I am now officially "Steven V" per the DNC Survey I Just Received
My name has changed.
Well, at least according to the Democratic National Committee, who did me the great honor of sending me their "OFFICIAL 2017 DEMOCRATIC PARTY SURVEY" for which I am eternally grateful. They actually want my opinion about what their priorities should be. I even have a DNC Membership number. Funny, I don't remember joining the DNC, but it is nice to know they want me so badly.
I won't bore you with the details of the entire survey. Most of the questions they ask are what attorneys would consider "leading questions." The survey is composed of VII Sections (hey, they like Roman numerals so who am I to argue), but there is only one, "SECTION II: YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES" - subparagraph 1), where, after a list of eight predetermined options to the question "Which domestic issues are important to you?" the DNC does offer me a ninth option. It's left blank and allows me to write in my own personal priority after the word: "Other"
By the way, and just for the record, here are the other eight selections (I can choose up to three!) they graciously provided in order to spare me the "hard work" of using my critical thinking skills to come up with my own. Forgive me if I add a bit of my own commentary.
2) Which domestic issues are important to you
A growing economy with good-paying jobs
Commentary: Nice vague wording that tells me nothing about how they plan to achieve that goal, much less how they define a "growing economy" - technically I though Obama said we had one now - and what they consider "good-paying jobs," much less whom is entitled to receive them.)Affordable Health care and lower prescription drug costs
(Commentary: An ironic choice in light of the Democratic Senators who voted against the the importation of cheaper Canadian drugs last week. The absence of any mention of "Single Payer" or Medicare for All" as health care options is rather telling, as well.)Women's reproductive rights and protecting Roe v. Wade
(Commentary: Boilerplate language in every Democratic Party platform since I can remember, but yes, that is important to me. Not so sure how important it really is to the Democratic Party as those rights only came about due to a decision by the Supreme Court.)Marriage Equality and expanding LGBT civil rights
(Commentary: Tell me again? Who signed DOMA and made it a law of the land to discriminate against gay marriages, a bill supported by large numbers of Democrats? Again, this came about in large part because of activists who won their decision in the US Supreme Court that marriage rights should be extended to all couples, regardless of whether the two people shared the same gender or not. But I digress.)Protecting Social Security and Medicare from privatization
(Commentary: Considering Obama convened the Bowles-Simpson committee, chained CPI and proposed his "Grand Bargain" to Republicans, all of which would have made significant cuts in Social Security benefits, and the 180 Dems in the House who voted to cut Medicare benefits in 2015 - Warning: TOP link - color me skeptical about how much they really care about this issue.)Criminal justice reform and ending private prisons
(Commentary: Didn't Obama and the Dems have eight years to work on this? And they accomplished what exactly? Just saying ...)Protecting environmental safeguards and regulations
(Commentary: Tell that to the activists at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation or the people affected by the massive increase in oil and gas drilling, particularly deep well and hydro-fracking operations in deep shale formations over the course of Obama's two terms. I could go on, but ...)Free college tuition and reduced student debt
Commentary: Surprise! A Sanders' proposal! Maybe. Devil's in the details as they say. This is a bone thrown to Gen X and millennials is my guess. )Enacting Laws and regulations to end gun violence
(Commentary: Obama did give it the old college try after a number of publicized mass gun killings, so I'll give them a pass on this one - for the moment.)
Of course, we all know that the DNC cares far more for the opinions of its millionaire and billionaire donors, than my opinion or yours. So why id they bother going to all this trouble for little old me, and likely a few million other "little people?" Well, Section VII of the survey explains everything. Here's the money shot:
Needless to say, I'll think I'll pass on providing the DNC, still led by known liar and cheat, Donna Brazile, with any of my dwindling supply of income or savings.
As for my answer to my personal priority for the domestic issue most important to me, I'm thinking of going with the following:
My single priority is to see the Democratic Party, which has been corrupted by the odious influence of big money contributions and corporate lobbyist cash, die off and be eliminated as a force in American politics. In its place, I will work as hard as possible to replace it with a Democratic Socialist or other party that refuses to take corporate cash, and actively promotes and supports an agenda to advance the interests of the 99 percent of Americans that the Democratic Party has failed to support, and against whose interests the Democratic Party has all too often actively fought in order to advance the interests of its big money contributors.
I'm open to suggestions, however. Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments.
Comments
lol! Leading questions for DAMN sure!
I didn't fill out their survey.
I wrote a little note:
"I read wikileaks. The DNC is a criminal enterprise. I do not financially support criminals."
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Very Well Said
My wife would like to steal your words. Is that okay with you?
@PriceRip she must promise to send
she must promise to send it back using their stamped envelop!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
@on the cusp Yes! Everyone please
Yes! Everyone please respond using their postage. USPS needs the revenue so you will be forcing them to do something useful!
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
They've been conducting the same damn survey
with the same damn choices for as long as I can remember. Not because they actually give a fuck or intend to do any of it, but for sake of Section VII.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
WTF was Section VII?
I somehow no longer care.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Section VII = Tell us how much money you'll give us
That's really ALL it's about - money money money money money.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Worse, it seems to me that I recall
the Republicans were the first to send out such stupid "surveys". The Democrats just copied their model. And less effectively, if I may add. The Republican base was pre-whipped into a frenzy by right wing media when their "surveys" went out.
I can forgive the Republicans for assuming their base is too stupid to see through the gambit - at that time they were actively recruiting the least well educated among us.
But the Democratic Party is condemned from top to bottom for the same assumption, because that is possibly the most important root cause of their avalanche of losses. In other words, it is they who are stupid, not their targets.
Same ol' survey
Nothing but a wrapper for a donation flyer. Last time they sent one of those before I reverted back to my independent status, Wasserman-Schultz was still the chair. I wrote over it that they'd have to fire her before I'd give them a dime.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
Mailing for money
Here's a good strategy from occupy and bank mailings. It only took a couple of returns like these to stop my democrap mail...(5 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL9hOeO_JHA]
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
@Lookout Love it, Lookout!
Love it, Lookout!
I especially like the shim. I didn't know that it costs them more to receive a heavier or rigid envelope. I thought it was a flat fee. Now I'll have less to shred, because it can all go back!
The only downside I see
is that the junk paper is less likely to get recycled by a bank than by me.
@gustogirl My local, rural,
My local, rural, recycling drop off says, "Magazines & Newspaper ONLY" so I can't recycle junk mail anyway. Although I do put the reading material that comes in my prescription boxes in with the grocery flyers (newspaper).
Think I should just take off my name/address and put my junk mail in too?
I don't know.
Who sponsors/runs your recycling program? Ours is run by the Homeless Shelter here in town and they take mixed paper of all kinds. They are more particular about plastics, taking only types 1 and 2 and ask us to remove the lids.
The program allows the shelter to provide job training. Guys are running forklifts and CDL type equipment. One guy there told me not to worry about the lids, saying "It gives the old people something to do."
Anyway, it is hard for recyclers to make a profit, so if they have to pull your junk mail out because of the arrangements they have with the peeps who take their paper, it might not be best.
I recommend sending it back to its originator (when possible), as the vid says!
Gustogirl, re: recycling my junk mail
The county (not even my county, but the drop off containers are only 2 miles away, whereas my county's facility is 12-15 and they are super picky) runs the facilities and they use folks doing community service to sort.
I have no idea who the county takes it to for the actual recycling, so I'll just send it back to the businesses who send it to me.
Thanks for getting back with me!
I always do this
you can get free Formica samples at HD which require hand cancellation
Do we want "Affordable" health care?, they ask.
We are so screwed. I want taxpayer funded health care for every American, not a fucking market-based "product". Hey Dems, would it ever occur to you to go big? To be bold? Even if it infuriates your lizard overlords.
Over the last 3 days we have seen millions participate in women's marches across the country. We've seen outrage directed at Trump, both nationally and throughout the world. I am confident that the upper echelon of the DNC and the vast majority of Dems in the House and Senate are not looking at this and asking themselves "Can we tap into what it is that the people want, promise it and then deliver?"
No. They are asking "How can we weave this anger into slick and scary fund raising phrases to get what we need the most....more money?"
Their culture will not change. It is too entrenched. The Democratic party and its DNC cannot be changed and will not. We would have more luck trying to convince Kim Jong Un to change. And as long as we have a 2 party system in this country, we'll be forced to choose from one of the 2 wings of the same bird of prey.
"Just call me Hillbilly Dem(exit)."
-H/T to Wavey Davey
The DNC is Saban, Soros and the other oligarchs
they are wholly owned and operated by them. What you and I think doesn't matter a whit. That won't change, ever.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Another pointless self limiting survey
doubtless the brainless child of DWS's "replacement" Donna Brazile . . . no interest, no real regard for voters, just the token effort; wonder how much her off shore account has accrued?
I got 1 from Republican Party 7-8 yrs ago
They must use the exact same printing company, or at least template, as the DNC. Exact format, except, back then, the least you could donate was $15. And, the way I read it, it wasn't a donation, but a requirement in order for my survey to be added to the bin. I posted a diary at TOP about it.
The thing is, I've never been a registered anything. Don't have to register in Texas. So, either they assumed I'm a Republican because I live in the sticks, or (and this is the one I've suspected for years), they - both parties probably - know exactly how I vote because we use machines.
When we vote, they scan our driver license, then give us a code generated only after the DL scan, and we can't access a ballot without entering the code into the voting machine. Easy peasy for seeing who votes for whom, IMO.
I have voted for Republican sheriffs the last three elections because I knew the first one, took his recommendation for the second one (first retired), and witnessed the second one get in a boat and literally rescue people and dogs left tied up about to drown during flooding. He got my vote again.
Did they know? I've never received a survey money beg from Dems or Greens.
Too much personal information
I'd question being required to submit to a scan for voting - the stated purpose of voter ID is to verify identity, not store personal information. The barcodes store more than the info printed on the front, varies state to state, and is often unknown. Here's an attempt to compile what should be disclosed.
A scan being required for voting is something I'd check with the ACLU or voting rights organization.
After the first time my license was scanned, at a music club from which I was quickly ejected after loudly objecting to their theft of my personal information, I began to tape my spare key to the back of my license. Several public officials, including poll workers and cops, have queried me on that, and explaining that it has saved me several times when I've locked my 1st set of keys in the car (truth), and a loose key will easily fall out of any wallet pocket (truth), they usually shrug and admit that makes sense. If a cop ever wants to scan, while I'm driving, I'll remove the key as that's what the license is for, but so far they've all (both) declined that offer, and no-one else gets to scan it.
"If I sit silently, I have sinned." - Mossadegh
Agree, jorogo. TMI
My main concern is that they possibly link ME (& time of scan) with the code, which most likely is linked to a particular machine and time of use. This means, they know exactly how I voted on every single thing.
They do need to know my address in order to make sure I get the correct ballot - I don't need to be voting for people or bond issues, etc. that have nothing to do with where I live. As for the rest, I'm with you on the TMI. My eye color, type of license, donor status, shouldn't be included.
My main issue, though, is "secret" ballot. I don't think it's secret, at all.
I got one too.
I never knew I was a member either.
Responded that they are the ones who destroyed the dem party.
dfarrah
I have a variation on my lastname that is a hybrid I never
opted for. Very Junk mail.
So Steven, what's the V stand for? Victory?
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Good question
I'll see if the Dems will let me change it back to D.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Stands for
Not having a middle name (and having learned to leave that field blank so I don't wind up being Joseph N.A. or Joseph None), when submitting my name for net shipping address or rebates or any other such miscellaneous "registrations", I fill in the first letter of the store or institution, then call to berate them for having shared my personal information when junk mail arrives with that middle initial.
"If I sit silently, I have sinned." - Mossadegh
Growth of the economy has turned humankind into a cancer.
We must stop consuming the planet.
IMHO.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Odd Man Out
I mean it does sound like that list is pretty vague and boilerplate nonsense we always see. But one that often stands out with that I guess separates me from the normal pack is gun control I suppose.
I mean Bernie was (by some Hill folks) not a progressive because he was a NRA goon... again being moderate on gun issues makes one a NRA lackey. Then again, everyone is now a Putin lackey but I digress.
It just seems to me that many on the "left" (Democrats) continue to use terms such as "gun violence" to prop up the numbers and ramp up the fear mongering.
I'm from northern Minnesota. Guns are kind of common around here, mostly for hunting. It just seems that many Dems have this fear that people are going out getting machine guns and what not. Guns are like abortions for Republicans: They ramp up the fear, misinterpret data, and really have no idea what is going on with the actual topic.
The Zombie Moans
Another point while I'm here Steven.
I did click that kos link, reading through it (about 2 years ago now). It sounds awfully similar to what is going on now:
We have to get rid of corporate Dems
Organize at the grassroots
Etc.
Etc.
Just feel like every single election, over and over again, we're just going to hear this same nonsense and they will stick with the same loop. The zombies just continue moaning as they walk down the highway, uttering their guttural moans
Ughhh....grassrooooots....unityyyyyyy.
Edit: Sorry I got about halfway through the comments when I made this post. Looking over it again, it seems more people at that point in time had bite to criticize the garbage the Dems were doing. That doesn't seem to be the case today.
Anyone who criticizes the party
gets the boot, it's right out of Stalin's playbook.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
It encourages one
to simply self-boot.
"If I sit silently, I have sinned." - Mossadegh
I have in the past
simply taped the return envelope to a brick wrapped in kraft paper.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
#DemExit and they'll stop bothering you
Worked for me.
While I was still a registered Dem, I was for a while inundated with Hillary Victory Fund pitches. I responded to invitations to "stand with her" in unequivocal terms (including #StillSanders #NeverHillary). On every money-grubbing solicitation, I asked to be removed immediately from all mailing lists, stating that the party had abandoned me and I would never again vote straight-ticket D on autopilot.
Took about 6 weeks for the database folks to comply. In the meantime, I wasted small bits of HRC campaign funds with prepaid return envelopes containing my thoughts about Clinton and the DNC but not a penny for a candidate I considered unfit for office.
Shame on me for enjoying the opportunity so much.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
Robert Reich has another third party piece in Salon
enumerating the realities that the Dems must face or perish. It's a good summary of what's been kicked around by us for months.
Schumer/Pelosi/Hoyer are 2/3 of the Dem party and they are not for changing. We are staring down the barrels of total GOP control of all branches of govt and a majority of states for the next eight years. They are close to being able to make constitutional amendments.
And I still see people who I used to respect and thought were smart making snide comments about maybe forgiving Sanders for Clinton's loss, sometime, maybe. Jesus wept.
I see things rapidly coming down to a successful third party or global extinction. I wish I was catastrophizing but climate change is about to go asymptotic and the oligarchs have nowhere else left to squeeze money from the people. It's crunch time.
The apparatchiks won't change, willingly
but what they don't talk about is how few registered voters are actually Democrats. The fastest growing affiliation is none. As they become an ever smaller slice of the pie, the chances of them winning a national election grow dimmer.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Orlando Figgis' A People's Tragedy
is so relevant here. The revolution is coming and just as the murder of Sammy Devenny was the spark that lit the conflagration that became The Troubles, so too will one of the police murders of a minority that will spark the revolution here.
You are so right. The leaders of the Dims are so far gone that they are accelerating the ship towards the iceberg. Just as Versailles bubbled the French aristocracy, so has 9/11 security procedures bubbled the Dim/GOP elites.
Cruisin' for a bruisin'
I didn't get one. I sent back an earlier survey I got during
the primary. I wrote across the donation page in magic marker, "No, Hillary!" It seems they got the message. Heh.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
The DNC did something similar in 2008. I feel confident
it was bs then and is bs now, designed to give the illusion that someone somewhere in Washington DC actually gives a crap about our thoughts and priorities.
If the DNC actually did give a crap, corrupt Brazile would not be head of the DNC, whether interim head or de facto head--and she's been one or the other for years.
Her record of "successes:"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Brazile
As Gore's campaign manager, was she the one who told Gore when it was time for him to concede to *? She obtained debate questions to give them to Hillary in advance, to make sure voters don't see reality? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cnn-donna-brazile-jeff-zucker_us_581... And, when exposed, said she would do it again? Her response to being exposed for violating the charter of the DNC was. next time, pick up "da phone" (to improve the chances that DNC corruption would escape detection)? And after that, they made her acting head of the DNC instead of firing her? Yeah, I'll take a request that I complete the latest DNC questionnaire seriously.
Filling out the DNC questionnaire in 2008 did
nothing but waste timewonders for the 99%, so I'll be very, very sure to fill it out again. After all, the illusion going that politicians give a crap about our opinions is very, very important to the falsehood that the US is a democracy. http://caucus99percent.com/content/sleights-santa-and-republic ( /sarcasm in case anyone missed it)Oh, and don't forget: Pretending to care about your opinion is a good excuse to ask you to donate and to get you to verify your email address by responding. (An updated contact list that proves emails are getting read no doubt fetches a higher price.)
Too cynical? Or not cynical enough? You decide. As for me, I agree with Lily Tomlin:
I love the way they ask for $3 for processing the data
you provided, that had me in stitches. They apparently don't really want the data... it's such a chore and a bore, please pay so we can hire someone.
I missed that
I wonder how many people fall for that scam.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Sniff, I never get any
Air mail, also I have a pack of books I don't want, reading material when full of flu, I need simple stuff, I wonder if they like Agatha Christie?
They pay attention to nothing but the money
even if they have to pay for it.
Several years ago, I got one of these, so I tore the questionaire into little pieces, wrote "FUCK TTP" in big letters over the donation form, put the shreds in the form and into the envelope and mailed it with no stamp.
I still get them. Maybe I didn't make them pay enough, but I don't care what they think now. I just want them to go extinct.
Yep, apparently I'm a 'numbered' member of the DNC also
I just feel sorry for the poor saps that have to actually apply for 'DNC membership'.
They must have real issues.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.