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Saturday, March 25, 2017
Ed Notes Online: School Scope: War in the Democratic Party as Bernie Popularity Soars
Ed Notes Online: School Scope: War in the Democratic Party as Bernie Popularity Soars:
School Scope: War in the Democratic Party as Bernie Popularity Soars
By Norm Scott
The flash point came recently in the election for the relatively obscure Democratic National Committee chair. Early on, Bernie’s people backed a left-leaning Ohio Congressman, Keith Ellison, who is black and a Muslim. This was soon after the Hillary election disaster and the Clinton/Obama wing was busy licking its wounds. In the vacuum, many people signed on. But it didn’t take long for the C/O wing to fight back. Apparently Obama – and those of you who think he is a lefty, you are reading the right stuff – convinced his labor secretary, Tom Lopez, who did nothing for labor, to run against Ellison. Perez won, but by the narrowest margin in history – basically it is the super delegate types who voted. He tried to make peace by naming Ellison a co-chair, but the entire affair hasn’t played very well with the real left of the party – the Bernie wing – which wants the party to break ranks with its corporate money wing which supported Hillary.
School Scope: War in the Democratic Party as Bernie Popularity Soars
By Norm Scott
Bernie Sanders is the most popular politician in America, by a wide margin of 61% according to a FOX news poll (http://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-politician-in-the-us-bernie-sanders-fox-news-poll-2017-3) . Yes FOX. Now Bernie is not actually a Democrat but calls himself a Democratic Socialist and at this point there is no such viable party in this nation as there is throughout the world. People tend to conflate social democracy with communism and nothing could be further from the truth. Stalin wiped out social democrats, as have every communist nation because SDs believe in private property, a fundamentally free market economy and regulated capitalism. Scandinavian nations are prime examples. Universal single payer health care is an essential, as is free education. Both of these were basic to Bernie’s program and both ideas seem to be fundamentally off the table to both parties. Don’t expect me to explain Bernie’s enormous popularity as his basic ideas are ignored and in fact often mocked, not only by the right, but by the center and even many liberals.
There is a tendency to place all Democrats into one big lump and declare them all liberal/lefties when in fact there is a wide range of division. The right-center flank of the Democratic Party is pretty much where the mainstream Republican Party was pre-Reagan. The so-called center is now being branded as the Clinton/Obama wing of the party, which includes the party leadership (Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi) while the left of the party is the Bernie wing. Make no mistake about it, war is raging in the party if not openly at this point but behind the scenes and certainly in print.
The flash point came recently in the election for the relatively obscure Democratic National Committee chair. Early on, Bernie’s people backed a left-leaning Ohio Congressman, Keith Ellison, who is black and a Muslim. This was soon after the Hillary election disaster and the Clinton/Obama wing was busy licking its wounds. In the vacuum, many people signed on. But it didn’t take long for the C/O wing to fight back. Apparently Obama – and those of you who think he is a lefty, you are reading the right stuff – convinced his labor secretary, Tom Lopez, who did nothing for labor, to run against Ellison. Perez won, but by the narrowest margin in history – basically it is the super delegate types who voted. He tried to make peace by naming Ellison a co-chair, but the entire affair hasn’t played very well with the real left of the party – the Bernie wing – which wants the party to break ranks with its corporate money wing which supported Hillary.
There also happens to be a left to the left of the party of varying degrees of leftism and there is talk about the need to leave the Ed Notes Online: School Scope: War in the Democratic Party as Bernie Popularity Soars:
Immigration Resources
Immigration Resources:
The following resources are intended help ensure that members of our unions know their rights and are prepared to defend themselves and the immigrant members of their families and their communities in the event of workplace or community raids:
- The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) offers detailed information about your rights and links to low-cost and free legal assistance.
- This American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Guide for Educators includes advice on how to support and protect immigrant youth and families in case of a raid.
- This guidance from the Immigration Legal Resource Center (ILRC) explains steps immigrant families should take before and during a raid.
Downloadable Materials
Organizations
The following organizations have useful materials to support, protect and empower immigrant working people:
The Administrative Relief Resource Center is a project of the Committee For Immigration Reform Implementation.
Asian American Justice Center is the only national legal advocacy organization that works to protect and advance the civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans.
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance is the first and only national organization of Asian American and Pacific Islander workers, most of who are union members, and allies advancing worker, immigrant and civil rights.
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. uses education, outreach and leadership development; intake, evaluation and referral services; litigation support and direct representation; and policy advocacy to defend and protect the rights of workers as they move between their home communities in Mexico and their workplaces in the United States.
Farmworker Justice empowers migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions.
The International Labor Recruitment Working Group seeks to end the systemic abuse of international workers who are recruited to the U.S., by collaborating across labor sectors to develop comprehensive policies and advocate for reforms.
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement is a national organization representing the interests of approximately 2 million Latino/a trade unionist throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
Mijente is a hub for social justice organizing that is pro-Latinx, but pro-Black, pro-woman, pro-queer, and pro-poor.
National Council of La Raza is the nation's largest constituency-based Hispanic organization that works to reduce poverty and discrimination, and improve life opportunities for all Hispanic Americans.
National Day Laborers Organizing Network improves the lives of day laborers in the United States and helps member organizations develop leadership, mobilize and organize day laborers in order to protect and expand their civil, labor and human rights.
The National Domestic Workers Alliance is the nation’s leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women.
National Employment Law Project is a national advocacy organization for employment rights of lower-wage and immigrant workers.
National Immigration Law Center engages in policy analysis, litigation, education and advocacy for racial, economic and social justice for low-income immigrants.
The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers’ Guild provides legal and technical support to immigrant communities, legal practitioners and all advocates seeking to advance the rights of non-citizens.
#Not1More builds collaboration between individuals, organizations, artists, and allies to expose, confront, and overcome unjust immigration laws.
United We Dream is a national immigrant youth-led organization whose mission is to achieve equal access to higher education for all people, regardless of immigration status.
AFL-CIO NOW