While the Republicans turned down the deal, the Democratic Party, heavily backed by unions, decided to enter into an agreement with the union-busting Uber, a company that has had to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements from a steady stream of lawsuits. It may be no coincidence that David Plouffe, a longtime Democratic Party political strategist credited with managing Barack Obama’s successful presidential campaign, is now working in a top position at Uber. Plouffe told Politico when he was first hired in 2014 that he would be “trying to change the point of view of established politicians, and there’s a lot of resistance coming from people who want to protect the status quo.” Hammell’s organization — Fair Ride Philly Coalition — and other groups protested on the first day of the DNC. Among them was Ron Blount, president of the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania. “I’m really disgusted with the Democratic national party,” he told the press. “They’re supposed to represent us working people, people who are less fortunate, people with disabilities, but it’s like they’re just rolling over for a shrimp cocktail and a ham sandwich.” Uber is now valued at more than $60 billion and is a global operation whose deal-making in Philadelphia is only one small example of the company’s aggressive business practices. “Uber is taking over the world,” Hammell told me. “Their endgame is self-driving autonomous vehicles to take out the driver altogether.” The Democratic Party’s cozy relationships with companies like Uber is exactly why establishment candidates like Hillary Clinton are dismissed as “neoliberal” politicians who are beholden to Wall Street. It is the reason why the party had been losing supporters for years until a candidate like Bernie Sanders came along and began broadcasting a message that resonated with ordinary Americans. But like the party has been doing since the start of this election year, it has chosen to embrace corporate power at the expense of its own popularity and even its potential to win political power. Ultimately, companies like Uber are able to use the Democratic Party as a vehicle for growth, and ordinary Americans are left on the side of the road. Your support is crucial...

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#2016 election#app#democratic national convention#democratic party#dnc#hillary clinton#philadelphia#president#rideshare#Sonali Kolhatkar#td-original#uber#usa