Bernie Sanders Explains To Democrats Why They Lose Elections

He criticized the party's establishment -- while standing just steps away from the party's establishment.

Samantha LachmanStaff Reporter, The Huffington Post

Posted: 08/28/2015 05:24 PM EDT

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS IMAGE CREDIT : screenshot HUFF POST POLITICS VIDEO

WASHINGTON -- In his first-ever speech before the Democratic National Committee on Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) criticized the party's approach to elections, saying Democrats wouldn't win in 2016 if they failed to generate enthusiasm and resorted instead to "politics as usual." 

"Let me be very clear," said Sanders, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination and caucuses with Democrats in the Senate. "In my view, Democrats will not retain the White House, will not regain the Senate, will not gain the House and will not be successful in dozens of governor’s races unless we run a campaign which generates excitement and momentum and which produces a huge voter turnout." 

Sanders made the comments at the DNC's summer meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, standing just steps from party officials like DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. He suggested that his campaign was a model for the kind of "revolution" that Democrats had needed during the 2014 midterm elections, in which Republicans won nearly all close gubernatorial and congressional races and took control over a number of state legislatures.

"The Republicans did not win the midterm election in November," the senator said. "The Democrats lost that election because voter turnout was abysmally low, and millions of working people, minorities and young people gave up on politics as usual and stayed home."

"With all due respect, and I do not mean to insult anyone here, that will not happen with politics as usual," he continued. "The same old, same old will not be successful."

Sanders' criticism of the Democratic Party was a departure from the themes he emphasizes in his typical stump speech on the campaign trail. He said that Democrats need "a movement which takes on the economic and political establishment, not one which is part of it." However, the end of the speech was more true to form, transitioning into a list of the issues that his "unprecedented grassroots movement" would focus on: Wall Street, campaign finance, immigration, economic and educational inequality, climate change and mass incarceration. 

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After Katrina, Disgraced Former FEMA Director Continued Disaster Aid.

“Did I make mistakes? Of course. Has everybody? You bet.” For the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, ThinkProgress interviewed former FEMA directorMichael Brown about the storm -- and his current calling in talk radio punditry. We also took a look at how the disaster impacted New Orlean’s juvenile criminal justice system, and how musicians are helping the city heal. In other news, Planned Parenthood opponents have a new target, and these photos prove that “anchor babies” are a myth. For Katrina coverage and more, check out our top stories of the day: After Katrina, Disgraced Former FEMA Director Continued Disaster Aid. It Didn’t Go Well. Michael D. Brown sounded incredulous. I had just asked him about how his life was going now, and he said it was going well. I said I was glad. ...(read more) When Calling The Police On An Abusive Partner Leads To A Victim Losing Her Home Not Content With Just Women’s Bodies, Planned Parenthood Opponents Now Want To Regulate Art These Photos Prove ‘Anchor Babies’ Are A Myth Christian Hervis-Vazquez called his wife Viviana on Thursday afternoon to confirm her worst fear: He was in Mexico. The U.S. federal immigration agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had deported him earlier that day. ...(read more) Comedy Central Takes On ‘The Most Decadent, Disgustingly Wealthy Humans Who’ve Ever Lived.’ ThinkProgress | Center for American Progress Action Fund 1333 H ST NW | Washington, DC 20005

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Elderly Bears Take First Steps After Decades in Tiny Pens

TWEET LIKE +1 THIS DONATE NOW FEATURED Pure Joy: Elderly Bears Take First Steps After Decades in Tiny Pens Four elderly bears once trained to perform stupid tricks like riding bicycles and sitting in chairs were secluded in tiny, filthy barren cages at a defunct Pennsylvania roadside zoo. They had not set foot outside these cages in at least 20 years. See what happened after PETA stepped in—then take actionhere for bears still confined to a virtually barren concrete pit at Three Bears General Store in Tennessee. SEE THE BEARS NOW Canadian Hardware Store Selling Cruelty Hardware store giant Rona has once again started selling glue traps and refuses to stop. Victims of glue traps often rip themselves to pieces in their frantic struggles to escape the sticky mess. Exhausted and terrified, they succumb to shock, dehydration, asphyxiation, or blood loss—and death can take days. Kittens, chipmunks, and even birds can get caught in these vile devices. Please reach out to Rona and urge the company to stop selling glue traps once and for all. TAKE ACTION New Vegan-Friendly Drive-Thru Draws Nonstop Crowds You've seen Amy's Kitchen products in your grocery's frozen food aisle, and now there's a drive-thru restaurant to match. Boasting more than 95 percent organic ingredients as well as vegan and gluten-free options for everything on the menu, it's no wonder that this place is called a "ridiculous success." CHECK IT OUT SeaWorld's International Orca Abuse Exposed at Loro Parque Spain's Loro Parque, a SeaWorld-inspired abusement park, is home to several orcas "on loan" from SeaWorld who made the journey after being torn away from their families at young ages, lifted by cranes, and flown thousands of miles in the cargo holds of airplanes. Because of this troublesome partnership, even more orcas have been imprisoned in cramped enclosures and denied everything that is natural and important to them. Share this disturbing news, and then take action to stop SeaWorld from expanding into Dubai. READ MORE 12 Dogs Who Are Putting Our Smiles to Shame Few things make us smile more than our dog friends—from their endless enthusiasm when we get home from running a five-minute errand to the abundance of excitement they show when we utter the “W” word. Dogs are the best. SEE THE CUTENESS! Stand Up to the Global Skins Trade! From dogs bludgeoned and stripped of their skin in Chinese slaughterhouses to the lambs and sheep killed on "humane" wool farms, the cruelty of the skins trade is heartbreaking. Will you help us do more to stop it? DONATE NOW Babies Killed for Your Dinner: Can You Guess Their Age? (GRAPHIC) Pixabay When people choose to eat foods derived from animals, do they know they are eating babies? From pigs and cows to chickens and turkeys, find out how old these animals really are when they are slaughtered—and how you can pledge to make a difference. LEARN MORE URGENT ACTION NEEDED Tell This School District to Stop Poisoning Wildlife Help Stop SeaWorld’s Plans to Keep Orcas in Tanks Urgent! Speak Up for Deer in Trumansburg, New York Ask Food Lion to Stop Using Live Lions in Ads THE ANIMAL LOVERS' SHOPPING LIST Adopt Kitty Necklace Mutts Rule! Bumper Sticker peta2 Spare Ribs Crop Top Drink Iced Coffee, Save Animals, and Take Naps Tank Top

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K-Pop Band singing "Anak"

Joel Castro shared Pinoy Pride International's video. via facebook.com 710,160 Views Pinoy Pride International uploaded a new video. Wow.. K-Pop Band singing "Anak" ?? Impressive rendition of this song. ‪#‎PinoyPrideInternational‬

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NLRB Ruling Could Be a Game Changer for Unions

NLRB Ruling Could Be a Game Changer for Unions Posted: 28 Aug 2015 11:46 AM PDT By Doug Porter  A Reagan-era standard allowing corporations to maintain an arms-length relationship with their workforces fell by the wayside yesterday as the National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of the Teamsters in a dispute with California recycler Browning-Ferris Industries. The bottom line here is that big companies may be held responsible for what goes on in the workplace. Organized labor is pleased with the decision. Wall Street isn’t. The actual ruling concerned the use of temporary employees. What people are reacting to are its game changing implications. There are lots of poorly informed (meaning full of crap) analyses being passed off in various media accounts.  To use a baseball analogy, just because a team acquires a high performance player doesn’t mean they’ll have a winning season. Just ask the San Diego Padres.   [Read more...] shared from San Diego Free Press

Street Repairs Could Jump Start Municipal Internet Posted: 28 Aug 2015 07:15 AM PDT By Jose Caballero It’s no secret that when it comes to streets San Diego has a rough ride. We were recently ranked 8th worst in the nation for our roads, costing drivers $843 a year in maintenance costs. Mayor Faulconer has said he will fix them over the next 5 years. However, he's missing a major opportunity if they just put down new pavement. In February, the Federal Communications Commission preempted state laws banning municipal internet services, allowing cities, meaning San Diego could build networks featuring lightning fast, gigabit, fiber to the premise (FTTP) service, which would be among the fastest anywhere in the world. This has been done successfully in Chattanooga, TN and Wilson, NC, with other cities from Seattle to Baltimore considering making their own systems.   [Read more...]

Camping On Mt. Palomar On the Edge of the Wilderness Posted: 28 Aug 2015 07:14 AM PDT By Frank Gormlie Camping to me is a lot of fun, but I only get to do it maybe once a summer. But feeling burnt by the daily challenges and pressures of society, I needed some quiet time doing some car-camping. This time I chose to camp on Mt. Palomar – the large mountain with the famous observatory (which was closed) that guards San Diego County on its north-side. Taking off Thursday morning, I arrived at the top around 1 pm. Usually I take S6 up the steep incline, but its twists and turns are too hairy for a relaxed cruise up the mountain. So, for the first time ever, I took the alternate route, S7, which begins on the western edge of Lake Henshaw.   [Read more...]

Geo-Poetic Spaces: Colonel Sanders and the Tombs of the Kings Posted: 28 Aug 2015 07:13 AM PDT Nothing is sacred not even the deceased Final offerings from beloved families and friends looted Bones carted away names rubbed into dust   [Read more...]

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Take action to stop the trafficking and exploitation of workers.

Dear Friend, Do you ever wonder about the people who harvest the cotton to make your clothing? Or work on the ships that fish for your seafood? Or mine the gold in your jewelry? Many of them are victims of labor trafficking -- working long hours for little or no pay in horrendous conditions while their employers use violence, debt bondage, or psychological control to keep them in modern slavery. But there's something we can do about it. There's a new bill in Congress that would require companies to disclose the steps they're taking to stop the trafficking and exploitation of workers within their supply chains. The Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act of 2015 (H.R. 3226), introduced by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), will increase transparency about what companies are doing about trafficking, and it will empower everyday consumers to make informed decisions about the companies they choose to support. Let's keep companies accountable. Tell Congress that you want companies to take action to stop the trafficking and exploitation of workers. The United Kingdom and even the state of California have already passed similar legislation. Congress needs to follow suit. The U.S. is the largest importer in the world. We're in a unique position to demand that companies work to root out trafficking in their supply chains and ensure fair, humane conditions for workers. Take action today to move us toward eradication. In solidarity, Bradley Myles CEO Polaris Take Action: Tell Congress to keep companies accountable for trafficking in their supply chains Watch: CNN features our work operating the National Human Trafficking Hotline Learn: Read more about our strategic initiative on illicit massage businesses Donate    |        |      Privacy Polaris P.O. Box 65323 Washington, DC 20035

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