Feeling the bern in Grand Prairie

[Uncle Joe]

Verizon Theater was “berning” up as an enthusiastic crowd of more than 7,000 people gathered in Grand Prairie on Saturday to hear Sen. Bernie Sanders speak.

The rally comes only a few days before the presidential primaries are set to begin in Texas on March 1, or Super Tuesday.

(snip)

Sanders also spoke to the need for comprehensive immigration reform, speaking in favor of a path to citizenship.

"Our job is to unite families, not to divide families," Sanders said.

(snip)

"When we talk about free public education in America, it shouldn't mean just K through 12, it should mean free tuition to public universities and colleges all over the nation," Sanders said.

Sanders addressed what he called the growing student debt crisis by proposing a tax on Wall Street speculation to help fund education.

(snip)

"If you can get this many Texans to show up, it’s something," Steelman said. "I've never seen anybody move people like Bernie."

http://www.theshorthorn.com/feeling-the-bern-in-grand-prairie/article_1ec68c8a-ddc6-11e5-b2f0-87c76a28e2ec.html

[BainsBane]

1. What's with all the rallies?

Why not devote some of those resources to get out the vote activities?

[Uncle Joe]

2. Because in regards to Bernie it's primarily a matter of message and as Hillary supporter;

Debbie W. Schultz and the corporate media conglomerates have worked their best to keep the American People in the dark regarding the message, rallies work wonders towards countering those nefarious ends.

Furthermore as Bernie doesn't have super-pacs from Wall Street and oligarchs buying up tee vee airtime, word of mouth through rallies are among his best ground strategies.

Schultz nor Hillary care about creating a large turnout for the Democratic Party, as the highly limited number of ill-scheduled debates are a testament too, they wanted the Republicans to rule the airwaves so long as Hillary was protected.

So we have record breaking numbers of Republicans turning out to vote as the Democrats posed no remotely comparable on air counter argument for so long.

[slipslidingaway]

4. "...highly limited number of ill-scheduled debates are a testament too ..."

wonder why some cannot see what our party is doing to ordinary people while they suppress access to non-establishment/party views.

The Dems did this with the HC debate by not allowing alternate views into the discussions, easy to blame the other party.

[Uncle Joe]

5. As I posted on another thread, CNN has telecast the last Republican Debate at least three times on

two separate nights and maybe more, with an hour long discussion by corporate media conglomerate analysts to boot.

Even the Johnny come lately last Democratic Town Hall in South Carolina was held on the same day as the Republican caucus in Nevada, CNN immediately went to covering the Republicans in Nevada after the town hall.

I have no doubt the establishment corporate funded beholden Democrats see what's happening to ordinary people but they've thrown in their lot with the oligarchs and mega-corporations in hoping near term sell outs will be forgotten for potential mega-bucks and personal political salvation.

I believe ultimately this is a "Devil's Bargain" and will come back to haunt them.

[BainsBane]

7. That's about ratings.

If you think any of those cable news stations resemble news in any way, you're badly mistaken. But Bernie is definitely the darling of corporate media in the Dem primary. They give him spots on their Sunday news shows every single week. They so desperately want a horse race to generate ratings, they prop up his candidacy however they can. That's not ideological. It's about green.

The DNC sponsored debates have the advantage of free streaming online, which the town halls don't. For people like me who don't have cable, the DNC debates are far preferable.
.

[Uncle Joe]

9. No, it's not about ratings, it's about conglomerate ownership interests, they don't try to deliver

the news to a thinking public, so much as shape public perception, it's all a big sell job.

Those cable news stations don't resemble news in any way, just corporate-centric propaganda and Bernie is the last person they want to become President.

If they ignore the Democratic Race it's because they know this benefits Hillary as she has greater name recognition, and they damn sure don't want the people hearing Bernie's message.

The nightly network news which for millions of people is still their primary source of news all but totally blacked Bernie out from the start of his campaign in the spring through December, had they even given him half of the coverage that was granted to Trump, I have no doubt Democratic turnout would be stronger and Trump weaker as a result.

The DNC debates are preferable, there is no dispute about that, although I do like a good mix of town halls as well but there wasn't nearly enough of them and they were poorly scheduled to say the least.

Having said that millions of Americans still get their news from tee vee and the highly limited, ill-scheduled number of debates by Schultz's DNC may have helped Hillary in the short run but it did the Democratic Party and the ideals/values we claim to cherish no favors.

[slipslidingaway]

8. Sadly our party has been doing this for years, the most recent being the HC debate ...

in 2007/2008, but they rely on people to vote for the 'best choice' and there is some sense in doing so, then again, when you having been doing so for decades that excuse becomes old. Eventually it will come back to haunt them, people are tired, on both sides, and tired of voting against their interests. The Repubs have rejected one family and they now have a candidate who is outside the party. Our party is still going along with another family that has controlled our politics, and the interests of corporations for decades.

We know too many people across the political spectrum who will not feel obliged to vote for Clinton, we'll see what happens? How long can this game be played remains to be seen.

[Uncle Joe]

11. I hear you, slipslidingaway and I couldn't agree more.

Peace to you.

[slipslidingaway]

16. You too ...

appreciate your posts.

[BainsBane]

6. In the dark?

How many debates and town halls have we had? 10, 12? He's on the Sunday news shows every weekend. That meme has become absurd. I would wager most primary voters could receive his message by now. He repeats it often enough. I realized after the third debate he wasn't going to say anything he hadn't already said in the first two.

Hey, if you don't care about getting voters to the polls, no skin off my nose. I'll keep working on GOTV and let you enjoy the rallies that matter so much to you.

[Uncle Joe]

10. The Republicans have held many more, we only had six scheduled debates until the last minute when

Hillary and Schultz started viewing Bernie as a legitimate political threat, up until the Republicans have been allowed to set the frame with no substantive comparable on air rebuttal by the Democratic Party.

No one said we didn't care about getting voters to the polls and get out the vote tactics are highly important but none of that by itself can counter the power of mass media propaganda in setting the frame or perceptions of the voting public.

[BainsBane]

15. And a town hall every damn week

Karl Rove and the GOP are spending millions to try to get Bernie as their nominee. We see their propaganda repeated by progressives everyday. Exponentially more money has been spent on Sander's behalf than Clinton's, both by Bernie's campaign and by Super Pacs and dark money groups.

The fact is campaign resources are limited and elections incredibly expensive. How Bernie spends that money reveals his priorities.

We are beyond the persuasion stage and in instead In Voter turnout for Super Tuesday. I'm in a caucus state, which requires a great deal of organization. Bernie prefers to devote his resources here and elsewhere to rallies, while Clinton devotes hers to voter turn out. That is why she is winning, despite mountains of propaganda heaped on her from all sides.

While I know it's far from scientific, I find the results of this poll interesting. http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511365710
This site is roughly 85% Sanders supporters, but this poll shows 5 times as many Clinton volunteers as Sanders volunteers.

[Uncle Joe]

17. This is from November but Bernie is the first candidate to open a statewide office in Texas other

than Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Bernie has opened more since then to get out the vote.

Nov. 11, 2015

The presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is expanding its footprint in Texas, setting up a statewide office and adding to staff with just under four months until the Democratic primary.

In the next few days, the campaign plans to open a Texas headquarters in Austin — among the first known outposts of a presidential campaign in the state besides that of native U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. The office will be located on the city's east side.

The campaign's Texas effort is being overseen by Jacob Limón, a legislative staffer and former official at the state Democratic Party. Limón, who was recently named Sanders' Texas state director, is being joined by six other paid staffers in the state: David Sanchez, North Texas director; Cristina Garcia, Rio Grande Valley director; Theresa Haas, Houston director; Samantha Davis, operations director; Ananda Tomas, San Antonio director; and Sergio Feliciano Cantú, Latino outreach director.

http://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/11/sanders-campaign-ramps-texas/

Any attacks against Hillary by progressives are because of self-inflicted wounds by Hillary, $225,00 plus speeches of which she is now apparently ashamed of, raking in millions from Wall Street and to believe the Republicans will not take advantage now nor in a G.E. match up would be the pinnacle of naivete.

[slipslidingaway]

12. You do realize that the first Repub debate was TWO months prior to the first Dem debate ...

O'Malley and Sanders both called for more debates in the summer. Clinton was Silent!

We let the Repubs control the message in the media for Two months, that was a problem, because the media found a candidate that could boost their ratings. It was SO obvious to people who were observing, it was Trump and the rest of the clown car who dominated the media for months!

Clinton was Silent! When asked in October she said she would open to more debates, well that is a real leader!

The Dems scheduled town halls on the fly when Sanders started to gain in the polls, how very nice of them!

If Trump wins and he might very well, we need to look in the mirror. The Dems did not fight.

[dchill]

19. The Dems DID fight...

Just in a style we'd call "passive-aggressive'" on behalf of the presumptive Coronee. The DNC fought the Democratic party. They're STILL fighting. For lower turnout, and higher knee jerks.

[amborin]

3. K&R

[Jitter65]

13. I guess Kareem hasn't seen the crowds at Trump rallies? nt

[Uncle Joe]

14. Trump had the most generous assist of the corporate media conglomerates keeping his name

front and center in the American Peoples' consciousness 24/7 ever since he announced and before.

Trump is the corporate media conglomerates' creation.

Bernie has accomplished his rally feats despite not having a well known public name and corporate media conglomerates all but blacking him out last year, his power has come from the grass roots and not passed down from the top.

[Duckfan]

18. I see that someone here has been drinking the Kool-Aide and has trouble with facts

or building a democracy by registering people to vote.

Talk about calling the kettle black.