True North

The scars born of neglect never fade, even after they’re fully healed.

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Scattered throughout the rows of upright stones within Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery, there are a handful of stones lying flat. Found in the shade of an ancient tree, bearing a scar that has forever altered its shape.

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Lives have been irreparably impacted. Families of fallen HEROES…
Negligence. Blatant disrespect. Did they not know that their INACTION would have such a lasting impact? If they did know… would they have even cared?

And yet, the scars remain. These lives, forever entangled. The future, directly connected to our PAST… life, rising up out of the grave.

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Was it a filibuster that caused all this? Maybe a failed reconciliation package? Another war… an economic downturn? Maybe we just FORGOT… maybe we just wanted to forget. Years of entanglements in deadly foreign wars… I guess Congress just wanted to spend more money on flappers and speakeasies that session… ‘Let the dead lie, we have elections to win.’

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But that could never happen TODAY. Our National Cemeteries are watched, manicured, and maintained. 24/7. 365. They are HONORED and respected. Proudly we remember… not like back THEN. They didn’t know what we know now… we’ve learned that lesson. We’ve seen the damage that can come… Korea… Vietnam… Afghanistan… Iraq…

Did we learn that lesson or did we simply forget? Our grandparents learned that lesson.
Unfortunately… it seems we did not.

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https://apnews.com/article/us-army-veteran-immigration-raid-53cb22251a01599a0c4d1a8d5650d050

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And now we’re raising our own generation of ignorance and neglect. Years from now, our grandchildren will inherit a more broken and chaotic world than the one that we were given. More corruption, less trust in institutions. More debt… more war. More working hours, less acknowledgement and compensation at the end of the day.

Will they re-elect those who allowed this to happen… just as WE have done? Or will they see it for what it is and deny them another term…

Every ACT.
Every ORDER.

Every unconstitutional endeavor can be UNDONE… just as it was created.

With the stroke of a PEN.

Our future is not set in stone. Our trajectory can STILL CHANGE, but that path is up to US. At the ballot box. In this moment, everything is still possible. From the most destructive outcome to the most fortunate. WE are in control. Our VOTE. Our INACTION will be rewarded accordingly.

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CLARITY… above all else. Because that’s the one thing none of us have. What is the Will of the American People? Did our LAST election demonstrate that… what about the one before that?

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Politicians and elected officials make pronouncements based on polling data and election outcomes. In the last two Presidential elections alone, the polls and the outcomes didn’t match up. But then again… I can find a set of data points that can justify pretty much anything I want them to.

The only definitive polling takes place when we cast our ballot on Election Day. And even then, elected officials are able to read the tea leaves however they want them to read.

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The subtlety and nuance go far beyond small business vs. big gov’t. The question of whether our federal government should even exist is now front and center in the conversation. So now we’re forced to pick a side in the fight… do we side with the National Weather Service or do we side with the tornadoes.

We can make America Great again without destroying everything that made us great in the first place.

I think of it like this…

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Every idea, every concept. It’s all right there. Just offscreen. What is allowed to PASS through the lens, the framing of the shot… that’s where we find the problem.

Is there something ELSE not being presented? Is there a BETTER WAY that we’ve missed… and that’s being generous. Is there something else that we’ve been denied access to… hidden behind some PAYWALL… available only for a select few to see.

Those concepts… those assets… they don’t just disappear. They’re still there, just offscreen. Waiting. For someday. When they are needed…

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‘With malice toward none and with charity for all…’ Yes, those are lofty rhetorical words, but they are also a prescription for our ills. We must repair that which is broken, but we must also seek to restore that which is good about this Nation. The path is not set in stone, but we all know the destination- a more perfect Union.

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Empires may rise and empires may fall. Our Constitution shall remain.

-JC

Elections Have Consequences.

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Haven’t you heard? It’s the economy stupid. Keep it simple… just stick to the messaging and say it over and over again. Never mind if it doesn’t resonate. Just look at the POLLS. Americans vote on Pocketbook Issues…

Pocketbook Issues.

The American People are well versed on Pocketbook Issues. We make do with what we have, or we go without… politics be damned.

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What happens when our Elected Officials put POLITICS above all else… officials who are willing to stoke the FIRES of their political base in order to hold the reins of power? The latest Speaker of the House has compared the reproductive liberty of women and girls to acts of genocide carried out by Nazis.

How does that statement help craft viable legislation… how does that statement help anyone at all?

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/22/speaker-mike-johnson-holocaust-abortion

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And what happens when his supporters are disappointed? What happens when he fails to deliver on those legislative goals?

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/25/trump-expressed-support-hanging-pence-capitol-riot-jan-6-00035117

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Our former Vice President stoked those fires for YEARS… as a former Representative… as a former Governor. His supporters saw his failure as a betrayal. Why would Speaker Johnson’s supporters not see his shortcomings the same way?

But that doesn’t matter right now, does it. There are ELECTIONS to win… and 2024 is just WEEKS away.

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Screenshot from American Voices, MSNBC. (11/25/2023)

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As Senator Tuberville said… it’s time to stop the farce and unite the party. It’s always good to have a PLAN.

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The fight is JUST when the fight is waged to protect other’s rights… the fight to strip others of their rights, is a fight being waged against every American Citizen.

The lines have been drawn… the battle rages on. They’ve staked their claim on CRT, abortion access, and transgender rights. They’ve shown themselves to be in favor of a theocratic state…

**Where the hell is the Democratic Party?**

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What happens when our Elected Officials put POLITICS above all else… officials who are willing to stoke the FIRES of their political base in order to hold on to the reins of power? The Speakership of our former Speaker of the House was highlighted by a desire for INCLUSION. Expanding access for all genders and races, by promoting EQUALITY in the eyes of the Law.

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https://time.com/collection/time100-summit-2023/6274249/nancy-pelosi-4/

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-equal-rights-amendment-biden-action-20220926-jyyi6vhuj5ayhjtffu4muukna4-story.html

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/us/tara-reade-russia.html

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And what happens when her supporters are disappointed? What happens when her party fails to deliver on those legislative goals?

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https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michigan-hillary-clinton-trump-232547

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They’ll leave the top of the ticket BLANK. That’s IF they even bother to show up at all. What good does it do us if they secure the House and the Senate if they can’t deliver the White House? With no LEADERSHIP at the top of the ticket, there is no MAJORITY, let alone a Supermajority.

Historically speaking, the only remedy for Elected Officials who will not do as the voters have directed, is to vote them OUT.

Three election cycles.

Equality has BEEN on the ballot since 2018… yet Democrats still show no desire to get it done in 2024.

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The fight is JUST when the fight is waged to protect other’s rights… the fight to strip others of their rights, is a fight being waged against every American Citizen.

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And Women are the MAJORITY.

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But that doesn’t matter right now, does it. There are ELECTIONS to win… and 2024 is just WEEKS away.

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Screenshot from Deadline: White House, MSNBC. (11/22/2023)

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The lines have been drawn… the battle rages on. But haven’t you heard? It’s the ECONOMY stupid. Keep it simple… just stick to the messaging.

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Screenshot from All In w/ Chris Hayes, MSNBC. (11/10/2023)

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Just say it over and over again. Never mind if it doesn’t resonate. Just look at the POLLS.

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Screenshot from Morning Joe, MSNBC. (11/23/2023)

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The American People vote on Pocketbook Issues…

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https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/politics/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-thomas-gorsuch/index.html

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/senate-voting-legislation-filibuster/index.html

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Pocketbook Issues.

The American People are well versed on Pocketbook Issues… we make do with what we have, or we go without.

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https://www.statista.com/statistics/203183/percentage-distribution-of-household-income-in-the-us/

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Politics be damned.

-JC

For Whom The Bell Tolls

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The problem of the public’s perception of our current economic environment, lies in the fact that the underlying problems STILL EXIST… the vulnerability hasn’t been properly addressed.

The supply chain issues… the inflation and the response… why were these issues not anticipated? The pandemic raged for YEARS. Those problems were allowed to happen due to inaction. The suffering born of that inaction was cause by our Elected Officials, specifically the current Administration.

The polls show it… the American People want somebody else.
The American People don’t want Joe Biden.
The American People don’t want Donald Trump.
How do you combat that kind of thinking?

You engage. You call on everyone to jump into the mix and demand a worthy primary challenge. The BEST IDEAS always rise to the top.

But that’s NOT the strategy currently being embraced.

Donald Trump and the Republican Party have already said they don’t want a primary. Joe Biden has already said he doesn’t want a primary… and now? We’re going to have at least THREE Democrats on the ballot this fall and at least TWO Republicans.

In a country with only TWO major political parties, we’re going to have upwards of TEN CANDIDATES running for President…

Who’s fault is that?

Joe Biden had the chance to quell the unrest. He could have called for the fight, and demonstrated to his party that he was ready for re-election by knocking down every candidate BEFORE the general election.

Now, he’s split his own support. He’s spent all his political capital and has nothing to show for it. The VOTERS have carried all the weight, while he just signs the checks.

His ego and overconfidence has put our democratic process in jeopardy; and now, whomever wins in 2024 will do so with a MINORITY of support from the American People.

Joe Biden can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Donald Trump can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Robert Kennedy Jr. can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Cornell West can win with less than 50% of the vote.

Joe Biden has done more to advance the cause of Donald J. Trump than has Donald J. Trump. Joe Biden is Trump’s BIGGEST SUPPORTER right now… because Donald J. Trump doesn’t need to gain the support of the MAJORITY to win re-election.

All he has to do is hold on to his 46%.

Right now Donald Trump may be the single greatest threat to Our Constitution, but Joe Biden comes in a very close SECOND. I suppose… that’s just how the Electoral College works.

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So, here we are… at the cusp… on the brink. He’s said so HIMSELF that he’s ready to terminate the Constitution. He’s ready to turn the DOJ into HIS servant… and what’s the message from our President?

**‘Look at everything I’ve done for you, you stupid bastards.’**

It’s all the VOTER’S FAULT… they just don’t understand. He’s already told us HIMSELF that he doesn’t want anything to change. Everything’s going exactly how he wants it… HIS party is in control and there’s NO COMPETITION to stop him.

The voters will ‘come home’ this fall… and why wouldn’t they? Judge him by the alternative, not the Almighty, right? Well, last I checked… The Almighty isn’t on the ballot this fall.

Arrogance, Ego, Apathy, and Inaction. The Four Horsemen of our Constitutional Apocalypse.

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But our future is not yet set in stone… we don’t need to go down this path yet again. We’ve already learned this lesson in 2016. FOUR YEARS of degradation to the structural norms of our institutions has shown us where the vulnerabilities lie… we all know what the problem IS.

And so do our enemies… the people who seek to tear it all down.

They’re working OVERTIME, trying to undo this Union. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party should be doing the SAME… yet they are not.

Never underestimate the Will of the American People.

Never underestimate the ability of the Democratic Party to snatch DEFEAT from the jaws of VICTORY.

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I see a future, in which the American People decide who will be our President… not the DONORS.

I see a future, in which Elected Officials don’t need to cater to Dark Money interests; because they won’t need to FUNDRAISE in order to seek re-election.

I see a future in which every Citizen of this Land, in every State and in every city, decides who will be on the ballot each election.

Not just a MINORITY… but the MAJORITY.

Every Citizen. Every election.

More participation equals BETTER GOVERNANCE.

And that’s the problem… every candidate on the ballot this fall wants more of the same. There is no vision. There is no path toward a better future.

That needs to change.

-JC

Reach. Throw. Row. Then GO.

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It’s not as if there weren’t RIOTS in the streets or something… like it was so hard to decipher what the Will of the MAJORITY was in 2020.

**People were in the streets demanding CHANGE.**

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https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/866472832/violence-escalates-as-protests-over-george-floyd-death-continue

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Philando Castile. Eric Garner. George Floyd. The Minneapolis Police Department. The Louisville Police Department. Atlanta. KC. New York… and what did we get?

Bridges and Roads.

Hot damn! While our Democracy succumbs to the ROT and CORRUPTION… at least the TRAINS will run on-time.

But that’s what he was selling from his basement back in 2020- A Return to Normalcy. Well… we got it. Nothing says ‘Back to Normal’ like politicians catering to the DONORS, instead of working for the VOTERS.

I’d say we’re all in agreement on that.

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How much more PROOF do we need? Seventy-six percent of these United States have now RATIFIED the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, yet President Biden and his Administration fight against its publication. ONE MAN stands opposed to 76%… how is that defending democracy?

Night after night we see more examples of why we must end qualified immunity, and why we must hold Law Enforcement Officers accountable for abuses of power. Yet President Biden couldn’t rally enough support for it in the Senate… and this time it wasn’t because of the filibuster.

He couldn’t even get his own party to fall in line.

And it’s not just about falling in line. It’s about defending one’s CORE VALUES. What makes you who you ARE. The core identity of the Republican Party may have shifted drastically to the RIGHT, but the core identity of the Democratic Party has now shifted to the RIGHT as well.

The Republican Party fights to take rights away from women… from minorities… from LGBTQ individuals… the Democratic Party is supposed to be the party that champions PROTECTING the rights of those individuals. More rights for more people.

Elected Officials who stand opposed to EQUALITY stand opposed to the platform of the Democratic Party… those Elected Officials are not Democrats.

**Yet Joe Manchin still holds a Committee Chair in the United States Senate.**

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So, how does that CHANGE? We VOTE. We rally behind the CAUSE… the Core Principles we hold SACRED. We raise the flag and hoist the sails, celebrating who we are and the causes for which we STAND… knowing that our efforts will be victorious at the end of the day.

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https://nypost.com/2022/09/12/kamala-harris-lies-about-the-secure-border/

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https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/570128-father-of-marine-killed-in-kabul-blast-says-meeting-with-biden/

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/a-fist-bump-at-the-palace-biden-squares-off-with-mbs-00046106

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/26/europe/ukraine-zelensky-evacuation-intl/index.html

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Back in MY day, every member of the Democratic Party would be fired UP to go out and vote AGAINST an incumbent who’s overseen failures like these.

In 2024… these are the accomplishments of the Leader of the Democratic Party.

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I attended the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington last weekend. When I first heard its announcement back in February, I decided I wouldn’t go. I have no desire to go to a Joe Biden rally, and I knew that’s what it would end up being. Dr. Martin Luther King III’s rebranding of it as a “continuation” of his father’s dream changed my mind.

I felt I had to attend. To show my support alongside thousands of others… Strength in numbers. That’s how we bring about CHANGE.

Of all the people I spoke with that day, one woman’s offhand comment stands out most in my mind-

‘I came here today to hear something HISTORIC.’

Of all the reasons I traveled to D.C. that day… that one wasn’t on my list. After hearing her say that I started questioning why I was there. Why didn’t I have those same expectations? Every possibility of that happening did exist…

The White House did send a high-level representative to speak on behalf of the President and Vice President… the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives was there, as was Jim Clyburn and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz…

The opportunity was there… yet, I was not as disappointed as she was.

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When someone is drowning, you must assess the situation carefully BEFORE taking action, in order to avoid causing unnecessary loss of life.

If they are a short distance away, you should first try reaching out your HAND or a long POLE and attempt to pull them to safety. If they are too far out, you should try throwing them a LIFE PRESERVER or a long ROPE. If these options are unsuccessful, you try to find a boat and ROW out to them and bring them to shore.

Only after all these have failed… only as an option of last resort should you ever try swimming out to save someone from drowning. As they are fighting to stay above the surface… fighting for their very survival… they will grab and push themselves UP onto anything that comes within their reach. In order to save their own life…

That includes anyone trying to save them.

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https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/

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Democratic Party… DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE?

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If you want to make a CHANGE, now is the time to do so… not in the fall of 2024.

I can see it. The VOTERS can see it. We ALL want you to be successful… in this moment we NEED you to be successful. But we can only offer you our assistance… it’s up to YOU, to decide if you will accept our HELP.

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https://www.axios.com/2023/04/17/poll-americans-independent-republican-democrat

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That window of opportunity will soon be closing… and no one wants to get pulled under by a drowning man.

-JC

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https://www.clintonherald.com/region/march-on-washington/image_b0cdcda8-f561-543e-8109-2cc07dedbb58.html

Grays. Sports. Almanac.

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Once upon a TIME… back when I was a young man, I remember living through a period in time just like the one we’re living through NOW. The only difference is… we hadn’t figured it out just yet. We were walking BLIND with no guidance or direction…

The rules of decorum were being used against us as a tool of oppression.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/national-security/obama-putin-election-hacking/?tid=usw_passupdatepg

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https://www.rules.senate.gov/rules-of-the-senate

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To SILENCE dissent. To benefit ONE over ANOTHER. In-service of a PARTY… not in-service of THE PEOPLE.

And this is merely ONE PART of a multi-piece puzzle. The FBI, the Election Interference, the Electoral College… and the arrogance. As it is TODAY, the candidate was decided LONG before the Primaries had even started.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/sanders-obama-meet-discuss-future-campaign-n588946

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It’s not about the VOTERS, it’s all about securing the DONORS… you can’t win The Office if you can’t secure the BASE.

Bernie wanted to EXPAND the footprint of Government and help lower the cost of healthcare for ALL Americans… something that stood opposed to the agenda of the DONORS. The pharmaceutical industry, the owners of the hospitals and clinics themselves, as well as the commercial real estate owners that profit off of the leasing of all those properties.

Hillary Clinton had been working with the healthcare sector since her time as First Lady… Bernie was an Independent Senator from the Great State of Vermont.

The DONORS made their choice and the PARTY fell in line. The machinery started turning… and everyone played their part.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-conventions/democratic-national-committee-chief-stepping-aside-after-convention-n615826

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All that was left were the formalities… the casting of the VOTES. After all that, then we could celebrate our new candidate.

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https://observer.com/2017/08/court-admits-dnc-and-debbie-wasserman-schulz-rigged-primaries-against-sanders/

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Like I said, a million pieces… but we’ve SEEN THIS SHOW BEFORE. There’s NO WAY we’d allow ourselves to make the same mistakes, we’ve already learned that lesson… right?

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The Democratic Party has a problem. Because right now, the Democratic Party is starting off the 2024 Campaign Season IN THE HOLE. I cannot vote for Joe Biden. I did not vote for Joe Biden…

**Joe Biden voted FOR the war in Iraq.**

A Senator who voted FOR the invasion of Iraq should never be President of the United States. The Presidency of Joe Biden now proves that to be so.

The Senator who voted FOR the invasion of Iraq, demonstrated the same leadership capabilities during our withdrawal of forces in Afghanistan.

The Senator who voted FOR the invasion of Iraq, brought that same vision and foresight to the table while dealing with a broken supply chain and a struggling economy.

The Senator who voted FOR the invasion of Iraq… while Osama bin Lauden was STILL ALIVE… took his place in The White House and WATCHED as Russian Forces invaded Ukraine.

He then went on to do the SAME THING as our President.

Let there be NO DOUBT… Vladimir Putin is the sole cause of the war in Ukraine, but our INACTION every step of the way did nothing to assuage that aggression.

In fact… our INACTION encouraged it.

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https://theintercept.com/2019/09/26/donald-trump-wants-ukraines-president-probe-conspiracy-theories-democrats/

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https://observer.com/2019/04/mueller-report-paul-manafort-konstantin-kilimnik-russia-ukraine/

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INACTION. Born of INACTION…

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https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michigan-hillary-clinton-trump-232547

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Party Politics at its finest.

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Even after the election of President Biden in 2020, we still find ourselves sliding BACKWARDS. Legislatures across this Land are working everyday to take rights away from American Citizens… based on their SEX… based on the color of their SKIN… based on the demographics of the community they are FROM…

Hillary Clinton didn’t lose to Donald Trump in 2016 because he was a brilliant orator or a political genius. Hillary Clinton lost because THE PEOPLE didn’t show up. I hate to quote Senator McConnell here, but candidate quality has a lot to do with it.

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