And They're Off! The Democratic Candidates for 2020

[Karl Henning]

Ah, that sweet Ignore function.

[Karl Henning]

Strictly for people with a sense of humor:

Bernie Sanders Drops Out Of Race To Spend More Time With His Many, Many Houses

[Madiel]

Because some of you will keep arguing about this anyway. Healthcare.

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/o2hx5j

[drogulus]

Well, since Finland is a social democracy and according to you social democratic policies cause massive government bureaucracy, in which way(s) have Finnish government bureaucrats messed up my life? I am blind to it as I live in this system, but you as someone who doesn't live in a social democracy may see what I don't see.

     You are arguing against a theology. It has nothing to do with government performance of its functions. It's largely about preventing functions from being performed. Size arguments might make sense if efficiency was a goal. It's not. If efficiency was a goal you'd get more bang for bucks. The size-ists want less bang, period.

[SimonNZ]

Officially he is, althou he might not be aware of it at all times due to cognitive decline. The plan is to hide him as much as possible. Beating Trump will be extremely difficult, but this had to be done to stop Bernie. Game over.

I have lost all hope. The world is going to hell and there is NOTHING we can do about it. Money won. Mankind lost.

Statement From Vice President Biden

[...]"Senator Sanders and his supporters have changed the dialogue in America. Issues which had been given little attention — or little hope of ever passing — are now at the center of the political debate. Income inequality, universal health care, climate change, free college, relieving students from the crushing debt of student loans. These are just a few of the issues Bernie and his supporters have given life to. And while Bernie and I may not agree on how we might get there, we agree on the ultimate goal for these issues and many more.

But more than any one issue or set of issues, I want to commend Bernie for being a powerful voice for a fairer and more just America. It's voices like Bernie's that refuse to allow us to just accept what is — that refuse to accept we can't change what's wrong in our nation — that refuse to accept the health and well-being of our fellow citizens and our planet isn't our responsibility too. Bernie gets a lot of credit for his passionate advocacy for the issues he cares about. But he doesn't get enough credit for being a voice that forces us all to take a hard look in the mirror and ask if we've done enough.

While the Sanders campaign has been suspended — its impact on this election and on elections to come is far from over. We will address the existential crisis of climate change. We will confront income inequality in our nation. We will make sure healthcare is affordable and accessible to every American. We will make education at our public colleges and universities free. We will ease the burden of student debt. And, most important of all, we will defeat Donald Trump."[...]


evidence of cognitive decline?

[Karl Henning]

New York will allow all voters to cast absentee ballots on 23 June primary.

[Daverz]

New York will allow all voters to cast absentee ballots on 23 June primary.

"But, but, how can they miss this excellent opportunity to kill off voters!"  -- average Republican asshole.

[SimonNZ]

Leftward ho! Biden pivots to progressives

"The day after his last opponent dropped out of the presidential race, Joe Biden took the rarest of turns for a Democratic nominee: to the left.

Biden shed any pretense about his need to win over Bernie Sanders voters when he announced a pair of proposals Thursday aimed at assuaging wary progressives: lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 years old, and forgiving all student debt for low- and middle-income people who attended public colleges and universities, as well as those who attended private Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other institutions that serve minority students.

While unorthodox for a general election nominee, Biden's decision not to move to the center was both a tacit admission that he has a problem with young and progressive voters, as well as a gamble that he can remain the real centrist in the race against President Donald Trump.

"We don't need to pivot to get independents because he already appeals to independents," said a Biden adviser. "These are ideas that we feel should appeal to Bernie's voters that are well in keeping with Joe's principles."

But progressives were quick to point out that expanding Medicare is not "Medicare for All," and some debt forgiveness is not debt forgiveness for all.

"It's Day 1. We expect to see more. He's got a long way to go," said Waleed Shahid, a spokesman for progressive group Justice Democrats and a former Sanders staffer. On Wednesday, Shahid's group was part of a coalition of progressive outfits that issued a list of far-reaching demands they want Biden to adopt."[...]

[JBS]

Medicare at age 60 is not all that radical.  Most proposals would in fact start at a lower age (50 or 55), and one version of it was seriously discussed c 2009 when Obamacare was being formulated.

[SimonNZ]

I haven't been following Sanders statements. Has he asked his Bernie Bros to try and form a united front with the Biden people for the sake of defeating Trump  - or at least meet them half way?

[JBS]

I haven't been following Sanders statements. Has he asked his Bernie Bros to try and form a united front with the Biden people for the sake of defeating Trump  - or at least meet them half way?

I'll have to look for that.  News coverage has been so focused on the virus and its direct impacts that very little campaign news surfaces.

Meanwhile, the full list that Justice Democrats sent to the North Pole can be found here.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/09/joe-biden-earn-our-support-green-new-deal-bernie-sanders

Note that some items aren't even things Biden could do even if he wants to.  No matter how badly they might do in November, the GOP will retain enough strength in Congress to block most of the program, and some things, like automatic voting registration would have to be done at the state level.

[Madiel]

On how following politics is pretty much the same for many people as following a sports team:

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/10/804612601/passion-isnt-enough-the-rise-of-political-hobbyism-in-the-united-states

[71 dB]

Looks like Barack Obama is one of the biggest obstacles of progress in the US. People voted for him twice in hopes of change, but he did not deliver so a lot of frustration among voters got Trump elected next and now Obama seems to have been the puppet master behind scenes in this presidential race. Some on the left are speculating (no proof of that) it was Obama who pressured Bernie to drop out of the race.

I used to really look up to Obama before following closely the US politics. It was all based on his charisma because I didn't know better. Not anymore. What an corrupted hack he is! 

Well, I'm pretty much out and now that I am wiser 3-4 years later I consider the US the richest third world country. Just one big banana republic having so huge political, financial and cultural influence in the World that I wasted years on following it's insane oligarchy.

[ritter]

I understand your frustration at seeing your political crusade having failed with Mr. Sanders dropping out of the race, after having invested so much time and futile effort in it. But, 71db, I suggest you also take a broader (and cooler) view of the US before hurling unfounded insults at the country and it's people. The place is not perfect, by any means, but much richer, diverse and prosperous (despite the inequalities) than the diatribes of the likes of Kyle Kulinski (who seems to be your primary source) will make you believe. Perhaps even visiting the country could be an idea, so you get an actual notion of what you're talking about.

And blaming (with no proof whatsoever, by your own admission) Mr. Obama—whatever opinion one may have of him—for the recent turn of events is, to put it mildly, childish.

[Madiel]

Looks like Barack Obama is one of the biggest obstacles of progress in the US. People voted for him twice in hopes of change, but he did not deliver so a lot of frustration among voters got Trump elected next and now Obama seems to have been the puppet master behind scenes in this presidential race. Some on the left are speculating (no proof of that) it was Obama who pressured Bernie to drop out of the race.

I used to really look up to Obama before following closely the US politics. It was all based on his charisma because I didn't know better. Not anymore. What an corrupted hack he is! 

Well that's just ridiculous.

Honestly, you pretend to be an adult, but you're displaying an utterly childish attitude.

EDIT: And I hadn't read ritter's comment before choosing that word.

[Herman]

The notion that people in 2016 voted for Trump because they were frustrated Obama did not get to put his change agenda in effect is crazy.

There were people who voted for Trump because they were "angry as hell" at having had a black president for eight years.

If you want to ascribe any higher motives to these voters you come dangerously close to validating them.

[Karl Henning]

But, 71db, I suggest you also take a broader (and cooler) view of the US before hurling unfounded insults at the country and its people.

Oh! the deaf ears on which that suggestion fell!

[j winter]

Honestly, at this point it's very simple. 

Is Biden a perfect candidate?  No.  Is he objectively the best of all possible options that the Democrats might have nominated?  No.

The question is: which man, Biden or Trump, would make a better President of the United States? 

"Neither" is not an option, because like it or not, the US is a two-party system, and we are now presented with a binary choice:  Biden or Trump.  Are you satisfied with Trump's current performance in the office, and wish for another four years of the same?  Or do you think that Biden would perform better in that office?  Regardless of whether Biden is the ideal candidate in your estimation, is he preferable to Trump?   

For myself, I honestly don't plan on expending another brain cell on the US election until November.  Trump has amply demonstrated that he is an untenable choice.  In my view, his continuance in office is an existential threat to American democracy and global stability.  Thus Biden has my enthusiastic vote, because there is simply no possible scenario in which I would support re-electing Donald Trump. 

[Karl Henning]

Honestly, at this point it's very simple. 

Is Biden a perfect candidate?  No.  Is he objectively the best of all possible options that the Democrats might have nominated?  No.

The question is: which man, Biden or Trump, would make a better President of the United States? 

"Neither" is not an option, because like it or not, the US is a two-party system, and we are now presented with a binary choice:  Biden or Trump.  Are you satisfied with Trump's current performance in the office, and wish for another four years of the same?  Or do you think that Biden would perform better in that office?  Regardless of whether Biden is the ideal candidate in your estimation, is he preferable to Trump?   

For myself, I honestly don't plan on expending another brain cell on the US election until November.  Trump has amply demonstrated that he is an untenable choice.  In my view, his continuance in office is an existential threat to American democracy and global stability.  Thus Biden has my enthusiastic vote, because there is simply no possible scenario in which I would support re-electing Donald Trump. 

Word, brother!

[André]

Word, brother!

+1.

I spoke with my brother and sister-in-law in NC last week and it's their POV as well.