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3/25 News Roundup & Open Thread- Bernie’s West Coast Weekend, The DCCC’s Undemocratic Decision & More

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Bernie Sanders Campaign Rally Draws Thousands to Fort Mason in San Francisco

Sen. Bernie Sanders left little doubt why he was making a campaign stop in San Francisco Sunday.

“I think we’re gonna win California!,” he told a jubilant crowd of thousands at Fort Mason — the latest stop in a campaign swing that included three major stops in the state over the last week. “The incredible crowds that we saw in San Diego and Los Angeles and here today.”

Sanders said he intends to win the Democratic Party nomination and then beat President Donald Trump, calling him, “the most dangerous, dishonest President in American history.”

The Democratic senator took time to point out that he has been on the vanguard of progressive politics. He cited policies that were previously seen as “radical” like “guaranteeing healthcare to all people as a right,” “legalizing marijuana,” and “an aggressive effort to combat climate change” and noted that mainstream candidates for President are embracing those same positions.

“Four years ago, the Democratic and political establishment were telling us how crazy these ideas were; today Democratic candidates from school board to President are talking about exactly these same issues,” Sanders said.

He pointed to recent health trends as evidence that Americans are in crisis.

“If you can believe this, over the last three years, life expectancy has gone down in America,” Sanders said. “Because people have lost hope. People are turning to drugs, they’re turning to alcohol. And they’re turning to suicide. This campaign is about bringing hope back to all Americans.”

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Jose Padilla and his friends came all the way from Guerneville, and he says Sanders’ positions on higher education are important.

“College right now is just going sky high with prices and tuition’s going up, books are going up as well,” he explained. “I’m graduating high school this year and I’m so worried for my future right now.”

Sanders repeated his promise to “make public colleges and universities tuition free” and asked for a show of hands of people who still owe student loan debt. Then he made a promise. “If we can provide a trillion dollars to bail out Wall Street, we’re either gonna end that student debt completely or substantially reduce it. Take that to the bank.”

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We will create a world based on love and Justice. — Bernie

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Bernie is visiting California for a series of political rallies to build support for his campaign and several progressive policies. As he addresses tens of thousands of people across the country, Bernie has let them know that he needs their support beyond the election. If we hope to be successful in implementing these progressive policies he’s let these rallies know that he needs our support through the election and beyond it. Part of his schedule included visiting the Islamic Center of Southern California to show solidarity with Muslim communities that have been the target of hate. The visit is remarkable … Continue reading →

3/24 News Roundup & Open Thread – Sanders Speaks In Los Angeles, Oil Execs Laugh With Joy Over Cozy Trump Access & More

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Bernie Sanders decries anti-Muslim violence in mosque visit and downtown L.A. rally

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called on Americans to “stand up to hatred of all kinds” on Saturday as he paid a visit to a Koreatown mosque to commemorate the victims of the mass shooting in New Zealand.

“Your background is different than mine,” the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination told about 200 Muslims at the Islamic Center of Southern California. “What a joy it is to share that.”

The senator echoed that theme later in the day, telling an estimated 12,000 people at a downtown Los Angeles rally he was “shocked and disgusted” by the New Zealand shootings.

“As president of the United States, I will not have kind words to say about authoritarian leaders around the world who espouse bigotry and hatred,” Sanders told the crowd. “Together we will make the United States the leader in the world in the fight for democracy and human rights.”

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Muslim community leaders in California invited Sanders to speak at the Islamic center to pay tribute to the 50 people killed March 15 at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a gunman identified as a white supremacist.

Sanders, 77, who acknowledges he does not like to talk about himself, shared memories of crying when he was a boy as he read about the Holocaust.

“I never could understand why would people do such terrible and horrible things to people,” he said at the mosque.

He mentioned the killing of Native Americans by European settlers in early America, the enslavement of African Americans, prejudice against Asians, Irish and Italians, and the genocides of the 20th century, saying there was reason to hope the world would now understand “that we share a common humanity.”

“Who really stays up at night worrying that the color of your skin is darker than mine?” he said. “Who worries that your religion is different than mine?”

Sanders bemoaned hate crimes, the rise of authoritarianism and demagogues picking on minorities.

“Now is the time, as never before, for us to stand up to hatred of all kind,” he said.

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Andrew Gillum plans massive voter registration effort as FL Republicans try to undo Amendment 4

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Gillum is going to use his organization to help turn Florida blue in 2020. The new organization is called: Bring It Home Florida. After losing his bid for Florida’s governorship by less than one half of a percentage point, Mr. Gillum, the former Tallahassee mayor, is now carefully planning his next steps amid speculation that he would run for president. On Wednesday, he announced he will not join the Democratic field seeking to oppose President Trump, but instead return to political organizing. He said he aims to build a voter mobilization network in Florida that will help whoever becomes the Democratic … Continue reading →

3/21 News Roundup & Open Thread – Sanders: “War being waged against working people”, Social Democratic Nations Rank Happiest on Global Index & More

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Bernie Sanders, at UCLA, highlights his longtime support for organized labor

Bernie Sanders’ first appearance in California as a 2020 presidential candidate was not at a mega-rally like the ones that defined his previous bid, but at a speech before sun-baked picketers in front of UCLA’s medical center.

The rallies will come later — Sanders has three scheduled this weekend in the state — but the show of solidarity with striking UC workers illustrated how the Vermont senator is seeking to align himself with organized labor, a bedrock of Democratic politics.

“I’m here today not as a candidate for president but as somebody who has spent the last 40 years of his life walking the picket lines for unionized workers,” said Sanders, sporting rolled shirtsleeves. He wore a baseball cap that partially obscured a bandage covering stitches he received last week after cutting his head on a shower door.

The picket line consisted of members of the University Professional and Technical Employees, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, which represents research and technical workers. The union has been in negotiations with UC for nearly two years, but sticking points have included wages and concerns over outsourcing. The strikers were joined Wednesday by members of another union, AFSCME Local 3299, which represents patient care workers and is also in contract negotiations with the university system.

Sanders blasted the University of California for acting like a “corporate-type employer,” and framed the workers’ demands as part of a larger labor struggle.

“What we are seeing all across this country is a war being waged against working people in America,” he said.

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3/20 BNR Afternoon +OT: Bernie To Join UCLA Workers at Rally

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And, Bernie is at a rally for the UTPE-CWA 9119 union that is striking near the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center today.

Meantime, chat away in the comments!

3/20 News Roundup & Open Thread – Sanders Pledges To Ban Fracking If Elected President, Another Guilty Verdict for Monsanto & More

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Oregon House approves 10-year ban on ‘fracking’ for oil, natural gas exploration

The Oregon House approved a 10-year ban on fracking to explore for oil and natural gas.

Lawmakers voted 42-12 on Monday to prohibit the process, which injects high-pressure liquids into underground rock to extract oil and gas. The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration.

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Environmental advocates say fracking can contaminate groundwater and pose other environmental risks.

The Trump administration announced last year that it planned roll back federal regulations on the process, making it easier to frack on public lands.

New York, Vermont and Maryland have enacted fracking bans, and Florida and New Mexico are also considering outlawing at least some forms of the practice.

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3/19 News Roundup – Elizabeth Warren’s CNN Town Hall, Bernie Challenges Beto To A Battle Of Small Money Donors & More

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Elizabeth Warren calls for an end to the Electoral College

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling for an end to the Electoral College as a way to guarantee that “every vote matters.” Her comments came at a CNN town hall in Jackson, Mississippi, in response to a question about voter disenfranchisement.

“My view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting and that means get rid of the Electoral College,” she said, to enthusiastic applause. Warren noted that during the general election, “Presidential candidates don’t come to places like Mississippi. … They also don’t come to places like California and Massachusetts, right? Because we’re not the battleground states.”

Since 2000, Democrats have seen two of their presidential candidates, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, win the popular vote only to lose the Electoral College — and the election. Because most states distribute electoral votes through a winner-take-all system, candidates tend to pay much less attention in the general election to states that are either deeply Democratic or deeply Republican, focusing instead on the battlegrounds where the outcome is uncertain. The group FairVote noted that by November 2016, over 90 percent of the electoral activity in the campaign had taken place in just 11 battleground states.

However, moving to a popular vote system could negatively impact a different set of voters. Candidates would likely focus more on heavily populated urban areas and less on those who don’t live in cities.

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Warren also responded to a question about reparations — she did not definitively support direct financial payments as part of a plan but instead called for convening a congressional panel of experts to find the most effective solution to correct generational inequalities.

She also reiterated her support for an “ultra-millionaire” tax on wealth, for the green new deal and for breaking up the big tech companies.

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Who we think about when we think about foreign policy

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It may not always seem this way, but foreign policy should be about people. Which people it’s about, determines what our foreign policy is. When our foreign policy revolves around powerful people representing enormous business interests, it takes on a particular form. When it’s focused on relatively powerless everyday people across the world, it takes on a different form. When I think about foreign policy, I try to focus on people without much power. I work to identify with those who find themselves buffeted by enormous forces outside of their control. Perhaps it is a bit easier for me because I am a first-generation … Continue reading →

3/18 News Roundup & Open Thread – Sanders Schedules A San Francisco Rally, Former Prosecutors Rebrand Themselves as Progressives to Win Elections & More

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Sen. Bernie Sanders to speak at San Francisco’s Fort Mason

Bay Area residents will soon be able to “feel the Bern.”

Current Vermont senator and 2020 presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders announced Saturday that he will be returning to the Bay Area for a rally on March 24. It will be his first Bay Area trip since announcing his second presidential run, vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination.

The rally, which will be held at Great Meadow Park at Fort Mason, follows recent campaign stops in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Before making his way to Northern California, Sanders will also visit San Diego on March 22.

The rally will be free and open to the public. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and the event will start at 12:30 p.m.

Sanders, who announced his second presidential campaign on Feb. 19, enters the race as an early top contender. He raised $5.9 million from 223,000 donors within the first 24 hours, seemingly encapsulating his so-called people-powered campaign.

He’s known for his democratic socialist identity and advocacy for issues like raising the minimum wage as well as free college and health care — views that initially acquired little support from policymakers in his first campaign, but are increasingly shared by fellow Democratic contenders.

Sanders has more ties to the Bay Area this time around, as Fremont Rep. Ro Khanna will serve as one of his top advisers, with the role of being Sanders’ point person in Silicon Valley.

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AOC is heckled, makes it a teaching moment on how funding cuts are designed to divide us.

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AOC was hosting a town hall in her district and was talking about public schools. She talked about her dad getting into Brooklyn Tech (one of the selective NYC high schools). AOC then asks why every school can’t be like Brooklyn Tech, why NYC only has a handful of such selective high schools. She was heckled by some attendees who oppose changes to the testing program for these schools. And this is the special moment, she points out that in many, many areas of public services, we have created an environment of scarcity. This ends up pitting communities against each … Continue reading →

Sunday Café

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Bernie receiving so much spirit.  It feels like so many of us are sending him all the love and warmth and healing that we can. I’ve never done this on a phone before so I’ll just see if there aren’t a few tweets I can add down below. Happy Bernie Sunday, everyone!