The great con game Sanders and the Democrats are laying on the American working class.
Senior Sanders Campaign Advisor Tad Devine confirmed for the
first time that Sen. Bernie Sanders is a Democrat on MSNBC’s Hardball.
Transcript via MSNBC’s Hardball:
CM: If he [Bernie Sanders] gets the nomination of the
Democratic Party, will he become a Democrat?
Devine: He is. He’s running as a Democrat. In this
campaign he decided to run for the Democratic Party nomination. He’s running as
a Democrat.
CM: He is a Democrat? Is he a member of the Democratic
Party?
Devine: He can’t technically be a member of the party
because there’s no registration in Vermont.
CM: Is he a Democrat?
Devine: Yes, he’s running as a Democrat.
CM: I thought he was a Socialist. Which is it?
Devine: Well, his philosophy is Democratic Socialist.
CM: Oh, I thought that his title was Socialist?
Devine: No.
CM: He’s an Independent in the caucus. He is a member of
the Democratic Caucus in the Senate, but he’s not a member He’s an Independent
member of the Democratic caucus of the Senate, but he’s not a member of the
caucus.
Devine: He’s a member of the Democratic Caucus.
CM: But he’s not a Democrat.
Devine: He’s running as a Democrat for President of the
United States. He signed an affidavit.
CM: Ok. I personally – don’t argue with me it’s a weird
situation. He’s now a Democrat because in the past he’s ran against Democrats.
He ran against Democrats for mayor. He ran against Democrats for Congress.
Devine: In this campaign, he decided to run for the
Democratic Party nomination. He’s running as a Democrat.
CM: He is a Democrat.
Devine: Yes.
Devine: Yes – I’m glad we resolved that.
CM: Well, I didn’t know he changed parties. He..
Devine: He didn’t change party. If he could register he
would, but he can’t.
CM: I think that’s a technical point. I’ll take him at
his word. He’s a socialist which is fine with me.
Devine: He’s a Democratic Socialist.
1 comment:
Hello Richard Mellor,
I’ve read a few of your articles recently, and I liked them, very readable.
Here’s some news for you about the People’s Budget sponsored by the Progressive Caucus. Bernie Sanders is the only Senator out of 100 in the Senate to belong to this PC and endorse its budget.
He also proposes a $3.8 trillion investment over a ten year period in the economy, you might check it out. (See this article: http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2015/1115friedman.html) The People’s Budget proposed a $1.3 trillion over a three year investment. This would flip the labor market and raise wages for about 117 million workers, about 80% of all those working. It would nudge income for 80% of U.S. households who are under-paid. It would also spur the leftward movement toward social justice and to a socialist government. I don’t know what Jill Stein or any socialist/Marxist candidate has proposed. You might compare proposals. To complain about the title “Democrat” would have more meaning if there was a strong criticism of their positions, especially the weakenss of their election reform positions which are deplorable — very corporate and elite friendly. Sanders did not want to run as a Democrat, by the way, but he didn’t want to end up the way Ralph Nader did getting only 2% of the vote and belittled the entire time. Now he is challenging the powers that be, he is steadily making gains. That would not have happened as an independent or as a Green candidate. Therefore, even if he loses, he is making a stronger impression that past progressive candidates, and opening minds to a message that has always been derided as whako. Whako is now mainstream thanks to Sanders.
Why not mention that 96 House Democrats, 51% of all House Democrats, voted for the “People’s Budget” which would make a radical improvement to the economy and to society?
Another vote for the Black Caucus’ budget garnered 120 votes, 64% of all House Democrats.
The People’s Budget is not a timid corporate alternative, it’s a strong move to re-employ out-of-work and to re-tax the elite top-earning 5% of the nation.
Why not be more critical of the Bush era tax cuts that are strangling the federal budget?
“The budget restores adequate revenue and pushes back against income inequality by adding higher marginal tax rates for millionaires and billionaires, equalizing the tax treatment of capital income and labor income, restoring a more progressive estate tax, eliminating inefficient corporate tax loopholes, levying a tax on systemically important financial institutions, and enacting a financial transactions tax, among other tax policies.” says the synopsis at the EPI.org,
http://www.epi.org/publication/the-peoples-budget-analysis-of-the-congressional-progressive-caucus-budget-for-fiscal-year-2016/
Grijalva, Progressive Caucus — http://cpc-grijalva.house.gov/better-off-budget/
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