2020 Presidential Election

[BullDog]

Originally Posted by Martina

Endorsements don't always mean much. Everyone endorsed Trump's primary opponents, and he still got the nomination.

Florida isn't a Super Tuesday race, but I don't think it will hurt him too much. Most older Cuban Americans are Republicans. But the aging population means that Biden will probably win. Bernie does best with younger voters.

Jim Clyburn's endorsement isn't just any old endorsement. He is the most influential politician in South Carolina and is revered throughout the state and beyond. His remarks were very moving and powerful. That endorsement was from his heart.

[BullDog]

Originally Posted by Martina

A poll came out today of Pennsylvania voters comparing which candidate will do best against Trump in the general election. Right now, only Bernie -- Bernie -- can win Pennsylvania. Biden ties, and everyone else loses. Pennsylvania! What is this endless bullshit about Bernie losing in the general election? No. If he gets the nomination, he will win.

But the Dems are willing to cheat Bernie out of the nomination at the Convention if he goes in winning but without a majority. They will do that. If they do, I will never vote Democratic again and will donate to progressive third party candidates when they exist. If they rob Bernie, they will lose this election.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/u...gtype=Homepage

The head-to-head polls without any negative attacks yet against Sanders are meaningless and I already showed the preview of all the crap they have on Sanders - much of which is true - and he just gave fresh red meat with his Cuba and China remarks.

So Trump wants Bernie, the Republicans want Bernie, the Russians want Bernie, Republicans are crossing over to vote for Bernie in the primaries, very, very few Congressional Democrats want to run with him, and most Democrats other than the Bernie faithful are terrified of Bernie losing in a landslide to Trump.

The Congressional Democrats would be happy to run with him if they thought he could win and help them win, even if they disagreed with his views. Everyone loves a winner and wants to win themselves.

How much evidence do people need? Only the Bernie faithful think he can win. I guess they have some special insight that no one else in the entire world knows about.

If Sanders percentage of delegates is higher enough than anyone else then the Dems will not try to take it away. If it is close or he doesn't have the most delegates then he will lose - because they don't think he is the best candidate to win. Besides, he fights the Dems all the time and doesn't ever act like a leader of the party and then wants everything to go his way. They changed the damn Convention rules for him, just like they added all the extra info that had to be reported for the Caucuses because of him. People can go start a new party and be as relevant as Jill Stein is if they want to. Maybe the attempts at highjacking the Democratic party will stop.

Anyway, there is still a long way to go. Maybe Biden can come back. I think he is the only one who has a chance but Sanders. Maybe Bloomberg with his billions but he is dropping in the polls fast. And he complicates things for Biden so I am pissed.

Maybe Sanders will be a clear winner - either with a majority of delegates or a high enough plurality where they can't challenge him. If so, God help us all. I am having a hard time sleeping at night due to this possibility. No joke.
__________________

[~ocean]

Originally Posted by charley

Wel...cough...since Clyburn endorsed Biden, I think Biden will take South Carolina. (I saw Clyburn's endorsement.)

And, with Bernie's remarks re: Cuba/Castro, I doubt he will take Florida.

Btw, The Boston Globe editorial board has endorsed Warren [who I still like ], but I wish she would stop going after Bloomberg, and go after Bernie.
Bloomberg's presence is helping Bernie. So, the more she goes after Bloomberg, in a way, she is helping Bernie. I don't get her behaviour in the debates.

Even though I can relate to what Bernie says re: health care, I am concerned that if Bernie wins the nomination, Trump may get a 2nd term... just saying.

she shouldn't go after ANYONE esp. her own party . they need to concentrate on the issues and not act so vicious, it lowers their intelligence.Warren will never get my vote because of her behavior.

[C0LLETTE]

"Confidence Interval: “I Think The Biden Campaign Is Doing Just Fine”

Micah Cohen
Five Thirty Eight

Personally, I like my little picked cherry but I suppose you can find anything you like out there.

[Martina]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/o...gtype=Homepage

[Orema]

Originally Posted by ~ocean

she shouldn't go after ANYONE esp. her own party . they need to concentrate on the issues and not act so vicious, it lowers their intelligence.Warren will never get my vote because of her behavior.

And Warren will get my vote for her behavior. Slamming Bloomberg sealed the deal for me and she’s smart to try to position herself as a VP for Sanders since it’s unlikely she (or Bloomberg, I think) will be the Democratic nominee.

The primaries is the time to be tough with each other. We need to be united for the election, but gloves are off for the primaries.

The in fighting right now doesn’t bother me and won’t discourage me from voting.

Different strokes.

[Martina]

Wow. Biden did better than any of the polls predicted. I was hoping Bernie would make a better showing. On to Super Tuesday with fingers and toes crossed.

[BullDog]

Joe Biden absolutely crushed it! And awesome turnout. The record is 2008 with 532,000 and this year is over 500,000. In 2016 there were 370,000. And youth vote went down from something like 28% to 17% so this was the base of the Democratic party showing up not all the young and new voters that Sanders keeps promising but not delivering. It was great to see a lifelong Democrat with the backbone of the Democratic party showing up in force to deliver the victory.

Sanders is well-positioned for Super Tuesday. Hopefully, Biden can stay reasonably close. Later in March has more favorable states for him. He has good states on Super Tuesday but there is stupid Bloomberg. I honestly don't think anyone other than Sanders and Biden has a chance for the nomination but we will know more after Super Tuesday.

[C0LLETTE]

If Fareed Zakaria is right, Bernie's revered "Scandinavian countries" have more millionaires and billionaires per capita than the USA and the poor and middle class pay a far bigger percentage of income in taxes including non-progressive sales taxes.

But, if Bernie is right everyone will go to Valhalla...only problem being that you have to die first.

[Kätzchen]

Does anyone know if presidential contenders are even speaking up about the Student Loan Debt, zillions of us are hurdling or in some cases not able to hurdle?

Dept of Education is not exactly an agency that is student friendly to all the student loan borrowers.

I'm guessing it's an organizational issue: An isomorphic process by which the head of an organization is essentially surrounded by the same obtuse personnel who basically can't do anything but make a person's life more miserable than they are themselves (sarcasm alert).

That is a major issue for millions of us, current student loan borrowers and former student loan borrowers. Those who have an imaginary house payment made monthly or those who will soon be making payments, which don't commiserate with an equity in mind for the borrower who took a chunk of their lives to pursue an upper education degree (which, by the way, is not always going to help someone move up the social ladder - employment wise or in other ways people generally think upper education will help social mobility).

I don't want to hear about how Sanders has a plan to demolish the long held ways that US Dept of Education has fucked up the lives of millions of people who believed that earning an upper education degree would help mitigate life circumstances, financially. That agency is a big a$$ racket, with multiple stakeholders who hope to cash in on the money they can make off the backs of already dirt poor students or former students who owe the US Dept of Education for the loans taken out to earn a degree and keep college campuses in business.

Pissed off, is hardly the description I would say how this process is affecting me and millions of others who bought into the idea that our degrees would somehow provide for a better life, when all it has done is basically compounded an already complicated situation that all of us face.

I definitely do *NOT* like the person who is top dog at that agency (Devos).

I feel the same way about them as I do with all GOP admin occupying government seats or in other GOP stronghold ways.

None of them care about Student Aid Loan borrowers or the gazillion dollar debt hanging over every person who put their life on hold to earn an education to make life better for themselves. It's just the same old bottom feeder behavioral choices that govern their idea of how to make a zillion off of us. Just like they want to make a billion off of people and their health insurance coverage.

These are the top issues of major concern, in my daily life: Health Insurance (the medical empire industry), Student Loan Debt, Pay Equity and Employer/employee work benefits that are real and not some sham process that works toward the benefit of the employer vs the benefit of the employee, Tax Burden Equity (stop taxing the fuck out of the ordinary earner in our society; make those who dodge taxes pay up and pay consistently so others are not penalized by their lack of social responsibility).

Bring Social Equity back to the table in terms of correcting multiple issues that a majority of American citizens face each day, and I'd say that by doing so, that would help the lives of those of us who are not treated equitably by social institutions (health/medical, employer/employee pay equity, and the list goes on for miles and miles).

[homoe]

For more info on Warren's bill.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/el...ers-2019-06-13

[homoe]

~~
Pete dropped out..

[BullDog]

Great speech by Mayor Pete. He did the right thing and Democrats will remember. He has a very bright future ahead of him - just please get some more political experience before your next run!

[BullDog]

Wow Amy Klobuchar is dropping out today and endorsing Joe Biden. I am surprised she didn't wait until after Tuesday since Minnesota is voting then.

[dark_crystal]

i think Pete and Amy were both leaned on by the DNC. Their supporters will all go to Biden, this is part of the Stop Bernie project

[BullDog]

Originally Posted by dark_crystal

i think Pete and Amy were both leaned on by the DNC. Their supporters will all go to Biden, this is part of the Stop Bernie project

Yes probably they were leaned on but I also think they are doing what they think is best for the country. Most Democrats think Sanders would lose to Trump in a landslide.

[Martina]

I think some will go to Bernie. Mayor Pete was on the progressive side of liberal and drew a lot of young folks, who seem to prefer Bernie. Now that Klobuchar is out, Bernie will take Minnesota, which will be helpful. There was a lot of early voting though.

[BullDog]

Reports that Buttigieg will be endorsing Biden today too. According to NYT President Obama called Buttigieg after he dropped out - didn't tell him to endorse Biden but said you have leverage now and should consider how to use it.

Sanders has a strong base but it is still a minority of the party and he has benefited from the moderate vote being split up. There is a lot of early voting for Super Tuesday so we shall see. And, of course, there is stupid Bloomberg.

[Martina]

I don't think most establishment liberals are worried about Bernie losing. They're worried about him winning. The rich really don't want to pay the taxes they would have paid under Nixon.

[BullDog]

Originally Posted by Martina

I don't think most establishment liberals are worried about Bernie losing. They're worried about him winning. The rich really don't want to pay the taxes they would have paid under Nixon.

I disagree. Democrats are worried about Sanders losing to Trump and not taking the Senate back and potentially losing the House.

I also don't think painting all of the rest of us as establishment liberals worried about paying too much in taxes like Sanders and so many of his supporters do is not at all helpful to his cause. Shrug. Maybe you are just saying the rich Democrats, I don't know. I certainly don't think they control everything so I guess I don't exactly know what you mean.

I do agree that Klobuchar dropping out right before Minnesota votes could potentially help Sanders in Minnesota but maybe can help Biden in a lot of other places? Maybe. I'm really happy she is dropping out and endorsing Biden but I also do think it's a bit unfair to her home state voters.