People For Themselves

[sheshe2]

?

Okay, now that Bernie Sanders has endorsed Hillary Clinton and there is unity in the Democratic Party, it’s time to talk about the state of “Revolution” in the progressive movement. Well, um, it’s well under way. In fact, it has been since 2008, when we elected the most progressive president we ever elected going in.

What, you say? President Obama isn’t a “real” progressive?

Bite me. He’s more progressive than any of those who are all fired up about “revolution” right now. Root word of progressive: “progress.” Look it up. Being progressive does not mean having specific stances on issues. It’s about getting shit done.

You know what will doom your revolution quicker than anything? It will be your tendency to lock out anyone who doesn’t fit the purity mold that you set up. If you want an actual revolution, you’ll have to make it inclusive. Face it; in a democracy, five percent of the population isn’t effecting any sort of revolution. This isn’t 1775 and we’re not subjects of a monarchy operating from across the ocean. You need 50.1% of the vote to do anything and you need a majority of all legislative bodies to make laws that create a progressive revolution.


Funny thing is, most actual progressives have been moving in that direction for a long time. That’s right; Black people, Latinos, immigrants and women have been moving in that direction for a while. While you PUBs and the professional left whine and cry about Bill Clinton and his administration, the fact of the matter is, after 12 years of Saint Reagan and Bush the Elder, Clinton was a breath of fresh air. Your revolution should embrace him, not defame him, for Crissakes. How do you imagine it looks to outsiders when you blame Hillary for “everything” Bill did in his eight years, and then only cite the 5-6 things you don’t like? The answer is, you look ridiculous. And you really do need the outsiders to help you. Sorry if you think that makes you a “sell-out” or some other nonsense; if you want progressive things to happen, we have to win elections, which means we have to become popular.

Read More: http://pleasecutthecrap.com/people-for-themselves/

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Very good read.

[cosmicone]

1. I heard from a dubious authority that President Obama is no longer black. n/t

[sheshe2]

2. Hey.....

To some, he was never black enough. NPR back in 2008. Tavis and Cornell.

[George II]

3. And Bill Clinton is. Oh that's right, we've known for 20 years...

....that Bill is America's "First Black President".

[cosmicone]

6. Bill rained on their parade of complete control

so they hated him.


Same thing with Obama although Bill rained on a 12 year long parade and Obama only 8.

The fuckers wanted 9 conservative supreme court justices to deny progressives, women, minorities and LGBT any justice.

What is forgotten is that the only people who stood in their way were Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

[George II]

4. Up until the time Obama was elected in 2008 (my 60th year) I felt that Bill Clinton...

...was the best President of my lifetime. Now after almost 8 years of watching and appreciating Barack Obama, he has surpassed Bill Clinton.

They're both great Presidents, and it's really tough to compare the two. The one trait that they both share is their articulate speaking styles. I could listen to either for hours.

I really hope I get to add one more "best" starting in January.

PS - right now Obama is doing a town hall, "The President and the People", on ESPN - he is just SO cool!

[cosmicone]

7. The two greatest orators who can energize just with a speech. n/t

[calimary]

9. And it's especially sweet that we have those two on our team.

Both of 'em put King CON (reagan) and his "great communicator" business to shame.

[sheshe2]

5. From my link

3.You have to understand which issues WE the people think are the most important and stop trying to make everyone accept your stances on the issues you have decided are most important. You say, “We will work every day to fight systemic racism. We will fight for tuition free college. We will work to end the stranglehold of money in politics. We will never give up on single payer healthcare, defeating bad trade deals, banning fracking, securing living wage for all, and enforcing our rights to join a union.” How can white liberals fight “systemic racism” when they are attacking John Lewis, dismissing Hillary Clinton’s primary wins in “confederate states” and routinely denying the reality of white privilege? I can’t tell you how many times I have had to explain to a “revolutionary” what white privilege is and why yes, they did benefit from it. And I’m a white guy! I shouldn’t have to explain to any white liberal why their very whiteness provides them with advantages in this society. As for the others, well, ask yourself why “tuition-free college” is better than “debt-free college.” The only way to break the stranglehold on money in politics is to put liberals on the Supreme Court, which means a vote for Jill Stein is just stupid. “Single-Payer healthcare” is not the goal, universal healthcare is. “Bad trade deals” are in the eye of the beholder. Start by learning what’s in them, because most of the complaints I see about TPP are ignorant, as are the claims that NAFTA sent millions of jobs overseas. You’ll never ban fracking everywhere, so you’ll need to work on something more limited, at least until we wean ourselves from our oil addiction, which is far more important. Agreed with the right to join a union, but that will require getting rid of Republicans as a first step, so the constant attacks on Democrats actually undermines that goal. If you don’t believe that, look at the outsized influence of the GOP over 40 years.

[Iliyah]

8. K & R

[CajunBlazer]

10. K&R

[Her Sister]

11. Weaver when he said he'd vote for HRC the other day also said that the DEMS veered Right after Reaga

Reagan! ?? & that Bernie, well, you know, he saved the DEMS by veering back LEFT!

Yeah, more self-congratulations...

In the meantime, Pres. Obama....

[Coolest Ranger]

12. To those Bernie supporters

who are on board with us. I welcome you we need to unite. Trump scares the hell out of me

[sheshe2]

14. you~

[fleabiscuit]

13. I like it. eom

[NastyRiffraff]

15. K&R

It is indeed a good read.