Working Life

I’m skeptical of putting too much into polls so early out, largely because you can never predict events that actually happen in campaigns much closer to the election and shape the results. But, in an insurgent, grassroots campaign, this is worth paying attention to.

Read the full story

Look, the Supreme Court ruling is a good thing, not the least of which is that it makes the heads of three wingers on the Court and across the land explode. But, it’s important to pause for a moment and realize that the Affordable Care Act is woefully inadequate, and is the dream for insurance companies and drug companies who want to leech on people.

Bernie Sanders understands that.

Read the full story

In which Bernie Sanders also answers the question about egads “socialism.” This is five minutes worth watching–as millions did.

Read the full story

A confluence of two ideas: the Democrats are not being serious about hiking the minimum wage AND Bernie Sanders makes a more formal presidential campaign announcement today. These are connected ideas.

Read the full story

At the end of the day, it doesn’t hurt for voters to ask politicians the family question: would you ask your children, your spouses, or your parents to face the consequences of a policy decision and put themselves in the very world you advocate for? If you are going to vote for war, would you ask your kids to drop what they are doing (even if they had, in the immortal words of a war criminal Dick Cheney “other priorities” when their number came up) and sign up for the battlefield?

And when it comes to the TPP, and recruiting Nike to pimp for you to pass this pile of crap, one can ask the President: would you ask your daughters to work in a Nike factory in Vietnam?

Read the full story

The robbery of our money by the wealthy and corporations and the placing of a heavier tax burden on regular people is one of the key drivers of class warfare in this country. When corporations and the wealthy hide money and/or use gimmicks to avoid paying a fair share of taxes, we all end up paying more–or the basic services of a decent society collapse.

Bernie Sanders “has been the lone voice in the Senate fighting for legislation that would ensure that corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share,” according to Citizens Tax Justice, the leading voice for tax justice in the nation.

Read the full story

A couple of years ago, I spent many hours with Bernie Sanders interviewing him for Playboy magazine (the interview was published in October 2013). I’ve just received permission to post unpublished answers from him–just the nature of the editing process, nothing nefarious, but probably only one-third actually saw the light of day–along with the published part.

Before getting into his actual views, a few things. So, there is no doubt where I stand: Literally, my last comment to him was “If you run for President, I will be there for you, okay?” So, I’m there: I’ll do whatever it takes, whatever I can do, to elect him president.

Second, what struck me–and I think what strikes just about any crowd that listens to him, and the reason I think he will get massive support, is that people believe that he is saying what he honestly believes in. He doesn’t need to put together a team of 200 people to tell him what he should believe in–he doesn’t need ideas to be poll-tested. He actually has a set of consistent beliefs.

Read the full story

Good for Elizabeth Warren. In a respectful but “I’m not backing down manner,” she’s firing back at the president’s nonsense about TPP. And in her own words on her blog. Take this truth: The Administration says I’m wrong – that there’s nothing to worry about. They say the deal is nearly done, and they are […]

Read the full story

Say it like it is, Bernie.

Read the full story

Ok, so, Bernie Sanders was more judicious in his demand to the Obama Administration that he have access to a full draft of the current Trans-Pacific Partnership deal. Still, this is extremely important because it is the very secrecy about trade deals–going back decades–that goes to the heart of our ability, as citizens, to function in a democratic society.

Read the full story