John Wittneben simmered as he listened to Hillary Rodham Clinton defend her ties to Wall Street during last weekend’s Democratic debate. He lost 40 percent of his savings in individual retirement accounts during the Great Recession, while Mrs. Clinton has received millions of dollars from the kinds of executives he believes should be in jail.“People knew what they were doing back then, because of greed, and it caused me harm,” said Mr. Wittneben, the Democratic chairman in Emmet County, Iowa. “We were raised a certain way here. Fairness is a big deal.”


The next day he endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders in the presidential race.

Mrs. Clinton’s windfalls from Wall Street banks and other financial services firms — $3 million in paid speeches and $17 million in campaign contributions over the years — have become a major vulnerability in states with early nomination contests. Some party officials who remain undecided in the 2016 presidential race see her as overly cozy with big banks and other special interests. At a time when liberals are ascendant in the party, many Democrats believe her merely having “represented Wall Street as a senator from New York,” as Mrs. Clinton reminded viewers in an October debate, is bad enough.


It is an image problem that she cannot seem to shake.

Though she criticizes the American economy as being “rigged” for the rich, Mrs. Clinton has lost some support recently from party members who think she would go easy on Wall Street excess if elected. Even as she promises greater regulation of hedge funds and private equity firms, liberals deride her for refusing to support reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act, a law that separated commercial and investment banks until its repeal under President Bill Clinton. (Mr. Sanders favors its restoration.) And for many Democrats, her strong support from wealthy donors and a big-money “super PAC” undercuts her increasingly progressive rhetoric on free trade and other economic issues. Her advisers say most Democrats like her economic policies and believe she would fight for middle-class and low-income Americans. Most opinion polls put Mrs. Clinton well ahead of Mr. Sanders nationally and in Iowa, and they are running even in New Hampshire, but she fares worse than him on questions about taking on Wall Street and special interests. And even if Mrs. Clinton sews up the nomination quickly, subdued enthusiasm among the party’s liberal base could complicate efforts to energize Democratic turnout for the general election.

~snip~

But others said they were more concerned that Mrs. Clinton had not broken with Wall Street in a clear way, noting the lengths she went to at the debate to explain the relationship. “She was waving the bloody shirt of 9/11 to defend herself, which we’re accustomed to seeing with demagogues on the right, and it just didn’t feel quite right,” said Kurt Meyer, a co-chairman of the Mitchell County Democrats in Iowa, who has not endorsed a candidate. “She connected two things, 9/11 and her ties to Wall Street, that I didn’t like her sewing together.” Ms. Turner, the former Ohio lawmaker, said the blocks of foreclosed homes in Cleveland were a painful reminder that banks prioritize their own corporate interests. Mr. Sanders has been criticizing “the corrupt economy symbolized by Wall Street greed” for decades, she said. “He shows righteous indignation and speaks for the common woman and man in saying they have a right to be outraged at Wall Street,” Ms. Turner said. “He doesn’t just talk the talk. He walks the talk.”


And Mrs. Clinton? “Her ties are her ties,” Ms. Turner said.

cont'

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/us/politics/wall-st-ties-linger-as-image-issue-for-hillary-clinton.html

A Bernie Sanders supporter has taken an unusual approach to supporting the Democratic presidential candidate by plowing a roughly one-quarter of an acre area of his farm to spell out "Bernie."


The 68-year-old farmer said the “B” alone is 60-feet tall. Pattavina said he “free-handed” the lettering and the plowing would not affect the field because the soybean had already been harvested. Pattavina said he has farmed his whole life but this was the first time he has used his land for a political statement. He said his goals were simple.

“I just want people to see it, and maybe, hopefully, some people can see it from the air," he said. "Just to show support for Bernie.” The Sanders supporter said he was moved to make the sign after he had a few traditional ones stolen from his yard. “I thought, 'Well, I’d like to see them steal this one,'” he joked.

When asked about the reaction from his neighbors, he described his town of Clarinda, Iowa, as “ultra-conservative.” Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the county by 25 percentage points in the 2012 presidential election. Pattavina said he plans to caucus for Sanders this February and volunteer for him -- canvassing and knocking on doors -- ahead of time. He said he likes the Vermont senator because he's “honest.”

“I think he is for the working-class people,” said Pattavina.


cont'

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/iowa-man-plowed-quarter-acre-sign-bernie-sanders/story?id=35336479

John Wagner ✔@WPJohnWagner

Georgia-based rapper Killer Mike will introduce Bernie Sanders at a rally Monday night in Atlanta.

12:48 PM - 20 Nov 2015

Internationally known Political Rapper Killer Mike, who is ½ of the duo Run The Jewels, will open for Bernie in Atlanta on Monday.

The rally is at the Fox Theatre on Peachtree and you can RSVP Here.

I wrote about Killer Mike’s endorsement of Bernie:


Killer Mike, whose given name is Michael Render, has long been an outspoken figure in the hip-hop community on political issues ranging from racist policing policies to economic inequality and gun violence. His influence has steadily grown since he first debuted on the hip-hop scene in 2000, appearing on Outkast’s seminal album Stankonia.

Earlier this month he threw his hat in the electoral political arena himself, announcing a possible future run for state representative in Georgia’s 55th district.

Recently, Killer Mike has seen great commercial and critical success with his recent projects Rap Music, a solo record, and Run the Jewels 2, his newest album as part of a duo with fellow rapper El-P. That success has provided him a growing megaphone to reach audiences with his political messages critical of corporate capitalism, the prison industrial complex and a democratic system that shuts out large swathes of the population—all issues that Bernie Sanders has been vocal on throughout his political career.

With appearances on networks including CNN and Fox News as well as a series of university lectures on police violence, Killer Mike is earning his reputation as a respected voice on political issues affecting black people in America.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/20/1452651/-Black-Political-Activist-Rapper-Killer-Mike-opens-for-Bernie-Sanders-in-Atlanta-on-Monday-Oh-Yeah