Bernie Sanders sweeps Saturday Primaries

Bernie Sanders decisive sweep of Saturday's Primaries in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii prove the momentum for the Revolution is still as strong as ever. Yes, Bernie trails Hillary Clinton 1,712 to 1,004 in total delegates, but when you remove the 469 superdelegates, her lead is only 268. We know the superdelegates could go to either candidate between now and July. The Bern thinks, and so do his supporters, that he will prove to be the most electable in November.

RealClearPolitics RCP poll averages show Clinton 50.0 to 38.8 against Trump, but only 46.7 to 43.8 with Cruz. Sanders is 54.7 to 37.2 against Trump and 49.6 to 41.2 with Cruz, a clear higher margin of success. The key here is the forces working to defeat Donald Trump seem assured of some success and if so, that would leave Cruz where Hillary holds only a 2.9 spread, Bernie 8.4. And John Kasich beats Clinton by 6.5 where Sanders beats him by 1.

The minute the superdelegates sense that either Hillary Clinton is floundering, or Bernie Sanders is commanding the attention of the American public and can't be stopped, which becomes more evident each day, There will be a mass exodus of superdelegate votes to the Bern. 

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.  

Republicans win by blocking votes

Voter lines Arizona 2016 Primary

Arizona will do anything it can to prevent the minority vote and it did prior to the March 22, Primary by shutting down several voting locations...mostly where blacks and Hispanics live. Tucson, to the south, had twice as many places to vote in Pima County than Phoenix in Maricopa, and is one-third the size of Maricopa. Tucson is also much more liberal. But it isn't just Arizona, it is all over the country in Republican controlled states.

MSNBC reports, "North Carolina’s voter ID law and other rule changes kept a significant number of would-be voters from the polls, reports suggest. And ID laws in Texas, Alabama, and Virginia also appear to have had an impact." NCs Governor is a Republican, as is Arizona's. It was redistricting that has created these pockets of GOP control and the only way to solve the problem is for Progressives to come out in November in local elections and vote it down.

And here are the facts to back all this up. ThinkProgress has the shocking numbers; "...researchers found that in primary elections, a strict ID law could be expected to depress Latino turnout by 9.3 points, Black turnout by 8.6 points, and Asian American turnout by 12.5 points.” And this is just what Republicans are shooting for, repression of voters that vote for Democrats. In addition, the young vote waits until Election Day so how many Bernie Sanders voters were lost?

There's more from ThinkProgress: "The impact of strict voter ID was also evident in general elections, where minority turnout plummeted in relation to the white vote. 'For Latinos in the general election, the predicted gap more than doubles from 4.9 points in states without strict ID laws to 13.5 points in states with strict photo ID laws,' the study found."  If the American public doesn't find this completely unacceptable, then, the empathy of this country is in the sewer.

Like I said before, it isn't just Arizona, No. Carolina or the other states mentioned, it's wherever you find a "wake" of Republicans. Wake is the name for a group of buzzards. 

Bernie Sanders Sayings

If you look at the newspapers here - the Washington papers - most of the discussion deals with campaign gossip.

Where are you older voters for Bernie Sanders?

Older folks vote and they vote early

It still astonishes me why the older voting crowd hasn't come around to Bernie Sanders side. Hillary Clinton is still drawing this group when all the negative factors like his Democratic Socialism have been explained in detail. It might be the recognition thing and as the Bern wins more states it will change for the better. Sanders' younger voters are a driving force for him but the older crowd voted 72% to 45% in the 2012 election.

Clinton used Tony Bennett and Jamie Lee Curtis in her promotion so Bernie should enlist Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito and Steve Wozniak who have voiced support for his candidacy. Bernie Sanders is 74-years-young and as is evidenced by his campaign, well up to handling the White House. If he could capture at least a large portion of this base, his worries over delegates would be eased significantly.

The question is, are these older voters for Clinton also donors or are they just the result of polls? This headline makes one wonder, "Clinton claim on small donors is ‘mostly false,’ PolitiFact finds." According to federal disclosure data, small donors account for only 17 percent of the dollar amount of Hillary Clinton's campaign. When you spread this around several demographics Clinton claims in her camp, apparently the older voters aren't that excited over her candidacy.

Bernie Sanders raised raised $5.2 million in the 18 hours after the polls closed in New Hampshire. It's this kind of enthusiastic response he could generate with older voters who apparently are not reacting similarly to Clinton now. Since this group has a tendency to vote early, Bernie's campaign workers must get to them earlier making a strong case for their candidate. This age range is averse to radical change so the Bern needs to convince them he is actually mainstream.

Which when you look at all his issues, he really is.

Bernie Sanders wins significant majority of March 22 voting

Bernie Sanders lost Arizona to Hillary Clinton but he won Idaho and Utah with overwhelming numbers: Idaho 78% to 21.2%; Utah 79.3% to 20.3%. I live in Arizona and just to mention the word Progressive in this state sends the sheltered conservatives running for cover. The Bern amassed 71 delegates to Clinton's 54. He may be behind (Clinton 1,223 total pledged delegates to Sanders' 920) but the momentum is building again as the primaries work West.

On March 26, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington vote. There are no meaningful polls that I can find for any of the three states but Politico's assessment is, "He’s also in a strong position to reel off a few more victories on Saturday — when caucuses in Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington take place." They add that "the revolution remains stalled," which I disagree with considering one particular factor. Super delegates want to win and Bernie is the most electable.

In a blazing headline this month, Huff Post said, "In Nearly Every Blue, Purple, and Light-Red State, Bernie Sanders Polls Better Against Trump Than Hillary Clinton." These states include Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, No. Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. Hillary Clinton wins in only one, Florida. And it's not only super delegates; the Bern could close that 300 deficit with California (June 7 primary) alone which has 546 delegates.

Add to that Oregon and New Jersey coming up and this fight is a long way from being over.

How does your state stand in gun laws?

Legal in Iowa

If you live in Kansas, your gun laws are considered the worst by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. If you are in Alaska, you are number one in gun deaths. The states with the best gun laws are California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts, in that order. The five states with the worst gun laws are Alaska, Arizona, Wyoming, Mississippi and Kansas dead last.

How can Iowa rank 17 in gun laws allowing blind people to carry them in public? Arizona is justifiably 47th, partially because gun owners can bring their firearms into a bar. South Dakota was the first state to allow all teachers to carry heat in classrooms. In Colorado a Republican introduced legislation requiring all businesses to allow guns on the premises. Missouri wants to make it a felony to introduce gun legislation. There are more stupid gun laws you can see here.

As gun control advocates have said for years now, the gun culture is out of control with their goal to put as many firearms on the street as they can. And it is all carefully orchestrated by Wayne LaPierre, along with his National Rifle Assn. (NRA) minions, who have somehow convinced the American public, even non-gun owners, that the 2nd Amendment is sacred. Well, I say the 2nd Amendment is doo doo and it is time to flush most of it down the toilet.

LaPierre professes to be protecting his membership in the NRA by enacting all these stupid gun laws but his real intent is to support the sale of guns on behalf of gun manufacturers to increase their profits. If he was working for his membership he would not oppose background checks that are favored by 75% of these members. Only the gun nuts are against responsible gun laws but by far they are the most vocal in yelling persecution.

President Obama has tried but failed in passing stricter gun legislation, knowing full well at the time it would never get through a GOP House, and if by chance it did, the succubus of the senate, McConnell, would never let it pass. Gun control advocates are having some luck at the state and local level and with more Progressives winning these positions in the fall, hopefully we can prevail. This means all you Progressives be sure and get out the vote.