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pantsonfire
pantsonfire's Journal
pantsonfire's Journal
April 14, 2016
Let Us Whisper Of A Dream, The Young Turks
April 14, 2016
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/young-turks-rosario-dawson-and-nomiki-konst-debunk-myth-hillary-clinton-being-good
Watch: Rosario Dawson Slams Clinton for Hypocrisy About Israel's Wall vs Trump's Wall
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/young-turks-rosario-dawson-and-nomiki-konst-debunk-myth-hillary-clinton-being-good
April 14, 2016
2. Donations: In particular, Sanders may bring up the $225,000 Verizon paid Clinton for a speech in 2013. Both Clinton and Sanders joined picket lines of Verizon workers on Wednesday, who are striking over a labor dispute. The main labor union representing workers has endorsed Sanders.
3. Devil in the details: Clinton will likely respond to any attempts to tie her to Wall Street by citing Sanders' interview with theNew York Daily News editorial board, where he failed explain clearly his plan to break up the big banks. He also struggled in that interview with foreign policy, an issue Clinton surrogates highlighted Thursday. Clinton will likely contrast that meeting with her own, better-reviewed interview with the same paper.
4. Gun fight: Gun policy has been one of Clinton's most effective weapons against Sanders all year, allowing her to outflank the Vermonter on his left. But the issue is especially resonant in New York City, where gun crimes are an all-too-common fact of life.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/four-things-watch-tonight-s-democratic-debate-n556186
Bonus: Opposition-research bomb? The former secretary of state tends to come prepared with a little tidbit of previously unused opposition research to try and catch Sanders off guard, which her camp keeps tightly under wraps. In New Hampshire, it was a vote Sanders took on a non-binding Senate resolution in favor of regime change. In Michigan, it was his vote against the auto industry bailout. The attacks sometimes unravel under scrutiny, but have a tendency to grab headlines or knock Sanders off balance. Will she have one Thursday? And will Sanders come with is own?
Four Things to Watch for in Tonight's Democratic Debate
1. Tone wars: Expect both candidates to take umbrage at the others' tone — even while replacing their own gloves with brass knuckles.2. Donations: In particular, Sanders may bring up the $225,000 Verizon paid Clinton for a speech in 2013. Both Clinton and Sanders joined picket lines of Verizon workers on Wednesday, who are striking over a labor dispute. The main labor union representing workers has endorsed Sanders.
3. Devil in the details: Clinton will likely respond to any attempts to tie her to Wall Street by citing Sanders' interview with theNew York Daily News editorial board, where he failed explain clearly his plan to break up the big banks. He also struggled in that interview with foreign policy, an issue Clinton surrogates highlighted Thursday. Clinton will likely contrast that meeting with her own, better-reviewed interview with the same paper.
4. Gun fight: Gun policy has been one of Clinton's most effective weapons against Sanders all year, allowing her to outflank the Vermonter on his left. But the issue is especially resonant in New York City, where gun crimes are an all-too-common fact of life.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/four-things-watch-tonight-s-democratic-debate-n556186
Bonus: Opposition-research bomb? The former secretary of state tends to come prepared with a little tidbit of previously unused opposition research to try and catch Sanders off guard, which her camp keeps tightly under wraps. In New Hampshire, it was a vote Sanders took on a non-binding Senate resolution in favor of regime change. In Michigan, it was his vote against the auto industry bailout. The attacks sometimes unravel under scrutiny, but have a tendency to grab headlines or knock Sanders off balance. Will she have one Thursday? And will Sanders come with is own?
April 14, 2016
Who is the more electable candidate? The guy who is rising in the polls.
Why Thousands of Nurses Are Feeling the BernFor nurses, everything begins with a basic dedication to their patients. Everyone is entitled to quality care, no matter their ability to pay, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, where they live, or where they were born. As the organized voice of nurses, NNU extends this humanitarian imperative to the public arena—starting with healthcare.
While the Affordable Care Act did interrupt some of the most egregious insurance abuses, you are still not “insured” if you have to forgo chemotherapy or seeing a specialist because of high out-of-pocket costs. You’re still not “insured” if you have to make that painful choice between getting the care you need or paying your rent. One-fifth of people with insurance have difficulty paying their medical bills, The New York Times reported in January. Of those, two-thirds said they had used up most or all of their savings.
While the Affordable Care Act did interrupt some of the most egregious insurance abuses, you are still not “insured” if you have to forgo chemotherapy or seeing a specialist because of high out-of-pocket costs. You’re still not “insured” if you have to make that painful choice between getting the care you need or paying your rent. One-fifth of people with insurance have difficulty paying their medical bills, The New York Times reported in January. Of those, two-thirds said they had used up most or all of their savings.
April 14, 2016
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-14/bernie-sanders-outraged-by-gao-study-that-finds-many-companies-paid-no-income-tax
Between 2006 and 2012 many companies paid no federal income tax, GAO study shows.
Nearly half of the corporations with assets of at least $10 million did not pay federal income taxes in 2012, according to study requested by Sen. Bernie Sanders released Wednesday.
Two-thirds of all active U.S. corporations did not have to pay federal income tax during the years 2006 to 2012, according to a new study published by the Government Accountability Office, which Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont requested to examine corporate tax loopholes.
Larger corporations with assets of at least $10 million were more likely to owe federal incomes taxes, but 42 percent of such companies still did not pay federal income tax in 2012, according to the government study published Wednesday that cites the most recent data available. Corporations that did have a federal income tax liability for 2012 owed $267.5 billion.
Larger corporations with assets of at least $10 million were more likely to owe federal incomes taxes, but 42 percent of such companies still did not pay federal income tax in 2012, according to the government study published Wednesday that cites the most recent data available. Corporations that did have a federal income tax liability for 2012 owed $267.5 billion.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-14/bernie-sanders-outraged-by-gao-study-that-finds-many-companies-paid-no-income-tax
April 14, 2016
Frank, still speaking anonymously, agrees. “Hillary Clinton is paying lip-service to Wall Street changes. Maybe in her heart she means business, but for me income inequality is the civil rights issue of our time, and I feel strongly we need a president who is totally committed to making this happen.”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/14/new-york-primary-bernie-sanders-wall-street?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+Version+CB+header&utm_term=167141&subid=17913976&CMP=ema_565
'I have a conscience': the Wall Streeters fighting for Bernie Sanders in New York
The financial industry looms large in the coming primary – and some bankers say they’ll push for the Vermont senator even if his policies could hurt their careers
One of the big name Wall Street figures stood up, proclaimed grandly that he was speaking on behalf of every financial person in the room, and then slammed into the Democratic lawmakers for having had the audacity even to consider disbanding a low-tax arrangement popular with hedge fund managers known as “carried interest”.
“That was startling to me,” said one of the other financiers present in the room that day. “Here was a gathering of Wall Street’s greatest minds and what were we discussing? Not how to generate more jobs or create an economy that works for everyone, but how to protect our vested interests and tax advantages.”
The fact that Frank – a prominent New York hedge fund manager – is only willing to talk to the Guardian anonymously itself tells a story...He looks at his fellow hedge fund folk, and thinks to himself that “they have made so much money, yet all they want to do is preserve what they’ve got. It’s got so out of whack that virtually nobody is willing to think about the basic unfairness of income inequality or how to improve the economy.”
“That was startling to me,” said one of the other financiers present in the room that day. “Here was a gathering of Wall Street’s greatest minds and what were we discussing? Not how to generate more jobs or create an economy that works for everyone, but how to protect our vested interests and tax advantages.”
The fact that Frank – a prominent New York hedge fund manager – is only willing to talk to the Guardian anonymously itself tells a story...He looks at his fellow hedge fund folk, and thinks to himself that “they have made so much money, yet all they want to do is preserve what they’ve got. It’s got so out of whack that virtually nobody is willing to think about the basic unfairness of income inequality or how to improve the economy.”
Frank, still speaking anonymously, agrees. “Hillary Clinton is paying lip-service to Wall Street changes. Maybe in her heart she means business, but for me income inequality is the civil rights issue of our time, and I feel strongly we need a president who is totally committed to making this happen.”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/14/new-york-primary-bernie-sanders-wall-street?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+Version+CB+header&utm_term=167141&subid=17913976&CMP=ema_565
April 14, 2016
http://www.salon.com/2016/04/08/paul_krugman_rips_into_bernie_sanders_for_becoming_one_of_his_own_bros/
Paul Krugman rips into Bernie Sanders for becoming one of his own “bros”
From Wiki "Income Inequality":Economists Jared Bernstein and Paul Krugman have attacked the concentration of income as variously "unsustainable" and "incompatible" with real democracy.
Paul Krugman wrote in November 2014 that: "The basic story of political polarization over the past few decades is that, as a wealthy minority has pulled away economically from the rest of the country, it has pulled one major party along with it...Any policy that benefits lower- and middle-income Americans at the expense of the elite — like health reform, which guarantees insurance to all and pays for that guarantee in part with taxes on higher incomes — will face bitter Republican opposition." He used environmental protection as another example, which was not a partisan issue in the 1990s but has since become one.
Paul Krugman wrote in November 2014 that: "The basic story of political polarization over the past few decades is that, as a wealthy minority has pulled away economically from the rest of the country, it has pulled one major party along with it...Any policy that benefits lower- and middle-income Americans at the expense of the elite — like health reform, which guarantees insurance to all and pays for that guarantee in part with taxes on higher incomes — will face bitter Republican opposition." He used environmental protection as another example, which was not a partisan issue in the 1990s but has since become one.
http://www.salon.com/2016/04/08/paul_krugman_rips_into_bernie_sanders_for_becoming_one_of_his_own_bros/
From the beginning, many and probably most liberal policy wonks were skeptical about Bernie Sanders. On many major issues — including the signature issues of his campaign, especially financial reform — he seemed to go for easy slogans over hard thinking. And his political theory of change, his waving away of limits, seemed utterly unrealistic.
Some Sanders supporters responded angrily when these concerns were raised, immediately accusing anyone expressing doubts about their hero of being corrupt if not actually criminal. But intolerance and cultishness from some of a candidate’s supporters are one thing; what about the candidate himself?
Unfortunately, in the past few days the answer has become all too clear: Mr. Sanders is starting to sound like his worst followers. Bernie is becoming a Bernie Bro.
But in any case, the way Mr. Sanders is now campaigning raises serious character and values issues.
Some Sanders supporters responded angrily when these concerns were raised, immediately accusing anyone expressing doubts about their hero of being corrupt if not actually criminal. But intolerance and cultishness from some of a candidate’s supporters are one thing; what about the candidate himself?
Unfortunately, in the past few days the answer has become all too clear: Mr. Sanders is starting to sound like his worst followers. Bernie is becoming a Bernie Bro.
But in any case, the way Mr. Sanders is now campaigning raises serious character and values issues.
April 14, 2016
So which is it? Are politicians corrupt (or susceptible to corruption) if they are giving highly paid speeches behind closed doors to financial institutions, or not? It doesn’t work both ways.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/14/money-hillary-clinton-banks-oil-links-presidential-campaign
Money influences everybody, that includes Hillary Clinton.
Democrats were quick to criticize Republicans who flirted with banks and big oil. Why won’t they admit that Hillary’s links are a problem too?
The Clinton campaign has spent the last few weeks furiously pushing back at the criticism that she is influenced by the vast donations her campaign receives from backers in the oil and financial industries. Her supporters have been vigorously arguing there’s no evidence of a quid pro quo.
How quickly they forget. As journalist David Sirota reported earlier this week, in the 2008 Democratic primary campaign, Clinton harshly criticized then senator Obama for accepting donations from oil and gas executives – and even cut a campaign commercial about it.
While Clinton called the suggestion that she might be influenced by the wealthy bankers who raise money for her campaign an “artful smear” in 2016, she also had no problem hurling even stronger accusations about Obama in 2008: “Senator Obama has some questions to answer about his dealings with one of his largest contributors – Exelon, a big nuclear power company,” she said. “Apparently he cut some deals behind closed doors to protect them from full disclosure of the nuclear industry.”
How quickly they forget. As journalist David Sirota reported earlier this week, in the 2008 Democratic primary campaign, Clinton harshly criticized then senator Obama for accepting donations from oil and gas executives – and even cut a campaign commercial about it.
While Clinton called the suggestion that she might be influenced by the wealthy bankers who raise money for her campaign an “artful smear” in 2016, she also had no problem hurling even stronger accusations about Obama in 2008: “Senator Obama has some questions to answer about his dealings with one of his largest contributors – Exelon, a big nuclear power company,” she said. “Apparently he cut some deals behind closed doors to protect them from full disclosure of the nuclear industry.”
So which is it? Are politicians corrupt (or susceptible to corruption) if they are giving highly paid speeches behind closed doors to financial institutions, or not? It doesn’t work both ways.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/14/money-hillary-clinton-banks-oil-links-presidential-campaign
April 14, 2016
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/540438/sanders-wins-times-poll-100.html
Sanders wins Time's poll of 100 most influential people
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the world's 100 most influential people, garnering more than three times as many votes as his rival Hillary Clinton.
Sanders had been leading the readers' poll from the start and finished with 3.3 per cent of the total 'yes' votes when the poll closed midnight yesterday.The 74-year-old Vermont senator not only beat Clinton, 68, who has finished with one per cent of the 'yes' votes but also a host of world leaders and cultural figures.
Sanders had been leading the readers' poll from the start and finished with 3.3 per cent of the total 'yes' votes when the poll closed midnight yesterday.The 74-year-old Vermont senator not only beat Clinton, 68, who has finished with one per cent of the 'yes' votes but also a host of world leaders and cultural figures.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/540438/sanders-wins-times-poll-100.html
April 14, 2016
http://www.salon.com/2016/04/13/hillary_clinton_rakes_in_verizon_cash_while_bernie_sanders_supports_companys_striking_workers/
Hillary Clinton rakes in Verizon cash while Bernie Sanders supports company’s striking workers
Verizon paid Hillary $225,000 for a speech and poured money into Clinton Foundation. Executives give to her campaign. The Hillary Clinton campaign, meanwhile, has received tens of thousands of dollars from Verizon executives and lobbyists.
That’s not all. For a May 2013 speech, the corporation paid Clinton a whopping $225,000 honorarium, according to her tax records. Verizon has also given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation, which investigative journalist Ken Silverstein has referred to as a “so-called charitable enterprise [that] has served as a vehicle to launder money and to enrich family friends.”
Moreover, the Clinton Foundation has partnered directly with Verizon, which is notorious for its vehement opposition to unions. While Sanders works with grassroots organizations like unions and stands with the workers themselves, the “New Democrat,” of which the Clintons are the progenitors and the embodiment, rubs shoulders with big business.
Perhaps this is not surprising given the Clintons’ history. On their first date, in fact, Bill and Hillary crossed a picket line.
That’s not all. For a May 2013 speech, the corporation paid Clinton a whopping $225,000 honorarium, according to her tax records. Verizon has also given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation, which investigative journalist Ken Silverstein has referred to as a “so-called charitable enterprise [that] has served as a vehicle to launder money and to enrich family friends.”
Moreover, the Clinton Foundation has partnered directly with Verizon, which is notorious for its vehement opposition to unions. While Sanders works with grassroots organizations like unions and stands with the workers themselves, the “New Democrat,” of which the Clintons are the progenitors and the embodiment, rubs shoulders with big business.
Perhaps this is not surprising given the Clintons’ history. On their first date, in fact, Bill and Hillary crossed a picket line.
http://www.salon.com/2016/04/13/hillary_clinton_rakes_in_verizon_cash_while_bernie_sanders_supports_companys_striking_workers/
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