Here's your daily Bernie News Roundup Letters to the Editor!

Enjoy!

Posted by LoneStarMike

Wow! What a great day. I finally went to bed at 2:15 a.m. ans the New York Times still hadn’t even even posted any of the Hawaii results. Hawaii turned out even better than I’d hoped for. Washington and Alaska. I love looking at the Washington Map — all green. Remember how Bernie’s secret service name is Intrepid? I read recently that Hillary’s SS name is — I kid you not — “Evergreen.”

Current Facebook stats as of 6:10 a.m. CST

Bernie2016/Hillary2016/Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders 3,594,815 Presidential Campaign Page

Hillary Clinton 3,021,886 Presidential Campaign Page

Bernie Sanders 3,596,088 U. S. Senatorial Page

Yesterday, Bernie had 545,022 more likes than Sec. Clinton

Today, Bernie has 572,929 more likes than Sec. Clinton

(The gap widens — a lot)

Remember the story from Huffington Post the other day?

Bernie Sanders Is Currently Winning the Democratic Primary Race, and I’ll Prove It to You

But on Election Day — among voters who’ve been present and attentive for each candidate’s commercials, local news coverage, and live events — Sanders tends to tie or beat Clinton.

In fact, that’s the real reason Sanders does well in caucuses.

It’s not because caucuses “require a real time investment,” as the media likes to euphemistically say, but because caucuses require that you vote on Election Day rather than well before it.

Keeping that in mind, there are 20 states that don't allow "no-excuse-required" early voting. See this link:

Absentee and Early Voting

States still left that will be holding primary elections include Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware which don't have "no excuse" early voting. You can only vote early by absentee if you have a valid excuse.

Scroll down and look for the grey states on the map.

So that may play into some of these must-win states like NY & PA.

Isn’t Nani Booboo Honey Booboo’s cousin in Hawaii?

Oregon's a Bernie Sanders state. Why is Gov. Kate Brown endorsing Hillary Clinton?

The Oregonian LTE — Portland, Oregon (and state-wide)

Kate Brown endorses Clinton: Gov. Kate Brown has no business endorsing Hillary Clinton for president. It is so obvious that there is massive support in our state for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. Thousands show up for Sanders rallies and our state is a constant buzz of activity helping the Sanders campaign — not only here in Oregon but throughout the country.

Bernie Sanders' message of changing our money-dominated political system, fixing wealth inequality, making our health care system match those of other major industrialized countries and seriously and strongly addressing global warming fits our Oregon spirit so well. Why would Gov. Brown not embrace this completely?

Proudly, in many ways, we lead the country in making lives better — such as raising the minimum wage, making drug laws sensible, and fighting climate change and global warming. These are core Bernie Sanders policies, not those backed strongly by Hillary Clinton. Why would our top elected official endorse anyone else?

Oregon is a Bernie state not a Hillary state. Gov. Brown should stay true to Oregon, rescind her endorsement and back Bernie Sanders for president.

Support Bernie Sanders or prepare for Europe, 1933

The Tribune LTE — San Luis Obispo, California

The future is now.

And that future is clearly President Sanders.

If the Democratic Party wants to take Congress back this year, it must look beyond past deals, consolations and hurt feelings and not saddle the party with a lackluster, Wall Street establishment candidate like Hillary Clinton.

Even if Clinton can beat Donald Trump or Ted Cruz or John Kasich — or Paul Ryan (and Bernie Sanders polls better against all of them), we will not see enough turnout to effect any real change in Congress. And we will, in effect, become mired again in another four years of deadlocked Obama-ville.

If the Democratic Party wants to amount to anything, it needs to be smart and proactive, wake up and smell the coffee and enthusiastically put Bernie front and center for the future of this country.

They must realize the past neoliberal, third-way days of Al From and the Clintons are history.

The Democratic Party is the 21st century party of FDR.

The option is to allow the now-insane Republicans to represent America’s future.

Get over it. Get ahead of the game. Hillary is a loser. Bernie is the future. Get smart or start over in Europe, 1933.

I love this photo — I think it’s on his chartered jet. (Remember when he used to fly commercial in coach?)

Bernie Sanders flies Eastern Airlines

Burlington Free Press — Burlington Vermont

Yes, almost beating Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucus helped, but a more tangible sign was that the campaign had chartered a jet to make the trip from Des Moines to Manchester, New Hampshire for immediate deployment for the Granite State's primary on Feb. 9

[...]

The plane carried Sanders, his wife Jane, and campaign staff and their gear in the more spacious forward cabin, as well as a full compliment of journalists - referred to as the "Travelling Press" - in the economy seats.

[...]

The plane was a Boeing 737-800 with seating for about 150 passengers, from Eastern Airlines, a carrier that ceased operations in 1991. The Miami Herald reported on May 28, "The well-known carrier with the hockey stick logo — a resurrection of the airline that called Miami home for decades — lifted off for its first [charter] revenue flight on Thursday afternoon."

Some people might find Eastern to be an appropriate carrier for the Vermonter campaigning as a democratic socialist. The resurrected airline's first scheduled flight on May 28 was from Miami to Havana, Cuba.

Media shouldn’t dismiss Sanders

The Fresno Bee LTE — Fresno, California

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign has, from day one, been summarily dismissed by corporate media and the Democratic Party’s poobahs.

Despite out-the-gate record-setting attendance at his events and recent polling showing Sanders faring better against Trump than Hillary Clinton, accurate reporting of Sanders’ campaign is marginalized and back-paged in favor of narrowly focused reporting centered around the party/media anointed “frontrunner” Clinton.

Sanders’ 2 million-and counting donors are essentially double Clinton’s. His February fund-raising totals were roughly 50 percent greater than Clinton’s. Obviously, his campaign is viable and healthy, far from being a “fringe” candidacy.

Yet reporting of the March 22 Arizona, Utah and Idaho results continued the media’s dismissive tone, highlighting Clinton’s Arizona results while basically omitting any visible reporting that Sanders took the majority of those three states’ delegates. While Clinton’s Arizona margin of 17 percent gave her 15 more Arizona delegates than Sanders garnered, his Utah and Idaho victory margins put the final tally for the night at 67 delegates for Sanders versus 51 for Clinton.

The Bee and most news media are too often failing to provide readers the full reporting they deserve. That is regrettable.

Greedy insurers

News & Observer LTE — Raleigh, North Carolina

Regarding the Feb. 27 news article “Blue Cross turns profit despite ACA losses”: The greed of Blue Cross and Blue Shield and other carriers like it is outrageous. Through creative accounting they hide their true profits in reserves and executive pay. Now because they are inept at operating under the ACA, they want to dump millions of policy holders while still turning a profit. No wonder voters are turning to Bernie Sanders.

Great idea for making sure your vote gets counted.

Bernie Sanders is right for president

South Whidbey Record LTE — Coupeville, Washington

I am 72, Jewish, a socialist, born in Brooklyn, and both my parents were immigrants from Poland. My background is very similar to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ heritage.

But it’s not just these demographics that make me “feel the Bern.” In one of the nationally broadcast town halls, CNN moderator Anderson Cooper asked Bernie if he is hiding behind his Jewishness. He answered he is proud to be a Jew. He added how Judaism has guided him to do unto others what you would like them to do onto you.

He responded to another question from a Flint grandmother who was grief stricken about her grandchildren being poisoned by lead in the city’s drinking water. Bernie responded by saying, and I am paraphrasing, he wished we lived in a world where we knew that he would care for our grandchildren and you would care for his.

It takes enormous courage to stand up to the ruling elite and be consistent for his entire political career. Please go to berniesanders.com to find out more about what he stands for.

Unstoppable!

Letter writer misrepresented Sanders' plans

Billings Gazette LTE — Billings, Montana

In reply to Mr. Mackenzie's letter of March 20, here are the actual facts about Bernie Sanders healthcare plan.

First of all Bernie’s plan will cost over $6 trillion less than the current health care system over the next 10 years.

Under Sen. Sander's plan the marginal income tax rate would be:

• 37 percent on income between $250,000 and $500,000.

• 43 percent on income between $500,000 and $2 million.

• 48 percent on income between $2 million and $10 million. (In 2013, only 113,000 households, the top 0.08 percent of taxpayers, had income between $2 million and $10 million.)

• 52 percent on income above $10 million. (In 2013, only 13,000 households, just 0.01 percent of taxpayers, had income exceeding $10 million.)

A 2.2 percent income-based premium would be paid by households.

Revenue raised: $210 billion per year. This year, a family of four taking the standard deduction can have income up to $28,800 and not pay this tax under this plan.

A family of four making $50,000 a year taking the standard deduction would only pay $466 this year.

The average annual cost to the employer for a worker with a family who makes $50,000 a year would go from $12,591 to just $3,100.

Perhaps people should actually read Sanders’ plans for themselves instead of listening to propaganda.

Berniesanders.com states very clearly what Sanders wants to do for our country.

Rachel Maddow’s segment on Bernie and the bird — Duration 4:40

This is a great segment and she ties in the bird at Moda Center to the show “Portlandia.”

Meanwhile, one of Donald Trump’s “flying creatures” was recently spotted at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. /snark

Demo superdelegates ignore the people

The Salt Lake Tribune LTE #1 — Salt Lake City, Utah

Despite the parking problems, daunting lines and poor organization, the crowd at my caucus location, Ensign Elementary, was enthusiastic and optimistic. The next day the results were astounding — 80 percent support for Bernie Sanders, 20 percent support for Hillary Clinton.

With a proportional split in delegates, Sanders came away with more than fond memories of his two huge rallies in Salt Lake City.

But two of Utah's four superdelegates, Patrice Arent and Breanne Miller, made up their minds before the caucus occurred. They intend to vote for Clinton regardless of the enormous disparity in votes.

Clearly they have learned from the majority party in Utah that what the people want is not important.

Utah Democrats prove they have numbers

Salt Lake Tribune LTE #2 — Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah Democrats proved something very important this week: If we showed up for the general election, just like we did for caucus night, Utah would not be a red state.

The number of caucus attendees who showed up on Tuesday night was unbelievable and record-breaking. These numbers prove not only that Democrats exist in our state, but that we exist in great numbers, and that if we vote, Utah's political landscape will change drastically.

Utah Democrats are running for election all the way down the ticket all across the state. If these new voters truly want a political revolution, it starts right here in your local offices. We have incredible Democrats running for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and just about every other seat that is up for election in November. These candidates need your time and your vote. It's time for Utahns to be represented and listened to. Get out, be involved, vote, and let's change this state for the better.

Trick my Bernie Bus

Social democracies

Lawrence Journal-World LTE — Lawrence, Kansas

Gary Stussie seems puzzled about why “the college crowd seems giddy” about the “democratic socialism” proposals by Bernie Sanders, e.g., universal medical care, an adequate social welfare safety net, free higher education (Public Forum, March 15). Actually five of the 10 most successful economies in the world have just such “socialistic characteristics” (see money.cnn.com). Sadly, successful capitalism doesn’t mean most of its economic benefits go to ordinary working people. And if the college crowd is listening in class, that’s what they would’ve learned.

Stussie just isn’t right in characterizing Scandanavian social democracies as “not doing well.” Recently they aren’t doing as well but then neither are other industrial countries, including the U.S. Even so, Forbes magazine charactarizes Denmark as “enjoying a high standard of living in an economy with an extensive welfare measures and an equitable distribution of income.” It’s GDP this year is on track for 1.6 percent growth. Unemployment is around 6 percent. Sweden’s unemployment rate is 7.8 percent (though it pays to note their huge emigration influx). Swedish GDP is projected to grow close to 4 percent in 2016. Norway’s unemployment was only 3.3 percent last year. There’s no big emigration out of Scandanavia.

It’s both historically inaccurate and a piece of mischief to equate the socialism of the Nordic social democracies with the “larger experiments in socialism which have failed miserably” (fascist dictatorships like the Soviet Union, Cuba and China?). The Scandanavian road to socialism was not marked by brutal repression, total public takeover of private industry and disregard for democratic processes.

Just a few more tweets and then I’ll shut up.

Posted by DRo

CNN

Clinton did not address the results publicly on Saturday, but her campaign sought to raise money off her losses in Saturday's contests, portraying them as a warning to donors. A short time after CNN projected Alaska as a win for Sanders, Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook circulated an email to her supporters billed as a "quick update on Bernie Sanders."

"We haven't caught up in online fundraising, and our opponent could do very well in today's caucuses in Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii," Mook said in the email before the Washington and Hawaii results had been called. "Now, I don't want to paint too gloomy a picture -- you've been amazing. Thanks to you, we still have a commanding delegate lead, and we can secure this nomination for Hillary with your help," he said, asking them to "chip in."