Howard Dean (the former Governor of Vermont who ran for president in 2004) was also the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009. He knows that the electoral college has become corrupt, is out-dated and should be abolished.
According to his comments in an exclusive video that NBC News unearthed during the 2004 election cycle (when Dean was running for president), he had said on a 2000 Canadian TV program:
"If you look at the caucuses system, they are dominated by the special interests on both sides on both parties. The special interests don't represent the centrist tendencies of the American people. They represent the extremists. Then you get a president beholden to either one extreme or the other."
The Democratic Party machine, which is packed full of "moderate" Democrats (Republican LITEs), are already standing behind and endorsing Hillary Clinton — even phony (or back-stabbing) progressives such as NYC mayor Bill de Blasio and Ohio's Senator Sherrod Brown. They, just like the labor union's leaders, are backing a candidate that the vast majority of Americans don't even trust.
So what does that say? Special interest extremists — people who don't represent the interests of the THE PEOPLE, but their own interests. That's why, despite all the online polls (not media/corporate sponsored polls), the delegates will vote for Hillary — even if the popular vote supports Bernie Sanders (one of the founders of the congressional progressive caucus).
Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton aren't progressives, they are phonies. The same can be said for Obama, who supports the TPP trade agreement.
Via NBC News (by Mark Murray, Dec. 1, 2015) Did Hillary Clinton also just recently diss the Iowa Caucuses in a private email? The latest State Department release of Hillary Clinton emails contained this message from Clinton to friend Sidney Blumenthal:
"If Mittens [Mitt Romney] can't beat Grinch [Gingrich] in Florida, there will be pressure on state Republican parties to reopen or liberalize ballot access especially in the caucuses, which as we know are creatures of the parties' extremes."
Hillary Clinton lost the caucus contests in 2008 (including Iowa's) to Barack Obama. But if Clinton's caucuses-tilt-to-the-extremes comment sounds familiar, it's pretty much what helped sink Howard Dean before the 2004 Iowa caucuses when his comments were revealed about caucus-goers being special interest extremists.
While Martin O'Malley's campaign has seized on Clinton's email about the caucuses (with a statement of Iowa Democrats responding to it) it's unlikely to have the same kind of impact for three reasons:
- The 2016 Dem race isn't as close as the 2004 race [because Hillary dominates the black vote;]
- The Democratic party establishment doesn't have its knives out for Clinton the same way it did for Dean back then [like they do for Bernie Sanders now];
- The 2004 NBC report was explosive because the comment was caught on tape — instead of one of thousands of released emails. [but this can change, with social media and blogs.]
Des Moines Register: Some Iowa Democrats said, in a way, Clinton's correct. Caucus and primary elections are controlled by the extreme factions of the parties — the diehards who take the time to attend party gatherings: "Obviously, you get people who are very passionate," said Democratic activist Kurt Meyer of St. Ansgar, who is remaining neutral in the caucus race.
An October Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll found 50 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers identify as liberal — with 37 percent as moderate. So why are they backing a moderate — someone who the American people think is a pathological liar?
And if Clinton talks about the caucuses like this when no one's looking, her commitment to Iowa might be in doubt if she's elected president.
Grant Woodard, another Iowa Democratic activist who is remaining neutral, predicted that this controversy won't affect Clinton's status as the front-runner in the Democratic caucus race here:
"Those who support her already are unfazed. Those that haven't decided won't be concerned and this won't be a factor in their decision. Only those that are diehard supporters of Sanders or O'Malley will use this as confirmation in their choice and try to make hay out of it.
Does Grant Woodard sound neutral, or is he really a diehard Hillary supporter who will vote for her only because it will make her the "first woman president"?
Now Howard Dean is always on MSNBC supporting and praising Hillary Clinton.
ReplyDeleteJanuary 12, 2004 -- Dean says he never called Iowa Caucus-goers "extremists" (Liar! It was on tape!)
http://www.radioiowa.com/2004/01/12/dean-says-he-never-called-iowa-caucus-goers-extremists/
Huffington Post (Dec. 12, 2015)
ReplyDeleteA CNN/ORC poll found that 57% of voters "say she is not honest and trustworthy" ... Democrats will lose in 2016 with low voter turnout, and only Bernie Sanders ensures that progressive voters in aggregate don't struggle to get to the polls. First, Hillary Clinton is a polarizing figure, even for progressives. Thus far, 25,000 progressives have already pledged to write in Bernie Sanders if he's not the nominee. This number could grow exponentially, especially with questions about the DNC's handling of debates and the validity of polls dominated by landlines. Most importantly, CBS News explains in a piece ironically titled Poll: Hillary Clinton still leads Democratic race, that among Democrats, "Fourteen percent would not support her in a general election" and "under half" would enthusiastically support Clinton ... Based on the CBS News findings, around 52% of Democrats will either stay home or reluctantly drive to the polls. Not the recipe to beat a Republican, who if Clinton is the nominee, will have millions of new conservatives/independents doing everything possible in order to ensure Hillary Clinton doesn't get elected ... Hillary Clinton has leaned to the right (all the way to neoconservative territory) on a number of issues, especially foreign policy ... Ultimately, Hillary Clinton would move the Democratic Party so far to the right that it might eventually be renamed the Moderate Republican Party ... In contrast, Bernie Sanders has been able to generate the enthusiasm and energy lacking in the Clinton campaign. This momentum has resulted in a campaign financed by the American people, not special interest.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/14-of-democrats-will-not-support-hillary-clinton-only-bernie-sanders-prevents-low-voter-turnout_b_8696238.html
SALON (Nov. 30, 2015) More like Reagan than FDR: I’m a millennial and I’ll never vote for Hillary Clinton
ReplyDelete"If Hillary Clinton gets the nomination, I will likely not vote for her, and will instead write in “Bernie Sanders” ... If you want change, vote for the party aligned most closely to that change, and participate in primaries; but when it comes to the general, select the “lesser of two evils.” However, I am disgusted with how the Democratic Party is resisting that process ... I find Clinton to be disingenuous; a political insider, an opportunist who will say anything to win — and I’m not the only one. Polls consistently indicate higher unfavorable views of her than positive. Even though her positive numbers are higher than the other candidates’, she has negative ratio (which Bernie does not)."
[* The author then lists a whole range of very reasons why he won't vote for Hillary.]
http://www.salon.com/2015/11/30/more_like_reagan_than_fdr_im_a_millennial_and_ill_never_vote_for_hillary_clinton/
Counter Punch (Dec. 1, 2015):
ReplyDelete"Perhaps the best progressives can generally hope for is the cowardly political fence-sitting of Elizabeth Warren or Alan Grayson—itself vastly preferable to Al Franken’s, Sherrod Brown’s, or Bill De Blasio’s lickspittle endorsements of Clinton. Because, for a rational progressive politician seeking the best interests of progressive constituents, there is no defensible reason under the sun for endorsing flip-flopping “convenience progressive” Hillary Clinton rather than staunch, principled progressive Bernie Sanders. Since this is my chief argument for a revolt against Democrats that gets up in spineless progressives’ faces, let’s examine briefly it in detail..."
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/12/01/wake-up-zombie-kick-up-a-big-stink/
Bernie or Bust! --- Ready to start a political revolution? Pledge to write-in Bernie Sanders in 2016
ReplyDeletehttps://citizensagainstplutocracy.wordpress.com/
Link to pledge:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fUL4amIrdA-tuTy5nFTRZu4kRNFaUOEk6hA7kxSKtoE/viewform
The Examiner (November 27, 2015)
Delete"On June 22nd, Revolt Against Plutocracy launched their campaign strategy to ask voters to write in Bernie Sanders for President if he's not the Democratic Party nominee. Three months later, they had over 10,000 pledges taken, and this week they topped 25,000 pledges and posted two primary campaign ads..."
http://www.examiner.com/article/bernie-or-bust-strategy-update-25-000-pledges-two-ads-and-a-new-treasurer
The Observer (Dec. 2, 2015):
ReplyDeleteThe latest Quinnipiac University poll shows Senator Senators leading four top GOP contenders in theoretical head-to-head showdowns. Mr. Sanders led...
Donald Trump 49 to 41 percent,
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas 49 to 39 percent,
Dr. Ben Carson 47 to 41 percent
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida 44 to 43 percent
Jeff Weaver, Mr. Sanders’ campaign manager, said: “The survey demonstrated Sanders’ remarkable strength as a general election candidate based on his enormous popularity among young voters, his standing as the most trusted candidate and his strength with independents. This is the latest evidence that Bernie is the most electable candidate the Democrats could nominate.”
Though Mr. Sanders surge in the polls and has established himself as Ms. Clinton’s most formidable challenger in Iowa and New Hampshire, two crucial early voting states, he continues to face questions from Democrats, pundits and the media about his electability in a general election.
Mr. Sanders’ road to the nomination is already daunting because Ms. Clinton has secured the lion’s share of endorsements and support from delegates, and some Democrats fret that Mr. Sanders, who is a self-described democratic socialist and would be the oldest president ever, can’t beat a strong Republican opponent.
This poll, at least, lends credence to the argument that a Democratic nominee, even one as far left as Mr. Sanders, will have a fighting chance. With an increasingly polarized electorate and the nature of presidential races becoming toss-up affairs, landslides on either side are less likely, election forecasters argue.
“Some voters still don’t know Bernie as well as Secretary Clinton, but the more they know him the better they like him,” Mr. Weaver said. “Bernie is generating the kind of excitement and enthusiasm needed for Democrats to retain the White House and elect more Democrats in Congress and state capitals.”
http://observer.com/2015/12/bernie-sanders-crows-over-latest-national-poll/
Huffington Post (Dec. 2, 2015)
DeleteSen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, is gaining steam against top Republican rivals, according to a national Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday ...
Fifty-nine percent of voters also say Sanders is honest and trustworthy -- placing him well above former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, and above all top Republican candidates tested in the poll.
In the Democratic primary, Clinton continues to lead with 60 percent of the vote to Sanders' 30 percent. Her lead has widened by 12 points since an October Quinnipiac poll.
With 11 months left until the general election, polls are still highly subject to change. For now, they are only able to capture a snapshot of the current state of the race, rather than serve as a predictor of the eventual outcome.
Quinnipiac surveyed 1,453 general election voters with a subsample of 672 Republican voters and 573 Democratic voters.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sanders-beats-republican-candidates-poll_565ee12ce4b079b2818c95fc
GREAT POINTS HERE!!!!
ReplyDeleteHere's the striking thing. If the unlikely situation ever comes to pass where charges are brought against Hillary for something untoward in her emails, not even THAT will convince the Democratic Party establishment to get behind the strongly running #2 candidate in the Dem primaries, Bernie Sanders.
Some political observers believe that, should the FBI find something incriminating against Clinton, the Democratic Party would seek out another standard-bearer — such as Vice President Biden, former Vice President Al Gore or Secretary of State John Kerry — because many establishment Democrats don’t believe Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would be a viable nominee in the general election.
But such a move wouldn’t be easy, as a recent white paper published by the Brookings Institution points out: In order to secure the Democratic nomination, the winning candidate must be on ballots. They wrote, “A candidate who is not on a primary ballot can’t win delegates from that state — pure and simple. ... The candidate who has missed filing deadlines through the end of January has potentially forfeited 2,232 delegates, the number to win the Democratic nomination!”
And do the establishment Democrats really think sideline-sitting proven losers like Joe Biden, Al Gore, or John Kerry would actually have a better chance at winning the presidency in 2016 than the candidate [Bernie Sanders] who has been working hard at building a populist wave in the months since he launched his campaign?
Do Democratic insiders really want to win in 2016, or do they only want to win if their party's candidate is "safe" -- i.e., unlikely to overturn any status quo apple-carts that make up their gravy train?
https://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/02/1455916/-Would-the-Democratic-Establishment-Get-Behind-a-Sanders-Candidacy
* I think Bernie should tell the DNC to f*ck off and run as an Independent.
The third Democratic debate is on Saturday, December 19, 2015 (8pm ET, 7pm CT, 5pm PT) and will be hosted by ABC News, and moderated by David Muir and Martha Raddatz.
ReplyDeleteWILL ABC NEWS FAVOR HILLARY DURING THE THEIR DEBATE?
Per Breitbart.Com . . .
1) ABC News has made former Clinton staffer, George Stephanopoulos, the face of its brand.
2) ABC is part of the Disney-ABC Television Group.
3) The Disney-ABC Television Group president is Ben Sherwood.
4) Ben Sherwood worked closely with Stephanopoulos for 10 years.
5) Ben Sherwood’s sister, Elizabeth Sherwood, is a Special Advisor to President Obama.
6) Bob Iger is president of the Walt Disney Company.
7) Bob Iger is a Hillary Clinton supporter, contributing $400,000.
So what you have here is the ultimate Hillary Clinton SuperPAC.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2015/11/04/fair-and-balanced-pro-hillary-disney-plans-hit-on-fox-news-with-former-obama-staffer/
New York Magazine (Dec. 2, 2015): There’s No Empirical Evidence That Bernie Sanders Is Unelectable
ReplyDeleteAsk ten pundits why it would be a bad idea for Democrats to nominate Senator Bernie Sanders, and nine will give you some variation on the theme that the man simply is not electable. That may or may not be true, but there is actually not a lot of empirical evidence suggesting that swing voters are repelled by him or that he would lose a lot of Democrats.
Could Sanders become unelectable if he won the nomination and was subjected to hundreds of millions of dollars of negative ads shrieking about his self-defined "democratic socialism"?
Perhaps, particularly if the mainstream media — which typically has a more important impact on presidential general elections than paid ads — contributes to the shrieking.
But right now Sanders's problem isn't electability, but simply that the disdain many left-bent activists have for Hillary Clinton is not shared by rank-and-file Democrats (or elected officials, for that matter).
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/12/sanders-electability-polling.html
Salon (Dec. 2, 2015)
ReplyDeleteNew poll confirms Bernie Sanders is still the strongest candidate against every Republican and runs best against Trump, Cruz and Rubio ... Clinton remains the most likely Democratic nominee, and despite her negative favorability ratings, she can easily beat any of the Republican nominees in a general election. Even Sanders, who is not out of the race by any stretch, has a convincing case as a general election candidate. For all the hysteria about Sanders’ “socialist” agenda, he’s still a safer alternative to the Republican candidates, as virtually every poll confirms.
http://www.salon.com/2015/12/02/bernie_sanders_isnt_cooked_yet_new_poll_confirms_hes_still_the_strongest_candidate_against_every_republican/
The Nation: Why You Should Vote for Bernie Sanders in the Working Families Party Open Primary
ReplyDeleteThe WFP was founded in 1998 by activists, progressive unions, and community organizations in New York who wanted to fight the rightward, anti-labor shift of the Democratic Party ... Third party politics in the American two-party system is hard, but it’s necessary to challenge the power of the self-serving corporate oligarchy that rules this country. Working people and the left have to share power in the Democratic Party with constituencies ranging from Wall Street to middle-of-the-road liberals. These groups have access to financial resources and networks that most working people don’t; inevitably they exercise outsized influence on the Democratic Party’s program and elected officials. In order to prevent a further right-wing takeover of the country, and to enact basic reforms like higher minimum wages and paid sick leave, we often need to ally with some of these constituencies. Having political power independent of the Democrats means that we can enter into these alliances from a position of strength, backed by a credible threat to sit out or back a challenger when elected officials side with deep-pocketed backers over working people. It means we can act electorally on our own terms ... There is a growing demand for political alternatives in America. For the WFP to present itself as one, it needs to attract the insurgent spirit that is driving people—especially young people—to take action, whether for climate justice, for a living wage and a voice at work, for immigration reform, or for black lives ... I’ll be voting for Bernie Sanders in this online primary both because I agree with his platform and share his hatred for oligarchy, but also because I think the Working Families Party is a logical permanent address for the widespread insurgent spirit Sanders has captured with his candidacy. A WFP endorsement for Sanders would certainly be a boost to his campaign. But perhaps more importantly, having Sanders as a standard-bearer would give the WFP an organic connection with one of the most exciting political developments in this country in a long time ... If you think that working people and the left need independent political power, sign up and participate in the process. And if you want to put that power to work fighting the oligarchy and challenging the status quo, then cast your vote in the online primary for Bernie Sanders. Voting goes until Sunday...
http://www.thenation.com/article/why-you-should-vote-for-bernie-sanders-in-the-wfps-open-primary/
Sign up and vote here...
http://action.workingfamilies.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=10186
Bernie Sanders will become the latest presidential hopeful to guest on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, December 8.
ReplyDeletehttp://deadline.com/2015/12/jimmy-fallon-books-bernie-sanders-tonight-show-1201648700/
UPDATE - Dec. 3, 2015 -- Shock Poll: Bernie Sanders is the Most Electable Candidate in Either Party
ReplyDelete"It is now very plausible to argue that of all of the candidates in either party for the presidential race Bernie Sanders is more electable than Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio."
* There's too much to quote here...read the whole article. The Democratic machine should nominee Bernie, not Hillary, or face losing the White House.
http://observer.com/2015/12/shock-poll-bernie-sanders-is-the-most-electable-candidate-in-either-party/
Even though Bernie Sanders overwhelming won all the polls at TIME (2015 Person of the Year, etc.) readers were all snubbed and ripped off when he was not even chosen as one of the eight finalists. But yet, Caitlyn Jenner, Donald Trump and ISIS joined TIME's shortlist — and currently Trump leads. Sanders supporters should retaliate with a massive wave of small donations to his campaign.
ReplyDeletehttp://bud-meyers.blogspot.com/p/bernie-sandersa-snubbed-by-time-magazine.html
Center for Public Integrity:
ReplyDelete"A staggering 77 percent of the $26.2 million Bernie Sanders, an independent U.S. senator running as a Democrat, collected during the third quarter came from contributors giving $200 or less. The haul helped Sanders narrow the fundraising gap between his campaign and that of Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who raised $29.9 million during the same period ... The strongest small donor campaigns are not about raising money, they’re about raising enthusiasm and getting actions ... Dollar for dollar, small-dollar donors are worth more than big-dollar donors. Those are the donors that can keep giving over and over [and] such donors are also likely to turn out to vote for a candidate, and possibly volunteer as well."
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/10/16/18636/small-dollar-donors-power-insurgent-candidates-both-parties
But Democratic political consultant Joe Trippi, best known for serving as Howard Dean’s campaign manager in 2004 when the former Vermont governor broke fundraising records during his failed presidential bid, says:
"Both party establishments are pretty good at making sure that a candidate who isn’t of the establishment doesn’t make it ... It’s not just the money. A lot of the rules and things are set up to stop insurgent candidates ... The entire Democratic establishment would come out of the woodwork to stop Bernie Sanders from being the nominee. The establishment fervently believes that a socialist cannot be president of the United States."
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/10/20/18647/why-joe-trippi-thinks-bernie-sanders-won-t-win-2016