Bernie Sanders: We need a political revolution....

[Playinghardball]

[Thinkingabout]

1. Where in the hell has he been sittong for the last srveral years?

If he hasn't been to accomplish anything in the time he has been in Congress he needs to ask himself why not, what is it going to take for Congress to do their job, what plans dies he have to change anything. If he isn't a part if the solution then he is a part of the problem.

[cali]

3. what on earth are you trying to say? what does "sittong" mean?

your post is unintelligible.

[Peregrine Took]

11. +1

Plus you got me to laugh/snicker out loud on this bizarre morning.

[Thinkingabout]

12. Hum, thought you could tell it was a typo. It should have been sitting, does this make it better?

[merrily]

5. IIRC, he's been sitting in the Democratic controlled Senate for the past few years.

Are you saying the Democrats accomplished nothing in all this time?

[Thinkingabout]

13. So, how many are calling for a revolution?

[merrily]

15. Some, but not as many as should be calling for one.

When in doubt, just move the goalpost from where has Sanders been for the last several years to how many Democratic Senators are calling for a political revolution.

Yeah, that's the ticket!

[Thinkingabout]

16. What is Sanders doing in the Senate to change how it operates?

Sounds like he is playing to his base and not working on the do nothing Congress. He should be exerting his influence in Congress.

[merrily]

17. He is The fact that you don't get that doesn't alter a thing.

[Thinkingabout]

18. Okay, guess he has everything under control.

[olddots]

39. people have been calling me revolting for years

[Autumn]

21. Working with the democrats, on their agenda that they have been striving to implement.

He and many Democratic voters are beginning to see their agenda is not working for most of us.

[Thinkingabout]

22. He is part of the problem also, he can't blame the others, what action has he taken to work with

others.

[Autumn]

23. One man against many. Yeah I'm gonna blame Bernie. The one one man doing what he can for the people

and speaking to the peoples needs is part of the problem.

[Thinkingabout]

28. What is he doing to get members of Congress to work together?

What we have is 100 members in the Senate saying I can't help it, I am just one,they wont do as I say, he has to step up and assume the position I am going to find other members to work with, and this means he needs to be able to compromise his "issues", have nit seen this happening so nothing gets accomplished.

[Autumn]

29. So it's Bernie's fault he hasn't found someone else to work with? Yeah right

Funny, from where I sit I see the fault as the republicans refusing to compromise so nothing gets accomplished. But hey blame Bernie if that works for you. I wish we had another 99 just like Bernie.

[aspirant]

31. The recent VA bill, don't let them forget

[Autumn]

32. I forget.

[Thinkingabout]

41. We have many like Bernie, they don't work with each other, result a do nothing Congress

and now Bernie wants to play to a base and ask for a revolution, yep, get someone else to do the work. The work still needs to be handled in Congress.

[RedCloud]

2. We need consumers united to boycott products.

They steal elections, but they cannot force us to buy their crap.

[merrily]

6. +1

[brooklynite]

8. Will that be before or after the general strike?

Sorry to rain on your parade, but these are pie in the sky fantasies. The only way to change things, clumsy as it is, is through the political process.

[BrotherIvan]

9. Only if one lacks imagination

[merrily]

10. No, you are not the least bit sorry to try to rain on my parade. You love to. But, you fail.

(Why else would have replied to my +1, rather than to Red Cloud's post?)

Second, I boycott products and stores all the time. Know what it changes? It changes who gets my money. That's all Red Cloud said--we don't have to give them our money. And that's all I seconded. And I really don't have to give my money to anyone I don't wish to. No fantasy involved at all. Never called for a general strike, either. (Poor brooklynite, stuck with making up stuff.)

Third, it's not either-or. You can boycott stores, products, etc. and participate in the political process and demonstrate, etc. All can be effective or ineffective, including the political process.

[brooklynite]

19. You miss my point...

...I wouldn't stop anyone from boycotting businesses. I merely opine that envisioning a boycott large enough to influence Government policies on race relations and law enforcement is unrealistic.

[noiretextatique]

20. no...it is not

The problem is: Americans have very short memories. Boycotts were a useful...and very successful tool for the civil rights movement. That movement led to policy changes.

[aspirant]

25. The science of boycotts

Then your saying boycotts are successful on all govt policies(minimum wage, income inequality,etc.) except race relations and law enforcement because those boycotts would be too small and insignificant?

[brooklynite]

26. NO, I don't think they're effective on Government policies at all

...but race relations and law enforcement are the issues at hand.

[aspirant]

30. Are they effective on corporate policies?

[brooklynite]

33. Yes, on a case by case basis

[aspirant]

34. Do the corporations buy our politicians?

[brooklynite]

37. No, they don't

This is a line that gets thrown around frequently, but it's not true. A politician that can be bought by person A can presumably be bought by person B for a higher price.

What happens is that the politician believes in the actual policy that person A does, and therefore person A supports them.

in any event, your logical extension (that boycotting a company will result in politicians who are no longer "bought&quot makes no sense because that's never the focal point of the boycott.

[RiverLover]

38. In CA alone, Oil industry spent $70 mill on political races & lobbying efforts

from 2009 thru the first 3/4 of 2014.

Do you really think they do that for charity?

[brooklynite]

40. Which is not the same as buying politicians

...and explain how your boycott is going to change that.

[aspirant]

24. Only way

Is that why we had an American Revolution and an American Civil War?

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. Absolutely.

The only other possible outcome is a real one.

[hifiguy]

7. The words of John Kennedy seem apropos:

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."

[UglyGreed]

14. Of course and the way things are going these

days the latter is getting closer and closer each day.

[Initech]

27. Run Bernie run!!!!!!

[woo me with science]

35. An island of truth

in a sewer of sellouts.

Bernie Sanders, 2016

[Ghost in the Machine]

36. Political Revolution = Vote 98% of the congresscritters out and start over again with public funded

elections so the "common man" has a chance against the out of touch millionaires & billionaires that keep getting elected.

K&R