The Plan (Plus: A Caucus Observer's Tale)

The Plan
by C. A. Matthews

Coincidences happen. Serendipitous events do occur and can be taken advantage of. Conspiracies actually take a lot of work and plotting, though, something which implies its participants are energetic and coordinated. Most groups can’t be bothered with that level of sophistication in order to promote their agendas.

It’s just easier for organizations to make simple plans—long-term or short-term plans. Many on the Left are fairly certain they see the overarching plan of the Democratic Party’s leadership in regards to the 2020 presidential election fleshing out. The Dem leaders don’t like democratic socialism, socialism, or anything that hints at taking care of our neighbors and bringing everyone’s standard of living up to an equal level and providing health care for all Americans. The top dog Dems like PACs/Super PACs and accepting large sums of money from corporations and individuals. In short, they ain’t too bothered with overturning the Citizens United ruling and outlawing money as speech. 

And why would the DNC leadership want to change their ways? Getting rid of PACs and billionaires’ contributions is not in their best interests. Who really cares if poor folks can eat or pay their heating bills anyway! The poor don’t write big checks or put high-powered Dems on boards of directors after they’ve retired from their cushy party or government jobs. Democracy and fair play obviously aren’t important virtues to the DNC. Face it, they’re just not.

At least this time around they’re not hiding their tactics. If anything, they’re telegraphing them loudly and clearly. They allowed billionaire Michael Bloomberg to buy his way onto their debate stage by purchasing tons of commercial ad space on TV, the internet, print and billboards with what amounts to his pocket change. No one at the top of the party blinked an eye, either. No one said, "Hey, that's not fair to poorer candidates!" The DNC might say they hate a certain white male racist misogynist one-percenter in Washington, DC, but they’re more than willing to install another one in his place it seems.  

It's surreal. The DNC doesn’t really care about being seen as hypocrites while touting widely they’re the “party of workers.” What kind of “workers” are those, Dems? Professional butt-kissers? Amateur Boot-lickers? It boggles the mind how anyone with half a brain and an ounce of morality would have anything to do with such a morally bankrupt organization.

But then you stop and think and realize that the status quo establishment yields tight control over the ballot box and the debate stage. So the choices of the “major” parties in the November presidential election will be (once again)  Trump and Not-Trump or "Trump-lite" Bloomberg. Surprised?

Unless an outsider can get a foot in the door of this corrupt duopolistic system, don’t expect anything short of a revolution (a violent one) from changing how the system works in this country. “The Plan” says things stay the same and the money keeps flowing upwards into the billionaires’ pockets while We the People grow steadily poorer and sicker and our waters become ever more undrinkable and our soil turns to dust. Too bad, so sad you weren't born a Zuckerberg or a Bezos or a Bloomberg, right?

The outliers like Bernie Sanders or a third party candidate like the Green Party’s Howie Hawkins or Dario Hunter will not be allowed to compete. The Plan has already developed its "apps" and has the rigged electronic voting machines ready. The Plan doesn’t allow for the voters to actually have a choice to tackle the climate catastrophe and restore our lost civil rights. Oh no! The fat cats can’t have that. And so the DNC will (once again) rig their convention by using their Superdelegates to keep the “people's choice” Bernie from the nomination for the people's own good.

Lee Camp and Saagar Enjeti both give pretty good explanations of how this plan will come about in the following videos. A brokered convention all but puts the nails in the coffin of a Bernie Sanders presidency. The other Dem candidates on the debate stage in Las Vegas appear to be in on the fix, too, as they salivate at the chance to take power in Milwaukee. The will of the people doesn't even enter the picture.

And, of course, they DNC will try to blame any apparent lack of democracy in their primary process on the "Russians" or whomever is convenient rather than accept responsibility for their own heinous actions. I'm just waiting for it to happen. Oh, wow... They just did.

I apologize if this tirade comes across as a bit of a downer, but I thought you should be prepared for the worst. If by a miracle-upon-a-miracle the miraculous happens and the voters actually receive a “choice” at the voting booth this time, that victory will taste all the sweeter. 

But for those of us who were there in Philadelphia in 2016, I caution you to not hold your breath. You’ll need your oxygen to pick up your pitchfork and get marching immediately. As the song says, “We won’t be fooled again.” See you in the streets.

https://youtu.be/mjW_zh-xEXA

https://youtu.be/CTzDY4Q5zqc

Related articles and videos:

Nick Branna, Former Bernie Staffer Tells What Will Happen Next in the Primaries (video)
https://youtu.be/B9On84hT9cQ

Why Does Anyone Think Michael Bloomberg Would Beat Donald Trump?
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/02/why-does-anyone-think-michael-bloomberg-would-beat-donald-trump

Leaked Audio: Bloomberg Says Only Minorities Commit Crimes (video)
https://youtu.be/bT8g2ImDckc


And for those who try to dig up "Russiagate" and use it as a reason to eliminate Bernie Sanders from the DNC nomination:  

US Intelligence Briefer Appears To Have Overstated Assessment of 2020 Russian Interference
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/23/politics/intelligence-briefer-russian-interference-trump-sanders/index.html

Analysis Show DNC Servers Locally Hacked
https://www.mintpressnews.com/analysis-dnc-servers-locally-hacked-russian-interference-unlikely/229699/

 ***

And now a special report courtesy of Our Revolution--Northwest Ohio:

How Bernie Sanders Learned from 2016

Last week a group of four activists from Our Revolution – Northwest Ohio traveled to Iowa to canvas, knocking on hundreds of doors and driving vans of people to their caucus sites, and then serving as observers. Below is a brief memoir from Dennis Slotnick, Caucus Observer.

Observing a Caucus in Iowa in 2016 In a small precinct 25 miles north of Davenport, Iowa, a roller skating rink turned into a Democratic Party caucus site. Voters checked in on paper sheets and sat in the skating area in two almost equally populated sections. I counted heads: Bernie 65, Hillary 57. The organizer wrote on a white board different numbers. He was the only other person visibly counting. He put reverse numbers up: Bernie 56, Hilary 63. Numbers are approximate because it was not possible to know who were caucusers from observers. Children and teens wandered about getting food and drinks, sitting in the area to be counted. After presentations to the groups by pro-Hillary and pro-Bernie campaigners the realignment occurred. When I counted again, the second count was about the same, although nothing was written and no paper trail could be made. There were no ballots, no cards or documentation.  Just the whiteboard. I was stunned. In shock, I looked to the guy from New York who also observed and we both agreed that anyone could walk down on the floor to be counted. We shook our heads in bewilderment. There were not any Bernie campaign precinct captains. There was not presence of organized observers. There wasn’t a way to identify who was an observer or caucus member. Other problems occurred as you may recall. Many precincts were so close that a coin flip settled the question in eight districts--7 of the 8 flips went to Clinton. What was the probability of that occurring? 1 in 256. Apparently, this was not an isolated case, and apparently word got back to Bernie because caucuses were run differently in 2020.

Top: At caucus site, Des Moines, 2020. Observers were identified with labels. Bottom: These people are holding their voter cards with name, address, ID number and their signature.

February  3, 2020: Des Moines, Iowa, Caucus Precinct at 3500 2nd Street   There were three precinct captains from presidential candidates Sanders, Warren, and Biden. They assisted with the caucus in handing out voting cards, taking count by raising of hands, and announcing the count out loud as each person was called. This occurred both before and after realignment and then the cards were all collected, counted and recorded by the precinct captains for the caucus. This is where the internal Sanders campaign caucus result numbers come from. There were also a dozen observers for Bernie Sanders available to assist in the caucus as needed and performed the witness role. Vote Count Precinct 3500 2nd Street:  Bernie Sanders 138 Joe Biden 9 Elizabeth Warren 1   Since neither Warren or Biden got 15%, all delegates from this precinct would go to Bernie Sanders. There were a dozen Bernie observers available that performed the witness role. Sanders' internal numbers were not the same as of the Iowa Dems.  Sanders Reporting Numbers        Iowa DNC Reporting numbers   Sanders 29.4%                                   Butigieg  26.8% Butigieg 24.87%                                Sanders 25.9% Warren 20.65%                                 Warren 18% Biden 12.92%                                     Biden 15% Klobuchar 12.92%                           Klobuchar  12%   How could this be?   The reporting came to a halt when the Sanders campaign revealed their internal numbers to the Iowa Democratic Caucus organizers. This data was accompanied by five lawyers to challenge the results. The five Bernie lawyers approached the Iowa Dems demanding to know why the Bernie inside list votes were so different from the Iowa Dems' count.    A faulty app was blamed for the delay and “inconstancies” in reporting while a recount of cards began. Dems withdrew their first release of numbers and decided to count the cards to verify the electronic numbers. (Recall that if Sanders campaign did not work with the Iowa Democratic Party to get these cards and use them in the caucus, this manual recount would not have been possible.)   Bernie still stands with his numbers. See statement from Bernie campaign

Top: Cards raised by caucus goers used for oral count. Holding high for Bernie Sanders. Bottom: Recording and reporting the collected cards for Bernie Sanders'  internal numbers.

It is profoundly revealing to me that the the campaign of Bernie Sanders has learned from the primary elections four years ago. The campaign has built a massive network of skilled precinct captains in every precinct, instituted the voter card system, and kept a methodical record of the numbers. Anticipating the problem, there were lawyers on site to challenge the data and make a case as soon as the results came out. 

The media has now revealed that the app used by the Iowa Dems was bought for $85,000 from Shadow, Inc., a media company that Pete Buttigieg has a vested interest. Furthermore, Pete Butigieg paid $40,000 to assure this system was used.

 

*** 

From the Move to Amend:
 
There is some debate about whether he said this but we're thinking about these words attributed to President Abraham Lincoln:
“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”

And here we are. The top tenth of a percent owns more wealth than the bottom 50% of people in this country -- and we have no mechanisms in place to stop or even mitigate that upward flow of wealth. Help grow the movement to end corporate rule and get big money out of politics by sharing the Motion to Amend today.

If we weren't sure whether or not we live in an oligarchy, we are watching in real time as a multi-billionaire is purchasing his way into a lead spot in the Democratic Party primary. If Bloomberg succeeds and gets the nomination, the American people will have a choice between two grotesquely wealthy politicians, both with corrupt histories. 

This isn't random or just an unfortunate blip in our history -- this is the culmination of a century and a half of corporate domination over political system (not to mention our communities, our environment, our bodies, etc). Now is the time for us to come together to amend the Constitution to make clear that corporations are not people, and money is not free speech! There is a solution -- share it with your friends and family today, by sharing our petition on your social media and email networks!

The #WeThePeopleAmendment is the only amendment that gets to the root of corporate rule by getting big money out of politics, and abolishing ALL corporate constitutional rights. 

It is the only way to turn this ship around and correct this disastrous course -- that Lincoln so presciently warned about -- toward real democracy. 
But it takes a movement. Share the petition far and wide, so we can build that movement for democracy!

Thank you for being in it with us --
- Move to Amend National Team

P.S. Help us grow the movement to fundamentally change the system that even President Lincoln could see was tilted in favor of corporate interests by sharing our petition today! 

***

Day by day, Amazon is extending its reach into everyday people’s lives through new technologies marketed as helpful and harmless. That cannot be farther from the truth. We are on the brink of a mass surveillance crisis and Amazon is ushering in this dangerous new era via Ring.


Ring, owned by Amazon, is a doorbell camera that allows the user to monitor activity through the Neighbor app, to see what’s happening outside of the home and many times, inside as well. Amazon not only has access to this footage, they own the content in perpetuity. But it gets worse-- Amazon makes insidious deals with local law enforcement agencies, rapidly targeting cities and writing marketing scripts for police officers to convince residents to buy Ring, often at a discounted rate or even for free.

Innovative technologies should not be used to increase policing at the expense of our privacy and freedom. Sign the petition to tell your mayor or local police chief to put an end to shady partnerships between law enforcement and Ring.

Sign the Petition

It has been proven time and time again that Black and brown communities suffer the most at the hands of technology bias. Algorithms that supposedly function without racial bias, in fact do. Facial recognition technology supposedly created to increase accuracy, often get it wrong-- especially among people of color. Pairing what we know about these problems in emergent technology with the widely reported flaws and hacks that have already happened with Ring, is clearly a recipe for disaster.
 
Our people are already overpoliced and over-surveilled through practices ranging from Stop and Frisk, to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) which specifically targets MASA (Muslim Arab South Asian) communities. Technology has no place in further terrorizing people of color. It’s time we demand an end to over policing and it starts with holding Ring accountable.

Tell law enforcement not to partner with Ring

The future of technology is ours to shape. We need to demand proper safety and privacy standards now or run the risk of living in a tech fueled 21st century police state tomorrow. We must take a stand before it’s too late.

In solidarity,
Kim Flores and the ACRE team

P.S - Are you being watched at work? Read the Medium post from our friends at Coworker.org and take the brief survey at the end to tell your story of surveillance. Coworker.org is a global platform to advance change in the workplace. Surveillance and control in the workplace is an authoritarian dream come true and we can’t be silent while everyday workers are being impacted.

Green Power 2019

Seen outside of the main gathering hall at Salem State University...

Green Power 2019

words and photos by C. A. Matthews 

Our first Green Party-US Annual Meeting has come and gone. As we made our way home, we contemplated what we've learned and experienced.The main impression we came away with as relative newbies to the national Green Party is how much of a "family" the party really is. And, like any family, it has its share of strengths and weaknesses. 

Voter Choice.org is working  hard to bring ranked choice voting to your state.

Perhaps its greatest strength is its commonality of purpose of saving the Earth from the ravages of capitalism. Eco-socialism is order of the day and was frequently mentioned during the weekend along with the importance of ranked choice voting laws. From championing the health of our citizens, land and water, to protesting the military industrial complex and demanding an end to all wars of colonization and imperialism, Greens do not hesitate to speak out singularly or communally. No matter what corporate propaganda the mainstream media spouts and what smears are directed at them, Greens will not swerve from their commitment to promote "people, planet and peace over profits."

Chris Blankenhorn gave a great talk on what eco-socialism means.

Hilary Tore presents how Toledoans for Safe Water took on BP and passed The Lake Erie Bill of Rights to protect the drinking water of millions.

It is this single-mindedness to save the world and all of its inhabitants and staying true to their principles that can also be construed as a weakness. Greens do not accept corporate money--which is a weakness when you read campaign finance reports and see how many millions of dollars the establishment parties have to advertise their candidates. It's amazing how well Green candidates actually do at the ballot box with so little money at their disposal. Ironically, this could be due to the fact that without huge campaign war chests Green candidates are forced to go door-to-door and talk to the voters in order to get their message out. Could real voter engagement be a more cost effective method than slick TV ads?

Ballot access challenges were addressed by Brendan Phillips and Tony Ndege.

Ajamu Baraka, Jill Stein and Howie Hawkins speak to the original "Green New Deal" espoused by Greens since 2010. The Greens' version calls for massive military spending cuts since it is the military that creates the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions.

Greens are egalitarians that will not allow one person or group of people to dictate terms to others without their consent; hence, there are many caucuses within the Green Party: Women's, Lavender (LGBTQ+), Youth, African-American, LatinX… If there is some way to categorize humanity, the Greens have a caucus for it--or are open to starting one. While this sounds great on paper and is truly something to be proud of, in the real world it can lead to "labels." Party members sometimes get into each other faces because of perceived or real slights by another who wears a different label. The temptation to produce a "learning moment" is often too good to miss, too. 

Diversity awareness panel led by G.P. co-chair Anita Rios.

Hard feelings don't exactly engender party unity or help create an atmosphere of trust. The family can become dysfunctional, and not happy or whole. Add to this the stress of stretched finances, and it's a miracle the "Green Family" has stuck together this long. It's a testimony to the awesome power of the Green Party's Four Pillars and Ten Key Values that Greens have weathered their storms. It's safe to say these guiding principles have prevented the party's members' weaknesses from overcoming its strengths.

 

Margaret Kimberly, editor of Black Agenda Report, and former G.P. presidential candidate Jill Stein moderate the presidential forum.

The countdown to the 2020 presidential campaign began in earnest with six presidential candidates at the forum table on Friday night. They answered questions about their platform positions and occasionally took a pot shot at the perceived front runner. These not-entirely-polite comments would seem tame in an establishment party debate, but at a Green Party candidate forum they come across about as pleasant as the sound of nails scratching across a blackboard.

G.P. presidential candidates fielding questions. From left to right: Howie Hawkins, Dennis Lambert, Ian Schlakman, Sedinam Moyowasiza-Curry, Dario Hunter, David Rolde.

"Hey, we're all family here, Greens!" you want to shout at the folks on stage. "Get along, please, for the sake of the people, planet and peace, will y'all?"

But it is exactly these outbursts of valued truths that demonstrate how well the Greens' unity in diversity strategy fares. There are no secrets or conspiracies kept hidden from other family members. Greens air their grievances and hopefully will work them out in time for the presidential election season with all hands on deck pulling together.

 

Ajamu Baraka, Jill Stein, and Cheri Honkala

In the spirit of their four pillars of grassroots democracy, social justice, peace and environmental wisdom, the Green Party presses on. Ballot access fights and struggles in many states loom on the horizon, but the family members will not give up or give in. It is the planet we're talking about saving after all. We don't have the option to stop fighting for our future. Green Power shall prevail.

*** 

We can't allow Japan to kill hundreds more whales this year. Sign the petition.

 

It's whaling season again in Japan, but this year they've taken their annual massacre of whales to a new level. Rather than dodge the rules and exploit loopholes in the international ban on whaling, Japan simply left the International Whaling Commission altogether. Without this nominal oversight, their already legally dubious whaling operations will go unchecked. Tell Japan to reverse course and rejoin the international commission and respect ban on whaling. Humans have already nearly hunted whales to extinction. That's why countries banded together 73 years ago to stop the industry before there were no whales left to kill. But Japan has lived on the edge. Each year, Japanese whaling vessels marked "RESEARCH" in all caps and English, have killed dozens of whales. This so-called "research" ends with whale meat being sold for profit, revealing itself for what it truly is: just another means of hunting. Without the imprimatur of belonging to the International Whaling Commission, Japan has increased its commitment to kill whales. This year, they plan to kill 383 whales. The international community can't allow Japan to put whales' survival at risk. Sign the petition to demand Japan end their annual whale hunts and recommit to a real ban on international whaling. Thank you, Emily V. The Care2 Petitions Team

***

From Move to Amend:

As you may know, I have been in Washington, DC for the past few months, working to secure more support for the We the People Amendment. 

On Monday last week a friend let me know that the following day a group of brave young activists would be shutting down Congress to protest climate collpase inaction and calling on Congress to join the UK and Canada in declaring a Climate Emergency. 

But they were short one person because someone had a family emergency.
I decided to step up. 

I am terrified and so sorrowful for the world we are leaving for my 7 and 3 year old nephews. I am beside myself with grief at the extinction of animals and human suffering that climate collapse is already causing. 

And I am outraged that instead of protecting our future, Congress has spent the past 30 years doing the bidding of their corporate masters, at the expense of our planet.

So on Tuesday last week I joined 16 people affiliated with the climate action group Extinction Rebellion in supergluing ourselves to three underground tunnel entrances leading to the Capitol, blocking access to members of Congress who were heading to a regularly scheduled session.

Superglue has always really intimidated me, but my fear of a world wrought by climate collapse is much more terrifying. I was very afraid that police would rip our hands from the walls and cause us injury, and I knew that I would surely be arrested for the action -- but I am tired of inaction by our national leaders and I am tired of feeling powerless to save our planet!

It never occured to me that I should be more afraid of a member of Congress than the police! 


During the action Congressman Bob Gibbs (OH) ripped my glued hand from the glass and pushed past me. I'm relieved to say that his action didn't rip my skin off, but it sure did sting!

Capitol Police encouraged me to file charges and after input from a number of people I have decided to do so. 

Since 2009, Gibbs has received over $183,000 in campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies including American Electric Power, FirstEnergy Corporation, Marathon Petroleum, and Murray Energy. 

Murray Energy is known for filing Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) lawsuits against critics when they speak out against their positions, including comedian John Oliver as well as several labor and environmental leaders who are also active local Move to Amend volunteers in Ohio. 

Our Representatives are not serving the American people, they are serving multinational corporations. This assault is a physical representation of the assaults waged against communities and people across the country every day by Congress’s cold and irresponsible inaction. Our leaders refuse to act because they take orders from fossil fuel corporations and the billionaires that own them.

I don't want to let Congressman Gibbs get away with this, just like I don't want to let any member of Congress get away with their crimes of inaction in the face of this disaster that was entirely preventable but is now on fast forward. 

What you can do:

• Share the video of Rep Gibb's assault so that no matter what happens with my charges, the public knows what happened.
   
• Join me on Thursday via Facebook or Twitter Live and I'll tell you the full story, answer questions and talk about how the We the People Amendment is essential to stop climate collapse.
   
• Find ways to take bold action in the face of climate change. I was honored to be part of this action, you will feel better if you act too. September 20-27 is the Global Climate Strike, called by children and young people who are demanding we fight for their future. Find an action near you and be as bold as possible. You don't have to be arrested and spend 22 hours in police custody like I did, but it is a small price to pay given the urgency of the climate situation.

And finally, if this action inspired you, please make a donation to support our work at Move to Amend. 

My civil disobedience was not official Move to Amend business, I was acting as a concerned civillian. But one of the most important reasons why we must pass the We the People Amendment is to reign in corporate power so that climate change can be addressed.

Yours for the planet,
Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap
National Director, Move to Amend

P.S. I again want to express my profound respect and admiration to the young people of Extinction Rebellion DC who organized this bold, strategic and critical action. We were covered in over 40 major media outlets and numerous Representatives have signed on to the Climate Emergency resolution since we told them to do so, face to face, as they passed us while we were glued to the walls.