Thoughts for My Fellow Berniecrats on the Eve of the Iowa Caucus 2016

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Sunday January 31, 2016 · 12:06 PM PST

2016/01/31 · 12:06

First, to the volunteers on the ground in Iowa: I’m proud of you and the job you’re doing. Keep it up and keep the faith and stay warm and have fun too. You guys are awesome! Iowa was an experience of a lifetime for me and I wish I was by your side in person this time too; I’ll have to settle for being there in spirit.

To all of my fellow Berniecrats around the country:

Tomorrow is a big day. There is now a blizzard watch for most of Iowa, so caucus night may be cold and stormy. It’s going to be a harder caucus due to the weather. Though I have hope that we will win, it is possible that we may not. If that is the case, I want you all to remember the following because it’s important.

If we lose in Iowa, the powers that be will spin it that Bernie is done. They will tell us that there is no hope. They will start treating Hillary even moreso as the nominee even though that has not actually come to pass yet. They will say nice things to us like ‘you fought the good fight’ and ‘he did well’ but they are all designed as a pat on the head to a child after losing a Little League game: “you did good son, you should be proud; now run along home.” Problem with their sentiment and this line of attack is it’s designed to make us go home when the game is only finished with the first inning.

Do not fall for it. Not one bit. It’s not true, no matter how they might wish it so. If we finish well, and we will, we are still very much in this. The importance of the first 4 states is momentum. We can’t lose them all, but a loss in Iowa does not kill our viability.

2242 delegates are needed to clinch the nomination; 3769 of those delegates are available through primaries and caucuses. The first 4 states going only award about 150 of those delegates. In March, the counts will start going up, and March 1st has some promising states for us. We must keep going. It ain’t over til it’s over.

Do not give up

Do not lose faith

Do not listen to the Powers That Be or their courtiers

Do not listen to the media

They branded us impossible from the get go; they miscalculated us.

In spite of the everything and the kitchen sink thrown at us during the past few months, we are still standing, and we *will* still be standing on Tuesday, no matter what happens Monday night.

So don’t listen to the naysayers; we are a force to be reckoned with: we are the People and we are fighting the fight that needs fighting and not just the ones we can win. We are our own hope for the future. #GoIowa #NotMeUs #FeelTheBern

A Challenge for Everyone: Sell Us Your Candidate

poligirl

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Friday January 29, 2016 · 10:26 PM PST

2016/01/29 · 22:26

There is a lot of vitriol flying about right now in this very heated Democratic Primary Season, and I’ll be the first to admit that I am biased – we all are when it comes to our preferred candidates – but one thing that pops out at me (ya know, with my bias and all) is most of the stuff I see posted by Hillary supporters seems to be very anti-Bernie, and very little pro-Hillary, at least on the ‘what they are offering’ side.

Yes I know there is a lot of anti-Hillary vitriol out there as well, we do that too, but the one thing that pops out at me is that there are a lot of supporters touting his plans and prescriptions for the country as well.

Now it could be that I am just not seeing these; I have been told by pro-Hillary people that these pro-Hillary posts involving touting her plans exist, but the very few I can find heavily involve big mentions of her opponents, whether they are Dems or GOPers. (Yes, I’m sure there are plenty from my side that do this as well, hence the challenge to both sides.)

So I came up with this experiment.

My challenge to you is sell us all your candidate on his or her own merits not using anything about their opponents. I’m a big believer that ‘better than the other guy’ is not a good way to force votes, cuz that’s all it does. Running on fear is not a great way to campaign or foster enthusiasm.

Here are the rules: you can sell your candidates on their plans and prescriptions, but you have to do so without mentioning their opponent’s positions or maligning them. Sell your candidate on their merits and only their merits. And you can’t use the electability or experience argument, given that both Hillary and Bernie have a wealth of experience and most polls show both of them are electable.

Ready. Set. Go!

slinkerwink

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Wednesday January 27, 2016 · 3:05 PM PST

2016/01/27 · 15:05

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gestures during a press conference on June 30, 2012 at the United Nations office, in Geneva. Hillary Clinton said a deal reached between world powers in Geneva would pave the way for the end of the President Bashar al — Bye, Felicia

In a shocking twist, Hillary Clinton released a new TV ad in Iowa, titled “Real Progress Now” where the voiceover said the following in the first ten seconds of the video:

The American people can’t afford to wait for plans that sound good on paper, but will never make it in the real word.

I decided to go to her website to see which plans that sound good on paper that won’t make it in the so-called real world:

Hillary’s Plan To Rein In Wall Street

Hmm….most of these items in her Wall Street plan are not likely to make it in the real world, given her many donations from financiers on Wall Street, and the recent fundraisers being held this week by hedge fund managers

Ok, so what other plans are not likely to make it in the real world?

Let’s see, there’s her plan on climate change, which has been reviewed by climate change scientists as being insufficient to make a real impact on our environment over the long term.

Given Hillary’s pronouncements on plans on paper being too hard to fight for, and how they are not likely to make it in the real world, voters only have one thing left to consider.

Let’s tear up the Constitution! It is just words on paper, and a grand plan that is too hard to fight for in the real world.

Let’s just give up on being Americans and fighting for what we want.

We went from “Yes, We CAN!” in an Obama candidacy to “NO, WE CAN’T!” in a Clinton candidacy.

That sure inspires a lot of voters to get out and vote, and that kind of defeatism surely will result in the midterms going our way, and expanding the electorate……….

Donald J. Trump

gooderservice

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Tuesday December 08, 2015 · 7:37 PM PST

2015/12/08 · 19:37

Thank goodness there are no other issues we have to deal with like poverty, children going to bed hungry, climate change, millions of people that have no access to healthcare, banksters, oligarchy (look it up if you don’t know what that means), politicians who say things they don’t mean, gun control (which will never be resolved), the MIC, the SIC, immigration, racial discrimination, and on and on.

Let’s just talk about Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump,

Poll

19 votes Show Results

Should we spend our time talking about Trump?

19 votes Vote Now!

Should we spend our time talking about Trump?

Yes

3 votes

1 vote

Hell yes

6 votes

Hell no

9 votes

Lost Job Now Losing Home and Cats

poligirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 25, 2015 · 1:59 PM PST

2015/11/25 · 13:59

I have a huge personal crisis and another kossack suggested I post it here to see if anyone can help me. Here is the story from my gofundme:

In an unexpected turn of events, I lost my job a couple weeks ago and now I am losing my house because of it. The house went along with the job so there's no saving it now, so this is an emergency for me.

At this point, I am trying to accomplish 3 very important things: I have no other place to go (I have no one down here at all) so I am trying get enough money together to fix my 20 year old car and be able to get to my folk's house 2400 miles away in Northern Idaho. I am also trying to find homes for some of my cats and I need to find a place to help me trap the feral colony I've cared for so they don't starve and freeze when I am gone.

This is all killing me at this point. I am going to leave most of my stuff behind, but I need to get the funding together to get the necessary car repairs and the funding to get me there and not strand me in the middle of nowhere.

And my cats - these are my kids - they've all been with me since they were young dumps and I took them in. They love me like mama and I love them like my kids and I can't fathom taking them to the pound. Parting with any of them is bad enough, but to give them a death sentence makes me almost not be able to live with myself.

I am currently trying to find places for them here, but most of them are saying they are full, and there are some very good no kills up in the PacNorWest where I am going and I hope to be able to get at least a couple of them in there if I can't here.

I apologize for this plea coming so close on the heels of the one for the climate change conference a couple months ago, but I am very desperate at this point and am looking for any help anyone can give me. I have a little money saved but not near what I need. I have no place to go here and need to be able to get to my parents so I can get on my feet. Please help me.

the gofundme link

you can PM me for my paypal if you like…

I’m desperate and i can’t seem to stop crying at this point.

Colorado is the Shiznit

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Friday November 06, 2015 · 2:08 PM PST

2015/11/06 · 14:08

no image description available — Living room view from the patio.

Living room view from the patio.

Talk about shit happening! Three days ago, an ember from Kossack angel d's fireplace managed to coax the rest of her living room into burning into a fiery rage, with soot, smoke, and water damage permeating throughout the rest of her apartment. As you can imagine, it's almost a total loss. :(

Water damage.

Photos doused in water.

Thankfully, Angel, her two teenagers, and her pootie all made it out safely. Hallelujah, FSM!

But now, of course, Angel is essentially homeless and she and her family are sleeping on friends' couches and on a sailboat (!) until she can find other lodging. Angel's apartment management hasn't been exactly helpful or empathetic throughout her family's ordeal; they demanded that she pay November's rent, even though they have no other apartment to place her family in, and are already taking steps to find Angel negligent for the fire, even though it was ruled accidental.

It's a good thing corporations are people, eh? :/

Angel did contact the Red Cross, though, and they are helping where they can.

officebss for Community Fundraisers

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Saturday October 03, 2015 · 11:09 AM PDT

2015/10/03 · 11:09

Please help build a bridge for BFSkinner to get him to the start of his Social Security monthly income
in January, if all goes well.

We see the frightening stories every day. Too many people are living paycheck-to-paycheck. All it takes is one big unexpected expense, like damage from a leaky roof your landlord won’t fix, or a car accident, and you’re on the brink of financial disaster.

Or in the case of long-time Kossack BF Skinner, ongoing health crises which have pushed him to that dangerous place.

As BF explains in the latest update on his GoFundMe page:
"Unfortunately since I last posted I've been beset with even more medical problems with no end in sight. I've recently been hospitalized again and again, 7 times since April 15. I've now been diagnosed with Type II diabetes and emphysema which has depleted all my funds due to fighting these new health problems and related concerns (transportation, etc.)"

He desperately needs our help and must raise a total of $5000 to survive over the next several months until his Social Security benefits start, either in January or February next year.

Most of you already know that BF has been going through some very difficult times. You can read more about it on his GoFundMe page. His severe health issues have limited his capacity to work and frequent trips to the hospital have created additional complications.

The very best thing about the Daily KOS community is that we can put aside our political differences and join together to help one of our own when that help is urgently needed.

So please roll up your virtual sleeves and help build a bridge for BF Skinner over the difficult months ahead to a new and brighter year in 2016.

Tip, recommend, hot list and republish this diary to bring it to the attention of as many Kossacks as possible. And of course, if you're able to lend a helping hand financially, please give whatever you can afford. Every action helps, and all will be very much appreciated.

• from peregrine kate:

BFSkinner is a mensch. I say this because he has had to weather terrifically challenging medical crises and challenges, almost without respite, for the past several years, and he still perseveres with remarkable strength of character. humor, and resilience.

Any one of these ailments would lay a person low. Together, they present a heavy burden. They have cost him his job, his city, and his financial independence. But they have not claimed his courtesy, his interest in learning about the world, or his concern for others.

We are fortunate here in the metro Detroit area to be able to claim BFS as one of our own. He does his level best to attend all of the meetups, no matter how distant. In fact, if his health permits, he has been eager to host one at his house (with food and Kossacks brought in, of course). If his health does permit, we will be looking forward to spending time with him soon.

Meanwhile, BFS does need our help. Given the multiplicity of major conditions that beset him, it is a matter of when, not whether, he will be approved for disability benefits. It shouldn't be much longer. Thanks for whatever help you can give!

Fundraising Update from BFSkinner

Update #1 at 5:45 p.m. ET on Saturday 10/3: In the comments, BFSkinner said "I just checked PayPal and GoFundMe,and y'all have raised 1000 dollars! You guys are amazing! HUGS to each and every one of you!"

Update #2 at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday 10/4: BFSkinner reports: The total now is $1377. The folks at the Kos are an amazing group of people. Thanks again!

Update #3 at 3:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday 10/6: BFSkinner reports receiving $1533. Thanks again for all of your help, HUGS!

Note from 2thanks: Smidge by smidge we build a bridge. Thanks for your generosity, everyone. We've reached 30% of our goal of $5000!

angel d

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Wednesday June 10, 2015 · 2:43 PM PDT

2015/06/10 · 14:43

At last, friends, the Angry Fringe has reared its beautiful head, and is making its voice heard.

And wow, doesn’t it feel good to have a candidate who articulates the things we’ve been thinking for years? Yes, it does.

Who do you think is going to be leading this political movement about which Bernie Sanders speaks? Do you think it’s all the politicians who accept dark money for their campaigns from Wall Street and other big money donors? Are they going to lead this new movement?

No. We are.

And who are we you might ask? The Angry Fringe. That’s right. All the piece-meal pragmatics who are happy with “realistic” and incremental change can eat the Angry Fringe’s dust. Because I am here to tell you that this movement has already started and while people were looking at polls and watching MSNBC, the new movement has been making inroads into the consciousness of America.

Pintlala

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Monday April 20, 2015 · 10:50 AM PDT

2015/04/20 · 10:50

Ohio Republicans are trying to strip Ohio public university faculty of union collective bargaining rights, with NO DEBATE, rammed through in a budget bill – all with the usual underhandedness of Scott Walker and the Teabaggers.

This is genuinely urgent! PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL TONIGHT!

This will be voted on TOMORROW in committee, rammed through without debate, and before the public and most of the state know what's happening. And could mean that faculty union members will be stripped of their union rights within two weeks – because it's being snuck into a budget bill.

They will accomplish this by falsely declaring all faculty to be “management” if they are involved in any decision-making -- for even simple acts of choosing books or curriculum for courses!

FYI, I have been around on DKos for a long time, but work and family obligations have kept me from doing more than lurking for some time now; but this situation has motivated me to write my first diary in years. This is bullshit

poligirl

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday February 06, 2015 · 9:51 PM PST

2015/02/06 · 21:51

I feel the need to write about the Pope tonight. I’ve been in a couple of debates lately about him and I want to expand on how I see him.

First, let me say I have big differences with Pope Francis. I don’t like that he is still against marriage, civil unions, and adoption for my LGBT friends. I don’t like the free speech quip he gave in the wake of Charlie Hebdo, though with that, I think he was meaning we should be careful of our speech, but that’s neither here nor there; he could’ve meant we shouldn't have it. I don’t like that he is still against any contraception save for the rhythm method. I don’t like that he didn't do an en masse opening of files to hold all priests accountable that were in the child molestation scandal. I don’t like that he is not quite warm to considering women for priesthood. And I don’t like that he is not fully on board with the Nuns on the Bus. There are other things too, I just can’t think of them off the top of my head.

I’m a liberal, a big leftie left leftist, to be honest, so really I didn't expect to like the Pope much, if at all. In my lifetime, we've never had a Pope that was even close to saying much of anything that in my opinion could help the people of the world. I was raised Catholic, and the Popes have always been hardline dogmatists, and what with my heretical beliefs, what they said never held much water with me. And like me, there are a ton of us liberals (at least post John XXIII) who've never really liked a Pope, and who aren't likely to like this one, save for a Pope who effects wholesale change of most or all of the faults of Church dogma.

To many of my fellow lefties’ chagrin, I look at this particular Pope a little differently. It’s definitely not that I forgive him for those things that I don’t like about him; forgiveness of that would require forgiveness of also the Church, and unless things change in the dogma, that isn't going to happen. And yes, I know we are supposed to strive to forgive, but I am not close to that point yet; I am only – and very – human. This brings me to the point about how I feel about this Pope.

BobboSphere for Chicago Kossacks

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Tuesday May 20, 2014 · 9:24 PM PDT

2014/05/20 · 21:24

“I am here to remind America that it is a crime to live in this great nation and to receive starvation wages. At McDonalds $8.25 an hour, what I make is about $400 every two weeks. With that salary I have to choose between rent and food. Rent and light...but this isn’t just about me This about my grandkids and my great grandkids. If McDonalds has its way, my great grandkids will make $8.25 in the year 2050”---- McDonalds worker Doug Hunter

It was a chilly drizzly, 5:30 am in Chicago as a handful of WOCC (Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago) activists loaded batteries into bullhorns, sorted out picket signs and made sure the now familiar Fight for $15 red plastic rain ponchos were ready. WOCC is the organization for the Fight for $15 movement in Chicago. They were preparing for the planned 6 am rally at the Rock and Roll McDonalds, the city’s flagship store.

It was May 15, 2014, the day of a global strike and protest against the McDonalds Corporation for its selectively applied exploitative labor policies. In countries with strong unions and a high level of working class solidarity, a job at McDonalds means reasonably decent wages and benefits. But not everywhere. And definitely not here in the USA.

Kitsap River for Community Fundraisers

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 16, 2014 · 10:27 AM PDT

2014/03/16 · 10:27

Update: We made it! BFSkinner has what he needs and can complete his move. All that remains now is for him to find a roommate who'd like to live in a big house, who is reliable, who would like reduced rent in exchange for helping care for someone who needs slight care i.e. laundry, cooking, etc, for very cheap rent. Thank you ALL. Now what we need to do is get tonyahky's GoFundMe funded for her move.

My beloved sister Aji, who is eloquent as hell, recently posted a diary about another beloved Kossack, BFSkinner, who often posts around this time and his urgent need for help moving into new housing that is medically safe for him. He probably hasn't said too much about this; a lot of people don't when they're in crisis. Aji had a fantastic diary about his needs that we posted this past week. Rather than try and gild the lily, I'm going to copy straight from her diary with her permission and reprise that. To summarize: BFSkinner needs another $1200 to complete his move. He also needs a few strong-bodied Kossacks in the Southfield, MI area who can handle moving his stuff down 4 flights of stairs without an elevator to make it easier. (The latter is a new need and wasn't in the earlier diary. His promised help to move has rescinded that promise.) He's moving from Southfield proper to about 6 miles outside town.

Aji's outstanding and moving diary is below the orange dancers.

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Thoughts for My Fellow Berniecrats on the Eve of the Iowa Caucus 2016

A Challenge for Everyone: Sell Us Your Candidate

TV AD: Clinton Says That Her Plans On Paper Won't Work In Real World

Donald J. Trump

Lost Job Now Losing Home and Cats

angel d's apartment burned down!

Update #3: Help Build a Bridge for BFSkinner - #HelpBFSkinner@DailyKos

The Inevitability of Bernie Sanders

URGENT: Ohio Union Rights in Jeopardy!!

On Pope Francis

Fight for $15 in Chicago: Revolt in a Global City

Community Fundraisers: BFSkinner still needs our help, and urgently