Like that old fable about the scorpion riding a frog across the river. It’s in their nature to bite, even if it could mean their own end. From Ye Olde Twitter Feede:
According to this CFR, VT Dems take money from union buster Wal-Mart. This is why we need a #ProgRevolution. #VtPolipic.twitter.com/XDevwqsUmV
— VT Progressive Party (@progparty) August 25, 2016
On the one hand, yeah, the Progressives are well within their rights to point out unsavory (from their POV) behavior by Vermont Democrats. On the other, the timing seems just a wee bit off, considering that…
— Pretty much all the Progressive candidates are running as Democrats, taking advantage of the Democratic brand while seeking to undercut its value. And threatening their own purity in the process: taint by association is hard to remove.
— Their boy David Zuckerman just gained access to the fabled and much-desired Democratic Party voter database*, which has taken years and many dollars (some from corporate sources) to assemble.
*Correction: The Dems and the Zuckerman campaign reached agreement on resource-sharing and a coordinated campaign, but if does not include full access to the database.
At the very least, they might have waited a few days after Zuckerman’s organizational victory to start taunting the party that’s tangibly propping up their own prospects. And what did they gain? The fleeting satisfaction of sending a Mean Tweet.
As the scorpion sank beneath the waves, he belted out a hearty chorus of “My Way.”
The Vermont Political Observer. 
Okay, point taken, but to their point, what the f are the dems doing taking money from Wal-Mart? That money needs to be sent back. What do labor unions think about the dems taking money from Wal-Mart?
I don’t know. Maybe, in a Citizens United world, the unions would say the Dems need all the resources they can get to fight the conservative money machine.
Besides, it’s five hundred bucks. I don’t think anybody in the Democratic Party is selling their soul that cheap
And if you ask me where the line, I don’t know. But it’s definitely somewhere above $500.
This is a great example of the Purity Wars I wrote about previously. Why provoke a needless conflict over a $500 donation?
I don’t really think Walmart has ANY interest in funding the fight for Progressive values. Zero. They donate for a reason, alright, and it’s the advancement of Walmart and it’s profits. All-purpose-hand-greasing….
https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/07/19521/how-citizens-united-helping-hillary-clinton-win-white-house.
There’s great lines in this piece from, oh, car salesmen in southie or east Podunk basically saying ‘hey. I give money where I’m told. Give to Republicans, give to Democrats, whatev-ah.’ There’s always a quid pro quo with these people. Somehow I don’t think the quo they’re after is a livable wage. And given as VT Democrats haven’t exactly been standing-up for economic fairness or decent wages, seems like these dollops of money may be working.
My point isn’t the rightness or wrongness of accepting $500 from WalMart. My point is, the Progs picked a lousy time to stick the needle in. If they’re that holy, why are they taking such advantage of the Democratic brand and the party’s resources?
Yeah, you got a point
But. The Progs want the Dems to cut the shit. That’s the point. It’s not that the Dems are too unholy to associate with, it’s that the Dems need to change…….
Supported Bernie over the Clintons for Potus, b/c he could not have run as Indy w/o playing role of spoiler & he would have given an entire generation of young ppl a voice, plus vastly better choice for all those voting left. We now can see had he done so he would have won.
As it turns out election was stolen by DNC, at the behest of DWS on behalf of *former* employer HRC, managing’08 run — RIP Seth Rich. What does this tell us about Dem brand & unlikeableness of Clintons. Short answer: alot.
If he had gotten in, onerous congress & even some Dems would have hampered much of his
progressive agenda so wasn’t really that worrried about moving more to the left as BHO has done so much damage, there is little left to do. For the most part Bernie is an honest broker & decent human being.
However the perverse relationship between D & P on the state level, that is the ever-looming existential threat of Progs running own candidates, scaring the Bejeezis out of the Dems. Thereby posing a risk of handing every election to the right is only benefitting the Progs neverending ride on the backs of Dems to elected office.
Neighbors are older lifelong Dems, retired teacher & LE who will not vote for Killary, but easily went for Bernie. Personally believe they are emblematic of the good hardworking ppl amongst us who cannot support career criminals.
Not a fan of stealth movements or secret societies. Soo, Progs should stand up & be counted for who they are & what they believe rather than lurking in the shadows attempting to overtake by hijacking elected positions & Dem party by stealth. Or, figure out what is turning off the Dems from supporting them & deal with it.
Dems should bite the bullet & insist they do so. May lose an election or two but at least would push the Progs & agenda into daylight. In which case Progs would have a very steep uphill climb for top job or key positions outside of a few elected state positions, or for statehouse in pockets of leftwing bastions as Doug Hoffer has been so succcessful in doing.
However DH stands alone on his own good credentials & had already been doing a large amount of contracting work for the state, so well known as an honest broker & trustworthy arbiter on behalf of We The (little) People. Other Progs could & should be seeking elected positions by the same token not as closet Progs masquerading as Dems.
Perhaps it’s pointing out the hypocrisy of the Dems demonizing corporations like WalMart while happily taking their money. $500 may not seem like much — and to the Waltons it’s the equivalent of dropping a penny on the ground — but it’s helpful to remind willing politicians that they depend on the teat of the moneyed. $500 to a Vermont sized campaign buys a lot more than $500 to a New York campaign.
The reason this prog poking hurts is that you know how terrible of a corporation WalMart truly is, but this time they’re giving to *your* teams’ candidates instead of the other team.
It’s also worth reminding people that Hillary served on the WalMart board during one of their largest national expansions-slash-erosion of small town American business.
I sometimes shop at WalMart. Guess I should shut down the blog.
Also, the homeless shelter in Barre just took 50 G’s from the Walmart Foundation. Should they give it back?
I buy Quilted Northern TP; it doesn’t mean I can’t criticize the Koch brothers 😉
The VT Democratic party platform’s first paragraph talks about dedication to a livable wage, which is the diametric opposite of WalMart’s corporate platform.