RALPH NADER INTERVIEW

Ralph Nader Debunks “Spoiler Vote” Shaming (Part 1)

(Jimmy Dore on YouTube)

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25 Ways the Canadian Health Care System is Better than Obamacare
(Nader.org)

"Costly complexity is baked into Obamacare. No health insurance system is without problems but Canadian-style single-payer— full Medicare for all— is simple, affordable, comprehensive and universal.

In the early 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson enrolled 20 million elderly Americans into Medicare in six months. There were no websites. They did it with index cards!"

PLANT THE SEEDS OF CHANGE

The state of the planet and the looming food crisis

(On Contact with Chris Hedges)

"Nil Zacharias, co-author with Gene Stone, Eat for the Planet, explains to journalist Chris Hedges how industrialized animal farming is at the heart of the environmental crisis, using excessive clean water and contributing more to pollution of air and water than the transportation sector. The solution, he argues, is for the individual to embrace veganism."

GLENN GREENWALD

As Democratic Elites Reunite With Neocons, the Party’s Voters Are Becoming Far More Militaristic and Pro-War Than Republicans

(The Intercept.com)

"EXCERPT:

At the same time, Democratic policy elites in Washington are once again formally aligning with neoconservatives even to the point of creating joint foreign policy advocacy groups (a reunion that pre-dated Trump). The leading Democratic Party think tank, the Center for American Progress, donated $200,000 to the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and has multi-level alliances with warmongering institutions. By far the most influential liberal media outlet, MSNBC, is stuffed full of former Bush/Cheney officials, security state operatives and agents, while even the liberal stars are notably hawkish (a decade ago, long before she went as far down the pro-war and Cold Warrior rabbit hole which she now occupies, Rachel Maddow heralded herself as a “national security liberal” who is “all about counterterrorism”).

All of this has resulted in a new generation of Democrats, politically engaged for the first time as a result of fears over Trump, being inculcated with values of militarism and imperialism, trained to view once-discredited, war-loving neocons such as Bill Kristol, Max Boot and David Frum and former CIA and FBI leaders as noble experts and trusted voices of conscience. It’s inevitable that all of these trends would produce a party that is increasingly pro-war and militaristic, and polling data now leaves little doubt that this transformation – which will endure long after Trump is gone – is well under way."

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Reporter Quits Over NBC’s Devotion To War
(Jimmy Dore on YouTube)

IS A WALL OF BOMBSHELLS CLOSING IN?

A Look Back at Clapper’s Jan. 2017 ‘Assessment’ on Russia-gate

(Ray McGovern at Consortiumnews.com)

"On the 2nd anniversary of the “assessment” blaming Russia for “collusion” with Trump there is still no evidence other than showing the media “colluded” with the spooks, says Ray McGovern."

Bombshell! Video Mashup Reveals Pathetic RussiaGate Coverage

(Jimmy Dore on YouTube)

NPR's Report on Amazon Is Essentially an Infomercial

(Adam Johnson at TruthDig.com)

"The report, detailing the “Artificial Intelligence” behind Amazon’s delivery systems, relies entirely on interviews with Amazon flacks. The only people NPR speaks to are Brad Porter, the head of robotics for Amazon operations; Jenny Freshwater, director of software development; and Amazon VP Cem Sibay. No outside parties were sought for comment, let alone anyone remotely adversarial, such as labor organizers or environmental activists."

A CURE FOR OUR AILING DEMOCRACY?

Medicare for All Will Destroy the GOP—Because of Voting!

If the national ID system were the key to getting your health care and medications, there’d be no need for “voter registration” and no ability for the GOP to purge voters.

(Thom Hartmann at Common Dreams.org)

EXCERPT:

"The GOP stepped up their voter suppression game in 1980 when Heritage Foundation, ALEC, and Moral Majority co-founder and Reagan campaigner Paul Weyrich famously said, “I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people; they never have been from the beginning of our country, and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections, quite candidly, goes up as the voting populace goes down.”

In that, he was following on an old Republican strategy of caging and polling-place intimidation, which earned William Rehnquist his rock-star status in the GOP back in the 1960s.

This is still the GOP game plan, although they’ve turned it into an art form."

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Democrats cheat, but they're not very good at it.

HERE'S A SHORT LIST OF GOP TACTICS

The Past 5 GOP Presidents Have Used Fraud and Treason to Steer Themselves to Electoral Victory

The deception started long before Donald Trump.

(Thom Hartmann at Alternet.org)

EXCERPT:

"People are wondering out loud about the parallels between today’s Republican Party and organized crime, and whether “Teflon Don” Trump will remain unscathed through his many scandals, ranging from interactions with foreign oligarchs to killing tens of thousands of Americans by denying them healthcare to stepping up the destruction of our environment and public lands.  

History suggests – even if treason can be demonstrated – that, as long as he holds onto the Republican Party (and Fox News), he’ll survive it intact. And he won’t be the first Republican president to commit high crimes to get and stay in office.  

In fact, Eisenhower was the last legitimately elected Republican president we’ve had in this country."

SCUM VS. SCUM

A Talking Bag midterm special post!

Chris Hedges puts America's elections in perspective. Too much fucking perspective.

Scum vs. Scum

(Chris Hedges at TruthDig.com)

"Our system of legalized bribery is an equal-opportunity employer."