Month: May 2016

The esteemed Professor Robert Reich via Facebook: "Last week I suggested Bernie supporters do three things: (1) fight like hell for Bernie until he either gets or loses the nomination, (2) if Hillary gets the nomination, fight like hell for her, and (3) regardless of who wins the nomination or the election, continue to build a powerful progressive movement. Several of you disagree with (1), saying Bernie has no chance, and his continuing candidacy is just hurting Hillary, so he should bow out of the race. I’ll get back to this point in a subsequent post. Here I want to address those of you who disagree with (2). As I understand your arguments, they fall into four categories....

Alan Abramowitz: “Perhaps the key lesson that we can learn from the results of the 2008 battle between Clinton and Obama is that Sanders supporters probably do not have to love Clinton in order to vote for her in the general election. They merely have to like her as well or better than Trump, and that should be a very easy bar to clear.” “Trump has far less appeal to Democratic voters in 2016 than McCain had in 2008. According to the 2008 ANES data, McCain was viewed favorably by 23% of all Democratic identifiers and leaners and unfavorably by 58%. In contrast, according to four recent national polls… Donald Trump is viewed favorably by only 5% to 12% of Democratic voters and unfavorably by 82% to 89%. And while these polls did not provide data on Trump favorability among Clinton and Sanders supporters, it seems unlikely that he is viewed more favorably by Sanders voters, who tend to be, if anything, further to the left and more suspicious of billionaires than Clinton supporters.”

State Senator and President Pro Tem Patti Blevins (D-Elsmere) has endorsed her down Kirkwood Highway colleague State Senator Bryan Townsend today. This may not seem like a rather large deal, given that they are fellow upstate Democratic Senators. But Blevins is a further signal that the Dem Establishment is lining up behind Townsend now that their favorite, Bryon Short, is out. So in that case it is.

To be delegate to the Democratic convention can be an expensive proposition. You have at least five nights in a hotel at at least $150 a night, and that is being, pardon the pun, conservative. I, as a Hillary supporter, have donated personally to a Bernie delegate, because she is a friend and because, if you need help to participate in our party democracy, you should get it. In that vein, Rebecca Faye Powers and Mona Parikh are hosting, and the Progressive Democrats are sponsoring, a fundraiser for those delegates, whether they are Bernie delegates or Hillary delegates, who need assistance. Rebecca Faye Powers knows the Bernie delegates who are in need, and Drew Fennell knows the Hillary delegates who are in need. Whatever is raised at this fundraiser will be divided evenly between those on each side who need help. So please join us all on next Thursday, June 2 between 5:30 and 8:30 pm at the Ernest & Scott Taproom, 902 N. Market St, Wilmington, Delaware 19801.

You know what will bring unity among Sanders and Clinton supporters: the sacking of DWS. And it looks like some Democratic Senators are actually contemplating sacking her BEFORE the convention, which will give Bernie a literal scalp to crow about.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are discussing whether Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz should step down as Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairwoman before the party’s national convention in July. Democrats backing likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton worry Wasserman Schultz has become too divisive a figure to unify the party in 2016, which they say is crucial to defeating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump in November. Wasserman Schultz has had an increasingly acrimonious relationship with the party’s other presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, and his supporters, who argue she has tilted the scales in Clinton’s favor. “There have been a lot of meetings over the past 48 hours about what color plate do we deliver Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s head on,” said one pro-Clinton Democratic senator. A senior Senate Democratic aide said, “There’s a strong sentiment that the current situation is untenable and can only be fixed by her leaving. There’s too much water under the bridge for her to be a neutral arbiter.” Another Democratic senator who supports Clinton said Wasserman Schultz will hurt her chances of rallying the liberal base in the fall. “We need to get this figured out and come together,” said the lawmaker. “Hillary’s got the nomination. She needs Bernie’s energy. It’s time for her to accommodate. It’s time to pick hard-nosed people to cut through things and figure out a deal. “They need to know this is their party,” the lawmaker said, observing that if Wasserman Schultz were to be replaced as party leader, young liberals may become more enthusiastic about the ticket.