All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Superbat]

The next debate is going to be tough for Bernie.

The knives are out. Everyone will be attacking him. It won't be enough to stop him from winning Super Tuesday but it'll be a bloodbath.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

The next debate is going to be tough for Bernie.

The knives are out. Everyone will be attacking him. It won't be enough to stop him from winning Super Tuesday but it'll be a bloodbath.

Bernie will get hit by Pete/Biden/Klobuchar. Warren is still adverse to going after him because they share policies. Bloomberg can't effectively attack anyone.

[Gray Lensman]

Bernie will get hit by Pete/Biden/Klobuchar. Warren is still adverse to going after him because they share policies. Bloomberg can't effectively attack anyone.

Warren also wants to get his voters and seems to believe that they won't slide to anyone who is hammering him.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Warren also wants to get his voters and seems to believe that they won't slide to anyone who is hammering him.

They won't. The little secret that Warren has going for is that while she is a progressive, her actual coalition is alot closer to the white educated females that Hillary had. She's a great second choice for Sanders supporters, but her supporters are actually probably a split for Sanders and Biden right now the middle. So her real best bet is to be strong as Biden fades to gain some of his support but also as Buttigieg and Klobuchar drop out she plays well with that crowd. Then have it be a triple threat match with Sanders and Biden and make Biden the least viable of the three.

Warren's strength right now is that she can position herself well by hitting Bloomberg and watching Biden fade to gain support from everyone else who drops out and then try to finally gain a plurality if she can knock Biden out and THEN hope that's enough to push her over Sanders and be a good second choice that they can default to if she racks up wins.

Basically she has pathways to get ahead of Bernie, but it's not by directly going at Bernie.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Bernie's smart play would be to compromise with them on some of the smaller stuff. Get an infrastructure bill kicked out ASAP so they can get a quick win. Roll back alot of Trump policies. Build good will gthat way.

This is good.

Then not compromise on M4A and make it the definining national discourse. Obama went right for the ACA and he blew a ton of capital in the process and compromised anyways. Bernie is going to need an FDR style route where the Dems are terrified of being held to task for not playing ball with it.

Every bill requires compromises to pass congress, he's not getting anything to his desk until that happens. Obama went to overboard with compromises in some areas, but overall he did what he could with what he had. There was no way around expended that sort of capital for a health bill like the ACA, those require immense political pressure to back up like any bill on a popular subject. Except Sanders hasn't proven he can master FDR's style of leadership, we'd have known about it. FDR learnt how to that by being the Secretary of the Navy in World War 1, where's Sanders learnt how to do that? They're not terrified of Sanders himself, they're worried that Sanders is going to end up the next Jimmy Carter. Sanders refuses to play ball with them hurts him more than it does them, they'll survive and they'll get another shot at the presidency, he'll let down his followers and his legacy will suffer for it. He's an old man, is that how he wants to remembered?

I don't get why Sanders is pushing the no compromise angle right now, it's a move politicians do when they're desperate not when they're the front runner. He knows he won't get bills passed without compomise, this only gives his followers false information on how congress works and it's false hope that only ends in disappointment for everyone.

At some point compromise will come into play, but right now is not the time to make concessions. Maybe M4A ends up being just the most essential coverages paid for and anything life threatening but neglects vision and dental and alot of that becomes supplementary and where the traditional insurance markets migrate to.

Republicans come later, first he needs to get the Democrats on side. Sanders is known for not compromising, and butting heads with leadership the sooner he can convince them they can work with him the smooth the relationship becomes. That's why concessions are important, they can be a sign that he can compromise when he needs to. You don't have to convince me that those are important things which ned to happen, however, he's not going to win over leadership with that by itself. Being dogmatic won't make those improvement a reality if he can't pass them in congress.

I think a major flaw Obama had was that he misread Republicans and thought he was extending olive branches (and in many ways never gave up on that even when he nominated Merick Garland) and in reality he was just resetting the fight for Republicans. Missing the public option was really what did the most damage to Obamacare's popularity.

Obama didn't have to prove himself to leadership like Sanders does. The public option was out of his hands, it was either getting what the ACA was or nothing.

[Username taken]

The rise of guys like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump is pretty much confirmation that US politics isn't business as usual anymore. Just like the previous political thread title read, the center is really struggling to hold in the US. Trump is pretty much the purest form of American conservatism and Sanders is pretty much the polar opposite (in policy) of what Trump represents. It's not at all a coincidence that a far-left candidate (although Bernie would be considered center-left in most other regions) is rising up against a far-right President.

It's pretty clear now that for any politician to get ahead at the Presidential level, said politician needs to have a "strong ideology", it's not so much a matter of concrete plans, it's what the candidate represents. That's why Trump and Sanders are where they are now...whether that's a good or bad thing is up to each individual.I'm sure a lot of Trump supporters knew that he wouldn't be able to build that silly wall he talks about but they voted for him because he represents their ideology on topics critical to them (like immigration). It's the same thing with Bernie, obviously everyone knows that implementing universal healthcare is going to be nigh impossible but people support him because of what he stands for on that particular topic and his policy would ultimately point towards said universal healthcare.

Bernie is being labelled a socialist but as we all saw with Trump (and Obama to a lesser extent) labels don't necessarily make or break a candidate like it did before (lets be real, a guy like Trump that is quite clearly racist, sexist and authoritarian would never, ever get the nomination much less win the general election). Granted, socialism is still a very big problem for a plurality of people that are actually like to vote and not folks that spend all their time on twitter.

I personally lean towards Sanders more than any other candidate but no matter who the Democratic candidate is (with the exception of Bloomberg who is basically a re-skinned Donald Trump), I will support them. The goal now is to get Trump out of the White House and all hands should be on deck for that. MSNBC and Chris Matthews literally losing their minds over Bernie's possible nomination is unwarranted, he's not going to send people he disagrees to "firing squads" or whatever nonsense Matthews is spewing.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Joe Biden: Trump And His Allies ‘Like’ Russia Interfering In U.S. Elections

He called on U.S. intelligence officials to brief all of the presidential campaigns on the Kremlin’s election meddling efforts. A sound suggestion that should happen immediately.

**********

South Korea Raises Alert To Highest Level As Coronavirus Cases Jump

The rapid rise in new cases are largely being traced back to church services.

**********

Buttigieg Campaign Alleges Numerous ‘Errors’ In Nevada Caucuses Vote-Counting

The Nevada Democratic Party said it has no plans to release a separate breakdown of early vote and in-person attendees by precinct. Sounds like sour grapes from Mayor Pete.

**********

Moderates Hustle To Blunt Bernie Sanders’ Momentum After Nevada Win

The Vermont senator’s win solidified his front-runner status in the crowded field as the race turned to Saturday’s presidential primary in South Carolina. Moderates, progressives, leftists, centrists, it's all stupid word salad bullshit to me. Only ONE faction, DEMOCRATS can beat Trump come November.

**********

1980 ‘Miracle On Ice’ Players Slammed For Appearing In KAG Caps At Trump Rally

The team said the appearance wasn’t about politics. The caps said otherwise. Which meant it WAS about politics.

[Tofali]

Chuck Todd, Chris Mathew and Jason Johnson have gone completely bonkers this month with the things they have said.

[JCAll]

Missing the public option was really what did the most damage to Obamacare's popularity.

I would say giving states the option to opt out of the medicaid expansion was even worse.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

The rise of guys like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump is pretty much confirmation that US politics isn't business as usual anymore. Just like the previous political thread title read, the center is really struggling to hold in the US. Trump is pretty much the purest form of American conservatism and Sanders is pretty much the polar opposite (in policy) of what Trump represents. It's not at all a coincidence that a far-left candidate (although Bernie would be considered center-left in most other regions) is rising up against a far-right President.

It's pretty clear now that for any politician to get ahead at the Presidential level, said politician needs to have a "strong ideology", it's not so much a matter of concrete plans, it's what the candidate represents. That's why Trump and Sanders are where they are now...whether that's a good or bad thing is up to each individual.I'm sure a lot of Trump supporters knew that he wouldn't be able to build that silly wall he talks about but they voted for him because he represents their ideology on topics critical to them (like immigration). It's the same thing with Bernie, obviously everyone knows that implementing universal healthcare is going to be nigh impossible but people support him because of what he stands for on that particular topic and his policy would ultimately point towards said universal healthcare.

Bernie is being labelled a socialist but as we all saw with Trump (and Obama to a lesser extent) labels don't necessarily make or break a candidate like it did before (lets be real, a guy like Trump that is quite clearly racist, sexist and authoritarian would never, ever get the nomination much less win the general election). Granted, socialism is still a very big problem for a plurality of people that are actually like to vote and not folks that spend all their time on twitter.

I personally lean towards Sanders more than any other candidate but no matter who the Democratic candidate is (with the exception of Bloomberg who is basically a re-skinned Donald Trump), I will support them. The goal now is to get Trump out of the White House and all hands should be on deck for that. MSNBC and Chris Matthews literally losing their minds over Bernie's possible nomination is unwarranted, he's not going to send people he disagrees to "firing squads" or whatever nonsense Matthews is spewing.

Millenials are overtaking Baby Boomers and quite frankly having a whole generation who grew up under Bush and a recession and watching a well liked President get railroaded all the while knowing that they have it significantly worse off than their parents when it comes to housing, education, and wages was always going to catch up.

Business as susal failed the current generation. Their parents weren't going into tens of thousands of dollars of debt because they went to college. They are. Their parents degress were worth more and in a market where it was more of a preemium. Now you almost need a degree to get any job worth having and it guts you. They are more well traveled, so they know how other counrties accomplish significantly more effective healthcare. The jobs that are out there are still not paying enough to have a comfortably self sufficient life. And healthcare can be a killer on the finances.

It's not uncommon for alot of 25-35 year olds to still be in an apt roomate style situation where they still have to worry about rent going up, have massive loan debt, and have no real prospects of owning a house despite having what is considered a good well paying job for their age group.

When you have a situation like that, especially coming from a generation that simply saw what their parents got and want it, you are going to get whiplash effect of pissed off people rejecting what got them thee.

[Steel Inquisitor]

The rise of guys like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump is pretty much confirmation that US politics isn't business as usual anymore. Just like the previous political thread title read, the center is really struggling to hold in the US. Trump is pretty much the purest form of American conservatism and Sanders is pretty much the polar opposite (in policy) of what Trump represents. It's not at all a coincidence that a far-left candidate (although Bernie would be considered center-left in most other regions) is rising up against a far-right President.

The centre is fine, it's not like the Justice Democrats won every race in '18, they lost the majority to moderates and liberals. Sanders himself may have a shot at the presidency now except the context for him is that he has nobody lined up to replace him if he fails. The left political bench is too thin and it'll take years to get another with Sanders stature in the movement. The only one with potential on the national scale is AOC, whose a freshman from a safe blue district and she hasn't fought a tough opponent at this stage in her career. When she unseats Cuomo or Schumer she'll be ready, which isn't happening any time soon.

Sanders being the polar opposite of Trump isn't going to stop him losing, Corbyn was that for May and Johnson. This isn't only an ideology battle, it's one based on political realities. "Rising up" means nothing in itself, Sanders is not destined to win and if he somehow did it's not going to be an easy ride in the White House with the Democrats.

It's pretty clear now that for any politician to get ahead at the Presidential level, said politician needs to have a "strong ideology", it's not so much a matter of concrete plans, it's what the candidate represents. That's why Trump and Sanders are where they are now...whether that's a good or bad thing is up to each individual.I'm sure a lot of Trump supporters knew that he wouldn't be able to build that silly wall he talks about but they voted for him because he represents their ideology on topics critical to them (like immigration). It's the same thing with Bernie, obviously everyone knows that implementing universal healthcare is going to be nigh impossible but people support him because of what he stands for on that particular topic and his policy would ultimately point towards said universal healthcare.

You're talking about symbolism, not taking in the logistics behind the differences between the two and their parties. The left are going to take it harder than the right over him failing, like they do whenever they fail. They want to fix the system and help their friends and family, when the reality kicks in it won't be pretty - we've seen how upset they understandably get when the Democrats fail. You think they're going to be any less upset when Sanders can't fulfill bigger promises like Medicare for All?

Strong ideology won't make passing any bill or relationships wth the party leadership go any smoother, it does the opposite and unlike the GOP the Democrats will fight back when they don't like what they're getting from the president. Look how they ran away from Obama and they liked him far more than Sanders.

Bernie is being labelled a socialist but as we all saw with Trump (and Obama to a lesser extent) labels don't necessarily make or break a candidate like it did before (lets be real, a guy like Trump that is quite clearly racist, sexist and authoritarian would never, ever get the nomination much less win the general election). Granted, socialism is still a very big problem for a plurality of people that are actually like to vote and not folks that spend all their time on twitter.

Sanders labels himself a socialist and deliberately shapes his brand around appealing to socialists, they're his base.

I personally lean towards Sanders more than any other candidate but no matter who the Democratic candidate is (with the exception of Bloomberg who is basically a re-skinned Donald Trump), I will support them. The goal now is to get Trump out of the White House and all hands should be on deck for that.

So is everybody else running, aside from Tulsi. Bloomberg's more like George W Bush if he had a brain.

MSNBC and Chris Matthews literally losing their minds over Bernie's possible nomination is unwarranted, he's not going to send people he disagrees to "firing squads" or whatever nonsense Matthews is spewing.

They're a preview of what the Republicans have in store for him and a canary in the coal mine for the conservative side of the Democrats. The question is, what will Sanders do to convince them they should vote for him over Trump or staying at home.

[Username taken]

Millenials are overtaking Baby Boomers and quite frankly having a whole generation who grew up under Bush and a recession and watching a well liked President get railroaded all the while knowing that they have it significantly worse off than their parents when it comes to housing, education, and wages was always going to catch up.

Business as susal failed the current generation. Their parents weren't going into tens of thousands of dollars of debt because they went to college. They are. Their parents degress were worth more and in a market where it was more of a preemium. Now you almost need a degree to get any job worth having and it guts you. They are more well traveled, so they know how other counrties accomplish significantly more effective healthcare. The jobs that are out there are still not paying enough to have a comfortably self sufficient life. And healthcare can be a killer on the finances.

It's not uncommon for alot of 25-35 year olds to still be in an apt roomate style situation where they still have to worry about rent going up, have massive loan debt, and have no real prospects of owning a house despite having what is considered a good well paying job for their age group.

When you have a situation like that, especially coming from a generation that simply saw what their parents got and want it, you are going to get whiplash effect of pissed off people rejecting what got them thee.

This exactly.

It's obvious now that a part of the electorate is rejecting what's been considered as "conventional" for more extreme positions.

[Billy Batson]

US intelligence briefer appears to have overstated assessment of 2020 Russian interference https://cnn.it/3cbE8fw

[Billy Batson]

Lol

[Tofali]

I know they are opinions but man! do they need to be greenlit?