Category Archives: The Movement

8/1 Evening OT: Lunch is Over

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

We’ve had two debate rounds with 20 candidates. Like having extra long lunches with the candidates, at a lengthy table with a microphone. They’re tested by the media with questions about past comments, op-eds, and whether or not it’s better to be a centrist or a progressive. Fare is broiled chicken and salads (vegan for Booker)Light conversation but at a West Wing pace. Sometimes there is strong coffee served to keep the energy going.

August is the month whereby the candidates who are currently serving in Congress don’t have to worry about committee votes, hearings, or votes on the floor. They have a month to go to county fairs in Iowa & NH, and other events in SC, NV, and CA to court potential voters. Some candidates may be spending time on Martha’s Vineyard, NAPA, Santa Barbara, or the Hamptons to meet with the wine & cheese crowds in hopes that some cash is coming their way to get ready for the dinners coming this fall.

On Real Time, Bill Maher culled all of the candidates pictures and decided which ones should be eliminated. Take a look:

On all of them, I would agree. They aren’t gaining much traction from the debates. Eric Swalwell did drop out, but I think Bullock, Steyer, and Sestek should rethink why they are in this race. Inslee doesn’t inspire people for his GND because already it has a spokesperson: AOC. Amy Klobuchar is invisible with Biden and Harris in the top tier. Seems to me Bullock would be better off running for Senate, as well as Hickenlooper, and Beto. I would also argue anyone who is polling below 5% consistently should know that the lunch dates are over.

Despite continued teeth gnashing by WaPo’s Jen Rubin, WaPo finally gave Sanders (and Warren) some sherry in their press coverage of the debates. MSNBC, which is notorious for its bias against Sanders, invited him on Morning Joe this morning, and asked him some more centrist questions. But their tone was slighty different: they were polite and more patient.

Good press pays off.

It’s interesting though that stockholder-driven media for the most part didn’t pick up on the nuances in the second debate. How Harris and Castro struck back by telling CNN their framing of the questions was from GOP talking points. Biden was indirectly laced with the GOP label, which he resented. But Joe Scarborough finally acknowledged that Sanders’ ideas have more than just spilled over into 2020 cycle: they are driving the debate. And Steve Rattner was scared s**tless.

I hope the dinners are more sober and not about the best quip. Yes, the candidates should fight for their ideas. Biden and Harris: you are on notice that the progressive wing has lots of little birdies to carry their candidates with the seeds given to them by those who want a more just government. And independent media is finally getting its due by appearing as guest contributors on cable networks and on the Hill’s Rising.

This also serves as an open thread. What’s on your mind?

6/9 BNR: Sanders Attracts Biggest Crowd at Capital City Pride Forum; Talks Dental Care in Marshalltown and Rallies in Waterloo; Still 2nd in latest DMR Poll, & Open Thread

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Bernie marched into Des Moines at the Capital City Pride Forum around 1:45. He was greeted by the largest crowd at the event

Bernie discussed Medicare for All with Iowans in Marshalltown. Dental care was raised as a huge concern because Medicare doesn’t cover it, or current Dental plans limit surgeries, still have large out of pocket costs.

From the Times-Republican:

Helping Sanders talk about health care were four panelists from different parts of the state who joined him at Dejardin Hall at Marshalltown Community College.

The high cost of prescription medicines were a key complaint.

“What is to stop a pharmaceutical company from raising the cost of your medicine, two, three or four times what they cost now?,” Sanders asked the crowd. “They do it at will. The pharmaceutical industry recently made $69 billion in profits.”

Sanders said when he is in the White House he will work to cut prescription costs by 50 percent.

He cited Canada’s health care systems as a model the U.S. should exemplify.

“I took several women from Vermont suffering from breast cancer who required a certain medication,” he said. “We drove the 50 miles from St. Albans, Vermont, a working class town, into Canada. We were able to purchase their medications for one-tenth of the cost of what some are paying in the U.S.”

While many in the crowd held Bernie signs and cheered him on during his remarks, others in the audience have not made up their minds with the Feb. 3, 2020 caucus nearly eight months away.

“I have not decided on a candidate,” former Marshall County Supervisor Denny Grabenbauer of Marshalltown said. “I am here with my granddaughter Abby. We wanted to come and see what Sanders’ campaign is all about.”

However Theresa Walton of Marshalltown is a strong Sanders supporter.

“I am for Sanders,” she said quickly. “I was for him in 2016. I supported him on caucus night and volunteered for his campaign. My husband was a Sanders delegate.”

Walton said she likes Sanders positions on health care.

“My sister lives in Vermont, and we have known of his (health care) record for quite some time. He irritates a lot of people because he has some good ideas. But health care … they have done well with that in Vermont and health care is a major issue in this country.”

DMR published results of 2nd IA poll. Graphic is courtesy of DMR.

Bernie finished his day by firing up voters in Waterloo:

From the Waterloo Courier:

The 77-year-old U.S. senator from Vermont fired up a large crowd at the National Cattle Congress Pavilion, earning huge applause for his progressive platform including single-payer health insurance and free college tuition while attacking climate change and income inequality.

“We’re going to have to take them all on,” Sanders said. “We’re talking about Wall Street; we’re talking about the fossil fuel industry and the insurance companies and the drug companies and the military industrial complex and the prison industrial complex and the corporate media — all the the power that is out there trying to preserve the status quo.”

Bernie will be appearing on State of the Union this morning with Jake Tapper. He will be marching with McDonald’s employees on the Fight for $15 to the IA Dem Convention in Cedar Rapids.

More news, tweets, videos, and articles in the comments section. See you there!

5/9 AOC on the #46 Dem Primaries: Bold with Big Ideas That Will Make People’s Lives Better & Evening OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Boom!

Only 2 seem to fit that vision….from CNN.

Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most popular figures on the Democratic left, are using the new bill to address an issue that many closely identify with another presidential candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Ocasio-Cortez has not endorsed any primary candidate and has indicated she could wait until New York votes next year before making a decision.
Speaking to CNN on Thursday, she named Sanders and Warren as two potential picks.

“I would like to see in a presidential candidate is one that has a coherent worldview and logic from which all these policy proposals are coming forward,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN. “I think Sen. Sanders has that. I also think Sen. Warren has that. I also want to see us centering working people in the United States to stem income inequality (and) tackle climate change.”
Asked if she would consider former Vice President Joe Biden, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I’m not sure,” adding with a laugh, “Now it’s getting a little nuts.”

More videos, tweets, (including the video of Bernie and AOC’s Loan Shark Prevention Act) and news in the comments! Consider this an open thread.

5/8 Sanders: “Unions Are My Family”- Campaign Staff Ratify Union Contract and Evening News/OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

‘Historical Step’: Bernie Sanders’s 2020 Campaign Staffers Ratify Union Contract

The contract, says UFCW Local 400, does a number of things.

It provides:

  • field workers with paid healthcare premiums;
  • interns a $20/hour rate and medical benefits;
  • overtime pay for hourly employees;
  • coverage for mental healthcare services;
  • a pay cap on management pay;
  • pay transparency;
  • a pay equity review process; and
  • and anti-discrimination provisions.

Such protections are especially important given the nature of campaign work, said Local 400 president Mark P. Federici.

“Political campaigns are cause-driven and because there is always more work that can be done, staffers are typically worked to the bone,” said Federici, who suggested other presidential campaigns take a cue from the Sanders team.

“First, Senator Sanders walked the talk on unions, agreeing to a truly democratic process—neutrality and card check—that every responsible employer should embrace. And then, the campaign engaged in good faith bargaining, recognizing that it’s in their own interest to have well-treated employees empowered to operate at the top of their games,” he added. “I urge every other campaign to follow their lead.”

Krista Harness, a staffer who served on the bargaining committee that led negotiations on behalf of the union, said, “I am so proud to be taking this historical step of becoming the first-ever presidential campaign with a unionized workforce.”

More chitter chatter, tweets, news, and videos in the comments section. Consider this an open thread.

3/9 AOC at SXSW Livestream & Evening Open Thread

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is scheduled for an interview by The Intercept’s Briahna Gray at SXSW starting at 6ET. The topic is “the new left”.

YT link is in the first comment. Enjoy and feel free to comment!

Imagine

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Is today some kind of holiday? Because I’m just sitting here waiting for @BernieSanders to announce that he’s going to change the world and run for President again. #OurRevolution pic.twitter.com/vproOmjMuW — Josh Fox (@joshfoxfilm) February 19, 2019 This is an open thread. Post a song you like or a photo…or whatever. H/t Emma Vigeland at TYT for the picture. … Continue reading →

12/3 Interview with Bernie Sanders about Climate Change and TH/Open Thread

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Naomi Klein from The Intercept Interviews Bernie Sanders at the Gathering.

This sets the tone for the Town Hall this evening:

Livestream:

Discuss away…still open thread for this evening.

11/30 The Gathering Weekend; CNN Contributor Fired Over Defense of Palestine and More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

The Sanders Institute’s “The Gathering” is underway. Jimmy and Roslyn Carter sent their best wishes to the group. Sister Turner is up on deck first.

How We Win Medicare For All

LIVE at the Sanders Institute Gathering! How We Win Medicare For All: This panel frames our moral, political, and legislative struggle for Medicare for All in the United States as part of a broader international fight to realize health care as a universal human right. We will hear directly from caregivers on the frontlines about healthcare crisis created by the U.S. for-profit healthcare industry and by the trend toward privatization and corporatization of Britain’s National Health Service. The panel will also discuss the enormous potential of collective international struggle and the distributed model of organizing as paths to achieving Medicare for All.featuring Diane Archer, President, Just Care USA; Jo Beardsmore, Senior Advisor, Social Practice; Kelly Coogan-Gehr, Assistant Director of Public & Community Advocacy, National Nurses United (NNU); Libby Devlin, Southern Director, NNOC/NNU; Dr. Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini, Anesthesiologist & Labour City Councillor, Oxford, England; President Jean Ross RN, NNU; Former OH State Senator Nina Turner, President, Our Revolution

Posted by Sanders Institute on Friday, November 30, 2018

More news, tweets, and videos below in the comments section. TGIF.

Update: The FB link was for the first panel. Here’s a link to the Second Panel discussion.

11/10 Progressive Wish List

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

In the past day or so on twitter, there are tweets about what progressives want and especially, what Pelosi must do to garner their support if she wants to regain the Speakership in Congress.

Winnie from People for Bernie started the wish list this way:

David Sirota went outside the box with this thought:

https://twitter.com/davidsirota/status/1060987970780418049

I’m making this thread separate…something we can chew, nibble, etc.

Personally, I like Sirota’s idea, but given that’s unlikely, I know one thing right away I want: amend the 2017 tax law. I want SALT (state & local taxes) to be completely tax deductible again. Additionally, raise the minimum wage and MFA. Long-game: to add more members to the House to properly represent the American people. The last revision of the numbers in the House was 1911.

What else?

9/14 Now that the Primaries are Over, What’s Next for the Progressive Wave?

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

The past 6 months have been a rodeo. Like the contestants of the rodeo, they all start with great promise. We had a lot of newcomers as well as some seasoned ones aspiring to move into a more risk taking adventure. I enjoyed the primary diaries we all participated in. March 6th saw the first state primary for the general election, and from it, Beto O’Roarke emerged as the Democratic nominee for the US Senate from Texas. Yesterday’s NY-NY primary marked the end of the primary season. While our three preferred candidates didn’t win, we did see the beginning of … Continue reading →

What is The Revolution?

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

I think if you ask a lot of people this question you will get a lot of different answers, so what is it? I think I can best define it as the interweaving of these two main components: Actual people unbeholden to moneyed interests running for office using Bernies technique of policy first, positive, PAC free and people oriented campaigning, offering real solutions the people can actually get excited to vote for, to stimulate political activity. Large percentages of the population becoming politically interested with some becoming actually politically active, specifically due to these real solutions being offered and help … Continue reading →

3/15 The Ides of March

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

The ides of March. Originated with Julius Caesar, but not emphasized until Shakespeare wrote a play about a Roman dictator. But also how the dictator was assassinated and the underbelly of corruption was exposed. On this date in 2016, Bernie Sanders decided not to fold up his campaign, even though he did poorly in Super Tuesday. However, TBTB in the Democratic Party tried to coronate one of its baronesses as the nominee and did not honor their agreement to host more debates. But Bernie didn’t give up. He ended up winning more states and raising over $234M, over a million … Continue reading →

11/6 Why Donna Brazile’s Story Matters

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Since last Thursday, we’ve been posting many articles about Donna Brazile’s excerpt in Politico, which essentially became confirmation of the scales being tilted towards Clinton in the 2016. Our outrage was justified and vindicated in many respects. The Clinton campaign continues to double down using the river of Egypt, instead deflecting by saying Brazile has gone by the Russian wayside. Matt Taibbi from Rolling Stone penned a insightful article about why the Brazile excerpt in Politico and her book may be relevant today. He revisits a theme about the complicity of the Establishment media for the Clintons, in which anyone … Continue reading →

Will Donna Brazile and Elizabeth Warren Finally Feel the Bern? Van Jones Did at the People’s Summit

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This week was a watershed moment for the Establishment Dems: Donna Brazile and Elizabeth Warren broke ranks this week by acknowledging the DNC needs to clean its house. It makes me wonder if they will finally reach out a little more to those of us in the trenches of the Political Revolution. As many of the Birdies know, I attended the People’s Summit held in Chicago in June this year. I did some live blogging from it, but I never did do a write up of the conference. I chose to do my write up at TOP because no one … Continue reading →