When the DNC actually chooses to limit debates to 6, choose viewing times to reduce viewership preventing alternate views from being heard, never criticizes CNN or CBS for their slicing out important parts of what Sanders said, and then asks us to let them distribute our hard earned money to candidates of their choosing to oppose the republican clown car, we get a bad taste in our mouth and see most of this talk of the clown car as posing a threat at this point as crying wolf to focus our attention away from problems with Hillary Clinton's campaign which arise from Hillary herself. The DNC wants to help Hillary and wants us to help them and in a big way, they are part of the problem. They are probably angry we feel this way and they perceive rightly so that when we attack the establishment we are taking them to task too for their willingness to have candidates to beg big Moneyed interests and then of course such investments should be rewarded. This was not always the policy of the democratic establishment until the go ahead was given in 1971 by the establishment recognizing the party could get big campaign donations from large corporations, billionaires, banks, and Wall Street. This change in policy has eroded the credibility of the democratic party establishment just as it has been a wise investment allowing rich donors to prevent new worthy regulation and overturn past regulations with their influence over candidates they funded . So sure, we have a trust issue, the establishment has betrayed our trust. It started with bowing to King Reagan and deference to the senior Bush in their attack on Unions and War On Drugs, it continued with Bill Clinton's triangulation and support for NAFTA, Mandatory Minimum Sentencing and financial deregulation including abolishing Glass-Steagulll, It was followed by almost all Democrats watching polls and abandoning principles long held by democrats like military force is a last resort instead opting for preemptive strikes, and then came Obama, the candidate promising change we could believe in and so far the President who changed health care from a gift to the pharmaceutical industries who could charge whatever the smaller market would bear to create a bigger market and lower prices but garner the support of the health industry as they saw us using tax dollars to help enroll these new people in huge numbers in plans which would channel more profits from government taxes and mandatory enrollment to the health insurance companies. His move from a public option and continued inclusion of these profits gougers who really render no necessary service if medicare for all were adopted and was really a centrist republican betrayal of our values of service to our people. His attempt to reduce social security payments to secure a budget deal clearly indicated he was a new democrat-a third wayer or more, a Rockerfeller Republican as he explained himself-certainly not a progressive or making any real changes for most of our society. Now we find him acting with Presidential orders again creating little change and certainty not directly challenging the establishment in any significant manner. Yes we say the republicans are totally against whatever he does and we praise his intelligence and foreign policy but to real progressives and we realize he is not one of us, his presidency will be remembered as someone who also took large sums from the 1 percent and did not make wise use of his time with democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress to enact much of a people first progressive agenda. His squandering of his time pacifying other bought off democrats and republicans appear to many of us just kibuki theater hiding the allegiance he still holds to the rich donors he has. His all energy policy has protected the fossil fuel companies and allowed greater destruction of our environment, and he certainly only reacts when people make him do it to quote if you want something make me do it. But his organization he plans to leave us with (Organizing for America) to continue what he terms grass roots organizing fails to attack economic issues and avoids the largest voter suppression issue in the Nation - Gerrymandering by the states- Republican or Democrat, no matter the popular support for ridding us of this treasonous act. So we are not enamored of his legacy and now comes Hillary - a candidate previously rejected by the people as being more to the right than centrist President Obama. She was perceived as more of a third wayer, more of a war hawk, more of a fighter for business over people, and more devious in her campaign actions insinuating Obama was unqualified due to his blackness. She left us with a bad taste in our mouth then and it lingers in our mouth and most of the public and makes us question her evolution to more progressive positions after polling of course. She now is claiming the Obama mantle but challenges a number of his positions when polling shows it would be advantageous such as the TTP and restraint of use of boots on the ground in the middle east. She takes money from super PACs and many donations from the 1 percent, including huge speaking fees and claims she will not reward them for their investment. So far her history as a Senator, her actions when Secretary of State, her stands on against reinstating Glass -Steagull and her willingness to suggest $12 an hour when people want and need $15 an hour only suggest she is already negotiating against progressive causes and the people and for the 1 percent that provide most of her campaign funds with donations and control of the main stream media providing great amounts of beneficial coverage including the republican clown cars to divert our attention to how bad it could be and creating a falsehood that republicans really hate Clinton when in fact she appears to be working very well with them to support the same 1 percent donors. She promotes some very popular social issue positions but she never overtly challenges the established oligarchy with real change that could come as Gerrymandering is removed across our Nation. Heck, she will not even take a defin ite position on Citizens United, a beast the Supreme Court levied on us to let the 1 percent have ever more control of the political establishment. Gerrymandering was recognized as such an Affront to democracy that the name of Governor Gerry lived on symbolizes the evil he had done to this day over a hundred years after he was voted out of office due to this election rigging. I continue to struggle to get voter turnout in mid term elections because voters who say it does bot mean anything know that Ohio is rigged to have 3 representatives in the US House of representatives for every democrat regardless that the split between republican votes and democrat votes are about 50 /50. Yet the democratic establishment rather than supporting the people by fighting gerrymandering across the country whether in Blue states or red states, supports current incumbents and distorts the will of the people and the anger against the one percent in their votes supporting the 1 percent. Instead they boost stories of voter identification disqualification, restriction of poll locations and shorter hours and point primarily to how these voter restricrtions primarily harm African Americans, old people, and students. But while they make national news with this, they as a party ignore more serious matters such as the Gerrymandering that produces non-competitive African American majority districts that renders 80 percent democratic voters in a few Congressional districts while providing a much larger number of other districts dominated by a 60 percent republican majority. No one points out how having having a few African American congressmen or women in the US House is worse than just having more democrats who support the concerns of African Americans. So competition takes a back seat to outdated notions of protection of African Americans in Ohio and probably elsewhere. But in any case voter equality (by getting rid of gerrymandering) not voter suppression is the most detrimental to the democracy of our nation and currently the most deadly tool being used by republicans to maintain their incumbencies and their party representation in order to provide a more worthy and reliable investment for donors to republicans members of the US House. Yep we progressives are upset with the democratic party, we are upset with the choice of the lessor of two evils. We are upset with a party establishment beholden to wealthy donors. We are upset with an apparent lack of values in our big tent strategy. We are upset with your favoring Hillary and failure to confront main stream media about their lack of coverage of Bernie and O Malley as attempting to prevent dissemination of their views and allow Hillary to show she is better than republicans when we believe both democratic O Malley and Sanders would be better for the candidates and could beat anyone from the republican clown car. Hillary is hurting herself in every debate with her positions and continues untrustworthy with voters who watch her evolution and doubt her heart and mind really change so easy and will be followed by meaningful actions. So many of us see your recommendations to avoid damaging Hillary by direct comparison with Bernie and with our progressive people supporting values as an impediment being raised by establishment supporters who will not make the effort to fight for democracy and are willing to cling to the influence they feel they have over us. We see the establishment democrats by and large at higher levels much like we see Hillary, promoting themselves and their careers over the needs of the people. So we progressives are working go change that and to elect Bernie as a good first step. So quit telling us what to do. For the last 40 years since since you started seeking and grabbing funding by the 1 percent you have been a failing establishment with your recommendations. Democracy first, progressive democrats second, third way democrats- just republicans masquerading as democrats to do like their republican brothers do, the bidding of the 1 percent. We are pissed and rightly so at the democratic party leadership and do not want anymore lecturing that the potential of electing a republican should be a greater fear than accepting republicans who call themselves democrats but do not even support democracy. You cannot be a democrat and not support democracy- not standing against those tools being used to defeat democracy Gerrymandering and Citizens United shows you are not defending democracy- a value we are as Americans taught to hold dear regardless of party affiliation.Yes ,we do not trust because we have been betrayed and we see your democratic established leadership as continuing to listen to 3rd wayers like Hillary and Bill and harming our country as they and you accept money from the 1 percent, the natural opponents of the people when we try to restrain capitalism for the good of our people. So quit warning us to shut up and accept republican lite. The establishment has been killing the party and the people by the death of a thousand cuts over more than 50 years and enough is enough.
= new reply since forum marked as read
