Feel the Bern- Sanders endorses Hildabeast.

He sees Hillary as the lesser of two evils. On the road to environmental destruction Hillary will continue along at our present pace whereas Trump will step on the accelerator. That’s a valid reason to support Hillary. I wonder what concessions he got for it though? Certainly Hillary promised him something for his endorsement.

I think, from his POV, Hillary is the lesser of two evils. Plain and simple; he knows he can’t get the nomination and he’s going to be damned if history remembers him as the reason the thin skinned whiny bitch wins the election.

Zooey wrote:

Well, his options were to 1) do nothing, 2) run with Stein, 3) endorse Hillary.

None of those are good options, but #1 accomplishes nothing but makes him appear spineless, #2 at best pulls the DNC to the left in 2020 but probably at the expense of a Trump presidencty, and #3 lives to fight another day. And he was going to have to fight another day even if he was elected president because none of his proposals were going to become reality without continuous fighting. It was a pragmatic choice, however tough to swallow.

I saw about 3 minutes of Hillary’s speech, and she sounded a lot like Bernie.

What becomes of all of that after the election is uncertain, of course. And given Hillary’s track record, she ain’t likely to fight hard for any of it. But Bernie at least has some status within the senate now to the point other politicians will have to listen to what he says.

And that’s the upshot. That’s what he won. And as insufficient as it is, it is a higher waterline than we have seen in 50 years in this country.

So…thanks, Bernie.

—————-
Well said.

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“We know what we are, but not what we may be.”
― William Shakespeare

This was posted elsewhere by a liberal/pro-Hillary (ie. non-leftist) friend of mine.

That’s a voice I just wanted to add to the conversation.

==

off the net from Ronald Schmidt

Political parties are diverse and so they’re hard to sum up; but Democrats and Republicans are opposed on voting rights, marital equality, bodily autonomy, immigrant rights, and the first, second, fourth, fifth, and fourteenth amendments. If the issues you care about most aren’t in that list, then Thank You, very much, for continuing to insist on your representation! But *please*, for the sake of the millions of people whose lives literally depend on what I mentioned above, don’t say that there is “no difference” between the parties.

—
I don’t like the way this guy writes this but still, it’s a view you see out there.

===

4 ways Bernie Sanders changed the Democratic Party

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/287362-4-ways-bernie-sanders-changed-the-democratic-party

Let’s all give a standing ovation to the gentleman from Vermont. While some have criticized him for prolonging the Democratic primary process and slowing down Hillary Clinton’s inevitable title as the Democratic nominee for president, he still does deserve our praise. Once a little-known senator from one of the smallest states in the union, Bernie Sanders (Vt.) is now a household name and the starter of a political revolution of epic proportions.

What Sanders has done to the Democratic Party and our nation is quite remarkable. Through rally speeches, simple messaging and bold ideas, he has been able to galvanize an entire generation and brought millions into a political process that was once just limited to the older party faithful.
As Sanders now prepares to exit the race after running an impressive campaign, here are four marks he has left on the party and our nation:

1. Pressured the Democratic Party to support the middle and working classes.

One of Sanders’s key issues has been his rigorous messaging for the betterment of the middle class. With proposals such as a $15 minimum wage, the Vermont senator has turned the heads of millions of people in the country working long hours and struggling to make ends meet. The bottom line is that the shrinking middle class is an undeniable reality and one that has not gone unnoticed by the American people.

Sanders provided a strong and impactful voice for the middle class and has empowered millions of working-class Americans to become politically involved. This is something that Clinton and future Democratic candidates will need to address in order to capture what can be now called the “Sanders coalition.”

2. Forced the Democratic Party to address the issue of money in politics.

The past series of Democratic candidates have all been guilty of accepting huge sums of money from undisclosed donors. While the controversial aspect of this uncomfortable truth has been largely unnoticed by the American people, it is yet another issue that Sanders brought to the forefront of his campaign as he relentlessly attacked the corruption brought on by Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Although Sanders’s opposition criticized him for being repetitive on this issue, money in politics is a legitimate concern of the American people. By showing the country that a candidate can be truly supported by the people, Sanders has forced the Democratic leaders, party faithful and elite fundraisers to realize that there is such as thing as too much “big money” in our politics.

3. Made the Democratic Party the party for millennials (to a certain extent).

Throughout his entire campaign, the 74-year-old Vermont senator won by a landslide when it came to voters under the age of 35. This is simply due to his out-of-the-box thinking and his bombastic policy proposals, such as calling for free college tuition regardless of socioeconomic status, Medicare for all and advocating for stiffer Wall Street regulations. These messages resonate deeply with young voters and were key points utilized by the candidate to spark what some have called a “political revolution.”

While some have shunned Sanders’s proposals as far-fetched, millennials have grasped onto them as a way to level the playing field and make our nation better for generations to come. Sanders’s appeal to millennials may actually help the party if it makes the bold choice to listen to these voters and their concerns. If the Democratic Party makes the decision to not to listen to these voters, they could lose an entire generation of voters to apathy. Now is the time for the party infrastructure to reflect the voters it so desperately depends on to win.

4. Upended the Democratic Party’s status quo.

Sanders has set a new standard for the type of candidate that many liberal voters seek. Like presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Sanders saw much of his success from his attacks on establishment Washington politicians. Although he was not able to capture enough votes to win the nomination, Sanders’s anti-establishment messaging and attacks on the money-related corruption in Washington has set a new precedent for the Democratic party.

Whether you are looking at the massive crowds he gathered at his rallies, or the millions of votes he won throughout the primaries, it cannot be denied that Sanders has created a coalition of voters looking to challenge the status quo and fight for serious fundamental change in the Democratic Party. The fact that his millions of supporters stood by him until the very end — many refusing to switch to the Clinton camp — is clear evidence that the Democratic Party will need to make some adjustments to appeal to Sanders’s following.

Putting aside the historical significance of this election with respect to Hillary Clinton’s accomplishments, as well as the less fortunate reality of Donald Trump’s success, this election will be looked upon as a time of political revolution because of the amazingly impressive work of a 74-year-old senator from Vermont.

bnw wrote:

Zooey wrote:

bnw wrote:

Zooey wrote:

Well, his options were to 1) do nothing, 2) run with Stein, 3) endorse Hillary.

None of those are good options, but #1 accomplishes nothing but makes him appear spineless,

No it doesn’t. It would show he stands on principle. But he doesn’t. He supports Hildabeast like a typical political hack.

He IS standing on principle.

You just don’t like what that principle IS.

You mean he now believes Hildabeast has the judgement to be president?
He now believes she is progressive while being owned by Wall Street?
He now believes she won’t support the TPP?

Give it up he’s a hack.

Well, I doubt anyone here is going to take it seriously if you attack Sanders’s character and then actually defend Trump’s. Naturally, people just see both judgments as partisan. Because…duh.

.

Should Trump warrant it he’ll get it too. Waiting on the VP pick.

Retweeting neo-nazi slogans and pics doesn’t warrant it? Making fun of disabled reporters doesn’t warrant it? Egging on violence at his rallies doesn’t warrant it? Calling Mexicans rapists, wanting to ban Muslims from the country, wanting to shut down mosques doesn’t warrant it? Claiming that thousands of Muslims celebrated in Jersey on 9/11 when there is no evidence that any did?

And he constantly lies — as recently as yesterday — about things like the Iranian Deal. He keeps telling his supporters that we gave Iran 150 billion dollars. Um, no we didn’t. It was their money to begin with. We illegally froze it. Because we could. And as a good capitalist, Trump should know better. It wasn’t America’s money to begin with.

Not to mention, he’s called for a massive tax cut for himself, and stands to gain tens of millions once he’s elected and implements that plan. It will also put tens of millions into his children’s pockets.

Oh, and his lies about his charitable giving, too.

Trump promised millions to charity. We found less than $10,000 over 7 years.

Apparently they didn’t look hard enough.

Why is that apparent? It’s not. They found he lied about his charitable giving. Rather, his lack of charitable giving — after an exhaustive search.

Of course, he could help settle the controversy by releasing his tax records, but he won’t. And that would make him the first nominee for president to withhold them in several decades.

What is he trying to hide?

Yes, Clinton hides too much as well. But, the old saying applies: Two wrongs don’t make a right, etc.

And what about the other things I mentioned? Do you have any explanations for them? Don’t they at least give you pause?

Zooey wrote:

Here is Robert Reich on the same topic:
———————-

Nice video, but Reich is a LOT more…oh…optimistic
than I am.

I dont see ANY of those things he listed happening. I dont think Hillary
will be one bit different from Obama/Bill-Clinton. And i think the DNC
will roll along tossing out identity-politix crumbs to liberals once in a while.

I mean why should they change? Assuming HIllary wins. Which she will.
http://www.electionprojection.com/latest-polls/national-presidential-polls-trump-vs-clinton.php

Have a nice day 🙂

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