"What is the agenda?... The agenda begins with jobs."

"We are going to turn this country around!  That is what this campaign is about."

Sanders speech is full of statistics, many of which have become familiar by this point. 

Evils of Oligarchs Detailed

Sen. Sanders has today decried the power of billionaires such as the Koch brothers and someone named Sheldon (?).

Live Blogging: the Sanders Announcement

Stay tuned here...

Will Sanders Candidacy Help or Hurt Efforts to Stave Off Republicans?

An open question is whether the candidacy of Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont will help or hurt Democrats' chances in 2016.  With the election a year and a half away, it is too early to tell for sure.  However, as in every nomination battle, there is always the danger of a split within the party leading up to the fall campaign.  What happens depends very much on the way the primary campaigns are conducted.  Clearly, the Sanders campaign helps the Democrats on policy questions.  I have heard Mr. Sanders speak several times now, and he is quite impressive.  He may or may not be the next Robert Lafollette but he is of good character, a solid, patriotic American, and a contender.  That is saying a good deal.

What is to be avoided by all means, is a repeat of 2000, when Ralph Nader siphoned off votes from the Democrats, helping assure a "W" victory with Supreme Court help.  The Bush II Presidency led to two disastrous wars and an economic panic on Wall Street.

It will be up to Mr. Sanders, Ms. Clinton, and any other candidates to make this a constructive debate.  At this point, at least, Sanders' inclusion in the contest is a most welcome addition.

U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders (I), Vermont

Wealthy Republicans Spend Huge Amounts to Undermine Democratic Efforts

The absurdist Koch brothers are at it again, according to the article linked to below.  The ingenuity of the Kochs knows no bounds when it comes to undermining Democratic efforts among members of the Democrats' core constituencies.  The latest report from The Washington Post, documents their efforts to curry favor with Hispanics while raising doubts about the Democrats in order to surpress votes.

Do the terms fascist and anarchist apply here?


Democratic Worry Over Republican-leaning Latino Outreach

Bernie Sanders "Leaning Toward" Running for President

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont says he is "leaning toward" running for President according to Huffington Post, which quotes the Senator directly.  The difficulty is how to find the money to run a credible campaign.  The need for money is because of the capitalistic media, which, except for debates, mostly avoids serious coverage of candidates like Sanders.  This is a tall hurdle to overcome.  I hope he finds a way to do it.


Bernie Sanders "Leaning Toward" Running for President


N.B.  Isn't it ironic that the page linked to here included an ad for a Citi MasterCard?  Citi Group is hardly a group which would escape the criticism of Bernie Sanders.  

The 2016 Campaign So Far: Where's My Sanity Pill?

By way of further preparation, today I examine the matter of early announcements for President by self-selecting "candidates."  Yes, I know this characterization can seem almost snide.  But if one looks at the facts, we see that campaign announcements are coming earlier, and the media glitz factor is going up.  Hillary Clinton, in spite of a folksy message, used all the latest computer "social media," techniques for her announcement.  

This campaign is going to be harder than ever to analyze on the merits.  I'll have more to say about this as time goes on.  

For now, we must all do our best to preserve our sanity, by holding on to the original promise of the country despite these nationalized "social media" campaigns.  

Thanks to The Hill.com

++++++++++

From The Musical Patriot  --  

Ever since Bill Clinton in 1991,  major presidential candidate campaign announcements have been coming earlier.  It's as if the marketing sell campaign has been planned carefully, including the needed announcement date.  The earliest announcement in recent years was Barack Obama in 2007, almost two years before the next election.    Long gone are the days candidates did not campaign, following the conventional wisdom that to do so was beneath the dignity of the office.  Now it is "dignity, shmignity, I'm going for it!"

Dwight Eisenhower could have been called dignified, if not gray.  And Jimmy Carter had his rectitude.  So there is some history for self-selecting, then campaigning and holding one's personal dignity.

But what of the dignity of the office?  Ted Cruz is a grand-stander, not to be taken seriously except for the scary ardor of his "believers."  The other Republican candidates announced so far are little better.  On the Democratic side, as the The Washington Post observed, Hillary Clinton is more a celebrity than a politician.  

There is something slightly oily and seedy about this "campaign" so far which seems new.  The way forward for these candidates has been greased by big money.  The actual dollar amounts will come later, of course.  But for now, as in every year since about 1952, the Presidential election campaign is a media "show," as much as a serious endeavor of a great democracy.  This is a great tragedy.

The Self-Anointed

Before dealing with Hillary Clinton's announcement specifically, it is helpful to briefly set the stage.  We have already at least two "name" Republicans who have announced their campaigns for President, and now we have former First Lady Clinton.

The media-dominated nature of our Presidential contests is on full display.  Who among the American people would chose Cruz, Paul, or Rubio?  How many even know the names?  And Hillary Clinton is not exactly free from baggage.

I intend to make the profit system itself, that very damaging economic way, an issue in this campaign as far as this blog is concerned.  For instance, it is fine for Ms. Clinton to talk about the middle class.  But doesn't this sound like something from twenty years ago?  After all we have had the Occupy movement and people are concerned about poor people.  Perhaps I am not being completely fair to Ms. Clinton.  But the concentration on the middle class is how the media are portraying her effort from the little I have seen so far.  It is still early.  But we are back to my point about the media dominating things.  How I wish this campaign could be other.

More in coming weeks.