RiverLover
RiverLover's JournalFDR won back then, against the wall street dems. That's what's different. New Deal Dems/FDR Dems
are no longer represented by this third way "New Democrat" party that the Clintons started.
With Clinton2, we'll have continued endless war for profit, mass incarceration for profit, charter schools, privatized everything, wall street writing their own rules & risking our economy with taxpayer money,off shoring of American jobs, monopolies, corporations not paying their taxes so we continue to subsidize them while they send our jobs overseas to pay slave wages & make more money for 1%, more cuts to SNAP, etc.
The trade deals made by Democratic presidents, against most Dems in congress & with the help of repubs in congress, have turned the US into a service economy, with retail jobs that don't pay a living wage.
And you want more....hurts so good, does it?
It isn't hatred of Hillary, its hatred of what these third way dems have done to our party & our country.
"...If this were any other country, we’d be quick to call this a CORRUPT ELECTION."
February 26, 2016
Common Dreams
Antidote to DNC Bias Against Bernie Is Massive Grassroots Turnout
by Howard Friel
Before supporters of Bernie Sanders vote in the Super Tuesday primaries on March 1, their candidate will already be behind Hillary Clinton in the participating states.
This is because the superdelegate count in those states already favors Clinton over Sanders as follows: Alabama (3 to 0), Arkansas (5 to 0), Colorado (10 to 0), Georgia (11 to 0), Massachusetts (17 to 1), Minnesota (11 to 1), Oklahoma (1-1), Tennessee (6 to 0), Texas (18 to 0), Vermont (4 to 3), and Virginia (11 to 0).
Even in his home state of Vermont, where Sanders holds a 75 point lead in the polls, he is behind in the superdelegate count.
In Massachusetts, where Sanders leads in the polls by 3.5 points, Clinton leads in superdelegates by 17 to 1.
.....Who are the superdelegates, exactly? A recent New York Times’ editorial identified them as “party bigwigs—712 Democratic leaders, legislators, governors, and the like.”
But that’s not the whole story. The majority of superdelegates are actually DNC members. And the DNC superdelegates (432) outnumber senators (46), members of the House of Representatives (193), governors (20), and “distinguished members” (21) combined. In fact, all DNC members—that is, the unelected political apparatus of the Democratic party—are voting superdelegates.
Lee Fang at The Intercept has identified a number of DNC superdelegates: one works for the Clinton campaign and is a former lobbyist for a private prison group and for TransCanada to build support for the Keystone XL pipeline; another works for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation; three DNC superdelegates, writes Fang, are officials at “a lobbying firm that is closely affiliated with the Clinton campaign and retained by the Clinton-supporting Super PACs Priorities USA Action and Correct the Record.”
Fang also reported that the same firm “was retained by the health insurance industry to undermine health reform efforts in 2009, including proposals to change Medicare Advantage,” and that the firm had “previously worked to influence policy on behalf of Enron, Countrywide, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, the U.S. Telecom Association and News Corporation.”
Another DNC superdelegate is a lobbyist registered to work on behalf of “the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, a trade group for Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, and Bank of America.”
This is a small number of DNC superdelegates (although Fang lists more). But it’s difficult to find out what the other 400-plus DNC superdelegates actually do—either inside or outside the DNC.
Clinton’s huge advantage in superdelegates reflects a playing field tilted against Sanders by party officials who have a say in both the superdelegate vote and the conduct of primary elections, especially caucuses.
“One of the main differences between a caucus and a primary is that a caucus is organized by the political parties, whereas a primary is organized usually by the state board of elections as a regular election would be.” This statement comes from a 2016 New Hampshire state public service announcement, and it may explain why two of the first three momentum-generating primary elections are caucuses.
In the Iowa Democratic caucus, six of the seven Iowa state DNC members were listed as Clinton supporters, with one uncommitted. How is that a fair distribution of DNC officials?
In Nevada two of six DNC members were listed as Clinton supporters, with one supporting Sanders and three uncommitted. That might seem a little fairer. Then again, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, a superdelegate, was also officially listed as uncommitted.
Yet, one day after the Nevada caucus on February 20, a veteran Nevada political reporter wrote a piece for USA Today titled, “Harry Reid Delivers for Hillary Clinton: Nevada's ‘Neutral’ Power Players May Have Saved a Campaign and Changed History.” It describes Reid’s interventions on Clinton’s behalf in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, and which was the county that tipped a close caucus election to Clinton.
(I'm adding a discussion of the rigging of Nevada on Morning Joe~)
In short, caucuses, as opposed to straightforward elections, permit the party apparatus to exercise more influence. And the DNC—which features dual-role DNC members as superdelegate voters and election apparatchiks—clearly favors Clinton.
Perhaps the best way to literally see and hear the undemocratic essence of the DNC’s superdelegate voting system is to view two must-see short videos of party leaders directly involved in currently overseeing (Debbie Wasserman-Schultz) and bringing (Harry Reid) this arrangement to the Democratic party.
In a televised interview with Fox News on February 12, the DNC chair, Wasserman-Schultz, was asked to explain the fairness of the disparity between the actual votes in Iowa and New Hampshire that together favor Sanders and the delegate count afterwards favoring Clinton.
Wasserman-Schultz’s response was evasive and incoherent. (The relevant portion begins 1:50 into the interview.)
Wasserman Schultz: We Separate Superdelegates From The Voting Process So Party Doesn't Interfere With Voters
Likewise, in a televised interview with Reid, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell asked a similar question. Reid was as evasive in his response as Wasserman-Schultz was in hers.
It seems that the indefensible influence of the superdelegates is literally indefensible.
As of this writing, Sanders and Clinton are tied in the delegate count due to actual votes. Sanders and Clinton are essentially tied in the two most recent national polls reported at Real Clear Politics. And a February 23 poll by Reuters had Sanders ahead of Clinton nationally by six points.
Yet the tsunami of Clinton’s undemocratic superdelegate support has emerged as the dominant force in the election.
Recently, with media feedback, it has functioned as a self-fulfilling prophecy for a Clinton victory, while sweeping away the legitimate votes for Sanders.
If this were any other country, we’d be quick to call this a corrupt election.
The only available antidote is a massive turnout for Sanders on Super Tuesday and in every primary state afterwards.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/02/26/antidote-dnc-bias-against-bernie-massive-grassroots-turnout
Not very Democratic of the Democratic Party......
Why This Veteran Will Cast His Super Tuesday Vote For Bernie Sanders
Fri, Feb 26, 2016
by Andrew Carleen
Why This Veteran Will Cast His Super Tuesday Vote For Bernie Sanders
For a time during the summer of 2012, American service members in Afghanistan were being killed at a rate of one-per-day.
As a reservist mobilized for duty with the coalition’s counter-improvised explosive devise task force, I had a front-row seat to the dying, to the incessant drumbeat of tactical reports and makeshift combat-zone memorial ceremonies.
Those of us who were there also saw other things first-hand: immense expenditures on useless projects, such as equipping the Afghan army with bomb disposal robots, without a parallel plan to train them in their maintenance or to provide them with replacement parts; gigantic salaries paid to contractors; and endless rewriting of the strategy for a war that had already dragged on for 11 years. It was a visceral, personal lesson in quagmire.
There is an assumption in Washington to which the establishments in both parties subscribe: American military power is the antidote to all the world’s problems. This notion is so deeply entrenched that all the empirical evidence to the contrary has done nothing to shake the conviction of those engaged in making foreign policy.
Secretary Clinton deserves credit for backing away from her Iraq War vote, but she seems to have learned nothing from its disastrous fallout.
She supported the intervention in Libya, which took place without Congressional authorization and has left anarchy in its wake; she has been a leading voice among those calling for the U.S. to take a more active role in Syria; and she has backed the Obama administration’s expansive drone war, which has served as an effective propaganda tool for terrorist recruiters.
Clinton’s supporters tout her foreign policy acumen.
In large part it is how they distinguish her from her rival. Senator Sanders, they argue, dodges foreign policy questions and lacks in-depth knowledge of and plans for dealing with the international crises of our day. What that really means is that Senator Sanders has not bought into the establishment’s assumptions about American power....
.....snip....
Please read the rest here~
http://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2016/02/26/super-tuesday-clinton-versus-sanders-andrew-carleen
The Slow Bern
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
by
Common Dreams
Slow Bern: The Sanders Candidacy In Perspective
by Chris Siebert
It’s true folks, Hillary Clinton has caught up with Bernie Sanders, and they are now tied in delegates. This is becoming a real race!
The fact that Sen. Sanders is running such a successful campaign is quite historic in the context of our recent political history. It’s wonderful that so many people are excited by Bernie, especially young people.
He is shaking up the campaign and the democratic party, which really needs some shaking.
Bernie has inspired millions of Americans because he is a hard-working public servant with a long history of honesty and consistency on the big issues. His refusal to accept Super PAC money has gone a long way towards convincing people that he's not bought and sold. His integrity and record, including his record on veteran’s rights, give him a broad appeal that may make him the most electable candidate, because he’s getting a lot of support from independents, and even some republican voters.
Bernie electable? You may laugh. But for those who don’t think that America will elect a Jewish socialist hippie carpenter, let’s not forget that tens of millions of Americans worship the archetypal Jewish socialist hippie carpenter every Sunday (and one with very long hair).
That being said, I hope that we can agree that it’s not the person that we are voting for that is the most important thing, it is their program, a set of policies that will improve the lives of our fellow citizens and make us a better neighbor in the world.
Bernie is setting forth a program that is by far the most sensible set of proposals for our nation:
*Civil rights for all Americans: Racial justice, women’s rights, LGBT rights, disability rights
*Reform of our justice system & prison system, including ending private prisons
*A fair immigration and humane policy
*Single payer health care
*Free public colleges and universities
*A living wage for all Americans
*Public investment in infrastructure and energy to create decent paying jobs
*Expanding social security by lifting the cap on payroll taxes
*Financial regulation and Wall Street reform
*Progressive taxation to reduce income inequality
*Campaign finance reform to strengthen democracy
*A rational foreign policy
*Environmental policies to combat climate change
Bernie is a self-described democratic socialist, inspired by the wealthy nations of northern Europe, including Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, France and the Netherlands. It’s important to realize that, in the context of our history, he is not a radical. When you look at his program, as Robert Kuttner has pointed out, he is essentially a New Deal democrat like FDR and Harry Truman (remember, Harry Truman tried to pass single-payer health care in 1948, almost 70 years ago).
New Deal democrats became rare in the 90s.
Pres. Bill Clinton, under pressure from the racist Reagan revolution, ended up passing right-wing policies that Reagan could only dream of, including welfare reform, the crime bill, deregulation (esp. the repeal of Glass-Steagall) and NAFTA.
In fact, the progressive agenda has stalled and been set back for well over 30 years, ever since Reagan became president. So there is a lot of work to be done, and Bernie is showing the country what is possible.
And it’s not pie in the sky. The sorts of policies that Bernie is proposing work in every other wealthy nation in the industrial democratic world: Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. None of these nations is a perfect utopia. They all have their problems. But we can learn from them, because they have solved many of the problems that we face. Perhaps they can learn from us as well.
...snip...
Read the rest~
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/02/24/slow-bern-sanders-candidacy-perspective
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Why Wall Street Gives Hillary Clinton Millions of Dollars
By Michael Sainato • 02/09/16
Hillary Clinton’s responses to criticism over speaking fees and donations from Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs have failed to put an end to questions surrounding the large sums of money she received. “I made speeches to lots of groups,” she responded to Anderson Cooper during the CNN Democratic Townhall on February 3. “I don’t know. That’s what they offered,” she shrugged.
...snip....didn't want to....
Ms. Clinton argues speaking fees and donations have never influenced any of her votes, but The Boston Globe reported that during her eight years in the Senate, she avoided taking stances on financial legislation, as bills ushered into legislation during her husband’s administration—such as the repeal of Glass Steagall in 1999 and the Commodities Futures Modernization Act—established a laissez-faire attitude towards the financial industry from the government.
....snip.....
A few weeks into Ms. Clinton’s position as Secretary of State in 2009, she helped UBS settle a lawsuit with the IRS, saving them millions of dollars. Shortly after, her husband received $1.5 million in speaking fees from UBS, while donations from UBS to the Clinton Foundation increased exponentially.
Clinton advisors have also lobbied to repeal many reforms enacted by Dodd-Frank.
Ms. Clinton’s campaign staff includes many former lobbyists, like her chief pollster and strategist Joel Benenson, who ran a consulting firm retained to lobby on repealing parts of Dodd-Frank—legislation meant to regulate the financial industry in the post-2008 economic recession, by the Financial Services Forum.
The brother of the Clinton Campaign’s Chairman and lobbyist, Tony Podesta, told The Hill in a 2015 interview that he anticipated President Obama’s ban on lobbyists would not be continued by a Clinton administration.
The enormous speaking fees and donations racked up by the Clintons from the financial services industry represent much more than the “artful smear” Ms. Clinton attempted to dismiss during the 5th Democratic Debate.
Ms. Clinton’s record of getting paid substantially by large financial firms suggests her allegiance is aligned with their interests, rather than the American public. Nothing in her record or rebuttals suggests otherwise.
http://observer.com/2016/02/why-wall-street-gives-hillary-clinton-millions-of-dollars/
Hillary In Her Own Words
Hard to believe her campaign has an enthusiasm problem, eh?
Want to understand what we're talking about when we say 'Third Way Democrats'?
Watch this & learn about it. Including the "bloodless coup" of the Democratic Party planned by The Right. (Yes it involves Clinton1)
Third Way hates regulation. They view Elizabeth Warren as a threat. Cowen wants economic populism to be buried. These people are republicans.
Democrats hear the warm & fuzzy things said by Third Way Democrats, and then fail to notice what they're doing to our economy...
So much covered.
Progressives, we need to stand up and be who we are. Third Way is terrified of that. That's why they hate Bernie Sanders so much....
An excellent & thorough discussion~
This will help GOTV - Obama: "Labor unions...they are not happy with me on this"
2/22/16
President Obama said he is “cautiously optimistic” that Congress will pass his signature Pacific Rim trade deal, but he acknowledged opposition in both parties and election-year politics could stall the pact.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we can still get it done,” Obama told a gathering of the National Governors Association at the White House.
Facing opposition from labor unions and Democratic leaders in Congress, the president said he would rely on a coalition of pro-trade Democrats and Republicans in Congress to advance the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
“Labor unions — and I am a big labor guy — they are not happy with me on this,” Obama said.
The president said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) “have been supportive of this trade deal” though they have “concerns along the margins.”
Obama said he would send the agreement to Congress for a vote “at some point this year,” but did not indicate a specific date.
If Congress does ratify the agreement, it would be a major legacy-defining accomplishment for Obama.
The massive trade deal comprises 40 percent of the world economy and it would be a significant step toward achieving his administration’s pivot toward Asia.
But the agreement faces staunch opposition both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
........read the rest~
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/270273-obama-cautiously-optimistic-on-tpp-trade-deal
You know, some years back, I heard some good news. Despite the fact that Bill Clinton opened up China to the WTO & we lost much of our manufacturing to them, the Chinese were getting a taste of middle class & wanted more & would start demanding higher wages.
I read that the jobs would start to come back to the US because of this.
But no, my Democratic president who ran as a "progressive" president is opening up new countries for trade with slave wages like China used to be. So no, the jobs won't be coming back to the US after all.
Why do they think people will still line up behind them when they keeping ripping away jobs from US????
GO Bernie! Go "Made in the USA"!!!!!!!!!
Make your primary vote count. Hillary is all in for this TPP. She helped draft it when she was SoS, so of course she is.
FYI - President Emeritus of the NH AFL-CIO all IN for Bernie Sanders!!
Mark MacKenzie, the President Emeritus of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, spoke with Talk Media New's Ellen Ratner about his support for 2016 Democratic contender Bernie Sanders.
MANCHESTER, N.H. (Talk Media News) – Mark MacKenzie, the President Emeritus of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, spoke with Talk Media New’s Ellen Ratner about his support for 2016 Democratic contender Bernie Sanders.
“He is one of the most genuine progressive candidates that I’ve had the opportunity to see and meet,” MacKenzie said. “He is, from a progressive’s perspective, he is an interesting man and almost a dream come true.”
MacKenzie said that he was initially worried that Sanders would not be able to mount the name recognition and money necessary to run a campaign, but his campaign has proven able.
https://soundcloud.com/talkmedianews/listen-president-emeritus-of-the-nh-afl-cio-on-bernie-sanders
Thousands Greet Bernie Sanders In Greenville, SC
Thousands Greet Bernie Sanders In Greenville
By Krystyne Brown Published: February 21, 2016, 4:36 pm Updated: February 21, 2016, 11:17 pm
With the Republican Primary in the books the attention turns to the Democratic Primary next Saturday.
Sunday afternoon, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders already visited the Upstate. The day after losing the Nevada Caucuses, Sanders was greeted by thousands of supporters cheering him on in Greenville.
“Don’t you feel the Bern?,” Actor Danny Glover asked the excited crowd. He went on to tell them they were part of a campaign that would bring change for our country. “It is an historic campaign,” he said.
South Carolina for Bernie Sanders "We make our history" - Danny Glover as he introduces Bernie Sanders in Greenville
Sanders returned the gratitude to Glover. He said, “Unlike other people who have achieved celebrity status, what Danny has done is use it in the fight for racial and economic justice in our country and I thank him.”
Sanders says the campaign is gaining momentum because he’s listening to the needs of Americans from all backgrounds.
“He is an incredibly honest man who listens to the people,” Sam Baker said.
“He is very morally correct,” Jennifer Buchanan added. “It is about helping others and uniting as a people.”
http://wspa.com/2016/02/21/watch-live-bernie-sanders-hosts-rally-in-greenville/
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