Saturday: You Say You Want A Revolution
Posted: February 20, 2016 Filed under: morning reads 88 Comments
Good Morning!!
Today we’ll be following the Nevada Democratic Caucus and the South Carolina Republican Primary. Later today, we’ll know if the demagogue can win in Nevada and which demagogue will win in South Carolina.
You say you want a revolution? Well, you know, I say no thanks. I think we’ve made quite a bit of progress during the last 8 years with Barack Obama as President, and I’d like to continue to build on his achievements.
I’ve heard that Bernie Sanders sometimes plays the Beatles’ “Revolution” at his yuuuuuge rallies, so I thought I’d begin this post with the lyrics of the song.
You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it’s evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know that you can count me out
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
All right, all rightVija Celmins: Burning Man, 1966
You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We’d all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We’re doing what we can
But when you want money
For people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
All right, all right
AhAh, ah, ah, ah, ah…
Mao, by Andy Worhal, 1972
You say you’ll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it’s the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
All right, all right
All right, all right, all right
All right, all right, all right
Bernie might be playing “Revolution,” but the Beatles were singing the same song as Hillary. She wants to change the world, but she’d like to hang on to the good stuff and not tear down the progress we’ve already made because it’s not perfect. Bernie wants to go all out, but we haven’t seen rational plans from him on how he will accomplish the radical changes he is promising.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump is going all out for torture, killing, deportation, and nativism. Ted Cruz seems to be seeking an end the separation of church and state and the end of women’s rights to their own bodies. I’m not sure what Marco Rubio wants, but he has been repeatedly charging our President with treason and beating the war drums.
We need to make sure we elect a Democrat to the White House this year all costs. We cannot allow one of the crazy Republicans to get control of executive power. Most of all, we can’t allow any Republican to appoint more right wing justices to the Supreme Court.
So this will be an open thread to discuss today’s big happenings or anything else that’s on your mind. We’ll put up a live blog later this afternoon for the so we can discuss the exit polls and the later on the results. If that thread gets too long, we’ll post another one. This should be a fascinating day to follow politics.
NYT photo of Parker High School student Walter Gadsden being attacked by police dogs, 1963, by Bill Hudson
Three interesting reads from Politico to get us going:
Gabriel Debennedetti: How Nevada will be won.
Long considered an integral part of Hillary Clinton’s march through February, this low-turnout, first-in-the-West caucus state saw momentum shift and polls tighten after Bernie Sanders’ campaign swept in with a late investment in its local operation. The result is that Nevada, once thought to be a shoo-in for Clinton, now looks like a toss-up.
Sanders spent Friday doing his best to shore up support in the more sparsely-populated and more conservative northern parts of the state, where higher turnout helps his campaign thanks to his reliance on first-time caucus-goers.
Clinton and her staff, meanwhile, have sought to excite union workers in Las Vegas by visiting pockets of them throughout the week, and to energize Latino voters by painting Sanders as an enemy of immigration reform. In a state where she used union support and a 2-to-1 margin among Latinos to win last time, it’s a bet that a strong performance in the populous south can carry her to victory….
Making the final hours all the more dramatic, said Bob Miller — the state’s last Democratic governor — is the fact that the ground still seems to be shifting.
“I think it’s going to be fairly close. Hillary Clinton has had people on the ground for a year, so they’re very organized. They have made a lot of connections, and they spent some time in the rural [counties] doing that,” Miller said. “However, Bernie Sanders has outspent her considerably in the last couple of weeks and is going full force, fresh off his victory in New Hampshire, with a level of enthusiasm [that makes me say] I do think that it’s not a given, as it once was. It’s a really close race here.”
Robert Rauschenberg: Signs, 1970
Nick Gass and Daniel Strauss: Harry Reid accuses Republicans of ‘trickery and gimmicks’ in Nevada caucuses.
“These Republican plans to interfere with the integrity of Nevada’s Democratic caucuses are shameful and immoral,” Reid said in a statement released Friday. “Rather than letting voters decide and allowing our democratic system to work, Republicans are resorting to trickery and gimmicks in an attempt to subvert the will of the people. The Republican Party has long decried voter fraud, but with this latest scheme they are now encouraging it. The American people deserve a fair voting process, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that these disgraceful Republican tactics do not interfere with the voice of Nevada voters.”
The charge follows a vow from the state’s Democratic Party to pursue legal action against those who “falsely” register as a Democrat to caucus on Saturday and then participate in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
“After reviewing Nevada law, we believe that registering under false pretenses in order to participate in the Democratic caucuses for purposes of manipulating the presidential nominating process is a felony,” state party Chair Roberta Lange said in a statement. “The Nevada State Democratic Party will work with law enforcement to prosecute anyone who falsely registers as a Democrat to caucus tomorrow and subsequently participates in the Republican caucuses on Tuesday.”
The sharply worded statement follows an announcement from the College Republicans at the University of Nevada, Reno, encouraging members to “capitalize on, if they see fit to” on rules that would permit them to caucus Saturday and vote in the GOP primary on Tuesday.
Of course the bigger concern should be the money Karl’s Rove’s superpac is pouring into Nevada in hopes of defeating Hillary and helping Sanders gain more momentum.
Romare Bearden: The Dove, 1964
The Politico Caucus: Insiders predict Trump win in South Carolina, Clinton in Nevada, by Steven Shepard.
On South Carolina:
Donald Trump is poised for his second win of the Republican presidential primary season on Saturday in South Carolina. And Hillary Clinton looks as if she’ll eke out a victory in Nevada.
That’s according to the activists, strategists and operatives who make up The POLITICO Caucus in both states.
A clear majority of South Carolina insiders — nearly 80 percent — picked Trump as the most likely victor on Saturday, with Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz also receiving votes.
It wasn’t quite so overwhelming among South Carolina Republicans, however. Just three-in-five chose Trump as the winner – and a number of those who did predicted a closer-than-expected race.
“Trump’s margin of victory will be narrower than many think, and the difference between second and fourth will be tight,” said one South Carolina Republican, who, like all the insiders, answered the survey anonymously.
“Trump is dropping due to his conspiracy attacks on [George W. Bush],” added another, “but his base of 25 percent remains solid.”
Faith Ringgold: American People, Black Light, 1967
On Nevada:
A number of Nevada Democratic insiders said the nature and relative newness of the state’s presidential caucuses were a boon to Clinton.
“I believe it will be close, and the outcome will depend, of course, on how many of Sanders’ young supporters actually come out to caucus on a Saturday morning,” said one Democrat.
“Clinton will win the type of victory that shows that organization does still matter,” added another. “To that point, Team Bernie invited press to a phone bank last week, and their volunteers didn’t even know when the caucus was taking place. It won’t be a big margin for Team Hillary, but it will be a clear win that the can build on headed into South Carolina.”
One Nevada Democrat said the fact the race is close shows Clinton is no longer an unassailable front-runner.
“The Clinton firewall is clearly not real at this point,” countered another. “It’ll be uncomfortably close for Clinton, but I still think she pulls out. If she doesn’t win, it’ll send a message the Bernie’s economic criticism resonates with more than just white voters. It could be a game changer for the campaign moving forward.”
The article says that Nevada Republicans predict Sanders will win. Interesting isn’t it?
Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1971, by Wadsworth Jarrell
More stories to check out:
The People’s View: The Nordic Obsession: Bernie’s “Democratic Socialism” Has a White-Only Sign
Joseph Cannon: It’s 2008 all over again. You can tell by the stench of horseshit in the air. Scroll down a bit to the second part of the post for some excellent writing on the devolution of Salon and the shit storm that Hillary Clinton has faced in this campaign and for decades leading up to it.
Benjy Sarlin at MSNBC: Trump hails torture, mass killings with “pig’s blood” ammo in SC.
Sarah Jones at Politicus USA: Republicans Are Trying To Rig The Nevada Democratic Caucus To Hurt Hillary Clinton.
Branden English at Medium: Go Fuck Yourself, Bernie: Obama isn’t just the President of Black people.
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Attempt to place Review-Journal obituary for Hillary Clinton prompts report to Secret Service.
The Daily Beast: Bernie Sanders’s Brother: He Backs ‘Class Warfare,’ Bill Clinton Was Worse Than Bush.
Think Progress: The Big Issue Dividing Clinton and Sanders Supporters Ahead Of The Nevada Caucus.
Mother Jones: The 2012 Obama Campaign Took Bernie Sanders’ Primary Threat Seriously.
Delores Huerta: On Immigration, Bernie Sanders is Not Who He Says He Is.
What stories are you following today? Who will win in Nevada and South Carolina?
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
I donated another $5.00 to Hillary this morning even though I can’t really afford it. I’ve been giving small amounts.
I signed up to give $10/month. They promised I would receive fewer emails asking for money. We’ll see.
I might break down and do that too.
Thank you BB, you are our Ace of Hearts!
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Heard on Twitter that a busload of Bernie people went into a Clinton office and harassed people there.
The NYT published an editorial saying that the Democrats need to better explain super delegates to the younguns because (I guess they are incapable of doing any research on their own) they are whining that the system is rigged. There are some good comments from readers. Here’s the last paragraph of a comment from Dave…
And here’s another good one…
I find it funny that the Sandernistas are whining about super delegates. Bernie knew the rules going in. If he didn’t want super delegates, he could have run in the Republican primary. I’m sure his revolutionaries would have followed him.
Those are great comments. I was afraid to go read that article. On Twitter, I’ve seen the same people who loved superdelegates in 2008 screaming bloody murder about them now. Idiots.
Here’s a quote from that editorial.
“Last week, MoveOn.org, a voter action group that has endorsed Mr. Sanders, began a petition drive demanding that superdelegates pledge to back the winner of the national popular vote. About 350,000 people have signed this petition and a related one. Next up are petition drives in each of the 50 states, targeting individual superdelegates.”
That’s odd. The name of the group doing the petition drive was blank in my post. The group’s name has been mud for me since 2008; maybe it’s automatically blocked here? Anyway the name starts with an M.
We don’t have the ability to block individual words or names.
Thanks. I don’t know why the name didn’t display. Anyway, it’s Moveon.Org.
I can see it.
Thanks, janicen. Oh gosh, I’m embarrassed. I had assumed everyone was seeing a blank instead of the name, but when I looked at my post in Firefox instead of Chrome, I was able to see the name. I’m sorry for the drift.
I can see it too.
Yeah, good luck with that. Where were they in 2008? And where will they be after the primaries are over? I predict a sudden drop in interest in getting rid of SDs after the convention.
I am not a big fan of SDs, but one of the keystones of democracy in the US is checks balances, and that is the purpose they are meant to serve in the Democratic Party. I find it dismaying that supposedly liberal organizations are only supporters of democratic principles when it supports their candidate. Principles are principles. One’s support and passion for them should not jump about all over the place based on the hip tribal affiliation of the month. And still less based on your own personal hangups about say, someone’s gender or race (berniebros, I’m looking at you).
BB, you inspired me to go to Hillary’s site and give some money too.
I am half-watching the caucuses on CNN, and they just reported that at one caucus site it was taking so long to register new voters that they just let everyone in to the caucus site! Supposedly they are going to register them WHILE the caucus is going on. This looks like a major charlie fox event. And now CNN is reporting their entrance poll results, showing Clinton down by 3%. I thought networks weren’t supposed to do that? Ugh, I need to turn this off.
Do it, donate, help because she can’t let up or take a day off until 16 March!
I especially loved the “…most vulnerable candidate in my lifetime” part.
And then there are people doing the exact opposite attitude change (bloody murder in 2008 and “smart strategy” in 2016). 🙂
I think that the superdelegate system is just another affront to democracy, along with gerrymandering and electoral college. But hey, both candidates knew about this going in, so Sanders had to realize he’d have an uphill battle in front of him.
I think the only issue anyone here had with super delegates in ’08 was how the rules committee took just enough of Hillary’s away to give to Obama in order for him to secure the nomination. We all understood that Bill Clinton was actually one of the Democrats who came up with the idea of super delegates in order to avoid putting up weak candidates and losing the general elections by landslides.
Well, the only way to prevent the party from electing a weak candidate would be to remove any kind of voting from the rank-and-file members and go back to back room dealing of 19th century. 🙂
Voter turnout is even lower in the primary elections than it is in the general. And of course, you have interference from the Republican Party during those primaries so that the Republicans can help selecting the candidate they want to run against. Super delegates help insure against that. Without them, we could end up like the Republicans who are horrified that Trump is going to end up their nominee. Somewhere around 60% of them do not support him but he will probably take it and lead them to defeat.
Maybe it’s only 40% of Republicans who support Trump now, but he will have 90%-95% of the party support if he becomes the only Republican in the general election. And I think he still has a chance of winning in the general election.
Getting rid of the superdelegates would be a horrible mistake. We don’t need another McGovern. The Party provides valuable infrastructure. Party leaders have a right to weigh in. If Bernie wants the superdelegates, he can try to get them to switch. One already has switched to.
In 2008 they were mostly with Hillary until Obama showed he could win with white people. Then many switched to him.
The Republicans only wish they had superdelegates and proportional distribution of delegates. They’re screwed now.
So you think Trump will win the general election? Against whom? Sanders or Clinton?
I don’t think he’ll win, but I think he has about 20% chance against either Sanders or Clinton.
Oy. Bernie’s followers have a so many deficiencies I don’t know where to start. Sure looks like they have just started getting interested in politics.
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
You know, you can’t blame this kind of crap on the Republicans. These are Bernie staffers doing this.
I read this morning that the GOP is encouraging their voters to caucus for Bernie and then caucus with the GOP on their caucus day.
Hey, facts are so not revolutionary!
People on twitter saying that Bernie cancelled an appearance on Univision. Hillary was there. Univision showed an old video of a Sanders interview. No links as yet.
Sanders was probably afraid they’d ask him about Sierra Blanca, the small TX town he tried to dump nuclear waste on.
I posted a link (see post) about a guy who tried to put an obit of Hillary in a Las Vegas newspaper. It turns out he’s a paid Sanders staffer. He was investigated by SS. I think they searched his home but he wasn’t arrested.
Here’s the guy’s Twitter page. He has 46 followers.
Jeebus….You just can’t make this shit up!
I’d better stop commenting or I’ll fill up the thread before anyone else has a chance.
Sanders supporters are furious at the superdelegate system, but they think it is great to try to get Republicans to vote for their candidate in a Democratic caucus. These are literally or figuratively, spoiled adolescents. They will not win, but they are going to be a problem in the general election, because they would rather see the country fall apart, than admit they lost.
As for the idiotic caucus system, if Nevada either did not institute a caucus, or at the least made sure that the two parties had their caucuses on the same day, they wouldn’t have to try to make re-registering for a week a felony. These systems almost invite rigging, and they are undemocratic. And the media, complicit in all of this, will ignore any of the flaws and chicanery, and inaccurately extrapolate from the results.
Sanders supporters need to accept the fact that the Super Delegates are free to support whoever they want, so why wouldn’t they support a Democrat? The fact is that Hillary has been a Democrat for over 40 years and Bernie has been a Democrat since last May. The Super Delegates are going to work for whoever has worked for them in the past and there’s no doubt that the person who’s done that isn’t Sanders. Hillary 2016.
FYI: This Morning the 538 Blog projects that Hillary has a 71% chance of winning the Nevada Caucus. I’ll go with that until someone proves it incorrect. And MSNBC so wants Bernie to win this that they just can’t hide it anymore. I wish there was some outlet to watch that would treat this as an election instead of referendum on How “great” Bernie Sanders is doing.
http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/election-2016/primary-forecast/nevada-democratic/
Harry Enten from 538 has been tweeting entrance polls that make it look a lot closer. I just hope she wins, even by one vote. Nevada won’t matter much in the long run.
That’s true!!!! Still, I’d relish a decent win in NV if for no other reason than to smash in the face of the MSM that has done everything in it’s power to play down Hillary and play up
Bernie. Right now she’s ahead by 3% points.
CNN tried their hardest with commentary and visuals to make it look like a Sanders “upset” but they finally just called it for Clinton. 52 to 47%, with 66% of the vote counted. I’d guess the final vote would actually push her total a bit higher.
The Guardian: The white man pathology: inside the fandom of Sanders and Trump
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/10/white-man-pathology-bernie-sanders-donald-trump#_=_
Looking good folks!
Hillary is ahead 2% to 9% ahead of Sanders with 18% of the vote in.
Hillary has double digit lead in Clark County. She won every one of the casinos. From Jon Ralston on MSNBC.
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Ralston says Harry Reid’s call to the unions got the vote out for Hillary. Clark County is the big one, but we’ll have to see how she does elsewhere.
I can go with that!!!! 🙂
70% of the population of NV lives in Clarke County and it’s going for Hillary by over 10% points.
This is the longest Saturday afternoon I can remember! Things are looking good, but I’ll breathe easier when all the results are in.
I’m right with you! I haven’t had a good deep breath in at least 2 hours.
Agreed!
Fox News has tweeted their projection that Hillary has won the Nevada caucus.
Wapo says its 51.7% to 48.2% Clinton with 52.3% reported.
NYT projecting 5-6 point win for Hillary.
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I had a FB comment from a friend that said in one area of Las Vegas they had 11 precincts in one spot and 3000 people showed up. Though they have signed their cards, they are still listening to speeches.
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I’m feeling better about it Clark Co just reported 55% to 45% Clinton with 42.5% reporting.
52% to 47.9% Clinton with 61% reporting!
America Ferrera tweeted “Harrah’s casino site- Bernie supporters chant ‘English-only’ to stop civil rights leader @DoloresHuerta from providing Spanish translation.”
WTF?!
It looks like it will be 9 pledged delegates each, plus super delegates.
Fox News already called it for Hillary, but Jon Ralston says it may be too early.
On MSNBC, Chris Matthews browbeat a Ltina reporter who tried to explain why Bernie’s vote against the immigration bill looks so bad. Chris says it was all Boehner’s fault.
This came out just at caucus. Is looks suspicious to me: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/national-nurses-accuses-clinton-campaign-of-trying-to-trick-bernie-sanders-voters-at-nevada-caucuses/
52.2% to 47.8% Clinton with 64.9% reporting.
The Clinton group has got audio up and ready to go on Wapo, waiting for news.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/?reload=true
It’s over!! AP called it for Hillary. I already got an email from her!!!!!!!!!!
yay!!!!!
MSNBC is talking to James Clyburn.
Chris Matthews asks him how he mended fences with Bill Clinton. Clyburn says he was “protecting his spouse” and he never had any hard feelings.
Im watching!
Churchill Co just tied at 94.7%. Storey Co is tied at 62.5% reporting
Whew!!!! Thank goodness that’s over. HILLARY 2016!!!!!!
Bernie is done.
Yes he is, now she’ll reel off a bunch of wins before he hits a state where he might have a shot. And what’s up with Massachusetts?
I’m just afraid t believe it!
I know! Me too.
The mood on MSNBC is muted, lol. I only wish I could see the look on Tad Devine’s face.
I’m sure a Tad Deviant is exhibiting his resting sneer.
It’s going to be sad on college campuses tonight
Poor baybeees.
Bernie Sanders complaining about Super Delegates is like the neighbor who conveniently stopped by the house after dinner and took home the yummy leftovers, but inexplicably, he now has taken to crashing formal dinner parties uninvited and complaining about the dinner menu and the guests.
Sanders has for years been the beneficiary of the Democratic Party — clearing primaries, donations, committee assignments — he held his vote as a lever when it was needed — now he has had some kind of spontaneous conversion believing he has the credibility to criticize the party structure, the party rules, and party officials over the mere fact, he has not a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.
So in my opinion, if Bernie wants to take advantage of the dinner table, he eats what’s there or goes hungry. The decision isn’t his.
Thank you Sky Dancers, all of you are our Ace of Hearts! Thank you so much, to all the people of Nevada, to my cousins going on the National Convention, to my sisters and brothers in the Latino Community, to all people of color, including my Afro-Latino’s friends who worked just as hard, and to the Asian Community, they too worked hard and support Hillary. To the women who spend hours and hours for Hillary, here’s to you. Here’s to the future senate, the supreme court, and to the WHITE HOUSE. We won’t let them put our backs up against the wall. She is our future, and we are going in the right direction, justice for all.
There’s a new post up to follow HIllary’s victory speech and track the Republican SC returns!!
Clark Co just reported the win 54.8% to 45.2% Clinton at 70.6% reporting! So we really are good to go!