Why I'm Supporting Tulsi

I want to preface this piece with the notion that I find politics in general ineffective in the US. What the majority of the citizens want is NOT reflected in the policies of this nation. Our government is owned and controlled by the multi-national corporations and their will is abetted by the mafia branch of the government, the CIA (et al). Secondly, we face the existential threat of rapid impending climate disaster and extinction, the future shock of which probably makes politics moot. That said, when looking at next years primary season, I think Tulsi is a better candidate than Bernie. Here's why...

Really it boils down to foreign policy. Consider the response of Tulsi and Bernie to the US coup in Venezuela...

Tulsi Gabbard
‏Verified account @TulsiGabbard

The US needs to stop using our military for regime change & stop intervening in Venezuela’s military. Throughout history, US-led regime change has been waged in the name of humanitarianism, but has resulted in more suffering, destruction & lives lost. #HandsOffVenezuela

Bernie posted 3 tweets

The Maduro government has waged a violent crackdown on Venezuelan civil society, violated the constitution by dissolving the National Assembly and was re-elected last year in an election many observers said was fraudulent. The economy is a disaster and millions are migrating. 1/3

The United States should support the rule of law, fair elections and self-determination for the Venezuelan people. We must condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent. 2/3

But we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups—as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil & the DR. The US has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American nations; we must not go down that road again. 3/3

He is incorrect about several things. Abby Martin reported from the streets of Venezuela and documented the violence was primarily from the US funded opposition. They literally were burning Chavistas. The election was not fraudulent. The opposition largely declined to participate, and instead attacked polling places dominated by Chavistas. The economic collapse in the country is due primarily to our illegal sanctions. The third tweet is better, but the sequence shows a lack of understanding of the situation.

Jimmy, Abby and Mike discuss the story...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6chIn6JRjBA (16 min)

Now I'm not going to run down Bernie. I know many of you support him and I'm certain he stands a better chance at the nomination than Tulsi. Many people vote strategically. In 2016 many of my friends voted for the $hill rather than Bernie because they thought she had a better chance to win in the general.

I feel similar to Caitlin about a possible Sanders presidency....

While Bernie might not start any new hot wars or engage in the kind of obscene regime change interventionism we’re seeing from Trump in Venezuela, under a President Sanders we can expect to see a continued escalation of the world-threatening cold war against Russia, continued starvation sanctions against nations which fail to comply with the demands of the US empire, continued military expansionism around the world, and very little pushback against the depraved agendas of military and intelligence agencies. We can expect to see him play right along with the establishment narrative if the political/media class decides that Assad is gassing civilians and needs a dose of Tomahawk missiles, and we can probably expect him to facilitate the persecution of Julian Assange as well.

https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/02/20/six-thoughts-on-bernie-2020/
(worth the full read)

So what's so great about Tulsi. Well she has issues too. Neither she nor Bernie are calling out Israel. As we saw with Ilhan last week...just mention Israel and they go off the rails. More evidence of the dysfunctional nature the US government, media, corporate stranglehold. However she is a strong anti-interventionist. On Cross-Talk yesterday they spent the half hour discussing Tulsi as the "Peace Candidate". (25 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2rQQbvYYxo]
Excellent conversation!

The corporate media is at war with the peace candidate...
Jimmy covers some of the attacks...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlXhRBsOwpA (27 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yTStAk7XqM (10 min)

Yesterday the war mongers on the View dished out some hate on Tulsi... attacking her about both Syria and Venezuela
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w1zf3YyXRI (10 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydWqDS1GbY (2 min)

Tulsi isn't just against regime change war (although that is what arouses most of the ire against her). She has introduced and supported many progressive policies. Here's a nice clip...What does Tulsi stand for? (12 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb_lrNBUF7U]

She was on Joe Rogan's show for an extended interview back in September
Full interview (1.75 hours) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIb2lmHgd5s
Here's a 1 hour edit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPNGfAUWQ5o
or a 11 min excerpt about the 2016 primary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szkh57R3IoM

You can read or watch her presidential announcement at:
https://www.tulsi2020.com/press/2019-02-02-tulsi-gabbards-full-speech-pr...

She's been campaigning in Iowa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lReq9xDG-M (2 min)
...and New Hampshire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgcitSCVZJA (5 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwjclS0I9UU (8 min)

You may have noticed that the MSM rarely even mentions her as a candidate. They exclude her in many polls. The way in which they sideline her makes me think she better represents the people than the corporations.

Voting may be futile at this point in time. Tim Canova and Jimmy discuss the problems with our election system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6A452H6wA4

Here in Alabama the general election will go to Trump. However, the primary does provide an opportunity to have some effect. None the less keeping in mind Tim's comment in the clip above, in 2016 the outcome of the Alabama dim primary differed by 18 points from the exit polls (in the $hill's favor). So it is obvious the momentum is for Bernie, but my preferred candidate is Tulsi.

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arendt's picture

@WindDancer13

With Michael York and Jenny Augutter (who wound up playing a nun in Call the Midwife).

Forgettable 1976 scifi, filmed in a shopping mall which had (for the time) some scifi-looking interiors.

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WindDancer13's picture

@arendt

Lookout found the one I was thinking about. I liked Logan's Run. = ) It was kind of an age of innocence type movie.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

@WindDancer13
but it's too much like Corporocrat America,

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

WindDancer13's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

but I do remember that there wasn't an age prohibition.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

@WindDancer13
they had those convenient dying centers for when you were no longer economically useful.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

WindDancer13's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

they showed great films! Ya know, the ones you cannot get on any other channel.

And just think of the contribution that now worthless body is now making to help starving humanity!!

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

@WindDancer13

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@WindDancer13

He is no stop asking for money. I know the only way they get money is from us. They all ask, but he asks as much as he reports. The ratio is all wrong.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

WindDancer13's picture

@dkmich

Jimmy Dore has been asking a lot more lately also, rather than just at the end like he used to do.

Even more annoying, at least to me, was a recent Status Coup episode in which one of his cohorts sat there and vaped throughout the whole taping.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

@WindDancer13 @WindDancer13

He does a great interview most of the time. He works to stay objective and follow the facts wherever they may lead. Sometimes he and his guests turn into 14-year-old adolescents in the boy's locker room. They get way too macho and slutty for my taste. I've learned to pick and chose from his stuff.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Pluto's Republic's picture

@WindDancer13

In the year 2274, young residents enjoy an idyllic, hedonistic lifestyle within the protective confines of a domed city. The general belief is that when each person turns 30, they are reincarnated for another blissful life cycle. Those who know the much darker truth become "runners"...

I do believe that voting should have an upper limit of 55 year old. Or 60. At that age people vote their fears and young people have to live in their projected nightmare while they escape in death. I'm for lowering the voting age to 15, as well. They vote their dreams. I think we would have a better country. This duck and cover Russia bullshit is a perfect example of what goes wrong.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
WindDancer13's picture

@Pluto's Republic

Not everyone over 60 is an idiot, and not every 15 year old is a political savant. My fears at over 60 are in reality what a lot of young people are also fearing.

Two of the listservs that I subscribe to are populated by generally older educators. They certainly don't fall into a category of people who have no vision of a better future for younger people.

Thanks. I have seen Logan's Run a number of times, but it did not have the same message as the movie I was thinking about. Lookout identified the one I described: Wild in the Streets.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

@WindDancer13 but I will say, watching my then 80 something parents vote consistently Repugnant over the years while living off of their own SS and not giving one shit about climate, they just don't "believe in that" for God's sake, has made me start to really think about an age limit.

Yes, some of my animus is most assuredly personal but the gall of my idiot stepmother voting Trump, voting to cut taxes on the high end consistently, voting to cut my SS and Medicare while living off of hers, voting to gut Medicaid when both my dad and her own sister died in Skilled Nursing using that program, and yes, bleating on about the "prosperity gospel" and exceptional America and just "staying positive" while the world burns really shows me the damage the willfully ignorant elderly can do to the future they won't be around to face. I don't know the solution but damn I'm tired of watching a bunch of people who will escape the consequences of voting in lunatics.

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

WaterLily's picture

@lizzyh7 It has nothing to do with age.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

@WaterLily

Blue Onyx

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”
~~Gilda Radner, Comedienne

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

WindDancer13's picture

@lizzyh7

He put social security on the bargaining table.

In 1996, 55% of voters 18-24 and 54% of voters 25-29 put Bill Clinton in office. (Note: compare to 50% of over 65 voted for him). His sins are too many to list.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Lookout's picture

@lizzyh7

...and the formation of FAUX News (made legal by Clinton's telecommunication act) has provided manufactured consent on steroids. The propaganda machine is powerful. Friends have been brainwashed by this apparatus...hell we're all brainwashed by the media apparatus.

Older folks largely supported the Vietnam war too.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

WindDancer13's picture

@Lookout @Lookout

Older folks largely supported the Vietnam war too.

Clarification: We are now the "older folks" and I doubt many here supported that war. Now if you are talking about my Reagan-loving, registered Democrat parents, well yeah.

That was one of the ones that will send him to hell. The whole bank thing can be laid on his shoulders also as well as sooooo many other things we are having to deal with now.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Lookout's picture

@WindDancer13

...is who i was referencing. However there were plenty of folks my age against the hippies and for the war.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@lizzyh7

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

I spend a lot of my online time on Reddit. There are a lot of people in the Bernie subs, for example, who said that they were too young to vote in the last election but volunteered for the campaign, and they are on fire to vote this time.

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@Le Frog

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack a thread about Tulsi, @Lookout.

I am really annoyed by the DNC stipulating requirements for candidates to participate in their debates. Tulsi declared her candidacy, so she's in - let people hear her. The ONLY reason I would want to see that smarmy Joe Biden on a debate stage as a candidate is to see and hear Tulsi lay the smackdown on his foreign policy record. Same goes for any candidate.

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Lookout's picture

@Le Frog

Glad you jumped into the conversation. There's a trick when you forget to use the reply button. Go to the comment you wanted to reply to. Hit reply. There will be a number code in the message box. Copy it. Go to your comment and edit. Add the number code to the top of you message. save.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

It's been a while since I've been here. I'm also a graduate of TOP after the infamous March banning of the last election. As a Bernie supporter, I knew that Donald Trump would be elected as soon as Hillary Clinton got the nomination stolen - er, secured, for herself, so I checked out of the rest of the election and subsequently out of American politics (I am Canadian.) It wasn't until Bernie Sanders declared this week that I came back Smile but I've been lurking! Nice to see everyone!

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Lookout's picture

@Le Frog

the more the merrier!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Le Frog @Le Frog Maybe you could help us with understanding Canadian politics, if you have the time.

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Mary Bennett

WindDancer13's picture

@Le Frog

Joe Biden on the debate stage is to hear the crowd yell "Anita Hill" every time he opened his mouth.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

@WindDancer13

the HBO film with Kerry Washington about Anita Hill's testimony (and the surrounding events). Being reminded of what a weenus Joe Biden was got me so wound up I was petting the cats too hard while watching the film. How he has perpetuated this wholesome, statesman Uncle Joe image for himself makes me sick. I can't stand him.

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WindDancer13's picture

@Le Frog

The tern "uncle" has a lot of connotations, some that are not so wholesome. He is way too touchy-feelie with woman to make me comfortable. There are plenty of political reasons to dislike him, though, so my personal feelings do not get in the way of my recognizing him as just another DINO.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Pluto's Republic's picture

@WindDancer13

By no means a perfect match, but it does cast some shade.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

@WindDancer13

the touchy-feely handsiness. The best example I can think of is what happened to Stephanie Carter, Ashton Carter's wife, when her husband was making his speech and Stephanie had Joe Biden behind her, hands on both shoulders, whispering in her ear, just gross.

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Shahryar's picture

@WindDancer13

"fiddlin' about"

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dystopian's picture

@Shahryar fiddle about fiddle about! Moonie the Loonie. Oh Keith Moon, we lost ye too soon. At least I got to see him play ...

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Bisbonian's picture

@WindDancer13

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Lookout's picture

@Le Frog

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

for people to give to Tulsi (and Andrew Yang) so that she meets the 65K donor threshold, even as they identify another candidate they support more. I don't think I've ever seen that before.

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@Le Frog @Le Frog

I have three grandsons ages 25, 23, 21. What this generation is getting handed ought to be illegal. I hope they get their country back before it is too late.

The 25-year-old is pretty much on his own in Sweden. He posted this article to his FB page. It is something he really relates to.

How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation
I couldn’t figure out why small, straightforward tasks on my to-do list felt so impossible. The answer is both more complex and far simpler than I expected.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

@dkmich

and that burnout feeling is real. It is so difficult to articulate what that looks like on a day-to-day basis. That article does a good job explaining the mass hopelessness. I was speaking with my boomer dad recently and he was talking about investing and his pension, and he made a comment about how I have that to look forward to, and I said "you think I'll have a pension? I'm currently paying for yours, how do you figure I'll have one?" And he quickly changed the subject.

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@Le Frog

you will have it by hook or crook. The private pensions are long gone thanks to Clinton and Obama. I hope you have a 401k and at least put a token amount away. You'd be amazed at how quickly it grows.

I have faith in Gen X, Y & Z to fix things.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Unabashed Liberal's picture

@Le Frog
plans are offered today--I believe less than one-fifth of plans, and, mostly provided to government, or quasi-government employees (such as TVA).

FWIW, Social Security hasn't changed much since my parents and grandparents participated in the system--except, with Boomers, our return is less than that of our parents (generally) due to the 'reforms' enacted in the 1980's. (Actually, there were a couple of beneficial reforms, as well, for some.)

Another hit to Social Security benefits was in the 1970's when Carter overturned the inflation increases enacted during the Nixon Administration. Carter (who was my Governor) was a super fiscal conservative.

Regarding the Nixon increases--he recommended a 10% immediate across-the-board increase in social security cash benefits. He also recommended automatic adjustments of Social Security benefits tied to future increases in the Consumer Price Index, plus he recommended other benefits increases.

Of course, 'O' worked hard to strike a Grand Bargain by changing the bend points used to figure one's PIA, and, advocating for a Chained CPI, which didn't get passed--thank goodness!

Truthfully, it's more the fault of lawmakers in both parties, than individual Boomers, that Social Security benefits are diminishing.

I do hope that your generation can fix the problem, if others don't.

Welcome, and good luck!

Pleasantry

Blue Onyx

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
~~Will Rogers, Actor & Social Commentator

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”
~~Gilda Radner, Comedienne

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Shahryar's picture

I might vote but I'll find out for sure when the ballot arrives in the mail.

There are some candidates I don't hate...too much. That's about the best I can say right now.

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Lookout's picture

@Shahryar

Here in my corner of NE Alabama, our county was solidly democratic...essentially the primary was the election. It was FDR's legacy in this hillbilly area.

Now the reverse is true. It is all rethugs. Reagan's (and Fox news and the church and the NRA....) legacy.

And so the world turns and stomachs churn.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Great essay by Caitlin--very insightful and true words. On Russia, Bernie must be using Maddow as his editor. Maybe he understands that Russiagate smearing will be used against him, so he is trying to inoculate himself with his statements/tweets.

Problem is that Russiagate has been the Ground Zero, Patient Zero on so much horrid shit which will only get worse. Is not about some conspiracy anymore. It is about it being the justification for the significant growth of both state and private censorship that has literally wiped clean off the internet important alternative voices. It is reason one for the massive increase in the total defense budgets of NATO and the US (by my crude count $200 billion), and literally calls for war against nuclear armed Russia.

Russiagate is not benign. And Bernie has assented to it.

Tulis is the candidate for peace, and if I am a one issue voter, it is on peace.

Now, if Bernie is the democratic party pick, then I will vote for him. I gladly voted for him in 2016. And if he wins, I hope he can control the neocon deep state unlike Trump who has let them run wild. In case of a Bernie win, I hope he appoints her to a major cabinet position.

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Lookout's picture

@MrWebster

...in her piece. A Sander's run will be interesting, and I wish him well.

Sanders campaign will get the mass media manipulators working very hard to control the narrative and keep everyone herded into their lanes, and they often expose themselves for the malignant liars they are when they do that. Anything that causes the propagandists to lose control of the narrative is a good thing, and the Sanders campaign may do just that.

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@MrWebster

a peace POTUS? (And not for lack of intentions. You just made me wonder.) A cornerstone of American foreign policy is Regime Change, with or without direct military intervention: Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, Phillipines, Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan and on and on and on. I could go on all day. I just remembered that this is how Hawaii became a state.

I hope that Tulsi, or someone, proves it is possible. Out of all the candidates, she's come the closest to giving me hope.

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you've said here, Lookout, about Gabbard, and she's the only candidate I have enthusiasm about. I will send her campaign a donation. Thank you for the addresses.

The fact that she's being erased by DKos and by the mainstream media just emphasizes how threatening she is to the deep state. Excellent. The fact that she won't be able to compete with corporate cash for mainstream media coverage is a given for any anti-war candidate. So she'll be like Bernie in that respect, forced to connect in person and online. Fine.

She's military, she'a a woman, and she's a peace candidate. She has had the courage to say the so-called help we brought to the people of Syria was worse than what they had with Assad. Duh. Obvious. Clear. But it's the kind of common sense the mainstream media can't abide. She's courageous to speak that truth, so I support her.

If her critics think her opposition to same-sex marriage in her past is a deal-breaker, they are ignoring President Obama's statements saying the same thing. And I'm still stunned that they could support Hillary and Bill Clinton, who wrote the Defense of Marriage Act! So I think their opposition to Gabbard is dishonest if it's about that one thing. It's a way of dismissing her peace positions without dealing with the truth and logic of her statements on foreign policy.

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Shahryar's picture

@Linda Wood

you nailed it. There's big money in war.

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Lookout's picture

@Linda Wood

Thanks for you comment.

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Pluto's Republic's picture

...voting would be a real thing. I say that with some surprise since I've never looked at an election from that perspective. I could actually "feel" something like excitement and hope for a minute there. I forgot about that feeling. Your discussion of Tulsi was the perfect vehicle to reawaken it. She stays awfully close to truth and self-awareness, doesn't she?

... in 2016 the outcome of the Alabama dim primary differed by 18 points from the exit polls (in the $hill's favor).

And, then there's that.
Lookout, that's a really high number, even in the US. By global standards, the race wouldn't likely be certified. It's just as well that most people don't know that because it's hurtful in an insidious way.

I've always been aware that Bernie is a "domestic" candidate. He is a realist about foreign policy issues: President's have no power in these matters, which are 100 percent owned and operated by a rogue faction of our corporate-owned government. It's unthinkable that a President would ever step onto that political battlefield and attempt to call the shots. He or she would be completely alone, without a single elected peer to stand beside them. Actually, I don't think that would be allowed to happen as the result of any election. It would be prevented, whatever it took.

To get to something like self-government, we the People are missing a step. We can't get there from here. It requires an electorate that truly respects itself and feels empowered and confident of their place in the civilization that they inherited from those who came before. They know they were never meant to be put in the position of dogs fighting over scraps. Always on the outside, looking in at their betters who control this place.

I think a Bernie or a Tulsi have what it takes to usher People into the self-respect and human rights they need to empower them to make the most of their individual potential; so they can stand as equals on the high plain of Liberty with the resources to compete in shaping the nation's destiny. I believe that is the original vision of the perfect nation and the ideal society we began with. I think some of the other candidates have the talent to actualize the American people into their true roles of self-government, but they may not have the vision to keep them on course. Then, there are the authoritarians candidates who want to do nothing of the kind. And, of course, there are some candidates who have no idea what I am talking about.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

@Pluto's Republic

The self-respect is spot-on. Plutocratic and conservative ideas have changed the narrative on people, that if they are poor or struggling or on the receiving end of some other discriminatory shite, it is their own fault for not working hard enough to rise up fast enough. We get the shite and we get the blame.

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Lookout's picture

@Pluto's Republic

It's a joke version...

Hey farmer how do you get to Little Rock

Well you go down this way, No, lets see you cross the creek. You know you can't get there from here, you have to go somewheres else first.

Pete uses a different joke for that question in his version (2.5 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJcMSmJaww4

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Caitlin can reach this conclusion about Bernie:

"under a President Sanders we can expect to see a continued escalation of the world-threatening cold war against Russia, continued starvation sanctions against nations which fail to comply with the demands of the US empire, continued military expansionism around the world, and very little pushback against the depraved agendas of military and intelligence agencies. We can expect to see him play right along with the establishment narrative if the political/media class decides that Assad is gassing civilians and needs a dose of Tomahawk missiles, and we can probably expect him to facilitate the persecution of Julian Assange as well"

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dfarrah

Lookout's picture

@dfarrah

I'm sorry to say. I think that is the primary basis of her analysis.
From her piece -

...he actively fanned the flames of the establishment Russia hysteria which the Democratic Party used to completely kill the narrative about primary rigging. Contrary to the belief of some Bernie supporters I’ve spoken to, Sanders didn’t just pay lip service to some Russian interference once or twice and then change the subject back to healthcare and income inequality: he has gone full Rachel Maddow promoting the Russian collusion narrative many, many times. As we discussed recently, this baseless Russia hysteria that he has sold to American progressives will be used to attack him throughout the primary, and it will be partly his fault for promoting that narrative.

she has another piece addressing it...
https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/bernie-keeps-promoting-the-new-cold-w...

Everyone has their own view.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout and didn't find anything that supports some of the odd statements she made. In your link, she references several times that Bernie had videos that addressed Russia, and I couldn't find them (she had no link). I did find an article that criticized him for buying the 'Russia influenced the election.' and there were direct quotes of his in support.

As to Bernie supporting sanctions, continuing Mideast wars, or entirely adopting the HRC/GWB/BC/GHWB war strategies, I just don't see it.

And this from Bernie's SOTU response, "How can he not talk about the reality that Russia, through cyberwarfare, interfered in our election in 2016, is interfering in democratic elections all over the world, and according to the heads of his own national security agencies, attempted to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections?" is really weak tea in and of itself. This is the only part of Bernie's response to the SOTU that discusses Russia.

I am not saying that you are wrong or that Caitlin is wrong. I am just having trouble finding much to support her assertions, but I only poked around for about 15 minutes (thinking if he did it so much, why didn't more pop up about the topic).

I'll caucus for either Bernie or Tulsi.

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dfarrah

snoopydawg's picture

@dfarrah

Is this what you were looking for?

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg
I was very tired last night.

And I did look on B's website for the 3 releases that Caitlin referenced - bit couldn't find them.

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dfarrah

WindDancer13's picture

@dfarrah

I disagree with her take on Sanders' foreign war stances almost totally, and it make me suspicious of her motives. Yes, I know a lot of people swear by her, but everyone can be wrong occasionally. Although, this far off the mark is a bit hard to understand.

I too did a search, several hours worth, and only found a few statements and/or videos from Sanders or in interviews regarding the Russia thing. Granted, I am not thrilled with some of what he said (although to be honest a lot of it was filler), but what he has had to say is infinitesimal next to Maddow whom this author chose to compare him against.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Lookout's picture

@WindDancer13

https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/bernie-keeps-promoting-the-new-cold-w...

Not saying Caitlin is an oracle or anything. We all come from our own perspective, and the more data we have the better our conclusion.

Again I'm not running down Bernie. I respect many of the things he is doing and has done.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

WindDancer13's picture

@Lookout

category as Rachel Maddow. Even with the examples she posts, Sanders comes no way close. In addition, Sanders states known facts and then poses a question. This is standard in critical thinking/logic exercises, by the way. If A and B are true, is C true? (cf syllogism)

Some of the posts Johnstone uses for her argument in your link are not even actually related to the Russia investigation but about Trump's and his administration's lies and questioning Trump's praise of Putin. Yet people will just look at her statement of "Over and over again, month after month" and not check the links to see if they prove her point. I call that manipulation.

While there are a number of things Sanders has said that I think are part of the Russia "thing", I think she is way off referring to this as a massive outpouring from Sanders about the Russia "thing," just as she is off in his stance on wars and regime change. I question why she thought we needed another article about the Russia "thing."

In the link you posted, she even goes so far to lay nuclear annihilation at Sanders' feet because in one of those tweets she posted he called for sanctions on Russia. The US has been putting sanction on Russia since 1948 and all through the height of the Cold War.

Has the president and his administration lied to the American people? Has the president shown support for and/or admiration for dictators? These are some of the questions I think we should care about rather than the constant distractions of Russia! Russia! Russia! of which Johnstone's article is one of.

Edited to correct spelling.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Unabashed Liberal's picture

@WindDancer13

comparison (of Bernie) to Rachel Maddow was over-the-top, considering that the Russia Ruse is the primary catalyst and/or basis for the slow-moving soft coup we've been witnessing for over two years, I can hardly consider it to be just a distraction.

If anything, since the same thing could happen to Bernie or Tulsi--that is, if either of them were allowed to get past the primary election, and actually take the White House--I've been very surprised that more Dems have not found the entire scenario to be quite alarming. For me, the power that the Deep State has demonstrated is more than unsettling, and, IMO, sets a very dangerous precedent.

Blue Onyx

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
~~Will Rogers, Actor & Social Commentator

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”
~~Gilda Radner, Comedienne

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

WindDancer13's picture

@Unabashed Liberal

it takes precious time and anger away from some very pressing issues. Also, because I believe the wrong questions are being asked which I think is related to your second paragraph.

Example: to me, a pressing issue at this time would be that we only have less than a year to get all the states to switch to paper ballots (I heard that the DNC managed to limit caucuses), not just a paper trail, but actual paper ballots. To me, we should be working on making sure that there are a sufficient number and placement of polling places and doing whatever can be done to ensure that everyone has what is needed to circumvent restrictive voting laws.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Unabashed Liberal's picture

@WindDancer13

have to "agree to disagree."

Pleasantry

Blue Onyx

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”
~~Gilda Radner, Comedienne

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Lookout's picture

@WindDancer13

It is not like Bernie is a bad guy. But you gotta admit he's been pushin' russiagate, which...? While not callin' out the DNC for cheatin' him.

I respect him. He is fightin' the good fight. Just wish both he and Tulsi would break loose from the demoncrats. The corporcrats will make sure neither gain the nomination. That's my guess anyway.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

WindDancer13's picture

@Lookout

or even the 2018 senator race if he had called out the DNC? Other people were already doing it, so maybe (guessing of course) he thought let the people do their job so I can do mine. Keep in mind the DNC made a change to their rules that someone has to be "Democrat" enough for them or that person will not be allowed to run in the Democratic primary.

As Sanders has repeatedly said it is up to the people to make the needed changes. If he or GAbbard were to overwhelmingly (and I do mean a massive win) win the primary, there isn't much the DNC could do to keep him from the nomination. Of course, the DNC and corporate Dems would probably try to torpedo him in the election then.

How long has it taken for the Green Party to get on the ballot in 21 states? Right now, Sanders' and Gabbard's only chance is through the Democratic Party, no matter how much people wish it weren't so.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Lookout's picture

@WindDancer13

So you may well be exactly right. If his plan works and he gets the nomination, I will support him.

I found Nick Branna's take interesting...

When I was on Bernie’s first campaign for president in 2016, the rush of support was incredible. He was raising hundreds of millions of dollars, filling stadiums everywhere, and polling best against Trump (as I often reminded the superdelegates). Bernie did not lose because he lacked support from the people. He lost because the Democratic Party rigged its primary to guarantee that an establishment candidate would win.

That’s why, when I was asked to join his campaign for president again this December, I said that I was exactly where I wanted to be in the Movement for a People’s Party. I explained to the staffers who were officially preparing his run that what this country really needs is a people’s party. I told them that tens of thousands of us in MPP and the majority of Americans now want a major new party.

Bernie Sanders would make a transformative president. He could even win if he ran as an independent. But over the past three years, the Democratic Party has expanded its control over its presidential primary to ensure that a neoliberal wins again.

Even the best chess player in the world can't win a rigged game.

The primary rules have determined the result months before the first vote is cast, leaving just a veneer of democracy to keep us hoping that this time might be different. Furthermore, as a private corporation with no accountability to its members or voters, the Democratic Party has the power to change the primary rules and violate them at will.

Amazingly, the DNC itself confirmed this in open court testimony in 2017, when sued for defrauding millions of Bernie supporters during his first presidential run. Instead of accepting responsibility, the Party said it has the right to rig its primaries and pre-select the candidates in 2020 and beyond.

In the Democratic primary, the Party establishment is simultaneously the game maker, the opposing chess player, the referee, and the one who can change the rules mid-game. In those kinds of conditions, the game is just for show.

In fact, if this was not true, the Democratic Party would be of no use to the banks and corporations that invest billions into it for the very purpose of maintaining the status quo. Nor would it be of any use to the nearly 100 lobbyists who run the Party directly from the National Committee.

Corporate contributions are not charity.

The stakes for working people and the planet are far too high to entrust change to political parties run by corporations. Bernie himself taught us that there is no such thing as a people’s party that is bankrolled by Wall Street.

We cannot do the same thing time after time and expect different results. We need solutions that are proportionate to the scale of the problems that we face. The majority of Americans want a major new party because that is what it will take to achieve real change.

With a party that fights alongside our movements rather than against them, we can complete the political revolution. In the midst of endless election cycles, we must find the clarity and the courage to build a permanent solution.

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WindDancer13's picture

@Lookout

he volunteered to work on Sanders' 2020 run knowing that it would be done through the Democratic party.

He is quite right, of course, that the US needs more parties. However, in the current trap of the two party system, there is no way that Sanders could win running as third party at this time. Both parties would ensure that.

It is kind of funny (not the ha ha kind) that people keep trying to put the impetus on Sanders for breaking up the Democrat's hold on the primary rather than heeding his words that one person cannot bring about these changes alone, but that it will take the masses to achieve change. So once again, if the people ensure that Sanders has massive wins, there will be nothing the Dem party can do.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

orlbucfan's picture

@WindDancer13 She blew it on Sanders and his foreign policy beliefs. Rec'd!!

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

@dfarrah
After the convention Bernie was not the same. When he signed on with the Russia, Russia crowd, he lost my support. I'd vote for him for POTUS but on foreign policy, he is either intentionally ignorant or afraid of the MIC. I'm even a little uncomfortable with his recent focus on ID Pol. It sounds like he has decided to do whatever it takes to win this time.
Tulsi knows the cost of war first-hand and is not afraid to speak the truth about it. I don't think she will be treated fairly by the DNC but she needs to be on the debate stage.
I hope you will all hear her out, and then make a donation. She gets my $27 every month.

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chuck utzman

TULSI 2020

Lookout's picture

@chuckutzman

CT I know but there was a definitive change at the convention.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Bisbonian's picture

@Lookout , After California.

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

@chuckutzman caucus for either one.

If it comes down to a choice between them at the caucus, I'll have to think further.

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dfarrah

@dfarrah To varying degrees I agree with almost everything she said except the part about furthering the persecution of Julian Assange and I see no reason to believe it automatically comes like it was in a package with the other stuff. I can't see Bernie arguing that the UN report which ruled Julian Assange was being "arbitrarily detained" should be ignored (which the UK did after they lost their appeal of the ruling).
However I don't hear anything about his idea of a solution to it all but he certainly can't be unaware of the treatment Chelsea Manning received (or Kiriakou or Sterling or Binney or Drake and others) and what awaits Julian Assange for exposing the crimes of governments if he is handed over to the US.
I don't think the sense of Justice is gone from Bernie Sanders by a long shot and on a case like Assange's he would have to attack him from the 'right' on civil rights, international law, and human rights which I don't expect to see in his 'toolbox'.
That's not to say Bernie could/would give it very little attention (unless a lot of public pressure happened) or any attention at all and just let it as Obama said about the DAPL fight "let it play out' aka do nothing.

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EdMass's picture

the tilt of your kilt on this.

Heh!

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Prof: Nancy! I’m going to Greece!
Nancy: And swim the English Channel?
Prof: No. No. To ancient Greece where burning Sapho stood beside the wine dark sea. Wa de do da! Nancy, I’ve invented a time machine!

Firesign Theater

Stop the War!

Lookout's picture

@EdMass
'thank you' in Scottish Gaelic

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout
goes back to MacDonnell of Glengary.

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Lookout's picture

@JtC

but sure feel an affinity for Gaelic culture. One of the most powerful experiences of my life was a visit to Orkney.
Skara Brae
Maeshowe
the ring of brodgar
and many other powerful paleolithic sites...an echo of the past.

Guid cheerio the nou!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout
our mutual affinity for a certain genre of music.

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RejectingThe3rdWay's picture

Some comments here echo my thoughts on why too

You may have noticed that the MSM rarely even mentions her as a candidate. They exclude her in many polls. The way in which they sideline her makes me think she better represents the people than the corporations.

This from the essay is the biggest and the argument I made to a Bernie supporter I know.

Also check out Tim Canova interview on Jimmy Dore (Youtube). The way bernie went from supporting him to disavowing him makes me suspicous if the democRATS have him compromised.

If Bernie is allowed to win the nomination, the REAL TEST is to see who his VP pick is.
If his VP pick is Tulsi (my 2nd overall choice) or Nina Turner (my 1st overall choice) I will be happy. If it is a corporate warmongerer like i think it will be, don't pop any champagne corks for Bernie's win.
Bernie will be 80 when he enters office, we could see both the democRATS and repuglicans pull an unfit for office due to mental health/decline issues and put the corporate VP choice in.

If that sounds cynical, well maybe it is. But seeing the crap that has been pulled for years, and the crap pulled on Perot (yes, I believe TPTB DID threaten his family) I have next to no faith in the integrity of the system.

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When I was a kid, Republicans used to red scare people, now it's the Democrats. I am getting too damn old for this crap!

Lookout's picture

@RejectingThe3rdWay

I have next to no faith in the integrity of the system.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

gave us Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump? /s

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that really got my attention because I was unaware of how 'they' can, and will, keep Tulsi's voice off the stage at the debates.
He said to be eligible to participate in the debate(s) Tulsi must have 65k contributors to her campaign, the amount doesn't matter just the number. I'll post a link to it at the bottom and if you want to look just at the part I mention it is at 18:00 minute point in the twenty minute show.

So I think that message should be spread to the supporters of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren because whether or not they will vote for Tulsi they should feel the need to support the message she can give to the people in the Country watching or listening to the debates.

Like it or not Tulsi is the only one that will be on that stage that unabashedly criticizes the regime change wars that cost so many lives,so many futures, destroys so many Countries, pollutes more than any other operation on earth and with lies sold to the general Public under a banner of humanitarianism (for killing).
What adds to it all is that she is a veteran and that makes her argument less open to the common criticism used against non vets that they don't know what they are talking about, not gonna happen here so her main points can't be easily attacked as 'uninformed'.
All while dedicated anti-war people, especially most veterans tuning in I can imagine hearing them cheering and remember that one of the things that got tRump elected were votes in regions where many had lost friends and family members and survivors still suffering from it all (on both sides).
Trump got rousing cheers when he sold the image of opposing war(s) and about how the US military should not be involved in so many wars. Of course it was all lies and not too different from what we hear from both side of the political aisle in election season which will mean more people voting.

I need to not ignore Bernie Sanders as I've cheered every time when on stage when he mentions the 'coup' in Iran in 1953 with the CIA overthrowing the Democratically elected leader, Mohammad Mossadegh and installing the the dictatorial Shah because Mossadegh wanted Iran's oil owned by the govt. and for used for the benefit of the Iranian people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwwaaiSvxTc&feature=push-u-sub&attr_tag=...

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@aliasalias @aliasalias

I posted one of her tweets asking for donations for this very purpose. There is a link in to donate via Act Blue. As I said, $1 will do.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

@dkmich I guess I was so surprised to hear it and suspected it wasn't too well known and absolutely unlikely to appear on msm that I jumped at posting it here.

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Lookout's picture

@aliasalias

...and Amy Klobuchar is a corporate tool isn't she?

Bernie speaks many truths.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

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I don't think she stands a chance.

Bernie raised 6 million in 24 hours and he might not even make it out of the primary alive. (I see nothing he has done differently than he did four years ago.)

Meanwhile, Tulsi she is pleading for $1 from everyone so she can make it to the primary debate stage. That said, I am going to donate a modest amount to her, though more than $1, simply because I do want her to make it to the debates. Anyone who thinks she should be there should also donate, regardless of which candidate he or she is backing. JMO

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Lookout's picture

@HenryAWallace

Bernie stands the best chance, but I can't help but pull for Tulsi. Thanks for the help to the debate stage!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout

but we still may well have to face nominee Harris this summer.

US Politics

FUBAR

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Lookout's picture

@HenryAWallace

But it's a loooong time (and yet just a minute) till the convention in summer of 2020.

Things happen so fast and unpredictably. We'll see what we see.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@HenryAWallace are helping him, right? Wink

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dfarrah

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