Bernie vs. DNC + Corporate Lobbyists

There goes Crazy Bernie again, picking another fight with the rich and powerful.
This time it's the DNC and it's network of lobbyists.

If Sen. Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic Party's nomination in 2020, he plans to halt all corporate donations to the party's convention next summer. This as party leaders actively court donors for millions of dollars to pay for the event scheduled to take place next July.
...
"Our grassroots-funded campaign is proving every single day that you don't need billionaires and private fundraisers to run for president," Sanders wrote in the press release for the plan.
"We've received more contributions from more individual contributors than any campaign in the history of American politics because we understand the basic reality that you can't take on a corrupt system if you take its money."

The tough stance by Sanders sets the stage for a potential showdown with the Democratic National Committee and threatens to completely upend the way the made for television nominating contests are produced. The conventions, no longer a substantive deliberation by party delegates to pick a nominee, have largely become scripted coronations in glitzy sports arenas. The events, by both parties, are heavily funded by large corporations who may contribute limitlessly to the production because it falls under a soft money designation in the Federal Election code.
Sanders, who refuses to take money from corporate donors, wants to eliminate the practice completely.

bernie_0.PNG

Bernie is the wet blanket at the decadent party of the oligarchs.

The DNC isn't too happy about this plan, but it's the lobbyists that are most vocal in their outrage.

“On the substance side, hosting a convention is a major endeavor that can strap the budgets of parties and cities – the money has to come from somewhere and cutting off corporate donations may further depress interest in hosting a convention,” said Stewart Verdery, CEO of public affairs firm Monument Advocacy.

“On the image side, the Democrats always have to balance their populist rhetoric with quieter outreach to the business community – telling companies who would like to partner with the party to take their ball and go home will easily feed into an anti-capitalist motif,” he added.

Seventeen donors funded about 75 percent of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, which included donations of more than $1 million from companies like Comcast, Peco Energy, AT&T, Facebook and Bank of America, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

In his proposal, Sanders said lobbyists from donor companies “were everywhere and filled the VIP suites” at the convention, which was held in Philadelphia, home to Comcast and Peco.

And in related news, Emperor Caligula says that if we stop feeding Christians to the lions it will send a message of weakness to our enemies.

Wouldn't you know it? Crazy Bernie seems to welcome the idea of being made to fight to the death in the gladiator pits for the crime of insulting the ruling elite.

hatred.PNG

The Sanders campaign—which proudly touts a list of "anti-endorsements" on its website—was unmoved by the lobbyists' criticism. In fact, as deputy campaign manager Ari Rabin-Havt put it, lobbyist outrage over the proposal "is not a bug—it's a feature."

Warren Gunnels, Sanders's senior adviser, tweeted: "We welcome their hatred."

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

ppnortney's picture

another reason why it's needed:

threatens to completely upend the way the made for television nominating contests are produced. The conventions, no longer a substantive deliberation by party delegates to pick a nominee, have largely become scripted coronations in glitzy sports arenas.

Voters don't need another dog and pony show, they need real solutions to the issues they confront in their daily lives.

up
0 users have voted.

The smaller the mind the greater the conceit. --Aesop

@ppnortney

Voters don't need another dog and pony show

If the voters didn't get a dog and pony show then they would get nothing from the whole election experience.
Don't take away that last little thing set aside for the poor. It's all that separates us from the shithole countries of the world. That and our oversized military.

/s

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@ppnortney

The last convention was when Virginia gave Bernie's delegates to Herheinous and no one said a word about it. Plus they kicked Bernie's supporters out, turned the lights out over the sections they got to stay in and refused others entry.

Guess folks have heard that two of Trump's donors were arrested today for giving more money than they were allowed? This is exactly what Hillary's campaign did when she laundered the $84 million from the DNC into her campaign. There were quite a lot of donors who gave more than allowed too. But the biggest news is that her lawsuit has disappeared. I read about it somewhere today. I'll get the link if anyone wants to read it.

up
0 users have voted.

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

orlbucfan's picture

@snoopydawg that supported tRump groupie Gov. Ron DeSanctis. Sigh..... Rec'd!!

up
0 users have voted.

Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Key word: "fundraisers"

Sen. Elizabeth Warren pushed her pledge to have her presidential campaign avoid big-money donors a step further this week, committing to avoid pricey fundraisers even if she is elected the Democratic nominee.

“I’m not going to do the big-dollar fundraisers. I’m just not going to do it. The whole notion behind this campaign is that we build this together. And that’s exactly what we’re doing,” the Massachusetts progressive told CBS News in an interview published on Tuesday.
...
Warren has stayed away from big-dollar fundraisers in the primary, instead collecting her millions from a vast network of online supporters. She had not previously said she would avoid big-dollar fundraisers during the general election if made the nominee.

So she's going to avoid big-dollar fundraisers, but she said nothing about big-dollar donors.

up
0 users have voted.

@gjohnsit Him or HER!

up
0 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

edg's picture

Has he forgotten the US of A is a corpocracy, not a democracy? The nerve of that man!

up
0 users have voted.
Shahryar's picture

telling companies who would like to partner with the party

I'm strongly against companies "partnering" with a party. I have fewer qualms about actual donations if a company believes the principles and actions of a party are admirable and something it supports but "partnering" indicates working together to achieve the aims of both and is exactly what all this "quid quo pro" thing is about. Supposedly Dems are all horrified that Trump would have a "you scratch my back..." thing with Ukraine but it's ok if it's Dems and corporations.

up
0 users have voted.

royal weddings in England, fancy parties for the oligarchs and their retainers.

up
0 users have voted.

Mary Bennett

snoopydawg's picture

@Nastarana

up
0 users have voted.

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

Wally's picture

@Nastarana

up
0 users have voted.

@Wally That is why the First Royal Whomevers are three deep lining the street when that glass carriage goes by.

Demonstrations, what demonstrations? If the MSM didn't cover it, it didn't happen. Some scruffy nobodies in a park three blocks away doesn't count.

up
0 users have voted.

Mary Bennett

janis b's picture

@Nastarana

While some of humanity looks on with either longing or disgust, most are utterly unaware, just trying to survive the world royals have created.

[video:https://youtu.be/u7T64Qo3bdU]

up
0 users have voted.

Of course it does, they all want that gravy train, what would our media darlings do if that funding was cut off? My God, imagine the lack of commercials and all that blather, what would they do? No big stage productions? No horse race 24/7? Jobs might be lost! My God the humanity! S/

And really they're just being honest here, right? I'd like to use an expletive name for them but there is no need, everyone can choose their own, there are so many choices after all.

up
0 users have voted.

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

snoopydawg's picture

@lizzyh7

there were no commercials? None! I used to watch baseball and in between innings I could watch the players warm up. This was why lots of people bought it back then, but now there are so many commercials Id lose track of the plot of the show ID be watching.

So now people have cut the cord and get Netflix etc... but how long until they start showing commercials? Hell even YouTube shows ads. $$$$$$$ makes the world go round.

up
0 users have voted.

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

@snoopydawg
I watched some shows on amazon but got bored with the commercials.

up
0 users have voted.

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

jwa13's picture

... only a few years ago that CHARLES dG. AND DAVID H. KOCH were proud "sponsors" of the PBS Newshour (!!)-- public television's prime-time version of "all the news that's fit to broadcast".

Good thing the Koch's weren't expecting any favorable reviews or kid-glove treatment from PBS for their generous support!

... oh, wait --

up
0 users have voted.

When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.