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snowy owl

snowy owl's Journal
snowy owl's Journal
May 27, 2016

Fifties were a better time. We need to return to a better Democratic Party.

Edit: I agree with all who take social issues and throw them back at me. However, my post clearly correlates to the extract. If you choose to make it a personal attack, you've done well. If you wish to address the whole point, you might reconsider. One poster did did sunlight a good point about the seventies and I agreed with him that probably saying "the seventies" might have been better. They wer the best for me personally. But I'm not disavowing the fifties as a better time economically for everybody. It was, afterall, the beginning of the revolution for working women. Thanks to Rosie the Riveter. It took time as everything does. Lowest unemployment and GI bill for those returning soldiers. And some writers do make a case that it was even a better time for blacks. That's not my opinion and I never said it was. DU has a healthy number of people who attack first. I can take it.

No one is say it was better for blacks, Native Americans, or even religion - Catholics were regarded a lot differently. But those were social issues, not ecoonomic. Yes, everyone's economics were affected by social issues but all things being equal, it was a better time.

The Koch Brothers are buying professors and changing educational policy. Look at Texas for textbook editing. Surveillance of television content is censorshiop. The pulpit - it's become a political arm of the Republican Party. And who ever hears anything on radio that is even slightly left - some places but very few. A cosmopolitan city like Seattle? None. Lewis Powell won. And look what we've got.

We need to get back the Party of Bernie. If you think Clinton will do it, fine.

Powell Memorandum from Wiki:

On August 23, 1971, prior to accepting President Nixon's nomination to the Supreme Court, Powell sent the "Confidential Memorandum" titled "Attack on the American Free Enterprise System" to a friend at the US Chamber of Commerce.[13] It was based in part on his experiences as a corporate lawyer and as a representative for the tobacco industry with the Virginia legislature. The memo called for corporate America to become more aggressive in molding politics and law in the US and may have sparked the formation of several influential right-wing think tanks and lobbying organizations, such as The Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), as well as inspiring the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to become far more politically active.[14][15] Marxist academic David Harvey traces the rise of neoliberalism in the US to this memo.[16][17]

Powell argued, "The most disquieting voices joining the chorus of criticism came from perfectly respectable elements of society: from the college campus, the pulpit, the media, the intellectual and literary journals, the arts and sciences, and from politicians." In the memorandum, Powell advocated "constant surveillance" of textbook and television content, as well as a purge of left-wing elements. He named consumer advocate Ralph Nader as the chief antagonist of American business.[18]
May 27, 2016

Reid tells Democrats to lay off Bernie. B brings money down ticket.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-russ-feingold_us_5746fbbae4b03ede4413ede0

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) advised Democrats eager to see Sanders drop out of the presidential race to “lay off” Tuesday, specifically noting his support of Feingold.

“I’m very happy that Sen. Sanders is supporting him big time,” Reid said.

Johnson received a boost last week from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which released a TV ad supporting him.


Feingold is a few points ahead of Johnson.

Can anybody name a down-ticket dem that has been helped by Hillary. I'm asking. I haven't heard of any.
May 13, 2016

No oil spill discussion? I wonder if Shell will profit more from spill than oil on market?

More oil in Gulf of Mexico this morning. Apparently leaking from pipes. 90,000 gallons. Maybe not so big but it has to stop.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/05/13/3778155/shell-gulf-spill/


A Shell oil facility has leaked nearly 90,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, according to federal authorities. The spill has left a two-mile by thirteen-mile sheen in the Gulf, approximately 165 miles southwest of New Orleans. A helicopter first noticed the spill near Shell’s Brutus platform on Thursday morning, according to Shell spokeswoman Kimberly Windon.


Local activists, however, are unconvinced by reports that the spill is over. The spill occurred a little less than 100 miles due south of Lousiana’s Terrebonne Parish, which is home to one of the country’s largest communities of Houma Native Americans, who still depend on subsistence lifestyles. If the spill impacts marine life, or washes ashore, it’s likely that these communities might be some of the first impacted.


I wonder if the spill won't actually bring a greater benefit to Shell than putting that oil on the market at today's prices.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2015/10/06/bps-20-8-billion-gulf-spill-settlement-nets-15-3-billion-tax-write-off/#31113ea371a6

The government’s $20.8 billion out-of-court settlement with BP would resolve the charges related to the Gulf Oil spill. You might assume a fine of this nature is serious enough not to be tax deductible. But BP should be able to write off the vast majority, a whopping $15.3 billion. The proposed deal designates only about one quarter, $5.5 billion, as a non-tax-deductible Clean Water Act penalty. BP can write off the natural resource damages payments, restoration, and reimbursement of government costs.
April 28, 2016

Clinton appeals to more elite in democratic party - it's class hierarchy

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/opinion/campaign-stops/how-the-other-fifth-lives.html
A Democrat whose wallet tells him he is a Republican is unlikely to be a strong ally of less well-off Democrats in pressing for tax hikes on the rich, increased spending on the safety net or a much higher minimum wage.

Bernie Sanders has tried to capitalize on this built-in tension within the Democratic primary electorate, but Hillary Clinton has so far been able to skate over intraparty conflicts. In the New York primary, for example, she did better among voters making $100,000 or more than among the less affluent, while simultaneously carrying African-Americans and moderate Democrats of all races by decisive margins.


The trends at the top and the bottom are undermining cohesive politics, but more important they are undermining social interconnection as they fracture the United States more and more into a class and race hierarchy.


As more and more of us move into desperate situations financially and as the middle class continues to dwindle, we will be the worse for choosing the status quo. She is one of the elite. That's what you bought.

I've noticed few people actually go to original articles. This isn't talking about the 1% - but about the top 20%.

In 2012, of people with incomes less than $10K, 46% voted. In 2014, 24% - almost half.
In 2012, of people with incomes $10K to $15K, 48%. In 2014, 31%.
In 2012, of people with incomes $40K to $49K, 60%. In 2014, 40%.

Bernie is bringing back our democracy - he's getting people to vote again.

April 21, 2016

Jeff Merkley on Hayes MSNBC responding to allegation Sanders hasn't done anything...so he lists them

Chris' allegations that people don't think much of him. Personally, I think Hayes lied. I think he's doing right here what MSNBC has all their hosts doing: totally unprofessional and dishonest shilling for Clinton. No video clip of this exchange was available that I could find. Scroll down for entire interview.

Excerpt here:
HAYES: Let me ask you this. As you talk about those issues which have
sort of come center piece in this campaign, when I`ve talked to other
members of the Senate caucus on the Democratic side, they would say the
following thing to me. They say, well, we`ve worked with both of them,
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and I`m endorsing Hillary Clinton – and
I was left to think they didn`t think much of Bernie Sanders frankly as a
senator. They thought he wasn`t particularly effective.


What are you seeing in him that they are not?

MERKLEY: Well, actually, I think that`s way off the mark. Bernie`s
comments are deeply listened to and widely respected and he has this record
of effectiveness that many people are aware of, particularly those who
served in the House. When he was mayor of Burlington, he preceded to
reshape the waterfront. He had a baseball team. He set them up as a
lovable city, as a kind of a model for the nation.

When he was in the House, out of 435 members of the House, he was known as
the king of amendments, the single House member most effective in getting
amendments past, and these were things relevant to working Americans.

And in the Senate, he has proceeded to be the leader on expanding our
federally qualified health centers, which are the front door for millions
of Americans to our health care system. And he put together a bipartisan
veterans bill that is the most important veterans bill we`ve had in years,
and he`s taken the lead and taken on chained CPI to make sure that our
seniors didn`t get shortchanged. And the list goes on. So –



Later Sherrod Brown chimes in but moves the conversation in another direction. He doesn't really focus on Bernie even though that was the question asked by Hayes. My take: Brown doesn't really want to get into it or diss Bernie at all.

HAYES: Behind the scenes, an unnamed senior adviser was feeling not quite
as magnanimous and telling “Politico” last night, quote, “We kicked his ass
tonight. I hope this convinces Bernie to tone it down. If not, F him.”

Joining me now, Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat from Oregon, so far the only
member of the Senate to endorse Bernie Sanders.

Senator, tell me – tell me about your timing in this. One of the things
that struck me when I saw the news of your endorsement was the timing.
You`re the first senator to endorse him. You`re endorsing fairly late in
this cycle and you`re endorsing at a time when it seems his odds of winning
have receded considerably, which is the opposite of what politicians
usually do.

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D), OREGON: Yes, I`m just not a very good politician,
Chris. That`s what it boils down to.

I really felt that I should make an endorsement as we were preparing to
vote in Oregon. We vote by mail. The ballots go out on April 28th. They
will be out for a better part of 2 1/2 weeks and so I wanted to endorse two
weeks while – basically before the ballots go out and while Oregonians are
really starting to pay attention.

HAYES: I want to get your reaction to what Jeff Weaver said last night,
which has caused quite a stir. As the Sanders supporter, the idea that the
Sanders campaign would essentially after June 7th, were it to be behind in
pledged delegates and super delegates, attempt to persuade super delegates
to come over to them and take that to the convention. Do you think that`s
a good strategy?

MERKLEY: Well, it really reflects different messages coming out of a
campaign, which, you know, happens in a complicated, rush campaign, because
the core of the message is look, there is still a path to victory here.
Yes, yes, he lost in New York, but he lost by less in New York than
President Obama lost eight years previously. He did a percent better. So,
it`s all how you frame it.

And, certainly, Hillary Clinton home state senator, home state turf, she
campaigned in her Senate races, in every village and borough. And she knew
the state inside out, so it was an extraordinary challenge.

There are other challenges ahead that present different circumstances and
right now, there are just a massive amount of citizens and grassroots
organizations who are saying, we have to change the model of how our
economy and our political system works, and the person who understands the
fact that we must change that is Bernie Sanders.

For – we`ve now been through this period of 40 years, four decades, in
which nine out of ten citizens have seen no benefit from the increase in
American wealth. That is 100 percent of the new income has gone to the top
10 percent. There`s something wrong – people understand there is
something wrong when nine out of ten citizens and families are not
benefitting while the wealth of the nation grows up. So –

(clipped part repositioned above)

HAYES: You just named a bunch of fights that are a good reminder of some
of the fights they`re having right now in the U.S. Senate. I want to
follow up with our next guest about that.

Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, thanks for joining us tonight. I
appreciate it.

MERKLEY: You`re very welcome.

HAYES: All right. Joining me now is Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat from
Ohio, who has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

Great to see you, Senator.

Let me start with your reaction to last night and what Jeff Weaver said. I
mean, are you one of the people who thinks that there`s some danger that
the Sanders campaign has entered into in the territory its in, in terms of
possible lasting damage they could do to Hillary Clinton should she become
the nominee.

SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: No, I applaud Bernie for what he`s done.
Jeff, in fact, Senator Merkley and I, Jeff and I, on the floor, had a long
conversation today about sort of his reasons for Bernie, my reasons for
Hillary. It was clear that it really is – we should be talking about what
unites us, not what divides us. I understand the political campaign,
debate after debate after debate.

HAYES: Right.

BROWN: There is contentiousness. But contrast our side with theirs, where
they call each other names and attacked each other`s families. You know,
ours are talking issues.

And I – you know, there`s some slight differences on Dodd-Frank, for
instance, but both candidates, like Jeff Merkley, Jeff sits with me on the
banking committee, he fights hard to protect what we`ve gained with Dodd-
Frank. I`d like to go a little further, I think what regulators did this
week on something called living wills is a big, big deal. It will mean the
banks very likely may get smaller because of federal rules about their
capital standards and about their stability and safety and soundness. I
think we`re doing that right. I think we can move a little faster.

One of the things I do in banking committees is put pressure on them and
one of the other things I do is through my website through outside pressure
and I ask people to come and help us join that fight where we can get
people outside to keep putting the pressure on the Senate to make sure
there are no compromises and weakening of Dodd-Frank.

HAYES: Yes, I want to talk about that because one of the issues in this
campaign has been about the sort of what threats a new Democratic president
might face in terms of retrenchment, in terms of consolidating some of the
accomplishments of the Obama administration. I mean, there are attacks all
the time happening right now in the Senate on Dodd-Frank for instance, on
regulatory structures that have been put in place that have to be beaten
back ceaselessly.

BROWN: Yes, last week, and of all places, the agricultural committee. And
that`s where we regulate something called the Commodities Future Trading
Commission. It`s where we regulate derivatives. The Republicans have
created – tried to create this huge Koch brothers loophole where farmers
need to hedge risks to be sure on crops and weather and price and all that,
but the Republicans want to make the farmers exception, farmers and
ranchers, turn into the Koch brothers exception on the oil industry, which
turns into billions and billions of dollars. We fight back against that.

The Republicans because they`re so controlled by a few big mega donors,
especially the Koch brothers, are always going do their bidding and there`s
always a Koch brothers loophole when regulatory issues, my position on
banking and ag, agricultural, are the places to fight back and I will
continue that. I expect Republicans because of the fuel of their party is
their interests groups we`ve got to be ready and continue to fight
regardless of when Hillary Clinton I believe will be president and when she
is president.

HAYES: All right. Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, thank you for
joining us. Appreciate it.

BROWN: Thanks.

HAYES: Still to come, the first criminal charges to come out of the Flint
water crisis were announced today, but the attorney general says they`re
only the beginning. We`ll look at that just ahead.



April 20, 2016

Map of NY showing Clinton vs. Sanders by regions - looks like $$$ went for HRC



NY went for Bernie except in high-rent areas. What does that say? How many Latinos and Blacks do not vote? I don't know. Just asking...

Wish someone could link map graphic.
April 12, 2016

Former REM singer Michael Stipe introduces Bernie

<iframe width="665" height="374" src="
" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


"At the rally, Stipe praised Sanders as "a man with an unflappable position on issues that are important to me, like LGBTQ rights, environmental justice and equality. Whether we're talking about pay equity, a living wage for all fulltime employees or making sure Main Street doesn't suffer because of Wall Street, Bernie Sanders walks the walk and talks the talk in terms of fairness.

"Over the years of traveling across the United States and outside of America with my former band, I have discovered within myself an underlying but potent appreciation for justice and common decency," Stipe added. "I seek out leaders who represent themselves honestly and fairly, and who share the same appreciation of justice."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-michael-stipe-stump-for-bernie-sanders-in-brooklyn-20160411#ixzz45aC2kSfd


April 10, 2016

Fox Media Buzz discussed "qualified" meme - worth watching 11 pm EST/8 PT Good disc.

Showed complete clip of Bernie with the IF word setting it up...better than MSNBC LOCKED UP - good grief! I don't watch the discussion of republican candidates but you get some decent and frankly less personalized discussions of dem candidates. Worth a try if you're afraid of Fox News (which I used to call faux news). Some of their non-political programs are darned good.

April 7, 2016

OMG! Shut Barney Frank up! Anybody see him vs Reich today?

Ge even offended Reich in his out-of-control blather and he contstantly is talking over Reich. And Reich gets cut off as did Nina Turner when arguing Blustery Frank. Thanks Chris. You should be able to control your show. I just turned the station.

April 5, 2016

Barney Franks blusters again msnbc; Nina Turner gets word in edgewise

Over and over he's all about how all of the establishment is for Hillary and his message is "who will work for Bernie." Idiot. They all will if they care about their jobs at all. OMG I can't stand Barney "the old blusterer" Frank. Stay retired, Barney.

They returned with video of Hillary and I turned the channel.

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