The Ultimate Wedge Issue Test

One of my recent articles prompted a brief but revealing exchange.

This person accurately pointed out that my proposed electoral strategy required an enormous amount of work.

Why should this come as a surprise? The ruling elite has over five decades contributed millions of dollars, tens of thousands of hours, gone to great lengths to take our democracy apart, skew the laws to maximize their profits, marginalize and silence opposition, reduce the voice of everyday citizens to a pathetic whimper, perhaps worst of all, promoted war and ecological destruction, bringing us face-to-face to possible human extinction. And we should expect to undo all of this with an article here and there, a few comments, and some Twitter and Facebook posts?

I don’t mean to criticize or mock anyone. But I get this all of the time and every time I’m truly astounded that well-meaning, concerned progressives think there’s some quick and easy defense to the wrecking ball taken to the building blocks of our “democracy” and the value system that underpins it, and to repair the colossal damage already done by the oligarchs to our current quality of life and potential for a decent and harmonious future.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen and everything in between, there’s a lot of work to be done. And with some reservations, I’m inspired by the enormous amount of energy and time devoted by the few sane activists among us.

Unfortunately, almost all of that energy and time is completely wasted. It isn’t going anywhere and never will without some serious rethinking and creative strategizing.

Change is impossible without “the people” and the vast majority of people are pretty much left scratching their heads at BLM, woke, cancel culture, Antifa, QAnon, Proud Boys, build back better, and especially the incapacitating, binary weaponizing of everything into left vs. right, Republican vs. Democrat, and all related iterations: liberal vs. conservative, Trump vs. Biden/Sanders/Clinton.

Here’s the main problem as I see it. People vote against their own interests because they’re overwhelmed, confused, misdirected, brainwashed. They step into the voting booth thinking they’re voting for one thing and end up getting the opposite. The science of messing with people’s minds has surpassed quantum physics in sophistication. Soon we’ll all be implanted with neural interfaces and directly turned into clueless, obedient drones. But that’s for another article.

What I try to do is introduce issue-by-issue some genuine clarity. Remove any possible ambiguity or misinterpretation. If you want this, then do that. To the point of this article, if you want to know if the candidate you’re voting for is truly on your side, then perform a simple, straightforward, sensible test. You can and will know. The result will be a clear and unambiguous ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

That in a nutshell is the whole idea behind the electoral strategy I’ve been talking about for ten years. Another topic for yet another piece, as if I hadn’t already written three books and hundreds of such articles already. But for now let me quickly reiterate, the candidate contract electoral strategy represents issue-by-issue clarity and real choice. A candidate is either for the proposed change, or against it. He or she signs on the dotted line making their commitment crystal clear. If they sign, we know where they stand. If they don’t sign we know where they stand. In either case, we as voters know exactly what to do.

Why don’t current activist demands for real change ever make a difference?

Two reasons . . .

FIRST:  They are directed at the wrong people. They are directed at those in power who are not listening, will not act, will never listen, will never act favorably. We only need to look at the record to know this is true. Very legitimate, extremely popular reforms simply NEVER GET DONE. Do I need to mention a few? 

 • Decent good-paying jobs

 • Fair, equitable, livable wages

 • Health care reform (Medicare4all)

 • Serious attention to climate change

 • Election reform (getting $$s out of politics)

 • Law enforcement and comprehensive prison reform

 • Ending the wars (reversing military expansion)

 • Comprehensive immigration reform

Mind you, there are huge consensuses on these and similar issues. How do we know what these areas of agreements are? There’s no mystery. Poll after poll, year after year, point to pretty much the same things. Without exception, concerns about the economy are at the top of the list. People now more than ever are struggling. The American Dream is fading and prospects for the future are becoming increasingly bleak. 

SECOND:  Many activists are personally committed to a cause, feel enormous passion for that cause, can’t imagine a world without it, can’t imagine any decent, aware human being being opposed to that cause. 

Unfortunately, they’re often wrong and despite their best efforts, nothing changes, nor will it ever change. Either the object of their devotion is unpopular and/or it simply doesn’t even get noticed. There’s not sufficient public awareness, perhaps little enthusiasm, for whatever they’re promoting. Such niche issues are important and can be addressed when we have a Congress and White House listening to and on the side of the people. But until we put in power who actually represent the interests of the vast majority of citizens — NOT those of the ruling elite, Wall Street, the MIC, big banks and big corporations — NOTHING WILL GET DONE for the people. PERIOD!

These two undercurrents are intertwined and synergistic . . . in the worst possible way. Making impassioned pleas to our elected officials when they’re not listening is a non-starter and enormous waste of energy and resources. Focusing on issues which have little popular support ends up discrediting activists and knee-capping more promising activism, all too often turning the majority of citizens off. This not only drives away support, but infects the citizenry with cynicism about anything positive ever getting done. Predictably, resignation and apathy sets in. Just look around. Look at the comments we see on articles like this. Hopelessness is growing. Surrender is the new pandemic.

The system is rigged … AGAINST US, WE THE PEOPLE. 

It’s certainly foolhardy to think that the people who benefit from the rigging are going to unrig it. They will continue to do what they’ve been doing. Serving themselves. Ignoring us. They will thrive. We will suffer.

Maybe naively I believe we can refocus, unite, change things. Maybe foolishly I believe we can rock the boat enough to get the scoundrels on board into the drink, without sinking the ship.

But I don’t think so.

We can fight this but we have to work together.

So what do we do?

First, we apply the Ultimate Wedge Issue Test. What is that? There are certain issues which are crucial to the survival of our nation as a democracy which “promotes the general welfare.” The test determines who is in favor of a nation that works for everyone, not just a privileged elite, and who is too selfish, myopic or misinformed to want what is the foundation of our society … equality, justice, peace, harmony, opportunity.

This is the wedge. Either you’re for working together as a society . . . or you’re for continuing on the road to oligarchy, tyranny, fascism. This applies both to citizen voters and candidates for office.

I sincerely believe that the majority of citizens want a country that works for everybody.

Issue-by-issue we find out what we as citizens think is important, then issue-by-issue we see which candidates are willing to commit to getting the job done.

We only vote for those candidates who are on the side of the vast majority of Americans.

No excuses. No compromise. No exceptions.

While applying the “wedge test”, we always keep in mind, this has nothing to do with party or label or ideology. It’s strictly about where candidates come down on those items which the vast majority of citizens have targeted as essential — in most cases things we’ve needed all along — things across the board that haven’t been getting done.

As I said, we all already know what these issues are. And we know those now in office have not nor will they ever support us in promoting and instituting the necessary reforms, such that WE THE PEOPLE get what’s long overdue . . . a fair stake in the vast wealth, blessings, and opportunities of the allegedly richest country in history.

WE ONLY VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO GUARANTEE RESULTS.

Not just talk about it. Not just say pretty words and make empty campaign promises. Not just continue to spew out sound bites and pleasant-sounding word salad so we will again trust them, fall for their shallow rhetoric, and vote these hypocrites back into office.

Enough is enough!

ONLY VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO GUARANTEE THEY WILL LISTEN TO AND SERVE THE NEEDS OF EVERYDAY CITIZENS.

It’s that simple. I didn’t say easy. No way will this be easy. But it’s certainly simple.

It starts with us no longer being gullible fools. Those in power will continue to lie to us, continue rigging the system in their favor and that of their patrons, the privileged elite, if we let them.

But we can stop this right now. By getting serious about installing a government of the people, by the people, for the people. By electing “people’s candidates” who have proven themselves worthy of our vote.

No negotiation. No compromise. No fear.

It’s our future. It’s up to us.

[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . https://jdrachel.com ]

The Ultimate Wedge Issue Test | John Rachel

The Red White and Blue Color Revolution

 

Orange . . . Rose . . . Purple . . . Yellow . . . Saffron . . . Green . . .

The West, with of course America itself in the lead, loves color revolutions!

I say:  Game on!  Let's go for it.

But instead of another color revolution posing as a victory for democracy but which in reality is more colonial subjugation by the Greater American Empire, let's have a color revolution that will really make a difference.  Let's install democracy in a country now truly desperate for real citizen empowerment and the vast saving graces of representative government, transparency, freedom of the press, respect for human rights -- you know the list, since its trumpeted 24/7 by our propaganda machinery, whether these inspiring and noble ideals have any basis in reality or not.

Yes, we'll call this one:  The Red White and Blue Color Revolution!

It will be regime change, of course, because that's what color revolutions are all about.

But this one will take place in Washington DC, putative center of the Universe, the grand "decider" when it comes to all things global, the bright beacon of hope and freedom and enlightened leadership.

If it isn't already obvious, U.S. citizens now live in a police state under the oppressive and ruthless rule of an authoritarian oligarchic elite.  Everyday citizens have no voice in their government, their most vital constitutionally-guaranteed rights have been nullified, their tax dollars are being used in service to a kleptocratic cartel of corporate/banking/energy industry/Wall Street/military-industrial-government-complex insiders, they are under constant surveillance by a sprawling Stasi-like security state.  Anything resembling basic social services are under siege and being slashed in the name of austerity, and promoting the general welfare as chartered by the Constitution is dismissed as socialist daydreaming. Our essential infrastructure is crumbling, the result of gross indifference and neglect.  The quality of our air, drinking water, schools, communities, even our daily life, continue their steady decline. While the rich immerse themselves in greater opulence and grandeur at the banquet table, the rest of us dumpster dive for what scraps we can scavenge in the alley in back.  They snidely reassure us:  "Buy a lottery ticket! You might win."

So what about our elections?  How is hope and change holding up in the voting booth?

The simple truth is that the dismal array of prospects we are now forced to select from to "represent us" in their official capacities shows no prospect for any of this turning around.  Choice at the polls is an illusion.  It's always between one corporate lapdog and another corporate lapdog, regardless of party affiliation.

This is intentional.  The major party duopoly is configured to maintain the status quo.

Those in power intend to stay in power and use that power to enrich themselves and their wealthy benefactors who will use their wealth to keep their minions in positions of power.  It's an unforgiving closed-loop feedback system, the political engine of crony capitalism.

It keeps "them" in and "you and I" out.

There is only on solution . . .

Regime change in Washington DC.

Translation:  Replacing every elected representative who does not guarantee absolute, non-negotiable, unambiguous loyalty and service to those who elect him or her to office.

The Red White and Blue Color Revolution!

I'm dead serious.  Because America is in dead serious trouble.

We need a clean sweep.  We'll "drain the swamp" . . . for real this time!

Let's not fool ourselves any longer.  Anything less will doom America to further rapacious exploitation, and consign Americans to total enslavement under ruthless totalitarianism:  One nation under God . . . by the rich and for the rich.

As revolutions go, they can be peaceful or violent, responsible or bloody.

That will not be our choice to make.  It'll be up to those in power.

Either they'll go quietly, respectful of the democratic will of the people.

Or . . .






[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]


The Red White and Blue Color Revolution

“P. S. I Love You!”

 

P = Plunder

S = Steal

And yes, the insatiable moguls of the big banks and ravenous Oberführers of the multinational corporations love it!

We're talking about people who don't live and think like most of us.  For these folks, 'more' is never a question.  It's an answer!  The only answer.

When the economy crashed in 2008, largely the result of an orgy of speculation and gross distortion of the investment market by the greed of these banksters and corporate hustlers, they were more than happy to line up to plunder the Federal Reserve to the tune of $16 trillion dollars.  Why not?  Money was like manna falling from the heavens into the accounts of major banks all over the world, so that their addiction to casino capitalism could continue without a pause and set us up for the next catastrophic meltdown.

Besides outright theft of fiat money in the form of capitalization subsidies, at another level the plunder takes the form of a lot of acronyms -- NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP, TTIP, TISA -- and the gutting of any regulatory oversight.  These so-called "free trade" deals just lubricate the wheels for transferring the wealth and political control from the vast majority of citizens -- the ones who actually work a living, producing things of practical value, products which are markedly more substantial and less diabolical than debt leveraging, collateralization, privatization, and monetization -- to the already ultra-wealthy, ultra-powerful elite.

What will they come up with next?

Corporate greed and plutocratic avarice apparently knows no limits.  As if exporting our jobs to sweat shops in China and Bangladesh putting millions of American workers on the streets; gutting our manufacturing base by shuttering 50,000 factories; pursuing hostile takeovers to gain market share and even monopoly control; promoting predatory lending and liars loans to ravage families and small businesses; destroying unions and driving wages down to the point that a person can't survive any longer working a 40-hour work week; yes, as if abusing the enormous resources and financial power of corporations and their brothers in crime, the Wall Street banks, to relegate the average individual during the long working years of his or her life to the status of a serf weren't enough, now the rich are coming after the elderly.  Giving 45 years of your life to serving the "man" no longer means you are allowed to live a decent, comfortable life in your retirement years.  These criminals are now after employee pension funds.  And because any big pile of money is targeted for a P.S. I Love You blitzkrieg, regardless of who it rightfully belongs to, since 1985 using their pay-for-play puppets in Congress they have been raiding the Social Security trust fund.  Did you get that?  TRUST FUND, as in the fund of all of our accumulated contributions toward retirement, set properly aside and protected so that the money would not be used for anything else.  All the money is gone now.  It funded wars, bail-outs, every variety of corporate welfare and fiduciary abuse which has become standard operating procedure. The money the old folks in retirement homes in good faith paid into Social Security over their lives is just another asset for exploitation.

Just so you aren't deluded into thinking that the mountains of money stolen via all of the unprincipled, anti-social, anti-democratic, coldly callous and cruel instruments of wealth extraction the ultra-rich have ruthlessly applied in the past is ever enough, consider this:

Over the past several years, while poverty rates in America continue to increase, while real wages have barely risen and many are forced to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, using a rather innocent-sounding device called quantitative easing, $3.5 trillion has been created out of thin air and made available to investment banks and our too-big-to-fail menagerie of casino capitalists.

$3,500,000,000,000!

Is there anyone out there who could use $10,000?  How about $1,000?

Actually, $500 would be a big deal for most of us.

Of course, none of the $3.5 trillion trickled down to you and I -- I assume this is not being read by hedge fund CEOs or any other members of the exclusive .1% club -- au contraire! Instead, it trickled up!

A lot of it found its way into offshore accounts and tax havens.

Plundered . . . stolen . . . socked away.

For what?

More yachts?  More vacation homes?  More private jets?

What else can they possibly buy?

Patience now!  Give them time.

Spending trillions of dollars is not easy.

It takes time and energy.

Arrogance and myopia.

Unfeeling and irrepressible selfishness.

A sense of entitlement and a disdain for the less fortunate.

Callousness, irresponsibility and a total lack of decency and compassion.

Fortunately for the rich, they won't have to plunder and steal to get these.

They already have them in great abundance.



[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]



“P. S. I Love You!”

The BS Challenge

 

While I disagree with Bernie Sanders on a host of important policy issues, I will certainly give credit where it's due.

The man admirably has raised the awareness of the American public on critical challenges to the American way of life -- like income inequality, corporate malfeasance, the plundering of the working and middle classes by Wall Street and the 1%, the corruption of our democracy by the Citizens United decision and unprecedented influx of money into electoral politics.

There is now real talk of major reform.  The word "revolution" is being floated.

Perhaps more laudably, Sanders has said that the movement fueled by his presidential campaign must go on with or without him.  If he is drummed out of the election by the Machiavellian apparatus of the Democratic Party, or if he loses to Trump or Cruz or which ever imbecile the Republicans nominate, we shouldn't give up. We must fight on for what he stands for and for the vision of America he has presented.

Bravo!  This is excellent advice.

But let me make a point I've made repeatedly to a deafening silence.  Even if Bernie does win, we must fight for what he stands for and the vision of America he has presented, and this fight goes way beyond just getting him into the White House.

Translation:  If Obama with majorities of both houses of Congress on his side couldn't get anything "revolutionary" done, with the current complexion of the House and Senate what chance does a Sanders presidency have?  (I really don't want to get into why Obama failed. I have my own rather extreme take on that.  It's not relevant.  My point is still valid.)

Let me also offer my solution.

Let me offer it as a challenge to all of you Bernie supporters, because I know you are way above average intelligence, well-read and versed in history, informed and armed with a deeper understanding of the realities of our political system.

If you folks are really feeling the Bern, then you need to build on your enthusiasm and support for Bernie and take it to a whole new level.  This means transforming Congress into something allied with and totally supportive of the "Bernie Sanders revolution".

This accords with his entire vision for remaking America, is true to the selfless spirit of his campaign, and assures genuine progress -- WITH OR WITHOUT HIM!

If he gets elected, he gets a Congress he can work with.

If he doesn't get elected, the thrust and wisdom of his vision continues, promoted by those leading the charge in our legislative bodies.

So here's the plan.

District by district, state by state, we give an ultimatum to every single candidate running for Congress in the 2016 election.  Every single candidate for the House and Senate.

EITHER YOU'RE WITH BERNIE OR YOU'RE AGAINST HIM.

If you're with Bernie, you get our votes.

If you're against Bernie, you don't.

And if you're against Bernie, we'll find someone else -- independent, Green Party, greeter at Walmart, homeless guy on a freeway ramp.

Because ANYONE WOULD BE BETTER THAN YOU!

Am I being clear here?

Now we get to the nuts-and-bolts.  And I sincerely apologize for this article being so long. But I can't fashion this into a short and snappy meme.

I've been pushing this idea for four years.  It has not caught on.  I accept responsibility.  Perhaps my writing is deficient.  The reason for my prior failure is not important.

As just explained above, we set up a showdown -- a line in the sand.  We confront every candidate in the 2016 federal election with a simple, easily-grasped choice. 

"You're either with us or against us."

How do we do that?

We give them a contract to sign.

Either they sign it and get our vote.

Or they don't sign it and they don't get our vote.

This is how you reform the Democratic Party or get the scum out of the running!

Here's the contract.

---

(Note: This is written for a candidate campaigning for the House of Representatives.  Obviously, it can easily be reconfigured for a Senatorial candidate.)

I, [Name of Candidate], if elected to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, hereby commit to sponsor and vote in favor of legislation for all of the following:

• Raising the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour.
• Reforming tax regulations to stop corporations from shifting their profits and jobs overseas to avoid paying U.S. income taxes.
• Establishing a progressive estate tax on the top 0.3 percent of Americans who inherit more than $3.5 million.
• Enacting a transaction tax on Wall Street speculative trading.
• Investing $1 trillion over five years towards rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, railways, airports, public transit systems, ports, dams, wastewater plants, and other infrastructure needs.
• Creating 1 million jobs for disadvantaged young Americans by investing $5.5 billion in a youth jobs program.
• Making tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout America.
• Expanding Social Security by lifting the cap on taxable income above $250,000.
• Increase benefits by at least 10% for all eligible recipients.
• Establishing healthcare as a right of citizenship by enacting a Medicare for all single-payer healthcare system.
• Requiring employers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave; two weeks of paid vacation; and 7 days of paid sick days.
• Enacting a universal childcare and prekindergarten program.
• Making it easier for workers to join unions by fighting for the Employee Free Choice Act.
• Breaking up huge financial institutions so that they are no longer too big to fail.

I will not resist, discourage, or in any manner put up an impediment to, and in fact will publicly and on the floor of the House of Representatives actively promote, any and all legislation in support of these measures. If no other legislator comes forth to propose such individual pieces of legislation, I will create and introduce by my own initiative, within 90 days of taking office, legislative acts for all of the foregoing, for consideration by Congress.

I further understand and fully agree to the following: If I violate the above-stated terms of this agreement, I will tender on the 91st day after taking the oath of office for my legislative seat, my full and unqualified resignation from this elected position. Moreover, within one year of my resignation, I will refund all contributions made by individual donors in support of my candidacy for this office.

This entire agreement constitutes a legally binding contract between myself and that class of citizens who will be my constituents, should I win the upcoming election. In the event that I fail to perform the above-required actions, redress may be sought by those same citizens in the form of a class-action suit in a civil court of law, and I will be liable for a minimum of $10,000,000 damages for breach of contract. If I fail to resign from office due to my failure to fulfill the other requirements of this contract or similar contracts, I may be liable for an additional class-action settlement for an amount not less than $50,000,000. No portion of these specified settlements may be paid from campaign donations, PACs or SuperPACs.

I sign this contract voluntarily and with full appreciation of my responsibility to the citizens of the [Name of Congressional District] should they choose me as their elected representative. I accept the terms of this document as legally binding, and with a thorough and lucid understanding of its requirements and consequences.

Signed: ________________

Date: _________________

---

Let me tell you why this will work.

First, we'll know who's serious about reform and who's not.  Talk is cheap.  If a candidate signs the contract, we'll know he or she is serious.  Because . . .

Second, if they've signed on the dotted line, when they report for work in Washington DC, they will have to deliver on everything they agreed to in writing in the contract.

Not just because it's a contract.  But because it would be political suicide if they didn't.

I won't elaborate.  You're smart people.  Think about it.

In closing, I find it inspiring and heartening that Mr. Sanders is doing what he's doing.

I hope that his supporters will have the energy and foresight to build on the awakening that seems to be occurring in this country.  I hope they will dedicate themselves to putting in place elected representatives who truly represent, who are serious about turning this country around, advancing an America which serves all of us, not just a privileged few.

Yes, I put this forth as a challenge.

It's really quite simple . . .

Cheer leading and hero-worship are the easy part.

Revolution is hard work.

Bernie got the ball rolling.

Are you prepared to do some heavy-lifting?

Or is Chris Hedges right? . . .

Is this just more BS along the historical road to disintegration and collapse?



[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]





The BS Challenge

How Bernie Sanders Can Win and Turn America Around

Who am I to tell Bernie Sanders what he should do?

Just an American citizen like you.

Just an individual participating in government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Just one person reaching out to other like-minded people -- and there are a lot of us! -- who think America is on the wrong track, that we need real leadership who will truly speak for us.

Here is a video of me making the announcement Bernie Sanders needs to make in order to win the presidency and turn this country around.  It's what I believe people need to hear.  It's a way for Mr. Sanders to rise far above the rest of the mealy-mouthed, cheap-talking Republican and Democratic candidates and win the trust and loyalty of the voting public.

Since I don't pretend to be as forceful or eloquent as Mr. Sanders, please cut me some slack here and just use your imaginations a bit.

Notice that the idea is NOT JUST ABOUT BERNIE.

He's only one man.  We need to make ALL CANDIDATES ACCOUNTABLE TO US!

I am convinced we need to take the guess work out of campaigning.

I believe we need to replace sound bites and photo ops with firm commitments.

I believe that the days of the honor system -- trusting candidates and taking them at their word -- is over.  But I believe that this actually works to the advantage of the "good ones", the ones we probably can trust, like Bernie.  

Thus . . .

I believe Bernie should challenge vague promises and nice-sounding campaign slogans of his competitors with a daring, LEGALLY-BINDING CONTRACT WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.  Not because we don't trust him.  But to show the voting public in very stark and unmistakable terms that Clinton, Trump, and the others are completely full of hot air. They're the ones who can't be trusted.

I also believe Bernie needs to renounce some of his prior commitments on foreign policy and support for military waste.  He needs to affirm himself to be a man of peace, so we don't have four more years of "talk" about peace, while America just promotes more war.  This commitment to less military aggression, reducing the DOD budget, ending the war crimes like drone bombing and illegal invasions, and getting the U.S. troops out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, should be spelled out in clear language in the contract.

Whatever the specifics, the basic idea is right there in the video.

And the strategy is described in detail in my two recent political books.

Do what you have to do, folks.  We're still in the game . . . at least for now.

And, Bernie . . . if you're paying attention, think about doing what YOU need to do.

Bumper stickers, t-shirts, and underwear with your picture are fine.

But maybe you need to really step up to the plate, eh?

---

 

"Candidate Contracts: Taking Back Our Democracy" is available from all the usual suspects . . .

Amazon (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1QJRiNZ
Apple (iBook) . . . apple.co/1BXnPcy
Amazon (Paperback) . . . amzn.to/1Cuq0du
Barnes & Noble . . . bit.ly/1GpTTLq
Smashwords . . . bit.ly/1B4DQCp
Direct from printer . . . bit.ly/1MGjDnN




"Fighting for the Democracy We Deserve" was published just a few weeks ago. But it is available both as a Kindle ebook and in print from Amazon . . .

Amazon US (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1VMf2Ft
Amazon CA (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1in513n
Amazon UK (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1KfjtQO
Amazon JP (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1OMslBG
Amazon (Paperback) . . . amzn.to/1L9SdIC





[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

How Bernie Sanders Can Win and Turn America Around

Promises and Platitudes vs. Contractual Commitment

 

In my last posting, I proposed that we as voters demand that Bernie Sanders make a clear, firm commitment toward less military, less war, less imperial misadventure, less of much that goes on in the name of "defense of the homeland", specifically those items which are bankrupting our country and making the U.S. the enemy of the world.

Many of his supporters predictably rallied to his defense and directed me to a recent document which appears on the web site of the esteemed senator.

All well and good. I'm glad Bernie Sanders recognizes the need to "answer" to the people and explain where he stands on things.

Without getting into a lot of specifics here -- I may do that in a future posting -- his policy statement certainly leaves a lot of room for interpretation. It's intentionally vague. It is the kind of public relations-oriented piece which we've come to expect of other lesser men and women but is not at all flattering to a self-described socialist who has taken admirable stands on many other issues. It is fraught with the sort of sweeping, noble-sounding but non-committal declarations that allowed Mr. Sanders to vote, for example, against the War in Iraq but for funding that very same war in defense appropriations bills.

Maybe that's fine for some people but I think we should expect more.

If the country is not to be further bankrupted by endless war, then nice-sounding feel-good assurances will not cut it. We need specifics. We need details. We need accountability.

Among other things, we need to demand of Mr. Sanders and any candidate who claims to have the interests of the U.S. at heart: ending the illegal war crime of bombing countries with drones, which is just recruiting more terrorists and swelling the ranks of jihadists; closing most of the 900+ bases around the world; ending the confrontations with Russia and China; closing Guantanamo and all of the other "black sites" where we torture; firing the neocons who infect our government and foreign policy apparatus like a deadly plague; stopping all of our meddling in other countries; ending the policy of regime change which has produced anger and chaos across the globe, creating more enemies than we can ever possibly deal with; cutting the military budget by 40 or 50%, since we already spend more than 10 times what any other country in the world spends on defense.

And we need to demand it in writing using legally-binding contracts.

Or it simply won't get done.

My strategy is not designed to target Mr. Sanders or just defense policy. In fact, it applies across the board on a host of issues -- Social Security and Medicare which are both under attack, the minimum wage, debt and mortgage relief, affordable education, safer food and water, ending corporate welfare, are just some examples -- critical issues where there is a lot of talk and promises from politicians but no action. It applies across the board to every individual running for federal office, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Tea Party.

If you look at many of these areas of citizen concern, you find enormous agreement, polls reflecting consensus numbers in the 60s, 70s, 80s, even 90% of the public.

72% of American voters want a federal minimum wage
of $10.00 per hour or more.

74% of American voters are for ending
oil industry subsidies.

75% of voters want fair trade agreements protecting jobs,
workers, the environment.

76% of voters want a cut back on military spending.

76% of voters want the U.S. completely out of Afghanistan.

79% of voters want no reductions in Social Security,
70% support expanding it.

79% of voters want no reductions in Medicare.

80% of voters oppose the Citizens United Supreme Court
decision, with 65% strongly opposing it.

68% of voters think taxes on the wealthy
should be increased.

71% of voters support massive infrastructure renewal.

93% of voters want GMO labeling on their food.

There is huge disagreement alright. It's between what the people want done and what our elected officials do!

All I'm saying is . . . this is not democracy!

Not by any stretch or any standard or any interpretation of our Constitution can you call it democracy when the people want one thing and our legislators deliver the opposite.

What I am pushing -- hoping people will stick up for themselves and regain some control of their country and their own futures -- is a specific method for guaranteeing on certain specific issues that our elected officials represent us and do what we want!

Is my plan radical?

At one time, the idea that America should chuck its bondage to the King of England and go it alone was radical. The suggestion we should free the slaves was radical. The outrageous idea that women should have the right to vote was radical.

My plan is no more radical that the Constitution itself. That hallowed document which everyone loves to point to but apparently very few bother to read, lays the foundation for self-government -- government of the people, by the people, for the people.

It doesn't say . . . "government for the rich and powerful and to hell with the rest of you."

No, the idea that people should have direct say in the running of this country is only radical right now because we as citizens have become convinced that we should just sit back and let the "experts" run things, that we are powerless and should just shut up. We've been convinced of this by a tiny elite of rich and powerful, anti-democratic plutocrats who love having complete control of our government and our legislative bodies, who literally now own our politicians, because it serves their agenda, keeps them rich, and makes sure that nothing stands in their way of total autocratic rule.

If you are as fed up as I am at the gridlock, the shutdowns, the broken promises, the back door deals, the endless excuses, the horrible waste of our hard-earned tax dollars which ends up lining the pockets of the already wealthy 1%, the Wall Street bankers, and the military-industrial complex -- which keeps the wars going because that keeps the profits flowing -- if you are as fed up as I am at we the people always being last on the list when it comes to fixing the problems we need to fix for America to meet its constitutional mandate to promote the general welfare and offer a good life for all Americans, not just the filthy rich, then at least . . . LOOK AT WHAT I'M PROPOSING.

It's different. It's unprecedented. But it's not very difficult and it certainly isn't radical.

It's a way to have REAL REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY in this country.

It's a way to have our elected officials serve us, take orders from us, get done at least some of the things we want done for a change.

My offer still stands. My strategy is explained in simple, readable language in two of my books. They are available for free. Just click on the "Contact Me" button on the right side of the page and send me a request.

If you wait for your next door neighbor and your next door neighbor waits for you and you both wait for someone else to start paying attention, we'll never get things straightened out and America will continue its sure steady decline. The rich and powerful will eat the meal, you and I will get the crumbs that fall off the table.

Just take a few minutes. We can have the country we want and a decent future to hand down to our children and their children.

Is this too much to ask?

---

 

"Candidate Contracts: Taking Back Our Democracy" is available from all the usual suspects . . .

Amazon (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1QJRiNZ
Apple (iBook) . . . apple.co/1BXnPcy
Amazon (Paperback) . . . amzn.to/1Cuq0du
Barnes & Noble . . . bit.ly/1GpTTLq
Smashwords . . . bit.ly/1B4DQCp
Direct from printer . . . bit.ly/1MGjDnN




"Fighting for the Democracy We Deserve" was published just a few weeks ago. But it is available both as a Kindle ebook and in print from Amazon . . .

Amazon US (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1VMf2Ft
Amazon CA (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1in513n
Amazon UK (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1KfjtQO
Amazon JP (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1OMslBG
Amazon (Paperback) . . . amzn.to/1L9SdIC


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Distractions

 
Magicians are adept at distraction, as are card sharks, pickpockets and politicians.

And when you throw in the main stream media as a partner in crime, you have the perfect storm for a misinformed and malleable public.

It goes without saying that Americans are constantly bombarded with stories and images provoking fear. Just in the past couple months, we've had ISIS sleeper cells, the certainty that Ebola would be spreading like a plague across the land, a cyber attack by North Korea on our sacrosanct movie industry and our freedom of speech, last but not least, the threat of a reconstituted Soviet Union under the rule of that barbarian Vladimir Putin, raining nuclear-tipped ICBMs down on us. 

These are what I would call the "pro-active" distractions, ones which disable our ability to think rationally and turn us into trembling bowls of paralyzed Jello.

But I've decided that perhaps the most insidious distractions are the "passive" variant, the on-the-surface innocent ones that monopolize our attention with crises which are beyond trivial, drain us of energy and focus better directed to important issues that makes a real difference, make a mockery of anything resembling meaningful conversation, and upend and distort both our personal and national priorities.

I could go on for months on these distractions. We all know what they are. They include everything from celebrity gossip, to scandals involving iconic figures in sports, politics, business, and so on.
Just last week, there was a "scandal" which monopolized huge swaths of American media. Everyone had to weigh in, even allegedly serious journalists like Ed Schultz. Frankly, I was tempted to throw my hands up in the air, throw my hat in the ring, maybe throw up.

This was the whole business about the amount of air in the footballs thrown by all-star Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots. I don't have to explain this "crisis" in technical detail, because if you had your television on at any point, you already know that America demanded to know whether there was the legal minimum amount of air pressure in the footballs Mr. Brady used in his glorious ascent to football stardom.

While one third of America's school children are now officially living in poverty . . .

While despite the rosy figures spewed by our government, the truth is America's economy is in decline and a major economic crash is coming, probably sooner than later . . .

While we as ordinary citizens are being treated as the enemy, with constant surveillance and spying, and a militarized police presence which is often brutal and not adverse to killing innocent people, especially people of color . . .

While the planet is heating up at rates far beyond the most pessimistic predictions, boding unparalleled depletion of food resources, displacement of millions of people, setting the stage for massive global conflict over water and arable land . . .

While the banksters and Wall Street criminals go unprosecuted for their prior malfeasance and fraud __ e.g. the crash of 2008 __ and continue to loot the national treasury . . .

While TTP and TTIP, so-called "free trade agreements" which will be the nail in the coffin for an economy which serves the needs of the majority of citizens in our country, are being rammed down the throats of good, decent, hard-working people to serve the interests of the oligarchy . . .

While the neocon lunatics now in control of America's foreign policy are busy rallying the nation for an unnecessary, unjustified, lethal confrontation with Russia __ a major war, folks, as in World War III! . . .

We are wringing our hands over the amount of air in a football?


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]