DECEMBER 5 AND
6, 2019
NEWS AND VIEWS
SEE THIS SANDERS
LIVESTREAM TONIGHT ON FARMING. IT’S VERY INTERESTING. WHAT PRODUCE CAN FARMERS
SELL TO COMPETE WITH THE FACTORY FARMING BUSINESSES? ORGANIC, NOT TO BE CONFUSED
WITH HYDROPONICALLY GROWN VEGETABLES.
BERNIE SPEAKS
AT IOWAN ORGANIC FARMERS PRESIDENTIAL FORUM
55 waiting • Scheduled
for Dec 5, 2019, 6:45 PM
THUMBS UP – 131 THUMBS DOWN
2
Bernie Sanders
256K
subscribers
END THE GREED:
In rural America, we are seeing giant agribusiness conglomerates extract as
much wealth out of small communities as they can, while family farmers are
going bankrupt and, in many cases, treated like modern-day indentured servants.
That is unacceptable and together was are going to change that. By enacting my
plan to revitalize rural America we can have rural communities that are thriving
economically and ecologically.
VOTE FOR
SOMEONE ELSE? THANK YOU. I WAS WAITING FOR YOUR PERMISSION.
Published on
Thursday,
December 05, 2019
byCommon Dreams
People Who Want
to Ban Fracking Immediately, Says Joe Biden, 'Oughta Vote for Someone Else'
"Might I
recommend Bernie Sanders: the climate candidate," responds Vermont
senator's press secretary.
byEoin Higgins,
staff writer
PHOTOGRAPH -- Democratic
presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden greets guests during a
campaign stop at the Water's Edge Nature Center on December 2, 2019 in Algona,
Iowa. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
If you want a
candidate committed to banning fracking in the United States
immediately, find another candidate than Joe Biden.
That's the advice
of Biden himself, given to an activist from the Sunrise Movement in a video
posted online Thursday after the two discussed the former vice president's
adviser Heather Zichal and Biden's plans for the future of fracking.
VIDEO – JOE
BIDEN’S CLIMATE ADVISOR
In the video of
the interaction posted on Twitter by Sunrise Thursday afternoon, Biden
appears confused about Zichal's connections to the natural gas industry, protesting
that the adviser "worked for us in the administration."
"No, no, I
know," the Sunrise activist patiently explains as Biden grabs him by
the shoulders. "But she also worked—"
"If you
look at my record," Biden begins, "look at my record. Just look at my
record."
The two discuss
fracking as well. Biden tells the activist that "you can't ban fracking
right now" because "you gotta transition away from it."
"You're
gonna ban fracking all across America, right now, right?" Biden asks the
Sunrise activist.
"I would
love to," the activist replies.
"I'd love
to, too," says Biden. "I'd love to make sure we can't use any oil or
gas, period. Now, now, is it possible?"
"Yes,"
replies the Sunrise activist.
"Well, you
oughta vote for someone else," says Biden, releasing the young man and
moving on.
As Sludge
reported in May, adviser Zichal "recently occupied a lucrative seat on the
board of the Texas-based liquified natural gas (LNG) company Cheniere
Energy." Cheniere is a frequent donor to Republican politicians.
CounterPunch
editor Jeffrey St. Clair referred to Biden's "No Malarkey" bus
tour in a tweet about the interaction.
"Here's
some choice malarkey from Biden on his climate advisor, Heather Zichal, who
pulled down more than a cool (or hot, I guess) million on the board of Cheniere
Energy, a Texas-based liquified natural gas company whose execs she'd
gotten cozy with while working for Obama," tweeted St. Clair.
The interaction
caught the attention of Briahna Joy Gray, campaign press secretary for
Bernie Sanders, who earlier this year added a federal fracking ban to his 2020
campaign platform.
"Biden
says 'you ought to vote for somebody else' if you want us to ban fracking and
transition away from fossil fuels now," tweeted Gray. "Might I
recommend Bernie Sanders: the climate candidate."
Our work is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel
free to republish and share widely.
CALIFORNIA IS AT
THE MOMENT IN A RACE THAT IS PRETTY FAR FROM OVER, THOUGH THE EARLIEST STATES
WILL BE COMING UP IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS. I LOVE THE WAY LIFE HAS OF PANNING OUT
IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN PREDICTED, THOUGH. I’M NOT GOING TO DESPAIR UNTIL THE
VOTES ARE COUNTED.
Warren and
Biden lose ground, Sanders moves ahead in California’s shifting 2020 Democratic
race
Elizabeth
Warren and Joe Biden
Sen. Elizabeth
Warren and Joe Biden
By JANET
HOOKSTAFF WRITER
DEC. 5, 2019 5
AM
WASHINGTON — The
Democratic presidential contest in California remains extremely fluid — but
not enough, at least so far, to provide an opening for Michael Bloomberg,
who entered the race two weeks ago and was banking on winning big in the
delegate-rich state, a new poll for the Los Angeles Times has found.
The survey by
the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that both Sen.
Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — the commanding front-runner in a September
California poll — and former Vice President Joe Biden have lost ground among
the state’s likely Democratic primary voters over the last two months.
That erosion
has benefited Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who narrowly tops the
primary field, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., who doubled
his support since the September poll.
With less
than two months before voting starts in Iowa’s Democratic caucuses and three
months before California’s March 3 primary, “the race is really unusually
fluid,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley IGS poll of voters
likely to go to the polls in the Democratic primary.
“Voters are
struggling and not sticking with their candidates,” he said. “They are
moving around from candidate to candidate.”
GRAPHIC IMAGE
-- Sanders surges ahead of Warren, Biden in poll of California voters (Chris Keller / Los Angeles Times)
Bloomberg
appears ill-equipped to break into the mix. The poll, which was taken Nov.
21-27, just as Bloomberg started advertising in California and elsewhere on
Nov. 25, found that he began his campaign with one of the most negative images
of any candidate in the field. About 40% of the likely Democratic primary
voters surveyed viewed him negatively, and just 15% had a positive impression.
“That’s a hole
he’s going to have to dig out of and reintroduce himself to voters,” said DiCamillo.
“It’s going to be tough.”
The upshot of
the poll is that the field’s most liberal candidates, Warren and Sanders,
are in a statistical tie for first place. The leading candidates making a
more moderate pitch, Biden and Buttigieg, are lagging and essentially tied
for third place.
Sanders is in the
nominal lead, as the first-choice pick of 24%; Warren is the first
pick of 22%. That is a big change from September, when she led the field
with 29%.
Biden is the first
choice of 14%, down six points from September. Buttigieg is preferred by
12%, up six points from September.
The poll was taken
before California Sen. Kamala Harris dropped out of the race. It asked whom her
supporters would name as their second choice if she quit and found that Warren and
Biden would benefit the most. If Harris voters were reallocated based on
those responses, the race would tighten at the top to Sanders, 25%; Warren,
24%; Biden, 17%; Buttigieg, 13%.
GRAPHIC IMAGE
-- Voter preferences in California’s 2020 Democratic primary
(Chris Keller /
Los Angeles Times)
California will
affect the prospects of all candidates because it has the largest number of
delegates at next summer’s Democratic nominating convention. It is
especially important for Bloomberg, a multibillionaire and former New York City
mayor. He is skipping the first nominating contests and counting on a big
splash March 3 in the so-called Super Tuesday primaries in 17 states and
territories, including California.
The Berkeley
IGS poll, which was three-quarters complete before Bloomberg’s ads started
running, found 8% were considering voting for Bloomberg.
Kamala Harris
POLITICS
Kamala Harris
leaves a void in California and rivals rush in
Dec. 5, 2019
Whether his big
spending on ads can change the negative image he brings to the race will be a
test of the power of money in politics, but the record on such efforts — by
rich presidential candidates such as Ross Perot, who ran as an independent in
1992, and Steve Forbes, a Republican candidate in 2000 — is not promising.
California
billionaire Tom Steyer also has made a heavy investment in his own 2020
presidential bid, and his campaign is still floundering: Just 1% of California
voters in the Berkeley-IGS survey said Steyer was their first choice, and only
18% viewed him favorably.
Among the
top-tier candidates, the opinion shifts among Californians are similar to
trends found in other polls nationally and in key early-voting states.
Warren is coming back down to earth after a heady run-up in polling this summer
and fall; Sanders is regaining traction after an October heart attack unsettled
his campaign; and Biden is facing increased competition from Buttigieg among
voters who think Warren and Sanders are too far left.
RELATED STORIES
Speaker Nancy
Pelosi asks House committees to move to impeach
POLITICS
House has ‘no
choice’ but to move to impeach Trump, Pelosi says
27 minutes ago
Warren’s image
has suffered over the last few months, during which she has struggled to answer
the question of how she would overhaul the healthcare system. Her
favorability rating remains high, with 67% viewing her positively, but that is
down 10 points since September.
Still, the poll
found that Warren had more room to increase support among California Democrats
than any other candidate: 58% said they at least considered supporting her,
compared with the 49% who were considering Sanders, 41% considering Buttigieg
and 39% considering Biden.
The poll also
provided a window into the perceived strengths of the candidates — and why
Biden has come in a weak third compared with his stronger standing in national
polls.
Biden led the
field when California voters were asked which candidate had the best chance
of beating Trump and which was best qualified to serve as president: 29%
said he was the most electable, and 28% said he was best qualified, compared
with Sanders’ second-place ranking on those points, with 22% and 24%,
respectively.
But Biden drops
to single digits behind other candidates on other qualities: Just 6% said he
was the candidate with the sharpest mental abilities, compared with the 24% who
picked Warren, who leads the field on that attribute.
Sanders tops
the field on three other attributes — being the candidate who would bring the
right kind of change to Washington (28%), the one who comes closest to sharing
voters’ values (27%) and the candidate who best understands the problems of
“people like you” (28%).
The poll found
that the four septuagenarian candidates — Sanders, 78; Biden and Bloomberg, 77;
Warren, 70 — faced differing levels of concern about their age.
About one-third
said they were extremely or very concerned that Biden’s and Sanders’ age would
hurt their ability to serve as president. Only 7% said that about Warren; 17%
said so about Bloomberg.
The poll found
increasingly stiff three-way competition in California for older voters,
a part of the electorate that has been especially important to Biden’s national
standing. Both he and Warren lost ground among those 65 and older over the last
few months, while Buttigieg gained among that group, a prized bloc
because it tends to vote in large numbers.
Biden narrowly
leads with 22% of the over-65 vote, down from 26% in September. Warren’s
share dropped to 18%, from 32% in September. Buttigieg supporters,
meanwhile, increased to 17% of those seniors, from just 7% in September.
Sanders’
campaign, by contrast, hinges on his ability to turn out younger voters who
are less inclined than their elders to vote: He barely registered among older
voters but was the first choice of 46% of voters ages 18 to 29. That contributes
to the advantage Sanders has among Latino voters, who tend to be younger as
a group than other ethnicities. In California, 32% of Latino Democrats favor
Sanders, a solid 13-point margin over the next closest candidate, Biden, who
has 19%.
California will
be an important test of candidate strength because it has a much more
diverse population than the first two states in the nominating process, Iowa
and New Hampshire, which are predominantly white.
The poll was
conducted online in English and Spanish from Nov. 21 to 27 among 1,694
Californians considered likely to vote in the state’s upcoming Democratic
presidential primary. The estimated margin of error for the Democratic sample
is 4 percentage points in either direction.
BERNIE DEFINITELY
HAS BEEN HITTING THE SMALL VENUES HARD THIS TIME AROUND. THAT’S GOOD, BECAUSE
IT GIVES THE PUBLIC MUCH MORE EXPOSURE TO HIM, AND TO HIS RATIONAL AND GENTLE
SIDE. SO MUCH BAD PRESS ABOUT, BASICALLY, HIS PERSONALITY AS BEING “RUDE” HAS
BEEN HIT ON AS A PRESSURE POINT IN SEVERAL ARTICLES. THE SMALL EVENTS ARE ENJOYABLE
TO ME TO LISTEN TO, AND I GET TO SEE THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES AS THEY TELL THEIR
OWN STORIES. THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT THE LARGE CORPORATE MEDIA COMPANIES
CAN’T STOP AS HE PERSISTENTLY AND DAILY GOES TO ONE MORE STOP, SPREADING GOOD
WILL.
Bernie Sanders
isn't polling in first place. His early-state organizing may mean that doesn't
matter.
Nick Coltrain
Des Moines
Register
DECEMBER 5,
2019 2:57 PM
VIDEO – FULL
SPEECH FROM NOVEMBER 2, 2019 31:13
DURATION
83 PHOTOS –
CAMPAIGN 2020 SANDERS
PHOTOGRAPH –
SUPPORTERS CHEER NOVEMBER 9, 2019
DES MOINES —
When U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders narrowly lost the Iowa caucuses in 2016, Patrick
Bourgeacq PinzĂ³n wondered if he could have done more to help.
He first heard
the senator at a backyard event early in that cycle, where Bourgeacq PinzĂ³n
mistakenly thought he was going to hear from former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank. He
left surprised at how much he agreed with Sanders on issues like combating
climate change, raising the minimum wage, and universal health care.
He caucused for
Sanders and phone banked for him "a little bit." Following Sanders'
narrow loss in Iowa and losses in other states, Bourgeacq PinzĂ³n realized that,
yes, he should have done more.
"That made
me decide that if I want my candidate to win, I need to work for him,"
Bourgeacq PinzĂ³n, 55, said.
Now, when he
leaves his job in international admissions at Drake University, he'll often
knock on doors for a couple hours. He phone banks more regularly. He'll
volunteer at events and "just work those events wherever I'm needed."
PHOTOGRAPH -- Democratic
presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., poses for a selife [sic]
with a supporter after speakign [sic] during campaign rally, Saturday, Nov., 9,
2019, at the Coralville Mariott Hotel and Conference Center, in Coralville,
Iowa.
Bourgeacq
PinzĂ³n's journey from curious to committed volunteer is one the Sanders
campaign aims to emulate across Iowa. Sanders already has the firmest base in
the field, according the latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll,
even as he continues to jostle in third place. Now, the Sanders campaign is
working to turn that enthusiastic base into caucus victory.
"We are
the candidate who has a base," Sanders Iowa State Director Misty Rebik
said. "Having a base is the most important thing for caucus night, because
this isn't a primary, this isn't a vote. People can't just show up whenever and
do it, right? You need an enthusiastic, excited, trained, disciplined, focused
group of people who show up for you on caucus night. And that all starts with
the committed base."
MULTIMEDIA –
Caucus Vs Primaries
Sanders
supporters have knocked on 110,000 doors in Iowa — including 22,000 the weekend
before Thanksgiving — and made 3 million voter contact attempts in the state.
The campaign is
also getting a boost with a "working and active endorsement" from the
political wing of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the state's
largest progressive group. When CCI Action Fund communicates or rallies
around issues it champions, such as fighting factory farms or in favor
of "Medicare for All," it will also promote Sanders as the
candidate most aligned with their cause.
The campaign
aimed to have one volunteer at each of the 1,678 Iowa caucus
precincts; the number of signups led the campaign to up its volunteer
goal to 4,000, or more than two volunteers per precinct.
Rebik said they
wanted to have people who understood the process on hand to help with
potentially, and often inherently, chaotic events, as well as training to help
folks who don't regularly participate in the caucus understand it.
While
cautioning that how these volunteers are used and organized is the ultimate
key, Iowa political strategist Norm Sterzenbach said the effort has the
potential to be "a hell of an operation that other campaigns will be
envious of." Sterzenbach worked for Beto O'Rourke's Iowa campaign until
the candidate dropped out in early November. He joined Amy Klobuchar's campaign
after this interview.
‘l
Of likely
Democratic caucusgoers who name Sanders as their top candidate, 57% say their
minds are made up. For comparison, 27% of November poll leader Pete Buttigieg's
supporters say the same. It allows Sanders to focus on adding to his support
versus splitting that effort with making sure supporters don't drift to
other camps, Sterzenbach said.
"Sanders
folks, I always believed would run through walls (for him), so they're going to
go through walls," Sterzenbach said. "It's a good place to be in. I'd
rather be in that place than some others. His challenge is growth, whereas the
challenge for a (U.S. Sen. Elizabeth) Warren or a Buttigieg is about shoring up
support."
That enthusiasm
also puts Sanders on solid ground for caucus night, even if he doesn't grow his
support significantly, Sterzenbach said. The 2008 caucuses hold the turnout
record with about 240,000 caucusgoers. Even if 2020 is destined to top that, a
crowded field could make for thin margins to reach the 15% viability threshold
at the precinct level. (Sterzenbach predicted caucus turnout between 2016's
176,000 and 2008's record.)
Every campaign
wants its support to peak on caucus night, but Sanders' support has a
"steadiness" that could prove key, Sterzenbach said.
Photograph -- Supporters
of Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., cheer
during campaign rally, Saturday, Nov., 9, 2019, at the Coralville Mariott Hotel
and Conference Center, in Coralville, Iowa.
In an effort to
turn that steady, enthusiastic base into additional supporters on caucus night,
the campaign has leaned into "movement politics" style organizing.
In short, it puts daily issues people face first, and backs into how their
candidate will address it. The goal is to "demystify" politics and
talk about how it and resulting policies affect their lives, Rebik said.
"We know
over and over again you can talk about statistics until you're blue in the
face all day long. That does not change people's minds and that does not change
people's hearts," Rebik said.
Rebik's
background in movement politics is something the campaign didn't
have last time, current Sanders adviser and 2016 state director Pete
D'Alessandro said. It's a strategy that relies on keeping enthusiasm
stoked and supporters mobilized over the long-term, and not just around
headcounts of support, he said.
D'Allessandro
praised the 2016 team — after all, Sanders went from 6% support in a January
2015 Iowa Poll to 42% in the final Iowa Poll of that cycle a year later, and
finished in a razor-thin second place with 49.6% caucus night support. But
"we just didn't have enough people in the day-to-day of the campaign that
understood movement politics," he said.
Rebik founded
the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa. Part of her job was convincing
people "to risk everything" and fight back against employers
mistreating them, or stealing wages, she said. In contrast, she's now asking
people to caucus — a less dramatic act but one where she stresses
"everything is on the line."
"How do we
raise the level of what's important, of what's at stake here?" Rebik said.
"So that's what we're doing. we're helping people understand this isn't
just another vote, it's not just another election. This is an unprecedented
time in politics where we have to show up for what we believe in."
SOME VERY PROMISING
YOUNG PEOPLE HERE ARE SHOWING A COMMITMENT TO OUR FUTURE – THE SUNRISE
MOVEMENT.
BERNIE AT YOUTH
CLIMATE STRIKE
8,540 views •
Streamed live 8 hours ago
Thumbs up 1.3K
Thumbs down 14
Bernie Sanders
257K
subscribers
BERNIE AT
CLIMATE STRIKE: I'm proud to stand with young people in Iowa and around the
world today in their climate strikes. This is about the future of the planet
and we won't accept a middle ground approach. We need a Green New Deal.
Category
News &
Politics
I’M GLAD TO SEE
SANDERS, WARREN AND SOME OTHERS STRESS THE ENVIRONMENT. IT’S AS THOUGH SO MANY
PEOPLE JUST DON’T BELIEVE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE, POISONED WATER SOURCES,
INDUSTRIAL AND AUTOMOTIVE SMOG, AND THE DESTRUCTION OF ANIMAL HABITAT AREN’T “REAL”
PROBLEMS. I CAN REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THESE
THINGS, THE 1970S AND '80S, AND MY BROTHER-IN-LAW (JOKINGLY…) CALLED ME A TREE HUGGER.
I ESPECIALLY
LIKE THIS ACTIVITY ON THE PART OF YOUNG PEOPLE. THE EARLIER THEY CAN LEARN
ABOUT LIVING WITH THE EARTH AS WELL AS ON HER BACK, THE MORE LIKELY WE AS A
SOCIETY ARE TO BECOME MUCH BETTER STEWARDS OF THE BASIC THINGS WE REQUIRE AS
HUMAN ANIMALS. MAYBE WE CAN SHOW OURSELVES TO BE AS HIGHLY INTELLIGENT AS WE
CLAIM WE ARE BY STOPPING THE DESTRUCTIVE PATTERNS OF THE PRESENT.
Published on
Thursday,
December 05, 2019
byCommon Dreams
Sanders Scores
Highest Mark on Sunrise Movement's Climate Report Card While Biden Told It's
"Parent-Teacher Conference Time"
Sanders scored
183 points out of 200, followed by Elizabeth Warren with 165 points. Biden
landed far behind with just 75 points.
byJulia Conley,
staff writer
PHOTOGRAPH -- U.S.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during a Sunrise Movement rally at Howard
University on May 13, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Youth-led
climate advocacy group Sunrise Movement unveiled its scorecards for the top
three Democratic primary candidates on Thursday, showing Sen. Bernie Sanders
the candidate who most successfully framed the Green New Deal as a top national
priority and provided the most ambitious and comprehensive plan to reduce
planet-warming fossil fuel emissions.
On the group's
200-point assessment, Sanders scored 183 points (92%), followed by Sen.
Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with 165 points (82%). Vice President Joe Biden,
still widely considered the frontrunner in the 2020 contest based on national
polling, landed far behind with just 75 points (42%).
The Sunrise
Movement, which formed in 2017 and has succeeded in pressuring more than 100
Democratic lawmakers to back the Green New Deal, graded the three
candidates on their framing and prioritizing of the proposal to create
millions of green jobs and sustainable energy infrastructure to reduce fossil
fuel emissions to net zero over a decade.
The scorecard
also considered how well the various plans put forth by Sanders, Warren, and
Biden demonstrated an ability to reduce emissions in a timely manner; their
commitment to centering frontline communities; and the priority given to other
essential elements of the Green New Deal.
"This
year, we did something everyone thought was impossible: we set the bar for
climate plans where scientists said it needed to be for a livable future. These
scorecards show how much candidates have risen to the challenge."
—Varshini
Prakash, Sunrise Movement
Sanders scored
higher than Warren on a number of issues. He has said he would immediately
stop the building of new fossil fuel infrastructure if elected, has
outlined how his administration would prosecute fossil fuel companies
for putting profits over the survival of the planet and misleading the public
about the danger of fossil fuel extraction, and has a plan to invest in a
robust public transportation system, while Warren only briefly mentioned her
intention to "expand and improve public transit across our country."
"Warren
doesn't have an infrastructure plan," Sunrise political director Evan
Weber told the Washington Post. "So she lost a few points there."
But both
candidates won top marks in many areas, including their plans to create green
jobs to combat unemployment and inequality as well as the climate crisis,
their specific timelines for ending fracking, and their plans to clean
up toxic waste sites.
The Sunrise
Movement found there was some room for improvement even in Sanders' platform,
noting he should prioritize a plan to ensure that an end to fossil fuel
imperialism does not give way to "renewable energy imperialism," to
sustainably manage marine biodiversity, and should clarify his plan to create a
federal taskforce for phasing out fossil fuels.
But both
Sanders and Warren scored far higher than Biden. The former vice president
has not prioritized a Green New Deal and has failed to provide specifics or
pathways for his plans to invest in reforestation, end the era of fossil fuel
extraction, or hold fossil fuel executives accountable.
"The Biden
plan commits to a robust set of day one executive actions on climate and states
that 'there is no greater challenge facing our country and our world', but
beyond that, it is unclear where the climate catastrophe fits into his
priorities," the scorecard reads.
Biden's grade
for a student would mean it was "parent-teacher conference time," the
Sunrise movement tweeted.
Sunrise
Movement đŸŒ…
✔
@sunrisemvmt
Green New Deal
scorecards are in; what would these look like as grades?
Bernie: A-
(91.5%)
Warren: B-
(82.5%)
Biden: F-
(37.5%), parent-teacher conference time
View the full
scorecard breakdown @ https://scorecard.sunrisemovement.org/ https://twitter.com/dino_grandoni/status/1202580588923887616
…
Dino Grandoni
✔
@dino_grandoni
NEW this
morning: @sunrisemvmt is out with their scores of the top 3 candidates for the
Democratic nomination
Bernie: A-
(91.5%)
Warren: B-
(82.5%)
Biden: F- (37.5%),
parent-teacher conference time
1️⃣Bernie
Sanders: 183/200
2️⃣Elizabeth
Warren: 165/200
3️⃣Joe Biden:
75/200 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2019/12/05/the-energy-202-bernie-sanders-gets-top-score-from-sunrise-movement-for-his-green-new-deal/5de7f75188e0fa652bbbdbf3/
…
5,264
9:59 AM - Dec
5, 2019
The Sunrise
Movement said frequent mentions of the Green New Deal by several candidates as
they vie for the Democratic nomination gives them hope that the proposal could
become law.
"This
year, we did something everyone thought was impossible: we set the bar for
climate plans where scientists said it needed to be for a livable future. These
scorecards show how much candidates have risen to the challenge," said
Sunrise Movement co-founder and Executive Director Varshini Prakash.
"Establishment politicians and pundits told us we were naive and should
stick to what is politically possible. Today, leading candidates for
President are running on climate plans more ambitious than any others ever
proposed in American history, eclipsing those proposed even four years
ago."
The scorecard
was released as the Sunrise Movement announced it would expand its field
program targeting establishment Democrats and Republicans in Congress in 10
states, planning to turn young voters' enthusiasm for the Green New Deal into
down-ballot victories for progressives while also setting the standard
for climate platforms among presidential candidates.
"From the
climate strikes to record turnout in local elections, it's clear that young
people are fired up," said Ahmed Gaya, the group's field director.
"Young Green New Deal voters could determine who wins in key races in
2020."
The group plans
to release scorecards by the end of the year for at least three other
candidates who have gained some traction in the 2020 race: South Bend, Indiana
Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Our work is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel
free to republish and share widely.
This is the
world we live in. This is the world we cover.
Because of
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I HAVE HAD TWO
EPITHETS APPLIED TO ME OF WHICH I AM PROUD: SJW AND TREE-HUGGER. SJW MEANS “SOCIAL
JUSTICE WARRIOR,” AND TREE-HUGGER MOST RECENTLY HAS BEEN APPLIED TO “HIPPIES” OF
THE 1970S AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTALISTS. SEE THIS VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE ON
TREE HUGGING.
Features —
Nature
A History of
Tree Hugging
written by
Cyrena Lee
October 13,
2018
tree hugger
noun
sometimes
disparaging: environmentalist; an advocate for the preservation of woodlands
Tree hugger.
The term once used to ridicule barefoot hippies, is perhaps #trending on
the footsteps of forest-bathing and earthing (walking barefoot on natural
surfaces), and is actually likely good for your health, given that the act
likely forces you to be in nature.
But who were
the original tree huggers and where did the term come from?
The first known
tree huggers were Bishnois, living in Khejadli, India. In 1730,
foresters came to fell trees on their land (the wood would be used to build a
palace), but the Bishnois weren’t willing to lose their sacred trees. In
response, Amrita Devi led a physical protest: she wrapped herself around the
tree to stop the foresters from cutting it down. The story goes that as she
hugged the tree, the foresters attacked her and the trees with their axes, and
she, refusing to compromise, stated: “If a tree is saved even at the cost of
one’s head, it’s worth it.” Soon, 362 other Bishnois had sacrificed their lives
for the trees. Only then did the foresters admit defeat.
The 1970s
Chipko movement is believed to have been inspired by the Bishnois’ sacrifices.
This movement began in 1974 as an act of resistance in the Himalayan area of
the Uttar Pradesh region. A group of women, led by Gaura Devi (a widowed
mother), heard about the government’s plans to cut down their sacred trees. She
gathered her community to peacefully protest against this, but the protests
were ignored. Tree hugging—using their bodies as physical barriers, was the
next step. They stood strong, hugging the trees while they were threatened.
Eventually, they won; the trees were left to live.
Similar tree
hugging resistances soon spread across India. The movement became so widespread
that in the 1980s the government was forced to listen to the tree huggers: they
changed their deforestation plans, and promised to work under more nuanced
policies, which would be more sensitive to the local communities.
From there,
tree hugger became a pejorative term for the eco-loving, tie-dye wearing
hippies in the West. But now, tree-hugging is taking a different turn. As we
consciously try to protect the world we live in, we’re also learning to
appreciate the physical and mental health benefits trees bring us: it’s not a
myth.
Health Benefits
of Tree Hugging
Tree hugging
has been shown to soothe and strengthen body and mind. Simply seeing trees
makes us feel calmer, leading to lower heart rate and blood pressure. The
Japanese practice of forest bathing (essentially, spending time in a forest),
helps you relax and fight off disease. And if you progress from being in the
forest to hugging a tree, there are even more health benefits to enjoy. In Blinded
by Science, Matthew Silverstone explains that every atom vibrates,
and different vibrations affect behavior. A tree’s vibrational patterns
have a healing, revitalizing effect, which can help us feel more grounded.
Plus, hugging a tree (just like hugging a human) increases levels of
oxytocin, aka the love hormone, which reduces stress and increases happiness.
D
So go hug a
tree, breathe in the fresh air it filters for you, and notice how much calmer
and stronger you feel. Keep adding #treehugger to your out-of-city snaps, and
escape into the forest as much as possible: it’s good for you.
We’re excited
to announce that with every Getaway booking, we’ll be donating to plant one
tree with our friends at One Tree Planted.
WHO ARE OR WERE
THE BISHNOIS, AND WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH TREE HUGGING?
Bishnoi
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
Bishnoi (also
known as Vishnoi) is a Hindu religious sect found in the Western Thar Desert
and northern states of India. They follow a set of 29 principles/commandments
given by Guru Jambheshwar (1451-1536).[1] They are not a caste but a sect. As
of 2010, there are an estimated 600,000 followers of Vishnoi sect residing in
north and central India.[2] Jambheshwar founded the sect at Samrathal Dhora in
1485 and his teachings, comprising 120 shabads, are known as Shabadwani. He
preached for the next 51 years, travelling across Hindustan.
Etymology
Jambheshwar
gave his followers 29 precepts, bis means 20 in the local dialect and noi means
nine in the local dialect, which became the "Bis+Noi" name for the
sect.[2]
History
Bishnoi sect
was founded by Guru Jambheshwar (1451-1536), also known as Jambhaji. Some
writers have used the term Vishnoi, meaning followers of Vishnu but sect
members refer to themselves as Bishnoi. Jambheshwar himself did not refer to
Bishnoi but does mention Vishnu. Adherents are also known as Prahladapanthi
because of their devotion to Prahlada, another Hindu deity.[3]
Jambheshwar
announced a set of 29 tenets.[3] These were contained in a document called
Shabadwani, written in the Nagri script, which consists of 120 shabads. Of
his 29 tenets, ten are directed towards personal hygiene and maintaining good
basic health, seven for healthy social behaviour, and four tenets to the
worship of God. Eight tenets have been prescribed to preserve bio-diversity -
although most adherents are unaware of that, or such things as global warming,
as a concept[3] - and encourage good animal husbandry. These include a ban on
killing animals and felling green trees, and providing protection to all life
forms. The community is also directed to see that the firewood they use is
devoid of small insects. Wearing blue clothes is prohibited because the dye for
colouring them is obtained by cutting a large quantity of shrubs.[citation
needed]
Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi gave the credit of Champion of Earth Award 2018 to
Vishnoi Samaj. And also called the tradition of Bishnoiyo sacrificing for the
environment a unique event in world history.[4]
Khejarli
massacre
The Bishnoi
narrate the story of Amrita Devi, a member of the sect who inspired as many as
363 other Bishnois to go to their deaths in protest of the cutting down of
Khejri trees in September 1730. The maharajah of Jodhpur, Abhay
Singh, requiring wood for the construction of a new palace, sent soldiers to
cut trees in the village of Khejarli, which was called Jehnad at that time. Noticing
their actions, Devi hugged a tree in an attempt to stop them. Her family then
adopted the same strategy, as did other local people when the news spread.
She told the soldiers that she considered their actions to be an insult to her
faith and that she was prepared to die to save the trees. The soldiers did
indeed kill her and others until Abhay Singh was informed of what was going on
and intervened to stop the massacre.[8][9]
Some of the 363
Bishnois who were killed protecting the trees were buried in Khejarli, where a
simple grave with four pillars was erected. Every year, in September, the
Bishnois assemble there to commemorate the sacrifice made by their people to
preserve their faith and religion.[10]
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