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

[GindyPosts]

"Sir, I asked about Trump. Give the crowd their Trump answer."

[GindyPosts]

It's certainly helped De Blasio. He played to a room of 15 people the other day, but it's hard not to see him as a winner coming out of tonight. I doubt it moves the needle, but it speaks to your first point.

And, on the other hand, it can also do the opposite effect, which likely has cratered Beto O'Rourke's popularity. People who only lived in Texas likely only got a truncated version of Beto considering how often incumbent candidates don't have to debate their challengers in that state. Being put in that situation with pressing issues against others has caused Beto to clam up and panic.

[Theleviathan]

And, on the other hand, it can also do the opposite effect, which likely has cratered Beto O'Rourke's popularity. People who only lived in Texas likely only got a truncated version of Beto considering how often incumbent candidates don't have to debate their challengers in that state. Being put in that situation with pressing issues against others has caused Beto to clam up and panic.

Absolutely. I can't help but think of him as Jack Johnson or John Jackson right now. He looks like a failed candidate robot someone made who went on the fritz.

He's awful tonight.

[Tami]

And, on the other hand, it can also do the opposite effect, which likely has cratered Beto O'Rourke's popularity. People who only lived in Texas likely only got a truncated version of Beto considering how often incumbent candidates don't have to debate their challengers in that state. Being put in that situation with pressing issues against others has caused Beto to clam up and panic.

I like Beto, but maybe this just isn't his time. Then again, Obama had some weak debate showings in his first Presidential debates.

[Tami]

Biggest problem with de Blasio is that he isn't all that popular in NY.

[Tami]

Gabbard comes off as insincere, in my perspective.

[Tami]

Warren has the passion.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Beto was exactly who I thought he was. He was manufactured candidate that the media pushed because they saw a clean cut white guy who has a bit of charisma and looked like a unicorn in a red state. But there was not substance. He avoided real issues his whole campaign thus far, has no substantive policy, teeters the line being too center, and quite frankly had no ideas or anything to say.

People need to stop buying into media hype. The people with the strongest track records coming in shined tonight. Warren was the best going in, and she's the best going out. Castro is amazing on immigration, and he killed it on that tonight. Booker has always been a high profile politician and there was a reason he did well tonight. Tulsi shined when foreign policy was front and center. De Blasio even had some good moments with his track record of leadership in the biggest city.

Generally I think the right people looked good. Substance mattered tonight and people won on substance.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Warren has the passion.

I saw it live. People think of her as a wonk, but she can connect and she makes you believe she DEEPLY cares.

[Tami]

I saw it live. People think of her as a wonk, but she can connect and she makes you believe she DEEPLY cares.

She's sincere, more so than any other politician.

[Tami]

Democrats tried to speak Spanish at the debate. How'd they do?

In Texas, home to both O'Rourke and former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, 29.5% of people speak Spanish at home.

Castro, by the way, has admitted his Spanish skills are not top rate and he rarely spoke the language at home growing up even though his mother is a native speaker. At the end of the debate he said one line: his name and that he's running for President. In English, he continued that that's the American dream, since his grandmother emigrated from Mexico and now one of her grandsons is running for president and his twin brother is in Congress.

O'Rourke learned the language growing up in El Paso, Texas, along the Mexico border. He and Castro tangled at the debate on immigration policy. Castro wants to decriminalize undocumented border crossings.

Booker learned Spanish during a language immersion program in Ecuador. Bill De Blasio, the New York City mayor, did not speak Spanish at the debate, but he can.
But neither O'Rourke's nor Booker's Spanish was flawless.

[Tami]

Democratic debate, night one: the big winners and losers

The big winner: Due to the semi-random way in which the candidates were divided across the two nights, Elizabeth Warren – despite being in third place in most polls – entered the night far ahead of everyone else she was sharing the stage with. That meant all she had to do was to perform as well as anyone else on the stage, and she’d come out of the evening with momentum. She stayed on message all night, her answers generally connected, and she’ll probably climb five points in the polls over the next week. Best moment: when asked if she had a plan to take on Mitch McConnell, she simply said “Yes I do.”

Additional winners: Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, and Julián Castro initially entered the race with fairly high profiles, but they’re each polling at close to zero percent as they’ve gotten lost in the shuffle. Just by virtue of getting some prominent airtime tonight, and sounding competent and personable in the process, they should each see a bit of a bump.

Losers: Beto O’Rourke’s campaign hasn’t been going well for him, and tonight didn’t help, as all he’ll be remembered for is his weird feud with Castro. Bill de Blasio got a lot of airtime, but probably didn’t win over any new supporters. Tulsi Gabbard is still trying to convince everyone she’s no longer a right winger, but no one is buying it (except Chris Matthews). Tim Ryan seems to have no idea why he’s even running. Most viewers probably thought John Delaney was an audience member.

[numberthirty]

Well, Klobuchar just brought up that the Senate should be a focus largely unprompted.

I guess that's something.

[Robotman]

Beto breaking out the Spanish is already a meme.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5...ction=politics

I really think Booker’s surprised expression has more to do with him being upset that someone beat him to the punch with answering a question in Español.

[Tendrin]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/alabam...in-the-stomach

An Alabama woman whose unborn child died as a result of a shooting last year has been arrested on manslaughter charges in connection with her baby’s death, while the alleged shooter has had charges against her dropped, AL.com reports.

Marshae Jones, 27, was reportedly taken into custody Wednesday after a Jefferson County grand jury handed down the indictment. The charges come six months after Jones, who was five months pregnant at the time, was shot in the stomach outside a Dollar General in Pleasant Grove during an altercation with another woman that police said focused on the unborn child's father.

This is awesome, right? I'm sure someone will come along shortly to tell us how great this is.