I become depressed listening to Bernie

[salinen]

He reminds us of exactly how fucked we really are. And that we need to start a grassroots movement to combat the corruption that surrounds us. START A MOVEMENT! Jesus, that means we are at zero and hope to get to one. They are comfortable at 100, and are not giving any ground and have the entire deck of cards including the jokers. The teabags were extremely successful in becoming a movement, but naturally, they have money to burn being funded by the mega corrupt money laundering machine known as Washington D.C.

And he reminds us to call and write our elected officials. Do they pay attention? The moneyed interests get a direct line. Oh, and show solidarity by civil street outpourings. Yeah, like the multi-millions who marched in opposition to Juniors war to prove manliness.

I'm sorry. Bernie is a gem. Without his honesty we'd be completely without representation. But one out of 535 is meaningless. He's a token. The rest are beholden to the powerful who can pay for campaigning or promises of future lobbying careers.

Eh.

[PATRICK]

1. You would think

he is a marginalized prophet speaking against nineteenth century injustices, because he IS marginalized and we are making rapid anti-progress backward- despite the dread experiences/lessons of more than a century.

[montanacowboy]

2. After I heard him last night on KO

I was so furious I immediately signed his letter and shot off one of my own to the WH. All we ever get is more of the same and we settle everytime for it.

It never ceases to amaze me that the wingers can always get their idiots elected but we are told, we have no choice.

[midnight]

3. Wisconsin's Russ Feingold started the movement already.

Russ Feingold Launches 'Progressives United' To Combat Corporate Influences In Politics http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/02/16-1

WASHINGTON -- When some senators retire, they decide to take lucrative lobbying jobs. Others go straight to Wall Street. But Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold, who lost his re-election bid in November, is continuing on his principled -- and often lonely -- path by starting an organization to combat corporate influence in politics, an effort he hopes will spark "a new progressive movement" that will truly hold elected officials accountable.


Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold, who lost his re-election bid in November, is continuing on his principled -- and often lonely -- path by starting an organization to combat corporate influence in politics, an effort he hopes will spark "a new progressive movement" that will truly hold elected officials accountable.
Launching on Wednesday, Progressives United is an attempt to to build a grassroots effort aimed at mitigating the effects of, and eventually overturning, the Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United decision that opened the floodgates to corporate spending in the U.S. electoral system. In addition to online mobilization, the political action committee (PAC) will support progressive candidates at the local, state and national levels, as well as holding the media and elected officials accountable on the group's key priorities.

"In my view -- and the view of many people -- it's one of the most lawless decisions in the history of our country," said Feingold of Citizens United in an interview with The Huffington Post. "The idea of allowing corporations to have unlimited influence on our democracy is very dangerous, obviously. That's exactly what it does ... Things were like this 100 years ago in the United States, with the huge corporate and business power of the oil companies and others. But this time it's like the Gilded Age on steroids."

Feingold, who is now also teaching law school at Marquette University and writing a book on foreign policy, has first-hand experience with the effects of big money in politics. While he shunned outside spending on his behalf in his campaigns, his 2010 opponent, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, was the beneficiary of millions of dollars from conservative interest groups. After his win, Johnson even went to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's national headquarters to personally thank CEO Tom Donohue for the lobbying group's unsolicited support of his candidacy.

[AndyTiedye]

5. What Happened to Feingold is Symptomatic

Outpsent by more than 4 to 1 by the corporate machine. He didn't stand a chance.

[tblue]

4. I broke down and cried when Bernie filibustered.

Why was he alone on the floor doing what they all should be doing? Why didn't anyone have his back? Kennedy, Grayson, Feingold and now Weiner. Who's left other that Sen. Sanders? Not many.