Stae aluef; foekas on plaatfaurm aand kaabinat
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If yu hoep tu haav ene influewans on tha jeneral eelekshan, aur tu beekum tha kompramiez kaandidaet hwen Oebomma aand Bilare kaansal eech uther out aand tha baakerz uv eech reefyuez tu yooniet around the uther, yu must NOT ENDAURS eether Klintan naur Oebomma. Hoeld yaurself aluef aand let tha droma plae out. Yu risk aantaaganiezing haaf tha Porte if yu endaurs eether wun. Hwi wood yu du thaat?
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Foekas faur nou on seting the ajenda bi rieting tha plaatfaurm aand maeking porte insiederz foekas on hu shood be naemd tu aul Kaabinat pazishanz in ene Demakraatik Aadministraeshan, sins anounsing such choisaz in aadvaans uv Eelekshn Dae kood nuetraliez reezentmants bi apaurshaning tha Kaabinat amung maejer Demakraatik grueps. If yu foekas on tha plaatfaurm aand Kaabinat, yu kood haav vere sabstaanshal influewans on tha fyuecher, perhaaps eevan maur thaan tha Prezidenshal nomine.
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This iz tha wae tu molifi ke kanstichuewanseez, aand reeyooniet tha porte if boetth Oebomma aand Klintan or nokt out uv tha Prezidanse. I hoeld out ZEERO hoep faur a yoonietad porte if EETHER Klintan aur Oebomma iz tha nomine faur EETHER Prez aur Veep. Boetth kaamps haave indikaetad thaat Vies Prezidant wood be aan insult. Doen't insult eether uv them. Ruel them boetth out aas tue diviesiv, aand werk tu haav tha Porte asien Kaabinat pazishanz tu thair KANSTICHUEWANSEEZ insted. Servae tha posibool Kaabinat aufiserz faur thair wilingnas tu aaksept such a nominaeshan, so hwen the Kanvenshan apruevz aan Edwerdz-led PLAATFAURM aand Edwerdz-led KAABINAT — huewever the nomine miet be — tha Porte kaan faurs huewever, uv EETHER PORTY, shood win tha jeneral eelekshan tu adres thoez kansernz aand kanstichuewenseez. Thaat wae, eevan if, bi sum mistep (hwich Demakraats or entieyerle tue inkliend tu taek), yu shood not be tha nomine faur Prezidant, yu kaan stil influewans tha kaurs uv naashanal — aand werld — afairz tu faever tha peepool yu haav so elakwantle aand kansistantle chaampeeyand, aand shaep tha naashanal konversaeshan oever tha nekst sevral yeerz.
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Uv kaurs, if yu du beekum tha nomine faur Preziadant, aaz embiterd Oebomma aand Klintan sapaurterz reefyuez tu raale around eether wun uv THEM but insist on a kompramiez ttherd kaandidaet, yu shood aask Bil Richerdsan tu run witth yu faur Veep. Aan Edwerdz-Richerdsan tikat kood aakchuewale win. Aan Oebomma-Eneewun tikat wil luez; a Klintan-Eneewun tikat wil luez — boetth bi a laandslied UNLES MikKaen duz sumtthing inkredible stuepid liek naeming Kondaleeza Ries aaz Veep. Thaat seemz moest unliekle.
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Eevan if tha Demakraatik Prezidenshal kaandidaet duz go doun in flaemz, yu MUST foekas on the Konggras. Demakraats must win a veetoe-pruef majorite in boetth houzaz. Heer or the ishuez thaat wood maek thaat posibool, a raadikale popyoolist plaatfaurm thaat adresaz tha moest impaurtant ishuez in tha REEL werld, a werld witth hwich aul tue mene Demakraats haav no kanekshan:
- a naashanal yuezhare lau, seting tha maaksimam raet uv interest faur aul kiendz uv loenz, inklueding kredit kord perchasaz aand kaash aadvaansaz, aat, sae, 15%, aand faur maurgajaz, 6%; such a lau shood apli tu aul paemants on kredit kordz goewing faurwerd, eevn on perchasaz aur kaash aadvaansaz maed beefaurhaand;
- restaraeshan uv baangkruptse pratekshan tu tha lital gi; in thaat wae, eevan if kaurts shood ruel thaat no yuezhare lau kood afekt baalansaz aulrede akrued, milyanz uv Amairikanz drouning in det due tu yuezhare kood eskaep thaat det tthru baangkruptse aand reezuem a pozitiv roel in tha naashanal eekoname bi maeking perchasaz raather thaan det paemants;
- yueniversal heltthkair in a simpool, singgal-paeyer faurm, tu be paed faur frum jeneral revenyuez, witth no out-uv-pokat ekspens tu tha puer aand midal klaas;
- restaraeshan uv steeple pragresiv taaksaeshan, tu tha raets on tha rich aand sueper-rich thaat wer in plaes beefaur the 1986 Pluetakraatik Revalueshan (tha Raegan "taaks reefaurm");
- permanant solvanse faur Soeshal Sakyuerite bi ending the inkum limit, so thaat evreewun, not just tha puer aand midal klaas, paez Soeshal Sakyuerite taaks on evre doler thae maek, aaz thae du faur Medikair;
- ajustment upwerd uv Soeshal Sakyuerite benafit paemants so thaat peepool kaan aakchuewale liv on it;
- meenz testing uv Soeshal Sakyuerite so thaat peepool abuv a sertan inkum (sae, $40,000 per yeer) frum thair oen saursaz get NUTTHING;
- ending tha dispaarite thaat Soeshal Sakyuerite aaz kerantle faurmyoolaetad perpechuewaets tu detth: thoez hu maed maur mune duering werking yeerz get maur mune frum Soeshal Sakyuerite duering reetieyermant! End thaat aand maek Soeshal Sakyuerite payouts eekwal tu evreewun, ajustad oenle tu reejanal difransaz in kaust uv living;
lejislaeshan faurbiding "siening staetmants" thaat perpaurt tu apruev oenle paurshanz uv a bil sent bi Konggras tu tha Prezidant;
aand so on.
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Yu shood aaz wel sakyuer frum patenshal kaabinat memberz kleer staetmants thaat thae faever
- ending tha "doen't aask, doen't tel polise" aand faurbiding aanteegae diskriminaeshan in tha militere aand evre uther port uv the Federal Guvernmant, inklueding Federal kontraakterz;
- repeeling tha "Deefens uv Maaraj Aakt" aaz unesasere aand diskriminataure.
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If yaur kaampaen faur tha Prezidanse wuz not just aan eksersiez in eego, but a jenuewin kamitmant tu terning around a kuntre thaat haaz gaun seereeyasle astrae taurd pluetokrase, yu must NOT endaurs eether Oebomma naur Klintan, aand MUST foekas on tha PLAATFAURM aand KAABINAT. Cheerz.

Stay aloof; focus on platform and cabinet
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If you hope to have any influence on the general election, or to become the compromise candidate when Obama and Billary cancel each other out and the backers of each refuse to unite around the other, you must NOT ENDORSE either Clinton nor Obama. Hold yourself aloof and let the drama play out. You risk antagonizing half the Party if you endorse either one. Why would you do that?
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Focus for now on setting the agenda by writing the platform and making party insiders focus on who should be named to all Cabinet positions in any Democratic Administration, since announcing such choices in advance of Election Day could neutralize resentments by apportioning the Cabinet among major Democratic groups. If you focus on the platform and Cabinet, you could have very substantial influence on the future, perhaps even more than the Presidential nominee.
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This is the way to mollify key constituencies, and reunite the party if both Obama and Clinton are knocked out of the Presidency. I hold out ZERO hope for a united party if EITHER Clinton or Obama is the nominee for EITHER Prez or Veep. Both camps have indicated that Vice President would be an insult. Don't insult either of them. Rule them both out as too divisive, and work to have the Party assign Cabinet positions to their CONSTITUENCIES instead. Survey the possible Cabinet officers for their willingness to accept such a nomination, so when the Convention approves an Edwards-led PLATFORM and Edwards-led CABINET — whoever the nominee might be — the Party can force whoever, of EITHER PARTY, should win the general election to address those concerns and constituencies. That way, even if, by some misstep (which Democrats are entirely too inclined to take), you should not be the nominee for President, you can still influence the course of national — and world — affairs to favor the people you have so eloquently and consistently championed, and shape the national conversation over the next several years.
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Of course, if you do become the nominee for President, as embittered Obama and Clinton supporters refuse to rally around either one of THEM but insist on a compromise third candidate, you should ask Bill Richardson to run with you for Veep. An Edwards-Richardson ticket could actually win. An Obama-Anyone ticket will lose; a Clinton-Anyone ticket will lose — both by a landslide UNLESS McCain does something incredibly stupid like naming Condoleezza Rice as Veep. That seems most unlikely.
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Even if the Democratic Presidential candidate does go down in flames, you MUST focus on Congress. Democrats must win a veto-proof majority in both houses. Here are the issues that would make that possible, a radically populist platform that addresses the most important issues in the REAL world, a world with which all too many Democrats have no connection:
- a national usury law, setting the maximum rate of interest for all kinds of loans, including credit card purchases and cash advances, at, say, 15%, and for mortgages, 6%; such a law should apply to all payments on credit cards going forward, even on purchases or cash advances made beforehand;
- restoration of bankruptcy protection to the little guy; in that way, even if courts should rule that no usury law could affect balances already accrued, millions of Americans drowning in debt due to usury could escape that debt thru bankruptcy and resume a positive role in the national economy by making purchases rather than debt payments;
- universal healthcare in a simple, single-payer form, to be paid for from general revenues, with no out-of-pocket expense to the poor and middle class;
- restoration of steeply progressive taxation, to the rates on the rich and super-rich that were in place before the 1986 Plutocratic Revolution (the Reagan "tax reform");
- permanent solvency for Social Security by ending the income limit, so that everyone, not just the poor and middle class, pays Social Security tax on every dollar they make, as they do for Medicare;
- adjustment upward of Social Security benefit payments so that people can actually live on it;
- means testing of Social Security so that people above a certain income (say, $40,000 per year) from their own sources get NOTHING;
- ending the disparity that Social Security as currently formulated perpetuates to death: those who made more money during working years get more money from Social Security during retirement! End that and make Social Security payouts equal to everyone, adjusted only to regional differences in cost of living;
- legislation forbidding "signing statements" that purport to approve only portions of a bill sent by Congress to the President;
and so on.
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You should as well secure from potential cabinet members clear statements that they favor
- ending the "don't ask, don't tell policy" and forbidding antigay discrimination in the military and every other part of the Federal Government, including Federal contractors;
- repealing the "Defense of Marriage Act" as unnecessary and discriminatory.
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If your campaign for the Presidency was not just an exercise in ego, but a genuine commitment to turning around a country that has gone seriously astray toward plutocracy, you must NOT endorse either Obama nor Clinton, and MUST focus on the PLATFORM and CABINET. Cheers.

- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 11:59 PM