Election 2020

[DMT]

Bernie's ears are burning, I imagine, as he appears live with Chris Hayes on MSNBC right now.

says his 2016 campaign leadership WAS too male and too white, but just look at this team now.
says he is "deeply saddened" to hear reports of sexual harassment within that campaign, is taking all the needed safeguards, and so on...

There really is no excuse for him to not have a very diverse staff this time around.

[The Feral Slasher]

Yeah, I've noticed before--there is a surprising number of us on these boards. I dig how common it is getting. My wife and I have been together for two decades. There were times, early on especially, that we felt kinda weird--assumed separate checks and other awkwardness. My mother actually cautioned against my dating her at first, cuz "think of the children." I don't notice those things as much now.

This makes me think back to when I was married and the stress my wife had about being accepted into my family. It was never really an issue, but the stress that people of color feel in those situations is something that many dont ever think about or understand. It took many years for those fears to go away, and at times it made things really difficult. And I probably didn't always understand what she was really going thru, or do the things that would help her. I think things are moving in the right direction, will be a great day when people don't have to worry about stuff like that.

[Bernie Brewer]

I've told this story before, but my wife's college roommate, and a good friend of ours from both high school and college, who we hung out with and doubled dated with was murdered because she was in an interracial relationship. We had often hung out with them at the time. My wife's family lived right by where the shooting happened. It was deeply tragic and disturbing. Part of the reason Trump's rise has affected me so much he panders to people like the one who murdered Jody. She was a truly special person. She helped me get the Gold Seal Scholarship that allowed me to go to college, as I couldn't have afforded it otherwise. She helped me in the accounting class I was struggling with. She changed my life, and a racist took hers.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl...197-story.html

What a tragic story, SM. I’m so sorry you lost a dear friend in that horrific manner.

[Sour Masher]

What a tragic story, SM. I’m so sorry you lost a dear friend in that horrific manner.

I appreciate that Bernie. Hope all is well with you and yours.

[Sour Masher]

On a related note to my sharing again about my friend Jody, I feel compelled to share somewhere how angry Jussie Smollett makes me. People deal with real acts of harassment and violence, and a selfish, self-centered asshole like him, who I equate with people who pretend to have cancer for attention and personal gain or steal valor, or you name it in terms of lying scumbags, does all those facing real issues a great disservice. His selfish, self-centered desires potentially detract from real issues, and only fan the flames of division in a country that has enough of that without his fake ass staged events. If all is as pathetic as they now appear to be from him, I hope he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. What a piece of work, this guy. I am just relieved that he was such an idiot in his approach to staging these crimes that he was easily caught.

To tie this reflection to this thread, a lot of 2020 candidates supported this guy, and now, understandably, will be cautious on such issues going forward.

ETA: I'm thankful that he has received no attention here till this post, and I should have probably left it that way.

[B-Fly]

Hate Bernie for Clinton losing? Come on. So would they not vote for him if he's the nominee?

If he were facing Trump in a general election, they'd absolutely vote for him. They'd just never support him in the primaries and wish he'd go away. I'm in a very different place, but I do see that a lot of women, in particular, remain very upset about Bernie Sanders, driven there probably more by the conduct of so-called "Bernie Bros" who dogged Clinton and her supporters right through and well beyond Election Day, than by the candidate himself.

[B-Fly]

I've told this story before, but my wife's college roommate, and a good friend of ours from both high school and college, who we hung out with and doubled dated with was murdered because she was in an interracial relationship. We had often hung out with them at the time. My wife's family lived right by where the shooting happened. It was deeply tragic and disturbing. Part of the reason Trump's rise has affected me so much he panders to people like the one who murdered Jody. She was a truly special person. She helped me get the Gold Seal Scholarship that allowed me to go to college, as I couldn't have afforded it otherwise. She helped me in the accounting class I was struggling with. She changed my life, and a racist took hers.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl...197-story.html

How awful. Scary how much embedded, irrational hate still resides in people's hearts and minds.

[B-Fly]

VP picks: Nina Turner, Tulsi Gabbard, Stacy Abrams.

I love the Abrams pick, but worry it would potentially lose him the Midwestern swing states vis-à-vis Trump.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I should make clear that student loan debt and the rising costs of higher education are very serious issues that I want a candidate addressing, but free college for all is an overly simplistic and costly solution to that problem.

ETA: Although I consider myself a progressive on many issues, one of my frustrations with many progressive candidates is that their approach to many complicated issues is the same as their free college for all approach. See a really big problem and want to fix it, but offer a hamfisted and simple and more costly solution than may be necessary. But I get that is what sells to voters, and free college for all is easier to change than 20,000 words on how to fix this issues in the best way possible.

All that said, the progressive drive to see these issues and get them addressed is essential to our growth as a country. We are a better country today because of that drive, but I think the conservative push back to it is also essential to find balance.

There is a lot to like about the Australian system:

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/australia-college-payment-model-exposes-shortcomings-of-new-american-version/473919/

[revo]

Larry Hogan certainly sounds like someone who is eager to challenge Trump. He would be #2. Do we hear Jeff Flake, John Kasich, Bob Corker coming too....? Since Dumpy is such a wrestling fan and Linda McMahon is a cabinet member, how about a steel cage battle royale?


Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday he expects to make a springtime trip to New Hampshire as he weighs a 2020 challenge to Donald Trump — and accused the Republican National Committee of going to extraordinary lengths to shield the president from a potentially draining primary.

“Typically they try to be fair arbiters of a process and I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been involved in the Republican Party for most of my life. It’s unprecedented. And in my opinion it’s not the way we should be going about our politics,” Hogan, a popular two-term Maryland governor, said in an interview with POLITICO. “It’s very undemocratic and to say, ‘We’re in some cases not going to allow a debate, we may not have a primary…’”

“And the question is, what are they afraid of?” he added. “Because on the one hand you look at polls, 70 percent of Republicans support the president in a primary. Why are they so concerned? Why the puffing out the chest — ‘We’ve put together the greatest team ever assembled, we’re going to raise all this money early, we’re going to hire all these people early, we’re going to take over the RNC…’”

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/18/history-election-do-overs-223313

[Sour Masher]

There is a lot to like about the Australian system:

https://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...ersion/473919/

Yes, that seems like a very reasonable system.

[B-Fly]

More good polling for Biden. He always does very well in polls when he's not in the race. Would that change if/when he announces and the target lands on his back?

Friday, February 22

New Hampshire 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary UMass Amherst Biden 28, Sanders 20, Harris 14, Warren 9, O'Rourke 6, Booker 3, Gillibrand 3, Bloomberg 2, Klobuchar 1, Castro 1 (Biden +8)


Thursday, February 21

Arizona: Trump vs. Biden OH Predictive Insights Trump 46, Biden 46 (Tie)
Arizona: Trump vs. Sanders OH Predictive Insights Trump 49, Sanders 37 (Trump +12)
Arizona: Trump vs. Harris OH Predictive Insights Trump 49, Harris 40 (Trump +9)
Arizona: Trump vs. Warren OH Predictive Insights Trump 49, Warren 38 (Trump +11)

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/

Also not good for Sanders if he can't beat Biden in New Hampshire.

[DMT]

There really is no excuse for him to not have a very diverse staff this time around.

Check out @ggreenwald’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/statu...443560448?s=09

[nots]

Check out @ggreenwald’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/statu...443560448?s=09

The comments on that Twitter feed are great

[onejayhawk]

Trump will crush anyone if he chooses to run. I doubt he does.

J