2020 Presidential Election 2: The Primaries are upon us

[fraurosena]

On 11/29/2019 at 10:43 AM, Smash! said:

I don't get why Buttigieg leads the Polls right now? Don't get me wrong, I like him but as far as I have seen Warren has a plan for the most urgent issues. 
But I guess neither Buttigieg nor Warren will be popular in the rural areas who are critical according to the last article posted by @GreyhoundFan

Never, ever, ever believe what polls say. They are the most unreliable and easily manipulated manner of ‘showing’ what ‘people’ supposedly think. I’ve posted about this many times so I won’t repeat everything I’ve said before (it’s a hobbyhorse of mine), but will simply say that polls mean nothing. Case in point: Trump is in the Oval despite Hillary winning in all the polls— oh, and the popular vote.

[fraurosena]

Remember how I’m always saying how the Trump base is only a small minority of Americans? Well, Seth Abramson has the numbers to back up my claim: 

 

[Smee]

13 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Never, ever, ever believe what polls say. They are the most unreliable and easily manipulated manner of ‘showing’ what ‘people’ supposedly think. I’ve posted about this many times so I won’t repeat everything I’ve said before (it’s a hobbyhorse of mine), but will simply say that polls mean nothing. Case in point: Trump is in the Oval despite Hillary winning in all the polls— oh, and the popular vote.

Yeah, polls are to be taken with more salt than the local McDonalds. Although, according to polling data...

http://www.theshovel.com.au/2019/05/20/94-of-australians-still-have-faith-in-polls-newspoll-finds/

[fraurosena]

48 minutes ago, Smee said:

Yeah, polls are to be taken with more salt than the local McDonalds. Although, according to polling data...

http://www.theshovel.com.au/2019/05/20/94-of-australians-still-have-faith-in-polls-newspoll-finds/

Ok, you poked the bear, @Smee... or should I say the hobbyhorse? Anyway, I'll bite. 

I'll keep it short, and only comment on the very first sentence in that article:

Quote

Polling company Newspoll says a recent survey of the nation shows that the vast majority of Australians still believe polls work.

Huh... now why would a polling company say that polls work? ?

 

[deleted lengthy rant on the four different definitions of the word polls that change the meaning of the sentence, which on second thoughts I won't bore you all with]

*climbs off hobbyhorse*

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Montana Gov. Steve Bullock drops out of presidential race"

Spoiler

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who pitched himself to Democratic voters as a campaign finance reformer who could win in red states, is ending his bid for the party’s presidential nomination.

“While there were many obstacles we could not have anticipated when entering this race, it has become clear that in this moment, I won’t be able to break through to the top tier of this still-crowded field,” Bullock said in a statement. “I leave this race filled with gratitude and optimism, inspired and energized by the good people I’ve had the privilege of meeting over the course of the campaign.”

Bullock, 53, entered the race in May, arguing that a group heavy on Washington experience needed an outsider from a “Trump state.” He rejected entreaties from national Democrats to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Steve Daines, telling reporters that he had no interest in the job.

He affirmed that position Monday.

 “While he plans to work hard to elect Democrats in the state and across the country in 2020, it will be in his capacity as a governor and a senior voice in the Democratic Party — not as a candidate for U.S. Senate,” said Bullock’s communications director, Galia Slayen.

 Bullock’s path to the presidency was premised on electability and a bet that Democrats would be intrigued by a governor who had won Trump voters without governing as a conservative. He focused his early efforts on Iowa, where Attorney General Tom Miller immediately endorsed him, and he raised $2 million in his first six weeks while emphasizing how he had saved Montana’s transparent campaign finance laws from conservative pressure.

But his campaign never caught fire. Bullock missed the cutoff for the first debates in June because he was working with his Republican legislature to continue Montana’s Medicaid expansion. He narrowly secured a place onstage in the July debates, using his first question to criticize Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and warn that the party should not pick what he views as an unelectable nominee.

 “Watching that last debate, folks seemed more concerned about scoring points or outdoing each other with wish-list economics than making sure Americans know we hear their voices and will help their lives,” Bullock said.

 Democratic voters panned that debate over its negativity and hyper-focus on Medicare-for-all, and Bullock did not qualify for future debates held under stricter polling and donation standards.

He began to struggle for airtime, and his fundraising went flat.

In September, when House Democrats began an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, it became even harder for Bullock to get attention. His speech to Iowa Democrats’ Liberty and Justice Celebration was delivered to a near-empty arena; his plans on corporate taxes, infrastructure and labor law, released at the end of November, were largely ignored by the news media and voters.

Bullock’s departure from the race comes after two other highly touted Democratic governors pulled the plug. Colorado’s John Hickenlooper switched to run for Senate, while Washington’s Jay Inslee decided to seek a third term. Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick is now the only candidate with experience as a state executive running for the Democratic nomination, announcing a last-minute bid two weeks ago — and noting that other candidates with bipartisan governing experience had not broken through.

 

[SassyPants]

Kamela Harris has suspended her campaign. Wonder if she’ll hook up with Biden, as VP,  if he secures the nomination? 

[GreyhoundFan]

Wow, this one surprises me: "Sen. Kamala D. Harris is ending presidential bid"

Spoiler

Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California announced that she is ending her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In a note to supporters, Harris wrote that “my campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”“It is with deep regret — but also with deep gratitude— that I am suspending my campaign today,” she wrote. “But I want to be clear with you: I am still very much in this fight.”

Harris had qualified for the December debate but was in single digits in both national and early-state polls.

Harris, 55, entered the race a rising star. Her January announcement rally in Oakland drew more than 22,000 people. Trump, himself, praised Harris at the time for having the “best opening so far” and a “better crowd, better enthusiasm” than the other Democratic candidates.

But Harris has struggled to recreate that level of enthusiasm. While she has consistently sought to be the candidate who could appeal to all parts of her party, she has veered from one message to another in an effort to kindle support.

Harris was also hindered by the internal dynamics of her campaign, which is run by her sister, Maya, along with longtime advisers and their partners in a California-based consulting firm. Multiple people in and around the campaign described competing power centers and said it’s unclear who, exactly, is in charge.

Fifteen candidates remain in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

 

@SassyPants: Jinx!

[fraurosena]

Too bad about Kamala, I like her sass.

I am so looking forward to her interrogation of Trump in the Senate impeachment trial. She’ll tear him to shreds... What’s that? He won’t show up? Shhh! Don’t spoil my dream!

[GreyhoundFan]

38 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

I am so looking forward to her interrogation of Trump in the Senate impeachment trial. She’ll tear him to shreds... What’s that? He won’t show up? Shhh! Don’t spoil my dream!

I can picture it now -- him sitting in the witness chair with his arms crossed and a toddler's surly look on his face, shouting, "I know you are, but what am I?" to every statement uttered by a Democrat.

[Audrey2]

I think he would be more likely to answer everything with, "I do not recall."

 

[Bethella]

I think he'll sit there muttering "Fake News" and "Witch Hunt" under his breath. 

[fraurosena]

 

[Smash!]

... but we can't have Joe Biden either ? I don't get why he's so popular? 

[Smee]

On 12/2/2019 at 9:15 AM, fraurosena said:

Ok, you poked the bear, @Smee... or should I say the hobbyhorse? Anyway, I'll bite. 

I'll keep it short, and only comment on the very first sentence in that article:

Huh... now why would a polling company say that polls work? ?

 

[deleted lengthy rant on the four different definitions of the word polls that change the meaning of the sentence, which on second thoughts I won't bore you all with]

*climbs off hobbyhorse*

 

Haha it’s a satire news website and the “a polling company says polling works” is the joke. Sorry, I forget that these days real news looks remarkably like satire and you can’t be sure!

[fraurosena]

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

On ‎12‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 8:09 AM, Smash! said:

... but we can't have Joe Biden either ? I don't get why he's so popular? 

Anyone here remember when I said I liked him, but reserved the right to change my mind?

Mind done changed - I'm with you.  

[GreyhoundFan]

6 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Anyone here remember when I said I liked him, but reserved the right to change my mind?

Mind done changed - I'm with you.  

I'm not a fan of Biden, but I'd gladly vote for him if it came down to him and the tangerine toddler in the general election. I think he should stop running for president and work to elect another Dem with the goal of maybe having a high level role in the administration.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I'm not a fan of Biden, but I'd gladly vote for him if it came down to him and the tangerine toddler in the general election. I think he should stop running for president and work to elect another Dem with the goal of maybe having a high level role in the administration.

I agree, I'll personally vote for literally anyone running against Trump.  I have a hairball in my laundry room trash can courtesy of one of my cats this morning that would get my vote over Trump.

I'm just saying Biden doesn't have a shot at my primary vote.

Edited December 18, 2019 by HerNameIsBuffy
edited to remove anymore as it was inaccurate - I was never locked in.

[Destiny]

I agree, I'll personally vote for literally anyone running against Trump.  I have a hairball in my laundry room trash can courtesy of one of my cats this morning that would get my vote over Trump.
I'm just saying Biden doesn't have a shot at my primary vote.

All of this.

[fraurosena]

3 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I have a hairball in my laundry room trash can courtesy of one of my cats this morning

I see your hairball in your laundry room trash can and raise you cat puke in my Christmas tree. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

Just now, fraurosena said:

I see your hairball in your laundry room trash can and raise you cat puke in my Christmas tree. 

Eww!  But if your cat puke runs against Trump in the general it's got my vote!

[church_of_dog]

How exactly should I word my write-in -- something like "Buffy's Laundryroom Hairball"?

 

[smittykins]

15 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Eww!  But if your cat puke runs against Trump in the general it's got my vote!

#CatPuke 2020

[formergothardite]

At this point I think I would vote for Jeb Bush if it would get Trump out. 

[Smash!]

Saw this on Twitter and loved it