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BERN: While others court millionaires, Bernie helps diabetics buy cheaper insulin in Canada.

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

  Welcome to the weekly BERN (Bernie Election and Revolution News), a collaborative effort of the Daily Kos group,The Political Revolution.  We are not affiliated with the campaign, except as volunteers. Numerous group members have contributed to this series in affirmation of Bernie’s campaign motto “Not me.  Us.” ​logo by Rob in Vermont This is an election diary about Bernie Sanders and his campaign’s recent activities.  Constructive comments and questions about his policies, issues, or campaign strategy are welcome.  What’s not welcome is negativity towards Bernie, his supporters, or any of the other 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary competitors. If there’s one thing … Continue reading →

What is your theory of change?

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

As we head into the next election cycle with a raft of very ambitious plans proposed by many Democrats, we will undoubtedly have discussions about what is and isn’t achievable in US politics, and why. Conventional wisdom holds that nothing big can get done without control of the Senate. That is probably true, and we should work for that. But I want to step back a minute and talk about what your theory of change is. How do you think major changes in politics and policy occur, and what precipitates tipping points? One way to understand this moment in American history is … Continue reading →

Only 17 House members say no to resolution condemning American’s right to boycott Israel

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

The anti-BDS laws are being proposed and promoted by Republicans who have made a political calculation about their conservative, evangelical base’s priorities. The conservative, evangelical movement was courted by the Israeli right-wing several decades ago. Even 35 years ago though, much of the American Jewish community understood what an alliance with conservative, evangelical movement meant: But while many Jewish leaders have openly welcomed the evangelicals’ eagerness to build ties, others say they are uneasy. They say they harbor deep doubts about the wisdom of alliances with conservative Christian groups that, they feel, want ultimately to convert the Jews and, on … Continue reading →

Democrats need leaders to take Trump on. Pelosi & Schumer aren’t cutting it.

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Jamelle Bouie writes in the NYT about the exuberant, enthusiastic racism of Trump’s rallies. This is what defines the moment we find ourselves in, and the challenge we are faced with: It is important to take history on its own terms. We shouldn’t conflate the past with the present, but we should also be aware of ideas and experiences that persist through time. A political rally centered on the denunciation of a prominent black person demands reference to our history of communal, celebratory racism. It’s critical for placing the event in context, and it can help us understand the dynamic between the president … Continue reading →

House passes $15 minimum wage bill. An enormous victory for the FightFor15 movement.

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

The House passed the $15 minimum “Raise the Wage Act”. It would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 in a gradual manner as follows: $8.40 immediately $9.50 in 2020 $10.60 in 2021 $11.70 in 2022 $12.80 in 2023 $13.90 in 2024 $15.00 in 2025 It also rapidly raises the minimum wage for tipped and disabled employees to reach $15 by 2025 as well. Future increases are indexed to the median wage for all workers. Passing the House was actually quite a lift and not as easy as you’d think. A similar bill to increase the federal minimum wage failed to … Continue reading →

Ilhan Omar & Bernie Sanders to introduce bill that cancels all $1.6 Trillion in US student debt

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Sanders is proposing the federal government pay to wipe clean the student debt held by 45 million Americans — including all private and graduate school debt — as part of a package that also would make public universities, community colleges and trade schools tuition-free. Sanders is proposing to pay for these plans with a tax on Wall Street his campaign says will raise more than $2 trillion over 10 years, though some tax experts give lower revenue estimates. Sanders will be joined Monday by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who will introduce legislation in the House to eliminate all student debt … Continue reading →

FL Senate bill teaches us why Bernie Sanders is right about voting from prison.

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

We all have a right to choose our government. That right should be sacrosanct, and cannot not have any caveats. Bernie said as much a few days ago, to many, it sounded like a radical idea. Forgetting the millions of people disenfranchised for drug possession, too many gave into the right wing frame of asking whether the Boston bomber or a mass murderer should be able to vote. We should not have to plead for rights to be respected, but I will let the FL Senate explain why Bernie is right on this. Last week, Florida’s House set things in motion with … Continue reading →

Who is Pete Buttigieg?

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Have you watched the Showtime series House of Lies? It’s worth watching the first episode if nothing else. The series follows a small team of management consultants at a fictional firm that in the industry rankings is second only to McKinsey. The team is led by Marty Kaan, a partner at the fictional firm who happens to be black. He also has a bi-racial child who may be transgender. In the first episode, Marty and his team fly into New York to pitch to the fictional Metro Capital, a financial firm on Park Avenue that sold a lot of mortgages during the … Continue reading →

Elizabeth Warren: “You’ve been paying a wealth tax for years…”

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Elizabeth Warren has an uncanny ability to explain her policy proposals in easy to understand ways. She did that yesterday at her town hall in Nevada, and one line stood out. It explains her proposed wealth tax: Warren on what the wealth tax can pay for: Universal child care, universal pre-K, universal college, student debt cancellation for 95 percent of the country — "plus, if you sign up now, 12 steak knives." — Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) April 28, 2019 As a reminder, here’s what Warren is proposing: Under Warren’s plan, the tax rate on wealth would be two per cent, … Continue reading →

NYT finds the “stop Sanders” Democrats they’ve been looking for, on K Street.

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Thomas Edsall has an article in the NYT titled: Bernie Sanders Scares a Lot of People, and Quite a Few of Them Are Democrats Reading that headline, you’d expect they were talking about rank and file Democrats, you know voters. You’d be very wrong. The answers I got from Democrats who make their living in politics […] In this light, I asked a group of Democratic and liberal-leaning consultants, pollsters, economists and political scientists what the likelihood of a Sanders’ nomination was, what his prospects would be in the general election, and how Democratic House and Senate candidates might fare with … Continue reading →

What does Medicare For All mean for those with private insurance and health care companies?

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Let’s get right into it. If the Senate plan introduced by Bernie Sanders and 14 other Democrats were  to be enacted on March 1 2021, then: on Jan 1, 2025 (4th calendar year) benefits would be available to all residents of the US those under 19 can, if they wish enroll on Jan 1, 2022 So what happens to those with private insurance? You switch over to M4A. It’s simple: No deductibles, no surprise bills for out-of-network services, and no copays. And if you change jobs, no changing insurance plans or worrying about losing the coverage that you and your family depend on. — Bernie … Continue reading →

Senator Turbotax meet Congressman H&R Block

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

  Just in time for Tax Day, the for-profit tax preparation industry is about to realize one of its long-sought goals. Congressional Democrats and Republicans are moving to permanently bar the IRS from creating a free electronic tax filing system. — www.propublica.org/… Several countries have systems that automatically calculate tax liability for most tax-payers and send it automatically to the tax-payer. That reduces tax preparation time and expense. It also reduces the incidence of fraud, we’ve seen numerous instances in the US where identity-thieves have filed fraudulent returns with the IRS and collected refunds. The victim of ID theft is left … Continue reading →

Rep. Ilhan Omar reminds us: “Stephen Miller is a White Nationalist”

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Rep. Ilhan Omar said the obvious yesterday: Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage. https://t.co/7NyMDgojd7— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 8, 2019 This should not come as a shock to anyone. His family also knows he’s a white nationalist, his uncle wrote an Op-Ed about how he saw Miller’s politics as a betrayal of everything their family was: I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, who is an educated man and well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies … Continue reading →

The paradigm shift we need for single-payer

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

In 1962, Thomas Kuhn published The Structure of Scientific Revolution a book that changed the way we think about scientific progress. Kuhn posits that scientific progress is punctuated progress where major advances are made by what he called “paradigm shifts”. These paradigm shifts open unexpected areas of enquiry, and allow scientists to accumulate knowledge in more gradual steps. These revolutions were often initiated by unknown scientists presenting radical ideas outside the mainstream. This powerful idea of “paradigm shifts” has since entered the general lexicon, but its implications are not always fully appreciated. Though Kuhn applied his conception of revolutionary change … Continue reading →

The time for playing games on Medicare For All is over

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Abdul El-Sayed said something yesterday that brings into focus the essential dysfunction which is the US health-care system: Cost of a SINGLE vial of insulin: Canada: $32United States: $300 That's TEN TIMES more for the same exact drug. Our healthcare system is broken — and it's putting lives at risk. We're long overdue for #MedicareForAll— Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) April 2, 2019 Millions of Americans need insulin to survive. The researchers (Frederick Banting, Charles Best and James Collip) who developed insulin in the 1920s knew this and wanted to ensure the medication would remain affordable and safe. They assigned the patent to the … Continue reading →