So, the impression I’m getting from twitter is that Sanders didn’t really go as hard as he should have, and Biden ultimately cleared the bar of being able to string a few sentences together, which is enough for the CNN panel and Very Online “progressives” to declare him the winner I guess.
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Bernie definitely won on the topic of healthcare, but my concern is that there are a lot of Democrats who already generally agreed with him on it (it polls well as a policy) but support Biden because of his core message of “we’re the realistic, safe ones who get things done”. That’s the part that needs to be deconstructed properly in order for the left to take a foothold. It needs to be hammered in that Biden is not a particularly safe choice and is in fact risky, and that incrementalism isn’t the only meaningful option for enacting change, and that the left are a legitimate branch of the party and not just protesters.
Unfortunately, it does feel like Bernie is holding back on Biden, maybe because he’s the likely nominee, or maybe just because he’s too nice.
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Bernie has stated previously that his number one priority is getting Trump out of office. To him, that means not totally going in on Biden in a way that might make him radioactive for the general. Unfortunately, a scorched-earth policy with Biden might be necessary for Bernie to win at this point.
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Either he’ll get a groundswell with good performances like this, or he’ll keep shoving Biden as far left as he can while not kneecapping him.
New weird POV on the “dementia” thing. I was explaining to my mother a lot of the debate stuff and Joe’s weird randomly walking off camera during his attempt at a livestream. She was like “It’s super weird, it sounds like he’s more of a jerk now, than back in 2007. I wonder if he has dementia.”
I was like “UH” and she explained that… Reagan was apparently doing similar shit? And around his second term, a lot of people sort of passively knew he had that going on and it was part of why he seemed so different. And Biden right now reminded her of that.
I thought that was interesting, that there’s precedent in The Election Discourse for that back in her generation. I’d literally never heard of that before.
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The rumors I heard were that Nancy was signing off on the majority of policy decisions for pretty much all of Ronald’s second term
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I think the Reagan dementia thing is pretty widely rumored. It was definitely mentioned in my American history classes that covered that era.
Rumored might not be a strong enough word—Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years after leaving office and afaik it’s basically an open secret that he’d been developing it for some time.
Should be be elected, Biden’s VP is going to have a huge amount of influence.
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Ya’ll like that staff abuse?
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I bet Klobuchar’s on the list, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Biden has the best relationship with Klobuchar, but if Harris doesn’t get it, I imagine Harris will be an integral part of the campaign (and probably Biden’s pick for AG).
Biden lying across the board on his history of aligning with right-wing interests is deeply embarrassing, but mainstream press is fundamentally uninterested in holding him to task on that versus appealing soundbites about having a woman as his VP.
I don’t think this debate has moved the needle for anyone, the only thing to do is hope that Bernie can clinch the majority of remaining states. It’s deeply disappointing that, in light of congressional Democrats already compromising on their handling of this current pandemic, we’re still seeing a push for a center-right candidate on the Democratic ticket.
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I think people deeply, deeply underrate the extent to which the election of Trump is a psychic wound to people. They will do anything to make him go away. They aren’t terribly concerned with ideology or policy or good ideas or anything that actually matters in the long run. It’s like having a roommate whose idea of lo-fi study beats is a Romanian thrash metal polka album.
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Just wanted to leave this here:
In case folks couldn’t be more disgusted with the DNC. Looking forward to burning that whole organization to the ground. Its leadership is utterly pathetic and it’s rotten to the core.
I thought Bernie is really well last night. The whole “revolution vs results” stuff was the dumbest attack imaginable. Every social revolution lead to results and Bernie’s response to thinking big in the face of these crisis was a really strong message. Him also appealing to the audience to fact-check Joe Biden’s lies because the moderators sure as hell won’t be was also very good. Twitter lit up with links to Joe saying he’d cut all the government programs.
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If you read the article it’s not as bad as that title implies.
“We are working with state parties that need to make adjustments as needed to their delegate selection processes so they can continue without major interruptions,” wrote James Roosevelt and Lorraine Miller, the co-chairs of the rules and bylaws committee, in the memo.
“The regulations allow technical changes to be approved by the co-chairs.”
and
"Several states have taken steps to change the date of their first determining step,” the DNC memo said.
It continued: “The Delegate Selection Rules provide that each state’s first determining step must take place by 9 June. If a state violates the rule on timing, or any other rule, they could be subject to penalties as prescribed in Rule 21, including at least a 50% reduction in delegates, which will need to be reviewed by the RBC.
“The deadline to elect convention participants is 20 June, so state parties should have plenty of time to elect their delegates, alternates and standing committee members.”
So states have to take the first step of deciding what their changes are going to be by June 9th, they don’t have to hold the entire primary and choose delegates by June 9th.
It’s not part of the conspiracy to fuck over Bernie.
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Bernie was fucked far before any of this as well. He’s no longer polling well anywhere and also has fallen below Biden in national polls. I had been waiting out the last debate to personally think this is over, but Bernie didn’t exactly eviscerate Biden and the polls can only move so much. Barring a miracle, Bernie is done (and has been since polls after Super Tuesday showed Biden way ahead). I respect him staying in the race and pushing his agenda, though.
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This is likely his last presidential run, so spending every resource he has to force Biden as left as possible is as noble a tactic as I can imagine, especially given the current situation.
I am in South Florida and the local news is reporting nothing about the missing poll workers, the election judges not showing up, et cetera. They’re reporting like it’s a normal cheery primary day.
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COVID-19 swinging the primary back to Bernie would be the most 2020-ass ludicrous twist of Fate.
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I live in FL and there is a tremendous amount of election fuckery going on, so brace yourselves.
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I lived in Miami for some 27 years so solidarity and my thoughts are with you, friend.
Bernie’s goin off
Good for him
EDIT: Oh my Lord, the comments on this thing that are like “That’s not very presidential”, what plane of reality are these people fucking on?
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Our government has overthrown legitimately elected socialist presidents over far less. This entire election has been a farce and whatever little respect I had for electoral politics pretty much evaporated. That sort of thing is unacceptable.
The Republicans are turning into the National Socialist party before our very eyes (they’re offering better economic relief than the democrats) and the democrats are so uselessly caught up in means-tested policy that they don’t know what to do. Worthless.
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