All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Well apparently Sanders is looking into how Warren can be Vp/Treasurer/Secretary and have all three jobs. Aren't we supposed to have separate people doing these jobs as part of the balancing act we have in government.

I mean isn't the Sec and VP more likely needing to travel, while the Treasurer mostly stays states side. Wouldn't there be conflict of interest as well with the jobs.

That has nothing to do with the concept of balance of powers lol. There's three branches. Having someone in one branch have multiple responsibilities within it is not hurting it. That's like saying having Pelosi be Speaker of the house and a Representative is bad. VP is pretty much a nothing position. Having a VP who can also have a powerful impact on domestic agenda is actually better than having a useless seat filler to act as a good face on a ticket.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

I honestly thought Bernie was going to run a clean campaign.

The Sanders campaign looked into whether Warren could serve as vice president and treasury secretary at the same time, according to report

There's nothing not "clean" about this lol. Honestly it's just making you look disengenous and trying to reach....

[Tami]

Kurt Bardella Trump's MAGA supporters and Twitter Bernie Bros have this ugly tactic in common

On the morning after Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, the #NeverWarren hashtag starting trending as (some) supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders went on the attack (and the media amplified those attacks). The anti-Sen. Elizabeth Warren missives took many forms, including a small snake emojis mob. But the aggressive tenor was familiar.

Time and again, we see how backlash on social media is used to bully people into submission and silence criticism. For writers and commentators like me, sometimes we have to weigh whether or not it’s even worth writing something that could incur the wrath of a political figure’s devout following. The backlash is important because it gives us insights into the nature of the political debate on social media — who has power, and how that power is wielded. And it’s also important to talk about the voices who may be keeping silent — and why.

The attacks against Warren come from the same corners of social media that disparage Democrats (like myself) as being “puppets,” “centrist,” “anti-Semitic, and “ageist” for having the audacity to question or scrutinize their chosen leader. People of color and women who dare to disagree with Sanders’ political assertions have often borne the brunt of this abuse.

This hyper-vocal faction of Sanders supporters — colloquially known as “Bernie Bros” — never went away after the 2016 presidential election. In my personal experience, these bros are almost overwhelmingly white men. And they share, like Trump's ardent supporters, a desire to “put me in my place.”

[Malvolio]

It's not so much dirty as it is pointless and counterproductive. There's a reason VPs are almost always empty suits with no real power or influence, because no sane leader would want a #2 who would backstab you to take the top spot for herself. That's why Obama picked Biden as his running mate and not Clinton. You definitely don't want the person who would benefit most from you having an unfortunate accident in a position of actual power like Secretary of State where she can build up her own network of supporters within the administration who'd prefer to see her in charge.

Ah, I see what you did there. And in all honesty, yes, as soon as HRC was named Secretary of State, many of us assumed that she would run for President again as soon as Obama was no longer the incumbent.

[SquirrelMan]

I noticed everybody stopped talking about how horrible Nancy Pelosi is, though.

Well, everybody except Trump and Chris Cillizza.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Ah, I see what you did there. And in all honesty, yes, as soon as HRC was named Secretary of State, many of us assumed that she would run for President again as soon as Obama was no longer the incumbent.

This. Also if we are being blunt, Biden was on Obama's ticket largely as a way to pacify older white voters that there would be a good ole boy in the White House to make sure the change wasn't too much change.

As someone who actually wants Warren to win, I wouldn't want her as a VP. It's a waste of her talents. But it would be smart to get her as VP and have additional responsibilities where she could make a difference like Treasurer for instance. That's a spot where you get the benefit of her in a visible role and also get her working on real policy that will benefit people behind the scenes and she could lead agenda.

[Gray Lensman]

This. Also if we are being blunt, Biden was on Obama's ticket largely as a way to pacify older white voters that there would be a good ole boy in the White House to make sure the change wasn't too much change.

As someone who actually wants Warren to win, I wouldn't want her as a VP. It's a waste of her talents. But it would be smart to get her as VP and have additional responsibilities where she could make a difference like Treasurer for instance. That's a spot where you get the benefit of her in a visible role and also get her working on real policy that will benefit people behind the scenes and she could lead agenda.

Biden was there for two other reasons. Foreign policy chips and the fact that he is virtually gaffe-proof. Other people say dumb things and you have a scandal. Biden says something dumb and you get the Mentos shrug.

[zinderel]

Bernie Sanders Says Gender Still An Obstacle For Female Presidential Candidates

“Everybody brings some negatives,” the senator said. “I would just hope very much that the American people look at the totality of a candidate ― not at their gender, not at their sexuality, not at their age but in everything.”

“Nobody is perfect,” he added. “Everybody has their advantages. Everybody has their disadvantages. All I would ask the voters is, take a look at the totality of the candidacy and the person.”

This is a message I can get behind. The left NEEDS TO STOP tearing itself apart in pursuit of ideological perfection.

Of course, we WON’T, because for some people, that pursuit - and the belief that THEY are the TRUE Left(tm) - makes them feel like they’re more important and better than everyone else. So they’ll continue to sit in judgement of those leftists who don’t get the daily groupthink bulletins on which words are on the “Forbidden Because One Person Somewhere Gets Mad, and Making Them Mad Makes You Hitler” list each morning - apparently, using the word ‘idiot’ to describe a neo-Nazi with a swastika on one leg and an anarchy symbol on the other makes a person Hitler, calling for the extermination of the disabled, now... - and they’ll continue to lament how the Right keeps winning seats with the very worst possible candidates while their guy - the BEST GUY - keeps losing!!! And in their lamentations, rather than turning inward and examining themselves and their behavior, they will blame ‘moderates’ for not being progressive enough, or ‘liberals’ for secretly being Republicans in disguise.

I despise a fence sitter, I’m not gonna lie. In this age, to claim to be ‘undecided’ shows a deeply rooted intellectual laziness that infuriates me. But I despise purity guardians and gatekeepers even more, because their demand for ideological purity and lock-stride perfection from anyone deigning to call themselves leftists ultimately drives away support and stifles enthusiasm that could get us across the finish line.

[PwrdOn]

Biden was there for two other reasons. Foreign policy chips and the fact that he is virtually gaffe-proof. Other people say dumb things and you have a scandal. Biden says something dumb and you get the Mentos shrug.

Biden is gaffe-proof because nobody expects anything from him, it's nothing to be proud of.

[aja_christopher]

Biden is gaffe-proof because nobody expects anything from him, it's nothing to be proud of.

Here's another situation where people are attacking Biden without giving him due credit.

A large part of why Biden was chosen was because of his appeal to Midwestern/blue collar voters and voters in key states that can help swing the election.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/u...ing-class.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele...voters-n925966

Since they won both election and re-election by a large margin, it could easily be argued that said choice was a good one.

[JCAll]

Here's another situation where people are attacking Biden without giving him due credit.

A large part of why Biden was chosen was because of his appeal to Midwestern/blue collar voters and voters in key states that can help swing the election.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/u...ing-class.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele...voters-n925966

Since they won both election and re-election by a large margin, it could easily be argued that said choice was a good one.

Hey, there's an idea, maybe they can pick Joe to be Vice President again.

[aja_christopher]

Hey, there's an idea, maybe they can pick Joe to be Vice President again.

Given how hard the Democrats tried to draft him to run for president in 2016, I doubt most would want him to do that.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...-new-hampshire

[MiddleMan]

I was reading today about how black voters are really just tired and want the circus over and just vote

Yeah, I feel that way

[aja_christopher]

Here comes a new challenger.

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"Bloomberg pledges $70 billion to bolster black America in new plan"

"Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will announce on Sunday his presidential campaign’s plan aimed at bolstering economic opportunity for black Americans, promising to triple their income over the next decade, but stopping short of promising reparations.

The announcement comes as the billionaire continues to face questions about the controversial "stop-and-frisk" police tactic he endorsed as mayor, and as he seeks to build support among African-Americans, a key voting bloc in the Democratic primary.

Bloomberg’s “Greenwood Initiative” plan is named after the Greenwood District, otherwise known as “Black Wall Street,” a Tulsa neighborhood that was once considered one of the most economically prosperous black communities in the U.S. The neighborhood was the center of a deadly two-day attack by a white mob during the 1920s. Ninety-nine years later, Bloomberg will announce his plan in the same district.

"For hundreds of years, America systematically stole black lives, black freedom and black labor,” Bloomberg will say, according to his prepared remarks. “And the impact of that theft over a period of centuries has meant an enormous loss of wealth for individuals and families, across generations — a kind of compound interest in reverse.

Well, it’s past time to say, ‘Enough’ — and to damn well do something about it."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/bloomberg...170009427.html

[BruceWayneJr.]

I was reading today about how black voters are really just tired and want the circus over and just vote

Yeah, I feel that way

Same here. The rat race doesn't matter. The kids in cages has to end. The blatant, naked corruption has to stop. The easy, self-assured stranglehold that Russia has over us has to finally be rebutted, because the Republicans sure as hell won't do it.

The real Americans, the salt of this country, just wants this **** to end.