Democrats organize to fight back

[Eric the Green]

Fighting back: My first priority for support goes to environmental organizations. That is the most severe threat from Trump-Pence-Ryan.

HELP DEFEND OUR ENVIRONMENT FROM THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY
The time for shock over the coming Donald Trump presidency is short. Trump promises to withdraw from the Paris climate accords, approve the Keystone XL pipeline, dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency and dramatically expand coal mining and oil drilling on our wildlands and coastlines.

NRDC fights to defend our environment from Big Polluters and climate change deniers like Trump. But we’re now facing the biggest threat to our natural world in a generation and we urgently need your support now.

[Marypoza]

(11-14-2016, 11:11 PM)taramarie Wrote: I wish there was a face palm emoji here

-- me 2

here's the  Donald on trade, btw:

https://usadailyreports.com/trumps-aggre...-day-plan/

[Eric the Green]

We need to spur the Democrats on to fight back, both inside and outside congress. Bernie and Elizabeth are two of the best fighters.

I don't know what they can do in the congress now. Will they have the guts to filibuster whoever Trump nominates to the Supreme Court? Critics and those who say we "shouldn't be partisan" (in other words give in to tyranny and destruction; good luck with that), might complain that the Democrats are behaving like the Republicans did. First of all, Republicans controlled the Senate and didn't even allow a hearing. When Trump's pick comes up, (s)he would have already gotten a hearing and a committee vote. And second, Republican strategy works, to block progress. Democrats can do no less, to block regression. D means forward, R means reverse.

They might not be able to stop the repeal of Obamacare, supposedly because it was passed by "reconcilitation." What else can they do by reconciliation then? Anything? Destroy Medicare? Privatize Social Security? Destroy the EPA? All the other wonderful things they want to do to us? When they repeal OBamacare, they will have to get agreement on what replaces it, among Trump, Republicans, and maybe Democrats unless they can pass it through "reconciliation"

The enormous tax cuts for the wealthy, can the Democrats stop that? Probably not. What can they stop?

Organize for the mid term elections, hoping that Trump is so incompetent and outrageous that people will vote in a bunch of Democrats to the House and take control. It's a long shot, but besides state and local political races it's all Democrats can do.

[Eric the Green]

(11-15-2016, 05:04 PM)Marypoza Wrote:

(11-14-2016, 11:11 PM)taramarie Wrote: I wish there was a face palm emoji here

-- me 2

here's the  Donald on trade, btw:

https://usadailyreports.com/trumps-aggre...-day-plan/

You too? Don't go over to the other side, please. We need you, and all the Bernieboys and girls. Kiwis not needed. This is America's crisis.

Trade changes will not be enough to cure the ongoing economic regression for average folks. Trump's restoral of full-bore trickle-down economics will ruin the economic future for most people. And it doesn't matter what his trade policies are, if he can't enact them. How is he going to get what he wants from Mexico when he insults them and deports their people from the USA?

[Galen]

(11-16-2016, 12:14 AM)taramarie Wrote: There are many reasons why you guys lost and one of them is that people are tired of being stepped on and ignored. People are tired of double standards. You need a new strategy. Do not fight hate with hate. The kiwi cares about the left's message. The kiwi is trying to HELP you. But you need a new strategy. Hard to change old ways I know but you have only fed the division. The left is to blame for it as well as the right.

The kiwi gets and even this guy from the UK gets it.





I hope the left keeps doing what its doing because it will get steadily worse for them as time goes on. If I am really lucky the left will blow themselves up beyond repair in the not too distant future.

[Warren Dew]

(11-15-2016, 04:51 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: "Okay, to be more specific, they don't worry about top down enforcement of global warming prevention initiatives in the U.S.  They may support bottom up solutions, like encouraging people to install rooftop solar, but their primary focus is on overseas initiatives."

Sorry, but it has to be "top down," which of course really means "bottom up." We the people, through our government, and our activism, must topple the top down people, the 1%, who destroy our environment to boost their own wealth and power, and subject these top people to the law. That's the real "top down" that needs to be stopped. The government program called corporate America and big money. Powerful people, working in top-down authoritarian corporations, destroying the bottom-most living beings, the life that has no voice without environmentalists and Democrats.

I honestly don't see how you fail to get this. It's been crystal clear to me for 55 years. Why don't you see it, Warren?

You have your way now. How much longer will you "not worry" that the globe is warming, as the temps now start to go through the roof?

I don't  see it because it's not true, of course.  There are plenty of things that can be done about global warming without top down policies.

For my own part, here are some of the things I have done personally:

- Heavily insulated the walls, double insulated the roof, and replaced all the windows with triple paned energy efficient windows in the house I've owned for 26 years, reducing heating fuel usage by a factor of three or four.

- Stayed in this home close to the central city, minimizing transportation needs and resultant fossil fuel use by putting less than 5000 miles on my car each year.

- Replaced cars infrequently to minimize resource and fuel use associated with production, and with relatively fuel efficient models, such as my current car that weighs only half as much as the SUVs that seem preferred by progressive Democrats these days.

The next step will probably be installing rooftop solar, which should cut the carbon footprint of my electrical usage to virtually nil.

Think globally, act locally.  That used to be the mantra of environmentalists, back before they abdicated their responsibilities and started salving their consciences with ineffective "environmental" groups.

[Galen]

(11-16-2016, 05:46 AM)taramarie Wrote:

(11-16-2016, 03:21 AM)Galen Wrote: I hope the left keeps doing what its doing because it will get steadily worse for them as time goes on. If I am really lucky the left will blow themselves up beyond repair in the not too distant future.

Yep I have seen his posts on fb and he is absolutely correct. Love his videos. You know who wants to destroy division yet his actions ARE divisive. The way he talks is divisive. Not an aware person. People must fix themselves before they want to persuade others to do the same at the very least. Yes, I know this is "personal talk" BUT this is part of the problem over there that I can see anyway. Socially and politically. Which is why I bring it up. You know who thinks it is  just the right wings problem. Hell no it is not.

Eric the Obtuse will never get it and it seems unlikely that most of the left will either.  Think of them as the secular equivalent of religious zealot, doesn't really matter which religion.  As far as the left is concerned Hillary's only important qualification is that she has a vagina which is about the stupidest qualification for President it has been my misfortune to hear.  Trump, on the other hand, appears to making good on one campaign promise even before officially taking office.  If Trump does manage to avoid war with Russia he will have performed an invaluable public service.

In the future you will discover that Trump is not nearly as erratic as the press had made him out to be.

[Marypoza]

(11-16-2016, 12:02 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(11-15-2016, 05:04 PM)Marypoza Wrote:

(11-14-2016, 11:11 PM)taramarie Wrote: I wish there was a face palm emoji here

-- me 2

here's the  Donald on trade, btw:

https://usadailyreports.com/trumps-aggre...-day-plan/

You too? Don't go over to the other side, please. We need you, and all the Bernieboys and girls. Kiwis not needed. This is America's crisis.

Trade changes will not be enough to cure the ongoing economic regression for average folks. Trump's restoral of full-bore trickle-down economics will ruin the economic future for most people. And it doesn't matter what his trade policies are, if he can't enact them. How is he going to get what he wants from Mexico when he insults them and deports their people from the USA?

-- hey l just posted a link that's all.

[Marypoza]

(11-16-2016, 05:18 AM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(11-15-2016, 04:51 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: "Okay, to be more specific, they don't worry about top down enforcement of global warming prevention initiatives in the U.S.  They may support bottom up solutions, like encouraging people to install rooftop solar, but their primary focus is on overseas initiatives."

Sorry, but it has to be "top down," which of course really means "bottom up." We the people, through our government, and our activism, must topple the top down people, the 1%, who destroy our environment to boost their own wealth and power, and subject these top people to the law. That's the real "top down" that needs to be stopped. The government program called corporate America and big money. Powerful people, working in top-down authoritarian corporations, destroying the bottom-most living beings, the life that has no voice without environmentalists and Democrats.

I honestly don't see how you fail to get this. It's been crystal clear to me for 55 years. Why don't you see it, Warren?

You have your way now. How much longer will you "not worry" that the globe is warming, as the temps now start to go through the roof?

I don't  see it because it's not true, of course.  There are plenty of things that can be done about global warming without top down policies.

For my own part, here are some of the things I have done personally:

- Heavily insulated the walls, double insulated the roof, and replaced all the windows with triple paned energy efficient windows in the house I've owned for 26 years, reducing heating fuel usage by a factor of three or four.

- Stayed in this home close to the central city, minimizing transportation needs and resultant fossil fuel use by putting less than 5000 miles on my car each year.

- Replaced cars infrequently to minimize resource and fuel use associated with production, and with relatively fuel efficient models, such as my current car that weighs only half as much as the SUVs that seem preferred by progressive Democrats these days.

The next step will probably be installing rooftop solar, which should cut the carbon footprint of my electrical usage to virtually nil.

Think globally, act locally.  That used to be the mantra of environmentalists, back before they abdicated their responsibilities and started salving their consciences with ineffective "environmental" groups.

-- l have just started a good paying job (after yrs of survival ones since Lehman Brothers) & l hope to be able to do the insulation & the solar panels as soon as l have enough saved up

I have always driven my cars into the ground ( why trade it in if it still runs?)

I live close to the downtown area here & just 5 min away from the new job 

[pbrower2a]

Donald Trump thinks much like a feudal prince, someone who thinks that he owns the world (or the chunk in which many people live) , and that anyone who lives in it has the privilege of living under rules of his design -- basically, give him everything including his toil, and he will let one survive on his terms.

[Bob Butler 54]

There was that famous quote...

Will Rodgers Wrote:I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.

Seems to me the Republicans have caught up with the Democrats at this point.

[Warren Dew]

(11-16-2016, 09:34 AM)Marypoza Wrote:

(11-16-2016, 05:18 AM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(11-15-2016, 04:51 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: "Okay, to be more specific, they don't worry about top down enforcement of global warming prevention initiatives in the U.S.  They may support bottom up solutions, like encouraging people to install rooftop solar, but their primary focus is on overseas initiatives."

Sorry, but it has to be "top down," which of course really means "bottom up." We the people, through our government, and our activism, must topple the top down people, the 1%, who destroy our environment to boost their own wealth and power, and subject these top people to the law. That's the real "top down" that needs to be stopped. The government program called corporate America and big money. Powerful people, working in top-down authoritarian corporations, destroying the bottom-most living beings, the life that has no voice without environmentalists and Democrats.

I honestly don't see how you fail to get this. It's been crystal clear to me for 55 years. Why don't you see it, Warren?

You have your way now. How much longer will you "not worry" that the globe is warming, as the temps now start to go through the roof?

I don't  see it because it's not true, of course.  There are plenty of things that can be done about global warming without top down policies.

For my own part, here are some of the things I have done personally:

- Heavily insulated the walls, double insulated the roof, and replaced all the windows with triple paned energy efficient windows in the house I've owned for 26 years, reducing heating fuel usage by a factor of three or four.

- Stayed in this home close to the central city, minimizing transportation needs and resultant fossil fuel use by putting less than 5000 miles on my car each year.

- Replaced cars infrequently to minimize resource and fuel use associated with production, and with relatively fuel efficient models, such as my current car that weighs only half as much as the SUVs that seem preferred by progressive Democrats these days.

The next step will probably be installing rooftop solar, which should cut the carbon footprint of my electrical usage to virtually nil.

Think globally, act locally.  That used to be the mantra of environmentalists, back before they abdicated their responsibilities and started salving their consciences with ineffective "environmental" groups.

-- l have just started a good paying job (after yrs of survival ones since Lehman Brothers) & l hope to be able to do the insulation & the solar panels as soon as l have enough saved up

I have always driven my cars into the ground ( why trade it in if it still runs?)

I live close to the downtown area here & just 5 min away from the new job 

Sounds like you are doing your part.

Insulation is generally the best environmental investment.  The various forms of insulation I got had payback times between 1 and 5 years; solar panels are around 20 years.

My windows also had about a 20 year payback time, but in addition to the energy conservation benefits, they also removed a lot of winter cold spots and summer hot spots, so I'm quite happy with them too.

[Eric the Green]

Obviously, doing your own part is a good thing. I've insulated, changed light bulbs, and fixed up my roof so I can get solar panels soon. I ride my bike instead of drive sometimes, and I don't drive too much anyway.

But what one person can do is a drop in the bucket. That is obvious too. What government can do, is shift the behavior of those companies that make things that pollute. Regulate oil and other fossil fuel companies, or encourage solar, wind and other clean fuels to replace them, regulate car companies so they replace gas guzzlers with electric cars or solar cell cars, and perhaps put a tax on carbon. These policies are what the Democrats have done, or voted for, and Republicans block and resist. Those who are really interested in environmental issues, support the Democrats. That means, you must be partisan if you are concerned about the environment.

You can do your part as an individual, and that's good and important, but adding your drop to the bucket is not enough. It's true that voting is only a drop in the bucket too, but activism sometimes can mean you are adding more than just a drop, especially if you are a talented organizer or writer like Bill McKibben or Al Gore. Or you can be Myron Ebell, a climate change denier whom Trump picked to head up his Environmental Protection Agency transition team, and help turn over the bucket. Or, you can become a politician and add more than a drop, or help turn over the bucket like Trump is doing.

You can see the partisan scorecard here:
http://scorecard.lcv.org/members-of-congress

It is completely irrational to knock "partisanship" per se. Your view on partisanship depends on which party you agree with. If you mostly agree with Democrats, then you favor that party, and want them to win elections. If you mostly agree with Republicans, then you want them to win instead. If your views agree or disagree about equally with both parties, then you are not as partisan, or you may favor another 3rd party. It just depends on your views. Some here say I am partisan because I have psychological problems. But just insulting me or others you disagree with does not get you to the truth.

It makes a difference which party wins. It looks like Trump is proving that fact.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy...e_job.html

[Warren Dew]

If everyone did their part, the problem would be solved.

Now, could government hurry things along? No doubt they could. I think everyone agrees that a revenue neutral carbon tax would reduce fossil fuel utilization, as it would increase the incentive for everyone to do their own parts. Regulations such as cap and trade, not so much: in Germany, cap and trade is what resulted in an actual increase in use of coal rather than a decrease as the recession created extra usage credits under the cap.

Thus, organizations that refuse to consider a carbon tax because they are completely wedded to cap and trade, including the Sierra Club, EDF, NRDC, and the Democratic party, are actually hurting the environment.

[Eric the Green]

from freepress.net

Donald Trump's victory poses a serious and immediate threat to our friends and families, our loved ones and neighbors.

At Free Press, we refuse to enable, legitimize or normalize Trump's neo-fascist, racist, misogynist, xenophobic and dangerous actions.

We must use whatever power and privilege we have to stand up against attacks on Black people, Latinos, LGBTQI people, Muslims, women and immigrants. We must stand with people who are living in fear and support the social movements leading the struggle for equity and justice.

We started Free Press to fight for your rights to connect and communicate — and that's exactly what we intend to do.

Everything we've fought for at Free Press over the past 13 years is in serious jeopardy. The Trump administration represents an existential threat to an open internet and to an adversarial press. It threatens our fundamental human rights to speak freely, organize in our communities, protest in the streets, and govern ourselves.

Here's what we will do next:

Resist. Trump and all the industry lobbyists flooding Washington will try to roll back all of our victories — starting with Net Neutrality. The lobbyists will have no problem adjusting to the new regime, and they're ready to dismantle media-ownership limits, privacy protections, and any remaining limits on corporate power. Trump is already leading attacks on the press and accusing protesters of secret plots. We can expect a massive expansion of the surveillance state targeting Muslims, undocumented immigrants, activists and whistleblowers.

This isn't a time to tinker around the edges. There is no compromise or engagement strategy that can meet these serious threats. The only option is resistance.

We intend to be vigilant watchdogs in our corner of the world, exposing and disrupting any attempts to take away your freedoms or silence dissenting voices. We will call out racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny in the media and the government. We will fight any rollback and defend your rights to speak, assemble and organize. We will challenge officials, go to court, take to the streets, do whatever it takes. We will fight back.

Rethink. We're living with the results of the corporate media's utter failure in 2016. We have all the evidence we'll ever need that what's good for CBS, CNN and all the rest — the companies that made Trump and made billions off this election — is fomenting racism and other forms of hate and literally putting lives in danger. The media system is broken beyond repair.

Instead of accepting the status quo, we must reimagine and recreate a media that is more focused on serving communities than cozying up to power. We must organize journalists to fight for press freedom and find new ways to fund reporting that actually holds the powerful accountable. That's the work of our News Voices project — and it just got a lot more urgent.

Our political system is failing, too. This moment must be the end of the compromise-at-all-costs, go-along-to-get-along form of politics that got us here. It’s time to rethink everything.

Rebuild. We're committed to strengthening our organization to meet the challenges in front of us. That means bringing on more organizers and advocates, redoubling our commitment to racial equity, and networking with allied groups dedicated to transforming our democracy and society.

The best answers to our biggest questions — how to break up these big companies, how to confront the new gatekeepers like Facebook and Google, how to challenge racism in the media, how to win in the age of Trump — will come from the outside, from the grassroots, from the people who haven't been invited to the table before. The best answers are going to come from you.

We believe the big changes we need can only happen if we work with and within social movements. We will show up for our allies and step up whenever and wherever we're needed.

Right now victory may seem impossible. But we're in this for the long haul. And we've shown time and again that — no matter who the president is — we're willing and able to agitate, organize and mobilize.

We're facing our biggest challenge yet. But one thing hasn't changed: I believe we will win.

Onward,

Craig and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net

[pbrower2a]

What do you think of turning the Tea Party rhetoric to use against the Trump Administration and its surrogates when they misbehave?

We must act quickly before Trump et al choose to criminalize dissent.

[Eric the Green]

(11-16-2016, 01:42 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: If everyone did their part, the problem would be solved.

Now, could government hurry things along?  No doubt they could.  I think everyone agrees that a revenue neutral carbon tax would reduce fossil fuel utilization, as it would increase the incentive for everyone to do their own parts.  Regulations such as cap and trade, not so much:  in Germany, cap and trade is what resulted in an actual increase in use of coal rather than a decrease as the recession created extra usage credits under the cap.

Thus, organizations that refuse to consider a carbon tax because they are completely wedded to cap and trade, including the Sierra Club, EDF, NRDC, and the Democratic party, are actually hurting the environment.

But everyone is not going to do their part. That's why we have government, so that everyone does.

Particularly those industries whose profit depends on them not doing their part, will not. They will continue to destroy, and their politicians like Donald Trump will encourage and allow them to do it.

You keep repeating the bit about a carbon tax. I agree with you. I'm not sure cap and trade won't work, despite you incorrectly blaming Germany's use of coal on it; it's also being tried here on the west coast of the USA. But Again, one mistake does not mean they are hurting the environment. People or politicians or organizations can make mistakes, whoever they are. It is up to people to correct their mistakes and move on. The Sierra Club has made mistakes before, too. But their record as the leading champion of the environment, remains unchallenged.

[Eric the Green]

From Michael Phelan, Social Security Works

It’s been a week since Donald Trump became the President-Elect after a 2-year campaign in which he promised to protect Social Security and Medicare.

But Speaker Paul Ryan has other ideas. Speaker Ryan has long dreamed of dismantling our Social Security and Medicare systems, and now he’s got the power to do it. Along with Vice President-Elect Mike Pence, Ryan is stocking Trump’s transition team with long-time champions of Social Security privatization.

We can’t allow Donald Trump and Paul Ryan to ram through a privatization scheme that will dismantle Social Security and Medicare as we know them, leaving the American people at the mercy of Wall Street and the health insurance industry.

Let us know you’re with us. Click here to say loud and clear: No cuts to Social Security and Medicare!

Trump has named Mike Korbey and Dorcas Hardy to oversee the transition at the Social Security Administration. Korbey – a former George W. Bush advisor – has called Social Security “broken and bankrupt” while Hardy – a former member of Ronald Reagan’s administration – has openly advocated for privatization and called for the closure of hundreds of Social Security offices around the country.

We already know that House Speaker Paul Ryan is salivating over the possibility of privatizing Social Security and Medicare – handing our hard earned benefits over to Wall Street bankers and insurance companies.

We have defeated these attempts before. In 2005, George W. Bush and a unified Republican Congress attempted to privatize Social Security, and you stopped them.

We must stand together and tell Washington politicians where the American people stand: Expand, don’t cut Social Security!

Don’t give up.

Michael Phelan
Social Security Works

[Eric the Green]

"Trump Win Means FCC's 'Net Neutrality' Regulation is Dead."

That's the blaring headline from Breitbart News, the website run by Steve Bannon, Trump's campaign chairman and now his chief strategist in the White House.

And it's not just Breitbart. The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are warning that Net Neutrality is in deep trouble.

Trump has falsely called Net Neutrality a "top down power grab" and an "attack on the internet."4 And the front-runner for his choice as FCC chairman is an anti-Net Neutrality zealot and paid Verizon consultant.5

We know that we can't count on Republican leaders in Congress to push back they've gotten millions from Comcast and their telecom buddies and would be thrilled to overturn Net Neutrality.6

To save Net Neutrality, we're going to need a grassroots mobilization as big as what it took to enact it in the first place.

The good news is that Trump can't just get rid of Net Neutrality on his own. He's going to have to go through a lengthy rule-making process, giving us months to mount opposition.

But we're counting on you to stand with us—and to make sure we have the resources to fight back and win.

Net Neutrality is facing a mortal threat from the Trump presidency.

Thanks for standing with us,

Kurt Walters and the Demand Progress Team

[Marypoza]

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/11/15/f...from-here/