All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[worstblogever]

I think all you guys talking about how Biden's 'time has passed' need to follow some polls. He's the still the front-runner, and by a significant margin.

Polls still skew towards older voters on lan line phones, so I'm not surprised.

Everyone I talk to among Democratic primary voters want a fresher face. I have not spoken to, or seen someone online give a passionate defense of Biden. Like, at all.

I really think he's getting by on name recognition, and the polling aggregate.


This being said, Biden > Trump for DAAAAAYS. YEEEARS.

[aja_christopher]

Maybe ignoring the flaws of your candidate again while others point them out will result in another general loss and you’ll be forced to make excuses for a few more years blaming everyone. Worked out real well for you last time

I don't have a candidate so you're just attacking for no reason whatsoever again -- you keep making up this nonsense about this being about Hillary or Sanders, when I've made it clear I don't have a problem with him but with the divisiveness of his supporters, which you are (once again) proving.

Bringing up things that might be an issue for Sanders is not a "criticism" and as you pointed out, it's fair game in the general election -- for example, whether I support a $15 minimum wage has nothing to do with the fact that raising the minimum wage -- and taxes -- are key issues with many voters, especially when you are having wage issues in your own campaign.

I'm done trying to reason with you -- but rest assured I'll continue to point this out again in the future whenever I see fit.

There's way too much at stake this time to tolerate this kind of infighting: if you're going to promote your political agenda to the detriment of other Democratic candidates -- especially those who are polling higher than your chosen candidate(s) -- then I'm going to address it directly.

I don't care about Hillary or Sanders -- I care about Democrats working together to get Trump out of office.

To that end, whoever they nominate is "my candidate" -- and that includes Warren and Sanders.

[worstblogever]

And this is a huge reason why I just don’t trust Gabbard.

For me, it's how she worked for her dad's anti-gay group, and bragged about her experience with it until people were like, "You realize Democrats support LGBTQ rights, and this would be the political death of you, right?"

I think there are politicians who are full of s***, and would say anything to get elected. But if there's one person I could see flipping party affiliation back and forth without a care depending on paying the bills in the Democratic Party? It's Tulsi Gabbard. Dan Lipinski, probably a close second.

[Theleviathan]

Polls still skew towards older voters on lan line phones, so I'm not surprised.

Everyone I talk to among Democratic primary voters want a fresher face. I have not spoken to, or seen someone online give a passionate defense of Biden. Like, at all.

I really think he's getting by on name recognition, and the polling aggregate.


This being said, Biden > Trump for DAAAAAYS. YEEEARS.

Personally, I think this is what liberals tell themselves so they can think it's a good idea to nominate someone else. It's more self-validation for your own politics than a true reading of the room.

I get why people don't like Biden. I get why people may not be energized. What I don't get is why people live in a fairy tale that their liberalism is an accurate reflection of the entire voting coalition and make arguments from that stance.

What we need is non-Trump voters. Whatever ideology or candidate delivers the most of those is who should get the nomination. Try to separate your personal politics when you make those observations. It's a complicated story and the idea that the key is energized liberals is a dubious one at best.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Personally, I think this is what liberals tell themselves so they can think it's a good idea to nominate someone else. It's more self-validation for your own politics than a true reading of the room.

I get why people don't like Biden. I get why people may not be energized. What I don't get is why people live in a fairy tale that their liberalism is an accurate reflection of the entire voting coalition and make arguments from that stance.

What we need is non-Trump voters. Whatever ideology or candidate delivers the most of those is who should get the nomination. Try to separate your personal politics when you make those observations. It's a complicated story and the idea that the key is energized liberals is a dubious one at best.

Because the issue is Democrats are showing in polls that it’s not necessarily that Biden is preferred, just that there is a belief he is more electability. It’s a similar pragmatism to 2016. And I don’t think that wins the day anymore

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

For me, it's how she worked for her dad's anti-gay group, and bragged about her experience with it until people were like, "You realize Democrats support LGBTQ rights, and this would be the political death of you, right?"

I think there are politicians who are full of s***, and would say anything to get elected. But if there's one person I could see flipping party affiliation back and forth without a care depending on paying the bills in the Democratic Party? It's Tulsi Gabbard. Dan Lipinski, probably a close second.

The only reason people like her is foreign policy. Outside of that she is nothing

[shooshoomanjoe]

FBI finally warns America of domestic terrorism from far right fringe groups.

The FBI for the first time has identified fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terrorist threat, according to a previously unpublicized document obtained by Yahoo News. (Read the document below.)

The FBI intelligence bulletin from the bureau’s Phoenix field office, dated May 30, 2019, describes “conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists,” as a growing threat, and notes that it is the first such report to do so. It lists a number of arrests, including some that haven’t been publicized, related to violent incidents motivated by fringe beliefs.

The document specifically mentions QAnon, a shadowy network that believes in a deep state conspiracy against President Trump, and Pizzagate, the theory that a pedophile ring including Clinton associates was being run out of the basement of a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant (which didn’t actually have a basement).

“The FBI assesses these conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread, and evolve in the modern information marketplace, occasionally driving both groups and individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts,” the document states. It also goes on to say the FBI believes conspiracy theory-driven extremists are likely to increase during the 2020 presidential election cycle.

[BeastieRunner]

FBI finally warns America of domestic terrorism from far right fringe groups.

Pizzagate, Spygate, Deep State, crisis actors, false flags, Asbestos poisoning is a mob-led conspiracy, millions of illegals voting, 'Fake News,” FEMA camps, the Uranium One deal, Obama Birtherism, death panels, Muslim zones, Seth Rich, Vince Foster, The Bowling Green Massacre, alternative facts, Trump Tower wiretaps, FISA memo, Agenda 21, Islamic training camps in America and Sharia Law in US courts, Climate Change is a global conspiracy or a Chinese hoax, the New World Order, Ted Cruz's father helped assassinate JFK, , George Soros funded the caravan and every anti-Trump March ever, Hillary campaign tampered with Trump's microphone, Trump's inauguration was the largest ever.

All listed in the document.

So ... did the FBI just list Trump's base as terrorists?

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Pizzagate, Spygate, Deep State, crisis actors, false flags, Asbestos poisoning is a mob-led conspiracy, millions of illegals voting, 'Fake News,” FEMA camps, the Uranium One deal, Obama Birtherism, death panels, Muslim zones, Seth Rich, Vince Foster, The Bowling Green Massacre, alternative facts, Trump Tower wiretaps, FISA memo, Agenda 21, Islamic training camps in America and Sharia Law in US courts, Climate Change is a global conspiracy or a Chinese hoax, the New World Order, Ted Cruz's father helped assassinate JFK, , George Soros funded the caravan and every anti-Trump March ever, Hillary campaign tampered with Trump's microphone, Trump's inauguration was the largest ever.

All listed in the document.

Are greatest thread is stupid people

[numberthirty]

Correct, after everyone was gushing over Harris in the last debate I pointed out that she went unscathed because no one saw her as a threat. As soon as they did, and I said this here the night of the first debate, her prosecutorial record was going to become a very effective attack.

She put a ton of young black men behind bars for something she thinks should be legal, jokes about doing, and shows no remorse for. And that's just the tip of the iceberg with her record. Her standing up there trying to bash Biden on his treatment of blacks and incarceration could not be any more hypocritical or phony. At least Biden was getting heavily campaigned from the black community for his mistake, she's got no such cover.

And that's to say nothing of the fact that she STILL can't adequately explain her position on healthcare. (Or accurately explain it for that matter)

It's incredibly telling that the take on MSNBC wasn't "Harris Should Have Defended Her Record..." It was "Why Didn't Harris Accuse Gabbard Of Being An Anti-Muslim?..."

[aja_christopher]

Personally, I think this is what liberals tell themselves so they can think it's a good idea to nominate someone else. It's more self-validation for your own politics than a true reading of the room.

I get why people don't like Biden. I get why people may not be energized. What I don't get is why people live in a fairy tale that their liberalism is an accurate reflection of the entire voting coalition and make arguments from that stance.

What we need is non-Trump voters. Whatever ideology or candidate delivers the most of those is who should get the nomination. Try to separate your personal politics when you make those observations. It's a complicated story and the idea that the key is energized liberals is a dubious one at best.

"Why Do the Democrats Want to Run Against Obama Instead of Trump?"

"The Dark Psychic Forces of Collective Hatred won tonight’s debate. It is absolutely mind-boggling to me that the Democratic candidates think their best path forward is to aggressively and personally attack one another over the finer points of their white papers and decades-old positions, given the intensity of their base’s desire to remove Trump from the White House. It’s mind-boggling that there would be several candidates taking shots at Barack Obama when he’s broadly popular, Trump isn’t, and the whole point of this enterprise is beating Trump.

And so in that regard, the loser of the debate tonight was the eventual Democratic nominee, who it is clear will win only after being a victim of some aggressive friendly fire.

Trump won tonight. Some of the candidates on the stage tonight represented the Democrats’ best chance to take back the White House, and their performances ranged from blah to cringe-worthy. Biden looked old and disconnected. Harris looked nervous and unprepared. And all of them moved further to the left in their positions.

Obama lost tonight. Apparently, his record is far too right-wing on the issues of health care and immigration. Kinda nuts to watch.

Good news and bad news for Biden camp: He didn’t do great, but neither did Harris. This debate won’t improve his poll numbers, but it won’t knock him out.

Over the past two nights, almost every one of these candidates has been so blindly focused on winning the nomination that they have completely ignored what general-election voters will think of the positions they’re taking. Most of them are staking out very liberal positions, well out of the mainstream, that could cost them the general election."

https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...undup-2-227496

[worstblogever]

And this is a huge reason why I just don’t trust Gabbard.

The only reason people like her is foreign policy. Outside of that she is nothing

They like her foreign policy? She won't criticize f***ing ASSAD. That's not a strength.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

They like her foreign policy? She won't criticize f***ing ASSAD. That's not a strength.

They like non interventionists

[aja_christopher]

"Trump sees his base growing from Democratic sparring"

The president’s reelection campaign hopes to use some of the Democratic presidential candidates’ most liberal stances to draw new working-class and independent voters to Trump.

"Hours before Tuesday‘s debate was set to begin, the campaign unveiled a 30-second spot targeted at Democratic candidates featuring footage from the June debates. The ad, entitled “They're all the same,“ targets the 2020 Democratic field for “proposing a free taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal immigrants“ and, in some cases, endorsing the elimination of private health insurance.

The campaign said it plans to run the ad across CNN, MSNBC and Fox News during both of this week’s Detroit debates.

Of course, Trump will inevitably steer the post-debate narrative for his campaign. One veteran political analyst said that should both terrify Democrats and encourage them to think strategically if they are forced into another hand-raising “yes or no" box.

“You can sound like you’re agreeing without agreeing,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “But when you’ve got your hand up and all the other side has to do is air a clip of it, it’s really tough to change your position and it’s guaranteed that Trump will take that position and apply it to everybody else on stage.”

Some Democratic strategists are also worried that their party’s debates will enable Trump to portray himself as a moderate.

While the president gets mostly positive marks for the state of the U.S. economy, voters remain overwhelmingly skeptical of his policies. He may be able to overcome that skepticism if he successfully paints the Democratic Party as similarly off-putting...“

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/...arring-1440498

[worstblogever]

They like non interventionists

I don't know who this "they" you're talking about is, but they're not asking her for a troop deployment. They want her to say, "GASSING YOUR OWN PEOPLE IS BAD."

That is a very low bar to clear, and yet she fails to.