Thom,

You just said something about if Hillary wins something else,

"there would be rioting in the streets". Really are yoy taking a

page out of Trumps books, you bash Hillary enough and I still

listen to you, but that kind of infamatory retoric is unessecery

and beneath you.

Thom Hartmann and Thomas Frank both have a great perspective on how the Democratic Party leadership and those in control of it are in a different universe from the rest of us and losing respect and understanding of the problems the rest of this country are facing. But I'm a little troubled by the characterization of the "Professional class" as being *the* class of people responsible for this. He contrasts a "professional class" with a "money class" and that the professional class likes to put complexity in to the equations of their philosophies intentionally as if that is a fault and that a meritocracy is implicit in the beliefs of all professionals that implies that the party has become one that believes only a few privileged and superior people deserve to be in charge of it and how it is run.

He was lumping Silicon Valley culture with Wall Street culture and those in the party as if they are all the same and I think does many people who've made their careers in high tech and have grown up in the Silicon Valley as having this mind set, which many of us abhor and are adamantly against.

I was a bright kid who got a computer science degree and migrated there to Silicon Valley at the part of the tech boom, which arguably was a big bubble created by the laddering scams, etc. of the Wall Street money culture more so than it was by the doings of the "professionals" that were a big part of the success of many there that grew the world's technology in those days heavily (and arguably more heavily there then than this area does now, since for many reasons has become more "globalized").

Many there saw the tech boom starting in the 80's and continuing in to the early nineties as a time of a culture that really had many tech professionals drawn to it, since there were virtually no layoffs during this time period, and people were rewarded well in many ways. Many of us were progressive then in our beliefs, but there were also many conservatives that I would characterize more heavily as libertarian in their beliefs than conservatives in other areas of the country. They believed in rights of privacy, keeping us out of wars, etc. like many libertarians do today. The startup opportunities had so many people thinking (especially the libertarian mind sets) that if they had a great idea, then they could start their own company, go public, and get rich and successful too and have a consequential effect on some segment of our technology of the day.

The tech bubble, caused by the money types of Wall Street with their laddering scams, NOT the "professional class" en masse, as later many of the technical professionals were victims of this form of insider trading scams where stock option exercising and restrictions on selling stocks lead to many of us, myself included, being ironically liable for AMT tax and unemployment tax in the same tax year when layoffs started to hit the industry in the mid nineties, and many of us didn't profit much from stock trades if we weren't the insiders. The money class of these "professionals" (who perhaps had high priced tech degrees from ivy league schools rather than bachelor's from public institutions) were more apt to profit from this game than average "professionals" working in the industry. The dream of startups (which I think many had as part of a group of people that wanted more of a free market and not one that was controlled by a small oligopoly of large corporations that Silicon Valley has now evolved into) "going public" bas in this century been replaced by a dream of a startup "getting bought out".

The average tech professional in the early part of the tech bubble didn't feel the need for labor union organization, because then they were treated well. But with the advent of NAFTA, subsequent trade deals that outsourced many professional jobs to other countries, and at the same time the large shift of hiring professionals through guest worker programs like H-1B visas to drastically reduce many people's salaries, and have a work force that would be harder to have organized in to unions, when a big segment is being pushed overseas or is populated with workers that don't even have the rights of temporary green card holders let alone citizens that could form unions and vote here.

Hillary Clinton and many of the current leadership of the party now push programs like H-1B visas which is anything BUT trying to set up a system of "professional meritocracy" which rewards people with superior skill sets, but is more about rewarding those who will work here cheaply with less rights than the rest of us have. This is more what a "money class" of leaders would do rather than a "professional" class of people would.

Many of us are democrats and perhaps some of the leadership also is because we believe in working with in a work place that is diverse in ideas, religions, ethnic and country backgrounds that we've come used to working in and like working in. But we don't like that it has been changed to a work place that tries to exploit these programs, and push many of us who traditionally early on had decent permanent jobs in to now having to work many short term contract jobs now that the industry seems to want to put in place over permanent jobs that pay many of us less than what we were paid 20 years ago.

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are trying to exploit the frustration of the segment of professionals that aren't part of the money class of "professionals" that is running the party.

If you want an illustration in how this is happening, please read the following article that was published this last week, and note the graph of money being given to the various candidates.

http://www.ibtimes.com/faced-trump-or-clinton-silicon-valleys-political-donors-are-keeping-checkbooks-2337162

The article notes that the big money machine of Silicon Valley (the money class of professionals) has withheld their money at this point, as they likely aren't sure who will stand in their corner on how they want to exploit the rest of us professionals. But the article notes in the graph that contributions from the "rank and file" professionals in the tech community there are heavily weighted to go towards Bernie Sanders. That should tell you a bit about where most "professionals" think this party should go and Hillary Clinton and the DLC leadership of it is not what "average" professionals in Silicon Valley want, despite what Thomas Frank seemed to imply in many of his remarks last night of the leadership of the party identifying with the professional ranks of Silicon Valley. They identify with the MONEY ranks of Silicon Valley, not most of us real professionals!

I think there are many in the high tech workforce world that would look forward to help unions be more of a force again, even if we haven't had the history of having unions that might keep them from approaching us much.

I hope to have a chance to read Frank's book soon, but the challenges of constant job hunting and also keeping us average 99%er "professional"'s skills up to date in this environment that where requirements for job skills change heavily too in shorts amount of time too keeps one busy, unless you are part of the money class and can take some time out to do other things at times.

I have become extremely disappointed lately with Thom Hartmann and Stephanie Miller. I have followed them for years, and always felt they were true progressives, yet, they are advertising for Uber, which is just as responsible for destroying the middle class as Wal Mart, NAFTA, or TPP.
I have decided not to listen to their show, until they stop advertising for Uber. I am sure they won't stop for little old me, so I imagine it will be a long time. Stephanie's show always has been heavy on the ads. As much as I love her line up though, I will be listening to Pete Dominic when she is on, and John Fugelsang when Thom is on.

I just want to ditto the previous comments. While this was an amazingly powerful interview, there was something in his casual demeaner that made me smile. He was able to deliver his serious messages in such a lighthearted amusing manner.

I'm a senior, but am rivited by the changes in our country and political scene. Someone like Trump wouldn't be considered at all not so long ago. Every day corporations invade our privacy. Insurance companies want our medical histories so they can "help" us. Really, so they can dump us lif we're sick. All the corporations are complicating our lives, currently Microsoft is slowing down computers of we who reject their tyrannical, commercial #10. I long for my old Smith-Corona portable and phone conversations, increasingly rare for seniors who have lost so many loved ones. Corporatism, Republicanism have put us in a future beyong our control. Our only hope is that Bernie Sanders has lit the fire of revolution and climate change, threat though it is, makes us put the corporations back where they belong, serving us. Thank you so much for educating me. The daytime talk shows on @freespeechtv and evening news onf @RT-America have kept me sane by introducing me to 'great minds' like your own. I'm proud to be a supporter.

I can think of a few more. Casinos, lottery. Nothing takes advantage of the poor more them. Truth is nothing can stop anyone from getting taken advantage of. The best thing is good parenting. Odds of living a life of poverty increase drastically if you come from a single parent family. Although most of the poor are born into poverty, many create it. Over spending, drug use, alcohol, just being lazy, having children you can't afford, put them in the position they can be taken advantage of. I wish I was a liberal, it would be so much easier to blame billionaires and corporations than our selves for all our problems.

It should be obvious that the only upside of alledged Bernie supporters making trouble at a Trump rally is for the Establishment Republicans. Most Bernie supporters are likely familiar with the concept "You can't fix stupid" and so are unlikely to try it at a Trump rally. The Establishment Republicans are clearly desperate enough to try a political false flag attack at Trump rallies to both slow and discredit both political outsider campaigns at the same time. With Trumps considerable resources he should be able to unravel this and thoroughly discredit the responsible parties in short order. So no, Trump is not responsible for the disruptions at his rallies and niether are true Bernie supporters. I would suggest that the entity that has the most to gain is the most likely responsible party; Establishment Republicans.

'Thanks for this VERY useful discussion. ... 'Twas along tthese lines that my bunch had complained during Bill Clinton’s presidency. {“My bunch” included academics and progressives.} ... I agree {in the twang of us old Texis Lefty Populists} that: "Thangs ain't chainged fer them main-straim Demmycrats. They is STILL too-much-Wawl-Strait to suit us'ns."

Only Bernie Sanders will go after these businesses that prey on the poor. Not Republicans and for sure not Hillary.

This, the human equivalent of Exxon Valdez or Deepwater Horizon, is merely another example of why capitalism is the most malignant evil our species has ever inflicted on itself.

Indeed capitalism is so evil, its malevolence can only be described in religious terms. Capitalism is, in fact, the elevation of infinte greed to absolute virtue. In other words, just as religion exalts faith and piety above all other values, so does capitalism exalt selfishness and greed above other values. As holiness is to religion, so greed is to capitalism.

What this means in practice is the deliberate rejection of every humanitarian value our species has ever articulated. Which, in turn, mandates the deliberate cultivation and imposition of moral imbecility -- the psychological state that defines serial killers.

Thus capitalism is the mentality of a Ted Bundy or an Elizabeth Bathory deliberately and with malice aforethought applied not just to economics, but to governance and indeed to every other aspect of human consciousness.

No greater evil has humanity ever knowingly inflicted on itsself, and no greater evil has ever more relentlessly threatened human survival.

Living in a rural area I get to witness first hand how very real and extensive poverty is in the most wealthy country on the planet. Many of my neighbors are not only vulnerable to the business exploitation Thom speaks of, they've also already been suckered in by Trump.

I tell them this: Look at what Trump has actually done....not what he says he has done or will do. Once you look at what he has done, things such as outsourcing his own business, buying politicians, anti-union, and anti living wage, etc., then you will know who he really is. He is as right-wing/establishment / conservative as any of his so called establishment foes. If you don't believe me, Richard Trumka has the facts regarding Trump's right wing establishment ways. Thom needs to get Trumka on his show.......he has enough pertinent info to stop Trump in his tracks right now.....as well as the rest of the establishment Teapublic scoundrels.

Well they crapped in their beds, and should be forced to sleep in it.

DEFEND America....just Vote straight Democrat!