#IMP45CH #LOCKHIMUP

[Brian]

I was referring to going out and campaigning, not raising money. Which, I could have sworn I said 'campaigning, but if I didn't, that's what I meant.

You were backing up Kara's jibe at the comment from ME about running for president:

I like Warren in the Senate, but to see her on a national campaign for president now? I'm afraid she'll have her foot in her mouth almost daily. I could be wrong and she might surprise, but like all other possibilities, it's not my decision who runs and how they do it is on them. I personally like Sen. Harris and still think she might be needed in Senate even more. I have no more intention of giving Bernie Sanders the time of day. He's not even a Democrat and is quite comfortable attacking them as much as the right.

And as for Bernie Sanders campaigning for Dems, yes, he's done that while promoting his own website for donations instead of the candidate's. But have you watched him on any news shows? The equal time they claim to give is to Republicans downing Democrats, and Bernie Sanders downing Republicans and Democrats. They have been doing this regularly, most of the time without Democrats.

Both parties skew right, one far off into lala land. And instead of working on reaching out to the 40% that isn't in either, they ignore us, then blame us when we decide not to fall into line

You can claim that Democrats are not as left as they were before the 70s but that's about it. There's nothing in most candidate platforms that look blatantly right wing to me unless they're Republican. The most right leaning Democratic Senator right now is probably Manchin. From W. Virginia. I don't like it but there's a good possibility that's the best we'll get from there any time soon. If Senate weren't so close, with party only deciding which side leads, I would be happy if he were primaried. And especially for the Senate, that's reason enough to vote specific party over any damn thing else.

Sure, you know why? Because of the progressives, trying to regain a voice in the party.

Progressives have always had a voice in the party. This isn't suddenly false because of Bernie Sanders or anyone else.

With no help from the main party [DNC, DCCC], running Republican levels of nasty ads against the more progressive candidates during the primaries.

This is not true.
You might find about 3 cases where DNC endorsed a candidate before primary was over (and I don't believe they should do that), and similar number where they encouraged someone to run where they did not see a candidate stepping up. Worst case there was they still endorsed one they encouraged to run after someone else also stepped up.

I will believe DNC ran nasty ads against candidates in primaries if you can show this citing sources.

The DNC and DCCC especially seem more worried about pleasing our corporate overlords, rather than worrying about what the average middle or working class person needs.

To use words of others, this tired trope again? The bullshit label of 'corporate democrats' is nothing but an attempt to generally smear all without a reason to point to. Use candidate messaging, their platform, and their debating in Congress to know what their agenda is.
This has gone beyond old. It's fucking lazy.

Actually, it is. When people don't care what the politics are, but just vote based on 'I've always voted for this party', when people fight for their side, as if its an US vs Them, then that is a problem, and that you need someone to say this, means I probably should even be wasting my time typing this out, but it might help someone.

Politics IS A PROBLEM. It always has been and worse now than ever in the US. Every single reason to vote solely for Democratic Party alone, for now and even a good number of year to come, has been spelled out pretty damn clear.
Who do you think you're helping by telling anyone to ignore party affiliation? I can find plenty it's hurting.

And considering that the GOP right now is voting to put rapists on the SCOTUS, and put the tax burden on those least able to take care of themselves, take away SS, medicare, and medicaid from those same people and those who've all paid into it, then by all means, I'd hope that someone has the heart to vote against all that. But not because of party lines, but because its the RIGHT THING TO DO.

Tell that to Jeff Flake, who despite all his criticism of Trump to feel good in front of the public, still votes strictly along party lines.
Tell that to voters in Maine who elected Susan Collins because her 'middle of the road' Republicanism sounds good when she's running, but still votes along party lines most of the time, including putting rapists and outright wingnuts on SC.
For the most part, the political party is a group dedicated to the same goals.
It's time to be brave enough to pick a side when it's needed despite how popular it is to be criticized for it.

 

[Salome]

I supported Bernie in the 2016 primary. Right now I wouldn’t piss on him to put him out if he were on fire and I have zero patience for his grift. The vast majority of people I know who supported him in 2016 feel the same. I can honestly say voting for him is the one vote I regret making in my adult lifetime. His white centering ass is a non-starter. He had shitty minority outreach in 2016 when I supported him and it’s only gotten worse. He’s done more to damage the left and Democratic progress than any single person other than Nader in my lifetime. Russia got their money’s when they chose to promote him and it’s still paying dividends.

Warren has issues, but she might be okay. Luckily, I won’t have to worry about it because the burn-the-witch misogynistic left that turned on Clinton has already shown they won’t support her in a serious bid, and she doesn’t have enough support with POC voters, largely owing to her eagerness to jump on the Bernie grift of trashing Dems.

The unfortunate reality is that when the far right wants to move the GOP right, they vote GOP no matter what and then primary moderates. When the far left wants to move the Democrats left, they sabotage the Dems, decide not voting or protest voting is some kind of virtue, and then whine about it not being their fault that the GOP controls everything.

I have no patience left for it.

 

[Salome]

Progressives have always had a voice in the party. This isn't suddenly false because of Bernie Sanders or anyone else.

After generations of making inroads within the party structure, women and POC are finally starting to emerge in positions of power within the Democratic Party. It’s amazing how all of a sudden so many on the left are claiming that old white savior candidates are the “true” progressives vs the “corporate Democrats.”

Brainwashing isn’t just a thing on the right.

It's time to be brave enough to pick a side when it's needed despite how popular it is to be criticized for it.

Even when they lower themselves to pick a side, they’ll always frame it as a favor they’re doing that Dems should be grateful for, as opposed to the civic duty it is to protect as many marginalized and vulnerable Americans as possible. Then they’ll go back to whining about how they didn’t get their particular pony.

 

[Kara Spengler]

Sanders, Clinton, and Trump are all over 70. Time for a new generation to take the wheel. Looking at the early voter demographics here in Georgia, there are a LOT of young people voting for the first time. They need someone who will represent *them*, not their grandparents. The lady running for governor here (Stacey Abrams) is 44, and in a dead heat in a red state with all the voter suppression stops pulled out. She's an example of the new generation I am talking about.

I would have no problem voting for a young progressive. Legally they have to be 35 though and practically a national politician is not able to make a national run until at least their 40s.

 

[Kara Spengler]

I'm well aware. But that was then, this is now. Both parties skew right, one far off into lala land. And instead of working on reaching out to the 40% that isn't in either, they ignore us, then blame us when we decide not to fall into line [and I'm saying that as someone who voted for HRC in the General in 16 - I was actually told it was -my- fault she lost, because I wasn't fangirling enough].

Some people are just strange. In '16 I was being yelled at for not supporting HRC enough (even though I voted for her). I pointed out that the odds of ANY republican winning the DC electoral college vote were about as close to 0 as you could get (donnie got 5% here ...... no, not lost by 5%, he got 5% of the DC popular vote). I pointed out their efforts were best spent concentrating on tossup states not Bernie supporters in places like here. Well, nowhere is like here, all of the 50 states are more R than us.

 

[Lianne Marten]

The only people whose direct fault it is that Donald is president instead of Hillary have been dead for 200 years.

 

[Jolene Benoir]

It must be really fucking nice to, despite all we have seen, all of the people targeted, to be so sheltered as to still hold out against doing everything possible to stop this enormous threat to democracy. We're even past threat at this point. Republicans have made it a reality.

But? It is, in my opinion, utterly and completely deaf to the plight of others to say that a wish for UBI or Medicare or any of that is more important than what is being done to minorities, immigrants, sick people, poor people, on and on.

How fucking selfish.

The house is on fire, with people inside it. We need all hands on deck, not some people saying, "let it burn down."

 

[Salome]

How fucking selfish.

The house is on fire, with people inside it. We need all hands on deck, not some people saying, "let it burn down."

Obama’s election made it obvious that America was still far more racist than most (white) Americans would admit.

2016 made it clear that America was just as misogynistic as it was racist.

Post-2016 has made it clear that most Americans’ selfishness is more important to them than any of their pretenses of ethics or morality.

Bin Laden and Russia figured out they could use minimal effort to set us up to destroy ourselves and we’ve yet to prove them wrong.

 

[Brian]

 

[Kaimi Kyomoon]

That shows the person know bupkis about how an adversarial legal system works. If it were not for defence attorneys the case would not be valid under our system. Just because a lawyer defends someone in court that says nothing about their feelings on the matter.

If someone were out of the courtroom saying something as a private citizen then, yes, hold them to their stance. Holding a lawyer to what cases they were assigned is not fair though. Would she rather someone falsely accused did not have a defence?

Exactly.

As long as Democrats continue clinging to the rules they will keep losing. We're playing Prisoner's Dilemma and the Republicans have taped down the Betray button.

Okay I'm thinking a bit differently after watching this. Thanks for your help, Lianne.

Is this even satire?

 

[Brian]

Is this even satire?

Sad, but I think everyone is asking that.

They could say the same thing about N. Dakota Senate race. Native Americans were credited for Heitkamp's unexpected win in 2012 by less than 3000 votes and now struggling to have ID they weren't required to have before, along with specific numbered street addresses that doesn't exist for many of them, instead of PO Boxes. Street names and address numbers that the state would have to assign, and haven't.

That's how they win.
"All we want is our vote": Native Americans fight fallout of North Dakota’s voter ID law

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Thread.

 

[Spirits Rising]

As is usual, I'll be the one to be as blunt as possible: You want a snowball's chance in hell of repairing the damage Fuckstick and his ilk are doing right now? Then grow the fuck up, suck it the fuck up and work within the fucking system.

Until the entire system is overhauled, you have less than a zero chance of getting anyone outside of a Dem or Rep into the White House - period. Deal with it. Senate/House of Representatives? Slightly bigger chance and presently not worth it - at all.

Want to keep bringing up Bernie as if he was ever a viable candidate? Fuck off.

Want to pretend that our best bet is to get more Third Party Senators/Reps in, right now? Also - fuck off.

There's plenty more I'd like to say with regard to wanting to see the Fuckstain Impeached and incarcerated .... Sadly it may well cross the line here so I'll leave it at this: That does not send a strong enough message, nor would removing/jailing all of his appointees and those complicit with putting him were he is.

I'll settle for it but make no mistake .... It's not a strong enough message. kind of like simply punching a Nazi isn't a strong enough message.

 

[detrius]

Seriously, the time to vote for more liberal candidates than the officially endorsed Democrats is in the Democratic primaries.

Afterwards, stick to what you've got.

 

[Kara Spengler]

It must be really fucking nice to, despite all we have seen, all of the people targeted, to be so sheltered as to still hold out against doing everything possible to stop this enormous threat to democracy. We're even past threat at this point. Republicans have made it a reality.

But? It is, in my opinion, utterly and completely deaf to the plight of others to say that a wish for UBI or Medicare or any of that is more important than what is being done to minorities, immigrants, sick people, poor people, on and on.

How fucking selfish.

The house is on fire, with people inside it. We need all hands on deck, not some people saying, "let it burn down."

What am I supposed to do, move to another state so my vote is worth more? States that are more than fine with DC not having a vote in congress cry that we do not help them in return, boo hoo.

As to doing things, how often do people outside DC actively protest at the WH or go to senator's offices to complain about something? We do not even HAVE congressional representation and still we find an excuse to talk to some of them.

Big hint: you do not even have to come to DC to go to your congressperson's office. They all have offices in the major population centers in their districts/states.

 

[danielravennest]

They could say the same thing about N. Dakota Senate race. Native Americans were credited for Heitkamp's unexpected win in 2012 by less than 3000 votes and now struggling to have ID they weren't required to have before, along with specific numbered street addresses that doesn't exist for many of them, instead of PO Boxes. Street names and address numbers that the state would have to assign, and haven't.

Actually, only city names are assigned at the state level. Streets are handled municipally, which for Native lands would be the tribe. For this election, native organizations have teamed up with land surveyors who have the mapping software, and have been creating street names on the spot as needed. Address numbers are assigned by the Post Office, which I know because I've had to get addresses for property that never had a house or mailbox on it before.

 

[Kara Spengler]

Actually, only city names are assigned at the state level. Streets are handled municipally, which for Native lands would be the tribe. For this election, native organizations have teamed up with land surveyors who have the mapping software, and have been creating street names on the spot as needed. Address numbers are assigned by the Post Office, which I know because I've had to get addresses for property that never had a house or mailbox on it before.

Thanks. Addresses work funny on a reservation. A po box address might be a po box or it might be where someone actually lives. Just because you ship something with one service does not mean it will get there with that service too - they might hand it off (I forget if it is USPS->UPS or the reverse) at the post office. Every once in awhile there will be a driver that does not know these quirks and a package will be considered undeliverable.

One family I am friends with at Pine Ridge has 3 addresses that are more or less equivalent. The first is a PO box, the second is the one I usually use which looks more like a set of directions, the third they started listing lately which is a street name that has their name in it.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Voting 2018: Here's what to do if you're turned away at the polls - CNNPolitics