‘Hard work, and I don’t got a lot of money to show for it’
Posted by Richard Warnick in 2016 Elections, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Economic Exploitation, Economy, National Politics, Poverty, This Blog, Unemployment on March 24, 2016
The 2016 election is different. Donald Trump is running as a Tea-GOP populist, and he has a lot of support from large numbers of Americans that elite politicians do their best to ignore in favor of the rich.
Via The Guardian:
Over the past 35 years the working class has been devalued, the result of an economic version of the Hunger Games. It has pitted everyone against each other, regardless of where they started…
…In Ohatchee, Alabama, Larry, taking a day off work to take his son fishing, is gracious but frustrated: “I have worked in foundries all my life, since I was 15. Hard work, and I don’t got a lot of money to show for it.”
The frustration isn’t just misplaced nostalgia – the economic statistics show the same thing.
Over the past 35 years, except for the very wealthy, incomes have stagnated, with more people looking for fewer jobs. Jobs for those who work with their hands, manufacturing employment, has been the hardest hit, falling from 18m in the late 1980s to 12m now.
The economic devaluation has been made more painful by the fraying of the social safety net, and more visceral by the vast increase at the top.
Earlier this month MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough (who I often disagree with) offered this simple explanation for Trump’s groundswell of support:
“The problem with the Republican Party over the past 30 years is they haven’t — and I’ll say, we haven’t — developed a message that appeals to the working class Americans economically in a way that Donald Trump’s does,” the former Republican lawmaker explained. “We talk about cutting capital gains taxes that the 10,000 people that in the crowd cheering for Donald Trump, they are never going to get a capital gains cut because it doesn’t apply.”
“We talk about getting rid of the death tax,” he continued. “The death tax is not going to impact the 10,000 people in the crowd for Donald Trump. We talk about how great free trade deals are. Those free trade deals never trickle down to those 10,000 people in Donald Trump’s rallies.”
“You sound like Bernie Sanders,” NBC’s Chuck Todd pointed out.
“But herein lies the problem with the Republican Party,” Scarborough complained. “It never trickles down! Those people in Trump’s crowds, those are all the ones that lost the jobs when they get moved to Mexico and elsewhere. The Republican donor class are the ones that got rich off of it because their capital moved overseas and they made higher profits.”
There it is. Bernie Sanders is leading a “political revolution” from the left. Trump is leading another revolution in the Tea-GOP.
More info:
Mocked and forgotten: who will speak for the American white working class?
Joe Scarborough gives up the game: After 30 years, the GOP base realized ‘it never trickles down’
Tell Utah Super-delegates: We Want Bernie!
Posted by Richard Warnick in 2016 Elections, Bernie Sanders, Democracy, Democrats, Party Politics, This Blog on March 23, 2016
Source: Gallup
GREAT suggestion from the Salt Lake Tribune comments section: Let’s tell Utah’s super-delegates that we want Bernie. Peter Corroon is already with us.
As the party chairman, Corroon is automatically a superdelegate, meaning he can pick his favorite candidate regardless of the statewide vote. Not a fan of this process, Corroon had said he’d side with whichever candidate won Utah’s caucus and that is undeniably Sanders.
…Two of the state’s superdelegates — Patrice Arent, the national committeewoman, and Breanne Miller, the party’s vice chairwoman — are backing Clinton. National Committeeman Wayne Holland remains undecided.
The message is:
Bernie Sanders is our choice for President. Give people candidates they’re excited about, and they will show up. This is an opportunity to bring more Utahns into the democratic process. The Democratic Party establishment is too far to the right. The Gallup Poll indicates both parties are at historical low points in the percentage who identify themselves as core supporters of the party. We’re independents – you need us to win in November.
Send to:
Peter Corroon (Thank him, he’s for Bernie): chair@utdem.org
Wayne Holland (Undecided): wholland@usw.org
Breanne Miller (Supporting Hillary): bmiller@utdem.org
Rep. Patrice Arent (Supporting Hillary): parent@le.utah.gov
[Democratic Party Executive Director Lauren] Littlefield called the big turnout, which included 20,000 new voters, “the largest growth opportunity for Utah Democrats in decades,” and yet she and Corroon criticized state leaders for not funding a full primary, instead of the party-run caucuses.
Instead of hundreds of polling locations statewide and the option for mail-in and absentee ballots, the party spent $20,000 to fund 90 voting locations, resulting in lines that stretched for city blocks. More than half of the precincts ran out of ballots and had to print more.
More info:
Bernie Sanders takes bulk of Utah’s delegates after massive victory
In U.S., New Record 43% Are Political Independents
Disappointing Turnout At Democratic Primary… I’M KIDDING!
Posted by Larry Bergan in 2016 Elections, Bernie Sanders, Democracy, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Laugh, People Are Nuts, This Blog on March 23, 2016
Utah’s never seen anything this bizarre.
The republicans are turning out in “Huuge” numbers to vote AGAINST their presumed nominee, (Donald Trump), and democrats are turning out in “Huuge” numbers to vote AGAINST their presumed nominee also, (Hillary Clinton).
We won’t know until morning, but from what I’ve seen on my, (so far), republican-bias TV stations here, the democrats are voting for the person they actually want.
Bernie Sanders.
Guess we’ll find out in the morning. I saw a lot of Hillary supporters. My “Bernie” badge didn’t get any real opposition on my little walk.
Obama on Brussels: “The world must unite”
Posted by Glenden Brown in This Blog on March 22, 2016
Barack Obama on today’s attack in Brussels:
“We will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally Belgium in bringing to justice those who are responsible,” Obama said. “This is yet another reminder that the world must unite. We must be together regardless of nationality, or race, or faith, in fighting against the scourge of terrorism. We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of people all around the world.”
Updates from HuffPo here.
Story from MSNBC.
I grieve.
Utah supports Hillary over Trump? I’ll believe it when I see it.
Posted by Glenden Brown in This Blog on March 21, 2016
Over the weekend, one of the biggest pieces of news was a poll that found both Hillary and Bernie would beat Trump in UTAH, if Trump were the Republican nominee.
It’s worth noting that the same poll showed a comfortable victory in Utah for either Cruz or Kasich. IOW, at least according to this one poll, a Trump nomination has the potential to scramble the electoral map. If Trump puts Utah into play, then a Trump nomination has the potential to make Goldwater’s 1964 loss look like a pleasant walk in the park.
All that said, I will believe that Utah would vote Democratic against Trump when I see it.
The nearest analogy I can find is 1992 when George HW Bush came in first, Perot second and Clinton third. If (and I think this is likely) there’s a three way contest, whoever the Republican establishment puts up against Trump will win in Utah.
Behind The Scenes Look At Yesterday’s Bernie Sanders Rally
Posted by Larry Bergan in 2016 Elections, Bernie Sanders, Democracy, democratic socialism, Liberal, Salt Lake City on March 19, 2016
Bernie Sanders Takes The Podium In Utah
My short look at the Bernie Sanders event on March 18th 2016. A turnout to be proud of, as 14,000 heads show up to Utah’s “This Is The Place” monument.
Thank you Utah!
The organizers told people to show up about three hours early to get everybody through the scanners, but that wasn’t even enough time to handle a crowd like this. Some arrivals had to stand behind a police barrier to enjoy the Sanders speech and the perfect Utah day.
Enjoy!
The
The Salt Lake Tribune provides the best quality video of the speech I’ve found so far.
KSL television has a very nice picture of the crowd from a better vantage point then I had.
Trump’s Followers In the Grip of Nameless, Unreasoning, Unjustified Terror
Posted by Glenden Brown in This Blog on March 18, 2016
By now, you’ve probably seen the video of the Trump supporter who cold-cocked a protester as he was being led out of the rally.
The stunning part was not the punch itself – although an old white man hitting a black protester is loaded with meaning – it was his later comment:
And when asked why he punched the protester, he said: “Number one, we don’t know if he’s ISIS. We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American, cussing me… If he wants it laid out, I laid it out.”
He added: “Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.”
We don’t know if he’s ISIS.
Think about that for a moment. Behind that statement lies a world class ignorance and mind-numbing fear. It’s the statement of a man so uninformed that it beggars the imagine.
“We don’t know if he’s ISIS.”
Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror. That’s the breathtakingly stupid statement of a man who has next to no idea about the world. He only knows he’s been told for years to be afraid and he has faithfully obeyed.
I’m less shocked by the punch than the breathtaking ignorance that motivated it.
The Decency Syndrome
Posted by Glenden Brown in This Blog on March 18, 2016
Last week, Hillary Clinton made a ridiculous gaffe in which she praised Nancy Reagan for her “low key” AIDS activism. She was immediately corrected by the gay community which pointed out that while she was First Lady, the Reagan administration didn’t do shit about AIDS and was often actively hostile to the gay community.
For a little context: Read the rest of this entry »
Bernie Rally Tomorrow (Friday)
Posted by Richard Warnick in 2016 Elections, Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Utah Politics on March 17, 2016
Utahns normally expect that the outcome of the presidential primaries will be decided before we get to vote. Not this year!
Friday, March 18 12:30 pm.
A Future to Believe In Rally in Salt Lake City
The Garden Place at This is the Place Heritage Park
2601 Sunnyside Ave S Salt Lake City UT 84108
The free event is open to the public. Bernie will hold a town hall meeting at This is the Place Heritage Park at 3:30 pm on Friday. The campaign says RSVP’s for public wishing to attend event are strongly encouraged. You can RSVP for the town hall at this link.
More info:
Bernie Sanders to Make Campaign Stop in Utah on Friday
Bernie Sanders, Kasich, Cruz and possibly Trump to visit Utah this weekend
Pat Paulsen For President!
Posted by Larry Bergan in American History, censorship, Donald Trump, Laugh, Liberal, Richard Nixon on March 16, 2016
He ‘s been dead since 1997, but he’s even funnier then Donald Trump. His campaign started in 1968, and is still going on as far as I’m concerned. He has got to be a part of the reason “The Smothers Brothers” popular show was cancelled by Nixon. And, yes, It was canceled by Nixon, not CBS.
I was thinking we needed some actual political humor, instead of racism.
From 1988:
Toddler Threat Bigger Than ISIS
Posted by Richard Warnick in American People, Gun Control, National Politics, Some people should not own guns, Terrorism on March 15, 2016
Snopes.com confirms: Toddlers killed more Americans than terrorists in 2015.
There were 58 total toddler-involved shootings in 2015, including 21 fatal shootings. In comparison, 19 Americans were killed in instances of suspected, reported, or potential Islamic terrorism in 2015. If you count an American victim of the Paris attacks, that number rose to 20.
In addition, there were 45 school shootings in the USA during 2015.
Not counted in the statistics is the tragic death of Veronica Rutledge, shot in the head by her 2-year-old son in Wal-Mart just after Christmas 2014. He found the handgun in her brand-new gun purse, a gift from her husband.
The most recent story involved a 4-year-old who picked up a gun in the rear seat of a car and shot his mom in the back while she was driving. Fortunately both of them survived. The mom has been described as “a fierce gun advocate and Ted Cruz supporter.”
Poll-Defying Pattern Predicts Sanders Victory
Posted by Richard Warnick in 2016 Elections, 4th Estate (Media), Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, National Politics on March 11, 2016
Via Jonathan Greenberg on HuffPo:
[T]he Michigan upset is not, as America’s foremost poll analyst Nate Silver claimed, a freak event not witnessed since the New Hampshire primary of 1984, but part of a new pattern of poll-defying results that will, if they continue, carry Bernie Sanders into the White House.
…[H]ow accurate are all the other recent polls showing Clinton victories on the March 15th Super Tuesday sequel? If Bernie surpasses the polls in these states by as much as he just did in Michigan, he stands to score historic upsets in the important delegate-rich states of Ohio and even North Carolina.
If Sanders does nearly as well as the 41 percent average poll-to-reality discrepancy of the four state pattern described above, Bernie may even win Illinois and Florida next week. Should that happen, it will be Bernie, not Hillary, who will have become “inevitable.”
The reason cable TV talking heads are hitting us over the head with pro-Hillary polls is that her campaign has bet heavily on supposed “inevitability” and “electability.” Her actual record and policy positions are unappealing to progressives. Even mainstream Democrats are repulsed by her neocon hawk foreign policy, which Hillary now tries to avoid talking about. When cornered, she’ll fake it by parroting Bernie Sanders proposals in her stump speeches.
There has been an attempt by the media, and even the allegedly progressive website DailyKos, to declare Hillary the “presumptive nominee.” If they can narrow the choice down to Hillary or Trump, then the “lesser evil” narrative kicks in and Dem-leaning voters will be told to fall in line and abandon their idealism.
Why are the polls wrong? Cenk Uygur has remarked that when registered voters are surveyed, Bernie usually comes out ahead. But then pollsters apply a “likely voter” screen to the results, which produces a predicted win for Hillary. When the “unlikely voters” turn out to vote, the polls don’t match the election returns. That may be a too-simple explanation, but it’s as good as any.
All Bernie has to do is rack up at least 54 percent of the remaining pledged delegates. He needs a string of solid wins to do that, but it can be done.
More info:
Poll-Defying Pattern Predicts Sanders Victory
Here’s what has to happen for Bernie Sanders to win
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