Monday, June 27, 2016

Power to the People!


Power to the People!
by Cindy A. Matthews

 "Anybody knows that the people have the power. All we have to do 
is awaken the power in the people." - John Lennon

Our Revolution has begun.

Bernie gave a masterful speech in New York City entitled "Where do we go from here?" and outlined that we have much to do to bring about a future to believe in. His live stream address last week asked if we were ready to run or help others run for office to bring about real change and over 20,000 individuals responded they would. (You can still respond to the call at http://berniesanders.com/win )

Yes, that's twenty thousand Americans willing to break the bonds of fear and apathy and become leaders of our democracy. We are the people, and we have the power!

The People's Summit in Chicago this past week also brought forth many great leaders and speakers who encouraged us all to do more than just take to the streets in Philadelphia in July (information about the March on DNC can be found on our page on the sidebar). Nina Turner's speech at the summit energized us with her admonition to become "Doers of the deed!" I believe she meant that now isn't the time to sit back and lick our wounds or fall into a funk--it's time to get out and fight hard to restore our democracy. As John Lennon said it's time to wake up. As Rosario Dawson points out we can't "un-know" how powerful we are once we've discovered it. We're awake and we're powerful and we've been given our orders.

See you in Philly. Power to the people! 

Take a stand and join the political revolution like our bloggers this week. Check out the "how to submit" page for instructions on how you too can support your fellow revolutionaries by writing for and donating to The Bernie Blog. Thank you.
 

 Fighting for our Democracy
by Dirk Droll 

Friends, we are in the fight of our lives, the fight for our country and our future. Let there be no doubt: The foremost battle we need to win in this fight is the battle for our democracy. All our hoping and voting will do us no good as long as the crooks controlling the electoral process can simply make up the election results to the cheers of our corporate media, accompanied by our quiet resignation when too many of us dazedly believe their fabrications and never push back. The fraud is real and massive. But so is our ability to fight back!

For many, election fraud in our country is hard to believe because it is so sophisticated. But haven't you noticed a few things?

We are not stupid. We are simply too busy to notice or fight the small stuff. Sly as they are, the enemies of our democracy come for our vote in multiple attacks. They steal a piece here, another there, hoping you won't notice or raise more than an eyebrow. Remember the rumors you may have heard about purged or switched voter registrations, mysterious absentee votes completely flipping the night's results at the last minute, Clinton's late-arriving votes bringing the number of votes above the number of voters, the night's tally of one candidate (Bernie's, of course!) actually going down instead of up, and official counts disagreeing totally with exit polls way beyond the margin of error? Usually, where there is so much smoke there is a fire. Many small fires make an inferno. (Editor's note: Check out the article links on our Election Fraud and Voter Suppression Page for more information.)

By these many small to mid-sized attacks our elections die the death of a thousand cuts. Each instance is easily played down by the corporate media and easily dismissed by each of us as a minor glitch which won't affect the total outcome. However, they add up to hand the nomination (and possibly later the presidency if the GOP doesn't cheat even more efficiently in November) to a certain Hillary Rodham Clinton. As Secretary of State, if the reports are true, she  made dozens of arms deals with corrupt foreign regimes in return for bribe money she uses now to  buy herself the presidency. Will she be prosecuted? We will see. In the current state of our nation, criminals in high places usually go scot-free.

If this election fraud surreptitiously had not accompanied the primaries and caucuses from day one, Bernie would already be our Democratic Party nominee. Hillary's race would have been over months ago, exposed for the unpopular power grab from above that it is. It is high time we fight back!

I have compiled a list of their machinations and how we can stop them, adding of which would unfortunately exceed the desired word count on this blog. You can find it in the full version of my article on my own little blog where I have no word limit. Read it and act. Let's stand together.

When we act, the 99% are too big to fail!


~ Dirk Droll, aka Beanstock, has had a long string of careers and writes in his spare time about life, the universe, and everything, both seriously and in jest. Sometimes even both.




***


An Open Letter to the DNC: 
You are on Notice

by Bern Notice 

To the DNC:

At the beginning of this primary season, you were sure that everyone was ready for Hillary. You, and the corporate media were 100% certain that your candidate would breeze to the nomination without a real challenge. I'm sure that you thought that this year would be another year to simply herd the masses behind your pre-packaged candidate. In some ways, I'm sure that you still think you can simply wave your hand and say, "Follow our candidate! You have no other choice."

Well, that plan is going to be more difficult than you thought. If you think that this is over, you couldn't be more wrong. I have a saying, "The greatest threat to government corruption is a well-informed electorate." Up to this point, you have been able to have your way because of either the lack of awareness or the apathy of the general public.

That apathy has now turned into anger. Prior to this point, many on the internet focused more on cat videos or other recreational pursuits than anything else. Now, the internet is being used as it should be--a tool to advance discussion and a resource to undercut the spin and lies you try to feed us whenever you want us to follow you like a bunch of lemmings.

As we share information and show the actual historical footage and documentation of what happened, we open the eyes of yet another person who thought that you actually represent "the working class citizen." I don't know whether someone has told you or not, but let me you: You haven't represented us at all, and we are hip to your game.

You represent your own selfish craving for wealth and power. You represent the corporations and multi-millionaires. You only represent us when it is convenient for you. You put on a front trying to be this shining light for the working class citizen while getting your pockets lined by the wealthy lobbyists and donors who control your puppet strings.

Make no mistake, some of the blame for your failures fall on us, the voter. We made it easy for you to ignore us because we didn't vote you out of office regularly enough and replace you with fresh faces. Some of us voted straight down the party line instead of checking your voting record and holding you accountable for it.

We made mistakes, but we are rectifying those mistakes right now. The rest is on you, DNC. When you ignore your constituents calls for action for or against a bill, that is your choice. When you punish average citizens for violations of laws and statutes, then grant a pass to a colleague for the same violation, that's
your choice. When you suppress the vote, or alter results in an election so that you can elect your chosen candidate, that's your choice.


The Sanders campaign that challenged your reign of oligarchy was not a anomaly. It is a warning. If you think Berniecrats will fall in line after what you did in this primary, think again. Loyalty isn't gained through fear and threats. It is earned through deeds and integrity and performing the will of the people. We are far from done.

We will stay active to ensure the mayors, governors, Congress members and other members of the political elite are voted out of office. We will replace them with people of integrity who have a desire to fulfil the will of the working class voter. You have not earned our vote based on your actions. You have earned our contempt and with that comes consequences on election day in 2016 and into the future.

Your "Third Way Democrat" supporter base shrinks while our numbers grow. Your grip on power has loosened as has been shown in this campaign. It is no longer iron clad. It is faltering. We know this because you would not have to go to the lengths that you did in this election otherwise.

This is your wake up call. This is your political warning. Either submit and do the people's work or know  your position is in peril come the next election. You are now on notice!


Bern Notice frequently gives notice online at Google+ and in the chat room at Political Revolution.TV






***


This Woman is Bernie Strong!

This week's "This Woman is Bernie Strong" commentary is a bit different. The information below is for Berners to join the class action fraud lawsuit against the DNC because they misrepresented how our donations to the Democratic primary  were going to be used. Since most of us did not intend our donations to the DNC and/or Bernie Sanders campaign to be used to finance criminal activity to suppress the vote or rig voting machines and ballots, we have the right to sue for redress.  Email the attorneys below to join. (I did.) Power to the people!


Dear Fellow Citizen:

What is This Case About?

This is a fraud lawsuit.

On June 15, 2016, an anonymous hacker known as Guccifer 2.0 released documents purportedly hacked from the servers of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the formal governing body of the Democratic party, and the coordinator of the 2016 Democratic Presidential primary race.

The hacked documents strongly suggest that the DNC colluded with Sec. Hillary Clinton's campaign to perpetrate a great fraud on the public. 

This class action lawsuit is against the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and any affiliated persons and entities.

How to Get Started

Thank you for reaching out to us.  As attorneys, we are truly energized by the outpouring of support for this class action lawsuit.  Class actions are, and should be, client-driven lawsuits, where a group of people represent everyone in the Class, and act with everyone's interests in mind.

Please email us at dncfraud@jampac.us to obtain a copy of the legal papers on how to get involved.

If you have donated directly to the DNC since Bernie entered the race, we would like to speak with you! (Editor's note: I was informed that you can join the lawsuit if you donated only to Bernie as well.)

Time is of the essence, so your prompt attention is greatly appreciated.

Updates

We have started a Facebook page to update the public on progress.  https://www.facebook.com/DNCfraudlawsuit/


 ELIZABETH LEE BECK, ESQ. | Beck & Lee Trial Lawyers

***  

Here's a great quote from Berner Anthony Lewis: "Bernie has said it since day one: We need a political revolution. This campaign is about a political revolution — millions of people standing up and saying, enough is enough."

"We win when people come together. We win when we reject division. We need policies that bring us together and create an economy that works for all of us, rather than a few. Welcome to the political revolution."

Let's end with a rousing anthem--Power to the People! It's #OurRevolution
Get out and fight for democracy this week. You'll be glad you did. 
 

Monday, June 20, 2016

A Nation Based on Love

 A Nation Based on Love (Bernie's official press release)

A Nation Based on Love
by Cindy A. Matthews
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. --from 1 Corinthians 13, the "Love Chapter"
Bernie's short press conference regarding the recent tragedy in Orlando says it all. We must create a nation based on love and not hatred, on unity and not division. Those who try to divide us with their unfounded prejudices are not really "American" no matter how many eagles they stitch on their baseball caps or flags they fly in their front yards. These poor souls filled with bigotry are missing the point of America and creating  grief for everyone, including themselves. 

A house divided itself cannot stand. To risk destroying our unity, our community, we risk destroying ourselves in ways not even a madman's bullets or a bigot's hate can destroy. Hatred brings the death of dreams, and without dreamers there is no hope of a better day, no vision for a peaceful tomorrow.

When we take care of each other and our planet, we build a future to believe in that's worth dreaming about and fighting for. Otherwise, it's just plain ol' fighting and killing, a process which generates massive profits for the NRA lobby and the Military Industrial Complex. Enough is enough! It's time we listen to our very wise leader, Senator Bernie Sanders, and work hard to bring about a political revolution before it's too late.

Our sincere condolences to all who lost friends and family in Orlando and quick healing to all who are wounded in body and soul.  As Bernie says, "When you hurt, I hurt." Let us heal together and create a nation based on love. 
Listen to all six minutes of Bernie's press conference: https://youtu.be/WSgFuA502ds




Let's keep working to build a nation based on love. Let's not lose our hope and think we can't elect Bernie Sanders to the highest office in the land. There is still hope. Feel the Bern.


I came a discussion across online recently that helped me understand more about why now more than ever we need to say "Bernie or Bust!" and mean it. Our vote does count, and how we cast it says a lot about ourselves and our dreams of a better future. We must not allow others to bully us and tell us we're "wasting our vote" by voting for Bernie Sanders. But don't take my word for it--these commenters say it much better.


The Bifurcation Fallacy 
"Never fall for the trap of voting for the least worst."~Ralph Nader 

The troll said: "Not voting for Hillary is voting for Trump. As surely as voting for Nader was voting for Bush." To which the commenters replied:

Giovanna X
 Do yourself and the rest of the world a yuge favor and look up "bifurcation fallacy." Logic is a Pure Science, too, and far too few people are trained in the discipline.
 

P. ARTHUR RILEY
So far as I can tell...

Some here are advancing the discredited lesser of two evils fallacy coupled with the false equivalency by arguing not voting for Hillary Clinton is a vote for Donald Trump.

First, the not voting for Hillary Clinton is vote for Donald Trump is based on the false equivalency fallacy that a vote for one candidate somehow cancels or negates a vote for the other candidate.

If you vote for Hillary Clinton you vote for her. A voter cannot know what ultimate affect their individual vote will have on an general election consisting of tens of millions of votes. Suggesting not voting for Hillary Clinton is a vote for Donald Trump is analogous to spiting into an oncoming tsunami expecting to stop it.

Next, our responsibility as voters is to cast them in support of the candidate who, based on our individual judgement, meets our criteria for whatever office of public trust they are running for. It is not voter's job to enter a post hoc vote on the opposing parties primary and nomination process.

If segments of the Democratic Party were truly concerned about winning in November the party's primary process and national convention should make certain the candidate demonstrating the best chances of winning in November is the Democratic presidential nominee.

If the DNC's national convention doesn't put forth the candidate with the best chance of winning, it is they, not voters in the general election, who are enabling defeat. These past week's national polls have competitively ranked the remaining national political party's candidates in terms of relative competitive preference among the general electorate.

One of the three remaining candidates has consistently stood far above the other two in general electorate preference. Fortunately for the DNC that candidate is a Democrat. Unfortunately, the "inconvenient truth" the DNC and Ms. Clinton blithely ignore in their quest to make history instead of winning elections, it isn't her.

If the Democratic primary process elevated to presumptive nominee the candidate with the least likelihood to prevail against Donald Trump it is the responsibility of the Democratic Party's superdelegates to rectify that mistake.

In fact, according to the historical rationale of why the Democratic Party has superdelegates in the first place is to make sure a popular but non-competitive Democrat isn't the nominee. This happened in 1968 when George McGovern was selected as the Democratic Party's nominee.

Hillary Clinton is not the lesser of two evils compared to Donald Trump. Ms. Clinton is the obverse side of the same evil in a different form. That fact is reflected in Ms. Clinton sharing with Donald Trump the lowest favorability rating in history among American voters. 


Giovanna X
You might prefer to use the term "false dilemma." Bifurcation fallacy has many names, and while, in my opinion, "bifurcation fallacy" is the most accurate in dealing with the two-party system and other examples of monopolistic dualism, or what some have called "duopoly". (Examples of dualism as socially-assumed pre-philosophical monopoly: "You're either an American, or a Communist." "If you're not a Christian, then you're worshiping Satan." "Unmarried women must choose between the role of virgin or the role of whore." All of these statements reduce the wide plethora of choices available to a simplistic, limited and limiting two.) More relevantly, "bifurcation fallacy" is much less familiar to the population than something like "black-and-white thinking" or "false dilemma."
 

Sam Wolf
 Once again your observations are spot on and extremely well written.
I am so glad that you emphasized that only the DNC is to blame for running the weak candidate when Bernie is at the starting gate ready to take on the Trumpster. Bernie will kick that Fascist back underneath the slimy rock from which he emerged.


Because I will not vote for Hillary that does not indicate that I support Trump or would help that maniac get elected. It just means that I do not like her royal highness and choose to reflect that opinion at the polls.



In any case, if Bernie is not inaugurated on January 20, 2016 then Bernie or another worthy progressive independent will be in 2020.


We are definitely moving in the right direction; it is just a matter of when our cause will capture the White House.


A bad penny is bad on the obverse and the reverse as you previously stated. Support the political revolution: Vote Bernie!


***
I get it now. I won't fall for the "bifurcation fallacy" when others tell me I have to support a candidate I don't like. I'll vote my conscience, and I'll vote for Bernie. Better to choose the person I want in the White House than to play some silly game trying to make another party's candidate lose. The only real "losers" in that scenario are we the people!

Bernie made another important address to the public this week. It's the start of #OurRevolution  and taking back our government on all levels--local, state and federal. Listen to what he has to say and sign up to run for office or to help others run for office in your area. https://youtu.be/RzHSNjctOCk

 


Let's close with an uplifting song with some new uplifting visuals. Remember it's #OurRevolution and #LoveTrumpsHatred. Feel the Bern everyone!

Monday, June 13, 2016

Take Your Voice and Run With It!

Take Your Voice and 
Run With It

 I originally thought we'd discuss the primary disappointments this week, but then this beautiful story popped up into my email box, capturing all the excitement and joy of the political revolution, and I knew we all needed to hear it. It reminds us the revolution will be driven by the young and young-at-heart, it is ongoing, and it's far from over. (Besides, there are still 2.5+ million ballots left to be counted according to the California Secretary of State's office.)

As Bernie says to Aziz: "Take it (your voice) and you gotta run with it!" We must not allow the forces of greed and selfishness silence our voices and silence our progressive agenda.

And as Aziz says:  "I need people to know how genuine and caring Mr. Bernie Sanders really is. The movement goes on." 

So, come along with Aziz and witness his personal interaction with Bernie Sanders. You know it's a story worth telling and sharing and never, ever forgetting. Feel the Bern.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBbyB1iKhdA



My Experience With Bernie
by Aziz Rubakovic


Yes indeed, that is me! (See video above.)

I go to UCLA, but when I heard Bernie was coming to the Coachella Valley on May 25th I knew I had to go see him in my hometown, a smaller, more intimate environment than probably anywhere else he'd be speaking in California, and certainly more intimate than L.A. In fact it was the first time any politician had come to the Coachella Valley to speak in more than 60 years. He was here for a little break from campaigning the week before, so I guess Palm Springs had left a good impression. I managed to hitch a ride home with a friend at 2 AM the day of the rally, arrived at 4, went to bed (believe me sleeping was hard I was so excited), woke up at 6, and was in line by 7 AM.

The atmosphere was friendly and buzzing. Lots of young people, many even too young to vote. Lots of old people as well. From the educated to the uneducated, from the immigrant and poor to the white and rich, everyone knew that this man was the man who represented their beliefs who was honest and who would take real steps to improve the circumstances of everyone's life.

There was a man in a big Bernie head. 


The line was long. Some people had been waiting since 2 AM. 




The name of the field was "Big League Dreams" which I found incredibly appropriate.  



Crowd of about 5000.

Funny shirts. (This first one is me.)
 

The speech Bernie gave was impassioned, focusing on issues that affect the Coachella Valley such as immigration and the minimum wage as well as big banks, health care, education, etc. At the end of the rally he went through the crowd and shook everybody's hand quickly. He passed me by. I blanked. I yelled after him, "Thank you for giving us a voice Bernie!" because really no candidate ever truly had for progressives like me. I think the message resonated with him because he turned around, walked back, grabbed me by my shoulders and said, "Thank you! You gotta take it and you gotta run with it!" 

I think that he's been sending that message to all of his supporters throughout the campaign. My triplet sister Sabrina was behind me and managed to capture the whole interaction from a great angle on her iPhone.

As a half-Serb, half-Palestinian 22 year old millennial who came of age during the Clinton controversies and Bush lies, if I've felt anything towards politics it's  a fundamental belief that it is corrupt. It was never a question for me. Politicians had lied my whole life. The public knew this, and no one really cared. Why even get involved? We heard the "Change" slogan with Barack in 2008, but even then it didn't seem quite real. Change is nice but what about the growing income inequality? Obama seemed like a much more charismatic  HRC, but intuitively you could feel he wasn't too different. 


And then along came Bernie, a candidate who for the first time in my entire life always said the truthful thing, even if it's the unpopular thing. He didn't think "socialist" was a profanity for God's sake. Welcome to the rest of the world America. All of his views resonated with me. The middle class has been shrinking, education is faltering, health care is terrible etc., and all anyone ever promised was that they were going to "improve the economy." 

Here was a candidate who was addressing my--and every reasonable person I know--concerns for the country in non-ambiguous, non-politicized, honest terms. His method of communication, unlike any politicians I've ever listened to in my 22 years, is straightforward, rational and non-narcissistic, which all implies  Bernie is the real deal. Compared to the racist ramblings of Trump, or the vacuous promises of Clinton, it's like a breath of fresh air I never realized I was missing. 

Real change from a real Senator who had been fighting all of his life for these values. Who knew that the movement we all craved wasn't about him becoming president but about him changing the political landscape and getting those who also craved true progressive change elected? No presidential candidate whose only goal was to win votes would say anything other than "the buck stops with me."

Bernie wants something real. His opinions are informed and reasoned, they matched my almost to a T. (As a Palestinian especially, it was nice to hear at least one candidate giving the Palestinian people any attention). And when he grabbed me and looked me in the eye, he went from being a figure who said stuff I agreed with on TV to someone who I knew truly wanted to affect change in a large portion of this country. He was like my firm, friendly grandpa. In that moment, when he came close to me and looked into my eyes I could feel it. I could feel the power of this movement, and I could feel this man's authenticity.

In the political landscape in which I had come of age, it was like meeting a unicorn. #feelthebern


(Images online at http://imgur.com/a/VhqeU)

*** 
 From the voice of the young to the voices of the young-at-heart...


Birdie Sanders knows who he's voting for!

Stand Up For 
What You Believe!
by Jim Kemble


I’m a senior living in Newbury, Vermont. I’ve been dismayed with the way that democracy has lost its way in the USA.


I suggest that all of us who support Bernie should write in his name on the ballot in the November election. This may seem drastic, but if one has a principle it shouldn’t be suppressed. Let’s be honest and true to ourselves. 

Some will argue that action would be naïve. That’s what I’m going to do anyway. I know a few others who plan to do the same thing.
 
Stand up for what you believe!
***
This Woman is Bernie Strong!
a weekly commentary by a female Bernie supporter
The Glass Ceiling Isn't a Priority
by Barb McMillen 
 
My stomach aches. We woke up this morning and Bill read me the AP declaration. There was no way to express the anger I felt. Mainstream media is slapping us in the face. But here's the thing, during the day the headlines started to manifest themselves: HRC Breaks the Glass Ceiling, First Time a Woman Nominated, or Glass Ceiling President! 

Glass ceiling? Glass ceiling! It's not even on my list of priorities. It's their issue--those people who feel being denied running for president is what this is about. 

Then my thoughts went to Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer and how much anger they have probably built up over the years dealing with the McConnells of the world. On the other hand, I see women every day making $8 or $9 dollars an hour, many of them single mothers. I see women without health care, with men telling them what female issues can be covered by insurance. I see women every day crying in poverty and not making as much at their job as their male counterparts. And then I see the sacrifices of Nina Turner and Marcy Kaptur, and I am so so angry! They know what's at stake, and it ain't a glass ceiling. 

Glass ceiling never made it to our priority lists. HRC and Nancy and Barbara can feel happy for themselves and celebrate. But inside the abyss are the wide open eyes of recognition. Inside that darkness lies me and Bernie and all of us Berners. Seething. And if this is about the glass ceiling, eff them. I have come to the one thing I cannot move beyond. 

This is about a glass ceiling? Speechless. My stomach aches. I am the storm.
 
***


Check out Ballotpedia's fact-checking project Verbatim. Read Did the media call the Democratic primary too early? and learn more about how the mainstream media is erroneously including superdelegates who do not vote until July 25th in the delegate totals.

The struggle continues, but we should take heart. We have a leader who is on our side and will fight for a future to believe in--for all of us and not just the one percent. 

Take your voice and run with it this week. Talk about Bernie Sanders with other voters, and let them know he's still in the race. Don't forget to phonebank/canvass Washington, DC. Bernie knows how folks in the District feel about "taxation without representation" with no representation of their own in Congress. Help him become the voice of those who are voiceless! Feel the Bern, Washingtonians!