July 27, 2016

Goodbye DU

I stayed until the very end, but it's time to leave. Normally I wouldn't bother to create an OP like this as I'm sure most people don't care (I wouldn't tbh) but I have one last thing to say before signing off for good. I've been a supporter of Bernie Sanders since he announced his candidacy, and I came to this website because it was a place to talk about the campaign with like-minded people. At first it was great. I really enjoyed my time here last summer and was pleased to see so many others as passionate as I am about politics in America. However, as Bernie became more popular, and an actual threat to win the nomination, I noticed an increase in the number of outright hostile threads about him and his supporters. It quickly got to the point where coming to this board became significantly less enjoyable.

As the primary dragged on the vitriol from both sides only got worse, and I got the distinct impression that progressives aren't wanted here whatsoever. Worse, now that Hillary has officially won the nomination, some of the most spiteful posters on this board all of a sudden want to embrace Bernie and his supporters. I'm sorry, but you can't spend an entire year demonizing people only to expect them to shake your hand after you win. It's become abundantly clear that my views and those of other Bernie supporters are not wanted on this board. In some ways, it's a reflection of the Democratic Party right now.

So in an attempt to stay within the ToS, consider this constructive criticism of HRC and the Dem Party. If you really want party unity now and in the future, you need to listen to and embrace the Sanders wing. Yes, we're loud. Yes, we're passionate. We are both of those things because we *truly* believe in progressive ideals. Free college tuition. Single payer healthcare. A sane foreign policy. Environmental justice. Racial justice. Economic justice... The list goes on. Ignore progressives at your own peril.

I'm leaving because my experience on this site has turned sour over the last 9 months, and it's entirely because of certain posters who (frankly) take the progressive vote for granted. Goodbye, it's been an eye opener, and I wish you all the best of luck in the future.

-Herb

July 25, 2016

Reality is setting in on both sides

Clinton/Kaine is the Dem ticket

Bernie supporters want none of it

There will be more to come from this convention...

July 10, 2016

Clinton Delegates holding back Progressive Agenda

The Dem Platform has been a mixed bag so far with Hillary's Delegates voting against many Progressive amendments including:

Language against the TPP
Single Payer Healthcare
Specific Language on a Carbon Tax
Revolving Door amendment to keep bankers from occupying regulation positions in government
Ban on Fracking



Discussions are still under way so there could be more to add to this list before the weekend is over, but it's pretty clear who the real Progressives are in that room.

June 25, 2016

Dem Platform Committee votes *Against* Single-Payer Healthcare 7-6

Saw this on Reddit and various tweets. No other source right now, but I can't imagine this is being made up for any reason.

https://twitter.com/iMayaBerry/status/746550329098051584

A majority of the country wants single payer. A strong majority of the Democratic Party wants single payer. This decision is mind boggling.

June 24, 2016

If Bernie/Hillary folks can't find common ground on *Electoral Reform* then we're in big trouble

This one should be a no-brainer, and yet there seems to be some real differences of opinion here. Automatic voter registration when turning 18 and Open Primaries is as simple as it gets. If we can't all support that then I don't even know where to start on healthcare, education, foreign policy, etc.

June 24, 2016

Voter Turnout in UK Referendum: 72%

Compare that to the 35% we typically get in the US for major elections. Think about that. Our electoral system needs serious reform. Automatic voter registration when someone turns 18. Open primaries.

June 11, 2016

This is who we nominated...more Clinton Foundation corruption (CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/10/politics/hillary-clinton-donor-rajiv-fernando/index.html

Washington (CNN)A major political donor to the Clintons and other top Democrats was selected by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve on a key State Department intelligence board in 2011, despite having no clear background in the area, according to emails released this week.

Rajiv Fernando has donated $9,400 to Clinton's two White House bids -- first her 2008 run and again this year -- and has been a generous donor to Democrats running for the House and Senate and to President Barack Obama.

Fernando, a Chicago securities trader, has also been a prolific donor to the Clinton Foundation, giving at least $1 million to the organization, according to its website.

In July 2011, Fernando was appointed to a seat on the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB), a panel filled with top-level foreign policy advisers and security experts. Former Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart chairs the current panel, which includes retired generals, the former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other high-ranking national security experts.

This guy was a *stock broker*... How on earth does that qualify him to have top secret security clearance? You can't make this stuff up.

June 2, 2016

From LA Times Poll: Of those who already voted, Bernie 48, Hillary 43.

https://gqrr.app.box.com/s/1eu09pms0l0atruk3qu9bdpynsun1fvw

Now there's an interesting result.

June 2, 2016

LA Times Poll: Bernie 44, Hillary 43 (Yeah, it's the same poll linked in the other thread)

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-latimes-presidential-primary-poll-20160602-snap-story.html

The Vermont senator has battled Clinton to a draw among all voters eligible for the Democratic primary, with 44% siding with him to 43% for Clinton. That represented a nine-point swing from a USC/Los Angeles Times poll in March, in which Clinton led handily.

Here's the *actual* poll results. Unlike the other thread that singles out what they call "reliable voters", this one includes everybody.