Bernie Sanders can only win if nonvoters turn out at the polls, and they almost never do

[IronEdithKidd]

Yeah, there are definitely some things we have elected positions for that really should be occupied by career bureaucrats. Also, we get to vote on our property taxes, new laws, income taxes (state depending), changing our state constitutions, and a bunch of other stuff.

[enso]

@lolipop_jones

I think it’s perfectly valid to declare that Obama and Clinton’s intervention in Libya was no more justified than Bush’s intervention in Iraq. If that makes me a “Benghazi person”, well so be it.

Well, except we didn’t occupy Libya for ten years and create a few insurgencies, one of which is now a regional threat…

[enso]

@art_carnage

So, you think Sanders only just realized that a presidential candidate needs to release his or her tax info? Seriously?

If only you’d ask this question further up the thread a few times…

Let’s talk about how much Clinton was made to speak on Wall Street and the content of those “insider” speeches? I mean, since we’re repeating ourselves over and over.

[enso]

@daneel

I guess part of the issue is you have so many elected positions here!

The further west you go in the United States, the more positions that are up for election generally. So, out in the far west, people vote in judges and the like, whereas back east they’re usually appointed.

This is a legacy of the frontier development of America and the folks that founded the more western states. I’m not sure if people outside the US really realize the divide in attitude between the coasts and as you move west.

[crashproof]

I’m not sure it’s quite that straightforward a trend.

Florida has to elect mosquito control administrators. The rationale is that they have the power to raise or lower property taxes by tiny fractional amounts (the going rate is something like 11 cents per $1000), but nobody ever explained that to me (I just found out with a Google search, 20 years after I last lived in Florida).

IIRC, they also elected judges, school district administrators, etc. We definitely elect school administrators here in St. Louis, where “district” isn’t “county” like it is in Florida but literally one each of elementary, middle and high schools; also judges, aldermen, etc. Most of the time there’s basically no information about any of the candidates available anywhere and if they’re not declared party members (which they often aren’t) it’s just a matter of randomly answering or skipping those ballot questions.

[Kimmo]

@enso

Go hang out on @khepra’s Clinton [attempted] Circlejerk thread.

It takes more than one or two to make a circlejerk

[enso]

Florida is the California of the East.

[IronEdithKidd]

Florida is America’s wang.

[anon61221983]

@daneel

What happens if Sanders drops out and lots of people don’t vote at all in any other subsequent primaries?

I think we need to repeat this often, as it’s just not about Sanders, nor should it be:

[ETA] Voting is the best, deeply flawed weapon that we have. What we need are better candidates across the board. The problem of voting for the “lesser of two evils” trickles down to all elections, I fear.

[crashproof]

I attended a Missouri Democratic Party mass meeting last night – I didn’t know this even was a thing a week ago. Apparently the system here is to have a primary to decide how to allocate district delegates, chosen at a mass meeting to go on to a regional caucus, who choose delegates for the state caucus. Our little district had 8 delegates, split 50-50 during the primary. But at the meeting we had 17 Bernie supporters and 5 Hillary supporters, if that’s any indication of how engaged people are right now. I hope that holds in November and at midterms!

A couple of the delegates we sent on would maybe make exciting, inspiring local or state politicians.

[crashproof]

Here’s a Transcript of the Fundraising Speech Hillary Clinton Didn’t Want Us to Hear

WSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWW

[anon50609448]

Is that the unintelligible language of the reptilians?

[subextraordinaire]

I hope for Clinton’s sake that this is just a coincidence. Why allow the media if you’re going to do this?

[enso]

@anon61221983

[ETA] Voting is the best, deeply flawed weapon that we have. What we need are better candidates across the board. The problem of voting for the “lesser of two evils” trickles down to all elections, I fear.

Oh, I’ll vote. A Green Party slate, in fact.

[art_carnage]

@CarlMud

If they were here, I’m sure Senator Sanders’ taxes

Yes. If they were here…

[themadpoet]

If tax forms are what keep Bernie from being electable email’s make Trump a lock guarantee.

hint: The FBI is actually investigating one of these and can decide to put someone in handcuffs at any time - like say on a live debate.

[anon61221983]

Okay… I disagree with you, but that’s pretty funny.

[CarlMud]

Your obsession with this issue would indeed be fully justifiable if you had earlier articulated that Senator Sanders’ taxes were suspected of stealing the Trans-Siberian railroad or the gargoyles from the Notre Dame Cathedral.

[kuato]

@anon61221983

Voting is the best, deeply flawed weapon that we have.

Actually, the best weapon is weapons

[Wanderfound]

You’re forgetting your Sun Tsu:

Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

Although it also depends on how you define “weapons”, of course.