2020 Presidential Election 2: The Primaries are upon us

[Maggie Mae]

3 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Me too, although NGL if it's Bloomberg I'm going to need someone to explain to me how he's not Trump 2.0.  And to hold me.

And some sort of support group.

Maybe a bunch of FJers also with edibles and wine to deal with the WTF.

The way I see it is Bloomberg saw the sweet deal Trump made for himself with his store bought Autocracy and wants some for himself.  

NGL, but I doubt I would vote for Bloomy if he gets the nom. I know my partner won't. I know several people in key states that will likely go third party before voting for Bloomberg. He's not even a Democrat! The same damn thing happened at a local election a few years ago (or last year, I can't remember). A known anti-choice, anti-fluoride, bible-thumping perpetual candidate changed his registration to democrat and they let him on the ballot. It split the vote and gave the seat to a republican. 

If Bloomberg doesn't get the nom, what's to stop him from continuing on as an independent?  I'm actually asking, I don't know the rules beyond what the Constitution says. 

[Rachel333]

1 hour ago, Maggie Mae said:

If Bloomberg doesn't get the nom, what's to stop him from continuing on as an independent?  I'm actually asking, I don't know the rules beyond what the Constitution says. 

There are such things as sore loser laws that prevent people who lost in a primary from running as an independent. They don't necessarily apply to presidential candidates, though, but it seems like most states have a way to prevent it otherwise by having the same registration date for both the primary and the general election.

I probably would end up voting for Bloomberg if he were the Democratic nominee, but it would be tough and I would feel like I was compromising my values by doing so. The thing is, though, that the alternative is Donald Trump, and that alone is enough motivation to vote for just about any Democratic nominee.

[Rachel333]

I just watched Pete's endorsement of Biden. Biden talks a lot about his son Beau and how Pete reminds him of Beau, and it's pretty sweet.

 

[Rachel333]

This thread is great.

Especially this one

 

[nausicaa]

2 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

NGL, but I doubt I would vote for Bloomy if he gets the nom. I know my partner won't. I know several people in key states that will likely go third party before voting for Bloomberg. He's not even a Democrat!

You know Sanders isn't a Democrat either, right? 

And Bloomberg was a lifelong Democrat until he switched in 2001. Then he switched from Republican to independent in 2007. 

I really, really don't like Bloomberg for a range of personal (degrading women) and political (am libertarian-leaning) reasons but am surprised at the Democrats who think he's as bad as Trump. He is pro-gun control laws, pro-action on climate change, and wants to reverse Trump's tax cuts. Isn't that stuff most of you guys support? Also, he's clearly not as mentally unwell as Trump. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by nausicaa

[RosyDaisy]

Democrats need to get their shit together, stop fighting, listen to voters, and focus on beating Trump.  As it stands now, I don't think any of the Democratic candidates can beat Trump.  Four more years of Trump will be America's downfall since he knows he can get away anything.  That's terrifying!  This why beating Trump must be priority one.

[fraurosena]

What I’m going to say bears repeating, and I sincerely hope the Dems are focusing most of their efforts on this:

These presidential elections are not as important as winning the majority in Congress is. It does not matter if Trump wins in November. He can be impeached and removed.

Of course it would be wonderful if Trump loses the election, and by Rufus, am I hoping that he gets obliterated. But I won’t dispair if he’s not, as long as the House and Senate are firmly in Dem hands.

So, don’t let all the media hyping the presidential election blind you to the most important elections this year: the Congressional ones.

[Smee]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

What I’m going to say bears repeating, and I sincerely hope the Dems are focusing most of their efforts on this:

These presidential elections are not as important as winning the majority in Congress is. It does not matter if Trump wins in November. He can be impeached and removed.

Of course it would be wonderful if Trump loses the election, and by Rufus, am I hoping that he gets obliterated. But I won’t dispair if he’s not, as long as the House and Senate are firmly in Dem hands.

So, don’t let all the media hyping the presidential election blind you to the most important elections this year: the Congressional ones.

Except, if he’s removed, Pence becomes president. So even as you’re voting for a wipeout in Congress, it IS important to also vote blue in the presidential election because no doubt you’d all still rather Bernie or Bloomberg or Biden to Pence.

[Rachel333]

6 hours ago, RosyDaisy said:

Democrats need to get their shit together, stop fighting, listen to voters, and focus on beating Trump.  As it stands now, I don't think any of the Democratic candidates can beat Trump.  Four more years of Trump will be America's downfall since he knows he can get away anything.  That's terrifying!  This why beating Trump must be priority one.

I think most of the real Democrats did do that yesterday. I was really impressed and proud at how well they came together and put personal ambitions aside for the good of the country yesterday. I don't know if Biden can beat Trump, but I think he has a better chance than Bernie and I definitely think having him at the top of the ticket would be much better for the down ballot races than having Bernie would.

[fraurosena]

1 hour ago, Smee said:

Except, if he’s removed, Pence becomes president. So even as you’re voting for a wipeout in Congress, it IS important to also vote blue in the presidential election because no doubt you’d all still rather Bernie or Bloomberg or Biden to Pence.

True, but Pence is a follower, and he may be a dumb religious fanatic, but he's not a raving lunatic like Trump. 

Plus... Pence can be removed too, if necessary. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for the use of impeachment/removal frivolously in order to get rid of a president you simply don't like. But if Pence were to become president, then he will have to adhere to the Constitution just like everybody else. And if he were to violate it, or violate his oath of office, then he can, and should, be removed as well. 

 

[formergothardite]

7 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

I don't know if Biden can beat Trump, but I think he has a better chance than Bernie and I definitely think having him at the top of the ticket would be much better for the down ballot races than having Bernie would.

I agree. I think Biden stands the best chance of winning against Trump. 

3 hours ago, fraurosena said:

What I’m going to say bears repeating, and I sincerely hope the Dems are focusing most of their efforts on this:

These presidential elections are not as important as winning the majority in Congress is. It does not matter if Trump wins in November. He can be impeached and removed.

Of course it would be wonderful if Trump loses the election, and by Rufus, am I hoping that he gets obliterated. But I won’t dispair if he’s not, as long as the House and Senate are firmly in Dem hands.

So, don’t let all the media hyping the presidential election blind you to the most important elections this year: the Congressional ones.

ITA. While the presidency is very important, winning congress is even more important. Congress wouldn't even have to impeach Trump, they could just spend the next four years crippling his ability to profit from being president and doing stuff like releasing his taxes.

And if a democrat wins, but the GOP has Congress, then we will have four years of Mitch McConnell being awful. 

 

[nausicaa]

5 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Of course it would be wonderful if Trump loses the election, and by Rufus, am I hoping that he gets obliterated. But I won’t dispair if he’s not, as long as the House and Senate are firmly in Dem hands.

I agree Congress is important, but Trump still deeply concerns me as president. Or more specifically, as commander in chief and the damage he is doing to the military. And the balance of powers only works if we respect them. And he certainly doesn't. 

On a positive note, Bloomberg has said he plans to throw a lot of money behind key congressional races. It's one reason why, even though I don't like him, I hope Dems treat him with some kid leather gloves and until November are like "Mikey! What's up? Looking tall today, buddy." 

I hope my friend is wrong and Bloomberg does terribly today and that encourages him to drop out and focus all his energy on the congressional races. 

[RosyDaisy]

My husband and I just cast our votes...blue all the way!  We both voted for Bernie.  Senator Doug Jones is running uncontested on the Alabama Democratic ticket.

[fraurosena]

Whoah! Donna Brazile really let rip there on Faux.

 

[fraurosena]

Trump Says Buttigieg And Klobuchar 'Should Be Impeached' For Making Quid Pro Quo' With Biden

Quote

President Donald Trump lashed out at former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar during his campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina Monday evening over their decision to back former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.

"Crazy Bernie's going to go crazy. Crazy. I think crazy Bernie's going to go more crazy when he sees what they're doing. I called it a long time ago. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, he quit last night and then I hear a senator from a state we're going to win, she dropped out," Trump told the crowd in the first half of his address. "Sounds like they made a deal. They both supported sleepy Joe. You know why? They made a deal."

The president went on to call the alleged deal a "quid pro quo" before then calling for Buttigieg and Klobuchar to be impeached for it. "No good. Quid pro quo. They made a deal. Impeach them. They should be impeached," he said.

Trump then turned his attention to the Democratic party in general, saying they will "massively raise your taxes, destroy our liberty and muzzle our faith and erase our sovereignty."

"The Democrat party has gone crazy," the president added. "Whether it's Bernie Sanders' plan to eliminate private healthcare, Elizabeth Pocahontas' plan, by the way she's history... I thought she was making a comeback but you know those embers never burnt long. In fact, she'll probably lose the state of Massachusetts to Bernie so she doesn't know what to do."

Newsweek reached out to Buttigieg and Klobuchar's campaign for comment.

Buttigieg ended his presidential bid on Sunday evening in his hometown of South Bend, while Klobuchar suspended her campaign on Monday.

Klobuchar is expected to formally endorse Biden at his campaign rally in Dallas tonight. "The Klobuchar campaign confirms the senator is flying to Dallas to join Vice President Biden at his rally tonight where she will suspend her campaign and endorse the vice president," Klobuchar campaign press secretary Carlie Waibel said.

Buttigieg officially endorsed Biden for the nomination ahead of the rally on Monday. "I'm looking for a leader, I'm looking for a president, who will draw out what's best in each of us," the former mayor said of Biden. "We have found that leader in vice president, soon-to-be president, Joe Biden."

Biden responded by saying that Buttigieg "reminds me of my son Beau."

"It's the highest compliment I could give to any man or woman," Buttigieg said.

Biden's son passed away from brain cancer in 2015.

 

 

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

2 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Trump Says Buttigieg And Klobuchar 'Should Be Impeached' For Making Quid Pro Quo' With Biden

 

 

He really doesn't understand what words mean, does he?

We all know Trump's not qualified to be President...he's not even qualified to be a poster on FJ.  

Words have meaning, President Dumbass.

[Maggie Mae]

15 hours ago, nausicaa said:

You know Sanders isn't a Democrat either, right? 

I do but I think Bloomberg would set back the Democratic party to pre-Obama levels of conservative. It's not the direction I want the party to go. 

15 hours ago, nausicaa said:

I really, really don't like Bloomberg for a range of personal (degrading women) and political (am libertarian-leaning) reasons but am surprised at the Democrats who think he's as bad as Trump. He is pro-gun control laws, pro-action on climate change, and wants to reverse Trump's tax cuts. Isn't that stuff most of you guys support? Also, he's clearly not as mentally unwell as Trump. 

The guy makes my skin crawl. Somehow worse that Trump. Maybe because Trump is blatant about it?   

I'm not sure I trust that he's interested at all in taking action on climate change. I also am worried that he's more of an effective Trump - funneling more money to the top 1%, protecting rich people from the effects of climate change, and leaving us poors to fend for ourselves. I worry about the precedent in buying the election. The fact that he caught himself before saying what sounded like "i bought those seats" worries me. The fact that he could have fixed the infrastructure in several communities with the amount he's spent on ads concerns me. He's not trustworthy, IMO.  

I personally think that Bernie is the only one with the momentum to win over Trump, but I think if he put his effort behind Biden, Biden could also win. I think we, as a society, are hungry for change. I think the mantra of "not me, us" resonates with a lot of people you wouldn't expect. 

I also worry about Bloomberg and his past of changing term limits. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

7 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

Maybe because Trump is blatant about it?  

This is my main concern.  The ONE positive we've had with Trump is his stupidity and lack of filter.  We don't need a Trump that's smarter and more competent at the game.  

That said - if the Dems lose their mind and he's the nom...as it stands now I'd still certainly vote for him over Trump or a protest vote.  

 

[Maggie Mae]

I also have the luxury of knowing that my vote really doesn't matter at all at the national level. The election is generally called and over with before our polls close. 

My votes for local things are much, much more important and I try to encourage everyone in my area to vote for things like assembly, and state house and senate. US Senate as well, and House, but that's ... i think we just have to wait for Don Young to retire for medical reasons. State House - we lost a democratic seat in Fairbanks by 1 vote, 7 after the recount. That's crazy to me, and it matters when you have a koch appointee for governor. 

NGL, it would be amazing if my state would turn blue, like it was in pre-oil field pre-statehood days, but in order for that to happen we need a lot of cultural changes around voting. 

[JMarie]

3 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

He really doesn't understand what words mean, does he?

We all know Trump's not qualified to be President...he's not even qualified to be a poster on FJ.  

Words have meaning, President Dumbass.

Especially since Buttigieg is the FORMER mayor of South Bend, i.e., currently a private citizen.

[SassyPants]

To be honest, I would have a very hard time voting for Bloomberg. To this point, he is basically trying to buy an election, and coming on the heels of a truly unqualified beyond being over the age of 34 years POTUS, it’s a gut check for me. Based on his history, it’s hard to predict just what lane Bloomberg would want to navigate and lead the country from.  To this point we been fairly lucky that nothing requiring the intellect and knowledge of a balanced POTUS and admin has occurred from 2016 until early this year. The corona virus may have just penetrated our stability.

[Dandruff]

Dandruff just voted!  I'm feeling marginally empowered.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

When should we start seeing results from the east coast?  

[Maggie Mae]

33 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

When should we start seeing results from the east coast?  

They close at 7 pm, so shortly after. 

FYI, California results won't be complete for a while, as they have mail-in voting in some counties, and it has to be post marked today. So no one needs to wait up for that. 

[nausicaa]

Looks like Biden is projected to win Virginia (99 delegates) and Sanders, unsurprisingly, Vermont (16 delegates). 

The only interesting thing is just how well Biden did in Virginia, which has a heavily black city as one of its Democratic strongholds. If this and South Carolina are indicative of how he'll do in the South, that will definitely be a challenge for Sanders. 

Bloomberg is not so far doing particularly well, even in states who felt the full force of his ad campaign and several town halls.