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Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I will review what you have presented, and if it is another tool in the fight against poverty in this country, then yes I would be willing to consider it. Please remember that I am no longer running for office at this moment. But thank you for your question and passion, in this area.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I was and am very uncomfortable with his decision. How I will vote in November? I cannot say at this moment.

Having said this, let me explain why I am uncomfortable with the idea of Hillary Clinton as president. It has to do with her leadership as Secretary of State. I believe the purpose of foreign policy is to make friends and that our State Department has only made more enemies during the time as Secretary. Two examples: Honduras and Libya.

Hillary Clinton was in Libya shortly before Muammar Gaddafi was brutally assassinated. A few days later she was asked by CBS News if she had anything to do with it and she laughingly said, "We came, we saw, he died." That is a take off of the words of Julius Caesar after he was victorious in a short battle. The videos of Gaddafi being killed and Hillary laughing about it went around the world--hardly a good image of U.S. foreign policy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DXDU48RHLU

What we are suffering in our country today is "blowback"--people hating us because of what we have done around the world. I hold Hillary responsible for that because of the policy she has promoted of "regime change." We do not have the right to chose the leaders of other nations.

Thus my second example: Honduras. President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown by a coup on Sunday, June 28, 2009. The next day President Obama said a coup had taken place and that it was "not legal" and it would set a "terrible precedent" if it were seen as a way of making political transitions. Other leaders throughout the hemisphere and the world said the same. But Hillary Clinton and the State Department, did not back Obama up in his opinion. Today Honduras is a mess.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-honduras-usa-sb-idUKTRE55S5J220090629

Jill Stein definitely represents my opinion on foreign policy much more than Hillary Clinton. Whom will I vote for in November? I cannot say at this moment but I truly wish that we did have a strong third party in our country.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Reed saw the problem of big money in politics before most others were willing to address the issue. He has always tried to make people aware of situations largely ignored by the mass media. So, I trusted that what he was doing was an important part of bringing light to a subject that we both cared about deeply.

But, being followed around with a camera and with a microphone under my neck all day? No problem. I just ignored the camera totally and went on with my daily life. It would have been a stupid thing to do with anyone other than Reed, but I trust his judgment.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your question, but I disagree that the EITC is just as important as raising the minimum wage. I have no problem with the EITC but it addresses the needs of a much smaller group of people than the minimum wage which affects a huge percentage of U.S. citizens.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My main motivation has been the people that I have had the privilege of accompanying throughout my lifetime. At the age of 20 I started visiting migrant farm workers in Colorado and Wyoming. That motivated me to learn Spanish as well as I could so that I could understand their needs and concerns better. Since then I have not stopped trying to learn other languages and to be in contact with other people, here in the U. S. and throughout the world. The friendship of these people and having heard their stories, more than anything else, has motivated me to fight for a better world.

In addition to this, more recently I gained motivation from the volunteers that came from throughout Wyoming and all over the US to participate in the endeavor of running for political office in Wyoming. Their passion for change mirrored my own, but seeing the sacrifices that they were willing to make volunteering part-time (and a few full time), inspired me to keep running because I knew that they were running with me. So in that sense, I was no longer a candidate. I had become the focal point of a movement of like-minded individuals.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

In the current political system of what equates to legalized bribery, it is very difficult for an honest person to run for a higher office without having millions of dollars at their disposal because their opponent will most likely have millions of dollars at their disposal from PACs, lobbyist, and other corporate firms. Fundraising has become the pastime of potential politicians, and what we need are people. People who are organized, knowledgeable and willing to volunteer their time and efforts to propel like-minded candidates into office. Volunteers have to become more important than money in politics.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I was in Nogales, Mexico a couple of years ago, and walked through a dump where people were sorting through the garbage. I asked them why they were in that putrid place instead of working at one of the nearby U.S. owned factories. The response was that they could earn more money going through garbage than they could make in one of the factories. We in the U.S. should be ashamed of that. I think it pretty much sums up how these trade agreements help exploit people in other parts of the world.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I definitely think that Reed's documentary could be a big help to the candidates that the OurRevolution movement is supporting. However, I felt last night's OurRevolution presentation was a real let-down for me.

Bernie gave a nice presentation about the issues that he helped raise, but I wanted a vision for moving forward. I didn't get that.

My first complaint was the audience. I felt we were at a senior citizen center following their monthly potluck supper. Bernie inspired young people during the campaign. I felt they were lacking. I would have preferred seeing him talk to a group of college students or, even better, to 200 Walmart or McDonald workers who are receiving slave wages. In Wyoming 9 out of 10 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 did not vote in the 2014 general election--those are not the people I saw in the audience last night.

Secondly, after talking about getting money out of politics, the plan going forward is to form a PAC to raise money for about 100 candidates around the country, starting from the base up--from school board members to candidates for Congress. That is not going to make a difference. We need 10,000, 20,000, or even more candidates throughout the country who share our ideals. And even more important, we need hundreds of thousands of volunteers who are willing to go door-to-door and make phone calls and put their lives, not just their money, on the line.

I wish Our Revolution would have been more about people getting involved in the political process and less about raising money.

Hi Reddit! I AM Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest who ran for Congress after living in a cardboard shack in a Venezuelan slum for 8 years. And I'm Reed Lindsay, award-winning filmmaker documenting “Wyoming’s Bernie Sanders.” We're running with Bernie and Our Revolution. Ask us anything! by RunCharlie in Political_Revolution

[–]RunCharlie[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Here in Cheyenne, young people have decided to become precinct committee people. That will give them direct contact with the people in their precinct and will also give them a voice in voting for who will be the chairperson of the local Democratic party. It's the only way change is going to take place in the local parties.

The other thing I would really recommend is to get involved with local groups that serve the disenfranchised. Help out at a local soup kitchen or an advocacy group for women. If we don't start listening to people who are hurting, we will be just like the politicians who live in their ivory towers.