The Politics Thread

[Khan]

 

That's certainly the impression I received from last night's debate.

 

I realize this is make-or-break time for several candidates.  However, as I've said or alluded to before, I feel they went the wrong way about it.  Instead of focusing on what counts in this election -- uniting the party, defeating Donald Trump, offering a saner alternative to his administration's atrocious policies -- they turned their proverbial guns on each other.  It was almost as if the election has already been decided, and all that was left to do was toss around the blame (for the Democrats' defeat).

 

The candidates' actions last night on the debating stage made them look petulant and messy as hell and did little in the way of inspiring confidence on the part of voters who remain anxious about the next several months and beyond.  Even worse, because everyone was so focused on nailing to the wall Michael Bloomberg, who was poised to be a spoiler of sorts for Bernie Sanders' campaign, I think Sanders actually walked away last night looking stronger than he did going in!  For those who don't want Sanders to become the standard-bearer for the Democratic Party, last night's debate was the very last thing they needed to see.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Khan

[Toups]

What does that scenario look like?  Is it Like what happened in House of Cards where each state yells out who they’re going to vote or something like that?  

[ReddFoxx]

Warren could have a surprisingly good showing in Nevada thanks to her debate performance and her calling out Bloomberg might have helped Biden a lot on Super Tuesday.

 

I'm not sure how it will actually go over with voters, but Sanders' comment about having a summer camp made him seem a lot more out of touch than he portrays himself. He's not a billionaire, but he is still much more financially secure than most working and middle class Americans.

[marceline]

 

I don't think that's true. I think the problem is that they just don't understand where so much of the electorate is right now. A lot of these people have completely bought their own hype. Biden and Bloomberg do. That's why they have stayed mainly focused on Trump with a few side swipes at other candidates.

 

I don't think Bernie will be the nominee. I know we're through the looking glass but the truth is whenever people actually vote, the revolution tanks. He got smoked in 2016 and none of his endorsed candidates won in 2018. Bernie Sanders simply doesn't represent the Democratic Party. The problem is that the other candidates are splitting the non-Bernie vote. There better be some serious dropouts after South Carolina.

[Juliajms]

I don't know why people are so picky.

[Juliajms]

That's certainly true, but it's hard to imagine any credible candidate running for president who isn't. His campaign needs to come up with a way of differentiating between having a few million dollars at the end of your life, versus having two billion dollars in income every year, simply by being alive (which Bloomberg does). Income that is in fact taxed less than the income of people who actually work for their money.  It's the difference between working for your money and having your money work for you (Thank you Claire Huxtable).

 

Not that I mind Bernie taking that hit. He is such a divisive figure, I won't be surprised if we lose again in part due to his idiot Bernie Bro supporters, no matter who ultimately gets the nomination.

 

 

[Roman]

yes. deals are cut back room, and it can get very nasty.

still hoping for Warren. she finally came out with guns blazing last night.

[Khan]

 

LOL!

 

 

America wouldn't be the beacon of liberty and justice that it is today if not for the backroom deal.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Khan

[Vee]

 

[DRW50]

So many on the left dismiss and mock the idea of Russia having any influence. I can no longer tell the difference. All I know is many in the party are happy to see Putin take the country in whatever direction  he wants, so if they don't care I guess I shouldn't anymore either. 

[DRW50]

 

I hope he can be stopped, but if he does well enough in Nevada and South Carolina it may be too late. I get the idea of other candidates not seeing Biden as strong enough, but he's still stronger than several who won't drop out and just keep taking up space. That's the selfishness so inherent in politics now. We saw this most recently with Andrew Yang, who lapped up anti-media crusades for money and attention, only to cash in at CNN, which is run by the truly disgusting Zucker, one of the faces of just how toxic the media in this country is. I imagine Buttigieg is waiting for his cashout too, but he's waited too long. He and Amy will just keep helping Bernie. 

 

I wish people saw through this grifting. You have AOC going on The View for camera time, under the guise of teaching  about socialism - that's like teaching a Maury audience a Pinter play. She's not going there for anything but her own career-building. That phoniness is what helps Republicans. It's the same as Bernie and his family being led into right wing spin by having to talk about all the expensive homes he owns. Trump will eat him alive in November because people will see him as a complete hypocrite and liar. And he is. 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

So, I'm reading this article about how supporters and rival campaigns' supporters alike were taken aback at how poorly Bloomberg performed at the debate in Nevada.  Are these folks brand-new??  Bloomberg didn't get to be mayor of NYC because he was an effective debater. Bloomberg won the mayoralty of NYC because he outspent and 'out-nastied' his Democratic opponent Mark Green.  And he used his money, increased influence to hold onto the office.  By the way, if people are concerned that Trump will try to hang onto the presidency even after he's voted out (or God forbid, an extra term) people should also be concerned that Mike Bloomberg will/can do the same because he did this successfully in NYC, convincing NYC councilmen/women to extend his time in office by creating new rules that would extend term limits, just so he could run and eventually win a third term.  Everyone now agrees that that 3rd term should never have happened. Just a 411 from a former NYCer who was there.  Also, NYC lost a chunk of its black population during his time as mayor, which I'm surprised that no one has brought up but I guess the fact that Trump is in the WH proves that Americans are not into vetting billionaires that well.

[Khan]

Correction: Americans aren't into vetting WHITE MEN that well.  But, let it be a woman or person of color, and, by God, they won't rest 'til they have uncovered every last speck of dirt!

 

Between Russia's continued meddling and Mark Zuckerberg's allowing the far-right to continue spreading their filth all over Facebook, I'm truly at a loss to explain how Trump WON'T be re-elected in November.  As @marceline would say, we didn't learn a damn thing from 2016.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Khan

[Vee]

 

[Khan]

Stephen Miller: "I don’t have a family. I don’t have anything else. [Restricting immigration] is my life."

 

If this were a Hallmark movie, in the next scene, he'd meet an asylum-seeking Honduran single mom and her little boy, who gradually melt his heart and make him come around on Christmas, illegal immigration and true love.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Khan