*** OFFICIAL 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination Race Thread ***

[Dan Druff]

Also it should be noted that the RNC failed to do the same thing in 2016. Trump ran over them and single-handedly took over the party. It was impressive. Even some of the never-Trumpers eventually fell in line.

This really bothered me at the time, as you might remember. I was so anti-Trump myself that I refused to vote for him in 2016, and I voted for a fringe alternative candidate in protest -- the first time I had done so in my life.

However, as the years passed, I came to realize that Trump was a necessary reaction to what the left was doing at the time. They were acting aggressive and insane, so the Republicans needed an equally aggressive and insane person to counter them. If you try to reason with these people, you get run over. Trump was the perfect President to have during the rising leftist extremism. He unapologetically mocked them and told them to eat shit. He also took no crap from the media, and refused to play nice. He was the President that the GOP needed at the time, and I didn't realize it in 2016.

If the Democrats are going to return to normal and dial down the influence of the lunatic fringe, then a Trump type becomes far less necessary. Then it's better to have more of a traditional Republican politician at the helm. For now, I'm actually happy Trump is President, even though I see and fully acknowledge all of his faults.

[blake]

They're still gonna lose to Trump, and what they did doesn't really speak well for the democracy they claim they hold so dear, but at least I give them credit for finally standing up to the militant segment ruining their party.

i don't get this. the major reason biden dominated is because of black voters. it wasn't a conspiracy.

as for amy and pete dropping out, are we now of the opinion that candidates dropping out when they are fully aware have ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE OF WINNING hurts democracy?

should they have stayed in when they know they can't win?

[Dan Druff]

I have to admire the DNC for one thing.

They finally stood up to the Berniebro lunatic fringe progressive wing, and said enough is enough.

They pandered to them for years, and finally they threw up their hands and puched the entire movement in the nose.

For so long, we've seen little whispers from them trying to hint that extremism just hurts the party and helps Republicans win, and it's been ignored and scoffed at. The continuous message out of the left was, "Either you're for everything we say, or you're an evil corporatist shill who is just as bad as the Republicans."

They allowed themselves to get browbeat by this small, vocal minority, until the vocal minority grew and wasn't so small anymore, because it became the party norm. The rational thought got booed off the stage for too long, and the new normal was insanity. We had Presidential candidates listing their (super obvious) preferred pronouns on their Twitter! That's how bad it got.

The DNC finally had enough, pooled their influence, came up with a plan, and spanked Bernie into near-oblivion. This despite the fact that their own "viable" candidate was a senile weirdo who flopped badly in every other attempt he made to run for President. They got together, pressured the right people, got the right dropouts and endorsements, and this confused stooge killed it on Super Tuesday.

The DNC took back their party from the freaks, at least for now. They're still gonna lose to Trump, and what they did doesn't really speak well for the democracy they claim they hold so dear, but at least I give them credit for finally standing up to the militant segment ruining their party.

Well..... considering they did the same shit 4 years ago I wouldn’t say this is a “new thing”.

That said it is a good thing for the rest of us.

Yes and no.

See, there are two misconceptions about the 2016 election:

1) "They stole it from Bernie." WRONG. Hillary was going to win anyway. Yes, they cheated all they could (such as in the debates), but even without the cheating, Hillary was going to beat him. Bernie simply had no nonwhite support at the time.

2) "Bernie would have beaten Trump." WRONG. Had Bernie been the 2020 nominee, we would see how wrong that statement was. Now we will never get to see, barring a miracle. However, Bernie is a piss-poor general election candidate. He appeals to the already super-blue states, while having very little appeal to any of the swing states which he'd need to win.


Anyway, Hillary was going to be the nominee, with or without the DNC's meddling.

In 2020, that's not true. Had the DNC not meddled, it's likely Bernie would have been the nominee. So this time, the DNC kind of did steal it from him. Klobuchar's dropout was the most transparent. At least Pete had no path to win anything else, and his dropping out saved him the embarrassment of getting trounced on Super Tuesday. Klobuchar was on the path to win her own state, and she dropped out the day before, and suddenly they both endorsed Biden. DNC meddling couldn't have been more obvious.

So this time, they really did overtly fuck Bernie and changed the likely result of the primary.

[blake]

also if i'm giving biden debate advice, i'm telling him to flatout ignore every substantive attack from bernie -- cause he likely can't defend them -- and just shift the subject to bernie taking away your health insurance, being unlikable, etc.

just ignore any debate question you don't like

[Dan Druff]

They're still gonna lose to Trump, and what they did doesn't really speak well for the democracy they claim they hold so dear, but at least I give them credit for finally standing up to the militant segment ruining their party.

i don't get this. the major reason biden dominated is because of black voters. it wasn't a conspiracy.

as for amy and pete dropping out, are we now of the opinion that candidates dropping out when they are fully aware have ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE OF WINNING hurts democracy?

should they have stayed in when they know they can't win?

Biden was going to win the southeastern states without the DNC's help, yes.

The other states he won because of the last-minute consolidation. You think he wins Texas without the DNC's help? Massachusetts?
Maine? No chance.

Amy had no chance throughout the entire election, and she knew it. Here she was finally about to likely WIN A STATE, and she drops out the day before. Had she dropped out after Super Tuesday, that would make sense. She wasn't going to carry anything but Minnesota. But to go that far knowing she had no chance, and to suddenly abandon ship right before she finally wins a state, makes ZERO sense unless she was pressured to do so.

And then that LOL trip with Mayor Pete (whom she HATED) to go endorse Biden together? Also obviously DNC-orchestrated. BTW, the two refused to share a stage. Their endorsements came at different times. Did you notice that?

This whole thing had the DNC fingerprints all over it. I wasn't sure when Pete dropped out. I thought that might have been self-serving. Pete needed better jobs to add to his resume than small town mayor.

Klobuchar's dropout and subsequent Biden endorsement made it all so clear. Not only did it fail to make sense a day before she'd win her own state, but she also didn't need to kiss Biden's ass for her political future like Pete did.

[blake]

i don't get this. the major reason biden dominated is because of black voters. it wasn't a conspiracy.

as for amy and pete dropping out, are we now of the opinion that candidates dropping out when they are fully aware have ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE OF WINNING hurts democracy?

should they have stayed in when they know they can't win?

Biden was going to win the southeastern states without the DNC's help, yes.

The other states he won because of the last-minute consolidation. You think he wins Texas without the DNC's help? Massachusetts?
Maine? No chance.

Amy had no chance throughout the entire election, and she knew it. Here she was finally about to likely WIN A STATE, and she drops out the day before. Had she dropped out after Super Tuesday, that would make sense. She wasn't going to carry anything but Minnesota. But to go that far knowing she had no chance, and to suddenly abandon ship right before she finally wins a state, makes ZERO sense unless she was pressured to do so.

And then that LOL trip with Mayor Pete (whom she HATED) to go endorse Biden together? Also obviously DNC-orchestrated. BTW, the two refused to share a stage. Their endorsements came at different times. Did you notice that?

This whole thing had the DNC fingerprints all over it. I wasn't sure when Pete dropped out. I thought that might have been self-serving. Pete needed better jobs to add to his resume than small town mayor.

Klobuchar's dropout and subsequent Biden endorsement made it all so clear. Not only did it fail to make sense a day before she'd win her own state, but she also didn't need to kiss Biden's ass for her political future like Pete did.

ok, you acknowledge that both amy and pete knew they had no chance after south carolina (and let's be honest, before that).

i guess you think it's ok that they dropped out, but think it is part of a machiavellian conspiracy for them to drop out before super tuesday cause they wanted to help biden.

ummm, obviously?

it's clear they think biden would be a better president than bernie. dropping out like this happens in every primary process. if they actually mean what they say, they made the correct, moral decision. you seem to think this is some underhanded strategy, which is nuts.

THEY WANT BIDEN TO BEAT BERNIE WHICH MIGHT NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THEY STAYED IN THE RACE. SO EVIL.

look at the pressure warren is now under. will she be conspiring with bernie when she drops out later this week?

she literally ruined any chance of a progressive winning by staying in as long as she did

[sonatine]

"1.3 million voters in Virginia went to the polls on Tuesday, surpassing the votes cast in 2016 by nearly 70 percent ... breaking a previous Democratic record of 986,000 votes set in 2008, when Barack Obama was on the ballot."

[blake]

"1.3 million voters in Virginia went to the polls on Tuesday, surpassing the votes cast in 2016 by nearly 70 percent ... breaking a previous Democratic record of 986,000 votes set in 2008, when Barack Obama was on the ballot."

this is the republican nightmare. the assumption is that biden can't reform the obama coalition. i guess we'll see

[sonatine]

the republican campaign of Total Hysteria has essentially numbed us to the real shortcomings of biden.

[Sheesfaced]

Yep, for Trump.

i was thinking that burying a black woman in a meaningless VP position might not scare white people too much, but would have the added benefit of getting huge minority turnout

i might be wrong

Is it meaningless though when to put it generously Biden is clearly already a bit senile?

I think the case could be made that his VP choice would have a much higher likelihood of being tapped to be president for medical reasons. Or at least that could be the perception; probably not likely in practice.

[TheXFactor]

also if i'm giving biden debate advice, i'm telling him to flatout ignore every substantive attack from bernie -- cause he likely can't defend them -- and just shift the subject to bernie taking away your health insurance, being unlikable, etc.

just ignore any debate question you don't like

It's not over yet. Elizabeth Warren and Tulsi Gabbard will eventually dropout and give their support to Bernie.

All Bernie has to do is win a couple more states and continue to split the vote with Biden.

It will probably be a contested Democratic convention with either Biden or Bernie with a slight delegate lead.

Will the DNC super delegates fuck over Bernie? Damn right they will.

Next Democratic debate is on March 15th 2020.

Bernie should compare Biden to Trump and a voting record that is almost 100% Republican with the exception of abortion. Will Biden fuck up and say something stupid? Damn right he will. Will it make any difference?

[blake]

also if i'm giving biden debate advice, i'm telling him to flatout ignore every substantive attack from bernie -- cause he likely can't defend them -- and just shift the subject to bernie taking away your health insurance, being unlikable, etc.

just ignore any debate question you don't like

It's not over yet. Elizabeth Warren and Tulsi Gabbard will eventually dropout and give their support to Bernie.

All Bernie has to do is win a couple more states and continue to split the vote with Biden.

It will probably be a contested Democratic convention with either Biden or Bernie with a slight delegate lead.

Will the DNC super delegates fuck over Bernie? Damn right they will.

Next Democratic debate is on March 15th 2020.

Bernie should compare Biden to Trump and a voting record that is almost 100% Republican with the exception of abortion. Will Biden fuck up and say something stupid? Damn right he will. Will it make any difference?

it's only not over cause there's at least a 37% chance that biden has no idea where he is at various parts of the debate, and maybe a 12% chance he uses the word "coloreds" to describe his black support.

the biggest problem for bernie is that the electoral map was waaaay more favorable to bernie on super tuesday than it is coming up.

bernie's going to get hammered in every state that matters, like florida, PA, michigan, etc. of course, he'll lose by 25 points in all other states with black people

it's hard to imagine biden won't, at the very least, have a delegate lead going into the convention. even yesterday, bernie said he'd drop out if that is the case. we'll have go see if he keeps his word.

(also lol at tulsi throwing her 12-person coalition behind bernie. ok)

[sonatine]

https://www.politico.com/news/magazi...ltitude-121523

that lede tho.

[Sanlmar]

https://www.politico.com/news/magazi...ltitude-121523

that lede tho.

A rare balanced piece.

Sanders, whose strengths are consistency and passion, often seems to view politics as a clash of interests which casts “the people” as more of an abstraction

That’s beautiful writing


Biden’s lucidity will wax and wane.

[MrTickle]

Warren gone!

[BCR]

You ever sit down on a bench somewhere just killing time and you strike up a conversation with an old guy talking baseball or whatever and you’re really enjoying the exchange and then he’ll say something to you like, “can I ask you a question? And you’re like “sure Jim, ask me anything?” You can kind of feel it coming if you’ve been around the block a few times, but you’re really hoping he’s going to ask if I think the Indians have enough hitting to contend but nope, it’s,” have you heard the good news?” And you say,” yeah Jim, I have, thanks for asking, but I have to get going. You have a great day and it was a pleasure to meet you.”

That’s happened to me probably ten times through the years. Maybe I look convertible or maybe it happens to everyone or it’s because I strike up conversations with strangers, but Bernie is like that old dude. I like that old dude. Still like him after he asks me that shit. I’m just done listening and I realize he’s a true believer and it’s going to go south from there.

And maybe he’s right? I might be missing out on the good news. Bernie seems to have that same effect on people with his whole democratic socialism thing. It’s not really all that radical, but people can smell a true believer a mile away and that they’re going to get a sermon. He can’t deviate and play the game. He’s a true fucking believer. He’d be president if he could play the game and just drop the socialist tag and couch shit in language not out of the revolutionary handbook. Take the verses of sacred script and put a new spin on them. He struggles at that. It’s new to kids who weren’t around in 60s and 70s. Older people go oh shit here we go again. He had Blake on the bench yesterday.

[BCR]

Warren gone!

Don’t be surprised if her support doesn’t break Bernie as hard as you’d expect. Back when Hillary was running against Obama I’d read this Hillary board every day for entertainment purposes. When it became obvious she was going to lose, those women didn’t sit out. They started running McCain ads and loving Sarah Palin. Her supporters won’t go Trump, but don’t be surprised if they don’t go Bernie. Even after Hillary threw Obama her endorsement, they weren’t hearing it. Warren has herself a lot of those type in her camp. It will help with the undecided vote that hasn’t made up their mind leaning left in future states. Less with the true diehard Warren supporter. It’s a good development for him, but maybe not as linear as those people who dropped out going straight to Biden.

[Sanlmar]

Diggydow come home

Is Tulsi gonna qualify for debate?

[Dan Druff]

I was on the fence whether the DNC had gotten to Warren and asked her to hang around to screw Bernie, or if she was just delusional.

Looks like it was the latter.

Boy was she awful.

I remember a few years ago I thought she was a really competent and straightforward politician. I was afraid she would beat Trump in 2020.

Then came the Pocahontas thing, and it just devolved from there. Bad campaign, dishonest person, and just all around annoying in every way.

She went from highly respected to reviled by almost everyone.

Good riddance.

[sonatine]

Diggydow come home

Is Tulsi gonna qualify for debate?

finally we have someone willing to brush aside the distractions of global climate shifts, a nascent plague, gross wealth inequality, and a cult of xenophobic superstition to focus on the REAL ISSUES:

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