Reality Check: The US appears to be on its way to electing a Self Described Democratic Socialist

[sabrina 1]

Last edited Sat Sep 26, 2015, 09:12 PM - Edit history (2)

As all the Conventional Wisdom 'predictions' fall apart one by one, Bernie continues to rise in the polls.

First it was NH which initially we were told, Hillary had 'locked up' and Bernie didn't stand a chance there.

When that bit of conventional wisdom began to crumble, the defensive posture took a nasty turn.

The Race Card was put into action, though not very successfully.

Clinging to the ridiculous 'not electable' mantra, Iowa we were told, would never get behind Bernie Sanders.

Once again, conventional 'wisdom' began to crumble as Bernie passed Clinton in Iowa.

The Red Baiting card was also played, again, not very effectively.

It's getting hard to remember all the reasons why Bernie was going to fade 'quickly' so I'll just write down the ones I remember off the top of my head.

Hair/Optics! No one will vote for someone with that hair. THAT turned into a very positive thing for Bernie! Shirts, teddy bears with Bernie's hair, badges and a contribution from DUer Jackpine Radical (RIP we miss you, Jackpine) helped raise funds for Bernie.

Ageism was employed until it was pointed out that we had two Grandparents in the race and it was decided it was too risky to bring that up. Not to mention, again, Bernie's age makes it possible for voters to see his long, excellent record of consistency on major issues.

So again, another positive for Bernie.

And as he rose in the polls, and all the 'predictions' turned out to be wrong one after the other, the CORPORATE FUNDED attacks became more intense.

But that too seems to have backfired and turned into a POSITIVE for Bernie.

See that old Right Wing Dirty Trickster and Smear Monger David Brock!!

Hilariously his 'expertise' as a smear mongers worked as well against a Dem Candidate this time as it did against a Dem President back in the old days!

Not only did it backfire, Brock helped raise over $1 million dollars for Bernie's campaign. Act Blue says they never saw anything like the response to that particular attempted smear.

You would think by now some lessons might have been learned. That the voters are no longer influenced by Corporate Funded Smear mongers. Or I should say, FOOLED by them.

They know this nasty game and they reject it, they want it out of our elecotoral system!

They want the tainted money out of our system.



But it appears that with each failed attempt to distract with increasingly vile smears they dig in and try harder becoming more and more vile in their attacks.

Anti-Semitic Slurs have been employed, questioning the Senator's 'loyalty'. Despicable and unacceptable and anyone involved in these smear campaigns should be publicly condemned by the Dem Party Leadership.




All of which is turning out to be GOOD for Bernie as it highlights the stark difference between an honest Politician and Business as Usual candidates, exactly what the public wants to CHANGE.

Meantime the polls continue to rise in Bernie's favor:

Sanders Leads Clinton By 16 Points In New Hampshire & Narrows Gap to 10 Points Nationally

We could be seeing the biggest political upset in politics since Hillary Clinton was upset eight years ago. Bernie Sanders now has a sixteen point lead over Hillary Clinton in the latest CNN/WMUR poll in New Hampshire:

Hillary Clinton trails Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination for president in New Hampshire, even if Vice President Joe Biden decides not to make a run for the White House, according to a new CNN/WMUR poll.

Sanders has the backing of nearly half of those who say they plan to vote in the first-in-the-nation Democratic primary next year — 46% support him — while just 30% say they back Clinton. Another 14% say they would support Biden, 2% former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, 1% former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, and less than half of 1% back former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee or Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig.

Clinton trails Sanders across most demographic groups, with broad gender and ideology divides bolstering Sanders’ run. He holds 56% of male Democratic voters compared with just 20% who back her, while the two are much closer among women, 39% back Sanders, 37% Clinton. Likewise, Sanders holds a 56% to 30% lead among liberals, versus a 37% to 31% race among moderates.

Sanders also continues to gain on Clinton in some of the national polls. The Ispos/Reuters Poll shows Sanders down by only ten points:

Hillary Clinton continues to lead among Democrats nationwide, with 40% of Dems. Sanders (30%) has gained ground on the front runner.

Ten Points!! Who would have thought that in just a few months this virtually unknown Democratic Socialist could so enthuse the voters he would be within reach of being the Front Runner in just under Four Months?

This should be a warning to the Smear Mongers. They ARE the problem. They ARE what the public despises! And when they work for a Candidate they are now HARMING that candidate

But we know, all that Corporate Money is so hard to say no to!

Except for Bernie Sanders who is 'Not For Sale'!

[yeoman6987]

1. We still have a long primary to go

Anything can happen and will. Debate will be first real test.

[sabrina 1]

2. Yes, we do. I hope that the failure of the nasty smears will encourage a more Issues oriented

Last edited Sat Sep 26, 2015, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

primary. But if it doesn't, if we keep getting the same old nasty, negative non issues smear campaigns aimed at Sen. Sanders, it will validate his entire message about the corrosive, corrupting influence of money in politics and won't help candidates who are in any way connected to it.

[yeoman6987]

4. True. The debate will be questions that Bernie and Hillary will have to answer

And then it will be torn apart and every word analyzed.

[sabrina 1]

6. That's what we need. That's why we need MORE not fewer debates.

[yeoman6987]

9. We'll see how the first six go

I am sure if they feel they need more after six, they'll schedule them.

[jeff47]

66. You expecting the DNC to use a time machine?

There's only 4 debates scheduled before IA (Feb 1)

There is a very slim chance of getting the 5th debate scheduled in February - there's not much time between the caucuses/primaries. There is no way to fit both the 5th and 6th.

And March 1st is Super Tuesday. The vast majority of the time, the nominee is obvious after Super Tuesday.

The DNC can not add more debates "if they need more". There is no time to add them.

[yeoman6987]

67. I think that if this first debate is a dud

They will have a very fast change of heart.

[jeff47]

70. Because they'll want more duds?

The DNC will have a change of heart if Sanders or O'Malley get significantly past Clinton in national polls.

Remember, Clinton didn't think 26 debates was enough in 2008....but only after Obama passed her.

[SusanCalvin]

133. Well,

at least one of them will, so there ya go.

[sabrina 1]

85. With Bernie there it definitely won't be a dud. He has a way of getting the people excited

thus the ever growing crowds flocking to his events.

But that is why DWS is trying to limit his exposure to prevent the people from learning about all the candidates, to protect her choice of candidate. Totally despicable and she has been told this now by a vast majority of voters who are aware of her tactics.

[malokvale77]

88. ^^^ this ^^^

What do you bet that those first debates will be softball (Hillary-centric) questions?

I'm working hard to turn Texas back blue, but the DNC is hampering the effort.

[JDPriestly]

124. Then it will be too late. Debbie didn't do it in 2014.

And if her debate schedule is any indication, she won't be able to do it in 2016. It's up to the candidates. And Hillary doesn't want to debate.

I think the rule "no debates not sanctioned by the DNC" is draconian and unfair. It is undemocratic. Absolutely DLC. Control, control, control to the bunch at the top no matter how badly they fail over and over.

[Plucketeer]

71. Hey! I've got a novel idea! Why don't we have some REAL "debates"

No scripted Q & A sessions with clocks and rules. REAL debates where a seed of an issue is planted and the candidates "run" with it - truly DEBATING and not just answering questions. A genuine Debbie WS nightmare!!!

[malokvale77]

89. Like the "LWV" use to do?

DWS nightmare indeed.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

109. Bring back the LWV!

It was a sad day when they were pushed aside.

[Jim Lane]

110. Very good point. We've gotten used to debates that aren't very useful.

Somebody pointed out that what we call "debates" are really joint press conferences. We'd do better with genuine debates.

I wouldn't go along with no clocks. A debate could turn into a screaming match of the type too common on TV, where every candidate keeps trying to talk. I'd see set time limits and only one person talking at a time.

Admittedly it's harder to do an informative debate with more than two participants, let alone ten or eleven.

[99th_Monkey]

20. It's true, that Bernie seems to have somehow anticipated the kinds of attacks he would get

which has largely inoculated him ahead of time. Like flatly saying "I'm a Socialist. Actually a Democratic Socialist.."
And guess what? People didn't run screaming for the exits, in fact, they seemed oddly charmed by it, because it is
NOT the Establishment's same-ol, same-op. Now people can bring it up, and attack him over it, but it either puts
people to sleep, or back-fires dramatically.

He did this too with campaign financing, flatly saying he'd have no Super-PACs and no mega-corporate donors. This
was seen --and snickered at-- by M$M pundits, as admitting defeat ahead of time, because "everyone knows" it will
take $1 Billion of Wall St. & mega-corporate money to buy the White House in 2016.

Bernie's steadily building his voter-based funding network, and he's just getting started. Every time some sleazy
attack ad against Sanders hits the web, it jacks up his donations, recently by over $1 million within 48 hours.

The man has a way of anticipating future challenges, and staying ahead of the curve, way ahead, such that it ironically
ends up working to his advantage, like instant Karma. It's a sight to behold. I'm so grateful this man is in the race
to win.

[sabrina 1]

47. He has been in DC long enough to have seen how they operate. Not to mention how intelligent

he is. So I think he definitely anticipated their attacks and pre-empted them beautifully.

I'm sure this will get worse, but I am willing to bet he will take it head on and USE it to demonstrate what his whole campaign is claiming.

Not to mention he has an army of hundreds of thousands of volunteers who are ready and able to jump on these smears instantly and expose them and turn them on the perps themselves.

It must be driving them crazy. All the old ways just aren't working, not stopping him at all and adversely affecting the candidate they are working for so hard.

[malokvale77]

53. I think we are seeing an awakening...

of the populace at large.

Capitalism only works for those who have capital. The majority have none.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

63. Like I have said before.

Now is the time for a real progressive populist movement, but the message needs to be clear and not overly complex and it needs to be repeated over and over to drive it home into the minds of the people.

Then Bernie will win.

[malokvale77]

80. Yes the message is clear...

and not overly complex.

It seems to me that the opposition team is trying to muddle the issues and make them more complex than needed.

When Bernie says "Enough is enough", I think "I'm not going to take this anymore".

I would think that anyone with no capital (most of us) would start to revolt against the Capitalist system that has no regard for us. JMHO.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

114. And that's the message that needs to go out. n/t

[malokvale77]

130. That indeed is the message.

I will push it everywhere I go. Will you?

PS: My SO is a Krebs (the family shield is the crab). He is very ill so I roar for him along with myself.

[sabrina 1]

160. I'm sorry about your SO malokvale!

Best wishes for a recovery!

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

178. We will all roar together.

[sabrina 1]

72. Yes, we are, not just here, but around the world in any place where neocon/lib policies have

decimated societies.

[malokvale77]

82. Absolutely...

which is why I made my post generic (not US exclusive).

I think Bernie is good for the world.

Go Bernie.

PS: Thank you for all you do here on DU.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

79. "Failures of the nasty smears?"

Looks to me like you're certainly succeeding in making them.

The sheer lack of self-awareness that the hard left has would be amusing, if it weren't so appalling.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[rhett o rick]

86. You continue to try to disparage the "hard left", yet fail to ever define exactly

who they are and what they support.

There is a Left and Right with some confused Third Way'ers (Right Wingers pandering to social justice) in between.

If you aren't part of the Left then what do you stand for?

Do you support fracking, Free Trade Agreements, the XL Pipeline, drone killings, the Iraq War, the NSA/CIA domestic spying, privatization of prisons and Social Security, Arctic drilling, etc.? Then you are not on the left. The Right supports all those issues, so where do you stand?

[ConservativeDemocrat]

143. I don't fail to define it, the definition is crystal clear

Barack Obama enjoys more than an 85% approval rating from self-described liberals, so anyone who dislikes Obama because he is nearly (in their mind) indistinguishable from Republicans, is by definition "hard left".

Note that I'm not even being insulting here. Given that these people constantly accuse Democrats of being fascists, "corporatists" (a made up word, mind you), and all sorts of other names against the majority of the Democratic party, I could just as easily dismiss them as the "kook left". But I'll be generous and simply say that they're merely idealists who never consider the feasibility or consequences of their preferred policy.

Take drones, for example - or small remote controlled warplanes. Barack, Hillary, and your beloved Bernie are all in favor of them, for a very good reason. The alternative is to either allow terrorists murder moderates with impunity in a reign of terror, or alternatively, use full fledged warplanes. It's telling that the head of the Pakistani organization that successfully lobbied Obama to stop droning in Sawat valley for about a year, ended up calling for their reinstatement, because the Pakistani airforce was massively less accurate in their fight against militants. It got so bad that back in 2013, people were moving into Afghanistan, where they were under the umbrella of drones instead of militants or their own nation's bombs.

So yes, the hard left is pretty clearly defined.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[malokvale77]

91. There is no such thing as...

a Conservative Democrat.

Only those embarrassed to be linked to GOP fuckery would consider themselves such.

The Democratic Party is (or should be) about a society that lifts all.

You seem to be the one lacking in self-awareness. According to your posts on DU, you are in fact GOP material.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

111. Conservative Dems really are nothing less than liberal Republicans to me...IMHO.

We don't need them in the party.

[SammyWinstonJack]

135. ...

[sabrina 1]

145. Lol, the irony of that comment cracked me up!

Btw, what or who is the 'Hard Left'?

Sabrina, thankfully not a member of Rove's Reality Based Community!

[ConservativeDemocrat]

162. You're laughing at yourself?

Okay. Let me pat you on your head, and call you adorable! Boop boop!
You'll be especially cute about eight months from now, when Hillary's massive lead in the polls turns into a victory for her.

I wonder what you'll do then?

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

/ Your inability to comprehend Suskind's article, even after several people have pointed it out to you, is triply amusing.

[malokvale77]

84. Smears vs Issues

What does the Democratic Party want to be about?

Smears - to cover for the 1% - like the GOP.

or

Issues - that concern the populace.

I'm one of the long time Democrats that certain members of DU would love to purge from the Party.

I'm with Bernie.

[peacebird]

104. Yes, which is why Hillary's pet DWS put off first debate til mid October, hoping Bernie would fizzle

So much for THAT clever ploy.

Debates will only further spread Bernie's message, and bring him more supporters!

[Babel_17]

3. Good OP

Regarding Ageism, I think it was dropped because Senator Sanders is out there campaigning very vigorously, with a hectic schedule, and he's demonstrating boundless energy as he engages with people, and does interviews.

What candidate of roughly the same age would want to compare their campaigning to that of Sanders? It's a moot point anyway; the media will making the comparison for us anyway once the ground game of both campaigns moves to New Hampshire and Iowa.

[sabrina 1]

5. Maybe, but facts never got in the way of smear campaigners. I believe it was dropped when

it was pointed out that the same nasty use of that particular bigotry could be used against Hillary also, though I certainly would not want to be a part of that.

[Babel_17]

11. Yeah, I was alluding to that as well

Get caught calling Sanders old and the media can fairly ask why Secretary Clinton's schedule of physically getting out there looks light by comparison. Lunches with millionaires is a different kind of campaigning then doing lots of rallies before big crowds.

[libdem4life]

14. He's the same age as Biden, and I haven't heard that about Biden. n/t

[sabrina 1]

49. Well, yes, so they had to let go of that particular meme. I laughed when I saw it knowing it

wouldn't last long once someone pointed out that both Bernie and the Clintons eg, are of the same generation.

[libdem4life]

184. Don't you just love it when that happens? I mean those were BIG six years between he and Hillary.

[sabrina 1]

185. Not only that, but when they started thrashing people who were part of the Civil Rights Movement

claiming 'hey, that's old, who cares about that'. What a shock they got. Because many people started to think: Btw, since the Clintons and Bernie are of the same generation, what were THEY doing while HE was getting arrested standing up for the rights of AAs'.

Several AAs went online to ask that question, and didn't like the answer they got.

Lil B eg, switched from Hillary to Bernie BECAUSE he was prompted to ask that question and saw that Hillary 'was working for some Republican dude or something' while Bernie was out fighting for Civil Rights.

I would hate it even more if my attempt to smear someone else ended up LOSING support for my candidate, would't you?

Lol, I had not thought of that myself re the Clintons back then, UNTIL they tried to dismiss Bernie's work for Civil Rights. I immediately thought, I never asked what they were doing. Not much as it turns out and many AAs are now aware of that.

[Catherina]

7. I can't wait. President Sanders. Such a lovely ring to it n/t

[brooklynite]

8. Can I observe that all the focus has been on polling in two States.

...and that Sanders will have 1/10 the funding of the Republicans if he opts for public campaign funding.

[yeoman6987]

10. Bernie says money doesn't matter and he should be trusted

to know what he's doing.

[brooklynite]

13. Bernie has never run a national campaign...

...in fact, he's never run a campaign with more than 500,000 people voting.

[yeoman6987]

15. Doesn't matter. Bernie has a plan that does not include money

It hasn't been tried before. I say it's worth the try.

[uponit7771]

166. Only certain people can afford experimenting with USSC nominations, it's not everyone in America

... that can take that chance

[artislife]

46. Yawn

[sabrina 1]

50. Hillary has and she ended up in debt airc. Millions in debt despite all the donations she received.

[malokvale77]

93. Why yes indeed...

and who bailed her out? The left of Hillary candidate, that's who.

[juxtaposed]

101. nor did obama

[brooklynite]

119. IN the 2004 Illinois Senate race, he got 3.5 million votes...

...a tad more up-scale.

[juxtaposed]

120. yes & hrc got her delegates handed to her

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

113. Hilary has. She blew it.

[brooklynite]

117. and by "blew it", you mean got as many votes as Obama did?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

177. I guess that's why she is the POTUS now?

[SusanCalvin]

138. From personal experience,

He's got some *very* smart people working for him. A campaign is a team, and he's got it.

[sabrina 1]

27. Hillary says she opposes money in politics and we should trust that she means that, yet

she is accepting it. Bernie btw, never said money doesn't matter. Could you supply a link to that please?

[RufusTFirefly]

16. To hell with policies!! We need a candidate who can raise tons of money!!

Woo hoo! U-S-A! U-S-A!!

[brooklynite]

18. Yes, we do...to be competitive when he rolls out the policies.

Like Barack Obama.

[RufusTFirefly]

21. And yet you still maintain that we have a democracy.

Sad.



If the rich determine who runs and who gets nominated, the general election is practically moot. It becomes a charade between two candidates who have already both been vetted by the wealthy.

[brooklynite]

30. I maintain that we have reality...

This is the political system we have; elect someone who will change it ONCE THEY'RE ABLE TO GET ELECTED.

[RufusTFirefly]

33. You may claim to live in "reality," but your reality is not a democracy

And, frankly, to honestly believe that a candidate once elected will turn around and bite the hand that fed her strikes me as the height of naivete.

[brooklynite]

35. So the election of Barack Obama was not "democratic"?

[RufusTFirefly]

42. If you're using that election as the gold standard, you're on pretty shaky ground

Timothy Geithner? Penny Pritzker? Rahm Emmanuel? Eric Holder? Arne Duncan? Lawrence Summers? GE's Jeffrey Immelt as Jobs Czar???

Given that you self-identify as a member of the One Percent, I expect you see no problem with these appointments.

To paraphrase Barbara Bush, I suspect that this is working out very well for you.

(Over and out. My champagne is getting warm.)

[brooklynite]

45. I have no problem with those appointments if Obama was the candidate the voters wanted...

...are you suggesting they didn't?

And as for my 1% status, I'd clearly do best with the Republican, but for some reason I want to elect a Democrat who voted against the Bush Tax cuts for me, wants to overturn CU with her Supreme Court picks, wants to protect women's health rights, wants to expand voting rights, and will have the resources to get elected to accomplish those goals.

[malokvale77]

96. I'm pretty sure the voters...

thought Obama would be different from Hillary.

I see no reason to believe they (we) would suddenly want her now.

[malokvale77]

95. Well said RufusTFirefly

((Over and out. My champagne (beer in my case) is getting warm.))

[markpkessinger]

60. All that SuperPAC money didn't seem to help Scott Walker very much . . .

. . . so i have to question any assertion that it is necessary such "necessity" is, in fact, reality.

[brooklynite]

68. If Hillary Clinton were at <1% you might have a point...

[truebluegreen]

77. Scotty Walker wasn't at <1% when he got the money. Just sayin'.

[sabrina 1]

29. Bernie is proving that to be wrong! So what now? No need for Super Pacs funded by Corporate Dark

money that no one knows where it is coming from. He has already proven it.

IF it mattered, no one should have heard of Bernie at this point. But they have. So how do you explain that?

[rhett o rick]

118. How naive to think that the tons of money doesn't comes with strings. Those that donate the tons of

money want a return on their money. That's what's wrong with the system.

[malokvale77]

131. You are so funny (not).

What is it about you (a self described democrat) that makes you so afraid of Bernie Sanders?

Is it the gravy train that only the Third Way or the GOP provides?

Many of us here on DU and offsite want to know.

[brooklynite]

139. Well, I'll tell you...I'm afraid he'll lose

I've said before I have no objection to any of his policies. But if he's the nominee and he can't win a national election, the results will be far worse.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

142. Fear is so paralyzing.

Let go of the fear.

[malokvale77]

144. But you think...

Hillary Clinton can win!

Across the political spectrum, I don't think you are in touch with the majority of citizens in this country. We are hurting and Hillary has offered us nothing.

[brooklynite]

151. Yes, I DO think so...

I think the "emailgate" will disappear as an issue, because the average voter doesn't care.

I think that polling continues to show that she's competitive with all of the likely Republicans.

I think that, however "unfavorable" she might be, the Republicans will be seen as worse.

I think that she'll have the financial and political resources to run a national campaign against a well-funded Republican.

And I think Bernie Sanders will not.

Now, that said, I'll repeat something I've said before. I switched from Clinton to Obama in 2008 when I became convinced that HE could also win. I would do the same now if someone could give me a solid explanation, with hard data, of how Bernie Sanders can win nationally, given his limited financial resources (even more so when he accepts, on principle, public financing) and his self-identified status as a Socialist.

[malokvale77]

156. Well it seems to me...

that you don't give a damn about the rest of us.

There is no reason to believe that the Democratic Party would not put all it's resources behind Bernie Sanders if he was the nominee.

Unless the Party cares more about the gravy train than the people.

In that case, I hope you and your kind can keep the party afloat.

[questionseverything]

171. yours is the obvious point

while bernie might lose some "democratic" 1%ers money compared to hc

we will still have president Obama working to elect a democratic president and most of the party will fall in line against the clown car no matter who the nominee is

[Alittleliberal]

154. The current crop of Republicans is pathetic

Bernie would wipe the floor with them. The only ones who has a shot of beating him are Kasich and Paul. Paul is a non starter. Kasich could be dangerous but I think he would be dangerous for Hilary too.

[sabrina 1]

158. Then let me put your fears to rest. See here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251626513

Hillary is the one we need to worry about losing in the GE.

[brooklynite]

165. ...in one State.

Show me his ability to win in Ohio, Virginia Florida...

[sabrina 1]

22. Polls are showing that is not just two states anymore. Now we are seeing polls showing him

closing in on Hillary nationally.

[840high]

55. How much money did Truman have?

[A Simple Game]

58. You can observe that Bernie has 1/10th the money of Hillary yet looks more and more

like he is going to win the Democratic nomination for President. If that does happen remind us how poor he was and that money is the only thing that wins elections. I may not even bother to vote if Bernie is too poor in the general election because everyone knows money counts and votes don't.

[malokvale77]

92. Ha Ha Ha...

cause all the funding in the world got her elected last time.

[Warren DeMontague]

100. If the polling in those 2 states was showing your candidate ahead, you would be touting it as

undeniable scientific proof she had it in the bag, go home, it's all over, we told you she was inevitable.

[uponit7771]

164. Not me, not if it was a repeat of 08... which it looks like Sanders is repeating Hillarys 08 run

[uponit7771]

163. No, that's an honest observation and those aren't allowed... notice the responses

[Scootaloo]

167. He's within ten points nationally, and the two states are early primaries.

You know as well as I do that Iowa and New Hampshire - and to a degree South Carolina and Nevada - give a lot of momentum to the candidates who win them. This is why both sanders and Clinton - as well as O'malley - are running around these states instead off, I dunno, Alaska.

And I know it seems to be something of a struggle, but money can't actually buy votes. it can buy advertising, but ask anyone in the ad industry how much money it costs to make numbers move in a saturated market. it's very much a game of diminishing returns.

[sadoldgirl]

12. Thanks, Sabrina

All this he achieved while even fighting the
establishment of the Democratic Party (DWS).

What we as supporters have to do is to
encourage everyone to watch all of the
debates in spite of the lousy timing.

[yeoman6987]

17. We need at least 24 million to watch.

Since there are more democratic voters then republican voters, that should be easy to do.

[zappaman]

19. No it doesn't.

Did Sanders take the lead in the polls nationally?
I must have missed that.
If he does, the "attacks" that Sanders "supporters" whine and cry about here, will look amateurish in comparison.

[Vincardog]

52. When you can't beat Bernie attack his supporters instead, talk about amateurish.

Last edited Sat Sep 26, 2015, 04:50 PM - Edit history (1)

[zappaman]

56. Uh huh.

Just glad Sanders "supporters" would never do anything so "amateurish".



By the way, maybe you could help out the OP and link to the polls that show Sanders beating Clinton nationally?
She needs the help.

[malokvale77]

102. Only state polls matter in the primaries.

I agree, she needs help. Her supporters are killing her.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

23. People like Clinton in the abstract.

But the closer she gets to elected office, the less they like her and look around for someone better.

[KansDem]

24. Capitalism isn't working...

We've got to try another system and democratic socialism offers the best choice.

[KoKo]

81. K&R...and Hillary's Role at SOS reveals this:

The cash donations Hillary simply has no answer for
The Clinton Foundation's business relationship with 20 foreign governments raises real questions about her judgment:

http://www.salon.com/2015/05/31/the_cash_donations_hillary_simply_has_no_answer_for_partner/er/

------------

In practice, that meant that Clinton was charged with rejecting or approving weapons deals — and when it came to Clinton Foundation donors, Hillary Clinton’s State Department did a whole lot of approving.

While Clinton was secretary of state, her department approved $165 billion worth of commercial arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors. That figure from Clinton’s three full fiscal years in office is almost double the value of arms sales to those countries during the same period of President George W. Bush’s second term.

The Clinton-led State Department also authorized $151 billion of separate Pentagon-brokered deals for 16 of the countries that gave to the Clinton Foundation. That was a 143 percent increase in completed sales to those nations over the same time frame during the Bush administration. The 143 percent increase in U.S. arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors compares to an 80 percent increase in such sales to all countries over the same time period.

American military contractors and their affiliates that donated to the Clinton Foundation — and in some cases, helped finance speaking fees to Bill Clinton — also got in on the action. Those firms and their subsidiaries were listed as contractors in $163 billion worth of arms deals authorized by the Clinton State Department.

Under a directive signed by President Clinton in 1995, the State Department is supposed to take foreign governments’ human rights records into account when reviewing arms deals. Yet, Hillary Clinton’s State Department increased approvals of such deals to Clinton Foundation donors that her own agency was sharply criticizing for systematic human rights abuses.

[malokvale77]

108. Self interest anyone?

"In practice, that meant that Clinton was charged with rejecting or approving weapons deals — and when it came to Clinton Foundation donors, Hillary Clinton’s State Department did a whole lot of approving."

"Under a directive signed by President Clinton in 1995, the State Department is supposed to take foreign governments’ human rights records into account when reviewing arms deals. Yet, Hillary Clinton’s State Department increased approvals of such deals to Clinton Foundation donors that her own agency was sharply criticizing for systematic human rights abuses."

Yet Hillary supporters want to rid the rest of us from the Democratic Party.

[Major Hogwash]

168. Well, that's not good.

I have no idea how anyone can support Hillary this time around and be able to look themselves in the mirror the next morning.

[Enthusiast]

25. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

Way to go, Sabrina!

[CharlotteVale]

26. K&R

[riversedge]

28. Don't count your chickies in IOWA yet....PPP poll Sept 22 Clinton 43; Sanders 22

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is in pretty good shape. She leads with 43% to 22% for Bernie Sanders, 17% for Joe Biden, 3% for Martin O'Malley and Jim Webb, and 2% for Lincoln Chafee. Among Biden's voters 43% say Clinton would be their second choice to only 15% for Sanders. Reallocate them to their second choice and Clinton would lead Sanders 50/25, almost identical to the 52/25 lead we found for her last month when we didn't include Biden.

[Metric System]

37. The OP is being selective in which polls advance her narrative. That's her right to promote her

candidate, of course. But we have a right to point it out too.

[riversedge]

54. chuckle. yes we do .

[leftofcool]

39. I would not count on Bernie winning NH either.

[ancianita]

51. Many didn't count on Obama winning IA or NH, but those two states have proven they like horse races

[riversedge]

57. Hillary won NH in 2008

[ancianita]

59. After crying. Remember that reaction? They'll still likely allow Sanders a run to Super Tuesday.

[riversedge]

65. I remember the reaction. It was disgusting.

[peacebird]

106. Yet pollong shows she is losing it to Bernie now

[99Forever]

31. Excellent post Sabrina.

Keep 'em coming.

[Jack Rabbit]

32. K/R

!!

[tooeyeten]

34. Pushback

There will be enormous pushback & big $$, MIC, from the right to scuttle Sanders if he is the nominee. They will do whatever it takes, history's proven it.

[YOHABLO]

128. No doubt he will become the incarnation of Joseph Stalin before they're done with him.

[tooeyeten]

176. And worse, n/t

[sabrina 1]

174. We can push back harder, there ARE more of us than there are of them. And so far, the people's

pushbacks have been hugely successful. True it will get worse, I just saw right here on DU a nasty attack on Sanders' wife eg. First time I saw that was from a Right Wing source.

But again, we can USE these nasty attacks against the campaign that is either behind them or not condemning their paid supporters for doing this.

We can use all the tools available now to us which in the past we did not have, and expose these tactics, paid for with tainted, Corporate dollars, to demonstrate WHY we must get the money out of politics, and the only one talking about this AND acting on it, is Bernie Sanders.

[tooeyeten]

175. If

Only a POTUS was needed to get $ out of elections, we would have done it by now, we need a Democratic Congress too.

[sabrina 1]

179. Yes, we know that. But what we need even more as Sanders has repeatedly stated and what is probably

his main goal in running in this race at all, we need MILLIONS of Americans to become a part of a Political Movement so powerful that elected officials will begin to fear the wrath of the PEOPLE way more than they fear their Corporate Bosses. Up to now, what have the PEOPLE done to help the few who have tried to do something about it?

One example comes to mind. Remember Kucinich? Like Bernie he told the truth about our dealings with Iraq. We loved him for it, we supported him, cheered him on and made him the most popular candidate for the WH when he decided to run.

But the Corporate controllers of our Govt and entire political system, couldn't have someone telling the truth. His OWN PARTY threatened him with sanctioning after he told US the PEOPLE about the hidden clause in the Iraq Agreement re their oil handover. THAT info VERIFIED what we had said all along, it was 'all about oil'.

Then the smear campaigns began, many of us fought back, but SOME of us chose to abandon him, to betray him because, they said 'we have to WIN'.

I'm willing to bet people reading this, even you perhaps, are thinking 'Kucinich? Seriously?' THAT is how effective their propaganda is because Kucinich would have made a good President, certainly far better than the 'electable, viable BUSH'

But the propaganda re Kucinich was so effective, people lost their sense of reasoning and ended up betraying someone who had been standing up for THEM throughout the Bush era when it was not easy to do.

So either we the People begin to play our part, stand up for those who stand up for us, do not cave in to the propaganda, expose it, condemn it and shove it back in their criminal faces.

We lost so many good members of Congress because we were persuaded by what I know now were Political Operatives, on internet forums etc, that the candidates WE thought would be best for the country, 'couldn't win'.

Never again should we listen to liars and deceivers. I see positive signs now that this period where they were able to scare people into supporting THEIR candidates, is over.

Exposing Brock, then USING him to raise money for Bernie, THAT is what we the people have to do.

[tooeyeten]

186. I'm not so hopeful for now

We're not as united as Democrats as we should be.

[sabrina 1]

187. Well, Democrats are not going to do it, it will be a cross section of the people, and that is what

is happening right now. The Dem party has lost 10% of its registered voters over the past several years, many of them are now registered as Independents. In the last midterm, over 60% of the people didn't vote at all. Disgusted with both parties, the people are simply dropping out of the process which they believe isn't going to work for them.

So what that means is that the PEOPLE, forget labels, by over 80% according to polls, AGREE on issues that Dems SHOULD be promoting but haven't been since the Third Way took over the party.

THAT is where the hope is, not with political parties as they are now, the people ARE pretty much united on that, with the younger generation when polled showing they are far less partisan than previous generations and are more focused on ISSUES.

Those supporting Bernie are mostly Indies and previously 'non voters' now excited at the prospect that there is someone who speaks for them.

He has Repubs, Libertarians, Dems, Indies, non voters, iow PEOPLE all coming together to try to fix the MAJOR problems after which we can all go back to squabbling over the rest.

[Metric System]

36. Polls are all over the place. You're simply selecting the most favorable ones.

[malokvale77]

112. "You're simply selecting the most favorable ones".

Are Hillary supporters doing anything different?

[Metric System]

121. Of course not.

[sabrina 1]

161. Well, I'm not finding any unfavorable ones. He's been trending upwards since he entered the race and

continues to do so as more and more people get to know him.

ALL polls re Bernie are positive. And now we are seeing a few polls of Independents, just posted one in another OP. Bernie is trashing GOP Front Runner, Trump eg, in NH he beats him by 20 points.

Hillary beats him too, but by a far less comfortable margin.

Among Independents, in that same poll, Bernie beats ALL the candidates, Repubs and Dems.

And we don't have any polls on all the non voters his volunteer army, including ME are signing up for his campaign.

[left-of-center2012]

38. Bernie will fall apart in the debates

He can't possibly stand up against Hillary's intelligence, wisdom, and experience.
He'll just become a footnote in history like that other guy,
what's his name?
Obama something.

[juxtaposed]

103. lol

[restorefreedom]

40. rec x 10

if i could.

[Juicy_Bellows]

41. Excellent post!

Bernie is like the Incredible Hulk - the more you attempt to hurt him the bigger and stronger he gets.

[sabrina 1]

61. Lol, but they don't learn! Instead of backing off seeing how much the public is ON to them now, they

just keep giving Bernie MORE ammunition. It's amazing to see what money can do to people. How low they are willing to go just to get their hands on it.

[Juicy_Bellows]

73. As low as necessary. Some seem to relish in going even lower just for shits.

Strange times and stranger bedfellows.

[whatchamacallit]

43. Yay!

[SoapBox]

44. Oh...My...Gawd!

Sabrina...thank you for posting and pointing out all the sleaze that has been tried so far.

It never fails to amaze me when Pukes and Baggers use this trash against candidates in their own party, not to mention the other party.

But wowza...it's been coming from so-called Democrats with such ease...nasty, vile and despicable.

I'm sure there are more lies to come...just keep adding to the list.

And while they try to cook up trash, Bernie will just keep talking his common sense, mainstream platform.

Go Bernie!

[ancianita]

48. GREAT OP. Way to lay out the primary issues and opponents! Flog them with truth!

The fact that MOST Bernie supporters aren't even in DU should tell all the doubters of the worth of politics a LOT about this party.

First, it THINKS.

Second, it is inclusive.

Finally, it is about UNITY, NOT UNIFORMITY.

GO, SABRINA!

[malokvale77]

123. Way to go ancianita

"The fact that MOST Bernie supporters aren't even in DU should tell all the doubters of the worth of politics a LOT about this party."

My daughter and her children have been pointing me to many sites (hundreds) that support Bernie.

If the Democratic Party insists on pushing Hillary and other 3rd Way candidates, they will become as dead as the GOP.

Go Bernie.

[ancianita]

141. ...

[markpkessinger]

62. Thanks, Sabrina -- great post! n/t

[Trajan]

64. Great post, Sabrina ...

In it to win it ....

When I am asked who I support; It's Bernie all the way ...

When I am told he is a socialist; I explain he is a Democratic Socialist in exactly the same way that FDR was a Democratic Socialist, and FDR was elected to the office of the Presidency FOUR TIMES .... A Social Democracy is very popular with regular citizens ...

When I am told He cannot win; I explain that this is a long road to the White House, and we are just getting started ... The trend lines favor Bernie as more and more voters hear him speak and understand his policies - They are OUR policies - When regular people hear him - They support him ...

This juggernaut has only just begun, and Bernie is exceeding all expectations ... This isn't going to stop ... It's been a long, steady uphill climb, and it has been entirely successful ....

I am optimistic .. I am confident .... Bernie is going all the way ...

[sibelian]

74. ..."Bernie's supporters are hurting his cause"...

... and every time they launch another useless smear, Hillary's numbers go down.

It would be funny if it wasn't so twisted.

[sabrina 1]

75. The 'Bernie supporter garbage' is just an obvious Corporate funded think tank desperate attempt to

get at HIM since everything else has failed. It is so idiotic I kind of get a kick out of knowing that they are wasting all the Corporate money on useless, failing smear campaigns. And Bernie benefits from them and he gets even more of those 'terrible supporters'. Lol!

[truebluegreen]

76. Note that the WSJ poll showed 33% of voters' biggest worry

was big money's influence on the election. And #2 is also striking: 25% worry too much will be spent on negative ads rather than focusing on issues.

So WSJ poll shows Bernie targeting--without focus groups mind you--58% of voters' biggest concerns. 58%! That, ladies and gentlemen, is the potential for a mandate.

Add in #3 (nothing much will change no matter who wins) at 16% and #4 (too many candidates are wealthy and out of touch) at 12%....
.
.
.
.
.
We could have ourselves a movement.

[sabrina 1]

83. Yes, he's a smart man, did his homework, not to mention he has witnessed the corruption first hand.

[in_cog_ni_to]

78. K&R! excellent post! n/t

[Persondem]

87. Geez, Sanders has the support of 10-15% of the electorate and you are having an inaugeration party.

25% of Dems (40%) plus a few indies = 10-15%. And this is with an ideal situation. If there were no email BS swirling around HRC, Sanders wouldn't even be at 25% nationally. Wait until the GOP spin machine has a go at him. It won't be pretty.

Bad form to count chickens early.

[Tommymac]

97. Like Hillary did in the past year? nt

[sabrina 1]

98. Lol, didn't click the link to the polls but no matter, even those polls don't reflect Sanders

support, they only reflect his inroads into the Dem base, not the constituency he was ever planning to take, though he is, see NH now, Iowa, Utah even and WV. And the biggest surprise, Women deflecting from Hillary and moving to Bernie whose record on Women's rights PLUS his votes on issues such as Welfare Reform which so effect women.

But his constituency of support is coming from Indies and NON VOTERS who are now campaigning for him, they cannot be polled but I know how easy it is to get them back into the system, since I've done it.

But even these polls are now showing Sanders to be narrowing the gap NATIONALLY to just a ten point difference. Amazing when you realize he had zero name recognition just months ago, doesn't take Corporate money, has no Super Pacs, never ran a negative ad, doesn't personally attack his opponents.

So how is he doing it?

It's simple, his record on the issues.

AND he tells the truth, calls out those who should have been called out long ago.

He did say his campaign would be doing a radial thing, TELLING THE TRUTH. It works, obviously

[malokvale77]

125. What the hell...

do you think the GOP spin machine will do to Hillary? It for sure will not be pretty.

Think.

[Uncle Joe]

90. Excellent post, sabrina!

[senz]

94. Well said, Sabrina. Thank you!

[Tommymac]

99. Damn! Links and Issues and Information! Great OP! Thanks sabrina 1

[RandySF]

105. Reality check.

Hillary will wrap up the nomination after New Hampshire.

[peacebird]

107. Reality Check. bernie Sanders will be the next President of the USA. See, I can do it too!

Post a reality check, and it is every bit as valid as yours!

[Art_from_Ark]

126. Nostradamus disagrees

"The man with the fringed white hair
From the State of Green Mountains
Shall prevail in the State of Granite Mountains
In his quest for the White House"

[malokvale77]

127. Because...

it is all about the issues, right?

Never mind that Hillary has no opinion on the issues until she looks at where Bernie stands.

Then she half ass agrees as she hedges her bet to the big corporate donors.

Fuck that shit. Go Bernie.

[RBInMaine]

115. It is VERY early. He can't win the nomination nor the presidency as a self described socialist.

[sabrina 1]

134. Looks like the American people don't agree with that old Cold Warrior 'fifties logic. The

Millennials eg, by 7-3 out of 10 WANT a Democratic Socialist, because were living in the 21st Century and last Century's propaganda doesn't work anymore. They understand what Dem Socialist means and what a great system of Government it is in those countries where they are fortunate enough to have it.

[SusanCalvin]

136. Yep. It's very early. Means things can change. And are. nt

[virtualobserver]

116. options 1,2 and 4 in that WSJ poll equal 70% of voters and their #1 worry

1. 33% of Americans pointed to the sway that companies and wealthy individuals may have over the outcome........points to Bernie......points off for everybody else

2. 25% of Americans worry most about the emphasis on negative advertising at the expense of more substantive policy debates. points to Bernie......points off for everybody else

4. Another 12% of Americans were of the opinion “…the candidates are too wealthy to ‘understand the economic problems of average Americans" . points to Bernie......points off for everybody else

great post, Sabrina

[Paka]

122. I was so excited when he announced he would run.

I never had any doubt that he would surge. And keep surging and surging, until we elect him President.

[rhett o rick]

129. Those that are petrified to fight for their rights are not recognizing that not all Americans are

such cowards. In 2008 there was a great groundswell of enthusiasm for candidate Obama. We needed someone to undo the damage that 8 years of conservative rule did to this country. But our hopes were dashed almost immediately upon Obama's inauguration. He pretended to be progressive to set himself apart from the conservative Clinton. Once elected, bingo-bango, he revealed that he wasn't that different from Clinton. He appointed the same people that Clinton would have appointed. But the American people are sick and tired of the conservative Democratic rule of the Clintons and Obama. We need change just like Obama promised.

It will be an uphill battle of the people vs. Clinton and the billionaires but we can do it.

[malokvale77]

132. It was kind of telling...

to read (here on DU) where Obama himself said he was not aggressive enough pushing his policy. Hence his latest Executive Orders.

The Democratic Party needs to do a lot of soul searching. Is the party going to be about the needs of the populace or about lining their own pockets like the GOP.

Indeed, not all Americans are cowards. We are many and we are strong.

[Doctor_J]

137. The question is, why are any democrats NOT supporting him

[brooklynite]

140. Perhaps you should ask President Kucinich...

[sabrina 1]

148. Thanks for reminding me. That was before the people knew what that dark money was buying. That was

when we Dems thought our party was the 'party of the people' and Bush/Cheney were occupying the WH.

We did begin to feel that something wasn't quite right when some of those Representatives voted FOR Bush/Cheney lies.

Kucinich was a threat to the 'rigged system' so as you reminded me, they went to work, spending who knows how much of that tainted money to stop him.

Knowledge is power. We didn't have the necessary knowledge back then to stop THEM.

But times have changed. We've had a decade to see it all play out, the 'New Democrats' at work, the disastrous policies they THOUGHT we 'got over'.

And a whole new generation victims of those policies, victims of the MONEY that has so corrupted our system, have grown up and they KNOW what was not known ten years ago.

Kucinich is a great Democrat. If the people had had their say, he would have been the nominee, instead the oligarchs pushed candidates on the people, using the Fear of Bush to convince them to 'hold their noses' and just vote.

Con artists do get away with their con games for a while. But not forever.

The game being played by those who dare to think they KNOW BETTER what the people 'need' is nearly over.

We know too much for their smear campaigns to have any effect OTHER than to confirm what we've learned.

Btw, you appear to be condoning these deceptive, nasty smear campaigns?? ARE you?

[brooklynite]

150. You believe, seriously, that absent "smear campaigns" Kucinich had a real chance to win?

As long as you're going to create fictions like that, there's not much point in discussing the issue.

[sabrina 1]

152. No, I don't 'believe it' I know it. Kucinich was a great politician with the guts to speak out on

issues that mattered to the people. He was the top candidate for Dems while others, like Kerry eg, was at 3%. And you are confirming what we know, suddenly we saw statements just like yours begin to appear on Dem Forums. Attacks on him, just as we are seeing re Bernie Sanders.

Smears were all over the place re Kucinich. People fought back but at that time, though not any longer, money prevailed.

As a matter of fact Kucinich attacks began the questioning by voters as to what was going on. It is a process that took some time, but NOW, the Money in Politics, Kucinich has helped make this possible, is now the #1 issue for voters by over 80% of the population.

Same thing was done to Dean, and many other good candidates, depriving the PEOPLE of the right to determine on their own who would make the best choice for them.

You really don't get it, do you? We are not stupid, we were UNAWARE.

The very way you dismiss Kucinich, one of the few Dems who WAS RIGHT about everything the Bush gang and those who enabled them, were doing at the time.

He should be and I hope he will be, a part of Sanders' cabinet. WE so need people like Kucinich back working for the PEOPLE as he did for his entire career.

[zappaman]

155. Forget it. She's on a roll.

[xocet]

146. May you be correct! K & R ! n/t

[Old Crow]

147. Wooooo! You go, Sabrina!

[vadermike]

149. Bernie

HRC is crashing faster than I thought. At this rate she will be out before Super Tuesday. Bernie picking up support fast. Even my mom whom lives in retirement community now as he has support where 6 months ago no one knew who he was. I hope he is ready for the Koch storm of a billion dollars. I'm sure he is ready and aware. He definitely is not stupid. !! Very smart man. He reminds me a lot if FDR like when I saw the old speeches

[sabrina 1]

153. Great news about your mom's retirement community. His only hurdle now is to get all those who still

have not heard of him, to get to know him. And now he has hundreds of thousands of volunteers all over the country making sure that happens.

I think that is why he seems to be leaping ahead now as more and more people learn about him, then sign up to work for him.

[Duckfan]

157. What are the Super Tuesday states?

[ColesCountyDem]

169. These 11 states:

Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Virginia.

Welcome to DU!

[slipslidingaway]

159. Many in the country have not been introduced to the Dem candidates, still waiting for the ...

first debate.

[John Poet]

170. KICKING it!

This country wouldn't elect a Catholic or an African-American, or "another liberal" as president, either--
before they DID elect them....

Getting pretty tired of the whole "won't elect a socialist" meme.... and I don't care how people answered the Gallup poll...

Bernie Sanders isn't a "socialist on the Gallup poll".

He's Bernie Fucking Sanders!

Anyway, he's a democratic (the part they like to leave out) socialist--
and a lot of people who may think they "won't vote for a socialist"
are digging what he has to say.

Against any of the Republican clown candidates?
Bernie can take any of them-- and the most recent polls are suggesting he can do it better than Hillary.

[treestar]

172. Winning the GE

is not too likely as I've seen an inability to deal with the dirt. The Rs will dig up things that the BS side is screaming about right now and not preparing to deal with. Hillary has dealt with every accusation conceivable to humankind already. If we have BS as nominee, we'd better get ready to deal with the crap the right wing will throw out rather than scream about how disgusting it is to even bring it up. I know we'll have "anti-semitism" to yell, but the right wing is usually very pro-Israel, so that may be quite useless as a claim, as what they come up with will have nothing to do with that.

I can already see the inability to deal with BS wife's issues.

[sabrina 1]

183. Lol, I guess you haven't been paying attention at all to how Bernie and his supporters have dealt

the dirt. Glad to see you acknowledge that there has been despicable dirty smear attempts, all of which have failed thanks to the rapid response of Bernie's army of bright, tech savvy volunteers.

Where is David Brock hiding I wonder, after HIS attempt using his Hillary Super Pac and dirty Corporate money, to smear Bernie?

That was a classic takedown of a dirty Right Wing trickster who thought he could remain anonymoous only to have his standard Right Wing dirty trick turned against him.

And the best part? Brock, instead of helping Hillary (why on earth are they associated at all considering the history?) helped raise over $1 million dollars for Bernie in 24 hours.

Now THAT'S how you handle the dirt!

Not to mention Bernie is BURYING GOP Front Runner Trump in NH, while Hillary is barely defeating him. So there is no doubt that Bernie is the most likely candidate to WIN THE GE.

Hillary is not defeating Bush eg in the poll, while Bernie trashes him also.

[yuiyoshida]

173. I love and will vote for

Bernie.

[sabrina 1]

181. Me too, yuiyoshida!

[WillyT]

180. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

182. What we have are the 'New Democrats'

A refreshed to at the distribution of wealth in our society for the good of the people and the functioning of the economy.