politics

Hillary

So we have our first female presidential nominee. We should all be happy about that. And I am happy.

However.

A couple things…

1.) As an ardent Bernie supporter, I will of course support and vote for Hillary. This guy puts it well:

Clinton and Sanders and the End of the Road

2.) Having said that, I wish Hillary had dropped out. And the argument put forth by all of the Hillary supporters (who, by the way, are just as biased and belligerent as Bernie supporters, in my experience) — “If you don’t support Hillary then Trump will win and it’ll be all your fault!” — is both sad and untrue. It’s sad because it’s basically just the same old “Don’t vote for the candidate you support, vote for the candidate we tell you to! You have to pick the lesser of two evils!” canard. (Gee. I’m inspired.) And it’s untrue because all polls — plus some logic and common sense — show that Sanders is the much stronger candidate against Trump, and would have a much easier time defeating him than Clinton would.

Polls:

polls trump vs bernie or hillary
2016 General Election: Trump vs. Sanders

Reasons:

– Many Independents Will Vote For Bernie but Not For Hillary
– Hillary is a Very Powerful Primary Candidate Because of Her Strong Support In the South, but this Actually Works Against Her In the General Election
– Some Republicans Will Vote for Bernie, but Hillary Clinton is Universally Hated Among GOP Voters
– Many Republicans Who Do Not Like Trump Will Still Vote For Him If Hillary Is the Democratic Nominee
– A High Percentage of Lifetime Democrats Refuse to Vote for Clinton

Perhaps equally important, a high voter turnout means that we can also begin to take back control of The House and Senate, so that the next President will not have their hands tied the way that Obama did.

I encourage you to read through this whole piece, which lays all this out in some detail:

Hillary or Bernie? Let Trump Decide!

So why aren’t Hillary supporters to blame for increasing the likelihood of a Trump presidency? Why didn’t Hillary supporters call for her to drop out so we could all “unify” and unite behind the best candidate and the one most likely to defeat the Republican candidate? How is it that Hillary and her supporters are not seen as self-interested and putting their candidate over the good of the party and the country? … I’ll hold my breath waiting for the answer.

Meanwhile, let’s hope Hillary doesn’t get indicted. (I don’t really think it will happen. But that fact that we even have to be concerned about this is…

Yes. It’s sad.

Graphic: if U.S. land were divided like U.S. wealth…

MUST WATCH: Wealth Inequality in America, perception vs reality (data visualization)

Alarming doesn’t quite cover it…

I’d read about this report before, but the data visualization here really makes it crystal clear how abysmal our situation is. One of the best data visualizations I’ve seen. (Although I still think showing the HEIGHT of the wealth of the top 1% would have been more effective than trying to present it as a block.)

If you know anyone who doesn’t understand what the whole “99%” thing is about, show them this. Hell, just show it to everyone you know. The future of our country could depend on it…

(But God forbid we raise taxes on the wealthy by a few percentage points — oh no, no no nonono, that would be unfair, that would be “wealth redistribution,” that would be “Socialism,” that would punish success, that would hurt the economy, that would kill jobs by taking money from the “producers,” the “job creators”… blahblahblhablahblahblhab. Crock. Of. Excrement.

The silver lining in this cloud (or black hole of toxic sludge and fecal matter) we’re in? The people are united. 90% of us at least. And the main reason those at the top can get away with this, is that we are ignorant. Our perception of reality is completely flawed. With this information now spreading like wildfire, and presented in such a way than any person can easily grasp it, maybe class consciousness will start to emerge again…

[ via @mashable : http://mashable.com/2013/03/02/wealth-inequality/ ]

Tea Party Paradise

[ source: facebook : americans against the republican party : 
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