February 12, 2020

Just one day, ok?

Christ, I can’t believe how many anti-Bernie posts I’ve seen in the last week, and especially in the last 24 hours!

Give the guy credit where credit is due. BERNIE WON NEW HAMPSHIRE!

I can’t believe that this morning I woke up to threads, from friends, saying “Well, Bernie plus Liz only got 90,000 votes, while Pete plus Amy got 120,000 votes”.

And “Bernie had 60% in 2016, now he only has 29%- that’s half the numbers he had last time!”


Jesus, folks- it’s a NINE WAY CONTEST this time! Of COURSE the vote is going to be spilt a different way this time. The bottom line is- BERNIE WON!

How about we all just acknowledge that fact, say congrats to BERNIE, recognize the number 2 and 3 as great competitors who placed silver and bronze, and move to the next contest. Let’s not get all wrapped up trying to tear anybody down.

A win is a win. Let’s go to the next race, please, with some dignity.

Thank you-

February 12, 2020

Congratulations BERNIE SANDERS

On ANOTHER first place finish!

Great job! Now let’s work on the rest!

February 11, 2020

THIS DAY -in 1937, the UAW-GM Flint Sit-Down Strike ended

From Congressman Dan Kildee, (D-Flint, MI)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On White Shirt Day, stand in solidarity with the hardworking men and women in organized labor.

ADD YOUR NAME
https://secure.ngpvan.com/yTLCQDTi2USbG0frOQY2Pg2?emci=ac05fb42-e04c-ea11-a94c-00155d039e74&emdi=a833544b-e14c-ea11-a94c-00155d039e74&ceid=8974831


Today we celebrate White Shirt Day: a day when the brave men and women in my hometown of Flint organized a sit down strike to demand fair wages, better labor standards and workers’ rights. After 44 long days, the Flint Sit-Down Strike ended on February 11, 1937, and helped to create the modern day labor movement. Unions help to build the foundation for America’s middle class, paving the way for better wages and creating safer working conditions for all workers.

Every Feb. 11th, we wear white to honor the sacrifices and victories of those brave workers in the ‘36-’37 Flint strike. I’m proud to join my brothers and sisters in the labor movement to remember this important anniversary.

Now more than ever, it's important that we stand together in support of organized labor.

Just last week, the Democratic-led House passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, legislation to make it easier for workers to unionize, stop so-called “right-to-work” laws and protect workers.

Will you stand with me? Add your name to stand with the hardworking men and women in organized labor ?

STAND WITH LABOR
https://secure.ngpvan.com/yTLCQDTi2USbG0frOQY2Pg2?emci=ac05fb42-e04c-ea11-a94c-00155d039e74&emdi=a833544b-e14c-ea11-a94c-00155d039e74&ceid=8974831


The Labor Movement has a strong history in our state. I‘m so proud to call Flint home and it continues to be the honor of my life to work hard for all men and women in Michigan’s Fighting Fifth District. I believe that it’s our collective duty to continue to champion policies that protect the rights of workers everywhere in our nation.

On White Shirt Day, and every day, we thank the brave workers and organizers who fight for labor rights, and reflect on the sacrifices from those of the past who’ve given victories to everyday Americans.

Add your name and tell Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans to pass the PRO Act and support workers rights!

In solidarity,

Dan Kildee
Congressman, Michigan 5th.

February 9, 2020

Iowa Democrats Won't Correct Errors on Caucus Tally Sheets, Emails Show

New York Times

Feb. 9, 2020
Updated 3:34 p.m. ET

DES MOINES — With the results of the Iowa caucuses still unclear after nearly a week, the state Democratic Party this weekend was furiously re-examining results from 95 precincts, about 5 percent of the total.

But when the party delivers its updated results, which it has promised to do on Monday, they may hardly reassure candidates and voters. Internal emails from Saturday night reveal that the party will not correct even blatant errors in the official handwritten tally sheets from individual precincts.

Those records, known as “caucus math worksheets,” could not be changed even if they contained mistakes, according to the lawyer for the Iowa Democratic Party, because they were a legal record and altering them would be a crime.

“The incorrect math on the Caucus Math Worksheets must not be changed to ensure the integrity of the process,” wrote the party lawyer, Shayla McCormally, according to an email sent by Troy Price, the chairman of the party, to its central committee members. The lawyer said correcting the math would introduce “personal opinion” into the official record of results.

(Fact: Bernie won.)

More:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/us/politics/iowa-caucuses-democrats.html?searchResultPosition=1

February 6, 2020

FiveThirtyEight reports: Sanders passes Biden

538 is now saying Sanders chance of winning enough delegates for the nomination is now up to 37%, up from 31% before Iowa. Biden’s dismal Iowa showing drops Biden’s chances to 21%, down from 43% previously.

Details:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/our-post-iowa-primary-forecast-is-up-and-bidens-chances-are-down/

Go BERNIE!



“ The model shows former Vice President Joe Biden’s chances of winning a majority of pledged delegates being halved — from 43 percent before Iowa to 21 percent now.

Who gains from Biden’s decline? Well, a little bit of everyone. The model thinks Iowa was more good news than bad news for Sen. Bernie Sanders, although it was a somewhat close call. His chances have advanced to 37 percent, from 31 percent before Iowa, making him the most likely person to achieve that majority.”

February 6, 2020

Two guns stolen from lawmaker's home, including one he brought to Whitmer speech

Source: Detroit News

Lansing, MI — An Upper Peninsula lawmaker known for his Second Amendment advocacy had two firearms stolen from his Lansing home over the weekend.

One of the firearms is the same one Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain, brought to the House of Representatives Jan. 29 ahead of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address.

LaFave posed with the pistol outside the House chambers shortly before the governor’s address and posted the photo on Twitter, with the message:

“I open carried in the capital (sic) today to protest Governor Whitmer’s proposed unconstitutional gun laws. If she wants to disarm law-abiding Michiganders, she can start with me on the House Floor. Tonight is the Michigan State of the State. #SOSmiSOTS”



Read more: https://amp.detroitnews.com/amp/4669515002

---

He had them stolen right out of his apartment. No safe. No trigger locks. Loaded, and sitting around the pad.

After he told the Governor “Come and take them”.

Well, somebody did.

Now he is afraid somebody might hurt someone with them.

(Shaking my head)

February 4, 2020

Should Caucuses be banned?

Good question- WHY do caucuses, when a primary ballot would work?

If you are looking for “who should be if your person isn’t viable?” , what about rank-choice-voting?

Surely an actual ballot would be better, in my mind, after seeing this fiasco.

What do YOU think?

Should caucuses be banned ?

February 4, 2020

Viewpoint: The Trump Administration Has Made the U.S. Less Ready for Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Viewpoint: The Trump Administration Has Made the U.S. Less Ready for Infectious Disease Outbreaks like Coronavirus

The Trump administration has cut funding for infectious disease research and reduced high-level staffing for global health security, leaving the nation less prepared for major outbreaks.

LINDA J. BILMES,THE CONVERSATION | FEBRUARY 3, 2020 01:00 PM ET


As coronavirus continues to spread, the Trump administration has declared a public health emergency and imposed quarantines and travel restrictions. However, over the past three years the administration has weakened the offices in charge of preparing for and preventing this kind of outbreak.

Two years ago, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates warned that the world should be “preparing for a pandemic in the same serious way it prepares for war”. Gates, whose foundation has invested heavily in global health, suggested staging simulations, war games and preparedness exercises to simulate how diseases could spread and to identify the best response.

The Trump administration has done exactly the opposite: It has slashed funding for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its infectious disease research. For fiscal year 2020, Trump proposed cutting the CDC budget by US$1.3 billion, nearly 20% below the 2019 level.

In 2018, Trump tried to cut $65 million from this budget – a 10% reduction. In 2019, he sought a 19% reduction. For 2020, he proposed to cut federal spending on emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases by 20%. This would mean spending $100 million less in 2020 to study how such diseases infect humans than the U.S. did just two years ago.

More:
https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/02/trump-administration-has-made-us-less-ready-infectious-disease-outbreaks-coronavirus/162822/


Republican budget priorities are going to kill us all.

February 2, 2020

Bernie passes Biden in new national poll

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). Jan. 26-29, 2020. N=428 registered voters nationwide who say they would vote in the Democratic primary or caucus. Margin of error ± 4.7.


"Now, thinking specifically about the 2020 Democratic primary elections: I am going to read a list of twelve of the declared candidates running for the Democratic nomination for president. After I read the entire list, please tell me if a Democratic primary for president were being held today, which one of the following candidates would you favor? [See below.]" If unsure: "Well, which way do you lean?" Options rotated


1/26-29/20 12/14-17/19 10/27-30/19 9/13-16/19 7/7-9/19
% % % % %


Bernie Sanders

27 21 19 14 13

Joe Biden

26 28 27 31 26

Elizabeth Warren

15 18 23 25 19

Michael Bloomberg

9 4 n/a n/a n/a

Pete Buttigieg

7 9 6 7 7

Amy Klobuchar

5 5 5 2 1

Andrew Yang

4 3 3 4 2

Tom Steyer

2 1 - 1 n/a

Tulsi Gabbard

2 2 2 1 -

Deval Patrick

1 - n/a n/a n/a

Michael Bennet

- - 1 1 1

John Delaney

- - - 1 1

None (vol.)

- 1 1 1 2

Unsure

2 5 5 2 8

Cory Booker

n/a 2 2 2 1

Julian Castro

n/a 1 1 1 1

Marianne Williamson

n/a - - - 1

Kamala Harris

n/a n/a 4 5 13


Source:

https://pollingreport.com/2020wh_d.htm

January 30, 2020

Postal Workers Union Endorses Bernie Sanders

Labor group calls Sanders a champion of USPS employees who will fight to preserve the mailing agency.

ERIC KATZ, Govexec.com | JANUARY 30, 2020 01:58 PM

The second-largest union of U.S. Postal Service employees endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for president on Thursday, calling him a “true champion” of the mailing agency and its workforce.

The American Postal Workers Union threw its support behind Sanders for the second consecutive presidential cycle, endorsing the senator in late 2015 just weeks after he addressed the union’s national convention. The APWU executive board met with top candidates, except those “who oppose the public Postal Service”—a reference to President Trump’s government reorganization plan in which he floated the idea of privatizing the agency.

APWU President Mark Dimondstein said his nearly 200,000 members hold a diversity of views, but remaining silent when the Trump administration has threatened to sell off the Postal Service “would be a failure of our leadership.”

“Bernie Sanders has proven he is a fierce advocate on the side of postal workers,” Dimonstein said. “He has opposed the closures of postal facilities and reduced service standards.”


More:
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2020/01/postal-workers-union-endorses-bernie-sanders/162764/



Go Bernie!