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A revolt against the ruling class:
What’s new is the degree of anger now focused on those who have had power over our economic and political system since the start of the 1980s.
Included are presidents and congressional leaders from both parties, along with their retinues of policy advisers, political strategists and spin-doctors.
Most have remained in Washington even when not in power, as lobbyists, campaign consultants, go-to lawyers, financial bundlers, and power brokers.
The other half of the ruling class comprises the corporate executives, Wall Street chiefs and multi-millionaires who have assisted and enabled these political leaders—and for whom the politicians have provided political favors in return.
America has long had a ruling class but the public was willing to tolerate it during the three decades after World War II, when prosperity was widely shared and when the Soviet Union posed a palpable threat. Then, the ruling class seemed benevolent and wise.
Yet in the last three decades—when almost all the nation’s economic gains have gone to the top while the wages of most people have gone nowhere—the ruling class has seemed to pad its own pockets at the expense of the rest of America.
We’ve witnessed self-dealing on a monumental scale—starting with the junk-bond takeovers of the 1980s, followed by the Savings and Loan crisis, the corporate scandals of the early 2000s (Enron, Adelphia, Global Crossing, Tyco, Worldcom) and culminating in the near meltdown of Wall Street in 2008 and the taxpayer-financed bailout.
Along the way, millions of Americans lost their jobs, their savings and their homes.
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Occupy didn’t last but it put inequality on the map. And the sentiments that fueled Occupy are still boiling.
Bernie Sanders personifies them. The more he advocates a fundamental retooling of our economy and democracy in favor of average working people, the more popular he becomes among those who no longer trust the ruling class to bring about necessary change.
Ben Cohen backs Bernie:
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders landed the sweetest food endorsement so far of the 2016 election cycle: Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s.
The ice cream magnate spoke Sunday to a gymnasium of supporters in Franklin, New Hampshire, telling them “as a person who has been his constituent for the last 30 years, I can tell you: this guy is the real thing.”
In an interview with ABC News, Cohen explained his involvement.
“Finally, there’s a politician worth working for,” he said with a grin. “So I’m working for him.”
Along with an endorsement and some prepared remarks, the former CEO brought along ice cream. A line formed around the front door as he personally handed out favorites, including Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, to anyone who wanted a scoop. Nearly all of the hundreds of attendees stayed.
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“The big issue for me has always been poverty and income inequality. And that’s really the core issue for him,” he said.
Ben & Jerry’s became famous for its employee-friendly structure — until 1995, no manager made more than five times the salary of an entry-level employee. That policy ended when Cohen stepped down as CEO. But even since, the Vermont-based company formed a tight relationship with its senator, who identifies as socialist.
Support builds in New York:
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is generating a lot of buzz across the country, and New York's North Country is catching some of the excitement. About 200 people showed up to support him at a campaign rally in Plattsburgh last week.
A number of Democrats have thrown their hats in the ring, but Sanders and Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Senator from New York and U.S. Secretary of State, are the top competitors.
Clinton had a lot of support in the North Country when she served as a senator, but some voters want something different.
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It was a big day for Sanders, an independent U.S. Senator from Vermont. According to his campaign, about 100,000 people watched Sander’s speech at gatherings like this one. The point was to motivate people and Julie Gallagher, a volunteer with the group Upstate New York for Bernie, said it is working.
“He has so much feeling. It looks like his veins are popping out of his head when he talks because he really, really means what he’s saying,” she said. Gallagher’s job was to get names and phone numbers from new supporters. She had written down about 160 so far. “This was supposed to be kind of a small kickoff. We really didn’t expect this turnout,” she said.
Gallagher is a political veteran. She said she has volunteered for three Democratic campaigns so far. But it is Ruth Lucas’s first time. “I have never volunteered for any – anything political before. That’s how strongly I feel about Bernie,” she said. “I’m probably not unique.”
Taking on The American Oligarchy:
Bernie Sanders wants to radically change the way we finance elections. During a town hall meeting in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, on Sunday, Sanders announced a new bill that would reform the way we finance elections.
“We’re going to introduce legislation which will allow people to run for office without having to beg money from the wealthy and the powerful,” Sanders said.
Sanders’ announcement comes right on the heels of Jimmy Carter’s conversation with The Thom Hartmann Program, where he criticized the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United case.
“It violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system. Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president.”
The bill Senator Sanders plans to introduce would counteract Citizen’s United, which Sanders criticized in his speech. He mentioned Jimmy Carter’s speech, and compared politicians to NASCAR drivers, with sponsor logos on their uniforms.
“We must overturn that decision before it’s too late. We are increasingly living in an oligarchy where big money is buying politicians,” Sanders told the crowd.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that America is no longer a democracy. The Inquisitr reported on a Princeton study in September, 2014, that the country had become an oligarchy. Researchers from Princeton and Northwestern examined data from a wide variety of initiatives over the course of twenty years, and found that Congress has been inactive on issues Americans care a lot about. The primary example was control of greenhouse gases.
Can Sanders Save Us?:
When, in 1776, Adam Smith defended capitalism by suggesting that the pursuit of one’s own interest would lead by an “invisible hand” to the well-being of all, he was almost right.
The “market,” allegedly ruled by the law of supply and demand, is the agent lurking behind that invisible hand and at first this market assured that capitalists’ own interests would lead them to produce what people needed. Competition then assured the best quality and lowest price. So everyone (almost) benefited.
If Andrew Carnegie benefitted more than others, so what? The steel industry he helped create formed the basis for America’s great industrial development, which was to everyone’s advantage. If Henry Ford became a multimillionaire, more power to him. After all, the automobile became a source of enormous wealth and pleasure to a growing and prosperous middle class.
But things are not always what they seem.
Capitalists soon realized that “demand” does not mean “need.” It does not even mean “want.” It means whatever a person with money is willing to buy. A hungry pauper who needs and wants food creates no demand but a millionaire who wants a yacht does. So it is no longer universally true that the law of supply and demand leads to the well-being of all.
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This is why we find today’s staggeringly inequitable distribution of wealth that Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and others speak so eloquently about.
From The Onion:
Bernie Sanders Clearly In Pocket Of High-Rolling Teacher Who Donated $300 To His Campaign
After accepting a check sent to his campaign office by a local elementary school teacher, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was roundly criticized Monday as being firmly in the pocket of the high-rolling educator who had donated $300. “He might have the reputation of being the people’s candidate, but when your candidacy is effectively bankrolled by the multi-hundred-dollar donation of a fourth-grade teacher, it’s clear who’s really pulling the strings,” said political analyst Peter Mathews, who noted that when a check arrives with a handwritten note that says “Behind you 100 percent, Bernie!” it comes with certain expectations. “He’s already spouting off talking points about supporting unions and increasing funding for education. Where do you think he got those ideas? He might think he’s not influenced by that money, but when someone has deep enough pockets to drop $300, you pick up the phone when they call.” Mathews went on to say he wouldn’t be surprised if Sanders’ strong support for a living wage could be directly traced to the fat $20 contribution he got from a fast-food worker.
A letter to the editor titled 'Support Sanders To Support You':
Everyone gripes about the weather and the corrupting influence of money in politics, but no one does anything about them. Well, Bernie Sanders' run for president gives us an opportunity to do something about both problems. Despite decades of experience in Congress, he still turns down big money from special interests, including those that profit by keeping us from addressing global warming.
Bernie wins by running reasonably funded campaigns, powered by small donations and big citizen involvement. Visit www.berniesanders.com to see exactly what he believes and what he proposes. The other candidates will sell your government to the highest bidder to pay for misleading attack ads. Bernie will not. And as president, just as he has done in Congress for decades, he will be an outspoken, common-sense representative of the interests of ordinary citizens.
If you want a president that will represent your interests after 2016, you must represent your interests now by attending his rallies, buying a T-shirt, and talking to others. Bernie wins by body count not bank account. And your body counts just as much as any billionaire's.
Another Letter:
As we work our way into caucus time, I find myself dreading the deluge of campaign advertisements. Over the past few years, the issue has worsened drastically with the massive influx of dark money into campaign politics.
At one time, I could expect to see a campaign advertising the virtues of their candidate. In the past few electoral cycles, I primarily see third-party advertisements blasting opposition candidates.
We are all tired of hearing candidates tear one another down, rather than explaining clearly what policy positions they would take. No one can govern effectively by tearing down the opposition - they must stand for something.
Major GOP candidates including Bush, Walker, and Rubio are meeting in Southern California with deep-pocketed donors to woo money for their campaign. At the same time, Hillary Clinton is raking in massive donations from Wall Street players and jetting around in a borrowed private plane. It's repugnant to see candidates cater to the needs of the wealthy few, to bombard the rest of us with negative ads, lies, and half-truths.
It's a shame we can't have more candidates like Bernie Sanders, who refuse dark money and only takes donations from individuals using the pre-Citizens United rules and campaign donation limits.
Ugh, I hate linking to FOX:
Switching to the Democratic side, Clinton is still the favorite among self-identified Democratic primary voters. She receives 51 percent while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders comes in at 22 percent. Yet that is Clinton’s worst showing -- and Sanders’ best. Support for Clinton was 59 percent two weeks ago, 61 percent a month ago -- and has been as high as 63 percent in the months since Sanders entered the race. Vice President Joe Biden, who is said to be considering a run, sits at 13 percent support.
By an 18-point margin, Republican primary voters (74 percent) are more likely than their Democratic counterparts (56 percent) to be extremely or very interested in the 2016 election.
Overall, voters say the economy is the most important issue facing the country (30 percent). Next it’s terrorism and health care (11 percent each). Less than one voter in 10 says the top problem is immigration (7 percent), foreign policy (7 percent), the federal deficit (7 percent), race relations (5 percent), climate change (5 percent), gay marriage (3 percent), taxes (3 percent) and abortion (2 percent).
The economy is the top concern for both Democrats and Republicans. Health care comes in second for Democrats, while for Republicans it is terrorism.
The livestream even continues to generate press:
During an event held Wednesday evening, more than 20 local residents gathered as part of a nationwide event consisting of local meetings led by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
The CSRA for Bernie group discussed how to organize in their communities to elect Bernie Sanders, to discuss the local and national political climate, the 2016 elections and what they can do about the issues they care about.
Sanders, who represents Vermont in the U.S. Senate, is one of five Democrat candidates running for the party’s nomination.
“Heavy corporate influence in Congress, denial of anthropogenic climate change, a ridiculous tax policy and an evolving oligarchy have shown me that I must get off the sidelines and take action. I decided to host a meeting to show support for him and to discover other ways to assist his campaign,” CSRA for Bernie Director Danny Perrine said in a press release.
“Sen. Sanders is the only candidate within the two-party system who speaks out against these injustices that hurt the majority of the American public,” Perrine said. “I highly respect that his campaign is not funded by the ultra wealthy and super PACs.”
Sanders has called for a “political revolution” to inspire average citizens to come together to combat the billionaire class, which is out to buy this election and dominate the political landscape, according to the CSRA for Sanders press release.
Sanders, via a live stream to the event, emphasized “enough is enough” and defined the vision of his campaign — messages of combating income and wealth inequality, overturning Citizens United, making public colleges and universities tuition-free, ending mass incarceration and institutional racism and expanding Medicare to provide health care to all Americans, according to the press release.
“All of the attendees, ranging in age from 22 to 89, expressed a strong desire to do more for the campaign.
More:
In an event held last week in Norhfield, more than 35 local residents gathered to discuss the local and national political climate, the 2016 elections and what they can do about the issues they care about as part of a national day of political organizing led by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
We were in Northfield to get out the word about Bernie Sanders and what he stands for. Also, to put in the work to ensure that he is the name on the Democrat ticket for President of the United States.
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As they left the meeting, many participants felt empowered to not only take part in Sanders’ presidential campaign, but also work to take back their state and local governments.
“Bernie is the right choice for Northfield, the state and America.” said one People for Bernie supporter.
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“I am in town to take care of my dad who is 94 and I told him that I have two priorities, ‘Taking care of you and getting Bernie Sanders elected,'" said a People for Bernie volunteer supporter.
Editorial: Keeping Faith With Sanders:
In the age of gridlock, politics is less the art of the possible than the art of the improbable. Nowhere is that more in evidence than in the rise of Bernie Sanders from an obscure small-state senator to a prophet of populism drawing huge crowds on the 2016 presidential campaign trail.
Indeed, it was astonishing for long-time Sanders’ watchers to see the famously crusty Vermont senator being mobbed by adoring — there is no other word for it — supporters as he left the jammed banquet room of a Claremont restaurant Sunday evening. When he finally made it to the street, a couple of fans thrust flowers through the rolled-down window of his car as he departed. (He did not look amused, although the Claremont event was the last in what must have been an exhausting string of appearances in New Hampshire over the weekend.)
Inside the room, it was a little hard to tell who was more fired up during his hour-long speech, Sanders or the crowd. Perhaps the listeners’ enthusiasm was partially attributable to the fact that he was preaching to the converted. Nonetheless, that old-time populist religion was tinged with a certain evangelical fervor
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And in addressing the need for criminal justice reform, Sanders drew attention to the often overlooked link between sky-high unemployment among young men and mass incarceration. It’s not news that young men with nothing to do have a propensity for getting in trouble, but too few politicians are putting on the table plans to address it. Sanders has one: providing public sector jobs through a five-year, $1 trillion program to rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
It’s hard to tell what to make of the Sanders’ phenomenon at this point. The best explanation may simply be that America is sufficiently fed up so as to be receptive to a message that has been honed over many years into a razor-sharp tool for change. And Sanders will be the first to tell you that it’s all about the message, not the messenger.
Americas best known Socialists to share a stage:
On Saturday August 8 the most well known socialists in the U.S., Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Seattle Socialist Alternative City Council-member Kshama Sawant, will share the same stage to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Social Security and Medicare.
“It’s very exciting to have Sanders join us in Seattle. It’s a great opportunity to build the socialist movement to take on the billionaires that are strangling our economy and democracy. The support Sanders is receiving is a resounding confirmation of what my election showed in 2013 – people are hungry for an alternative to corporate politics,” remarked Council-member Sawant.
“Bernie Sanders says the political system is broken and we need a political revolution. Congress doesn’t regulate Wall Street. Wall Street regulates Congress. I’ve seen an identical process on the Seattle City Council. It is not the Council that controls big developers and business, it is big corporate interests that control the Council,” said Council-member Sawant. “That’s why we need to use the momentum of Sanders’ campaign to build a new kind of political organization, independent of corporate cash, in opposition to right-wing Republicans, but also independent from the Wall Street-dominated Democratic Party.”
“When I ran in 2012 and 2013 I was almost alone as a candidate in calling for the $15 minimum wage workers were demanding. Yet even now after the passage of $15 in Seattle, San Francisco, L.A., New York, and all 10 campuses of the University California system, the majority of corporate-backed candidates continue to drag their feet. Sanders, along with Jill Stein of the Green Party, are virtually alone as presidential candidates calling for a $15 federal minimum wage,” Sawant continued.
Ballot Problems In Oregon?:
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is coming to Portland on Sunday — even though it is not yet clear whether he can legally qualify to appear on next year's Oregon Democratic Party primary election ballot.
Sanders is scheduled at a 7 p.m. Aug. 9, campaign rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Doors open at 6 p.m., with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are not required, but the Sanders campaign asked that people RSVP at the website, berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-to-visit-washington-oregon/.
Sanders, an independent U.S. Senator from Vermont, is not a registered Democrat. He is registered independent, and that could be a problems for him in Oregon.
According to the Oregon secretary of state's office, one state election law says a candidate seeking a party's nomination must be a registered member of that party at least 180 days before filing for office. But a different law gives the secretary of state "sole discretion" to determine which candidates appear on presidential election ballots.
Oregon's Department of Justice has not yet replied to the secretary of state's request for direction to resolve the Sanders issue.
Winning volunteers, one taco at a time:
I see Bernie Sanders’ wispy white bounce and his mouth move on a supporter’s iPhone but can’t hear his speech over the L.A. traffic and the hum of the taco truck’s generator. I count 18 Bernie Sanders supporters sitting on folding chairs on the sidewalk across from the taco truck, each listening to the Vermont Senator’s stump speech in a different position. One couple leans toward each other, shoulders touching, holding a iPhone speaker between their ears. Three men have cellphones in their laps and headphones on. One eats tacos while he listens to Sanders’ vision for the presidency, ripping into meat, tortilla and hot garnish between soundbites about raising the minimum wage, free education for all and reigning in the power of corporations.
“The powers that be -- that is corporate America, Wall Street, insurance companies, the drug companies, the military industrial complex—these guys are enormously powerful.” Sanders says during the live speech, which was streamed online. They’ve got the money, they’ve got the power, but we have the people.”
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Around a dozen watch-parties were scheduled near where I live in East Hollywood. One in particular caught my attention.
“Location: The taco truck on the southwest corner of Melrose & Western. Yes I'm serious. They have seating and so far I'm the only one showing up to this event. Please express and interest early so I can make appropriate arrangements. The taco truck seating is around twelve, sadly no reservations, but the tacos al pastor rock,” wrote Hutch Schultz, the event’s host.
When I arrive, the taco truck is not in place and a dozen Bernie supporters gather on the edge of a gas station. Prospective volunteers are wearing T-shirts that read “political revolution.
Sanders Wins Politifact:
For the first time in several months, the PolitiFact Wisconsin High Five wasn’t dominated by statements made by or about Gov. Scott Walker, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
It’s not that Walker was absent from headlines -- he formally announced for president and began campaigning in earnest during the month -- but other candidates and groups were among those that drew the most clicks.
Here’s our High Five for July, our most-clicked items.
1) Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at a July 1, 2015 rally in Madison said "the top one-tenth of 1 percent" of Americans "own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent."
We rated his claim Mostly True.