All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tendrin]

I was just watching a Young Turks video, where they were saying after the loss of Super Tuesday that the Progressives were "going to WAR" and that we'd see "trench warefare like we've never seen."

I guess the moral of the story is you don't want Bernie Sanders leading you into war.

Which isn't to say that I don't genuinely find something very respectable about him being a nice enough guy not to want to knock a guy he considers a friend. But I guess that's just not how you win an election.

Going nuclear on the people on your side, however, is definitely how you lose the big one.

[Darkspellmaster]

Wonder who they're gonna pick next? AOC is out due to her comments. Omar maybe, but I dont think she's going to be a viable option. Wonder if the YTurks will pick one of their own?

[XPac]

Going nuclear on the people on your side, however, is definitely how you lose the big one.

It's definately a tricky balancing act.

On one hand you do WANT to beat the other guy in the primary. But on the other hand one of you is going on to the general election, and attacking your oppont in the primary basically will give the other party the ammunician to attack your future candidate leading into November. There are probably dozens of progressives on-line who have been calling Biden senile and unfit to be president for weeks... and they likely don't just have to vote for him themselves but will likely have to spin around and convince others to do so.

Bernies way didn't get him the win... but at least he personally isn't damaging Bidens chances at beating Trump to any significant degree. Though some of his followers are a different story...

[XPac]

Wonder who they're gonna pick next? AOC is out due to her comments. Omar maybe, but I dont think she's going to be a viable option. Wonder if the YTurks will pick one of their own?

Pick next for the presidential run in 24?

AOC is the progressive big star, but I'm not sure she'll be old enough.

I'm assuming the Turks are done running for office after their failed bid in California, but ya never know.

[InformationGeek]

Well look who is singing a different tune now.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who faced swift backlash since tweeting a photo of himself and his children at a crowded restaurant Saturday, declared a state of emergency on Sunday as the state announced its eighth case of coronavirus.

In the now-deleted tweet, Stitt said, "Eating with my kids and all my fellow Oklahomans at the @CollectiveOKC. It's packed tonight!"

His post runs counter to the warnings of public health officials who are encouraging the public to stay home and practice social distancing as a way to contain the spread of the virus. As of Sunday, there was more than 3,000 cases of the novel coronavirus in the US, according to government agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[TheDarman]

Pick next for the presidential run in 24?

AOC is the progressive big star, but I'm not sure she'll be old enough.

She will be by the time she would take office in 2025 if she were elected. So she absolutely could run and I imagine that progressives might actually push her to do so because she would not only be the youngest president ever elected, but has a rising star. She would be the first woman elected president too, which is no small thing. And she has been a better candidate at building bridges outside of her immediate supporters than Bernie has been. I don’t foresee her slamming the party establishment as much as Sanders has. She will likely contrast herself while insisting that there is more that they have common than don’t.

I think the moderate standard bearer next time around will probably be Harris or Klobauchar though. While I think progressives will be better able to contrast against Klobauchar, who is more moderate, than Harris, I think that this primary has proven that voters are less interested in past policy stances than they are concerned about where they stand now. Either way, I think the VP pick for Biden is going to be the frontrunner heading into 2024 until otherwise noted.

I'm assuming the Turks are done running for office after their failed bid in California, but ya never know.

Didn’t he throw his hat into the ring in one of the most moderate districts in the state? That probably wasn’t a particularly smart move.

[PwrdOn]

Since Sanders was last democrat standing in the primaries last election too, it's probably that surprising that he lasted as long as he did.

Nonetheless, I do think progressives tend to sort exist in a echo chamber where their own voices tend to create the illusion that there are more of them than there really are. They are loud and have a strong presence on social media, but when it's time to vote the numbers just aren't there. That's not a knock against them or anything, but I think it has the ability to fool others (and even themselves) into thinking the movement is bigger than it actually is. Then something like Super Tuesday comes, and a bit of reality seeps in.

Remember that Bernie was leading the polls in virtually all of the Super Tuesday states and was predicted to win pretty decisively, so the results were a surprise not just to progressives but to everyone. And as far as the echo chamber goes, pretty much all of the evidence I've seen suggests that our actual policy ideas are overwhelming popular with the public, only that people tend to disagree with our methods of trying to get there. And given that the consensus among moderates that the way to get what we want is just to keep yielding ground and throwing away leverage, I'm more inclined to believe that it is they who are stuck with the groupthink mentality, and not us. Progressives know that accomplishing any real change in this country will be an extraordinary struggle, and that we'll have to go far beyond sweet rhetoric and promises to get to the kind of society that we want, but it's really hard to build coalitions when we're expected to compromise on everything and aren't promised a damned thing in return. Why exactly should we vote for Biden? He's a terrible candidate who can hardly finish a coherent sentence, and despite what his supporters have deluded themselves into thing, will probably lose badly to Trump in November. We aren't going to just throw our support behind him when we aren't getting any concrete policy promises.

[Celgress]

You lose credibility when you equate Democratic Socialism with Communism. Do you think all of Europe is Communist?

Whatever you say. But those of us in academia and the media have known who Sanders is for a long time. We did our job this election cycle to make sure most Americans know as well now. Your insults mean nothing to me. I've helped safeguard democracy and that matters more than anything else in the final analysis.

[kidfresh512]

Remember that Bernie was leading the polls in virtually all of the Super Tuesday states and was predicted to win pretty decisively, so the results were a surprise not just to progressives but to everyone. And as far as the echo chamber goes, pretty much all of the evidence I've seen suggests that our actual policy ideas are overwhelming popular with the public, only that people tend to disagree with our methods of trying to get there. And given that the consensus among moderates that the way to get what we want is just to keep yielding ground and throwing away leverage, I'm more inclined to believe that it is they who are stuck with the groupthink mentality, and not us. Progressives know that accomplishing any real change in this country will be an extraordinary struggle, and that we'll have to go far beyond sweet rhetoric and promises to get to the kind of society that we want, but it's really hard to build coalitions when we're expected to compromise on everything and aren't promised a damned thing in return. Why exactly should we vote for Biden? He's a terrible candidate who can hardly finish a coherent sentence, and despite what his supporters have deluded themselves into thing, will probably lose badly to Trump in November. We aren't going to just throw our support behind him when we aren't getting any concrete policy promises.

Then don't. You arent getting anything at all not even a smigden with Trump. So complain in the corner that you have no power. Whats the point of whining about it constantly? Round and round in a circle. No one will convince you to vote for Biden if you think hes trump lite. Its silly and obviously not true but if its what you think ok.

[Jack Dracula]

Remember that Bernie was leading the polls in virtually all of the Super Tuesday states and was predicted to win pretty decisively, so the results were a surprise not just to progressives but to everyone. And as far as the echo chamber goes, pretty much all of the evidence I've seen suggests that our actual policy ideas are overwhelming popular with the public, only that people tend to disagree with our methods of trying to get there. And given that the consensus among moderates that the way to get what we want is just to keep yielding ground and throwing away leverage, I'm more inclined to believe that it is they who are stuck with the groupthink mentality, and not us. Progressives know that accomplishing any real change in this country will be an extraordinary struggle, and that we'll have to go far beyond sweet rhetoric and promises to get to the kind of society that we want, but it's really hard to build coalitions when we're expected to compromise on everything and aren't promised a damned thing in return. Why exactly should we vote for Biden? He's a terrible candidate who can hardly finish a coherent sentence, and despite what his supporters have deluded themselves into thing, will probably lose badly to Trump in November. We aren't going to just throw our support behind him when we aren't getting any concrete policy promises.

Ok, that's your point of view. The least you could do is not discourage other people from voting for him should he become the nominee.

[TheDarman]

In other debate news, Biden’s performance was rated better than Sanders’. And more people are considering Biden and fewer people are considering Sanders now. Biden has extended a dramatic lead of 30% over Sanders. It’s over.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com...s-debate-poll/

[kidfresh512]

McConnell Has a Request for Veteran Federal Judges: Please Quit

Running out of federal court vacancies to fill, Senate Republicans have been quietly making overtures to sitting Republican-nominated judges who are eligible to retire to urge them to step aside so they can be replaced while the party still holds the Senate and the White House.

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who has used his position as majority leader to build a judicial confirmation juggernaut for President Trump over the past three years, has been personally reaching out to judges to sound them out on their plans and assure them that they would have a worthy successor if they gave up their seats soon, according to multiple people with knowledge of his actions.

It was not known how many judges were contacted or which of them Mr. McConnell had spoken to directly. One of his Republican colleagues said others had also initiated outreach in an effort to heighten awareness among judges nominated by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W. Bush that making the change now would be advantageous. The overt effort by Republicans to create vacancies reflects a realization that Mr. Trump could lose the presidency, or that Republicans could lose the Senate majority and deprive Mr. Trump of his partner on judicial confirmations even if he did gain a second term.

What a toad. He is the actual devil and needs to go directly to hell

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Remember that Bernie was leading the polls in virtually all of the Super Tuesday states and was predicted to win pretty decisively, so the results were a surprise not just to progressives but to everyone. And as far as the echo chamber goes, pretty much all of the evidence I've seen suggests that our actual policy ideas are overwhelming popular with the public, only that people tend to disagree with our methods of trying to get there. And given that the consensus among moderates that the way to get what we want is just to keep yielding ground and throwing away leverage, I'm more inclined to believe that it is they who are stuck with the groupthink mentality, and not us. Progressives know that accomplishing any real change in this country will be an extraordinary struggle, and that we'll have to go far beyond sweet rhetoric and promises to get to the kind of society that we want, but it's really hard to build coalitions when we're expected to compromise on everything and aren't promised a damned thing in return. Why exactly should we vote for Biden? He's a terrible candidate who can hardly finish a coherent sentence, and despite what his supporters have deluded themselves into thing, will probably lose badly to Trump in November. We aren't going to just throw our support behind him when we aren't getting any concrete policy promises.

If progressive policies were so "overwhelmingly popular" with the public, then why didn't said public vote for Sanders? Can you answer that? Why didn't the people who believed in Sanders and his policies support him when it mattered most on Super Tuesday? What happened? I've said this before and I'll say it again, I don't give a damn who the candidate is come November, Biden or Sanders, I'll vote for either one as long as he can beat Trump, that's the ONLY thing that matters. If you choose to sulk like a five year old denied cookies before dinner because your guy didn't get the nomination, then YOU have the problem.

[JCAll]

Ok, that's your point of view. The least you could do is not discourage other people from voting for him should he become the nominee.

Yesterday I saw some of Sander's more toxic supporters talking about wanting to deliberately tank the election so they can run their guy again in 2024 instead of having to wait until 2028. I immediately had a headache and decided that was enough Twitter for one day.

[TheDarman]

Yesterday I saw some of Sander's more toxic supporters talking about wanting to deliberately tank the election so they can run their guy again in 2024 instead of having to wait until 2028. I immediately had a headache and decided that was enough Twitter for one day.

I sincerely don’t see Biden running again in 2024. I think the presumptive case is that Biden is running to be a one-term president and trying to fix what Trump did. I sincerely don’t see a 81-year-old Biden pushing for a second term in the most stressful and aging job on the planet.