May 19, 2016

Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders

ESPECIALLY #5, IMHO.
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Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders
by Trevor Timm * May 19, 2016 * The Guardian

It seems to be open season on Bernie Sanders in the Democratic party now that his chances of winning the nomination are dwindling. But the criticism of him is misguided and hypocritical, and he is doing the right thing by largely ignoring it.

Here’s a breakdown of what the party’s establishment is saying and why it makes little sense.
1. Bernie should stop criticizing Clinton! (for 1-3, see link)
2. Bernie should criticize Trump more!
3. Stop criticizing the party!
4. Bernie should drop out!
There is nothing worse than Democratic establishment politicians decreeing that Sanders must drop out or feigning horror that his supporters sometimes don’t unquestionably support other Democratic politicians on 100% of the issues.

Again, let’s look back at the 2008 race: the Clinton camp said she had every right to stay in the race for as long as she wants, even though it was clear that Obama would win. She even said one of her reasons was “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California” before the Democratic convention in 1968. If Sanders said something like that he would be raked over the coals (and rightly, I might add).

It’s not politicians who should be dictating when Sanders drops out, that’s the voters’ job. And Sanders, despite finding his mathematical chance increasingly dwindling, continues to win primaries. Last night he won Oregon, for example. So it seems that voters don’t want him to drop out, only the politicians who are tied to the system he is constantly criticizing do.

5. Sanders supporters are out of control!
Certainly the behavior of a few Sanders supporters crossed the line in Nevada last week, which Sanders himself has acknowledged. But the lengths the Clinton camp and the media has gone to turn this election into a referendum on who has the better behaving supporters really has taken away from the important issues the candidates were debating.

What’s worse is Clinton surrogates outrage over a very small minority of Sanders supporters claiming they don’t want to support Clinton in the general election. As many commentators have pointed out in response to the countless “Bernie bro” think pieces that are churned out on a regular basis, every candidate has awful supporters.

The Clinton camp also seems to have conveniently forgotten that the phenomenon known as Pumas, hardcore Clinton supporters who were so intent on not supporting Obama after the 2008 Democratic primaries that they literally named their contingent “Party Unity My Ass.” And surprise, surprise, after a few months that controversy was largely ancient history and Clinton supporters overwhelmingly voted for Obama, because the other general election candidate was much worse.

Bernie Sanders has certainly been a shot in the arm for the Democratic party. But that is only a good thing, and I, for one, hope he continues.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/19/bernie-sanders-establishment-democrats-stop-arguments-primaries

May 19, 2016

Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders

Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders
by Trevor Timm * May 19, 2016 * The Guardian

It seems to be open season on Bernie Sanders in the Democratic party now that his chances of winning the nomination are dwindling. But the criticism of him is misguided and hypocritical, and he is doing the right thing by largely ignoring it.

Here’s a breakdown of what the party’s establishment is saying and why it makes little sense.
1 Bernie should stop criticizing Clinton! (for 1-3, see link)
2 Bernie should criticize Trump more!
3 Stop criticizing the party!
4 Bernie should drop out!
There is nothing worse than Democratic establishment politicians decreeing that Sanders must drop out or feigning horror that his supporters sometimes don’t unquestionably support other Democratic politicians on 100% of the issues.

Again, let’s look back at the 2008 race: the Clinton camp said she had every right to stay in the race for as long as she wants, even though it was clear that Obama would win. She even said one of her reasons was “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California” before the Democratic convention in 1968. If Sanders said something like that he would be raked over the coals (and rightly, I might add).

It’s not politicians who should be dictating when Sanders drops out, that’s the voters’ job. And Sanders, despite finding his mathematical chance increasingly dwindling, continues to win primaries. Last night he won Oregon, for example. So it seems that voters don’t want him to drop out, only the politicians who are tied to the system he is constantly criticizing do.

5 Sanders supporters are out of control!
Certainly the behavior of a few Sanders supporters crossed the line in Nevada last week, which Sanders himself has acknowledged. But the lengths the Clinton camp and the media has gone to turn this election into a referendum on who has the better behaving supporters really has taken away from the important issues the candidates were debating.

What’s worse is Clinton surrogates outrage over a very small minority of Sanders supporters claiming they don’t want to support Clinton in the general election. As many commentators have pointed out in response to the countless “Bernie bro” think pieces that are churned out on a regular basis, every candidate has awful supporters.

The Clinton camp also seems to have conveniently forgotten that the phenomenon known as Pumas, hardcore Clinton supporters who were so intent on not supporting Obama after the 2008 Democratic primaries that they literally named their contingent “Party Unity My Ass.” And surprise, surprise, after a few months that controversy was largely ancient history and Clinton supporters overwhelmingly voted for Obama, because the other general election candidate was much worse.

Bernie Sanders has certainly been a shot in the arm for the Democratic party. But that is only a good thing, and I, for one, hope he continues.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/19/bernie-sanders-establishment-democrats-stop-arguments-primaries

May 19, 2016

Maddow: "EEEK!! Bernie's going to destroy the Democratic Party."

She is beside herself that Sanders had the audacity actually "running to win",
rather than simply running a "protest campaign" and calling it good.

But wait, now she's saying Sanders supporters are "violent" and planning to
disrupt the convention and irreparably split the Party with mass civil "defiance"
and disobedience.

Man, Rachael is getting harder to watch every day. The M$M lies about "violence"
at the NV convention have been debunked, yet the lies continue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=OYaR4X2KDmkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=OYaR4X2KDmk

May 16, 2016

Get it while you still can,

re Hillary's FBI email investigation
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1280&pid=195982


This was the SECOND time this was hidden by a jury. it's an important read, which you
can still see and read for yourself (and go to the link) provided you click on "SHOW POST". You
can't post of course, but I hope Berners avail yourselves of this into.

May 15, 2016

HOW THE HIGH COST OF JUSTICE PUSHES THE POOR INTO PRISON

Criminalizing the poor is a nasty cancer in our society, The homelessness epidemic -- where
people are routinely criminalized simply for not having a place to sleep legally -- is just the
most visible tip of this ugly iceberg.

________________

HOW THE HIGH COST OF JUSTICE PUSHES THE POOR INTO PRISON
by Alice Speri * May 13 2016 * The Intercept

IN THE AMERICAN justice system, there’s often an assumption that if you can’t afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you. But thousands of Americans arriving in court each year over family disputes, domestic violence, eviction, foreclosure, denied wages, discrimination on the job, and an array of other civil issues have no right to counsel. If they can’t afford a lawyer, they’re on their own to face a system that is often confusing and riddled with fees. For poorer citizens, the cost of seeking justice often becomes so prohibitive they just give up.

Even as criminal justice reform and the reduction of mass incarceration gain support across party lines, civil rights advocates warn that the inaccessibility of the civil justice system tends to channel people into the criminal system. Those with no access to the courts are more likely to take justice in their own hands, lose homes, or face incarceration over failure to pay child support or fines they can’t afford. For some, denials of justice in civil cases can lead to crimes of survival.

A national survey published by the National Center for Access to Justice this week found that people in poverty have virtually no access to civil aid attorneys — only .64 are available per 10,000, as opposed to an average of 40 lawyers per 10,000 people in the general population. “I don’t think most people appreciate how high the stakes are in our civil justice system,” said David Udell, executive director of the group. “The justice system on the civil side has to work in order to reduce conflict. If the civil justice system doesn’t work, there is a slope that leads into the criminal justice system.”

Civil legal aid attorneys — only 6,953 out of some 1.3 million lawyers nationwide — are funded by a combination of federal, local, and private money, but with some 21 million new civil cases filed every year, a majority of poor people seeking civil legal aid are turned down.

https://theintercept.com/2016/05/13/too-poor-for-justice/

May 14, 2016

Maryland Decertifies Results of Recent Primary - 296 Delegates at bay pending inquiry

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND’S PRIMARY RESULTS DECERTIFIED BY STATE BOARD, PROVISIONAL BALLOTS FOUND NOT COUNTED, OTHER IRREGULARITIES
by DAWN PAPPLE * MAY 12, 2016 * Inquisitr.com

Maryland held its primary elections two weeks ago, but on Thursday, the State Board of Elections ordered the decertification of the Baltimore primary election results. The election results in Baltimore had been certified on Monday, but a precinct-by-precinct review of voter irregularities is now underway.

The State Board of Elections called for the decertification of the Baltimore election results after 80 provisional ballots were discovered uncounted. Linda H. Lamone, the State Board of Elections administrator, told WJZ that there were also a number of discrepancies at more than one precinct of a different nature. There were a number of people who had checked in at their polling locations, who either never cast their ballots or their ballots are unaccounted for.

“They are supposed to report that information to me before the election is certified,” Lamone explained. “Baltimore City did it I think about the same time and when we looked at the reconciliation we saw that there were some discrepancies that we weren’t happy with.”

Additionally, election watchdogs claimed that there were late openings at polling locations, voters who had been turned away at their polling locations, voters who had been misdirected by poll workers, a rush to train enough election judges to handle any voting issues, and data files of the actual election results that went missing for one day.

Consequently, all 296 precincts are now under review.

http://www.inquisitr.com/3090462/baltimore-marylands-primary-results-decertified-by-state-board-provisional-ballots-found-not-counted-other-irregularities/

May 13, 2016

What has become of WillyT?

I just realized I haven't seen a post by him in quite awhile. I really
miss his energy and enthusiasm.

May 12, 2016

None of these things matter, because I'm with Hillary. I'm with her.

From Facebook:

I'm with Hillary. I'm with her.
ZACH BULLS * FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016 * Facebook

I don't care if she voted for the War in Iraq. I don't care if she encouraged other members of Congress to vote for the war by stating it was a good business opportunity. Afterward she said it was a mistake and she's sorry for that. It doesn't matter that we spent $5.5 trillion dollars and killed hundreds of thousands of people in the process. It doesn't matter that the war did nothing to curb terrorism, but instead only created more terrorists and increased the incidence of worldwide terrorism. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if she accepts money from super pacs. It doesn't matter that she made exorbitant amounts of money from paid speeches to major corporations. It doesn't matter if these funds cause her to favor the welfare of corporations over people. It doesn't matter if it causes her to choose war over peaceful alternatives in order to bolster the profits of our military industrial complex. It doesn't matter if it causes her to relax regulations on big oil which further contaminates our water and our air. It doesn't matter if she compromises our commitment to renewable energy and diminishes our effort to address climate change. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if she advocates worldwide fracking. It doesn't matter that scientists consider this harmful to our environment and a major contributor to climate change. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if she allows the medical and pharmaceutical industries to overcharge for their products and services. It doesn't matter that it places a financial strain on people who suffer life-threatening ailments. It doesn't matter that it often causes their families to go bankrupt. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if she and her husband passed the Omnibus Bill and Three Strikes You're Out. It doesn't matter that these policies helped to privatize prisons which led to the incarceration of numerous young adults for petty crimes. It doesn't matter that these folks are charged with felonies and find it difficult to obtain good jobs after serving unwarranted prison terms. It doesn't matter that their families are made to suffer as well. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if she and her husband pushed for and adopted Welfare Reform that allowed states to redistribute funds that would have otherwise gone toward food stamps and low-income housing. It doesn't matter that it caused hundreds of thousands of children to go without food and proper shelter. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if she and her husband repealed Glass-Steagall. It doesn't matter that it caused the economic crash of 2008. It doesn't matter that the crash was caused by corrupt business practices. It doesn't matter that the executives responsible for it were not charged with crimes. It doesn't matter that the bailout cost taxpayers billions of dollars. It doesn't matter that property values plummeted and good people ended up foreclosing on their homes. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if Hillary and her husband promoted NAFTA, CAFTA, and TPP. It doesn't matter that these trade agreements served only to give corporations more power over common people. It doesn't matter that they have kept wages low and sent millions of jobs outside the U.S. It doesn't matter that they have caused working families to see their purchase power significantly decrease over the past 25 years. It doesn't matter that they have caused young adults to find it increasingly more difficult to purchase homes and manage their lives without extreme debt. It doesn't matter because I'm with her.

I don't care if there is a candidate out there who opposed all these things. It doesn't matter that this candidate has fought to keep money out of politics. It doesn't matter that this candidate has fought to limit the power of corporations over people. It doesn't matter that this candidate consistently stands up and fights for the oppressed. It doesn't matter that he is consistently on the right side of causes, even when those causes are unpopular. It doesn't matter. No, it doesn't matter because I'm with her.

May 11, 2016

Targeting Big Pharma Price Gouging, Sanders Backs California Ballot Fight

This man, named Bernie Sanders, has his antenna fully functioning & he identifies
most with "the least of these", i.e. victims of systemic violence and
abuse, and the casualties of The War Against the Poor.

In terms of candidates for public office, it doesn't get much better than Bernie, and
I stand proudly with him and the rest of humanity, what's Left of it.

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Targeting Big Pharma Price Gouging, Sanders Backs California Ballot Fight
'It is no surprise that the pharmaceutical industry has already dedicated $50 million to defeat this ballot initiative. Their greed has no end.'
May 10, 2016 * Source: Common Dreams

Backing a citizen-led initiative to combat soaring drugs prices in California, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Tuesday endorsed a ballot proposal designed to curb what he described as a corporate "rip-off" of the state's sick and vulnerable.

"It is no surprise that the pharmaceutical industry has already dedicated $50 million to defeat this ballot initiative. Their greed has no end. Enough is enough! Drug companies shouldn’t be allowed to make billions of dollars in profits off of people with cancer and AIDS who are in desperate need of lifesaving drugs. I hope very much that this ballot initiative passes." —Bernie Sanders"While Congress has failed to stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry, the people of California can by supporting this ballot initiative," Sanders said while campaigning in the state on Tuesday.

Called the California Drug Price Relief Act, the measure in question, as described by the San Francisco Chronicle, "would restrict California health programs from paying more for prescription drugs than what’s paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs." Given the enormous leverage of the VA, those drug prices are often the lowest available anywhere in the nation.

Backed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the National Nurses United (NNU), and Californians for Lower Drug Prices campaign, voters will have a chance to vote on the initiative in November after supporters collected more than half a million signatures to get it on the ballot.

Mike Roth, a spokesman for Californians for Lower Drug Prices, has called the proposal "the most comprehensive drug price reduction initiative" California has put before voters in more than a decade and a very real opportunity to combat the "greed" of Big Pharma.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/10/targeting-big-pharma-price-gouging-sanders-backs-california-ballot-fight

May 11, 2016

Sanders Wins West Virginia Primary (And No, It's NOT Inconsequential)

Sanders Wins West Virginia Primary - And No, It's Not "Inconsequential&quot
'Regardless of what the mainstream media would like you to believe, these victories matter.'
byJon Queally, staff writer * May 10, 2016 * Common Dreams

Bolstering his argument that voters in every state deserve a chance to have their preference registered, Bernie Sanders proved too much for rival Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's Democratic primary in West Virginia, a state she carried handily in 2008 when running against Barack Obama.

With nearly half of precincts reporting, NBC News reports that Sanders had captured 51 percent of the vote compared to Clinton's 39 percent. ~snip~

"With this outcome, we now have won primaries and caucuses in 19 states. We are in this campaign to win the Democratic nomination and we’re going to stay in the race until the last vote is cast. We expect more victories in the weeks to come when voters go to the polls in Kentucky, Oregon, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and the District of Columbia.

"We fully acknowledge we have an uphill climb ahead of us, but we’re used to that. We have been fighting uphill from the day this campaign began. And after all the votes are cast and counted and this contest moves to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, the delegates will decide which candidate is the strongest nominee to take on Donald Trump in November. All of the evidence indicates that I am that candidate.

"As voters in the remaining states and territories make up their minds about the future of the Democratic Party, I believe they deserve a chance to compare my record and Secretary Clinton’s record on creating jobs, raising the minimum wage, war and peace, the need for health care for all, breaking up big banks, combating climate change and other critical issues. Secretary Clinton’s campaign already has agreed to another debate in California. I hope that we can soon settle on a date and place for that debate."

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/10/sanders-wins-west-virginia-primary-and-no-its-not-inconsequential