Also weighing in is Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown who has endorsed Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination. Both progressive Dems, their different views and their reasoning is something I found interesting and relevant to how we Dems see the future of the country and the Democratic party. Maybe even help think up some answers too.
After NY loss, Sanders campaign not a united front
April 20, 2016
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (D) has a much differeent take on things than MSNBC’s headline just above and the msm latest themes
(short ad — sorry)
Transcripts aren’t yet available for this segment, so I’ll post a few excerpts that hopefully are accurate and enough of a temptation to go ahead & view the 9:08 minute video segment.
Chris Hayes:
“Senator, tell me about your timing in this. One of the things that struck me when I saw the news of your endorsement, was the timing. You’re the first Senator to endorse him [Bernie Sanders]. You’re endorsing fairly late in this cycle, and you’re endorsing at a time when it seems his odds of winning have receded considerably which is the opposite of what politicians usually do”
Senator Merkley:
” Yes I’m just not a very good politician Chris, that’s what it boils down to.” [both smiling]
“I really felt that i should make an endorsement as we were preparing to vote in Oregon.. we vote by mail, the ballots go out on April 28th and they’ll be out for the better part of two and a half weeks, and so I wanted to endorse two weeks, while basically before the ballots go out and while Oregonians are really starting to pay attention.”
Hayes:
“I want to get your reaction to what Jeff Weaver said last night that caused quite a stir. As a Sanders supporter the idea that the Sanders campaign would, essentially after June 7th, were it to be behind in pledged delegates, attempt to persuade super-delegates to come over to them, and take that into the convention. Do you think that’s a good strategy?”
Merkley:
“Well it really reflects different messages coming out of the campaign which happens in a complicated rush campaign because the core of the message is, look, there is still a path to victory here, yes. Yes he lost in New York, but he lost by less in NY than President Obama lost eight years previously. He [Bernie] did a percent better. So it’s all how you frame it. And certainly Hillary Clinton’s home state senator, home state turf. She had campaigned in her senate races in every village and borough; she knew the state inside and out. So it was an extraordinary challenge [for Sanders].
There’s other challenges ahead that present a very different circumstances and right now there are massive amounts of citizens and grass roots organizations who are saying ‘we have to change the model of how are economy and our political system works’. And the person who best understands the fact that we must change that is Bernie Sanders.”
For four...we’ve now been through this period of forty years, four decades in which 9 out of 10 citizens have seen no benefit from the increase in American wealth. That is 100% of the new income has gone to the top 10 percent. There is something wrong, people understand, when 9 of of 10 citizens and families are not benefiting while the wealth of the nation goes up.”
Hayes:
“Let me ask you this. As you talk about those issues which have become centerpiece in this campaign; when I talk to other members of the senate caucus on the Democratic side they would say the following thing to me, sometimes they even say it off the record, they say; ‘well.. we’ve worked with both of them (Hillary Clinton & Bernie Sanders) and I’m endorsing Hillary Clinton’. and I was left to fill in the blank that they didn’t think much of Bernie Sanders frankly as a senator, they thought he wasn’t particularly effective...”
..“What are you seeing in him that they are not?”
Merkley:
“Well actually I think that is way off the mark. Bernie’s comments are deeply
listened to; widely respected. And he has this record of effectiveness that many people are aware of particularly those that served in the House.”
“When he was Mayor of Burlington [Vermont] he proceeded to re-shape the waterfront. He did a baseball team; he set them up as a livable city, kind of a model for the nation. When he was in the House, out of 435 members of the House he was known as the king of amendments. The single member most effective at getting amendments passed. And these were things that were relevant to working Americans. And in the senate he has proceeded to be the leader on expanding our Federally qualified Health Centers which are the front door for millions of Americans to our Health Care System. And he put together a bipartisan Veterans Bill that is the most important Veterans Bill we’ve had in years. He’s taken the lead in taking on chained CPI to make sure that our seniors didn’t get short changed..and the list goes on.”
Hayes:
“You just named a bunch of fights that are a good reminders of some of the fights that are happening right now in the US senate..I want to follow up with out next guest about that. Democratic senator Jeff Merkley, thanks for joining us tonight..appreciate it.”
Senator Merkley:
“You’re very welcome. Thank you”
— that is the end of the transcript for tonight.
Next up is Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. It’s good to hear from him and his ideas and what is being fought over in the senate with the republicans currently; Dodd Frank. Corporate loopholes (aka the Koch loophole) and more.
So nothing earth shattering, just thought that the day after the New York primary and the latest memes that have taken over the msm and various blogs, a different perspective was interesting.
First criminal charges in Flint water crisis
Chris Hayes talks to Congressman Dan Kildee, Democrat from Michigan who was born and raised in Flint, about the first criminal charges connected to the lead contaminated water crisis in his hometown.
Congressman Dan Kildee (D) is not even close to satisfied. The people of Michigan are still without clean water. republican governor Rick Snyder is guilty and he deserves his comeuppance. — hard time — imo
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— It’s been a tough couple few days doing tear-out on a bathroom remodel, that it’s nearing time to turn in and check in tomorrow — ♫♪♫