Social Justice New Year's Celebration on Cameron Park Lake

What Workers -- Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian -- Need

What Workers -- Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian -- Need: And what Democrats need to do if they’re to win elections

Trumped by Vladimir Putin: The Russian Strongman Has Upended American Democracy @alternet

Trumped by Vladimir Putin: The Russian Strongman Has Upended American Democracy @alternet: The U.S. finds itself at a crossroads unseen since the Civil War, and we have a ruthless autocrat to thank.

Bill Moyers

Russia and Trump Hack the U.S. Elections

Of all the horrible things that happened this year in politics, the fact that our election was hacked by Russia, and in response the GOP president elect  is staffing his administration with pro-Russia sympathizers, is just totally bananas. 

We just let a second rate power steal our presidential election (not to mention all of the House races that were tipped by the DCCC hack and leak) and we're not going to at minimum increase sanctions!?! 

And now, Donald Trump is bragging about the hack, claiming that the Russians did the US a favor.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-russian-espionage-was-a-good-thing-for-america_us_

Do the corporate robber barons, conservatives and Tea Party minions  so love tax cuts that we overlook being captured by a hostile foreign power?

Here is the story on the hack.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/us/politics/russia-hack-election-dnc.html?

Aleppo : Fascism Wins

How To Stop Trump

And Preserve Our Democracy

Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda

Former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen

Donald Trump is the biggest popular vote loser in history to ever to call himself President-Elect. In spite of the fact that he has no mandate, he will attempt to use his congressional majority to reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt image. If progressives are going to stop this, we must stand indivisibly opposed to Trump and the members of Congress who would do his bidding. Together, we have the power to resist - and we have the power to win.

We know this because we’ve seen it before. The authors of this guide are former congressional staffers who witnessed the rise of the Tea Party. We saw these activists take on a popular president with a mandate for change and a supermajority in Congress. We saw them organize locally and convince their own members of Congress to reject President Obama’s agenda. Their ideas were wrong, cruel, and tinged with racism - and they won. We believe that protecting our values and neighbors will require mounting a similar resistance to the Trump agenda -- but a resistance built on the values of inclusion, tolerance, and fairness. Trump is not popular. He does not have a mandate. He does not have large congressional margins. If a small minority in the Tea Party can stop President Barack Obama, then we the majority can stop a petty tyrant named Trump.

Who is this document by and for? We: Are former progressive congressional staffers who saw the Tea Party beat back President Obama’s agenda. We: See the enthusiasm to fight the Trump agenda and want to share insider info on how best to influence Congress to do that. You: Want to do your part to beat back the Trump agenda and understand that will require more than calls & petitions. You: Should use this guide, share it, amend it, make it your own, and get to work.

Entire guide

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DzOz3Y6D8g_MNXHNMJYAz1b41_cn535aU5UsN7Lj8X8/preview#

oh. and next time.  Vote dam it!

Choosing Democracy: U.S. Press Has Promoted Fascists Before !

Choosing Democracy: U.S. Press Has Promoted Fascists Before !: How to cover the rise of a political leader who’s left a paper trail of anti-constitutionalism, racism and the encouragement of violenc...

The Children of Aleppo are Being Murdered

by Russian and Syrian military.

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Fighting in the besieged eastern districts of Aleppo stopped on Tuesday, a Russian official said, just hours after the United Nations said it had received credible reports that forces loyal to the Syrian government were gunning down civilians trying to flee and killing residents in their homes.Continue reading the main story

Photo
Residents fled the violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood. CreditAgence France-Presse — Getty Images


Just before the Russian announcement, a cease-fire agreement appeared to have been reached among Syrian rebels, Russia and Turkey, potentially opening a corridor for residents to safely leave besieged neighborhoods, but the parameters of the deal remained unclear. The journey from eastern Aleppo has been perilous for civilians, some of them older people in wheelchairs who were too frail to leave before as the fighting intensified.Continue reading the main story

Photo
The journey from eastern Aleppo has been perilous for civilians, some of them older people in wheelchairs. CreditAgence France-Presse — Getty Images


The United Nations said it had reports of 82 execution-style killings of civilians. The death toll from recent days is unknown, as humanitarian organizations operating in the rebel enclave that used to keep track of casualties have all but collapsed. The deaths were recorded in four neighborhoods — Bustan al-Qasr, Al Fardous, Al Kallaseh and Al Saleheen — and included at least 11 women and 13 children, some of them shot in the streets as they tried to escape, according to Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mr. Colville cited reports that the agency had received from reliable contacts inside and outside the city.
Read more; http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/world/middleeast/syria-aleppo-civilians.html?

A public investment agenda that delivers the goods for American workers needs to be long-lived, broad, and subject to democratic oversight

A public investment agenda that delivers the goods for American workers needs to be long-lived, broad, and subject to democratic oversight: A policy effort to boost public investment should include both “core” infrastructure investments such as building roads and 'noncore' public investments, such as improving early child care. Both provide high rates of return. Public finance is the most  accountable way of financing infrastructure. Tax credits dangled to entice private financiers and developers provide no compelling efficiency gains and open up possibilities for corruption and crony capitalism.

Aleppo Is Dying

Kareem Shaheen in Istanbul

Friday 9 December 2016 11.54 EST

The Guardian 

        

        

The bombardment of Aleppo will continue as long as opposition fighters remain in the Syrian city, Russia’s foreign minister has said a day after pledging to halt combat operations to allow civilians to leave.

“After a humanitarian pause [the strikes] have resumed and will continue for as long as the bandits are still in Aleppo,” Sergei Lavrov told journalists on Friday at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Aleppo’s besieged east came under sustained attack on Thursday night and throughout Friday despite Lavrov’s claims of a humanitarian pause, raising questions about the Kremlin’s commitment to a ceasefire deal and its leverage over President Bashar al-Assad.

Residents of east Aleppo said a number of neighbourhoods had been subjected to relentless bombardment, including rocket attacks, helicopter bombings and gunfire.

“Bombing never stops,” said Abdulkafi al-Hamdo, a teacher in east Aleppo, in a text message.

Free Screening of "FREE STATE OF JONES" Friday Night (12/9) @ Sac State -- A Freedom School Project Event

Green Party Votes Elected Trump in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania

Bill Fletcher: “It is important to approach any examination of the November election with a degree of nuance. As widely noted, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by what now appears to be at least two million votes. The Libertarian and Green Parties received far more votes than the margin of victory in no less than eleven states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

This election was decided by a razor-thin margin due to the undemocratic Electoral College.” Read the excellent piece below "Fighting Against the White Revolt in 2016." 

Duane Campbell. (editor)

Hillary Clinton won the election by 2 million votes, but Donald Trump won the Presidency in the Electoral College.  What’s that you say about democracy ?

During the last year the according to the Southern Poverty Law Center the militant, fascist, militarist, racist terrorist group Storm Front has grown to over 300,000 members.  ( one of several such groups).

These and parallel developments may require that we reconsider and adjust our basic  political strategy.  We need a serious new analysis because the terrain of our struggle and our activity has shifted significantly.

Examples.

Some 2 -11 million immigrant workers in the US now face terrorism and possible deportation.  Over 2 million U.S. citizen children face the possibility that their parents will be deported and they will be placed in foster care.

I had a piece on the Democratic Left blog on the possible consequences of a victory by Trump and Trumpism.  http://www.dsausa.org/trump_s_racially_divisive_politics_must_be_exposed_and_opposed_dl

David Bacon has a new piece on the current situation. http://davidbaconrealitycheck.blogspot.com/2016/11/immigrant-communities-brace-for-trump.html?

If you prefer video, here is a good piece  Hate Rising. http://antiracismdsa.blogspot.com/2016/11/hate-rising-with-jorge-ramos.html

This video is also up on YouTube.

The labor movement faces its most difficult assault since the passage of the Taft-Hartley act which changed the nature of organized labor in the U.S.

 Labor will be shaken to its core.  Harold Meyerson has a good piece on this on the DSA blog, Talking Union.  https://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2016/11/24/trump-and-the-crisis-of-labor/

The Trump administration’s chief military advisor advocates siding with Asad and Putin in Syria, and usually recommends U.S. military interventions in troubled areas.

antiracismdsa: Fighting Back Against the White Revolt of 2016

antiracismdsa: Fighting Back Against the White Revolt of 2016:   Bill Fletcher, Jr. and Bob Wing    November 28, 2016 Verso Press On the left and within progressive moveme...

Choosing Democracy: Betsy DeVos Would Dismantle Public Schools

Choosing Democracy: Betsy DeVos Would Dismantle Public Schools: By nominating Betsy DeVos for secretary of education, Donald Trump has shown he is serious about decimating public education. For the last...

The System IS Rigged!—The Electoral College and the 2016 Election | Portside

The System IS Rigged!—The Electoral College and the 2016 Election | Portside



Slave holding and the Electoral College.  Bill Fletcher,  Bob Wing.

Join the Resistance. Progressive Alliance

Sacramento/Campus Progressive Alliance

sacramentopa.blogspot.com

Bummed out about Trump? 

Want to do something about it?

Good... Join the Resistance this Saturday.

Sacramento/Campus Progr

essive Alliance

 

December Organizing Meeting

 

Saturday, December 3rd, 10am-12pm

Capital Room (3rd Floor)

Sacramento State University Union

Steve Mnuchin: Evictor, Forecloser, and Our New Treasury Secretary

Steve Mnuchin: Evictor, Forecloser, and Our New Treasury Secretary: Trump’s appointee is the very model of a predatory lender.

Trump Appoints Vulture Capitalist to Treasury

After an effort to purge lobbyists from his quickly arranged transition team, President-elect Donald Trump, who campaigned on a “drain the swamp” message, is set to promote another swamp-dweller to a high-ranking position in his administration.

Trump is set to announce that Steven Mnuchin will be his Treasury secretary, per a recommendation from his own transition team, the Associated Press reports.

Mnuchin served as Trump’s national finance chairman during the campaign after a long history in private investment banking and on Wall Street.

Prior to joining the team, Mnuchin worked at Goldman Sachs for 17 years and OneWest Bank, which got into hot water for a series of attempted home foreclosures after the 2008 housing bubble burst.

He also founded RatPac-Dune Entertainment, a movie-production company that bankrolled Avatar, as well as other films. After OneWest was sold to CIT Group in 2015, Mnuchin went on to serve on its board and became the chairman and chief executive of the private investment firm Dune Capital Management.

During his tenure at OneWest, the bank was responsible for attempting to remove families from their homes against the families’ wills.

A New York judge erased $525,000 in mortgage debt owed by a Long Island couple to OneWest Bank in 2009 because the institution was harassing them. Suffolk County Judge Jeffrey Spinner blasted the bank’s “harsh, repugnant and repulsive” acts as they attempted to toss the family out on the street around Thanksgiving.

President-Elect Trump: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Already a big gap between Trump’s promises to the middle class and his policies | Economic Policy Institute

Already a big gap between Trump’s promises to the middle class and his policies | Economic Policy Institute

Trump economic policy.  Riches for the rich.

Mayor Sternberg Promises to Protect Sanctuary City Status

BY ANITA CHABRIA

achabria@sacbee.com

Sacramento Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg is vowing to fight federal attempts to deport undocumented immigrants under incoming president Donald Trump, who promised during his campaign to stop cities from shielding people from immigration enforcement.

Steinberg, a former Democratic state legislator, this week reaffirmed Sacramento’s self-proclaimed status since 1985 as a “sanctuary city.” Responding to a federal crackdown on Central American refugees, the City Council that year made Sacramento a “safe haven” that prohibits city employees, including police, from asking about immigration status or withholding benefits or services based on immigration status.

“We are going to make it very clear that Sacramento will continue to be a sanctuary city,” Steinberg said in an interview Tuesday. “I can’t say it strongly enough: We are going to assure ... families and kids and anybody who is worried about their status in our community that we are going to stand with them.”

Democratic mayors across the country in cities that include Seattle, New York and Chicago have made similar commitments since Trump’s win last week. There are about 300 municipalities nationwide that could be considered sanctuaries for their attempts to protect immigrants from deportation, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, though there is no definition of what that designation means.

About 65,000 undocumented immigrants live in Sacramento County, according to a 2012 study from the Public Policy Institute of California. That’s about one undocumented immigrant for every 22 county residents, lower than the statewide average of one undocumented immigrant for every 13 residents.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Brilliant Speech on President-elect Trump

Choosing Democracy: Sacramento in the Trump House

Choosing Democracy: Sacramento in the Trump House: Sacramento outgoing    first lady Michelle Rhee and   outgoing Mayor Kevin Johnson met with President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday as ...

Immigration Summit at Sac State Today

Keeping the Dream Alive Summit featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker and media publisher Jose Antonio Vargas as the keynote speaker. Vargas is the founder of Define American, a media and culture nonprofit that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America; and the founder .

BY STEPHEN MAGAGNINI

smagagnini@sacbee.com

Jose Antonio Vargas left the Philippines for Northern California at 12 and has spent 23 years fighting to become a legal resident. He hasn’t succeeded, despite sharing in a Pulitzer Prize at The Washington Post in 2008.

Now he says he is fighting for thousands of “Dreamers” – young undocumented immigrants brought here as children who finished high school and legally obtained their work permits but could face deportation by the Trump administration, which has called for the removal of the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants.

On Monday, Vargas – founder of Define American, a nonprofit media and culture organization built around immigration and citizenship, and editor of #EmergingUS – will be the keynote speaker at the Keeping The Dream Alive Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Sacramento State’s University Union Ballroom.

The summit is sponsored by the school’s Dreamer Resource Center and Full Circle Project to help the campus’s estimated 700 undocumented students, plus those whose parents are undocumented, said program coordinator Norma Mendoza.

Democrats Embrace of Neoliberalism Won It for Trump.

It was the Democrats' Embrace of Neoliberalism That Won It for Trump

By Naomi Klein 

November 9, 2016

The Guardian (UK)

Davos - where the global elite gather every winter to discuss and decide on economic policy effecting the rest of us. `Elite neoliberalism unleashed the Davos class. People such as Hillary and Bill Clinton are the toast of the Davos party. In truth, they threw the party.' 

Photograph: Ruben Sprich/Reuters // The Guardian

They will blame James Comey and the FBI. They will blame voter suppression and racism. They will blame Bernie or bust and misogyny. They will blame third parties and independent candidates. They will blame the corporate media for giving him the platform, social media for being a bullhorn, and WikiLeaks for airing the laundry.

But this leaves out the force most responsible for creating the nightmare in which we now find ourselves wide awake: neoliberalism. That worldview - fully embodied by Hillary Clinton and her machine - is no match for Trump-style extremism. The decision to run one against the other is what sealed our fate. If we learn nothing else, can we please learn from that mistake?

Here is what we need to understand: a hell of a lot of people are in pain. Under neoliberal policies of deregulation, privatisation, austerity and corporate trade, their living standards have declined precipitously. They have lost jobs. They have lost pensions. They have lost much of the safety net that used to make these losses less frightening. They see a future for their kids even worse than their precarious present.

Please Sign the "Our Revolution" Petition -- Rep. Keith Ellison for DNC Chair

Hey Folks, Here's your chance to take a meaningful stand against Trump is and for Progressives change. Please join Bernie, Elizabeth Warren and hundreds of thousands of other good folks in signing the petition to support of Rep. Keith Ellison for DNC Chair, and please share this link. Thanks... and Keep Hope Alive!

Our Revolution

November 10 at 5:58pm · 

You cannot be a party which on one hand says we're in favor of working people, we're in favor of the needs of young people but we don't quite have the courage to take on Wall Street and the billionaire class. People do not believe that. You've got to decide which side you're on.

That's why we and Bernie Sanders support Rep. Keith Ellison to be the next Chair of the DNC. Keith leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, he has been a principled voice for working people his entire political career and he will ensure the future Democratic party stands up to Wall Street.

Sign this petition which will be delivered straight to the DNC:

Bernie Sanders: "Add Your Name to Support Keith Ellison for DNC Chair"

We need a Democratic National Committee led by a progressive who understand the dire need to listen to working families, not the political establishment or the…

OURREV.US

Don't Complain. Vote !

 Voter  Guides: Sacramento Progressive Alliance Candidates:

http://sacramentopa.blogspot.com/2016/10/our-ballot-recommendations-candidates.html

Voter Guide: Propositions

http://sacramentopa.blogspot.com/2016/10/voter-guide-propositions.html

See blog posts below on propositions and candidates.