The Parkland students went through an unbelievably traumatic experience. But because they are prepared not just to mourn, but to stand up and fight back, I think it's possible we are going to see real change. pic.twitter.com/izHPdzA4cl
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 27, 2018
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Hello friends! I hope you’re all having an excellent weekend. Just a quick post to have a place to share stuff. Please feel free to do the same! How Democrats Can Win In 2018: Ignore The Party’s Serial Losers– In Other Words, The Establishment The piece introduces three candidates who seem to be ready to battle using their own approaches. Derek Cressman is running for a state Senate seat in California. He penned a powerful OpEd for the Sacramento Bee on Thursday about how Democrats can win in 2018 and 2020, a point of view that the establishment– whether Jeb … Continue reading →
Nina Turner and Paul Jay discuss the significance of Doug Jones’ victory in Alabama and what this means for future of Democratic Party
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We Need a Truly Grassroots Democratic Party: A Call for DNC Chair Tom Perez To Implement Findings Of #UnityReformCommission by Bernie Sanders
The Establishment (political, economic and media) wants us to believe is that real and fundamental changes in our society are impossible.
No. We cannot guarantee health care to all as a right. No. We cannot revitalize the trade union movement, raise the minimum wage to a living wage of $15 an hour and provide pay equity for women. No. We cannot effectively compete in the global economy by making public colleges and universities tuition-free. No. We cannot lead the world in combatting climate change and transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels. No. We cannot reform our broken criminal justice system or finally achieve comprehensive immigration reform.
They want us to think that in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, a nation which has more income and wealth inequality than almost any nation on earth, the best that we can do is to accept tiny, incremental change.
I could not disagree more.
Right now, a Democratic National Committee Unity Reform Commission, comprised of people who supported our campaign, people who supported Secretary Clinton’s campaign, and people appointed by DNC Chair Tom Perez are working on a set of policies that will determine the future direction of the Democratic Party. In many ways, this Unity Commission will determine whether the Party goes forward in a dynamic and inclusive way, or whether it retains the failed status quo approach of recent years. It will determine whether the Party will have the grassroots energy to effectively take on Donald Trump, the Republican Party and their reactionary agenda or whether we remain in the minority.
In my view, this Commission must:
* Make the Democratic Party more democratic and the presidential contests more fair by dramatically reducing the number of superdelegates who participate in the nominating process. It is absurd that in the last presidential primary over 700 superdelegates (almost one-third of the delegates a candidate needed to win the nomination) had the power to ignore the will of the people who voted in the state primaries and caucuses.
* Make primaries more open by ending the absurdity of closed primary systems with antiquated, arbitrary and discriminatory voter registration laws. Republicans are the ones who make it harder for people to vote, not Democrats. At a time when more and more people consider themselves to be Independents our job is to bring people into the Democratic Party process, not exclude them. It is incredibly undemocratic that in some states voters must declare their party affiliation up to six months before the primary election.
* Make it easier for working people and students to participate in state caucuses. While there is much to be said for bringing people together face-to-face in a caucus to discuss why they support the candidate of their choice, not everybody is able to attend those caucuses at the time they are held. A process must be developed that gives everyone the right to cast a vote even if they are not physically able to attend a state caucus.
* Make the DNC’s budget and decision-making processes more open and transparent. If we are going to build a Party that relies on working people who are willing to give $5, $10 and $27 donations, they deserve to know where that money is going and how those decisions are made.
I look forward to following the progress of the Unity Reform Commission, and I urge Chairman Tom Perez and the entire Democratic National Committee to develop policies which move the Democratic Party forward in a very different direction — a direction that will lead us to national and statewide victories. It’s important that you do the same:
More news/video/etc. in the comments, including:
*Bernie Sanders, 10 Senate Democrats push USDA for ‘consumer-friendly’ GMO label
*‘Great Things Come Out of Discomfort’: Our Revolution’s Nina Turner
*Dreamers Take Over Senate Building to Demand New Protections
*Republicans Plan to Turn Puerto Rico Into a Theme Park for Fossil-Fuel Corporations
*Progressive Rep. Ro Khanna: Stop All Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia Now
*Pipeline news, Water Protector Updates & More
Elizabeth Warren has been on a campaign footing to push back against Republican efforts to bestow enormous tax breaks on millionaires and billionaires by decimating health-care coverage for ordinary Americans. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is traveling to Trump-friendly areas of her state hoping to connect with his backers and provide a road map for her party to win back working-class voters. […] Democrats, she said, would do better if they campaigned on that progressive platform rather than blurring the lines between themselves and Republicans. — WSJ Warren highlighted the lengths to which President Obama and Democrats had gone in 2009-2010 to garner Republican support … Continue reading →
After months and months of criticizing those who believe that the 24/7 focus on all things Russia by the Democratic party establishment instead of a substantive discussion of issues that actually touch on everyday lives (healthcare, jobs, clean water, police violence, and the other things that there was a big fight to put into the platform, etc..) the Party finally seems to be learning a little from its most recent losses.
Dems push leaders to talk less about Russia:
Frustrated Democrats hoping to elevate their election fortunes have a resounding message for party leaders: Stop talking so much about Russia.
Democratic leaders have been beating the drum this year over the ongoing probes into the Trump administration’s potential ties to Moscow, taking every opportunity to highlight the saga and forcing floor votes designed to uncover any business dealings the president might have with Russian figures.
But rank-and-file Democrats say the Russia-Trump narrative is simply a non-issue with district voters, who are much more worried about bread-and-butter economic concerns like jobs, wages and the cost of education and healthcare.
In the wake of a string of special-election defeats, an increasing number of Democrats are calling for an adjustment in party messaging, one that swings the focus from Russia to the economy. The outcome of the 2018 elections, they say, hinges on how well the Democrats manage that shift.
“We can’t just talk about Russia because people back in Ohio aren’t really talking that much about Russia, about Putin, about Michael Flynn,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) told MSNBC Thursday. “They’re trying to figure out how they’re going to make the mortgage payment, how they’re going to pay for their kids to go to college, what their energy bill looks like.
The above statements (and others in the article) echo those made by prominent Bernie Sanders supporters for months, including Nina Turner who was applauded by Progressives but mocked by centrists for saying in May:
“we definitely have to deal with” allegations of Russian interference in the election, “it’s on the minds of American people, but if you want to know what people in Ohio—they want to know about jobs, they want to know about their children.” As for Russia, she said, “We are preoccupied with this, it’s not that this is not important, but every day Americans are being left behind because it’s Russia, Russia, Russia.”
Or even more simply put by Norman Solomon:
A party that makes itself more known as anti-Russian than pro-working-people has a problematic future.
Jimmy Dore on the topic:
More news/video/etc. in the comments.
Food and Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter says the people need to tell the Democratic establishment that it’s too late for incremental changes to address the climate crisis:
In an interview with USA Today Bernie Sanders lays out his plans for the road ahead. A couple excerpts from the article: His presidential aspirations behind him, Bernie Sanders is looking ahead to a busy future in which he continues to focus on nothing less than transforming the Democratic Party and the country. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, the Vermont senator detailed plans to launch educational and political organizations within the next few weeks to keep his progressive movement alive. The Sanders Institute will help raise awareness of “enormous crises” facing Americans. The Our Revolution political organization will … Continue reading →
