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Demeter
Demeter's Journal
Demeter's Journal
October 24, 2015
This story was published in June 2015 and is being republished today on the 75th anniversary of the 40-hour workweek going into effect.
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thinks Americans may have forgotten about the 40-hour week.
American workers with full-time jobs work an average of 42.7 hours per week, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Including part-timers in the calculation puts the average American workweek at 39 hours.
Sanders said he wants to appropriate the term "family values" from Republicans, who have historically used it to talk about social issues, and use it to promote legislation mandating paid vacation, paid sick days and paid parental leave for U.S. workers. Just 11 percent of workers had access to paid leave to care for newborns in 2012, according to the BLS.
Last week Sanders introduced a bill that would require employers to give at least 10 paid vacation days annually to any employees who have worked at the company for at least a year.
MORE
Bernie Sanders Wants To Bring Back Your 40-Hour Workweek
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-40-hour-workweek_562b8942e4b0aac0b8fd182a?utm_hp_ref=business&ir=Business§ion=businessThis story was published in June 2015 and is being republished today on the 75th anniversary of the 40-hour workweek going into effect.
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thinks Americans may have forgotten about the 40-hour week.
"A hundred years ago workers took to the streets" to fight for 40 hours, Sanders told The Huffington Post. "And a hundred years have come and gone, we’ve seen an explosion in technology, we’ve seen an explosion in productivity, we have a great global economy, and what do you have? The vast majority of people are working longer hours for lower wages."
American workers with full-time jobs work an average of 42.7 hours per week, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Including part-timers in the calculation puts the average American workweek at 39 hours.
Sanders said he wants to appropriate the term "family values" from Republicans, who have historically used it to talk about social issues, and use it to promote legislation mandating paid vacation, paid sick days and paid parental leave for U.S. workers. Just 11 percent of workers had access to paid leave to care for newborns in 2012, according to the BLS.
"What the Republicans talk about when they speak of family values is to deny a woman the right to control her own body, to deny a woman the right to get contraceptives, opposition to gay rights and gay marriage," Sanders said. "I don’t think those are family values."
Last week Sanders introduced a bill that would require employers to give at least 10 paid vacation days annually to any employees who have worked at the company for at least a year.
"What our legislation says -- and we think this is absolutely a family value -- is that a mom and a dad should have the right to at least a couple of weeks off of paid vacation so they can spend quality time with their kids," Sanders said.
MORE
October 24, 2015
Private jet spending. Well, look who’s #3!
http://twitter.com/AriMelber/status/657580548706144258/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
October 24, 2015
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. will hold a press conference Monday morning to respond to allegations lobbed at the company regarding its relationship with specialty pharmacies and its accounting practices.
Citron Research, John Hempton, ProPublica and The Wall Street Journal have said there is a tangled web of organizational ties between Valeant and specialty pharmacy network company Philidor RX, Philidor network member R&O Pharmacy, and other specialty pharmacies that may or may not be legally and financially related to Philidor and/or Valeant.
Valeant shares fell as much as 40% at their worst level on Wednesday after Citron, a short selling firm, issued a scathing report, alleging that Valeant was shipping product to R&O and then falsely claiming the revenue.
*******************************
Citron’s report, which called Valeant a “pharmaceutical Enron,” cited a report that was published on Monday by the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation, SIRF, that revealed the previously undisclosed relationships with specialty pharmacies....Valeant responded to Citron with a statement that said all sales to Philidor and its network pharmacies are “accounted for as intercompany sales and are eliminated in consolidation.” That would imply financial ownership of Philidor and an organizational connection with a distribution channel that had not been, until Monday, ever mentioned in Valeant’s financial statements or filings with the Canadian or U.S. securities regulators....Valeant had already responded to SIRF’s findings on its earnings call on Monday by saying that it has a “contractual relationship” with Philidor to fill prescriptions on its behalf, that it recently bought an option to buy the pharmacy, and that it also consolidates Philidor’s results with its own based on a variable interest entity (VIE) relationship... MORE
WELL, NOW WE KNOW WHERE THE CROOKS ON WALL STREET WENT
Valeant must untangle web of allegations on Monday call
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/valeant-must-untangle-web-of-allegations-on-monday-call-2015-10-23?siteid=YAHOOBValeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. will hold a press conference Monday morning to respond to allegations lobbed at the company regarding its relationship with specialty pharmacies and its accounting practices.
Citron Research, John Hempton, ProPublica and The Wall Street Journal have said there is a tangled web of organizational ties between Valeant and specialty pharmacy network company Philidor RX, Philidor network member R&O Pharmacy, and other specialty pharmacies that may or may not be legally and financially related to Philidor and/or Valeant.
Valeant shares fell as much as 40% at their worst level on Wednesday after Citron, a short selling firm, issued a scathing report, alleging that Valeant was shipping product to R&O and then falsely claiming the revenue.
*******************************
Citron’s report, which called Valeant a “pharmaceutical Enron,” cited a report that was published on Monday by the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation, SIRF, that revealed the previously undisclosed relationships with specialty pharmacies....Valeant responded to Citron with a statement that said all sales to Philidor and its network pharmacies are “accounted for as intercompany sales and are eliminated in consolidation.” That would imply financial ownership of Philidor and an organizational connection with a distribution channel that had not been, until Monday, ever mentioned in Valeant’s financial statements or filings with the Canadian or U.S. securities regulators....Valeant had already responded to SIRF’s findings on its earnings call on Monday by saying that it has a “contractual relationship” with Philidor to fill prescriptions on its behalf, that it recently bought an option to buy the pharmacy, and that it also consolidates Philidor’s results with its own based on a variable interest entity (VIE) relationship... MORE
WELL, NOW WE KNOW WHERE THE CROOKS ON WALL STREET WENT
October 24, 2015
FBI director: We do not use planes for mass surveillance
WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION
U.S. Rep. John Conyers put pressure on the FBI over the "spying" controversy in metro Detroit. Conyers asked FBI director James Comey about spy planes that flew over Dearborn last summer and put the community on edge.
Comey says the government isn’t spying on Dearborn residents as a whole.
"We use planes in our predicated investigations to conduct surveillance on people under investigation," Comey said. "We do not use planes for mass surveillance."
Conyers asked the questions during a congressional hearing on Thursday.
The FBI says the flyovers are not limited to the Detroit area.
LOVELY. JUST LOVELY. WHAT A MESS THIS COUNTRY IS. AND THEY ARE TRYING TO TELL US THAT NOT ONLY IS THIS A LEGAL THING THEY ARE DOING, IT IS ALSO A SENSIBLE USE OF RESOURCES?
Conyers asks FBI director about spy planes flying over Dearborn
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/conyers-asks-fbi-director-about-spy-planes-flying-over-dearborn/36019296FBI director: We do not use planes for mass surveillance
WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION
U.S. Rep. John Conyers put pressure on the FBI over the "spying" controversy in metro Detroit. Conyers asked FBI director James Comey about spy planes that flew over Dearborn last summer and put the community on edge.
Comey says the government isn’t spying on Dearborn residents as a whole.
"We use planes in our predicated investigations to conduct surveillance on people under investigation," Comey said. "We do not use planes for mass surveillance."
Conyers asked the questions during a congressional hearing on Thursday.
The FBI says the flyovers are not limited to the Detroit area.
LOVELY. JUST LOVELY. WHAT A MESS THIS COUNTRY IS. AND THEY ARE TRYING TO TELL US THAT NOT ONLY IS THIS A LEGAL THING THEY ARE DOING, IT IS ALSO A SENSIBLE USE OF RESOURCES?
October 24, 2015
Sanders' career in Congress has been living testimony to the fact that opposing wars but supporting our soldiers are not mutually exclusive goals.
When then-freshman Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders first arrived in Washington, D.C., he didn't first tend to the great social democratic causes that he spent his life working on: a national living wage, health care for all, or expanding labor unions.
Rather, the very first bill he introduced was H.R. 695 – the Guard and Reserve Family Protection Act of 1991. The purpose of the bill was to make sure that reserve and National Guard soldiers who were deployed to serve in the Gulf War were entitled to any pay they may have missed as a result of going to war, to ensure that their deployment wages were equal to their civilian wages.
Sanders' career in Congress has been living testimony to the fact that opposing wars but supporting our soldiers are not mutually exclusive goals. He has been a consistent advocate for both active duty military and veterans, and there are now signs that those veterans are returning the favor, organizing for his campaign...
MORE
Vets For Bernie: Why the Most Anti-War Candidate Has Many Military Supporters
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/why-veterans-are-supporting-bernie-sanders?akid=13598.227380.R9JZDn&rd=1&src=newsletter1044574&t=3Sanders' career in Congress has been living testimony to the fact that opposing wars but supporting our soldiers are not mutually exclusive goals.
When then-freshman Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders first arrived in Washington, D.C., he didn't first tend to the great social democratic causes that he spent his life working on: a national living wage, health care for all, or expanding labor unions.
Rather, the very first bill he introduced was H.R. 695 – the Guard and Reserve Family Protection Act of 1991. The purpose of the bill was to make sure that reserve and National Guard soldiers who were deployed to serve in the Gulf War were entitled to any pay they may have missed as a result of going to war, to ensure that their deployment wages were equal to their civilian wages.
Sanders' career in Congress has been living testimony to the fact that opposing wars but supporting our soldiers are not mutually exclusive goals. He has been a consistent advocate for both active duty military and veterans, and there are now signs that those veterans are returning the favor, organizing for his campaign...
MORE
October 23, 2015
If there is anything iconic in films from the 80's, it's a toss-up between Star Wars (still in production) and Back to the Future. I have a personal fondness for BTTF because the story goes back to my birth year in the first episode. And the second goes forward to October 21, 2015, this year and month! Has it been that long, already? If this is the future, why are we so unhappy?
Well, the following weekend thread will delve into that question and others, while reveling in the creative genius of:
I hadn't heard about a musical....must investigate!
Tell me, future boy, who's President of the United States in 2017? Weekend Economists 10/23-25/15
Dr. Emmett Brown is doubting Marty McFly's story about that he is from the future
Dr. Emmett Brown: Then tell me, future boy, who's President of the United States in 1985?
Marty McFly: Ronald Reagan.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Ronald Reagan? The actor? Then who's vice president? Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady!
Marty McFly: Whoa. Wait, Doc!
Dr. Emmett Brown: And Jack Benny is secretary of the treasury.
Marty McFly: Doc, you gotta listen to me.
Dr. Emmett Brown: I've had enough practical jokes for one evening. Good night, future boy!
Marty McFly: No, wait, Doc. Doc. The-the-the bruise on your head, I know how that happened. You told me the whole story. You were standing on your toilet and you were hanging a clock, and you fell and you hit your head on the sink. And that's when you came up with the idea for the flux capacitor.
Marty McFly: which is what makes time travel possible.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Then tell me, future boy, who's President of the United States in 1985?
Marty McFly: Ronald Reagan.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Ronald Reagan? The actor? Then who's vice president? Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady!
Marty McFly: Whoa. Wait, Doc!
Dr. Emmett Brown: And Jack Benny is secretary of the treasury.
Marty McFly: Doc, you gotta listen to me.
Dr. Emmett Brown: I've had enough practical jokes for one evening. Good night, future boy!
Marty McFly: No, wait, Doc. Doc. The-the-the bruise on your head, I know how that happened. You told me the whole story. You were standing on your toilet and you were hanging a clock, and you fell and you hit your head on the sink. And that's when you came up with the idea for the flux capacitor.
Marty McFly: which is what makes time travel possible.
If there is anything iconic in films from the 80's, it's a toss-up between Star Wars (still in production) and Back to the Future. I have a personal fondness for BTTF because the story goes back to my birth year in the first episode. And the second goes forward to October 21, 2015, this year and month! Has it been that long, already? If this is the future, why are we so unhappy?
Well, the following weekend thread will delve into that question and others, while reveling in the creative genius of:
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Gale and Neil Canton, and starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson.
Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall served as executive producers. In the film, teenager Marty McFly (Fox) is sent back in time to 1955, where he meets his future parents in high school and accidentally becomes his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents-to-be to fall in love, and with the help of eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), he must find a way to return to 1985.
Zemeckis and Gale wrote the script after Gale mused upon whether he would have befriended his father if they had attended school together. Various film studios rejected the script until the financial success of Zemeckis' Romancing the Stone. Zemeckis approached Spielberg, who agreed to produce the project at Amblin Entertainment, with Universal Pictures as distributor. The first choice for the role of Marty McFly was Michael J. Fox. However, he was busy filming his television series "Family Ties" and the show's producers would not allow him to star in the film. Consequently, Eric Stoltz was cast in the role. During filming, Stoltz and the filmmakers decided that the role was miscast, and Fox was again approached for the part. Now with more flexibility in his schedule and the blessing of his show's producers, Fox managed to work out a timetable in which he could give enough time and commitment to both.
Back to the Future was released on July 3, 1985, grossing over $300 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1985. It won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, and the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing, as well as receiving three additional Academy Award nominations, five BAFTA nominations, and four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy). Ronald Reagan even quoted the film in his 1986 State of the Union Address.
In 2007, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, and in June 2008 the American Film Institute's special AFI's 10 Top 10 designated the film as the 10th-best film in the science fiction genre. The film marked the beginning of a franchise, with two sequels, Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990), as well as an animated series, theme park ride, several video games and a forthcoming musical.
Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall served as executive producers. In the film, teenager Marty McFly (Fox) is sent back in time to 1955, where he meets his future parents in high school and accidentally becomes his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents-to-be to fall in love, and with the help of eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), he must find a way to return to 1985.
Zemeckis and Gale wrote the script after Gale mused upon whether he would have befriended his father if they had attended school together. Various film studios rejected the script until the financial success of Zemeckis' Romancing the Stone. Zemeckis approached Spielberg, who agreed to produce the project at Amblin Entertainment, with Universal Pictures as distributor. The first choice for the role of Marty McFly was Michael J. Fox. However, he was busy filming his television series "Family Ties" and the show's producers would not allow him to star in the film. Consequently, Eric Stoltz was cast in the role. During filming, Stoltz and the filmmakers decided that the role was miscast, and Fox was again approached for the part. Now with more flexibility in his schedule and the blessing of his show's producers, Fox managed to work out a timetable in which he could give enough time and commitment to both.
Back to the Future was released on July 3, 1985, grossing over $300 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1985. It won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, and the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing, as well as receiving three additional Academy Award nominations, five BAFTA nominations, and four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy). Ronald Reagan even quoted the film in his 1986 State of the Union Address.
In 2007, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, and in June 2008 the American Film Institute's special AFI's 10 Top 10 designated the film as the 10th-best film in the science fiction genre. The film marked the beginning of a franchise, with two sequels, Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990), as well as an animated series, theme park ride, several video games and a forthcoming musical.
I hadn't heard about a musical....must investigate!
October 23, 2015
Paul Ryan could either be very good, or very bad for America
It looks like he can exert control over the GOP legislators. He's making a strong start.
Now, if he works that control for the good of the nation, we all benefit.
If he uses that control to jerk us around to the tune of the whacko social agenda and worse economic falsehoods, then we are in deeper trouble than we were with Boehner. In compensation, such efforts would strengthen Bernie, I think. He knows how to deal with groups.
Bernie is the cat herder! 
October 22, 2015
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/gops-really-going-do-it-trump-isnt-phase-republicans-think-hes-their-best-shot?akid=13595.227380.BWWWLh&rd=1&src=newsletter1044494&t=9
For months now, the assumption in the mainstream press has been that the Donald Trump candidacy is just a phase for Republican primary voters, and that after they spent the pre-primary season expressing themselves, they would settle down and vote for someone who actually stands a chance running against Hillary Clinton, such as a Jeb Bush or a Marco Rubio. Since July, there have been dozens of prominent pundits declaring that Trump-mania was about to wind down so the real race can begin, and, hilariously, those predictions continue to fail and Trump continues to dominate the polls.
To be entirely fair, there is good reason to believe that Trump is going to flame out and a party standard-bearer will step in. After all, that’s what happened in the 2012 primary season, as voters expressed their id by backing candidates like Herman Cain or Newt Gingrich before settling down and running the only guy who had half a chance against Obama, Mitt Romney. History shows that as much as Republican primary voters like to imagine they’re pissing off the liberals, they also blanch and remember that they would like even more to have a reasonable shot at the White House. Under the circumstances, the Trump flameout isn’t an unreasonable prediction.
But now there’s new ABC News/Washington Post polling data that complicates the picture tremendously. The data shows not just that Republican voters like Trump, but that they believe he has a better chance of winning the general election than Clinton. It’s not even a close race....
WHICH IS WHY BERNIE SANDERS, WHO CONSISTENTLY POLLS AS DEFEATING TRUMP, SHOULD BE OUR NOMINEE. BERNIE IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE LIBERALS, PROGRESSIVES, SOCIALISTS, TEA PARTY, THE 99% IN GENERAL...A MAN FOR THE TIMES, A MAN FOR THE PEOPLE.
ON EDIT: ADDING THIS:
The GOP’s Really Going to Do It: Trump Isn’t a Phase — Republicans Think He’s Their Best Shot
A poll bolsters Trump's campaign by showing that not only do GOP voters like him, they think he can beat Clinton.http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/gops-really-going-do-it-trump-isnt-phase-republicans-think-hes-their-best-shot?akid=13595.227380.BWWWLh&rd=1&src=newsletter1044494&t=9
For months now, the assumption in the mainstream press has been that the Donald Trump candidacy is just a phase for Republican primary voters, and that after they spent the pre-primary season expressing themselves, they would settle down and vote for someone who actually stands a chance running against Hillary Clinton, such as a Jeb Bush or a Marco Rubio. Since July, there have been dozens of prominent pundits declaring that Trump-mania was about to wind down so the real race can begin, and, hilariously, those predictions continue to fail and Trump continues to dominate the polls.
To be entirely fair, there is good reason to believe that Trump is going to flame out and a party standard-bearer will step in. After all, that’s what happened in the 2012 primary season, as voters expressed their id by backing candidates like Herman Cain or Newt Gingrich before settling down and running the only guy who had half a chance against Obama, Mitt Romney. History shows that as much as Republican primary voters like to imagine they’re pissing off the liberals, they also blanch and remember that they would like even more to have a reasonable shot at the White House. Under the circumstances, the Trump flameout isn’t an unreasonable prediction.
But now there’s new ABC News/Washington Post polling data that complicates the picture tremendously. The data shows not just that Republican voters like Trump, but that they believe he has a better chance of winning the general election than Clinton. It’s not even a close race....
WHICH IS WHY BERNIE SANDERS, WHO CONSISTENTLY POLLS AS DEFEATING TRUMP, SHOULD BE OUR NOMINEE. BERNIE IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE LIBERALS, PROGRESSIVES, SOCIALISTS, TEA PARTY, THE 99% IN GENERAL...A MAN FOR THE TIMES, A MAN FOR THE PEOPLE.
ON EDIT: ADDING THIS:
How the Brewing Revolt of Working Americans Is Driving Sanders' Rise (and Fueling Trump's Dangerous Success)
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/how-brewing-revolt-working-americans-driving-sanders-rise-and-fueling-trumps-dangerous?akid=13595.227380.BWWWLh&rd=1&src=newsletter1044494&t=3
Sanders' backers want a government that works. Trump's backers want a government that gets even...Lost in the tumult of covering the 2016 presidential campaign trail is a striking reality that’s largely gone unacknowledged: the brewing revolt at the grassroots by working- and middle-class Americans who feel left behind by the system.
This discontent and its insecurities are fueling the surges of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, who offer different responses to it, and whose candidacies haven’t faded despite predictions from party insiders and many pundits. It’s also underscored by the fact that the GOP’s two leading candidates—Trump and Ben Carson—have never held elective office, unlike the senators and governors trailing them.
Sanders and Trump, in very different ways, are highlighting the failure of status-quo politics to address concerns that hit home with non-wealthy Americans. But while Sanders is running a campaign based on a positive vision of government doing more for these Americans, Trump is striking a cord with people who feel other slices of society need to be put down so they can rise up...
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/how-brewing-revolt-working-americans-driving-sanders-rise-and-fueling-trumps-dangerous?akid=13595.227380.BWWWLh&rd=1&src=newsletter1044494&t=3
Sanders' backers want a government that works. Trump's backers want a government that gets even...Lost in the tumult of covering the 2016 presidential campaign trail is a striking reality that’s largely gone unacknowledged: the brewing revolt at the grassroots by working- and middle-class Americans who feel left behind by the system.
This discontent and its insecurities are fueling the surges of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, who offer different responses to it, and whose candidacies haven’t faded despite predictions from party insiders and many pundits. It’s also underscored by the fact that the GOP’s two leading candidates—Trump and Ben Carson—have never held elective office, unlike the senators and governors trailing them.
Sanders and Trump, in very different ways, are highlighting the failure of status-quo politics to address concerns that hit home with non-wealthy Americans. But while Sanders is running a campaign based on a positive vision of government doing more for these Americans, Trump is striking a cord with people who feel other slices of society need to be put down so they can rise up...
October 22, 2015
For much of the past year, as Brazil plunged into economic and political crisis, President Dilma Rousseff seemed cornered in her bunker. Bookish and awkward, she rarely left the presidential palace, pouring over infrastructure reports, focusing on the technical side of painful austerity measures.
But in recent months, as opposition efforts to impeach her gained momentum, something in her visibly shifted. Rousseff, a former urban guerrilla who refused to break under prolonged torture, snapped out of her state of paralysis. With the crisis now focused on her, she seems to be sending a message: I will not make it easy and step aside...
The tenacity that led Rousseff, 67, to fight against military dictatorship as a young woman now makes her cling to power with remarkable serenity. This is despite the longest projected economic crisis since the Great Depression, the lowest approval ratings on record of any president and accusations she illegally financed her election campaign and used accounting tricks to whitewash budget figures.
MUCH MORE
Brazil's Ex-Guerrilla-in-Chief Isn't Going Down Without a Fight
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-21/brazil-s-ex-guerrilla-in-chief-isn-t-going-down-without-a-fightFor much of the past year, as Brazil plunged into economic and political crisis, President Dilma Rousseff seemed cornered in her bunker. Bookish and awkward, she rarely left the presidential palace, pouring over infrastructure reports, focusing on the technical side of painful austerity measures.
But in recent months, as opposition efforts to impeach her gained momentum, something in her visibly shifted. Rousseff, a former urban guerrilla who refused to break under prolonged torture, snapped out of her state of paralysis. With the crisis now focused on her, she seems to be sending a message: I will not make it easy and step aside...
The tenacity that led Rousseff, 67, to fight against military dictatorship as a young woman now makes her cling to power with remarkable serenity. This is despite the longest projected economic crisis since the Great Depression, the lowest approval ratings on record of any president and accusations she illegally financed her election campaign and used accounting tricks to whitewash budget figures.
“She doesn’t think she did anything wrong and resigning would be for her an admission of guilt," said Joao Augusto de Castro Neves, Latin America director of political-risk consulting firm Eurasia Group. "She will go to the end.”
MUCH MORE
October 22, 2015
A sign that the progressive cause is moving out of the wilderness and starting to rattle The Powers That Be is that the messaging apparatus is starting to attempt to demonize Sanders as a hopeless cause. That means he’s moved from the “first they ignore you” phase in Gandhi’s classic trajectory of activism to somewhere between the “then they ridicule you, then they fight you” phases.
We’ll use a particularly noxious article from Slate, flagged by reader Jeff W, called, No, He Can’t – Bernie Sanders is an inspirational candidate, but his theory of change doesn’t have a chance . Jeff W thought it warranted an NC version of “Where’s Waldo?” as in “How many errors can readers spot in this article?”
Mind you, what is important about pieces like this is not that they go after Sanders per se. The headline conveys the much bigger message: Change based on popular will won’t happen, so all of you voters should just stop trying.
Now this is a ratcheting up of anti-democratic messaging when we are seeing major cracks in the institutional ice in the US and other countries that had moved strongly in the neoliberal direction. Jeremy Corbyn’s trouncing of the Blairites has had the elites in the UK frothing at the mouth. The magnitude of Justin Trudeau’s win in Canada caught pundits by surprise. And in the US, Bernie Sanders was written off by the chattering classes from the very start of his campaign. Yet with virtually no media buys, the Democratic party turning away Sanders backers at the local level, until recently, a press blackout on his campaign, Sanders polls at somewhere between 25% ad 35% of Democratic voters, and nearly met Clintons’ fundraising level last quarter at far lower cost, meaning he almost certainly raised more money on a net basis...
MORE
Attacks on Sanders, Progressives Falsely Depict Obama As Lefty Failure as Opposed to Neoliberal Succ
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/10/attacks-on-sanders-progressives-falsely-depict-obama-as-lefty-failure-as-opposed-to-neoliberal-success.htmlA sign that the progressive cause is moving out of the wilderness and starting to rattle The Powers That Be is that the messaging apparatus is starting to attempt to demonize Sanders as a hopeless cause. That means he’s moved from the “first they ignore you” phase in Gandhi’s classic trajectory of activism to somewhere between the “then they ridicule you, then they fight you” phases.
We’ll use a particularly noxious article from Slate, flagged by reader Jeff W, called, No, He Can’t – Bernie Sanders is an inspirational candidate, but his theory of change doesn’t have a chance . Jeff W thought it warranted an NC version of “Where’s Waldo?” as in “How many errors can readers spot in this article?”
Mind you, what is important about pieces like this is not that they go after Sanders per se. The headline conveys the much bigger message: Change based on popular will won’t happen, so all of you voters should just stop trying.
Now this is a ratcheting up of anti-democratic messaging when we are seeing major cracks in the institutional ice in the US and other countries that had moved strongly in the neoliberal direction. Jeremy Corbyn’s trouncing of the Blairites has had the elites in the UK frothing at the mouth. The magnitude of Justin Trudeau’s win in Canada caught pundits by surprise. And in the US, Bernie Sanders was written off by the chattering classes from the very start of his campaign. Yet with virtually no media buys, the Democratic party turning away Sanders backers at the local level, until recently, a press blackout on his campaign, Sanders polls at somewhere between 25% ad 35% of Democratic voters, and nearly met Clintons’ fundraising level last quarter at far lower cost, meaning he almost certainly raised more money on a net basis...
MORE
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