Yes, if you're sighted, you can read them directly from WikiLeaks. They put
them out and they have a searchable data base. But I doubt it's accessible
to blind people.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Richard Driscoll
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2016 12:26 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: The Un-Democratic National Committee
Miriam:
Do you know of a procedure available to us to actually read some of these
'leaks' ?
Richard
On 8/2/2016 4:34 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
The Un-Democratic National CommitteeBernie Sanders.
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 00:00 By Elizabeth Schulte, Socialist Worker |
Op-Ed
Wikileaks' release of nearly 20,000 e-mails and more than 8,000
attachments from seven officials on the Democratic National Committee
(DNC) just before the party's convention meant a quick end for Debbie
Wasserman Schultz's position as DNC chair, after the e-mails revealed
favoritism toward the Clinton campaign and organized hostility to rival
But if the e-mails -- and the convention itself -- show anything, it'sbasis.
the undemocratic nature of the whole Democratic Party, and firing one
official won't come close to fixing that.
The e-mails paint a picture of a party infrastructure that was not
only rigged for the establishment choice in the presidential
nomination race, but that trades lucrative donations for access on a daily
The e-mails, which span the period from January 2015 to late May 2016,Sanders'
are crystal clear about party insiders' view of Bernie Sanders'
left-wing campaign for the nomination. Probably the most quoted one
since their release is a May 5 e-mail in which a DNC staffer questions
religious beliefs. Under the subject line "No shit," DNC CFO Bradcandidates.
Marshall
wrote:
It might may [sic] no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get
someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on
saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This
could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern
Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.
He adds, "It's these [sic] Jesus thing" -- to which DNC CEO Amy Dacey
responds: "AMEN."
In e-mail correspondence, former DNC Chair Wasserman Schultz, who is
supposed to be unbiased during the nomination process, doesn't bother
hiding her contempt for Sanders and his campaign. In response to
Sanders' claim that if elected, he would get her out of her DNC chair
position, she
commented: "This is a silly story. He isn't going to be president.
It will have surprised no one that after Wasserman Schultz was forced
to resign as DNC chair, she quickly got a new title: honorary chair of
the Clinton's 50-state campaign to boost the chances of Democratic
The leaked e-mails also reveal the DNC's close working relationshipsSanders supporters of "rioting."
with key members of the Clinton team. For instance, when the Sanders
campaign was drawing attention to the Clinton campaign using funds
earmarked for state campaigns under the auspices of the DNC, committee
staffers got some useful advice -- from Clinton's campaign lawyer.
"My suggestion is that the DNC put out a statement saying that the
accusations the Sanders campaign are not true," attorney Marc Elias
wrote on May 3 in response to an e-mail sent by communications
director Luis Miranda to other DNC staff that copied Elias and another
lawyer at his firm, Perkins Coie.
Of course, this isn't the first time the DNC has shown how cozy it is
with the Clinton campaign. It was revealed earlier this year that in
Nevada, the Clinton campaign rented offices inside the DNC offices in
Carson City. You remember Nevada, right? Where during the May
convention, chair Roberta Lange ignored motions from the floor and
miscalled voice votes obviously favoring Sanders -- and then accused
***policy.
But even more revealing than the DNC's ties to Clinton is its intimate
connection to money and power.
Many of the leaked e-mails concern where major donors will sit at gala
events, and their proximity to President Barack Obama and other top
government officials. DNC staffers pored over the seating charts for
the convention, deciding which donors would be relegated to the far
corners and which would get star treatment.
Some contributors are offered the chance to join "roundtables," where
they could take part in discussions about national economic and social
In one leaked e-mail attachment, a menu of contributions andor personally give $467,600.
corresponding rewards are listed. For a donor to reach the
"Rittenhouse Square" level, they had to raise a minimum of $1.25 million
Among the perks they received in return:behind Clinton.
Priority booking in a premiere hotel within the National Finance
Committee room block
VIP credentials for all Democratic National Convention proceedings
Nightly access to stadium/arena VIP lounges
Six tickets for an exclusive preview and photo opportunity at the
2016 Convention podium
Six reserved places for an exclusive roundtable and campaign
briefing with high-level Democratic officials In one e-mail, Alexandra
Shapiro, a deputy to the national finance chair, laments the news that
Obama wouldn't make it to an event in in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to
secure $350,000 in donations. Shapiro writes, "so they really won't
come down 20 minutes? thats fucking stupid."
***
But you didn't need a leaked e-mail to recognize the lack of democracy
-- hidden in plain sight -- at the Democratic convention.
On the convention floor, delegates reported DNC handlers ripping signs
from their hands or turning the lights out if they tried to raise
demands that didn't fit the Clinton campaign's script -- like
opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership or fracking, chanting "No
More Wars" or simply supporting their candidate Bernie Sanders.
Delegates who had protest signs weren't allowed to enter the
convention, and their seats were filled with replacements so that the
arena still looked full.
The protest placards might have marred the picture-perfect sea of
signs that the DNC planned for each speech: "USA" signs for ex-CIA
ghoul Leon Panetta; "Change Maker" for former President Bill Clinton
of crime bill and welfare "reform" fame; and "Stronger Together" for
Bernie Sanders, when he took the convention stage to call on his
supporters to abandon their hopes for an alternative and fall in line
Several hundred delegates took part in walkouts from the convention --"lesser evil" and "greater evil."
one marched to a media tent to hold a silent vigil. In order to be
seen on the darkened convention floor on the last day, one group of
Sanders delegates wore lime-green T-shirts that glowed in the dark and
read, "Enough is enough."
But if you watched the convention from home, you probably didn't see
any of this. Instead, you probably saw network broadcasters talk about
the "historic" nomination of a woman presidential candidate -- or
compliment the DNC's stage-management, oohing and awing at every
say-nothing speech or maneuver to keep Sanders supporters in line.
The Democratic convention is the most undemocratic moment in a long
election year that is exposing the undemocratic nature of the US
political system in general -- and the Democratic Party in particular.
A system where millions are unable to even register to vote because
they were caught in the net of the criminal justice system and their
state doesn't allow felons to vote. A system where the political
conventions aren't about democratically debating and electing a
candidate, but wining and dining rich donors. A political system where
the "official" choices are so narrow that the choice is between the
Carlos Marroquin, a convention guest from California, was among thoseway.
protesting the alleged purge of some 2 million voters from the rolls
before the California primary. He told Democracy Now!:
[W]e represent literally millions of young people that...put their
lives on hold, so that they can actually go out there and register
other people to vote. We have children. We want to teach them the right
We want to teach them responsibility, to vote...We cannot do that inpeople?...
good faith, to tell them, "Go ahead and be a Democrat, because they
are going to stand up for the rights of the people." They're not doing
that. Why? Why is it that they are so quiet, suppressing the vote of the
And if you think that we are leaving out of this convention inspired,source.
you're wrong. We are leaving out of here divided. We have broken hearts.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It
may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the
ELIZABETH SCHULTEBernie Sanders.
Elizabeth Schulte is a journalist and reviews editor for the Socialist
Worker, writing frequently on low-wage workers, the Democratic Party
and women's liberation.
RELATED STORIES
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DNC to Lobbyists By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! | Video Report
WikiLeaks' Julian Assange on Releasing DNC Emails That Ousted Debbie
Wasserman Schultz By Juan González, Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! |
Video Interview Debbie Wasserman Schultz Resigns in Disgrace, Only to
Be Elevated by Clinton to Key Campaign Role By Steven Rosenfeld,
AlterNet | News Analysis ________________________________________
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The Un-Democratic National Committee
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 00:00 By Elizabeth Schulte, Socialist Worker |
Op-Ed
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reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error!
Hyperlink reference not valid.
Wikileaks' release of nearly 20,000 e-mails and more than 8,000
attachments from seven officials on the Democratic National Committee
(DNC) just before the party's convention meant a quick end for Debbie
Wasserman Schultz's position as DNC chair, after the e-mails revealed
favoritism toward the Clinton campaign and organized hostility to rival
But if the e-mails -- and the convention itself -- show anything,basis.
it's the undemocratic nature of the whole Democratic Party, and firing
one official won't come close to fixing that.
The e-mails paint a picture of a party infrastructure that was not
only rigged for the establishment choice in the presidential
nomination race, but that trades lucrative donations for access on a daily
The e-mails, which span the period from January 2015 to late May 2016,Sanders'
are crystal clear about party insiders' view of Bernie Sanders'
left-wing campaign for the nomination. Probably the most quoted one
since their release is a May 5 e-mail in which a DNC staffer questions
religious beliefs. Under the subject line "No shit," DNC CFO Bradcandidates.
Marshall
wrote:
It might may [sic] no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get
someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on
saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This
could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern
Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.
He adds, "It's these [sic] Jesus thing" -- to which DNC CEO Amy Dacey
responds: "AMEN."
In e-mail correspondence, former DNC Chair Wasserman Schultz, who is
supposed to be unbiased during the nomination process, doesn't bother
hiding her contempt for Sanders and his campaign. In response to
Sanders' claim that if elected, he would get her out of her DNC chair
position, she
commented: "This is a silly story. He isn't going to be president.
It will have surprised no one that after Wasserman Schultz was forced
to resign as DNC chair, she quickly got a new title: honorary chair of
the Clinton's 50-state campaign to boost the chances of Democratic
The leaked e-mails also reveal the DNC's close working relationshipsSanders supporters of "rioting."
with key members of the Clinton team. For instance, when the Sanders
campaign was drawing attention to the Clinton campaign using funds
earmarked for state campaigns under the auspices of the DNC, committee
staffers got some useful advice -- from Clinton's campaign lawyer.
"My suggestion is that the DNC put out a statement saying that the
accusations the Sanders campaign are not true," attorney Marc Elias
wrote on May 3 in response to an e-mail sent by communications
director Luis Miranda to other DNC staff that copied Elias and another
lawyer at his firm, Perkins Coie.
Of course, this isn't the first time the DNC has shown how cozy it is
with the Clinton campaign. It was revealed earlier this year that in
Nevada, the Clinton campaign rented offices inside the DNC offices in
Carson City. You remember Nevada, right? Where during the May
convention, chair Roberta Lange ignored motions from the floor and
miscalled voice votes obviously favoring Sanders -- and then accused
***policy.
But even more revealing than the DNC's ties to Clinton is its intimate
connection to money and power.
Many of the leaked e-mails concern where major donors will sit at gala
events, and their proximity to President Barack Obama and other top
government officials. DNC staffers pored over the seating charts for
the convention, deciding which donors would be relegated to the far
corners and which would get star treatment.
Some contributors are offered the chance to join "roundtables," where
they could take part in discussions about national economic and social
In one leaked e-mail attachment, a menu of contributions andor personally give $467,600.
corresponding rewards are listed. For a donor to reach the
"Rittenhouse Square" level, they had to raise a minimum of $1.25 million
Among the perks they received in return:behind Clinton.
Priority booking in a premiere hotel within the National Finance
Committee room block
VIP credentials for all Democratic National Convention proceedings
Nightly access to stadium/arena VIP lounges
Six tickets for an exclusive preview and photo opportunity at the
2016 Convention podium
Six reserved places for an exclusive roundtable and campaign
briefing with high-level Democratic officials In one e-mail, Alexandra
Shapiro, a deputy to the national finance chair, laments the news that
Obama wouldn't make it to an event in in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to
secure $350,000 in donations. Shapiro writes, "so they really won't
come down 20 minutes? thats fucking stupid."
***
But you didn't need a leaked e-mail to recognize the lack of democracy
-- hidden in plain sight -- at the Democratic convention.
On the convention floor, delegates reported DNC handlers ripping signs
from their hands or turning the lights out if they tried to raise
demands that didn't fit the Clinton campaign's script -- like
opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership or fracking, chanting "No
More Wars" or simply supporting their candidate Bernie Sanders.
Delegates who had protest signs weren't allowed to enter the
convention, and their seats were filled with replacements so that the
arena still looked full.
The protest placards might have marred the picture-perfect sea of
signs that the DNC planned for each speech: "USA" signs for ex-CIA
ghoul Leon Panetta; "Change Maker" for former President Bill Clinton
of crime bill and welfare "reform" fame; and "Stronger Together" for
Bernie Sanders, when he took the convention stage to call on his
supporters to abandon their hopes for an alternative and fall in line
Several hundred delegates took part in walkouts from the convention --"lesser evil" and "greater evil."
one marched to a media tent to hold a silent vigil. In order to be
seen on the darkened convention floor on the last day, one group of
Sanders delegates wore lime-green T-shirts that glowed in the dark and
read, "Enough is enough."
But if you watched the convention from home, you probably didn't see
any of this. Instead, you probably saw network broadcasters talk about
the "historic" nomination of a woman presidential candidate -- or
compliment the DNC's stage-management, oohing and awing at every
say-nothing speech or maneuver to keep Sanders supporters in line.
The Democratic convention is the most undemocratic moment in a long
election year that is exposing the undemocratic nature of the US
political system in general -- and the Democratic Party in particular.
A system where millions are unable to even register to vote because
they were caught in the net of the criminal justice system and their
state doesn't allow felons to vote. A system where the political
conventions aren't about democratically debating and electing a
candidate, but wining and dining rich donors. A political system where
the "official" choices are so narrow that the choice is between the
Carlos Marroquin, a convention guest from California, was among thoseway.
protesting the alleged purge of some 2 million voters from the rolls
before the California primary. He told Democracy Now!:
[W]e represent literally millions of young people that...put their
lives on hold, so that they can actually go out there and register
other people to vote. We have children. We want to teach them the right
We want to teach them responsibility, to vote...We cannot do that inpeople?...
good faith, to tell them, "Go ahead and be a Democrat, because they
are going to stand up for the rights of the people." They're not doing
that. Why? Why is it that they are so quiet, suppressing the vote of the
And if you think that we are leaving out of this convention inspired,source.
you're wrong. We are leaving out of here divided. We have broken hearts.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It
may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the
Elizabeth Schulte
Elizabeth Schulte is a journalist and reviews editor for the Socialist
Worker, writing frequently on low-wage workers, the Democratic Party
and women's liberation.
Related Stories
DNC Chair Wasserman Schultz Faces Criticism for Bias and Opening Up
DNC to Lobbyists By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! | Video
ReportWikiLeaks' Julian Assange on Releasing DNC Emails That Ousted
Debbie Wasserman Schultz By Juan González, Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
| Video InterviewDebbie Wasserman Schultz Resigns in Disgrace, Only to
Be Elevated by Clinton to Key Campaign Role By Steven Rosenfeld,
AlterNet | News Analysis
Show Comments
