FEELING THE BERN? VOTE!

On March 1, presidential candidates will be evaluated by voters in 12 states and one territory – that’s the largest number of primary elections to be held on any given day and also the day when the largest number of delegates are chosen. And because those states and territories are so different from one another, it’s also the first time in the electoral calendar that the presidential hopefuls will really have their national electability put to the test. No wonder it’s known as Super Tuesday.

Here, we give you a primer on all 13 locations that will, together, shape the rest of the race.

Alabama

Primaries held: Republican and Democratic presidential primaries

Delegates: 50 Republican delegates, 60 Democratic delegates

Things to watch out for: There is very little polling of Democrats in Alabama – just one poll so far in fact. Between February 14 and 16, Public Policy Polling (PPP) included Alabama in 12 states it looked at to see how the Democratic candidates were faring. PPP found that of the 500 primary-goers spoken to in Alabama, Hillary Clinton was leading Bernie Sanders 59% to 31%, and 74% of those polled said they were firmly committed to their choice. There is more polling data on the Republican side, the average of which points to a steady double-digit lead for Donald Trump, according toReal Clear Politics .

Demographics: The percentage of Alabama’s population that is black is twice as high as it is nationally. The PPP poll found that black Alabamians are much more likely to vote for Clinton than Sanders (67-22). However, economic concerns in the state may weaken Clinton’s advantage: the median household income in Alabama is almost $10kbelow the national median and 18.6% of Alabamians live below the poverty level (compared to 15.4% nationally). When PPP asked respondents which candidate they trusted to crack down on Wall Street, Clinton’s lead fell to 48-35 although Sanders was not necessarily trusted on broader economic competence. When asked which candidate they trusted for “raising incomes of average Americans” Clinton was ahead of Sanders 56-32.

Alaska

Primaries held: Republican presidential caucuses

Delegates: 28 Republican delegates

Thing to watch out for: Alaska has also been overlooked by the pollsters. Just one pollhas checked the temperament of Republican caucus-goers here and that was back in January so there is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen here on March 1. (The Democratic caucuses will be held later in the month, on March 26.)

Demographics: The smallest eligible voter population after Wyoming and Vermont, Alaska doesn’t have many delegates to play with. With a median household income of $70,760 (the national figure is$53,046 ), Alaska is one of the wealthiest states in the country.

American Samoa

Primaries held: Democratic presidential caucuses

Delegates: 10 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: Well, just watching it would be a start. US territories often get forgotten during the electoral process, not least by the media.

Demographics: The 55,000 residents of this tiny group of islands near Australia are considered US nationals but not US citizens – as such, they can send delegates to nominating conventions but they are unable to vote in the national election itself.

Arkansas

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 40 Republican delegates, 37 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: Clinton won in 2008 in the state where her husband was governor and she looks set to do so again. Republican polling here is scarce though so any numbers should be treated with caution – just one poll has been conducted so far this year, which found Trump was four points behind Ted Cruz. In 2012, Mitt Romney won here (and went on to be the Republican Presidential nominee) but in 2008, Mick Huckabee won Arkansas but did not win the national vote.

Demographics: Compared to the rest of the country, voters in Arkansas are more likely to be white and less likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree.

Colorado

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential caucuses

Delegates: 37 Republican delegates, 78 Democratic delegates

Things to watch out for: These caucuses are a little unusual since the Republican party will not vote here but will instead allow its 37 delegates to remain unpledged to a specific candidate. Last summer, it was decided that the state would forfeit its role in the early nomination process. Republican party officials in Colorado decided that theywanted delegates to be free agents rather than having their hands tied at the national convention in Cleveland in July. Votes will still take place just like at normal caucuses but they won’t be official and delegates won’t necessarily be bound by the results. It’s not yet clear whether that will work for or against Republican candidates that are doing well in Colorado right now. In fact, it’s not even very clear who is doing well in Colorado right now. There’s very little Republican polling here – just one survey conducted by Quinnipiac University in November which found that Ben Carson was leading by 6 percentage points over of Rubio.

Demographics: Voters here are more likely to have completed undergraduate studies than average American voters – they are also slightly wealthier and younger than the rest of the electorate. Many of those young voters are undecided – a fact which could prove important even once the primary process is over and done with.

Georgia

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 76 Republican delegates, 117 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: This was one of the only states that Newt Gingrich won in 2012. This time around, Trump is comfortably leading and Clinton looks almost certain to win, despite the fact that Obama beat her here in 2008.

Demographics: Almost one in three voters here are black. According to PPP, 70% of Democratic black voters here support Clinton over Sanders.

Massachusetts

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 42 Republican delegates, 116 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: This is one of the closest Democratic races to be held on Super Tuesday – Clinton and Sanders are just a few percentage points apart (although Clinton won here in 2008). Meanwhile, Trump is leading comfortably in Massachusetts.

Demographics: Voters in the state are whiter and wealthier than the national average. In the 2012 national election , the state leaned more toward Democrats by one of the widest margins in the country and had the 9th highest turnout of any state.

Minnesota

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential caucuses

Delegates: 38 Republican delegates, 93 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: In previous years, Minnesota has held its elections earlier.According toMinnesota Republican party chairman Keith Downey, holding their caucuses on March 1 “will make Minnesota more relevant in the process”.

Demographics: 86% of voters in Minnesota are white – although the age breakdown of voters here is broadly similar to the national picture.

Oklahoma

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 43 Republican delegates, 42 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: Both Clinton and Trump have a smaller lead here than they do nationally so this will be an interesting test ground for both candidates. According toReal Clear Politics ’ polling averages, for Republicans this could also be a close fight for second place since Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are less than two percentage points apart.

Demographics: In the last national election, Oklahoma had the 49th lowest turnout of any US state.Voters there are poorer and more likely to be white than the US electorate as a whole.

Tennessee

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 58 Republican delegates, 75 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: Be cautious of polling on this state because there’s little of it, which means a much bigger margin of error. However Clinton has been the clear winner of the two polls that have been conducted since November – she also won here in 2008.

Demographics: Voters here are more likely to be white and have a lower household income than the national average. Tennessee is the most religious of the Super Tuesday states. As the graphic below from Pew Research Center shows, 80% of adults here say religion is very important and Evangelical Protestants (a group which has been favorable to Ted Cruz in the past) make up 67% of Tennesseans.

Texas

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 155 Republican delegates, 251 Democratic delegates

Things to watch out for: Just watch everything. With so many delegates, Texas will be an incredibly important state in determining the presidential candidates in this election. Cruz is leading in the polls in Texas; a win could help turn the candidate’s fortunes around at the national level. In 2008, Texans voted for Clinton, a fact which might still work in her favour eight years later.

Demographics: In the last national election, Texas had one of the lowest turnout rates in the country.After New Mexico , this is the most important Latino voting state in the country – 35% of voters here are Hispanic.

Vermont

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 16 Republican delegates, 26 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: Bernie Sanders is likely to clean up in this, his home state. But that’s unlikely to be a big help to him overall. Since Vermont is one of the least populated states in the country, only 26 Democratic delegates will have a say here.

Demographics: 96% of voters here are white and one in five are over the age of 65.

Virginia

Primaries held: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries

Delegates: 49 Republican delegates, 109 Democratic delegates

Thing to watch out for: This might not be the most exciting of the Super Tuesday races – Clinton looks like a sure thing and Trump’s got a pretty solid chance too according to the polls that have come out so far this year.

Demographics: Voters in Virginia are slightly wealthier and more likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree than the national average.

Bernie Sanders Shows Why He Is The Candidate Of The New American Dream 

VOTERS SAY; HEY HILLARY! SHOW ME THE TRANSCRIPTS!

Come on Hillary! Don't be one of those regular politicians who's afraid to be transparent by hiding something from the people she wants votes from. Voters deserve to know what Hillary told Wall Street bankers that was so valuable they paid her huge sums of money to deliver them.



Along with the $44.1 million the industry has donated to back her campaigns, she personally earned more than $3.7 million for delivering paid speeches to banks and other financial services firms since leaving the State Department in 2013, personal financial disclosures show.

Those payments have dogged her on the campaign trail. During the CNN forum Wednesday night, Clinton struggled to explain why she accepted $675,000 from Goldman Sachs to deliver three speeches to the bank.

“That’s what they offered,” she told moderator Anderson Cooper, adding: “They’re not giving me very much money now, I can tell you that much. Fine with me.”

Mrs. Clinton, Show Voters Those Transcripts - The New York Times

Even as Hillary Clinton has stepped up her rhetorical assault on Wall Street, her campaign and allied super PACs have continued to rake in millions from the financial sector, a sign of her deep and lasting relationships with banking and investment titans.

Through the end of December, donors at hedge funds, banks, insurance companies and other financial services firms had given at least $21.4 million to support Clinton’s 2016 presidential run — more than 10 percent of the $157.8 million contributed to back her bid, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission filings by The Washington Post.

The contributions helped Clinton reach a fundraising milestone: By the end of 2015, she had brought in more money from the financial sector during her four federal campaigns than her ­husband did during his ­quarter-century political career.

In all, donors from Wall Street and other financial services firms have given $44.1 million to support Hillary Clinton’s campaigns and allied super PACs, compared with $39.7 million in backing that former president Bill Clinton received from the industry, according to campaign finance records dating back to 1974 that have been compiled by The Post.

Nearly half of the financial­sector donations made to support Hillary Clinton’s current presidential run have come from just two wealthy financiers: billionaire investor George Soros, who gave $7 million last year to the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA Action, and hedge-fund manager S. Donald Sussman, who gave the group $2.5 million.

Most of their money was donated in December as Clinton was taking an increasingly tough stance toward the industry in an effort to blunt the populist appeal of her opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

“I believe strongly that we need to make sure that Wall Street never wrecks Main Street again,” she declared at a campaign stop in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 24, adding: “No bank is too big to fail, and no executive is too powerful to jail.”

[Inside the Clinton donor network]

Clinton’s success at raising millions from major Wall Street players — even as she blasts some of their most lucrative practices — shows how she continues to benefit from relationships she and her husband forged over decades.

As Sanders has put her on the defensive about her Wall Street contributions, Clinton has responded that the campaign money does not influence her approach to regulating the financial industry.

Clinton points to her proposals to rein in the sector — such as a new risk fee on large financial institutions and increased penalties for financial crimes — as evidence that she cannot be swayed.

“She believes that the measure of our success must be defined by how much incomes rise for hard-working families, not just CEOs and money managers,” said campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin. “The hundreds of thousands of people who have supported Hillary’s campaign know that’s what she’s fighting for.”

Earlier in the campaign, Clinton tried to explain her connections to the industry in part by noting that she “represented Wall Street” as a U.S. senator from New York. In one debate in November, she appeared to suggest that campaign donations she received from financial services firms came in response to her support for New York City after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

As Sanders’s excoriations of Wall Street have helped him gain traction, the former secretary of state has sought to ramp up her own rhetoric, matching his tone of outrage and indignation.

 “I’m really proud of my plan, that it is driving the Republicans and Wall Street crazy,” Clinton said in Dover, N.H., on Wednesday, adding: “They know that I know how to stop them from ever hurting us again.”

Clinton has called out specific companies such as Pfizer and Johnson Controls for conducting “corporate inversions” — a merger with a foreign counterpart for tax benefits.

“On the tax code, they call that an inversion; I call it a perversion,” she said Wednesday. “And I’m going to go right after that!”

At the same time, however, Clinton continues to collect money from financiers who are benefiting from some of the deals she decries. Among those who have raised at least $100,000 for her campaign is Blair Effron, a founding partner of Centerview Partners, a boutique investment firm that played a role in the Pfizer and Johnson Controls inversion negotiations. A Centerview spokesman declined to comment.

In December, Effron attended a joint fundraiser for Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee held at the Manhattan home of Blackstone Group President Hamilton “Tony” James and his wife, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The featured guest was legendary investor Warren Buffett, and attendees included Byron Wien, a vice chairman at Blackstone; Wesley Edens, co-founder of Fortress Investment Group; and Cliff Robbins, chief executive of Blue Harbour Group.

Clinton’s reliance on such figures for financial support alarms some on the left, who are already wary of the ties she and her husband have to Robert Rubin, the former Goldman Sachs co­chairman who became Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary.

Hillary Clinton’s tougher rhetoric and regulatory proposals are “commendable,” said Jeff Hauser, who leads the Revolving Door Project, a foundation-funded effort that has joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in calling for presidential candidates to commit to appointing independent regulators at the Treasury Department and other agencies.

But, Hauser said, she “has to decide whether she wants to fully commit or have one foot on the reform wing of the Democratic Party and another on the Wall Street wing.”

[From ‘dead broke’ to multimillionaires]

Clinton scooped up Wall Street donations during her first Senate run in 2000, turning to Rubin and investment banker Roger Altman, who served in her husband’s administration, to introduce her to key players.

Since that first race, the financial sector has been among the top industries that have supported her, a Post analysis found last year.

With the $21.4 million that Wall Street has given for her current White House bid, Clinton is on track to quickly exceed the nearly $23 million that she raised in her three previous campaigns combined from the PACs and employees of banks, hedge funds, securities firms and insurance companies, according to the latest Post analysis.

That’s in part because this is the first time Clinton is running in the era of super PACs, which can accept unlimited donations from individuals and corporations. So far, financial-sector donors have given $17.4 million to her allied super PACs, the analysis found.

But Clinton is also leaning on Wall Street to help finance her campaign directly as she tries to stay ahead of Sanders’s robust online fundraising operation, which brought in more than $20 million in January.

Sanders jabbed at Clinton for attending a fundraiser in Philadelphia at the office of investment firm Franklin Square Capital Partners days before the Iowa caucuses. The event included a special acoustic performance for donors by Jon Bon Jovi. A spokeswoman for the firm declined to comment.

Meanwhile, two other finance industry fundraisers that were set to take place before the New Hampshire primary have been rescheduled for later dates. The campaign declined to say why.

Clinton was originally supposed to attend an event in Boston organized by Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine, the managing partner of Sankaty Advisors, an affiliate of Bain Capital, according to details obtained by the Sunlight Foundation’s Political Party Time. The fundraiser has been rescheduled for a later date that the campaign would not reveal.

In addition, a New York fundraiser billed as a “Conversation With Hillary,” co-hosted by Matt Mallow, chief legal officer for the asset-management firm BlackRock, originally scheduled for Jan. 28 has been moved to Feb. 16.

The next day, Bill Clinton will headline a fundraiser in New York hosted by real estate investor Bal Das and Valérie Demont, a lawyer who heads the U.S.-India practice at Pepper Hamilton, specializing in international mergers and acquisitions.

A BANK YOU CAN TRUST

Bernie Sanders makes the case for banking at post offices 

Bernie has sponsored legislation to let the Postal Service find innovative new ways to shore up its finances. Sanders proposed that the U.S. Postal Service offer banking services—“postal banking”—which was provided until 1967.

Simply put, the Post Office would offer basic banking services to customers—like low-interest savings accounts, debit cards and even some simple types of loans. The USPS already takes in more than $100 million in revenue each year by selling postal money orders.

“One of the ways that I think we can help not only the U.S. Postal Service, but help a lot of low-income people—if you are a low-income person, it is, depending upon where you live, very difficult to find normal banking. Banks don’t want you,” Bernie continued, “And what people are forced to do is go to payday lenders who charge outrageously high interest rates. You go to check-cashing places, which rip you off. And, yes, I think that the postal service, in fact, can play an important role in providing modest types of banking service to folks who need it.”

An estimated 68 million people live in “bank deserts,” areas without access to financial services. The banks don’t want to serve these people because they’re mostly poor, leaving them to be gouged by check-cashing shops and payday lenders.

Postal banking could save low-income families thousands of dollars per year, AND provide a new revenue stream for the Post Office.

HOW MANY ROBES DID SCALIA HAVE IN HIS CLOSET?

Justice Scalia spent his last hours with members of this secretive society of elite hunters  

When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died 12 days ago at a West Texas ranch, he was among high-ranking members of an exclusive fraternity for hunters called the International Order of St. Hubertus, an Austrian society that dates back to the 1600s.

After Scalia’s death Feb. 13, the names of the 35 other guests at the remote resort, along with details about Scalia’s connection to the hunters, have remained largely unknown. A review of public records shows that some of the men who were with Scalia at the ranch are connected through the International Order of St. Hubertus, whose members gathered at least once before at the same ranch for a celebratory weekend.

Members of the worldwide, male-only society wear dark-green robes emblazoned with a large cross and the motto “Deum Diligite Animalia Diligentes,” which means “Honoring God by honoring His creatures,” according to the group’s website. Some hold titles, such as Grand Master, Prior and Knight Grand Officer. The Order’s name is in honor of Hubert, the patron saint of hunters and fishermen.

Meet St. Hubertus, patron saint of rich guys with guns

HILLARY IS BEING PILLORIED

The Clinton dynasty have the same problems as the Bush dynasty. They both carry a lot of "baggage" and a sh-tload of it is being unpacked on social media. 

Fortunately for America, JEB! is in the wind and the Republican party continues it's free fall into wherever Donald Trump will take them. Republican voters are angry at the Republican Establishment and it shows at the polls. 

The Clintons, on the other hand still have the full support of the Democratic Establishment (big money) and both have joined forces (along with the mainstream media) to shore up defenses against any "grass root activists" that would threaten the status quo. 

Democratic voters are not so angry, but very passionate and that is also showing at the polls. Despite great odds Bernie Sanders has continue to eat away at the once dominant lead Hillary was endowed with and it's taking it's toll on her and her campaign. Early signs are her change in rhetoric which has now begun to morph into Sanders sound bites. 

It is also appearing in the ways some voters are calling Hillary out on her, and her ex-president husband's history when it comes to how they weakened the civil rights movement during Bill's POTUS years. 

Black Lives Matter activist Ashley Williams interrupted Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night at a lavish private fundraiser in South Carolina. The young woman accused the presidential candidate of hypocrisy for supporting “tough on crime” laws that led to mass incarceration of black Americans.







Williams held up a sign reading “We have to bring them to heel,” recalling a line from Clinton’s 1994 “super-predator” speech, which has been widely characterized as racist. Secret Service promptly forced the Black Lives Matter activist to leave the wealthy, almost all-white fundraiser.



Activists uploaded a video of the protest to YouTube under the name #NotASuperpredator, with a caption linking to the article “Why Hillary Clinton doesn’t deserve the black vote” by legal scholar Michelle Alexander, author of the prominent book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness.”

On Thursday morning, the tag #WhichHillary began trending on Twitter, as thousands of people criticized Clinton for constantly shifting positions and for what they see as her hypocrisy.

#WhichHillary? Twitter trend calls out Clinton for hypocrisy on racism,  

BILLIONAIRE SAYS ECONOMY IS JUST FINE; SURPRISE!

Buffett, in Annual Letter, Rejects Candidates’ Message of U.S. Decline

Coming from Warren Buffett, one of the richest people on the planet (around $80 billion) I can't disagree with him. For him, and those wealthy enough to invest in his money pot I imagine everything is just fine.



Did Warren feel the effects of the 2008 crash? Did he lose his home(s)? Did his retirement nest egg vanish?



From where Warren and the rest of the 1% sit; all is well and continues to get better. But, let's get down to earth now and the picture is not so bright, regardless of what Warren says. And, asking people to stop complaining is what any good capitalist would do.

Buffett remains optimistic despite campaign rhetoric

In 2015, Berkshire's net worth grew $15.4 billion, or 6.4%, the "Oracle of Omaha" said. In the wide-ranging letter, Buffett, who preaches investment in a diversified collection of companies rather than securities, remains an optimist despite complaints about the 2% pace of economic growth.

"It’s an election year, and candidates can’t stop speaking about our country’s problems (which, of course, only they can solve). As a result of this negative drumbeat, many Americans now believe that their children will not live as well as they themselves do," said Buffett, 85. "That view is dead wrong: The babies being born in America today are the luckiest crop in history."

He added that "for 240 years it’s been a terrible mistake to bet against America, and now is no time to start. America’s golden goose of commerce and innovation will continue to lay more and larger eggs. America’s social security promises will be honored and perhaps made more generous."

So, for the rest of Main Street America let's consider what Bernie Sanders has to say about our economy;

The more we listen to and read about Bernie Sanders, the clearer it becomes that there is one central theme we need to understand about him on which almost everything else rests. It is what he clarified in the last Democratic debate.

In all due respect, you’re missing the main point. And the main point in the Congress, it’s not the Republicans and Democrats hate each other. That’s a mythology from the media. 

The real issue is that Congress is owned by big money and refuses to do what the American people want them to do.

Notice that he didn’t say that “Republicans are owned by big money.” Sanders believes that ALL of Congress is owned by big money. That’s what he means when he says that the system is rigged. His view is that the gridlock we are witnessing right now is not a result of ideological differences. It is because big money is in charge and that makes Congress oblivious to the needs of the American people.  It’s why he thinks the only way to change things is via a revolution of the people.

When it comes to this central belief of Sanders, it is not something new for him. Thirty years ago when he was Mayor of Burlington, VT, here’s what he told the LA Times:

I think from one end of this country to the other people are ripe for political revolution. Fifty percent of the people do not bother voting in the presidential and statewide elections. The vast majority of those not voting are low-income people who have given up on America. The whole quality of life in America is based on greed. I believe in the redistribution of wealth in this nation.

We are demonstrating in Burlington the peoples’ contempt for conventional old-fashioned Democratic and Republican politics. The good news here is that the two-party system and corporate establishment are not invincible.

Bernie Sanders in Chicago: We need a 'political revolution' against wealthy status quo

THE ESTABLISHMENT OLIGARCHS ARE FEELING THE BERN

Bernie is taking on the Establishment head on.  The following message is one of many that are specifically targeted at the super rich who throw money into a corrupt political system that they select candidates who will do their bidding.  There are those who have tried to take on the Establishment and either failed at the starting gate or were only able to push back a little, but not enough to stop it.  Bernie Sanders believes the time has come for Americans to retake our country and he's asking voters to give him the opportunity to do it;  “I like to give on a scale where I can see impact...” - David Koch Earlier this year, a number of Republicans flew to California to make fundraising pitches to more than four hundred wealthy conservative donors attending a private conference hosted by the Koch brothers. It’s worth taking a moment to ask the question, who are the Koch brothers, and what do they want? The Koch brothers are the second-wealthiest family in America worth $82 billion. For the Koch brothers, $82 billion in wealth apparently is not good enough. Owning the second-largest private company in America is apparently not good enough. It doesn’t appear that they will be satisfied until they are able to control the entire political process. This issue isn't personal for me. I don't know the Koch brothers, but I do know this. They have advocated for destroying the federal programs that are critical to the financial and personal health of middle class Americans. Now, most Americans know that the Koch brothers are the primary source of funding for the Tea Party, and that’s fine. They know that they favor the outright repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and that’s their opinion. It’s wrong, but that’s fine as well. But it is not widely known that David Koch once ran for Vice President of the United States of America on the Libertarian Party ticket because he believed Ronald Reagan was much too liberal. And he ran on a platform that included the following: “We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt and increasingly oppressive Social Security system.” “We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.” “We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws…” “We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.” In 1980, David Koch’s presidential ticket received one percent of the vote from the American people. And rightly so. His views were so extreme they were rejected completely out of hand by the American people. But fast forward almost thirty-six years, and one of the most significant realities of modern politics is just how successful David Koch and the like-minded billionaires attending his retreat have been at moving the Republican Party to the extreme right. The ideas above that were dismissed as downright crazy in 1980 are now part of today’s mainstream Republican thinking. The Koch brothers, and billionaires like them, have bought up the private sector and now they’re buying up the government. It’s up to us to put a stop to them, but it will require all of us standing together with one voice on this issue. Here’s the truth: The economic and political systems of this country are stacked against ordinary Americans. The rich get richer and use their wealth to buy elections, and I believe that we cannot change this corrupt system by taking its money. If we’re serious about creating jobs, health care for all, climate change, and the needs of our children and the elderly, we must be serious about campaign finance reform. So far in this election, less than four hundred families have contributed the majority of all the money raised by all the candidates and super PACs combined. According to media reports, one family will spend more money in this election than either the Democratic or Republican Parties. This is not democracy. This is oligarchy. We must pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, and I will not nominate any justice to the Supreme Court who does not make it abundantly clear that she or he will overturn that decision. We need legislation that requires wealthy individuals and corporations who make large campaign contributions to disclose where their money is going. And more importantly, I believe we need to move towards the public funding of elections. Our vision for American democracy should be a nation in which all people, regardless of their income, can participate in the political process, can run for office without begging for contributions from the wealthy and the powerful.

What Bernie’s liberal critics miss: Attacking him as “unrealistic” is making a huge error

WHO OWNS YOUR CANDIDATE?

The political Establishment and those that operate in it have for all intent and purpose been bought by those who operate the machine and you can be sure it's not representing the voters.



The following graph is stark and revealing because it is a forewarning to voters of who has been bought by special interests and who is representing the voters;

2016 Presidential Race | OpenSecrets

The 2016 race started early with a large field of potential candidates, some of whom acted very much like, well, candidates — making appearances in early primary states, vying for commitments from big donors and assembling teams that could quickly pivot and become campaign staff. Meanwhile, constellations of groups working on behalf of each of the most serious White House hopefuls – including leadership PACs, super PACs, 501(c)(4) dark money outlets and more – cropped up like spring flowers, all but inviting spending records to be broken.

Darker bar represents outside money; lighter bar represents candidate committee money)

	Hillary Clinton (D)	$57,748,407 $130,443,637
	Ted Cruz (R)	$46,726,605 $54,661,506
	Bernie Sanders (D)	$44,968 $96,311,423
	Ben Carson (R)	$13,807,549 $57,860,505
	Marco Rubio (R)	$34,313,903 $34,652,654
	Donald Trump (R)	$1,894,509 $25,526,319
	John Kasich (R)	$6,729,311 $8,648,890
	Jill Stein (3)	$0 $300,421

WHO'S THAT BEING DRAGGED AWAY AT A CIVIL RIGHTS RALLY?

P.S. This photo's been going around since this weekend, after the Chicago Tribune found it in their archives. It's Bernie Sanders being arrested in 1963 during a civil rights demonstration on the south side of Chicago. Coincidentally, Bernie mentioned this incident at a dinner I attended recently, and he said immediately after this picture was taken, he was thrown into a police van.

 This photo's been going around since this weekend, after the Chicago Tribune found it in their archives. It's Bernie Sanders being arrested in 1963 during a civil rights demonstration on the south side of Chicago. Coincidentally, Bernie mentioned this incident at a dinner I attended recently, and he said immediately after this picture was taken, he was thrown into a police van.

HOT AIR GAZETTE: HILLARY HAS A "ROMNEY" MOMENT - OOOOOPPS!

It was only a $500.00 a plate event; not the $50,000 Romney bash by far, but one person who anted up wanted more than a meal and was promptly booted out. Why? Because the question was not on the talking points list, leaving Hillary in the wind.



















Two sources detailing a statement Hillary Clinton made concerning her advocacy in favor of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, have the potential to cause a major tide shift away from Clinton by and among African American voters. 

The sources are:

Antonio Moore "Hillary Clinton Should Ask for Black America's Forgiveness Before She Asks for its Vote". http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/hillary-clinton-should-as_b_9238064.html
-and-
"Lessons From the O.J. Simpson Case for the Presidential Race and the Nation’s Racial Divide," by Marjorie Cohn. http://www.globalresearch.ca/lessons-from-the-o-j-simpson-case-for-the-presidential-race-and-the-nations-racial-divide/5508521

The Clinton statement is:

“They are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called ‘super-predators.’ No conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended that way, but first we have bring them to heel.” 

That is a politically charged statement, to put it no more forcefully than that.

DT! THE DEMOCRATS TROJAN HORSE

I've said it several times already; Trump is the best thing to happen to the Democratic party since FDR. In a few short months Trump has been able to decimate the party Establishment and after throwing millions of dollars into a train load of part clowns they have not been able to make a dent in the Trump anti-establishment bulldozer.



Why? The answer is written on every bathroom wall in every campaign office across the country on both the Republican and Democratic sides. Voters are just plain disgusted (and rightly so) with the status quo and Trump is a clear alternative.



Donald Trump is well on his way to the 1,237 delegates he needs to be the GOP nominee 





Democrats need not worry about winning in November if, as it appears, Trump wins the nomination because they have the secret weapon to defeat him; Bernie Sanders.


In a fundraising email, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver cited polling data that shows Mr. Sanders beating Mr. Trump, the GOP’s White House front-runner, by a significant margin.


The email specifically cited a Huffington Post poll average that shows Mr. Sanders beating Mr. Trump by 10 percentage points, while Mrs. Clinton beats Mr. Trump by just four percentage points.

A Real Clear Politics average of all polls also shows Mr. Sanders defeating Mr. Trump handily — 47.5 percent to 41.5 percent.

“The truth is, it’s going to take more than establishment politics and establishment thinking to beat Donald Trump,” Mr. Weaver said in the email, repeating the “establishment” line that the Sanders campaign often has used in attacking Mrs. Clinton.

“But together, we are building something unprecedented,” Mr. Weaver continued. “That is why we’re doing so well in the polls, and why we’ve seen grass-roots enthusiasm unmatched by any candidate on either side of this primary. Only Trump comes close. And that is why what we are building is what will be required to defeat him.”

VOTERS GIVE REPUBLICANS A LOSS IN NEVADA

The voters have spoken and it wasn't what the Republican Establishment wanted to hear. The Republican party with all it's cash was unable to  persuade voters to pick a candidate from their pack.

Republican Party's disruption laid bare in Trump's Nevada victory - LA Times

On Tuesday night, Trump mocked pundits who argue that all it will take to knock him out of the race is the consolidation of mainstream Republicans behind a lone rival – most likely Rubio or, should the Florida senator falter, Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

“They keep forgetting that when people drop out, we’re going to get a lot of votes,” Trump told a few hundred supporters at his celebration at the Treasure Island casino.

HILLARY ORDERED TO UNPACK MORE BAGGAGE

When conversations about who is the best Democratic candidate to run against a Republican one should keep in mind how much baggage they are carrying with them. No doubt the Republicans are paying attention and hope that Hillary will take the prize because in their eyes, she's a gift that keeps on giving.



The campaign will be a barrage of Hillary this, and Hillary that, and Hillary this, and Hillary that, that will last all the way through November. That doesn't bode well if the Democrat Establishment wants a clear path to the White House.



U.S. judge orders discovery to go forward over Clinton’s private email system - The Washington Post

SCALIA REDUX

It's understandable that the eulogies were somewhat exaggerated. The system must be preserved before anything else; even the truth.



The following piece comes from someone looking on the other side of Antonin Scalia.

The Speaker for the Dead: Antonin Scalia and the Truth

TRUS-TED?

You know what they say about people that slap you on the back and say "trust me?"



The one and only reason Cruz fired this guy is because he knew Donald Trump would not let him slide another one of those unintended lies to fly by without being noticed.



Even though Ted was chosen by God to run (at least he and his dad think so) this won't deter Trump one bit in keeping Ted honest. Maybe Trump is God's doing?

Ted Cruz Fires Top Spokesman - The Daily Beast

Ted Cruz announced Monday during a Nevada press conference that he has called for his campaign's communications director Rick Tyler to resign.

The firing comes after Tyler spread a video on social media falsely accusing rival candidate Marco Rubio of mocking the Bible to Cruz's father and a Cruz staffer. After being corrected by several witnesses to the incident, who noted that Rubio was in fact praising the Bible, Tyler deleted his posts and apologized.

WHEN CHRISTIANS ARE NOT CHRISTIAN

When Pope Francis was recently asked about Donald Trump his response was aimed at a much larger audience; 2.2 billion Christians (32 percent of the world’s population)





His message was direct and to the point; just because you proclaim yourself to be Christian doesn't mean you are. A Christian, in the literal sense of the word, is someone who has pledged to live their lives following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.



Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent by God. Christians rely on the Bible as the inspired word of God.



Since Francis took the helm of the Catholic Church in 2013 he has been a staunch spokesperson for the Christian faith and has held many people to the fire in challenging them to put their beliefs into action, and not just talk about it.



To the Billionaires and Millionaires who hoard instead of sharing their wealth he reminded them that Jesus teaches that a camel has a better chance of getting into heaven than they do. (Why Pope Francis won’t tolerate income inequality in America)



To those who preach that having more is better and tailor their sermons to fit the message he reminds them that Jesus taught his followers to give, not take. ("What does the Bible say about the prosperity gospel?")



To politicians that claim they have been endorsed by God he would remind them that politics and religion don't mix. Exploiting God for personal gain is not Christian. Megachurch pastor: ‘Ted Cruz has been anointed by God to be president of the United States'



To those who want to build walls to keep out the less fortunate he urges them to build bridges and invite them in; ("A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian")

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ HAS HER "ROMNEY" MOMENT

We have all heard Mitt Romeny on tape, writing off 47% of the Electorate and branding them losers. What he said was vicious and volatile but expected from a Republican pander to people who paid $50,000.00 to listen to that garbage



It's not something one would expect from a Democrat,let alone the Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee.

The topic was "super delegates" and the question  DWS was asked in a CNN interview was;

“What do you tell voters who are new to the process who say this makes them feel like it’s all rigged?” Tapper asked the DNC chair.

Her response was remarkably both candid and alarming;

“Unpledged delegates exist really to make sure that party leaders and elected officials don’t have to be in a position where they are running against grassroots activists,” Wasserman Schultz calmly explained. 



Grassroots activists? Is that DNC code for Bernie Sanders?

Because of this system, the Washington Post points out, Sanders could technically win the primary election, earning a majority of the 1,670 delegates determined by actual voting, but still lose the Democratic Party’s nomination, if Clinton gets most of the party’s 712 unelected unpledged delegates.



Critics have begun to ask why this undemocratic system exists. CNN’s Jake Tapper posed precisely this question to Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an ally of Hillary Clinton who co-chaired her former presidential; campaign, in a Feb. 11 interview. She responded with shockingly blunt honesty.

Un-Democratic Party: DNC chair says superdelegates ensure elites don’t have to run “against grassroots activists” - Salon.com



Fortunately for voters there is one "grass roots" candidate the DNC Establishment is not going to be able to stop; Bernie Sanders



Sanders supporters demand that superdelegates follow 'the will of voters'