say they misunderstand us greatly as usual. I don't know about you guys, but I will not be disappointed by some level of compromise. I simply want the negotiation to start from exactly what we want or more than that. What I don't respect is giving away half the farm before we sit down at the table. I don't expect legislative miracles from Bernie. I do expect and trust him to remain laser focused on the issues he campaigned on and if he gives for the sake of pragmatic incrementalism, he keeps on driving hard on those issues until he and us moves the needle to where it belongs.

[mountain grammy]

42. Well said.

[haikugal]

54. They underestimate both Bernie and us....they're clueless.

Good post, thanks!

[freedom fighter jh]

65. Yes. nt

[yodermon]

34. The rafucking will be at nuclear levels . And it

will involve the "socialist" moniker, bank on it.

[Nay]

47. I hope it involves the 'socialist' moniker. If it does, we win. That supposed

slur is no longer a slur, and people are pretty sick of where crony capitalism has gotten us.

[MrMickeysMom]

35. It's not just the Faux News Nuts that work hard at ignoring him, mahina...

For those who are able to catch Bill Maher's show on HBO, Real Time, I've observed an inordinant amount of effort to stay AWAY from mentioning Bernie Sanders. Case in point for a second week in a row where the subject was RIPE to include him, but did not.

Not only did he not get mentioned, but it was the WAY it appeared. Bill Maher is NO DIFFERENT than any other media whore who does what he's told, or he doesn't get his candy.

THAT is the WORST kind of ignoring… when persons who are capable of talking about disparity of income actually talk about the UK's version of the Bernie Sanders candidate, never following the logical comparison.

It's not just the "wingers"…

[L0oniX]

36. We and our children can't afford to pay for another warhawk war and more corporate welfare.

Bernie 2016

[PosterChild]

37. No one will have to cook up a stream of bullshit and fake flap....

... Bernie hasn't already done it for them by declaring himself a socialist. Socialists don't win elections. Never have, never will.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/183713/socialist-presidential-candidates-least-appealing.aspx

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/17/could-a-socialist-actually-be-elected-president/

[smiley]

49. liberals should support socialists

so I'm voting for Bernie.

Go Bernie!!!!

[PosterChild]

51. Liberals should win elections . ....

.... so I'm not.

[smiley]

55. with all due respect

I believe your wrong. Bernie is the best candidate to win the general election. Too many people in both parties mistrust HRC, including myself, a registered independent.

I'm voting Bernie because I'm a liberal and I'm not going to sell out to the same old B.S.

I'm voting my conscience and I'm damn proud there's a democratic socialist running for president.

No person should have to settle for the lesser of two evils!

Go Bernie!

[TM99]

58. And yet the funny thing is

that neither you nor the American people will be asked to vote for a fucking socialist.

They will be voting for the Democratic nominee against the Republican one.

Let them fling shit all they want. I would rather fight back against the 'socialist' label than I would have to try and defend a candidate whose likeability and trustworthiness is an appalling stain on the Democratic Party.

[PosterChild]

61. You won't have to...

.... there is no canadate whose likeability and trustworthiness is an appalling stain on the Democratic Party.

But you are right that no one will be asked to vote for a socialist. A socialist isn't going to win the nomination .

[TM99]

62. Yes, there is and her name is Clinton.

Look at the favorability polls.

Look at more polls out today for New Hampshire and Iowa.

Watch Sanders win the nomination.

Go Bernie!

[PosterChild]

63. Clinton is certainly not...

" an appalling stain on the Democratic Party ". That sort of exaggerated trash talk is unwarranted.

Poll: Trump, Carson top GOP race; Clinton leads Dems but support drops
http://wapo.st/1QbOQQO

[TM99]

64. There are many who do feel that way.

You may disagree, and that is certainly your prerogative, but it continues to be extremely foolish for the DNC and the Clinton supporters to not recognize that she is not an honest or trustworthy candidate. Her scandals, whether real or made-up, are going to continue to impact her and the Democratic party for the foreseeable future.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

38. pitchforks

I think if they do try to take him down it will backfire just like it did in Obama's campaign. People are still thirsty for change.

[Uncle Joe]

50. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Mahina.

[mahina]

56. My joy Uncle Joe.

[McCamy Taylor]

57. Abortion, acid and amnesty.

[mhatrw]

59. Aren't most people pro-AAA?

Turn on, tune in, crop out

[Warren DeMontague]

60. There was as much time from 1928 to 1972, as there has been from '72 to 2016.

If only McGovern would have run Herbert Hoover's campaign, he would have won!

[AZ Progressive]

68. Its Bernie supporters vs the full wrath of the American ruling class....

I hope your ready...