RSN: Marc Ash | Let's Talk About Bernie Sanders the Democratic Team Player

02 February 20 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News RSN: Marc Ash | Let's Talk About Bernie Sanders the Democratic Team Player Marc Ash, Reader Supported News Ash writes: "The abundant animosity directed at Bernie Sanders by the Democratic Party establishment seems conveniently out of touch with his track record." Sure, Bernie Sanders is an Independent who defines himself as a Socialist. But his interaction with the Democrats has been almost categorically cooperative and supportive. Sanders gets behind nearly every important Democratic initiative. A noteworthy point of departure was Sanders’s opposition to both the joint resolution to authorize the use of force against Iraq in 2002 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Other than that, the Democrats have been able to consistently count on Sanders to be onboard. That was key to Sanders’s success as a Democratic presidential candidate. People love Progressive policies, but they hate and fear spoilers. Although Sanders is often blamed for derailing Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid, the record does not bear that out. True to his word, Sanders publicly endorsed Clinton immediately after the DNC convention and encouraged his supporters to do the same. That built a significant degree of credibility among Progressive Democrats – they could support Sanders secure in the understanding that doing so would not implicitly pave the way for the right-wing candidate. Sanders has proven it. Sanders is a reformer. Not everyone wants to be reformed. Those with an aversion to being reformed include Republicans and Democrats. For that he is hated … and he welcomes their hatred. The voters, however, love it. One thing large majorities of voters across the political spectrum want is change, and specifically, a curtailing of policies that are viewed as corrupt. Cable news is making a very big deal of any sign of conflict between Sanders and any other candidate, but Bernie is not biting and not going negative. He’s not attacking any of his rivals. Bernie is running as a Democrat. Bernie is onboard as a Democrat now as he was in 2016. It is about reform and change but in a consistently constructive way. It’s building confidence in him. Marc Ash is the founder and former Executive Director of Truthout, and is now founder and Editor of Reader Supported News. Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News. READ MORE The final Des Moines Register survey, a closely watched barometer in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, was abruptly shelved Saturday. (photo: Tamir Kalifa/NYT) Release of Major Iowa Poll Scrapped After Pete Buttigieg's Name 'Left Off Survey' Adam Gabbatt, Guardian UK Gabbatt writes: "The Des Moines Register and CNN canceled the release of one of the most influential polls of the Democratic presidential primaries on Saturday night, after candidate Pete Buttigieg reportedly complained that his name had been left off at least one survey." READ MORE Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and billionaire activist Tom Steyer speaks at a town hall meeting in Ankeny, Iowa, U.S. January 28, 2020. (photo: Rick Wilking/Reuters) Billionaires Bombard US Presidential Campaign With Hundreds of Millions in Cash Ginger Gibson, Grant Smith and Jason Lange, Reuters Excerpt: "Two billionaire Democratic presidential hopefuls, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, collectively spent about $389 million last year on their campaigns, more than the rest of the remaining Democratic field combined, according to disclosures filed on Friday." Bloomberg launched his campaign in November and spent more than $188 million in two months, a sum sourced entirely from his personal wealth. Steyer, who was also considered a late addition to the field of candidates when he launched his campaign in July, spent $201 million in 2019 which largely came from $202.5 million of his own money he put into his campaign and about $3 million raised in donations. While the rest of the Democratic field is heading to the Iowa caucuses that will be held on Monday, spending on advertising and staff in the small state, Bloomberg is skipping the first four contests. Instead, he has turned his focus to the more than one dozen states that will vote on “Super Tuesday” on March 3rd. The Iowa caucuses are the first contest in a series of state-by-state votes that are used to pick nominees. There are 11 Democrats vying to be their party’s pick to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in November 2020. Bloomberg is hoping to overcome any momentum winners in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada might gain by blanketing the airwaves in Super Tuesday states with television ads touting his candidacy. Bloomberg’s spending appears to be paying off, with his standing in national polls continue to climb. Steyer has done well enough to qualify for debates, but has struggled to exceed 2% in national polls. Spending by the rest of the Democratic field pales in comparison. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who ranked third in campaign spending, spent $90.7 million over the 10 months in 2019 he was running for president. Bloomberg even outspent Trump, whose campaign reported spending about $148 million since he launched his reelection in January 2017. Candidates for president are required by law to file regular disclosures with the Federal Election Commission detailing the how much money their campaigns have raised and how it was spent. Bloomberg’s spent more than $132 million on television ads through the end of 2019. Independent media trackers estimate that the total Bloomberg has spent on his campaign exceeded $250 million in January. Steyer also spent mainly on advertising, pumping $117 million into TV ads and $44 million in online ads. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s largest campaign expense was salaries. She spent more than $16 million on staff in 2019. Over the course of the year, Sanders also spent the most on staff, disclosing almost $14 million in payroll. His spending on advertising was a close second, $13.5 million on television and about $9.7 million in online ads. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Buttigieg’s biggest expense for 2019 was online advertising, spending about $11.6 million on the ads. His payroll came in at $9.9 million and he spent $9.4 million on television. Former Vice President Joe Biden also listed staff costs as his top category, spending $11.7 million on payroll in the year. He spent $7.2 million on online advertising, and trailed is rivals in television spending, spending on $2.3 million on ads. READ MORE Palantir CEO Alex Karp. (photo: Getty Images) Palantir's CEO Finally Admits to Helping ICE Deport Undocumented Immigrants Edward Ongweso Jr., VICE Ongweso Jr. writes: "In a CNBC interview at Davos, Palantir CEO Alex Karp admitted that his company '[finds] people in our country who are undocumented.' For years, Palantir has attempted to deny or downplay any role in those operations by pointing to the two wings of ICE, which deal with "criminal investigations" and immigration enforcement." READ MORE Ryan Jackson. (photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) EPA Chief of Staff Is Headed to Top Coal Mining Group Ari Natter and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg Excerpt: "EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler's chief of staff is leaving the agency to work for the nation's top coal mining trade group." EXCERPTS: Ryan Jackson is stepping down after three years at the Environmental Protection Agency to become the National Mining Association’s senior vice president of government affairs, the trade group said on Thursday night. “Mr. Jackson’s in-depth knowledge of the issues and nearly 20 years of working in the U.S. Senate demonstrate a reputation for persistence, integrity, working in a bipartisan fashion,” said Ashley Burke, a spokeswoman for the association, which represents companies such as Peabody Energy Corp. and Alliance Coal LLC. Jackson joined the EPA after working for Senator Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, and was counsel to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. His tenure as chief of staff began under the former EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt. READ MORE Protesters rally against Trump's Muslim ban. (photo: Tony Gentile/Reuters) 'Muslim Ban Should End, Not Expand': Groups Slam Trump Travel Ban Al Jazeera Excerpt: "The expanded version of the travel ban targets prospective immigrants from six additional countries: Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania." READ MORE This aerial photograph shows trees scorched in wildfires near Buchan, Australia, on Jan. 9. Some forests will not recover from the wildfires, experts say. (photo: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg) Wildfires Have Spread Dramatically - and Some Forests May Not Recover John Pickrell, National Geographic Pickrell writes: "Pungent and damp, the so-called tall, wet forests of southeastern Australia are home to the tallest flowering plants on Earth. Eucalyptus regnans, the Latin name of the mountain ash, means 'ruler of the gum trees' - which is fitting, given these giants can reach more than 300 feet high." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Update My Monthly Donation