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Bernie Sanders on the Corporate Threat to American Democracy
Senator Bernie Sanders wants the public to know that the fight to pass Democrats $3.5 trillion social spending bill isnt just about meeting the needs of working-class families and combating the climate crisisits about the future of American democracy and whether oligarchs will be successful in defeating a popular agenda.
In a pen-and-pad briefing with reporters on Friday, Sanders focused on the wealthy and powerful special interests spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to defeat the bill, urging the Capitol Hill press corps to reconsider horse-race coverage and instead think about whats really at stake.
Do you live in a democratic society? Sanders said. What kind of society are you living in, where you have three paid lobbyists for every member of the United States Congress? And you got lobbying firms led by former Democratic leaders, Republican leaders working overtime to try to defeat this legislation.
(snip)
Asked if hes worried that Democrats will ultimately walk away without passing anything at all, Sanders said he hopes thats not the case, but there is a chance. Is there a possibility, a horrible possibility, which would be so terrible for this country, that because two people refuse to do what 96 percent of the caucus wants, that nothing will happen? he said. There is that possibility, I think its a minimal possibility, but that possibility exists.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/bernie-sanders-spending-bill/
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Bernie Sanders on the Corporate Threat to American Democracy (Original Post)
Uncle Joe
Oct 2021
OP
OldBaldy1701E
(4,968 posts)1. 'Corporate threat to democracy'?
That is a mild way of putting it, Senator!
dalton99a
(81,065 posts)2. Kick
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)3. It can be demoralizing for voters.
We ask, we promise, we state what we will do to better the lives of millions. For two people who have no rational reason to be against it, their constituents want it, is very hard to take. I keep hoping something will change.
CrispyQ
(36,225 posts)4. "The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel" is out.
https://thenewcorporation.movie
It's the sequel to "The Corporation" from 2003, an excellent, but sobering look at corporate power. And no surprise, it hasn't gotten any better.
In the late 1800s, clever railroad attorneys argued that corporations should have Constitutional rights just like We the People, something the framers would have vehemently opposed. A ruling was never made, but just like "a sitting president can't be indicted," Constitutional rights for corporations is now an accepted norm. It needs to be challenged.
For anyone who is interested in this issue, here are a few of my favorite sites/pages on personhood rights.
It's the sequel to "The Corporation" from 2003, an excellent, but sobering look at corporate power. And no surprise, it hasn't gotten any better.
In the late 1800s, clever railroad attorneys argued that corporations should have Constitutional rights just like We the People, something the framers would have vehemently opposed. A ruling was never made, but just like "a sitting president can't be indicted," Constitutional rights for corporations is now an accepted norm. It needs to be challenged.
For anyone who is interested in this issue, here are a few of my favorite sites/pages on personhood rights.
A great one page primer on corporate personhood, from the Sierra Club:
https://vault.sierraclub.org/sierra/200509/corporation.asp
A timeline of human rights vs. corporate rights, from Reclaim Democracy:
https://reclaimdemocracy.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/personhood_timeline.pdf
Reclaim Democracy's corporate personhood main page. IMO, it's worth reading every link.
https://reclaimdemocracy.org/corporate-personhood/
JudyM
(29,122 posts)5. This looks powerful, word about it needs to get out. Hadn't heard of it.
Deserves its own OP! Thanks, CrispyQ
Wonder if we can have a virtual DU screening?