The Redbaiting Gets Ratcheted Up
This started with a tweet from a Biden surrogate:
Lifelong Republicans like @davidfrum & @ananavarro are now sharing this video of @BernieSanders like it’s damaging because he traveled, as Mayor of Burlington, to its sister city in Russia and....
Found the public transportation systems to be nice.
— Shaun King (@shaunking) February 16, 2020
The "team" editing on this hitpiece is painfully obvious. They wanted people to focus on the misleading caption of the original tweet: "Bernie Sanders lavishes praise on Communist Russia, preferring the Soviet Union to the American way of life."
Right before Bernie praised how accessible culture was to Soviet workers, he discussed how much American friendliness, technology, etc. were admired by Russians. During the press conference, he was also critical of the lack of democracy in the Soviet Union. The full press conference can be viewed here.
It seems that Lindy Li, the original tweeter of this fuckery is very proud that warmonger Bill Kristol and other leading neocons are retweeting her edited video to amplify it many times over. Let's not forget that Bill and his gang pushed the Iraq invasion that killed many thousands and still haunts us today. And don't forget that Kristol is head of a well funded effort targeting conservative independents to vote for Buttigieg or Klobuchar (my guess is most will opt not to vote for Buttigieg).
We all knew this was going to come. It's going to get worse. We really need to stand strong and united in solidarity to support Bernie now more than ever before. First they came for . . . .
Comments
They are going after Bernie for his support of the Sandinistas
This is the kind of crap that's going to become more and more prevalent as we move towards Super Tuesday.
It seems that Lindy Li is also hiding tweet responses to her hit job tweet. Make sure you click on and look at the hidden replies to her tweet linked above in the essay, not just the ones immediately shown:
Can I be critical
of their support of the Contras?
A bunch of murdering thugs who worked with the CIA on dirty arms and cocaine deals?
In that situation, I'd support the Sandinistas too, who were, after all, only guilty of holding views that the United States doesn't like.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Hey, I like their album a lot, too
[video:https://youtu.be/D1LhlVtbW_U]
LMAO
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Bernie's a very dangerous man.
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
The privilege of centrists is off the charts
Their masks are coming off for all to see their true faces:
https://twitter.com/ProudResister/status/1229278205225254913
I know I'm scared.
Brrrr!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Equating Bernie and Trump as Putin's puppets
This is the way the DNC cadre are starting off the week:
David Corn is a CIA asset
A very active one.
Corn
And, apparently, "thinking" and speaking alike via his Corn-hole!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
This morning on NPR
Third Way dumbass Matt Bennett is so AFRAID of Bernie because he will lose to Herr Drumpf! Horrors! The host pushed back but Matt is convinced Bernie will lose to Herr Drumpf! I have to hand it to the host - he pushed back well.
Have a listen.
"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
Unlike Hillary who . . . oh yeah. Right. She lost.
Maybe we could counter with the idea that the DNC picked a loser last time. They may not know a winner when they see one.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
The Third Wave guy was absolutely sputtering at the end.
Right???
He really made a fool of himself and all the rest of those centrist DINOs!
"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
The handwriting is on the wall for them:
For the first time in US history, the Left is on the verge of coalescing into a Political Party and gaining a real voice in US politics. The Left can't see it yet, but to the Right and to the Centrists, this is crystal clear.
They have good reason to be terrified. Once the People get a voice in government, the duopoly crime sprees will be exposed and and restitution will be paid.
I hope you're right, Pluto.
It's all we've got left for survival. I hope it's beginning to rain and they are melting.
"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
Some of the right-wingers I talk to,
like my hairdresser, may not support Bernie's policy ideas (they reiterate the "how's he gonna pay for it" canard) but they're not authoritarian. What I mean is, they disagree with me, but they have no problem with me existing and expressing myself through a political party or movement. In fact, they sometimes see a parallel between my difficulties with the Democratic party and theirs with the Republicans. (It's remarkably different than it was with the Bush Republicans in the early oughts).
But I'm guessing you mean the right-wing corporatists/fascists. At this point, I don't see a lot of daylight between them and the "centrists."
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I was assuming that once the Left forms a Political Party
....the Democratic and Republican Parties will melt together. In a Ven diagram, their circles will almost completely overlap because their ultimate top-down goals are nearly identical. (I should really start diagramming these concepts.) The Left [People's] Party circle sits above them and overlap a small section on top of each, because while there are some shared values, the ultimate goal of the Left is vastly different from the shared goal of the Duopoly:
The Intermediate goals of the Republicans gives the states the full authority to manage domestic issues as they see fit. They wish to pay Federal taxes only for national services (like post offices, ports, National Parks, transportation, and veterans affairs) and Pentagon services (international murder and mayhem). But no taxes are paid for any agencies other than State, Defense, Justice, and Transportation. They will pay for Treasury and IRS, but only with full hands-on oversight by the states. Health, Education, Housing, Welfare = $0 federally — these go to state control where Americans have no legal human rights that demand any of these services. Energy, Environmental, Financial = as needed but there will be no regulatory power over the states that do not wish to participate. The rest (like CDC, weather, mining, energy. coastal, immigration, etc.) can squeeze into the Department of Defense or contract individually with the states. Those elected to the House and the Senate are in DC to represent local government contractors, local trade issues, and the interests of locally-based corporations. They will vote on renaming post offices, tax cuts, and Federal laws and budgets, and they will divert everything else to states authorities. Ultimate Goal = Liberty for the Individual and Corporations.
The Democrats have the same Ultimate Goal. However, their Intermediate goals focus on bundling and regulating social diversity in order to control the population. The Republicans prefer to use religion to control the People. Both embrace state militarized police and the expansion of prisons. The remainder of their differences are the veils that obscure the truth: Both are committed to reducing the US standard of living through regressive taxes, fee-based public services, automation, competitive employment opportunities, stealth inflation, and asset seizure. This weakens mass resistance and enriches the authorities.
The People have no international goals. They don't know how to think about that. The authorities have already conquered the US population in that regard, which was their only vulnerability. The use of mercenary soldiers and foreign armies will keep the people in a coma.
Without a Left Party forming for the first time ever in the US, this is our fate.
The Party of the Left believes that governments were created to benefit the lives of the people and help them all achieve their individual and collective aspirations.
Where do the non-authoritarian
right-wing individualists fall? These are people who might vote for Ron Paul or Gary Johnson--or Trump. Or, sometimes, a Tea Partier.
I don't think they are an entirely comfortable fit with the Republicans, although maybe more so than I am with the Democrats.
Otherwise, I see what you see. Well, that's one of the four kinds of "realignment" I see happening, not all of which would result in a political party per se.
It would be interesting for us to write an essay together about this (but no pressure, obviously).
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Libertarians eschew authoritarian dogma
...because they are stripped of any sense of community with people they don't know, and disassociate with society at large. They have no desire to intervene in the lives of others — either to help them or to enslave them. They share Republican values of the fiscal conservative and saw some political advantage to joining with the Republican Party to block overall government spending (on either domestic programs or military intervention). They were wrong about Republicans spending but realize that only Republicans would vote them into office. Otherwise, they are outsiders to the Republican Party the same way that Sanders is an outsider to the Democratic Party. Sure Libertarians might tend to be socially conservative, but they'd rather group in enclaves with their own kind than police the same behavior in others. They correctly perceive that intervention is a slippery slope that will consume their own liberty.
Every year both Parties shrink in size while the vast majority of Americans sit outside the Parties and outside the US democratic process. Those who still want the option to vote will join the Independents, a group that now dwarfs both Parties.
I personally see no need to count the votes in Federal elections. You may not agree, but let's discuss that again after the herd is thinned and the 2020 election is held.
I think a collaboration is a fine idea. Since you have the vision of that in mind, I think you should direct the project when you are ready, and I'll be pleased to participate.
Thanks! I will be in touch via PM.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Thanks for the link
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
What sticks radio should be:
https://www.kskq.org/
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
Don't I wish!
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
Hate radio
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
Yep
I hear the poor mind-sick bastard is physically sick now so hopefully his days of polluting the minds of youngsters is about over but the sad part is there are dozens like him already in the wings waiting to fill the vacancy.
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
This is why you never want to let media form monopolies.
That's how Hate Radio got started. Operatives bought most of the nation's AM broadcast stations and created monopolies that could brainwash the population. The AM spectrum is a various insidious one. It follows the terrain and dips into every nook and cranny. AM was selected to target the truckers that rolled across America. The truckers carried the mind virus that infected the nation. Same monopoly strategy happened with TV and cable. The Nazis showed us how to use media to control the minds of the people. The US knew better, and this was once regulated so monopolies could not form. We had a fairness doctrine back then. Radio station owners should be local and unaffiliated. But we forgot. If we had a living constitution, this would have been added along with anti-trust principles. But our Slave-Owners Constitution is a dead thing that blocks USians from obtaining common human rights.
This is also why you don't want billionaires to form. Taxation should recycle extreme profits back into the economy before they can be used for socially poisonous purposes.. The 2020 elections are largely paid for by 40 billionaires who represent there one percent. We don't have to guess where that leads. We can just look around. In four years we will be back here again (If the Left is still loitering with the Democrats instead of building their own Party) — meeting as political hobbists and RPG activists on backwater websites.
Let us hope the Millennials don't listen to anyone over 45 who want to teach them what's impossible.
Concerning Limbaugh
he has now personally stated that he has a problem ~
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/news/88628/rush-limbaugh-says-he-has-advanc...
Many more confirming details on a DDG search.
Here's Fareed Zakaria's hit-piece on Sanders
Let's go over the points carefully:
1) Omigod solar has a storage problem! We should never use it again. Actually this is just a technical problem, one that can be solved soon.
2) Fracking has a real methane problem, and methane is by far the most dangerous greenhouse gas in terms of immediate contributions to climate forcing.
3) Nuclear power -- hm. Even if you could get rid of the nuclear accident and waste storage problems, the main problem with nuclear power would then be that most of the world's uranium ores are low-grade ores, and that the world's high-grade ores would be used up in five or six years if there were to be a significant ramp-up of nuclear power. Nuclear power is already cost-ineffective, requiring massive Federal subsidy -- running a global system on low-grade ores will make it even moreso. As for thorium breeder reactors, everyone in the thorium breeder reactor industry loves the idea, but where is their traction? It's not like there are more than a couple of thorium breeder reactors worldwide. Inquiring minds want to know.
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
We have got to stop calling it "Natural Gas"
Also, I am a Particle / Nuclear Physicist. If you don't understand the shabby state of affairs in the nuclear industry, I could spend some time educating you. But you wouldn't like to know the real story, because, it starts with the fact that the EPA has never honestly documented the natural background radiation in the environment.
RIP
Is FZ the serial
He is!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/fareed-zakaria-suspended-...
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/02/michael-kinsley-fareed-zakaria-p...
https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/09/the-wrongs-of-fareed-zakari...
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
Wow
A couple of years ago
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
But Trump's Sexual Fantasies About Putin!
Haven't any of these idiots ever seen how Trump admires the dictators of the world. The doe eyed expression on his face is such a tell.
And, I should take these idiots seriously. Give me a break.
Wow, just wow!
RIP
Can Bernie win 1st Four Primaries?
It could happen.
I'm anxious to see if the DNC
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
I read a story just
I wouldn't recommend another Iowa disaster for the party going forward. Once is an accident. Twice is gross negligence. (3 times is a conspiracy of party hacks.).
Certainly I would imagine the calls for Tony Perez to step down would be overwhelming.
I agree,
All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth. John Lennon
All they want to do is a little fractionalizing
A process I realized would have been very easy to set up as things went computerized in the business world in the 80s -- so will be very familiar now. Think about A-monopoly, for only one likely example, who could calculate fractions of pennies per hour, and then just keep reducing real wages.
When votes become numbers they easily translate to the benefit of those paying for the totals.
Looks very doable.
Meanwhile Bootajudge's momentum seems to have stalled after NH, which overall is a good thing for the party and the country. Though Bernie should hope Boot hangs in there a little longer to dilute the moderate vote, particularly as Bloomberg begins to compete after SC. He, Liz and Klobbachair can continue, for a while, to dilute the anti-Bloomie moderate vote. Although it's possible Amy or Liz, strapped for cash, will have to drop out after SC.
I have hopes that the recent surge by MB is going to hit a ceiling and begin to taper off. If he manages to make the next debate or two, it might not be a positive for his campaign. There's just too much there in his recent political past to answer for, at least on a par with Biden's negatives, and this terrible truth about Mike is still getting its boots on.
It'll be interesting to see who drops out after NV and then SC
If Biden, Klobuchar and Buttigieg all fall to the wayside after Super Tuesday (and Warren is still in it), then we'll know the fix is in. Which side are you on, Liz, which side are you on?
I just don't know how much voting support Bloomberg can muster up. I'd like to think that Bernie will prevail in a one-on-one vs Bloomberg. But all that freaking money, aye-aye-aye!
There's an interesting article in the new Winter 2020 Jacobin "Will Big Money Defeat Bernie Sanders" -- an interview of Thomas Ferguson by Paul Heideman. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like they've updated the website edition yet. Being a Groucho Marxist, I'm not a member of DSA, but it's well worth subscribing to Jacobin. The magazine, istm, gets better every month.
From their introductory essay to the current issue:
I realize other folks are more optimistic than me about other politicians' future prospects. I don't mean to dissuade folks from keep on keepin' on, though. Different strokes for different folks and all that. I just sincerely hope that we can unite in solidarity this time while the iron is hot and the critical mass is exactly that.
I'm not 100% on it
This is consistent with my experience.
AOC is the obvious
I continue to remain bullish on Dem prospects of defeating Trump, and it's likely to be the prospect of finally ridding ourselves of the wannabe dictator more than anything else that will drive enough D-side turnout to make that happen. I do not buy the FUD being spread around about Dem chances, some of it by R mischief makers, and I think most of the centrist wing will eventually come around. Dems will not need the blessings of Chris Matthews, Peggy Noonan, Bill Kristol, Brian Williams nor Joy Reid, and will do themselves no good trying to chase the elusive votes of the inconsequential Never Trumpers and other moderate Rs. That didn't work last time (apart from the 3m, and unless it's true that actually a few states like MI, FL and NC were stolen from HRC in the official count).
Trump looked pretty demonic to Dems in 2016, too
If Bernie's not the nominee, I don't see too much incentive for a high turnout that's substantially any different than it was in 2016.
Up the road? I'm not even interested in speculating. From my perspective, it's now or never. I don't want to be humming along to ther refrain from:
[video:https://youtu.be/QsKdxzKz_lw?t=46]
Nah, Dems thought
Today of course it's the opposite, too many Nervous Nellie lefties listening to other NNs (and covert Rs) about how Donald is the Unstoppable Force Blah Blah Blah.
Maybe with Bloomberg as the D nominee, or Biden.
Otherwise, this election will be all about the issue of Donald, and not ultimately in his favor.
The MSM is pushing Bloomberg hard! The news today
made it look like he was the front runner. ABC ran whole segments of his commercial as news! Plus his commercials air as commercials as well. The Kochs could only dream of buying an election this easily. I hope Bernie can prevail.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
He'll need to go after
Bloomberg's paying off people approach to becoming president is so blatant, Bernie's people need to be ready with a few clever noteworthy zingers to use to bring mini-Mike down a further notch, well below the lectern. There is no more effective messaging than the clever put down that hits the mark, of the type that even the Mike-friendly MSM cannot ignore.
Sirota's got the zingers against Bloomberg
... and Bernie is testing them out on the campaign trail:
See: https://twitter.com/davidsirota
OK, I read the article
It looks like a variation on the "Bernie has a cap" argument.
What I think Bernie has is a core of support (a floor rather than a cap) amounting to the 25%-30% we've seen so far. I have to admit that I'm not happy with the turnout in the first two contests, Bernie needs better turnout to beat the DNC and then to beat Trump.
The "cap" argument is that the remaining 70% are yearning for a centrist, they just haven't settled on a single candidate. I think the reality is that while a few of that 70% do indeed want something that Bernie is not (a centrist, a woman, a person of color, etc.), most of them want someone who can win. The way Sanders proves that he can win is by winning. Posting victories in the first three or four contests plus lots of wins on Super Tuesday will convince enough voters and he'll start scoring over 50% in the popular vote.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
A 25% Floor or Ceiling?
I can't find it right off, I recall it was posted somewhere on C99%, but there was a tweet about a poll that shows that Bernie beats the other candidates in one-on-one contests. If anybody can find that I'd appreciate it if you replied with it here.
It shows, istm, that Bernie has both a higher floor and a higher ceiling than the other candidates.
My biggest concern right now is that Warren will gum up the works if the other candidates, besides Bloomberg, all drop out. Then we have a situation where Warren becomes a "left" vote splitter. At this point, though, I wonder if most of her supporters aret pretty much all centrists who would vote for Bloomberg over Bernie if she also drops out.
But let's not forget how egotistical these folks, aside from Bernie, are when it comes right down to it. They are not part of a movement. They are in it to advance their careers. If they have the money, they may stick it out to the convention in hopes they can get the nomination via a second ballot if all the stars fall into place for them.
You might be referring to
this YouGov poll from a few days ago.
Scroll down to the last para to read the author's amusing take on Joe Biden.
As for Liz, I think she's a spent force, very unlikely to rebound. If she stays in much longer with little or nothing to show for it except a lot of money spent, it will be with dwindling support and therefore dwindling leverage in the primary process, and dwindling clout with Bernie.
Bernie beats all candidates and Trump One on One
Yep, thanks Wok, that's the one:
Hot Damn I Am A Felon
Well the statutes of limitations apply, right ‽, so was is the operative word. For what it was worth. I harbored refugees from central america. My small group of malcontents, the Sandinistas Del Norte, were active for some time:
RIP
There’s a story in The Washington Post about two
women who bought property in Virginia on the Potomac which eventually ended up being the site of the CIA. They were labor activists who harbored refugees from Central America among other things. I can’t post the link due to being tablet-challenged, but maybe you can find it. It’s interesting.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
This ad sounds like they're supporting him
Of course we all want clean, efficient, cheap mass transit
A bit of an echo
Hello, hello, hello.
See below.
This ad sounds like they're supporting him
Of course we all want clean, efficient, cheap mass transit
This ad sounds like they're supporting him
Of course we all want clean, efficient, cheap mass transit
This ad sounds like they're supporting him
Of course we all want clean, efficient, cheap mass transit
This ad sounds like they're supporting him
Of course we all want clean, efficient, cheap mass transit