Donkees

Donkees's Journal

November 8, 2017

In Somerville's election, a heptad of Bernie-inspired aldermen victories

NOVEMBER 08, 2017

In Somerville, all seven aldermen candidates who were endorsed by a local affiliate of the Bernie Sanders-inspired Our Revolution won Tuesday: Matthew McLaughlin in Ward 1, JT Scott in Ward 2, Ben Ewen-Campen in Ward 3, Jesse Clingan in Ward 4, and at-large aldermen Bill White, Mary Jo Rossetti, and Will Mbah, according to unofficial results posted to the city’s web site.

Our Revolution is a political group that seeks to harness the progressive ideas that Bernie Sanders ran on during last year’s presidential election. Its web site says the group is looking to “transform American politics to make our political and economic systems once again responsive to the needs of working families.”

A Somerville affiliate of that group made endorsements for the city’s municipal election on Tuesday. About 50 people were involved in the endorsement process, said McLaughlin. All seven of the group’s aldermen endorsements were elected.

McLaughlin, who was the chairman for Sanders’ campaign in Somerville during last year’s primary, said he thought the results reflected that the city’s residents wanted “progressive change.”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/07/somerville-election-heptad-bernie-inspired-aldermen-victories/0ufFnfBoUwjWLlzVAWFFVP/story.html

November 7, 2017

Sanders reacts to Brazile book with call to 'get our act together'

Published 4:23 p.m. ET Nov. 7, 2017

Excerpts:

Bernie Sanders says a provocative new memoir from the former leader of the Democratic National Committee shows the party needs a "fair and transparent political process" to avoid repeating past failures.

"What the recently released book excerpt from former interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile made clear," Sanders wrote, "is that unless we get our act together, we are not going to be effective in either taking on Donald Trump or in stopping the extremist right-wing Republican agenda.

"We have to re-establish faith with the American people that in fact we can make positive changes in this country through a fair and transparent political process that reflects the will of voters across this country," Sanders continued.

Brazile's account has inflamed resentments within the Democratic Party among established party officials and Sanders loyalists. Sanders and his staff have downplayed the controversy as a distraction and political gossip.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/07/sanders-reacts-brazile-book-shows-supporters-need-get-our-act-together/840078001/

November 2, 2017

Elizabeth Warren admits the Democratic Party was rigged against Bernie Sanders

SARAH K. BURRIS
02 NOV 2017 AT 17:01 ET

(Video at link)

Excerpt:

During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) agreed that the Democratic Party rigged the presidential nomination against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

“This is a real problem,” Warren told Tapper. “But what we’ve got to do as Democrats now, we’ve got to hold this party accountable.”

She said that when chair Tom Perez first was elected as chair she met with him and encouraged him to put the party back together so that they can begin working to help Democrats, “rather than Democrats working for the party.”

“This is a test for Tom Perez,” Warren said. “And either he’s going to succeed by bringing Bernie Sanders and Bernie Sanders’ representatives into this process and they’re going to say ‘It’s fair, it works, we all believe it,’ or he’s going to fail. And I very much hope he succeeds. I hope for Democrats everywhere, I hope for Bernie and for all of Bernie supporters he’s going to succeed.” When asked if she agreed that the system was rigged against Sanders, Warren said simply, “yes.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/11/elizabeth-warren-admits-the-democratic-party-was-rigged-against-bernie-sanders/

November 2, 2017

Bernie Sanders Went to Canada and Learned a Few Things

Margot Sanger-Katz @sangerkatz NOV. 2, 2017

Excerpts:

Many developed countries have achieved universal health coverage, but Canada is relatively distinct in its insistence that individuals should not have to pay any money at the point of care. When Canadians go to the doctor or hospital, they just show their Canadian “Medicare” card. There are no alternatives to the government system, which means that there’s no way for patients with more money to get faster or better care in Canada.

Several patients told him about the comfort that comes from not having to pay for their care directly. And doctors, too, said they felt more comfortable recommending their patients get an operation or see a specialist than they might if those treatments weren’t free.

“What I think stuck out to me was from both the patients and the physicians, the importance of not having to worry about money in terms of the doctor-patient relationship,” he said in an interview after his trip on Tuesday.

Equity. Fairness. Throughout the weekend, Mr. Sanders kept asking Canadians what they thought about the higher taxes they’d paid to finance their system. Every one among the patients and doctors selected to meet him said the trade-off was worth it because it made the system fair.

“I think it’s a really fair way to do it,” said Frederick Brownridge, 67, of Etobicoke, Ontario, as he sat by the window in his Toronto General Hospital room, with I.V. lines in his arms. Mr. Brownridge had had two heart valves repaired and a double bypass three days earlier. “It also means if you’re in a lower economic status or higher economic status, you’ll get the treatment you need.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/upshot/bernie-sanders-went-to-canada-and-learned-a-few-things.html

Bernie Sanders at Toronto General Hospital. He drew crowds wherever he went. Credit Aaron Vincent Elkaim for The New York Times