Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

More Bernie. This is the 10k foot view of his platform, per his daily beg for money letter:

Income and wealth inequality: In the United States today we have the most unequal wealth and income distribution of any major country on earth -- worse than at any time since the 1920s. This is an economy that must be changed in fundamental ways.

Jobs and income: In my view, we need a massive federal jobs program which puts millions of our people back to work. We must end our disastrous trade policies. We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. And we have to fight for pay equity for women.

Campaign finance reform: As a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, American democracy is being undermined by the ability of the Koch brothers and other billionaire families. These wealthy contributors can literally buy politicians and elections by spending hundreds of millions of dollars in support of the candidates of their choice. We need to overturn Citizens United and move toward public funding of elections so that all candidates can run for office without being beholden to the wealthy and powerful.

Climate change: Climate change is real, caused by human activity and already devastating our nation and planet. The United States must lead the world in combating climate change and transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficiency and sustainability.

College affordability: Every person in this country who has the desire and ability should be able to get all the education they need regardless of the income of their family. This is not a radical idea. In Germany, Scandinavia and many other countries, higher education is either free or very inexpensive. We must do the same.

Health care: Shamefully, the United States remains the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all people. The United States must move toward a Medicare-for-all single-payer system. Health care is a right, not a privilege.

Poverty: The United States has more people living in poverty than at almost any time in the modern history of our country. I believe that in a democratic, civilized society none of our people should be hungry or living in desperation. We need to expand Social Security, not cut it. We need to increase funding for nutrition programs, not cut them.

Tax reform: We need real tax reform which makes the rich and profitable corporations begin to pay their fair share of taxes. We need a tax system which is fair and progressive. Children should not go hungry in this country while profitable corporations and the wealthy avoid their tax responsibilities by stashing their money in the Cayman Islands.

1. That's cute but what are your proposals to fix it?

2. Again, platitudes. I wouldn't mind another interstate highway program to fix our crumbling roads and bridges though.

3. I think I agree with this. As long as corporations and unions are both tossed out.

4. Agreed. This has the potential to be a massive, massive win for US technology and the economy.

5. Again, nice but how do you pay for this? Germany and Scandinavia have a fraction of our population. Frankly, I think you need to look at the endowments of a lot of these universities that sit untouched. They're essentially higher education's version of a dick measuring contest.

6. I'm not sure I agree with this.

7. Expansion of SS? No. Fix what we have first. Uncap the payroll tax. Means test it.

8. Agreed on the Cayman Islands, Ireland, etc. This inversion crap needs to go. It's one of the most monetarily distasteful things I have ever seen. No corporation deserves the protections and benefits of being a primarily US company while they keep their profits overseas. Look at Medtronic. What a bunch of scumbags. A foreign company should be defined as any company that is HQed outside of the US, incorporated outside of the US, and I'm sure there are ways of patching any of these other loopholes. A foreign company should not benefit from the protections granted by basing nearly all of your operations within the US but incorporating yourself in Ireland or the Caymans.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Meanwhile, back in the Mother Country....

Today is election day in the UK. BBC coverage starts soon here
It's going to be tight with a coalition government expected.

HOLY CRAP!!! Scottish National Party is forecasted to take 58 out of 59 seats in Scotland. Labour took a bath there.

BBC says Conservatives will get 316 seats (326 needed for a majority).

Cool. I might spend a chunk of my evening on this.

Edit: This appears to be like everything the BBC does...difficult to understand.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

1. That's cute but what are your proposals to fix it?

2. Again, platitudes.

You do understand the difference between a platform and a policy paper, right?

Even if these are platitudes, they indicate a sea change from the emphases and the implementations considered by Obama, let alone the orcs. Plus, it's not like Bernie's coy. Reduce inequality and fight poverty by restoring a more progressive tax structure, wiping out corporate welfare, and spending on child care, debt relief, adult education rather than warfare. i.e., a solid left agenda, rather than the centrist Obama agenda or the lunatic right wing silliness coming from the knucks.

Liberalism built the middle class and the American Dream, and now that Movement Conservatism has destroyed them liberalism can build them again. It's not complicated.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Fair enough on the first point.

I'm not so willing to give liberals all of the credit for the middle class just yet.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Apparently knucks are whiners the world over.

 

[Rover]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

BBC coverage is great! The lamestream media in the US could learn a few things.

Kep and Handy, don't go berserk after reading this one article, but its a pretty good summary

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/05/the-medias-real-role-in-206766.html#.VUu3yC0YpUc.twitter

 

[Handyman]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Why would I blow a gasket over an article saying Hillary is the leader...who else would be? I already said she will win I just said I aint voting for her.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Mindless sloganeering.

Equal opportunity, Flaggy. That's all it was ever about. All the rest is just a smokescreen laid down by a handful of people terrified they'll fall off the top of their ever-narrowing, ever-climbing tower.

Equal opportunity requires equal effort. There's always a path of least resistance, and it is up to each person to find it to attain their happiness.

 

[Rover]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

“When asked this week at an exclusive Manhattan gathering about who advises him on U.S.-Israel policy, Jeb Bush surprised many of the 50-plus attendees by naming his brother, former president George W. Bush, as his most influential counselor,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Bush: “If you want to know who I listen to for advice, it’s him.”

“The remark came as part of an answer to a question about Bush’s political advisers and their policy views. Bush was pressed for details about who he surrounds himself with and consults as he thinks through his positions, guests said.”




Yeah, who's looking forward to having the GWB foreign policy team reassembled...

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Why would I blow a gasket over an article saying Hillary is the leader...who else would be? I already said she will win I just said I aint voting for her.

I will. Mainly because I remember what happened in 2000 with Nader. Never again.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

I will. Mainly because I remember what happened in 2000 with Nader. Never again.

You and Rover really have no idea how the Electoral College works do you...

Scooby, unless you think for some ungodly reason Minnesota is going to flip Red (it isnt) then who you vote for does not matter. We could both write in each other and whoever the Dem nominee is will get Minnesota's votes. You sound like the people at the Strib who always predict Minnesota may vote R in the coming election and are never even close to being right.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

“When asked this week at an exclusive Manhattan gathering about who advises him on U.S.-Israel policy, Jeb Bush surprised many of the 50-plus attendees by naming his brother, former president George W. Bush, as his most influential counselor,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Bush: “If you want to know who I listen to for advice, it’s him.”

“The remark came as part of an answer to a question about Bush’s political advisers and their policy views. Bush was pressed for details about who he surrounds himself with and consults as he thinks through his positions, guests said.”




Yeah, who's looking forward to having the GWB foreign policy team reassembled...

The Dems have to love this...if he gets the nomination that will be in every ad until election day. This is Walker's moment, he needs to jump on this and take control.

 

[Rover]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

You and Rover really have no idea how the Electoral College works do you...

Scooby, unless you think for some ungodly reason Minnesota is going to flip Red (it isnt) then who you vote for does not matter. We could both write in each other and whoever the Dem nominee is will get Minnesota's votes. You sound like the people at the Strib who always predict Minnesota may vote R in the coming election and are never even close to being right.

Yes, Handy, I have no idea how the electoral college works.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

You and Rover really have no idea how the Electoral College works do you...

Scooby, unless you think for some ungodly reason Minnesota is going to flip Red (it isnt) then who you vote for does not matter. We could both write in each other and whoever the Dem nominee is will get Minnesota's votes. You sound like the people at the Strib who always predict Minnesota may vote R in the coming election and are never even close to being right.

No, I understand how it works. And you could be right. But, I'm not taking any chances. We elected that Pawlenty clown and are still recovering from it.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

BBC coverage is great! The lamestream media in the US could learn a few things.

Kep and Handy, don't go berserk after reading this one article, but its a pretty good summary

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/05/the-medias-real-role-in-206766.html#.VUu3yC0YpUc.twitter

I won't blow a gasket, but typically what Politico "reports" is dubious. It's the Bleacher Report of political sites, which a sub-speciality of fellating Beltway conformists.

Use caution, Rover. The Inevitability Narrative is not good electioneering for Hillary. It emphasizes her worst characteristics (arrogance, establishment, Tracy Flick) and obscures her few virtues (gender pioneer, actually I can't think of any others).

 

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Yeah, who's looking forward to having the GWB foreign policy team reassembled...

That's not a surprise. Jeb is as much of a Neocon as Dubya. Or bigger; for one thing, he can spell it. As for vocally backing his brother, I'm sure they focus grouped whether it would be better to distance himself from that garbage fire and it came out that although it is superficially better on policy, he loses more on family disloyalty. It's all about favorability points.

Remember, too, it won't hurt in the GOP primaries. The Republicans not only never took responsibility for their failures; they never even acknowledged them. People who don't accept science don't find it difficult to deny other kinds of reality.

 

[Rover]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

I won't blow a gasket, but typically what Politico "reports" is dubious. It's the Bleacher Report of political sites, which a sub-speciality of fellating Beltway conformists.

Use caution, Rover. The Inevitability Narrative is not good electioneering for Hillary. It emphasizes her worst characteristics (arrogance, establishment, Tracy Flick) and obscures her few virtues (gender pioneer, actually I can't think of any others).

Kep, you missed out on a large virtue, which is experience. Not "serving in the gubmint" crap, but in handling right wing smear campaigns that the lamestream media inevitably jumps on board with. 99% of Dems would have been done in by a slanted book full of innuendos but promoted with gusto by the NYT, Washington Post, even NPR had a 3 panel discussion on it - and the panelists were the author himself and two reporters tasked with following up his accusations! Nothing like a fair and balanced discussion. The result? Despite their best efforts, a flaggergasted NYT conducted a poll that showed her #'s going up!

Look, it would be great if Joe or Jane Liberal could win election while staying above the fray in such matters. However, that didn't work for people like Kerry (Swift Boat nonsense), Dukakis (Willie Horton, etc), Dean (Dean scream idiocy) or a variety of other Dems who sat back in the face of accusations and expected the media to sort out the truth. The GOP is chock full of Karl Rove-Lee Atwater wannabee campaign managers looking to make a name for themselves with a scorched earth effort. I want a candidate who can see that ahead of time, handle it, and then turn it around on the people who started it. I don't think Bernie Sanders can do that. I'm not sure if Lizzy Warren could. I know Hillary can, and that's a virtue that should not be overlooked.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Too Big to Fail and Hillary.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

experience. Not "serving in the gubmint" crap, but in handling right wing smear campaigns that the lamestream media inevitably jumps on board with

It is true that both Clintons are great in a rock fight, and presidential politics is the dirtiest politics there is. Having a shell marriage and no discernible values implies a lack of scruples, or at least nerve endings, when it comes to the nasty business of grabbing power. And I'm all for an effective Democratic candidate -- where have you gone, Lyndon Baines Johnson, our party turns its lonely eyes to your Rolodex and pitiless claws.

Again and again I tell you, and again and again you duck it: my concern is that she be a Democratic candidate. The old battle axe can pleasure herself with her brass knuckles and I won't care; she just needs to back the right policies (which it is Bernie and Liz' job to force her to do), choose the right nominees (which she hopefully will), and at a bare minimum keep the slime at AEI and out of power for another couple terms (which is why you have no worries about me and mine bolting).

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2016 - It's never too late to start all over again!

Republican attitude in a nutshell. And we keep electing these clowns?

http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/07/news/economy/issa-poor/index.html?sr=fbmoney050715issa0230story

Darrell Issa, the richest man in Congress, said America has made "our poor somewhat the envy of the world."