"So I sez to her, I sez, Mabel!" (III)

Qualifications, ha!

There's been a lot more fancy writing by better writers than I who have explained that Hillary is only qualified to work within a corrupt system, and she is not qualified to work in a way that serves average Americans. The same could be said of the present Democratic Party.

It's really very simple - Hillary does not see the average American, nor the poor American, nor the working class American. We're talking total blindness. We see it whenever she speaks, it isn't subtle. And it certainly isn't just her. The Establishment, by its nature as an establishment, is also blind to us.

I've been disappointed with Elizabeth Warren for being so "Senate-collegial" in her statements about the 2016 Presidential race. I said nothing about it until I saw her hysterical tweets about Trump after he won Indiana.

Does anyone believe that Cruz would be less scary? Or any of the other Republicans? Save your Drama, we regular people have a lot more to be scared of these days than a crazy politician, and the Democratic Party is hardly without their crazy and out of touch politicians.

Even when Bernie says we must defeat Trump, I go "ho hum." We have a real enemy and it isn't any one individual. I know Bernie has to say this because it's a "general election pivot strategy" but as an average American, I don't care about the strategy.

Except for one thing - the strategy of fear is poison to me right now. We have yuge challenges facing us, and anyone who tries to make me afraid is not my friend. If there was ever a time for courage, now is that time. Especially when it seems impossible. My 2 cents.

I'd judge Hill and Liz more harshly if I could honestly claim I'd be any different. I'd probably be worse if I lived in their bubble. Power tends to go to my head very easily.

Which is why I am in such awe of Bernie Sanders. By remaining an Independent rather than submit himself to party politics domination, he has remained free enough to show the rest of us what it would be like to have a political representative who actually sees who s/he is representing. Who sees us, who digs us, all that.

That is the qualification I'm looking for. And I'm somewhat astounded there's someone who actually fulfills that qualification.

It's not just income equality that the poor and working class Americans are asking for. Equality itself demands dignity if the word "equal" is to have any meaning at all.

To the meritocracy, spending taxpayer money on actual taxpayers is considered no different than charity -- we aren't needed, we aren't valuable, we aren't worth investing in.

In other words, we are expendable.

To me the modern version of that reality began when getting "laid off" changed to getting "downsized." Used to be if the company wasn't doing well, you got laid off and rehired when times were better. Then the nasty Wharton School of Business grads with their fancy corporate jobs got the notion that you could just fire people outright to pump up the bottom line of the corporation. People became expendable. I was there, I saw it. Blech.

To Bernie and those activists who are now coming forward, we are everything. That "qualification" restores dignity, which is important at this time in a very real political way.

Don't tell me to be afraid. I can find plenty of reasons of my own to be afraid, I don't need any more suggestions. To counsel fear as the mechanism by which to make important decisions is not going to work on people who are already suffering, some to the point of suicide. If a politician doesn't get that, then that politician is unqualified to represent the people in the year 2016.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

wilderness voice's picture

is to the left of Hillary on trade, and likewise on ME policy if he is serious about co-operating with Putin. What is scary is inflicting even more misery on the people over there.

up
0 users have voted.

... anyone who takes office in November will no doubt inflict more misery; we're an Empire after all. That won't change immediately, if ever.

My question is whether we have someone who actually represents all of us making those decisions, not just having those decisions dictated to them by the powers that be.

up
0 users have voted.

Beat in the USA.

lunachickie's picture

and you know we are not alone in that. You know it.

And not for nothin', but I see Elizabeth Warren's public dialogue lately as playing the same rhetorical games that Bernie Sanders is. Mouthing the "right" words, so they can continue to speak out at all.

up
0 users have voted.
Haikukitty's picture

And I welcome the politician who will put the fear of Climate change into the hearts of ALL Americans. That's one fear we should have and we should start to address now. Not fear for fear's sake, but fear to motivate quick and sweeping changes.

Otherwise, take your terrorism fear-mongering and your refugee fear-mongering and your transgender people using a restroom fears and your immigrant fears and shove 'em. NONE of that crap is going to matter soon, very soon, if we don't act now.

up
0 users have voted.

Just got an email from Warren, subject line "Help Stop Trump with a Democratic Senate."

I didn't read the body of the email, just deleted it, as I did four more emails with similar subject lines from other establishment orgs.

I have my own plans, Liz. And Hill. And all you hard-line Dems and operatives. You got your plans, I got mine. Let's do some democracy.

up
0 users have voted.

Beat in the USA.

Borkrom's picture

That is my sentiments as well. I am not a member of their club. Lets fix our problems, not support the establishment.

up
0 users have voted.

I got a few,one from Warren, Moveon, and a couple more delete, delete. delete. Trump is not the issue to me at this time.

up
0 users have voted.

Enjoying your posts. I got the same email from MoveOn. I deleted mine too - after I shared a few choice words.

up
0 users have voted.

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

Hope you're feeling better.

Listening right now to Bernie's rally in Kentucky. Funny episode - Bernie brings up the Establishment and someone in the audience screams out "Fuck the Establishment!"

Bernie takes a beat and then responds, "well that's one way of phrasing it."

I cracked up.

up
0 users have voted.

Beat in the USA.

So was the crowd. I watched every minute of it. Inspiring.

up
0 users have voted.

Twain Disciple

Hillbilly Dem's picture

He'll be in Charleston (the capital), Morgantown (WVU) and McDowell County (coal country). Last week he was in Huntington (site of Marshall University). It's over 4 hours away from me and I couldn't go (I live in the northern panhandle) but I had friends who went. I watched it on the net as Bernie filled an arena...and then proceeded to blow the roof off of it!

In Huntington, when he spoke about climate change and the future of coal, he didn't soft pedal it. He said (paraphrasing) "You might not want to hear this here in WV, but coal is on the way out. What we have to do is provide good paying jobs to displaced coal miners." Not a "boooo" in response to that remark, just thunderous applause.

up
0 users have voted.

"Just call me Hillbilly Dem(exit)."
-H/T to Wavey Davey

gulfgal98's picture

I got that same email from Warren and deleted it without reading. Probably the most disappointing thing about this entire primary process has been Warren. On the other hand, Merkley was a wonderful surprise.

I got my own plans too. They are for the young people who will follow me. My vote will be for them. They deserve to have at least one someone to look out for them.

up
0 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Sherrod Brown

up
0 users have voted.
Kurt from CMH's picture

has been a big disappointment to me. I thought he was a progressive, but he is with the Hillary and the establishment. I gave money to him in the past, I'm not sure I will going forward.

up
0 users have voted.

For at least another hundred years we must pretend to ourselves and to everyone that fair is foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful and fair is not. Avarice and usury and precaution must be our gods for a little longer still.
John Maynard Keynes, 1930

Are we Blogging the Future yet?

I miss Buhdy.

Where is he?

up
0 users have voted.

You're a blast from the past, good to hear from ya!

Buhdy is his usual cosmic self, at the moment residing in the big woods upstate NY. He keeps an eye on the internet and you may see him around here and there for brief moments.

up
0 users have voted.

Beat in the USA.

He's his usual cosmic self. That's why I'll always love that guy.

up
0 users have voted.

great to hear from you, brother! Buhdy's been signed up here for a while, but hasn't had anything to say yet. I hope you do some writing for us!

JtC: aka gotterdammerung from our Docudharma days.

up
0 users have voted.

It's great to see you too!

I'll probably post a diary or two here, but you'll have to pay me big bucks like Docudharma did. Smile

up
0 users have voted.

thumbs up work?

up
0 users have voted.

I'll have to check with my management staff and accounting people and maybe a couple of random strangers for advice, but I'll probably settle for a thumbs up.

up
0 users have voted.
progdog's picture

up
0 users have voted.

prog - weirdo | dog - woof

Lady Libertine's picture

Rusty1776 "settle"?!? NEVAH!!!!!!! demand more! always demand MORE!

I have, therefore, awarded you several thumbs up this morning!

Oh how I have missed you guys, you, Kitty, Buhdy, the old gang who taught me so much back in my teeth-cutting dayz. 'Blogging the future' we were indeed.

~free advice and much love from Not A Random Stranger: keep writing, keep fighting, carry on

[video:https://youtu.be/VLhQZVX50vA]

up
0 users have voted.

Yeah, those were great days.

It's great to see you again, and thank you for the Dylan song.

up
0 users have voted.
shaharazade's picture

Good to read you here. Glad you made it here as you'll fit right in. Long time no see. A hearty welcome to Caucus99%! Hope you come back and grace us with some of your excellent writing.

up
0 users have voted.

Yeah, quite a few Friedman Units have come and gone. Thank you for the warm welcome.

I've been posting at Dkos as JusticeSeeker68 but it looks like I just got banned. It is getting brutal over there. I'll start posting here.

up
0 users have voted.
Shahryar's picture

I could never figure out how to achieve that distinction. I tried, oh how I tried! Maybe I should have spammed my well-loved classic poem, "Nice job, Obama".

You know...the one that goes:

Nice job, Obama, I call it bait and switch
if I'd-a wanted Clinton, I'd've voted for the b----

I only posted it once. That was long ago enough that I only got HR'd but not TO'd or B'd.

up
0 users have voted.

That is world class poetry! I can't imagine why those magnificent "progressives" over there took exception to it.

up
0 users have voted.
Lady Libertine's picture

what took 'em so long?!?!

Wink

up
0 users have voted.
featheredsprite's picture

to make the Democratic Party a part of the people is to install our candidate as president, vote up as many progressive Dems in the House and Senate as we can, and then work very hard to give Brand New Congress some teeth.

Now if that doesn't come to pass, I would like to see Bernie run and win under some other flag, support progressive candidates for House and Senate, and then work very hard to give BNC some real power.

But I'm open to suggestions.

up
0 users have voted.

Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.

They need to be, individually, much much better than that. Let's see them prove themselves, one by one.

Brand New Congress!

Bernie or Bust!

Never Hillary! Never Biden!

Trump is to Hillary's (and Biden's) left on very important issues, and that is more important than rude, crude, and obnoxious. He wasn't known as a bigot before this campaign, so I'm not sure how real that is. Or the global warming denial - stopping the "trade" deals gives us at least some hope of being able to deal with it. Of those three, he may actually be Least Worst.

up
0 users have voted.
progdog's picture

Donald Trump, for better or worse, knew exactly what it would take to win a modern Republican primary in this election season. You could quite reasonably argue that he's been preparing for this election as long as Hillary has been, at least since he started questioning Obama's birth certificate. His job was to appeal to Republican voters until today. He did a really good job.

up
0 users have voted.

prog - weirdo | dog - woof

Bluesee's picture

I heard that on public radio, Background Briefing, withIan Masters. The guy basically said that he's doing it to prove a point to Obama.

You never see pictures of them together.

up
0 users have voted.

Bernie is a win-win.

Phuq Yew's picture

Transcript, please.

I am deaf.

Thanks.

up
0 users have voted.
Bluesee's picture

http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/15264-was-trump-motivated-to-run-...

It's not Ian Masters though, but it's a notion that is out there.

up
0 users have voted.

Bernie is a win-win.

Have you seen the photo of Barry drinking Flint's water and declaring it safe to drink? Really. He did.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-water-obama-idUSKCN0XV0YT

President Barack Obama sipped filtered water in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday and assured angry residents that their children would be fine in the long term despite the "complete screw-up" that contaminated their drinking water with lead.

[snip]

Obama, going off his prepared remarks, told members of the community that their anger was understandable, but he urged them not to let their children believe they would be hurt for life.

Does this DINO liar, this Republican-wannabee, have some congenital requirement to rescue Republicans from their crimes??? Every chance he ever had to slam dunk the GOP, he turns instead to working-class Americans and kicks them. Then he turns back to the republicans who hold his leash and says, "Look what I did for you!"

How anyone can still honor this Wall St clown as among the best of American presidents only demonstrates how poorly American History is taught.

punctuation typo

up
0 users have voted.

Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.

... by Obama's visit to Flint. I think he - and so many other establishment Dems - just don't have a clue about what the average American is experiencing in this country. Speeches without real action just don't cut it.

up
0 users have voted.

Beat in the USA.

from what I read. Early brain damage apparently can't be undone.

up
0 users have voted.

Haven't watched his speeches, feel no need to watch them.

I watched Bernie's speech at his rally in Kentucky tonight. He didn't even mention Hillary, and frankly I was fine with that.

There's much to be done. I'm not supporting Hillary or Trump, I'm supporting Bernie and my brothers and sisters of the working class and poor, the people who are getting shafted and treated as though we're not a part of the decision-makers in this country.

There's plenty of obstacles and enemies and there's plenty of power grabs going on, not just among politicians but among the big money corporations and lobbyists and media and our giant Security Apparatus with its endless greed for surveillance and control.

It's going to take real democracy to fight all that, regardless of who wins the White House. That's what I'm focusing on and I refuse to get diverted by the bogus horse race the media is trying to shove down our throats.

up
0 users have voted.

Beat in the USA.

featheredsprite's picture

rather than on Hillary could serve to pave the way to another party if that proved to be necessary.

But Bernie doesn't confide in me so I'm not sure.

up
0 users have voted.

Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.

and I got sick and tired of the obsession with the Democratic Party at TOP.

up
0 users have voted.
shaharazade's picture

they seem like pure Klan haters. The Hairball himself is not as scary as the hoard's of pig ignorant, bigoted, armed and violent supporters he eggs on. Kind of like Altamont as far as crowds you want to avoid goes. But then again the squeaky clean yuppie 'screw or get screwed yuppies old and new and nasty no free lunch oldies that support Hillary are also obnoxious. A classic rock and a hard place.

up
0 users have voted.
hecate's picture

he was known as a bigot before the campaign. He's been pushing the poisonous racist birther bullshit for years. Back in the 1970s he was sued for refusing to rent to black people—a practice he inherited from his daddy, the Klansman. Thirty years ago he was saying things like "laziness is a trait in blacks," and "I don't want black guys counting my money, the only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day."

On climate change, he is literally insane. He claims it's a hoax invented by the Chinese.

up
0 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

...to have a candidate like Bernie to support. We still have a path. Narrow though it may be. An indictment or just a good release of Clinton dirty tricks would turn the tide. That's my hope. Take a peek here at the depth of the dirt:
http://www.thompsontimeline.com/The_Clinton_Email_Scandal_Timeline

Its a revolution_0.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

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

Starting to see references to "Team Blue". Yeah, go team, rip rip rah!!.

up
0 users have voted.

Beware the bullshit factories.

"Team Blue". Yeah, go team, rip rip rah!!.

For far too many this is just more team sport. "Governance shmovernance, we want our team to win." Even if our team is just as corrupt, greedy, shallow and disingenuous as the other team.

Media does everything it can to promote this mentality for ratings and profit. Goes well with their "fake fear" mongerery.

up
0 users have voted.

21st Century America: The distracted, superficail perception of a virtual reality.

It is adversarial and requires a good guy and bad guy. Media same way. Many religions as well.

up
0 users have voted.

that place has been a total barfarama for weeks, if not months.

up
0 users have voted.

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

shaharazade's picture

up
0 users have voted.

I managed to get through one of his speeches, by watching it in segments while riding my stationary bike, heh.

At least in that particular speech, the only people he insulted were the media, and establishment politicians. The speech was more conversationalist than anything, with the occasional policy issue thrown in from time to time. Was more entertaining than anything.

Initially I thought that economically I could find decent common ground, but as time has gone on, his policy stances have shifted toward the traditional Republican platform. This is probably the only area I do find some agreement on though, notably his anti-corporate free trade giveaway stance (I believe mild protectionism is a good thing) and his stance on carried interest and Wall St. in general.

Oddly enough on these issues I trust him more than Hillary, precisely because she is completely beholden to these interests. Trump is beholden to Trump, and I believe his belief is sincere that these issues have sold out the American people.

I cannot find much agreement elsewhere in his platform, aside from the fact that he used to be a Democrat and held different positions. I do agree with the notion that he knew exactly how to throw red meat to the Republican base in order to win the nomination, so I am unsure how near and dear these positions are to him, I can only say that I disagree with them. They are not really any worse than any other Republican candidate that I have seen, however.

All that out of the way, I too mostly just delete these anti-Trump campaigns for a couple reasons. First and foremost, they largely benefit Hillary. Only one candidate needs to show that they are the 'less terrible' candidate, and it isn't Bernie. Bernie doesn't need to be the anti-Trump candidate, he destroys Trump with a positive, issue-oriented campaign. Hillary is the anti-Trump candidate.

Further, I have always disliked fear-based campaigns, they are designed by nature to gather support via emotional response, which treats people like sheeple. Lastly, I believe in getting my own house in order before I go pointing fingers at others. I cannot in good conscience turn a blind eye to the corruption within the Democratic Party, we should be leading by example.

This is why I will likely be voting Green or write-in, depending on what happens by November. For me, the Democratic Party may be too damaged to reform/clean up.

up
0 users have voted.

Couldn't agree more. And I think the younger generations will scare even less. 20-somethings are already screwed. They're going to scare them? Don't think so.

Never thought I'd see the day where Democrats are tactically even dumber than Republicans. The Repubs are screwed because they have no good choices; we have a great choice, and the DNC is trying to trip him up at every opportunity.

One of the best gifts that Bernie has given me has been to open my eyes to the Democratic Party. All done with them until they decide to help people again.

Thanks again. Great work.

up
0 users have voted.
shaharazade's picture

then most of the fancy writers including the elite lefties out and about. After living through 2000-2016 nothing scares me about politics. "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound, and fury signifying nothing" What scares me is what they have done to the world. Hard to ignore the sound and fury of politics while your living it. Forget about the Democratic/Republican breakdown it sucks. It's Chinatown, it's The Lady and the Tiger', it's Brazil. Sander's movement has moved it. The church of Bernie without Bernie will continue to build like a wave as that's what movement is about. Go Bernie

up
0 users have voted.
janis b's picture

Equality itself demands dignity if the word "equal" is to have any meaning at all.

I think that the lack of dignity afforded to Americans and others is exactly what causes the unending tragedy of injustice. I'm hoping that understanding continues to grow in the hearts and minds of people everywhere, so that this ongoing, immoral practice by government is no longer tolerated. I mean, what are we as humans if we lack the possibility to feel respect for ourselves.

up
0 users have voted.

You would have offset the throngs flocking to Bonzo and enabling all this crap we now deal with.

up
0 users have voted.

Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.

I think you nailed it when you said Hillary simply doesn't see us. She understands she's supposed to try to appeal to the unwashed masses out here, but she has no idea what ordinary people's truths are. As a youngster, she was of the class that gets an internship to Gerald Ford's office -- then fancy colleges, then Ivy League, then #1 law firm in Arkansas (yeah, I know it's Arkansas, but that's as elite as you get down there). Her life has been lived on the cocktail party circuit with the Robin Leach crowd. She's not interested in anyone else. You can tell how infuriating it is to her to have to ask for our votes. You can tell how much she values ordinary people's lives by the alacrity with which she endorses military action.

Elizabeth Warren is a different kettle of fish. I am beginning to wonder if she's been wholly co-opted by the party. They need a pet liberal with street cred -- one who can speak to us for them to keep us voting for them despite all the filth and corruption we've seen. I know I'm getting really tired of Warren's over the top wailing about Trump, when she seems to have forgotten that SHE's the one who blew the whistle on Hillary's bankruptcy bill sellout. And I'm very disappointed that she would neither run herself nor endorse Bernie.

up
0 users have voted.

Twain Disciple

Must endorse a sister.

up
0 users have voted.

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

Lady Libertine's picture

I dunno, I don't get those emails, I must not be a "real Democrat". But the anti-Trump fearmongering just comes across to me as completely phony ginned up nonsense kabuki.

We did watch some CNN last night Wolf Blitzer interview w Trump. Interesting to watch with a jaded eye, he seems to be covertly woo'ing Bernie supporters, just a dribble here and there. Maybe wooing is the wrong word but Im sure some of his fans would support Bernie if it were a contest between an establishmentGOPDude vs Bernie, no question.

But yeah, re their hyped "fear" pffft bite me. There is one and only one candidate who comprehends that Climate Change is the scaryest mofo threat we face and that we need people in power to Go Big or go home, moonshot scale, but bigger. Existential threat next to which all else pales so just stop lying to us, #@!%#!'s {spits}.

up
0 users have voted.
Raggedy Ann's picture

will be taken down if either Trump or hrc are elected. Much faster if it is Trump. I didn't realize Liz was such a scaredy cat, which DKhaos folks are having orgasms over, which speaks volumes to me about her. I refuse to be driven by fear anymore, either. I'm 63 and I'm done.

up
0 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

spending taxpayer money on actual taxpayers is considered no different than charity -- we aren't needed, we aren't valuable, we aren't worth investing in.

I call it what it is, the truth.

up
0 users have voted.

21st Century America: The distracted, superficail perception of a virtual reality.