The War on Bernie Sanders

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Monday February 01, 2016 · 12:35 PM PST

2016/02/01 · 12:35

Historian Matt Karp has written a wonderful piece in today’s Jacobin magazine entitled “The War on Bernie Sanders.” In this piece he details the “virtually unprecedented attack against Bernie Sanders” by the Democratic elites. If you haven’t read his previous two pieces in Jacobin, I highly recommend that you do. His first piece, “The Bernie Coalition” compares the Sanders coalition thus far assembled with the Obama coalition of 2008 who did exceptionally well with high income liberals and contrasts Sanders’ more working class coalition with other popular “liberal” darlings like Bill Bradley. His second piece, “Bernie and the Liberals” amplifies his previous piece by noting that unlike the analysis put forth by the professional pundit class, Bernie Sanders has significant appeal beyond self identified liberals.

Illinibeatle

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Thursday January 28, 2016 · 11:02 AM PST

2016/01/28 · 11:02

Since no one has blogged about this yet, I’ll write a short post. Remember the good ol’ days in 2012 when Democrats were united against Mitt Romney. Back then Democrats were united against the evil business practices of Mitt’s Bain Capitol. My own Congresswoman, Cheri Bustos, (Blue Dog) successfully used the closing of the Sensata plant in Freeport, Illinois to defeat incumbent Tea Partier, Bobby Schilling. Now comes the test for liberals and progressives to see just how authentic their beliefs are since news broke yesterday of a prominent Democrat will be accepting money from an upcoming fundraiser.

From a report in yesterday’s Politico:

CLINTON FUNDRAISER LINKED TO BAIN — A source tells M.M.’s Ben White that Jonathan Lavine, managing director of Bain Capital affiliate Sankaty Advisors, will be hosting a fundraiser in Boston for Hillary Clinton on Feb. 5. Bain founder Mitt Romney took heat from Democrats during his failed 2012 White House campaign about the private equity firm's takeover practices. And it comes just as Clinton is trying to deflect criticism of her Wall Street ties while the primary season hits full gear.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-money/2016/01/winter-fed-day-with-an-eye-toward-summer-212365#ixzz3yZDFYh3T

I shall be off to appease my corporate overlords for the next several hours. I am curious what the response to this will be. I’ll check the comments later.

Read Dave Zirin's Piece on Pat Tillman, Adidas, and Militarized Uniforms

Illinibeatle

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Friday October 30, 2015 · 11:24 AM PDT

2015/10/30 · 11:24

This is not going to be much of a diary. I have to rush off to serve my Corporate Overlords. Dave Zirin recently published a piece in The Nation which clearly illustrates the lengths corporate America and an institution of higher education will go in their zeal to make a buck off the commodification of the militarization of America. I feel for his fellow ranger Rory Fanning. Check out and share this story. http://www.thenation.com/...

Chris Hedges: The Great Unraveling

Illinibeatle

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Sunday August 30, 2015 · 10:52 PM PDT

2015/08/30 · 22:52

My guess is that majority of the DailyKos readership doesn't regularly read the works of Chris Hedges. My guess is that only some of those who identify as "progressive" read him. The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist hasn't worked for a mainstream media outlet since he left the New York Times in 2005. His work isn't particularly accessible. His writings use terms like "neoliberalism" and "inverted totalitarianism" which requires at a bare minimum that the newbie reader at least Google a few terms. Hedges also identifies as a "Christian Socialist." If that doesn't turn off a true partisan, Hedges also worked as a speechwriter for Ralph Nader's 2000 Presidential campaign. Those who don't agree with his stances, should take the time and read his essays. They are thought provoking, well constructed and well written. Qualities with which open minded liberals should find stimulating.

On Sunday August 30th, Truthdig released his latest essay entitled, "The Great Unraveling."

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I'll Show You Some Party Unity--2008 Edition

Illinibeatle

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Monday August 03, 2015 · 6:00 AM PDT

2015/08/03 · 06:00

I generally don't write very many diaries for this site. I've written only a handful over the years. The last diary I wrote was over two years ago, and it was about how the party establishment sabotaged local progressive candidates. I generally am a consumer of news from this site, and I comment somewhat frequently. Quite frankly, it is more efficient for me. A comment doesn't require research, structuring, rewriting, rewriting, and rewriting before it is fit for the world.

This blog has entered the primary battle phase. In this phase, blog posts tend to devolve into Candidate A Rocks / Candidate B Sucks. Or vice versa. People like to question their opponents motives, allegiances, partisanship, and fealty. Any one who has read the multitude of posts concerning the race to become the Democratic party's presidential nominee over the past several days knows what I'm talking about.

Illinibeatle

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Thursday July 25, 2013 · 8:41 AM PDT

2013/07/25 · 08:41

Earlier this morning, I was reading a post entitled, "What Happened to the Energy of Hope Here at Daily Kos?" Normally, I view topics such as this as navel gazing. I much prefer either educational posts that help produce a record or those which have a definitive call to action. I was going through the post when one particular comment froze me in my tracks. The commenter wrote that much of the cynicism and criticism directed toward the President and the leadership of the Democratic party are low blows and "a lot of it has to do with the remarkable tendency for self sabotage among progressives."

Self sabotage? Really? That comment dredged up several unfortunate memories, and I'll detail my memories of "sabotage," and I am willing to name names below the jump.

Illinibeatle

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Friday May 31, 2013 · 8:54 AM PDT

2013/05/31 · 08:54

For several years, one of my unvarnished joys is reading Paul Krugman's columns twice a week. As his fans are well aware, Krugman pulls no punches, and unlike so many of the pundit class, isn't afraid to call B.S. for what it is, B.S. Professor Krugman is angry about the cuts to the Food Stamp program both on the grounds of morality and on the grounds of being poor economic policy in both the short term and the long term. If you haven't already, take a little time from your busy day and read today's column.

Now longtime observers of the American political scene know that the truly idiotic and destructive ideas of the crackpot conservative GOP would never get enacted without help from the corporate wing of the Democratic party. That's where my congresswoman, Cheri Bustos (and the former babysitter of Senator Dick Durbin), enters the story. She represents the northwestern corner of the state of Illinois, sits on the House Agriculture Committee, and, yes she voted to cut the food stamp program.

Illinibeatle

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Wednesday May 08, 2013 · 7:46 AM PDT

2013/05/08 · 07:46

One of the wonderful things about the internet, is that it is much harder for things to disappear down the memory hole. Unless one lives in Chicago or follows labor issues closely, one is not likely to remember that one of the longest strikes in U.S. history is ongoing; and, unless a settlement is reached within the next five weeks, will pass an infamous milestone of lasting a decade. On June 15, 2003, members of UNITE HERE Local 1 working at the Congress Hotel went out on strike after the hotel decided to cut wages by seven percent, refused to pay healthcare premiums for its employees which would effectively eliminate employee healthcare benefits), and reserved the right to contract out union members' jobs.

Hotel and restaurant employees are some of our hardest working Americans, and they are at the forefront in battling for a living wage for all. President Obama's nomination of Penny Pritzker, a confessed bank scammer, a loan-sharking mortgage predator, to his cabinet made me think of these poor strikers, and how they, like so many of us, are pawns, playthings, and props for the political class.

Illinibeatle

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Friday May 03, 2013 · 9:31 AM PDT

2013/05/03 · 09:31

My friends over at Prairie State Blue have been doing some great work on freshman Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. Before she had finished her first month in Washington, they had already pegged her penchant for "selling out" her principles in the name of being a "No Labels" Congressional Problem Solver, and showing although she campaigned to vigorously protect Social Security and Medicare, she still hasn't signed the Grayson-Takano "No Cuts" letter. In theory, everyone wants their elected representatives to work for the good of the country, and no one in theory thinks they own a monopoly of wisdom. Bustos, like Obama, has an overwhelming desire to work with the other side in defiance of the grassroots activists and organizers who worked tirelessly to defeat Tea Partier Bobby Schilling. Besides rebuffing Democratic activists in the name of "bipartisanship" but also her own constituents. IL-17 is a "Safe" Democratic district. Besides electing Lane Evans, one of the founders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus of over twenty years, the district has a PVI of D+7. So far, out of the 202 members of the House Democratic caucus, Bustos is ranked the 182nd most progressive member. To give you some perspective, "former Blue Dog" member and the current head of the DCCC, Steve Israel is ranked 121st by Progressive Punch. Cheri Bustos is in serious Blue Dog territory.

But what has really gotten me riled up was a recent editorial co written by Bustos and published this week in the Quad Cities Online which perfectly illustrates the fraud of the whole "non ideological problem solver" theme being pushed by DCCC and the "bipartisanship" supposedly non partisan "No Labels" group.

Illinibeatle

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Tuesday October 02, 2012 · 8:34 AM PDT

2012/10/02 · 08:34

Yesterday, Teacherken published a highly recommended diary entitled,"Paul Krugman asks if the election will be honored." If you haven't done so, I recommend that you read the diary, he did an excellent job summarizing the fiscal arguments of Krugman's article.

The discussion was extremely informative and spirited centering mostly around whether President Obama was a centrist Neoliberal Democrat or a closeted Progressive. Others argued over the sincerity of Barack Obama's offer to accept a "Grand Bargain." Is he sincerely attempting "entitlement reform" or is he once again playing 11th dimensional chess?

What was missing from the discussion of the topic of so called "entitlement reform" is a discussion of how policy over the past three decades has left the American middle class in a precarious state and the last thing it needs is to have the Social Security benefits into which so many of have paid be reduced.

Illinibeatle

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Sunday March 04, 2012 · 10:28 PM PST

2012/03/04 · 22:28

Billy Dennis, aka Peoria Pundit, is a libertarian blogger who owns the Blogpeoria project which is dedicated to citizen journalism in Peoria. The "Blogfather of Peoria" decided last Friday to organize a boycott of WMBD's local advertisers of the Rush Limbaugh Show. One of WMBD's on-air personalities, Wayne R. Miller, the host of the Sunday morning call in show, "Wayne and the Hot Lady of Finance." has vowed to ruin Billy financially.

Illinibeatle

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Friday February 10, 2006 · 7:49 AM PST

2006/02/10 · 07:49

A Peoria area blogger published a story at Soapblox Chicago detailing Boehner's landlord's numerous campaign contributions to numerous GOP politicians. Anybody who is anybody in the Reublican party has received donations. By going to the FEC site you can find the President, Speaker of the House, and numerous Senators and Represntative. The article provides plenty of links detailing the many tentacles of super-lobbyist John D. Milne. The main question is why does John Milne use an Illinois address? I can understand the changing of jobs, and addresses in Washington D.C. Is this common to use numerous P.O. Boxes, occupations, etc? Why do something like this? There must be someone out there with the proper expertise and connections to get this story out. You can read the article here.

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The War on Bernie Sanders

Bain Capital: Not Just for Republicans Anymore

Read Dave Zirin's Piece on Pat Tillman, Adidas, and Militarized Uniforms

Chris Hedges: The Great Unraveling

I'll Show You Some Party Unity--2008 Edition

Sabotage? I'll Show You Some Sabotage

Paul Krugman is Talking to You, Cheri Bustos

Obama, Pritzker, and the Congress Hotel Strikers

Mike Fitzpatrick Tea Partier: Yet Another Reason why Cheri Bustos must be Primaried

Why the "Grand Bargain" is a Really Bad Idea

Let's show WMBD 1470 that Rush Doesn't "Play in Peoria"

Why does Boehner's landlord use an Illinois P.O. Box?