2020 Presidential Election 3: We're Down To Old White Men...And Fucking Kanye.

[Dandruff]

30 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Getting rid of Trump is the only impetus strong enough that would get me to vote for any ticket that included her.

I will lose a lot of respect for Biden if he chooses her.  

Biden needs someone who clearly supports him as his VP pick.  If he chose her, I suspect they'd have to put a lot of ongoing effort into convincing the public that they're really a team.  Meanwhile, the Trump campaign could put her attacks on Biden during the first debate on replay via the fake media.  Not likely, IMO, to be the path to a Biden win.

[Rachel333]

I actually like Harris, and she and Biden have a connection through Beau, which reportedly has made them close.

Meanwhile, according to Bernie's aides he's still not going to drop out after today. The fact that he's making people have to go out and vote in the middle of a pandemic is frustrating. People could literally die! Especially older people who tend to vote more. A lot of Bernie fans seem happy about the idea that older people might be too scared to vote. If you have to rely on people not coming out because they might catch a potentially fatal illness, your candidacy is pathetic.

I'm also disgusted that he's letting people continue to donate to him, even though his candidacy is essentially over and many of his donors have limited means.

[Marmion]

1 hour ago, Rachel333 said:

Meanwhile, according to Bernie's aides he's still not going to drop out after today. The fact that he's making people have to go out and vote in the middle of a pandemic is frustrating. People could literally die! Especially older people who tend to vote more. A lot of Bernie fans seem happy about the idea that older people might be too scared to vote. If you have to rely on people not coming out because they might catch a potentially fatal illness, your candidacy is pathetic

In my state , Ohio , the Governor actually postponed the election from today to June 2nd , due to this reason  .  { https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/ohio-governor-calls-state-postpone-tuesday-s-primary-elections-n1160816? , https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/16/judge-declines-ohio-request-delay-primary-vote-amid-coronavirus?f }  

[JMarie]

I would love to see Kirsten Gillibrand as the VP pick

[GreyhoundFan]

From Politico: "Biden’s Top 12 Running Mates, Ranked"

Spoiler

Joe Biden’s unequivocal declaration that his running mate will be a woman began the 2020 veepstakes with a brutal cut. There will be no consolation prize for Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg or Julian Castro. There will be no unity ticket pairing Biden with Bernie Sanders. Mansplainers and manspreaders, you can go home. Joe has binders full of women.

Perhaps there has never been a more serious veepstakes than this one. Biden won’t say on the record that he would serve only one term as president, but he has given enough hints that many have assumed it. That makes his vice-presidential choice the automatic frontrunner for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, and potentially the first female president of the United States. This is no time for your last-call, falling-off-your-barstool, so-crazy-it-just-might-work vice-presidential musings.

Already, some names Biden has casually thrown out are non-starters. Jeanne Shaheen is highly accomplished as a former governor of New Hampshire, but Biden should not team up with a fellow septuagenarian. Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates is a fun name to bat around, but getting fired by Donald Trump is not a qualification to be a COVID-19 diagnosis away from being commander-in-chief.

Beyond a plausible president, the 77-year-old Biden needs a running mate who can help him either win the critical Midwestern states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, or energize the more racially diverse generations of young voters, who could help not only in Midwest cities, but also in Southern swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida.

Who can fit the bill? My rankings, on a scale from Sarah Palin to LBJ-carrying-Texas-for-JFK:

12. Stacey Abrams

She’s a rising Democratic star who may have gotten a raw deal in the 2018 gubernatorial election in Georgia. But the plain fact remains that the pinnacle of her government service is as a state House minority leader. That does not cross the “Ready on Day One” threshold.

Donald Trump’s election showed that experience doesn’t matter to many voters. But Biden is running as the candidate of reassurance. The prospect of a manifestly under-qualified vice president serving under a president who is pushing 80 is the opposite of reassuring.

11. Elizabeth Warren

Warren did Biden two big favors in the primary. She incinerated Michael Bloomberg, and she has declined to endorse Bernie Sanders. Perhaps Biden would have won South Carolina and Super Tuesday anyway, but Warren’s assistance certainly didn’t hurt. Should Biden return the favor, and help unite the party’s populist and pragmatist wings with a Warren pick?

Probably not. Warren has a lot of strong attributes, but being a deferential team player is not one of them. Besides, if Warren wants a job with real power that could clamp down on bad behavior from Wall Street, she should lobby for Treasury secretary or attorney general.

10. Susan Rice

Susan Rice may be the African-American Democrat with the most national security experience in the country, having served for the entirety of Barack Obama’s administration, first as ambassador to the United Nations then as national security adviser. No one could seriously question her qualifications to assume the responsibilities of the presidency if necessary.

Yet Rice comes with the baggage of the Benghazi affair. Shortly after the 2012 attack on the U.S Consulate in Libya, which killed two American officials, Rice went on several TV shows and said the incident began as a “spontaneous reaction” to an anti-Islamic video, which was then joined by “extremist” elements. Rice was citing what was in the initial intelligence assessment, but Republicans accused her of covering up the role of terrorist organizations. (Later reporting concluded the attack was premeditated by members of a terrorist group, and there was no spontaneous protest, though some of the attackers were motivated by the video cited by Rice.)

Even if Rice can handle the rehashing of Benghazi, the last thing a presidential candidate wants from his vice presidential choice is an immediate distraction.

9. Laura Kelly

After just one year in office, the Democratic governor of Kansas has managed to strike an agreement with the Republican leader of the state Senate for a bill that takes advantage of the federal aid offered in Obamacare, expands Medicaid and covers an estimated 130,000 uninsured Kansans. There’s just one problem: the bill is stalled, short one vote in the Senate to clear a procedural hurdle and get a floor vote.

Regardless of the final legislative outcome, Kelly would be a long-shot pick. She would almost certainly be unable to turn Kansas blue in a presidential election for the first time since 1964. She is not well known enough in the Rust Belt to help flip northern swing states. And as a technocratic moderate, she would not fire up younger progressives.

8. Gretchen Whitmer

People who want to put Michigan back to in the Democratic column have an eye on the state’s new governor. On Monday, Whitmer told MSNBC, “It’s not going to be me.”

Even if it is her, Whitmer may not be in a position to help lock Michigan down. When Biden campaigned with her ahead of the Michigan primary, he brought back her 2018 campaign slogan, “Fix the Damn Roads.” However, her attempt to fund the fixing of those roads, a 45-cent gas tax hike, was rejected by the Republican-led state legislature. She’s now issuing bonds to cover the cost of a less ambitious road repair program. A spotlight on Michigan’s partisan gridlock could complicate Biden’s efforts in the state. And a January poll pegged her job approval at a very soft 43 percent (although she was above water, with only 36 percent disapproving.)

7. Val Demings

The New York Times reported this month that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer privately floated the name of the African-American congresswoman from Orlando. In her favor: national prominence after serving as a House impeachment manager, a law-and-order background from her 3 1/2 years as Orlando police chief, an up-from-bootstraps biography as the daughter of a janitor and a maid, and potential vote-getting ability in the swingiest part of the swing state of Florida.

But Demings still looks like a stretch. Her political resume is thin, as she is only in her third year in the House. At 63, she may not be the best choice to rally young voters who are skeptical of Biden. And her tenure as police chief is not unblemished. When she first ran for Congress, National Journal reported that the Orlando police department “has a long record of excessive-force allegations,” and in 2009, she was censured “after her gun was stolen from her unlocked truck.”

6. Michelle Lujan Grisham

The New Mexican is the only Latina governor in the country. And Biden should like Lujan Grisham’s forceful enactment of a new “red flag law” for gun control. When she signed the bill, she took aim at sheriffs who indicated they may not enforce the provisions. “If they really intend to do that,” she said, “they should resign as a law enforcement officer and leader in that community.”

The Trump campaign has been targeting New Mexico’s five electoral votes. Hillary Clinton won only 48 percent of the vote in New Mexico in 2016. If Trump is truly threatening to poach the state, would Lujan Grisham help protect it? Like Whitmer, her level of support at home is short of intimidating. A January Morning Consult poll found her job approval at just 44 percent.

5. Catherine Cortez Masto

While Lujan Grisham is the only Latina governor, Nevada’s Cortez Masto is the only Latina senator. She’s currently in the middle of her first term. Those who argue Biden is underperforming with Latino voters point to Cortez Masto as a fresh face who can help.

Though whether Biden needs that much extra help with Latinos is up for debate. Sanders ran away with the Latino vote in the Nevada caucuses and the California primary. But Biden won with Latinos in swingier Virginia and North Carolina. Plus, Biden stayed closer to Sanders among Latinos in Texas than in California and Nevada.

Furthermore, the low-key Cortez Masto has yet to make much of a national impression. That may not be a deal-breaker, but if Biden is looking for a candidate who brings excitement, he should look elsewhere. Today’s Arizona primary should factor into Biden’s decision-making. The increasingly purple state is where the Latino vote might make the most difference for Democrats in November. If Biden’s performance with Latinos is limp on Tuesday, then he should give Cortez Masto and Lujan Grisham, both Arizona neighbors, close looks.

4. Tammy Duckworth

The Thai-American senator from Illinois has a gripping biography. While serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Iraq War, she was in a helicopter that was hit by a grenade. She was grievously wounded and had both of her legs amputated. Two years ago, at 50, she became the first senator to give birth while in office. She could easily become an inspirational figure as a vice presidential nominee.

However, her backstory isn’t perfect. During her bid for Senate in 2016, Duckworth settled an embarrassing lawsuit accusing her of workplace retaliation when she led Illinois’ Department of Veterans Affairs, a position she was appointed to by newly pardoned ex-con, ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich. Her legal team maintained it was a “nuisance” lawsuit that was settled for only $26,000. But Biden’s vetters should give the case a thorough scrubbing.

The moderate Duckworth could also attract barbs from the left. In the summer of 2018, she put some distance between herself and progressive sensation Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Asked on CNN if Ocasio-Cortez represented the future of the Democratic Party, Duckworth snarked, “I think it's the future of the party in the Bronx.” She further argued, “I think that you can’t win the White House without the Midwest and I don’t think you can go too far to the left and still win the Midwest.”

Duckworth brings with her the hope that she can appeal both to older, moderates in Midwest swing states, as well as to younger votes who are eager for a woman of color in the White House. But if the ideological left can’t forgive her dismissal of Ocasio-Cortez, she’s not the right choice to help unify the party.

3. Tammy Baldwin

Baldwin is a two-term senator from Wisconsin who could help win back a state that’s been on a political knife’s edge. She is the first openly gay U.S. senator in history, which could excite culturally liberal younger voters. And she’s an economic populist, which may even impress devout supporters of Warren and Sanders.

Being white, Baldwin wouldn’t give the ticket a multi-cultural image, and that could deflate some younger voters. But perhaps the biggest downside is that her ascendance to the vice presidency would create a Senate vacancy that gets filled by a special election, not by an appointment by the state’s Democratic governor. And in politically polarized Wisconsin, there’s no guarantee a Democrat would win that election. With the next Senate almost certain to be narrowly divided, the loss of even one seat could spell the end of Biden’s presidential agenda.

2. Amy Klobuchar

If Biden really feels he needs help with flipping Midwest states, Amy Klobuchar is the safest pick. She successfully raised her national profile by running for president. She held her own on the debate stage. She showed that she had pull in Trump-curious Minnesota, helping throw to the state to Biden. And Minnesota’s Democratic governor can appoint her Senate replacement.

Yet Klobuchar is not without risk. Allegations of staff mistreatment tainted the start of her campaign, though no one ever went on the record. Biden’s vetters should certainly find out if there are more shoes that could drop. And Klobuchar’s role, while district attorney, in imprisoning a black teenager on reportedly flimsy evidence could be used by Trump to try to weaken Biden’s support among black voters.

Progressive voices in the Democratic Party are already signaling they will react poorly to a Klobuchar pick. Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos tweeted Monday that Klobuchar “would be Tim Kaine 2.0—doing nothing to unify the party, bringing no new demographics to the ticket. It would be (once again) a disaster.”

But complaints on the left are an inevitable, and manageable, annoyance. Winning the Midwest takes precedence.

1. Kamala Harris

But there’s a twist. Biden should conclude, “I don’t need my vice-presidential nominee to win the Midwest. I can win the Midwest all by myself!” Polls and primary results show that he already has strong appeal to white, right-leaning, working-class and suburban swing voters.

Instead, Biden’s vice-presidential nominee would be most useful politically by shoring up his support among culturally liberal young voters eager to elect a woman of color in 2024.

That’s why, of all the qualified women of color on the short list, the obvious choice was, and remains, Kamala Harris.

She doesn’t bring a state, but she wouldn’t cost the Democrats a Senate seat either. Besides, who was the last VP to flip a state? Maybe Walter Mondale in 1976. John Edwards couldn’t deliver North Carolina to John Kerry. Paul Ryan couldn’t deliver Wisconsin to Mitt Romney. Flipping home states may be a thing that doesn’t happen anymore.

She doesn’t bring the far left, who deride the former prosecutor as a “cop,” but those folks won’t be satisfied with anyone Biden chooses. And if they don’t live in swing states, Biden can let them go.

Harris, who is part of both the black community and the Indian-American community (which Trump has been courting heavily), would excite plenty of younger voters who can’t seem to get excited about electing another old white male. She’s a first-term senator who has not produced much successful legislation, but she is a road-tested orator who, over the course of the primary, was vetted by the media without surfacing any uncomfortable surprises. And she proved during the Democratic debates that she is effective at making direct attacks at her political opponents.

Some argue that Harris did too poor a job in the primary to live up to her reputation as a dazzling campaigner. But she didn’t fail because of her stump skills. Where she struggled—as did all the candidates who weren’t septuagenarian men with pre-existing bases of support—was with carving out a distinct ideological profile. She wrongly calculated, in the initial stages of the campaign, that she needed to lean further left than she was comfortable doing. Towards the end of her bid, she let her inner pragmatist shine. She will have no problem echoing Biden’s themes.

A Biden-Harris ticket could aggressively pursue the Upper Midwest, the Southeast and the Southwest, from Maine to Montana, from Arizona to South Carolina. A thorough vetting process may discover problems that aren’t publicly known. And Biden will, at the end of the day, need to pick someone he feels will be a governing partner, not just a political asset. But the smart money is on Kamala, and no drama.

 

[SPHASH]

In a perfect world Amy Klobuchar would be my choice as VP as she could help Biden win the Midwest states and even get some Republicans to vote for them, but she and Biden are too much alike ideologically for the Progressives to stomach.  In order to unite all Democratic voters he should pick Warren.  

Edited March 19, 2020 by SPHASH
ETA

[Alisamer]

I think my preference would be Warren, but I'm voting blue no matter who gets picked. 

I may have to watch the VP debate, though. I'm not quite convinced Pence hasn't just been trundled out of Madame Tussaud's and propped up wherever they need him. He's got that vacant placid empty stare down pat, and always looks like he's expecting to be raptured any second. 

[front hugs > duggs]

For what it's worth, Tulsi officially dropped out. The election is OFFICIALLY down to old white men.

[fraurosena]

5 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I'm not quite convinced Pence hasn't just been trundled out of Madame Tussaud's and propped up wherever they need him

Just now, front hugs > duggs said:

For what it's worth, Tulsi officially dropped out. The election is OFFICIALLY down to old white men.

Thank Rufus. I guess her Russian backing fell through... jk

[47of74]

On 3/17/2020 at 8:11 PM, JMarie said:

I would love to see Kirsten Gillibrand as the VP pick

I hope not.  Some of us in the upper Midwest still haven't forgiven her for what she did to Al Franken. 

1 hour ago, front hugs > duggs said:

For what it's worth, Tulsi officially dropped out. The election is OFFICIALLY down to old white men.

I was glad to hear that Tulsi (R (as in Russian Agent)-Hawaii) is out now.  I hope Tulsi doesn't do some stupid Jill Stein shit now and is going to commit to actually helping people whether that's in Congress or the National Guard.

[TuringMachine]

1 hour ago, front hugs > duggs said:

For what it's worth, Tulsi officially dropped out. The election is OFFICIALLY down to old white men.

At least one of them is a religious minority I guess. And they're both leagues better than the old white guy currently in office. Could be worse?

sigh #teamwarren

[fraurosena]

27 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

I was glad to hear that Tulsi (R (as in Russian Agent)-Hawaii) is out now.  I hope Tulsi doesn't do some stupid Jill Stein shit now and is going to commit to actually helping people whether that's in Congress or the National Guard.

If I'm interpreting this tweet correctly, I believe she's endorsed Biden. Why else would he thank her for her support?

 

[dawbs]

1 hour ago, 47of74 said:

I hope not.  Some of us in the upper Midwest still haven't forgiven her for what she did to Al Franken. 

I was glad to hear that Tulsi (R (as in Russian Agent)-Hawaii) is out now.  I hope Tulsi doesn't do some stupid Jill Stein shit now and is going to commit to actually helping people whether that's in Congress or the National Guard.

Anyone who makes sure that a man who was accused by 7 separate women of assault isn't just brushed under the rug has this upper midwesterners gratitude. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

41 minutes ago, dawbs said:

Anyone who makes sure that a man who was accused by 7 separate women of assault isn't just brushed under the rug has this upper midwesterners gratitude. 

And the gratitude of this regular midwesterner as well.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Campaign signals Sanders may be open to exit"

Spoiler

Bernie Sanders signaled Wednesday that he was open to ending his presidential run after another round of landslide losses to Joe Biden, and new signs emerged of communication between the two camps as some Democrats hoped for a swift end to a bruising primary.

Sanders campaign officials said the senator from Vermont planned to leave Washington and return home, where he and his wife, Jane, would talk to supporters and determine the future of his presidential run. The campaign also suspended its Facebook ads and, uncharacteristically, made no request for donations in an email to backers updating them on the situation.

Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said that aides to the two candidates have been in touch regularly to discuss the public health crisis that has gripped the country, disclosing talks that could form the basis of a broader agreement on policies and might make Sanders more comfortable leaving the race.

The two campaigns “have been in regular contact at a senior level” since last week to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the campaigns, Bedingfield said in a statement to The Washington Post, “as well as to discuss both Vice President Biden’s and Senator Sanders’ ideas on policy responses to the virus.”

She added: “While the two campaigns obviously have their differences, they are working together to try to promote the health and safety of their teams, those who interact with the campaigns, and the American people.” Sanders communications director Mike Casca confirmed her characterization of the talks.

Biden campaign officials have also adopted an internal policy of no longer attacking Sanders, according to one of them, even as some surrogates for the former vice president increased public pressure on the senator to step aside. This person spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

The moves are the clearest signs yet that Sanders is giving serious thought to ending his campaign, which fell further behind on Tuesday night after a drubbing in three more primaries, and that Biden’s team is eager to offer olive branches to ease a potential departure.

If Sanders does exit, the Democratic Party will immediately confront the challenge of avoiding the type of bitter split that damaged the party in 2016, when the Sanders and Hillary Clinton camps remained at odds after she captured the nomination. Many Democrats think that dispute contributed to Clinton’s loss in the general election and hope to unify more fully this time as they prepare to take on President Trump.

Sanders officials cautioned Wednesday that the senator had made no final decision and remained a candidate, leaving open the possibility that he might continue his campaign in the months ahead despite having little chance at the nomination. And tensions between supporters of both candidates raised doubts about their ability to come together quickly or smoothly.

“No sugarcoating it, last night did not go the way we wanted,” Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said in an unusually solemn email to supporters that requested no money. After flying to Vermont, Sanders and his wife intend to consult supporters and seek “input and assess the path forward for our campaign,” Shakir added.

Biden won double-digit victories in Florida, Arizona and Illinois on Tuesday, continuing a dominant three-week stretch in which he has built a nearly insurmountable lead in delegates to the Democrats’ nominating convention in July.

Adding to Sanders’s challenges, those three contests could be the last in the near future, giving him little opportunity to change the narrative or trajectory of the campaign. The novel coronavirus has hampered the primary season and cast a cloud of uncertainty over the coming weeks.

Several states have pushed back their nominating contests in an effort to avoid large gatherings, and the candidates have suspended rallies and town halls.

Many Biden allies were anxious on Wednesday to bring an end to the competition, fearing that a prolonged battle would undermine the party’s ability to win in November and create unnecessary health risks for prospective voters.

“Bernie is the person — the one person — who can essentially give the Biden campaign permission to start the general election, to start talking to the [Democratic National Committee], to start building the general election operation we need,” said Rufus Gifford, a former ambassador to Denmark and a top Biden fundraiser. “That’s why it matters sooner rather than later.”

Sanders spent the day in Washington attending to business in the Senate, where lawmakers were working on legislation to soften the blow of the pandemic. He told reporters on Capitol Hill that he planned to evaluate his future, echoing the statement from his campaign.

Sanders brushed aside a question from a CNN reporter about his potential departure, snapping that he was dealing with a “global crisis” and appending an expletive at the start of his words.

Rather than speak about the primaries Tuesday night, Sanders had unveiled a plan to combat the coronavirus, laying out a $2 trillion proposal he later posted on his campaign website that would enable Medicare to cover all related medical bills and force the government to provide $2,000 monthly payments to Americans.

For many Sanders supporters, the crisis has become a real-life example of why the suite of liberal policies he has long championed — including a Medicare-for-all government insurance program — is so urgently needed.

If anything, they say, the coronavirus gives him more justification to stay in the contest and promote his ideas. And regardless of Sanders’s decision, his most fiery supporters may be slow to join the Biden bandwagon.

“Just think about the difference it would have made had we had single-payer health care in this country when coronavirus hit,” said Derrick Crowe, a spokesman for the pro-Sanders group People’s Action. “We need to see [Biden’s] platform rise to that occasion.”

Some Sanders confidants have said that beyond the policy pulpit an extended campaign would give them, there is an added incentive: collecting delegates and building leverage at the national convention to shape influential committees and press for the party to adopt liberal positions on health care, climate change and the economy.

But other Democrats said that continuing the campaign could undermine Sanders’s credibility, particularly as the delegate math is so daunting. Biden has opened up a lead of 234 pledged delegates over Sanders, with fewer than half of the total left up for grabs.

“I think there’s every reason in the world for Bernie to assess and get out,” said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), a Biden supporter, including the health and safety of older voters more susceptible to the coronavirus.

“I definitely think it is” irresponsible if Sanders stays in, Beyer added.

Former congressman Steve Israel of New York, who once headed the House Democrats’ campaign organization, said that prolonging the party’s divides could endanger its efforts in the fall. “The bigger risk is that we go into the fall facing Donald Trump with an unlimited checkbook and as a dispirited and divided Democratic Party,” Israel said.

Some Democrats said that instead of Sanders remaining a candidate, he could assert his influence by securing an agreement from the Biden campaign to adopt some of his positions before pulling out. Already, Biden has embraced a Sanders plan to make public colleges and universities tuition-free for students whose families make less than $125,000.

And Biden extended an olive branch to Sanders supporters in a Tuesday speech: “Let me say, especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Senator Sanders, I hear you. I know what’s at stake,” Biden said as the results came in. “I know what we have to do.”

Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), who endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in the primary, said bringing together the two wings of the Democratic Party would require careful choreography. He said Biden’s recent announcement that he’d select a woman as his running mate, and endorsing Warren’s recommended overhaul of bankruptcy rules, were a good start.

But Levin said he was disappointed that Biden told progressives that he knew what needed to be done. “That’s not it,” Levin said. “This is work that needs to be done to bring people together.” Levin added that he wanted Biden to “back away from” attacks on Medicare-for-all and frame it at least as a goal.

The Biden and Sanders camps, representing the final two major candidates in the race, opened lines of communication some time ago. Before the last Democratic debate, Anita Dunn and Jeff Weaver, senior advisers to Biden and Sanders, respectively, discussed the arrangements, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. This person also spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. The pair decided not to have an audience and discussed how the stage would be set up.

The coronavirus outbreak has given the campaigns an area for negotiation that encompasses many of the fights Sanders cares most passionately about — providing health care to more Americans, reducing economic inequality and curbing the power of wealthy corporations.

Still, many Sanders supporters are distrustful of Biden, citing his history of working with Republicans. They have been unimpressed by his coronavirus response, favoring the more dramatic measures Sanders has advocated. Some Sanders supporters signaled that they are beginning to accept the reality of Biden’s likely victory.

Alan Minsky, executive director of the pro-Sanders group Progressive Democrats of America, said Biden has a history of “not coming down on the progressive side of the party.” Still, he added, “Biden is a savvy politician, so it’s not hopeless to think that he might really shift his approach.”

Shakir, the Sanders campaign manager, indicated in a statement that Sanders was in no rush to decide. “The next primary contest is at least three weeks away,” he said, adding that Sanders would be laser-focused on the coronavirus.

 

[Rachel333]

2 hours ago, dawbs said:

Anyone who makes sure that a man who was accused by 7 separate women of assault isn't just brushed under the rug has this upper midwesterners gratitude. 

Yep. That whole thing is still so frustrating. Yes, it was disappointing - I liked him too -- but it was a whole lot more than one dumb photo, which is how his defenders tend to portray it. And I thought the way that Franken defenders spoke about Gillibrand was really disappointing.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

5 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

Yep. That whole thing is still so frustrating. Yes, it was disappointing - I liked him too -- but it was a whole lot more than one dumb photo, which is how his defenders tend to portray it. And I thought the way that Franken defenders spoke about Gillibrand was really disappointing.

I looked it up today and it was actually 9 women.  So much victim blaming along the lines of he was just goofing around when it comes to him.  Way too many women have been told, in response to harassment, that they just lack a sense of humor....it rings too true for me.

47 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

disclosing talks that could form the basis of a broader agreement on policies and might make Sanders more comfortable leaving the race.

Why does he think he holds a position of power where he needs to be comfortable leaving.

Why isn't he leaving because he's lost and should stop wasting money and effort of his supporters.

[fraurosena]

28 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Why isn't he leaving because he's lost and should stop wasting money and effort of his supporters.

His ego won't let him.

However, it might be his ego that will finally force him to bow out: if he stays in the race his image will forever be tarnished by his wilful endangerment of people by forcing them to go out and vote whilst it exposes them to  the coronavirus, even though he hardly has a chance of winning the candidacy anymore. 

Whatever his reasoning may be, I really hope he (graciously!) drops out sooner rather than later.

Edited March 19, 2020 by fraurosena

[GreyhoundFan]

"Mike Bloomberg transfers his campaign assets to Democratic Party to fight President Trump in swing states"

Spoiler

Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg has decided to donate significant components of his shuttered presidential campaign to the Democratic Party, a historic bequest that includes an $18 million cash infusion to organize for the general election in swing states.

The decision, which exploits a provision in campaign finance law available only to federal candidates, amounts to a shift in strategy for the billionaire political activist, who had previously promised to personally fund ground staff and offices in six states through an independent expenditure effort.

He now hopes that much of the same operation will be run through the state and national Democratic Party, which would allow forit to directly coordinatewith the Democratic nominee, who he expects to be former vice president Joe Biden.An independent expenditure campaign is barred from such coordination.

“While we considered creating our own independent entity to support the nominee and hold the President accountable, this race is too important to have many competing groups with good intentions but that are not coordinated and united in strategy and execution,” Bloomberg’s campaign wrote Friday to Democratic Chairman Tom Perez in a memo.

“Since Mike suspended his campaign and endorsed Joe Biden, the former vice president now controls the race. It is critically important that we all do everything we can to support our eventual nominee and scale the Democratic Party’s general election efforts.”

To accomplish thegoal, Bloomberg will transfer cash remaining in his presidential campaign account, which he donated, to the Democratic National Committee’s Battleground Build-Up 2020 effort for use in the general election. The money will allow the party to hire hundreds of additional organizers, party officials say. He will also transfer the long-term leases he has signed on some offices in some swing states to state Democratic parties.

Bloomberg’s advisers plan to work with the DNC on shifting staff from his payroll to the party. All personnel would have to reapply for their jobs, and those hired by the party will be paid at DNC salary levels, according to a party official, raising the prospect of a pay cut for the well-paid Bloomberg employees if they choose to seek similar jobs.

“Our country is in crisis, and a change in presidential leadership is more important now than ever to protect our families, our communities and our economy,” Perez said in a statement. “With this transfer from the Bloomberg campaign, Mayor Bloomberg and his team are making good on their commitment to beating Donald Trump.”

Under normal circumstances, federal rules allow individuals to give a maximum of $355,000 per year to the Democratic National Committee. The party has set up a Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with state parties, that allows wealthy individuals to give $865,000 in one year. Bloomberg has already donated the maximum allowed to this account.

But the new shift of resources means he is able to give more than 20 times the maximum a donor can give to the national party in one year, because of provisions that allow federal candidates to donate unlimited amounts of leftover money to national and state parties as they wind down their campaigns. This has effectively given Bloomberg a super-donor status because he self-funded his White House bid.

Campaign finance experts said such a mass transfer of personal money was uncharted territory.

“This has never, to my knowledge, been an issue before, because anybody other than somebody worth multiple billions would want their money back even if they self-funded,” said Charlie Spies, a campaign finance lawyer who served as counsel for Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign.

If someone mounted a self-funded bid solely to evade the individual contribution limit and donate leftover campaign funds to the party, that would be considered a straw donation scheme, experts said.

But Bloomberg is shuttering a real campaign effort, and his decisions point to a loophole in the federal law that wealthy self-funded candidates can exploit, experts said.

“I think it’d be absolutely wrong to suggest that it’s a ploy to get around the limits. . . . But it does suggest you could do that,” said Beth Kingsley, a campaign finance lawyer at Harmon, Curran, Spielberg and Eisenberg. “It does seem that there ought to be limits the same way there’s an individual [contribution] limit.”

The Federal Election Commission does not have a voting quorum currently and cannot conduct official business, such as providing guidance on this matter.

Although Bloomberg’s plans to establish a new independent expenditure campaign have been put on hold, his advisers continue to look at possible vehicles for a media campaign to support the Democratic nominee later this year. A super PAC he used in 2018 to support House candidates, Independence USA, still exists, and he still has the capability to form a new group.

Since leaving the raceearlier this month, Bloomberg has announced a broad range of donations to the larger Democratic cause, including $2 million for black voter registration and $2 million to Swing Left, which is working to elect Democrats to Republican-held seats in 2020 up and down the ballot in 12 states.

During his brief campaign, Bloomberg spent $225 million on television ads and $46.9 million on anti-Trump digital ads, according to the campaign’s own accounting. He spent more than $510 million on his campaign before dropping out of the race, according to public records.

He has previously committed at least $100 million to anti-Trump digital advertising in swing states through November, along with at least $15 million more to expand voter registration and protect voter access around the country.

 

[fraurosena]

 

[VixenToast]

On 3/17/2020 at 4:01 PM, Rachel333 said:

I’m also disgusted that he's letting people continue to donate to him, even though his candidacy is essentially over and many of his donors have limited means.

I’ll have you know, he raised $2 million from his supporters for COVID related charities this week while Biden has been having PR tweet and fab for him. Hmph. And yes, I will donate $5 to him every week or so if it helps him buy ads against Biden. Biden is damaged goods in many ways, and it’s a pity he couldn’t have bowed out for Pete. Or that Kamala dropped out so early. I wish Biden had never run. He’s better by far than Bloomberg (yuck!), but he sends up so many red flags with me. Everyone finds in him the safe seat, but I fear we will just be handing Trump an easy kill on a gold platter. 

So yes, I and others will continue to donate to Bernie in a wild hope. Bear in mind, half of us havent had our primaries yet. 

 

 

Not in reference to quote:

I fear I picked the wrong day, perhaps the wrong year to come back to FreeJinger. I am a strong Sanders  supporter, but not an evil one. I’m even a person who likes Tulsi because I actually listened to her and what she had to say, not what the tv had to say to me. Idk. So, expect me to pipe up about Bernie and Tulsi (less likely now that she’s dropped out.)

But in November, the most important thing to do is thwart Trump, preferably thru Pres, Senate, and House. But the only other good alternate is us control the House and the Senate. If Emperor Poopypants gets a second term, he deserves a lame and ineffectual one, with a democratic senate majority leader to poo-poo any judicial positions he might want come his final year. Everyone needs to vote this November, ermagerd.

[Rachel333]

29 minutes ago, VixenToast said:

I’ll have you know, he raised $2 million from his supporters for COVID related charities this week

And that's great! Really! I was really happy to see that he used the enthusiasm of his base that way.

(Although it's too bad he couldn't have been in the Senate to vote on the coronavirus stimulus bill. He was the only non-quarantined senator not to vote.)

32 minutes ago, VixenToast said:

And yes, I will donate $5 to him every week or so if it helps him buy ads against Biden.

If you want to do that you certainly can, although it's disappointing to see Democrats still wanting attack ads against Biden. At this point that would only be helping Trump. Bernie would have to win every remaining contest by something like 30+ points to win the nomination, while Biden could lose every single remaining contest and still get a majority of delegates. Biden is almost certainly going to be the nominee, and while I wish Bernie wouldn't drag his campaign out, I do believe that Bernie genuinely wants Trump out of office even if Biden is the nominee, and I think Bernie knows that the time has passed to be putting out Biden attack ads. Bernie's campaign has already stopped running online ads anyway.

I'm glad we all agree on the importance of voting in November! Even when I thought the nominee would be Bernie, I never once considered not supporting Bernie in the general election in that situation. (The only one who tested that resolve was Bloomberg, but fortunately that situation remains hypothetical, and I know that when the alternative is Trump I still would have voted for the Democratic nominee even if it had been Bloomberg.) I was a Bernie supporter in 2016 who switched to enthusiastically supporting Hillary in the general, and I know that I and the vast majority of Democrats who originally supported other candidates will do the same with Biden this year.

On the topic of primaries, the one in my state isn't scheduled for another month, but it probably will end up being pushed back to June with the coronavirus situation. I suppose I should request a vote-by-mail ballot, but it's a little disappointing because I actually really enjoy going to the polls!

[GreyhoundFan]

[fraurosena]

 

[nausicaa]

All right, for all the shit I talk here, I do have to post this cute video. I do find Sanders' grumpy but concerned grandpa demeanor very charming and entertaining. ("Why are you so close to each other? I am serious. You know. Watch television." ?)

https://twitter.com/CaraKorte/status/1242917128119951361/video/1