Showing posts with label Elizabeth Warren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elizabeth Warren. Show all posts

Thursday, February 20, 2020


Michael Bloomberg debate debut at best a disaster...


Elizabeth Warren lit into Michael Bloomberg on the debate stage like a firestorm and wouldn't let go. My wife observed that he looked like a deer in the headlights and didn't recover until well into the evening. Bloomberg never answered Warren's question of whether he would release his female employees from their non-disclosure agreements, rather, he went on to justify their legality. And then this shows up in the media this morning...
"Billionaire Mike Bloomberg‘s performance at Wednesday night’s Democratic debate was by most accounts at best terrible, but that didn’t stop the campaign from pushing out a fake, doctored, and highly-edited clip suggesting the other candidates on stage were silenced by a claim he made."
Mike Bloomberg has done too many good things like fighting gun violence and climate change to be crucified and hung out to dry. Questions: 1) Will he get a sympathy vote over his treatment? and; 2) Will Bloomberg's demeanor appeal to Trump supporters who are disenchanted with his actions? There are still eight months left.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Not the time for Progressives to fight


Get over it Bernie and Warren


Bernie's hand is clearly out there, repelled by Elizabeth Warren, so what does that mean? Whatever happened, these two sophisticated politicians must mend fences and put this crap behind them. Bernie has just tied Biden with registered voters, putting him at the top for the nomination. Now is not the time to start a party brawl, but also not the time to ignore a gender conflict in the matter. Warren says Sanders said a woman couldn't win in 2020. Sanders says otherwise.

A former Vermont governor says Bernie will play dirty, if necessary, but I don't see the Bern in that kind of character. But this is the sort of thing that can knock a campaign off-course for both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, something the left does not need right now. Jane O’Meara Sanders, Bernie's wife, says...
“Our campaign has always been about bringing people together. Not dividing them up like Trump does by gender, race or ethnicity.”
RealClearPolitics' recent poll pits Bernie against Trump averaging several polls, both liberal and conservative. The Bern comes out three points ahead. 
READ MORE...

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Witness: Bernie didn't actually say woman couldn't win in 2020


Witness confirms Sanders side of "Woman can't win" story

Democratic debate

Let's get 'he said,' 'she said,' debacle out of the way for good. My earlier post on this today half explains some of what was actually going on, but a later report sheds even more light. Bernie said this...
“It is ludicrous to believe that at the same meeting where Elizabeth Warren told me she was going to run for president, I would tell her that a woman couldn’t win.”
Everyone is aware of the honesty of Senator Sanders, but, then, neither does Elizabeth Warren lie. So, this was the statement from witnesses...
"Two people with knowledge of the conversation at the 2018 dinner at Warren’s home told The Washington Post that Warren brought up the issue by asking Sanders whether he believed a woman could win. One of the people with knowledge of the conversation said Sanders did not say a woman couldn’t win but rather that Trump would use nefarious tactics against the Democratic nominee.
The Bern continued...
“What I did say that night was that Donald Trump is a sexist, a racist and a liar who would weaponize whatever he could.” Do I believe a woman can win in 2020? Of course! After all Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in 2016.”
Let's finally put this to bed!   READ MORE... 

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Bernie Sanders v. Elizabeth Warren


He said...She said...There is much to explain in Tuesday night's debate

Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders

Elizabeth Warren's campaign has accused Bernie Sanders' campaign of sending volunteers out door-to-door trashing her. Bernie, of course, said he had nothing to do with it and apparently the cause was some over-zealous volunteers. We are talking about in Des Moines, where the Iowa Caucuses will be held on February 3, and a Democratic debate was held last night. More on that later today. The script in question "described Warren's appeal as limited to the highly educated and financially well off."

Bernie's press aids never denied that the document existed and the candidate commented...
“We have hundreds of employees. Elizabeth Warren has hundreds of employees. And people sometimes say things that they shouldn’t.”
First of all, is the statement in the realm of being accurate. If there is any accuracy to it, Warren's campaign may be pushing the envelope. She has been dropping in national polls of late. One page actually "included attacks on the electability of Warren, as well as Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg." If Bernie is playing tough now against his own people, it will hopefully prepare him to deal with Donald Trump in the coming election.

And then, there is a meeting that occurred around a year ago when Warren accuses of Sanders saying a woman couldn't win the election in 2020. My immediate thought is why it is just now coming to light now. Bernie denies saying it but Warren says there were witnesses. Here's Bernie's actual statement...
"It is ludicrous to believe that at the same meeting where Elizabeth Warren told me she was going to run for president, I would tell her that a woman couldn't win.”
Tuesday night in Des Moines was probably very interesting.   READ MORE... 

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Do you think Bernie Sanders could win in 2020?


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 NEWS BYTES

YES! Bernie can win...  
Bernie, the man for the White House


The above is a Slate headline and it's not from two months ago, it is from last Thursday, September 12. In the Ben Mathis-Lilley piece, there is a sub-headline, "It’s time to start focusing on serious candidates—like the socialist." We are, of course, talking about "Bernard “Bernie” Sanders, the Brooklyn-Vermont 'democratic socialist,'” who is still one of the leading candidates in the crowded Democratic Primary. Here's Mathis-Lilley's comments on the debates...
"Given that debate performances are scrutinized for how they shape the primary “narrative,” Sanders is at a disadvantage. He’s not the Establishment Favorite—that would be Joe Biden—and he’s not the Surging Insurgent, Elizabeth Warren. He’s not An Inspiring Resistance Leader Who Might Appeal to Centrists (Kamala Harris), and he is certainly not An Uncannily Articulate 14-Year-Old Mayor Who Likes Radiohead (that would be Pete Buttigieg)."
Okay, before going any further with Slate, here's my take on Bernie. There would be no Democratic Primary without Bernie Sanders, no ideas, no substantive issues, no meaningful direction for the left. Sanders is a Progressive and a Democratic Socialist, which makes him the candidate of the people. I am having trouble understanding why a voting public cannot see this clearly. The other Democratic aspirants would have nothing to say if not for the Bern paving the way.

Bernie compares 2020 with 2016'''


Have been wanting to get that off my chest for some time; if anything needed to be said right now, that did. Here's more from Slate...
"He [Bernie Sanders] is, instead, The Exact Same Guy He Was Last Time—a fiery leftist who has a substantial, if not primary-majority-size, base of committed supporters who believe in his ambitious plans to bring justice to a “rigged” society by sticking it to the damn fat cats. A Sanders presidency would, guaranteed, involve an attempt to raise taxes on top earners in order to institute single-payer universal health coverage and make college free."
Although Elizabeth Warren has made strides in the polls, and being in the same ideological ballpark as Sanders, the latter seems to still be hanging around his standing from last May. Granted, Biden leads the race but I am not convinced he really wants to run. Maybe his number one position has made him too secure and he needs some polling competition to wake him up. Bernie has always been a charging contender with a philosophy that dates back to his early days in politics.

Bernie in Denver recently...


But there are additions to his traditional issues, notably "changing his rhetoric and his platform since 2016 to acknowledge and decry the role that race plays in economic disparities, he’s done so in a way that fills out, rather than erases and redraws, his public meaning." Bernie Sanders as a candidate...
"He hasn’t done anything, since the last time he ran for, and did not win, the nomination, to radically change the public’s established impression of who he is, what he believes, and how he would behave as president. If you liked him in 2016, you probably still do; if not, you still don’t."
In other words, the Bern is consistent with substantive issues, has been and most likely always will. It all starts with the first four states to hold primaries or caucuses which are Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. From Nate Silver's 538, Sanders is second to Joe Biden in the area of electability to beat Trump: Biden 68%, Sanders 56%, Warren 51%. Bernie is also well off financially with $27 million in cash on hand and a "deep e-Rolodex of small donors."

I believe many of Bernie Sanders supporters have faltered over time, especially with Joe Biden's lead and Elizabeth Warren's recent surge, myself included, but Slate has some excellent points which could rally the Bern's base. On to the White House.

Read more of my Bernie Sanders posts.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Further confirmation: Corruption runs in Trump family


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 NEWS BYTES

Donald Trump's sister now the target of corruption...  

Maryanne Trump-Barry and her mentor
Like brother, like sister, and in the Trump family that includes T-rump's two sons and daughter, plus outsider Jared Kushner. It apparently is in the DNA because Trump's father was also corrupt. So it just comes natural, what you do in life is to prey on other folks to build your fortune. Donald Trump's older sister, Maryanne Trump-Barry apparently joined the family of thieves at least by the 1990s when she “benefited financially” from her family’s “tax schemes.”

Now 82, Trump-Barry then was also in a position [ as a federal judge]  to influence the actions taken by her family.” Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren has made Trump-Barry a target of her anti-corruption campaign, according to the Daily Beast. It is the first shot any Democratic candidate has taken that has serious implications for the accused. This is all a part of Warren's investigations into "ethics policy" concentrating on federal judges, lobbyists and members of Congress.

Maryanne Trump-Barry corruption charges a year ago...


The DB's Gideon Resnick says that Sen. Elizabeth Warren has made Trump-Barry a target of her anti-corruption campaign also proposing...
"banning lobbyists “from making political contributions” or “from bundling donations or hosting fundraisers for political candidates. Warren also proposes banning members of Congress from serving on for-profit boards."
Here's another example of Fred Trump's corruption...
"The most overt fraud was All County Building Supply & Maintenance, a company formed by the Trump family in 1992. All County’s ostensible purpose was to be the purchasing agent for Fred Trump’s buildings, buying everything from boilers to cleaning supplies. It did no such thing, records and interviews show. Instead All County siphoned millions of dollars from Fred Trump’s empire by simply marking up purchases already made by his employees. Those millions, effectively untaxed gifts, then flowed to All County’s owners — Donald Trump, his siblings and a cousin. Fred Trump then used the padded All County receipts to justify bigger rent increases for thousands of tenants."
Elizabeth Warren on Donald Trump corruption...


You would assume in the above, "Donald Trump, his siblings," that Judge Maryanne Trump-Barry is included. Matt Levine of Bloomberg says he is kind of impressed with the Trump family clever shenanigans...
"It is two scams at once: By transforming the gift into a business expense, you both avoid gift taxes and justify raising rents for rent-stabilized tenants. It really uses every part of the sham purchasing company. On the other hand, it’s not that clever. There is a bit of an unregulated-emerging-markets feel to it; interposing wealthy friends and family as middlemen, giving them large cuts of the business as unjustified markups, and then passing the costs on to the much less wealthy general public, is all out of a fairly standard playbook of corruption."
 If Elizabeth Warren plans to make Maryanne Trump-Barry the focus of her anti-corruption campaign, that is just one more avenue in which law enforcement can navigate to get at the fraudulent activities encompassed by the Trump brand. It is obvious why Donald Trump craves a second term, now even a third, because he knows that once he is out of office, he is fair game for a host of prosecutors. The 2020 election can't come soon enough for most of us, but particularly the law.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Elizabeth Warren looking good in the polls


August 27, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Why is Elizabeth Warren moving up in the polls?  

Elizabeth Warren 2020
The question would have been moot a week or two earlier when Joe Biden looked like a sure thing. Apparently a few gaffes and a couple of misstatements have convinced some of the left that he may not be the right candidate. Monday's Monmouth University poll revealed surprising results...
"It found a virtual three-way tie among Biden at 19% and Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who each had 20%."
However, the "Real Clear Politics’ aggregation of polls still shows Biden well ahead, at 28.8%, followed by Sanders at 16% and Warren at 15.4%." If we are to believe Monmouth, and it is a credible pollster, then might we expect the same trend to begin in other polls? Jennifer Rubin, a conservative writer for The Washington Post says, "There’s a reason Elizabeth Warren is surging," and that is because she is appealing to "ordinary" Americans.

We know there are a lot of ordinary Americans out there that have had absolutely no voice since Donald Trump entered the White House. And my guess is that there are many ordinary Americans supporting T-rump that must be having second thoughts now. Not the core, but the fringe. Rubin comments...
"she’s not telling exactly the same story as she did earlier. Using family stories she has gotten 'looser' and funnier. She interacts with the crowd more. She has less anger, more determination and more confidence. She is high-energy."
Elizabeth Warren gaining momentum...


But, it would appear that the voting public still favors a candidate who can win over one who is heated in the issues, for example, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. And it is interesting to note here that even after all the rhetoric, talk of being a socialist, and losing the primary to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Bernie Sanders is yet able to hold on to the second position in the 2020 Democratic Primary. I still say a Sanders/Warren ticket would be dynamite.

For some reason, the media is now beginning to focus on a two-way race between Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, With Biden's recent gaffes and misstatements, he could easily lose the edge, and Bernie is still suffering over his age, which I find ludicrous. Here's the current scenario...
"She [Warren] drew an estimated 15,000 people to a rally in Seattle after holding an event nearly as large in Minneapolis last week. Biden spent the weekend talking to small gatherings in New Hampshire and Iowa. This led to a new meme: the rock star versus the rock."
Here are some more of the latest...
"Warren is doing better than Sanders in Iowa but the reverse is the case in New Hampshire. The most recent polls out of South Carolina show Warren and Sanders essentially tied in a distant fight for second place that might not even give either of them any delegates at all, and the two most recent polls out of Nevada disagree about which of them is doing better."
I still have a hankering to see a Bernie Sanders surge that takes him to the top capped off by winning the primary. But I am not naive, the primary thrust of the left in 2020 is beating Donald Trump. And there is still a year to go.  

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Michael Moore warns Democrats: Beware Donald Trump


PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where Liberals Walk  

Michael Moore was right in 2016 when he predicted that Donald Trump would win the election and go to the White House. Here is exactly what he said...
Michael Moore & Donald Dufus
“Donald J. Trump is going to win in November. This wretched, ignorant, dangerous part-time clown and full-time sociopath is going to be our next president.” The activist/filmmaker went on to say, “President Trump. Go ahead and say the words, ‘cause you’ll be saying them for the next four years: PRESIDENT TRUMP.”
I have never said the words, either verbally or in print, and I never will. There are millions in this country who don't consider T-rump "our" president, but Moore is only using the term for emphasis. It was the Rust Belt states that ordinarily go Democratic, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, that did it for Trump, but the polls don't favor him for 2020, according to The Hill...
“Wisconsin seems to be a real problem, the 2018 midterms were a disaster for Republicans there, and Biden seems to have unique appeal in Pennsylvania.”
Michael Moore is waving a red flag toward fellow liberals and Progressives to wake up and not let the same thing happen again. Trump's first-quarter fund-raising haul of $30.3 million should get them off their butts but the current in-fighting between Progressives and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to be usurping the left's energy. The Oval Office lunatic loves every minute of it and that is exactly what the filmmaker is talking about.

In a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll’s first ballot tests of the 2020 general election, Joe Biden leads the president by 9 points among registered voters, 51 percent to 42 percent, Bernie Sanders is ahead of Trump by 7 points, 50 percent to 43 percent, and Elizabeth Warren holds a 5-point advantage, 48 percent to 43 percent. NBC adds...
"With more than 200 days until Iowa caucuses and more than 470 days until Election Day 2020, the poll is a very early snapshot of the general election, and much can change."
Michael Moore's take on how Democrats win in 2020...


 Sonali Kolhatkar in Truthdig makes a disheartening statement for the left...
"Donald Trump appears a better prepared and far more formidable candidate than he did in 2016—or compared to many of his current rivals."
Kolhatkar does wonder how Trump's " degradation of basic standards of human decency" could be ignored by voters, but the answer is simple, anyone who would vote for Donald Trump is in his class, just plain 'ignorant,' as Michael Moore puts it. As an illustration of to what extent T-rump will go to manifest his ego while pumping up followers, Kolhatkar uses his July 4th celebration, all in honor of Donald Trump. The left must not lose in 2020!

Monday, May 20, 2019

How old is too old for U.S. president?


The question is, does age matter?
Art Cullen in the Guardian says that age-70 may be too old for being President of the United States, referring to Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the latter turning seventy before inauguration. Considering who will be running in 2020, Trump will be 72, Biden 76, Sanders 78 and Warren 69. He cites Ronald Reagan in his 70s while in the White House, and Nancy Reagan and Al Haig actually running things as the Gipper passed into neverland.

Here's how Cullen describes the situation...
"Trump is batty and losing it more each day. Bernie impresses as a grumpy and impatient Trotskyite, Biden as a familiar Irish pol who wants to hug you up and keep you warm, hearkening to days when unions had teeth and Scranton had steel. They confront a candidate written by Rod Serling for the Twilight Zone."
 "Warren seems a pup in their presence. Young of mind, she is a fan of Game of Thrones. She is full of vim and vigor and maybe is no more likely to die of a stroke than Pete Buttigieg, 37. She could beat me in a foot race any day of any distance. But if she wins she will be 75 at the end of her first term – slightly older than Reagan at the end."
You'll note here that he spends twice as much space on Warren as any of the other three. After this Cullen draws comparisons between Einstein, Mark Twain, Eisenhower and the Kennedys, alluding to their accomplishments at various ages. He says, "War would be rarer if women ran the world." then adds, "But we are talking, in the main, about three old white men. At least the national cable media are. Biden nearly has the nomination cinched, to hear it told."

That doesn't bode well for Democrats with the rest of the field relatively weak, except, perhaps, for Kamala Harris. Sorry, but I still have a warm spot for the Bern, and as a Democratic Socialist myself, believe that most of his issues could fly. My concern is Medicare for All-Single payer plan, and just how feasible that is. Here's a definition...
"Single-payer is a more general term used to describe a government system, typically backed by taxes, in which everyone gets health care from one insurer, run by the government. Think of Medicare for all as a brand-name single-payer plan. Some advocates also like the term 'national health insurance.'”
Consider the possibility of not doing away with insurance companies, which would be an almost impossible sell. Have the government use insurance companies, allocating coverage out to the lowest bidder, with obvious restrictions on the quality of coverage. I solidly believe Bernie deserves a shot at the presidency with his honesty and integrity.  And I have no problem with his age...I am 86.

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Latest on the Democratic Primary for 2020


2020 Democratic candidates
To begin, it should be noted that after Joe Biden announced his candidacy recently, he shot up to a 26-point lead over other candidates, Elizabeth Warren second, Bernie Sanders third. Don't know about Warren's campaign, but I'll bet that Bernie's camp expected the surge; the question is what will he do about it? One thing he is doing is out-raising his competitors in contributions bringing in $18.2million in first-quarter fundraising.

On the other hand, Biden raised $6.3 million on his first day out of the gate. Kamala Harris is second to Bernie and Elizabeth Warren is a distant fifth at $6 million in total returns. The BBC says...
"Her [Warren] campaign is far from scraping the bottom, however, as she transferred $10.4m from her Senate campaign coffers to her presidential account, giving her some financial breathing room in the months ahead."
But here's the game changer...
"64 percent of Democrats and likely Democrats who had selected a favorite presidential candidate said it is possible they might change their mind. Thirty-six percent said they 'definitely support' their top choice."
Which means Joe Biden's 26% lead could go up in smoke and any of the other challengers could become the favorite. Money is the thing and Bernie Sanders is one of the best at fundraising, depending on small donations in the range of around $27.00 each that are loyal donors who give over and over.  But "Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) topped the list, with 23 percent of respondents putting her in the top three candidates they were most curious about."

Elizabeth warren was second, Joe Biden third. It might be safe to assume, because of Bernie Sanders run in the 2016 election, the public is so familiar with him they don't need to know more. There are 21 Democratic presidential candidates in the race so far with Joe Biden regularly taking the lead and the Bern a close second. However, Elizabeth Warren has seen increased interest in the last few days. In other words, it's still a wide-open Primary.

Please give me your comments on this issue.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Joe Biden holds 26 point lead over all Democrats


What is most astonishing after learning Joe Biden leads the Democratic Primary pack by 26 points is that Elizabeth Warren comes in second with 12 percent, and even more unbelievable to me is that Bernie Sanders is third at 11 percent. This is the highly respected Quinnipiac University Poll whose assistant Director Tim Malloy said...
“The Democratic primary race suddenly gets real with a fast start by former Vice President Joe Biden and a very clear indication from voters that he is the only candidate who can send President Trump packing 18 months from now.”
So how are Progressives supposed to feel about Biden, who appears to be a moderate with further left tendencies. The Hill-HarrisX daily poll, taken last December said voters who have...
"a 'strong liberal' ideology prefer former Vice President Joe Biden to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a hypothetical 2020 matchup against President Trump, according to a new poll."
I would prefer to hear it from the candidate's mouth and will wait until Joe Biden addresses issues like gun control, free healthcare and education and immigration reform to name a few. I would also feel more comfortable if Obama spoke more positively about his former vice president. The results of the Quinnipiac University Poll are similar to survey results that report on Biden's surge in the polls after announcing he was in the race. Almost like they were just waiting.

In Pittsburgh, Biden spoke to a firefighters union the International Association of Fire Fighters, which endorsed him earlier in the day. He called himself a "union man," sounding like the days when unions helped candidates win elections. He talked about gun violence, plant closings and moving out of the country. He also called for a national minimum wage of $15 per hour, mostly sounding like Bernie Sanders. Then he exclaimed he could beat Donald Trump in 2020.

I like the last part best and obviously a lot of people out there agree.

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Trump guilty of same charges Bill Clinton impeached for


Bill Clinton acquitted of impeachment
Did the Mueller Report accuse Trump of witness tampering, one of the offenses Republicans impeached Clinton for? The answer is an unequivocal, YES! "It accused Donald Trump of obstructing justice by witness tampering, one of the offences that led Republicans to impeach Bill Clinton 20 years ago." The Mueller Report revealed that Trump...
"repeatedly made efforts to 'encourage witnesses not to cooperate with the investigation' into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election."
Is this why Democrat Elijah Cummings and his House colleagues feel confident about the possibility of reintroducing the idea of impeachment? Senator Elizabeth Warren, also a Democrat plus presidential candidate, is a proponent of impeachment saying...
"The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty. That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States."
Trump as much as offered His former campaign mgr., Paul Manafort, a pardon, while at the same time encouraging his prior personal attorney, Michael Cohen, "not to 'flip' and help Mueller’s inquiry." Clinton's guilt pales when you consider the corruption Donald Trump has spewed throughout his administration. This is what the slime ball Mitch McConnell said of Bill Clinton...
"… I am completely and utterly perplexed by those who argue that perjury and obstruction of justice are not high crimes and misdemeanors."
Yet this lowlife lets Donald Trump go on his merry way. The U.S. Congress is itself a cancerous stigma in the American political system. This could be their chance to make amends.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Time for Obama to teach Mitch McConnell something


I get it...I'm back
Barack Obama has been relatively quiet since leaving office after eight years of dealing with Republicans led by Mitch McConnell with only one intent: to sabotage anything that President Obama presented. Not to consider what was best for the country, just to subvert whatever he advanced. We'll never know just how much could have been accomplished for the good of the American people in those eight years, but we could find out soon how effective Barack Obama can be as a former president, who still heads his party, and who wants to fight the GOP plague.

As one Democratic pundit put it...
“He’s been way too quiet. There are a lot of people who think he’s played too little a role or almost no role in endorsing or fundraising and he’s done jack shit in getting people to donate to the party.”
Maybe the man wasn't really sure how much of his participation was wanted since he received so little support when in office, even by his own party. Bernie Sanders, who may run in 2020, cannot carry the banner because he is an Independent. Other possible 2020 candidates are former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), but it is Barack Obama in 2008 who trounced John McCain in the popular vote and the Electoral College. The key will be to resurrect the magic of Obama's 2008 campaign and turn it into a win for Democrats in November.

Another point of view on the former president's hushed approach was...
"Former aides and Democratic strategists said Obama has sought to maintain a lower profile not only for his party to find new life, but also to avoid playing a foil to President Trump and Republicans."
Obama's two top priorities are, “recapturing the House and helping Democrats gain more influence in the redistricting process.”

At the same time, Democrats plan to make Washington corruption the focus of their campaign in 2020. They had earlier announced targeting their economic agenda to combat big money through campaign finance reform. Without a Democratic Congress this will be an uphill battle, but the odds are still out that Dems can take over the House and Senate. Nancy Pelosi, former House leader said, “President Trump has become the swamp and Americans are paying the price. The American people deserve better.”

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer added, “The swamp has never been more foul than under this president.” And targeting corruption did work in the 2006 elections when Democrats took control of the House and Senate from Republicans. They hammered away at the GOP’s “culture of corruption, cronyism and incompetence.” Pelosi is testing the corruption theme on Scott Pruitt who "repeatedly used his position to seek employment and business opportunities for his wife, and had agency staffers doing personal errands on his behalf."

If ever there was an administration where corruption would be the central problem, and one to explore by the opposition, it would be Donald Trump's.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Trump to beat in 2020...if he's still around


And here is the left's voting problem
Now these are opinions based on the statements of political experts that were involved in past and current elections. They take into consideration the election of Barack Obama in 2012, and the fact that in 2016, "Voters were looking for something more "strident" than Obama’s "incrementalist agenda." In other words, they wanted a faster track than Clinton was exhibiting. Something like Bernie Sanders. Not sure, though, they wanted the ignorant bluster of a Donald Trump, but he was elected; they wanted action not promises. Trump was a mover and shaker and he excited people.

That's all proven to be big mouthed bullshit, but those who still support the Oval Office lunatic are solid in their backing. The last I heard they were around 30%, an easily beatable figure. The Democratic candidate was all wrong in 2016; it should have been Bernie Sanders but the fraud of DNC head, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, nominated Hillary Clinton. Maybe Sanders will run again, or perhaps the left could convince someone like James Comey, former FBI Director, to run as a Democrat. Think about that...James Comey running against Donald Trump. More on this later.

One of the main items on the Progressives/Democrats agenda is getting out the vote. According to Nate Silver's 538, the Republicans were able to get their voters to the polls much more aggressively than Democrats. Progressives naturally rejected Hillary Clinton because of the DNC fiasco, and the fact that it was this that beat their candidate, Bernie Sanders. If Sanders plans to run in 2020, and his age will be a factor, he must throw his hat in now. We also cannot rule out Joe Biden, or Elizabeth Warren or New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Whoever it is, the youth vote must be considered.

The Progressive/Democratic candidate must enthusiastically go after social media to spread its message to all ages and over all political persuasions. The Russia probe of Donald Trump should be a great handle for the left. If a Progressive candidate is nominated, the Democrats must get behind him or her. Many political pundits talk of the potential success of a Sanders/Warren ticket in 2020 winning big on the Progressive side, combining experience with youth, two people who seem to excite their followers to action, meaning voting.

If Trump does last, the candidates on the left will have the most corrupt administration that this country has ever experienced to run against. There are the Donald Trump daily lies, his Stormy Daniels and similar escapades, firing of FBI Director Jim Comey in obvious obstruction of justice in the Russian investigation, the scandal over Michael Cohen's consulting, more obstruction of justice, again, involving Comey, in defending Michael Flynn, and the list goes on and on. Never in the history of American elections has there been this kind of ammunition for a political party.

But...will the Progressives/Democrats be able to pull it off???

Read more: How Hillary Clinton blew it
                   How Trump won the election: volatility and a common touch
                   How did Trump win? Here are 24 theories

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Hllary Clinton sabotaged Bernie Sanders' 2016 Primary run, Donna Brazile says


Didn't happen
Donna Brazile says she has proof that Hillary Clinton "rigged the race against Bernie Sanders. I blogged in agreement several times in 2016, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren also acknowledges the fact. Brazile promised Sanders she'd get to the bottom of the then mystery after replacing Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Brazile talks about how Hillary compromised the party’s integrity, and "alleges that an unethical agreement was signed between Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the DNC to keep the party financially afloat." My question is, with Elizabeth Warren so vocal now, 'Where was she in 2016 when Bernie needed her?'

Donna Brazile has proof Hillary Clinton rigged 2016 Primary...

Elizabeth Warren acknowledges Hillary Clinton guilt...

Donna Brazile goes to work at DNC uncovering scam...

Hillary Clinton compromised Democratic Party's integrity...

Donna Brazile acknowledges Hillary Clinton 2016 unethical agreement...


Sunday, April 9, 2017

Mitch McConnell deserves the firing squad


The McConnell maniac at work
Can you imagine the line that would form to take up a gun in the shooting party? There's Chuck Schumer to start with, then Elizabeth Warren followed by Barack Obama, most recently John McCain, and most notably himself, if he could be two places at once. There are more, many that hide their real feeling for this political mutant, because he is so powerful and has absolutely no qualms about what he does. As long as it furthers Mitch McConnell's sick agenda. I realize my proposal is cold-heartened, of course undoable, but I wonder how many Americans would join me in this?

Most of you know that I am an advocate of gun control and solidly against gun violence, but this scenario seems fitting for McConnell who in 2016, "...cut the legs out from a bipartisan effort to keep suspected terrorists from buying guns." Meaning simply that U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, is in favor of terrorists being able to acquire guns in this country. Say what you want, but that's the only way to define it. I know it all sounds bizarre but this is the way the mind of this deranged individual works. To take it even further, you wonder how long before he just becomes fruit loops.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “No majority leader wants written on his tombstone that he presided over the end of the Senate.” He added...
“Breaking the rules to change the rules is un-American. I just hope the majority leader thinks about his legacy, the future of his party, and, most importantly, the future of our country before he acts.”
But these aren't the words of Chuck Schumer. They were delivered "...in 2013, by then-Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), when Democrats pushed through a similar filibuster change for lesser nominations." It just illustrates once again how muttonhead McConnell will do anything, no matter its damage to the country, to get what he wants. Washington Post writer Dana Milbank wants Mitch McConnell's tombstone to read, "...that he presided over the end of the Senate." Milbank wants to also say this...
“'He broke America.' No man has done more in recent years to undermine the functioning of U.S. government. His has been the epitome of unprincipled leadership, the triumph of tactics in service of short-term power."
I'm just waiting to see his tombstone. 

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Bernie Sanders is back and this time he plans to win


Elizabeth Warren-Bernie Sanders
When I say win, Bernie Sanders is already in overdrive to elect more Progressives in the 2018 midterms and, yes, I think he is shooting for the presidency again in 2020. But I hope that Elizabeth Warren will see the light and support his candidacy this time, no matter who the Democratic Party plans to run. And there is a definite difference between Democrats and Progressives, a point that is confirmed by the fact that Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, lost the election to an incompetent candidate who is also defined as a pathological liar by Sanders. The new Republican president, Donald Trump.

Just yesterday Elizabeth Warren  with Bernie Sanders introduced a new tuition bill that would make college education available to all,regardless of who they are. "Education should be a right, not a privilege," according to the Bern, an issue he has been promoting since first starting his 2016 presidential race. "The legislation includes a joint-bill in the House which would be introduced Wednesday by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.," according to a statement provided to International Business Times.

This should arouse the Progressives out there who have been on the sidelines wanting something to happen. That includes me, and I am now ready to roll on to upending a Republican Congress to putting Bernie sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the White House in 2020. Don't laugh, conservatives, it has been some time now since the left has had this much reason for the momentum to get the right job done. With Hillary history, and Sanders as the most popular political candidate in the U.S. the cross-country fight for legislative and governor's seats will now be easier.

And the Sanders/Warren people aren't alone. Not satisfied that enough was being done, two major groups have formed to elect Progressives in 2018 and 2020. The first is Justice Democrats, started by the founder of the Young Turks, Cenk Uygur, who said that he was starting the organization because it needed to be done and no one else was doing it. The second is Brand New Congress which was originally started by a group of volunteers and staffers from the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. They want, "...to be a big tent for anyone who is tired of partisan politics."

The latest information is that these two groups recently merged, which is a good start for the new aggregation.

Somewhere in the future it will be necessary to galvanize all these efforts into one cohesive group that supports Progressivism in order to move ahead as a collective organization. NBC News takes us back to the 2016 convention to point out where the left might take us...
"But the more radical strain, which led hundreds of Sanders delegates to walk out of the Democratic National Convention in protest last summer, is still present on the left and emboldened by the loss of Hillary Clinton and their belief that Bernie would have won."
"Some are betting that the disaffected left is as or more interested in remaking the Democratic Party as it is in fighting President Donald Trump."
What is needed now is a defined structure to get there. And that is why all these splinter groups will have to bite the bullet and find one common denominator that will rebuild, or replace, if necessary, the Democratic Party with one that will serve the people and not a political clique. Corbin Trent of Brand New Congress said...
"The point is we've watched this party over the last decade lose over 1,000 seats, lose a national election to least popular nominee in history, Donald Trump, and now we've seen poll after poll showing the Democratic Party less popular since election day. What we think is the American people are ready for a new direction."
The American people were ready for a new direction in 2016, namely Bernie Sanders, proven by the fact that he won 23 primaries with 1,865 delegates, winning just one-hundred less votes in the Democratic Primary than Donald Trump did in the Republican Primary. But he didn't win because of the shenanigans of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which has now resulted in the firing of two top politicos. Unfortunately, Tom Perez heads the DNC now, instead of Keith Ellison, which is another result of Party hardliners. See, they will never learn.

Although Republicans profess not to be worried, they should take note of the fact that the Tea Party almost upended the Party in 2009 and 2010, proving that a grassroots kind of movement can be effective. But this will require the passion of all liberals, including those who regularly rally around the Party. Just after the 2016 election, I did a post, "What do Republicans have that Democrats don't?" and the answer was passion. Some of those that didn't like Hillary Clinton either didn't vote or for some stupid reason, voted for Donald Trump.

In that case the "Party" would have been better than what we ended up with. We are not in that position approaching 2018 and 2020, and there is plenty of time to build on your passion by looking at the daily antics of the Oval Office maniac. If this isn't enough to make you crave for a change to the kind of government you would get from Bernie Sanders, then you don't want to live in the kind of country I do. That, of course, is your choice.


Wednesday, March 22, 2017

We need to say goodbye to the Democratic Party


I have been a Democrat all my life; yes, even as a very young boy I remember my father talking about the Democrats and FDR, his New Deal. My dad came from a well-off family in the South, a family at one time I am almost sure had slaves. But the South was Democratic then, all the way, and it was just the right thing to be left leaning. That's changed in the last few years and the Republicans have taken over the South and turned the people there into a conservative stronghold that had a major effect on the 2016 Democratic Primary, particularly for Bernie Sanders.

Did you know Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a Democratic Socialist?

But the Democrats today hardly resemble those of FDR's era; in fact you can't even draw a close parallel these days between what they call the Party and what the Dems started out to be. FDR wasn't a Party starter for Democrats, Andrew Jackson has that honor, but Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the epitome of the Democratic Party, having served four terms in office until his death in 1945. This man set the tone for what the term liberal meant, and followed through with actions that give him a place in history as one of the greatest Presidents of all time.

Here are snippets from the democratic Platform of 1936, three years into FDR's presidency...

  • Protection of the family and the home.
  • Establishment of a democracy of opportunity for all the people
  • Aid to those overtaken by disaster
  • Safeguard the thrift of our citizens by restraining those who would gamble with other peoples savings
  • Early formation of the Social Security concept
  • Expansion of consumer electricity through creation of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
  • Making homes available to people of meagre incomes 
  • Just treatment of war veterans and their dependents

There are other issues like taking farmers off the road to ruin, worker's pay was increased and hours shortened, actually saved banks and paved the way for a better financial foundation, gave youth the opportunity to stay in school and get an education, which 12 years of Republican neglect had closed, and help for the unemployed. There's more and you can read the complete 1936 Democratic Party Platform here. I want to point out that in every case but one, above, the programs are for the average person, not corporations or the wealthy.

FDR, although born into a wealthy New York family, was a president of the people and his programs substantiated this, but considering the 1929 stock-market crash, some feel he could have paid more attention to a struggling economy; The Great depression lasted until 1939. It is worth noting that the Dow Jones industrial average didn't return to its summer 1929 high until 1954. But as a catalyst, Roosevelt combined a stimulus project with his goals for social equity and created the Rural Electrification Administration to wire the countryside. Perhaps FDR could have used Janet Yellen.

And why take you back all these years down the reminiscing trail to a time some 84 years ago when many of you weren't born or were too young to care what politics was all about? Well, dang it, to illustrate the stark differences in that period, that I might remind you was closer in time to that of the Founding Fathers of this country, that FDR based a lot of his concepts on. As an example, when it comes to corporations...
"To say that the founding fathers supported corporations is very absurd. Its quite the opposite in fact. Corporations like the East India Trading Company were despised by the founding fathers and they were just one reason why they chose to revolt against England. Corporations represented the moneyed interests much like they do today and they often wielded political power, sometimes to the point of governing a colony all by themselves like the Massachusetts Bay Company did."
We've come a long way from Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the journey has ended in a disjointed, confused, and divided Democratic Party that seems not to know how to repair itself. Well, it is my opinion that the Democratic Party is irreparable, therefore, dump it and start over. Progressives, in number, passed liberals a few years ago and seems to be the real new face of the Party. It appears that hard party liners like the Clintons, even Obama, do not want to accept this fact and continue to stick to ideology that just doesn't work anymore with a new generation.

It is a fact that Democrats lost more than 1,030 seats in state legislatures, governor's mansions and Congress during Barack Obama's presidency. It can't all be blamed on the man because it was Debbie Wasserman Schultz who neglected the Party as DNC head for five years, until she was recently fired, and these losses finally added up to a catastrophe for Democrats. But it is still hard to understand how the upper echelons of the Party could sit by and watch over 1,000 of their legislative and governor's seats just evaporate. To me, this is the ultimate of political incompetence.

Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, ran for President as a Democrat in 2016, but lost in the Primary due to the killing machine of Debbie Wasserman Schultz as DNC chair. There were many of us who were supporters of the Bern, and many of us believe today that, until he is given the reins of the Democratic Party, it will remain in its quagmire. Bernie was asked by New York Times Magazine what the Party stands for. His response...
"You’re asking a good question, and I can’t give you a definitive answer. Certainly there are some people in the Democratic Party who want to maintain the status quo. They would rather go down with the Titanic so long as they have first-class seats."
The article indicates that his answer is partially for effect, since he does have his own liberal values for what he thinks the left should stand for. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren joins Sanders in a call for revamping the Party, but one still wonders why she didn't swallow what establishment pride she had during the Primary and throw her backing behind the Bern. It could have turned everything around, but she didn't and it didn't. And the 2018 midterms will only be a fight against the Trump administration and for congressional seats to block his legislation. First things first.



Monday, February 27, 2017

Poltiical Satire: Can the Democrats/Progressives recover? Why not!


The left is in, perhaps, the worst shape it has been in for decades. Not that it has had that much past luck in Congress, the only positive recently being Barack Obama who was stonewalled by the GOP during his entire eight years. But the election of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton proves the inability of Democrats to nominate an electable candidate to run against a weakened Republican Party. They had one in Bernie Sanders but blew it allowing Debbie Wasserman Schultz to run the show and bar his nomination through unethical tactics, for which she was fired.

There are all kinds of perceptions of whether or not the Bern would have beat Trump, but what is sure is the fact that he would have given him a better run for his money than Hillary Clinton did. Sanders awakened the younger crowd, which could have been his ace in the hole against Donald John. But this is all history and the focus now is how to bring Democrats/Progressives back to the forefront. If my experience with the Demographic grassroots volunteer organization is any indication of the competency of this group, this is where the most work is necessary.

With both Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders I volunteered my services repeatedly; in both cases, with no takers. That's right, my background in database management, including computer modeling , along with research and market predicting was made available several times to apparently deaf ears. Due to my physical condition I couldn't go out and knock on doors, but time and again I offered to make my full office and experience available. Most recently, I contacted Bernie Sanders' campaign right up to the bitter end of his running for the nomination. Both in my state and national. Nothing.

And today Democrats are divided over how to handle Donald Trump, with one group wanting an all-out war, the other wants to try and guide him to the center. It should be obvious by now to anyone, you don't push Donald John in any direction but his own. And then there's the realization that with all the support to oppose Trump, the congressional Democrats just may not have the power to accomplish what they want. Impeachment now would take some strong support from Republicans and that isn't likely to happen. Of course, 2018 could turn the tide.
Bernie Sanders

But there has always been a leader from the left that stood out when minds were being made up aboutBernie Sanders stood out as the candidate of choice but denied his right. The American public was screaming for change, and the Bern offered that in a way that would most benefit the working class. What they got was Donald Trump, the voice of...Donald Trump.
campaigns and elections to come. Names like F.D.R., John Kennedy, Bill Clinton, unfortunately, Hillary Clinton most recently. There was a clear point at which the obvious was there to see in 2016, and that was when

One Democrat from a left-leaning state, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is Vice Chairman off the Democratic Governors Assn., spoke of massive support for resistance against Donald John's Executive Order banning refugee admissions and travel from seven majority Muslim countries. Gov. Inslee has backed a lawsuit that challenges Trump's Executive Order and commented that by "...undermining Mr. Trump across the board..." The Dems will eventually hope to split Republicans away from the President. Not sure the likes of Mitch McConnell are bright enough.

The Democratic Party is so weakened that several Congress members from red states are afraid to oppose Trump for fear of losing their seats. But what good are those seats to the left if they have no voice. The answer is none. I am having a problem here wondering why we aren't getting fire and brimstone from a team of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer. They are, combined, the strength of the Senate and the Democratic Party. The Republicans doesn't hesitate to gang up against the left when the opportunity presents itself.

However, this is what the Dems are up against. A House and Senate controlled by the GOP. A Republican in the White House, although with such a lack of direction in his first month in office, the unknown will be the biggest problem. And if, probably when, Neil Gorsuch is installed in the Supreme Court, it will be five conservatives against four liberals. Insurmountable odds? Maybe not. Leo Jennings, a Democratic consultant from Youngstown, Ohio, days the Party must adopt a more Progressive economic agenda. Progressives must reclaim the Party.

Jennings, a Sanders supporter, said...
"If we don't start talking about the things that we can do to make it better for all working-class voters, we're bankrupt as a party."
Jennings feels you should lump whites and blacks (people of color) together in the Party's approach, but not rule out identity politics altogether. A state Party organizer who is black said, "If the Democratic Party wants to be around in the future, they need to go left." Precisely what Bernie Sanders was doing when his campaign was ruthlessly side-tracked. The public saw Hillary Clinton as too middle of the road and much too connected to the financial community to be on the side of the consumer. Some Sanders' supporters did vote for Hillary butt it was all too late.

I mentioned the potential magic trio earlier of Sanders, Warren and Schumer, the latter also Senate minority leader, thinking how much power is held by three of the most forceful Democrats in the Senate. What if we now add former President Barack Obama to the formula as a civilian, and Bill and Hillary Clinton, if they are of a mind, plus any other Progressives that want to join the new club. Now, looking forward to 2018, and a takeover of the Senate, and the House too, this consortium could be unbeatable. Is there any reason why these people couldn't and shouldn't work together?

There is at least one skeptic, Chinemerem Onyeukwu, 23, the Party organizer from Ohio, who is worried that, "...Democrats are going to keep running what he called '90s-style campaigns despite Clinton's loss." He has reason to believe that when, in light of the changing analytics of the 2016 Primaries, the Dems were still under the spell of the wicked witch from Florida. There is hope with the election of a new Democratic National Committee head yesterday, Tom Perez. It wasn't the pick of Bernie Sanders and the rest of the Party left, so the future remains to be seen.







Friday, March 25, 2016

Is Elizabeth Warren "Cheering Bernie On ' just short of endorsement?



Elizabeth Warren-Bernie Sanders 
Elizabeth Warren today said about Bernie Sanders, “He’s out there. He fights from the heart.” Then followed with, “This is who Bernie is, and he has put the right issues on the table for the Democratic Party and for the country in general. So I’m still cheering Bernie on.” And she is so right. You cannot find another candidate in the last century who has campaigned with the level of passion for his cause, and with an honesty in his presentation than Bernie Sanders.

In the past Warren has said, "Bernie's out talking about the issues that the American people want to hear about." And back in January a Fortune magazine headline blazed, "Elizabeth Warren Makes Bernie Sanders' Case Better Than He Does." Warren and Sanders make the same case for a Progressive way to improve the country we live in, although Bernie goes a bit further in his health care plan. The pair would make an unbeatable combination in the general election.

And if Elizabeth Warren did endorse Bernie Sanders, it would not guarantee a primary win but it would certainly beef up Bernie's support and most likely send his momentum skyrocketing. That may have already started with a new Bloomberg national poll out on March 24, showing Bernie Sanders at 49%, Hillary Clinton 48%. The Bern can compound on that with Washington state, Hawaii and Alaska caucuses coming up tomorrow. So get out and vote!

In 2009 ThinkProgress did a survey and found that 47% of Americans were Progressive/Liberal, 48% Conservative/Libertarian. Since then the U.S. has slowly but surely moved toward a more Progressive political philosophy which hasn't been evident due to the loud mouth Republicans and the Tea Party. Their thinking is if you scream the loudest, you must be the best. Donald Trump is now the epitome of this belief.

It's hard to say what Elizabeth Warren will do but today's kind of "almost" endorsement will go a long way.  

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