Maybe they INTEND to lose. Maybe America is being deliberately collapsed as a functioning democracy.

Posted by: ThereisaGod | Feb 6 2020 16:01 utc | 1

everything they have is Just "BEAT TRUMP"

Posted by: Heath | Feb 6 2020 16:03 utc | 2

1 @thereisagod

i would agree with first part of that asessment.

Posted by: Heath | Feb 6 2020 16:08 utc | 3

Better Off ending Political Parties and PACs:

Our Voting Rights are being Violated by Political Parties Commandeering the Ballots with their Candidates through their Funding and Endorsements - while suppressing non-affiliated Candidates.

Let Every Candidate Run on One's Own Money and by Direct Individual Personal Contributions. Fed and State Election Commissions can Screen Out Candidates by Funding/Headcounts Milestones and Host Debates and some TownHall Q&A for Candidates.

Media should just Broadcast.

Posted by: IronForge | Feb 6 2020 16:10 utc | 4

Nice work, Mr. B. While I am not a Sanders fan (more of a Tulsi fan), it sure does seem like the DNC would rather lose to Trump than win with Bernie.

Posted by: casey | Feb 6 2020 16:12 utc | 5

The donor class owners of the "Democratic" party have every incentive to support Trump, who has cut their taxes, hugely inflated the value of their assets, and mis-directed attention away from substantial issues that might degrade either their assets or their power, by focusing on identity politics.

Posted by: Trisha | Feb 6 2020 16:12 utc | 6

It's obvious to me that the two war parties function as one. The Democrats have been winning since Trump took office--they get their money and they get their wars. If Trump wins, the Democrats win as billionaires flood more money into the DNC. If Trump loses, the Republicans win for the same reasons.

Posted by: SharonM | Feb 6 2020 16:15 utc | 7

Yeah, well, I was down at Joe's TippleInn and overheard some spy-talk>

"It's very simple. The fake left and the fake right seek the same goal, the Clown of Orange, while they seek to totally bs both themselves and everybody else. Trummer is the candidate the demo deep desire."

"But why!"

"This is so that that the Clown can become the goy pharmacos and take the blame for a nuclear attack on Persia...while avoiding blame for PLUs"

Seriously, Maybe it was Michael Hudson, this was their position. Can't find it tho.

Posted by: Walter | Feb 6 2020 16:19 utc | 8

The Athenian system! Sortition! Choose representatives and officials by lot from the whole citizen body.

Posted by: lysias | Feb 6 2020 16:27 utc | 9

The behavior of a five year old is an appropriate reference point for most of the people working in DC, albeit engaged parents expect more of their children. This vaudeville routine is giving satisfaction to Republicans, Trump supporters, and those who have been looking for a clearer opportunity to say "I told you so" to diehard Democratic believers (who will continue to refuse to listen).
For an American, even one who has always been somewhat cynical regarding cultural notions of democracy and the "American Way," the show has become patently and abusively vulgar and revulsive. It does not appear to be anywhere near "hitting bottom." There can be no recovery without emotional maturity, and the leaders in Washington exhibit nothing of the kind. The level of maturity and wisdom of the individuals involved is determinative of the political result, not the alleged quality of the politics they purport to sell. Right now we don't have that.

Posted by: Bruce | Feb 6 2020 16:36 utc | 10

@MaxBlumenthal
"Silicon Valley billionaire Reid Hoffman not only funded the creation of ACRONYM, the group that sabotaged Iowa caucus vote results, he bankrolled a notorious online “false flag operation” in Alabama's 2017 senate campaign."

Posted by: Stever | Feb 6 2020 16:44 utc | 11

thanks b... good overview and i appreciate the insights into saunders foreign policy advisor... the fact that trump had guiado at the SOTU speech and was applauded by both parties on the topic of venezuala tells one all they need to know about how fucked up the usa is at this point in time... the 1 party system rules and it really doesn't matter how is in power - saunders or trump - or whoever - they are all serving the same fucked up foreign policy objectives..

Posted by: james | Feb 6 2020 16:46 utc | 12

- It's like the Republican candidates in 2016. They had more interest in defeating each other than in defeating Trump.

Posted by: Willy2 | Feb 6 2020 16:51 utc | 13

About the Dem Party:

It is a Liberal Cult, deeply flawed psycho-socially as any cult is. They are at the terminal phase, ready to take down their own people into the abyss. Suicidal. Physically ready to bleed out millions of people in civil war.

Layered under the globalism, and progressive extremism is a many-generational fanatic Russophobia.

And this is where the nexus of Ukraine comes into play with the corrupt elites of the Party. They have sucked off the $5billion + "invested" in programming the Ukie hatred of Russia. This has led to the need to cover up their corruption which the Trump Presidency would eventually expose.

So, they projected onto Trump and his associates all their crimes in Ukraine.

Involved in all this corruption were players within the CIA, State Dept, NSC, FBI and all the other Intel agencies needed to cover the crimes. The Clinton-Obama administration had scores of corrupt officials and associates (the Podestas, for instance). It was necessary to create a firewall once Trump won the nomination. As so, they attacked his campaign manager, his national security adviser, his family, himself, using all the means of FISA, wire tapping done by NSA and CIA and Mi6 and probably Mossad.

The rest has played out, all futile attempts to coup the Presidency.

The Dems now will "kill off" one another, a political savaging in a desperate attempt to get the White House.

As a Cult they will do what cults always do. The ideology, layered deep with fanaticism, demands death as its ritual, but, unable to get Trump, it will turn on one another.

After they lose again in November, they will unleash their street thugs, Antifa, to terrorize the winners. Meanwhile for the purists of the Liberal Cult there will be many real suicides. So, bloodshed and death will become reality.

Posted by: Red Ryder | Feb 6 2020 16:56 utc | 14

What is that saying ? "Every vote counts"? It should be "every vote counts but some are counted more than others"

(taken (almost) from George Orwells "Animal farm, the inner workings of the swamp".)

Posted by: Stonebird | Feb 6 2020 16:59 utc | 15

A party run by geriatric Limousine liberals.
Protecting the status quo at any cost.

Posted by: Jpc | Feb 6 2020 17:00 utc | 16

Trump became the president in 2016 because of 1)the Electoral College nonsense 2)billions of free publicity 3)a sharp drop in black turnout. None of these factors is going away, plus monetary support from other rich is skyrocketing even from the levels seen at the end of the 2016 campaign. Yes, Trump has a good chance of losing the popular vote but becoming president yet again. The usual dirtbags who hate humanity can whine about how it's the letter of the law, just as rich men's lawyers always do.

As to the alleged power surge for Trump, see https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/02/05/trumps-rising-approval-numbers-resulting-from-differential-nonresponse/ Hyping Trump power is maybe the crudest, most self-debasing form of Trumpery I think, really sniffing the Sharpie. Admittedly claiming Trump is fighting the Deep State is a shocking shameful self-exposure.

The alleged plan is so moronic the first impulse is to try to claim it's actually disguised self-sabotage. The conspiracy mongers who believe in the all powerful conspiracy that just happens to be exposed because of a miraculous fluke of one-off incompetence and/or eleven dimensional modified limited hangout duplicity are not only stupid, but in this case, addicted to Trumpery.

But even an honest conspiracy monger should have the common sense to ask who benefits from using any excuse to pull the results. The answer of course, is Biden. The notion that a loss in Iowa would harm Sanders forgets why Iowa is important in the first place: As a real test of the sales value of the candidates. And losing in Iowa is first of about losing big donor money. Sanders is the least dependent on big donor money, which is why it wasn't useful to stop him here. Sanders is supposed to get stopped Super Tuesday when campaigning supposedly has to be done by TV and Sanders can be outspent. (Unless anti-Semitic black votes stop him in South Carolina, which is not impossible, as Obama led blacks to the right as hard as he could.) No, the hold was to help Biden. And the conspiracy mongering is to help Biden by targeting the gay guy. Naturally, the mad dog reactionaries have fallen for it.

If you suppose by some miracle these crazed, hate-mongering theories are correct, then 1)the Democratic Party is so incompetent it's doomed, or 2)it is all really about supporting Trump. Even if you pretend not to worship Trump's farts, #1 alternative should still be good news.

Buttigieg was Navy, and military rivalry with the CIA means he's not likely to be CIA. Also, McKinsey is a political influence peddling outfit, which is not CIA. Working at NGOs, maybe. Buttigieg is affiliated with the Truman Project...but the Truman Project centers on the open admission that the Iraq war was an insanely stupid strategic and tactical mistake, and imperialism needs to be done smarter. It is not, not, not yet a principle of the CIA that the Iraq war was a signal failure on their part. Further, the CIA finds gays pretty much as distasteful as the average barfly, even if they feel they should be discrete. The closest thing to a reason to believe Buttigieg is CIA is that his further was an avowed leftist who taught the works of the Italian Communist Antonio Gramscie, associated with the journal Rethinking Marxism. That is an ideal bio for a fake leftist fighting Leninist Communism. The thing there, of course, is that the CIA is not a hereditary institution!

Buttigieg believes in capitalism, just like Warren. Thus he is no good, period. The rest is largely homophobes losing their minds. I think Buttigieg is the honest version of Warren, saying what she would actually do, whatever she's pretending right now. I think it is always an offense to common sense and common decency to abuse politicians when they tell the truth. It should be the opposite. Loving them for their lies is Trumpery.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Feb 6 2020 17:02 utc | 17

Appearances to the contrary, I know how to spell "discreet." What I don't know how to do is to type or to proof read correctly.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Feb 6 2020 17:06 utc | 18

"Unless They Change The Democrats Deserve To Lose"

Aren't there 2 levels of "change"?

1. How can they change? The owners are the warmongering monopoly capitalist ruling class. Are you imagining that any decision can ever be made by the lowly peons, the rank and file?
If you thought anything like that, you should try to find one single instance, in all history, of this "party" ever having done anything at all out of line with the express policy of the owners of the country (the high level of people-friendly noise, intended for the voting peons, never translates into any action of that sort.)

2. If you mean change the electoral policy to win this election, how could they conceivably manage to change this late? Like a supertanker launched at full speed trying to make a sharp turn a few seconds before hitting the shore, you mean?

Anyway, in both cases forget what it "deserves", it should be destroyed and buried under, not only lose.

Posted by: Piero Colombo | Feb 6 2020 17:07 utc | 19

SEE MY RELATED COMMENTS @221, 224, 225 FOR THE LATEST IN IOWA SCAM. I can't repost now; I'm too upset; need TO.

Posted by: Circe | Feb 6 2020 17:08 utc | 20

American democracy is Kabuki Theater and Professional Wrestling.

It is the ultimate Reality TV show for the sheeple to think that they have a political voice.

Remember what Frank Zappa said: "Politics is the Entertainment Division of the Military-Industrial Complex."

Posted by: ak74 | Feb 6 2020 17:08 utc | 21

My comments are on Open Thread.

Posted by: Circe | Feb 6 2020 17:09 utc | 22

WRT Matt Duss. Son of a Ukrainian emigré. No way does Sanders not know this. Ukrainians never stop talking about the old country. No way does Sanders not know Ukrainians in US are chronically self-dealing and terminably unreliable. Extremely unlikely Sanders would not know the father is CIA.

WRT electability. the hard core Democrats will not vote for Sanders even in the unlikely case he becomes nominee. The PUMAs will not vote for him in any case. The pushers and herders at the nursing homes and union halls will not get out the vote for Sanders. The preachers will not tell the faithful to vote. Pretty much the same thing happened in '72. McGovern had the effrontery to defeat Hubert Horatio Humphrey in the primary. The party could not forgive that. Nixon was deeply unpopular and vulnerable. The Dems destroyed McGovern. This allowed them to punch hippies for two generations and claim that any actual centrist, as opposed to right-centrist, was too radical for America.

Posted by: oldhippie | Feb 6 2020 17:13 utc | 23

(not really out of topic - feel free deleting it though)

Lockheed Martin partnering with the Israeli Mossad (front corporations) own all gateway communication nodes of US Air Force, US Navy, the Pentagon, meaning it is a matter of months until they have discovered every super secret ultra expensive project there is of the United States armed Forces.

Exhibit A:
——
‘Never Seen Anything Like It’: Facebook Users Stunned by Huge ‘UFO-Like’ Cloud Along US East Coast

13:40 GMT 06.02.2020

The unusually-shaped cloud was reportedly so large it could be seen nearly 65 km south of its location at Grandfather Mountain, the highest peak in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
https://sputniknews.com/science/202002061078246140-never-seen-anything-like-it-facebook-users-stunned-by-huge-ufo-like-cloud-along-us-east-coast/

——

Here is where Blue Ridge mountains are located:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Mountains

Grandfather peak is talest point in N.K.
The "unussual" cloud is what happens when there are active operations for the US Tactical Reconnaissance programme. Probably they do that stuff in the nightime. Daytime evidence possibly relates to that they want to catch some "special sunlight", meaning, particle flux from the sun interacting with the ionosphere.

What this technology does is recconning deep inside other countries protected territories. China, Russia, the EU, Latin America, Iran, Yemen, arctic, antarctic etc, eventually also the natural Earths' satelite and beyond.

WHY SHOULD ISRAEL POSSES THIS TECHNOLOGY?

From the "future Are 53" in southern Europe, Qparticle signing off.

P.S. This is also one of the reasons why Trump plays Erdogans' nanny...

Posted by: Qparticle | Feb 6 2020 17:23 utc | 24

I already pointed out that our remote province, run by women, decided to use only paper, prior to the Iowa affair... This is obviously because they reject the rigging of votes, which means they do not believe what is claimed by so-called election vote-counts in the rest of USA, which means they're rejecting the entire corrupt establishment - though they themselves may not have yet recognized this fact.

Politics has now become local. This is the perhaps final effect of obviously rigged elections since the Wallace/Truman correction in 1944, at least.

It presages the dissolution and possible reformation of USA.
One of many such indicators.

Brother Smedley was right, the only important things are your community and the Bill of Rights...?

The ladies seem to think so.

Now then, what about that?

Posted by: Walter | Feb 6 2020 17:25 utc | 25

It would take extreme mental contortions to take U.S. "democracy" seriously at this point.
I would like to believe that it makes some difference who is elected, but increasingly doubtful.
How different would it really have been had Hillary been elected (much as it pains me to consider such a scenario)?
Trump was elected (aside from interference from AIPAC) partly because he was republican candidate and for some that's all it takes but aside from that because;
- end pointless wars
- improve healthcare
- control immigration
- jobs for coal miners
- somehow address corruption and non-performance of government
- improve US competitiveness, bring back jobs, promote business, improve economy
He claims having improved the economy but more likely is done juice from the FED.
So really, what grade does he deserve?
And yet people are rallying to his side.
Personally I think that the entrenched interests have moulded Trump to meet their requirements and now it is inconvenient to have to start work on a new president, unless it would be one of their approved choices.
I voted for Trump because of Hillary.
Now I would not vote for Trump given a decent choice. Fortunately there is an excellent alternative.

Posted by: jared | Feb 6 2020 17:30 utc | 26

Before I go, I find this part a simplistic and excuse me, Russia-biased assumption.

Sanders might have a progressive agenda in domestic policies, but his foreign policies are fully in line with his party.....

For starters, Putin has proven he is not the ultimate oracle of all wisdom and is co-opted by his Zionist oligarchs and the million+ Zionists squatting illegally in Ziolandia.

There is a gaping hole between Trump's Ziofascist set in stone foreign policy and Bernie Sanders policy that is an open-minded platform STILL under construction!

So don't please don't taint him with your own obvious Russia bias brush.

Posted by: Circe | Feb 6 2020 17:33 utc | 27

I thought there was a strong chance b would delete my post from the Open Thread wherein I said, [with edit], "Democrats don't have voting rights. [They instead have bend-over rights.] They bend over and take whatever the corrupt and totalitarian DNC wants to shove up there."

Am I pushing my luck?

(I vote Green Party)

Posted by: librul | Feb 6 2020 17:36 utc | 28

All who count have known for a long time that Trump will have a second term. Baked in. (1)

The Dems agitate and raucously screech and try to impeach to distract or whatever to show da base that they hate Trump and hope to slaughter! him! a rapist! mysoginist! racist! liar ! He is horrors! in touch with the malignant criminal authoritarian ex-KGB Putin! Russia Russia Russia - and remember Stormy Daniels! ( :) ! )

The top corp. Dems prefer to lose to Trump, I have said this for years, as have many others. In rivalry of the Mafia type, it is often better to submit to have a share of the pie. Keep the plebs on board with BS etc. Victim status, underdog pretense, becomes ever more popular.

1. Trump might fall ill / dead / take Melania’s advice and wishes into account, or just quit.

Posted by: Noirette | Feb 6 2020 17:37 utc | 29

@Posted by: Qparticle | Feb 6 2020 17:23 utc | 24

Cool picture, but lenticular clouds have been fooling people for ages.

They are totally cool. Here are some even better photos of them.

Enjoy.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lenticular+clouds&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images

Posted by: librul | Feb 6 2020 17:43 utc | 30

People still talk like democracy really exists in USA.

They channel their anger toward Party and personality.

If only the democrats would ... If only Sanders would ... If only people would see that ...

A few understand the way things really are, but most are still hoping that somehow that the bed-time stories and entertaining kayfabe are a sort of democracy that they can live with.

But the is just normalcy bias. A Kool-Aid hang-over. This is not democracy. It is a soft tyranny encouraged by Empire stooges, lackeys, and enabled by ignorance.

The lies are as pervasive as they are subtle: half-truths; misdirection; omitting facts like candidate/party affiliations with the Zionist/Empire Death Cult.

The REAL divide among people in the West is who benefits from an EMPIRE/ZIONIST FIRST orientation that has polluted our politics and our culture and the rest of us.

Wake up. War is on the horizon. And Central Banks can't print money forever.

/rage, rage against the dying of the light

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 6 2020 17:47 utc | 31

Kudos b.

Demrats gave Trump the best week of his presidency.

Sadly, this is an example of not letting go.

US Senate Panel Finds No Evidence of Alleged Russian Interference in 2016 Vote
LINK

The Senate Intelligence Committee said in a report released on Thursday that again it saw no evidence of alleged Russian interference changing any votes or manipulating voting machines in the 2016 US presidential election.

"The Committee has seen no evidence that any votes were changed or that any voting machines were manipulated", the Intelligence Committee said in its report into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.[.]

found no evidence but Russia, Russia, Russia the bogeyman. Will someone remind D.C. of U.S. interference in, and overthrow of elected governments in countries around the world?

Posted by: Likklemore | Feb 6 2020 17:48 utc | 32

One more thing, you may be pleased with Trump's Russia policy, but he sure fooled you on the Middle East and South America policy. And if you keep keep carrying his water still and dissing Sanders, you will be satisfied when Trump gets a 2nd term, but you may discover alas to your chagrin that maybe he's been fooling you on his Russia policy all along as well, and when Trump triggers all hell to break loose with Iran, no doubt you'll be very busy trying to 'splain that away!

Posted by: Circe | Feb 6 2020 17:51 utc | 33

After watching Pelosi it reminded me that during the Geo. W. Bush era the Democrats were always claiming to be the adults in the room. It's odd that Mayo Pete's 'husband' is never seen or heard from. I wonder why? Biden's toast and Epstein didn't kill himself. AND Seth Rich leaked Hillary's emails to Wikileaks.

Posted by: par4 | Feb 6 2020 17:52 utc | 34

The Dems have been the loyal opposition for almost 30 years, always seemingly virtuous and well meaning only to be foiled at every turn by those dastardly Republicans. Finally the mask is coming off to reveal the fox who has been partnering with the wolf, but will enough sheeple recognize what's really going on?

Posted by: Roy G | Feb 6 2020 17:56 utc | 35

Dems have a ready excuse for everything

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2020/02/06/iowa-caucus-outside-calls-delayed-results-reporting-democrats-say/4678127002/

"Iowa Democrats say they were inundated with outside calls that clogged caucus results reporting"

Posted by: librul | Feb 6 2020 17:59 utc | 36

Was the original Clinton plan to incite chaos or to steal the vote count?

Did Sanders send five lawyers to Dem officials about a technical breakdown?  Or was the conversation about the Clinton app stealing votes for Butticheat and Biden?

Reports indicate that Sanders' live vote count on camera showed altered vote totals.

Such possible voter fraud should be thoroughly investigated by both federal and state prosecutors.

Where is the app?  Ukraine already? Smashed to pieces by Hillary?

Posted by: Grizzly Lover | Feb 6 2020 18:01 utc | 37

I was just a kid, in 1972, when my McGovern-supporting wiccan witch aunts told me to "turn on, tune in and drop out"...looks like its still good advice from Tim Leary :)

Posted by: Gregory | Feb 6 2020 18:01 utc | 38

I personally know Matt Duss's father, and I have to vehemently disagree with the claim that Serge is a front man for CIA proxy organisations. Utterly ridiculous - unless you believe that World Vision is somehow a CIA front (I worked with WV and Serge Duss in Russia, and we pulled out of Russia when the US gov't re-organized their aid to be driven by the State Dept and CIA). I know there were rumors in the 80's of a couple of WV employees that were CIA operatives - those guys were ousted from the organization quickly. I guess old rumors live forever.
Matt Duss is probably closer to the typical centre Democrat when it comes to the whole Russia thing, but when it comes to defending Palestinian rights and finding a way to work against the Israeli lobby, Matt is a straight arrow and a breath of fresh air. Of course you cannot expect Bernie to be fully wise on all the foreign policy issues. If he were on the same line (let alone outspoken) as many of us here on MoA, he wouldn't get elected. Look at how Tulsi is faring. Like it or not, the US foreign policy is ingrained not just in the American establishment, but it has seeped into the subconsciousness of the majority of Americans. There's few Americans that can say "putin is not evil' and have the brains and knowledge to defend that stand.
American exceptionalism, bullying, big military, love of guns, huge distrust of government, lack of world knowledge, high drama queens: sorry but they are American traits that get baked more deeply into the population every day.
Luckily there are more sober (and boring) politicians in other nations. If we would react with half the muddled brain of a Trump to all the American shenanigans and close nuclear calls, this world would already have been a nuclear waste dump.

Posted by: Josh | Feb 6 2020 18:01 utc | 39

"Loss of public trust" and an apology -

DNC chair calls on Iowa Democratic Party to begin recanvass of caucus results
The Hill

Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Tom Perez on Thursday called for a recanvass of the Iowa presidential vote following chaos and delayed results during the state’s Democratic caucuses earlier this week.

“Enough is enough. In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass,” Perez tweeted early Thursday afternoon.[.]

2016 it was "flip a coin."
No, after this debacle, Caucuses will be abolished for primaries.

Posted by: Likklemore | Feb 6 2020 18:07 utc | 40

——
The Clinton-Obama administration had scores of corrupt officials and associates (the Podestas, for instance). It was necessary to create a firewall once Trump won the nomination. As so, they attacked his campaign manager, his national security adviser, his family, himself, using all the means of FISA, wire tapping done by NSA and CIA and Mi6 and probably Mossad.

Red Ryder | Feb 6 2020 16:56 utc | 14
——

Trump is an installment of The Mossad via blackmail and media manipulation, check "Black Cube Intelligence", a Mossad front operating from City of London. It would make sense the establishment in the US would eavesdrop on him. Mossad on the other hand would wiretap the wiretapers and give feedback on Trump. The Podesta you mentioned once threatened the factions with "disclosure" possibly to keep the runaway black projects crazies in check not that I wish to play advocate of these people.

——
After they lose again in November, they will unleash their street thugs, Antifa, to terrorize the winners. Meanwhile for the purists of the Liberal Cult there will be many real suicides. So, bloodshed and death will become reality.

Red Ryder | Feb 6 2020 16:56 utc | 14
——

Yes, what we need is just a nazi party in the US to keep communism in check, right? We are half way there with Trump already aren't we? "Black Sun" technologies (which a part off I described above) already there, leaking to anyone interested enough that would aid in the great outsourcing for the Yinon project, so why not? "Go Trump 2020"! (sarcasm)

Posted by: Qparticle | Feb 6 2020 18:11 utc | 41

For whatever reason the only thing the Dems seem to find more terrible than a loss to Trump is a win with Bernie. I’m no fan of Bernie but it’s clear they’re out to sabotage the one guy that would actually beat Trump in an election

Posted by: DannyC | Feb 6 2020 18:12 utc | 42

While I have no illusions that a Sanders administration will have good foreign policy objectives, is there not something to be said for shifting money away from the military-industrial complex in the US? In general Sanders gives me the impression that he wants to reduce US intervention in foreign affairs in favor of spending more money on domestic issues. Even a slight reduction in pressure is helpful for giving other countries the ability to expand their spheres of influence and becoming more legitimate powers in opposition to the US and EU. Based on this I still see voting for Sanders as helpful even if he won't bring about any meaningful change in the US's foreign policy.

Posted by: VeraK | Feb 6 2020 18:16 utc | 43

Correct, they intend to lose. The function of the Dem Party is to co-opt and destroy left movements -- winning elections is secondary at best, and arguably an impediment to them these days now that their "leadership" is completely incapable of offering their rank and file members anything they actually want.

Posted by: AshenLight | Feb 6 2020 18:16 utc | 44

It's real hard to call Sanders' foreign policy mainstream Democratic party crap.

Mis-representing him doesn't help.

Posted by: Jay | Feb 6 2020 18:22 utc | 45

it's not an actual Stalin quote, but often used as such
he did say something in the same vein, though.
it IS absolutely spot on here:

"It's not who vote that counts, it's who counts the votes"

congratulations, DNC, you're on a par with Joseph Stalin; the most ruthless chairman the Sovyets have ever had.
so here is your real Russia Gate.
oh, come and smell the Irony.

Posted by: Valar Morghulis | Feb 6 2020 18:32 utc | 46

librul | Feb 6 2020 17:43 utc | 30

Indeed beautifull!
Though keep your distance in case you do some climbing and are a nature lover. In case it's "the real thing" it messes with your brain sense of time and direction.

Introductory in how biology and quantum mechanics merge:
"Jim Al Khalili: Quantum Biology". From the "Royal" Institute....
https://youtu.be/wwgQVZju1ZM

Oh.. Trump donnors are in to "life extention technologies" for a reason, as Mossad is in every tech they can get their hands on for their coming "Messiah"....
Also moon race is a huge part of this.

(sorry for the off topics people)

Posted by: Qparticle | Feb 6 2020 18:43 utc | 47

@DannyC #43
I don't agree that the Democrats consider a loss to Trump the 2nd worse thing besides a win by Sanders.
Trump is a very useful tool to re-energize the 1%/professional, managerial class.

Posted by: c1ue | Feb 6 2020 18:48 utc | 48

Any party who has a self-confessed cocksucker as a contender (never mind front runner) deserves to lose. Your culture is circling the drain.

Posted by: Nuff Sed | Feb 6 2020 18:49 utc | 49

@ Posted by: Valar Morghulis | Feb 6 2020 18:32 utc | 47

Oh, so you think the problem is only with the DNC?

Posted by: vk | Feb 6 2020 18:52 utc | 50

Josh @40

Blames the victim and asks us to accept a double standard for Bernie.

IMO truth-tellers should tell the truth, and people who lay claim to high moral principles need to be true to their conviction or they are just hypocrites.

EMPIRE is a civil rights issue

EMPIRE has brought us propaganda/fake news; militarized police; pervasive spying; arresting journalists; etc.

Bernie is lauded for fighting for civil rights 55 years ago. At that time American racists like the KKK were also anti-Jew. Jews aligned with blacks because it was in their interest to do so. (Note: I'm not saying Jews didn't also believe that segregation was immoral.)

EMPIRE is an economic fairness issue

That's Bernie's signature issue. But he ignores how Empire contributes to inequality. Oh, from time to time he'll talk around the issue but he never makes an explicit connection.

<> <> <> <> <>

So ... WHY DOESN'T Bernie make an issue of EMPIRE?

I think it has less to do with the American people than with AIPAC, the Zionist-Militarist US establishment, and his own Jewish roots.

The fact is, Bernie stands in the way of the ONLY real solution: genuine independent Movements for Democracy, Peace, Economic Fairness, the Environment, etc. His role is to give people hope that elections can change things.

But we are too far gone for that. Only real activism and mass Movements will bring the change that most people seek. And that means inconvenience, sacrifice, financial contributions, and turmoil. All the things that lazy, apathetic, dumb-ed down, people of America are disinclined to do - until the shit hits the fan.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 6 2020 18:54 utc | 51

I guess my earlier post was censored, so I shall re-post substituting the word 'cork'. I said:

Any party who has a self-confessed corksucker as a candidate (let alone front-runner) deserves to lose. Your culture is circling the drain of sterility.

Posted by: Nuff Sed | Feb 6 2020 18:56 utc | 52

The crookedness by the DNC in Iowa helps Bernie's main argument. That the Democrat establishment is at best incompetent & at worst corrupt as all hell.

Posted by: M | Feb 6 2020 18:56 utc | 53

AIPAC approved or Bust!!

Not hard to grasp. Trump has the wish list, he keeps ticking off the boxes one or two at a time. Old Sheldon and the crew sure are getting bang for their bucks with this one. Plus he cut their taxes and tweets up the markets too so what's not to like if you're among the Oligarch class and can spend millions buying government to your liking? Deficits and debt be damned, that's 'socialized'.

Now why would the Dems / DNC who rely so heavily on the same pool of wealthy donors be looking for someone who won't tick those boxes just like Trump? Even a rare US Legislator has been known to speak out of turn on the political danger of becoming a target of AIPAC's ire. A career ending occurrence.

How heavily do the Dems rely on that pool you might ask? Well according to established sources, not conspiracy sites, pre 2016 studies and estimates stated 50% or more of all Democratic donations come from Jewish donors. 25% of Republican donations came from the same sources. Remember, that's pre Trump Presidency and his good works on behalf of the above mentioned. There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas... 'when you're no 2 you try harder'. -)

Just about any of the leading Dem candidates would be more acceptable to AIPAC over Sanders. He often dances to his own fiddle not to their tune.

"The reason for such intense scrutiny is the outsize contributions of Jewish donors to US political campaigns, with Jewish donors contributing a whopping 50% of funds received by the Democratic Party and 25% to the Republican Party, Troy says."

https://www.jpost.com/US-Elections/US-Jews-contribute-half-of-all-donations-to-the-Democratic-party-468774

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218408

‘JTA’ reports that as much as 2/3 of Democratic money comes from Jewish donors

https://mondoweiss.net/2011/06/jta-reports-that-as-much-as-23-of-democratic-money-comes-from-jewish-donors/

According to another Jewish publication called Forward Buttigieg received more donations from Jewish donors than any of the other Dem candidates. Won't link to the story tho because it's a fluff piece for #CheatingPete and includes dated claims that are inaccurate now.

Posted by: Bubbles | Feb 6 2020 18:57 utc | 54

Several online items worth reading. First is Giraldi's "Why Both Republicans and Democrats Want Russia to Become the Enemy of Choice", which refers to the D-Party Establishment with Sanders not getting any mention. Then there're several items at Common Dreams, the first having an excellent vid featuring Krystal Ball of The Hill reporting how the election was rigged. It also links to an important Twitter thread by Naomi Klein. I found this message perhaps the most important part:

"If we honestly believe we are building a movement, not just an electoral campaign, then the relationships we forge, and the political education we do along the way, is never wasted. It’s all part of building power, which we badly need no matter what happens. Nothing is wasted."

There's more on Iowa, but IMO this new info on DNC Chair Perez's corruption needs to be exposed--IMO, Bloomberg is now the DNC's man despite the favors bestowed on Buttigieg.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 6 2020 19:04 utc | 55

In fake wrestling the producers determine the winner in advance and the wrestlers ate given their script to follow. The Dems have no intention to win this, look at the clowns they have running the show not to mention the flawed candidates . The script calls for the king of fake wrestling, Trump himself, to win yet again. Only a concerted effort by the Dems and Deep State media, along with some tech help from Bibis crew can engineer this result, but they are all on board. Dems willing to wait for 2024 when the producers will write them in for a big Win over somebody not named Trump. The world will be ready for a Green change by then, and Soros/Gates boys will have their chance to step up to the plate again.

Enjoy the show if you wish, I’m changing the channel.

Posted by: Pft | Feb 6 2020 19:10 utc | 56

As for Sanders Responsible Foreign Policy, It's clearly not what the D-Party Establishment wants (see Giraldi item linked @53):

"The U.S. must lead the world in improving international cooperation in the fight against climate change, militarism, authoritarianism, and global inequality. When we are in the White House, we will:

•Implement a foreign policy which focuses on democracy, human rights, diplomacy and peace, and economic fairness.

•Allow Congress to reassert its Constitutional role in warmaking, so that no president can wage unauthorized and unconstitutional interventions overseas.

•Follow the American people, who do not want endless war. American troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly 18 years, the longest war in American history. Our troops have been in Iraq since 2003, and in Syria since 2015, and many other places. It is long past time for Congress to reassert its Constitutional authority over the use of force to responsibly end these interventions and bring our troops home.

•End U.S. support for the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which has created the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe.

•Rejoin the Iran nuclear agreement and talk to Iran on a range of other issues.

•Work with pro-democracy forces around the world to build societies that work for and protect all people. In the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, democracy is under threat by forces of intolerance, corruption, and authoritarianism."

What follows is Bernie's Mantra, and the Billionaire Class includes the DNC:

"This is your movement. [Emphasis Original]

"No one candidate, not even the greatest candidate you could imagine, is capable of taking on Donald Trump and the billionaire class alone. There is only one way we win — and that is together. [My Emphasis]

The first step to halting a runaway train is to get an engineer to pull back the throttle and apply the brakes before the train can be reorganized and moved to a different set of tracks. Nothing can get accomplished until that basic effort is won. No, it won't be easy as we must reach the train and its engines before the attempt to halt it can be made. If you insist on being cynical, please be my guest, but get the hell out of the way of those trying to stop the damned thing!!!!!!! Yes, there's some verbiage I don't care for--the democracy promotion being #1. But Gabbard's plank on Ending the Forever Wars is there. And do note in his last point that Sanders recognizes and articulates the truth that the USA also faces the threat of Authoritarianism.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 6 2020 19:24 utc | 57

Yes pft, the favored candidate of the DNC is clearly Trump.

Posted by: Blue Dotterel | Feb 6 2020 19:25 utc | 58

"The U.S. must lead the world in improving international cooperation in the fight against climate change, militarism, authoritarianism, and global inequality..."

So how is the fight against "militarism" and "authoritarianism" not simply code words for regime change, proxy war and sanctions (economic warfare)?

Posted by: nemo | Feb 6 2020 19:29 utc | 59

Those who still, after all we've been through with the entire history of the world's oldest bourgeois capitalist party, with by far the longest record of quashing all real attempts at transformation; those who still would have anything to do with the Democratic Party in the name of "changing" anything aren't political people at all.

Like I said in the previous thread such atoms of the mass are just teeny-bopper type fanbots of individual non-political celebrities like Bernie Sanders, who is nothing but an actor or performance artist. These people's only politics are total affirmation of the status quo.

The fact that they lie about that and pretend to have any public-minded thoughts or goals whatsoever is the ultimate cynicism.

Posted by: Russ | Feb 6 2020 19:36 utc | 60

The democratic party must be thee only political party in all world history that actively suppresses people who want to vote for them.

Looks like the democrats are set to lose the same way they did in 2016. Basically as Matt Bruenig wrote in his article "The Boring Story of the 2016 Election

Donald Trump did not win because of a surge of white support. Indeed he got less white support than Romney got in 2012. Nor did Trump win because he got a surge from other race+gender groups. The exit polls show him doing slightly better with black men, black women, and latino women than Romney did, but basically he just hovered around Romney’s numbers with every race+gender group, doing slightly worse than Romney overall.

However, support for Hillary was way below Obama’s 2012 levels, with defectors turning to a third party. Clinton did worse with every single race+gender combo except white women, where she improved Obama’s outcome by a single point. Clinton did not lose all this support to Donald. She lost it into the abyss. Voters didn’t like her but they weren’t wooed by Trump.

The Third Wave neocons pointed out an interesting fact. Clinton won bigly CA, NY, and MA which gave her something like 7 million votes. However, Trump won the remaining 47 states by four million.

Posted by: Erelis | Feb 6 2020 19:43 utc | 61

I would like to see Trump defeated if for no other reason than to have a new administration look under the hood of the all the economic government data that has been produced over the last four years. I bet, just like Trump's tax returns he doesn't want us to see, his miraculous creation of prosperity will be far less than advertised.

Posted by: Renodino | Feb 6 2020 19:44 utc | 62

@karlof1 #55
Bernie’s foreign policy platform, as you posted, is admirable.
I have significant doubts over whether he and/or his movement can enact even a title of it.
I have zero doubt that the platform guarantees the enmity of the entire political establishment, on both sides of the aisle.
Imagine a liberal equivalent of Trump, but without the big biz or MIC assistance.
Could well wind up as one of the least effective administrations evah!

Posted by: c1ue | Feb 6 2020 19:48 utc | 63

@55 Thank you!

Posted by: Joe | Feb 6 2020 19:53 utc | 64

It should be clear on what the fight is really about in the US. It's about stopping the rise of socialism. Regardless of party affiliation, the elites know what the populace wants and are desperately trying to stop it. I refuse to accept that the Democrats have no idea what they're doing.

I honestly can't see Sanders getting the nomination with all the corruption openly being displayed. I would be pleasantly surprised if Sanders did manage to get it, but he still have to deal with the ELECTORAL COLLEGE (EC). The Electors have the final say. Yes, one can point out that some States have laws forcing Electors to vote what the populace wants, but that is being challenged in court. The debate on whether such laws are unconstitutional or not, remains to be seen. It's too late now to deal with the EC for this election, but people need to be more active in politics at the State level as that's where Electors are (s)elected.

IF Sanders is genuine then he should prepare to run as an independent just to get the EC attention.

Posted by: Ian2 | Feb 6 2020 20:02 utc | 65

Does Sanders the Wimp loves Juan Guaido like he said that Chavez was a dictator? If yes then he is part of the problem and a piece of it.

Posted by: Viktor | Feb 6 2020 20:03 utc | 66

karlof1 @57

Campaign verbiage on his website is different than actively identifying EMPIRE as an issue and pushing solutions that end EMPIRE-related inequities.

Also: Sanders stated website positions would be consistent with a big drop in military spending - but you don't see him saying that USA should do that.

<> <> <> <> <> <>

Pro-Bernie people are not addressing the issue raised: why isn't Bernie fighting back?

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 6 2020 20:15 utc | 67

@63 c1ue

Sanders in his pronouncements about evil Russia, the Ukraine, and VZ has basically messaged to the neocon deep state they can have their policies if they leave him alone on domestic issues. The neocons could care less about Medicare for All, college tuition, etc so long as they control the Pentagon, State department, and their budgets.

If any democrat becomes president, including Sanders, it will ratchet up the odds for a nuclear war with Russia. Any democrat who dares to even talk to Putin will be called a traitor. Any democratic president will have to prove they are tough on Russia, and I am afraid sanctions won't do it. Expect some military action.

Posted by: Erelis | Feb 6 2020 20:16 utc | 68

Tom Perez's corruption just keeps getting more obvious with every move he makes to satisfy his boss's demands that Sanders be tripped up in some manner. Now he's called for a "recanvas" now that Sanders has clearly won by 6K+ votes.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 6 2020 20:22 utc | 69

@40 josh

THANK YOU!

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

b:

Meanwhile Trump hauls in record amounts in donations and, with 49%, achieved his best personal approval rate ever.

Either the Democrats change their whole course of action or they will lose in November to an extend that will be breathtaking. It would be well deserved.

REALLY??? Not so fast...

Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign announced Thursday that it raised a staggering $25 million in the month of January alone, by far the biggest fundraising month of the senator's campaign and a larger haul than his 2020 Democratic rivals posted in any full quarter of 2019.

Sanders raised 25 mil in January ALONE

And don't bother checking, it also appeared in the NYT, CNN, all the mainstream press, but I just prefer to give CD exposure.

I'd say Bernie is a serious contender to beat your orange boy's ass black and blue. You know the difference between your Russia-loves-me dirty boy and mine? Yours has to grovel to his Zionist fat cat financiers for his windfall. Mine is funded BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE.

BERNIE'S GOING TO TAKE TRUMP DOWN FOR GOOD
PRECISELY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020.

(The drinks will be on me!)🍻🍹🥂

▪▪▪▪▪

Jackrabbit, Jackrabbit...

Don't follow Agent 👺 aka Jackrabbit
He's gonna take you on an endlesss ride
Down Alice's rabbithole, only this time
There's no landing, no fun, no magic or tea and crumpets; there's only
A dark endless pit of darkness
With no end in sight.

Posted by: Circe | Feb 6 2020 20:35 utc | 70

Renodino @62--

Here's Shadowstats's GDP chart, which depicts a brighter picture than reality although it's closer than the lies put out by the Federal government. Note the massive take-off when the economy was initially financialized by Volker after the deep recession his policies imposed in order to save the bond holders. And as you see, it's been mostly downhill from there. What Shadowstats doesn't do is remove economic activity claimed to be positive and put it on the negative side of the equation--bank overdraft and late fees are good examples. Hudson's J is for Junk Economics names many of them. In reality, the US economy's experienced overall negative growth since the middle of Reagan/Bush. As said numerous times, Wall Street isn't the US Economy, although Trump and others will say so on their dying breath.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 6 2020 20:46 utc | 71

"Either the Democrats change their whole course of action.."

not only extremely unlikely but for all intents and purposes, very very improbable.
does the leopard change its spots?

"...or they will lose in November to an extend (sic) that will be breathtaking."

they sowed the seeds, they'll harvest the (election) failures

Posted by: michaelj72 | Feb 6 2020 20:49 utc | 72

Circe @70--

Before Sanders gets the opportunity to beat Trump in November, he must first beat the DNC at the Convention in June. Using my runaway train metaphor, that would equal getting to the locomotive and gaining control. As such, that ought to be the fundamental focus over the next 4+ months. IMO, if Sanders can beat the DNC, he'll easily beat Trump.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 6 2020 20:54 utc | 73

Yes pft, the favored candidate of the DNC is clearly Trump.

Posted by: Blue Dotterel | Feb 6 2020 19:25 utc | 58

Only if the ungrateful commoners who identify as Democrats or moderates can't be brought to heel and give their full throated support for the DNC's favoured Cookie Cutter candidate who might as well be one of those dolls with a string and a recording you hear when you pull the string.

Then yes, they would prefer 'fore moar years!!' of the Ugliest American ever to be installed as President of the United States.

One of things I respect about Tulsi Gabbard is she ain't no Doll with a string attached. When she made the comment about cleaning out the rot in the Democratic Party, she left no doubt her intent and goals. And to take on hillary, the Red Queen to boot, why that was simply delicious.

Alas, the View, the DNC, it's web of evil rich and the media will never forgive her for Soldiering for her Country.

Posted by: Bubbles | Feb 6 2020 20:57 utc | 74

Jackrabbit @ 51 & Circe @ 70
A bit puzzled to say the least about your answer there,a although Circe is helping me understand you. Key in my answer is that B's hook-line-and-sinker copying of totally fact-void twitter-slander about Matt Duss and his father is short-sighted and falls far short from his usual standard. Matt's dad is a lifelong Democrat, to the left of Hillary, life-long proponent of the rights of the poor, the Palestinians, etc. He is a PR-guy, who spent most of his life putting in place humanitarian projects - some of which I have managed and later taken over. The fact that Matt is with Bernie is a big sign of where Bernie stands about the Palestinian rights, and I can assure you that humanitarians are not on the side of Israel. The Twitter-guy B copies from throws any evangelical connotation in with the far right, which is plain stupid or malicious.
Your criticism of Bernie is only partially justified. You speak about a movement - the signs are there that what is possible within the Bernie-mantra has been whipped into as much of a movement as possible, and if the goal is to defeat Trump, it will need to be much bigger; if the goal is to achieve domestic change, it will have to much, much larger still (because he will face stiffer opposition than Trump currently does); if the goal is to achieve the relinquishing of the empire ambitions and behavior -- that is, in my opinion, not achievable unless there is a complete economic implosion helped about by other international and military disasters.

Posted by: Josh | Feb 6 2020 21:05 utc | 75

Josh @75

I know nothing about this Duss guy's father, but everything you are saying is making my skin crawl. ‎Joseph Goebbels‎ was a PR guy. Deception is the PR guy's stock-in-trade.

"Humanitarian projects" where the empire is concerned are always part and parcel of regime change operations and/or preludes to bombing campaigns. The world really needs far fewer "humanitarian projects" from America.

As for being to the left of Clinton, so was Benito Mussolini. I don't see that as a meaningful description.

Posted by: William Gruff | Feb 6 2020 21:38 utc | 76

Is there any smoking gun for deliberate app malfunction?

Miscounting the vote seems hard to pull off because the precinct tallies are recorded in an open source spreadsheet.

Posted by: battleaxe | Feb 6 2020 21:53 utc | 77

Only way Sanders's domestic programs can be funded is by cutting the military budget. As Gabbard keeps saying.

Posted by: lysias | Feb 6 2020 22:01 utc | 78

RR @ 14;
Everything in the U$A today, is driven by the unofficial Party of $, and it's reach transcends both Dems & repubs. It's cadre is the majority of the D.C. "rule makers", so we get what they want, not what "we the people" want or need.

They own the banks, MSM media, and even our voting systems.

IMO, to assume one party is to blame for conditions in the U$A is a bit naive.

Question is, can anything the masses do, change the system? Or is rank and file America just along for the ride?

I'm assuming us peons will get what the party of $ wants this November also.

P.S. If any blame is given, it needs to go to the American public, because " you get the kind of Gov. you deserve" through your inactions...

It's a lot like living, death is certain, but until that occurs, I'll move forward trying to mitigate current paradigms.

Posted by: ben | Feb 6 2020 22:01 utc | 79

#Posted by: Josh | Feb 6 2020 21:05 utc | 75

Well I certainly trust the word of an anonymous person on the internet more than that well-researched thread about Serge Duss's career. I guess Duss Jr's rage about Russia being allowed in the Western Hemisphere is purely his own, fact-based, nonideological opinion.

Posted by: NoOneYouKnow | Feb 6 2020 22:05 utc | 80

As for being to the left of Clinton, so was Benito Mussolini. I don't see that as a meaningful description.

Posted by: William Gruff | Feb 6 2020 21:38 utc | 76

Spinner for the new / coming fascist order Mr. Gruff?

Clinton and trump may be competing for the Title of who is the greatest example of Mussolini's fascist doctrine, but Clinton isn't in the White House. Trump's posture at his rallies, the essence of said rallies, the message delivered at said rallies, his subservience to far right dictator ideology, all scream Mussolini wannabe working the disgruntled crowd who need a Messiah to lead them to the next level of the American dream, that ain't gonna happen.

America's rich love them the labor of po folk in foreign lands and trump is nothing more than a Judas Goat.

Posted by: Bubbles | Feb 6 2020 22:16 utc | 81

The dembot is making the same error in 2020 as she did in 2016 focusing on 'beating' agent orange, instead of discussing sanders' policy & plans. This stupidity is bound to fail because since Trump has been prez, official stats show a drop in unemployment, rise in the stock-market etc.
The economy seems to be doing better so people not invested in "trump is a rock-spider, lower than a snake's belly" (latest count a mere 49% of the voters) will not identify with claims that trump is an arsehole when they believe their life has got better since trump took office.
Are the stats real? wtf knows, but getting on yer hind legs and sledging orange moron doesn't work cos citizens tune out at that stuff they deem as being partisan political.
If I cared one way or another about this circus (which I don't as I'm still a firm believer in the old saying 'when there is an election the only winner is a slimy pol and the losers are all the people') who wanted to challenge orangey's hold on guvmint, I would be offering up a small handful of easy to understand policies that a) were contradictory to the current incumbent and b) would be eagerly accepted by a significant chunk of the population, some form of relief that assists normal citizens to own a house free of any possibility of getting hit by rising interest rates. Why housing? Because if you get out at the sharp end and work with people who have copped it tough you will find that sufficient food, clothing & a roof over their family's heads are the primary needs all human beings require before they can feel secure & stable enough to hold a job then begin the road to the other things they desire.
What about healthcare isn't that important too? Yep, if yer over 45 health is an issue, but accommodation is an issue for everyone regardless of age. Why ownership - that isn't very socialist. The thing is every human needs their territory this is an instinct not a luxury and I believe that it is possible to develop independent housing groups which are administered by the people who use them, however, presenting that in a community which has been abused and ripped off by so many federal & state guvmint groups just wouldn't get a look in with voters. The housing group as owner thing would need time to create the support required to make it viable. In the meantime the federal guvmint still owns big mobs of real estate in and around those metro areas where prices have become ridiculously unaffordable. Feds build the homes, sell the homes at fair prices with protections to stop flippers and the entire market loses heat.

Sanders on housing is pitiful, he only offers more of the same; big rental developments where security is dependant on staying good with some vast centralised agency, no attempt to flank the banks n other pricks who ruthlessly exploit the market, and worst of all no meaningful strategy other than to say "Combat gentrification, exclusionary zoning, segregation, and speculation." to deal with the huge state & local government corruption which lies at the root of the problem. Of course many older people for example, may have no desire to get into an ownership arrangement that is where the small manageable and occupant administered housing groups are enabled and work to build trust in their community.

This is not complicated, but it does require confronting many of the issues which keep so many humans ground into the dirt with no hope (short of the lottery win mirage) of escaping.
For Sanders one of the big issues is that the corruption so rife in existing public housing contracts is frequently down to state based dem party officials, how can citizens expect Sanders to properly deal with that yuuge problem involving billions of dollars when he won't deal with blatant corruption in little ole Iowa?
Sanders needs just a few prolly no more than three wide ranging & comprehensible domestic issues, then maybe one or two foreign policy goals.

But Sanders waffles & hedges and talks about too many things without offering straightforward understandable solutions - presumably because he doesn't want to upset the DNC pre nomination - omitting to consider that unless he wins sufficient delegates in an environment where the machine he has selected is implacably opposed to everything he claims to stand for, he won't get close to being nominated.

Posted by: A User | Feb 6 2020 22:33 utc | 82

Here is Jimmy Dore ranting about Sanders' Foreign Policy Advisor. Segment starts at 12:35. Enjoy!

Posted by: Vato | Feb 6 2020 22:35 utc | 83

@1

You know I think you are right. Another example is Cameron and his Brexit 'failure'. First off, regardless of whether the UK is in the EU bureaucracy, the UK bureaucracy will rip off the common British citizen - it just doesn't want to share the spoils with the EU thieves.

Cameron launched a 'directly democratic' (it wasn't, because the question was handed from on high, rather than a bottom up path to referendum through direct action by the electorate) referendum that went 'horribly wrong' for the people of the UK.. all of my liberal, left wing friends, now categorically deny the usefulness of 'direct democracy', even though they haven't seen any in their lives.. (they still vote and hope in the evolutionary autocracy they are stuck in though confusingly!)

Representative democracy doesn't produce a stable system, because it is communist in its approach to law: representatives alone set the laws. Akin to how in the economic sphere, the party and not the market (the people) set supply and demand.

Because the electorate can only select a person to change their laws, there will always be an imbalance between the power of the representative side, and the electorate side, and when one wants to do go a different way from the other, the representative side will always create laws to win. No direct check or balance of government by the electorate (other than the default setting of revolution!)

I had hope for Trump initially, just like for Obama, but now I am full sceptic - I think they are getting ready to break the system, retreat to their castles, and let us all battle royal it out. They just need a general purpose robot before they at best farm out the lot of us!

Posted by: Ilya G Poimandres | Feb 6 2020 22:41 utc | 84

But Sanders waffles & hedges and talks about too many things without offering straightforward understandable solutions -

Posted by: A User | Feb 6 2020 22:33 utc | 82

And the Grande Orange, America's Evangelicals Newest Messiah said he was going to drain the swamp, make mexico pay for the wall, bring jobs back from china to Make America Great Again, make those factories and Coal Mines hum again!!

Your point was?

Posted by: Bubbles | Feb 6 2020 22:44 utc | 85

William @ 76
Please don't equate simple titles with more or likely to be a CIA spook. I was in import-export for a long time - I guess that makes me a mobster? Serge had a PR background but was great at making the connections to get exciting projects going. We reformed part of the nursing profession in Russia under his leadership: basically upgraded the way doctors within the RF look at nurses and the nursing profession in general - going from looking at them as cleaners to actual colleagues. We initiated a Chernobyl project that was locally designed and staffed, and was more effective than another (Dutch-)government-sponsored one. Let's not be so cynical that people don't want to go and genuinely help people.
If you read my previous post, you will see that our then organisation withdrew from Russia at the time that the Clinton administration joined USAID under the State Dept budget, and required us to have an extensive 'civic / democracy development' aspect to every project. Serge was one of the people who pointed out how this was a very dangerous 'meddling' move. This would have tainted humanitarian organisations with a political slant - and it did so with a number of organisations later.
Much American humanitarian help - especially if it is government sponsored for the majority of the funds - should be very carefully vetted. Still, you have to see this as it actually happened over the last 30 years: it grew more political, and the regime-change "bringing democracy" ideology is something that grew into the beast it is today after the breakup of the USSR and the delusion thereafter that the US had somehow 'won' the cold war.
Will Bernie reject the regime change ideology? He isn't doing so now. I'm not sure he wants to delve into that. The most we can hope for, I think, is that he stops the new colonialism of the Trump administration and doesn't restart the ideological regime games with the huge funding that was there under Obama.
Maybe the defense budget will be reduced, even marginally - it would be a first.
Anyone in politics should know that you can't have too many messages: Bernie knows 1- healthcare 2- income for workers 3- college 4- too many wars. If he throws in his fate with the regime change stuff, goes riling primarily on foreign policy, he will lose focus and so will his voters. he stays out of the 'pro-socialist' stuff about Venezuela: that's a shame, but I can understand - I just won't udnerstand if he does so in power, like our stupid Trudeau follows his B@! Freeland.

Posted by: Josh | Feb 6 2020 22:45 utc | 86

I am mystified why so few Americans vote third party. Or is the number misreported with crooked votecounting?

Posted by: lysias | Feb 6 2020 22:45 utc | 87

Earlier this year, Sanders was criticized for not calling Maduro a dictator.

Posted by: lysias | Feb 6 2020 22:48 utc | 88

those economists - statisticians, gofers for the fed reserve and etc. etc - that is like wall st voodoo.. the numbers always look great.. meanwhile the facade is kept propped up and most people fall for this bullshite... it is yet another area that really needs to be classified as fake news as well.. i can't believe those who believe anything an economist says... they are on a similar level to politicians at this point... ever heard of ltcm, or arthur anderson, kplg and the various accounting firms that have oversaw all the bubbles that have burst the past 20 odd years in the wall st ponzi scheme? don't believe these bullshit artists..

Posted by: james | Feb 6 2020 22:57 utc | 89

kpmg - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Four_accounting_firms - all wall st voodoo until the jig is up..

Posted by: james | Feb 6 2020 22:59 utc | 90

Erelis | Feb 6 2020 20:16 utc | 68

Trump after the SOTU told Rush he would see war with Iran before he died.

Navy announced the loading of mini nukes on a sub probably headed to the middle east just a week or so ago.

The USA is at war with Iran. Everything I have read tells me there will be nukes. Israel has nukes. Is aggressive and a target.

Americans are into a whirlpool of conflict over voting in a non democratic process which is not really about them. They are the victims and will accept the electors choice. It is a process set up to allow those with the power to carry out a war while the people scramble to support any candidate that brings any hope of relief to their lives.

What's not to like?

Posted by: Myopia Longshot | Feb 6 2020 23:18 utc | 91

- Caitlin Johnstone: It wasn't "incompetence", it was intentionally.

https://consortiumnews.com/2020/02/06/the-myth-of-incompetence-dnc-scandals-are-a-feature-not-a-bug

Posted by: Willy2 | Feb 6 2020 23:19 utc | 92

- Former TV host Ed Schultz said that MSNBC didn't want to air the interview with Bernie Sanders in early 2016/late 2015 when Sanders was about to announce his run for the President.

"MSNBC worse than Sinclair Media".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18YMTWFpKmo

Posted by: Willy2 | Feb 6 2020 23:23 utc | 93

The amount of negative energy displayed here will be very heartwarming to the Establishment Forces that need to be defeated and rooted out from the DNC and Federal Government. For millions of people both within and without the Outlaw US Empire, ousting those forces is a life or death matter, not merely a barroom discussion. Must come from the exceptional sickness within the USA's polity, where people eagerly vote for candidates whose policies do great harm to people instead of help them.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 6 2020 23:53 utc | 94

Appearances to the contrary, I know how to spell "discreet." What I don't know how to do is to type or to proof read correctly.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Feb 6 2020 17:06 utc | 18

I know your pain. I wonder how much it would cost to introduce some ancient novelties, namely, one or both of those:

a. abolish the limit on the time allowed to type and edit.
b. allow to edit after posting, there is a variety of ways to do it.

I kind of do not understand why a. is not possible. I would think that the time-out is an added feature, so removing it should be easy. But if it costs money, perhaps the owner of the site could use it as a goal in fundraising, say if we raise more that 1,500,000 dollars that we will see spiffy new features, allowing to edit, check spelling and grammar in every language spoken by at least 10 million people, etc. If we raise only 1,000,000, there would be a more modest set of features, etc. and if only 100,000, website remains as is.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Feb 6 2020 23:56 utc | 95

Posted by: Bubbles | Feb 6 2020 22:44 utc | 85 foolishly mouthed:
"Your point was?"
Simple - as I said whatever you think of low life scum like orange moron he is an incumbent with statistics which appear to show he has 'turned it all around'. I don't believe that but media across the board are saying the economy has got better since 2016, trump claims it and unlike 2016 when it was noobie on noobie, words will not work against an incumbent who can lean back and say "See I fixed it & will fix it more".
The only way to challenge that is with concrete, comprehensible & relate-able strategies - something none of the dem candidates including Sanders have articulated.
That's all, I keep it short & simple, with no expectation that here at MoA, even fanbois get the subtext.

Posted by: A User | Feb 6 2020 23:59 utc | 96

current affairs has also done a lot of good work on buttigieg, mckinsey and where the two intersect.

https://duckduckgo.com/html/?q=site%3Acurrentaffairs.org%20McKinsey

Posted by: the pair | Feb 7 2020 0:31 utc | 97

Josh @86

So... you are trying to claim that USAID only went bad in the Clinton years? The organization was some kind of paragon of virtue back when Elliott Abrams was using it as a vehicle to arm and supply death squads in Latin America back in the 1980s?

You are either woefully and willfully ignorant or you are a liar.

Posted by: William Gruff | Feb 7 2020 0:37 utc | 98

also found a hilarious piece on matt duss by some concern troll at the "free beacon";

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/sanders-fills-ranks-with-anti-israel-advocates-tied-to-anti-semitism-scandal/#

apparently CAP is secretly the fourth reich.

Posted by: the pair | Feb 7 2020 0:39 utc | 99

Josh @75: ... Circe is helping me understand you.

It's unfortunate for you then because Circe strikes me as a dembot shill.

Unless you like that sort of thing. LOL.

Circe tells us that he/she has FAITH that Sanders will be the people's hero. But the suggestion that we join in that faith is just asking us to be suckers (once again). Why should we take Sanders' dedication on faith or risk our future on hoping for the best? Either Bernie is the real deal or he is not.

If Bernie was the real deal, he'd be fighting against the system that is trying to railroad him and cheat him.

I haven't seen him doing that. And other politically-savvy people agree. After Bernie's sheep-dogging in 2016, he should be eager to show that he is not secretly providing a service to the establishment. But he shrugs off establishment slander with nonsense like: "look, on a good day my wife likes me."

As for his foreign policy, I suggest you look at the Jimmy Dore episode provided by Vato @83. And there's this as well: Bernie Sanders’ Foreign Policy Vision is Incoherent and Dangerous

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 7 2020 0:42 utc | 100