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As this afternoon’s YUUUGE Bernie Sanders rally at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater approached (oh, thanks for asking, I’ll let Ricardo and other friends who were there tell you about it in the comments section) a press release came across every OC journalist’s transom, from the College Republicans of UCI.
College Republicans – that’s the supercilious subculture that spawned, here locally, Matthew “Let’s put votive candles around this damaged teddy bear!” Cunningham, and nationally, Karl “John McCain has a black love child” Rove.
We know what these spoiled, nasty twits’ idea of a joke is, and the UCI branch did not let us down: Their plan for the Bernie rally was to faux-fundraise for the Venezuelan Red Cross, to make the point that the poverty and oppression Venezuelans are currently suffering are supposedly the end result of the democratic socialism Bernie and his supporters espouse.
I wrote back to their spokesman/treasurer Mitchell Stern (hitting reply-all so the same journalists could see my response) :
Venezuelan Red Cross is where these donations would go? I went to their site, and they don’t seem to be too busy, no posts since 2014. I’m sure there’s a more useful place in the world you and we could put our charitable donations, but then it wouldn’t have the pungent “satirical” irony you college Republicans intend.
How about we’ll give to Venezuela if you guys will send to Somalia Red Crescent as lawless Somalia represents the end game of you guys’ anti-government, anti-regulation philosophy, much more surely than Venezuelan oppression and poverty represent what a wealthy America enjoying a little of Bernie’s redistribution would look like. And Somalia Red Crescent’ site, unlike Venezuelan Red Cross, DOES have plenty of emergency posts, right up to last month.
Deal?
Vern Nelson, Bernie Supporter Speaking Only For Himself.
[Greg “Gericault” Ridge weighed in: “Venezuela needs to devaluate and uncouple the bolivar from the US dollar. The blackmarket is crippling their economy. But try explaining that to a bunch of libertarian-leaning OC entitled Republicans at UCI….” And Karin Ahlf pointed out: “Swedish children live under a socialist government, as do children in all Scandinavian countries. Are they suffering?”]
Unsurprisingly I never heard back. And neither did I see these College Republicans when I got to the event around 3 either. But a friend of mine – Matt from Occupy Santa Ana – did see them an hour later, clustered for safety near some security; he was both confused and irritated to see a bunch of well-fed college kids laugh and smirk while supposedly soliciting money for the impoverished. And you can see on the Facebook photos they posted tonight – they had themselves a mighty good laugh at the thought of miserable people in a country they’ll never see!
Meanwhile inside the amphitheater, six to seven thousand of us got a huge jolt of energy, solidarity and hope – this political revolution will keep going forward no matter who the eventual Democratic nominee is. As Bernie said, his message appeals to wide, wide majorities of younger people (College Republicans notwithstanding), even in states that he otherwise loses; ergo, his vision of a political revolution is our future, and not too far from now.
UPDATE: My friend Ryan Cantor says he used to be a College Republican, that a lot of them are good people, and that I’m painting with too broad a brush. No doubt I guess… but these kids pissed me off.
Why is that one guy wearing a Guy Fawkes mask with sunglasses?
Don’t be a hater – he was born that way, poor bloke.
I was active in CR. I met a lot of good people, most of whom still try hard to do good things in the world.
The tone of your post sucks, Vern.
Well, I’m going by Cunningham, Rove, and these folks. Three such examples can make one rush to conclusions?
THEY started with the tone!
Yeah, I don’t care who “THEY” are or what tone they used. YOUR tone sucks.
My people, if that’s what we want to call them, do not deserve the broad brush stroke you just handed down. It’s lazy, it’s spiteful, but most important– it’s just plain wrong.
Late to the party, and I’m new here, but: yes, yes, yes Ryan, as well as Rob and Sean below.
Meet Vern Nelson, proud graduate of the Gustavo Arellano School of Charm. 😉
Jajaja, gracias for reading!
You’re welcome Vern. Actually I kinda like this blog as it’s left-leaning from my perspective but in my experience, not half as angry as too many other lefty blogs I’ve seen. There’s more of a welcoming vibe here which I appreciate. 🙂
Also you’re annoying Gustavo, which has gotta count for something. Still annoyed that OCWeekly hasn’t covered the recent anti-semitism at UCI (not that that’s anything new).
Vitriol combats vitriol and the whole world dissolves in acid. I guess when you preach to the choir you don’t have to keep a civil tone. What was the point of this post other than to paint with an extremely broad brush and, in so doing, make yourself look bitter and angsty?
Vern- I’m a little disappointed with you. This is simply a group of young kids getting involved and providing dissent. Is dissent only appropriate if you deem it so? Better they do this than stand on the sidelines like most kids these days. I thought I knew you better. Glad you had a good time supporting your candidate, though.
College Republicans at UCI in the 80’s bragged that they got better quality cocaine than the lefties. They said they had a connection. What a glorious organization. How’s that for tone?
Guess I’m a bad guy today. 🙁 Well it was a lame-ass stunt.
If the shoe was on the other foot I doubt they would feel bad. Although I don’t know your critic here it seems to be the way to bet. So feel bad Vern, its what they were going for all along. Maybe your Freeway Blogging made them feel bad back in the day too.
“The blackmarket is crippling their economy.”
If you don’t see the irony in that statement – you are f**king hopeless.
Sincerely,
Adam Smith
Cursing so early in the morning, old man?
*What do they say: “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes?” How in the world can anyone pick on Bernie? He is from Vermont, where they know the name of every cow and food is actually real. This is the place across the border where real maple syrup comes from. This is location of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Museum an the wonderful Quechee Gorge! This is the home of the Burlington Coat Factory and where Bernie was President of a small local college. Bernie was even Mayor of Burlington and no one sued him or tried to roust him from office for bad doings. No, our Trojan Young Republicans should have gone on a ski trip to the Andes. They still have incredible Spring Skiing there right now. Home of the Patagonia revival….and so much more; including human waste fertilizer on their lettuce….Oh, never mind they also have some wonderful Magic Mushrooms….they say…..at least Carlos Castenada thought so…….oh but we drivel on…..sorry…but it could have been so exciting.
A few of Ricardo’s pictures from yesterday (click for better view)…
Finally some common sense within UCI. Thank you UCI college republicans for all your efforts to propagate reality so cleverly.
Hey lets not list any major successful Democratic Socialist countries. Lets be dummies and pick some poor country and say it failed because it mirrored policies Bernie wants to bring to America. Lets not bring up Finland or Canada.
Finland has one of the world’s best education systems, with no tuition fees and also giving free meals to their students. The literacy rate in Finland is 100 percent. Finland has one of the highest standards of living in the world. Like Denmark and other European countries, equality is considered one of the most important values in society. AND they have a free market economy.
http://thefederalist.com/2015/08/11/scandinavia-isn't-a-socialist-paradise/
According to The Economist, following the success of Sweden’s relatively right-leaning Moderate party, “Swedish GDP is growing strongly, and unemployment is falling. The budget is heading into surplus next year.” The article notes that many Swedes support moderate and right-wing reforms: “The centre-right has made welfare payments less generous, cut taxes for the lower-paid and trimmed the numbers on sickness benefit. Voters seem to approve.” The electoral success of moderate and conservative parties throughout Scandinavia (including Finland) is at once a rejection of progressive policies and an endorsement of free markets in what some consider to be the most progressive region in the world.
“The electoral success of moderate and conservative parties throughout Scandinavia (including Finland) is at once a rejection of progressive policies and an endorsement of free markets in what some consider to be the most progressive region in the world.”
Wrong. It’s not a rejection of progressive economic policies. It’s a result of irrational fear and paranoia regarding brown people entering the country.
How would the “brown people” of the home countries of those entering “brown people” feel about it if the flow of refugees were to be reversed?
Probably something like GTFO – or be beheaded – your choice. We & Finland owe so-called refugees NOTHING.
Like I said, those electoral trends are NOT a rejection of progressive economic policy. Wishful thinking on the part of the decidedly laissez-faire Economist.
The Economist is definitively NOT laissez -faire.
“It takes an editorial stance of classical and economic liberalism…”
“Economic liberalism is most often associated with support for free markets and private ownership of capital assets, and is usually contrasted with similar ideologies such as social liberalism and social democracy, which generally favor alternative forms of capitalism such as welfare capitalism, state capitalism, or mixed economies.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_liberalism
anon –
Thank you for that explanation of economic liberalism (in the classical sense) & the links – all of which confirm that Ryan is correct re. “The Economist.” Free markets do not equate to laissez -faire capitalism.
It’s quite common for economic liberalism and laissez-faire to go hand-in-hand. Free markets + as little regulation (let it be) as possible.
Do some more reading, SI.
They frequently advocate for government’s intervention into the market. Tax credits, subsidies . . . All the way through policies suppressing market demand or supply. They’re not “hands off”. They’re “hands on for legitimate public benefit.”
Sure, you can find some writing that advocates that. But overall, their editorial stance is classic free market, laissez-faire.
Keynesians they are not.
“The blackmarket is crippling their economy. But try explaining that to a bunch of libertarian-leaning OC entitled Republicans at UCI….”
Believe me, Republicans of whatever age are aware that the “blackmarket” (sic) “IS” the free market of Venezuela – as free as it can be ….. Socialism works only by force.
A Black Market only flourishes in a society which has massive shortages. The Russians made a lifestyle out of it during the USSR….when folks had to wait in a cue of 10,000 people for a free pair of shoes. They always ran out after the first 2500 pairs and half of those went on the Black Market at Quadruple Market Price. Remember the Levi’s that initially went for over $100 dollars in the ’70’s and then ran up to close to $1000? A socialist Country only experiences these problems because “the Bureaucrazy” or “Very Crazies”…….couldn’t establish or manufacturer enough from domestic or import goods to fill the demand.
Muh freedum to buy stuff, hurrdurr…..
I hear 7,000 for Barnie- at least 10,000 for Trump. OC comes through for the strong man!
I didn’t see the CR group, and I wish I had so that we could’ve had a conversation. They have a point, Venezuela is a mess, but I don’t think it is because of what Bernie calls DS. Their presence seems to have received no major attention.
I agree with Rob’s statement above, a simply group of young kids getting involved and providing dissent needs to be respected and encouraged. The same applies to the young kids in Anaheim displaying their dissent against police brutality.
If Vern’s unusual unkindly tone towards conservatives was offensive to our friends, then it was disrespectful. For others like myself mourning the loss of a respected local leader, the timing of this discussion last night was inappropriate.
They pissed me off as well… I asked them how they felt about hundreds of thousands of civilians killed by US-backed death squads in the region in the name of “anti-socialism,” how they felt about the successes of Scandinavian socialist democracies, how angry they were about the much more numerous victims of hunger in nearby “capitalist” countries, for example Guatemala.
They had only bumper sticker answers like “the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
A guy next to me said “don’t feed the trolls”… I just can’t stand to see them so smug and comfortable in their aggressively voluntary ignorance.
ps – I liked seeing all the enthusiasm at the Bernie rally. Was disappointed as usual that he didn’t address demilitarization or global justice / solidarity. So I shouted out some talking points for him during the pauses in his speech.
Oh well… two people applauded them : )
anon: “Do some more reading, SI.”
anon – Why are you such a pr**k?