It is time to take our party back from the 1% fringe

[Bjorn Against]

For a number of years now there has been a group of people who represent extremely wealthy interests that have fooled Americans into believing that they are centrists.

It is time to stop pretending these people represent some kind of middle of the road ideology because they don't represent the center of America, they represent the 1% fringe.

When a politician takes large bribes in the form of campaign contributions from lobbyists representing corporate interests they are not representing the center of America, they are representing the 1% fringe.

When a politician supports trade policies like NAFTA and the TPP that result in jobs being shipped away and a weakening of labor and environmental standards they are not representing the center of America, they are representing the 1% fringe.

When a politician votes to attack a country like Iraq based on lies that were already exposed well before the vote to invade took place that politician is not representing the center of America, they are representing the 1% fringe.

The center of America is not given bribes by corporate lobbyists, instead they are people who are struggling to survive with low wages and enormous health care costs.

The center of America struggles to pay for their food and rent, they struggle to pay college tuition, and let's face it their biggest struggle is to pay for the salaries of top corporate executives and stock holders because that is ultimately who the money they spend goes to.

While the center of America struggles however the politicians who claim to be centrist are being wined and dined by the very 1% fringe that is screwing the real center of America over every single day.

If we want to stop the 1% fringe we need a party that will represent the real center of America and not the fringe one percenters.

We need to get the people like Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Rahm Emanuel who represent the 1% fringe out of positions of power and we need to get people who truly understand the struggles of the working class people into leadership roles.

There is only one candidate that I believe will work to remove the 1% fringe from leadership positions within the Democratic Party. There is only one candidate who I truly believe will put people who truly understand the struggles of ordinary Americans into leadership roles.

I would tell you that candidate's name but I don't need to, I think most people already know it.

[peacebird]

1. Agreed!

[LexVegas]

2. Amazing how quickly the first black President became part of the 1% fringe. lol nt

[Bjorn Against]

3. I never even mentioned Obama in this post

Honestly Obama is not my concern right now, he will be leaving office in just over a year and I want a President who will work to reduce the influence of the 1% going forward.

[artislife]

14. We see what you are trying to plant there.

The ground won't take it.

[SCantiGOP]

27. I agree, artislife

I am a delegate to the SC Democratic convention every 4 years, and the people I see there are not the 1%. They are a cross-section of my fellow citizens, but tend to be more ethnic and probably less affluent that the average across the state.

[merrily]

32. Silly me. I didn't realize everything was still about Obama.

[cantbeserious]

4. When We Stand Together - No Citizen Need Settle For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils - Go Bernie Go

eom

[sonofspy777]

5. For the Center of America

Go Bernie Go!

[brooklynite]

6. Indeed they do...and most people still support Hillary Clinton.

[Armstead]

7. We all make mistakes

[brooklynite]

9. "Vote Sanders...unless you're too STUPID too..."

Catchy

[Armstead]

19. Was sdimply responding to snark with snark

[Betty Karlson]

21. Not so much stupid; unfamiliar rather.

Why do you think DWS and gher coronation committee do everything in their undeserved power to withold exposure and name recognition from Sanders and his platform? They know that Sanders' popularity goes right in hand with his name recogntion!

[brooklynite]

22. Sanders has been campaigning for 8 months...

...and has been flattening since September:

[Betty Karlson]

25. First of all: I notice a significant increase between October and November,

and second: when did somene's name recognition ever rise completely lineairly?

If your graph shows anything, it is that Clinton has a negative trend line. Heaven knows what that bodes for the GE.

[TIME TO PANIC]

8. Great post!

Kicked & Recommended!

[colsohlibgal]

10. Right Now Most Don't Seem To Want To Know It.

The Hillary brigade just is in love with voting for her, so what if she takes multi millions from Wall Street And the Military Industrial Complex, nothing to see there...to them at least.

It is a prime problem for the USA now....not enough citizens actually drill down to see what is really what or even follow the money.

[Dragonfli]

11. Well, at least one poster in this thread is knowingly supporting her BECAUSE of 1% status

He knows which candidate will be good for the wealthy, fuck the rest of us. I have noticed an innate lack of empathy for the working class and a will to prosper at that level regardless of the harm to the rest of us among that class of people.

It is who/what they are and they do not care. Caring requires something like empathy.

[artislife]

15. Nod in agreement. nt

[Art_from_Ark]

16. When I read that person's posts,

my mind automatically reads them with a Thurston Howell the 3rd accent.

"I was washing my money down at the lagoon and suddenly realized I had an extra $10,000..."

[brooklynite]

29. Excellent!

If you're going with a lazy stereotype, play it to the hilt!

BTW - what kind of accent does Alan Grayson use when he endorses Clinton?

[Dragonfli]

30. LOL, thanks to you now that is all I will hear in my mind when that poster types.

In truth, he appears to be a typical monied person with all the selfishness and lack of empathy that implies, but in order to be fair, we must admit that Republicans like that which have infected our party did so because they are not generally as bigoted and backwards as the new Republicans have morphed into. They are moderate on social issues (except when it comes to hiring supervisors and such) and at least can be counted upon to ally with us on things like choice and to a more limited extent marriage equality, many of them still do not believe in marriage equality (preferring Hillary's until recently consistent stance on unions because 'one man one woman' religious nonsense) but lack the hatred of the LGBT members of society that the Registered Republicans consider a tenant of their political ideology.

They often claim they are progressive solely on such social views and claim that other Conservatives in the party are progressive as well regardless of their pro Reagan Pro Corporate, anti regulation and anti welfare type program stances for the same reason - hence the claims by them that Hillary Clinton is a progressive which sounds rather confusing to those of us that actually are Progressive.

Usually they are what we used to call moderate Republicans in the 80's or Reagan Democrats if you want to look at it that way.

[brooklynite]

35. "Republicans like that..."

"many of them still do not believe in marriage equality"

"pro Reagan Pro Corporate"

That's a pretty creative stretch of analysis based on...absolutely nothing. Sort of like Christians who say "you're so nice...how could you be an atheist"?

As far as I can tell, the only things you know about me are, I'm financially wealthy (I don't deny it) and I support Hillary Clinton, like millions of other Democrats do. You know nothing about how my wife and I earn our money (but apparently there's no good answer) and how I choose to spend it, other than I give to political campaigns (Elizabeth Warren, Alan Grayson, Sherrod Brown...)

FWIW, I started out in college as a Democratic Ward Committeeman, worked for Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, and Kerry, helped fund our takeover of the House and Senate in 2006/2008. I'm also a big supporter of Planned Parenthood and Feeding America. Neither I nor my wife work in a field which oppresses the working class, we've worked hard for 25 years or so, and we have no children (you save a lot that way) so we can afford to support candidates who think the way we are: pro choice, pro gay rights, pro progressive taxation, pro immigration. And as I've said before, my only objection to Sanders is that I don't see how he actually wins a national election.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get my hat and cape so I can evict some widows and orphans...

[brooklynite]

24. No need to be shy...I can take it...

...but you still seem to have a problem convincing the 60% of Democrats supporting Clinton to admit the error of their ways.

Or has the 1% grown more than you want to admit?

[Dragonfli]

26. I have convinced over 75% of those I canvassed in my neighborhood, no problem, just information

Most of which I needed to get registered for the primary and who did not know much about Sanders because of the news blackout and well timed and infrequent debate schedule that only the best money can buy.

Working poor and unemployed in my mixed neighborhood respond well to Sanders, they consider him unusually honest, consistent and refreshingly unpurchased. They believe he may do more than talk a good game and then work for the rich while cutting all their lifelines like the pols that have made them apathetic since the party abandoned the working class for Reaganomoics and large donations from corporations.

You have no understanding of the classes below you and have zero clue on relating to them and their problems much like your wealthy candidate that also lives in a bubble where there is no want, hunger, or sweating the rent until homelessness looms menacingly like the sword of Damocles

I live in a poor working class neighborhood so the apathy regarding choosing one rich asshole over another needed a cure to get them rolling, Sanders appears to do well with this.

I wonder if any of my newly registered voters, most of whom use cell phones are represented by the polls you reference? I am sure they are, I mean they must be, Hilary is inevitable, much like last time.

Just as a note: in my neighborhood we are packed close together, without several hundred feet between houses like in most wealthy strongholds so my legwork had some legs so to speak.

[artislife]

28. No to gentrification of the Democratic party. nt

[bvar22]

34. The Democratic Party IS a Big Tent,

but there is NO ROOM for those who advance the agenda of the RICH
at the expense of the Working Class & The Poor.

If you Work for a Living, or are currently without work, or are underemployed,... you would be a FOOL to vote for anyone but Bernie.

[appalachiablue]

12. K & R. End the oligarchic path of demise and rebuild the middle class and our democracy.

[cosmicone]

13. You mean the 56% fringe that is supporting Hillary?

You do that.

[Bjorn Against]

18. No, I mean the 1% fringe that pays her $250,000 a speech

You can laugh all you want at your strawman, but I never said anything to suggest all Hillary supporters were part of the 1% fringe. The people who are funding her campaign are often part of that 1% fringe however.

[Scuba]

17. What bullshit ...

... that I can only rec this once.

[Betty Karlson]

20. I couldn't agree more. n/t

[Enthusiast]

23. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

[merrily]

31. Make way for Millennials, MFUA! (Millennials, Fed UP Already)

[WillyT]

33. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!