THE WASHINGTON POST HAS AN IMPORTANT STORY ABOUT WHAT
BERNIE SANDERS IS GOING TO DO TO HOLD DEMOCRATS ACCOUNTABLE,
OBVIOUSLY SPECIFICALLY HILLARY CLINTON IF SHE BECOMES
PRESIDENT.
NOW THIS IS A STORY I LOVE.
TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY
AGREE WITH BERNIE SANDERS' STRATEGY HERE, FIRST THEY
EXPLAIN --
>>I LOVE THIS KIND OF THING.
THE ESTABLISHMENT IS GOING TO
HATE THIS BECAUSE ALL THEY DO IS CAVE UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE
RIGHT.
THEY ARE NOT USED TO EVER HAVING PRESSURE FROM THE LEFT, I
GUARANTEE YOU THE TALKING POINTS THEY WILL PUT OUT IN THE PRESS
WILL BE LIKE, I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S TRYING TO RAIN ON THE
PARADE OF THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT.
NO RESPECT HERE.
HEY
BERNIE, YOU DIDN'T WIN, SHE WON.
SHUSH, DON'T DO IT.
AND THEY
WILL HAVE A THOUSAND EXCUSES.
YOU GOT TO SUPPORT YOUR
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT, HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO GET ANYTHING DONE IF
YOU DON'T BOW YOUR HEAD AND TAKE EVERYTHING SHE SAYS AS GOSPEL?
DON'T LISTEN TO THAT, THEY DON'T WANT THE PRESSURE BECAUSE THEY
WANT TO PUT IN CORPORATISTS.
OF COURSE WE SHOULD FIGHT THAT, SO
I LOVE THIS ATTITUDE BY BERNIE SANDERS.
HE SAYS --
>>TO WHICH I SAY, YES.
DO I LIKE THAT?
YES.
[PLEASE BELIEVE
ME].
I LIKE HOW THE WASHINGTON POST FRAMES THAT AS PLOTTING.
HE
IS PLOTTING TO DO REALLY GOOD THINGS FOR YOU.
ANYWAY, A SMALL
POINT, WE GO ON --
>>DO I LIKE THAT IS A PROGRESSIVE?
[PLEASE BELIEVE ME]
I DO.
AMEN, BROTHER.
YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MAKES THEM DO?
IT MAKE
THEM THINK TWICE.
NORMALLY WHEN THE CORPORATIST DEMOCRATS WIN,
THEY TURN TO THE WALL STREET TYPES, WE KNOW BECAUSE OF
WIKILEAKS PRESIDENT OBAMA TURNS TO MICHAEL FROMAN WHO WORKED AT
CITIGROUP, DURING THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE CAUSED BY BANKS LIKE
CITIGROUP, AND THAT'S WHAT HE RAN AGAINST AND THAT'S WHY HE
WON THE PRESIDENCY -- MEANWHILE HE GETS MEMOS FROM CITIGROUP
GOING, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU WILL PUT INTO YOUR CABINET.
YOU
LOOK AT THE LIST, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE HE PUT IN HIS CABINET.
ALMOST IDENTICAL.
IT'S NOT THAT MICHAEL FROMAN DECIDED IT ON HIS
OWN AT CITIGROUP, BUT IT'S TELLING THAT HE SENT A LIST TO
THE OBAMA ADMIN STATION AND LO AND BEHOLD THAT'S WHAT YOU GET.
BUT THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PROGRESSIVE PRESSURE TO SAY NO,
YOU SHOULD NOT PUT TIMOTHY GEITHNER AS TREASURY SECRETARY.
THE ORIGINAL GROUP WAS THE GUY WHO RAN GOLDMAN SACHS, LARRY
SUMMERS, AND TIM GEITHNER.
THEY ARE ALL WAY TO THE RIGHT OF
PROGRESSIVES, THE ONLY CHOICES HE WAS GIVEN WORK RIGHT WING
PROGRESSIVES.
AND AT THE TIME IF YOU TRIED TO PRESSURE PRESIDENT
OBAMA, THEY WOULD SAY HOW DARE YOU, YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT THE
PRESIDENT IN ALL HIS DECISIONS.
MEANWHILE THE BANKERS, THE
DONORS, ARE BUSY HANDING HIM LISTS.
NOW THIS IS BERNIE
SANDERS AND PROGRESSIVES SAYING, HERE IS OUR LIST.
I KNOW WHO YOU
WILL TRY TO PICK, AND I'M GOING TO FIGHT YOU IF YOU PICK THOSE
GUYS.
I LOVE IT.
THAT IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT ATTITUDE.
AND THEY
WILL CRY ABOUT THIS TO KNOW AND.
IF SHE WINS, THE MINUTE SHE WINS
THEY WILL SAY THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS BECAUSE BERNIE, YOU WERE USEFUL,
NICE WORK, MOVE ALONG.
WHAT POWER DO YOU HAVE NOW?
BUT YOU DO HAVE POWER, DON'T GIVE IT UP.
I WILL EXPLAIN THAT IN A SECOND.
SO BERNIE SANDERS SAYS --
>>THAT IS IF THEY GO IN THIS RIGHT-WING, CORPORATIST
DIRECTION.
IF THEY DO.
HE EXPLAINS, WE WORKED TOGETHER
WITH SENATOR CLINTON, SECRETARY CLINTON, TO PASS THE MOST
PROGRESSIVE PLATFORM IN DNC HISTORY.
I'M NOT SURE I WOULD
GIVE IT THAT TITLE, BUT THEY KEEP CALLING THAT, BUT IT IS
MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN IT USED TO BE.
SO FAIR ENOUGH, AND --
>>HE IS NOT NAœVE, HE KNOWS THAT ONCE THE PLATFORM IS DONE THAT
USUALLY IGNORE IT.
HE IS SAYING WE MADE ALL THOSE COMPROMISES
AND WORKED TOWARD THAT PLATFORM NOT FOR YOU TO IGNORE IT, FOR
YOU TO DO IT.
YOU SAID YOU MEANT IT, SO IF YOU MEAN IT LET'S GET
TO WORK.
LET'S GET THAT $15 MINIMUM WAGE, LET'S DO ALL THOSE OTHER
THINGS YOU SAID YOU WERE IN FAVOR OF.
BERNIE SANDERS FURTHER SAYS --
>>YES, THAT'S THE KIND OF TALK I LIKE.
POWER USED TO DELIVER
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IS EXACTLY WHAT A POLITICIAN IS
THEORETICALLY SUPPOSED TO DO, THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT
YOU, AND HE IS SAYING YOU GAVE ME THAT POWER THROUGH YOUR
VOTES, NOW I WILL USE THAT POWER ON YOUR BEHALF.
PERFECT.
TEAM
HILLARY SAYS, OF COURSE.
LOOK AT THIS, TWO SIDES OF THEIR MOUTH.
ON ONE HAND, CLINTON SPOKESMAN BRIAN FALLON SAYS --
>>THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD.
IF THEY LEFT IT AT THAT, OKAY, MAYBE SHE
WILL DO IT.
GIVE HER A CHANCE.
ON THAT SAME DAY, FALLON THEN TURNED AROUND AND SAID --
>>GREAT.
TO BE FAIR TO FALLON,
HE WAS TALKING ABOUT IMMIGRATION
REFORM, AMONG OTHER POLICIES.
BUT HERE IS WHAT THEY WILL DO,
AND IF I'M WRONG, GREAT.
I'LL ADMIT IT AND I'M HAPPY TO BE
WRONG.
HASN'T HAPPENED YET.
IT DOES FROM TIME TO TIME.
IN THIS
CASE WHAT THEY WILL DO IS, FIRST 100 DAYS, WE HAVE TO GET THINGS
DONE.
THE REPUBLICANS WILL BLOCK EVERYTHING SHE DOES, THERE IS A
STORY TODAY ABOUT HOW THEY WILL BLOCK EVERY SUPREME COURT
NOMINATION SHE PUTS FORWARD FOREVER.
YOU THINK THEY WILL
WORK WITH HER ON PROGRESSIVE PRIORITIES?
NO, THEY WILL CUT
CORPORATE TAX RATES UNDER THE GUISE OF CORPORATE TAX REFORM.
WRITE THAT DOWN IN STONE.
SO THAT'S WHEN BERNIE SANDERS AND
ELIZABETH WARREN AND MERKLEY, SHERROD BROWN AND OTHERS, THOSE
ARE THE PROGRESSIVE SENATORS, WILL FIGHT BACK.
WE HAVE TO
SUPPORT THEM IF WE DON'T WANT THINGS GOING IN THAT DIRECTION.
BUT IF YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE WHO SAY WE CAN'T WAIT TO WORK WITH
REPUBLICANS WILL TURN AROUND AND SAY TO THE REPUBLICANS, THIS IS
THE PROGRESSIVE PLATFORM WE WANT?
I HOPE SO, I HOPE I'M
WRONG, BUT I WOULD BE SURPRISED.
NOW, BERNIE FURTHER SAYS --
>>THAT IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO
UNDERSTAND, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS
DURING THE PRIMARIES BUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT, WE TALKED ABOUT IT
BEFORE THE PRIMARIES, I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR EIGHT YEARS
UNDER OBAMA.
THE WAY TO GET REPUBLICANS TO WORK WITH YOU IS
NOT TO ASK PRETTY PLEASE, IT'S NOT JUST TO SIMPLY AGREE WITH
REPUBLICAN IDEAS -- THEN WHY DID WE ELECT YOU?
THEY DON'T CARE
HOW NICELY YOU ASK, OR IF YOU HAVE TEA MORE BEER WITH THEM,
THAT IS ALL MAINSTREAM MEDIA GARBAGE.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO
TALK TO MITCH MCCONNELL AND HAVE A BEER AND HAVE HIM GO, I KNOW
I'M GETTING MILLIONS FROM CORPORATE DONORS AND THEY DON'T
WANT THE MINIMUM WAGE RAISED BECAUSE THAT WILL AFFECT THEIR
BOTTOM LINE, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND WE HAD A BEER SO OKAY
HILLARY, YOU WIN, LET'S MAKE THE MINIMUM WAGE $15.
ANYONE WHO
THINGS POLITICS WORKS LIKE THAT IS A BLITHERING IDIOT.
UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS A LOT OF THEM ON TV.
SO THE WAY IT
ACTUALLY WORKS IS HOW BERNIE SANDERS IS OUTLINING, AND THEY
CALLED HIM IMPRACTICAL -- NO, THE REAL WAY TO GET REPUBLICANS
TO DO WHAT YOU WANT IS TO PLAY HARDBALL POLITICS.
YOU GO AND
WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, I'M GOING TO TAKE IT TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
THESE GUYS ARE PREVENTING YOU FROM GETTING A
LIVING WAGE, I WANT TO GIVE YOU $15 AN HOUR, THEY ARE SAYING
KEEP IT AT $7.25.
LET'S GO TO WAR.
YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS?
TO
EITHER BREAK THEM AND YOU GET MORE DEMOCRATS ELECTED AND YOU
PASS THE $15 MINIMUM WAGE, OR YOU BREAK THEM ANY OTHER WAY,
THEY SEE POLLS COLLAPSING, THEY SAY CAN WE DO 12, 13, ANYTHING?
LET'S COMPROMISE.
THAT'S HOW POLITICS WORKS.
MAYBE WE ARE
WRONG, MAYBE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DON'T WANT HIGHER WAGES.
THEY
THINK CORPORATIONS, YOU KEEP ALL THE MONEY.
WHAT DO I NEED IT
FOR?
YOU NEED TO MAKE A COUPLE EXTRA BILLION DOLLARS, KEEP
PAYING ME AS LOW A MINIMUM WAGE AS YOU CAN.
LET'S TAKE IT TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND FIND OUT.
BUT IF YOU DON'T FIGHT, YOU HAVE
NO CHANCE OF WINNING.
IF YOUR IDEA OF WORKING WITH REPUBLICANS
IS TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT, THAT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF
ELECTING A SO-CALLED DEMOCRAT.
BERNIE SANDERS IS RIGHT NOT JUST
ON THE POLICIES, BUT THE PRACTICAL WAY YOU GET THOSE
POLICIES IMPLEMENTED.
NOW I WANT TO GIVE YOU THE ENDING HERE.
ONE
MORE THING ON THIS, ONE OF THE TREASURY SECRETARY POSSIBILITIES
IS SHERYL SANDBERG.
SHE IS SECOND IN CHARGE AT FACEBOOK,
SILICON VALLEY HAS GIVEN AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO
HILLARY CLINTON, AND SHERYL SANDBERG IS VERY GOOD FRIENDS
WITH LARRY SUMMERS, ANOTHER RIGHT-WING SO-CALLED DEMOCRAT.
AND GENERALLY VERY WEALTHY, COMES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE.
DOESN'T MEAN SHERYL SANDBERG IS A BAD PERSON, I DON'T KNOW ALL
THE POLICIES SHE WOULD WANT TO IMPLEMENT AS TREASURY SECRETARY,
BUT IS SHE THE MOST PROGRESSIVE CHOICE?
NOT REMOTELY, EVERYBODY
KNOWS THAT, BUT NONETHELESS THE CLINTON TEAM IS THINKING OF
SHERYL SANDBERG.
AND BERNIE SANDERS SAYS --
>>HE CONCLUDES BY SAYING --
>>NOW THAT IS HOW YOU PLAY
HARDBALL.
YOU DON'T GO AROUND
SAYING YES SIR, YES MA'AM, ABSOLUTELY MA'AM, YOU WOULD LIKE
TO PUT IN A BILLIONAIRE FOR TREASURY SECRETARY WHOSE WHOLE
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS ARE ALSO MILLIONAIRES AND BILLIONAIRES
AND WHO KNOWS ALL THE PEOPLE ON WALL STREET AND WORKED WITH THEM
ON A REGULAR BASIS AND THAT IS HER CONTEXT?
YES BAM,
ABSOLUTELY.
YOU DON'T WANT TO PUT A PROGRESSIVE IN, YOU WANT
TO PUT SOMEONE FROM A COMPANY THAT HAS GIVEN YOU A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF MONEY IN CAMPAIGN DONATIONS?
YES MA'AM.
THAT IS
NOT HOW YOU GET CHANGE, YOU GET CHANGE FROM FIGHTING.
I WAS
ENCOURAGED BY THE STORY BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE THE FIGHT IS ON.
IF THEY ARE PROGRESSIVES AS HILLARY CLINTON HAS CLAIMED, SHE
WAS OUTRAGED THAT ANYONE WOULD SAY SHE WAS NOT A PROGRESSIVE,
THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT ON ANYTHING.
I DON'T HAVE TO GET
YOU TO BE A PROGRESSIVE IF YOU ALREADY ARE ONE.
BUT IF YOU ARE
NOT, THEN WE HAVE TO FIGHT YOU BECAUSE IT ISN'T ABOUT THE
PERSON, I DON'T THINK SHERYL SANDBERG IS A BAD PERSON, I
DON'T THINK HILLARY CLINTON IS A BAD PERSON, IT'S ABOUT POLICY
POSITIONS.
IT'S NOT ABOUT YOUR OWN PERSONAL POWER, IT'S NOT
ABOUT I'M WITH HER OR I'M WITH HIM, IT'S ABOUT WHAT ARE YOU
GOING TO DO?
AND IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO RIGHT-WING
POSITIONS, OR ONES THAT BENEFIT WALL STREET OR YOUR CORPORATE
DONORS, THEN OF COURSE WE WILL FIGHT YOU, WE WOULD BE CRAZY NOT
TO FIGHT YOU.
THAT'S NOT OUR CHOICE, THAT IS HILLARY
CLINTON'S TEAM'S CHOICE.
IF THEY WANT TO BE PROGRESSIVES, NO NEED
TO FIGHT.
IF THEY DON'T WANT TO, AND WANT TO GO IN A REPUBLICAN
DIRECTION, GAME ON.