All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[mojotastic]

In related news, I heard that millionaire Bernie Sanders isn't in the top 10 progressive Senators anymore...

link please?

[PaulBullion]

link please?

http://progressivepunch.org/scores.htm?house=senate

He's at 11.

Now, before you click, guess where neoliberal corporate Democrat Kamala Harris is on the list. It goes from 1 to 100.

[Tami]

http://progressivepunch.org/scores.htm?house=senate

He's at 11.

Now, before you click, guess where neoliberal corporate Democrat Kamala Harris is on the list. It goes from 1 to 100.

Can't tell yet what criteria they used to make their list, but it is interesting regardless. I still don't think there is a clear consensus as to how anyone would define 'Progressive' as opposed to 'Liberal' or any other label.

Looks like a lot of it is based on voting history in Congress, their records in Congress.

[PaulBullion]

Can't tell yet what criteria they used to make their list, but it is interesting regardless. I still don't think there is a clear consensus as to how anyone would define 'Progressive' as opposed to 'Liberal' or any other label.

Based on the percentage of "crucial votes" cast on 14 specific progressive policies. Granted, there is some leeway on how to pick those. But there is a list on the top left, so it's very transparent.

[PaulBullion]

I like that they included the political tilt of the Senator's state, so you can see why a guy like Manchin is the way he is.

[Tami]

Diplomats laughing at Trump over leaked Mexico transcript

WASHINGTON

When Jorge Guajardo, one of Mexico’s most senior and seasoned foreign policy hands, got out of bed Thursday morning, a couple of interesting messages were waiting on his cell phone.

One was a link shared by a U.S. diplomat to the leaked transcript of a phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. In the second, a former Mexican official offered the quick analysis.

“He’s the opposite of Teddy Roosevelt,” that official quipped to Guajardo about Trump. “He speaks loudly and carries a small stick.”

[Tami]

Democrats fear Russia probe blowback

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — Democrats are increasingly conflicted about how forcefully to press the issue of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Fearful of alienating voters who appear more concerned about the economy and health care, Democrats campaigning in districts across the country are de-emphasizing Russia in their rhetoric — and some are warning that a persistent focus on the Russia investigation could backfire.

In a state that is critical to the party’s efforts to retake the House, Darry Sragow, a Democratic strategist whose California Target Book handicaps races in California, called Russia a “distraction” and said Democrats “are going to be in deep, deep trouble if they don’t start talking about what voters care about.”

“We need to talk about what people think about when they wake up in the morning, and it’s not Russia,” Sragow said. “The more we talk about stuff that voters don’t truly care about in their daily lives … it confirms that the Democratic Party’s brain has been eaten by the elites in Washington who have been sitting fat and happy for a lot of years while working Americans have lost their jobs and lost confidence in the future.”

[Tami]

You would think this was 2018

White House warns ‘potentially ambitious’ Republicans about 2020

The White House on Saturday sent a warning to any Republicans potentially looking to challenge President Trump in 2020.

“The president is as strong as he’s ever been in Iowa, and every potentially ambitious Republican knows that," White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters told The New York Times for a story about possible Republicans eyeing 2020.

The newspaper reported on speculation that several top Republicans could be looking to challenge Trump, who has yet to achieve a major legislative accomplishment and is grappling with the ongoing probe into ties between his presidential campaign and Russia.

Just waiting on Trump's next tweet storm.

[Tazirai]

http://progressivepunch.org/scores.htm?house=senate

He's at 11.

Now, before you click, guess where neoliberal corporate Democrat Kamala Harris is on the list. It goes from 1 to 100.

LMAO, Corey Booker is more Progressive than Bernie?
Okay, whatevs.

Democratic party is in trouble...

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Perhaps this is timely... a Wonkette article that notes how there are people who claim to identify as Bernie Sanders supporters who are ratf***ing the Democratic Party by attacking rather impressive progressives like Kamala Harris, Kristin Gillibrand, and Nancy Pelosi. Usually by singling out one vote as "proof" they're not a true progressive, and often times even incorrectly stating how they voted.

Seems familiar, somehow.

Gillibrand isn't a progressive. If you think that, you're never going to find a common ground between them. Harris is so far so good, but she has no significant track record to speak of which is funny when you have moderate Dem's attacking a guy who marched with King for not being good enough on minority issues. I'm fine with Harris so far.

I understand there's hard feelings over the election, but the truth is plenty of people made clear long before she even declared her candidacy that she wasn't there choice and they had significant issues with her. It's not everyone else's fault that for some reason Democrats were living in a fantasy under Obama where they thought they would never lose a Presidential election again and that Hillary Clinton could be forced in the role with all her baggage. She's not a good candidate. She wasn't when she lost to Obama, she wasn't when she lost to Trump.

You want to be a big tent party, be a big tent party and understand what that actually means instead of using the term to prove a point about how many more ideas are in the Democratic Party. When the Republicans decided they wanted Tea Party voters in their coalition they understood sometimes they had to eat **** to make them happy. What happened in 2016 when Progressives fought Hillary is the same thing that happened when the Tea Party unsuccessfully fought Romney. There's lessons about elections to be learned there.

[worstblogever]

LMAO, Corey Booker is more Progressive than Bernie?
Okay, whatevs.

Gillibrand isn't a progressive.

Hey, look! It's the "No True Scotsman progressives" we were talking about popping off on behalf of Bernie without posting any facts.

The most progressive Senators, rated:

Kamala Harris, who is getting attacked, is #2. HINT: Bernie is not #1.
Corey Booker, who was just shat upon, is #5. HINT: That's better than Bernie, too.
Kristen Gillibrand ranks at #13, which is only two spots behind Bernie, who's at #11.

Read it and weep, y'all.

[PaulBullion]

LMAO, Corey Booker is more Progressive than Bernie?
Okay, whatevs.

Democratic party is in trouble...

This list is about walking the walk, not talking the talk.
So I see how you would be confused by it.

[PaulBullion]

Hey, look! It's the "No True Scotsman progressives" we were talking about popping off on behalf of Bernie without posting any facts.

The most progressive Senators, rated:

Kamala Harris, who is getting attacked, is #2. HINT: Bernie is not #1.
Corey Booker, who was just shat upon, is #5. HINT: That's better than Bernie, too.
Kristen Gillibrand ranks at #13, which is only two spots behind Bernie, who's at #11.

Read it and weep, y'all.

Um... they kind of did read it when I posted the list a few posts up. Am I on your ignore list or something? And if so, what did I do?

[worstblogever]

Um... they kind of did read it when I posted the list a few posts up. Am I on your ignore list or something? And if so, what did I do?

Sorry, didn't scroll up that far.

Still, the point of this is... Bernie supporters are still digging in, and denying actual facts about his record to try and defend the mystique he projects.

Rather than think about it and look at Bernie's record on certain issues like gun control that would make sense of the actual numbers. *shrugs*

[PaulBullion]

Sorry, didn't scroll up that far.

Still, the point of this is... Bernie supporters are still digging in, and denying actual facts about his record to try and defend the mystique he projects.

Rather than think about it and look at Bernie's record on certain issues like gun control that would make sense of the actual numbers. *shrugs*

Or like the crime bill, where he talked the talk but didn't walk the walk. It's sad that people fall for his shtick in the face of overwhelming evidence.