Moderators: Elvis, DrVolin, Jeff
March 8, 2016
Washington Post Ran 16 Negative Stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 Hours
https://fair.org/home/washington-post-r ... -16-hours/
JackRiddler wrote:In the 2016 Democratic primaries, Sanders first faced a near-total blackout from the corporate media throughout 2015. Then, once he broke through into a two-person race with Clinton, he was subjected to vicious petty assaults and daily smears from both the corporate media and the Democratic Party establishment. State-level party machines rigged voting procedures and delegate counts and the central Party apparatus literally relied on loans from the Clinton campaign to pay the electric bill. With no corporate money, the Sanders campaign broke small-donor fundraising records, received 13 million votes according to the official tallies, and won 22 state contests and nearly half of the legitimate (non-super) delegates.
And this was entirely because of the message: single-payer health care, a pro-worker platform cutting across racial divides, challenges to oligarchy, wealth inequality, and perpetual war, among many other positive, future-oriented policies that especially caught fire among the young. Sanders' success was the proof that content, though suppressed, still matters. He got the votes because of what he supported as a policy program, not who he is (although he's kind of a mensch, which makes him outstanding in the low-standard environment of electoral politics). This year Sanders once again has a record number of small donors and volunteers and a huge set of organizations backing him, and is drawing tens of thousands to his rallies. But Biden's supposed to be the juggernaut!
Grizzly » 16 Sep 2019 20:51 wrote:https://www.thestrikewave.com/original-content/2019/9/11/the-sanders-workplace-democracy-plan-would-transform-labor-law
Strikewave
The Sanders "Workplace
"Workplace Democracy Plan" would transform labor law
Also see : https://www.metafilter.com/183141/September-Strikes
RocketMan » Tue Sep 17, 2019 4:56 am wrote:No one has still cogently explained to me why, if one supports Bernie's policies, one should still vote for Elizabeth Warren...
Elizabeth Warren just won an endorsement that’s making Bernie Sanders’s world really mad
The Working Families Party backed Sanders in 2016. This time around, it’s supporting Warren.
By Emily Stewart Sep 16, 2019, 2:40pm EDT
A progressive political group that backed Bernie Sanders in 2016 is backing Elizabeth Warren this time around.
On Monday, the Working Families Party, a grassroots political group, announced that it would back Warren in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. After a three-month decision process, Warren got 60 percent of WFP’s vote and Sanders garnered 35 percent. Half of those votes are determined by WFP leaders and the other half by its members.
This is a big deal for Warren: WFP has local branches and works closely with unions, activists, and organizations across the country. It has real connections and resources that will be valuable to the Massachusetts Democrat’s campaign.
Somewhat understandably, then, the endorsement has not been well met by Sanders’s supporters, who view it as a betrayal of his past work with the party. In 2016, Sanders sent an email to his New York supporters urging them to vote for Hillary Clinton on the Working Families Party line on their ballots. In the same email, he described WFP as “the closest thing there is to a political party that believes in my vision of democratic socialism.”
WFP appears to have anticipated the potential blowback. In a press release announcing the decision, WFP national director Maurice Mitchell emphasized that people are “lucky to have two strong progressive candidates leading in the race.” Mitchell continued, “Senator Warren and Senator Sanders have both shaped the ideological terrain on which this campaign is being waged. They have proven an effective team on debate stages and in the polls, and we hope that partnership continues. We’re proud to call both of them allies in the fight for a more just America.”
Nelini Stamp, director of strategy and partnerships at WFP, told me the decision process “wasn’t easy” for the party’s members, but many of them are really excited about Warren.
“She’s got a record on housing, fighting the big banks, creating the CFPB, having accountability, having people actually attack her for her leadership in that, and I think that means something to people,” she said. “We care about getting in early and organizing for what our members and institutions decided as a whole … and they decided to endorse Elizabeth Warren.”
Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir in a statement to Vox also tried to turn down the temperature around the endorsement. “The Bernie Sanders campaign is built from the support of millions of working people across the country, with our leading donors being Walmart workers, teachers, and nurses,” he said. “We look forward to working with the Working Families Party and other allies to defeat Donald Trump. Together, we’ll build a movement across the country to transform our economy to finally work for the working class of this country.”
Warren thanked the party for its endorsement on Twitter. She also tweeted a video of herself quietly celebrating on a train.Elizabeth Warren
@ewarren
What cheering in the Quiet Car looks like. Thanks @WorkingFamilies!
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The Bernie backlash
Sanders supporters and some vocal figures on the left have, unsurprisingly, been less than pleased with WFP’s endorsement.
Bhaskar Sunkara, founder of socialist magazine Jacobin, in a tweet said the move was “baffling.” He added, “Bernie is the national manifestation of WFP’s politics. The fact that WFP doesn’t recognize that reflects how much it has strayed.”Bhaskar Sunkara
@sunraysunray
The @WorkingFamilies has changed New York politics fundamentally and for the better but their decision to endorse Warren is baffling.
Bernie is the national manifestation of the WFP’s politics. The fact that the WFP doesn’t recognize that reflects how much it has strayed.
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Others echoed similar sentiments.Micah Uetricht
@micahuetricht
The Working Families Party’s endorsement of Elizabeth Warren is a real shame.
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@EoinHiggins_
WFP solely exists to promote the Democratic Party no matter what. They were never going to endorse Sanders. No point getting upset over it.
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42 people are talking about thisgabrielwinant
@gabrielwinant
Just another episode in the generations-long drift of labor parties away from the working class!
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This isn’t first time WFP has ignited some anger with its endorsements — and misfired in the eyes of some progressives. Its state party voted to endorse New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over Fordham law professor and progressive firebrand Zephyr Teachout in 2014. And in 2018, WFP backed incumbent Joe Crowley over Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in their primary.
Stamp brushed aside criticism from those pointing that out. “There is something wrong when people are comparing Joe Crowley to Elizabeth Warren,” she said.
Beyond Warren and Sanders, the other candidates under consideration for endorsement were Julián Castro, Cory Booker, and Bill de Blasio. WFP dropped Kamala Harris from the mix in August after her campaign said she would skip a Q&A session.
WFP employs a ranked-choice voting system for endorsements, meaning people rank their preferences from first to last. Vote share is divided 50-50 between WFP’s national committee and WFP members and grassroots supporters. The party doesn’t release separate tallies, meaning we don’t know if there’s a big schism between WFP’s leaders’ preference and its membership base. There have been calls for WFP to publicize how the vote shook out, but they’re saying no.
“People are going to be angry that the candidate they wanted to see get the nod didn’t. We understand why people are angry,” Stamp said.
The 2020 race is starting to heat up, and it shows
In an interview with the New York Times, Mitchell emphasized that making an endorsement decision right now isn’t just about Warren, Sanders, or whatever candidate the group is going to back — it’s also about organizing against the current frontrunner, Joe Biden. He’s encouraging other progressive groups to get off the sidelines, pick a candidate, and start pushing back against the former vice president as well.
“If our focus is on victory, we can’t be delusional about it,” he told the Times. “You don’t defeat the moderate wing of Democrats through thought pieces or pithy tweets, you defeat their politics through organizing.”
As the Times notes, coveted endorsements from unions such as the American Federation of Teachers and the Service Employees Union haven’t yet come through. Sanders did pick up an endorsement from the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America.
Earlier this year, Democratic Socialists of America endorsed Sanders. As with this scenario, the move was not without controversy: Some of DSA’s members had asked the group’s leadership to withhold its endorsement over the Vermont senator’s stance on reparations. (The independent Vermont senator has declined to back reparations for the descendants of the enslaved in the United States, arguing that broader anti-poverty programs will help address inequality and that it’s not clear what the term “reparations” means.) DSA’s members had already voted 76 percent to 24 percent to endorse Sanders, and the organization’s leaders went ahead.
Thus far in the 2020 primary, Warren and Sanders, who are longtime allies, have avoided confrontation with one another. They have remained focused on their more moderate opponent, Biden, and have worked in tandem to push forward a progressive message on the campaign trail. But as the calendar accelerates and primary season approaches, the stakes are beginning to feel higher. Controversies like this one are going to become the norm, rather than an aberration.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... eth-warren
liminalOyster » Tue Sep 17, 2019 10:40 am wrote:Vox under a suspect headline falsely wrote:
WFP employs a ranked-choice voting system for endorsements, meaning people rank their preferences from first to last. Vote share is divided 50-50 between WFP’s national committee and WFP members and grassroots supporters. The party doesn’t release separate tallies, meaning we don’t know if there’s a big schism between WFP’s leaders’ preference and its membership base. There have been calls for WFP to publicize how the vote shook out, but they’re saying no.
Ultimately, Mr. Sanders won 87 percent of the votes in the online poll, according to two party officials.
https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first- ... president/
The announcement followed a Working Families Party membership vote. An overwhelming super-majority of 87.4% of Working Families Party members voted for Senator Sanders, compared to 11.5% for Secretary Hillary Clinton and 1.1% for former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. The final endorsement decision was dependent on both the membership vote and the votes of the WFP’s national advisory board, which includes representatives from all the WFP’s state organizations. The Working Families Party’s endorsement will bring Senator Sanders’ campaign the support of the party’s activist base and skilled operatives.
Working Families Party Announces Endorsement for Bernie Sanders for President
December 8, 2015
WFP for Bernie
Today, the Working Families Party announced its endorsement for Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Primary for President.The announcement marks the first-ever national endorsement for the Working Families Party.
Working Families Party National Director Dan Cantor said: “We want to live in a nation that allows all people to live a decent life, no matter what is in their parents’ bank account or who is in their family tree. But the super-rich have used their economic muscle to buy political muscle, and unless you’re one of them, what you think government should do basically doesn’t count. That’s why we’re standing with Bernie Sanders to build the political revolution and make our nation into one where every family can thrive.”
Lindsay Farrell, Executive Director of Connecticut Working Families said: “Bernie Sanders is giving voice to a problem that Working Families has been fighting for more than 10 years: our economy is not working for too many families. While corporations and the wealthy elites get richer and more powerful, the rest of us are working longer and harder just to support our families. Bernie Sanders shares our commitment to building a fair economy and more representative government, and that is why we are standing with him.”
“I’m proud that Working Families is endorsing Bernie Sanders,” said Connecticut Working Families Board Member Ana María Rivera-Forastieri. “He is speaking about issues that are affecting millions of families across the United States. From economic inequality to the need to reform our racist and unjust immigration system, he is the candidate seeking a true political revolution.”
The announcement followed a Working Families Party membership vote. An overwhelming super-majority of 87.4% of Working Families Party members voted for Senator Sanders, compared to 11.5% for Secretary Hillary Clinton and 1.1% for former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. The final endorsement decision was dependent on both the membership vote and the votes of the WFP’s national advisory board, which includes representatives from all the WFP’s state organizations. The Working Families Party’s endorsement will bring Senator Sanders’ campaign the support of the party’s activist base and skilled operatives.
The Working Families Party is a progressive party that fights for the 99% — and wins. With chapters in ten states and a supporter-base that spans the nation, the Working Families Party has won public policies that make a difference in the lives of working families, from paid sick days laws and minimum wage increases to reforms to criminal justice laws and policing practices to wins on student debt and environmental protection. The WFP’s progressive candidates pipeline is recruiting, training and electing the next generation of progressive leaders.
2015 has been a big year for the Working Families Party. In Chicago, United Working Families backed Jesus “Chuy” Garcia for Mayor and held Mayor Rahm Emanuel to a historic run-off election, and helped elect the largest-ever progressive city council caucus. Working Families Party members won special elections for state legislative seats. Connecticut State Senator Ed Gomes and New York State Assemblymember Diana Richardson became the first two state legislators elected only on the Working Families Party ballot line. In Ferguson, Missouri, WFP helped increase African American turnout in the city’s municipal elections following the killing of Michael Brown. Pennsylvania Working Families successfully backed Philadelphia Mayor-elect Jim Kenney in his competitive Democratic Primary. In November, Elizabeth, New Jersey voters approved a ballot measure guaranteeing paid sick days with 86% of the vote, making Elizabeth the tenth municipal paid sick days victory for New Jersey Working Families; Hartford elected three WFP members to the Hartford City Council and a record 71 out of 111 of the New York WFP’s progressive pipeline candidates were elected to local office around the state. Meanwhile, new Working Families chapters launched this year in Wisconsin and Rhode Island.
"In 2016, Bernie Sanders' campaign was centered around large, raucous rallies," reports CNN's @ryanobles
. "In 2020, Sanders has turned the tables. He is the one listening... His campaign stops have become more personal."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/14/politics ... index.html
Bernie Sanders shares personal moment with veteran struggling with $139,000 in health care debt
By Annie Grayer and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN
Updated 7:29 PM ET, Sat September 14, 2019
[. . .] the Vermont senator began his two-day swing in Nevada with a town hall, where people opened up and got intensely personal about their issues with health care.
During the Friday event in Carson City, a Navy veteran named John shared with Sanders that he is $139,000 in debt because his health insurance, Tricare, a program for the military, is no longer accepted.
Sanders listened intently as John, who said he served 20 years in the military, revealed that he has been diagnosed with stage four Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder.
When asked by Sanders how he is going to pay off his debt, John said, raising his voice, "I can't, I can't, I'm gonna kill myself."
The senator cut him off -- "Hold it. John, stop it. You're not gonna kill yourself. Stop it," Sanders said.
"I can't do this," John said with frustration in his voice. "I have Huntington's disease. Do you know how hard it is? You know, you probably don't, do you? I can't drive. I can barely take care of myself."
"Alright, let's chat later at the end of the meeting, okay?" Sanders said to John.
As promised, Sanders and his wife Jane spoke with John after the campaign event ended.
Sanders shared with CNN that in this conversation with the veteran, he made sure his team got the correct contact information.
"What I wanted to make sure is that I got the correct information because what I did not want to happen is just him talking about his story but not being able to follow up with him," Sanders said.
"He told me he doesn't answer his phone very much because there are bill collectors calling him up every day," Sanders said of what he learned when speaking with the veteran further.
Sanders also shared that his team has already gotten in touch with one of the Nevada senators about this veteran's situation.
"We have already been in contact with one of the Nevada senators. We're going to get in touch with the entire Nevada Congressional delegation to get him the help that he needs," the Vermont senator said.
"We will follow up on Monday," Sanders later added.
"Here is somebody who put his life on the line to defend this country, a veteran, dealing with a terrible, terrible illness, and what was obviously very unsettling is when he used the word suicide," Sanders told CNN when reflecting on his interaction. "That was the most dramatic and painful moment of the whole town meeting," he added.
"This should not be going on in America, not for a veteran, not for any person in this country, and it is beyond comprehension that under the current healthcare system, somewhere like a half a million people go bankrupt every year because of medical bills," Sanders told CNN.
"Clearly we are not doing what we should be doing to make sure that every veteran in this country gets all of the quality healthcare they need when they need it," he said.
If you or a veteran you know needs help, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and press 1.
CNN's Sabrina Shulman contributed to this report.
Bernie Sanders hits 1 million donors
09/19/2019 03:30 PM EDT
He is the first candidate to announce reaching that milestone.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/ ... 9CEEamIJio
JackRiddler » Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:55 pm wrote:.
Even better, here is the WFP's own press release announcing the Sanders endorsement in Dec. 2015, in which they give extremely precise figures:The announcement followed a Working Families Party membership vote. An overwhelming super-majority of 87.4% of Working Families Party members voted for Senator Sanders, compared to 11.5% for Secretary Hillary Clinton and 1.1% for former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. The final endorsement decision was dependent on both the membership vote and the votes of the WFP’s national advisory board, which includes representatives from all the WFP’s state organizations. The Working Families Party’s endorsement will bring Senator Sanders’ campaign the support of the party’s activist base and skilled operatives.
https://workingfamilies.org/2015/12/wor ... president/
The next line, hilariously: "The Working Families Party is a progressive party that fights for the 99% — and wins."
Obviously, again, Vox is full of shit (or just not bothering to investigate) when they accept WFP's word that they don't release the separate figures, and the WFP leaders are just lying.
May as well archive the full text lest they scrub it:
Working Families Party Announces Endorsement for Bernie Sanders for President
December 8, 2015
WFP for Bernie
Today, the Working Families Party announced its endorsement for Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Primary for President.The announcement marks the first-ever national endorsement for the Working Families Party.
...
Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451 wrote wrote:
“Let's talk politics, to please Guy!"
"Sounds fine," said Mrs. Bowles. "I voted last election, same as everyone, and I laid it on the line for President Noble. I think he's one of the nicest-looking men who ever became president."
"Oh, but the man they ran against him!"
"He wasn't much, was he? Kind of small and homely and he didn't shave too close or comb his hair very well."
"What possessed the 'Outs' to run him? You just don't go running a little short man like that against a tall man. Besides -he mumbled. Half the time I couldn't hear a word he said. And the words I did hear I didn't understand!"
"Fat, too, and didn't dress to hide it. No wonder the landslide was for Winston Noble. Even their names helped. Compare Winston Noble to Hubert Hoag for ten seconds and you can almost figure the results.”
"Damn it," cried Montag, "What do you know about Hoag and Noble?"
"Why they were right in that parlor wall, not six months ago. One of them was always picking his nose. It drove me wild."
"Well, Mr. Montag," said Mrs. Phelps. "Do you want us to vote for a man like that?"
Belligerent Savant » Tue Oct 01, 2019 6:39 pm wrote:Larry David is no different.
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