Whose Revolution?

I tuned in to the Our Revolution broadcast.  I couldn't help but wonder... wait... WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?  Are these the "Bernie supporters" we have come to know and love?  The more I watched, the more uncomfortable I became at how subdued the audience appeared.  What happened to the "Bernie, Bernie, Bernie" chants?  Nobody cheered... but more importantly, NOBODY BOOED.  




This had every appearance of a controlled event. More like a Hillary Clinton event, if you ask me. The "Bernie crowd" that represented "Our Revolution" resembled paid SEAT FILLERS!  And it isn't as if they needed to fill a stadium.  This was more of a Clinton-sized crowd.  No signs... no cheers... No love... WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

I listened intently, at first.  I realized I was hearing the "What this campaign is about" stump speech - with the YUGE difference being the word "is" (by any definition) was replaced with the word "was".  Although I was watching live, I knew, by that point, I could safely drift into the kitchen and grab a snack without missing too much.  I thought I noticed a few people in the audience nodding off at some point too. 

Today's octogenarians will be tomorrow's grass roots - Jeff Weaver

Maybe the news of Our Revolution's staff walking out at the hiring of Jeff Weaver had already hit the ears of this crowd.  The idea that Jeff was going to use dark money to fund TV advertising (for you millennials, TV is a little rectangular propaganda advertisement delivery device. It's a little like like a FireTV except you can't interact with it - so you have very limited content which is supported by corporate advertisers and, not surprisingly, you can't shut off advertisements.).  Jeff must be thinking octogenarians of today will be the "grass roots" of tomorrow.

Follow the Favors

Bernie plugged on, however, and he finally got to the part I was waiting for... his endorsements.  I know I already felt a little silly hanging in there, waiting for yet another moment when Bernie could do something that would help me not give up on him.  I was waiting for him to come out STRONGLY in support of Tim Canova who he says he supports and who is running against Bernie's own nemesis... Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  This endorsement at the launch of Our Revolution was a NO BRAINER... Bernie had the opportunity to show us he isn't in Hillary Clinton's pocket.  Schultz cost not just Bernie but ALL OF US the primary.  She circumvented democracy.  Bernie's support for Hillary Clinton now extends to DEBBIE FUCKING WASSERMAN SCHULTZ.  That, to me, was the final straw.



So, no endorsement directly for Tim Canova... Bernie did endorse five other candidates who are part of "Our Revolution".  Among them, Russ Finegold, who wouldn't have lost his seat that he held for 12 years in the first place if he didn't so strongly embrace Obamacare.  Tim Canova, on the other hand, running against Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the type of revolutionary candidate "Our Revolution" is supposed to be supporting - not long-seated Democrats who were voted out by the people.  Bernie could have even named SIX endorsements that night.

I keep looking at the pictures of the Our Revolution people and keep wondering... WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

Sadly, for many of us, it appears "Our Revolution" isn't really OUR revolution.  And that's really OK.  The "Our Revolution" people aren't revolutionaries...  

And OUR revolution already has a home.  I want to work with THESE people.  People who will crash the floor of the Democratic National Convention and peacefully protest.  THOSE are the revolutionaries and they aren't interested in how many TV ads Jeff Weaver can buy.

OUR REVOLUTION IS A GREEN REVOLUTION

And so, my fellow revolutionaries, hang in there and don't be discouraged. There are many of us who are not falling for the "lesser" revolution that involves embracing Democrats at low levels.  There is a "greater" revolution and we all know it.  It is a revolution based on INTEGRITY.  It has declared that Enough is Enough... and we are not willing to wait for OUR REVOLUTION to happen.  The entire House is up for re-election THIS year.  WE can make OUR revolution, OUR voices, OUR votes felt THIS YEAR... not after Hillary has had a few years to silence us.  The time for the REAL revolution is NOW. 

Clinton Foundation: "Move on - Nothing to see here"

I have to admit, I agree with the Clinton family and the hundreds of millions of Clinton supporters and other people they have influenced (in one way or another who are still with us) that I just don't see the problem here.  If the Clinton Foundation had been guilty of accepting donations from foreign governments in exchange for favors by the Bill or Hillary, wouldn't we have heard about it before now?  I mean come on... 

It's obvious that this is all just stuff the Republicans and particularly Donald Trump, who has been colluding with the Russians a lot more recently, came up with to smear Hillary's good name and the good good name of the Clinton Foundation.  Shame on them for dragging this spotless money through the mud... money Hillary just got finished laundering, in fact!  

Sure, make a big deal about Hillary appointing one of her donors to the Nuclear Advisory Board... but don't forget, we were IN THE PROCESS of selling uranium to the Russians... so what do YOU think she should have done... appoint someone who DIDN'T want a favor?

So, what's next, Republicans?  I suppose you'll want to check the books of the Clinton Health Access Initiative.  OK, sure, last time anyone looked, there was a few million laundered through Canada and half a million from Algeria they forgot to report... but all that has changed.  Hillary is going to PROMISE this time.  And I can hear you Trump-supporters just saying "Yeah, but she promised in 2009 when she became Secretary of State"... I can just hear you.  It doesn't matter how many times it's  proven she is incapable of lying, Republicans, for some reason, don't want to acknowledge her spotless record on truthiness.

But she promised there would be no APPEARANCE of a conflict of interest - and it isn't Hillary's fault that the records of these foreign transactions "appeared".  And for the most part Obama helped grease the wheels... so THERE MUST NOT BE ANYTHING WRONG GOING ON.  

And that's EXACTLY what a full public disclosure would reveal, if the Clintons felt the need to make their dealings with foreign governments public... so why should they?

And seriously, BILL is going to PROMISE too, and we all know HE is a man of his word.  So I'm dumbfounded to see what the fuss is all about.  Bill and Hillary promise they will no longer be running the Clinton Foundation... since they will be President and First Whatever... so there is certainly no worry that everything is not on the up and up... so to speak.

So, if you really think Chelsea is going to be taking in money from foreign governments and making promises for her President and First Whatever parents, well, let me just say right here, you must have your tin-foil hat on too tight! 




NPR Story
LA Times Article

"Does it Matter if the Election was Rigged"

If the mainstream media didn't report it, it didn't happen.  It doesn't matter that some of us actually experienced election fraud and voter suppression, this was our imagination working overtime.  Bill Clinton visiting the polling stations, elimination of hundreds of polling stations, misprinted ballots, discarded ballots, outrageously inaccurate exit polls, faulty voting machines, 5-hour lines, media collusion... Don't worry... Everything is fine... move along.  Hillary won fair and square... forget what you EXPERIENCED... believe what we tell you.  Who would question their own government after all?  Who but "anti-Americans" would suggest our government is not being forthright with the people?

PATRIOTS... that's who!  People who believe in DEMOCRACY... that's who.  People who believe we cannot have democracy without fair elections!  People who believe our Constitution gave us the right - the OBLIGATION to protest our government - to demand our voices be heard.  Americans demand that our government represents US - and we tell our government how to do that by VOTING.  




When voting is being suppressed - when vote counts are tampered with - It is someone who is NOT a PATRIOT who is doing this!  Voter suppression goes against the Constitution and the will of the people... you know... WE THE PEOPLE...


So, let's be clear here... because we actually SAW what happened in the "Democratic" primary with our own eyes.  We didn't see a UFO... The primary was simply RIGGED.  NO question.  Anyone can search "Voter Suppression 2016" for dozens of video testimonies.  

We also saw what happened at the DNC.  More suppression - this time it was suppression of the DELEGATES.  As I said above, it's people who are NOT PATRIOTS who support this!

So, who is surprised that people who experienced voter suppression cannot back the candidate who is the beneficiary of that voter suppression?  Anybody?  But what about the people who support that candidate?  Do they support VOTER SUPPRESSION?  To many of us... the answer is YES!  They support voter suppression when they pretend Hillary won "fair and square".  They are NOT patriots - they don't love democracy like the rest of us do.  To these anti-Americans who support voter suppression, WE are "being ridiculous".  And guess what... WE'RE NOT BEING RIDICULOUS!  We're being AMERICANS!

What I find "ridiculous" is the number of people who don't GET THIS!  There is NO moving forward with the Democratic party and a candidate who stole the primary and now simply doesn't have the votes to support their candidacy.  The votes they suppressed in order to have their candidate win the primary are NOT votes for their candidate in the general.  Hillary Clinton is millions of votes SHORT.  That's why she needs REPUBLICANS to vote for her.  Voting for Hillary Clinton is literally voting AGAINST DEMOCRACY!  

So who are the anti-Americans who are supporting a rigged election?  When you look closely, they are the very establishment that Hillary Clinton will be representing as President.  Millionaires and billionaires support the theme that "Hillary won fair and square".  Celebrities, politicians, business people... they support Hillary by ignoring election rigging... or more accurately - they ignore election rigging to support Hillary.  Seriously - Fuck them!

And so for me, and for millions of Americans who are patriots, and cannot support the anti-American notion of stealing elections, Hillary Clinton may as well not be on the ballot.  There is NOTHING that will convince me to "vote" against democracy.  
Those politicians and entertainment personalities who support Clinton and insist I must, are asking me to vote against AMERICA!  Not only that, but I SEE them as anti-American and cannot support THEM in their ventures - whether they are politicians or celebrities.  Their facade has been peeled away and I see them for what they are... exploiters of the people - just like the politicians they support.  Their viewer numbers have dropped and they are realizing there is a cost to supporting election rigging.

So, "Democratic" party... this is WE the People saying... If you support your candidate through election fraud and voter suppression, don't expect us to support ANY of you!  There are LOTS of people running for President.  We can choose from among those who believe in DEMOCRACY!

Bernie Sanders is NOT Rocky!

I understand Bernie Sanders is out of the running... But...

I refuse to believe I am the only one who thought about this.  We were in PHILADELPHIA for crying out loud. For over a year, stadiums were filled with the chants BERNIE, BERNIE, BERNIE...  Hey, maybe I'm older than most Bernie supporters, but it sure reminded me of those old movies... ROCKY, ROCKY, ROCKY... 

And damn it... in EVERY one, Rocky was down... no chance... no hope... And then... Somebody always snapped him out of it... and we ALL heard that bell... and the fanfare... and we knew ROCKY was back in the game.  And there was no doubt in anybody's mind that Rocky was going to kick some ass... Russian ass if necessary.

Sure, Bernie was down... the fight was rigged... they wanted him to take a dive... and still... we never gave up... BERNIE, BERNIE, BERNIE... 

Any minute now, we were SURE Jane was going to whisper into Bernie's ear and tell him it was OK for him to WIN!  

And then the DNC happened... Day after day... we waited for Jane... we waited, and waited... we wanted to hear that damned bell and the fanfare that would let us know we were still in this to WIN. 

The bell never came... white noise machines made sure nobody heard any fanfare.  Still we rallied... BERNIE, BERNIE, BERNIE.  

"They cheer for HIM" somebody at the DNC was overheard snarling...