Democracy Now Interview: Claire Sandberg - Digital Director Who Resigned 'Our Revolution'
Jump to @48:00 to view the start of Claire Sandberg interview.
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/25/our_revolution_bernie_sanders_laun...
Larry Cohen defends the Weaver decisions in the interview.
Short version:
OurRev staff doesn't like how Jeff Weaver is organizing as a 501(c)(4) to take billionaire money. This will prevent the ability to directly support down ticket candidates which was the original intent of the org. No confidence in Weaver for 'mistakes' he made during the campaign.
Transcript is at the link.
Weaver swears allegiance to Hellery - Aug 15
Weaver in his own words...
In private call, DNC flexes unity with Clinton camp and Sanders team
“I know that sometimes in primaries there can be sharp elbows, and I hope I haven’t bumped into too many of you,” Weaver said on the call. “But as we go forward into the general election, I’m very happy to be working with members of the Clinton team in trying to get the secretary elected.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/dnc-sanders-clinton-strategy-state...
So where do we expect Weaver to take OurRev?
And now for this commercial message... 
Comments
That tells me what I need to know, about who
the douchebag saboteur of Sanders campaign was--no doubt in my mind it was Jeff Weaver all along...
He's out to help make this shit irrelevant.
Too bad something doesn't happen to him. Sanders' Karma could use the hits.
PS
love your meme--I, too, am keeping calm and voting for Jill
Claire Sandberg might be the
Claire Sandberg might be the mole too. She might have joined to create this kind of chaos. Clintonistas have always tried to smear Bernie with their sins. I don't think dlcers are friends and I don't think it likely that the democrats can be taken over but I still admire Bernie.
Who has the background and connections
to the Clinton machine/Dem party mainstream?
I'm reading Weaver's bio; seems he started out as a good guy; a divestment protester.
He's been w/Sanders since 1987, so no matter who or what else he is, unlikely Sanders would cut ties.
He stayed with Sanders all that time, moving up until he became Chief of Staff; he took a break from politics and came back in 2015 to run Sanders' campaign.
I see Sandberg was at Rainforest Action Network....looking for more...She was involved w/Democracy Spring.....Politico says something about a digital anti-fracking campaign in NY...
As far as I can see, neither has direct ties to Clinton or to the DLC types.
But here's the thing: you don't need "a mole" to create chaos if you're an electoral organization that chose to be a 501c4. I've started (and run) a 501c4--and even in 2009/2010, when the rules were enforced less strictly, you couldn't do *anything* directly related to a candidate. The only political campaigns you could take part in were issue-based campaigns (like an anti-fracking campaign, rather than a campaign to replace Debbie Wasserman-Schultz with Tim Canova.)
This is just wrongheaded. It makes Our Revolution into an automatically less effective version of DFA.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Thanks for the useful info
Watching the segment on Democracy Now, I couldn't help feeling that Claire Sandberg was offering cogent and substantive arguments, while Larry Cohen was just dishing out the usual vapid rhetorical BS - "this is bigger than Claire and me, blah blah blah." Thanks but no thanks.
Any "revolutionary" movement that seeks to align itself with the Democratic Party - which is truly one of the world's most regressive and reactionary political institutions - is not only a contradiction in terms, but is dooming itself from the get-go to complete irrelevancy. Bernie had it right in 1991 when he said:
"Now my own view - and it has been my view for many, many years - is that what we need in this country is what [Jesse] Jackson calls a Rainbow Coalition. But it has to be done outside of the Democratic Party."
Sad that that Bernie appears to be M.I.A. just when he's needed the most.
inactive account
Definitely. Larry Cohen was in blather mode
Nothing concrete. We're the good guys. We are Bernie's vision. Cloaking himself in Bernie's aura. Blah Blah Blah
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
So, what you're saying is that it's now ...
... a completely different organization than first pitched: that it was to be an umbrella organization with a single set of messages that candidates would sign up for, more like a logo certification program?
If all that can be done are issue oriented campaigns, then I suspect you're right. Is it now a superPAC with a different funding source?
Karl Rove's Crossroads super PAC is a 501(c)(4)
Money washes in with little or no reporting of the sources necessary.
Does that make Weaver the Dem version of Rove. Hahaha.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
I always assume Karl Rove is exempt from the laws
lesser mortals like myself and others in the non-profit sector had to follow.
Would that be true of Weaver? I doubt it.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Unless the laws have changed somehow--
and I don't know about it, that's exactly what I mean. It makes no damned sense what they're doing. All they were talking about was downballot, run lots of candidates, progressives running for office at all levels--and now they've made themselves into the kind of organization that is legally prohibited from doing that kind of work! And in fact, Sandberg said just that: that they are currently unable to help Canova because they *are* a 501c4.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
i guess we wait and see
precisely what they have in mind. I will say the messaging wasn't exactly crisp. They need to get their org s**t together before speaking again. Soon.
I suspected Bernie wouldn't be involved regardless, he's busy writing a book he can release on Nov 9.
And Bernie has nothing to do
And Bernie has nothing to do with it? Just left it with Weaver and walked away?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
501c3 might have been a better choice.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Or maybe they could just have been an association.
I think that's what Occupy Los Angeles decided to be, in its brief time on Earth as a financial entity...
"We're in 25th Amendment territory." -- Saagar Enjeti
I share concerns about the funding about our revolution.
But I'd like to know a) more about what mistakes Claire et al believe weaver made that cost Bernie the nomination and b) what their background is that they are so sure that their ideas would have won the nomination.
Nobody, least of all Bernie, says that the campaign was without its share of mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect campaign.
But so far, all I can find out about Claire is that she previously ran a digital anti fracking campaign in ny & she wrote an article on truth out? Re jerry brown. This doesn't seem to be a background that screams of "she has the fool proof secret to running a winning campaign for the democratic nomination"
#1, we know that there were lots of little things outside the control of the campaign that cost Bernie votes/delegates. Such as the dnc's thumb on the scale. Harry Reid's thumb on the scale in Nevada. The voter purge in Brooklyn. The inclusion of super delegates in the delegate totals. The fact that almost 100% of the super delegates were backing - and working for - Hillary, not Bernie. AP calling the nomination before the California primary. Etc.
2) Hillary built her insurmountable delgate lead up in the old confederacy. Where the democratic vote is primarily African American, heavily older, conservative Christian women who have the least internet access in the country. What guaranteed way did the digital team have of breaking Hillary's hold on this region?
3) I seem to have read that part of the team that left our revolution left because weaver ran too many ads in California. But I remember from the run-up to California that the guy who headed ca quit because Bernie wouldn't run enough ads. Which was it?
You have to go a long ways back to find a losing campaign that was as successful as Bernie. A lot of that credit goes to the people who donated to Bernie because we kept the money flowing.
What are your thoughts about
Weaver using the organization to cultivate billionaire donors?
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/bernie-sanders-new-group-h...
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
I stated that I have concerns re fund raising.
And I won't be donating to OR again until I get them answered.
But I'm not going to get them answered on a blog or in the press.
But wasn't the entire
Basis of Bernie's campaign getting money out of politics? I would think that the issue you brought up about Weaver's effectiveness as a manager a minor point compared to the raison d'état of the entire organization existence. No?
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Because I can not donate
And still support our revolution by volunteering for its anti-tpp campaign, for example.
Here's the battle plan for the anti-TPP efforts, and the possible timelines we'll be working with.
1) call our fellow citizens & inform them about the TPP.
2) national call day on 9/14: call our reps and tell them of our opposition to the TPP
3) national day of action on 10/1. This is when our reps head back to their instructs to campaign prior to the election.
4) attend a sanders event as he's campaigning & bring an anti-TPP sign (see flushthetpp.org for signs).
Let's see what happens when McConnell et al look out their window & see a million people opposing the TPP.
https://ourrevolution.com/stop-the-tpp
Claire was the Director of Distributed Organizing
for the Sanders camapign:
You can see how some people knew each other, like Claire and Zack Malitz. (Zack was great to work with, he provided support for Barnstron hosts (me). The Barnstorm events were developed by Zack Exely.
Claire ran a great group since I think july 2015 and they had to invent stuff along the way.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Sounds like a meme to me.
Sounds like a meme to me. Bernie won - the Clinton campaign/DNC/corporate media etc. cheated him and the people of the Dem nomination because they want the Earth and while any corporate candidate would have handed it over, Hillary is so eagerly corrupt, she's a Wall St./bankster/hedge fund/private prison/MIC/polluting industry, etc. favorite.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I was at an Our Revolution event last night.
Along with Alan Grayson, there were local progressive candidates in attendance. Fine people, one and all. But I read about Jeff Weaver as I was waiting for the live stream at 9 PM.
I left at 9 PM.
hmmmm, Claire Sandberg tweet
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
What?
I must've missed that. What relentless pressure from inside the Democratic Party?
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Environmental groups such as
Environmental groups such as 350.org adamantly oppose fracking in the state, saying that it will wreak environmental havoc and pose a threat to public health. New York State's fracking ban has become a flash point in a larger debate over the potential dangers of natural-gas drilling across the U.S.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/new-york-state-moves...
http://www.americansagainstfracking.org/blog/mark-ruffalo-applauds-ny-st...
2013:
NY fracking moratorium enters 6th year
In the summer of 2008, then-Governor David Paterson and the legislature imposed an actual moratorium in New York on the gas drilling process known as hydrofracking.
Travis Proulx, with Environmental Advocates, says the Cuomo Administration review process has been shrouded in secrecy.
"Nobody knows what's going on," Proulx said. "We don't know who is looking at what, we don't know what considerations they are looking at. We don't know, ultimately, how the final decision is going to be made."
Proulx says there's also been no answer on the hundreds of thousands of comments the public has submitted to the Department of Environmental Conservation.
"We don't know if their comments are even being read, or reviewed or considered in any type of way," Proulx said.
Environmental Advocates is seeking another two-year moratorium on fracking while a more definitive assessment is conducted. The Assembly has approved a measure, but it has stalled in the State Senate. Proulx says despite the now five-year delay, New Yorkers still don't know about potential public health effects.
They weren't republicans, and they weren't GPNY
Erica Ringewald of Environmental Advocates said her group also will lobby for a bill promoting solar industry jobs.
Ana Tinsley of Frack Action said the top priority for her group is the ban bill sponsored in the Assembly by Brooklyn Democrat William Colton and in the Senate by Queens Democrat Tony Avella. The bill would amend the state's environmental conservation law to prohibit hydraulic fracturing and the disposal of any fluid used in a hydraulic fracturing process.
http://www.eveningtribune.com/article/20120123/NEWS/301239942
Andrew Cuomo has agreed to ban fracking after a state environmental review found that the gas drilling method cannot be employed without unacceptable risk to public health and the environment. This decision comes after Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins, who advocated for a fracking ban, took nearly 5% of the vote in the 2014 election.
http://www.greenpartywatch.org/tag/fracking/
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Thank you for all of the information.
The history is interesting, and it seems that the ban came possibly from both relentless legislation and Hawkins' showing in the election.
That was a month ago.
Ms. Sandberg likely feels a bit different now.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Please let us know when she goes #DemExit. Not likely imo.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
I'd be very surprised if she wasn't extremely
disillusioned right now. That's all I'm saying. And if she left Bernie b/c he wasn't progressive enough for her--essentially--where else do you expect she will go within the Democratic establishment? He's basically about 90% of what is left of the left, within the Democratic party. The rest of the left, left.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I don't see Sandberg resignation as "leaving Bernie"
Slight clarification...
Sandberg left 'Our Revolution' which is now run by a Clinton ally, Weaver. (see the Weaver quote I added to the essay).
Bernie himself left 'Our Revolution' last night. Since it is now a 501(c)(4), Bernie as a sitting senator cannot be involved with it.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
Unbelievable...
Did he say that? Or are people supposed to know that?
Because if he didn't say, this is sabotage all the way around. PS. yeah, Weaver. Clinton mole. Total douchebag...
IIRC Last night Bernie said
something to the effect that he can't (or won't) be involved with running OurRev. I'd have to see the transcripts to see what his exact words were.
I read in some article that 501(c)(4) cannot be directly involved with a candidates or politician. No speaking to them. No communications. etc.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
I heard the same
That means I have to understand a lot more of what OurRev really is before moving forward.
They could be trying to be the Kochs of the left, but I thought the point was to end that game?
Did the Kochs
do veal pens? I didn't think that was necessary on the American Right
(/rueful snark)
He said that as a sitting senator
He can't be involved with it.
She left just before launch of Our Revolution
against Bernie's express wishes, because she has a problem with someone who is a longterm aide and friend of Bernie.
She gave Bernie and Our Revolution a black eye at its inception by doing so.
I'd be very surprised if she had a job with Bernie any time soon.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
She and 7 others left
More than half of the OR staffers. That tells you something.
I worked with 4 of those staffers
What Claire did in the campaign as awesome.
http://www.p2016.org/sanders/sandersorg.html
Actually Claire can write her own ticket based on her performance over the last 16 months.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
NYTimes quote on Sanders
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/us/politics/bernie-sanders-our-revolut...
SNIP
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
The 600K vacation home purchase right now
at this juncture--not that I'm opposed to buying homes for 600K if you can afford it--is bad enough optics and a dumb enough mistake in optics that it makes me indulge in all kinds of conspiracy theories, because it's just too dumb a mistake for any longterm politician to make, and Sanders is by no means the dumbest of the guys up there. Far from it.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Oh FFS.
Not this again.
I've commented on this more than once and won't rehash it here, but Jesus Christ.
All I'm saying is that it's a poor choice of timing.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Perhaps
But you can't always control what home comes on the market when. The Champlain Islands aren't that big and if you hesitate, you can lose out.
I'd say after all Bernie and Jane have been through this year, if they want to purchase a home where they can relax with their kids and grandkids, then they freaking earned it. And they purchased in their home state, which benefits their home economy, and ... nevermind, I said I wasn't going to rehash this.
This should not be "a thing."
Right. There are plenty of valid things to fret about but
but a modest vacation home is not one of them. I know lots of middle class families with summer homes in that price range.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
Its a thing if one wishes to engage in certain behavior
and needs an event to rationalize this behavior.
Yes, this should not be a thing. I agree 100%.
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
How do they control the timing
of someone making an offer on the house in Maine?
I mean seriously, you ought to know damn well in this market if you were selling a house, and you got a respectable offer you would snatch it up. But I guess what you're saying is the Sanders should have waited until next year to put it on the market so as to avoid your bad optics. Regardless of the marketplace is at that time.
God help me..... please...I beg you....
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
600K is perfectly within the price range of US Senate salary nt
Beware the bullshit factories.
I already said I have no problem with
buying a house for 600K. If I could do it myself, I would.
People seem determined to focus on defending the having and spending of money rather than focusing on optics and timing, which was my concern.
It's a small concern anyway, which I shouldn't have brought up, since the destruction of Sanders' reputation is basically a done deal at this point, at least to the extent that the movement is significantly divided over it.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
OH WTF
“My family had a lake home in Maine since 1900, but we hadn’t had the time to go there in recent years — especially since my parents passed away,” she said. “We finally let go of it and that enabled us to buy a place in the islands — something I’ve always hoped for. http://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2016/08/08/bernie-sanders...”
FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.
Backing this up -
I found jane's mother's obituary from 2005 online and the vacation house in Maine was a significant part of it.
Thanks DO for posting this piece. I think it explains 'why'
this organization was formed as it was.
IMHO, it is clearly a mechanism to avoid running afoul of the corporatist neoliberal Dem Establishment's agenda--noting that the piece says that money can't go directly to candidates.
Also, it allows for a process that the right-wing has long used--proposing 'initiatives' to drive voter participation during election cycles. Including those that have not chance of passing. It appears that this new organization is going to heavily focus on referendums/initiatives, which I gather would be supported by Dem Party candidates (including corporatist candidates). IOW, it partly amounts to a GOTV-type of action or mechanism.
Just read a piece earlier today, in which Tim Canova "lamented that Bernie has not campaigned with him ahead of next week's primary, despite publicly flirting with the idea."
[I'll post this piece at EB, shortly.]
One piece I read referred to this type of organization as one which allows for unaccountable 'dark money.' That alone, gives me pause.
Thanks for this excellent diary, COE. As longtimers here know, I was in agreement with Hedges that Bernie should have made the run as an Independent. OTOH, from all that I've observed, I'm not surprised that he didn't buck the Democratic Party. As Drs Stein and Flowers put it--he's basically a team player, since he has caucused with Dems for about 25 years.
I've heard Jeff Weaver in a radio interview, and he did not come across as particuarly 'progressive,' by my measure. (Praised 'his Senator,' and FSC's running mate--Tim Kaine. Ugh!)
I'll leave it to other to discuss Bernie's true motivations, except for saying that I think that he (mistakenly) truly believes that it is the most productive and/or 'doable' route to achieving incremental progressive goals--working within the Dem Party. My point being, IMO, Bernie is sincere--just misguided.
As for me--done with that fairytale.
But, 'to each his own.'
Mollie
“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit, and, therefore, to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)
National Mill Dog Rescue (NMDR) - Dogs Available For Adoption
Update: Misty May has been adopted. Yeah!
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Thanks UL. Great points.
"Done with that fairytale". Amen to that.
And what made this essay excellent are all the excellent comments. So thanks to you and everyone who attended and shared their knowledge.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Bernie planning for 3 different organizations working toward various progressive objectives, with a different one working to get progressive candidates running and elected? Wouldn't that be the one where fundraising for them was an issue?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I've thought of that, but if that's the case
then the framing of the launch of OR should have been significantly different. At the very least, there are some significant messaging snafus here.
How hard would it be to say: "While Brand New Congress will work directly with candidates, Our Revolution takes as its job getting citizen initiatives on ballots in all 50 states, to move forward a people-powered progressive agenda for America."
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Here is the OR website link. If you find any reference
3 different organizations, please report back. I just looked and couldn't find anything.
https://ourrevolution.com/
If you are right, and there are 3 different orgs, then they have a hell of a communications problem IMO.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
I've never been so cynical
As I am now thanks to this clusterfuck of an election, and so when I read the transcripts of this interview and hear Mr. Cohen explain the "mission" of the organization I do not get a swelling of hope and an authentic feeling of empowerment. What stands out instead for me is the clever way Democrats who have been salivating over Bernie's donor email list have used this grand marketing puppet show scheme to get to the mother load of money. Us. The useful idiots who they want to support their relentless greed machine.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
They'll get no money out of us.
Whether they have our info or not.
Unless you're saying that Our Revolution is a rebranding that enables the DNC to get our bucks.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I'm saying they are using
Bernie's message to woo people inclined to give money to support what they genuinely feel is his message. When in reality, it's just a cynical ploy to get us behind another lie in the shit load of lies the Democratic Party has perpetrated for the sake of control.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Got it.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Got it.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
The good news is, if true,
We're too smart to fall for it -- thanks, in large part, to Bernie.
I really don't know what to make of all of this, except that if Bernie has necessarily stepped back due to organizational status -- and if Weaver is now in charge -- I won't be participating in the "Our Revolution" movement. Instead, I'll keep following Brand New Congress and hope *they* effect some meaningful change during the midterms.
I have been trying to say this for months, and doing it badly
Thank you! If OR is dilution bullshit (whether it always was or not), seems to me that all we can do--and should do--is take the original Sanders message and move it forward. Not me, us. Not him, us.
We can't sit around and wait for someone to rescue us.
And Bernie will know this
And Bernie will know this about his supporters - and be happy that people are dropping the billionaire-funded program to focus on getting progressives into Congress.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Nope, not this time
Sorry to say, Sarah Palin might have said it best: "How's that hopey changey thing working out for ya?"
Not good, as we all now know.
What ever Bernie is doing, when he's not endorsing Her Heiniousness, and trying to scare people from voting for Trump ( MUCH less evil then who Bernie wants to win) - they're not getting my money, and Jeff Weaver ain't getting a damn thing. No money, no support, and he can keep his f'cking 501 C4 and his new found friendship with David Brock's friends.
Done with all this crap. Larry Cohen stumbling along sounds like Her Heiniousness, who now says there is smoke but no fire in her unethical behavior - uh, we can get smoke without fire? Who knew.
I love how his enemies
think Sanders' donor list is going to net them much of anything. What a fucking joke. I hope they call me, because I am so going to unload on their asses...
You and me both, Luna.
And I posit we're not alone.
In fact, if and when the begging commences, I say we organize a concerted effort to get whatever ISP is behind any electronic solicitations, blackballed.
I wonder if they even care about small donors now
501(c)(4) can take in tens of millions from a billionaire in one transaction ( I think ). Why should they care about a $27 donation.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
Thu, 08/25/2016 - 4:26pm —
Thu, 08/25/2016 - 4:26pm — CitizenOfEart
Optics? All that really matters to corporate Dems, after all, where voters are concerned.
Edited because I should be sleeping in bed, not while commenting, lol.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
My take
For what it is worth. The majority of the staff of OR envisaged something very different from what it has morphed into. I am only guessing, but my guess is that they wanted to rely on small donations and wanted to help candidates directly. I think this is a good model. Democratic strategists are for the most part inept. There is plenty of scope for young, smart, energetic campaign strategists that could help progressive democrats. A little money in the right races might make a lot of difference. This model does not work with a 501c4 organization. 501c4s are supposed to be insulated from particular campaigns. They are not completely separated, in practice, (they can run "issue" adds that clearly favor one candidate over the other, for example), but they can not help candidates develop or implement campaign strategies. 501c4s are non-profit so wealthy donors can get a tax break for donating to them. If you are a non-tax-itemizer that is giving 30 bucks, the non-profit status does not benefit you. In other words, most Bernie donors will not get any tax break from the non-profit status. Very wealthy donors will get a tax break, obviously, but courting wealthy donors must, necessarily, compromise the ability of the organization to take stands against the accumulation of wealth. With Weaver coming in and it becoming a 501c4, the majority of the staff no longer felt that Our Revolution was something that they wanted to be a part of so they left. I hope I am wrong but this looks like a cushy job for Weaver at a big salary and that the political effectiveness of OR will be marginal. I think Cohen is a decent guy, but it looked to me like he was defending something with goals he was proud of but with structural and organizational problems. All in all, I am pretty disappointed so far.
My ire is reserved for
Those making the decision to change the OR organization into essentially a SuperPAC and cynically profiting off the idea that was behind Bernie's campaign. Although, I have little sympathy for those like Mr. Cohen who are are defending this grotesque puppet show to the public. I think now is the time where ALL of us need to get a little more introspective about what is happening to our country.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Yup
Among other things, a very serious, long-term, popular sitting United States Senator has been effectively silenced.
Submitted respectfully and I ask that you please consider carefully--no matter how we all got to this point, or whose fault it was that it did or didn't go as planned, the end result is
Think long and hard about what that means, all of us who aren't powerful like the average sitting United States Senator tends to be. And then let's think about whether or not squabbles, say, over an old man's last home or whether or not He's In The Way at this point really matter.
I have thought long and hard
about the effects of Bernie's silence about a lot of things. The effect has been utterly demoralizing. And since we can only speculate why, I can't think what the efficacy is for further reflection? To what end? I have decided to move forward with my causes, anti fracking and stopping the TPP being two of them, along with supporting the Green Party. I can't continue roiling over about the causes of the demoralization any longer. It's depressing and futile.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Claire is right that if you're a 501c4, you cannot legally
support candidates. So now it looks like it's not even a DFA redux. It's DFA without the ability to directly support or work with candidates.
So now we're doing electoral work within a framework that makes it near-impossible to work directly with candidates.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Honest question
And believe me, this is in no way a defense of the current situation but:
Is there a place for / good reason to have an organization that advocates the issues?
We know that Bernie was the only candidate this cycle to actually raise the issues -- and it was those very issues that brought unprecedented numbers of people together, regardless of their political affiliation, because of the commonality of experience.
We also know that we're stuck in a bullshit duopoly intent on preventing cross-party connections over issues. And the media won't report on them. The media doesn't give one flying fuck about the TPP; they'd rather talk about the size of Trump's ... hands.
So, I guess I'm just wondering if Our Revolution might not actually serve an important public service. Maybe it's a good thing it can't advocate for specific candidates; I mean, Brand New Congress can do that. Maybe it will help educate the general public about the issues that matter, who will then (hopefully) apply that knowledge to their selection of candidates. (I'm not smart enough to make an argument that OR will benefit third parties, but maybe it will).
Anyway, just thinking out loud. It's been a long day and my synapses aren't firing on all cylinders, so take all of this with a grain of salt.
(I also have not watched the video).
I'd be in total agreement--
but Bernie spent an awful lot of time talking about the candidates Our Revolution was going to support last night. His strategy is still, apparently, electoral.
About all that Our Revolution can do within that framework is ballot initiatives, which I'm not against--but this is a crazy-ass way to start an organization that supposedly has a primarily electoral strategy. And, most importantly, THAT'S NOT WHAT HE SAID. He didn't say "We are a ballot initiatives issues-based organization." He talked about candidates.
In fact, he made it look like Bernie Sanders doesn't understand the rules regarding non-profit organizations!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Ugh.
If it depends on wealthy donors,
what kind of issues is it really going to advocate for? How much input will any of us have into its goals? How transparent will it be? And how effectively will it advocate, even if it claims to support our goals? How can it be OUR revolution if the 1% is funding it?
Smells as though it's co
Smells as though it's co-opted to me. I'd think that support should go where Bernie remains involved; he seems to be telegraphing messages where he can, as any kidnap victim/person under duress will.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I tend to agree with this assessment.
The Sane Progressive...
had a 25 min rant about it that was posted on the open thread. Here it is if you're interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmV7sS1Pw58
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I find it bitterly amusing
That the same people who derided us about the term "Revolution" are now seeing its merits in the most craven way possible. Debbie is right. Bernie is now in the way.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Does anyone believe he wants to be "in the way"?
I will go to my grave seeing the man used as either a puppet or a punching bag. Quite possibly, both.
Covert treats directly against one's health and well-being do strange things to them.
I'm going to respectfully
Side with Debbie's take on this. What politician invokes the word "Revolution" and everything that word means by giving the people the license to take their power back from a system that is oppressing it, and then not expect pushback from those in power in the way of threats? I'm not asking him to be a martyr, but if he was bodily threatened then why not just do his "good soldier" bidding by supporting Hillary and then after the election retire. He doesn't have to get out in front of this obviously bogus organization when he knows it's just another attempt to defraud the people.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Well?
Isn't that exactly what he's doing? I mean....the election isn't over yet, so we don't know if he'll retire, too. But the veal pen that is "Our Revolution" will quietly go away, just as a few thought it might. So I would be surprised if he doesn't retire, no matter what he's said to date.
Bernie's withdrawing from the
Bernie's withdrawing from the Our Revolution via billionaire thing - but there's no reason that he should leave the Senate, where he does so much good. He may be doing a wait-and-see thing, there may be something in the works he can't discuss, or he may simply want to keep fighting for/informing the people, as he's done all of his life.
Simply because one man hasn't been able to overcome a powerful global evil empire of ruthless self-interests in a rigged primary doesn't make him irrelevant and doesn't necessarily mean that he's going to stop trying to do his best for the people he represents. But he probably does need a little bit of respite.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
they are stealing the word "revolution"
the same way they stole the word "hope"
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Here it is....
Bernie won't fight, and he won't get out of the way.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Then he CAN'T.
Have you never been threatened? Do you really believe that physical threats can't possibly be involved here?
You can make excuses for him if you want.
Until 5th grade, I grew up in Detroit as a chubby little girl with ringlets who was one of three white kids in my entire school grade. I was called cracker and a few other things, threatened, hit, touched, and regularly had my hair pulled. I stood up to them and their threats for five years. If I can do it as a child, what can Bernie manage as a US Senator?
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
That's just the same as having children and grandchildren?
Just sayin' . Though all this is speculation of the rankest kind at this point.
I was tormented as well in elementary school so empathize with you.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
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