Welcome once again to a $27-group / Political Revolution open thread — a weekly place where you can sit back, relax, and enjoy some inspiring quotes, good music, and (most importantly) a picture or three of Noble Fur.
I wasn’t able to post last weekend, so there are no crypto-quote answers to post this week; and I’m pressed for time and running late (as usual) this weekend, so no new crypto-quotes tonight — all tonight’s quotes will be in plain text and easy to read. For those who don’t like solving codes, that could be something to be thankful for.
Here are a few quick quotes to start with:
While we do not need more evidence to show us that pipelines are dangerous and must be stopped, more keeps coming.
~ Bernie Sanders
We shouldn't throw 13 million people off of health insurance to give more money to billionaires and corporations. I can't believe we even have to say that.
~ Bernie Sanders
As we renegotiate NAFTA, we have a real chance to achieve a deal that lifts up working people here and abroad, not just corporations.
~ Pramila Jayapal
This idea that as soon as someone expresses a different opinion than our personal opinion, we write them off as being "the worst" or "no longer credible" is ridiculous. No one is perfect... no one agrees with everything in your head... it's ok to have an independent thought.
~ Tamika Mallory
Breaking: My legislation requiring mandatory sex harassment training for all senators and staff just passed the Senate.
~ Amy Klobuchar
(She said this back on November 9 — sorry I wasn’t able to post this one last week)
We are the wealthiest country in the history of the world. How is it possible that 2 months after Hurricane Maria half the people of Puerto Rico don't have electricity?
~ Bernie Sanders
And here’s a slightly longer quote regarding the situation in Puerto Rico:
Now what I worry about, not only in Puerto Rico, but when billions of dollars comes in to reconstruction, there are people out there who are going to try to make as much money as they possibly can, in any way possible. And our job is to say, ‘No.’ This is taxpayer dollars. Money has got to be spent cost effectively. The money should not go — excessive profits should not be going to into the hands of large companies. That money should be used to improve the lives of the people impacted.
~ Bernie Sanders
And here’s a short quote regarding another situation where the US is, sadly, again falling short of the humanitarian ideals which should be at the forefront of our foreign policy:
Yesterday my colleagues and I sent a letter to Sec. Tillerson asking him to make it easier to send U.S. aid for Iranian earthquake relief. The U.S. has routinely offered to help the Iranian people in times of need. This time should be no different.
~ Bernie Sanders
While the federal government is routinely falling short in both foreign and domestic matters, here’s a quote from someone recently elected to office who is off to a promising start:
I talked to reporters today about fixing Route 28, creating a FOIA ombudsman, a shield law to protect reporters, water infrastructure, fighting Dominion's power towers, & how LGBTQ people shouldn't be denied health care coverage. I campaigned on all of this. Let's get it done.
~ Danica Roem
Before we get to some longer quotes, here’s a quick kitty-cat break:
Since there are no crypto-quotes in tonight’s diary, I’ll make a small puzzle out of this next quote for the sake of those of you who enjoy puzzles:
Years from now people will ask, "What world was the Senate living in when they considered drilling for oil in Alaska, while climate change was causing devastating damage?"
It is insane to open up a National Wildlife Refuge to provide more handouts to wealthy fossil fuel corporations.
The future for our country and planet is in renewable energy, not fossil fuel. Renewable energy, like wind and solar, are the kinds of projects the federal government should be focused on -- not more drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The puzzle is: who said that? (I don’t think most of you will have any trouble guessing the correct answer.)
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And here’s a nice long quote to finish things off for tonight. John Dickerson of CBS news asked Bernie Sanders: You talk about that energy in the Democratic Party, in the progressive movement, in the liberal movement, however you want to define it. One of the things that I hear from people who are lifelong Democrats is they hear you giving the Democratic Party advice. And they say: "Wait a minute. He's not a Democrat. Why is he giving us advice?" It tends to irritate them. What's your response?
Sanders replied:
Well, it may irritate them. But it does not irritate the American people. Look, one of the problems facing the Democratic Party is that it has got to open up its doors. The truth is that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party today are held in very high esteem by the American people. That's just a fact.
There are more people now who are Independents than Democrats or Republicans. So to say to Independents, say to young people who are overwhelmingly independent, say to working people, "We don't want you to come into the Democratic Party," is totally absurd. And it's a recipe for failure.
Now, in my view, the Democratic Party needs to make fundamental changes. We need to do away with the extraordinary number of superdelegates that now exist in the presidential nominating process. We've got to do away with closed primaries. We've got to reform the caucus system to allow everybody to vote. And you need more transparency at the DNC. A lot of money goes through there. People need to know how. We need a 50-state strategy, so that half the states in this country have a Democratic Party, which today, does not exist.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!