Left.mn has recently posted a pair of items by separate but like-minded authors, about mining - PolyMet and TwinMetals, a pair of grifter operations wanting to poison northern Minnesota for a few bucks with politicians there seeing only a few short term jobs and tomorrow's reelection as two key goals motivating their allegience...

ONLINE: Here and here, in chron order.

Elizabeth Warren has a plan. Several, each touching a fundamental need for fairness.

Tax the Rich

** they can afford it **

That is a resonant plan. A plan with a future, one hopes. It differs from Mitch, Pence, Ryan and the Donald. Which is fine enough, the problem is it fails to move Pelosi, Feinstein, Schumer, Hoyer, or Biden.

Small problems, however, can be overridden. Get all of the many small people sidetracked, then DO IT.

Sixty-eight pages of pleasure reading for those who have had student debt thrust upon them as a precursor to a chance at becoming educated beyond K-12.

The belief here is that the use of student debt against the young arose after the sixties days of student campus unrest. The Congressional establishment reaction having been "Make them more pliant and docile by getting them on payments," with Biden adding, intentionally, that federal bankruptcy law should be jiggered at the same time as debt-burdening, to prevent escape from the same people holding reins while most of the population would suffer quelling mortgage or education "intimidation" debt as a control system as well as a cash cow to be milked by unprincipled opportunists, a/k/a student debt lenders. It's an untenable system, as to lack of anything resembling fairness, but fairness was never the intent. Intimidation and control were the aims.

Other views can exist about how post-secondary education access has or arguably has not primarily been used as a disenfranchisement method, in actuality, without it's having honestly been acknowledged as such vs. being obscured by the instituting perps in glib and misleading wording plus posturing at the time of enactment, early seventies and onward. Enactment being: Post-Kent State. Post-Jackson State. Shoot a few, hang debt on many more; and thereby engineer docility as a policy aim among those such as Biden in a position to do the mischief which is currently proving so very hard to undo. And or course, the will to undo that mischief is not a universally held goal among DC establishment types.

All that is a prelude to the link. The Levy Institute study avoids speculation on motives at the time student debt relief was excluded from bankruptcy relief by our esteemed DC government, in its wisdom in wanting a status quo with the young on debt tenterhooks with the normal route of debt burden escape intentionally foreclosed by the likes of Joe Biden.

Richard Neal. In need of a progressive primary challenger.

Who Neal is; here and here; so go figure why it matters. Neal in place equals single payer forestalled.

Forestalled by forces of evil? Go figure that one too.

Certainly single payer would not be forestalled by forces for progress. Progress is single payer and vice versa. While there is more beyond single payer for progressives to force into being, single payer is one of the major milestones to be reached in the course of systemic reform. Single payer is not a singular end in itself, but a step along with many other needed reforms. Make the changes. Keep the reforms. The ballot box can be used to good ends, or bad, the choice being progress, or Republican real - Republican lite, imitating the real.

If swamp draining is desired, look at Neal and his campaign support. Drain a little here, a little there, and greatness as a nation will become a goal closer to actual achievement.

Biden in the news, Mitch McConnell is as big a roadblock to progress as is Trump; (Pence in a wholly different, worse league).

A promise. No part of this post will be presented in tortured "learner" Spanish. That gimmick can get stale quite quickly.

"About Biden" posts, here, here and here. The "electability" emperor has no clothes.

Daily Beast on Mitch McConnell and the first debate installment.

Last, do you miss Paul Ryan? The nation, does it miss Paul Ryan? Should it? Would you miss Trump? Do you welcome the chance that after December 2020, Trump might be history? Would you vote for that even if an egregiously status quo corporate Democrat ends up purloining the nomination from progressive options via the stealth and cunning of traditional inner party bosses and beltway consultant hangers-on? Or would that leave you feeling hollow and betrayed?

Keeping up with PolyMet's gain via irregularities in MPCA permitting, Strib's latest report is about a Minnesota Appeals Court calling out the process with a District Court hearing being mandated.

Burns at the MPP Annex blog wrote briefly, June 18, linking to a MinnPost prior item. Today, Strib publishing latest news, here, in opening the item:

Minnesota appeals court orders review of "procedural irregularities" in PolyMet permit --- Appeals ruling is a win for environmental groups against proposed mine. -- By Jennifer Bjorhus Star Tribune -- June 25, 2019 — 8:08pm

Finding "substantial evidence of procedural irregularities," the Minnesota Court of Appeals handed a victory to environmentalists Tuesday, ordering that a district court review the state's handling of a key water quality permit for PolyMet Mining.

The ruling marks the third inquiry that has been launched into a permit issued late last year by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Earlier this month, the EPA's Inspector General opened an investigation into the agencies' handling of the permit, and then Minnesota Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles said he would conduct a review.

Among the irregularities noted in the Appeals Court order Tuesday: The EPA didn't submit its written comments on the draft of PolyMet's water permit for the public record, and instead read them to Minnesota officials over the telephone last year. Opponents of the proposed mine say that amounted to suppressing significant environmental concerns raised by EPA staff.

[...] Kathryn Hoffman, chief executive of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, on Tuesday called for a stay on all permits PolyMet needs to proceed.

"With a federal investigation, a state investigation, and now a district court hearing … it's time to hit the pause button," Hoffman said. "Now Minnesotans can finally get answers about what MPCA was trying to cover up about the PolyMet permit."

Later in that item, reporting of new email revelations that recently gained public notice:

The e-mail appeared to support accusations that state and federal regulators may have contorted the permit process against the public interest. Former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson called it "a huge political scandal."

"Everybody did their best to assure the public was kept out, and that challenging data was kept out," said Carlson, who has formed a loose confederation of current and former legislators opposed to copper sulfide mining near water, calling themselves the Sunshine Club.

The permit in question governs the pollutants PolyMet can discharge into surrounding waters. The mine operation will drain into the St. Louis River and Lake Superior, which provides drinking water for Duluth and other communities.

WaterLegacy lawyer Paula Maccabee said she's thrilled with the ruling.

"Something happened wrong here to benefit PolyMet, and it's time to fix that and make our regulatory process work the way it's supposed to work, to protect people and the environment," Maccabee said.

Duluth City Council Member Joel Sipress, who is traveling with a delegation to Toronto to protest at PolyMet's shareholders meeting, called the ruling "encouraging news." Sipress said he thinks the regulators dismissed the concerns of downstream communities.

"We've spent years and millions of dollars cleaning up the St. Louis River," Sipress said. "We want to be sure we don't repeat the mistakes of the past."

Have things hit a real snag, with courts poised to strike down a questionable process via a remand to agencies to do things right this time; and will it be a delay for a procedural "correction" before business as planned happens, or will a real watershed review be needed, with the future of PolyMet's adventure in doubt? Thinking here is a quick bounceback to dot "i's" and cross "t's" but with an assured outcome of the mine going operational, delayed substantially or briefly, but not reversed. Politics seem against the earth (with a system rigged against downstream Angst prevailing); Stauber and the Rangers singing, "Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs ...".

Incredibly attempting an impossible straddle Klobuchar shows herself short of being presidential.

MinnPost:

Don Arnosti, a longtime environmental advocate in Minnesota and former executive director of the Izaak Walton League’s Minnesota division, said Klobuchar and Smith’s support for the PolyMet land exchange makes it “extremely clear” they want the mine to be built.

“Regardless of what they say, their actions speak louder than their words,” Arnosti said.

Margaret Levin, state director of the Sierra Club’s North Star branch, also said Klobuchar’s work on the land exchange proves she supports PolyMet. Levin said she appreciates that Klobuchar hasn’t outright endorsed Twin Metals, leaving her open to oppose it after more environmental study, but said the emails published in the recent WSJ story showed an effort to advance the project.

“To date, on the issue of sulfide mining, I do not think that she’s acted in the best interest of protecting our water,” Levin said.

Richard Painter, who challenged Sen. Tina Smith in the DFL primary last year with an anti-mining platform, argued Klobuchar has intentionally been unclear on Twin Metals so she can walk a political middle ground. Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota who was the top ethics lawyer for the George W. Bush administration, said there isn’t a position in the center.

“Amy Klobuchar has been playing games here,” Painter said. “She’s showing for the mining companies to keep the votes up there, but trying to avoid getting too much flak from the environmentalists. And I just don’t think that’s a very honest approach. Just take a stance.”

He added: “I strongly disagree with the Republicans in the state that are for [Twin Metals], but at least they’re being honest. Come heck or high water, I think it’s a terrible risk to take. The doublespeak from the Democrats will land you in the same place, but it’s worse, because it’s just deceptive.”

Read it all here.

More. Read it too.

Does this impress you with the Klobuchar - Smith Senate pairing; per their paired environmental consciousness? Yes, Stauber is more direct a pro-mining puppet but who can you trust to honor the earth, the waters, the land itself? There's largely a vacuum among top Minnesota politicians where a conscience would help. Republicans Emmer and Stauber whoring about the jobs, directly, Klobuchar in straddle position looking really bad. What does she expect with this presidential bit player part? Where's her payoff? How soon will she be dropping out; and would that be with or without first taking a firm publicly articulated policy position on Twin Metals, never mind further advanced PolyMet adventureing.

Polymet permitting -

link

Jennifer Epstein writes for Bloomberg, "Biden Tells Elite Donors He Doesn’t Want to ‘Demonize’ the Rich"

Link.

This year's Turing award.

Link.

Campaign 2020, misc. links.

Here, here, here, here, here, (stating mid-item):

The math suggests Biden collected about $19.8 million. Multiple people in Biden’s campaign declined to confirm on Tuesday how much he has raised since entering the race in April.

But the figure is sure to draw notice from rival campaigns, who are preparing for next week’s debates while furiously trying to raise money before the pivotal second quarter draws to a close. Those numbers, which will be made public July 15, will be an indicator of which candidates in the crowded 2020 primary will have the resources to last. They will also reveal who is on track to reach the fundraising thresholds set by the Democratic National Committee to qualify for the next round of debates.

“With your help, you’re going to allow me to be able to compete in a way that I’ve never been able to do before,” Biden told donors gathered at the home of billionaire Wall Street financier James Chanos. “We’ve raised a great deal of money.”

Biden’s fundraising tease follows news that rival Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, raised $7 million in the month of April alone.

Biden and Buttigieg have often found themselves courting the same donors and have sometimes been on fundraising swings in the same states at the same time. While many Democrats in the 2020 primary field have sought to distance themselves from big-money events, the two have embraced them, giving the glimmer of a campaign cash arms race.

Biden has been in New York for a series of fundraisers this week, including the Monday event that was hosted by Chanos.

After the Democratic debates in Miami next week, Biden is slated to travel to the San Francisco Bay Area for a series of fundraisers hosted by donors with ties to Silicon Valley. That includes an event that will be held at the Los Altos home of former Twitter executive Katie Jacobs Stanton, as well as one in San Francisco hosted by tech industry veteran Doug Hickey, according to a person with direct knowledge of the events. The person requested anonymity to discuss private planning details.

Buttigieg was also supposed to be in New York before heading to California for a star-studded fundraising swing that included an event hosted by TV producer and Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy.

MORE: Here, here, here, and adding some nostalgia, here.


Do you get the feeling the thing is all about money, or that these outlets want to make it appear so? The one Market Watch item showing how one can fund and front "favorite son - favorite daughter" stalking horses in state after state with large electoral vote pools [large party convention clout] as a ploy against populism's two leading choices, Bernie and Warren.

Curious conscious press parallelism at play, for whose benefit, on whose dime?

There seems to be Bernie, Warren, and four more years of Trump at issue; (the press and donor class being happy enough about the four more years; and showing it is so and how the game is to front the likes of Joe Biden to get those four more Trump years). Will the Democratic Party show a conscience, or will it again show that it's only about being GOP lite against GOP real, and keeping reform at bay through prank candidacies bolstered by prank reporting.

yes, sweetheart, but where do you live

Rhonda writes, leaving me feeling insulted. The entire process seems unclean. What county do the Sivarajah spouses now really live in? What's been done? Why?

And Joe Biden is an even bigger joke.

Wardlow's AG campaign spent too much on too little a man.

FOOL! You over spent.

Strib reporting. Wardlow's and the State's Consent agreement is online. The Wardlow AG campaign spent too much trying to sell Minnesota voters Doug Wardlow.

Excess money wasted chasing a bad dream now will have to be paid by Wardlow to the State. Good. It will help him respect the rule of law.

The inexplicable element in all of this is who - what manner of human - would have given so much money to the Wardlow effort that it was enabled to overspend.

Fools and money, parted. Hopefully we might not have Doug Wardlow to kick around anymore.

Who is the candidate Trump wants to run against? You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. Breitbart will tell you what you need to know about Trump's hope.

link

___________UPDATE____________
Please note how Breitbart's author opens by citing like-minded WaPo editorializing disguised as reporting:

“Now is not the time to play it safe. If we play it safe, Trump is going to get reelected — or worse,” said Kacey Carpenter, 56, who came to see Sunday’s speech dressed in a Sanders shirt and hat.

But the power of their newly emboldened movement remains unclear. Even here in deep blue California, it faces hurdles. Late Saturday, the state party overwhelmingly elected a labor leader from the mainstream ranks of the party as its new chairman. He defeated a liberal activist backed by many Sanders supporters.

And interviews with current and former elected officials, strategists and donors in California revealed a relatively high level of confidence in Biden’s ability to defeat Trump. Many Democrats see that as the most important quality in a candidate.

“This is not a normal presidential election,” said former U.S. senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who called beating Trump a “moral imperative.”

Asked who fits that bill, she replied, “I think the only one right now is Joe.” That could change with time, said Boxer, who has not endorsed a candidate.

Both outlets setting Sanders up as the fall guy; Joe as the savior knight on a white horse. Bullshit, pervasive bullshit; so do your own thinking rather than passively buying into mainstream media's drumbeat messaging to bury Bernie. It goes to show who's feared, who's no real threat; with Crabgrass readers tasked with those two categories, with Bernie and Biden, and which to put into which category.

______________FURTHER UPDATE_____________
Part of the establishment inner party taking turf away from any insurgency; here, here and here. This is a path headed straight toward four-more Trump years. The Dem party big-buck donors would prefer that outcome over reform, and may get it, with the rank-and-file wondering "What happened."

2016, redux. Run a flawed and weak Republican-lite candidate, lose the election, but oppose the insurgency as the true inner party aim.

AOC is the future, not Pelosi. Idiots take longer to see that while progressives readily note things smelling in need of freshness.

A most telling image. Note all the enthused young faces.

Yeah. Right. The only youngish looking face is on the held up image in the hands of the guy with the blue MAGA hat (or a substantial equivalent headpeice). Poster image and titling being a sad, sad joke on a yesteryear idea.

Status quo Joe with Beto attached in second spot might seem fine to some. Others might be more discerning. A party disdainful of the young and complacent in their own mid-to-late-life career luck and pluck will not get the job done. Far too many in that image look just like Joe Biden.

FURTHER: Win on progress or lose on Hillary redux. The Atlantic. A Utah LTE.  That LTE reflects directly to the beginning of this post; to the headline; and the unions may be smart enough to figure out a winning progressive offers more short and long term promise than a stale losing status-quo Joe.  The unions could learn to love Ilhan Omar too. If they'd listen to what she says instead of what's said about her by detractor-distractors. Ditto Tulsi Gabbard. Women who are like Elizabeth Warren - worth attention, unlike Megadollar Pelosi, the talking multi-million dollar accumulated personal fortune backing more of the same - for you, for your family.

Would it surprise you if Steny Hoyer in the next few days were to endorse Joe Biden?

FURTHER: If Breitbart laying out in full color that Trump wants Biden as his 2020 Hillary, there is a second barometer. FOX.

FURTHER: Here, here and here. By many measures, tried and found wanting. The problem? The man wants and is getting boosts from the wrong folks, for trying.

A single word? Mediocre. Him. Those pushing him. Tom Perez. DNC. DCCC. Comcast.

Institutionalized mediocrity and mendacity. As voters, do not forget to say, "Thank you." Retch in the bushes, but do remember, "Thank you." It's expected.

FURTHER: Also, do remember, say "Thank you," for the help given, last time. Comcast's MSNBC shows what you need to know if you know how to watch; what to watch for, what to make of fashioning of news.

Anoka County - Big bucks for Sivarajah [w/o any residency requirement]. Schulte, very vocal in kicking Rhonda upstairs, gets to be the new board chair.

Local paper coverage, online here and here.

Not a result I approve of, but then the Board never asked for my opinion.

The appearance of things is that Rhonda's got a "for life" cash cushion unless/until public voting changes the personnel on the Board in a way that the present Board's move could be remediated.