Bernie Sanders is the most popular politician in the US

Padawanbater2 said:

I followed him when he was vying for the Senate seat in NJ, when he was still mayor of Newark. The dude had one of the most progressive messages I'd heard of, that's why he appeared on my radar at the time. No doubt why he climbed the political ladder so quickly. He's positioning himself for a 2020 run for president. He knows he has to toe the line between corporatist and progressive, that's why he ended up recruiting Sanders, the most popular politician in the country, especially among progressives, to draft an alternative resolution with the exact same safety standards he'd initially voted against. I'm sure he thinks if he get's Sanders on board, his progressive base will follow and they'll drop the opposition to his initial vote against it, just like, as you can see, Buck has been pushing.. (But he supports lower drug prices, too, see!")..

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Padawanbater2 said:

I followed him when he was vying for the Senate seat in NJ, when he was still mayor of Newark. The dude had one of the most progressive messages I'd heard of, that's why he appeared on my radar at the time. No doubt why he climbed the political ladder so quickly. He's positioning himself for a 2020 run for president. He knows he has to toe the line between corporatist and progressive, that's why he ended up recruiting Sanders, the most popular politician in the country, especially among progressives, to draft an alternative resolution with the exact same safety standards he'd initially voted against. I'm sure he thinks if he get's Sanders on board, his progressive base will follow and they'll drop the opposition to his initial vote against it, just like, as you can see, Buck has been pushing.. (But he supports lower drug prices, too, see!")..

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Fogdog said:

it doesn't matter who wins the nomination, I'll vote for him.

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Fogdog said:

Booker has advocated for lesser regulations on Wall Street and his meaningless vote against allowing people to buy medications in Canada has me sour on him. Buck put together a short list of potential candidates for Prez and thanks for that @UncleBuck . I checked the names out and on Booker, I get the feeling he's considering a run at the presidency in 2020. I'm looking for somebody more progressive as the candidate I'd vote for in the primary. If he wins the nomination, or really, it doesn't matter who wins the nomination, I'll vote for him.

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ttystikk said:

I'm looking for a slate of progressive candidates to start primarying the establishment Democrats. Last election season was one of high hopes dashed by venal maneuvering and that taught the electorate a lesson we'll not soon forget.

Justice Democrats might just get really, historically lucky, who knows? People sure are sick of being divided and played for fools.

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Padawanbater2 said:

That is very disappointing

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Fogdog said:

Right now, I'm watching what happens. I'll check up on any names but I don't really know the actors in other states. I pay attention to what my reps are doing but they don't seem to be very interested in the presidency. Sanders came from pretty much nowhere as far as I was concerned. Same with Obama. What I'll do when the 2020 primary heats up is start reading up on the candidates then. Right now, all I hope we can do is maintain the rule of law and democracy.

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ttystikk said:

A lone president with no congressional support is a recipe for a four year lame duck presidency.

From what I've seen, the Justice Democrats Movement aims to primary representatives up and down the ticket, from local reps to the US Senate.

I don't believe my government is doing a very good job of meeting my needs and so rather than sitting on my hands, I'm planning to get involved. That's called 'taking responsibility' and I applaud anyone who does the same, whatever their views may be.

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Fogdog said:

Totally agree that we think the party has drifted to far left and it's completely our right to do whatever to correct it.

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Padawanbater2 said:

Did you mean too far right?

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Padawanbater2 said:

Did you mean too far right?

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Fogdog said:

Yep. too far right. I'll fix it in prev post.

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ttystikk said:

What happens when people pushing rightward from extremely conservative positions and those pushing leftward find themselves in substantial accord on actual issues?

@Padawanbater2 has already discussed the popularity of many issues with people from opposite sides of the political spectrum. Mr Sanders' popularity would also seem to suggest this phenomenon.

Yet I had a conversation today with a young man who makes barely more than minimum wage. He was AGAINST a higher minimum wage, for reasons that made little sense relative to his situation in life.

I think there's a great deal of confusion out there. I think it's highly intentional, as it serves the purposes of those in control.

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Padawanbater2 said:

How old was he and what were his reasons for opposing the minimum wage?

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ttystikk said:

Early 20s and something about how rents would increase.

He opposed health insurance because he was afraid his taxes would rise, and he didn't like the idea of the government forcing him to have it.

I want to talk to him some more so I can get his whole world view. It could be informative about the state of mind of the rank and file Republican voter.

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Fogdog said:

This is illogical and doesn't fit the facts yet is continually part of the dialogue in this forum from conservatives. It's a good example of the fear that drives right wing thinking. And why I've been saying that the opinion polls aren't great at predicting outcomes in elections. Things other than logic and facts are driving around 40% of the voting population to act against their interests. Listening to Trump and other right wing leaders like David Duke, they rely on fear and emotions to motivate their supporters.

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ttystikk said:

Here's a great read on the subject;
http://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2017/3/22/14762030/donald-trump-tribal-epistemology

Thread worthy, I'll start one.

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Fogdog said:

Good article

Limbaugh during a rant on climate science but it's pretty much the radical right's schtick:

One universe is a lie. One universe is an entire lie. Everything run, dominated, and controlled by the left here and around the world is a lie. The other universe is where we are, and that’s where reality reigns supreme and we deal with it.

In the radical right's "universe" the truth is what they say it is. All else is an "entire lie". Regardless of what the facts are. It's all part of the degeneration of reasoning among those who no longer can discriminate facts from lies. AKA @Flaming Pie , @cool2burn @NLXSK1 and so forth.

That said, this is a response to the same issues that motivates the left, which is the decline in prosperity for the 90%. What everybody sees is economic strain and anxiety growing in this country to the point where it is biting into the lives of the lower 2/3 in income. Progressive Person and Reactionary Right Guy see the same thing but draw different conclusions. Limbaugh and his ilk have much to do with this divide.

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ttystikk said:

Agreed.

Yet the destruction/co-opting of our fourth estate by corporate interests has left people without reliable news sources.

This is an extremely dangerous situation.

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SneekyNinja said:

I was going to add a point supporting this and went to double check my facts but Google won't load.

No Google...

How the fuck does one acquire knowledge?

IT'S THE END TIMES!

(It's working again)

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