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We put a lot of interest in who is elected president, however, as long as we continue to elect a do-nothing good Congress, even when we have a great president nothing good gets done. So much of what Congress does is hidden from the public. If the people knew how members of the House and Senate manipulate the process they would be horrified. For many years my member of Congress was the dispicable Christoher Cox. Cox left the Congress because he was appointed as Commissioner of the SEC. I suspect that George W. Bush chose him because he knew nothing about business. Cox was in charge when the big banks failed in 2008. Now Cox is a lobbyists for the NRA. He was terrible before as a member of Congress but became worse. I am a Democrat. I never voted for that piece of trash, but my Republican friends in Irvine, California were happy to vote for him becasue they knew nothing about him except that he was a registered Republican. He never really ran for re-election, as long as his name was on the ballot with an R he was elected handily. When Democrats ran against him they made no traction because the voters only cared about Cox's membership in the Republican Party. They did not know that Cox voted against their interests. We need a revolution but not necessarily at the top. We need to rid the nation of Congresmembers like Cox, they are the one's who respond to lobbyists and not to constituents.
I am against term limits. I want somehow for the public to know how their elected officials behave, especially how they vote. If the public voted for members of Congress based on their record we would have a completely different Congress. I can imagine voting without knowing the name of the candidate, just their qualiflications and the voting they actually made if incumbents.
This do nothing good Congress is likely to be re-elected because of the gerrymandering of districts after the 2010 Census. It will take another five years before we can change any of that. The current Congress is the worst in my lifetime (I'm 69 years old) and I fear the next Congress will be less effective. The Republicans have done this to themselves. They created the Tea Party and Donald Trump, both have now turned on the Party that gave them birth. Sad.
ILove Bernie, more than Hillary, yet not going to give away my future, rights, degrade this country even more, aka trump style people, no way. Hillary puts American in a positive direction, period. Trump is a conman, Wall Street baby, and is a pro-liar.
It's just irresponsible to put trump over Hillary. Those who who put trump over Hillary, are going to vote for trump over Bernie, and Hillary anyway. Trump over Hillary, because Bernie lost, fair and square....are pure idiots.
Sorry but the negative crap about Hillary, it food for weak minds, not truth seekers.
To: Thom Hartman -- Once I manage to get past the title... which I did only after replying to every comment in the list, I found what you had written to be spot-on... although I think it was a bit TOO KIND to the Democratic Party, but that's okay since they are more likely to listen that way. Well done. I'll share this on Twitter and FaceBook, encouraging other #BernieOrBust supporters to try to get past the title.
But the short answer to how the Democratic faction nominee can earn our vote, is "BE BERNIE SANDERS"... that's it. That's the answer. Yes, there are people who will consider "changing her tune" to be enough if Hillary gets the Democratic faction nomination and starts running on Bernie's platform, but it's hard to imagine her doing that because of the way she thinks, and even if she did.. it's just a tune and we know if she's elected she'll be singing the same Republican DOUBLE AGENT chant that's obviously running through her head all the time... and that's not something Bernie Sanders supporters can support, because we've been paying attention!
Spot on, Thom. Frankly, however, I don't believe for an instant that Clinton or the DNC will do anything substantial to win my support. She's a corporate Democrat, a neoliberal, neoconservative politician beholden to Wall Street, Big Pharma, and Oil & Gas industry, among other bastions of capitalist power. It hardly matters what the Democratic Party platform is. She'll no doubt abandon whatever progressive policy ideas get floated in Philadelphia and flip-flop back to her center-right corporatist politiics. I would be flabbergasted if she didn't end up supporting the TPP after making a soulful announcement that after careful consideration she's decided that the treaty is indeed in the interests of American workers, blah, blah, blah. I can't support her. I won't support her. I'll vote for the greater good, not the lesser evil. Jill Stein's my candidate.
In reply to Bandy Legged Ma... --- The ballot box effectively ceased to be an viable tool for change when the Bemocratic-Republican Party was bought out by the owners of the Federalist party and divided into the Republican faction and Democratic faction pretendng to be two separate parties and slandering each other in pre-planned ways to scare people into voting for them to keep them out!
I'm supporting Bernie Sanders any way I can. If that must be as a nominee of a faction of the deceptive and devisive Democratic-Republican party, then so-be it, but I am supporting the candidate, not the party! I'll vote for down-party Berniecrats, also regardless of their party affiliation, to support Bernie Sanders and the political revolution, but I WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANYONE I HAVE CAUGHT SAYING THAT BERNIE SHOULD DROP OUT! PERIOD! We need people in the government who are above such antisocial antidemocracy.
In reply to DHBranski -- Well said, and yes I agree that being a Democratic faction member doesn't stop a REPUBLICAN politician from BEING A REPUBLICAN... it just makes them a double agent for the Republican faction of the Democratic Republican Party. In the same sense, Hillary has accused Bernie of not being a Democrat and I certainly hope that he's reconsidering his choice to become one in order to save them from themselves, because NEITHER FACTION DESERVES HIM! He's BETTER than they are... and I would support Bernie no matter what parties he runs for the nomination of, but I still hope he decides to run as a hybrid, filing petitions to get on many state general election ballots before their deadlines and before the primaries are over!
In reply to Ritva -- I would love to see Bernie run as a Green Party or Peace and Freedon Party candidate, or both... and there are many other parties which would also represent him better than the Democratic faction of the Democratic Republican Party has done or likely ever would do. I will vote for Bernie Sanders whether he is on the ballot or not, but I would ENCOURAGE those who are not wiling to write in "Bernard Sanders" if he's not on the ballot, to research the so-called 3rd parties and strongly supporting them as a protest against the one-party establishment! Those who normally write in protest votes like "Mickey Mouse" should of course strongly consider adding their PROTEST VOTE, if that's all they've got, to the genuine support that many of us have for Bernard Sanders, the work he has done for so many years, and the political revolution that he and many other good people have been supporting and encouraging... so I would encourage those people to join us in voting for #Bernie for president and for #Berniecrats in other positions, including a write-in vote of "Bernard Sanders" for president if he's not on the general election ballot.
In reply to jvgeaga --- I'm curious why you say that you've always supported Bernie and now think he's an asshole. The guy is the most consistent politician I've ever known of, anwhere, from any time period, so what is it about him that you feel has changed and what made you feel that way? Is it the lies being spread about him as part of the money being spent to keep him from getting elected as President? That's the only thing I can figure.
There are over a thousand videos posted over the last 7 years on his SenatorSanders YouTube page, and I would CHALLENGE you or anyone else to find even one of them which contradicts HIS CURRENT MESSAGE as a presidential candidate.
In reply to Intermittent In... -- Unfortunately, thanks for UNDEMOCRATIC restrictions on people running for their nomination, Bernie is not ALLOWED by the Democratic Party, to participate in debates they haven't sanctioned, and they are ALMOST CERTAIN not to sanction the kind of diverse DEMOCRATIC debate you're suggesting... sadly. Still, keep encouraging it... raise protests to makie it happen, if you can. You're not alone in wanting something like that. :)
In reply to Intermittent In... --- I and many other #BernieOrBust people WILL BE writing in "Bernard Sanders" if he is not on the general election ballot. I have a feeling Jill Stein will too! :)
#BernieOrREVOLT!
In reply to 2950-10K -- I'm hoping if Bernie doesn't with the presidency, after the Democratic party shafting him the way they've been doing, that he will return to Senate as an independent, and return to speaking against what's wrong with both factions of the Democratic Republican Party as he had done for so many years. His efforts are among the few things slowing their degredation, and in my opinion he needs to remain ABOVE them, in more important ways than merely being the "Majority Leader" would allow. We need to elect down-ticket Berniecrats, rather than Republicrats!
In reply to stenmawson --- Bernie has been very good for the Democratic party, and they in turn have ALLOWED HIM TO BE VERY GOOD FOR THEM, which is the ONLY THING they have done for him! Do your research! He is their ONLY REASONABLE CHANCE of not becoming irrelevant, since the Democratic FACTION has moved so close to the Republican FACTION of the "Democratic Republican Party" that people are finally starting to wake up and realize it's basically just one party that cheated so that it could run slander campaigns against itself and be guaranteed to win all the time based on fear and hate! Would you rather Bernie start his own party that can consistently beat both factions of your party? I would, even though I will not join a political party... so go ahead... dare him to!
In reply to The Glenn Beck ... --- I was offered a chance to "take the pledge" once, and turned it down, as I'm sure many other #BernieOrBust supporters have done and will continue to do, because we don't need a pledge to do what we WANT to do. However, you're right about the "will vote for a progressive, one way or another" statement, as I have observed that most #BernieOrBust people I talk to plan on writing in "Bernard Sanders" if he's not on the ballot, and voting for dow-ticket Berniecrats and other progressives, while a few have said that if #Bernie is not on the general election ballot, they plan to vote for Jill Stein of the Green Party who has expressed that she and her party wish to support Bernie's Political Revolution, Also, many people who have been Democrats most of their lives are saying that they will become independent if Bernie Sanders isn't on the general election ballot... so all these Democrats who are trying to turn us into members of their party in case their party doesn't nominate OUR CANDIDATE are simply HURTING THEIR PARTY by doing so!
@ThomHartmann STOP TRYING TO TURN "independents" into "Democrats". I have volunteered many times for Democratic party candidate campaigns, BECAUSE I SUPPORTED THE CANDIDATE, but to insinuate that people like me would become members of a EITHER FACTION of the "DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICAN" oligarchy, is making you look bad. I've spoken to several people who have told me they've PERMANENTLY STOPPED LISTENING TO YOUR SHOW over that, and if you don't start correcting it, I may just join them on that decision. Want to drive people like me to the point of NEVER HELPING ANY CANDIDATE WHO CHOOSES TO RUN UNDER THE DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN PARTY? Because that's what you're doing. If the Democratic party wants me to vote for their 2016 presidential nominee, they can nominate Bernie Sanders. Otherwise, I WILL WRITE HIM IN AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU OR THEY CAN DO TO CHANGE THAT... SO STOP TRYING, BECASUE YOU'RE CHASING AWAY DOWN-TICKET VOTER SUPPORT FOR BERNIECRATS, WHO IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED ARE RARELY REPUBLICANS!
I strongly agree with 2950-10k.I would also add that I am very concerned that even more is at stake. The US democratic franchise has been so badly damaged with gerrymandering, voter suppression and election fraud that if any Republican gets in, Trump or otherwise, the ballot box will cease to be a viable tool for change. And although it's early yet, my gut feeling is that Trump is going to win. That's why I've been arguing so much with the BoB'ers - flawed though HRC may be, with her there's still some chance of electoral change. Otherwise, it's revolution the hard way and I frankly don't have the stomach for that.
I've already started the first of many conversations with my spouse about leaving the country. We're stuck here for a few years yet, but I think once our younger child graduates high school, Cape Breton, here we come!
re Jazz-improvisers’ brains: - Hmmm. Looks like maybe yours truly back when jazz-saxophoning {and maybe when doing academics-research?}. AND maybe when I'm typing up Rhymes?
Trumpian Drivel
{… a limerick and a PS…}
Even when posing as civil,
he offends with incessant drivel.
Yet his crowd continues
to crowd his venues.
Our hopes for America shrivel.
PS:
For nomination, “Populist” are his drivels,
but Otherwise it’s to the “Moneyed” he swivels.
Trump’s mind is vague, yet of stark contradictions, …
… hard to pin down for pundits’ depictions.
Bottom line:
He exacerbates America’s frictions.
=============================
The ruptured pipe is located in Porter Ranch, California and the well is owned and operated by the Southern California Gas Company. Despite the warnings of environmental groups about the dangers of methane and concerns about aging infrastructure, it had been over a year since that pipe was tested, and no safety mechanism had ever been installed.
Pass4sure 400-201
That doesn't make sense. The Clintons both have long records of support for the right wing agenda. Voting for Clinton is voting for the same agenda that you criticize. And what we learned from Bill Clinton is that a right wing pol who wears a "D" button on his lapel can cause more damage than a Republican.
The Reagan Democrats of the 1980s became the Clinton Democrats of the 1990s, and have secured a disturbing degree of power over the party. Many who have followed politics for some years oppose the powerful Clinton branch, and believe that saving the tree, the Democratic Party itself, requires cutting that branch off. The Dem Party bosses knew from the start that if Clinton is selected, a Republican will be elected.
We watched as Bill Clinton ended actual welfare and took the first steps to similarly "reform" Social Security, targeting the disabled. The emboldened Clinton wing in Congress began 2015 by agreeing to virtually end food stamps to the elderly poor and the disabled (cut monthly FS benefits from roughly $115 down to $10). There is no doubt that HC hopes to pick up where BC left off, phasing out Social Security.
Bill Clinton signed on to NAFTA. Before launching her campaign, Hillary Clinton was working hard at getting the TPP to Congress. Both of these agreements have only worsened conditions for ordinary working class people. Do you think all those who have been left behind by the neoliberal Clinton agenda have any interest to voting for another Clinton?
John Fund of the National Review recently penned a piece suggesting that "none of the above" be a choice on State presidential ballots. This should be a choice on all races as a means of bringing the parties quickly to heel and boost voter turnout to record levels!
Thank you, Thom. Well thought out, and I think you get what's going through my head anyway (I'm a 50 yoa Berner, btw, a Vermonter). The only thing is, Hillary has dug her hole too deep. She will not get my vote, period. Trump won't get my vote either. And I don't feel that writing in Bernie does anything. Maybe it would send a message, maybe not, but it doesn't have substance, meat. I want my vote to mean something more. I want to vote for a real person who can send the same message of displeasure while also building up a third party to hold the traditional parties' feet to the fire. Someone who represents the Revolution and has high ethical standards like Bernie.
Despite the rigging and lies, I hold out hope that Bernie is nominated. If not that, then having him thumb his nose at the Democratic Party and go Green (at this pointment Bernie owes the Democratic Party nothing, no loyalty). And if, and only if, I cannot vote for Bernie, I will go Green. I like Jill. The Young Turks did a great interview with her. Hey, maybe she'd even come on your show ;-)
I supported Eugene MacCarthy (was not old enough to vote) and McGovern way back when. Moveon.org org polled me way back when and believed that Bernie could not
win in the US. All they would have to say is socialist and his polls would go down , even against Trump. I have always supported Bernie(from California) but now I think he is an asshole.
Bernie's got my vote if he's a democratic nominee.
(if I write him in, I hope lots of other people do, too.)
Jill Stein seems like a democratically-minded type.
I'd like to get to know her better... (...maybe in the final round of debates(?))
Bernie, Jill, and Il Donald (why not Gary, too?) could put on a good show.
Voting for any and all democratic candidates, even if they're so called establishment ones, is our only chance for peaceful progressive change. Wake up, McConnell and "screw the working class" Ryan lead the legislative branch, this along with four billionaire owned Supreme Court judges serving on the judicial branch, so in my opinion, Hillary is the least of our problems.
Thank goodness Bernie is speaking out, spreading the truth, the way we all thought Obama would eight years ago. Instead Obama has remained silent for reasons only known to himself. If Bernie doesn't become president, let's hope he leads a Senate majority after November.
No matter how much we think many Democrats are identical to the Teapublic party, progressive change ain't gonna happen until the Democratic party gains majority rule. We need to go from A to B before we can get to C.
If I'm certain the Democratic candidate is going to win my state, I vote Green to make my point......eventually the Green party will take over and own the Democratic Party, but not until we first destroy the Fascist controlled Teapublic Party.