January 31, 2016

uhhh should we have a "Warriors of the GD-P" Appreciation Thread too? (Bernie Group)

Since the Hillary supporters are clearly saber rattling and celebrating being "warriors" in the GD should we do the same and celebrate DUer's who argue with others?

Or should we just keep reccing great posts and sticking to the issues? Just wondering. Help me out here.

This is in response to this: http://www.democraticunderground.com/110739127

I especially like the part where the OP posted, "This is still our DU!"

I thought it was everyones DU? More exclusionary idealisms from the group with the highest amount of banned users. Oh well.

January 31, 2016

An ANNOUNCEMENT About Tomorrow.

Ladies. Gentlemen.

I wish you all the best of luck. No matter your candidate.

I wish you all the serenity to accept the things you cannot change and the will to acknowledge that which can be done.

I wish you all health and happiness and that as we dip our toes into the first waters of this great contest, that you will not stress as much.

I wish you humanity. And understanding. I grant you my own empathy and heart, to know that the hurtful things we may say to each other and have said to each other, are not the best representations of ourselves. We are but people in front of computer screens. Our ability to empathize is hindered because of it.

I have faith that if we were all within a room together, we would not be as scarring or acidic. So I have faith in the better of you, despite what many of us will be driven to say or even become in the coming months.

We are about to practice, yet again a right that many have fought and died for. We are going to practice the great human ideal that is democracy. The idea that the voices of all of a nations people, will decide the fate of that very nation. Not the voices of a few at the top.

So as of now, on the eve of this momentous day, I say it all again... I wish you luck. I wish you serenity. I wish you willpower. I wish you health. I wish you happiness. I wish you humanity and I wish you understanding.

We are Democrats. Let us decide our nominee.

Thank you.

January 31, 2016

The Selzer Poll is statistical dead heat. Wow.

Both of them gained 3 points and have stayed relative to one another.

Oy vey, this is going to be a fight.

Either way, Bernie has the majority of the youth vote and polls over 20 points higher than Hillary when people are asked "Does this candidate care about people like you?"

And the pundits said that that number is normally very telling when it comes to deciding the winner.

For this to be my first time to get into politics, this has got to be the craziest thing I've experienced. Wow.

January 30, 2016

Just in case you're awaiting the highly anticipated Selzer Poll tonight.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/14/iowa-poll-clinton-slides-leads-sanders-2-points/78738770/

The same poll was conducted earlier this month and released data that showed Hillary dropped 6 points and came within 2 points of Bernie.

This is an indication of the rising trajectories for Bernie we've witnessed this entire race so far.

So basically, on the 14th, they were 2 points apart, and Hillary was dropping. Bernie was rising.

What do you think we'll see tonight? I have an idea.

January 29, 2016

Bernie Supporters, we've got a deadline at midnight tonight! :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1280104140

x-posted in bernie thread

January 29, 2016

I would like to tell you an EXCITING STORY, to raise money for Bernie! For tonights deadline.

So tonight at midnight is the deadline for donations to Bernie to help him in Iowa!

So to help him out, I thought I'd do a little performance here for you today. I thought about comedy, but then I thought, I'm not the best comedic writer. But you know what, maybe if I tell a story. My story isn't political in nature. Probably not in the least bit so perhaps this story can give you a break from the political cloud out there.

So take a seat in the Retrowire Lounge and grab a drink while I tell a tale of my youth, a tale that I think is pretty good. And if you like my story, perhaps you'll consider dropping a dollar in my hat (for Bernie!)?

My hat: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/bullocksforbernie

Ahem.. Here it goes...

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I'm going to tell you the story... Of my first near death experience.

So when I was about 15, I lived in a cul de sac with a group of friends. We all had bikes and were quite adventurous so we liked riding around our city, looking for places of interest. Those places included vacant houses, abandoned buildings, bodies of water, abandoned work sites, etc...

Well one day we went to explore a pond nearby that one of us had spotted while riding in a car, so we set off to find this neato place. It turned out that the pond was behind an abandoned house as well! Double jackpot!

So we did our usual thing, we ditched the bikes and began seeking ways inside the house. It indeed was abandoned. No furniture, barren wood paneled walls and old moldy green carpet. The most interesting thing found was an adult sized UNICYCLE!

We all took turns trying to ride the rusty old thing, but to no avail. I also found an ancient looking keychain that had the oldest looking keys on it. They looked like those old thick metal skeleton keys from the movies. Really cool. I kept 2. I still have one, the other I gave to my wife.

So the house was checked out, now it was time to look at the pond. We went through some trees on the side of the property and came over a small hill to see a pretty ugly looking pond. It was as scummy and swampy as you could imagine. We walked around the pond a bit more, thinking we could build a boat and try riding across it sometime when SUDDENLY....

Down the small hill we had just climbed, we heard the roaring engine and screeching tires of a truck in the driveway of the home we had just toured. Uh oh.

An old looking man hopped out of the drivers seat and after reaching into the bed of the truck he pulled out a mean looking SHOTGUN. He exclaimed into the air, "Who the F$%^ is on my property!?!" And fired the shotgun into the air.

He could not see us because he didn't know where to look and we were behind trees at the time. But we could see him. He was red faced mad, and very obviously intoxicated. We knew better. No way in hell were we about to come out of the woods, run past this man and grab our bikes.

So we exited the woods down the road and walked the street back to the mans property. From a safe distance we approached our bikes... He yelled "What're are you kids doing on my property? Y'all stealing anything?!"

"No sir." I replied. I figured honesty WAS the best policy. "We only wanted to see the pond behind the house, we didn't think anyone lived here."

Now here's the part where I nearly DIE.

All of my friends left their bikes in the front lawn of the property. But not me. My bike was in the backyard. I would have to pass the crazy shotgun wielding man in order to get my bike back.

I continued, "I'm sorry but, my bike is in your back yard. Can I get it?" I know it was my bike and all, but when confronted with a man that likes to shoot guns into the sky, you ask permission for about anything. He replied, "Come on and get it then."

He seemed sincere through his drunken slur. It didn't seem like he was very angry then. So I slowly went for my bike while my friends watched from the road. Remember that I was only a 100 pound, scrawny 15 yr old boy as you read the next line.

As I neared my bike, the man pointed his shotgun at me. I decided to stay calm. As I bent down slowly to pick up my bike, he got closer and kept the gun trained directly on my head. He yelled at me, "Didn't you boys see the 'No Trespassing' sign?!" I avoided eye contact and was silent as I began walking my bike down the driveway to my friends. I knew how to deal with drunks because of my dad.

Once I got to my friends he said to us, "Next time y'all wanna see the pond, just ask!"

We nodded and agreed that we would totally ask next time, (yeah right!) so we got on our bikes and hauled ass back home and NEVER went back to that place again.

If only I could have ridden the unicycle back home. That would have been epic.

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Takes a bow* I hope you've enjoyed the story of my first near death experience! And if you were entertained, or grateful at all for the break from politics... Do consider dropping a few dollars in my hat (for Bernie!).

My Hat: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/bullocksforbernie

January 29, 2016

In 50-49 vote, US Senate says climate change not caused by humans

Source: Bangor Daily News

WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected the scientific consensus that humans are causing climate change, days after NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2014 the hottest year ever recorded on Earth.

The Republican-controlled Senate defeated a measure Wednesday stating that climate change is real and that human activity significantly contributes to it. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, offered the measure as the Senate debated the Keystone XL pipeline, which would tap the carbon-intensive oil sands in the Canadian province of Alberta.

The Senate voted 50-49 on the measure, which required 60 votes in order to pass.

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2015/01/22/politics/senate-not-ready-to-tie-climate-change-to-mankind/

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Fuck our lives.

January 29, 2016

Didn't Michael Moore say he was announcing an endorsement

last week?

What's going on?

January 29, 2016

What your defeatism does to us.

Your defeatism is the reason the next democratic president will meet further opposition.

You have ingested too much of the status quo's idea of "realism" to see any further. You must open your eyes.

If you speak that way, then you've absorbed too much of the defeatist mentality that the status quo has reinforced within the public for ages.

Bernie won't be able to get anything done? How does Hillary magically have an easier stage? It is arguable that things will be more difficult for Hillary than Bernie so really, why don't the "pragmatists" consider that logic?

Bernie will change more than just the presidency, he has a true Political Revolution behind him. It's the real thing. The energy, the rallies, the widespread social media takeover. That doesn't happen because of a minority of folks. That happens because of a majority of folks.

It's an undeniable fact that Bernie has brought more new players to the table than anyone else this campaign so, I'm certain that he'll win.

Some of you may say that people don't share our fervor? That it's just a bubble?

People do not share my fervor?

http://imgur.com/QPyAsqu

I highly disagree. Sure that's a picture I took, but you can't deny that there are more just like it.

I mean of course we could just do it the "realistic" way, vote for Hillary... Have more of the same, slow progress, pick the low hanging fruit... But we really don't have that much time. I'm looking at the big picture, not just the next 4 years.

Sure Hillary will appoint Democratic Supreme Court Justices, but who? Who will they be beholden to? And also, if Hillary wins, then you may not have the passion behind the Political Revolution to get involved in the midterms. And THAT's where we need turn the tide. Not just the Supreme Court.

And believe me, we know what we're up against, it's just we're actually willing to fight it, whereas "pragmatists" aren't. You're already defeated thinking that way. Let's play by their rules, it's our only choice right?

Nope, we make the rules, that's democracy. This is about taking power back, it's not about working with them any longer. Sure it'll take some compromise, we're not stupid. But we're not giving an inch just for them to take a mile any more.

So when I see those posts, slogging the ideas and optimism of Bernie supporters, I just see someone who's afraid to fight.

Stop defeating yourselves before the world even gets to prove you otherwise. You might actually win. But you never will if you are consistently convinced you've already lost battles you didn't even begin.

January 28, 2016

Hillary Clinton speaks in White Plains at fundraiser

Source: The Journal News

The event, held just four days before the hotly-contested Iowa caucuses, cost $250-$2,700 a plate, according toHillaryClinton.com. The building is home to a variety of companies including the offices of The Journal News/lohud.com.

Clinton arrived around 8:50 a.m. in a black van, which was accompanied by a black SUV. Secret Service agents guarded the building, and prior to the breakfast security dogs sniffed around the back entrance where she arrived.

Read more: http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/28/hillary-clinton-white-plains-fundraiser/79452168/

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Remember, if you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu.

You got $250-$2700 for a plate?

4 days before the Iowa vote. SMH