Many Democrats Are Freaking Out When Anyone Calls Status Quo Joe The Lesser Of Two Evils

And he wasn't ever really a liberal on civil rights and civil liberties either

I really liked the two Jeff Sharlet books I read, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power and C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy and his Netflix series, The Family (based on the two books). Between Ken, Gaius and I, there are a dozen posts that feature him, the most recent of which, Most Religions And Many Governments Feed The Poor-- But Not All... And Millions Of Elderly Americans Are Literally Starving, was last year.

Last week Sharlet published a piece on his Facebook page explaining why he is not just voting for Biden, but contributing money to his campaign. It's a good post and I agree with his analysis, albeit not his conclusion, at least not to me personally. Read it if you have a minute or two:

It may feel like too soon, but the hour is already late. I'm sending my first donation to the Biden campaign. I've despised Biden as long as I've known about him. Sure, he's done some good things. But he has been a loyal servant of empire and corporation, there are allegations of sexual assault (I haven't examined them, but I'm troubled by those Biden supporters who attacking his accuser using the same misogynist playbook as Harvey Weinstein), he is constitutionally dishonest, his vanity pales only next to Trump's, and he is woefully mismatched to the hour. My first choice was Warren by an inch; Bernie better matched my politics, and I still believe he would have had the better shot at beating Trump.

I supported his campaign, but his campaign is over, and even absent pandemic we would we be facing full meltdown. Is Biden the answer? Hell no. He is part of the problem. But he won't actively try to kill us. I know what Biden is; it's dispiriting. And I've reported on Trump in 2016 and this campaign close up; he's worse than horrifying because he's not even as bad as it could be. He's not full fascism, because he's too self-involved; but he is the door, and it's open, and it's pouring in.

So with respect for those who can't do it, I'm asking fellow Bernie and Warren supporters planning to sit it out now that Biden's the only option to swallow the bitterness-- and it will be bitter-- and vote for Biden. I'm donating, modestly, even though it feels like paying protection money, because I know firsthand from reporting on Trump how astonishing his fundraising is. If you haven't been paying attention, he's been by far outraising every Democrat. Before I gave money to Bernie and Warren, so I knew what their fundraising was like-- I got all the emails, all the texts. Sloppy, compared to Trump's operation. You may look at him and see a fool and at his followers and see only racism or delusion, but the machine around him? The people who are profiting from his authoritarianism? They're no dummies.

The people around Biden, meanwhile? I kind of think they're maybe not keeping up with the program. They can't believe it's not 2008 anymore. They believe the center will hold. They don't understand that their neoliberalism, their corporate coziness, let any idea of "center" slouch so far rightward that Trumpism is now the center. He's not an aberration. He is our horrifying new normal. So a return to normalcy isn't an option. the old normal wasn't so grand. The hope is to build anew--and Biden won't do that. I'm not suggesting we pretend Biden is anything other than what he is: a means of buying time. Voting for him isn't a moral choice; it's a very temporary survival mechanism. I keep thinking of the campaign slogan associated with the utterly corrupt Democratic Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards, running against actual Klansman David Duke: "Vote for the crook."

Same deal here: Vote for the hack. Then maybe we can fight like hell for what comes after.

The post from Wednesday on my own blog, Will Deeply Committed Progressives Vote For Status Quo Joe In November-- The Lesser Of Two Evils Play? caused hysteria on my Facebook page. I only unfriended the nastiest commenters, none of whom I know or had ever heard of (and have no idea how they became my "friends," but some former colleagues from work went right up to the line in their denunciations of me-- or anyone else-- who refuses to vote for Biden. I wonder how they would receive Sharlet's Biden endorsement.

I don't disrespect or look down on anyone who decides they want to vote for the lesser evil. Many express-- like Sharlet-- excellent and reasonable arguments to do so. But I vote for candidates who I want to see in office, not because the opponent is worse. My hatred for the Democratic Party, which has used the lesser-of-two evils strategy to turn the party into a neoliberal corporate hellhole, is, as my grandfather taught me when I wasn't even a teenager, less than my hatred for the Republican Party... just not by much. I'm a progressive, not a Democrat.

Rebecca Parson, who is challenging the head of the Wall Street owned and operated New Dems in Washington state, is also a dedicated progressive. "Voters in my district," she told me yesterday, "are excited to turn their energy to local elections like mine. We've all heard of NY-14, but I am bringing that populist leftist message to a working-class rural district, and  volunteers from Bernie's campaign are coming over to mine after he dropped out. My opponent isn't well known nationally but he's been getting away with taking millions of dollars of corporate PAC and lobbyist money and he's the chair of the conservative New Democrat Coalition. But there are other reasons voters care about my campaign: my district is on the coast and has a beautiful national forest, so issues impacting the environment are on voters' minds, and yet my opponent doesn't support the GND. Our district also has some of the highest rising rents in the country, so voters in Washington's 6th are ready for a candidate like me who is making affordable housing a top priority with nationalized rent control and a Homes Guarantee. Trump is a symptom of greater problems within our political system; those problems existed before he came into office and they will persist afterward if other down-ballot candidates don't step up."

Yep, godspeed, to all the people putting their hearts and souls into electing Biden and other conservatives who call themselves Democrats. I'm putting mine into progressives like Rebecca. And Shan Chowdhury, running in the southeast Queens district where that hospital you keep hearing about with all the deaths-- Elmhurst-- is. "It’s clearly disappointing that Bernie is not the Democratic nominee," he told me. "So many working people put their money and time into seeing him win. Now all there’s left is anger, and rightfully so. I’m reminded more than ever now how critical down ballot races like mine are. I’m taking on one of most corrupt members in Congress. I am his first serious challenger in over 20 years, and I’m doing it completely 100% people funded, turning out new voters with a mission to fight for progressive change. This is how we will win! The movement does not end with Bernie."

I heard a similar message from the Blue America-endorsed candidate in the suburbs north of Indianapolis, Jennifer Christie. "Until a month ago, we were out knocking doors every day. Now we are phone-banking and people are home. I’ve talked with thousands of Indiana voters. People are sick of politics and want real leadership. Hoosiers are interesting. We are considered a 'red' state, yet we elect Democrats throughout the state at all levels.  The average voter here regularly crosses the ballot. Indiana voters care deeply about authenticIty. Bernie won my district in 2016, and he won the state. We have always had wonderful volunteers in our campaign. In the last couple of months, our team had been growing immensely with new volunteers joining us every day. Why are voters enthusiastic about our campaign? Real change and genuine leadership. We have Democrats, Independents, and even a few Republicans who support our campaign because we are willing to take a positions and leadership on the issues. I am the only candidate in the race to support Medicare For All, a Green New Deal, and other important progressive policies. I am also the only scientist in the race, which, especially during the pandemic, people appreciate as a much needed voice in policy-making. We find over and over again that most Hoosiers support these policies, even across party lines. I believe that voters are especially enthusiastic now because  we have an opportunity to flip a seat with a true progressive. We know that our best shot for passing our policies is to fill the House and Senate with progressives.  Much of our support comes from Bernie and Warren supporters who understand that, while Biden is not a progressive, if we get a Medicare For All or Green New Deal bill to his desk, he will sign it. Since I am running for an open and flippable seat, we can make a big difference toward making that happen."

She's more hopeful than I am about getting Biden to sign a Medicare for All bill-- or anything progressive by twenty-first Century standards. But electing candidates like Jennifer Christie, Heather Parson and Shan Chowdhury is the way to move and get the country out of the ditch Trump and corporate conservatives have shoved us into. Please consider contributing to all three campaigns by clicking on the Blue America thermometer above.

And, by the way, AOC staffers and Team Biden have been discussing how to get progressive enthusiasm up for Biden: policies. She's asking Biden to more in a more progressive direction in terms of healthcare climate change, immigration and federal treatment of Puerto Rico.

On the subject of Biden’s health care proposals, Ocasio-Cortez said his support for lowering Medicare’s eligibility age to 60 is not “going to be enough for us,” adding that the party is “going to have to pursue a much more ambitious health care policy.”

Ocasio-Cortez also elaborated on Biden’s stance toward climate change, characterizing his preferred methods for combating the threat from rising global temperatures as inadequate.

“I don’t think that the vice president has a climate change policy that is sufficient right now,” she said, “and I’d like to see us really work on that.”

The congresswoman also offered advice on the most important decision Biden will make in the coming weeks, casting his choice of vice presidential nominee as another litmus test of the candidate’s progressive credentials.

Although Ocasio-Cortez said she was heartened by Biden’s pledge to name a female running mate and his openness to a woman of color being on the Democratic ticket, she argued that “what’s really important is not only just that woman’s identity, in terms of gender and cultural terms, but... who that woman is and [what] her stance is.”

Bernie Will Wipe Away The Stench Of Trumpism And The Trumpists... And He Can Use Some Help

As we mentioned yesterday, Jeff Stein and Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post revealed a document from Bernie headquarters that shows the new frontrunner-- in both the Democratic primary and the general election-- "is considering dozens of executive orders he could unilaterally enact on a wide range of domestic policy issues if elected president, including immigration, the environment and prescription drugs."

Aides have presented Sanders with a list of possible executive actions, including more than a dozen options for reversing President Trump’s immigration policy, such as lifting the cap on the number of refugees accepted into the United States and immediately halting border wall construction. Another option is the reinstatement of an Obama-era program that granted legal status to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.

The document reviewed by the Washington Post shows how the Sanders campaign has already begun extensive planning for how the senator would lead the country in his first days as president if he won the Democratic nomination and defeated Trump in November. Many of the proposals Sanders has floated on the campaign trail do not have support from congressional Republicans and are opposed by some Democrats, so a willingness to move forward without congressional approval could determine whether many of his policies are enacted.

The list of potential executive orders includes unilaterally allowing the United States to import prescription drugs from Canada, directing the Justice Department to legalize marijuana, and declaring climate change a national emergency while banning the exportation of crude oil. Other options cited in the document include canceling federal contracts for firms paying workers less than $15 an hour and reversing federal rules blocking U.S. funding to organizations that provide abortion counseling.

The campaign’s potential executive orders come amid increased scrutiny about how Sanders, one of the most left-leaning members in Congress, would attempt to advance his agenda. One of Sanders’s top rivals on the campaign trail, former vice president Joe Biden, has talked about working with Republicans in some cases to enact his agenda. Sanders’s approach appears to be different.

The unilateral actions considered by Sanders’s campaign are likely to be fiercely opposed by conservatives and even moderate liberals. Sanders could face criticism for moving to take more power away from the legislative branch amid ever-expanding executive authority, although he has been a vocal proponent of giving Congress more power over the country’s wars and military interventions. Many Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Trump for the numerous executive orders he signed in the early part of his presidency.

“Every time a president leaves office, they leave office with more power the next president in line can take and expand,” said Jason Pye, vice president of legislative affairs for FreedomWorks, a conservative group. “You’re getting to the point where the legislative branch has lost so much of its power... it almost does not matter. And that should concern every person in this country.”

Sanders has already released a slew of legislative proposals that would have to be approved by Congress, including a “Medicare-for-all” single-payer health-care system and a Green New Deal to remake the nation’s energy system.

He has faced questions from voters in recent weeks on the campaign trail about how he would deal with Republican resistance in Congress should he be elected and made to work with a GOP-dominated Senate.

“I love your ideas, Bernie,” a woman told him at a town hall in Anamosa, Iowa, in January. “But what are you going to do about the partisanship that prevents any good Democrat from getting anywhere in Congress right now?”

Sanders replied, “We’re going to run a different type of presidency.”

Sanders also said he was prepared to make his case to voters, even in red states, in a bid to pressure Republican lawmakers to support his agenda.

“It’s not just sitting down and arguing with Mitch McConnell,” he said, referring to the Republican Senate majority leader. “It is getting people to stand up and fight back.”

On the campaign trail, Sanders talks frequently about implementing sweeping changes in the way the government deals with health care, climate change and the economy, but he often discusses enacting those changes through legislation rather than through executive orders.

Other possible executive orders being considered include the immediate release of disaster aid to Puerto Rico and a review of federal policies toward Native American tribal groups.

“Bernie will try to do all he can do with executive orders as quickly as he can, while fully cognizant of the fact much more will have to be done by legislative means,” said Robert C. Hockett, a professor at Cornell University who has advised Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on economic policy matters. “The idea is to get as much done as you can, as quickly as you can.”

A prominent Blue America advisor suggested that Bernie go beyond the leak to The Post and officially announce and hugely publicize a list of planned executive orders. Why? It will show Bernie’s strength and transparency while contrasting him with Biden's dishonest and unrealistic nonsense about working with Moscow Mitch-- tantamount to getting nothing of consequence done-- the entire premise of a Status Quo Joe presidency. Campaigning on the proposed executive actions will also highlight Congress’ inability to block numerous urgent Bernie policies while emphasizing the fact that Bernie will only pass other laws upon Congress being persuaded over the following two and four years-- by more mobilization of more voters-- and by replacing reactionary congress members of both parties with progressives like these. This also knocks out of the park 3 widely shared memes:

• Lefties are wimps-- in between filling up Gulags;
• Bernie will get nothing done;
• Bernie will end voters’ future "choices."

There are dozens of candidates who are running on Bernie's platform and who have endorsed Bernie's candidacy. It's important to help as many of them as possible, especially the best and most prepared of them. I spoke with Liam O'Mara of Orange County, California yesterday about how his own plans will sync up with President Sanders'. He told me that "Senator Sanders and I share a desire to aid the working and middle classes in this country, and to reverse the damage of a 40+ year class war waged by the right on the American people. A trillion dollars in wealth has been lost by the bottom 50% while the top 1% broke all records for profit. This massive redistribution is killing the American Dream, and both the Senator and myself have long been sounding the alarm over it. And yes, there is only so much that can be done with even our overly-powerful presidency. We need to replace the reactionaries and toadies for the oligarchy that currently fill the halls of Congress with solid progressives who want to tackle the real issues and revitalize the promise of the New Deal for the 21st century. To get Sanders's agenda through, I and folks like me all across this country need your help."

Milwaukie, Oregon Mayor Mark Gamba is taking on a reactionary Blue Dog, Kurt Schrader this year (OR-05). He told us, "I'm not surprised by Bernie's list of executive orders. He watched as Congress, under Republican sway, stymied many of Obama's relatively uncontroversial attempts to cause positive change. We don't have time to waste arguing with sold out politicians. We literally have 10 years to save our children's futures. We have people dying right now because they can't afford the drugs their doctors have prescribed, and that is with an insurance policy that includes prescriptions. We have people becoming homeless right now because the cost of housing has far outstripped the minimum wage. Yes, we should fix all those things with laws passed by congress and that will be my job, to move as much of it as possible, as fast as possible. Mine and a few dozen others in the Brand New Congress that the people will elect to replace the corporate shills that have sold them out. However, President Sanders will be right to treat many of these issues as emergencies and behave accordingly."

"Our plans," said Rochester, NY progressive Robin Wilt, a dedicated Berniecrat, "are simply what the vast majority of the American people, and those in NY-25, support, but that the corporate-controlled establishment has resisted. A majority of Americans (58 percent) support the idea of replacing the Affordable Care Act with a federally-funded health care system. In repeated Kaiser polls, 2/3 of Americans had a positive reaction to Medicare-for-all. Similarly, Public Policy Polling (PPP) has found that overwhelmingly (88 percent), voters oppose cutting Social Security benefits, while according to Gallup polling, 67 percent of Americans support removing the cap and requiring high-income earners to pay the payroll tax for all of their income. The common ground among Americans goes on and on: a majority of Americans-- 61 percent-- believe that upper-income earners pay too little in taxes and 64 percent believe that corporations don’t pay their fair share in taxes. Significant majorities believe that wealth distribution is unfair in America and support raising the minimum wage, and say they are worried about the climate crisis. Over and over, a consistent majority of Americans support the policies that Bernie Sanders wants to implement, and now we simply need a Congress on board that actually reflects the interests and desires of the American people."

"I am fully in support of Bernie Sanders' platform and endorse him for president, because he understands that the working class in this country is suffering because of the greed of corporations and the 1%," said Rebecca Parson without hesitation." She's the progressive Democrat running for a seat in Washington held by chief New Dem Derek Kilmer. "Our corporate politicians and the entire professional apparatus that surrounds them," she continued "have utterly failed to propose and pass policies that will help us. I'm fighting for single-payer Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and Housing for All, because they will benefit WA-06 and the entire country. I was one of the first candidates in the country to call for national rent control, and as someone whose rent has gone up 16% in the past few years, this will help me, too. The inside-outside strategy, which is what Bernie is proposing, is a proven strategy for winning legislation for the people, as the Civil Rights movement showed."

California's Central Valley has one terrible conservative after another in Congress-- from Devin Nunes (R) to Jim Costa (Blue Dog). Kim Williams, a former Obama-era diplomat and college professor, is taking on Costa this year. Yesterday, she told me that "Bernie has gained traction in every forgotten corner of America because he has the backbone to stand up for real change. We need him, but we also need progressives at every level of government who will push his policies over the finish line and ensure federal money and resources funnel down to those who need it most. This means we need a Congress who will send Medicare for All and a Green New Deal to President Sanders’ desk for signature. It means we need progressive governors, mayors, county supervisors, and city council members who won’t block progress and ensure more voters can access the polls on Election Day. And it means supporting progressive candidates for central committees who will reshape the Democratic Party from the inside out and support candidates who will truly fight for the people. This is why each weekend our canvassing team promotes an entire progressive slate. As we’ve knocked on thousands of doors, we’ve handed out literature for not just our campaign, but for progressives running for the Democratic Central Committee, our progressive champion for mayor, and Bernie Sanders. We do this because we understand it will take all of us to write America’s next chapter and we’ll need every progressive ally to band together for change."

Indiana progressive candidate, Jennifer Christie asks voters to "Imagine having a progressive Congress working with President Bernie Sanders. I am running because we need real action to solve tough issues. What I love about Bernie is that he has political courage and is willing to fight for the planet and working families without hesitation, even if it means taking on powerful corporate interests to do it. I am ready to help him fight! I am running in a competitive primary for an open seat where I am the progressive candidate. I am the only scientist running in this race, and also the only mom with young children. I have four young children, and each day I work this campaign with their future in mind. Recently, the DCCC threw their support behind one of our opponents. The DCCC has never prioritized candidates who have embraced and fought for progressive issues and values. Our opponent does not have a single issue listed on her website. In contrast, Climate Change, Medicare for All, Education for All, fair taxes and wages, and common-sense gun reform are all centerpieces of our campaign. Furthermore, we have comprehensive policies, including a Climate Agenda to solve the climate crisis with a Green New Deal. Like Bernie, I am not afraid to take on these issues. Furthermore, I am proud that our campaign does not take any corporate PAC money, nor any fossil fuel money, nor any other dark money whatsoever. We have known for decades about climate change, yet we have seen almost no legislative movement to solve this existential threat. We have a healthcare system that leaves tens of millions of people behind. Our tax structure favors the very wealthy. And gun reform is held ransom by the NRA. We are going to change this...All of it!  We will take real action. When in Congress, I will be a voice for our the future of our planet, working families, and children. Like Bernie, I cannot be bought. That’s probably scary to special interests, but for the rest of us, it’s long overdue. I look forward to passing a Bernie budget, solving the climate crisis, and guaranteeing healthcare and college for all Americans. We will transform our economy, our nation, and the world."

War And Peace Doesn't Just Happen To Happen

Alan Grayson: "We don’t let children play with guns, or even knives. So why would we let Donald Trump play with drones, missiles and nuclear weapons?"

Mike Pompeo's bullshit about people dancing in the streets after Trump had Iranian leader Qassim Suleimani assassinated apparently didn't include members of the Iraqi Parliament. On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iraq's parliament unanimously voted to demand that Prime Minister Adel-Abdul Mahdi, who initiated the resolution himself, end the U.S. military presence in the country. Trump had talked with Mahdi on the phone before the drone attack on Suleimani's convoy at the Baghdad airport, but neglected to let him know about what was about to happen.

Also not dancing in the streets: progressive candidates running for Congress. This is a list of 2020 House candidates, 16 progressive Democrats endorsed by Blue America, along with their opponents. Each of the opponents voted in favor of the NDAA that gives Trump a free hand to start wars on a whim, like the one he’s ginning up against Iran right now. The Blue America-endorsed opponents have all said they would have voted against the NDAA.

• Shaniyat Chowdhury v Gregory Meeks (NY-05)
• Kara Eastman v Donald Bacon (NE-02)
• Kathy Ellis v Jason Smith (MO-08)
• Robert Emmons v Bobby Rush (IL-01)
• Mark Gamba v Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
• Morgan Harper v Joyce Beatty (OH-03)
• Marie Newman v Dan Lipinski (IL-03)
• Liam O’Mara v Ken Calvert (CA-42)
• Michael Owens v David Scott (GA-13)
• Rebecca Parson v Derek Kilmer (WA-06)
• Eva Putzova v Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01)
• J.D. Scholten v Steve King (IA-04)
• Mike Siegel v Michael McCaul (TX-10)
• Rachel Ventura v Bill Foster (IL-11)
• Kim Williams v Jim Costa (CA-16)
• Brianna Wu v Stephen Lynch (MA-08)

These Republicans and conservative Democrats should not be reelected and I want to ask you to help support the challengers. When you hear the phrase Bernie wants to send your children to college and Trump wants to send them to war, remember that it isn’t only Trump, it’s also Republican stooges like Michael McCaul, Ken Calvert and Steve King and reactionary Democrats like Tom O’Halleran, Jim Costa and Kurt Schrader. It’s time to take a stand. Eva Putzova sure has. She's running for the Arizona seat occupied by Blue Dog Tom O'Halleran, an "ex"-Republican legislator who voted for Trump's Pentagon budget. Eva has been completely clear that should would have voted NO. "Only Congress has the power to declare war," she told us yesterday, "and responsibility of oversight of and accountability for our use of military force. Yet Congress has increasingly enabled the reckless abuse of the AUMF by turning a blind eye to Executive overreach and by giving the Office of President ever-increasing military budget. As a member of Congress, my opponent has been complacent with the abuse of military power and bears responsibility for countless lives lost. His latest votes, failing to limit Trump's war-making ability and giving him the resources to start a war, are in conflict with the interests of his constituents, this country, and the entire global community."

Kim Williams, a former U.S. diplomat when Obama was president, is also running for a congressional seat held by a reactionary Blue Dog, Jim Costa (CA-16). "Last July," she told us, "Mitch McConnell rebuffed attempts to amend the NDAA by stating that Democrats were politicizing the process. He added that they would not be doing this if there were a Democratic president. But this argument fails to acknowledge a number of political realities. One, Congress should never have written a blank check to any President. Two, Republicans don’t win elections. The last two lost the popular vote by significant margins and neither showed the temperament nor the intellect to make life or death decisions. A functioning democracy should save us from the impulses of a single, flawed individual, and I can not understand how Members of Congress can argue that we should take slow, 'common sense' steps to address issues that cost real American lives like our failing healthcare system, air pollution, and poverty, but then fast track decisions around war. The fact that this President has a history of playing with decoys is even more troubling. Would he have made the same order if he wasn’t facing impeachment? I don’t think so. Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna have now introduced legislation that would block Pentagon funding for any unilateral actions taken by President Trump. If I am elected, they will have my full support."

Virtually all of the candidates we’ve endorsed have been bringing up Ro Khanna as a member of Congress they want to work with to preserve peace. Some say it in very simple terms and others have written long essays already! Last night Dr. Michael Owens, the progressive Democrat challenging Blue Dog warmonger David Scott in the suburbs south and west of Atlanta (GA-13) told me that “House Democrats should not cede any ground to this president when it comes to allowing him to use his judgement and executive branch authority. I would not have voted for the NDAA… mainly because we needed to have the amendments in the bill that Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Barbara Lee put forth. Amendments to block funding for a war with Iran barring congressional approval and the amendment to repeal 2001’s ‘Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists’ (AUMF) could’ve possibly reigned in President Trump’s reckless actions and questionable reasoning for the U.S. drone strike he authorized against the high-ranking Iranian officials.”

Rachel Ventura, the progressive Will County Board member challenging New Dem Bill Foster (IL-11), noted that when she is elected she "will exercise my role as congresswoman to keep any president-- Democrat or Republican-- in check. That is the job of the United States House of Representatives and I will do my job. Just last December, many members of Congress disregarded that job they had to do by passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a blank check that allowed the president to use government funding to conduct the very strike that landed us in our current position. They could have supported Ro Khanna's amendment and any number of other measures that would have limited Trump's ability to continue destabilizing the world. Instead, they gave an unstable president a blank check to destabilize an already unstable region. So to all the members of Congress who voted to pass this funding bill, including my opponent Bill Foster, you can't give an 'unhinged' president a check in December and then criticize the same man for using that check a month later. It is hypocritical to criticize Donald Trump's wrongful assassination of a senior Iranian General after shirking your responsibility to keep the president in check. I will not be a part of the caucus that simply goes along to get along. I will be joining the courageous members of Congress in the progressive caucus who had the foresight to predict this nightmare."

Rachel's neighbor in Chicagoland-- they sometimes hold joint events-- Robert Emmons, who’s taking on Bobby Rush, put it much more succinctly: "War will cost us trillions of dollars. War will end thousands of lives. Reparations, ending everyday gun violence, universal pre-k, Medicare for All, universal transportation, and a Green New Deal will save lives. I choose pro-peace." Pretty straight to the point. And Marie Newman, a third Chicagoland progressive taking on a reactionary pro-war Dem (Dan Lipinski) told us "My opponent voted for the NDAA and that says it all. He believes this president should have full power to start wars whenever he wishes."

Rebecca Parson, the Democratic Socialist challenging northwest Washington New Dem Derek Kilmer, was even more succinct! "Derek Kilmer voted for Trump’s war budget and now Trump is stoking war with Iran. We need principled progressives in Congress, not corporate tools of the war machine."

One state down, Mark Gamba, the progressive mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon, is running for the congressional seat held by Blue Dog war-monger Kurt Schrader, who, needless to say, voted for the NDAA a couple of weeks ago. Mark told me today that "We go to war to make rich people richer. We do it both to secure access to other countries resources for our corporations and simply to enrich the military industrial complex. We allow our young people to be maimed, psychologically ravaged or be killed in order to enrich Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and dozens of others. Never mind the fact that we kill millions of innocent civilians in other countries in the process. I believe in a strong national defense. But we were already spending more than the next 10 largest militaries in the world combined before the terrible vote by 188 house Democrats to increase it. Yet the only real threat we face goes completely unaddressed, simply because no defense contractor will make billions fighting climate change. No big surprise that Kurt Schrader was one of the Dems that took that bad vote. It’s long past time to replace corporate dems with people who are not beholden the Military Industrial Complex and who actually give a damn about our young people. It’s time to spend this kind of money solving the actual threat of climate change rather than the Trumped up threats from other countries. It may also be high time to preemptively launch antiwar protests. I’ll see you on the streets."

Liam O’Mara is the progressive running for the Riverside County congressional seat that lockstep Trump toadie Ken Calvert occupies. There are few districts in California where the contrast between the two candidates is as great. Yesterday, Liam, a history professor, told us that "Trump just made another massive blunder in the Middle East-- another in a long line of blunders that we keep making there. We violated Iraqi sovereignty, broke international law, committed an act of war against Iran, and may also have violated U.S. law-- and for what? To keep feeding the war machine, to get more troops sent overseas and keep up the endless waste of taxpayer dollars and lives? I think that the U.S. deserves better from its leaders. I think that it deserves investment in its citizens, in their quality of life, not in constant wars for oil and defense-contractor dollars. We should be building houses and hospitals, roads and bridges, factories and farms… not bombing ten countries, wasting trillions on unwinnable wars, and assassinating foreign leaders. It’s time to think about what kind of country we want-- a moral exemplar, devoted to the rule of law, or a rogue state, concerned only for power and greed. I know where I stand on that, and where Ken Calvert stands."





Yesterday, Pelosi sent out this letter to all the Democrats in Congress, announcing that the House would vote on a war powers resolution to prevent Trump from going to war with Iran on a whim. Note it is being carried for her by a conservative Democrat, Elissa Slotkin, rather than by one of the progressives who would be a natural-- like Barbara Lee or Ro Khanna. I suppose Pelosi thinks that will help her lock up votes on the right for the Democratic Party more easily.

Dear Democratic Colleague,

Last week, the Trump Administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military airstrike targeting high-level Iranian military officials. This action endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran.

As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to keep the American people safe. For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congress’s war powers granted to it by the Constitution.

This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran. This resolution is similar to the resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine in the Senate. It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.

The House Resolution will be led by Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin.  Congresswoman Slotkin is a former CIA and Department of Defense analyst specializing in Shia militias. She served multiple tours in the region under both Democratic and Republican Administrations.

I greatly appreciate the solemnity with which all of our Members are working to honor our responsibility to protect American lives and values.

Thank you for your patriotic leadership during this difficult time.

Whatever You Wanted To Know About Bernie And Why He's Running And What He Plans To Do In The White House

John Harwood did an excellent interview with Bernie for, of all places, CNBC. Bernie explains what Democratic Socialism means-- basically working towards completing what FDR started. "what I'm trying to do in this campaign is pick up where Roosevelt left off and say that economic rights must be considered human rights." You should watch it in full. Believe me, this isn't the kind of interview you're going to ever see from Maddow on MSNBC.

Harwood wrote that "Four years ago, his message of dramatic change to remedy income inequality and other economic ills won a large following in his fight against Hillary Clinton for the nomination of a party he does not even formally embrace. The results encouraged him enough to try again for 2020, even at age 78. This race poses different and perhaps more formidable challenges. The political independent faces not only a moderate, conventional front-runner in former Vice President Joe Biden, but also a powerful fellow liberal in Sen. Elizabeth Warren brandishing ideas nearly as ambitious as his. In debates and on the campaign trail, Warren has expanded her support this year; polls suggest Sanders has not."

John Harwood: One health question as we start. Has what you went through affected you emotionally, how you think about life or what’s important?

Bernie Sanders: As somebody who has had great endurance as a kid-- I was a long-distance runner, thank God I’ve been healthy as a horse-- it was a little bit shocking to me when the doctor there told me, “Hey, you’re having a heart attack.” I could not believe that that was the case.

I don’t want to be overly political in saying this, but my life is political. I went into the hospital and I didn’t worry about whether I could afford to pay. I have good insurance. And I’m sitting there, and thinking somebody else here has that same discomfort, and they’re sitting and thinking, “Should I go into the hospital and end up with a large bill? Maybe it’ll get better tomorrow, maybe I’ll forget about it.” Some of those people die or suffer permanent health damage. That’s one of those things that I thought about.

John Harwood: You recently distinguished yourself from Senator Warren-- she’s a capitalist to her bones, and you’re not.

Bernie Sanders: That’s how she has defined herself.

John Harwood: Is that just a marker of you being a little more progressive, or do you think that has real practical significance?

Bernie Sanders: I think it does, in a couple of ways. At this particular moment in history-- where the average worker has not seen a real inflation accounted for wage increase in 45 years despite an explosion of technology and productivity, where you have a political system which is totally corrupt and owned by billionaires, where you have massive amounts of corporate corruption, I think the time is now, if we’re going to save this country, for a political revolution.

It’s not just more regulation. It’s about involving millions of people, working people, young people, people who believe in justice, in the political process, to tell the corporate elite that enough is enough. We’re going to change the system politically, economically. We’re going to change the value system of this country. We’re not going to worship corrupt billionaires anymore, we’re going to respect teachers and child care workers and cops and firefighters and small business people. That’s what our campaign, uniquely I believe, is about.

John Harwood: Do you have any problem with the work that she’s done in the past, advising corporations-- Dow Corning, Dow Chemical-- on legal problems?

Bernie Sanders: I’ll let the American people make that judgment. I have never worked for a corporation myself. I’ve never carried their baggage in the United States Senate.

People have the opportunity to look at my record. It’s not last year, not two years ago-- I was for “Medicare for All” when I was mayor of Burlington in the 1980s. During my career, I have taken on every powerful corporate interest, whether it’s the drug companies, the insurance companies, fossil fuel, Wall Street. I’ve been doing this for 30 or 40 years. These are not new ideas for me.

John Harwood: You identify as a democratic socialist. You got the endorsement of Representative Ocasio-Cortez over the weekend. How far do you think you can take the United States of America toward democratic socialism?

Bernie Sanders: It depends on what we mean by democratic socialism. What I am trying to do, in many ways, is pick up where Franklin Delano Roosevelt left off. In a not widely publicized State of The Union speech he gave in 1944, this is what he said in so many words: “We have political rights. You have freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion. All of that’s great, but what we don’t have are guaranteed economic rights.”

So you could vote, but you also have the privilege of sleeping out on the street. You can protest, but you also have the freedom to work 60 or 70 hours a week at starvation wages. You have the freedom not to have health insurance, not to be able to send your kids to college. What I’m trying to do in this campaign is say that economic rights must be considered as human rights.

John Harwood: Do you also embrace the part of FDR that said adversaries hate me and I welcome their hatred?

Bernie Sanders: Absolutely. You can judge a person by the friends they have. You can judge a candidate for president by the enemies they have.

There was a guy who was head of Third Way, the corporate wing of the Democratic Party. He said, “Bernie Sanders is an existential threat to the Democratic Party.” I agree with him. I am. I want to convert the Democratic Party, to break its dependency on big money and corporate interests, and make it a party of working-class people, of young people, of all people who believe in justice.

John Harwood: Would it be your intention to appoint democratic socialists to big positions in your administration?

Bernie Sanders: Well, you’re going a little bit too crazy on the word here.

I will appoint people who believe in the working class and the working families of this country, who are prepared to stand up to the incredibly powerful corporate interests, that today dominate our economic and political life. I will appoint an attorney general, who for the first time in modern history, will go after the white-collar crime, which I believe is rampant. Instead of arresting kids whether they are selling marijuana, maybe we go after some of the crooks on Wall Street or in other major industries. I will appoint an attorney general who is prepared to enforce the antitrust laws that are on the books, that have been neglected for so very long.

So when I talk about democratic socialism, let’s be clear, what does it mean? Let’s not get people overly nervous about it.

John Harwood: The DSA website said, “We can’t eliminate private corporations in the short term, so we have to confront them.” Would it be your intention, in the medium or long term, not to have private corporations?

Bernie Sanders: No, that’s not my intention. What is my intention, though, is to make sure that workers have representation on those large corporations. We’ve presented the Corporate Accountability Act. Not terribly radical-- it exists in one form or another in other countries, including Germany. Instead of just being a cog in the machine, what about giving that worker some power and responsibility in terms of the shaping of that corporation?

Should Wall Street and a handful of members of a board determine whether a factory remains in the United States or whether it goes to China? Should a handful of wealthy board members determine whether or not there is a stock buy-back, whether workers get decent wage increases and decent benefits?

John Harwood: You’re not impressed by the statement that Jamie Dimon and the Business Roundtable put out saying that, “We are going to take considerations broader than just profit into our practices.” You don’t think they’re serious?

Bernie Sanders: No. Of course not.

John Harwood: If you require that 45% of the board be workers, a required distribution of profits to workers, if you ban stock buybacks, do you accept that would have a slowing effect on economic growth?

Bernie Sanders: It’s not good enough just to look at economic growth. That has been the biblical stature that corporate America has been looking at-- we have growth, we have growth. The average worker is no better off than he or she was 45 years ago. In the last 30 years, the top 1% have seen a $21 trillion increase in their wealth. The bottom half of America’s seen a decline in their wealth. Half the people today are living paycheck to paycheck.

The question is, is our economy working for the people here? Is it working for ordinary Americans? Do people feel secure? Do they know that when they get sick, they can go to a doctor in a hospital? Do they know that their kids, everything being equal, can have a better standard of living?

John Harwood: How do you factor in the fact that modern global capitalism has substantially reduced poverty in other parts of the world?

Bernie Sanders: When you talk about the global economy, you’re right. Thank God. The terrible, terrible poverty in the developing world, some of that is receding. That’s great. On the other hand, you are looking at an unbelievable and grotesque level of global income and wealth inequality. You are seeing in country after country, the incredible power of large multinational corporations and Wall Street in determining the future of those countries. You’re also seeing in many countries a movement toward increased authoritarianism and away from human rights and democracy.

John Harwood: On Wall Street reform, you say you want to end “too-big-to-jail.” You said the other day that Sherman Act violations by monopolists ought to have the potential for criminal indictments. I wonder if you think that principle also applies to cases like the Boeing CEO. He’s been stripped of his position as board chairman, the head of the Max airplane was fired. Is that the kind of case that criminal law is relevant to?

Bernie Sanders: This is the kind of discussion that we need as a nation, and that will take place when I’m president. I’ll give you three examples.

In 2008, Wall Street drove this country into the worst economic recession in modern history. Wall Street has paid tens and tens of billions of dollars in fines for their illegal activity. Wasn’t a mistake. They were selling subprime mortgages that they knew were worthless.

How many of these Wall Street executives went to jail?

John Harwood: I don’t think any.

Bernie Sanders: No, and that is why the American people are disgusted with what goes on in Washington, D.C. They see a kid selling marijuana, gets picked up by the cop. That kid will have a criminal record the rest of his life. And a Wall Street executive that causes a massive tragedy for our economy, no punishment.

Another example-- the pharmaceutical industry. They’re not only greedy, they are corrupt. They are engaged in collusion and in price-fixing. Right now, as you know, state attorneys general are mounting a massive lawsuit against the opioid manufacturers. What they are saying is, these guys knew exactly what they were doing. They were selling an addictive product all over this country. Many have died. How do you define that behavior? I call it criminal.

One more example. How do we define, how do we describe the behavior of the fossil fuel industry?

John Harwood: You tell me.

Bernie Sanders: All right, I will tell you. They have known, for a very long time, the executives of Exxon Mobil and other fossil fuel industries knew that the product that they were producing was causing climate change and in fact helping to destroy this planet.

John Harwood: You put them in the same category as tobacco executives.

Bernie Sanders: Exactly. If you are producing a product and you don’t know that it’s causing harm, that’s forgivable. But if you are like the tobacco industry-- we go before Congress, we swear that all of our research has shown that there is not a problem with tobacco causing cancer or heart disease. They lied. My father died because he smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. Millions of people are in the same boat. These are liars. These are criminals. By the way, they’re still selling their bloody products all over the world. Same thing with fossil fuel.

We need as a nation to do something we have never done before, and say to these corporate executives who have so much power, we’re tired of your greed and we are tired of your corruption. I support and respect business people who produce new products, create jobs. God bless them. I do not respect or support criminals who are killing people, who are harming people, and are lying about what they’re doing.

John Harwood: Let me ask a question about real-world governance rather than campaign rhetoric. Joe Biden said earlier this year, nothing really fundamental has to change. You have proposed enormous changes. Would the practical results of a Biden administration really be that different from the practical results in a Sanders administration, given the fact that there are so many constraints on things getting done in Congress?

Bernie Sanders: John, you’re forgetting one very important thing: I am a different type of politician, and my administration will be unique in modern American history at least going back to FDR.

You talk about the fact that nothing much really big ever happens. And there’s truth to that. But what you’re missing is that right now you have a Congress and a White House that are dominated by a corporate elite who have unbelievable amounts of money and influence over the political and economic life of this country. I’m not going to be dominated by those guys. I will take them on and I’ll beat them.

The way we beat them is with the understanding that real change has never taken place without millions of people standing up and demanding that change. That is the history of the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the gay movement, the environmental movement. I will not only be commander in chief of the military, I will be organizer in chief. I will be organizing with a strong grassroots movement.

We already have the nucleus. It’ll be involving the labor unions, the African American communities, the Latino community, the young people of this country. All people who believe in justice, working-class people, who are prepared to stand up and fight and take on the corporate elite. And when you do that, John, then you’re not talking about incremental changes.

John Harwood: But even if you get elected, even if it’s successful to the point that Democrats win a small majority in the Senate, is Joe Manchin going to vote for your program? Is Jon Tester going to vote for your program?

Bernie Sanders: Yeah. Damn right they will. You know why? We’re going to go to West Virginia.

Your average politician sits around and he or she thinks, “Let’s see. If I do this, I’m going to have the big money interests putting 30-second ads against me. So I’d better not do it.” But now they’re going to have to think, “If I don’t support an agenda that works for working people, I’m going to have President Sanders coming to my state and rallying working-class people.”

You know what? The 1 percent is very powerful-- no denying that. The 99%, when they’re organized and prepared to stand up and fight, they are far more powerful.

John Harwood: You’ve been running for president for five years. If there were a latent political revolution waiting to happen, wouldn’t we see more of it by now?

Bernie Sanders: Let’s talk about that. Think about the ideas that I introduced four years ago. Four years ago, $15 an hour minimum wage-- “radical and crazy.” Four years ago, Medicare for All, health care as a human right-- “Bernie, that’s un-American.” Seventy-one percent of Democrats now support that. Climate change is a major threat.

John Harwood: That’s more people talking about it, not stuff having gotten through the process. Bernie Sanders: How’s it going to get through the process when Donald Trump is president, who is beholden to his billionaire friends? And when Mitch McConnell runs the Senate?

But the House of Representatives did pass a $15 an hour minimum wage. The House of Representatives did pass significant election reform, et cetera, et cetera. So it’s waiting. The ideas that I am talking about are by and large supported by the American people.

As president, I help bring our country together by talking about issues that Republicans agree on. Republicans think that we should not have a trade policy that sends good-paying jobs to China and Mexico. I agree with that. We can bring people together around an agenda that works for working families, not just the 1%.

John Harwood: One of the constraints has been fiscal. Senator Warren is producing plans to pay for Medicare for All. You’ve identified revenue sources for about half of it. Do you think it’s important to identify revenue sources for the other half? Or do you believe, as those who subscribe to modern monetary theory believe, that we’ve been a little bit too constrained by concerns about the deficit?

Bernie Sanders: We’re trying to pay for the damn thing. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, it is my view that the wealthiest people in this country, the top 1/10th of 1% should be paying substantially more than they’re paying right now. You have an insane situation. Let my Wall Street friends there tell me why it makes sense.

John Harwood: You have Wall Street friends?

Bernie Sanders: No, I don’t. That was just a metaphor. I was trying to sound nice.

But you know, please, defend for me Amazon, owned by the wealthiest guy in the country, making $11 billion in profits last year and not paying a nickel in federal income taxes. I want to hear the defense. John, I don’t hear it. There is no defense. And it’s not just Amazon, it’s dozens of these corporations.

John Harwood: But you still have more revenue to go to make it fully paid for, yes?

Bernie Sanders: The fight right now is to get the American people to understand that we’re spending twice as much per capita, that of course, we can pay for it. We’re paying it now in a very reactionary, regressive way. I want to pay for it in a progressive way.

You’re asking me to come up with an exact detailed plan of how every American-- how much you’re going to pay more in taxes, how much I’m going to pay. I don’t think I have to do that right now.

John Harwood: You think it’s foolish that Senator Warren is trying to?

Bernie Sanders: I’m not saying it’s foolish. All that I’m saying is that we have laid out a variety of options that are progressive. We’ll have that debate. At the end of the day, we will pay for every nickel of Medicare for All, and it will save the overwhelming majority of the American people, who will no longer pay premiums.

John Harwood: Would you envision that at the end of a Sanders administration, the deficit would not be larger than it is now?

Bernie Sanders: Under Trump, what we have seen is a huge increase in the deficit. I think I will do a lot better than Trump.

Every major proposal that we have brought forth-- whether it’s Medicare for All, dealing with climate change, transforming our energy system, making public colleges and universities tuition-free and eliminating all student debt in America-- that’s all paid for.

John Harwood: Congress has not been able to raise the gas tax by pennies to fix crumbling roads and bridges. You’ve got a wealth tax, which is enormous. Congress has not been able to pass card-check unionization. You’re proposing a huge increase in the clout of organized labor. How are those things even conceivable in 2019?

Bernie Sanders: OK, it’s a good question. It’s a fair question. But you’re looking at status quo politics. I often use a statement that Nelson Mandela made: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”

These ideas-- “Oh my God, it can’t be done.” Imagine everybody in America having health care. Duh-- that’s what exists in every other country on Earth. Why is that so impossible?

Imagine the United States leading the world in transforming our energy system and saving the planet for our kids and grandchildren. “Oh my God, it’s impossible.” Really? What’s the alternative?

You’re right in saying that these are big ideas. I concede that. You’re right in saying that we have more or less a dysfunctional Congress. I agree with you.

But where you’re not right is understanding that if you and I were sitting here 25 years ago, and I said to you, “You know John, I think that gay marriage will be legal in every state in this country”. What would you have said to me? You would have said, “you’re crazy.”

John Harwood: Yes, I would have.

Bernie Sanders: I grew up at a time when African Americans could not vote, right? Kids could not go to a local school, could not drink at a water fountain. And change took place. Martin Luther King Jr., others, they stood up and they fought. 100 years ago, women did not have the right to vote, because as we all know, women’s place is in the house; 100 years ago-- not a long time.

Change can take place when you motivate people, when you get people organized when they stand up for justice. That’s what I believe.

John Harwood: If you’ve got a one-shot in your first year...

Bernie Sanders: Wrong question! I know where you’re going. You’re going to ask me to prioritize.

John Harwood: Yes.

Bernie Sanders: No. Once you get moving, you can move. I think that the American people can chew bubble gum and walk at the same time.

We must save the planet. That’s not an option. We have got to combat climate change. America’s got to lead the world.

I will demand that every American has health care as a human right. I will not allow hundreds of thousands of bright young kids not to be able to go to college because they lack the income or 45 million people to be suffering from large student debt.

John Harwood: You don’t accept that you’ve got to pick one to start?

Bernie Sanders: No. That’s old thinking.

John Harwood: Last question. When we did this interview four years ago, you ended it by saying, “don’t underestimate me.”

Bernie Sanders: Did I say that, John?

John Harwood: You did.

Bernie Sanders: And you underestimated me.

John Harwood: I confess that I did. But right now, I think a whole lot of people are discounting your chances, or in your view may be underestimating you. What would you say to them?

Bernie Sanders: When I became mayor of the city of Burlington way back when in 1981, a local reporter said, “Well the odds of Sanders winning against the five-term incumbent, running as an independent, are about 100 to 1.” I won. Last time around, taking on the entire Democratic establishment, we ended up winning 22 states and got more young people’s votes than Trump and Clinton combined.

The ideas that I talked about four years ago seemed so radical and extreme. Today they’re kind of mainstream ideas, right?

Don’t underestimate me.

Everyone should vote for Bernie, except the selfish and most greedy, self-interested billionaires. Everyone else should. Great again? Making America great again? There's no one else but Bernie to do that who's running for president. This 2020 ActBlue thermometer on the right is a place where you can contribute to Bernie's campaign; I did; you should too. And you can also contribute to progressive congressional candidates who support him and his platform and will help him pass the programs he's talking about. I want to repeat a comment Washington state candidate Rebecca Parson gave me for why she endorsed Bernie: "I am backing Bernie because he's the best choice for the working class. He's been saying the same things for decades, even when it was inconvenient, because he believes them. Unlike all other presidential candidates, Bernie supports federal rent control (as a renter myself, this is massive); supports true, single-payer, non-wishy washy M4A; wants to cancel ALL student debt; and can actually beat Trump. And unlike all other candidates, his theory of change is one that will result in a true transformation of this country instead of surface-level reforms. Bernie's theory of change is the 'inside-outside strategy,' and unlike Obama, he won't abandon the grassroots when he's in the White House. For all these reasons and more, I endorse and support Bernie all the way."

You Can Count On The Establishment To Sabotage Bernie's Campaign... Obviously, The Status Quo Serves Their Interests

I did a recent survey of Blue America-endorsed candidates. Most of them have told me they would be happy with either Bernie or Elizabeth Warren. Some preferred Elizabeth and some preferred Bernie but no one said anything about backing Status Quo Joe, Mayo Pete or Kamala. One, Kim Williams-- formerly a diplomat during Obama's time in office and now a professor at UC Merced-- is the progressive alternative to Central Valley Blue Dog incumbent Jim Costa (and another conservative opposing him). She told me she had been leaning towards Elizabeth Warren and as she followed the presidential primary more closely came to the conclusion that Bernie is the better choice.

"Like Rep. Omar, I was in Elizabeth Warren’s camp. Anyone who’s ever heard me speak knows that I spend a great deal of time talking about policy. We simply can’t fix the many problems my district faces without bold and detailed plans. But we also need a heart, and we have to show up. And that’s what Bernie Sanders has done here. The three counties in my district are often referred to as the forgotten California. It’s the poorest district in this wealthy state, and one of the poorest districts in this nation, which probably explains why few presidential candidates make their way here. Bernie is the only candidate to have prioritized and invested in the Central Valley. Bernie has not only had the political courage to go against the media and the moneyed interests that have hurt so many working Americans long before anyone else, he has shown a genuine affection for so many forgotten people that are tired of Democrats who only care about them on election years. In his words and deeds, he has shown up, and that gives me the confidence to know he’ll show up in every way that counts as president."

Over the weekend, Time Magazine reporter Lissandra Villa was traveling with Bernie in Iowa. Time is no longer as huge and influential as it was when it had the biggest circulation of any weekly in the world but it's still more important than a ham sandwich. When I was a divisional present at Warner Bros., Time was an integral part of first Time Warner and then AOL Time Warner, always very much a part of the Establishment. When the AOL empire collapsed and Warner shattered into pieces-- the record division being acquired by Russian oligarch Леонид Валентинович Блаватник (Leonid Valentinovich Blavatnik)-- Time wound up in the hands of the Koch Brothers through and acquisition by the Meredith Corporation of Iowa. Last year Mededith sold Time to Marc Benioff (whose hometown Señor Trumpanzee was slandering on Twitter Saturday morning).

Marc Benioff has a magazine

Benioff is a billionaire San Francisco establishment Democrat, who regularly gives tens of thousands of dollars to help prop up the rotten conservative party hierarchy with massive contributions to the DCCC, DSCC and DNC. I found over $750,000 in contributions to those 3 organizations over the last few years. Benioff also donated $50,000 to Ready for Hillary. He tends to give his political money to conservative Democrats-- New Dems and Blue Dogs and their PACs-- and to "moderate" Republicans. So far this year, Benioff and his wife Lynne have made about two dozen contributions to candidates-- each one a max contribution ($2,800):

• February 7- Mark Kelly (D-AZ) x 2
• February 7- Kamala Harris (D-CA) x 2
• February 7- Cory Booker (D-NJ)
• March 2- Jay Inslee (D-WA) x 4
• May 17- Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) x 2
• May 17- Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) x 2
• May 21- Elise Stefanik (R-NY)- $5,600
• May 22- Will Hurd (R-TX) x 4
• May 24- John Katko (R-NY) x 2
• June 30- Elise Stefanik (R-NY) x 2

His company's PAC, which he finances, seems to have given a couple of hundred thousand dollars in small amounts this year-- as little as $78 to John Lewis, for example-- with the big money going overwhelmingly to conservatives of both parties. The biggest single contribution went to Mayo Pete, $29,411. His favorite Republican were the same ones he gave to personally-- McCarthy, Katko, Fitzpatrick, Hurd, Stefanik... In short, the owner of Time is a major donor to the centrist establishment. This weekend, his magazine admitted how undeniably strong Bernie's campaign looks... adding, but can he grown his base? Villa wrote that "in many ways, despite taking time off to rest, [Bernie has] managed to convert the last month into one of the most successful in his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign so far. He’s still polling in the top three, he’s shown he’s one of the strongest fundraisers in the field and he’s got the backing of the likes of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, two of the most recognizable progressive politicians in the nation. But one of the questions hovering over his campaign is whether he can grow his base of support, enough not only to win the nomination, but also to beat President Donald Trump."

Billionaires of every political stripe-- like Marc and Lynne Benioff-- will do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. His magazine:

In 2016, Sanders performed very well in Iowa, defying expectations when Hillary Clinton just barely beat him. In many ways, it was his competitive run overall that helped pave the way not just for his own candidacy, but for a collectively more progressive field of candidates happy to take up the mantle he turned mainstream. Part of the challenge for Sanders now is keeping the coalition he had in 2016 — and expanding it. That’s a hard feat for any candidate in a still-wide primary field, but possibly especially so for someone who is no longer a fresh face.

“It’s hard to capture the same kind of energy two times in a row,” said Tim Gannon, a former Democratic candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, of Sanders. “The dynamics are so much different. He’s not as much the insurgent because he ran last time and proved that he was popular and a lot of his ideas were popular, especially among Democrats, so instead of running after a person who was very much the front runner, he’s among … the hunted this time around, and I think that there are candidates who have eaten into some of the support that he enjoyed last time.”

Sanders’s campaign manager has recognized the need for additional voters, telling the Wall Street Journal this week that for a Sanders victory, “he needs a mass mobilization of people who have not voted before.” In a note to Sanders supporters on Friday, the campaign’s Iowa state director Misty Rebik said they had already “collected more commitments to caucus for Bernie Sanders than we had on January 1, 2016.”

This week, Sanders returned to Iowa for an “End Corporate Greed” tour through the state, accompanied by his wife, Jane. In the last several days, he’s also been rolling out local endorsements in multiple states, and he has planned travel to Detroit to appear alongside Rep. Rashida Tlaib (another member of the so-called freshman “Squad” in Congress) with a performance by Jack White, and several other scheduled rallies, including one with Omar. At events in Iowa this week, he often brought up the Ocasio-Cortez endorsement as well. It remains to be seen whether buzz created by such high-profile endorsements will have any effect on voters weighing him as a potential candidate to support.

“I think he’s got a good line of support behind him, and I think he can grow it. That was actually, if I had a chance, I want to know from him … how he plans on maybe trying to get [Republicans] to come over and vote Democratic,” said Eva Garcia, 64, a Waterloo resident who drove an hour to Toledo, Iowa, for a Sanders town hall on Friday. Though Garcia said she caucused for Sanders when he first ran for President, she said she was “maybe” open to supporting someone else.

For many of his backers, it’s Sanders’s decades-long commitment to a message that they point to as his strength and the reason they like him. Some of them also point to it as a reason for picking him over his progressive counterpart, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a close friend and Senate colleague.

“Elizabeth Warren is a neat person in a lot of ways, but she is not Bernie Sanders. Bernie’s got the track record … he’s been consistent all the way through,” said Patrick Bosold, 70, a Fairfield resident wearing a baseball tee with a young Sanders on it that he picked up at a recent campaign event hosted in Iowa’s Field of Dreams. On Friday Bosold volunteered with the Sanders campaign for a press conference in Newton, Iowa, held at a Maytag complex, where Sanders said “it goes without saying” he would support whomever became the Democratic nominee, even it it was not him. (“I hope it’s me,” Sanders added.)

Sanders himself at events often notes how long he’s been singing the same song. Asked at a League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) event on Thursday night in Des Moines how he distinguished himself from other candidates (in a question specific to Latino voters), Sanders relied exclusively on that argument.

“What distinguishes my candidacy from the others is that I have been fighting for the working families of this country for many, many decades. I have walked on picket lines, probably more picket lines over the years than all of my competitors have collectively,” Sanders told an approving crowd, where some supporters sat wearing “Unidos Con Bernie” T-shirts.

After facing criticism in his first run for not reaching out to minorities enough and having a largely white team, the campaign has this time undertaken steps to address both in an attempt to shore up further support. But it will be voters from every corner of the Democratic party that he will have to convince to back him.

“To convince me to vote for someone else, other than Mayor Pete [Buttigieg], would be kind of hard,” said Nancy Sund, 70, a Toledo resident who attended Sanders’s town hall there on Friday. Sund said she supported Clinton in 2016, but after hearing so much about Sanders in the last election cycle, she said she wanted to see for herself whether he could be the right candidate for her.

“I was impressed,” Sund said of Sanders after the town hall. “I don’t know if it was enough to change my mind. It’s early yet.”

Rebecca Parson, the progressive candidate challenging head New Dei Derek Kilmer in Washington state explained how she came to back Bernie. She sounds very much like the other candidates have have come to the same conclusion. "I am backing Bernie because he's the best choice for the working class. He's been saying the same things for decades, even when it was inconvenient, because he believes them. Unlike all other presidential candidates, Bernie supports federal rent control (as a renter myself, this is massive); supports true, single-payer, non-wishy washy M4A; wants to cancel ALL student debt; and can actually beat Trump. And unlike all other candidates, his theory of change is one that will result in a true transformation of this country instead of surface-level reforms. Bernie's theory of change is the 'inside-outside strategy,' and unlike Obama, he won't abandon the grassroots when he's in the White House. For all these reasons and more, I endorse and support Bernie all the way."