Tag Archives: Bernie Sanders

4/27 Jayapal Endorses Here’s the Deal Joe; Sanders TH on COVID-19 & OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

What if she were being vetted? Long shot for sure.

“As progressives we all understand that the essence of what we believe in is the concept of solidarity,that we’re all in this together. No matter what our color may be,no matter where we were born,no matter what kind of work we do. We are human beings, and we are in it together.”

I wish he would address the NY ballot issue, but don’t believe if he will. Meantime, there’s been push back from Bernie’s team, but we’ll put those in the comments section. Consider this an open thread. BYOB tonight.

The Future of Our Economy Livestream; Evening OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Bernie Sanders is hosting another TH, this time with guests Prof. Stephanie Kelton from Rutgers; Prof. Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia; Sara Nelson, labor activist; and Prof Robert Reich from
Berkeley.

There are two musical guests, Laura Jean Anderson and Max.

More jibber-jabber and news in the comments. See you there. This is an open thread.

Note: Bernie is running late as usual, but it looks to be technical difficulties.

4/14 Recession– is it here already? Bernie Talks Up Biden to AP; Afternoon/Eve OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by


(credit: WSJ)

I think it’s already here. Progressive Rep. Pramilla Jayapal has her staff working overtime on various bills. Here’s one of them.

So is Speaker Pelosi, feeding her hungry corporate socialist donors:

More layoffs coming...

The consensus of 57 economists surveyed this month by The Wall Street Journal is that 14.4 million jobs will be lost in the coming months, and the unemployment rate will rise to a record 13% in June, from a 50-year low of 3.5% in February. Already nearly 17 million Americans have sought unemployment benefits in the past three weeks, dwarfing any period of mass layoffs recorded since World War II.

Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist of Oxford Economics, projects 27.9 million jobs will be lost, and industries beyond those ordered to close will account for 8 to 10 million, a level of job destruction on a par with the 2007-09 recession.

Oxford Economics, a U.K.-based forecasting and consulting firm, projects April’s jobs report, which will capture late-March layoffs, will show cuts to 3.4 million business-services workers, including lawyers, architects, consultants and advertising professionals, as well as 1.5 million nonessential health-care workers and 100,000 information workers, including those working in the media and telecommunications.

“The virus shock does not discriminate across sectors as we initially thought,” Mr. Daco said.

Forecast April job losses, in selected industries, in millions:
Source: Oxford Economics

7.9 Accommodation, food service
4.9 Retail, excluding online, grocery
1 Entertainment
3.4 Professional, business services
1.5 Ambulatory health-care services
1.5 Manufacturing
1.4 Transportation, warehousing
0.8 Wholesale trade
0.6 Social assistance
0.6 Construction

Gary Cuozzo, owner of ISG Software Group in Wallingford, Conn., said in recent weeks he’s only received a few hundred dollars in payments from customers, including manufacturers, nonprofits and retailers, for which he hosts websites and builds applications. It’s not enough to pay the $3,000 electric bill for his servers and other equipment, much less pay his own salary.

“Customers who paid like clockwork for 10-plus years are suddenly late,” he said. “I’m burning through all the cash I have.”

The AP interviewed Bernie Sanders this afternoon. I’m not certain I was ready to hear his words, but here is a portion of the interview (text, not video):

Sanders, who suspended his presidential bid last week, spoke at length about his decision to endorse Biden, his political future and the urgent need to unify the Democratic Party during an interview with The Associated Press. He railed against the Republican president but also offered pointed criticism at his own supporters who have so far resisted his vow to do whatever it takes to help Biden win the presidency.

He seemed to distance himself from his campaign’s former national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, when asked about her recent statement on social media refusing to endorse Biden.

“She is my former press secretary — not on the payroll,” Sanders noted. A spokesman later clarified that all campaign staffers were no longer on the payroll as of Tuesday, though they will get a severance check in May. (note by me: that explains all of the farewells and exits seen on twitter today)

Sanders said his supporters have a simple choice now that Biden has emerged as the presumptive nominee: “Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction? Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in modern American history to get reelected?”

He continued: “I believe that it’s irresponsible for anybody to say, ‘Well, I disagree with Joe Biden — I disagree with Joe Biden! — and therefore I’m not going to be involved.’”

Sanders said he would not actively campaign or spend money on advertising in the primary contests that are still on the calendar in the coming months. But he still encouraged Democrats in those states to vote for him, hoping to amass as many delegates as possible for leverage to shape the party platform and the direction of Biden’s campaign.

He also vowed to continue fighting for progressive priorities such as his signature “Medicare for All” as a senator, even though Biden has refused to embrace the government-backed single-payer health care system.

“If people want to vote for me, we’d appreciate it,” Sanders said of the roughly 20 primary contests that remain where his name will appear on the ballot. He later added, “I think you’re going to see significant movement on the part of the Biden campaign into a more progressive direction on a whole lot of issues.”

Sanders did not outline any specific plans to begin helping Biden in earnest, though he noted that he held dozens of rallies for former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton four years ago and would be at least as active for Biden. In the short term, he said he’s essentially “incarcerated in his home” because of coronavirus social distancing guidelines and did not know when he would return to the campaign trail.

Sanders brushed away questions about why he was willing to back Biden so much sooner than he did Clinton, whom he waited until June to endorse. He said recent conversations with former President Barack Obama did not influence his decision. It came down to simple math, he said.

In 2016, Sanders said he had a mathematical path to the nomination all the way until the California primary, which was held on the last day of voting in June. That simply wasn’t the case this year.

“What would be the sense of staying in, of spending a whole lot of money, of attacking the vice president, giving fodder for Trump — what’s the sense of doing that when you can’t win?” he asked.

“I will do everything I can to help elect Joe,” Sanders continued. “We had a contentious campaign. We disagree on issues. But my job now is to not only rally my supporters, but to do everything I can to bring the party together to see that (Trump) is not elected president.”

Bernie, pls don’t give Biden nor the DNC my e-mail address. I have no appetite for someone who is deceptive.

More news, tweets, videos in the comments. This serves as an open thread.

4/14 Jill Karofsky’s Win In WISCt Was Powered by Progressives & Moderates; More about the Path of the Biden Endorsement; Morning OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Looks like Ms. Karofsky got a lot of Dem and some indie support to bolster her to victory over incumbent Justice Daniel Kelley. Great story is emerging from this set of tweets by Ben Wikler, the WI Dem Party Chairman

Yet these same voters couldn’t vote for Bernie. I digress.

Alright, more about election day results for Karofsky:

Good for Wisconsin. Hopefully the SCOW will better serve the needs of all people, not just the corporate interests.

The communications between Sanders and Biden camps indicate engagement as teams are forming to discuss issues and strategies. The NYT has some more superficial but still interesting reporting on the relationship-building transition process of the two entities.

That news of the endorsement did not leak beforehand was another signal of the growing unity between the campaigns. Only a small group of people on each campaign knew it was happening, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Ms. Warren and Mr. Biden have also spoken multiple times since her exit about policy issues, including the plan that Mr. Biden has developed to respond to the pandemic. At the staff level, Ms. Warren’s chief campaign strategist, Joe Rospars, and Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to Mr. Biden, have been engaged in talks bridging the two camps.

Ms. Dunn, along with Ron Klain, another longtime Biden adviser, played a central role in negotiations with the Sanders camp in recent weeks, while a top Sanders political adviser, Jeff Weaver, and campaign manager Faiz Shakir, represented the Vermont senator.

The scene on Monday was a striking example of the ways the coronavirus has upended traditional campaigning. In normal times, both men most likely would have appeared onstage together at a rally — or at least done so at an event with more pomp. Instead, they appeared at their homes, as they have been doing for weeks.
When Mr. Sanders officially declared his endorsement, Mr. Biden seemed visibly moved. “Oh!” Mr. Biden said, before dropping his head as if he hardly saw it coming.

The two men said they would form “task forces” on issues including the economy, education, immigration, health care, criminal justice and climate change. Mr. Biden’s campaign said that the groups would include “policy experts and leaders that represent the diverse viewpoints of the Democratic Party,” and promised updates on the groups’ progress.

Two senior Biden advisers, Cristóbal Alex and Symone D. Sanders, who both have relationships in the progressive sphere, have been reaching out to leading liberal organizations, including groups that focus on immigrants’ rights and on climate. And Representative Cedric Richmond, Mr. Biden’s campaign co-chairman, has spoken with his counterpart on the Sanders campaign, Representative Ro Khanna, about the need to unite the party.

Still, Mr. Sanders’s endorsement surprised many of the progressive grass-roots groups that had endorsed his candidacy and that are struggling with the prospect of the more moderate Mr. Biden becoming the nominee. Some worried that it undercut the leverage Mr. Sanders might have to persuade Mr. Biden to make policy concessions.

“We want those task forces to be given real power in the campaign and in the party apparatus,” Mr. Weber, of the Sunrise Movement, said. “Not just gestures but real commitments.”

It is unclear how much sway Mr. Sanders would have over Mr. Biden’s campaign decisions, including his potential cabinet or vice-presidential selections. In a Friday interview with PBS NewsHour, Mr. Sanders acknowledged a preference for Mr. Biden to pick a more progressive running mate but said he had not weighed in on the choice.

“Joe is going to have to make that decision himself,” Mr. Sanders said.

Throughout the campaign, Mr. Sanders had often referred to Mr. Biden as his “friend” and the two men have a personal relationship that has remained intact. Even as the field dwindled, Mr. Sanders was reluctant to attack Mr. Biden directly and largely did so only for a brief spell near the end of his campaign that included the last debate — and only on policy.

That comity was on display Monday in an appearance that at times resembled a slapdash buddy skit, with levity that offered a brief respite from the seriousness of a national health crisis. The two men seemed to delight in talking to each other — bantering away on subjects that generally sounded as if they had been cleared with campaign aides.

“Do you have any questions for me, Bernie?” Mr. Biden said.

“I did, Joe,” he said. Both gushed their effusive praise.

Near the end, when Mr. Biden asked Mr. Sanders if there was anything else he wanted to do, Mr. Sanders quipped that they should “play some chess.”

“I’d like to play chess!” Mr. Biden said.

But Mr. Sanders was out of moves.

As Mr. Biden’s live stream drew to a close, a message popped up on his one-time rival’s video screen: “You are muted by host.”

The same article says that Warren is supposed to endorse sometime soon.

More news in the comments.

Almost Live from TPW – It’s Saturday Night! Open Thread

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Just saw this on twitter:

How lucky the Green Mountain residents still have Bernie & Jane to fight for them on a national stage! Nice!

Vrunhe1.jpg

Vrunhe1.jpg

What’s Up? How about a beverage at the Mocktail/bar?

I’m having one of these:

Mocktails Image.JPG

Mocktails Image.JPG

I’m going to start our Sat night with Billy Joel, my favorite tune by him.

This serves as a lite open thread.

4/10 TGIF : TYT Viewers’ Poll on GE Indicates Biden has Work to Do to Earn Progressive Votes & OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Cenk Ugyur said the poll, while unscientific, indicates that most progressives aren’t voting for Trump. As you see from the graphic, Biden didn’t get 50%. Over half were voting for someone else or not voting for the top of the ticket. Now, this is strictly a snapshot. No cross tabs.

If TYT or Democracy Now were watched more than just progressives, this contest could have been different. But it is what it is.

Bloomberg set to bid for campaign management (perhaps ads) for Team Biden. I don’t recall open bids like this before, but maybe this is just new to me.

Ryan Grim at The Intercept writes:

Hawkfish, which ran the presidential campaign of Mike Bloomberg, is in serious talks to serve the presidential campaign of Joe Biden, according to sources with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations. Along with Biden’s campaign, the firm is courting a wide swath of other progressive and Democratic organizations, opening up the possibility of Bloomberg gaining significant control over the party’s technology and data infrastructure.

The digital consulting firm has had little political experience outside of the Bloomberg campaign, a trial by fire in which the former New York City mayor burned through nearly $1 billion in less than four months. Hawkfish, which Bloomberg founded in 2019 to be the operational backbone of his campaign, is not yet able to sell its track record or quality of service, since it has no other major clients and few, if any, minor ones.

But instead it comes with other enticements to clients. Democratic operatives who’ve been pitched by Hawkfish say that the firm is able to offer extraordinarily low prices by operating at a loss subsidized by Bloomberg, whose wealth dangles as an added benefit that could come with signing the firm. A Hawkfish insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to jeopardize employment, confirmed that the company is willing to operate at a loss in order to grab control of the party infrastructure, explaining that the firm hopes to offer a fee that would be small enough to entice the Biden campaign while passing muster with federal regulators. (If a firm offers services for less than fair market value, the discount is considered under campaign finance laws to be an in-kind contribution, and thus subject to legal limits depending on the entity collecting the contribution. A presidential campaign can’t accept more than $2,800 from a single individual per election, or any contributions at all from a company.)

“When the objective isn’t money but control, $18 million is incredibly cheap to become the center of gravity for all Democratic political information, which we would be if both Biden and [House Democrats] have to come through us,” the source said, referring to the amount of money the Bloomberg campaign transferred to the Democratic Party last month, in a reversal of his earlier pledge to create a Super PAC in support of the party’s nominee. “And in the current environment, the public sees this as generosity.”

Downsides: Bloomberg will gain even more access to contracts etc in a Biden administration, and I suspect Liz is no longer on the VP short list.

The upside is that perhaps Team Biden knows now the clock is being reset.

Bernie made an appearance this evening on PBS Newshour:

When the full interview is available on YT, that will be posted. Other snippets from twitter will be in the comments. Update: here’s the transcript of the interview.

Judy Woodruff:

This week, the Democratic primary election took a momentous turn, as Senator Bernie Sanders announced he is suspending his presidential campaign.

The senator from Vermont joins me now.

Welcome to the “NewsHour.”

Senator, you said on Wednesday, when you made the announcement, you were doing this in part because of the pandemic, and, as you said, it would be difficult to continue under the circumstances.

Today, you announced a proposal to guarantee health care during this period. Who is this aimed at?

Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.:

Well, it’s aimed at the tens of millions of workers who are losing their jobs, Judy.

And when you lose your job, you lose your health care. So, on top of 87 million people who were uninsured and underinsured before the crisis, you got tens of millions more who are not going to have any health insurance.

And it’s my view that, in the midst of this terrible, terrible crisis, when people have so much to worry about, the least we can do is to say to all of those people, you know what? You go to the doctor when you’re sick. Don’t worry about the health care bills. Medicare will fill in all the gaps and cover those people who are uninsured or underinsured today.

Judy Woodruff:

And do you have support for this among Democratic colleagues?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Yes, we do.

There’s support in the House, and I think you’re going to see growing support in the Senate. And I think that the cost is reasonable. It will be about $150 billion over four months, which, given everything that we’re dealing with, is not a lot of money.

But to say to every American that, don’t worry about the costs of health care, you’re not going to have to pay it out of your own pocket, you’re not going to have to pay for prescription drugs, I think that will take a huge burden off the shoulders of so many of our people, and that is the very least that we should be doing right now.

Judy Woodruff:

Senator, let’s talk about this election.

What, after 15 months of pour-your-heart-out campaigning, and this after you spent, what, years campaigning in 2016, you had to make this announcement that you didn’t want to make. This is not where you wanted this to end up.

But, as you look back, what went right and what went wrong?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Well, look, I think that what went right is that, for all intents and purposes, Judy, I think we have won the ideological battle.

I think ideas that I fought for four or five years ago which everybody considered to be radical and extreme are now part of the mainstream discussion. And, in fact, many of them are being implemented across the country, raising the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour, making public colleges and universities tuition-free, forgiving student debt, guaranteeing health care to all people as a human right, focusing on climate change as an existential threat, immigration reform, criminal justice reform.

Many of the ideas that we brought forth which were initially rejected are now moving forward. And I think that is the best thing that we have accomplished.

Furthermore, we have won the generational struggle. We did very poorly — and I don’t know why, to tell you the truth — with older people, but we have done phenomenally well with younger people. And by that, I mean people 45, 50 or younger.

And the truth is, that is the future of America. So, the ideas that we have fought for are gaining momentum among younger people and will be the policies that guide America in the future.

Judy Woodruff:

Senator, I think that — I was just going to say, I think the numbers show you didn’t do as well with young people as you had in 2016.

But what I want to ask you about is, you are supporting — at least you acknowledge Joe Biden will be the nominee, and yet you’re going to compete against him in the primaries to come. What is the value of that?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

No, we’re not competing against — we don’t — there’s no active campaigning. There’s nothing to compete about. Joe Biden will, everything being equal, be the nominee.

But I think our — my name will be on the ballot. That’s the way it is in all of the remaining states that hold primaries. We would like to get as many delegates as we can, so that we have a stronger position at the Democratic Convention to help us shape the new platform of the Democratic Party and the other issues that the DNC deals with.

Judy Woodruff:

You say you want to shape the platform, and yet, I think, it appears, from the many last conventions, it’s what the nominee wants that ultimately matters.

And, right now, Joe Biden has moved in your direction. He’s talked about lowering the age for Medicare eligibility to 60. He’s talked about making free college tuition more available.

But, at the same time, he has not endorsed Medicare for all. Senator Sherrod Brown, liberal Democrat, was on the show two nights ago, said he doesn’t think that Joe Biden is going to do that. Is that sufficient for you?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Well, look, Judy, what I said on the very first day that I began my campaign, I said that, if I lose, I will be there to support the Democratic winner, the nominee, the person who wins the nomination, because I think that Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country.

And we all have got to rally around the winner to defeat Trump. And that’s certainly what I will do. But I hope, in the coming weeks and months, I will be working and my staff will be working with Joe Biden and his team in making the point that, if Joe is going to do well against Trump and is going to defeat Trump, then he is going to have to reach out effectively to a whole lot of people where he has not had the kind of support that he needs.

And that’s lower-income people. That is younger people. And he’s going to have to give those people the understanding that he hears them and he’s moving to respond to their concerns. And that deals with climate change. It deals with making public colleges and universities tuition-free.

In my view, it deals with — you’re right. He is not going to support Medicare for all, but I think there is a significant path forward for him to make sure that, when so many people are losing their private insurance, that the federal government will be there for them to cover their health care needs.

Judy Woodruff:

You have said that you campaigned enthusiastically for Hillary Clinton four years ago. Will you do exactly the same for Joe Biden? Will you be more enthusiastic?

Because, as you know, many Democrats look back and say they wished you had done more.

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Well, many Democrats opposed me from the Democratic establishment from day one.

All I can tell you is, in 2016, I worked as hard as I could to see that Trump was defeated and Clinton was elected.

(CROSSTALK)

Judy Woodruff:

And will this year be different?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Well, this year, I will work as hard as I can to make that sure Donald Trump is not reelected and that Joe Biden becomes president.

But I hope, in the interval here, what we have got to do is to — is — and I think Joe Biden is a — not only is he a decent guy. He is a good politician. And he understands that, for him to win, to get the votes that he needs, he’s going to have to listen to and respond to the needs of a whole lot of people who have not been overly enthusiastic about his campaign up to now.

Judy Woodruff:

But you are saying you will be enthusiastically supporting him.

A key decision that he’s going to have to make, of course, is for vice president. He has said he will choose a woman. Let me ask you how your supporters would view it if he chose Elizabeth Warren?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Well, I think — I can’t speak for all of my supporters.

All I can say is that I think the more progressive the vice presidential candidate that he nominated, the better it would be in terms of the kind of response that our supporters would provide him.


Judy Woodruff:

So, if it were Amy Klobuchar?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

I can’t speculate on that.

Judy Woodruff:

Or Kamala…

Senator Bernie Sanders:

You know, Joe is going to have to make that decision himself. I have not been involved in that discussion. We will see what he does.

Judy Woodruff:

Republicans, Senator, this week in Wisconsin, as you know, took steps to prevent measures that would have made it easier for people to vote, to either delay the election or to make it — mail-in ballots possible.

That view is also held by Republicans at the national level. How concerned are you right now about November and access to ballots, access to voting for Americans across the board?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Judy, I will tell you I don’t know that I have ever, within a political context, seen anything as ugly as the role that the Republicans in the legislature in Wisconsin and their Supreme Court played in terms of this primary.

What they essentially said to people is, you’re going to have to put your life on the line in order to cast a ballot.

And that is just unbelievably disgraceful. And that is not what we can allow to happen in future elections. So, it is a very, very high priority for me, and I think for many other Democrats, as we go forward on the new piece of legislation — and I have got a lot of ideas on that one — but certainly one of the highest priorities must be to make sure that every American in this country is able to vote through a paper ballot in November.

And the Republicans, I must say, have been pretty clear. They understand that, if there is a large voter turnout, they are not going to do so well. And they’re fighting us. But I hope their respect for our Constitution, for our democracy will prevail.

And they will understand that people shouldn’t have to die or get sick in order to cast a ballot.

Judy Woodruff:

Very quickly…

Senator Bernie Sanders:

I should also tell you — I should also tell you that, in terms of the new legislation, we’re working very hard, not only to make sure all people have health care, but that people will continue to get their paychecks.

I think that is the easiest, most efficient way to get us out of this economic disaster that we’re in right now. Just making sure that every American continues to receive his or her paycheck will go a long way to allowing Americans to have a decent standard of living, so long as we’re in this crisis.

Judy Woodruff:

Final question.

And quickly, Senator, who leads the progressive movement that Bernie Sanders started next? Who are the next leaders of your movement?

Senator Bernie Sanders:

You’re asking me to speculate. I’m not much into speculation.

But what I will say is, right now, literally, as we speak, I have been on the phone with progressives all across this country figuring out the best way that we can keep our kind of unprecedented grassroots movement strong and growing.

So, we are a strong movement. And history will determine what happens in the future. But, right now, we are working hard to build that movement.

Judy Woodruff:

Senator Bernie Sanders, joining us tonight from Vermont, Senator, thank you very much.

Senator Bernie Sanders:

Thank you, Judy.

We miss Bernie not rallying us on weekends. Here is a precious moment captured by Shaun King.

Bar is open and budtenders are available for cocktails. This serves as an Open Thread.

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Chicago Fizz.JPG

I think this song, listened to broadly, is a good way to start our weekend.

4/9 Dear Dem Establishment : If You Are Already Shifting Gears to Market to the GE, You’re Already Behind in Votes; PM OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

In this morning’s thread, someone pointed out that Biden is more likable in general. I would argue he is likable for the primary. GE? No, no, now Establishment, you are dealing with a different kettle of fish. Because of that what it is: a bunch of no party voters. We dominate the electorate. Michael Moore has said that many many times.

Now Establishment media and other DNC corrupt types, answer the following for me, as an indie voter. I’ve already voted my primary choice, and you, the Establishment, wanted your tax cuts and hardly spend any money on the working poor who need it the worst. The polls may show Biden ahead, but his honeymoon will be for another couple of months. Then what?

This race is about top vs bottom, and so far your party is losing to lying GoPers as they push more left in rhetoric. The banks continue to win, and poor people get crumbs if anything. Trump has got the mic and the media will continue to show his pressers, free of charge. GOP doesn’t even have to spend any media dollars as the 2 hour pressers double as campaign spots.

Now, what is Biden going to do? This is a serious marketing issue. Rely on Ron Klein to make all of his online appearances? or other surrogates while he drinks champagne with his banksters?

Krystal Ball offers some insights about what could have been better for Bernie’s campaign from a messaging standpoint.

Rant on. Open Thread for other news, tweets, etc.