March 13, 2016

Vote for the Democratic Party of FDR and the New Deal!

I believe in a Democratic Party as exemplified by FDR's Second Bill of Rights:



I do not believe in a Democratic Party of welfare destabilization, trade agreements that benefit the corporate boardroom at the expense of the workers' shop floor, deregulation of Wall Street and industry, hawkish interventionism, late-to-the-party recognition of GLBT equality, harsh sentences at for-profit prisons for minor drug possession:



I'll vote for the candidate who best shares my view of the Democratic Party!

March 13, 2016

"Bernie Sanders Pushes Trump Towards A Nervous Breakdown By Calling Out His Lies"

Link to Bernie Sanders Pushes Trump Towards A Nervous Breakdown By Calling Out His Lies; excerpt:

ABC’s This Week:

SANDERS: Well, I think anybody who understands Mr. Trump’s campaign knows that he tells the truth very, very rarely and I’m afraid that on this occasion, he’s lying again. First of all, he calls me a communist. Obviously, that’s a lie. Then he says that our campaign is organizing disruptions of his rallies. That’s a lie. George, we have millions of supporters out there, and clearly, some of them were at that rally, along with many, many other protesters. But to say that we organized that, totally untrue. Uh, Mr. Trump, I think, is getting very nervous. He is catching onto the fact that the American people do not support a candidate like Trump, whose — whose verbiage, whose language, whose rhetoric incites violence. I mean we’ve all seen rhetoric — we’ve all seen some of the video of people at his rallies sucker punching people, of kicking people. And I would urge Mr. Trump, really, to tone it down, uh, to not incite violence on the part of his supporters.... But I think what we are seeing in the Trump campaign is not only racist attacks, but what you’re seeing is attacks on Muslims, on women, on veterans. To attack Senator John McCain because he was a POW is crazy. To insult Mexicans, our neighbors to the south, calling Mexicans a rapist or — or criminals, this guy — there was a big debate in the United Kingdom parliament of whether or not he should even be allowed to enter the United Kingdom. This is a man who is dividing up his country in very serious ways, frightening ways.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump went on a delusional rant where he claimed that thousands of Sanders supporters are responsible for the violence that is occurring at his rallies. Bernie Sanders is doing the United States of America a great service by doing what the Republican Party can’t. Sen. Sanders is shining a light on the racism, bigotry, and hate that is being campaigned on by Donald Trump.

Sanders is the complete opposite of Trump. Bernie Sanders is a dedicated public servant who has built a career on integrity, principles, and values. Trump is a person with no values who is only concerned with making deals and “winning.” Donald Trump has no credibility or integrity and has spent decades in the singular pursuit of building the Trump brand.... If Bernie Sanders keeps up the pressure, Donald Trump is going to crack. Bernie Sanders is in Trump’s head, and the senator from Vermont is on the verge of derailing the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

March 13, 2016

Bernie Sanders Polls: After Trailing Hillary Clinton By 30 Points In Illinois, Sanders Now Leads

Source: Inquisitr

Bernie Sanders is nearing Hillary Clinton in Illinois, with the Vermont Senator aiming to pull off another upset win like last week’s surprising victory in Michigan.

The Sanders campaign...pulled off the upset victory, propelling his campaign forward to critical upcoming votes in Ohio, Florida, and Illinois.

New polls released Sunday show that Bernie Sanders may be close to pulling off another victory in Illinois. Like in Michigan, Hillary Clinton once dominated polling in this state... But much of that polling comes from before Sanders pulled off the Michigan upset, and new data suggests that her lead may have all but evaporated.

A CBS News poll found that Bernie Sanders now leads 48 percent to 46 percent.

Read more: http://www.inquisitr.com/2884101/bernie-sanders-polls-after-trailing-hillary-clinton-by-30-points-in-illinois-sanders-now-leads-just-two-days-before-voting/

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This good news on Illinois follows analysis by the University of Virginia Center for Politics analysis predicting Sanders wins in Ohio and Missouri:

March 12, 2016

Sanders camp fires back at Clinton for healthcare comments

Source: The Hill

"I don't know where he was when I was trying to get healthcare in '93 and '94," Clinton said, according to New York Times reporter Amy Chozick.

"Literally standing right behind her," Mike Casca tweeted with a photo of Clinton and Sanders during a speech on healthcare.



Others shared an image of a note from Clinton to Sanders thanking him for his "commitment to real health care."



Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/272790-sanders-spokesperson-fires-back-at-clinton-for-healthcare

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Hillary's trustworthiness polling weakness is a disaster of her own making.

March 12, 2016

"Sanders Accepts Challenge to Kill TPP If Elected... Nothing from Clinton So Far"

link; excerpt:

Accepting a challenge and passing it on ahead of primary voting in Ohio and elsewhere on Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders vowed that if elected president he would refuse to present the controversial TransPacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to Congress and asked his rival Hillary Clinton to join him in that pledge.... Invoking the fight over NAFTA, Sanders told the crowd: "They said it was going to create all kinds of jobs in America. I didn’t believe that for one second. In 1995 I was on the picket lines opposition to that. You don’t need a PhD to understand that a trade agreement written by corporate America was to force American workers to compete against desperately poor people all over the world. American workers should not have to compete against people making pennies an hour."

Sanders continued by saying that "communities here in the Midwest – in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois – have been decimated" by companies offshoring jobs in the wake of NAFTA's passage. Trying to replicate his surprise win in Michigan in the industrial Rust Belt states of Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri—all of which hold primaries on Tuesday—Sanders also released a new ad airing across the region touting his opposition to the kind of trade deals he says his rival Clinton has long embraced:

Sanders also received the endorsement on Friday of Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kaptur indicated that a key reason for her support was the senator's position on the economy, specifically his career-long opposition to so-called "free trade" deals like NAFTA, pushed through in the 1990's under President Bill Clinton, and his recent leadership in opposing TPP .... "I come here to introduce the next president of the United States," Rep. Kaptur told the capacity crowd in the SeaGate Convention Center to applause. "America could have no stronger Democratic leader for jobs in America, for fair trade and for economic progress for all, not just the privileged few, than Bernie Sanders."

March 12, 2016

WP: "Hillary Clinton draws criticism for her response to violence at Trump’s Chicago rally"

link; excerpt:

Clinton then evoked the massacre in Charleston, S.C., which left nine African American churchgoers dead. She pointed to it as an example of how the country can overcome its divisions.... "Problematic use of Charleston. Why is racial healing always dependent on black forgiveness?” noted Chad Williams, chair of African and Afro-American Studies at Brandeis University.... "Clinton's response seems more concerned about the fact that protesters fought back than with the racism and nativism of Trump's rallies,” added Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University.... But while Friday night’s melee in Chicago prompted some conservatives, including Trump's rival, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, to note the well-documented history of violence at Trump’s events, Clinton stayed silent on the issue.

March 12, 2016

ABC: When it comes to Hillary Clinton, some Ohio voters admit to feeling more lukewarm than fired up

link; excerpt:

When it comes to Hillary Clinton, some Ohio voters admit to feeling more lukewarm than fired up.... The Michigan setback has exposed her struggles to energize voters against Bernie Sanders, who's riding a wave of populist zeal.... Those challenges are evident in Ohio, a pivotal general election state where Democratic voters offered mixed feelings about Clinton and her ability to defeat the Republican candidate should she become the nominee.... But in Michigan, where polling also pointed to a Clinton victory, Sanders managed to energize younger people and liberals and woo working-class white voters with his argument that U.S. trade deals have cost manufacturing jobs.

That pitch may prove effective in Ohio with voters such as Jan Jones, 68, a retiree from Cleveland Heights deciding between Clinton and Sanders, who said: "A year or so ago she seemed like a shoo-in and all this other stuff came up. I like what he says about the poor versus the rich."... David Niven, a political science professor at Cincinnati University, said Democrats should be considered "modest favorites" given the makeup of the state. But he said there was an "eat your peas sensibility" to many Clinton voters.

"They see this as something they should do and they're going to do but they're not necessarily excited about it," Niven said.

In the early contests thus far, Republicans have seen higher turnout in many states than they did in their 2012 primary race, while Democrats are not hitting their record high 2008 turnout numbers. That could be a warning about lack of enthusiasm in November.

March 11, 2016

HRC Campaign Manager "Mook warns of defeat in Ohio, Illinois, Mo., 'outspent, outraised' by Sanders"

link; excerpt:

Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, citing Sen. Bernie Sanders' surprise victory in Michigan this week after outspending the Democratic front-runner, is warning supporters that it could happen again Tuesday in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois.

"Bernie outraised us by $12 million in February, then outspent us on TV in Michigan," which the Vermont senator won, Robby Mook emailed supporters.... Mook has reason to be concerned. A new scientific prediction of the race, produced by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, shows Clinton losing Illinois and Ohio by a hair. A Sanders win would be huge news and give him more momentum, though it would remain difficult for him to catch Clinton in delegates.

"Based on the race and region model, we can predict that Hillary Clinton will win three states and Bernie Sanders will win two states on March 15. Clinton is predicted to receive between 65 percent and 67 percent of the vote in North Carolina, between 64 percent and 66 percent of the vote in Florida, between 52 percent and 54 percent of the vote in Illinois, between 46 percent and 48 percent of the vote in Ohio and between 45 percent and 47 percent of the vote in Missouri," said the report from Alan I. Abramowitz, a senior columnist with the Center's Larry Sabato Crystal Ball.

I'm sure that this is Robby Mook playing the expectations game, but it is an interestingly candid acknowledgement.

Here's a link to the University of Virginia Center for Politics analysis showing Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri close but with Sanders slightly ahead!

March 11, 2016

Mook warns of defeat in Ohio, Illinois, Mo., 'outspent, outraised' by Sanders

Source: Washington Examiner

Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, citing Sen. Bernie Sanders' surprise victory in Michigan this week after outspending the Democratic front-runner, is warning supporters that it could happen again Tuesday in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois.

"Bernie outraised us by $12 million in February, then outspent us on TV in Michigan," which the Vermont senator won, Robby Mook emailed supporters.... Mook has reason to be concerned. A new scientific prediction of the race, produced by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, shows Clinton losing Illinois and Ohio by a hair. A Sanders win would be huge news and give him more momentum, though it would remain difficult for him to catch Clinton in delegates.

"Based on the race and region model, we can predict that Hillary Clinton will win three states and Bernie Sanders will win two states on March 15. Clinton is predicted to receive between 65 percent and 67 percent of the vote in North Carolina, between 64 percent and 66 percent of the vote in Florida, between 52 percent and 54 percent of the vote in Illinois, between 46 percent and 48 percent of the vote in Ohio and between 45 percent and 47 percent of the vote in Missouri," said the report from Alan I. Abramowitz, a senior columnist with the Center's Larry Sabato Crystal Ball.



Read more: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/mook-warns-of-defeat-in-ohio-illinois-mo.-outspent-outraised-by-sanders/article/2585551

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I'm sure that this is Robby Mook playing the expectations game, but it is an interestingly candid acknowledgement.

Here's a link to the University of Virginia Center for Politics analysis mentioned in the news report showing Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri close but with Sanders slightly ahead!

March 11, 2016

The Week: "Bernie Sanders' campaign is an experimental test of idealism. And it's working."

link; excerpt:

The Bernie Sanders campaign, when properly described, sounds like an experiment in politics so high-minded that it ought to have failed instantly.... Bernie Sanders runs against political juggernaut Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. His campaign relies almost exclusively on individual small-dollar donations. It refuses to gesture pointedly at Hillary Clinton's character, ignoring almost entirely her email scandal and several conflicts of interest that arise from her globalist grifter career where she does well for herself by appearing to do good for others. When the Sanders campaign hits Clinton, it's on policy; at last night's debate, Sanders' most aggressive attack on her character was a joke about speeches she gave to banks. Unless prompted, his campaign ignores the most obvious foreign policy scandals that can be tagged to her... the Sanders campaign has avoided road-testing attacks on Clinton that could be used by Republicans, and instead focused all of its energy on advocating the grandly vague "political revolution" that most animates Sanders. It has named an enemy, the millionaires and billionaires who cheat America out of the democratic-socialist government Sanders believes the country deep down really wants. His campaign has tried to place itself in the great tradition of American protest and agitation..... The Sanders campaign is a legitimate fundraising juggernaut, able to outdo in a single night what top Republican operations can pull off in a month. ... In other words, the campaign ... fits the moment in a way too often overlooked by commentators. ... For many, Sanders' vision of a deeper restructuring of the American settlement is the only sensible option left, because technocracy and neoliberal niggling has simply failed to deliver the promised goods.