And They're Off! The Democratic Candidates for 2020

[71 dB]

I can't share you support of Bernie Sanders. As a geriatric gay hippie I hope to live long enough to see a fairy in the Whitehouse so if I was able to vote in the US elections Pete Buttigieg would be top of my list. I even have a 20PETE20 T-shirt. That I've lived long enough to see gay marriage legal in my country is in itself something I'd never have believed possible only a few decades ago. The mere idea of a queer (sorry, I'm but I'm proud of that term) president would also have struck me as insane not so long ago. So would the idea of having a juvenile, retarded real estate/hotelier thug willing to kiss Putin's arse as president.

Damning Video Shows Mayor Pete Struggling To Hide His Corruption

https://www.youtube.com/v/Peu4CIuQ4gw

[71 dB]

Your sources aren't sources. They're just the modern version of talk radio.

Still beats corporate media...

[SimonNZ]

No, actually, it really, really, doesn't - even considering all that one has to be critical of in whoever you call "corporate media" That a wide variety of people here with a wide variety of differing views can agree that your "sources" are leaving you blinkered should be some indication..

I'd almost go so far as to say that in some ways you'd be better served by Fox, and it should be clear that I loathe Fox. (do I really think that? no...but its a choice of evils)

[dissily Mordentroge]

Damning Video Shows Mayor Pete Struggling To Hide His Corruption

https://www.youtube.com/v/Peu4CIuQ4gw

If you swallow that, you'll swallow anything. About time you stepped outside the political echo-chamber.

[dissily Mordentroge]

Duplicate post deleted

[71 dB]

If you swallow that, you'll swallow anything. About time you stepped outside the political echo-chamber.

Swallow what exactly? If I link a video here it doesn't mean I have swallowed something. If you think Kyle Kulinski's take on the Buttigieg video is incorrect in some ways, please explain how and we can depate about it.

[SimonNZ]

Just for a start: its one thing to want more transparency, but another thing to suggest "corruption" in the title of the rant and assume corruption in the rant itself.

[SimonNZ]

It will be interesting to hear about his work for McKinsey and about their work more generally. But tellingly Kulinsky had nothing to offer about it. Stringing one contextless idea out for thirty minutes is the laziest form of non-journalism.

[JBS]

In 2016, Bernie won every state that Trump was able to flip in the general. This has nothing to do with left or right; it's who best represents the American people. From Biden calling someone at a town hall "fat" for questioning his nepotism to Buttigieg dodging questions about his wealthy bundlers, so-called 'moderates' are not the answer.

Here is an actual dialogue between reporters and Buttigieg regarding his lack of transparency:

• Reporter: Mayor, earlier today you said you were open to having a conversation about opening your fundraisers, and that's a question that reporters have been asking for months now, so I'm wondering when do you expect to actually have that conversation and give us an answer on that.
• Buttigieg: Again, I don't have a timeline for you.
• R: But Mayor, as the candidate, can't you just direct your campaign to open those fundraisers?
• B: What's that?
• R: As the candidate, can't you just direct your campaign to open those fundraisers?
• B: Yes.
• R: Then why haven't you done so?
• B: What's that?
• R: Why haven't you done so yet?
• B: There are a lot of considerations, and I'm taking that it.
• R: Can you give us an example of those considerations?
• B: No.

It's been clear for months that Buttigieg is full of shit. If that dialogue didn't raise any red flags, then I am astounded at your capacity for bribery and corruption in politics.

A candidate who thinks government programs and/or massive regulation are the best solutions to problems caused by earlier government programs (I am thinking of affordable housing and the tuition "crisis" in particular) does not represent the American people.  You do realize all those Trump voters voted for him despite the fact that he was promising to get rid of Obamacare? That alone should make it clear they have no interest in progressive ideas.

BTW, a candidate telling a reporter he is not obliged to explain how he runs his campaign is not a sign of corruption. It is rhe sign if a sensible person.

[71 dB]

You do realize all those Trump voters voted for him despite the fact that he was promising to get rid of Obamacare? That alone should make it clear they have no interest in progressive ideas.

Jesus Chris!!! When campaigning, Trump promised to repeal ObamaCare AND replace it with BETTER healthcare, give affordable healthcare to everyone. Of course it was all a lie and all he has done is sabotage ObamareCare so that millions have lost their healthcare under Trump. Have you forgotten his "Knowbody knew healthcare is so complicated" realization back in 2017?

People have a lot of interest in progressive ideas. Trump pretented to be progressive in some issues such as healthcare so that he appeared more progressive than Hillary Clinton to a lot of voters.

[71 dB]

It will be interesting to hear about his work for McKinsey and about their work more generally. But tellingly Kulinsky had nothing to offer about it. Stringing one contextless idea out for thirty minutes is the laziest form of non-journalism.

Kyle Kulinski is a political commentator rather than journalist so what he does includes commenting political journalism, much of it being so abyssmally bad, his commenting makes better journalism. Kulinski works long days to produce his videos so calling him lazy is something I wouldn't do.

[Herman]

This has nothing to do with your anti-"corporate media" boilerplate, and everything to do with actual voters.

Except, Karl, the actual not-quite-decided voters are to a degree getting manipulated by the media.

As I was watching some of the second round hearings last week I was struck by the way the commentators (I was watching CBS at that point) were sort pre-opining for the audience. Pretty much every utterance from the studio indicated that there was insufficient evidence, and not a single House or Senate member was going to budge. They were spoonfeeding the viewers the idea that the Democrats didn't have a case and Trump was funny weird sometimes, but still a legit President. This is how you create an electorate that isn't even going to vote, because the media has told people it's not worth the ride.

[Madiel]

Still beats corporate media...

Oh look. There's a piece of the deceased equine you haven't quite bruised into oblivion. Give it another kick.

[dissily Mordentroge]

Except, Karl, the actual not-quite-decided voters are to a degree getting manipulated by the media.

As I was watching some of the second round hearings last week I was struck by the way the commentators (I was watching CBS at that point) were sort pre-opining for the audience. Pretty much every utterance from the studio indicated that there was insufficient evidence, and not a single House or Senate member was going to budge. They were spoonfeeding the viewers the idea that the Democrats didn't have a case and Trump was funny weird sometimes, but still a legit President. This is how you create an electorate that isn't even going to vote, because the media has told people it's not worth the ride.

Corporate, alternative et al . Whatever branch of the media you examine today there's a nauseating trend towards not reporting but editorialising.
Even good old Auntie BBC is getting in on the game. This goes deeper than just media behaviour.  I suggest we are witnessing the unconscious (?) consequences of recent 'relativistic' European philosophy from the likes of the French deconstructionists. It may appear a far stretch to make but there's that simple old Hungarian saying "The Fish rots from the head down" and that's before we even begin to examine the intellectual decay unleashed by Universities all over the developed world appointing M BA's as university deans/administrators.

[schnittkease]

A candidate who thinks government programs and/or massive regulation are the best solutions to problems caused by earlier government programs (I am thinking of affordable housing and the tuition "crisis" in particular) does not represent the American people.

Anyone who isn't for bailing out the American people after Congress did so to Wall Street has their priorities in the wrong place.

[Karl Henning]

Except, Karl, the actual not-quite-decided voters are to a degree getting manipulated by the media.

As I was watching some of the second round hearings last week I was struck by the way the commentators (I was watching CBS at that point) were sort pre-opining for the audience. Pretty much every utterance from the studio indicated that there was insufficient evidence, and not a single House or Senate member was going to budge. They were spoonfeeding the viewers the idea that the Democrats didn't have a case and Trump was funny weird sometimes, but still a legit President. This is how you create an electorate that isn't even going to vote, because the media has told people it's not worth the ride.

The US News media certainly need to do their job better, much better:  we are all agreed on that head.

Still, there is a world of difference between your level-headed assessment, and 71dB's blinkered kneejerk yada-yada.

[schnittkease]

The US News media certainly need to do their job better, much better:  we are all agreed on that head.

Our media has been beyond redemption ever since the fairness doctrine was scrapped.

[dissily Mordentroge]

Anyone who isn't for bailing out the American people after Congress did so to Wall Street has their priorities in the wrong place.

Well said but there's still that question hanging in the air (besides the tax-payer funded bail out of Wall St). Why didn't the perpetrators get thrown in jail?

[JBS]

Jesus Chris!!! When campaigning, Trump promised to repeal ObamaCare AND replace it with BETTER healthcare, give affordable healthcare to everyone. Of course it was all a lie and all he has done is sabotage ObamareCare so that millions have lost their healthcare under Trump. Have you forgotten his "Knowbody knew healthcare is so complicated" realization back in 2017?

People have a lot of interest in progressive ideas. Trump pretented to be progressive in some issues such as healthcare so that he appeared more progressive than Hillary Clinton to a lot of voters.

I thought you knew the main focus of the GOP was on destroying Obamacare from the moment it was proposed?

There isn't a single thing that is progressive about Trump"s slogans or ideas. In fact his main appeal is to those voters who thought Hillary was too progressive.

[JBS]

Anyone who isn't for bailing out the American people after Congress did so to Wall Street has their priorities in the wrong place.

Sanders's programs bail out nobody. Most of them, like his housing proposal, will make things worse. Increasing employment for government bureaucrats and regulators bails out government bureaucrats and regulators, but no one else. It also increases the likelihood of corruption at the level of local implementation. Replacing corrupt politicians with corrupt bureaucrats is not an improvement.

Warren's original focus on restraining Wall Street was a good thing. But she seems to have abandoned that focus in running for President.