All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[PwrdOn]

Are we sure he did better than anyone else would have?

Would President Rubio have lost the House for Republicans, or been so vulnerable to Sanders?

Nobody would've believed it at the time, but Trump ended up being the best thing that could have possibly happened to the Republican party, because it let them go completely mask off in their hatred for anyone who didn't fit their narrow conception of who an American was, and get away with it with only token challenges from an ineffectual Democratic opposition. Granted, Trump himself is just as clueless about how and why this happened as the rest of us, but it is clear that a figure like him emerging at the time that he did within the toxic culture that exists on the right these days has really created a perfect storm of terror. Of course, you guys will find some way to fuck it all up eventually because that's what you always do, it's just a question of how much damage you will do to the rest of the country before that happens.

[Steel Inquisitor]

If you want more recognition, maybe you should try organizing your fellow Warren supporters a bit better and getting them to the polls so she can actually compete in one of these primaries. To say that her campaign is on life support at this stage is not some kind of dismissive taunt but just a fair minded observation, if that debate performance wasn't able to get her higher than fourth in Nevada, and if she's on track to lose her home state to Bernie as the polls are indicating, I'm not sure what exactly can save her campaign.

This is all just excuses. We're the closest group in the primaries to being your allies, and you treat us like this?

And this bears repeating once again - Warren was in the lead and looking like she was ready to cruise to the nomination until she put out that half-assed health care plan, and pretty much hasn't recovered from that.

It wasn't half assed, she's just not dogmatic in how she wants to run the country. People wanted something to feel good about, they're not interested in governing. And the sexism, both from being a woman candidate and having the audacity not to surrender to Sanders over an argument.

For all the fearmongering about socialism, American voters generally like those kinds of policies and Warren's popularity has always been built on sticking up for the little guy against the powers that be. But in this campaign she must have hired too many ex-Hillary staffers or something because, for some reason or another, she's just been waffling on the issues where she would have taken a strong and uncompromising stance before, and resorting to cheap tricks like leaking that "Bernie doesn't think a woman can win" line to the press, which completely backfired and did far more damage to her campaign than to Bernie's.

Don't mistake progress about socialism not being as big a boogeyman as if being an admitted socialist isn't a weakness in America politics. Attacks on Warren from that angle won't hurt as much as it will for Sanders, since she's a capitalist and it's a show the Republicans put on because they know it's false.

If it's not Hillary, it's those who worked for her. It can't be the sexism in our culture against women, it must be Warren or those she hired fault. No other possibilities exist.

Wow. Insinuating Warren's using "dirty tricks" about Sanders. Hadn't seen that one before. Sanders has a perfect score with women in his life, oh wait, no he hasn't.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...arassment-2020

And like I said before, I don't think any Sanders supporters are really all that bothered by the Bernie Bro accusations, we're more just concerned about you making fools of yourselves and ruining the chances for ANY Democrat to win in the general.

The complaints weren't about posters being called Bernie Bros, it was acknowledging the Bros activities as real and that they hurt people. I'm going to be really questioning how progressive they are if they feel like sexism and harassment are something they support. I expect this from Republicans, not leftists. You're supposed to be progressive, not regressive.

[JCAll]

Both Bloomberg and Sanders are 78 years old. If either of them wins the nomination and then wins the elections, they'd take over Trump as the oldest PEOTUS soon to be inaugurated in office. Trump was 70 years old when he got elected.

Trump is too egotistical to ever let his record go, maybe he'll spend the rest of his life looking for Bernie's "real" birth certificate.

[Steel Inquisitor]

The way I take it...

If your last name is "Kennedy", you didn't do such a hot job on dealing with Cuba or The Teamsters.

I wasn't aware that this was a particularly "Left Of The Dial..." take.

Kennedy's more popular then Castro with Democrats, and this is prime material for the GOP and conservative Democrats like Matthews to chew on to link him to dictators.

[Tami]

He was already asked about this in 2016. In a primary debate.

They asked him about it in town halls and interviews. Weren't you paying attention?

Nope, not all that interested.

[numberthirty]

Kennedy's more popular then Castro with Democrats, and this is prime material for the GOP and conservative Democrats like Matthews to chew on to link him to dictators.

Or...

He is just a part of the gopher rodeo that was sure that Sanders had a union fighting against him in Arizona.

Seeing as that particular brand of "Fast One..." is being hauled out into the light of day, I probably won't lose a whole lotta sleep over the handful of silver bullets you seem to believe Matthews is holding.

[JCAll]

The complaints weren't about posters being called Bernie Bros, it was acknowledging the Bros activities as real and that they hurt people. I'm going to be really questioning how progressive they are if they don't feel like sexism and harassment are something they support. I expect this from Republicans, not leftists. You're supposed to be progressive, not regressive.

Honestly, I can't even think of the posters around here as being "Bernie Bros". Sure we're all arguing in circles and the the occasional trolling is annoying, but that's just the internet, whatever. The Super Bernio Bros have always been defined by their bigotry, harassment, and co-opting far right talking points to fuel their harassment. I don't think they even care about Bernie, or his politics, or politics in general; they just use it all as a spring-board for their bad behavior. Those are the people I'm thinking about when I talk about Bernie Bros.

I think the only really bad thing most Sanders supports do is outright denying the Bros exist, or assume I'm talking about them if I ever bring the subject up, which si all just generally not helpful.

[Zauriel]

After Bernie Sanders' landslide Nevada win, maybe it's time for Democrats to unite behind him but it may be too soon to declare victory for Bernie

Trump is too egotistical to ever let his record go, maybe he'll spend the rest of his life looking for Bernie's "real" birth certificate.

Trump at least won't have to worry that he is still the richest president of the United States. Oh wait, George Washington's fortune, adjusted for inflation, is worth billions today. Trump's record may be tied after all.

Let Trump be Trump. It is his downfall.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Or...

He is just a part of the gopher rodeo that was sure that Sanders had a union fighting against him in Arizona.

Seeing as that particular brand of "Fast One..." is being hauled out into the light of day, I probably won't lose a whole lotta sleep over the handful of silver bullets you seem to believe Matthews is holding.

Convincing leftists in this thread that conservative Democrats don't exist when this is their weakness going into the general. Don't tell me anyone is falling for this.

[numberthirty]

After Bernie Sanders' landslide Nevada win, maybe it's time for Democrats to unite behind him but it may be too soon to declare victory for Bernie

Negative.

Letting the primary play itself out is probably the best bet for keeping the different factions about as "Together..." as they will ever be.

[numberthirty]

Convincing leftists in this thread that conservative Democrats don't exist when this is their weakness going into the general. Don't tell me anyone is falling for this.

Negative.

A particular guy is part of what is clearly a particular attempted pulling of a fast one.

Trying to change the tune to avoid that doesn't change what it is.

[Zauriel]

Negative.

Letting the primary play itself out is probably the best bet for keeping the different factions about as "Together..." as they will ever be.

Unfortunately, as long as the conservative, moderate and progressive factions in the Democratic party are not united, Trump will still be likely to win reelection.

Some of the moderate Democrats fear the far-left Bernie Sanders more than they fear the far-right Trump.

[JCAll]

Unfortunately, as long as the conservative, moderate and progressive factions in the Democratic party are not united, Trump will still be likely to win reelection.

Some of the moderate Democrats fear the far-left Bernie Sanders more than they fear the far-right Trump.

If the different wings of the Democratic party weren't fighting like cats it would make me suspicious.
At least if the place is covered in fur and blood at the end you'll know the fight was honest.

[numberthirty]

Unfortunately, as long as the conservative, moderate and progressive factions in the Democratic party are not united, Trump will still be likely to win reelection.

Some of the moderate Democrats fear the far-left Bernie Sanders more than they fear the far-right Trump.

He has an incredibly likely path to being reelected no matter what.

Letting that reality dictate how Democrats run their nomination process is nonsensical, at best. Too many versions of it that create issues that cannot be worked out.

[Zauriel]

If the different wings of the Democratic party weren't fighting like cats it would make me suspicious.
At least if the place is covered in fur and blood at the end you'll know the fight was honest.

I would agree with you, but they weren't fighting each other like this when Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, and Obama got the nomination. So what changed the Party?