Shahid Buttar Vs Nancy Pelosi
I know it is comforting to think Pelosi and Democrats are going to save Democracy, but in order for us to change anything we must leave our comfort zones. In this piece it is my hope I can teach you who Pelosi really is, and convince you to support her challenger, Shahid Buttar. Please set aside your bias, fear, and anything else that would get in the way; keep an open mind.
The fact is the world is on fire. We need leaders in congress who understand the gravity we face as a planet with climate change. We need bold visionaries, who aren’t sold out to corporations and high dollar donors, so the people can finally feel represented. I’m going to explain to you how Pelosi’s donors have prevented her from representing the people for a very long time, but I’m going to start from the beginning and be as fair as I can.
At the age of twelve, Nancy Pelosi attended her first Democratic National Convention. She’s been in politics a very long time. Today she is 79 years old. By 1969, she had five children and was married to a banker. She started a Democratic Party Club in her home. In 1976, Jerry Brown ran for president, and she worked for his campaign. She became Democratic Party Chair for the state of California in 1981. She worked behind the scenes raising money.
She was 47 when she had a friend who was dying convince her to run for her current seat. In seven weeks she threw 100 house parties, signed up 4,000 volunteers, and raised a million dollars. She and her husband own two vineyards in California. E & J Gallo Winery is her longest, most prominent backer. She has plenty of shady backers, however.
Her husband, Paul Pelosi, has managed to stay out of the limelight. He focuses on real-estate, and his venture-capital business, where he offers financial leasing services. He owns the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League, as well. We know how corrupt the real estate empire is all across the country. You don’t think that influences her? She is paid by real estate investors and her husband is one.
I don’t want to take away from the fact that she achieved personal success and representation of women in congress. She did take on the LGBTQ issues, the AIDS crisis, and more before it was popular to do so; even if it was in name only. She became House Democratic Whip in 2001.
In 2002, she raised $1.8 million for Democrats through her leadership PAC. She got the top job when a man named Dick Gephardt stepped down from being the minority leader. She became the first woman ever to lead a party in the United States congress. That means a lot to many woman and I understand why, but identity alone doesn’t prevent corruption.
In 2006, she and several other Democrats created a plan to take back congress. The plan ended up working and she became the first female speaker of the house. At the time, she did do some decent things. In her first 100 hours she raised minimum wage. She enacted the 9/11 commission report, ended tax subsidies to oil companies, and made new lobbying rules.
Edit: Originally I stated the 9/11 commission report had not been released. This is incorrect. The report that hasn’t been released is the CIA torture report. You can learn more about that watching “The Report” on Prime.
The catch is that all the changes Democrats made weren’t enough. Their donors prevented any real change from happening. This is why they fight so hard for incremental reforms and moderation. They are often paid to lose. They get to say they passed something good, but they don’t tell you what they slipped into it. In many ways I feel they are worse than Republicans.
At least with the Republicans we know where they stand. We know they hate diversity, thrive on hatred and fear, and lie without shame. They don’t pretend to be the party for poor and working people, and then abandon them in a time a need. They just admit they are the party of business, but so are the Democrats. They like to play good cop/bad cop, but the truth is so clear.
In 2014, Pelosi went on The Daily Show, and was interviewed by the legendary, Jon Stewart. I am going to share the links to all three parts. Please watch him take her on regarding the corruption. Trevor Noah is no Jon Stewart. His voice was so important and crucial.
Watch her try to say it’s only Republicans, and then have no choice but to admit Democrats take the same money. She made many excuses, and she tried to dodge hard questions. Everything went downhill when the Supreme Court ruled on Citizen’s United. Democratic law makers have to spend 4–5 hours a day calling rich people for donations.
Understand, when Jon Stewart takes her on he’s correct. Democrats say they believe in efficient regulation, in minimum wage, in healthcare for all, but then they allow lobbyists and corporations to write 900 page bills, when they used to be a few pages at best. The financial wall street reform they passed was so weak. We’re headed to another crash because of it, so buckle up and do your best to survive the ride.
Click this Tweet by AOC, and read the entire thread:
I would note that she says none of them want to be dialing for dollars, but they do. If she, other members, and Bernie can raise money without dialing for dollars, and raise more than the corrupt politicians, they either want to or are afraid they are so unpopular small donors would never fund them. Neither option make Democrats look good.
Pelosi spoke about PAC’s in the interview as if they were bad, but I already told you earlier she has one. There are several PAC’s that donate to her as well. The following link can provide some insight.
Here are the top contributors to her campaign:
Here are the industries she represents instead of people:
Back before Citizens United and the growing corruption Pelosi was all about medicare for all. There is video evidence of her saying it. The facts are just what they are. I’m not making them up.
“I think the closer [President Clinton] moves toward the single-payer [model], the better,” Pelosi said, while surrounded by other lawmakers, including then-Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.” This was in 1993.
Why the sudden change of tone? Could it be the corruption that has since been allowed to enter the halls of congress? Since Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez entered congress she has been absolutely transparent. Whether on Twitter, a mainstream news source, or wherever she is.
She shares how the corruption works, how much pressure there is to conform to the corruption, and how lobbyists slip last minute things into bills 900 pages long, that they’re only given two days to read and vote on. Jon Stewart was right. It did not used to be that way.
The ACA is atrocious. The lowest monthly premiums I’ve seen is $700. People are sharing their stories all over Twitter with evidence. Their deductible is near $8500 or more. This means they are paying the premium on top of 100% of their care until they reach that deductible.
The insurance kicks in after to pay 80%, and they have copay's of 20%. The premiums never go away monthly either. How is this helping the average American? It’s just not. It was written by the insurance lobby.
Pelosi is upholding the ACA because the insurance and big pharma pay her to. Taking profit out of healthcare makes the most sense, but if we do that mega rich companies are going to lose for once. Healthcare should not be a rare commodity in the richest country on earth.
The reason they don’t like Bernie Sanders and other candidates running for congress is because they know they will reign in corruption. They tell us we should elect a woman president, and if we don’t it’s sexism. Yet, the DCCC backed a white, conservative man who called himself a Democrat over a progressive woman of color. Why the double standard?
That man decided the other day to switch parties, and join the Republicans.
No worries because as they shout as us to #VoteBlueNoMatterWho and tell us people like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria, and Shahid Buttar aren’t “real” Democrats they are helping to elect Republicans. Why would that be?
To all of the Pelosi fans who don’t like that I, as a woman, am supporting Bernie Sanders over a female candidate, I ask you why is okay for Pelosi? She is supporting a white man, who is anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice, over a progressive female candidate. Why is that allowed in your view?
Pelosi chose to endorse Dan over Marie because he votes for the corruption. His other votes do not matter to her. I endorse Bernie over Warren because she was a Republican most of her life. She worked for corporations that polluted our planet, and argued in court they shouldn’t have to clean it up. She sold out the people in 2016 when she walk backed her comments about how the primary was rigged. They admitted it was in court.
She has voted for two of Trump’s military budgets. She isn’t sound on foreign policy. She is now using the corporate talking points for medicare for all, after originally saying she was with Bernie. She doesn’t even plan to introduce it until year three of the presidency should she win. It’s not about gender.
You can find videos and articles from and about Bernie Sanders that go back forty years, and he has never sold out. He has been consistent. He’s been in the corruption, but never of it. #FirstJewishPresident
If Pelosi cared about the LGBTQ community she wouldn’t be supporting a white male, who has voted against the community. She would embrace the female challenger if she cared about women being represented. She doesn’t, though. She only cares about an identity if it’s for sale as a prop.
The few progressives we already have in congress really do fight for the people. For instance, recently Pelosi prevented the progressives from even being in the room while negotiating the drug bill. If the bill had passed we would have lost the ability to negotiate drug prices for a decade.
Pelosi was a part of a group called “Stop Sanders” Democrats. The NYT wrote an article about it. Mayor Pete was included in those meetings. The same Pete we are learning is absolutely the most corrupt person running. That’s a story for another time, though. This drug bill was a way to stop Bernie, even if he won. Thankful for the people like Shahid who have already been elected.
We have a situation that has hurt the heart of everyone I know at the border. Children are dying and being abused. Many of them taken from their parents. An eight year old child had to have part of his forehead removed because the conditions are so bad. This is because we allow private, for-profit prisons to house the immigrants. Their goal isn’t safety. It’s saving money by cutting every corner they can at the expense of lives.
Pelosi and Trump both receive money from these private prison groups. So, when the fight broke out awhile back between her and the squad it was over the border funding. Pelosi allowed the funding to pass with zero conditions for migrant safety and family separation policies.
“Yes, that’s right, this bill is funding our country’s for-profit, privatized prison industry. From an article in GQ, the “Private-prison firm Geo Group has reportedly already made $500 million from migrant detention centers since Trump’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ began,” as reported by the Miami New Times.
Southwest Key Programs, a nonprofit that set up a boys’ shelter in the husk of an old Walmart, reportedly netted $955 million in federal contracts between 2015 and 2018, according to The New York Times.”
They know Bernie is poised to win. They are actively trying to pass things that will prevent Bernie and a progressive congress from helping the people at all. If Pelosi was serious about not being corrupt, and taking the money because she has no choice, wouldn’t she welcome the reform?
Everyone gets frustrated because the Democrats are so weak. I need you to understand they are paid to be weak. We have an illusion of choice. The Democrats pretend to care about the working poor and oppressed people, but as previously stated it’s just a prop in their game at the end of the day.
Recently, the same day as Pelosi introduced her weak articles of impeachment, she announced she was giving Trump a trade deal. She won’t impeach over his emoluments and corruption because she is corrupt. Ironically, they chose to impeach over Ukraine and Biden, which is admitting to the soft corruption that is always going on on both sides.
This gave Mitch McConnell the opportunity to frame the entire conversation and say he won’t even bring the trade deal for a vote until after Trump’s Senate trial. It makes her look foolish, and she knew it would.
Now, Trump can go out on the campaign trail and brag about a trade deal that hasn’t even been written. She handed him a gift. The bill won’t likely protect workers or stop outsourcing of jobs. I don’t get how people are all over Twitter calling this woman a queen. She would rather have Trump than Bernie.
The same establishment Pelosi, who now says we can’t afford healthcare, free public college, infrastructure, anything that would benefit all people, went ahead and increased the military budget again for Trump. This will allow him to create his space force, and offers another brag for the campaign trail.
We just learned that we have been being lied to for 20 years, by three administrations, regarding the Afghanistan war. We know previous wars were all based on lies. The very next day they give him more money than he asked for to fund more war and militarize space.
The Democrats didn’t even try to get us anything out of the deal. Jared wanted to remove the provision that ended our involvement in the Saudi led war in Yemen, so they did. Ivanka wanted parental leave to brag about on the campaign trail, so they gave her that, too. If you’ve been a federal employee for a year or more you get a few months leave when you have a baby. It wasn’t even good parental leave, but that won’t stop them from bragging.
Understand Pelosi is part of what is oppressing us. When they cry unity remember that civility has always been a tool of the oppressor. As I’ve proven here, they want to play by different rules. They don’t want unity. What they want is compliance and silence.
We’ve known for a long time that Pelosi was complicit under George Bush, but now she’s actually admitted it out loud. I don’t know how much more I have to show you before it sinks in. Pelosi isn’t your queen, but she loves the title.
Look, I could make this even longer and go into even more detail, but I think I’ve provided enough about Pelosi. As long as she is top Democrat nothing will be done for the people. Trump isn’t the problem. He is a symptom of the rotting system that preceded him.
Do you want resistance for real? If so, I’d like to introduce you to the perfect person to replace Pelosi. His name is Shahid Buttar. He’s a constitutional lawyer, who has fought both the Republicans and the Democrats for our privacy rights, for gay marriage, and so much more.
This is Shahid being interviewed by Sean Hannity under George Bush. Like Bernie, Shahid has been consistent. You can go back as far as you want and he was saying the same stuff he’s saying now. That consistent record helps us to be able to trust him. He is also running on zero corporate or PAC money.
Here is a more recent interview I enjoyed:
And another:
You can search his name on YouTube and find so many fascinating talks he’s given over the years. Just like Bernie you won’t catch him slipping. He is for the people and dedicated to the constitution and our rights as American citizens, regardless of our background and beliefs.
You can also learn more about issues important to him at the following link. If possible please send a dollar or more in support. Just like Bernie, as well, Shahid wants to win the race without corrupt money. He depends on small dollar donors like us to fund his campaign.
If you have Twitter you should follow him there as well:
Just like Bernie never planned to run for president, Shahid didn’t plan to run for congress. He has spent his entire adult life trying to keep congress in line via the courts and constitution. He knows better than most how far gone our country is and has only a desire to save it. He can’t do it alone.
I know that Obama hasn’t said a word against Trump since he left office, but he sure has come out and talked against the left. Most recently he is pushing the idea that women are inherently better than men. Their only goal is stop Bernie. I’ve shown you why endorsing & electing Pelosi is the wrong choice.
This is a diversion. They don’t speak on the corruption. They want you to believe the left is the real problem, but they are in bed with actual fascists. Our media is owned by the same 6 corporations, so they are more concerned with ratings than informing the public. You won’t find the truth there.
If you want to be represented for real, whether or not you live in the district, our best option is supporting Shahid Buttar. Don’t vote based on identity. Vote based on a person’s consistency and record. What good was a Black president who promised his people Fema, and instead sent in the army unannounced to bomb their city? This isn’t rocket science. Both sides divide us.
Here is a fantastic thread from Shahid:
“She tried (and thankfully failed) to exclude legal protections for online speech that protect users from corporate censorship by immunizing tech platforms from liability based on user speech.”
I’d add it’s not the first time she’s tried to prohibit free speech. The ACLU has sued her and other members three times now over the same issue:
Let me leave you with this:
“First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice;
who constantly says “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;” who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.”
Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. “Letter From The Birmingham Jail” April 16, 1963
Stop letting them tell you we have to be moderate. Our planet is dying. If we don’t radically change what we are doing no other issue from the minimum wage to healthcare will matter. Please help us take the Democratic Party back to it’s working people roots. Corporatism has corrupted it deeply.
Yes, the odds are stacked against us, but Bernie’s been quoting Mandela a lot lately. “It always seems impossible, until it’s done.” We’ve already gotten several Justice Dems elected. AOC’s race was mind blowing. We’re on fire for Bernie and his campaign is thriving. Let’s do the same for Shahid.
