Debbie Wassermann Schultz announced her resignation as chair of the Democratic National Committee.
During the campaign, Senator Sanders called for her resignation and said the DNC was not playing fair. The leak of emails proved him right.
Her departure should signal more than just a change at the top.
It should open a much-needed discussion of the neoliberal policies that many national Democrats shared with the GOP. The bipartisan consensus on critical issues should be reconsidered.
The party must take a clear stand against fracking, against privatization of the public schools and other public services, against trade deals that hurt working Americans, and for stronger protections for college students, the environment, and the 99%. Regulations of banks must be strengthened to prevent a repeat of the 2008 economic meltdown.
Democrats must begin here and now to renew their commitment to social justice, economic fairness, and promotion of the common good. The blurring of the lines between the two parties is nowhere more obvious than in the Democrats’ support for school privatization and high-stakes testing. Historically, these are Republican issues. Democrats must listen to the experts in every field, the people who do the actual work, not the think tanks in D.C., not the hedge fund managers, not the financiers, and rebuild the trust of their base.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Democrats must listen to the experts in every field, the people who do the actual work, not the think tanks in D.C., not the hedge fund managers, not the financiers, and rebuild the trust of their base.
Hear, hear, to your whole post but most of all your conclusion.
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Agree.
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So true!
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You ARE NOT going to believe this one. Debbie got her payoff from Hillary.
http://fortune.com/2016/07/24/wasserman-schultz-clinton-campaign/
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See @dwstweet from last week. HAHAHA! Offering help to Reince
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Believe it necessary, but didn’t think it would happen.
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You are so right! The time has come to listen to the 99 per cent who have been crushed. Our society is hurting big time. I have seen tremendous poverty in Camden, NJ, but it is also in the working & middle class. People are having trouble feeding their families.
I have witnessed the rip off of public funds for education in the so called charter schools. As a taxpayer, I have asked for transparency & get no where. I have asked for an elected Board of Education so the people of Camden have a say. I have been told in a couple of years. How can you teach these children about democracy when it doesn’t exist? How can society let their homes be taken away because the corporations are going to take the land and a ten year tax abatement.
It is time to stop the union busting that has also been going on in this country. We are the people in the US and want our rights back!
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The first word in the US Constitution is “We”. We the people are in grave danger of seeing our form of government disappear. What has happened in education is a preview. Local control and treating teachers as professionals has all but disappeared. What do we have instead? Whether it is Donald Trump with “I am the only one who can fix it.” or the Democrats promising more federal programs, its the same cloth and its worn by rulers. It’s past the time for “We the people…” to stand up and to act.
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Thomas Frank “Listen Liberal” all there. It is the top 10%
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“Democrats must begin here and now to renew their commitment to social justice, economic fairness, and promotion of the common good.”
Continuing support for the brutal U.S. corporate/military global empire by most members of the Democrat Party makes commitment to these wise, humane, pro-democracy goals impossible.
Here are quotes from very wise thinkers which SHOULD, but won’t, inform and influence Democrat policies:
“Empire abroad entails tyranny at home.” – Hannah Arendt
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.
“This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter with a half-million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. . . . This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”
– President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953
“We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”
– both quotes by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., from “Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence”, delivered at the Riverside Church in NY City on April 4, 1967, one year to the day of his assassination.
Two questions often asked, and now answered:
1. “Why do ‘they’ hate us?”
Answer: “They” (the people the U.S. bombs and whose governments the U.S. overthrows) “hate us” (actually, they hate the U.S. government, which is composed of a massive military which acts as the thugs for global corporations) because the U.S. has killed or maimed their families. The U.S. is now considered, with excellent reasons, the greatest threat to world peace:
Here Is the Country That Was Named the Biggest Threat to World Peace
http://ijr.com/2015/03/279944-country-named-biggest-threat-world-peace/
2. Why is there no money for infrastructure repairs, transitioning to safe and sustainable energy, more schools and teachers, Medicare for All, decent jobs with living wages for all who want to work, 45 million living in poverty (45 Million Americans Live in Poverty, but You Wouldn’t Know It From Watching 2016 Coverage | Alternet http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/45-million-americans-live-poverty-you-wouldnt-know-it-watching-2016-coverage) and tens of thousands of homeless people in the wealthiest nation in history?
Answer: The Pentagon budget alone is more than $598 billion for 2016, 54% of all discretionary spending.
Military Spending in the United States
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/military-spending-united-states/?gclid=COjW1Y_UjM4CFcIkhgod6TAP_A
But that amount does NOT include the expenses for nuclear weapons (in the Energy Dept. budget), militarization of outer space (in the NASA budget), the 16 Intelligence Agencies (United States Intelligence Community – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Intelligence_Community),
and the Dept. of Homeland Security, all of which bring “national security” spending to about ONE TRILLION DOLLARS a year.
That is more than ALL other nations spend on national security COMBINED!
Why do we “need” more than 800 U.S. military bases in more than 80 foreign nations; more than 6,000 military bases in the U.S.; nuclear-armed fleets on all of the world’s oceans; a nuclear arsenal of more than 7,000 warheads (1,500 on hair-trigger alert); and fund more than 70% of NATO’s trillion-dollar annual budget?
ONE helmet for the pilot of the F-35 Joint Strike fighter, which has consistently FAILED to perform well in all test dogfights against likely Russian and Chinese aircraft, costs $400,000!
That’s for ONE helmet!
Why do we continue to put up with this insanity and stupidity, while so many people suffer?
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What a fantastic comment you make!! I think the same way but didn’t have all the quotes and statistics which you have put together. “Stop the killing.” The US always has money for the military but comes up extremely short when it come to helping those who are suffering, both internationally and domestically.
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i would respectfully add that the issue of proliferation of high deductible, 70/30 type insurance plans….whether that is single payer system, or a return to HMOs/PPOs, is another discussion….however, other than some teachers, everyone i know is having to choose between paying rent/eating/living or going to a doctor….who has four to six thousand in a bank or even an HSA before the 30% out of pocket kicks in, and then who has that 30% handy for the remainder cost of doctor visits, procedures, etc…..this is a fight as critical as the one involving public education, imho….it is one i deal with, and will likely kill me, since i don’t have the money to even go for healthcare (oh, and i pay over 500.00 a month for this plan i can’t use, and yes, i used an insurance broker to help me find a better deal….there were none…..)
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This is all a heartbreak, Kathie. Hillarycare, which she claims morphed into Obamacare, is not working for a major portion of those forced into this system. Medicare for ALL makes far more sense.
But no one mentions that people over 65 in the Medicare system, have over $100 taken directly out of their Social Security checks, and still have to pay about $100 a month or more for Part D meds. That comes to $2400 a year for retirees in addition to any Secondary insurance that is vital to supplement Medicare. These plans cost about another $6000 a year. So an old person is now paying at least $8,000 a year for health insurance…which the Repubs derisively call “an entitlement” that “should NOT be FREE” (just listen to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell blathter)….so much for these crooks and liars.
The ENTIRE system MUST change. It is proven by every other industrialized nation, that health care for all works efficiently and at a lower cost than our crooked system of enriching insurance companies…done by both Dems and Reps.
Obama was horrible at negotiating for We, the (not rich) People. He rolled over and played dead with Big Pharma, and protected his Wall Street contingent in ruling that everyone HAS to HAVE INSURANCE. Outrageous! What will Hillary do to us???? We know that Trump will put us on an ice floe…will Hillary?
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Average families struggle to pay for health insurance while the CEOs of health insurance companies are paid over $10 million, plus some have additional compensation built in including bonuses and stock options. It is ridiculous. Big Pharma makes sure Americans pay top dollar for medications. This will be worse under TPP. Drug companies bought lawmakers to ensure the government cannot negotiate on drug prices for Medicare. Corporations and billionaires are buying everyone so they can dictate policy.http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/top-health-insurance-ceo-pay-exceeds-10-million-2014
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All the other wealthy democracies have some form or version of universal health care: everyone is covered, no one goes bankrupt from medical costs and the Rx drugs are significantly cheaper than in the US. Bernie has been fighting the good fight for decades but one man against the corporate sell outs and the party of NO (GOP) is not a fair fight. We are lucky to have Medicare and Medicaid, even with their short comings. Before Medicare and Medicaid there was nothing; it was tough luck and drop dead. It took a monster like LBJ to get those essential programs passed.
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NEW: Clinton names Wasserman Schultz honorary chair of campaign team washex.am/2amCQ5J
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Here is a comment from Bernie Sanders reported in the Washington Post with the headline: “Wasserman Schultz announced Sunday she would resign in aftermath of email controversy”.
“…Sanders moved quickly on Sunday to separate the dispute with the DNC from his support for Clinton. He strongly denied that the revelations had changed his support for Clinton and said the real threat was Trump.
“To my mind, what is most important now is the defeating of the worst candidate for president that I have seen in my lifetime, Donald Trump, who is not qualified to be president by temperament, not qualified to be president by the ideas that he has brought forth,” Sanders said on ABC.”…
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Here is what mystifies me:
Why weren’t these leaked months ago, when they would have some effect on the primary? Why leak them now? The timing should tell us quite a bit about what the agenda of the leaker is. It does not seem to be to help elect Bernie Sanders.
Does everyone agree that this is the first time in modern history that the DNC has supported an establishment candidate over another one? Or are they saying this is business as usual, and Obama was really the establishment candidate and that’s why he won?
I am trying to understand the extreme outrage. I am a Bernie supporter who will now vote for Hillary. I don’t love her, but also remember when she used to be a left wing Commie trying to turn the US into a socialist country (according to people who were terrified of her winning — and NOT because she was in the pockets of big business and banking). So I look on this and I am shocked that history is so soon forgotten.
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I don’t think she was ever considered a left wing Commie . Despised yes. After Reagan the right expected a thousand year Reich the Clintons and Obama interrupted their plans.
That didn’t make either Commies barely even progressive. All of Bill Clinton’s major achievements were Republican dogma.
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Well I disagree with you on ONE thing: Bill Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy. And that was a very important thing. For 12 years we were told that if you raise taxes, you destroy the economy. Bill Clinton proved they were lying and that trickle down didn’t work. It was a fact that no matter what, Republicans couldn’t argue with. And if the Democrats in Congress when Bush took office had not been so cowed and had blocked the huge tax cut for the wealthy that Bush-Cheney wanted, we probably would not have been in quite the economic mess we were in.
And yes, Hillary was definitely called a left winger back in the day. She became the symbol of “liberalism” when it was a bad word that Democrats could not run away from fast enough. (Hooray Bernie for making “liberal” a good word again!)
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Correct me if I am wrong but didn’t he lower the capital gains rate . The 1986 tax reform act treated gains as income putting a 36 % tax on the highest brackets . Clinton lowered it to 20% . The truly wealthy
pay gains not income tax. So did he raise taxes?????
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I will refer you to Thomas Frank on that liberal rating . It ain’t about God ,gays,guns ,or abortion . The social issues are a distraction most of those do not belong in our political discussions they are personal decisions . Remember this line . “IT”S THE ECONOMY STUPID” ?
On that issue I have a big problem calling Neo liberal Democrats liberal . The assault on Public Education is part of an overall economic assault on “public goods”
But by the way “don’t blame me I voted for Bernie” will replace my Bernie sticker
.
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I appreciate the facts as you stated them. The problem is not in the statement of facts the problem is the money changing hands!! It seems to be a Clinton protocol to Fatten up the Clinton Foundation. The only way I would vote for Hillary is if there was a true disclosure of all donations to the foundation. But no one seems to care but me!
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Trump’s tax returns aren’t equally important? Romney’s full tax returns, weren’t they important, to you, either?
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Judy…I agree that Hillary must be transparent with her donations and not co-mingle them with the Clinton Foundation….but I think the world is now watching the Clintons carefully.
As to no one cares but you…not so.
Please read the endless comments at this site, most by Bernie supporters, who pilloried Hillary about her trash/cash collections for her hidden Wall Street speeches, and the despots of the world who pour money into the Clinton Foundation. I wrote very recently about Gulen donating $49,000 (then asking for special consideration), which I hope she has returned.
But now the whole game has changed when she now has Trump as her opponent. He is a proven unstable rotter and crook who has colluded with the worst sorts of criminals. His lawyer was the infamous Roy Cohn. We have the facts of his history and how he cheats people…and having this Know Nothing in the WH would be a disaster that actually could end the world.
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I care and totally agree!
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Linda – where did Judy say she was voting for Trump? I’m really tired of this meme that not voting for Hillary is voting for Trump. Sorry, but Hillary still has to earn votes from some of us. Some of us will not simply be scared into voting for her because OMG Trump!!!
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Bernie Sanders says that Dems need to vote for Hillary to prevent Trump from becoming President. He supports Hillary and will not support a third party candidate. Here is a quote that appeared in today’s Washington Post:
On ABC’s “This Week,” however, Sanders said outright that he would not support a third-party candidate, and he made a coded appeal to anyone who supported him to stick it out with the Democrats.
“This is a very momentous moment in American history,” he said. “To my mind, what is most important now is the defeating of the worst candidate for president that I have seen in my lifetime, Donald Trump.”
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Regulation of banks……great point……
The GOP platform includes re-instating the Glass Steagall Act. This used to be a Democratic issue pushed by Elizabeth Warren, Maria Cantwell and Marcy Kaptur. http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/18/gop-platform-pushes-for-big-bank-breakup-return-of-glass-steagall.html
Will Hillary bring back Glass Steagall?
Glass Steagall was in place from 1933 to 1999 as a protection for American depositors against unscrupulous banking practices. Three Republicans introduced the Gramm Leach Bliley Act of 1999 Which unhinged the last of the Glass Steagall protections.
As Treasury secretary under Clinton, Robert Rubin was the driving force behind two monstrous deregulatory actions that would be primary causes of the 2008 financial crisis: the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.. and the deregulation of the derivatives market.
Ending Glass Steagall allowed Citibank to merge with Travelers Insurance. Rubin rather immediately resigned and became the head of Citigroup, Inc. So… deregulate banking and then go be a banker. All of this would be water under the bridge if these major players weren’t still playing.
The Clinton’s want to inhabit the White House again. Hillary is a mouth piece for Wall Street and has made no statement about re-instating Glass Steagall. Our banks are insolvent because after the crash of 2008, the banking industry was never reformed. In fact, the big banks have become bigger and the unregulated derivatives have increased exponentially. There isn’t enough money in the universe to cover all of of this speculation. But how will it all unwind? Does Hillary have a plan for that?
In addition, Robert Rubin runs a hedge fund which invests in charter schools.
“Thanks to a little discussed law passed in 2000, at the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency, banks and equity funds that invest in charter schools and other projects in under-served areas can take advantage of a very generous tax credit – as much as 39% — to help offset their expenditure in such projects. In essence, that credit amounts to doubling the amount of money they have invested within just seven years. Moreover, they are allowed to combine that tax credit with job creation credits and other types of credit, as well collect interest payments on the money they are lending out – all of which can add up to far more than double in returns. This is, no doubt, why many big banks and equity funds are so invested in the expansion of charter schools. There is big money being made here — because investment is nearly a sure thing.
And it’s not just U.S. investors who see the upside of investing in charters. Rich donors throughout the world are now sending money to fund our charter schools. Why? Because if they invest at least $500,000 to charters under a federal program called EB-5, they’re allowed to purchase immigration visas for themselves and family members — yet another mechanism in place to ensure that the money keeps rolling in.”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/2/15/1187346/-So-why-do-hedge-funds-so-favor-charter-schools
Hillary and her Wall Street buddies are up to their eyeballs in inside shady deals, from charter school hedge funds to market manipulation to lousy trade deals, that do not in any way represent the best interests of the American people…the 99%, so to speak. How is she the Democratic nominee?
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Dawn, you addressed the root of all problems. Some call it evil. I’ll just say ‘problems’.
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All ‘right on’, Dawn…thanks.
And Hillary picked deregulator Tim Kaine as her VP. It is hard to rationalize voting for her, but Trump will finish off the Middle Class and also public schools.
The tax breaks he trumpets are to serve only the ultra wealthy who now pay only 15% on investment income returns, and under Trump, will pay only 27% on earned income, counter to the Middle Class which pays 39% on earned income…and generally has little to NO investment income.
Trump also clearly stated he is a supporter of choice and charters for parents. We have to hold our noses and keep him out of the WH,
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We cannot forget that only a weeks ago Trump bragged how much he loved the fall of the real estate market (the world wide economic disaster of 2008 which ruined the lives of so many of his fellow Americans) so he could go in a buy up foreclosed property at pennies on the dollar. This vulture brags about adding to his treasure swag, the homes of the working poor who now have nothing.
He does not pay his workers but leans on them when they are desperate to cut their wages to a minimum. This thug must not win the election so he can manipulate our economy so he can continue to ‘buy low and sell high’ to the detriment of all the rest of us.
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Donald is a bad solution to the greatest problem. He won’t support international banking, tech, and Wall Street billionaires with deregulation, but he will possibly support oil, hotel, and casino billionaires with tax and payroll breaks. The only good solution I can envision would be for Hillary to take Debbie WS’s example and resign, drop out, exit stage right, and let Bernie take the reigns. But a Clinton giving up on the White House because it’s the right thing to do is the last thing that will ever happen. That has a snowball’s chance of hitting a flying pig. Something like that. We are at the mercy of our corrupt ruling class.
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I would love nothing more than to see Trump wipe the floor with the Democratic Party. That’s the Bolshevik in me that sees his victory as the quickest way to political revolution. The father with three adult children and a pension to protect is a little more subdued . On the 29th of July I stand with Hill.Till the second of November and the Twentieth of January when the battles resume.
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Wow Joel – I feel exactly the same way. Thank you for expressing it so eloquently.
Come January 20 I will be fighting the good fight for the right things again. Call me a dreamer, but I think Hillary will be much less friendly to the privatization of public schools than Obama was.
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Hillary may be a lot of things if she gets the message. Like Matt Taibbi said . “Inside the palace walls they never do “. Picking Kaine may be a sign of arrogance. If not one look at the mood of the electorate ,might lead one to believe that picking him was a sign of early onset political dementia.
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And Joel…you can add this to early onset…we are trying to choke down Hillary…and now this.
http://fortune.com/2016/07/24/wasserman-schultz-clinton-campaign/
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Lock her up.
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No, just tell the truth, that would be refreshing
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I am still confused as to what Wassermann Schultz actually did. I read some of the e-mails and obviously Hillary was the preferred candidate. But what were the actions that the DNC took to insure that Hillary WAS the candidate? I am just not seeing that yet. I am not seeing the type of dirty tricks that I associate with corrupt elections. At worst, perhaps someone threw out the idea of asking Bernie an inconvenient question, but on the scale of “dirty tricks”, it seemed very lame.
Is there something else? Are these e-mails associated with specific actions that went on?
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“Call me a dreamer, but I think Hillary will be much less friendly to the privatization of public schools than Obama was.”
Not a dreamer, just delusional. Remember, John Podesta is managing her campaign. She is best friends with Eli Broad. How much clearer does she have to make it?
And speaking of delusional, anyone who thinks the Republicans are going to re-instate Glass-Steagall….
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GOP and Trump for Glass-Steagall? That’s what they say now but given the history of the deregulation mania of the GOP, it’s really hard to believe that they are sincere in their statements about Glass-Steagall. The GOP is constantly chanting limited government, limited government, personal responsibility and deregulation. In any case, the rest of the Trump economics plan is an absolute sell out to the top 1% and would sky rocket the deficits.
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Promises made to the 99%, are a crap shoot in state capitols, and in D.C.. But, we can always count on the house winning.
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Well, we know for sure Hillary is opposed to re-instating Glass Steagall.
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DWC resignation happens now because her job is done. She successfully engineered the corrupt process that promoted Hillary to victory and excluded Bernie from advancing. That was her task, to use the Party machinery to make sure Bernie lost; she did her job well and is no longer needed, she can now be cut loose to throw some bogus red meat to disappointed Bernie supporters angry with the rigged system. Her departure is of no consequence b/c it changes nothing. The beneficiary of DWC’s rigged Party system is Hillary and she is allowed to keep the benefits of the rigging, her nomination for President. This is a typical machiavellian power move–a figurehead of corruption is apparently sacrificed after the corruption has succeeded in moving things to the place sought by powerful insiders. Democratic Party cannot and will not transform itself, which is indicated further by H’s choice of Kaine, strong supporter of deregulating Wall Street, supporter of the TPP, supporter of all the trade deals which have undermined millions of ordinary working families and the middle class, supporter of H1B visas sought by tech giants and others seeking foreign cheap labor instead of hiring Amer coll grads at salaries and with civil rights Americans expect.
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“The Washer Woman”
Her job is done
She sank his ship
And Bernie’s gone
On sunset trip
The dirty deed
Was carried out
To fill a need
Without a doubt
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Have missed you and your ‘right on target insights’, Ira. Yes, Debbie did her assigned job and can seem to fall on her own petard…a contrived ending for her.
So will Hillary, if she captures the WH, immediately do a turn around and say that Kaine convinced her to support TPP? To support Keystone and fracking? To support more banking deregulation? To support raising health care costs? To support charter schools and Wall Street?
The importing of foreign tech workers with the H1B visas is certainly killing job security and fair wages for American workers. Thanks for this vital reminder. But then, is she is bad as Trump with his insulting hyperbole and long history of being a twisted sister?
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Ellen,
Keep your focus. You are a political scientist. It is Clinton v. Trump. Whom do you trust with the fate of the nation?
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Diane, friend and mentor…I am struggling mightily to stay focused…Hillary keeps making it so tough. I am processing Kaine…and now she honors Debbie with a top role in her campaign as payback for conniving to do away with Bernie.
Does she have a political death wish?
She cannot defy the will of the people, of the progressive Dems and Bernie supporters, by continuing to thumb her nose at them, at us.
I am still sticking to my decision to vote for her…as in NEVER TRUMP…but she is not making it easy.
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Ellen,
Wasserman Schultz was told to step down. She was fired. She got a fig leaf as “honorary chairman” of the campaign. I wonder how many other honorary chairmen there are? This is not a promotion. It’s a face-saver that accompanies being fired. Some of the comments sound like they would not be satisfied unless she was whipped in public and put in the stocks. She is out, gone, finished.
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Why would she need an honorary anything? That’s ridiculous. She went from unofficial working for HRC to officially. Pathetic
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She was fired. Period.
Blood lust is unbecoming.
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Who’s talking about blood? What the heck? Over the top..drama is unbecoming.
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Doesn’t she have a full time job in Florida representing her constituents…go back and do your job like the rest of us.
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I’ve known a lot of people who have been fired, and not one of them has ever been offered an honorary anything as a “fig leaf”. Being fired means being let go, goodbye, adios. Being kept on, in whatever form, is not being “fired”, it’s just being “reassigned.
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“Some of the comments sound like they would not be satisfied unless she was whipped in public and put in the stocks.”
I think Wasserman Schultz should be sat down in a room by herself for however long it takes and forced to watch and listen to every speech Bernie Sanders has ever given.
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Correction: Meant “DWS” not “DWC” for Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
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A very big problem in my state is that Educators simply fail to “show up” to Democratic events. I am active within my state’s Democratic Party and I can assure you that we could influence our candidates if we simply “show up” to local and state wide events, such as breakfasts, dinners, candidate house parties, issues conferences, debates, local candidate forums, county meetings, executive meetings, county and state conventions, party meetings, and help with campaigns. I have even been successful in having our gubernatorial candidate show up for two events on education that I sponsored.
We could control the narrative if we consistently showed up en masse. It is easy to obtain access to candidates and lawmakers when you attend events regularly. In fact, it is even fairly easy to become advisors to candidates and to campaign managers. Believe it or not, most of these folks running for office really do not understand the issues around education. I have served as an advisor to two candidates.
We also need to form partnerships with other progressive groups and to show up for their events. These folks are natural activists and they are interested in most progressive interests. When you attend events, it is always easy to find at least one receptive person that you can begin an engaging conversation with I order to influence their thinking about education.
Politics is always local, grassroots. We need to show up en masse. We need to work the Democratic Party so it will work for us.
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Agree with all you say…however…educators as a class do not have the income to donate to attend all these events.
I think more would attend if the cost of the ‘donation’ was not prohibitive. The Dems need to realize that there must be some subsidizing for teachers so that they can come and voice their important and educated views.
But in reality, I have often complained here that too many educators in my area will not come out and organize to save themselves. I attribute it to two things in Lotus Land. 1). with the crap our teachers take at LAUSD, and 2) with the endless good weather, but stress of drought and fires and earthquakes, most teachers (and parents and students) are exhausted.
Those teachers on this site whom I shall keep nameless, are the exception…and I love them for their activist stances despite being jailed and/or vilified by the district…they put their money where their mouths are and they also make their voices heard in the greater world. Love you guys who know of whom I speak…you show up at BoE meetings, political meetings, read everything, speak out, etc, and still are in your classrooms each day inspiring your students…you are wonderful. A bit off subject…
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Generally, most of the events that I listed do not cost anything to attend. Breakfasts and dinners are typically sponsored by local democratic clubs. People who attend these meetings are typically thrilled that a new person is attending. The only cost is the amount of your meal. Usually a candidate or lawmaker has been asked to speak. Usually these breakfasts and dinners allow for free conversation with the speaker. Easy lobbying. They always take questions.
Attendance at precinct meetings, county meetings, and state meetings, county and state conventions do not cost anything – Although if you have to travel to attend the state convention may cost you your travel expenses. Again, our role at these events is to teach and influence other party activists about issues they care about. They want to learn and hear from you.You will also learn about issues they care about.
During campaign seasons, national democrats travel all over the nation to speak. They are accessible for conversations and these events typically cost nothing, but the cost of your meal. One of my most surprising moments was standing next to Representative Maxine Walters (from CA, I live on the east coast) for a group photo. I had asked a questions about education as she spoke to the group and as we stood next to each other for the photo she began teaching me about school privatization. I paid about 13 dollars for a breakfast I ate.
When candidates are running, they simply want an audience. Nothing is more anxiety provoking for people putting on these events is for no one to show up. Often the campaign provides the food at these events. So they are thrilled whenever anyone enters the door. They also need help in setting up events. These cost nothing to attend, though they are happy if you contribute something to their campaign.
Our state education association sent a request for a speaker to the Hillary campaign and the campaign sent Tim Kaine to speak to us. The cost was nothing.
Again, I have had the opportunity to speak to many democrats on the national level.
Yes, there are events that do cost money to attend and are fundraisers.
Just think what kind of impression it would make for 50 educators to walk into the room and politely ask questions and express concerns. I assure you, it would make an unforgettable impression on the candidate. Many new candidates are green and you can politely lead them to the answer that you want to hear, in essence teaching them about the issue in the moment.
With ESSA, decisions will be shifted to the states. Accessing democrats at the state level is even easier than accessing national lawmakers.
We really need to think about how to mobilize at the local level and make an impression with our numbers. However, we will however need to listen to the concerns and issues that are important to others and help them as well. So be prepared to hear about immigration, gun reform, lgbt rights, reproductive rights, etc.
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Don’t know what state you are in, but in So. California it is de riguer for all pols to see us as deep pockets, and they come here to drum up major cash….even those whom I support like Alan Grayson and Kamala Harris. Our Dem Clubs charge/urge big bucks, from $500 to many thousands for entre to these events…donations of course.
Most teachers have neither the wardrobe, e.g. Hermes handbags, nor the bank account to even interact with the valet service. You must live in another world than we in Lotus Land.
Are you perhaps on Hillary’s paid staff?
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You, who do not identify yourself…my last thought is that I find it really irritating to be talked down to in such a fashion. You have no real idea of how hard most of us have worked to elect good Dems, and how much of our long lifetimes we have been doing this…and how demeaning your words are to at least me.
We are not dumb, naive, unsophisticated yokels. Please be more careful with your words to the many highly educated and highly activist educators in this room.
What the hell do you think we have been doing with our lives for scores of years?
Last year I stood up in a Dem Club meeting and spoke against charter schools during Q and A. The speaker of the day was the Honorable Henry Waxman…you probably have never heard of him after his thirty years as a liberal leader in Congress. He said to me, “Ellen, I love charter schools”…and that was that.
Save your hyperbole for 12 year olds who need this education.
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No, Ellen I am not a paid Hillary staff member.
Yes, I am and have been an activist for a number of years. I have both a law degree and a Ph.D in Educational Leadership. I have a Masters in Speech Pathology as well. I have been in education or worked in a child serving organization for more than 20 years. I worked as a county solicitor in child abuse and neglect proceedings and represented an agency that served children with severe emotional disturbances. I have also served as the Policy Administrator for my state’s juvenile justice department.
I have taken part in several lawsuits to enforce the rights of persons with disabilities. For the past 10 years I have served as Guardian ad Litem, for a young lady with a disability, in which I brought a lawsuit which was appealed through the 4th circuit (with cert denied at the US Supreme Court) and which created the precedent that people with disabilities can bring a private action against a state for failure to comply with Medicaid provisions (See Doe v. Kidd).
I do live in a small, relatively poor state that votes red, which may partially explain why we are able to participate in party activities without incurring much expense. And I typically wear work clothes or even less formal attire when I attend events. And it is hard for us to elect Democrats. I am active in the Democratic Party as a co-chair of our State’s Education Caucus. I also message out on education issues though our caucus’s Facebook page. However, there are several of us that continue to push our state party away from privatization. We actively work campaigns and show up to everything we can.
So yes, like you, I have worked my whole adult life on behalf of children and to elect good Democrats.
At no time did I ever assert that you were dumb, naive, or unsophisticated. I simply suggested activities and strategies that would allow educators to take back the Democratic Party. And yes, I do know who Henry Waxman is. Again, my point was that folks need to “show up” if we expect the Democratic Party to reflect our values.
I apologize and certainly did not mean to talk down to you. By the same token, it is not helpful for our conversation to impugn the motives of folks that post on this page or call people trolls. We want to attract and influence followers. Again, I am sorry if I have in any way insulted you.
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Trump (for all his craziness) is clearly the better choice. The Democratic party is completely corrupt. Thank god for Julian Assange. I heard he is no Hilary fan either.
Many of you brainwashed liberals need to wake the up! Look around the world. Do we really need less rules and open borders? We need to return to the rule of law and clearly defined borders (in America and in Europe). This craziness will have to stop. And yes, a World War is much more likely with Hilary than with the isolationist Trump. Wake up!
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It’s hard to take seriously anyone who uses terms like “brainwashed liberals” (meaning “US” and not you, Bill, since you revealed how little you like liberals.)
Avid Trump supporters like you make me want to support Hillary all the more. When you use code words like “less rules and open borders” which no Democrat has ever supported, I know that you are posting here as a right winger delighted that your candidates may win and turn us into the oligarchy you want.
Sorry, not buying it. But I’m sure that won’t stop people who have more money than they can spend in 100 lifetimes from paying minions to keep spouting this nonsense.
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To Bill:
Would you like to work without pay according to your effort and skills, just because you are immigrant?
Would you like to see your job to be outsourced because business owners want to grab more profit, to hide their assets offshore, to avoid taxes, and to destroy American middle class?
Would you like to contract foreigners to take over your job and your children’s job because business owners lobby Trump to promote HB1 visa?
Trump has done all above in his hotel business, and in his Trump University.
You must be very childish and completely confused. Back2basic.
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How many of you were a county or state delegate to your county and state conventions? “Just askin”
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Didn’t Donald Trump just tell the world two days ago that he was the “voice for the voiceless”….strange that you use that non de plume. Just sayin….
Hillary trolls are beginning to abound, and we have had some Trump trolls here too. Where do you teach? What subject? What state/ Your comment about Congresswoman Maxine Waters from my area was so simplistic. Do some homework and learn more about her.
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DWS saved by HRC. She did her job, time for a new gig.
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So Wasserman Schultz just went from unofficially working for HRC to officially working for HRC. Hillary just doesn’t get it.
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What kind of Democrats is she going to get elected-the Cory Booker kind?
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Why wait until after the convention (wasting taxpayers’ money putting you up. meals, etc.*)? Just go (& quietly, please) NOW, DWS! You’re a lame duck, & deserve the status of persona non grata.
*After all, weren’t people complaining about continuing to pay for Secret Service protection (who received it late, to begin with) for Bernie?!
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Well, good riddance and don’t let the door….
But anyone who thinks DWS was the problem is as delusional as those who thought that Duncan was the problem. Both are only minions, albeit good ones.
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Look up ⬆️ DWS was promoted by HRC. She did her job rigging the primary..time for a new post serving her master.
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Bernie never had a chance. It was a setup from the beginning. That is why we need to burn it all down and elect Trump. Trump is an unknown. We know what we are getting with HRC, don’t we? It’s nothing good. It won’t help anyone. There are no illusions anymore. That is why all the media and even the Koch brothers are against Trump. He can’t be purchased. That is why the Koch brothers hinted that they may go with Clinton. It is easy to buy her. We need someone to put Americans first, and not the wealthy donors. Wake up! Leave that cave and look at the light. Many of you are teachers. You should be able to critically think. Trump can break Globalism and bring jobs back. Think!
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So, Bernie was screwed from the beginning, therefore we need to elect Trump?? Can you explain the logic there? Maybe since we know that Bernie was set up, maybe he’s the one we need to be electing.
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Dienne, don’t feed the trolls.
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No Bill…we don’t need an ignoramus and megalomaniac like Trump to destroy us, to leave NATO, to insult world leaders, to carpet bomb the Middle East, to kill off public education.
We need to coalesce to change the entire system. We need to be allowed to have viable other parties, for our electoral college and delegates do not seem to work any more, and our two party system gave us the disaster that is the election.
Hope you are not one more troll for Trump.
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Dienne,
Let me explain the logic because you clearly are not up on the latest new math
2+ 2 = 4
therefore 4 + 4 = 9
Simple Common Core logic.
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So Bill, since you are such a great progressive, you should vote for Jill Stein. Phew, another #$@$^^& Trump troll. Excuse me while I vomit.
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Bill,
My readers are too smart to buy Trump’s snake oil.
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https://twitter.com/pollytickal/status/757342316327636992
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Lots of people who have responded here are more informed about details than I am, but as a Tennessee native, I know one thing: the incremental approach Clintonites champion for lifting people out of poverty doesn’t work. The only reason my mother was able to go to college was because the swift, dramatic economic changes brought about by the New Deal and WWII lifted her parents out of poverty that had kept our family down for generations. If we don’t save the middle class now, our nation will be characterized by widespread poverty for decades–and this time there isn’t any wild frontier teeming with games where poor families can retreat.
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I will never understand how you (most of you) think that the government can solve all these problems without considering how that much power inevitably leads to what we have today: unabated, unmitigated, rapacious corruption.
You may get one government, Bernie Sanders, whoever, to do the “right” things, but another government will come and use the power to accomplish other goals: RttT, privatization, choice, et al.
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Well stated .Getting there is the problem.
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Jill Stein …….
She is the only option left for the voter who is truly looking for an honest candidate that is not connected to Wall Street or conncted to the billionaire class.
She stands for many of the the same things that Bernie supports. For those that truly want an alternative candidate and who previously was supporting Bernie, she is a real alternative to not voting at all in this election or for voting for the lesser of 2 evils.
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Jill Stein can’t win, it’s between Trump or Hillary……so far (if Trump or Hillary totally implode and have to step down which is not likely). So I will vote for the much lesser evil, Hillary. However, I respect that you are voting out of a sincere belief and Jill Stein is a great human being.
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Joe,
She is a long shot, but as I noted, she is an alternative option for those that supported Bernie and what he was running on. But if it’s more important to you, to vote for somebody that’s not a long shot – over voting for somebody who has principals that you believe in and that Bernie also supported – then go ahead and vote for Trump or HRC. It’s your choice to vote for whoever you want to, or not vote at all, but if you don’t vote, you have no room to complain, because you didn’t back anyone or even bother to write anyone in.
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PS- Joe,
IMHO, many of us Bernie supporters can only dream that after this “information leak” in regards to the DNC, the delegates should all be released and be required to re-caucus because it’s been rigged for HRC from the start and Bernie is still the stronger candidate to win against Trump. But I doubt that anything is going to change significantly, so then the option is vote from fear or vote on the principle of one’s belief. This year, I’m voting on principle. I wanted Bernie, but if he’s not going to be an option, then the next closest option is Jill Stein. And who knows, if nothing else if the Greens get enough votes, it might be the beginning of changing up the outdated, 2 party system. (I know, another long shot, but so was Bernie’s success! Even with the system rigging that went on!)
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M,
I suggest you follow Bernie’s advice. He is an honest and sincere man. He is trying to build a lasting movement, not a protest.
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Diane,
You can vote for whoever you want to but kindly please do not tell me/us who we should vote for.
If you feel HRC is the best candidate for you then please vote for her.
But she “blows with the wind” and has few strong principles at this point in her career.
She is one with the billionaire class as is Trump.
She will not work on significant reform and she will dance with the group that ensured her nomination.
Even the Republicans didn’t manipulate the process as badly as the DNC seems to have done.
If Bernie had been “allowed” to win the delegates in the numbers needed by an honest and fair accounting of votes and the best candidate for the party and the people, we would not be in this current situation of having to vote for the lesser of problematic candidates and instead could vote for the strongest candidate with the widest appeal.
And if Trump somehow pulls a November win off, it will be the DNC’s own fault; not that people voted for an alternative candidate such as Jill Stein that stood for similar principles as Bernie and who was not beholden to what we now know is a corrupt DNC!
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M,
I have never told anyone who to vote for.
I express my views, as you express yours.
I have not been a Hillary partisan, but now that the choice is Hillary or Trump, I will enthusiastically support her. I believe with all my heart that Trump is an existential threat to our nation and the world. He is arrogant and ignorant, a dangerous combination. Bernie Sanders agrees with me, not you.
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Diane,
Hmmm….
“M, I suggest you follow Bernie’s advice… ..”
Well, it sounds like you’re telling somebody who they should vote for …
And …..
“M, …Bernie Sanders agrees with me, not you.”
Is this a fact? Are you on his advisory committee?
I was supporting Bernie as a candidate for President.
If he does not shock us all again and become the nominee, there are plenty of people that will not vote for either Trump or HRC.
They will either stay home or they will vote for somebody else.
Jill Stein might not have a snow ball’s chance to win, but at least she is not beholden to the corrupt DNC and she was speaking the same language as Bernie was when he was not as beholden to the DNC.
Nothing will change if HRC is the president…. and it’s anyone’s guess what Trump and his crew would do if they are elected to president and cabinet.
I will watch the Democratic convention, but I really don’t see how they can in good faith even go on with the nomination of HRC knowing that they rigged it so that HRC would be the winner of the nomination. How can anyone in good faith support a team that is now known to be so crooked and think that anything is going to change or be reformed by the same people that were responsible for rigging it against Bernie?
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Charles Ortel: very popular on breitbart, newsbusters, washington times (right wing rag), wnd (world news daily), right ring, free republic…….all right wing sites. What’s next, quoting Dinesh D’Souza?
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From greg hunter, usawatchdog: “Clinton also brought Alinsky to Wellesley in 1969 to deliver a speech. And in her thesis, she refers to his ‘compelling personality’ and his ‘exceptional charm.’” It actually went well beyond a simple association. Alinsky knew Hillary Clinton well enough to offer her a job, but she turned him down because she wanted to change government from the inside. A lover of Marxism and Communism running for President of the United States of America, a Constitutional Republic. You can’t make this stuff up. This election is not just Democrat vs. Republican. This is Tyranny vs. Freedom, and nothing less.”
So now Hillary’s a Marxist-Communist?????!!!!
Usawatchdog is a very bad web site.
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Joe,
Do not attack the messenger. Attack the message. Has Mr. Ortel misrepresented any facts? Is he dead wrong in his assessment that the Clinton Foundation originally got permission from the IRS as a tax free foundation for the purpose of funding the Bill Clinton Archive, but has since then collected billions for all kinds of things which they do not competently document? Has it become an unregulated slush fund for the Clinton’s personal use? Are Ortel’s allegations possibly true or blatantly false because they are fabricated out of thin air? Saying that someone is associated with right wing sites has no bearing on the veracity of his claims. Someone may have a bias which propels them to investigate something in the first place. However, the results of that investigation will contain facts. Did she collect tax free money fraudulently or not? The facts will come out.
“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” – Socrates
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Dawn,
The alternative to Hillary is a con man, a bully, a braggart who has ripped off thousands of people with his Trump University fraud and many more. He would be a disaster.
I would vote for Hillary any day of the week over this phony.
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Dawn,
I googled your “expert,” Charles Ortel. He is an Obama conspiracy theorist. He contributed to a book by the “birther” movement. He is not a reputable source. Please don’t put anymore conspiracy theory garbage on this blog or you will be blocked permanently.
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Essentially everything Dawn says can be found on Alex Jones-esque conspiracy Web sites. Rockefellers, Illuminati, the US, “new world order,” Bill Gates, Clinton Foundation, the same Marc Tucker letter that the religious right started cutting and pasting in the early days of the Internet during the Texas curriculum wars of the 1990s. It’s all innuendo, and it will never stop.
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Sorry, the “UN,” not the “US.”
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Thank you, FLERP.
There is a new crop of Trump trolls citing outdated right wing conspiracy theories about Clinton.
As you surely know, conspiracy theories are forbidden on this blog, whether it is Birther talk about Obama or Sany shook never happened or 9/11 was a CIA plot.
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I like the conspiracy theory that says the roles of Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden are played by the same actor. I’ve seen videos. They’re hilarious. I saw one claiming the Rothschilds are aliens from space.
But while I find conspiracy theories about them entertaining, that doesn’t mean the billionaire subjects of those theories are choir boys and girls. I’m still not a big fan of the aforementioned Gates, Rockefeller, Clinton, and so many other Foundations funding the drive to privatize schools and the quest for school data. And I don’t like Marc Tucker. He’s the CEO of Reformy Junk, Inc. (That might not be the company’s actual name.) President Obama is not Bin Laden, and President W. Bush didn’t attack the WTC, but I still don’t like either of them with their persistent support of all those foundations and the reformy connections that surround them. And I just don’t like investment CEOs.
Donald Trump believes those conspiracy theories, as do many Americans. Heck, Ben Carson believes Hillary’s a Luciferian. I don’t believe in Trump. But that doesn’t mean I think we should give the billionaires a pass and ignore the problems of Third Way politicians. If you overlook their deep flaws for a moment and turn a blind eye, even if just for an election season, they will take all available “political capital” and use it against us. And we — most of us here in Diane’s virtual living room — share something in common with people who believe the moneyed elite are trying to take over the world: We dislike the same moneyed elite. That should not be overlooked. We should be working together to keep the pressure on.
Vote for her. Endorse her. Do not, however, lend her your undying support. Do not become one of her sworn “surrogates”. Do not give up. And do not forget we’re all on the same team, the USA 99ers, conspiracy buffs included. Bernie Sanders hasn’t stopped. He just got the Democrats to cut the number of superdelegates by two thirds. Keep fighting. Together.
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Clinton Logic:
1 Rig election
2 Get caught
3 Blame Putin
4 Fire stooge
5 Rehire stooge
6 Lose general election
7 Blame opponent U cheated
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President Trump
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And if so, the DNC and HRC blew it. Why is it even close when he is so horrible? Why?
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…Progressing forward- excited about the line-up of DNC speakers and the messages they will bring.
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A long long time ago I went to hear Michael Harrington speak…he is the author of the
Other America, a Democratic socialist, friend of Irving Howe and the great Norman Thomas….Harrington, though not a fan of LBJ respected Johnson’s dedication to the poor.
We in the audience wanted immediate action and Harrington told us that if we wanted
real change, it would be a lifetime commitment. He was right and Bernie is in the
tradition of those great democratic socialists…Bernie is no fool and his belief that
Trump must be defeated, is “no lie, just fact.”walter brennan.) I’m glad I listened to
Michael Harrington and I think we should listen to Bernie now…the worse danger would
be election of Trump.
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Yes, Marek…good summation…I agree.
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If people adamantly vote for Mrs Jill Stein, please kind enough to educate me the rule in Presidential Election.
For instance, there is 100% with 8% stay home, 16% votes for Mrs. Jill Stein, 7% vote for independent, 34% votes for Mrs. Clinton, 35% votes for Trump.
Could you confirm that Trump will win this presidential election by a narrow margin of 1%, or not, according to THE RULE in Presidential election?
Please be calm and patient to calculate the pros and cons to live with fear from a leader with threat whenever he cannot have his way like terrible 2 year old boy; or to live with freedom of expression to leader who politely refuses or diplomatically offers alternate way to improve legal system to reflect democratic system.
I have been in this situation. I was risk my life twice in shipwreck to escape a lawless under controlling and ignorant dictator in a communist country. I would still be in VN if there is a choice to live under capitalism whether capitalism is rotten with bribery and competition. At least, we do not worry about a gag over our mouth or a jail term if we verbally express our concern that opposes the government.
In short, people, who prefer to stay home and to vote for Mrs. Jill Stein, or for the independent party, will inadvertently support a shady businessman to become president of America to harm their present living and their children upcoming generation.
Liar and cheater, who are proud of their wealth from bullying and manipulation, will continue lying and cheating more and more to sustain their wealth with force and power.
That is their way of thinking and living without shame, regret and remorse. Back2basic
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DWS on the stage helping set up….guess she’s not onto her new position just yet.
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I’m surprised she is not sporting an umbrella to keep off the tomatoes.
Doesn’t she need to practice that?
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At least we know who to blame if Trump wins: Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
Quite a claim to fame.
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This is pure DNC BS. This is just to placate potential voters – nothing more. The timing is everything. This should have been done at the very first sign of Wasserman’s impartiality but was not. Very telling. Anything to placate Sanders voters or to turn independent voters to Clinton. Seems as if nothing is done with honesty and integrity.
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Why is anyone who expresses another opinion here quickly labeled a “troll”? Even Dr. Ravitch is quick to use the “troll” label instead of debating ideas. It’s sad. Anyone who comes here and tries to debate (or just express another viewpoint) is quickly called names and shouted down. It’s not very impressive. This is an ideological website. There doesn’t seem to be any critical thought or thinking “outside of the box.” It’s like a cult. Dr. Ravitch is the high priestess and everyone else says “yes, yes”. Only ideas from the Left are accepted. This website will not be changing the minds of any billionaire elites. Let’s be honest… There is no honest debate going on here. The truth lies somewhere in the middle but these cult members will never see it. They will never leave the “cave”.
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If you believe that everyone here agrees with Diane Ravitch on everything, you have not been reading very “close” (that’s a Common Core joke, by the way)
But I agree that the “troll” appellation is being thrown around willy nilly.
Though there are undoubtedly some people commenting on blogs whose primary goal is to simply derail the discussion and/or stir up animosity, in most cases, there is no way of knowing for sure whether that is indeed what they are doing.
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Poet, you are right about that! There is vigorous disagreement with me, and I post everything except the vile. My rules are simple: no personal insults of your host; no use of certain expletives; no conspiracy theories.
I will tell you that in the past week we have seen three or four Trump trolls. They come to incite dissension by slamming Hillary and recommending that Sanders voters must now support Trump. Sometimes they are more subtle, but when they cite far-right sources, they show their true colors.
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Will Hillary listen to him or does she already have her marching orders? Nuclear war ends all life….Democrats, Republicans, Americans and Russians…….we want cool heads in charge who prefer to talk out disagreements.
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Dawn,
Trump has been called many things, but never a “cool head.”
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Lets hear it John . I am always open to a good exchange of ideas . As for the truth perhaps the middle has moved to a point that it is no longer the middle .
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Actually, you can’t determine truth by taking the average or median.
Truth is what it is. Sometimes it lies out on the far extremes.
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John Miller, that is ridiculous to claim that everyone agrees with me. We have been arguing on this site very passionately about the presidential election.
Yes, there are trolls who invade the blog, as there are elsewhere. The Trump trolls link to far-right conspiracy-theory websites, while trying to rile up Sanders voters.
Perhaps you need to read the comment section more closely. Close reading, as the Common Core suggests.
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I agree with John. it has been implied that I am paid Hillary staff and a troll for Trump, of which I am neither. Nor did I disagree with anything that Diane has supported. I will think twice about posting again.
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Voices, you are welcome to continue posting as long as you are civil.
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Diane,
My problem with the “troll” label is that it has been applied (including just yesterday) to teachers like “retiredbutmissthekids” who have been making valuable contributions here for a long time.
I know that “retired” is not a “Trump troll” (or any other kind, for that matter) and so do others who comment here regularly, but some do not — including the person who implied that “retired” was a troll.
And with regard to DWS and DNC dirty deeds.
I think there needs to be a full investigation by an unbiased outside entity which asks DWS questions under oath about precisely what transpired, among other things.
I won’t “let it go” until that happens.
This whole thing disgusts me.
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Poet, I understand that you are angry.
The question is whether the DNC influenced anyone’s vote.
It certainly did not influence mine or yours.
I do not take dirty tricks in an election lightly.
I expect that DWS will lose her seat in Congress as a result of these dirty tricks.
There are some real Trump trolls who have entered the conversation in the past few days. They link to far-right publications to slam Hillary and create dissension.
I do not include any of our long-time commenters in that label.
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John, this is the season for trolls, the election season. They usually stick out like a sore thumb but some are very sly and subtle. The trolls can be quite insulting and others vomit up the most ridiculous conspiracy theories. Diane is incredibly open and tolerant; it’s her web site, she can do as she pleases. If people don’t like it then move on.
m4potw – good post with which I agree.
A vote for Jill Stein ends up being a vote for Trump who is far worse than Clinton and s u p r e m e c o u r t.
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Diane should take it as a compliment that the trolls think she is so important and so influential (which she is) that they descend on her blog like a swarm of locusts. Trolls don’t change minds, they just cause chaos and confusion and can derail decent discussions.
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voicesforthevoicelesscoregroup: Please don’t leave, everyone is stressed out and on edge because of this crazy election cycle which is just as bad as the LBJ and Nixon election cycles. I have been attacked and name called by a fellow progressive on this blog. I turned the other cheek because this is a very civil and respectful blog especially when compared to the comments on most web sites.
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She just got booed off the stage at the Florida delegation. So my question is are they afraid that she will go rogue and spill the beans. Would you let Shultz within a mile of that stage unless she had “naked pictures of you in bed with someone other than your spouse”
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I think that’s why Clinton just made her an honorary campaign manager.
DWS knows where all the bodies are buried — metaphorically speaking, of course.
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Poet, have you ever heard of being kicked “upstairs”? DWS was fired, and she was given a face-saver. Let it go.
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“Thank you so much…Thank you so much….Thank you so much” for all the boos.
ha ha ha ha ha!
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She’s still hanging around for some odd reason, even her own state boo’d her relentlessly and with signs. Go home Deb….you’ve got that re-election coming up that’s not looking to good.
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Thanks Joe, see my comment below.
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No, I won’t leave and I will continue to follow this blog as I have been doing. The loss if our public schools is too important and I work on this issue daily in my very red state. But we do lead by example and we approach this fight in our personal ways, using our own talents. But the mere fact that this site attracts trolls does not justify name-calling and the questioning of the motives and level of activism and commitment of its readers. We cannot persuade by talking “ugly” to each other.
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i agree.
I find troll-calling more annoying than trolls — whom one can choose to ignore, if one chooses.
There are real trolls (who live under bridges and eat billygoats) but the term is used so much these days that it has become essentially meaningless.
And the only purpose it serves is to squelch dissent.
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Amen.
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Sorry, this comment should have been in placed under Joel in response to Joe.
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Reblogged this on Mister Journalism: "Reading, Sharing, Discussing, Learning" and commented:
Debbie Wassermann Schultz Resigns as Chair of the DNC
by dianeravitch
Debbie Wassermann Schultz announced her resignation as chair of the Democratic National Committee.
During the campaign, Senator Sanders called for her resignation and said the DNC was not playing fair. The leak of emails proved him right.
Her departure should signal more than just a change at the top.
It should open a much-needed discussion of the neoliberal policies that many national Democrats shared with the GOP. The bipartisan consensus on critical issues should be reconsidered.
The party must take a clear stand against fracking, against privatization of the public schools and other public services, against trade deals that hurt working Americans, and for stronger protections for college students, the environment, and the 99%. Regulations of banks must be strengthened to prevent a repeat of the 2008 economic meltdown.
Democrats must begin here and now to renew their commitment to social justice, economic fairness, and promotion of the common good. The blurring of the lines between the two parties is nowhere more obvious than in the Democrats’ support for school privatization and high-stakes testing. Historically, these are Republican issues. Democrats must listen to the experts in every field, the people who do the actual work, not the think tanks in D.C., not the hedge fund managers, not the financiers, and rebuild the trust of their base.
dianeravitch | July 24, 2016 at 4:23 pm | Categories: Accountability, Democrats | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-eRL
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https://twitter.com/suemire/status/757542388273287168
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Assange on DemocracyNow! this morning said the DNC had been hacked “dozens” of times. They should have known that it was leaky, and not have put this stuff in e-mails. Opposition trash-talk is normal now, unfortunately. Why pretend most people don’t go for the throats of their opponents? It happens, it’s not optimal, but it happens. Politics is nasty, usually. Finally vindicated about this, let’s hear what Bernie says at the DNC convention.
Hillary Clinton’s latest speech at the VFW Convention shows that she is our best bet to keep what Democracy we have left, alive. I hope she stays in this zone- balanced, passionate, intelligent, unifying. The opposite of the Republican opposition.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?413171-1/hillary-clinton-addresses-veterans-foreign-wars-national-convention
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Lovely thoughts, Diane, but I think I would have had more faith in the DNC had Hillary not turned around and immediately “hired” DWS onto her campaign – demonstrating yet again Hillary’s utter contempt for progressives. Had the DNC any shred of integrity, Hillary would be stepping down and throwing her support to the true moral choice – Bernie Sanders.
I was blessed to be able to grow up and benefit from the policies of FDR through LBJ. (Yes, even Dwight Eisenhower respected labor and high taxation on the super rich. Silly me, I though progress was the natural order of the world. Nothing prepared me for the nearly 40-year-long regressive track – a track eagerly embraced by the Clintonian “Third Way” politics – that this country has experienced.
And at this point in my life, I don’t expect the USA to join the rest of those advanced nations who value their citizens and demonstrate their commitment via strong public education, Single-Payer Health care, and humane employment and housing policies.
Hilllary has said there will “never, ever” be Single Payer, and she has growing support from neocon war hawks. So sad for all our youth ….
If FDR were here today, he would not recognize his own party. In the meantime, I will be spending the little free time I have supporting the efforts of Brand New Congress, and I hope that progressives will find a good candidate to primary Hillary out of office in 2020.
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Hillary is a money and power grubber.
Drumph is a spoiled psycho and socio-path.
What an embarrassment they bOTH ARE!
Vote 3rd Party or write-in Bernie if your state allows it.
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Read Hillary offered her another position. If DWS loses her election, Hillary will give her a job. Hope Bernie got something out of this endorsement.
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The DFERS smell $$$$$$$ and power.
The REPS smell $$$$$$$ and power.
The two party system is broken. The DNC and the GOP work for the OLIGARCHY.
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