POLL @ WA POST: Bernie Sanders: Waste of time or proving a point?

[L. Coyote]

Source: Washington Post

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (D) has been speaking on the Senate floor for the better part of the last six hours in a protest of the tax cut compromise that President Obama cut earlier this week.

Sanders' speak-a-thon is only prolonging the inevitable: a cloture vote on the compromise at 3 pm Monday.

But, opponents of the legislation insist the attention his speech is drawing is its own reward -- shining a light on what liberals believe to be a very bad deal.

So, what do you make of the Sanders' stand? Is he proving an important point about the tax compromise or just wasting the Senate's time on a slow Friday afternoon? Vote below.

Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/fix-poll/bernie-sanders-waste-of-time-o.html

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VOTE! Poll at link above.

***** Official LIVE BLOG Senate = Tax Cuts Debate *****
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9744049#9746355

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Making a point

[L. Coyote]

22. ***** Official LIVE BLOG Senate = Tax Cuts Debate *****

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9744049

[polichick]

2. A real & principled filibuster is beyond proving a point! nt

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. The media will see it as a waste of time because they don't like what he is saying.

That's about the nub of it. He is calling out the greedy. He is calling out the lies and the games.

[Ozymanithrax]

4. This is not a waste of time...

Today is a day set aside of people to make speeches on the floor of the Senate. He is putting out a lot of good information.

Now, it isn't a real filibuster, and he may very well declare a real filibuster or join with Demint in holding one, but that doesn't mean he is wasting time.

[monmouth]

12. And the poll concurs. n/t

[harvey007]

5. Call the Washington offices of your U.S. Senators

And tell them to support Bernie Sanders' filibuster and stop the extension of tax cuts for the rich.

Also, contact Cspan and ask them to run this on cspan 1, since most working people with cable tv only get cspan 1.

[Lifelong Protester]

11. Anyone able to report that they have gotten through? Is anyone

else joining Senator Sanders?

[xchrom]

6. Recommend

[LaPera]

7. Kick! - Do Bernie a favor would you? Hit the link & take the poll.....

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/fix-poll/bernie...


Thanks!

[Ruperto31]

8. He needs more Senators to help him.

I read somewhere that Landreiu and Brown might help. But they need more. It has to keep going.

[Kennah]

9. Ultimately, perhaps both

If the Senators are tipping their hand and intimating we will do a real filibuster on Monday so back off now, then perhaps it does drive home a point--if they make good on the threat of a filibuster.

However, I suspect that extending the Bush tax cuts is inevitable, so in that this is a waste of time--even if they make good on the threat of a filibuster.

[Lifelong Protester]

10. 86% in the poll say making an important point.

I voted and agree.

[Kennah]

13. 3% answered "Who is Bernie Sanders?"

[slay]

14. Anyone who thinks this is a waste of time does not truly care about the future of this country

or the world. This info needs to be televised and entered into the congressional record - as it is.

*on edit: I voted Proving a Point at the WAPO link - 86% currently agree.

[spanone]

15. he's acting like a representative of the people he serves. admirable.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

16. Proving a point? Bernie's an educator, tying political decisions to economic outcomes...

So much easier to interview a dozen Republicans reporting the same 3 word talking points.

It must be brutal for the MSM to do their job!

[Hannah Bell]

18. they're not doing their job even now. clinton's presser is getting full coverage.

elizabeth smart verdict treated like it's major news, sanders is getting about a minute.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

24. Needless to say, I'm watching Bernie

Hannah Bell :thumbsup:

[Hannah Bell]

25. great, but preaching to the converted ain't enough

[mimitabby]

17. be sure to vote, there's a poll!

[blaze]

20. 87% Proves an important point! nt

[LiberalAndProud]

19. When they say, “I don’t think anybody could have predicted ..."

Ms. Rice's excuse will be resurrected when the ramifications of this bill come to fruition. We will point to Bernie's speech here and say loudly, proudly, yes somebody did predict.

[Matariki]

21. Who cares which. It's rare to hear the truth told so bluntly on the floor of the Senate.

[Johonny]

23. I agree

for a lot of people just one day to hear one person get to the floor and say what basically so many people know but never get to say on the media, in political debates on the campaign trail is a big deal. Real sans a few moments at the democratic convention these points are never really aired by the party that is suppose to have these points as its basic platform. Why does someone outside the party have to be the voice for the caucus is beyond me. Today is the kind of talk you use to get from Clinton during the Democratic convention. It's the stuff that get's people to want to vote for liberal.

[MrsCorleone]

26. My thoughts?

I think he's making good use of the airtime that this will give him. He knows this. It's an effective strategy, and even the most tuned out among us will find it hard not to get sucked into the discussion. Now, hopefully, this will also sweeten the pot a bit. JMHO.

[ljm2002]

27. Although the poll is badly skewed...

...since it includes 2 negative choices vs. 1 positive choice (*), currently 87% of respondents say it proves an important point.

(*) The response choices are:

1 - Waste of time
2 - Proves an important point
3 - Who is Bernie Sanders?

[Waiting For Everyman]

28. K&R He's very effective reading the public's stories now.

One talked of burning the dining room furniture for heat. If nothing else, it's educating others of those in Congress to what I'm sure most of them don't know.

Added plus: I'm sure he won't run out of stories to read.

[DLnyc]

29. Would have been great to have Obama talk like this this summer.

Now the Republicans can easily run out the clock and vote whatever bill they want in January.

So it's fun to listen to, but the damage is done and we won't get rid of the top level tax cuts this year. Also, in two years, right before another election, it will get kicked down the road again. But that won't matter much, because the accelerating pace of wealth moving to the top will have sucked up pretty much everything by then.

[spanone]

30. 86% proves point