Since I am one of those who do not know Jill Stein the following is the
result.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein
*Jill Ellen Stein* (born May 14, 1950) is an American physician
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physician> who was the nominee of the
Green Party
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_of_the_United_States> for
President of the United States
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States> in the
2012 election
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2012>.^[1]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-wins-1> ^[2]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-Boston.com-2> ^[3]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-Questionaire-3>
Stein was a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Massachusetts> in the 2002
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_gubernatorial_election,_2002>
and the 2010 gubernatorial elections
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_gubernatorial_election,_2010>.^[4]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-4> ^[5]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-5> ^[6]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-6> On June 22, Stein
announced that she would seek the Green Party's presidential nomination
during an appearance on Democracy Now!
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Now%21>.
Stein is a resident of Lexington, Massachusetts
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington,_Massachusetts>. She is a
graduate of Harvard College
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_College> (1973) and the Harvard
Medical School <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Medical_School>
(1979).^[7] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-7> ^[8]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-8> ^[9]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-9>
Stein was endorsed for President in 2012 by Noam Chomsky
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky>, a linguist, author and
activist,^[10]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-Stein-10> and by
Chris Hedges <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hedges>, a Pulitzer
Prize <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize>-winning journalist
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalist> and war correspondent
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_correspondent>,^[11]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-national_peace_leaders-11>
among others. In February 2015, Stein announced the formation of an
exploratory committee to seek the Green Party's presidential nomination
in the 2016 U.S. election
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2016>.^[12]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein#cite_note-considers-12>
^I Know a little more now.
On 6/22/2015 10:59 AM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
In 2012, no one with whom I spoke, knew who Jill Stein was and in 2016, they
still won't know. We live in a mass, impersonal, fragmented society, in a
complex empire operated by financial and military forces way beyond our
control. We, on this list, and the leftist organizations that we support, are
dreamers. We talk about free elections, reaching out to the public, organizing,
working toward a better future for everyone. But ultimately, we are at the
mercy of the power elite.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2015 11:28 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: my blog carl jarvis
Subject: [blind-democracy] Bernie Sanders & oppositional criticism
Good article, Roger. And by the way, Jill Stein declared her intent to run for
the presidency this morning on Democracy Now, with Amy Goodman.
So let me ramble a bit on the upcoming fiasco called the Presidential Race. In boxing we
call it, "The fix is in". There is no race.
Unless you consider Tweedle Dee Dee and Tweedle Dee Dum sitting on the fence, a
race. Clinton verses Clone does not constitute a Race. It is the left hand
shaking the right hand. But both hands belong to the same body. Both hands
are controlled by the same brain. Both hands appear to do different things,
but both hands will always do what the brain orders them to do.
That, in my humble opinion, is the American Political Monster.
So, if I am even close to being correct, we can't make this monster do our
bidding. We are under the spell of different brains than the two hands of the
Ruling Monster.
Then why even dabble in this fiasco? Why even campaign for Jill Stein? Would
we really want to place her in the pot of boiling water called the White House?
Ideally, we would better spend our time planning how to remove the current
Monster, with nonviolent means.
Remember, I strongly maintain that violent overthrow merely sets a nation up
for another violent encounter. Usually the takeover by a Strongman.
We might better spend our time discussing what sort of world we want for our
children/grandchildren.
But the Progressive/Radical Parties are at each others throats, eager to show the
limitations of all others, and the "Rightness" of their own. Sort of like the
vast array of Christian Denominations.
Maybe the day will come when all these organizations can talk together without
taking everything personally, but we have been so conditioned to behave in that
manner that it is going to be a long time in coming.
Meanwhile, I am planning to support Bernie Sanders. Why? Because he does have
a fairly broad platform and audience. He will bring up many domestic issues
that the Right Hand would rather not consider, and the Left Hand(Clinton) will
be forced to pay lip service to. At least this will force the Monster Brain to
work overtime in devising ways to squelch Bernie Sanders. There is some value,
or perhaps simply some fun, in helping the Monster squirm.
As long as we keep firmly in mind that no matter what happens, the Monster
Brain is going to win.
And after the Primary, I plan to turn my measly support to Jill Stein, and the
Green Party. Still remembering that even if she were to win, she would be
swallowed up by the Monster Brain.
But again, her campaign will bring out issues that would never surface.
Perhaps of all the candidates, Jill Stein would have the greatest impact on our
nightmare called, Foreign Policy. None of the Left Hand or Right Hand
candidates will touch that sacred cow. None of them, including Bernie Sanders,
will dare to take on the mighty military, the true power center today.
The Corporate Masters are behaving like the Greedy Fools down through history.
They will grab and grab and wake up one day to discover that the very forces
they set in motion to help them maintain power, are turning on them and taking
over. The Corporate Rulers will become the servants of the New Ruling Class.
The Mighty Military.
But I digress. Bernie Sanders, and then Jill Stein. But it will only be an
exercise to fill in my idle moments.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/22/15, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In the past when I have been asked what I think of Bernard Sanders I
have said that at best he is a social democrat and a right-wing social
democrat at that. I think that Sanders is causing me to revise that
opinion himself. He does not seem to be a social democrat at all and
his claims of socialism have about as much meaning as others' claims
that Obama is a socialist. Sanders is showing every sign of being
nothing more than a bourgeois liberal and not even a left-wing liberal either.
http://socialistaction.org/bernie-sanders-and-oppositional-criticism/
Bernie Sanders & oppositional criticism
Published June 21, 2015. | By Socialist Action.
July 2015 Sanders
By JOE AUCIELLO
“… the oppositional criticism is nothing more than a safety valve for
mass dissatisfaction, a condition of the stability of the social
structure.” — Leon Trotsky in his preface to “The History of the
Russian Revolution.”
In early June, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told
a conference organized by Service Employees International Union
members that she backed the $15-an-hour national minimum wage
campaign. She praised the union activists and supporters “for marching
in the streets to get a living wage” and added, “I want to be your
champion. I want to fight with you every day.”
She didn’t really mean it, of course. Within 24 hours her campaign
issued a clarification explaining that in general Clinton favors
higher wages for low-income workers, but she does not specifically
endorse the demand for a $15 hourly minimum. So, union members and
activists heard their hoped-for message; big business and Democratic
Party officials heard the more honest message.
Clinton’s cautious centrism permits her only a flirtation with leftist
causes, thereby yielding the left-of-center space to another candidate.
Thus, the stage is set for the entrance of Vermont Senator Bernie
Sanders, whose campaign website boldly asks: “Ready to Start a
Political Revolution?”
Sanders certainly intends to become the voice of “oppositional
criticism” in the 2016 election. Thus far, the efforts of this
sometime “socialist,” the independent in the Senate who typically
votes with the Democrats, have been more successful than those of
former Democratic governors Martin O’Malley of Maryland and Lincoln Chafee of
Rhode Island.
Sanders has been drawing increasingly large crowds in the primary
states for his campaign events, and in those states his poll levels
are sharply rising. Clearly, Sanders is saying something
different—which energizes Democratic and independent voters. The
promise of radical change resonates with many whose lives have seen
little benefit during the tepid years of the Obama administration.
At this stage in the primaries, the Sanders platform gives a public
hearing to many progressive ideas. Most notably, the Sanders campaign
directs a spotlight on the obscene levels of income inequality in
America. Sanders speaks out for a national, single-payer health care
system and pledges to pursue efforts to create sustainable energy to
reduce global warming.
He would remove tuition fees from state colleges and universities. He
supports the $15 minimum wage, argues for breaking up the mega-banks,
and promotes a jobs package that would put people to work by
rebuilding the highways and bridges that are deteriorating throughout America.
These are reforms that, if enacted, would benefit the lives of millions.
No wonder Sanders’ poll numbers have risen dramatically.
Still, Bernie Sanders is hardly an unknown. Given his “socialist-light”
political history and voting record, which is virtually
indistinguishable from that of a typical liberal Democrat and includes
support to funding Israel and the war in Afghanistan, it is fair to ask:
Is Sanders really the voice of dissent? Is he really the figure who
can galvanize the poor, the working class, women, racial minorities,
and youth to lead the political fightback that is so sorely needed?
Though audiences at rallies may be stirred by soaring speeches,
high-flown words accomplish little. What’s more, a geyser of popular
rhetoric tends to erupt every four years around election time.
A socialist writer has noted that while the Democrats proclaim
themselves “as champions of the poor, their ‘soak the rich’ rhetoric
is largely a misrepresentation. They and their Republican counterparts
use such rhetoric only to appeal to voters. Both parties, over the
last decade in particular, have rushed to find tax breaks for the rich
and lower the real income of working people. Today even two-income
families are having a difficult time paying for basic necessities.”
This observation was made 25 years ago. The article, written by Hayden
Perry, was entitled: “Congress approves new budget: Higher taxes and
fewer services,” which certainly has a present-day ring to it. Though
it was published in the November 1990 issue of Socialist Action, it
could be reprinted today with little change.
Bernie Sanders is this year’s model of the token “leftist” who will
make oppositional criticism as a safety valve for mass
dissatisfaction. His commitment to his causes appears real enough, but
it goes no further than the margins of the Democratic Party. Those
margins cannot and have never sustained a popular movement that would
give real meaning to democracy.
Some fifteen years ago, Ralph Nader launched his bid as the Green
Party candidate for the president of the United States. Although
Socialist Action gave no support to the Green Party’s electoral
campaigns, which only proposed reforms to capitalism, Nader at least
argued with a boldness and insight thoroughly lacking in Bernie
Sanders today. In his 2000 announcement speech, Nader said that the
foundation of his efforts would be “to focus on active citizenship, to
create fresh political movements that will displace the control of the
Democratic and Republican parties, two apparently distinct political
entities that feed at the same corporate trough. They are in fact
simply the two heads of one political duopoly, the DemRep Party.”
How did Bernie Sanders, the socialist who asks if we are ready for
revolution, respond to the Nader campaign? In his political memoir,
Nader explains: “Bernie had told me that while he sympathized and
agreed with our pro-democracy agenda, he could not come out officially for us.
The reason was that his modus vivendi with the House Democrats would
be ruptured and he would lose much of his influence, including a
possible subcommittee chair” (“Crashing the Party,” pp. 125-126).
Nader was discreet enough not to inquire about the actual results of Sanders’
supposed influence.
Little has changed. The fix is still in. The Democratic National
Committee has essentially offered Sanders a simple deal in words
approximately like these: “We’ll let you speak out and give you a
place in the six Democratic primary debates if you affirm your place
as a Democrat. You get to say whatever you want in the state primaries
as long as you support whoever we want in the national election.”
It is not a very good deal, but it is the only one on offer, and
though Sanders will haggle, pushing for more debates, he will accept
what he is given. It’s what Bernie does. In fact, Sanders has built a
career as the fighting socialist who takes a dive for the Democrats.
Sanders does not lead and does not intend to. He follows. His vision
of the future is restricted to what has been made popular in the
recent past. The ideas Sanders offers, the program of his campaign, go
no further than the demands raised by the significant social struggles
of the last several years: the Occupy movement and the environmental
movement, especially.
The lesson for activists working for Sanders is quite clear: Do better
work and be more effective by building social protest movements at the
grassroots and national levels. The opportunities are many and varied.
The Ferguson National Response Network is a good source of information
for protest actions taking place in cities all across the United States.
The approximately 100 organizations that attended the United National
Antiwar Coalition conference would eagerly welcome new supporters.
Whether it is 15 Now, Black Lives Matter, local campaigns against
nuclear power plants, struggles for environmental issues, women’s
rights, and more, important causes need the time, energy, and money
that is being poured into the Sanders for President Campaign.
The biggest flaw with Bernie Sanders is not his failure to condemn
capitalism as a system and call for its overturn. It may even be
asking too much to expect Sanders to fight for the structural reform
of capitalism, to demand the nationalization of basic industries, as
the British Labor Party did after World War II, in a platform that won
a national election. The Sanders team will say the times are not right
for such bold measures, that it is enough if Bernie only wants to
soften some of the system’s worst excesses.
But the time has come—in fact, the time is long overdue—to show a new
generation of activists just what the Democratic Party is and why it
is necessary to move past it. Bernie Sanders fails to take that
decisive step. His campaign by its very nature misleads activists by
asserting that the Democratic Party is a fit instrument for the kind
of social change that is needed to transform America.
A socialist who truly merits the term “independent” once said,
“Capitalism rules and exploits the working people through its control
of the government. … And capitalism controls the government through
the medium of its class political parties. … The unconditional break
away from capitalist politics and capitalist parties is the first act
of socialist consciousness, and the first test of socialist
seriousness and sincerity” (James P. Cannon, “Speeches for Socialism,”
pp. 339-340, emphasis added).
Sanders has been compared to a “sheep-dog” who herds people into the
Democratic Party. A better analogy might be drawn from the world of
sports. In the preparation for a championship bout, boxers hire
sparring partners to help them train and get into shape for the real
match. That opponent is there to fight but not fight too much. Though
putting on a lively show before losing, the sparring partner should
not cause the real boxer any serious injury, much less draw blood.
This type of dynamic is underway now in the Democratic Party primaries.
Bernie Sanders is primarily a sparring partner for Hillary Clinton.
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