This is what we're losing by voting Status Quo, Establishment Hillary

[RiverLover]

Paul Rosenberg has written at great piece featured over at Salon:

SUNDAY, APR 17, 2016 05:59 AM EDT
Our media is just this dumb: Easily suckered press screws Bernie Sanders again

.....He makes his point on the utter stupidity of media using several recent examples. It deserves it's own thread. But towards the end of the article about our harmful media, he makes the case for the reason I, and many many others, support Bernie Sanders.

When Bernie was in the House, he started the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

What they put forth is always sound, fair, feasible, and positively wonderful for the country. Their proposals always get snuffed out by establishment reps representing Moneyed Interests over People.

The example in the article, of what the US could do if it weren't for a corrupt political process, is perfect to illustrate how different things could be if Bernie won & our priorities were re-aligned to benefit communities across the country~

In stark contrast, the Congressional Progressive Caucus—which Sanders co-founded when he first entered Congress—has repeatedly put forth its own “People’s Budget” proposals that actually do dramatically reduce the deficit.

Their 2012 fiscal year budget, for example, would have eliminated the deficit complete by 2021:

Instead of eroding America’s hard-earned retirement plan and social safety net, our budget targets the true drivers of deficits in the next decade: the Bush Tax Cuts, the wars overseas, and the causes and effects of the recent recession. By implementing a fair tax code, by building a resilient American economy, and by bringing our troops home, we achieve a budget surplus of over $30 billion by 2021 and we end up with a debt that is less than 65% of our GDP. This is what sustainability looks like.

But year after year, the establishment that has lionized Ryan’s budget prowess simply ignores the People’s Budget. They refuse to even consider that progressives might have better ideas, which actually add up in the real world. So now that Sanders is running a presidential campaign, based in part on the same sort of budget priorities, they must find a new way to avoid that discussion—by trying to denigrate Sanders’ policy wonk credentials.

....snip....

But, of course, it would be genuinely refreshing if the media would take a more detailed look at the kinds of workable ideas that Sanders and/or his supporters represent. Back in July, I wrote about the massive majorities that support Sanders-style politics. I referred to the “Big Ideas” poll commissioned by the Progressive Change Institute in January, which was ignored by the establishment media, just as the People’s Budget had been, year after year.

From that poll, the following all received 70% support or more:

Allow Government to Negotiate Drug Prices (79%)
Give Students the Same Low Interest Rates as Big Banks (78%)
Universal Pre-Kindergarten (77%)
Fair Trade that Protects Workers, the Environment, and Jobs (75%)
End Tax Loopholes for Corporations that Ship Jobs Overseas (74%)
End Gerrymandering (73%)
Let Homeowners Pay Down Mortgage With 401k (72%)
Debt-Free College at All Public Universities (Message A) (71%)
Infrastructure Jobs Program — $400 Billion/Year (71%)
Require NSA to Get Warrants (71%)
Disclose Corporate Spending on Politics/Lobbying (71%)
Medicare Buy-In for All (71%)
Close Offshore Corporate Tax Loopholes (70%)
Green New Deal — Millions Of Clean-Energy Jobs (70%)
Full Employment Act (70%)
Expand Social Security Benefits (70%)

As I wrote at the time:

All of the above are in line with Bernie Sanders’ politics and all are extremely popular, with support across the political spectrum. For example, the infrastructure jobs program (a key element of Sanders’ platform) had 91% support from Democrats, 61% from independents and even 55% support from Republicans—compared to only 28% who were opposed. Donald Trump can only dream of being that popular among Republicans.

Those are the sorts of popular issues directly or indirectly implicated in the Sanders campaign. A serious substantive campaign focused on them would not only serve the interests and desires of the majority of the American people; it would also provide an excellent framework for evaluating just who is really qualified to be the kind of leader that our nation really needs.

http://www.salon.com/2016/04/17/our_media_is_just_this_dumb_easily_suckered_press_screws_bernie_sanders_again/

[Human101948]

1. Instead we get "compromise," incrementally inching us toward the right...

cosying up to Wall Street and corporate interests, while maintaining a "strong defense" which is a euphemism for neverending war.

[RiverLover]

2. REALLY well said.

Its heartbreaking.

But you know, she IS a woman, & its her turn...

[FreakinDJ]

3. Look at the number of replies to this thread

Moving in "Lock-Step" only produces the results Lobbyist have paid for

When we questioned Bush during the Iraq War build up the Right chanted we were UnAmerican. When we questioned Obama's choices for Treasury even the Left cried we were Haters

Is it unconceivable for Democrats to Support their President while at the same time questioning or even protesting their choices ?


I think we all understand the role of corporate money in politics. We understood why Obama resorted to seeking the same Financial Corporate donors we protest against today. Doesn't mean we have to be silent when those corporate donors are repaid by the placement of "Their Guy" into the role Secretary of the Treasury

A simple concept

[RiverLover]

8. Third Way Democratic Underground.

Lets be honest. Only seeing it as a sport with team allegiance, regardless of "our" team acting as bad as "their" team.

[Dragonfli]

12. Agreed, they see it as a game, preferring to pretend the balls being tossed around are human lives.

...They think this is a game, or a sport with my team and their team, not realizing or caring that the ball that is tossed around in this sport is a child that only gets to eat at school and will soon lose that food, or the ball is an elderly widow or widower that can only afford to take their medicine every other day or maybe will freeze to death in a small flat during a winter they could not pay their gas bill (this happens ALREADY where I live).

There are many other balls tossed around for their sport and amusement, too many to list them all here, some are dead or dying, some are living under a tarp in a vacant lot hoping the cops don't roust them or the suburban teenagers don't decide to slum it and amuse themselves by assaulting them while laughing and taunting the "bum" for cell phone footage. Some of these comfortable people give advice to "the poor that in fact do OK" as a famous DLC Democrat once said. One of the Conservative DU posters once even suggested dumpster diving as a viable and reasonable option....

More

[Martin Eden]

4. "Liberal Media" is a BIG LIE

The corporate media serves the oligarchy as much as the politicians who've been bought and paid for.

[RiverLover]

6. Exactly. Its all theatre, even manufactured outrage over something that doesn't exist.

I wish we had liberal media.

[Armstead]

5. Yes it's too bad we blew a chance to run on actual issues

[uponit7771]

7. We're losing a lot less vs voting for Status Quo with "no revolution till now" Bernie Sanders

[Doctor_J]

9. Huge numbers of those 70% would join the democratic party if the party would embrace Sanders

ideology instead of Clinton's. I can't understand why the dc dems and the hillarians don't want liberals in the party any more.

[Dragonfli]

13. Because they grow wealthy with the system, policies, and things as they are now, it's that simple nt

[apnu]

10. This is a breath of fresh air.

Finally a post that isnt re-treading ugly familiar ground of Clinton scandal history or confusing Bill Clinton with Hillary.

It ignores all that and sticks to the issues without ugly emotional pleas.

Thank you.

[RiverLover]

14. My pleasure. Thanks for the shout out, apnu!

It isn't too yellow journalistic, controversial, gossip mag level, so I hope more eyes see it before it inevitably drops into oblivion.

I hope more people keep all of this in mind if they haven't voted yet in their state.

[Dragonfli]

11. Thank you RiverLover For this great post and the article that it brings to light I was unaware of

I have only read your post and excerpt so far, but have bookmarked for later when I will have more time to read it in it's entirety with the attention and relaxed contemplation such an article deserves. I also intend to read the earlier article mentioned regarding the "Big Ideas" Poll.

I would certainly agree with the author regarding the media, I do not own a TV, nor can I afford it's generally required vehicle for content expanded beyond the limited local range one can view with only an antenna (such as cable or satellite services) but see enough clips and online "news" from the prevailing sources to realize that only corporate favored and friendly news passes through it's owner imposed filters, true journalism appears quite dead, while propaganda and sensationalized trivia appear to dominate, leaving the citizens quite deliberately uninformed and thus not well prepared voters in any election.

Strange, how I knew intuitively how such polls would play out, strange not because I do not speak with others in an attempt to understand and realize their views even if they are the sort I disagree with on many things, but mainly because my access to people to discuss much of anything with, has been greatly reduced to a poor demographic in only one neighborhood, as I lack transportation and the health to travel to various gatherings of more diverse representations of the income strata as I once did.

I can say that even among Fox brainwashed members of my community (smaller than one might think in an any community) but not as surprising when the fact that my neighborhood is culturally and racially diverse rather than segregated is revealed which might explain that.

Of those I have discussed issues in detail with, (a great many people lately due to my canvassing efforts of late) have revealed to me this underlying agreement on the issues polled that were included in your snip of the article, by much greater averages in fact here than described in the article, most likely due to the desperation felt by a lower working class poor area such as mine.

I have lived n other areas as well, not the very wealthy ones but middle and upper middle class ones and on certain things people do agree on, even from surprising sources like places where financial comfort is not an issue.

The truth is, IMO, the older among us remember such thinking as described and approaches taken in their favor in the past that worked out quite well for most of us and our parents as well as the health of our country in general.

While our younger people appear to see a rather bleak future and lack the memories of such a past and many simply would prefer not to think about it and therefore often amuse themselves in their free time with gossip stuff and games of varying types (because they see no power to change things IMO), but I will say the younger generation appear to be "on to the news" or rather it's lack of credibility and long for a better future, some of them actively try to work towards that while others that don't still wish it, I was delighted when speaking to a young local activist that was passionately expressing her ideas towards a better future that was stunned to hear that many of the ideas were not only thought of in the past, but were in some cases implemented with successful outcomes. One could easily see how such a young woman might respond to such polls.

The country is ready for a progressive agenda but are being repressed by the biggest of lies that none of these truly, rather than falsely labeled "pragmatic" ideas are possible, impractical, or under the direct influence of propaganda that have them believing the public does not agree on such things as were polled, but rather against them and so believe it an uphill or impossible battle which would explain the fear driven incremental steps preferences of some (meaning slower rightward and wealth inequality no matter how such steps are advertised).

The time is now, we are the country, we could be the revolution that brings these popular ideas of the future in spite of the disinformation, cheating and lying that have so many believing otherwise.

The campaign that best fits that poll would win in a landslide in a fair election with a well informed public, of this I have no doubt, our main job beyond the obvious calling and canvasing is to spread the truth to counter the lies which are keeping the status quo alive against the true wishes of a very large majority of Americans.

[RiverLover]

15. Thanks for such a thoughtful post, Dragonfli.

It's really encouraging that the younger generation seem to be seeing through the con game played on US by the msm. Thanks to the internet, really.

(And for me, I'm thankful for the knowledge I've gotten from the internet & the ability to "talk" with people like you, who I would never meet in RL!)

Its too bad the internet wasn't around 30 years ago. Maybe we could have stopped the Third Way train of destruction.

[RiverLover]

16. Shamelessly kicking for the night crew.

GO Progressives!!

We need this one.

[Demsrule86]

17. Potential win for Democrats if Hillary Clinton is elected-and if Bernie won which won't happen

The most important thing and probably only thing with a gerrymandered house...is five Scotus justices. You want a revolution...take back the states.