Bernie Sanders Finally Needs to Throw Down With the Democratic Party

Before I get into my rant, let me put this on the table. I have identified as a Democrat since the presidential election in 1960. I became a card carrying member of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin when I worked on the Todd Kolosso’s campaign to defeat Representative Jim Sensenbrenner in 2010.

Senator Sanders says his goal is to open up the Democratic Party to the millions of people who want to participate. There’s a couple of different ways to take that but at least one of them is down right silly. I will try to outline what I see them as being.

First, the Democratic Party isn’t a private yacht club or country club. You don’t have to be sponsored by a current member to get in. All you have to do is join…pay your dues…and you are in. They send you a card, bury you in emails, beg for money, let you know when the locals meet and invite you to participate in the state convention…and national convention. Every one of the millions that Sen. Sanders says want to participate…they can start today. To claim otherwise is just plain silly. Join the party.

Second, if he is referring to the closed primaries and closed caucuses…yes that is a little bit different. Those are party functions and the state party organizations get to decide those rules. It isn’t a top down directive from that nasty old DNC to do it one way or another. And yes some people weren’t able to vote because of party rules. But those can be changed…by party members. And some of those rules are state election laws…get like minded people elected. Join the party.

You don’t like closed primaries, states that require party identification months in advance, or super delegates? These can all be changed. Join the party.

You think the Democratic Party isn’t viable? Didn’t Sen. Sanders, after 36 years as an independent, run as a Democrat? Why do you suppose that is? Would he have gotten the press attention if he ran as a third party? Would he have been able to make his points or reach his audience if he didn’t have access to the Democratic debates? How did that work out for him? He reached a pinnacle that was totally a surprise to most everyone. And before you tell me you can’t compromise your principles to join the party…didn’t Sen. Sanders do exactly that?

You have four years to change the things you don’t like before the 2020 elections. No, you won’t get all of your issues resolved in that time. It is going to take a while to get into local party politics and get into a position to have influence. But it isn’t impossible. It can happen fairly quickly if you have the energy to keep after it. The party is ripe for change.

Need some roadmaps on how this works?

Look to the Tea Party domination of the Republican Party in a relatively short time. See how the Wisconsin Tea Party GOP has destroyed a century of Wisconsin progressivism in six short years.

Look to the Sanders’ campaign in 2016. It came from nearly no where to prominence. You have a network of like minded people with similar thoughts and aspirations to build on. You are already half way there, you just need to join the party and work your magic.

I had a lot more cool things to say but between lunch time when I was mulling them over and now when I am writing, but they have slipped away. If they resurface I will add them to the comments or append them below.

But one last thing. I don’t know if Sen. Sanders was naïve or just playing for sympathy during the campaign. But the many things he brought up as wrong or roadblocks or issues or rigged in the primaries have been in place for years. If he wasn’t aware of them or ignored them…I can’t fathom. That would be poor planning and poor management. Or maybe they only became an issue once he had a chance at the nomination. But if you don’t like those things, they can be changed.

But if you want to push the party to a more progressive position, now is the time to get involved. Join the party, because there won’t be the change you want if you just continue to snipe from the fringe.

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41 thoughts on “Bernie Sanders Finally Needs to Throw Down With the Democratic Party

  1. Yes I also self identified as a democrat in 1960, but as a progressive, why would I support a party that pushes an agenda against my interests? In 2012 I didn’t vote for Obama, how could I support a Wall St. friendly, drone murderer? In 2016 I most likely will not vote for Ms. Clinton for the same reasons as she undoubtable will go to war to profit her Wall St. friends as she supported the violent coup in Honduras so Wall St. could recoup their investments and expanded Bushes “Plan Columbia” in Mexico. Both cases indicate her support for profit over human rights.

    1. Because the election is about you, not the country, George? If you can’t tell the difference between Obama and Romney and Hillary and Trump, you’re not progressive, you’re foolish.

      1. James,

        The differences on social issues are obvious.

        Where are the differences on capitalism? Sen. Sanders understands that along with monopolies and oligopolies, wealth inequality is the great enemy of capitalism. He wanted anti-trust enforcement and robust federal investment in health care, education, and green infrastructure.

        I don’t see Sec. Clinton, Obama, Speaker Ryan, or anyone else supporting that agenda.

        I understand Trump is nuts and no one wants him as President.

        Sen. Sanders, President Obama, and Sec. Clinton support the GOP’s “nation-building,” occupations that are only breeding more terror against the U.S.

      2. Yes JP, tell me the difference between Mitt having Freeport, IL Sensata workers train their replacements before the factory is shut down and moved overseas and Obama’a TPP or TTIP plans that subordinate US Courts, US environmental and worker safety laws and our human rights guarantees (what’s left of them) to a multi-national corporate hired tribunal, along withthe official Obama estimates of another 200K jobs disappearing from our shores if this “surrender,” of US sovereignty happens in the lame duck session. Write Ron Kind or Reid Ribble and give either of them your thoughts.

        Tell me the difference between Trump’s crazy war rhetoric (I’ll predict, here and now, he wouldn’t be allowed to be the R candidate) and Secretary Hillary sabre rattling at Russia in the Ukraine and in Syria and against China in the south China Sea in a ludicrous policy to get them to bankrupt themselves through their needing to invest in their own military expenditures.

        I’m beyond being a progressive, and I’m sure as hell not a fool. Put one fact into your next comment, if you have any at all in your intellectual arsenal, before you put your digits on the keyboard anymore on this subject.

  2. Gentlemen, I am confused…I am suggesting ways for Sanders’ acolytes to take over the party and push for their progressive ideas…no where did I mention anything about Sec Clinton. Is your reading comprehension that bad or are you just going to mope around and be bitter for the next 4/8 years instead of doing something?

    1. Well said. Change doesn’t happen from the outside looking in.

      I voted for Sanders, but there is no way in hell I’m going to risk Donald Trump getting in the White House and nominating the next 3 or 4 Supreme Court justices. Too much is at stake.

      Third parties don’t work in American politics. The Bernie supporters can do the most good by continuing to push for a real progressive takeover of the Democratic Party.

      1. Guy,

        In 2012 all the pollsters I trusted were confident that Wisconsin’s ten electoral votes would go for Obama. Armed with that information, I held my breath and voted for the green presidential candidate, Jill Stein. The rest of my ballot was Democrats.

        Wingnuts have a point about Sec. Clinton’s ties to Wall Street and the elites, “Hank Paulson cites Hillary’s Globalist Platform.” http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/06/25/hank-paulson-cites-hillarys-globalist-platform-reason-endorsement/

      2. Guy or Ed, if you, or anyone you know, has a blueprint for that, “change from within,” please share it.

        IMHO, both parties are simply trying to fit their message into what the main-stream-media will cover. IMHO it’s, “private equity,” dominated by the elites, who controls the share prices of Gannett (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USAT), Tronc (Chicago Tribune, LA Times), Wall Street Journal, New York Times, all the networks.

        They also control just about everything else.
        “When you dial 911 and Wall Street Answers: Since the 2008 financial crisis, private equity firms have increasingly taken over public services like emergency care and firefighting, often with dire effects.”
        http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/business/dealbook/when-you-dial-911-and-wall-street-answers.html?_r=0

        “Wolf Richter: Private Equity Scrambles to Buy Primary Care Doctors, ‘Leverage’ Their Patients”

        http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/07/wolf-richter-private-equity-scrambles-to-buy-primary-care-doctors-leverage-their-patients.html

        Ed, you wrote, “You think the Democratic Party isn’t viable? Didn’t Sen. Sanders, after 36 years as an independent, run as a Democrat? Why do you suppose that is?”

        Pretty sure Sen. Sanders had no choice. AFAIK, the duopoly of GOP and Dem operatives have conspired to make state ballot access too complex and expensive for anyone without a lot of money.

        Published in 2013 by @masaccioEW, “Oligarchy Exists Inside Our Democracy,” still describes Democrats.

        “Suddenly it looks like we are seeing political victories for progressives, on LGBT rights, on issues important to Hispanics, even occasionally on issues important to women. At the same time, we lose every single battle over economic issues. How is it that when polls show that a huge majority oppose cuts to Social Security, Democratic politicians like President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin are all for it, as are the Republicans? How is it that when Obama gets elected on a pledge to hike taxes on incomes above $250K, with a huge majority and control of the Senate, and a legislative situation where all he has to do is nothing and it happens, and then it doesn’t? How is it that the same bill continued a bunch of disgusting loopholes for the richest Americans and the corporations they control, like the NASCAR loophole that essentially only benefits one enormously wealthy family? How is it that within days of hearings showing the incompetence of JPMorgan’s derivatives traders the House Agriculture Committee cleared legislation to inflict derivative losses on the FDIC?”

        snip

        “These matters are largely the fault of the Republicans, who are the party of the rich, the oligarchs. But at least in the Senate, the Democrats could change these rules. They refused to do so in the face of the bad faith of the Republicans. It’s at least as much the fault of Harry Reid as it is the fault of the party of the rich.

        The primary impact of this leverage in the hands of the minority is on economic issues. The oligarchy is just as divided as the rest of the population on social issues, like immigration, LGBT rights, women’s issues and similar non-financial matters. It turns out that, for example, some of the oligarchs have family or friends or are themselves LGBT. Their interests in wars and other kinds of issues are also divided. Because of that, democracy could theoretically work on those issues. It’s only those economic issues where the rich are on the same team, and they always win those battles.

        And that’s exactly how things are working out. On matters of direct interest to the oligarchy, they win. You can have your silly laws about marriage or abortion as long as they get their way on money. It’s a lousy bargain, and it doesn’t have to be that way.”

        http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/03/oligarchy-exists-inside-our-democracy.html

        1. Thanks John and nonq for your good, salient thoughts. It’s clear from what you’ve said that you both have experiences with the Democratic Party (technically it has been ruled that it is a “private club” that can set it’s own rules) which are much like mine. I am with both of you, we must stop the TPP, as well as all that goes with this neo-liberal model of politics and economics. In many ways the Democratic Leadership Council and it’s takeover of the DNC can be seen as the model used by the Tea Party to take over the RNC. Hardly grassroots activism, is it?

          Let’s thank Ed for giving us all the opportunity to express our thoughts publicly–even though his rant and response to us ignores the political and economic reality of we all face now… just a month before the DNC convention in Philadelphia, and our Wisconsin primary in August between Myron Buchholz and Democrat “in good standing” Ron Kind.

          I’m hoping Blogging Blue contributer Steve Carlson can present more posts here leading up to the election for us all. After all, blogs on the internet inform us all, whether in Milwaukee County or the rest of the State. With TPP all against net neutrality, any future dissenting voices could well disappear if this atrocity is allowed to pass.

      3. Disagree here Guy, progressives, socialists, actual democratic socialists will only make a change by abandoning the DNC and even their state and local county parties, so put your money and time into specific local candidates, starting with your municipal races and then on to state legislative races, doing grassroots work for them and only the candidates you chose to help.

        The DNC or more precisely the Hillary Victory Fund staffers have been shuffled out to their DPW state regions to dominate local Dem Party efforts and have agreed to put state and more local candidates on the bottom of their calling card/lists. Unless you’ve already raised $150K for a state assembly race as a candidate, you are a persona non grata.

        Joining the party is not going to change the national/state D party leadership ever. Both parties would have allowed more fringe candidates to participate in the process decades ago.

        Just look who’s running the show and guess who they are going to allow to run.

        http://debates.org/index.php?page=national-debate-sponsors

        (Apologies, I may have mistakenly double posted here.)

        1. nonquixote, thank you.

          @folkbum is on Twitter.

          Ed, could you ask @folkbum and others in the “change from within,” crowd to tweet with the Chicago, socialist and labor organizer, @nwbtcw (no war but the class war) and some of her friends? These tweets with millennials would be evidence that Sec. Clinton isn’t just trying to win by sliding to the right with baby boomers. Wouldn’t the exchanges make excellent content for bloggingblue posts?

          nwbtcw’s very involved with Chicago Teachers, so she and her peers have a lot in common with @folkbum. I have deep respect for her as an sjw–social justice warrior. She and her peers are inviting Democrats to join local socialist and communist parties. They agree with Democrats on choice and LGBT. They see capitalism as the primary cause of the lethal climate crisis. She’s got a college degree, is very intelligent, very fluent in the history of labor and imperialism. She’s very pragmatic, non-violent, uses sound tactics, that are informed by cogent strategies. She sells her art on Etsy. I’ve bought some, it’s good.

          Even if Sen. Sanders had been the nominee, I doubt she and her peers would have voted for him. That’s how low an opinion they have of the Democratic party.

          If @folkbum and the “change from within,” crowd can provide evidence they persuaded some socialists and communists to vote for Sec. Clinton, can they attempt to persuade millennial anarchists, who reject all forms of government, to vote for Sec. Clinton?

    2. Ed, you wrote. “Gentlemen, I am confused….”

      Can’t disagree. I hope that’s all it is.

      “No where did I mention anything about Sec(sic) Clinton. Is your reading comprehension that bad….?

  3. I get your point that if Bernie wants to change the Democratic party, he should join the party, but I see no harm in his continuing complaints or suggestions many of which he may have a point. In fact,. I see some good keeping his supporters advised or updated as opposed to being silent, going home and into a political sleep or retirement. Hillary needs all the help and support she can get. Sure, she has a five point lead over The Donald, but I would feel more secure with greatly expanding that number. Remember the adage, “better safe than sorry.” Trump is the greatest threat to the office of the presidency since….it didn’t exist or….. (your choice)!

    1. D12, appreciate your take.

      FWIW, Dem platform committee wants to repeal Hyde Amendment. This will anger pro-life Democrats.

      “Clinton campaign hails progressive Democratic platform.”

      “Calling the platform ‘the most ambitious and progressive platform our party has ever seen,’ Maya Harris, a Clinton policy adviser, praised the platform’s call for a repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortions in most circumstances, and expanding Social Security.”

      http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/25/politics/hillary-clinton-campaign-praises-democratic-platform-draft/

  4. Ed, enjoyed reading your take but Sanders articulation of a mildly right of center political position, was meant to corral dissatisfaction in people who would like to see change inside the Democratic Party, those easily fooled. If Sanders had not had a predicted value to the DNC (the top down agenda and selected POTUS candidate for the rest of us), he would not have been allowed anywhere in the media, and he said last fall he would support the eventual D candidate.

    The tea-party, “grassroots,” nature was a nothing more than a corporate marketing myth, well funded and pushed effectively by the corporate media. The deception worked. Club for Growth or the MacIver Institute or WILL or Right Wisconsin are “grassroots,” formed? Really?

    Sanders joined the D party and has stayed and still serves the core party 1% principles of imperialism, militarism and hegomony and was not willing to risk total ostricization among his peers nor his Congressional seniority status and committee appointments.

    Not a tough question to figure out.

    Thanks for the post, a nice opportunity to speak.

  5. Hello all,

    As current Vice Chair of the Waukesha County Dems, I wanted to offer some thoughts on this. In 2012 I was a paid staffer for the Democratic Party. I worked in Rock County, Walworth County, and Waukesha County. Even with all this I had a massive internal struggle over voting for Jill Stein or President Obama. Spoiler: i voted for Obama because I could not think of what a President Romney would be like for not only myself but for my lgbt friends, etc.
    In the comments people ask; how to get involved, whats the road map, and saying DPW Coordinated Campaign staffers are taking over.

    1. How to be involved; come to local party meetings, volunteer, gain wisdom and connections be a party leader make changes. Not super simple, but easy enough.
    2. Whats the roadmap: hard work, and being willing to play the long game. Ive been active in Waukesha County since 2010 before I got to the point I was respected enough as a 25 year old to be vice chair.
    3. DPW CC staff is taking over: Is DPW staff on the ground? Yes. Are they doing majority of the work? Yes. (But to be fair most of us here in Waukesha work full time, and are as active as we can be). Is DPW taking over and ignoring local candidates? No. They work with local leaders to make the campaign run as smooth and effective as possible for Democrats up and downthe ticket. We have met with them over and over to make sure its always running smooth. When I was canvassing last week, I talked about Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, and Khary Penebaker.

    Things are ripe for change, all are welcome. You just need to show up and want to help make change. Got questions or wanna chat? Get in touch 🙂

    Matt Lowe
    Vice Chair
    Waukesha Dems
    Matt@waukeshadems.org

    1. Mr. Lowe,
      Sorry for disagreeing but as for Waukesha County Dems they don’t really exist. Your post is nothing more then a sales pitch to recruit volunteers. As a county resident for over 25 years (nearly your life time) I repeatedly have to vote on tickets that have Republicans running unopposed. It’s hard to motivated by a party that continually fails to present local candidates. When I think ground up I typically think local. When I think top down it’s typically national. This is exactly how Republicans, especially the Tea Party variety, are holding on. For years I have been pressing this point. Democrats will continue to lose (local) ground unless we focus our efforts at the local level and/while keeping a firm grip on the major population centers. Waukesha County is prime for the picking if cultivated from the ground up.

      1. Hey Waukesha Blue,

        As elected Vice Chair my job is to always be trying to grow my party. Since being elected we have grown membership by over 30% and plan to double what we are at currently.

        To address your comments directly;
        We no longer focus on running candidates in unwinnable districts. We have found having a name with a D next to their name does not help the top of the ticket nor does it help our local brand. So this year we have i think only 2 candidates in assembly seats. Our focus is currently on local non partisan races in which we help behind the scenes and through support and infrastructure for campaigns. For example we focused on 2 seats in April, an Alderman race in Brookfield and a Waukesha School Bored race. We won one of 2. Not HUGE, but a big step forward for a party who never did this before.

        I understand your frustration and I would love to talk more if you ever want to come to a meeting or grab a coffee.

        1. Hey, gotta give props to Matt for honesty and fighting the good fight. Turning Waukesha into a 60-40 GOP county ends WisGOP in statewide elections, so I like that at least someone is spreading the word and telling others they are not alone.

          As for what Berniecrats should do- this one is voting Clinton, but Im gonna work for Russ and state-level candidates that share my values.

          But I understand ones who wont vote Hillary, unless they are convinced the DNC is changing their corporatism. And the prospect of “President Drumpf” isn’t enough of a reason. So meet em halfway (or more) DPW/DNC

    2. What is the total of Waukesha Dem members in good standing and the total number of Waukesha voters that voted the Democratic ticket in the last presidential or other recent significant turnout election? Do you have those figures for the presidential primary just held?

      There’s my question. Getting in touch right here as you brought the question here.

      From your DPW chair Ms Laning yesterday:

      In addition, I also want to discuss a study showing wealth inequality continues to grow because of the Republican’s misguided agenda, as well as how our neighbors in Minnesota are setting an example we should look to. Lastly, I want to discuss the contrast that continues to grow between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and how only our candidate has an economic agenda that is aimed at helping all Americans get ahead.

      Enjoy!

      It is pretty tough to DISCUSS anything with her when she doesn’t reply to emails sent directly to her.

      1. Total members in good standing as of last month: 268
        Total votes from November of 2012: 77,617

        Are these numbers great? Nope. Do I want to improve them? Yup. Are we trying? Yes. Is it working? Yes, but slowly. Up over 30% in 6 months. We are currently working on a mailing to help us grow more.

        If you are in Waukesha and have ideas or want to help or be a member just let me know 🙂

    3. Matt, very impressed to see you hear.

      Nice to see Ms. Laning using the term, “wealth inequality.” It’s the 99.9999% against the .00001

      Republicans and Democrats agree Wall Street and the elites are the problem.

      Have you seen, “The Big Short?”

      “5 US banks each have more than $40 trillion in derivative exposure,” is the sequel.

      http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-09-25/5-us-banks-each-have-more-40-trillion-dollars-exposure-derivatives

      To put $200 trillion in perspective, annual U.S. GDP is around $17 trillion. Social Security’s Trust fund is around $2.3 trillion. We blew at least $6 trillion in the Middle East occupations. 

      Wall Street’s using the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) to “socialize” their derivative risk onto the taxpayers. Almost none of the $200 trillion “trickles down,” into the real economy. It’s mostly on interest rate swaps and credit derivative swaps, nothing goes into the real economy that makes stuff or into new technologies.  

      If Wall Street wins a derivative bet, they keep it all. If they lose a derivative bet, the taxpayers are on the hook, via the FDIC. 

      When the fiscal illiterates, such as President Obama, Speaker Ryan, and Sen. Ron Johnson talk about the federal debt; they omit that $400 trillion unfunded liability we’ve given to Wall Street and the elites. According to them the federal debt’s around $18 trillion.

      For countries with their own currency, U.S., Great Britain, Japan, China,….it’s not the federal budget, that has to, “balance.” It’s the three economic sectors, private (domestic), trade, and public.

      Per the many economists who embrace Modern Monetary Theory and luminaries such as Warren Mosler, @wbmosler; state and local budgets have to balance, just like a family’s. The federal budget is different.

      Beware Of Politicians Bearing Household Analogies
      http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevekeen/2015/01/14/beware-of-politicians-bearing-household-analogies-3/

      Republicans like Mosler, “SEVEN DEADLY INNOCENT FRAUDS
      OF ECONOMIC POLICY.” http://moslereconomics.com/wp-content/powerpoints/7DIF.pdf

      He endorsed Sanders. He’s very tight with the chair of the UMKC Economics Department, @StephanieKelton, who Sanders hired to advise Senate Democrats on the Budget Committee. Lots of very worthwhile youtubes of both.

      Bonus in Waukesha County, Mosler’s a gear head. About halfway through this eleven-minute video, he talks about hearing stories from Carroll Shelby about being with Lee Iaccoca at the 1964 Auto Show. “Mosler MT900 and Consulier GTP! Supercars Ahead of Their Time – The Downshift Ep. 58”
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y45i0Yi8oo

      Mosler wants to bring back both sides of the holiday on the payroll tax (FICA). That’s what eats up most Americans paychecks. It’s extremely regressive. It’s a big reason so many hate the federal government. Dems are afraid if agree to bring back the holiday, Republicans will use it as an excuse to cut Social Security and Medicare. Mosler, Kelton, and Sen. Sanders want lower federal taxes on the 99% and a lot more federal spending on GREEN infrastructure, health care, and education.

      For context $80 billion a year would pay for all the tuition at all the public universities.

      A federal job guarantee–that’s administered by the states and local governments–would help Waukesha County.

      “So what should be done? Well, the three of us (and others) have long proposed a longer term solution to deal with all of the Detroits that are out there: The government could serve as the “employer of last resort” under a job guarantee program modeled on the WPA (the Works Progress Administration, in existence from 1935 to 1943 after being renamed the Work Projects Administration in 1939) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942). The program would offer a job to any American who was ready and willing to work at the federal minimum wage, plus legislated benefits. No time limits. No means testing. No minimum education or skill requirements.”

      http://www.alternet.org/economy/detroit-bailout

      “Without spending–there are no sales;

      Without sales–there are no profits;

      Without profits–there is no demand for workers;

      Without demand for workers–there is no job creation;

      and without job creation–there is no recovery!”

      From #MMT economist Pavlina Tcherneva @ptcherneva

      Per Mosler, “the public debt is the money the government has spent that hasn’t been used to pay taxes.” http://dialogosmedia.org/?p=5829 

      When inflation, wage/price instability hits an economy (Example:Dems can’t afford to keep you, because too many others are offering you better compensation), federal taxes on personal and corporate income are one option. They reduce aggregate demand. The federal government, however, does not need the tax revenue to provision itself.

      As long as a debt is denominated in dollars, the U.S. government cannot default on it, except by choice. If we borrow in oil or gold or something else, all bets are off.

      You remember all those cars we sold to pay for World War II? Nope, neither does anyone else. We paid in soldiers lives, in steel, in rubber,….

       

      1. Thanks John!! Im happy to be on digging in the dreaded comment section 😉

  6. nonquixote

    I frequently find many of the things you say insightful and worthwhile (here and elsewhere). That being said I have a great deal of difficulty believing that Sanders serves the 1%.

    Also in Wisconsin we elect or county and state chairs. So if you join you can a direct impact by who you vote for or if you run yourself.

    Plus let me put out that there was a big difference between Romney and Obama. Do I like Obama’s openness to Wall Street? No. Did the US dodge a bullet with Romney? Yes. Has anyone looked at who would have been part of a Romney administration and just how hard right it would have been?

    1. OK, I see your point, Obama is even more of a threat to the democratic republic of the US with his signature TPP and TTIP absolute surrender of US sovereignty. Mitt was more about just personal financial gain and not complete surrender of the entire nation to rule by multinational corporations.

      In a WI county with less than 200 paid D membership out of 6000 consistently left leaning voters. I don’t think that such a narrow minority has the right to control who gets to run for state or national offices, especially when they are controlled by a similarly small state party organization out of touch with the daily life, desires, needs and priorities of a majority of citizens.

      And the majority of the left-leaning voters, voting with the left labeled political party, repeatedly does so out of nothing more than a LOTE selection that does nothing to change the status quo of who actually owns or runs the country. You might mistakenly interpret that majority vote as endorsing that particular party policy. I don’t.

      1. nonquixote

        “Obama is even more of a threat to the democratic republic of the US with his signature TPP and TTIP absolute surrender of US sovereignty. Mitt was more about just personal financial gain and not complete surrender of the entire nation to rule by multinational corporations.”

        I disagree.

        ‘Governor Romney will seek Trade Promotion Authority. Also known as “Fast Track” TPA is a process that gives the executive branch the authority to negotiate and write trade agreements and delegates away Congress’ constitutional power to set the terms of U.S. trade policy.’

        Plus

        ‘Governor Romney’s plan also calls for finalizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This agreement will open up the Malaysian and Vietnamese markets.

        A final facet of Governor Romney’s plan includes the creation of a “Reagan Economic Zone.” This zone would codify the principles of free trade at the international level and allow a mechanism for countries that violate free trade policies to be punished.’

        http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Governor/Massachusetts/Mitt_Romney/Views/Trade_Policy/

        In addition to that Romney proposed ending any ability of the government to regulation carbon emissions. I like that Sanders straight up promoted a carbon tax, which is a stronger step than what Obama has done. Mitt Romney would have ended even the possibility for what Obama has done. As someone who plans to live well into the 21st Century and hopefully have kids that live on this planet after I am really, really glad Mitt Romney did not become president.

        The democratic party doesn’t control who can or cannot run for local or state office. There have been complaints that it doesn’t do enough but one person I know who is running for State Assembly again in one of the gerrymandered districts feels he has gotten more help then the last time so he sees that as an improvement. The party can encourage people to run or help them when they do run for office but it is the choice of a person his or her self on if to run for office.

        As a side note I’m pretty sure if the party did pick who ran for office David Clarke would not be sheriff in Milwaukee County.

        Though a side problem with people deciding on if they want to run for office is they may decide its hopeless and then eventually you have a situation like Waukesha Blue complained about.

        Some people will put their name on the ballot repeatedly even though they know they will probably loose. But after losing a time or two some people will feel they are done running.

        1. @pplr…Sorry that you missed the sarcasm in the BHO/Mitt comment to you. My original response to J Pease was to his comment, your parsing of it further as to which of them is less of a corporate whore or the LOTE is a futile intellectual exercise. There is not one iota of difference between them in their view of the world order. Neither you nor I matter to them in the least. Same can be said of the two-party system of the left and right hands of the divide and conquer financial elites controlling party politics.

          Ed, with the opening piece and with his most recent comment (#8) would have you believe that rigged elections and party politics are the way to effect real change. My political activism is only diminished by that participation.

          Defining and opposing the real problems and attempting to not be tilting at imaginary giants has a better chance of effecting change.

          1. “…with the opening piece and with his most recent comment (#8) would have you believe that rigged elections and party politics are the way to effect real change. ”

            What I am telling you is get involved and change the things you don’t like…and that can’t happen until you take over the party.

            1. Politely, I’ll say you have a choice to continue your Sisyphean endeavors or do something different. Some of us learned the truth quite some time ago.

              Your choice to assist in enabling the full surrender of US sovereignty, our US Constitution, under the terms of the TPP is all that needs to be said of your stated path.

              Fast track authority for the POTUS, easily and immediately granted by every US GOP legislator from WI, including Ron Kind, after GOP led, near perfect Obama obstructionism throughout his two terms, apparently hasn’t registered with some people, but as a single issue relegates all other issues entirely moot and the party platform committee left the door open to enact it.

              Readers, will be able to judge supposed progressive or even mildly populist principles relayed at BB in an entirely unambiguous new light. Complete party capitulation to capitalist control.

              http://www.thedailycall.org/?p=89809

  7. I would like to thank all of you for commenting on this blog. It has brought up a lot of other thoughts and ideas that I would like to address tonight. These are NOT aimed at anyone, they are just things that all of you made me think of after reading the comments here.

    In 2014 when the state part announced Mary Burke as the candidate for governor, the hue and cry at the time is the party was forcing her down our throat. But when the party doesn’t have a candidate in an election, they aren’t doing their job. You can’t have it both ways.

    It takes a lot of personal time and money to run a campaign. There is also a tremendous amount of mental and emotional stress involved in doing doors, being away from your loved ones, begging your friends, family and strangers for money and favors, burning vacation time to perform campaign duties, and attending myriad functions and events. It isn’t any surprise that a lot of qualified individuals don’t want to throw themselves in front of that train in a gerrymandered district with an entrenched incumbent.

    And small county parties can have a very hard time recruiting potential candidates. If their membership isn’t sufficiently large enough to provide candidates, what are they supposed to do? Go door to door and beg people to run for office?

    And thank you to Matt Lowe for participating. We should congratulate him for posting here and not finding fault. This should be the perfect place to find like minded individuals who would be interested in joining the party and participating in the process. And it is in fact his job to send out the sales pitch…to do the pr…to approach the grass roots activist. You notice he posted here…he didn’t send an email to the 1% or the chamber of commerce or the members of an elite private club. He came here. He invited all of you. If that alone isn’t proof enough that the party is open to new members and new ideas…what proof are you waiting for?

    And the fact that party participation is so low should indicate to you that yes it is ripe for change. All you need to do is get involved.

    Senator Bernie Sanders has given all of you a great gift. He has brought you together with ideas about leveling the playing field and fairness in America. He has invigorated a whole group of people around new ideas and new issues. He has already provided you with a network of progressive individuals with the same ideals and sense of promise that he has. But he can’t do all of the work for his political revolution. Even if he becomes the nominee and would win in November…that would be just one step. The real weight falls on your shoulders. You have to pick it up and make the changes.

    There are dozens of Sanders websites and FB pages…you can easily find more co-conspirators as needed.

    If all of the comments here and the things I have written don’t make it apparent…you can take over the party. If you and 10 of your friends joined the local county party and attended meetings regularly and voiced your opinions and joined caucuses and committees and ran for local party offices…it wouldn’t be that long before your ideas where front and center and mainstream. But it takes time and effort and determination…much more than tossing spears from the prairie.

    Then you will have a party moving in your direction. You can develop candidates that have the qualities and qualifications needed to be effective leaders and campaign winners.

    Stop frittering away the time on the infighting.

    By the way, Robert Hansen from the Milwaukee County Dems has also reached out to me about this blog. I hope to touch base with him and maybe Matt Lowe again to follow up on other things you should know about running a party and running a campaign.

    1. Good Morning Ed,

      Maybe I am misreading your comment, but I don’t see how asking Mr Lowe to answer a question when he’s asked it here, is putting him down. Maybe you weren’t referring to my comment at 6-B, up thread.

      I want to find out how low party participation is elsewhere, and debunk the myth that a minority of party leadership rejects the notion of quashing the TPP in the national party platform meetings which just concluded over the weekend and hasn’t demanded an across the board, $15/hr min wage in their statement of intended policy.

      If the party had a platform that conformed to the wishes of a growing number of voters that the party wants to claim as their own for the election, while then ignoring those same voters through actual political policy declarations, while having set up and protecting their narrow interests that only allows two parties to have any official voice in elections and debates, this isn’t the fault of the voters for refusing to play along with unquestioning loyalty to the rigged electoral system.

      And since when is dissenting against the rigged status quo, which allows only two people/parties the top office, both representing the same 1% goals NOT political participation? You’re seemingly taking the NRA lapdog Paul Ryan position here that dissent on the floor of the House last week is failure to participate.

      1. Sorry, forgot to finish my thought in my 8-B, second paragraph…I should have concluded “rejects those ideas and still claims to be representing us (or “Democrats,”) in any meaningful fashion.?

        (Reminder to self, coffee first, then comment)

        1. “Maybe I am misreading your comment,..” Yes you were…as I stated earlier I was commenting about what I see in general and not specifics.

    2. Ed,

      Thank you for the kind words. You are correct, part of what I want my job to be is PR. I hate when Dems fight Dems, but we are a family and families have squabbles. Thus we had a meeting with local Bernie folks that was open to the public and we had LOTS of good and sometimes harsh feedback. But it was a great event.
      Please follow up with me anytime. Im happy to talk.

  8. Thanks Ed.

    Many people who post, Ed, nonquixote and John Casper for example, are much more informed then I am. So I try to keep it simple.

    As a father of five who has a family business plus a career and aging parents I find free time to be in short supply. This DOES limit my ability to give all to “the party”. However, I do volunteer, financially contribute, post a yard sign and write letters/phone calls to my elected officials. Asking more is unfair, especially when my voice is ignored.

    I commend Mr. Lowe for his efforts. Not all of us are able to commit as much. My issue is neither party represents the people. This is a common problem being shouted by those who support both parties… Hence, Trump/Sanders. Neither Trump nor Sanders are true members of either party but have done extremely well. People are sick of politics as usual. The two party system is getting old. How much louder can people scream… CHANGE? I would suggest (respectfully) to Mr. Lowe that he and the party open their eyes and clean out their ears. Democrats have been screaming change for years and we keep getting the same old platform over and over and over again. With all due respect to Ed, even when the spears find their target they seem to be blunted by years of ingrained political philosophy. The Republican/Trump situation is a prime example of a party completely ignoring the voice of the electorate. Unfortunately, it seems and I’m afraid taking over a party can only be accomplished with spears. Political parties should listen to the people, especially those “tossing spears from the prairie” for they may be as busy as me and my ten friends who have to plow it.

    Again, I commend Mr. Lowe. He shouldn’t take things personally. There is a lot of frustration amongst voters but in the end we will all do what we can to assure that it’s NEVER TRUMP. Secretary Clinton (now) has my support. I just hope she hears the voices of those of us who have come from Bernie’s camp.

    1. this wasn’t directed at you in particular. But I am trying to address the general population of progressives who find fault but do nothing about it other than vent in blogs like this. I can appreciate the limits of time and pull of family and other important activities that prevent fuller participation in the process. And believe me, you are more involved than average.

      But really…in order to turn the party in another direction requires new people getting involved on a more direct level. Even just joining the party and showing up at the meetings and voicing opinions as often as practical will be a big help.

      Nothing will change without change agents. With the community that has gathered around Sen. Sanders and the general discontent…now is the right time.

      1. Quick example Ed,

        Was allowed to show up at the local Dem meetings after a scores of hours and given the key to the Dem county office to run it during the Walker recall. Feb or March 2012, best of my recollection I brought up the TPP at several meetings prior to the actual recall election date. “We’re here to win elections for Democrats,” was the concerted response, time and again. “How come I’m the youngest person in here,” I asked. Where is the labor platform,” I asked. Not the party concern, just vote as a Democrat. Look at these cool auto window stickers claiming we (Dems) are the 99%. The DNC just had them printed in China. Vote for us, the 99%. Stick one on your Lexus. Don’t worry it’ll peel off cleanly after you vote.

        You get my point. Now might be the right time, and I’d continue to advise that the Democratic Party should be allowed to continue its self-inflicted slow motion suicide, right along with the GOP.

    2. I apprciate your feedback, and thank you for your time.

      At the 2016 DPW convention we passed MANY great progressive resolutions.
      If you would like to partake on this next year just be a member and you can write and vote on any resolution you want.
      Need more info? Just contact me.

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