31 Sun Jul 2016
LUMPENPROLETARIAT—”Smile Happy” is song, or, perhaps more precisely, a tone poem, taken from the seventh studio album by War, circa 1975, which is entitled Why Can’t We Be Friends?. Check it out.
Messina
“Smile Happy” (1975) by War
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[3 AUG 2016]
[Last modified 15:05 PDT 3 AUG 2016]
27 Wed Jul 2016
Tags
Democracy Now!, Dr. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (b. 1947), Dr. Michelle Alexander (b. 1967), Michelle Alexander, Mumia Abu Jamal
LUMPENPROLETARIAT—Political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal was in conversation with Democracy Now!‘s Amy Goodman this morning. As ever, Mumia gave us his intrepid analysis of the nation’s current political climate, despite suffering from untreated illnesses and disease behind bars. Joining the Democracy Now! discussion, actor Danny Glover observed that it was apparent that the state was trying to kill Mumia through denial of needed medical care, as Mumia has now been taken off of death row.
Saliently, as Bernie Sanders betrays his supporters, betrays progressives, who poured their hearts and souls into his campaign, Mumia closed his telephone call by reminding us of an important article by legal scholar and human rights advocate Michelle Alexander entitled “Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote“. Michelle Alexander is the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (The New Press). Regarding the 2016 Presidential Election, we might add that Michelle Alexander‘s reasoning applies as well to why Hillary Clinton doesn’t deserve the Hispanic/Latina vote or the working class vote or any vote.
Messina
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THE NATION—[10 FEB 2016] Hillary Clinton loves black people. And black people love Hillary—or so it seems. Black politicians have lined up in droves to endorse her, eager to prove their loyalty to the Clintons in the hopes that their faithfulness will be remembered and rewarded. Black pastors are opening their church doors, and the Clintons are making themselves comfortably at home once again, engaging effortlessly in all the usual rituals associated with “courting the black vote,” a pursuit that typically begins and ends with Democratic politicians making black people feel liked and taken seriously. Doing something concrete to improve the conditions under which most black people live is generally not required.
Hillary is looking to gain momentum on the campaign trail as the primaries move out of Iowa and New Hampshire and into states like South Carolina, where large pockets of black voters can be found. According to some polls, she leads Bernie Sanders by as much as 60 percent among African Americans. It seems that we—black people—are her winning card, one that Hillary is eager to play.
And it seems we’re eager to get played. Again.
The love affair between black folks and the Clintons has been going on for a long time. It began back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for president. He threw on some shades and played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show. It seems silly in retrospect, but many of us fell for that. At a time when a popular slogan was “It’s a black thing, you wouldn’t understand,” Bill Clinton seemed to get us. When Toni Morrison dubbed him our first black president, we nodded our heads. We had our boy in the White House. Or at least we thought we did.
Black voters have been remarkably loyal to the Clintons for more than 25 years. It’s true that we eventually lined up behind Barack Obama in 2008, but it’s a measure of the Clinton allure that Hillary led Obama among black voters until he started winning caucuses and primaries. Now Hillary is running again. This time she’s facing a democratic socialist who promises a political revolution that will bring universal healthcare, a living wage, an end to rampant Wall Street greed, and the dismantling of the vast prison state—many of the same goals that Martin Luther King Jr. championed at the end of his life. Even so, black folks are sticking with the Clinton brand.
What have the Clintons done to earn such devotion? Did they take extreme political risks to defend the rights of African Americans? Did they courageously stand up to right-wing demagoguery about black communities? Did they help usher in a new era of hope and prosperity for neighborhoods devastated by deindustrialization, globalization, and the disappearance of work?
No. Quite the opposite.
Learn more at THE NATION.
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Related Lumpenproletariat articles, relevant to Hillary Clinton’s 2015-2016 presidential campaign, include:
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[Image entitled “Michelle_Alexander_11_02” by Miller Center of Public Affairs (flickr page, Charlottesville, VA – Flickr: Michelle Alexander at the Miller Center, December 3, 2011), Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0)]
[27 JUL 2016]
[Last modified 23:17 PDT 1 AUG 2016]
25 Mon Jul 2016
Tags
Askia Muhammed, Bernie Sanders, Chris Hedges, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democratic National Convention 2016, DNC 2016, Dr. Cornel West, Dr. Stephanie Kelton, Dr. William K. Black, Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Rodham Clinton, KPFA, Margaret Prescod, Michelle Obama, MMT, Pacifica Radio Network, President Barack Obama, Tim Kaine, Trans-Pacific Partnership
LUMPENPROLETARIAT—The Democratic Party has convened once again to confirm the nomination of their candidate for the presidency of the United States. The 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC) has begun today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And it’s pretty much locked in for Hillary Clinton, an imperialist politician who has presided over the overthrow of democratically elected governments as Secretary of State under Obama, promoted fracking all around the world undermining the hopes of environmental activists, and who has apparently worked behind the scenes to steal the Democratic Primary nomination.
The fight for Bernie Sander‘s political revolution seems to have been over before it began. Although Bernie Sanders has been polling as the more popular candidate, the corporate media machine seems to have decided previously that Bernie Sanders must be sidelined. And then there was the apparent Democratic Primary rule changes, which favored Clinton, such as in Nevada. And, then, there was the corruption of the Democratic National Committee, spearheaded by Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Thanks to WikiLeaks, leaked Democratic National Committee emails proved suspicions that the Democratic National Committee was not honoring its own rules and remaining neutral, but instead was actively working to undermine Bernie Sanders‘ campaign. As Greg Palast and others have been arguing, the democratic process has been rigged against alternative candidates, such as Bernie Sanders (not to mention alternative political parties and their candidates, such as the Green Party‘s Dr. Jill Stein).
But, perhaps, Bernie Sanders‘ biggest impediment to political success has been his own cowardice, apparently conceding to Hillary Clinton even before Day One of the DNC. When Sanders met with Obama recently, prior to the DNC, a line in the sand must have been drawn, which Sanders evidently was unwilling to cross, even given his advanced age. Time, it seems, does not always make one bolder.
Bernie Sanders seems to have already betrayed all of his supporters, including his chief economists from the radical heterodox economics department at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Sanders could have informed the American people, for example, how heterodox economic concepts, such as MMT for example, can create a job guarantee programme (aka employer of last resort) capable of effectively ending involuntary unemployment as we know it. This would help stimulate our economy, reduce poverty, reduce crime and social dysfunction, and easily help Sanders defeat Hillary in the Democratic Primary contest for the presidential nomination. But Sanders held back. Sanders gave in.
Free speech radio has provided critical coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention, and will also report from this year’s Green Party National Convention. Today, free speech radio has faithfully covered Day One of the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Listen (and/or download) here. [1]
Messina
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PACIFICA RADIO—[25 JUL 2016] Bernie Sanders addresses the Democratic National Convention on its opening night. So does progressive favorite Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Michelle Obama. Sanders supporters marched in the hot sun ahead of the convention’s opening, chanting protests against the Democratic National Committee and its outgoing chair, Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The Sanders supporters are angry over the evidence revealed in leaked emails that DNC officials discussed among themselves how to defeat Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primaries. Sanders supporters are also unhappy about Hillary Clinton’s choice of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate, calling it an assault on the progressive base of the Democratic Party. They say Kaine has been wrong on issues ranging from advocating the use of coal, to the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, right to work laws and tax rates for the wealthy.
Learn more at PACIFICA RADIO.
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[Working draft transcript of actual radio broadcast by Messina for Lumpenproletariat and Pacifica Radio Network.]
PACIFICA RADIO—[25 JUL 2016] [Up next is the] Democratic National Convention. [dead air; technical difficulties] (c. 1:25)
ASKIA MUHAMMED: “[inaudible] It’s gonna be a wild session here, the first opening session of the Democratic National Convention.”
MARGARET PRESCOD: “Well, I think Mother Nature must be cooperating, in a way, with the protestors. It seems as though there have been a flash flood of protestors—”
ASKIA MUHAMMED: “Absolutely.”
MARGARET PRESCOD: “—the last few days, including this very evening where the trains were shut down.”
ASKIA MUHAMMED: “Absolutely.”
MARGARET PRESCOD: “Some of the bus stations were shut down.”
ASKIA MUHAMMED: “Right. And people have—as a matter of fact, Cornel West and Chris Hedges spoke to one of the events. Linda Perry Barr reports: At one point, about 50 demonstrators sat down refusing to move until a Mississippi state flag with the Confederate symbol was removed. An hour later it was removed.
“This is the kind of action and the power, that’s goin’ on in the streets as well as in the suites here among the deliberating [dead air; technical difficulties]
MARGARET PRESCOD: “[dead air; technical difficulties] Askia Muhammed, also a rocky start to say the very least.
“What we’re gonna do now: We’re gonna give you just a little taste of it. We’re gonna go now to a clip from The Washington Post about some of the goings on on the floor and around this kick-off of the DNC. [2]
[Audio from Washington Post video clip] (c. 3:00)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: “It all started on Friday. The emails dropped. And they were incredibly embarrassing, apparently confirming that Democratic officials had, basically, been trying to help Hillary Clinton throughout the Primary. By Saturday, Democrats were getting really, really nervous. The emails were bad. They made the Party look bad. And, by Sunday morning, it was clear that she [Debbie Wasserman Schultz] was being pressured to resign, both, from within the campaign and from outside of the campaign, not just from Bernie Sanders supporters. It ended when the President, himself, called her and asked her to resign. And that, Democrats told me, is not a very good sign. You don’t want the President to be the one to fire you, essentially.
“So, here we at the Convention. She is not resigning at the beginning of the Convention, but at the end. And, so, she will be a constant presence in Philadelphia [dead air; technical difficulties] installed in her position. And it’s still going to be a source of tension and friction with the Clinton folks. They’ve worked for weeks and weeks with Bernie Sanders supporters to try to hammer out some of the dee— [dead air; technical difficulties]
“At the same time, I think a lot of Democrats, and including Clinton Camp officials, that I spoke to, really think that by resolving Debbie Wasserman Schultz before the Convention gavelled in on Monday they have, kind of, put that chapter behind them; and they have the best opportunity to move forward. The speakers lists are, kind of, designed to showcase the best of the Party, its rising stars, its biggest names, the most popular figures. And they are hoping that those people, who are more unifying figures will, kind of, undo some of the damage, that they sustained over the last several days. (c. 4:50)
“The Clinton Camp is talking about the leak as a ploy by the Russians to help Donald Trump. And part of that is to deflect. They wanna make this about Trump and not about them. But part of it is also that they feel like the timing is strategic; it’s intended to hurt them right before the Convention. They’re trying to do everything they can to not focus on the details of the leak and to deal with individual problems associated with the things, that were said individually, but move on to what they think is the big picture issue, which is that they are fighting a campaign against a Republican opponent, Donald Trump. And they believe that they need their entire Democratic establishment to get behind them on this.” (c. 5:38)
MARGARET PRESCOD: “Okay, so, you heard that report, Askia. I mean it’s like: Blame Putin. (Right?) Blame the Russians. [chuckles]
“And if you think that was good, we’ve got another juicy clip coming, that happened on the floor. But, Askia, what do you think?” (c. 5:51)
[Pacifica Radio hosts continue discussing the Debbie Wasserman Schultz scandal, involving rigging the Democratic Primary against Bernie Sanders and in favor of Hillary Clinton.]
[(c. 7:40) Controversy on the Democratic National Convention floor]
[(c. 9:29) A brief interview with Dr. William K. Black, professor of Law and Economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City. Sadly, this interview did not acknowledge the fact that Professor Black, alongside Dr. Stephanie Kelton (both former UMKC professors of your author), were working as the chief economists for Bernie Sanders, even up through Bernie’s Democratic Primary campaign. Even more tragic is the fact that this interview did not acknowledge the progressive economic policies promoted by heterodox economists, such as Dr. Kelton and Dr. Black at the UMKC Department of Economics. The positive side of this interview is that Professor Black was able to discuss his recent article for Consortium News, which exposes Hillary Clinton’s Vice Presidential running mate, Tim Kaine, has been calling for further economic deregulation of the sort, which President Bill Clinton engaged in with his Reinventing Government initiatives, which laid the groundwork in the 1990s for the Global Financial Crisis of the late 2000s.]
[(c.. 18:00) Bernie Sanders speech is booed by his own supporters when Sanders urges the Sanders Campaign to vote for Hillary Clinton.]
[(c. 23:35) The Green Party’s Dr. Jill Stein]
[SNIP]
[SNIP] (c. 3:59:59)
Learn more at PACIFICA RADIO.
[This transcript will be expanded as time constraints, and/or demand or resources, allow.]
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[1] Terrestrial radio transmission, 94.1 FM (KPFA, Berkeley, CA) (also broadcast simultaneously across the national Pacifica Radio Network) with online simulcast and digital archiving: Special Programming: Democratic National Convention, Day One, this broadcast hosted by Askia Muhammed and Margaret Prescod, Monday, 25 JUL 2016, 17:00 PDT, four-hour broadcast.
[2] Also see:
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[8 AUG 2016]
[Last modified 14:41 PDT 8 AUG 2016]
