MORNING MESSAGE
Sanders’ Socialism Speech: America Is For All Of Us, Not Just Wealthy
Sen.
Bernie Sanders billed his talk Thursday at Georgetown University as a speech on
“democratic socialism,” but it was immediately clear that what Sanders was
really talking about were not the ideologies of a Cold War adversary but deeply
American traditions of fairness that have been under attack by ideologues
brandishing American flags ... The Populist Majority website tracks public
polling on a number of issues. The public polling shows that the things Sanders
talked about in his speech are things that people agree with and approve of –
or, as Sanders worded it, are “wildly popular.”
Sanders Makes His Case
Sen.
Sanders defines and defends democratic socialism. The Atlantic: “…Sanders
praised Democratic presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson for
wielding the power of the government to create jobs and lift Americans out of
poverty … ‘By the way, almost everything [FDR] proposed was called “socialist.”‘
… He went on to warn that the status quo has put the core American ideal of
freedom at risk…”
W.
Post knocks Rand Paul that Democratic cities have more inequality:
“…population size and demographics are more directly linked to income inequality
than the party affiliation of a city’s governor or mayor.”
Senate Dems Aim To Protect Refugees
After
House passage, Senate Dems vow to filibuster anti-refugee bill. The Hill:
“…Senate Democrats believe they can flip the issue by shifting the debate to the
roughly 20 million people who come into the country each year through the visa
waiver program. They also want to put Republicans on the spot by forcing a vote
on a provision to bar people on the terrorist watch list from buying guns … When
asked about the prospect of Obama vetoing the legislation, [Sen. Harry] Reid
said, ‘Don’t worry, it won’t get passed. Next question?'”
NYT’s
Paul Krugman slams Republican refugee hysteria: “…I think it’s … linked to
the apocalyptic mind-set that has developed among Republicans during the Obama
years … his political foes have warned about imminent catastrophe. Fiscal
crisis! Hyperinflation! Economic collapse, brought on by the scourge of health
insurance! … it’s only natural that the right would seize on a terrorist attack
in France as proof that Mr. Obama has left America undefended and
vulnerable.”
Major Insurer Threatens Obamacare
UnitedHealth
throws “tantrum” over Obamacare. LAT: “nitedHealth Group, the country’s
largest private health insurer, has discovered that sick people tend to go to
the doctor … [So] it may quit offering coverage through [Obamacare] by 2017 …
‘UnitedHealth is still making a lot of money, just not as much as they thought,’
[Prof. Gerald] Friedman said. ‘So they need to signal their shareholders that
they take this seriously.’ … ‘They’re probably just sending a message,” said
Timothy McBride, a healthcare economist … ‘They may be saying that to stay, they
want to see higher premiums.'”
WH
pushes back. The Hill: “‘Today’s statement by one issuer is not indicative
of the Marketplace’s strength and viability,’ spokesman Ben Wakana said in a
statement. Others within the healthcare sector shared the administration’s view,
chocking up the warning as a natural symptom the industry’s adjustment to the
sweeping law.”
Breakfast Sides
Treasury
Dept. takes executive action on corporate inversions. The Hill: “…the
guidance would limit the ability for a U.S. company to merge with foreign entity
and have the combined company based in a third country, limit the ability for a
U.S. company to inflate the size of a foreign company in an effort avoid
nullifying the inversion for tax purposes, and require the new foreign parent
company to be a tax resident of the country where it is created or organized to
satisfy the business activities exception…”
Enviros
seek to keep fossil fuels “in the ground.” The Hill: “… the biggest fights
to come will be squarely rooted in the supply side of the fossil fuel industry …
That includes trying to shut down coal mines and crack down on hydraulic
fracturing, along with stopping the transportation of fossil fuels in oil
trains, pipelines and coal export terminals … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and
other Democrats introduced a bill to stop any future leases for fossil fuel
drilling on federal land and water.”
Immigrant
advocates rally on one-year anniversary of Obama’s executive action
announcement. W. Post: “Immigrant advocacy groups are planning separate
rallies Friday outside the White House and the Supreme Court, asking the Obama
administration to halt the deportation of most illegal immigrants and calling on
the high court to rule in favor of Obama’s stalled proposal to temporarily
shield up to 5 million of them from deportation.”
Progressive
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