Almost Over For Hillary: This election is a mass insurrection against a rigged system By Bill Curry

[Nanjeanne]

Curry was White House counselor to President Clinton and a two-time Democratic nominee for governor of Connecticut. He is at work on a book on President Obama and the politics of populism.

It would be hard to overstate what Bernie Sanders has already achieved in his campaign for president, or the obstacles he’s had to surmount in order to achieve it. Not only has he turned a planned Hillary Clinton coronation into an exercise in grass-roots democracy, he’s reset the terms of the debate. We are edging closer to the national conversation we so desperately need to have. If we get there, all credit goes to Bernie.

...

If you strip away all the nonsense about polls, money, firewalls and ground games, Clinton’s left with two arguments, neither one pretty. One is that Sanders is too far left. Pundits dismiss his polls by repeating her “wait till the Republicans get ahold of him” line. And they’ll say what? That he’s old? Jewish? A socialist? Everybody already knows and anyone who’d even think of voting Democratic is already down with it or soon could be. The “socialist” tag needs explaining, but so do “corrupt” and “fascist.” Both parties’ frontrunners carry baggage. For my money, Bernie’s is the lightest. As for the notion that voters can’t see that paying $1,000 in taxes beats paying $5,000 in health insurance premiums, it is an insult to the American people.

The core of Clinton’s realpolitik brief pertains not to electability but to governance. Her point is that Sanders is naïve. She says none of his proposals can get though a Republican Congress. She strongly implies that he’d roll back Obamacare, a charge that is false, cynical and so nonsensical she’ll have to stop making it soon. She says she has a plan to get to universal health care—she doesn’t—and that she’ll do it by working “in partnership” with the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

Who’s being naïve here? A Republican Congress won’t pass any of her ideas either. The only way to get real change is to elect Democrats to Congress and have a grass-roots movement strong enough to keep the heat on them. Nor will insurers cough up a dime of profit without a fight. Vowing to spare us a “contentious debate” over single-payer care she ignores the admonition of Frederick Douglas; “Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.” There has been a lot of talk lately about what a progressive is. Here’s a hint: if you think Douglas is wrong, you might not be one.

...

One way to sum up the case he’s trying to make might be as follows. In the 1990s a near bipartisan consensus celebrated a new age of globalization and information technology in which technology and trade spur growth that in turn fosters a broad and inclusive prosperity. Government’s job is to deregulate finance and trade and work with business in ‘public private partnerships’ for progress.

Twenty years on, Hillary still sees the world through the rose-colored glasses of that ’90s consensus. Not Bernie. He sees that in 2016 rising tides don’t even lift most boats, that growth comes at a steep price when it comes at all, and that new technology cost more jobs than it creates. He understands that when jobs flow to countries with weak governments and low wages, the American middle class can’t get a raise. He sees that public-private partnership meant pay-to-play politics, and that the whole system runs not on innovation but corruption. My guess is the middle class sees what he sees and wants what he wants: a revolution. If he can continue to drive the debate, they may get one.

http://www.salon.com/2016/02/07/its_almost_over_for_hillary_this_election_is_a_mass_insurrection_against_a_rigged_system/

[Fumesucker]

1. "Here’s a hint: if you think Douglas is wrong, you might not be one."

In the proverbial nutshell...

[daleanime]

7. +1

[Akamai]

32. "Please stop those shenanigans -- and thank-you for the fees" is

not speaking truth to power?

[UglyGreed]

2. K/R

[Android3.14]

3. Well worth the read, especially for those who are wondering why HRC is stumbling

It's because Hillary is not representing the people, and the people are tired of pretending she does.

[Cassiopeia]

31. It really is. This paragraph summed it up for me.

That they don’t is a gift to Clinton. Sanders wants to talk about the fallen state of our politics, the fallen state of our middle class, and how the first fall caused the second. Clinton can’t have that discussion. Exposing her differences with Sanders on such topics would sink her. So she says she and he are alike in every way except she’s practical and electable—”a progressive who likes to get things done”–and he’s a hopeless dreamer. It’s the kind of argument political reporters were born to buy, and despite being full of holes, it works even among some non-journalists.

[Ed Suspicious]

132. I have felt this. Clinton supporters here are trying to

convince us that they are virtually the same person except he sells unicorns while she gives freely the hard truths for grownups.

It is bullshit. There is a real choice. I choose Bernie.

[Ino]

4. Hillary: "a world-class verbal gymnast"

I'll have to remember that one.

[thesquanderer]

30. And there we all thought Bill was the cunning linguist of the family. (n/t)

Last edited Sun Feb 7, 2016, 11:02 AM - Edit history (1)

[OnyxCollie]

45. Careful.

Longtime posters have been banned for less.

[gelsdorf]

46. Nice call n/t

[chervilant]

47. I had a boss in the mortgage industry

who thought that phrase was just hilarious. He ended up having to participate in the company's remedial program for sexual harassment.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

159. Is 'cunning' an insult now too?

[CharlotteVale]

5. Good read.

[reformist2]

6. I'm noticing the case for Bernie is being made in fewer and fewer words - it's just that obvious!

The only thing Hillary has left going for her is that she would be the first woman president. Woop-de-doo.

[Mbrow]

9. I'd rather see Bernie be the next president

And Warren be the next.

[TTUBatfan2008]

12. Sanders POTUS and Warren as Treasury Sec...

Amazing upgrade from fucking Tim Geithner. Bankers would be scared shitless with Warren at Treasury. And then when Bernie is ready to step aside she can run for POTUS, whether that is 4 years or 8 years. Would be a hell of a team.

[Volaris]

19. I would put Warren at the Fed, and hire Richard Wolfe (sp) to run treasury.

At this point, I would appoint M.O'Malley to head the DNC, with a very specific order to re-implement the 50-state strategy for the midterms

[TTUBatfan2008]

21. I agree, FED would be even better for Elizabeth

FED Chairman arguably second most powerful person in the world, maybe even THE most powerful person in the world considering the control over interest rates, banking, etc.

[NorthCarolina]

36. Hasn't Bernie already mentioned

that he would likely tap Robert Reich for Treasury?

[Volaris]

70. Not sure, but if so that would also be a wise decision

[Manifestor_of_Light]

116. Reich was Labor Sec under Bill.

Did he do anything good for labor? I don't remember.

[hifiguy]

121. He tried.

And quit in disgust at the end of the first term.

[pnwmom]

146. He got NAFTA passed. That was his main priority and he didn't need to stay after that. n/t

[pnwmom]

145. He pushed, shoved, and did everything else he could to get NAFTA passed.

He wrote in his book how he convinced Bill to make it his first priority -- though Hillary wanted healthcare to be the first priority. And Reich acknowledged that after that, they had spent too much political capital and couldn't get the healthcare bill passed.

But Reich won his beloved NAFTA.

If you think that was good for labor.

[Art_from_Ark]

156. Reich did have a big hand in NAFTA

But Bill Clinton was also pushing it pretty hard. As was Lloyd Bentsen.

According to Reich's 2000 interview with Frontline:

Frontline: And then later, once, Kirkland was telling you guys that it (NAFTA) was going to be a "f-ing disaster," and you were going to come to regret it. You passed that on to the president. What was his reaction?

Reich: He (Bill Clinton) shrugged. He was willing to take on organized labor over the North American Free Trade Act. I think the real issue there was what kind of priority NAFTA should get. Should it be one of the highest priorities of the administration in those first years? Should he spend a lot of political capital on it? Should he delay health care in order to get NAFTA done first? And the first lady wanted health care first. She didn't want him to expend political capital on NAFTA. She was concerned, and in retrospect she was absolutely right, that if health care came after NAFTA, then health care might never get done. Already the momentum was building for some sort of universal health care. He had the political capital to get that done, but the business community was telling him NAFTA was more important. And Lloyd Bentsen, the most senior member of the cabinet, and a man of great insight and wisdom and experience to whom the president deferred quite a bit, Lloyd Bentsen was adamant. NAFTA must come first. In fact, I remember Lloyd banging his finger on the table, "We must get this done right away." And so the president decided that that was going to get the priority. My job was to deliver the news to organized labor. And that was not pleasant, but they knew it was coming.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/interviews/reich.html

Reich has since disavowed free trade. Yeah, it may be too late for NAFTA, but it's not too late for TPP.

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/posts/950807244931872

[Yurovsky]

10. Exactly - Plenty of qualified progressive women...

HRC ain't one of them.

I'd love to see a Bernie-Warren ticket, but looking ahead, a Bernie-Kamala Harris ticket would be great inasmuch as it brings Harris to the national stage, would allow her to grow politically as VP, and provide the party with a viable (and younger) candidate for 2024 (I assume Bernie will be a 2-term POTUS).

Hillary being a woman, while important symbolically, is actually a step backwards. Much of her rise was merely riding Bill's coat tails. Millions of women don't have that luxury, like my single mom who worked her ass off in a male-dominated workplace to provide for her family. Hillary was little Miss Shortcuts, born on 3rd base and thinks she hit a triple.


DON'T SETTLE FOR DLC-DNC MANDATED STATUS QUO!!!

FEEL THE BERN!!!!!!

[reformist2]

11. We could have majorities in Congress again, if only we dump the Third Way, NeoCon types.

[Trajan]

86. Hear Hear ... The DLC method has worn out it's welcome ...

As if it were welcome to begin with ....

Given the poor state of the American middle class electorate, it is easy to see why Sanders is so popular ...

I would love to see a grand effort to promote liberal opponents to ALL the Reps and Sens who have declared support for TPP ...

Starting with Ron Wyden, the author of TPA and strong supporter of TPP, who has yet to provide any sort of mea culpa for this travesty of a trade pact .... He and the rest need to be shown the door ....

[TTUBatfan2008]

13. I hate to say this but VP is a weak spot...

for someone as strong as Warren. VP is kind of a ceremonial job with very little power. I think she should be in a place where she can make a real difference: Treasury Secretary or Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Instead of a typical Wall Street executive in either of those jobs, we could have someone who understands all the tricks of the Federal Reserve and the Wall Street thugs. She would scare them shitless and she would stand up for us in that role, as would Bernie in the POTUS role of course. Then Elizabeth could run for POTUS when he is ready to step aside 4 years or 8 years down the road.

[Yurovsky]

22. I agree on the real power argument...

But if Warren spends 8 years in the cabinet, she'll be 74. Not that I think that's too old (I'm voting for Bernie, after all), but that's making an assumption she'll have no health issues between now & then. I certainly hope that's the case, and she'd be a great POTUS. But having Harris as VP would allow her to learn and observe the workings of the WH & Congress firsthand, a valuable education for someone currently working as CA AG.

Then again, if Warren were the VP, Harris would be a great candidate to head the DOJ as AG. I'm very concerned about the long-term impact of GOP gerrymandering n the development of future Democrats for federal office. We've got to start prepping the next generation now, and working quickly to reverse the GOP's rigging of local, state, & congressional districts which have shrunk Democratic legislative numbers nationwide over the past 6 years.

[Plucketeer]

51. If we're gonna start focusing on age

the field of stellar prospects is gonna shrink fast.

[thesquanderer]

35. VP was not a weak spot for Cheney. Also...

...choice of VP may be more relevant than usual because of Bernie's age. If he does fall ill in the next 8 years, who would you prefer take his place, if not Warren?

[Unknown Beatle]

135. Cheney was the real president in power for 6 of the 8 years.

He could manipulate a dunce like McMonkey easily. That's why VP was not a weak spot for Cheney, he ran things in the background and let Drinky McDumbass take the credit for all the blunders and the very few successes in the first six years of the worst administration in US history.

Cheney took advantage of the fact that the Idiot In Chief was, well, an idiot.

[artislife]

99. ^^^This.

Hillary being a woman, while important symbolically, is actually a step backwards. Much of her rise was merely riding Bill's coat tails. Millions of women don't have that luxury, like my single mom who worked her ass off in a male-dominated workplace to provide for her family. Hillary was little Miss Shortcuts, born on 3rd base and thinks she hit a triple.

She would be a lawyer, probably a well paid, maybe even have some national attention one but not where she is.

She is not a self made woman.

Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), 42, is one of several single lawmakers to have entered the House chamber this January, and she makes no apologies for her marital status.

http://thehill.com/capital-living/23922-a-spouse-who-needs-it

I own my own business and was networking with a very lauded and successful event planner. We were talking about a coaching program that we both had been exposed to. I would not be taking it as it was too expensive for me and she was going to. I was happy for her, because she could easily take it to the next level. In our conversation she let it be known that she wasn't taking a salary because all her money was going back into the business. Her husband's IT salary was paying for her basics and other items for living. I cut myself some slack knowing this. I am the only bread winner at my table. I can't spend 4 years not earning any money as I get my business to solvency. Hillary is similar. She got exposure to power makers by being the wife of a governor, then President. She has had the highest ladder of all the women in the Democratic Party.

[Cleita]

118. Kamala has committed to running for Barbara Boxer's Senate seat I believe. eom

[shanti]

126. that would be great!

too bad she isn't taking difi's seat instead. i always figured that she'd end up as governor, but maybe newsom has dibs on it first.

[pnwmom]

147. We only have 20 women in the Senate. Not plenty. n/t

[pnwmom]

149. Your answer is appalling on a Democratic site.

Women are the majority of the population, yet only 20% of the Senate.

And this is an all-time high.

There is no evidence that left-handers have been discriminated against in Congress or the political world. Left-handers weren't prevented from voting -- ever. Women only got the vote a hundred years ago, and they're still fighting for equal representation.

[pnwmom]

152. Unlike the former mayor of Wasilla, Hillary is extremely well qualified.

She is a former Secretary of State and a two-term Senator of a large, diverse, state, where she was very popular. People are supporting her because of her qualifications and her proposed programs. Her gender is a bonus.

People who make comments on her laugh, her tone of voice, and other female characteristics are misogynists and don't belong here.

[pnwmom]

154. Saying women are shrill and cackle when they laugh are genuinely misogynistic comments.

You claim to not understand that, but Bernie does. He said yesterday that he's disgusted with the use of this kind of language by his supporters.

You should listen to him.

Hillary's time as Secretary was NOT "riddled with scandals and failures." You're unmasking yourself with every comment you make.

[pinebox]

40. Fewer & fewer words? Agreed

It's rather funny....also disturbing how they are trying to rebrand Hillary

[TTUBatfan2008]

80. It's what the Clintons do

They are masters of triangulation. I think she will likely win this thing but at least she is having to fight for it.

[Unknown Beatle]

136. I honestly think you're wrong.

Hillary will not win this thing. A large number of Independents and Republicans are switching to Democrats because of Bernie.

I also honestly think that Bernie won Iowa. The party chair of the Democratic Party, Andrea McGuire, has a license plate on her car that reads 'HRC 2016'. She's refusing to release the voting data from Monday’s state caucuses. Biased much? It's very obvious why McGuire's refusing, because the numbers wouldn't match the totals for Sanders and Clinton, and she knows it. Hillary is not running an honest campaign, otherwise she would demand the release of the voting data, win or lose.

License plate on Andrea McGuire's car.


Feel The Bern!

[TTUBatfan2008]

137. McGuire's antics are shady for sure...

But at the end of the day it was a very close race either way and it wasn't winner take all. Both campaigns received a good amount of delegates. Hopefully the fact that it was so close will lead to a more primary voting style for Iowa Democrats in the future. Caucuses seem outdated, especially for an extremely close election like this.

[jomin41]

8. This is it for me:

"We are edging closer to the national conversation we so desperately need to have. If we get there, all credit goes to Bernie."

I actually don't care who gets the credit but I damn sure want this conversation. Now.

[A Simple Game]

17. Couldn't agree more. n/t

[Carolina]

142. I care because

HRC, candidate weathervane, will try to take credit for the nature of the debate.

Bernie deserves acknowledgement and yes, CREDIT for speaking truth to the entrenched, monied establishment and forcing the reluctant media and DLC/3rd way corrupted Democratic Party to have this discussion

[elias49]

14. Kick

Good article. Thanks.

[workinclasszero]

15. Lets see what it looks like post SC primaries and super tuesday :)

[SheenaR]

18. Can always count on you

For that razor sharp analysis.

[debunction.junction]

28. As usual, no comments on facts or substance!

Being spiteful does not benefit Hillary.

[workinclasszero]

73. Who is being spiteful?

We are in the very beginning of the primaries.

Of course some folks would like to pretend that they are over already. Whatev

[jonestonesusa]

64. The article raises worthy points.

Clinton initially rose back when trade agreements, global movement of capital, and dot coms were the future. Has her philosophy evolved? Whether she wins or loses the, a new policy mix is needed. Badly.

[humbled_opinion]

127. Interesting Quinnipiac poll right here

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-losing-national-lead-bernie-sanders-poll/story?id=36733595

In my opinion when people go to actually vote they weigh the baggage, Bernie Sanders has none, Hillary Clinton carries a TON.....

[BigBearJohn]

16. WOW what a fantastic article!! SPOT ON. Nail meet head.

Thank you. Saving this one

[in_cog_ni_to]

20. Curry, being a former Clinton employee, makes this piece even better! These paragraphs hit a homerun

Sanders got bagged again in Iowa, this time by a state party chair, one Andrea McGuire. Like Schultz, McGuire’s specialty is high-dollar fund raising, and like Schultz she was deeply involved in Clinton’s 2008 campaign. Under the esoteric rules of the Iowa Democratic caucuses, and after a string of lucky coin tosses, Clinton eked out a 700.52 to 696.86 margin, not in votes cast but in a mysterious commodity known as “delegate equivalents.”

We’re electing a president, not the senior warden of a Mason’s lodge. All evidence indicates Sanders won the popular vote. It isn’t a minor point. If the public knew he won the only vote anybody understands or cares about, Clinton wouldn’t be “breathing a sigh of relief,” she’d be hyperventilating. McGuire refuses to release vote totals. She says keeping them a secret is an Iowa tradition. So what if it is? As with debates, the stakes transcend the candidates’ interests. In an editorial headlined “Something Smells in the Democratic Party,” the Des Moines Register, which endorsed Clinton prior to the caucuses, wrote:


What happened Monday night at the Democratic caucuses was a debacle, period… the refusal to undergo scrutiny or allow for an appeal reeks of autocracy.

Given that this entire election is a mass insurrection against a rigged system, one would think the national political press would share the Register’s concern, but it moved on to the next race with barely a backward glance. Throughout the campaign the press has been nearly as big an obstacle for Sanders as the party. Even jaded political junkies were startled when the Tyndall Report exposed the media blackout of Sanders. In 2015, ABC News devoted 261 minutes to the 2016 campaign. Donald Trump got 81 minutes. Bernie Sanders got 20 seconds. Nearly as harmful is the dismissive tone of the cable commentariat, and I don’t mean just Fox News.

[Enthusiast]

72. Huge +1!

[TexasBushwhacker]

23. Very good n/t

[4dsc]

24. to borrow a line from Yogi Berra

It ain't over till it's over.

[turbinetree]

25. Rep. Brenda Lawrence

"This Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, said she was lobbied heavily by the White House on trade. But she said she couldn't back Obama on this vote. “This is about my district. This is about my core beliefs,” she said in an interview. “Trade agreements don’t go away.”


She is also a very big supporter of the United States Postal System and worked there for over 30 years.

Something that Bernie Sanders has been championing for a along, along time.

I fully suspect like Sanders that she knows that if the Post Offices were again allowed to be havens for banking and allowed to expand and update its operational requirements instead of the nefarious way of gutting and cutting funding, and by the way, the only institution in this country both private and public to pay for there pension for the next 75 years is absolutely outrageous and this law needs to be overturned, because it is bankrupting requirement and trying to overturn the Constitutional mandate that it must provide-for the country--------------now forcing these employees by placing this burden on there backs of making that this Institution would survive and continue to carry out its functions that the republicans and those that want to further the dismantling it for greed------------------- like they did in making Staples a postal system in some parts of the system today.

I nominate Brenda Lawrence, when Sanders gets the nomination


Honk-------------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

It is about getting a Progressive President, U.S. Supreme Court ,Congress, State and Local Legislatures

Democracy begins with you-------------------tag your it

Democracy is not a specator sport----------------get involved

[Metric System]

26. LOL

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

38. A keyboard with only two letters - no thinking required

[Metric System]

43. What more is there to say about an insulting and ridiculous article, especially given the

overwhelming number of Sanders supporters here? It's a waste of time and energy. I can only imagine the anger and resentment from Sanders supporters if an article was posted basically calling for him to drop out, when we're still so early in the voting process. See? I just wasted time writing this, because none of you give a shit.

[cui bono]

60. Nothing you said had to do with the veracity of the article.

Your post is just a bunch of words that have nothing to do with facts, merely wishful thinking .

You wasted your time not because none of us give a shit, but because you failed to make a meaningful comment. And for that you have no one to blame but yourself.

You would have made a better argument by not having posted at all because your flailing betrays your desperation.

I wonder why you think there would even be an article calling for Sanders to drop out? Why on earth would that happen when he is gaining on Hillary every day? When he outraised her in the month of January? When he presumably won the popular vote in Iowa? And all with virtually no media coverage, and much of the little he got attacks from pundits and Hillary surrogates? When he is now going to start getting the exposure he deserves after his amazing results in Iowa?

.

[Metric System]

62. Condescending bull, which is exactly what I've come to expect from Sanders supporters. Speaking of

facts, this article and your post are based on wishful thinking, not facts. I can't wait for Sanders to lose and hopefully supporters like you will get tomb-stoned from DU. It can't come soon enough.

[cui bono]

65. The irony of you saying my post was condescending seems to escape you

So did I miss where you addressed the content of the piece? Perhaps it was covered up by your excuses and finger pointing.

.

[Metric System]

66. Why should I waste my time addressing a hit piece written when only one state has voted?

[cui bono]

67. Why are you wasting your time NOT addressing it?

Just like to throw out insults and argue about nothing? How is your participation in this thread a productive use of your time?

.

[Metric System]

68. Hey, you're the one who responded to my comment. Just move along.

[cui bono]

76. Oh, the irony...

.

[Unknown Beatle]

138. Give up, cui bono,

Hillary supporters are factually challenged. You throw facts at them and they'll swat them back with anything but the truth.

[cui bono]

141. Are you telling me to throw out my new toy?

I was having so much fun. It did however finally break though, so this round is definitely done.



.

[asuhornets]

91. I can not wait..

until Hillary kick his butt in the remaining states. eom

[Ed Suspicious]

133. Why?

[Unknown Beatle]

139. Wishful thinking.

Hillary was up, nationally, by 40 percentage points. Now it's virtually a dead heat, with Sanders down by two points. Imagine that, Bernie erased 38 points on Clinton. And it's just starting. Feeling the heat?

I'm feeling the Bern!

Feel The Bern!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

105. There were folks saying he should drop out when he announced.

[Logical]

54. Another brilliant analysis from a hill supporter. Nt

[Metric System]

59. My reasoning is posted above. What's the point of expanding?

[Ron Green]

96. Reasoning? I looked for it in vain.

You are writing as if you're in middle school. I'm not calling you a child, but your posts in this thread aren't those of an adult.

[Metric System]

100. Gee, thanks. This is exactly what I've come to expect from Sanders supporters. I have a degree

from one of the top universities in Canada, so I'm well past middle school. I think this kind of attack says more about you than it does about my intelligence or education.

[Ron Green]

102. Then point to your "reasoning" regarding this OP.

What I saw is "LOL" followed by a defense of that.

[Metric System]

104. One state has voted. ONE. Why don't we wait and let the people vote before writing off either

candidate? I don't care about the points made in the article, because I reject the premise of the article. It's definitely not "almost over for Hillary."

[Ron Green]

106. NH will almost certainly be a loss for Clinton, and her Iowa "win"

has come under a cloud. You're right that SC and NV will be different, but to equate the article's premise with calling Bernie to drop out because the current polls (remember the polls of a few months ago?) show him behind is to miss the point of momentum, change, hope for a new day. Isn't that what people want, instead of the same old stuff?

[bvar22]

128. Please link to a post of yours where you used "reasoning".

I couldn't find any.

[scottie55]

27. Albright Put The First Nail In The Hillary Campaign Coffin

Last edited Sun Feb 7, 2016, 10:57 AM - Edit history (1)

I am sure she didn't mean to.

[aquart]

39. Can you explain to me why a well-qualified woman needs to be in a coffin?

[scottie55]

44. Her Campaign Is Dying

Not Mrs. Clinton.

I will reword....

[hifiguy]

122. It's like watching a dinosaur slowly sinking into a tar pit.

Furiously bellowing and futilely flailing. It ain't the 1990s anymore but HRH can't see that.

It's like the old Zen saying, when the student is ready the teacher will appear. And Bernie has very much appeared.

[ejbr]

29. Nanjeanne

This is the most cogent, concise explanation of why Bernie makes sense that I have read thus far. Thank you!

[thesquanderer]

33. Notable use of "realpolitik" - Kissinger's word. (n/t)

[OhZone]

34. Hey good luck to you - but -

you know there aren't millions of people waiting to see if a Socialist can win anything, like there were millions of people (of all colors) waiting to see if a black man could win in 2008. Bernie isn't Obama.

And we already know Bernie can win in places like Vermont and New Hampshire.


All the predictions for the coming states look great for Hillary.

But, I just don't want a Con in office.

Oh well.

[ejbr]

52. We agree

Bernie isn't Obama ; where we disagree is why he is not. The people routing for Bernie understand it's about US, not him. This is why his poll numbers are steadily increasing. Even conservatives like him (another difference from Obama I might add), which should assuage your general election concerns. Hillary may be winning, but to presume victory in November with all her baggage and limited enthusiasm may actually be the unicorns and rainbows.

[Wig Master]

75. Oh well, oh well, oh well

[Unknown Beatle]

140. I hardly think it looks great for Hillary.

As a matter of fact, it looks quite bad for her, considering her 32 points nationally have dwindled to just a 2 point lead.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/national-poll-republicans-democrats-218807

The Bern Is Applying Heat!

Feel The Bern!

[Jarqui]

37. Wonderful article for Bernie

Thanks for posting it.

Glad he mentioned the media screwing .. Trump gets 281 minutes on ABC (Stephanopoulos), Sanders 20 seconds.

Written by a past "White House counselor to President Clinton" .. oh, they'll be mad at him!!

[hifiguy]

123. The Clintons have a shit list

as lenghty as Nixon's.

[Jarqui]

124. Having experienced both, I honestly think the Clintons list is longer nt

[randr]

41. Progress is made through change and not chance

Bernie represents and is at the cutting edge of change.
Hillary is were she is by chance.

[TTUBatfan2008]

84. Cutting edge...

74 year old on the cutting edge. Fancy that one...and to think he has held these views for 50+ years. Took a long time for society to catch up.

[mountain grammy]

42. K & R

[appalachiablue]

48. K & R Good expression of Bernie's key themes and why people are suppporting him.

Unfortunately Hillary is still living the 90s in many ways.

[Dem2]

49. It will be interesting to see

I assume the tone will change shortly as Bernie is now the favorite.

[Beacool]

50. Yeah? Good luck with that one.

"The only way to get real change is to elect Democrats to Congress and have a grass-roots movement strong enough to keep the heat on them. Nor will insurers cough up a dime of profit without a fight. Vowing to spare us a “contentious debate” over single-payer care she ignores the admonition of Frederick Douglas; “Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.” There has been a lot of talk lately about what a progressive is. Here’s a hint: if you think Douglas is wrong, you might not be one."

Obama had hoards of people come to his rallies. Did they uprise? Nope, and neither will Sanders' supporters once the election is over.

What happened after people Occupied Wall Street? Not that much.

[ejbr]

53. Is that all?

You're not gonna give us tonight's lottery numbers?

[Beacool]

79. I think that the ones playing the lottery are the Sanders' supporters.

His whole agenda is dependent on the Democrats having large numbers of liberals in Congress, who will be elected as a result of a hypothetical political revolution.

Actually, you have a better chance of winning the lottery than you do of having a revolution in this country, political or otherwise.

[ejbr]

89. Says you

You can't get what the people want by doing nothing or hoping in the better nature of others. This thing has just begun (my own prediction). I'll play the lottery than accept shit.

[Beacool]

92. OK, keep dreaming.

If he, by some twist of fate manages to get elected president, we can continue with this discussion. I predict nothing but gridlock and acrimony, worse than what Obama faced during his tenure in office.

[ejbr]

94. ...

[Rilgin]

98. Ok. What is your prediction for a Hillary tenure -- All Gridlock and acrimony gone?

According to Hillary, she has been fighting the entrenched interests for years and is not part of the establishment. The post I just read acknowledged gridlock in that change will only come if we get the hard republicans out of office. If she has been fighting the Republicans, the entrenched interests and the establisment for years, is that not the same for anything Hillary would do or will gridlock fade and acrimony turn into kumbaya.

Please explain how that is different for Hillary?

[Hoppy]

56. Regarding your second paragraph, Obama had enthusiastic voters behind him. He had email lists,

mailing addresses. He had the "bully pulpit." What did he do with any of that? NOTHING !

Did you get any communication from him asking for support on any issue? Single Payer --- did you get any communication from the White House asking you to call your senator or representative to support single payer --- explaining to you why it was a good idea?

I got nothing and so did you.


Occupy Wall Street --- maybe the Bernie campaign is a response and a result of the hope of O.W.S.


The choice is between Bernie or going from "Yes we can," to "No we can't and we won't because Wall Street paid me not to."

[Beacool]

83. No, I didn't get letters from Obama.

Even if Sanders keeps his voters' list going, I wouldn't trust on the majority of his current supporters to take to the streets to demand single payer, free college, etc. People move on and his young supporters will go back to finish school and then get jobs. I wouldn't rely on them, if I were him.

[TTUBatfan2008]

87. Student debt...

...is a huge problem in this country. It's something many kids won't be able to forget no matter how hard they try. It's not just kids either. People in their 30's and 40's are dealing with similar issues. Even Rubio has pandered to voters on this issue, so I think it crosses party lines.

I was fortunate enough to leave college with no debt. Huge blessing from my parents (we were not rich and I have no idea how they saved enough for it). Feel bad for a lot of other folks out there who were buried in debt coming out of school.

[Hoppy]

103. No. That is why you announce a specific goal. Then tell them to get a "meet-up" at Rep. xxx's office

You give specific scripts and so forth.

Obama was elected so that is as far as it went. He met his goal. Balls to everybody else.

[Beacool]

115. Yes, because someone elected in a Republican district is going to acquiesce

to the wishes of Sanders' supporters gathering outside his/her office and flooding the phone lines.

[Hoppy]

157. He did nothing so instead, we got shit on.

The point is, people believed in Obama. They would have rallied to his requests for support. Instead, he made no effort to communicate to his supporters until '12.

His requests may have gotten nowhere with the Repukes but at least he would have tried. And who knows, maybe it would have swayed some of the Dino's who ended up fucking us over..Landrau, Testor and that kind of legislator.

[Beacool]

158. The ACA cost the "Dinos" their Congressional seats.

Who replaced them? Not liberals, they came from conservative districts, that's why they were moderate in the first place. They were replaced mostly by members of the newly formed Tea Party. Thanks a lot libs. for trashing them into oblivion, now the Republicans have the largest majority in the House since 1929. All of you who spent two years trashing the Blue Dog Democrats got what you wanted, they are no longer in office, but only to be replaced by RW extremists that not even Boehner could control. That's what happens with dogmatic purists, they can't understand nuance and that sometimes there's a legitimate need for compromise.

[grasswire]

143. I like your input, Hoppy.

Keep posting.

[Betty Karlson]

55. great article. Thanks for the link. eom

[libdem4life]

57. I would say that any fight that comes along Bernie and advisors will be able to handle.

That, of course, assumes "he's electable"...see polls against Republicans for weeks now.

There is a difference in bipartisanship and giving away the plot. One thing former administrations did not have was a fired up public who have not been represented by the Oligarchy. He has already shifted power...as he's coming out of national political nowhere, neck in neck with She Who Was Inevitable.

His coattails are already showing up in new, progressive, down ticket candidates who have never run. Bernie has fired them up with his leadership paving the way. I can see a very different 2018 with Bernie.

Yes, we can ... beats Nope any day.

[sulphurdunn]

58. Should the American people

elect a democratic socialist, and should the Democratic Party take control of congress, the TPP die, NAFTA be repealed, the big banks broken up, the military budget slashed, taxes raised on the wealthy, tuition free public colleges become a reality, universal healthcare instituted, foreign tax havens taxed, Wall Street leashed,and carbon emissions drastically reduced,the US will remain the unquestioned imperial power on planet earth. The only thing that will change otherwise is that US power may begin acting to save global civilization rather than destroying it.

[cyberswede]

61. I don't agree that "it's almost over for Hillary', but that's a great article.

... Clinton’s left with two arguments, neither one pretty. One is that Sanders is too far left. Pundits dismiss his polls by repeating her “wait till the Republicans get ahold of him” line. And they’ll say what? That he’s old? Jewish? A socialist? Everybody already knows and anyone who’d even think of voting Democratic is already down with it or soon could be. The “socialist” tag needs explaining, but so do “corrupt” and “fascist.” Both parties’ frontrunners carry baggage. For my money, Bernie’s is the lightest. As for the notion that voters can’t see that paying $1,000 in taxes beats paying $5,000 in health insurance premiums, it is an insult to the American people.

and

Who’s being naïve here? A Republican Congress won’t pass any of her ideas either. ...Vowing to spare us a “contentious debate” over single-payer care she ignores the admonition of Frederick Douglas; “Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.” There has been a lot of talk lately about what a progressive is. Here’s a hint: if you think Douglas is wrong, you might not be one.

[ljm2002]

69. Not sure about the headline...

Last edited Sun Feb 7, 2016, 07:42 PM - Edit history (1)

...but the article is full of good arguments, and it will definitely leave a mark.

I guess Bill Curry (not Bill Press, oops!) is not angling for a Cabinet position in a Hillary Presidency, should that occur!

These 3 paragraphs are really good:

The core of Clinton’s realpolitik brief pertains not to electability but to governance. Her point is that Sanders is naïve. She says none of his proposals can get though a Republican Congress. She strongly implies that he’d roll back Obamacare, a charge that is false, cynical and so nonsensical she’ll have to stop making it soon. She says she has a plan to get to universal health care—she doesn’t—and that she’ll do it by working “in partnership” with the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

Who’s being naïve here? A Republican Congress won’t pass any of her ideas either. The only way to get real change is to elect Democrats to Congress and have a grass-roots movement strong enough to keep the heat on them. Nor will insurers cough up a dime of profit without a fight. Vowing to spare us a “contentious debate” over single-payer care she ignores the admonition of Frederick Douglas; “Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.” There has been a lot of talk lately about what a progressive is. Here’s a hint: if you think Douglas is wrong, you might not be one.

Clinton’s last argument concerns loyalty. Throughout 2015 she sniped at Obama from the right while relegating Bill to the sidelines. Last month, seeing her lead slip away, she wrapped herself in political and family connections, as if hoping to gain the White House as a legacy admission. Analysts say Sanders drove her to the left. It’s partly but only superficially true. Lately he has driven her to the status quo, a bad place to be in 2016.

[jhart3333]

78. You mean Bill Curry?

Although I don't think Bill Press is likely to get a cabinet post with Hillary either!

[ljm2002]

131. Thanks, corrected. n/t

[Enthusiast]

71. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

The issues Bernie wants to address are critically important to the people of the nation. Critically important.

We can't continue to play nice with the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry because they are killing us in the name of profit. Baby steps won't work.

We are in a similar situation with the Wall Street pirates. The status quo is destroying the nation.

[840high]

93. rec #160

[colsohlibgal]

74. Congress

Bernie has shocked the conventional wisdom of politics as usual. He has taken on the increasingly crazy republicans and the Neo democrats who have controlled the nation since Bill Clinton.

He is a candidate telling it like it is. If he can get elected maybe he can inspire people to vote in a progressive congress. Then here we go!

Nothing new historically either, things so far seem to recycle about every 60-70 years, the approximate length of collective memory. People somehow forget they get the shaft when we enter a robber baron era.

[lumberjack_jeff]

77. Brilliant. n/t

[jhart3333]

81. Kickin for exposure. Thank you Nanjeanne.

[treestar]

82. If Bernie doesn't win, the system is rigged

Let's say he wins in NH. That is the only state that isn't rigged?

If the system is so well rigged, Bernie's not going to win. Maybe he will have to start a real revolution with guns and all that?

[Metric System]

85. You've perfectly encapsulated the twisted logic. It's just like with endorsements. When groups and

politicians endorse Hillary, Sanders and his supporters say it's because they're part of the establishment. However, when groups and politicians endorse Sanders, Sanders and his supporters say have no qualms.

[treestar]

88. kind of like the polls too

they show Hillary ahead, they are corporate owned and bought and paid for and rigged and don't poll cell phone users - find Bernie doing well in one, and it counts and is honest,etc.

[Metric System]

95. Exactly! I honestly can't keep up with the twists and turns in determining what they consider legit.

[ViseGrip]

90. How come Hillary never speaks of having a democratic congress, like we're stuck with them forever.

Very weird. We hear ZERO about other races, perhaps a new house or getting back the senate, and then YES WE CAN.

We don't hear that from Hillary. Is always, we live under republican rule, bad rule, and that's the end of it. It's not. Don't forget our job goes beyond electing a president, and I'll bet Bernie leads the way there on the trail too! He is the only one that speaks of building coalitions anywhere.

[sorechasm]

108. True. Even the worst estimates predict that the House will be in play for Dems by 2020.

A large voter turnout in 2016 could up those odds considerably.

By contrast, a low voter turnout (due to another brewing Clinton scandal?), would condemn the House to the GOP well beyond 2020.

'We live under Republican rule' is another way of saying 'No we can't'.
Who needs voter suppression when the candidates suppress enthusiasm as much as Hillary.

[randome]

111. Does Sanders speak about the need for a Democratic congress?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[treestar]

112. We don't hear that from Bernie either

And Hillary has campaigned with down race people and raised money for them (oh so corrupt). Bernie is just counting on "The People" who never pay attention after elections anyway.

[Teamster Jeff]

97. kick rec

[cantbeserious]

101. When We Stand Together - No Citizen Need Settle For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils - Go Bernie Go

eom

[Beacool]

107. The whole point is that we are not together.

Heck, look at the battles we are having right here on a Democratic site. Now increase that exponentially in the real world.

[cantbeserious]

109. Simple Because Some Are Supporting The Wrong Candidate - The Corporate - Goldman Sachs Candidate

eom

[antigop]

113. because...

1) Some people benefit from the status quo.
2) Some people haven't been burned (yet) by the status quo.
3) Some don't understand what is really going on in this country (thank you, MSM!)
4) Some just want a female prez soooo badly.
5) Some combination of the above.

Oh, they'll say HRC is "qualified", but the truth is...one of the above applies.

[Beacool]

114. Not in the opinion of many Democrats.

[pa28]

110. I've noticed a sense of general confusion among political insiders and establishment journos.

"What's going on here" and "why is this happening" seem to be questions that come up over and over again. They might want to read this article if they really are interested in understanding.

[SidDithers]

117. ...

Sid

[Uncle Joe]

119. That's a most excellent article, Curry nails it.

Thanks for the thread, Nanjeanne.

[hifiguy]

120. She's running a 1990s campaign

in the 21st century. And she was never a great candidate to start with. She tends to be stiff and brittle, over-rehearsed and completely lacks spontanaeity.

Furthermore she has the common touch of Marie Antoinette and the humility of Napoleon.

[Agony]

125. I hope it is over for her, she is Dangerous.

[bvar22]

129. Anybody who "pals around" with that terrorist and mass murder Kissinger...

..is indeed DANGEROUS.
Just ask the Millions who have died in Iraq, Libya, and Honduras.
Oh, wait.
We can't ask them, because they are DEAD,
but many hundreds of thousands were just severely injured for life.
We can ask them.


If that creepy old mass murderer ever touched me, I would melt like the witch from the Wizard of Oz.
Just like the blood on their hands, I would never be able to wash it off.
Brrrr...creeps me out just thinking about it.

[Agony]

130. it only gets worse… she pals around with tyrants and banksters while people get hurt and die

Hondouras Coup Meister
http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/9/hillary-clinton-honduraslatinamericaforeignpolicy.html

Banksters that enrich themselves while people suffer
http://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/water-woes-and-the-swaps-swamp/Content?oid=2214702
while she is parading as a pretender in Flint. She doesn't have the vision to see that american cities desperately need federal investment in infrastructure, not just Flint.


She can't bring herself to vote to simply ban cluster munitions in populated areas.

She is a foreign policy disaster.

She is NOT leadership.

She is AFRAID of turning in the hard new (old) direction that people need leadership for.

[SammyWinstonJack]

144. My guess is the middle class sees what he sees, wants what he wants:a revolution.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

151. Must not be very "rigged"

if Sanders is supposedly winning. /s