Galindez writes: "Nina, the political revolution needs you. We need to continue to build for 2020 and beyond."
Nina Turner, center, shown in a 2014 file photo, is considering an offer to serve as running mate for Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein. (photo: Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer)
Nina, Don't Go Green
01 August 16
have been saying it for years: The progressive movement needs to take over the Democratic Party and use it to transform the political system. Our system is rigged in favor of the two major parties. The Greens, Libertarians, and other efforts to form new political parties will not succeed under the current rules.
Nina, the political revolution needs you. We need to continue to build for 2020 and beyond. I see you as a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination in 2020 even if it is challenging an incumbent Hillary Clinton. We do not have to surrender to the Clinton machine for eight years. We have to build on the progress we have made over the last 18 months.
I know you you must be motivated by the response you get when you enter a room of progressives. You are an inspirational figure for all of us, and it may be true that your moment is now. The problem is the system is rigged against the Green Party, and until we reform the system the Green Party is not viable.
Without a doubt my views line up better with the Green Party than the current Democratic Party. I am all for changing the system. I just think we need a viable vehicle to do that, and it is not the Green Party at this time. I�m all for scrapping the two-party system when we have the power to do so.
If someone has an idea on how to get the playing field leveled between now and November, I am listening. We took a strong shot at winning this election and lost. We did, however, make huge progress. It is not time to walk away from that progress and let the establishment off the hook.
I believe that one day we can build new political parties that represent us. The Democratic Party and the Republicans are not representative of the people, but they do control the mechanisms of our political system. Until we take power and change the rules of the game, new political parties are a waste of energy and resources.
Bernie is leading us in the right direction. We need you to help in that leadership.
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
No, anyone fitting that description is an utter MORON who should lose his voting right.
Yeah, I wish I could pick out who could vote as well, ... you know, it's kind of like George W. Bush said, like you, the best system of government is a dictatorship, as long as he was the dictator.
Come on, comments like this have no place in a real discussion, and I am seeing so many of them here it is like the Huffington Post these days. And if you say the wrong thing everyone descends on your with a -1 ... gee-sus, sadly, this sort of proves that democracy is problematic.
By the time the 'PRIMARIES' have ended, the reality is you have already won or lost the elections because every available seat has been filled by corporate stooges or representatives of the people.
If you haven't noticed, the corporate stooges have completely taken over the primaries, only about 10% of those eligible vote so it's an easy win for the corporations and mass media.
Want your vote to count, then start voting in the primaries.
A big percentage of the Regressive vote is out of pure hatred for the Black Man in the White House. They know the Ryan budget is going to attack women and kill Medicare, and many of the social and infrastructure programs that benefit them, but BLIND HATRED has triumphed over common sense.
Then there's the BIG LIE about what Barack Obama hasn't done. They blast the Stimulus, but you've seen Regressives cutting ribbons at Stimulus projects, and many applied for Stimulus funds - INCLUDING PAUL RYAN. Economists agree that 2.5 to 3.5 Million jobs were created after Bush tanked the economy, losing 800 MILLION jobs/month.
And regarding "You Didn't Build It", I'm originally from Cincinnati, (in the most Conservative county in OH, Hamilton County - Boehner territory). In the late 1990's, the GOP-controlled county commissioners bought the Riverfront Stadium property from the city for $1 Million. They then launched a campaign to build a stadium for the Bengals, who were threateninng to leave. Reds owner, Marge Schott, said "What abut us?". So they pushed thru a bond issue during a spring primary to build TWO STADIUMS - ALMOST $1 BILLION! This is happening all across the country, and the TEAM OWNERS GET ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE PRIVATE BOXES, AND ALL OR A BIG % OF THE CONCESSIONS!
They didn't build it - they BILKED it!
Local, state, and federal government entities everywhere should get forensic accountants to see how much has been BILKED from contracts, loans, bond issues, pension funds, fee for service health care providers, Medicare Advantage providers (Advantage for who), and SGLI payments to the intended insurance beneficiaries. Seems they skim far and wide, and I don't think we can afford their "stewardship" anymore.
I notice the US Chamber of Commerce champions small business but supports those who take them to the cleaners.
Just for laughs, why don't we compare small business history in recovering from the Great Depression to see why they keep abusing those they use as an excuse, while turning a blind eye to staggering multi-trillion dollar bailouts to the very guys who got us into this mess (and still claim we owe them on falsely appraised "assets," and their derivatives bets they made with our deposits).
They have it all figured out how to keep the profits and make the taxpayers pay for the losses. What can we expect if R&R get in the white house? I don't see anything good.
The BIG THEFT is in the works!
3 new churches were built by the city to help ease out residents, despite clear first amendment prohibition on establishment of religion.
The city made promises to replace homes and broke those promises. Affordable homes were built in a corner of the neighborhood in an earlier project. Hundreds of frail elderly residents were displaced to turn this into a luxury high rise called Urban Style Flats.
The city is currently adopting a new flat tax with an exemption for property worth over $10 million. This was written for billionaire Ed DeBartolo.
Tom - can you give me a link to the data you supplied, please?
http://www.pennyforpinellas.net/2007/11/post-election-surprise-450m-taxpayer.html
Most of this data comes from my memory, I am a resident of the part of this neighborhood not yet demolished. I served on a city planning commission that was ignored.
The news about the city using federal money to build churches has never been reported. Three churches in very old small buildings were to be relocated using federal funds. To sweeten the deal the city gave them funding to build brand new structures instead of letting them move into comparable buildings.
http://www.pennyforpinellas.net/2012/08/stop-unfair-st.html
The news about Eddie DeBartolo has only been indirectly reported. His Tyrone Mall property has the highest value in the city ($115 million)and will receive a 91% exemption. I attended the public hearing where Mayor Bill Foster mentioned him by name. http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=136635
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/21/Southpinellas/Did_price_seal_fate_o.shtml
"The Housing Authority said it would cost $22.3 million to fix the building in 2007, but a St. Petersburg Times analysis found the estimate may be inflated. A 2003 Housing Authority report said it would take $6.3 million to modernize the property." http://www.tampabay.com/news/growth/article1025672.ece
http://m.cltampa.com/tampa/st-pete-to-elderly-get-out/Content?oid=2031088&show=comments
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/07/Southpinellas/Graham_Rogall_sale_pu.shtml
They built a 30 foot stage for Bain (buyers not builders) to walk across and announce the plant was closing and they were all fired.
Mr. Romney, you didn't build that company or stage you are ironically standing on. The people 'before' you did!
Trouble is there are slimy Rovean people discussing the RR (Railroaders) strategy. They're sequestered in "quiet rooms" plotting, pitting, pulling and twisting their handlebar Mustaches.
I don't know how Romney will make it through debate 1 against Obama. To be safe, however, we should welcome Romney to our Homeland Security world with a pat-down for transmitter plants.
Brings back memories of the Bush/Kerry debate where Bush had the big bulge behind his neck and under his shirt. Strange thing, nobody ever questoned that. Of course technology is so much better today, you can only imagine where Rmoney's receiver will be.
And now that the Regressives have destroyed most unions, BlueReview, they can just fire the "uppity" worker without cause.
I say let the Republicans put their money where their mouths are. If you are a registered Republican, you get an infrastructure bill. Subscription / pay per use, whatever. A monthly bill to use the roads, bridges, sewer, military and everything previously subsidized by the government, you get an nauseatingly itemised bill.
The Left and the independents would carry on as usual since they would inherit the infrastructure.
Then the Republicans can build whatever they like and brag to each other about how self sufficient they are.
Yes, this does apply to democrats, too.
I often refer people to www.politifact.com and recommend they examine the "truthometer" where both parties and individuals are checked on exactly what they are saying versus the facts.
I recommend it to you as I do everyone.
Check out www.politfact.com it it's very good.
DON'T Vote Republican at any level, clean out the states too.
DO VOTE, don't ever set out another election and let this happen to us. Our livelihoods depend on it. Vote straight Democratic, don't get any know-nothing Tbaggers in any office.
Great country huh?
Yeah. Good luck finding a judge that doesn't have a stock portfolio.
Anybody remember the firing of US attorneys back in December 2007?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/26/opinion/26mon4.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/02/AR2008100203681.html
By the way, Shillary is FAR to the right of President Obama. If you think she'd be "jailing Wall Street" you haven't paid ANY attention to her history.
Whoever really said it nailed it. Without highways, business would not be built or able to be supplied with goods. Since they did not build the roads, how can they say they built their businesses alone. The GOP is alone out there in this egocentric belief that those who succeed, do it alone.
I saw Jack Gilchrist in an MSNBC interview, Blue Review, admitting that gov't money helped build his business. Don't remember when or which show, but it was right after the debut of the Rmoney ad.
How many businesses have been built off those of us educated to build that? Somewhat like a high tech version of the New Deal, many have gone on from the opportunities and educations made possible by a more far sighted government.
I will not be content to sit back and watch other nations grab the initiative, and build the ground support we once did. If they pass us as we sit on the side of the road, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
Where would any of our great infrastructure projects be without the support only our government has historically provided?
In cases like Wendell Wilke's court battle, TEPCO was bought out by the TVA project so the power infrastructure could expand much faster and broader than private industry could keep up with. Lincoln got the railroads going in admittedly imperfect public private partnerships, much as the Interstate highway system was built. How much profiteering goes on is debateable, I think it had been decreasing, but government did get the ball rolling in so many too-big-for-pri vate-investor/r ent-seekers to start infrastructure projects.
Hoover believed in doing the big research and getting big projects started before letting private investors try to improve and sustain them.
But what really boggles my mind is the gullibility of those who drink the Republican Kool-Aid. It's almost reminiscint of the disciples of Jim Jones. How can anyone be so devout that they will believe anything even when it leads to their own destruction?
Forget the stadium, it's but a shell! How about the microphones, podiums, tables, chairs, kitchen appliances & all the dishes to serve their gluttonous appetites? Betcha they all have a sticker on them saying, "Made in China."
What's the median income for most of the service industry waiting on Rmoney's party? Minimum wage. (Especially in a state like Florida, which is as anti-union as it gets.)
Then, of course, like a poster said, Ryan's family made their wealth via government hand-outs to "build" their highway infrastructure empire. Yeah... these Nefarious Napoleon Nincompoops are about as "Made in America" as a 2012 Olympian uniform.
"Dishonest", "Greed-Driven", "Murderous" and "Amoral" all apply to the Repub elite, and "Moronic" and "Bigoted" to the people who put them in office.
As for Repub voters, one can not reason with them, because facts, reason and logic play no part in their thought processes, if one were to apply such a generous term to the slithering of the worms in their heads while they absorb the lies and hatred fomented (and validated) by the Limbaughs and Fundie Preachers in our midst.
This is the reality, it's not "Silly" and these are the people we live with in this country, and they are seeking dominion over all. If we do not take the threat that they are seriously, stop calling them "silly" and crush them at the ballot box, our future is gonna be bleak..
My advice to non-Repubs: arm yourselves, reduce your dependence on a societal infrastructure that may well fall apart if these amoral scumbags and their zombie acolytes win the day. Also consider shoring up connections/coo peration with decent humans instead of just watching your nation fall apart under the stewardship of a coalition of sociopaths and mindless zombies.
They're in hiding, MainStreet - in their sumptuous dwelling places. Only the worst of the scum, Cheney, dares to show his face when he thinks it necessary. In this case the SCUM rises to the top!
Never a more chilling scenario under the sunny skies of Florida.
Becuse business is BY DEFINITION anti-citizen, anti-government , and anti-human.
Whole it's not realistic to say do away with it, it's also intolerable to allow it ANY input -at all- of ANY kind, into the government we formed to protect the individual from its awesome comparative power, resources, and demonstrated inherent greed, devastation of the irreplaceable commons, and abuse of the individual to gain its profits.