My Take –
Debt T’s analysis of the Dem debates yesterday was right down the middle and I generally agree. Let me qualify, though, with a few points: Debates a year and a half before the actual election are STUPID. The DNC setting the bar so low that TWENTY candidates qualify for said debates is also STUPID; also, we put way too much emphasis on debate performance and score keeping of gotchas. Finally, of the list of people running for president, the vast majority are not really running for president, are wasting our time for their own political purposes, and the party leaders should be ashamed of themselves for enabling it. With my qualifications out of the way, here’s my take:
- Biden – hands down the best bet to beat Trump, even after the circular firing squad.
- Harris – serious candidate, badass. Her attack on Biden, though, was too slick and obviously rehearsed for probably months.
- Warren – great candidate to stay in the Senate where she can actually do some good.
- Buttigieg – go home and run for governor. Come back when you’re older than 14.
- Booker – nice try, stay in the Senate.
- Sanders – FFS, go home.
- Beto – You overstepped, bro. Go home, run for governor or against Cornyn. Maybe somebody will call you for the VP slot.
- Klobuchar – not your time. Stay in the Senate.
- Yang – who?
- Inslee – stay in Washington as governor
- Castro – go home. Run for governor.
- Gabbard – nope. Stay in the
SenateHouse. - Gillibrand – are you kidding? Not in a million years. Stay in the Senate until a real Dem knocks you out.
- Williamson – stay in for a while for the entertainment value and keeping the others honest.
- Delaney – who?
- Ryan – go home. Run for Senate.
- Hickenlooper – great governor, but uninspiring. Maybe a VP pick.
- de Blasio – actually running for governor. Go home.
- Bennet – strong. Stay in the Senate.
- Swalwell – really? Go home.
And finally, a little advice from Samantha Bee – run for Senate, goddammit.
@ Sandridge
1Thanks for your local input. But the Rs have said and will say that the Ds are for open borders, just like they say that the Ds are all socialists. Should the Ds back off of Medicare for all because the Rs lie about it? Back off the Green New Deal because the Rs are lying about it? If not, why is the border different?
Sandridge –
You’re technically correct that state gerrymandering has no direct effect on the presidential and congressional vote counts.
But it has become abundantly clear that gerrymandering is a purposeful, and very effective, strategy for ensuring minority rule at the state level. And that does affect the national vote tallies. Because whoever runs the state determines who gets to vote. Specifically through such tactics as voter suppression. Using means like; inconvenient and costly procedures to get a voter ID; reduced early voting periods; fewer polling places; and fewer voting machines. We’ve seen all of these tactics used effectively for several election cycles now. The states aren’t just doing it for their own entertainment
Most insidious of all; despite repeated warnings and evidence of attempted or successful hacking of state voter rolls, or even the machines themselves, many states have done nothing to try to bolster vote security.
So it matters to all of us who’s in charge in each state.
2Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate, hands down. She is both Roosevelts rolled into one and the smartest person in the room no matter what room she walks into.
The big banks are scared to death of her becoming president; they have no fear of any of the other Democrats (except Bernie). That alone should be enough.
3Please, pretty please, let it be Hickenlooper! I would give anything to hear my TV news announcing “President Hickenlooper”, it would be like one of those zany American comedy shows and, dammit, we need the laughs!
4Sounds to me like yet another cis-gendered misogynistic privileged white male .Times they are a changing, and y’alls days of relevance are numbered. It’s a primary, not Survivor Island! Put down the remote and quit judging this like a game show. Listen, learn, figure out what the country actually needs to move forward into the next decade, and then support whoever gets the nom to retake our democracy from the fascist. This is not the time to be flexing ones bitchiness muscles on our own …… Snap the f#@k out of it!
5@Litl – If you don’t like my opinions, you don’t have to read them. Please save your ad hominem attacks for the other side.
6Msb & Lunargent, I’m aware of most of the ‘nuances’ of that which you explain very well, but my comment was meant to be narrowly defined in response to maryelle’s seeming to misunderstand it. Certainly gerrymandering has many bad effects, but with effort they can be overcome in the national and statewide elective races.
7Sure, things are much harder, but the core issue as always is individual voter motivation.
The lowliest MAGAot will crawl on their bellies to get to the polls in order to vote [I see it here].
Far too many Democratics, or ‘should be’ Dems, are still easily dissuaded or apathetic, unable to connect all the dots, and won’t vote every damned time.
The Democratic Party itself has to finally acknowledge the problems and shift a [more] sizable effort towards all out voter motivation all the time, and specific policies to counteract each of the Republicks dirty tricks.
I’ve written it many times before, we Dems need to turnout 10-15% more voters just to neutralize the Scummies chicanery, then another 5% for bulletproof wins. We know that we are often beaten by the core 35-40% of Rethug MAGAots who simply “vote” every time [no matter for who, as long as it’s not a D].
That leaves a 60-65% majority of the [voting or not] electorate available for the Dems, if most of them can be turned out. With NO room for the those with delicate ‘sensitivities’ to pout about their widdle feefees and ‘make a purity point’ by abstaining.
If s/he is running as a Democrat, vote for them, period, dead or alive [unless they are beyond odious, of which we have very few in comparison to MangoМосква’s crowd].
There’s no point in voting for Democrats. They have become the party of Stephen Cloobeck,who needs that? To hell with them and apparatchiks such as Sandridge. The apparatchik is still stung from having “Mommy” lose the election. Then the apparatchik needed a Republican “Daddy” (Mueller) to save the republic. Unfortunately,that didn’t happen. Those calling for party unity are the real party puritans. They’re privileged Caucasians who feel they “own” your vote and own you. You’re property and chattel to them,you owe them your vote- the party owes you nothing in return for that support. Besides,Sandridge wants war with Iran. And he wants your S.S. cut. Moreover,the apparatchik wants to keep its current method of access to healthcare. Something it will willingly deny to others–the same as Republicans. The Democratic Party is Republican-lite. Sandridge and his ilk like it that way.
Sandridge and those of his ilk share the same party-lines as Stephen Cloobeck. Republicans suck. The Democratic Party is an ineffective opposition to their agenda and party. The Democratic Party needs to purge the Sandridge party bots and become something more than the Washington Generals of the political milieu. Just the fact that Biden is considered as a genuine candidate tells you everything you need to know about the current state of the party.
8Yeppers That’s Truth,
Yeow, that’s quite a load of bullshit ya got there, you clearly have a reading comprehension problem. Da? Да или нет?
Who the hell is Stephen Cloobeck, never heard of him.
Since you seem to single me out on a number of your ‘points’, I have to wonder what planet you’re from? Perhaps Reversoanus, since those ‘points’ are all the complete opposite of my views.
Or you’re just another troll, best go back to troll school, you’re pretty lame [I’ve actually dueled with pro-grade IDF and Russki trolls, the IDF one[s] back when Israel was trashing the Hez in Lebanon ~2006]. I have no use for Rethugs, Xchristofascists like the Hagee-CUFI crowd, or Zionists and radical Islamists alike.
‘Point’ 1: Apparatchik? Nobody further from an apparatchik than non-conformist vieux moi.
‘Point’ Deux: “Mommy”? Hillary? Sure, I voted for her [with the ex, sadly ~75% of the local fools in line here voted for the MangoМосква].
‘Point’ 3: “privileged Caucasians “? Yeah, guess so. Although I don’t really give a rat’s ass about ‘owning’ or ‘owing’ anybody else. I’m usually asocial to antisocial, except for a very few associates.
‘Point’ 4: “war with Iran”? Perhaps your most absurd charge. I was one of very few against Cheney Inc’s war against Iraq [and Saddam]. Because I actually know a bit about the ME, chemical and nuklar weapons, and missile/control systems. A war with Iran would be twenty times worse [and we could easily lose an entire Navy carrier task force]. See: http://www.stonekettle.com/2019/06/remember-maine.html .
And: http://www.stonekettle.com/2019/06/straight.html .
‘Point’ 5: “And he wants your S.S. cut. … wants to keep its current method of access to healthcare. …willingly deny to others”.
Ludicrous. I’ve been on SS for ten years [retired eight years before that, @54]. Always maxed out my contribs by April-June every year [6fig$ inc], now get the max [plus good pension & investment income]; plus Medicare Advantage, dental, etc., and bennies like 2x-incm life ins.
Have always wanted everyone to have the same.
‘Point’ 6: ” his ilk share the same party-lines as Stephen Cloobeck. …party bot…Biden is considered as a genuine candidate tells you everything you need to know about the current state of the party.”
Aha, you confuse me with Biden? WTF? He’s never been my choice. But I’ll damn sure get out and vote for him if he’s picked, and every Dem. Or a botanical specimen, if it’s running as a D.
‘Yeppers That’s Truth’ is one weird troll…like Bill Kristol and Larry Kudlow, always 100% wrong.
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