Senator Bernie Sanders gave a 23-minute online speech to supporters nationwide last night. You can watch the full speech below or read the transcript here.
Political baseballers listening for Sanders to finally concede to Hillary Clinton were disappointed… or maybe not, because they can keep writing stories asking when Sanders will concede. Sanders isn’t interested in endorsing the Democratic nominee (although he made sure to , because, as he said last night, “This campaign has never been about any single candidate. It is always about transforming America.” However, after listing several problems that must be solved (including sub-Third World life expectancy on Pine Ridge), Sanders did say, “This campaign is about defeating Donald Trump”:
After centuries of racism, sexism and discrimination of all forms in our country we do not need a major party candidate who makes bigotry the cornerstone of his campaign. We cannot have a president who insults Mexicans and Latinos, Muslims, women and African-Americans. We cannot have a president who, in the midst of so much income and wealth inequality, wants to give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the very rich. We cannot have a president who, despite all of the scientific evidence, believes that climate change is a hoax.
The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly. And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time [Senator Bernie Sanders, nationwide online speech, 2016.06.16].
Sanders said that “defeating Donald Trump cannot be our only goal.” Sanders listed numerous policies that he sees as vital parts of transforming America:
- $15/hour minimum wage
- Infrastructure jobs program
- Pay equity
- Women’s rights to “control their own bodies”
- Marriage equality
- Tackle gun violence: ban assault weapons, end gun show loophole, expand instant background checks
- Kill TPP
- Protect Social Security
- Break up the big banks
- Combat climate change: efficiency, sustainable energy, carbon tax
- Ban fracking
- Zero tuition for college
- Reduce student debt
- Prison reform
- Immigration reform with path to citizenship
That’s quite the agenda, and one that I can cheer Sanders in pressing nominee Hillary Clinton to promote all the way through the general election.
But Sanders also spoke to the turn that I want him to make, that he must make to ensure the enthusiasm of his supporters is not frittered away in anti-Clinton angst. He told his people that they must help the Democratic Party (and the Democratic Party must welcome their help) to build a 50-state strategy to take back local and state governments:
Here is a cold, hard fact that must be addressed. Since 2009, some 900 legislative seats have been lost to Republicans in state after state throughout this country. In fact, the Republican Party now controls 31 state legislatures and controls both the governors’ mansions and statehouses in 23 states. That is unacceptable.
We need to start engaging at the local and state level in an unprecedented way. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers helped us make political history during the last year. These are people deeply concerned about the future of our country and their own communities. Now we need many of them to start running for school boards, city councils, county commissions, state legislatures and governorships. State and local governments make enormously important decisions and we cannot allow right-wing Republicans to increasingly control them [Sanders, 2016.06.16].
Sanders here builds on his May call for support for current Legislative candidates (including South Dakota’s Clara Hart!) by telling his supporters to take the plunge themselves and run for office. He knows President Hillary Clinton won’t fix everything that needs fixing; he knows even President Sanders wouldn’t have gotten the job done. Sanders knows that the revolution requires allies getting involved at every level of government. Revolution doesn’t come from going to rallies and cheering for one superstar. Revolution comes from Bernie’s 1.5 million rallygoers walking around their towns, knocking on doors, and offering their service at City Hall, the County Courthouse, and the State Capitol.
Sanders people, you may be able to run for Legislature this year yet by stepping in for a placeholder (don’t sweat the details; it’s just this thing we do—contact your local Dems and ask if they need a candidate!).
Sanders railed in last night’s speech against the One Percent. Those corporate fatcats have been able to consolidate their wealth not just by buying candidates in Washington but by dispatching ALEC to buy Legislatures across the nation outside the scrutiny of the national press. Sanders is telling his people that the 2016 Presidential race, while vital, may not be their greatest and certainly is not their only battle. Sanders is calling on his people to fight the revolution on all fronts, national, state, and local, and to wage that battle every year, in every election, not just in the bright lights of the quadrennial Presidential contest.
The 45 and older Democratic crowd will just put another coat of blue paint on this worn out beast and move on. In the meantime, they will use that same paint to try to scare people into thinking that the nominee is the answer because Trump you know. You can easily see a progressive agenda that has been laid out by Bernie, how simple can it be for Clinton to accept these as the progressive direction? Unless of course, she is kidding.
The struggle continues as it always has. It took many years to eliminate slavery and longer for women to be able to vote. We have accomplished some worthy goals but there is so much more to do. Don’t give up!
Powerful stuff. Two playlists, bernie’s and hillary’s just about cover the water front. Time To Kick Republicans Out Of Office!
BCB-familiar w A. J. Falk, 1870? Dak Terr Gov.
Mark,
It does take time to accomplish what is important even though there are those that think because someone has a platform there will be change.
President Obama had a worthy list of what he wanted to accomplish during his presidency and was denied many times because of the on going obstructionists.
In order for Bernie to accomplish even half of his platform he would have to have both houses of congress in his control, and then there are no guarantees.
duh, ya think
duh, ya think
Now that is about the most profound statement that I have ever heard.
I’ll have to remember that.
Roger, that’s why Bernie is trying to coax his supporters into the chute. Accomplishing his platform will require multiple elections, with his people getting involved at the state and local level, taking more seats on more councils and in more Legislatures, building a bench of progressive candidates who can run for Governor and Congress and work with the next Presidential candidate who carries Bernie’s banner (because I get the impression Bernie will not carry that banner again).
Cory,
Believe me, I understand all that. Bernie does have a great platform and one that most Democrats can support.
My apprehension is that when a candidate has an overly aggressive platform is too easily attacked from too many different sources.
A candidate can spend a whole campaign putting out fires and not getting his message out.
Does that make sense coming from a 45 year old plus Democrat?
If by “aggressive” you mean tackling lots of issues, that may not be a problem for Presidential candidates. Clinton lists 31 issues on her website; Trump lists 21—although a third of Trump’s “Issues” seem to be about himself rather than specific policies (e.g., two videos about Trump University, another about his “Life-Changing Experiences”).
If by “aggressive” you mean seeking big changes, well, that’s been the primary distinction between Sanders and Clinton, his idealistic call for revolution versus Clinton’s pragmatic call for incremental change. In that regard, the primary has affirmed your concern: even among us liberal, change-happy Democrats, the less aggressive platform has won out… although I don’t get the impression that Sanders faced really heavy fire from multiple sources, not to the extent Clinton has.
It does make sense to be concerned with how much fire one’s platform will draw. But in the current political climate, in which wealthy interests will spend enormous sums to maintain their power, any Democrat, whether a serious change advocate like Sanders or an SHS centrist like Clinton, will face withering fire regardless of the specifics of his or her platform. At that point, I could argue that a candidate has nothing to lose (and perhaps courage points to gain) by offering an ambitious reform platform.
He lost, it’s time for him to get behind Hillary and get off the stage.
Hang on, Hap:
If I lose in November, should I “get off the stage” and stop trying to influence public policy?
Should Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, and john Kasich all get behind Hillary and not seek other ways to influence and promote their party’s platform?
Did Sanders say anything in this speech that undermines Hillary Clinton’s agenda? Isn’t he supporting her and the party’s agenda by encouraging his millions of supporters to get involved in local and state politics?
He’s still campaigning not just trying to influence policy and has a job he is supposed to be doing for his state. These other guys should not detract from Hillary especially at a time we want no risk of losing to Trump. If you lose no one expects you’ll be keeping quiet, but you’re a blogger. He’s in conflict with his other responsibilities though for that matter it’s about time for everyone around here to get behind Hillary. She ain’t perfect but we need her badly.
The problems that I see are from the old guard of the Democratic party that insist on keeping the mold on the decadence they have created. Roger comes in with “Believe me, I understand all that. Bernie does have a great platform and one that most Democrats can support.” Really, you can support it? Then why don’t you and all the rest of the old guard demand it? You cannot have your cake and eat it too if you are willing to just keep accepting the status quo. Why do you think Democrats can’t win in South Dakota at the top levels? It is because they do not stand for anything other than Republican lite. Maybe if Warren gets the VP nod real progressives will make a move towards your nominee. They may do so knowing that idiots like Harry Reid and the rest of the old guard will probably put Martha Coakley back up as their candidate in Massachusetts, welcome back Scott Brown.
Trump has 30, yes 30 campaign directors in a country that has…lets see..50 states. Here are the poll numbers http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html
6 points! Are you kidding? Clinton had better adopt and adapt to Bernie’s progressive platform or else she will remain in the rut. What is amazing is that Trump is not even running a campaign against the Clinton machine, strange times.
Islamic Radicalism has been around since the 7th Century after the death of Muhammad. He figured out violence works and made it integral in his teachings. Hillary told Obama to not pull out of Iraq but our beloved sophomore did and ISIS swarmed in and took over. Trump has traction because he’ll call things out (even though he’s a loon). People are afraid and want straight talk. For many the most important thing is national security. For me putting an end to the horrors of ISIS and the mass movement of people is at the top. We caused it. We’re dumb as rocks! And unwillingness to talk about reality is the problem time for Obama and his policies to go. No more PC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_fundamentalism#Origins
Jerry-no offense,but this Bernie kick is getting tiresome. Bernie lost-like it or not. I like what Bernie has done and what he stands for,but this wholesale change at once is not realistic even in a perfect vacuum. It isn’t going to happen overnight. There is no chance Dems get control of both houses of Congress with filibuster proof majorities. Not this time around. We are stuck with either HRC or Drumpf-the choice is yours.
I believe Mateen has claimed membership or allegiance to al-quada,ISIL and Hezbollah which at least two of the three are enemies. This guy sounds like he was confused.
Thanks to Bernie supporters like Jerry, they have alienated many potential Bernie supporters with their demanding ways and name calling of older Democrats. It has been consistent and has shown the anger of not just his supporters, but of Bernie himself.
Jerry can insult me all he wants, but that doesn’t change the fact that Bernie lost the primary.
Bernie is still campaigning, listen to his speech, and the longer he holds out on endorsing Hillary the tougher it will be to unite the party. Bernie is an Independent, maybe he wants a divided party going into the general election, being an Independent Bernie can choose to support Trump.
Roger-if HRC loses the election, there goes any chance Bernie had of getting any of his platform instituted. The choice,while maybe not palatable, is clear. Bernie and his backers need to understand this. I personally can’t stand HRC.but Drumpf#$k is way worse for all concerned.
I think Jerry has a point, but it gets lost in all his finger-pointing, and lack of historical perspective. In my lifetime I’ve seen the Democratic Party go from a liberal party to a centrist party to a progressive party to a Republican-lite party. Various changes in socio-economic and political factors caused these swings in various eras. Political leaders and the political system generally are going to respond to the shifts, but there is often a lag.
Most of the people in Congress during Obama’s administration were elected in the Republican-lite era, so it is not too difficult to understand that Congressional leadership would be a bit out of sync with the electorate. The party is now slowly coming back to being a party with progressive values, but it remains cautious in its approach, and willing to accept small steps forward. Sometimes that infuriates “the base.”
I think most of us old timers have been disappointed in the lack of progress during the Obama Administration. Sure, Republican intransigence has been a big issue, but many of us old timers see a “too scared” Democratic Party as another factor. But, hey, we also thought back in the 1980s, that there was some merit to adopting a Republican-lite strategy. It was the era of Reagan, after all, and to move some good legislation you had to give something up.
This is why I supported Hillary. She knows all this.
Donald Pay and BCB are the Terrence Manns of the DFP-the gentle voice of reason during turbulent times. Cory built it and we came-for reasons we can’t even fathom. Well some of are a nuisance at times. It is good to have the wise ones pull on the reins now and then.
Happy-you and this guy need to hook up.
DeLay said that the president has “put American lives in danger” and “emboldened” America’s enemies.
When Wiles asked if Obama is “actually on the other side of the war on terror,” DeLay said that Obama is “a Muslim sympathizer” who was “raised in a communist upbringing” and “hates America.
Former disgraced SOH Tom Delay is the guy who says his friends in the FBI were gonna drop the hammer on Clinton and if they didn’t he was going to take the info public.
It is so hard and so tiring to hear from me because you don’t want to hear the truth. Clinton and her DNC need to adopt the progressive platform and you will change the congress. That seems to me something that the DNC does not want to do. They like it when there is gridlock because then they don’t have to go to work. They can sit on their behinds and blather that those darn ol republicans are just obstructionists, they threaten us with bad words and such. I will make you a promise, if Clinton adopts a real progressive platform like what is presented above, why would Bernie followers not support her. The argument would be then that this is the New Democratic party. Toss the old guard out on their rear and start rebuilding this country. Obama did not give us Hope and Change he gave us the same old crap. We are in one helluva mess over there in the Mid East because of some dumb moves he made on his own, but a lot of them were done with Clinton as his Secretary of State. We need peace, not more of the same. Obamacare is great, don’t get me wrong, but it is not sustainable. When you get your 30 to 35% rate increase on top of the 45% rate increase that you got last year, come back and we can argue that on its merits. What ya got going in Iowa on that mfi? Your division of insurance is not gonna fight your big ol rate increase either. 75% rate increase in two years and then say that Medicare for all is just to big a step, amazing.
$15/hour minimum wage, wont happen
Infrastructure jobs program, has to happen
Pay equity, not this time
Women’s rights to “control their own bodies, two terms
Marriage equality, just a court case away
Tackle gun violence: ban assault weapons, wont happen
gun show loophole, yes it will happen
expand instant background checks, yes
Kill TPP, not now, it would look like the US couldnt keep its word.
Protect Social Security, not possible in this political climate.
Break up the big banks, pipe dream
Combat climate change: efficiency, sustainable energy, carbon tax, sorry, no,no,no, and no
Ban fracking, wont happen
Zero tuition for college, nope
Reduce student debt, if you make the deal, that should be the deal.
Prison reform, not unless you stop the drug war.
Immigration reform with path to citizenship, depends on the capitol the next president has after election.
The Blindman
Progressive ideas are so difficult to even consider these days. http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/sanders-announces-1-million-expand-dental-care-vermont-health-centers
At least in Vermont they can eat cob corn without leaving rows. Here in South Dakota, a lot of folks have to make corn bread and then soak it in powdered milk for an hour to chew on it. But all is good here because we get what we expect from our leaders.
If South Dakota Democratic voters felt that Bernie’s full platform was achievable they would have elected him over Hillary.
Idealism and political dreams are great, but right now we are the fight of lives to defeat republican Donald Trump, that must be the priority as spelled out in primaries..
Jerry, your passion for the cause is admirable, but, your side lost the battle and if you don’t support HRC see how much of a damn Potus Drumpf cares about Bernie’s platform.
The problem that I see is that old guard like yourself Roger do not want to understand that the Democratic party is going extinct. The numbers are down, Independents are up. Republicans are up. Why is that? Take a look at the young guns the republicans have in the stable. The answer is because your thinking like a floppy disk 186 in a world of smart phones.
Trump says global warming is a hoax,but, in the British Isles where the warming temps cause the North Sea to rise and pound violently on the cliffs near Trump’s golf courses he wants help building a sea wall to protect his investments.
Jerry, you must be talking about South Dakota because Dems are gaining more voters nationwide.
Jerry,
You claim to be the almighty and able to tell the truth, yet in reality you are in serious state of denial, and that denial as mike from iowa says is Bernie lost this election. Now that is the truth.
Calling me names does not change that.
I’ll wait and see what the Democratic Convention committee comes up with in terms of the 2016 platform
Maybe I am old school or old guard, as you call me, but that does not make me wrong or you right, we simply have opinions. I picked Hillary as my candidate because I felt she would be the strong one to defeat Trump.
You and Roger prove my point. I am not in denial, I just know what is going on. If Clinton does beat Trump, then what? What kind of Democratic progressive ideas will we see? Will we see a clear road map or more of the same kinds of rabbit trails we have witnessed since her old man got the brass ring? Clinton beat Bernie, I understand that. That loss does not mean that what the man was running on is a mistake, what he was running on is where we all should hope we can achieve. Roger you are not old school as that is to me a sign of respect, nope, you are old guard, which means you are still living in a place where there is no hope, there are only constants.
Damn Jerry, you have become so bitter over your loss.
With campaigners and supporters like you, it is no wonder Bernie lost.
Bernie lost, but his message was clear. We shall see how it all shakes out. Who knows, maybe Trump will be forced to drop out at convention. At any rate, there sure does not seem to be a runaway in the polling. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html
Face it, Bernie supporters are much needed by Clinton. All we ask is a progressive agenda to bring us back to who Democrats stood for. Hell, even an old war horse like myself might consider to come back to the party if it stood for something other than the lesser of two evils.
I don’t know if I’m old guard, new guard, changes of guard, or whatever…… but I worry with how Bernie is proceeding from here, he is losing the amazing political capital that he has gained. Of course, of course, I love and support and was energized by his campaign. But now it truly is time to change gears. As the GOP continues to be in disarray, and Trump continues to assist with the implosions – what a perfect time for the Dems to be on offense. Whenever the Dems show a spine and stick up for something, they win…..every single time. As recent as today, Bernie is saying he is an “active candidate”. Sigh. (quick reminder, HRC conceded and endorsed Obama on June 7th, 2008, and asked for party unity. And then shortly thereafter started campaigning for him)
Bernie has a great message. I worry that he is making decisions right now that will diminish that strength. If the roles were reversed, and Bernie was the presumptive nominee right now, what would we expect of Hillary Clinton? And if she didn’t concede and endorse, (and did exactly what Bernie is doing now), I can’t be convinced that people wouldn’t be….oh, just a wee bit mad at her. (I won’t go to the double standard example now, but …)
The Dems did a filibuster the other day on guns. Several Dem senators spoke, which will hopefully get some kind of movement on common sense gun safety laws. Where was Bernie? He should have been leading that pack!!!!
If Cory wins in November can this blog continue in it’s current form? If Huethers owned the Argus and controlled it’s content, wouldn’t that be considered an unacceptable conflict? Granted state reps are just part time, but where does the blur between politics, unbiased reporting, and activist journalism fall? Can you call yourself SD’s True Liberal Media, or more accurately Another Politicians Attempt to Make You Think Like Me? And vote for me too! I’m tryin to get to the Governor’s House man. Don’t you have to pick a lane?
The poll, conducted from Monday to Friday, showed Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, with a 10.7 point lead among likely voters over Trump, her likely Republican rival in the November presidential election. That’s down from a lead of 14.3 points for Clinton on Sunday, the day an American-born shooter who declared allegiance to militant group Islamic State killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Reuters, today, 9:20 pm
http://www.ibtimes.com/trump-gains-clinton-after-orlando-massacre-reutersipsos-poll-2383898
happy, u are definitely NOT a camper
if there were a few more cory’s in this state we might not have the republican graft from root to tree top. I doubt cory is making the big bucks on the blog, not to short sell it. kudos for him educating himself and the rest of us about politics, and then taking the bull by the horns. we ALL need to strongly consider running for public service and make a positive difference. most republicans have a personal angle for running lining their pocket books and republican resumes for a big kill in the near future. the quiet determined ones are doing it, at taxpayer expense.
brrrck, brachh….
“Rounds to tower, state airplane 007 requests takeoff, using my ‘new multi-engine [read:expensive]instruments rating’ the public just paid for…(or perhaps some semblance of this likely truth, for illustrative purposes).”
The Blindman is correct in what he wrote about the banning of assault type guns. In my opinion, Democrats will never win that battle so they should compromise. They should get off their elitist high horse and ask a simple question. Why are ordinary people so clingy with their guns. Then they would find that the reason for that is because it is a sign of accomplishment for them. They own the guns with the same feelings that other ordinary people have had since weapons were first used. For many, this is the only ownership they have. They do not own their homes, no land, not really anything other than this beautiful piece of hardware. While some scoff at them for this behavior, it only reinforces them into feeling even more backed up into the corner. A good way to meet would be to stop with the banning of the gun and compromise on the banning of the large capacity magazines and seek the common ground of background checks. It can be done without the ole my way or the highway as that plays directly into the hands of the republicans and the NRA. If you have ever hunted or been around wild boar, you would appreciate having some firepower to handle these smart, large and dangerous tasty beasts.
Last I looked, this was still America. In America, if you want to run for president, you can. If you want to keep in the race, you can. Nothing is in our Constitution to prevent you from doing so. If Bernie wants to stay the course, that is Bernie’s business.
If Clinton wins big — because Republican voters stay home, or swing voters choose her party, or both — House Republicans will struggle to win re-election. Henry Olsen, the co-author of a recent book about the Republican party, tells me that an eight-point win would put Republicans in the danger zone.
http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-06-17/republicans-should-worry-about-losing-the-house
On which party is dying: Gallup offers these party affiliation numbers back to 2004. Indies up, Dems and GOP trade places.
I just watched These Final Hours, a grim Australian film about the end of the world.
Jerry, Roger, Mike, Bill, friends… the Clinton nomination isn’t the end of the world, is it? I mean, the conventions and the election are going to happen, we’re going to have a new President next year, and we’re all going to live to fight another day, right?
One happy thought: as of the reports on hand last month, the Republicans candidates who lost to Trump had burned up over $700 million of their party faithfuls’ money. The Republicans are left with a rich nominee about whom it will be very easy for donors to say, “He’s a billionaire; he doesn’t need my money.” They are left with also-rans who proved themselves feckless and who now seem to be in no position to drive any positive results for the GOP in November.
Hillary and Bernie had raised over $500 million. For their trouble, donors got a nominee with a serious résumé and a runner-up who sounds from the above speech as if he is willing to (1) at least not get in the nominee’s way and (2) do some heavy lifting on the state and local side of the campaign.
The Republicans would be lucky to have our problem of a runner-up with the popularity and resources to stand up to the party nominee, demand concessions on party platform, and mobilize supporters in down-ticket races. We Democrats are lucky to have a nominee who appears willing to listen, who I think knows better than to squash her defeated challenger. Republicans are stuck with a nominee who threatens to go it alone and burn down the GOP right along with Hillary.
Parties don’t wield the same power they did before, but we still need them, because Independents don’t organize and get things done; they kinda sorta turn out on Election Day, then sit back and hope to heck the parties can figure out solutions. 17% voted here for Pressler in 2014, but where’s that cadre now? Where are all the Independent candidates who should have seen daylight in Pressler’s numbers and run for Thune’s and Noem’s seats and the Legislature?
That’s why Bernie ran as a Democrat, not as an Independent. That’s why he’s saying what he’s saying above. That’s why he’ll throw in with us imperfect Democrats as a lasting vehicle for the change he seeks.
Now let me ask again: we are going to last, right? We’re not seeing the end of the world and driving off a cliff, right? We’re going to stay on the road, let Hillary drive, but make her tenure at the wheel miserable by pointing to Medicare for All and campaign finance reform and some big bank breakups and shouting, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”
Dana, I understand your concern. But I don’t think Bernie is saying anything that Hillary or the rest of us Democrats have to perceive as a threat. Bernie is offering to mobilize millions of supporters at the local level. That’s work I as a Presidential nominee would welcome and reward.
Somehow I get the impression that Bernie supporters think that Hillary has totally rejected the Bernie platform. If this true I haven’t heard it, at least not publicly.
Hillary is a politician, she isn’t going to spit in the face of progressives and independents even though you think she has
The message is clear,Jerry-Bernie lost!
I’m still waiting for that pony I wanted back when I was growing up. I’m still waiting for my first kiss from the first love of my life back when. I’m still waiting to have a daughter of my very own.
I didn’t become bitter because I didn’t find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If I never find that pot, that bitterness is not what will define my life. Pick up the pieces and soldier on.
Good work, Sen Heidelberger! I want to get accustomed to that title for you.
Palin posted her latest diatribe, asking a series of questions about what she calls Obama’s “twisted anti-Second Amendment mission.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sarah-palin-barack-obama-guns_us_57643958e4b0fbbc8bea449e
By your own pony and relive your childhood, reach out to the first love and say hello. Adopt a kid or just go to the homeless shelter and befriend the children there, they would appreciate it I can assure you. I finally found the pot at the end of the rainbow and married her. Ya big lug, now get on with it.
Hap, where’d that question come from? It doesn’t seem to pertain to the Sanders/Clinton argument… but I’ll entertain it.
Do I give up the title of “true liberal media” if every now and then I turn to my fellow true liberals and say, “We lost. Let’s make lemonade”?
“Another Politicians Attempt to Make You Think Like Me?”—have I not always written from a clearly persuasive position, trying to change people’s minds and get them to vote for Democrats, liberals, progressives, and whoever else is trying to do the right thing? Haven’t I urged people to vote for candidates before? Is urging them to vote for me (and, for those of you who find me on your ballot, yes, please do!) really that much different from urging them to vote for Scott Parsley, Gerry Lange, Angie Buhl O’Donnell, Bernie Hunhoff, Matt Varilek, Rick Weiland, and any Democrat who runs against Mike Huether in 2018?
“pick a lane”? What am I trying to do? Talk about substantive issues, offer analysis that the regular media does not, provoke conversation and learning (including my own learning, from studying the issues and from hearing your comments), counter conservative and corporate spin, give liberals hope, try to tell a good joke every now and then, and win an election—yeah, that’s a lot to fit in one lane.
But tell me why I can’t do all of those things and blog about them. Tell me why what we do here can’t be part of the civic conversation that good statesmen should be leading anyway as their first and foremost duty in a truly participatory democracy.
speaking of guns, Dithmer and Jerry….http://www.hcn.org/articles/latest-house-natural-resources-committee-holds-hearing-on-extremism-on-public-lands?utm_source=wcn1&utm_medium=email
we have a couple or more republican legislators that are ready to initiate armed conflict, like the bundy’s and the Idaho 3%ers like to imitate, all carrying AR15s, likely some converted to full automatic or burst capability, just like the Marines, ect.:
“the increase in incidents of violence and intimidation targeting federal land agencies. The 41-day armed occupation of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and the Cliven Bundy standoff in Nevada in 2014 are just two of the most visible battles in this “war” that High Country News has chronicled in-depth.”
the “old guard” domocrats “Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi…the congressmen’s efforts to address extremism”.
thank you “old guard ” democrats in the House!!
I still agree with Blindman
Here is Wonkette’s title for the Palin diatribe- Sarah Palin Under Impression Somebody Asked Her Opinion On Orlando Shootings
I guess since Barstool got hitched, Snookie has more free time to say stoopid things again.
13,300,472 Americans cast their primary votes for Donald Trump. Notwithstanding his recent popularity plunge, if polls are correct and the election were held today he’d still collect 40 percent of the vote. Which is in the neighborhood of 50 million.
Fifty million — pulling the lever for a pathological liar, peddler of vile racist, misogynist, xenophobic ravings and sneering trampler of our most fundamental American values. Not to mention the Constitution, with which he seems unfamiliar. Not to mention a personality I’d call infantile….http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-garfield/donald-trump-2016_b_10523982.html
So then, what is your argument Leslie? That Trump is dangerously close to winning the race?
36% voted. don’t know how many millions that is??
This midterm election became the most expensive in history, with total spending reaching $3.7 billion (including spending by outside entities[2]), while producing the lowest turnout since 1942.[3][4][5]
The elections saw sweeping gains by the Republican Party in the Senate, House, and in numerous gubernatorial, state, and local races.
Young Americans aged between 18-29 accounted for 13%, down from 19% in the presidential election two years before.
wiki 2014 election
as I have said continuously to you, trump is gonna get slaughtered, imo, but watch for republicans to change things up unexpectedly. they are extraordinarily dangerous.
jerry, lighten up. we love you too much here. truly
I don’t understand why everyone is so worked up over Bernie not endorsing Hillary. He is doing exactly what he has said all along. That he is taking this movement to the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia. He has 1900 delegates and he is going to try to make the platform as Progressive as possible and hold Hillary to issues she said she held: for example, against the Trans Pacific Partnership, against Keystone, for an increase in the minimum wage, although still a ways from $15/hour.
He has said he will support the Democratic nominee throughout the election. People have been asking for him to get out of the way since before Iowa. Some of Bernie’s supporters will automatically support Hillary. Others will support Jill Stein or another candidate. What Bernie is trying to do is keep his movement involved. These voters are critical in every state and he knows this. It is not all about the Presidential election. If most of these voters that supported Bernie stay active, then Paula Hawks has a chance to win, then we can pass the ballot initiatives like the commission for dealing with gerrymandering, passing the cap on the pay day industry and get these supporters to vote for state and local representatives that share Bernie’s passions. Many of these people got involved for Bernie because he spoke the truth to them. They have no connection to Hillary. She is going to have to earn their vote on her own. Some of them will buy the arguments in the blog comments for why they should vote for Hillary, but honestly I think most of them want to be convinced to vote for her because of what she offers, not that she is not Donald Trump.
As to a couple of comments in the blog that Bernie’s proposals are pie in the sky; why shouldn’t we ask for what Bernie is asking for. I use a couple of examples that I wish Bernie would have used during the primary.
1) In 1961 John F. Kennedy announced to Congress his goal of sending an American to the moon by the end of the decade. Seemed like a pretty bold idea back then.
2) A Robert Kennedy quote ” There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” Again why shouldn’t we expect bold ideas and solutions? If we think or ask for less, then we have already lost.
3) Michael Moore’s film Where to Invade Next- points out the absurdity of most of the issues in the film where the United States trails other countries and the fact that all of them are previous American ideas. Most of these are issues Bernie has pushed throughout the campaign.
Finally, I am sure you will not see an endorsement for Hillary from Bernie until during or after the convention. I also do not think he will run as an Independent because he said from the very beginning he was running as a Democrat and he wanted a Democrat in the White House.
frankly, your use of “old guard and establishment” is offensive and ill fitting of 1960s war protestors, feminists, civil rights and anti-“whatever yah got!”. I have NEVER been the establishment and have fought the republican establishment for as long as most of you sons of beotches out there….you sound like some young kid angry at his old man. regardless….
you and I are on the same team.
Good for you, Jerry. You are sounding more like the Jerry I remember.
I’m told that McConnell is freaking out about the newest voter surveys, like one by Bloomberg Politics that showed Hillary Clinton with a 12-point lead and another by ABC News and The Washington Post that put Trump’s unfavorable rating at 70 percent. McConnell sees his Senate majority slipping away.
“Trump’s stomach-churning behavior would be manageable if his poll numbers were holding up,” said one disgusted Republican strategist
Here is what we get if Drumpf wins-
http://tinyurl.com/jav9ocq
Paul Ryan wants to deregulate just about everything and revert back to good old days.
Yes, I am angry, but not about Bernie’s unsuccessful primary. I am angry that Democrats have not seized the moment regarding all things progressive. I am angry that Democrats are to busy to vote because they think the results are already in. You can show a 12 point lead and I can show a 5 to 6 point lead, that can vanish like a fart in the wind as we have seen with polling data that has been done in the past. I am angry that Democrats seem to be refusing to seal the deal by not laying out a progressive platform right now that start to convince Independents as well as Democrats that they are serious about changing the direction of the country and need their help to accomplish that. Where is the GOTV? How long does this drag on before they realize they must act? We already know what the republican platform will be, they are clear.
Whoops, I almost let this one slide. I am also angry about war and the continued loud drumming of the war drums. Now, we see the reach out to the architect of the fiasco we are still in called Iraq. Team Clinton and Bush, trying to put the gang back together again, who knew? https://www.yahoo.com/news/hillary-clinton-invokes-unlikely-allies-000000292.html
Cory, talking about Sander’s being in conflict with what he should be doing at home led me to wonder about conflicts if you become an elected politician, not what you’ve been doing before now. You call yourself Media which is very non-specific. The mixture of opinion news created directly by politicians at any level makes me squirm. I still have a yearning for the old days of presenting facts. Stop. You make up your mind. No blurring there. If you become paid by the state, then it’s a further blur if called media. Cory’s take on the world, disclosure member of congress for the state, fine, but it’s not an independent source of information. Maybe it’s labeling. If I were to get picky, you’re running for office so you’re a pol right now, and from what I’ve read at that other place have unlimited funds generated by the blog. That’s an actual quote by a regular commenter on both blogs. Unlimited funding generated by a media source for a campaign. Hmmm. I know I’m exaggerating, but I think there is a point about how blogs can be presented by state employees or politicians.
Media: the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely.
What is your point Happy? Could it be that you are just jealous? Sounds like it. Sibson has a blog site, you could create one as well, ask him how he does it. Me, I think that Cory does a very good job with this site to keep it policed but to also be a fair and impartial editor. I also think he would take that same attitude to Pierre.
Blog: a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
There is no there there happy. Nothing but pure unadulterated comments even from you.
We can call what Cory does “applesauce” and now Happy can have peace of mind.
No, I’m being picky because the presentation of impartiality or not matters in politics. South Dakota’s True Liberal Media. If operated by a politician? Or someone paid by government? He’s changing roles. Or wants to mix them. I very much appreciate it’s an outlet for our babble, exchange of ideas, debate, and that Cory rarely tries to restrict what others have to say. I’m not saying he doesn’t do a very good job at what the blog has been, but he is in no way impartial, and as this became a state voice box he moved toward making it media, not just a blog, but media to influence.
Yes Cory, I don’t think Bernie is necessarily saying anything that would be perceived as a threat to the Dems, per se, but he sure isn’t changing gears in a timely fashion to get that energy going to unite for November. Many of his supporters, with the way Bernie is continuing and things that he is saying, still think there “is a chance.” The longer it takes, I believe, for Bernie to help heal the wounds with his supporters, the shorter time period there is to do this. What I do see from Bernie right now, is that it is more of a “me” conversation he has, rather than a “we”.
IMHO, Bernie is risking damage to his brand and becoming irrelevant. I would hate to see that happen with all of the progress that he made. Heck, if Bernie hadn’t been in the race, HRC wouldn’t have moved as much as she did. I don’t know, I would take that as a “win”, and show leadership by helping his folks rally for the main cause. Beefing up Dem wins in November. Not just for the White House. Hillary could win in November, but if she doesn’t get more support, it will just be at least 4 more years of obstruction and nothingness. Like the ole experts say, running for President can be intoxicating when you have some success. I worry that Bernie is putting himself right now, before the good of the country. Trust me, I really want to be wrong about that.
Yes, I’m sure HRC will be happy if Bernie mobilizes locally. That would be great! I’m skeptical, Bernie “says” alot of things, but will he really? I don’t know. I hope that is true. I do believe that Bernie could be a kinda/sorta secret weapon here, but as the clock keeps ticking, the strength of that weapon will diminish. Again, I hope I’m wrong.
If John Thune started an on line media outlet he called South Dakota’s True Conservative Media smack with everything he believes, I don’t think you’d find it cool. I’m bringing it up both because it’s interesting how this new media impacts us, how we attempt to use it to impact others, and questioning it’s proper fit. Cory is obviously the perfect person to raise the question. You just like it cause it’s working for you. Applesauce for everyone!
Jerry, I don’t think Hap sounds jealous at all. I know Hap, and I do not believe any such feeling motivates his comments.
Hap, I have been paid by the state directly (BOR while at DSU) and indirectly (as a public school teacher) throughout much of my blogging career so far. I have blogged while working in public service; I will continue to do so while serving as a legislator.
I understand the skepticism you may offer of blogging from an elected official. We look at the press releases from Thune, Rounds, Noem, and Daugaard as useless, staff-processed propaganda—why would we look at blog posts from me as a legislator in any different light?
Curious: Bernie Sanders made the above video while an elected official, a politician running for office and seeking to sway votes and mobilize civic action. We’ve been taking his words pretty seriously in this discussion. Sanders is speaking with authenticity, right? That authenticity is why millions of us got behind him, right? I hope I can replicate that authenticity… or, more accurately, sustain the authenticity with which I have always tried to speak.
I wish I had unlimited funding. ;-) My blog income remains limited. I use the blog to promote my candidacy for State Senate, but I keep my campaign contributions (also far from unlimited) completely separate from blog operations. Neither my blog income nor my campaign contributions so far represent the kind of big money that can buy votes.
Yeah man Cory knows. I was driving to Gay Pride yesterday free thinking when those thoughts wandered in. I like Cory it’s just my nature to question. Off topic the Freethinkers were there, but kind of on topic that’s why his blog has been a cool place.
Sanders is not a hypocritical typical political hack with his finger in the wind checking the latest partisan breeze. I see no reason for him to endorse Hillary. The Hillary true believers and feminists would view Sander’s support as totally deserved for their idol and will not regard it with any real consideration or as having any value that warrants any support for his policies. Hillary and Trump’s sense of entitlement drives much of their political blather.
The idea that Sanders is the “me” candidate is laughable when considered with Hillary and Trump who almost never use “we” or “us” or even mention the 99% vs. the 1%. If Hillary really does get the nomination, we can expect the primarily Republican FBI and retrograde Republicans to dump a load of trash on her.
We have a sea of politicians who never want to actually produce programs that solve an actual problem, because they are so uncreative and unimaginative that they can not see future issues that are as easily to exploit as the current memes. They are intellectually lazy.
Much of the voting public is busy trying to make a living and keep their heads above water. They have invested their free brains in Hillary and will not work to get Sander’s ideas into their heads. The Trump support is a coalition of various conspiracy groups who will not allow facts or data to alter their opinions and support of Trump who rattles their cages with a few phrases which sound idiotic to the rest of us.
We have media so interested in pushing diversity and political correctness that rational discussion with facts playing any real part in such discussions is primarily defined out of existence or fenced off from discussion. Trump also uses that failure primarily on the left, but also on the right to his advantage as well.
I listened to Obama apologists this morning claiming that the reason Obama won’t use “radical Islamic terrorists” is because he thinks we are all so stupid we will expand this actually limiting phrase somehow into “all Islamicists” . This is just plain silly. Not using the limiting phrase actually expands any discussion of terrorists into discussion of all Muslims.
This is an area where misguided political correctness drives policy discussion into nonsense and opens up areas for Trump to exploit.
Much as with Bill Clinton, if Hillary gets the nomination, the day afterward, the whole Democratic Party will be doing even more Hillary support work which will do nothing to make good changes in Congress or legislators.
leslie, it looks like we have connected. Thanks for the suggestion to look at A. J. Falk, 1870? Dak Terr Gov. I had not seen that before!
happy, the biggest problem for ISIS and other radical terriorists is that the vast majority of Muslims apparently don’t buy what the radicals are selling and want a safe peaceful life just like most other people in our world.
mfi, jerry and I seem to agree on most everything. One apparent difference is that I see Hillary as a very positive and successful individual who shares almost all of the values of Bernie, Cory, mfi, jerry and myself. To me she is a candidate who deserves support for what she has tried to accomplish, what she has accomplished, and what she intends to accomplish. But if you vote for her just to stop Trump, even though you don’t like her, that is okay with me. As for me, my vote is for Hillary, not against Trump (although if the dems nominated someone I hated, I would then vote for the dem against Trump).
Obama, Hillary and Bernie are three strong humans trying to push heavy boulders of social change up a mountain full of Republican saboteurs. Sort of like Sisyphus. Let’s support their goals and help them get those boulders over the top!
Interesting anology BCB.
Wow! We have some checkers players criticizing how Obama is playing chess.
All the smart foreign policy folks are advising Obama not to use the word “Islamic” with regard to the radical self-proclaimed Islamic terrorists. This is not for some politically correct reason. Not using the term doesn’t play well to a lot of folks here in the US because they want “barking dog diplomacy.”
The reason not to focus on the Islamic part of the label is obvious. We don’t want to give the impression to 1.6 billion mainstream Muslims the world over that we have it out for their religion. We don’t want to help the ISIS recruiting efforts. It is not Islam v. the West. It is a terroristic cult v. most of the rest of the world. Why would we not be careful in our use of language?
I swear it sounds like Trump headquarters around here sometimes.
Darin,
After catching up on some of the comments this evening I arrived at the same conclusion.
There are a lot of supposedly Democrats and Independents that seem to be working overtime to get Trump elected.
Good luck to them, they just may accomplish their goal.
Next we’ll probably have the she is a woman and we are not ready to have a woman president, you know a lot of these fools are thinking just that, but are afraid of saying it.
If you dislike or hate Hillary for any reason, don’t vote for her. By now you should know the consequences.
My mother was a woman that could have been president of anything. My wife is a woman that could also be the president of anything. Neither of these women trusted or trust Clinton. Sorry Roger, your barking up the wrong tree. No hate here, just a past that can easily be remembered.
There is a way to start to bring back that trust though, will Clinton and the DNC act in time?
Here is the way for starters http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/283975-progressives-want-sanders-to-remain-force-in-congressional-primaries
President Clinton or President Sanders really does not mean much without congress. I like Paula Hawks for many things but recently her stand for gay rights. That is what progressives want and need to see to make this country solid again for all of us, without fear. I am talking to you Darin and to you Roger, fear is a powerful force, chill out. Bernie has got this.
The women in my rather large Native American family to a letter all support Hillary.
Sorry Jerry, you were wrong about Bernie Sanders, he lost the nomination remember, and you will be wrong about HIllary.
Time will tell Roger, I will not hold my breath for you to figure it out, but Bernie is the best thing that has happened to your party since FDR.
It costs taxpayers $38000 per day for everyday that Sanders doesn’t close his run for Potus for Secret Service protection.
Sisyphus… I wonder… could Obama and Clinton push the boulder while Sanders clears and levels the path?
Less metaphorically: suppose Bernie never does a happy hand-clasp with Hillary on stage. Suppose he spends the month before convention saying just what he said above, working his people to come up with candidates to fill every available down-ticket slot that hasn’t been chosen yet, and lining up volunteers for GOTV. Couldn’t working on that parallel track be just as good for Clinton’s and Democrats’ chances as the unification some folks are demanding? Could Sanders stay at arm’s length from Clinton and still serve the cause?
Speaking of GOTV, who is gonna do that if not for these guys and gals https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/20/more-young-people-voted-for-bernie-sanders-than-trump-and-clinton-combined-by-a-lot/?tid=hybrid_collaborative_1_na
Too many populists this primary season. Sanders’ departure from the race will be a welcomed event in my home.
Moody’s basically calls a Drumpf presidency a disaster for America. I hope Bernie and HRC can work together and bring on an electoral landslide in favor of Dems all across America.
Of course dissent will increase exponentially and acts of domestic terrorism will expand. Why? Because I have faith in my wingnut friends to do the wrong thing just out of spite.
For those on this and previous blogs regarding Bernie Sanders vs Hillary Clinton, who have a hard time understanding where the jerrys and others of us on those blogs were coming from, please take the time to read the long post at the following website. No one wants to listen to Bob Graham or Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul or Bernie Sanders. Well, we may be nearing the time where we will wish we had listened.
http://tinyurl.com/zrymtw2