And They're Off! The Democratic Candidates for 2020

[SimonNZ]

Sanders warns his loyalists it would be 'irresponsible' not to support Biden
Sanders criticizes his supporters who have so far resisted his vow to do whatever it takes to help Biden win the presidency

"Bernie Sanders has warned that it would be "irresponsible" for his loyalists not to support Joe Biden, warning that progressives who "sit on their hands" in the months ahead would simply enable Donald Trump's re-election in November.

Sanders endorsed Biden on Monday and was quickly followed by the crucial endorsement on Tuesday by Barack Obama of his former vice-president.

Meanwhile, Sanders, the 78-year-old Vermont senator confirmed that "it's probably a very fair assumption" that he would not run for president again, after his failed attempts to win the Democratic nomination in 2016 and in this cycle. He added with a laugh, however, in an interview with the Associated Press: "One can't predict the future."

Sanders suspended his presidential campaign last week, setting the stage for a November general election battle between two candidates, Trump and Biden, with radically different visions of presidential leadership and America's role in the world. The contest will unfold in a political landscape transformed beyond all recognition by the coronavirus pandemic that has already claimed at least 14,000 American lives and nearly 10m jobs.

On Tuesday night, Sanders criticized his own supporters who have so far resisted his vow to do whatever it takes to help Biden win the presidency.

He seemed to distance himself from his campaign's former national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, when asked about her recent statement on social media refusing to endorse Biden.

"She is my former press secretary – not on the payroll," Sanders noted. A spokesman later clarified that all campaign staffers were no longer on the payroll as of Tuesday, though they will get a severance check in May.

Sanders said his supporters have a simple choice now that Biden has emerged as the presumptive nominee: "Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction? Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in modern American history to get re-elected?"

He continued: "I believe that it's irresponsible for anybody to say, 'Well, I disagree with Joe Biden' – I disagree with Joe Biden! – 'and therefore I'm not going to be involved.'"

Sanders said he would not actively campaign or spend money on advertising in the primary contests that are still on the calendar in the coming months. But he still encouraged Democrats in those states to vote for him, hoping to amass as many delegates as possible for leverage to shape the party platform and the direction of Biden's campaign.

He also vowed to continue fighting for progressive priorities such as his signature "Medicare for All" as a senator, even though Biden has refused to embrace the government-backed single-payer healthcare system.

"If people want to vote for me, we'd appreciate it," Sanders said of the roughly 20 primary contests that remain where his name will appear on the ballot. He later added, "I think you're going to see significant movement on the part of the Biden campaign into a more progressive direction on a whole lot of issues."

Upon gaining his endorsement on Monday, Biden said: "You've been the most powerful voice for a fair and more just America. You don't get enough credit, Bernie, for being the voice that forces us to take a hard look in the mirror."

He continued: "If I am the nominee – which it looks like now you just made me – I really need you, not just to win the campaign but to govern." Biden has previously said of Sanders' most fervent supporters "I hear you." But some progressives are concerned that he is paying lip service more than shifting to the left in his platform.

Sanders did not outline any specific plans to begin helping Biden in earnest, though he noted that he held dozens of rallies for former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton four years ago and would be at least as active for Biden.

In the short term, he said he's essentially "incarcerated in his home" because of coronavirus social distancing guidelines and did not know when he would return to the campaign trail.

"I will do everything I can to help elect Joe," Sanders continued. "We had a contentious campaign. We disagree on issues. But my job now is to not only rally my supporters, but to do everything I can to bring the party together to see that [Trump] is not elected president."

[Karl Henning]

Sanders warns his loyalists it would be 'irresponsible' not to support Biden
Sanders criticizes his supporters who have so far resisted his vow to do whatever it takes to help Biden win the presidency

"Bernie Sanders has warned that it would be "irresponsible" for his loyalists not to support Joe Biden, warning that progressives who "sit on their hands" in the months ahead would simply enable Donald Trump's re-election in November.

Sanders endorsed Biden on Monday and was quickly followed by the crucial endorsement on Tuesday by Barack Obama of his former vice-president.

Meanwhile, Sanders, the 78-year-old Vermont senator confirmed that "it's probably a very fair assumption" that he would not run for president again, after his failed attempts to win the Democratic nomination in 2016 and in this cycle. He added with a laugh, however, in an interview with the Associated Press: "One can't predict the future."

Sanders suspended his presidential campaign last week, setting the stage for a November general election battle between two candidates, Trump and Biden, with radically different visions of presidential leadership and America's role in the world. The contest will unfold in a political landscape transformed beyond all recognition by the coronavirus pandemic that has already claimed at least 14,000 American lives and nearly 10m jobs.

On Tuesday night, Sanders criticized his own supporters who have so far resisted his vow to do whatever it takes to help Biden win the presidency.

He seemed to distance himself from his campaign's former national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, when asked about her recent statement on social media refusing to endorse Biden.

"She is my former press secretary – not on the payroll," Sanders noted. A spokesman later clarified that all campaign staffers were no longer on the payroll as of Tuesday, though they will get a severance check in May.

Sanders said his supporters have a simple choice now that Biden has emerged as the presumptive nominee: "Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction? Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in modern American history to get re-elected?"

He continued: "I believe that it's irresponsible for anybody to say, 'Well, I disagree with Joe Biden' – I disagree with Joe Biden! – 'and therefore I'm not going to be involved.'"

Sanders said he would not actively campaign or spend money on advertising in the primary contests that are still on the calendar in the coming months. But he still encouraged Democrats in those states to vote for him, hoping to amass as many delegates as possible for leverage to shape the party platform and the direction of Biden's campaign.

He also vowed to continue fighting for progressive priorities such as his signature "Medicare for All" as a senator, even though Biden has refused to embrace the government-backed single-payer healthcare system.

"If people want to vote for me, we'd appreciate it," Sanders said of the roughly 20 primary contests that remain where his name will appear on the ballot. He later added, "I think you're going to see significant movement on the part of the Biden campaign into a more progressive direction on a whole lot of issues."

Upon gaining his endorsement on Monday, Biden said: "You've been the most powerful voice for a fair and more just America. You don't get enough credit, Bernie, for being the voice that forces us to take a hard look in the mirror."

He continued: "If I am the nominee – which it looks like now you just made me – I really need you, not just to win the campaign but to govern." Biden has previously said of Sanders' most fervent supporters "I hear you." But some progressives are concerned that he is paying lip service more than shifting to the left in his platform.

Sanders did not outline any specific plans to begin helping Biden in earnest, though he noted that he held dozens of rallies for former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton four years ago and would be at least as active for Biden.

In the short term, he said he's essentially "incarcerated in his home" because of coronavirus social distancing guidelines and did not know when he would return to the campaign trail.

"I will do everything I can to help elect Joe," Sanders continued. "We had a contentious campaign. We disagree on issues. But my job now is to not only rally my supporters, but to do everything I can to bring the party together to see that [Trump] is not elected president."

Well done. The question now, is the degree of deafness in the über-zealots' ears.

[milk]

Well done. The question now, is the degree of deafness in the über-zealots' ears.

I know some Uber-zealots and they barely think Sanders is left enough. He's got a lot of supporters like that.

[Karl Henning]

I know some Uber-zealots and they barely think Sanders is left enough. He's got a lot of supporters like that.

I can well believe it.

[JBS]

Perspective matters. If you are far enough over to one side, the distance between the center and the opposite side seems much smaller than it is.

Thus the Left can claim there's nothing to choose between Biden and Trump, and the Right can claim Biden is just a Socialist who is afraid to acknowledge the obvious truth.

[Herman]

the Trump plan now seems to be to wreck the USPS and kills hundreds of thousands of gvt jobs in order to prevent people from voting by mail, and the thinking seems to be there are more D votes lost that way than R.

Any way to shrink the vote seems to be a Republican strategy.

[Karl Henning]

This is why Trump rage tweets

The USA Today/Suffolk University poll released Monday explains, in part, why President Trump has been rage tweeting over the last 24 hours: "[Former vice president Joe Biden is] leading Trump nationwide by 6 percentage points, 44%-38%, a shift from Trump's 3-point lead in the survey as he was being impeached by the House in December. In a contest without a third-party contender, Biden's margin jumps to 10 points, 50%-40%." Perhaps not surprising, Biden clobbers Trump in qualities such as "cares about people like me," "stands up for U.S. interests," is "honest and trustworthy" and "can work with foreign leaders." On knowing "how to get things done," Trump has a positive score (51 percent to 45 percent) as does Biden (although not an outright at 48 percent to 39 percent).

Biden plainly has made progress more quickly than Hillary Clinton, the 2016 nominee, did in nailing down Democratic support. "Biden has made progress in consolidating support among Democrats; 87% of Democratic voters now back him, and he has been endorsed by his primary rivals, former president Barack Obama and others," the poll shows. "He has gained ground among voters under 35, a group that had been more likely in the primaries to support Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Now Biden is backed over Trump among younger voters by 50%-25%."

While Trump gets more than 90 percent of Republicans, Trump's habit of doubling down with his hard-line base has come at the expense of support among everyone else. Trump is in trouble with independents (only 27 percent support) and among women (he trails Biden 53 percent to 30 percent). One can imagine that, as Trump fails to show much empathy for the sick and dying and throws out dangerous health suggestions, he is going to do even more damage to his standing with women, who are more likely to care more about health care than male voters and who dislike his bombast and bullying.

There is a small downward movement in support among African Americans for Biden, but it is unclear whether it is statistically significant. It may, however, strengthen the case for him to name an African American woman such as Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) or Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) as his running mate.

Several aspects of the poll are worth stressing. First, we are six months out — a lifetime in politics — but it is not at all clear that things are going to get any better for Trump. The opposite is almost surely true. More coronavirus deaths will be recorded, frightful unemployment numbers will persist and lives will continue to be disrupted. Second, nonwhite voters are, as they do in most crises and economic downturns, suffering disproportionately. Many are first responders or in essential jobs, thereby exposing them to greater dangers. Their health status and access to health care may be worse than that of white Americans. If Biden keeps the focus on this aspect of the crisis, nonwhite voters will keep in mind precisely what they "have to lose" in a Trump presidency. Third, the bad polling tends to make Trump grouchier and more frantic. His on-again, off-again news conference on Monday is indicative of his dilemma: He cannot handle the lack of attention, but the attention now provides a powerful boost — to his opponent.

[Karl Henning]

Frustration mounts as Biden remains silent on sexual assault allegation
By Lisa Lererand Sydney Ember New York Times ,April 29, 2020, 9:01 p.m.

NEW YORK — For more than three weeks, progressive activists and women's rights advocates debated how to handle an allegation of sexual assault against Joe Biden. The conversations weren't easy, nor were the politics: Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, faced one allegation; his opponent, President Trump, at least a dozen.

Finally, several of the women's groups prepared a public letter that praised Biden's work as an "outspoken champion for survivors of sexual violence" but also pushed him to address the allegation from Tara Reade, a former aide who worked in his Senate office in the early 1990s.

"Vice President Biden has the opportunity, right now, to model how to take serious allegations seriously," the draft letter said. "The weight of our expectations matches the magnitude of the office he seeks."

Then Biden's team heard about the advocates' effort. According to people involved in the discussions, the group put the letter on hold as it began pressuring Biden advisers to push the candidate to make a statement himself before the end of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Along with liberal organizers, they urged him to acknowledge the importance of survivors and the need for systemic change around issues of sexism and assault.

Nearly two weeks later, Biden and his campaign have yet to make that statement, and the advocates have not released their letter. The Biden campaign has said little publicly beyond saying that women deserve to be heard and insisting that the allegation is not true; privately, Biden advisers have circulated talking points urging supporters to deny that the incident occurred.

As two more women have come forward to corroborate part of Reade's allegation, the Biden campaign is facing attacks from the right and increasing pressure from the left to address the issue. And liberal activists find themselves in a tense standoff with a candidate they want to support but who they say has made little attempt to show leadership on an issue that resonates deeply with their party's base.

"It's difficult for survivors to see that a woman who has more corroborating sources than most survivors have in similar situations is being tossed aside and actively being weaponized by cynical political actors," said Shaunna Thomas, a founder of UltraViolet, a women's rights advocacy group that is involved in the effort to push the campaign. "It would be an incredible moment of leadership for Joe Biden to show up."

Since Reade spoke out in March with her allegation — that Biden penetrated her with his fingers in a Senate building in 1993 — his aides and advisers have denied it, saying it is "untrue." They have remained unconcerned about any significant political blowback from Reade's accusation, according to people who have spoken with the campaign, who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Top Biden aides are telling allies that they do not see the allegation resonating with voters in a measurable way, these people say. They're confident that the allegation will not shake voters' perceptions of Biden's character as a devoted father and husband, with family ties forged through deep tragedies. They also believe that voters will view the allegation with great skepticism.

A Biden campaign spokesman declined to comment for this article Wednesday. A Biden adviser said that the campaign was talking to activists and that Biden considered their views important.

The Biden campaign talking points, which were first reported by BuzzFeed News, instruct supporters to describe the candidate as a "fierce advocate for women" who has never faced any "complaint, allegation, hint or rumor of any impropriety or inappropriate conduct." The talking points also inaccurately suggested that an investigation by The New York Times this month found that "this incident did not happen."

In a statement issued Wednesday, The Times noted that the investigation "made no conclusion either way."

One person who received a version of these talking points said it was pulled back by the campaign several hours later because it was revising its strategy.

Biden has yet to be asked about the allegation in an interview.

[Ratliff]

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.

You are wiser? It seems to me, month by month, you swallow more and more absurd conspiracy theories hook, line and sinker.

Barack Obama was a progressive and a pragmatist. He moved the needle on health insurance as much as he thought it could be moved in the political climate he inherited.

[71 dB]

You are wiser? It seems to me, month by month, you swallow more and more absurd conspiracy theories hook, line and sinker.

Barack Obama was a progressive and a pragmatist. He moved the needle on health insurance as much as he thought it could be moved in the political climate he inherited.

A pragmatist perhaps, but not a progressive. He had supermajority for 18 months I believe and what did he do? Republican healthcare plan from the 80's. Not even public option! The left was quite disappointed in Obama. That's why many two time Obama voters voted for Trump.

[JBS]

A pragmatist perhaps, but not a progressive. He had supermajority for 18 months I believe and what did he do? Republican healthcare plan from the 80's. Not even public option! The left was quite disappointed in Obama. That's why many two time Obama voters voted for Trump.

Whatever you call him, Obama was the most leftward president in US history.  Given political reality, meaning the GOP ability to filibuster in Senate, Obamacare was the best he could do.  He also pushed things in a more leftward direction in other matters that obviously don't register on your radar.

[Todd]

Pelosi says she remains 'satisfied' with Biden's response to sexual assault allegation, praises his 'integrity'

[71 dB]

Whatever you call him, Obama was the most leftward president in US history.  Given political reality, meaning the GOP ability to filibuster in Senate, Obamacare was the best he could do.  He also pushed things in a more leftward direction in other matters that obviously don't register on your radar.

Obama wasn't the most leftward president in US history. Was a mixed bag. Some things where good, some things where not. He was a lefty on social issue, but on economic issues he was a typical corporate. More wars. Banks protected. Insurance componies and Big Pharma protected with ObamaCare (yes, that's it's purpose).

The Dems don't know how to fight. Maybe they don't even want to fight?

If Obama was a true lefty he would have endorsed Bernie on day one. Instead he sabotaged Bernie's campaign. That's nota lefty. That's a corrupt corporate hack.

[Todd]

Obama wasn't the most leftward president in US history.

Who was?

[Brian]

Who was?

Hmm, fun question!

Hard to get a read on Thomas Jefferson because he was a hardcore lefty in many ways, but an unquestioned elitist-aristocrat in others. Arguably, Theodore Roosevelt was to the left of Obama on some narrow issues (trust-busting particularly...would TR have broken up Silicon Valley?). I'd guess that 71dB is thinking of FDR or LBJ.

One could argue that, if Obama is equally leftist to LBJ and FDR on policy, he loses on overall leftiness due to his belief that change should come incrementally in baby steps, rather than in huge dramatic sweeping legislation that alters society for generations.

[71 dB]

Who was?

FDR I think.

[Todd]

I think it is fair to say that a slaveowner could never be considered a leftist.  TR was a progressive in the Progressive era, which means that among other things, that he supported Eugenics.  He was an ultra-elite Progressive.  Also, his trustbusting is overrated.  Taft, a diehard conservative, was more effective at that.  The foundation of anti-trust law is the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, as in John Sherman.  It is hard to call anti-trust law particularly left-wing.  Economic interpretation and changes in enforcement since TR and Taft are subject to political winds.

FDR was not much of a leftist; he was another elitist who utilized every tool at his disposal, with widely varying degrees of success, to kick-start the US economy and ward off actually dangerous domestic politicians, all while steering the country to war.  He was effective.  (He was also the greatest president in terms of assessing geopolitical reality and taking advantage of it to the benefit of the US.  Only Ike and 41 are in the same league.)  LBJ is probably the closest to Obama, but accompanying his anti-poverty and civil rights policies, he was cozy with big business, especially oil, and engaged in shady dealings.  And I think he was also an incrementalist, having laid the path forward for civil rights legislation in 1957.  There is a thread among Democrats, Wilson to FDR to LBJ to Obama, each expanding the reach of the state into new areas of economic and personal life.  I agree with JBS' assessment that Obama was the most leftward president in history, but only because LBJ had done what he did, and with the caveat that Obama was not especially to the left.

[Brian]

One potentially convincing argument could be that the political chart just goes further left now than it used to. (I'm leaving out overt Communism since it's never made it to the presidential office.) The argument would go on to say, if one made it, that Obama being the leftest president ever isn't really saying much at all.

So I guess I'd be okay with that one 

[Todd]

It has been, up through 2020, impossible for too extreme a candidate to take the presidential nomination.  When I use the word extreme in this context, I mean in terms of policies advocated.  Trump, for all his bluster, however interpreted, doesn't advocate ideas not advocated by some or many in his own party - or on occasion in the opposition party.  Much has been made in academic circles and political author circles about the shift in the nomination process since the McGovern disaster, and how it has resulted in more extreme primaries and more extreme party platforms, and so forth, but aside from Trump, every presidential nominee has been an establishment nominee, and it is hard to see a billionaire who has pushed for tax cuts, deregulation, and tighter immigration controls as being far outside the establishment, his not as effective as one could hope for attempts to dismantle the international system peaceably notwithstanding. 

Bernie had too many serious enemies, and others like him in the future will, as well.  If AOC remains a hot commodity and attempts to run in 2028, she will have to temper her positions.  She will have to do that to gain more meaningful influence, anyway.  Other Democrats will have to be ever mindful of what can actually be done within the political and economic constraints of the federal political system, which even post-Trump will not be materially altered. 

Governor Pete 2032!

[Herman]

LBJ?