I am deeply saddened that some of the DK Community is screaming at questions about the Iowa results, and how they were obtained. This is what I am talking about: Here is a statement of facts about Iowa which was shot down. But I am not just talking about my own diary, but others as well who dared to ask questions about what happened in Iowa.
If the announcement of the winner of such a confusing process as happened in Iowa without all the tallies in and even O’Malley’s delegates not being counted in the final tally (for either Sanders or Clinton), had happened in a foreign country, or with the Republicans, the ridicule would be rife, as everyone would be claiming that that was not a proper way to award delegates.
That is what bothers me the most. At this point, I don’t care about the delegate count. I am an ardent Sander’s supporter, but prepared for Hillary to win the nomination.
But it deeply matters to me that she win it fair and square and that there be no shenanigans to get there. She needs to be above suspicion. So, that when people are asking questions about certain things that happened on Monday night/Tuesday morning, which appear cloudy at best, why is it so wrong to want clarification? And no, I am not “quibbling about the amount of delegates.’ And no, this lack of accountability wasn’t just because of the chaos of the caucus system. And no, I am not “a sore loser.” And no, it is not ‘time to fucking move on.”
No, we shouldn’t all say “la, la, la” but what exactly are you hoping to accomplish? Because all this does is make Sanders supporters come off as spoiled and petulant and speaking as one of his supporters, I’d rather not be joined at the hip with people who are flogging this to death.
Again, just what do you expect this incessant, relentless whining about the caucus results to accomplish?
Even as choatic as the caucus process was, there were still things that could have been done to ensure that all was fair and above board. Why the rush to award the ‘winner’ before all the issues had been clarified? Would it have been the end of the world to wait a few days while all the legitimate questions were answered? I don’t think so. Regardless if Hillary ended up with many more delegates. What matters is that it was done in a fair and transparent way, and not a rush to shut down questions and then just move on. Does. Not. Look. Good. Period.
Why is it so wrong to want an open, verifiable, transparent nomination process? I thought that that was a cornerstone of democracy? Why, when questions are asked that relate to that open and transparent nomination process are some folks on this website screaming to move on. Yeah that reminds me of another time when that meme was used:
Nothing to see here, just move along
If Hillary does become the nominee, as has been so long promised, then it would seem to me that she would want to have gone through a process that was clear, clean and unimpeachable, so that those of us who support Senator Sanders could feel good about voting for her in the general.
To run a fair and transparent nomination process, will be critical to her to gain support in the general.
As I read the signs of the times, people are so fucking fed up with all the bullshit from the politicians over the years, and sick and tired of being lied to and told one thing during the election season and then watching as those promises are betrayed, that they simply will not put up with it anymore. And now we have the internets and the wayback machine to really find out what a candidate did or did not say in the past, did or did not do in past. And who is contributing to whom. And who is speaking where. We want polticians who not only ‘talk the talk, but walk the walk.’
And for many reasons, time is running out.
We will not put up with political business as usual anymore because a majority of progressives are reaching a state of panic about climate change, the enonomy (when will it implode again?), jobs, etc.? Citizens United, as the great Jimmy Carter just said, has legalized bribery. And made possible that authoritarian plutocrats such as Trump think that they can buy an election. And Sheldon Adelson asks for the R candidates to interview with him before he bestows his fortunes.
What has happened to the rights and welfare of the common person? Why are people of color being treated like second class citizens? Why are African Americans being killed with impunity? Why are Muslims en masse being harrassed and made into ‘the other’? Why are immigrants not helped with the bind that they are in: corporations want their low wage labor, but fight against their legal status, keeping them as virtual slaves. Why are corporations increasingly gaining more and more power so that they are setting up a virtual serfdom with the impunity to poison our waters, our air, our foods. And making sure that laws are being written so that they cannot be prosecuted for their crimes? Why are corporations moving to avoid paying taxes and offshoring jobs yet trying to eradicate unions here in this country? Why is Wall Street the biggest casino on the planet where our money is being gambled away without any accountability and we lose our pensions, our houses, our futures and all that Wall Street gets is a government who covers their losses and we are told ‘tough shit, suckers!’ Why is health care so expensive and a profit making enterprise which is run with the stockholders health in mind, not the poor suckers paying outrageous premiums? Where is our dental care, our vision care? Why are women being singled out to be denied the full health care that they need and why is their reproductive health and needs being denied because of morality crusades? I could go on and on….
Man, we are just not going to put up with this shit any more!
So, don’t get pissed off when we want to see a clean and transparent nomination process! And don’t yell: ‘move on losers.’ That is not going to shut us up now. It will just embitter us more. This is our nomination process too. This is our election, too. And if some don’t care about the details (such as what the hell happened in Iowa, etc.) then fine, but don’t berate those of us who do care that the process was fair and square and have some questions to ask in that regard.
There is something big and different going on this campaign season, and all the yelling and being told to STFU is not going to shut us down. We want answers. We want to know what is really going on; no more smoke and mirrors anymore. By anyone. And I mean by any one.
I am really sad that some people on DK don’t see this and don’t understand this. Man, I thought we were all progressives here? Now, I am being told to shut up and be blind and not think, just as Trump or Cruz or the others tell their supporters. What has happened here?
To repeat, I dont’ care about the amount of delegates awarded in Iowa. What I care about is that the process was unimpeachably clean, clear and transparent. And it wasn’t. And when I ask for clarification about that, I am exercising a right of democracy.
And I won’t shut up.
And I won’t go away.
And I won’t stop asking questions, no matter how uncomfortable they are.