JANUARY 1 AND 2, 2019

NEWS AND VIEWS


THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS SHOULD COME FIRST. HERE IS “BERNIE’S BIG NEW YEAR’S BASH.” HIS SPEECH IS SHORT AND ENERGETIC, A PEP RALLY RATHER THAN A LECTURE, AND THE MUSIC IS GOOD. THERE IS A LONG SILENT PERIOD BEFORE THE STREAMING BEGINS, SO JUST CLICK IT FORWARD SOME 15 MINUTES.

BERNIE'S BIG NEW YEAR'S BASH
24,691 views • Streamed live 18 hours ago, DECEMBER 31, 2019
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Bernie Sanders
264K subscribers

BERNIE'S BIG NEW YEAR'S BASH: We are ringing in the new year in Des Moines with Prince's longtime band, New Power Generation! Help us get to 5 million donations before our midnight deadline and watch live at live.berniesanders.com
Category
News & Politics



DR OZ’S COMMENTS ON BERNIE’S HEART GIVES A VERY POSITIVE PICTURE, SHOWING HIS CONDITION TO BE RELATIVELY COMMON. HE DID SAY THAT THE ACCUMULATION OF PLAQUE INSIDE THE ARTERIES CONTINUES OVER TIME IN ALL OF US, SO IT CAN RECUR. HE ALSO SAID, “HALF THE DOCTORS IN AMERICA FAVOR MEDICARE FOR ALL.” I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING.

How serious is Bernie Sanders' heart problem?
38,937 views • Oct 3, 2019
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THE VIDEO THAT FOLLOWS IS AN INTERVIEW BETWEEN BERNIE SANDERS AND THE DES MOINES REGISTER ON HIS VIEWS, PLANS AND HIS CHANCE TO WIN THE 2020 ELECTION. THAT MIGHT SOUND HO-HUM TO SOME, SINCE HE DOES SPEAK OFTEN AND HIS MESSAGES ARE MAINLY FAMILIAR; BUT IT IS FULL OF NEW AS WELL AS HIS WELL-KNOWN PLATFORM COMMENTARY. HE SHOULD DO EXTENDED INTERVIEWS MORE OFTEN BECAUSE THEY BRING OUT MORE OF WHAT HE BELIEVES AND WHO HE IS. IT’S REASSURING TO SEE THAT HE HASN’T MOVED BACK FROM WHAT HE STANDS FOR, WHILE HIS THOUGHTS CONTINUE TO GROW.

IN SHORT, THIS IS AN UNUSUALLY GOOD INTERVIEW, IF YOU LIKE BERNIE, THAT IS. THIS IS BERNIE AT HIS BEST. IS HE JUST A “FIREBRAND,” OR “RABBLE ROUSER?” NO. HE’S CARING, COMMITTED, A READER AND STUDENT OF MANY SUBJECTS. HE IS WISE, PRACTICAL, OPEN-MINDED, AND HIGHLY INTELLIGENT. ANYBODY WHO CHOOSES TO SAY THAT HE IS NON COMPOS MENTIS, SHOULD WATCH THIS. OUR NATION NEEDS HIS STRONG INFLUENCE AT THE VERY LEAST, AND HE IS VERY LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO WIN. HIS ABILITY TO RALLY PEOPLE IS UNDENIABLE.

WHEN HE WAS ASKED WHAT CAN ONE OR TWO SANDERS ADMINISTRATIONS DO AGAINST ALL OF OUR NATIONAL SINS AND ERRORS, HE SAID THAT WE CAN “TRANSFORM THE VALUES SYSTEM.” I CAN REMEMBER WELL WHEN OUR CITIZENS LARGELY BELIEVED THINGS LIKE THOSE WHICH HE PROPOSES TO BE GOOD RATHER THAN EVIL, FOOLISH OR DOWNRIGHT STUPID, AND THE WEALTHY WERE NOT MERELY PRAISED FOR THEIR GENEROUS GIVING TO THE POOR, BUT WERE EXPECTED TO DO IT.

THAT’S THE AMERICA WE NEED TO MAKE OUR WAY BACK TO, BECAUSE IN IT THE LESS THAN WELL-TO-DO HAD A BETTER CHANCE OF SUCCESS, AND HAD A REASONABLE DEGREE OF HAPPINESS. RACE AND ETHNICITY WAS A HUGE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, SO IT WAS NOT PERFECT AT ALL; HOWEVER, MOST PARENTS COULD HELP SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN EMOTIONALLY IF NOT FINANCIALLY IN THEIR DESIRE TO GO TO COLLEGE, THOUGH IT WAS EXPENSIVE EVEN IN THOSE DAYS. YES, WE GOT LOANS AND HAD “WORK SCHOLARSHIPS,” AND PERHAPS IT DIDN’T HAPPEN IN A FOUR-YEAR TIME SPAN, BUT MORE OF US THAN IN MY FATHER’S DAY DID MAKE IT.

THE LAST FIGURE I SAW ON HOW MANY AMERICAN ADULTS HAVE AT LEAST A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE FROM A COLLEGE, WAS GIVEN AS ABOUT 40%. WE NEED TO DO BETTER. THAT MEANS 60% ARE STILL STUCK IN THE METAPHORICAL MUD OF LIFE. THEY’RE IN “THE SLOUGH OF DESPOND.” IT’S A PATH DOWNWARD RATHER THAN UP. THAT IS NOT ONLY DISCOURAGING, IT CAUSES NATURAL RESENTMENTS, ESPECIALLY IF FINANCIAL OR SOCIAL PRESSURES WERE THE REASON FOR THAT FAILURE – POVERTY, RACE AND GENDER IN PARTICULAR. THOSE THINGS ARE SINGULARLY UNFAIR; AND WHEN AN OUTRAGEOUS DEGREE OF PREFERENCE IS BEING GIVEN FINANCIALLY TO THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY SO VERY WEALTHY THESE DAYS, TO A DEGREE THAT I FRANKLY CAN’T COMPREHEND HOW MUCH THEY OWN, I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE NOT ONLY A RIGHT BUT A DUTY TO WORK TO REVERSE THAT TREND TO CREATE A MUCH HEALTHIER POINT OF EQUILIBRIUM.   

OUR ECONOMIC SCALE OF RELATIVE WEALTH GOING TO THE MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASSES HAS DEGENERATED SINCE 1970, THOUGH THERE WERE OF COURSE PLENTY OF POOR PEOPLE OF ALL ETHNICITIES THEN; BUT WE AS A PEOPLE TENDED TO BELIEVE IN A HIGHER LEVEL OF CIVIC DUTY. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO HAVE AGAIN, BUT WITH IMPROVEMENTS: MEDICARE FOR ALL, ONE MAN ONE VOTE, NO MORE RIDICULOUS BUILT IN BARRIERS TO DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS AND LIFE, AND SO ON. ONE FRIEND OF MINE YEARS AGO BLAMED THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S REBELLION OF THE 1970S AGAINST THE VIETNAM WAR AND OTHER THINGS SUCH AS A HIGHLY PATERNALISTIC SOCIETY, ON THE INFLUENCE OF WALT DISNEY. I THINK BERNIE SANDERS HAS COME ALONG IN THIS TIME AND PLANTED THE SAME SEEDS OF IDEALISM, HOPE AND POSITIVE ACTION THAT THE WORLDVIEW OF THE LATE GREAT WALT DISNEY DID.

THERE IS NO PERFECT PERSON OR SITUATION, BUT WITHOUT WORKING FOR IMPROVEMENT, THERE WILL ONLY BE FURTHER DEGRADATION AND DESPAIR FOR THE FOLKS ON AND NEAR THE BOTTOM. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS USED A CYNICAL PLOY TO KEEP THEMSELVES FROM HAVING TO STAND FIRMLY AGAINST POVERTY FOR ALL AMERICANS. THEY HAVE ACQUIRED THE USUALLY LOYAL SUPPORT OF BLACK PEOPLE BY FOCUSING ALL OR ALMOST ALL OF THEIR SOCIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND HELP TOWARD BLACK PEOPLE. POOR HISPANICS AND NATIVE AMERICANS ARE LATE-COMERS TO THE FEAST, AND WHITE POOR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SCORNED FOR SEEMING TO NEED ANY HELP.

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN GOT CAUGHT IN THAT THOUGHT TRAP A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN HE SAID, “POOR KIDS” ARE JUST AS INTELLIGENT “AS WHITE KIDS.” THAT’S KNOWN AS A MIXED METAPHOR AND IT WOULD BE FUNNY IF IT WEREN’T THE WAY SO MANY DO VIEW RACIAL MATTERS. THAT LACK OF ATTENTION TO POOR WHITE PEOPLE IS WHAT DONALD TRUMP PICKED UP ON, AND SANDERS IS ALSO AWARE OF THE DYNAMIC. FOR MORE ON THIS FLAP, GO TO WASHINGTON POST: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-tells-minority-voters-in-iowa-that-poor-kids-are-just-as-bright-as-white-kids/2019/08/09/4926be02-ba8e-11e9-a091-6a96e67d9cce_story.html.

WE ARE IN TROUBLE AS A UNIFIED NATION, IF WE DON’T CHANGE OUR WAYS OF THINKING ON SOCIAL ISSUES AS WELL AS ON ECONOMICS. WE MUST PAY ATTENTION TO OUR WHOLE POPULATION AND NOT JUST THE WEALTHY OR THE WHITE OR THE CHRISTIAN. THE UPRISING, FROM A LOW RUMBLE OF DISCONTENT IN THE BACKGROUND TO NAZI CHANTS ON MAIN STREET, AND EVEN A NEW FASCISM RIGHT HERE IN OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, NEEDS ACTION, AND BERNIE IS THE ONE TO DO IT.

IT IS THE SYMPTOM OF SOCIAL FAILURE. WE GOT CARELESS AND SLIPPED OFF THE PATH OF IMPROVEMENT WHICH, I FULLY BELIEVED, WE WERE ON IN THIS COUNTRY. IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I’VE HEARD THE WORDS, “THE GREAT SOCIETY.” THAT’S WHAT IS MEANT BY ONE OF THE POPULAR TERMS NOWADAYS, “INTERSECTIONALITY.” THE POOR BLACKS WILL LIKELY BE EVEN POORER THAN THE POOR WHITES, BUT THE SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM IS NOT TO CHOOSE ONE TO HELP AND NOT THE OTHER. THE REPUBLICANS ARE DEVOTED TO “THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR,” AND WE DEMOCRATS MUST SEE THAT WE AREN’T THINKING IN THE SAME WAY. OF COURSE, MONEY IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT MUST BE SHARED OUT TO SERVE TRUE HUMAN NEEDS AND GOOD GOVERNMENT.

THIS DOWNHILL SLIDE INTO POVERTY, OF SO MANY OF US, SHOULD ALARM ALL AMERICANS. IT IS A TRUE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY, AS THE VERY WEALTHY BUY POSITIONS IN CONGRESS AND MAKE LAWS THAT FAVOR THE WEALTHY EVEN MORE, CREATING A TERRIBLE CYCLE OF EVENTS AND FORCES. BERNIE SANDERS IS LOOKING NOT MERELY AT THE PRICE OF A LOAF OF BREAD, BUT AT THE CRUMBLING OF AMERICA, AND HE HAS CHOSEN TO FIGHT.

HIS OTHER ISSUE OF GREATEST IMPORTANCE IS THE ENVIRONMENT WORLDWIDE. IF WE DON’T GET A HANDLE QUICKLY ON THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, THAT WILL BE THE WORST PROBLEM OF ALL. MAJOR CITIES PARTIALLY UNDERWATER IS NOT ONLY A FINANCIAL LOSS FOR HOMEOWNERS, BUT IT WILL INVOLVE GROUPS OF PEOPLE HAVING TO PULL UP STAKES AND RELOCATE. IF WE THINK THE INFLUX OF REFUGEES IS A PROBLEM NOW, WAIT UNTIL FIELDS DRY UP FOR LACK OF RAIN AND COASTAL AREAS ARE LITERALLY SWALLOWED UP BY THE OCEAN. I READ A NEWS ARTICLE A YEAR OR SO AGO STATING THAT THE US NAVY IS LOOKING AT MOVING ITS’ BASE AT NORFOLK, VA BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN OCEAN LEVELS. WHICH DO YOU BELIEVE, DONALD TRUMP OR THE US NAVY? I BELIEVE THE NAVY. THEY’RE READING THE SCIENCE.

SO HERE WE ALL ARE ON THE EDGE OF A DANGEROUS FUTURE, AND SADLY, BERNIE AND THE OTHERS OF THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE DARED TO TALK MUCH ABOUT IT. OUR LEADERS ARE VIRTUALLY COVERING THEIR EYES, EARS AND MOUTH TO KEEP FROM CONFRONTING THE TRUTH. THAT’S WHAT THEY DO TO BE SAFE, BECAUSE THEY ARE SO AFRAID THAT THEY WON’T GET PAID BY WEALTHY DONORS ANYMORE IF THEY SPEAK OUT.

THOSE OF US WHO, NOT BEING WEALTHY OR YOUNG OR WHATEVER OUR PERSONAL REASONS ARE FOR IT, DO MAINLY WANT TO WATCH POLITICAL LIFE FROM THE SIDELINES NEED TO THINK OF WAYS TO BE USEFUL WITHIN THE SCOPE OF OUR CAPABILITIES. I AM DOING A NEWS BLOG WHICH I HOPE WILL BE USEFUL. WE NEED TO ORGANIZE, COMMUNICATE, PLAN, GIVE MONEY, ABSOLUTELY VOTE IN ELECTIONS AND JUST GENERALLY GET MOVING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS, BECAUSE WE WILL ALL BE NEEDED IN SOME WAY. IT’S A LONG HIKE UP THAT MOUNTAIN TO THE ENLIGHTENED NATION THAT WE HOPE TO BE, OR TO THE GOAL OF SAVING THE EARTH'S LIFE SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENTS TO REMAIN AT LEAST AS HEALTHY AS THEY ARE NOW.

HERE IS AN EXCELLENT INTERVIEW BETWEEN BERNIE SANDERS AND THE DES MOINES REGISTER ON ALL THOSE SUBJECTS AND MORE.

Full interview: Bernie Sanders meets with the Register's editorial board (12.6.19)
143,947 views • Streamed live on Dec 6, 2019
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DMRegister
10.9K subscribers

Watch live as presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont meets with the [DeMoines] Register's editorial board on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2RytrvF

Find complete coverage of Sanders' campaign from the USA TODAY NETWORK here: https://bit.ly/2W25ZG2

And complete coverage on the lead-up to the 2020 Iowa Caucuses here: https://bit.ly/2Acgv52


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