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  #226  
Old 07-09-2019, 02:42 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

He was on the tube quite a lot in connection with the investigations. I liked his enthusiasm. I briefly considered that he might be a good candidate but reconsidered simply because he didn't seem like he would draw an enthusiastic following. It's hard to define, but there really is something significant in a person's mannerisms that's important regarding how much support they'll garner on campaign.
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  #227  
Old 07-13-2019, 12:21 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Man View Post
The crowds Harris is drawing remind me of the crowds Barack Obama was starting to run in 2007. She has several Black sororities already lining up behind her candidacy, and I think they shouldn't be underestimated as an organising force in American politics. Warren seems to be inspiring passion of a different sort, but it seems no less significant in depth. I can't game out which of them is the stronger candidate, but they have lapped the rest of the field to me between their political skills, policy proposals, and grasp of the existential threat we currently face.

As much as I wanted to like Sanders' candidacy, he's whiffed several questions on women's healthcare, the court system, the filibuster, various other aspects of the existential threat the Republican Party poses to women and minorities in this country and to the very fabric of what loosely qualifies as our democracy. Some of the others have done somewhat better on some of these issues, but Harris and Warren have the strongest scorecards. It's possible someone else will convince me in the interim, but I somewhat doubt it.
I think the argument that Bernie's campaign and proposals miss out on important issues to women and minorities is overplayed, and here's why:

He's fighting for a $15 minimum wage at Walmart- the largest employer of POC in the US, with the majority being women. He fought for $15 minimum wage for Amazon workers, and who works at Amazon warehouses? A lot of Latinx and Black people. He's just released an ad that predominantly focuses on the struggles of a McDonald's worker, and the fight there for unionization and $15.


Who works at McDonalds? Seventy percent of the employees are women and/or minorities. You'll likely find the same for the Disney employees (52% female, 40% minorities) who fought for a $15 minimum wage and with Bernie's support, won that.

That's concrete, actual, real gains for women and people of color- making a difference in their lives. Addressing issues in their lives. Not by himself- organizing. Building. Unionizing. Fighting for more. Here's how I also know why this broad support for Bernie is real:
Quote:
Sanders' campaign said Tuesday that it raised $18 million during the second fundraising quarter of the year, and that Walmart was the top employer of his donors for the period.

Other leading employers of Sanders' donors included Amazon, Starbucks, Target, and the US Postal Service. More than 99% of donations were $100 or less, according to the campaign.
Who works at Starbucks, Target, and the US Postal Service? You already know.
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  #228  
Old 07-13-2019, 12:48 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Oh hey also billionaire Tom Steyer is running for President, and plans to spend $100 million dollars on his campaign. Makes total sense. Why not? :unnod:
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  #229  
Old 07-13-2019, 02:20 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Does chunks really think that because Bernie Sanders supports raising the minimum wage, that should mean he has no problem winning over women and POC?

I mean, that really sets Sanders apart on their issues, I guess. Except that it's easier to list the Democratic candidates who oppose raising the minimum wage: Andrew Yang, because he thinks a universal basic income would obviate the need for one. That's it. Aside from that, Wayne Messam hasn't been specific in saying how high he thinks the minimum wage should be.

All of the rest have said they support a $15 minimum wage. So... how is this issue one that should win over minority voters to Bernie Sanders? Perhaps the real argument chunks would like to make is that none of the other candidates can be trusted to actually raise the minimum wage. Because otherwise, an issue which doesn't differentiate Sanders in the least is not actually a pitch.

Here's the problem: most people who vote in Democratic primaries don't view Democrats as inherently untrustworthy, and that is especially so for black Democrats. 57% of Democratic primary voters identify as "strong Democrats" and a further 16% identify as "not strong" Democrats. Only 27% identify as "independent" (or some other party), fairly similar to the 24% of Democratic primary voters who were not registered Democrats according to surveys from 2016. You need a pitch other than Democrats suck and you can't trust them. It wasn't a winning strategy against Clinton, and it certainly won't be a winning strategy against candidates people like better than her/multiple strong candidates given that most Democratic primary voters don't think Democrats suck.

As for Walmart and Amazon being the top employers of Sanders's donors... Walmart and Amazon are the two largest private employers in the US, period. Walmart is far ahead of Amazon, with 1.5m US employees over Amazon's 400k. Without information about the donors of other candidates, this doesn't tell us much. It wouldn't surprise me if the top private employer among Trump donors was also Walmart, for example! All that tells us is that Walmart is huge.

Whether Sanders will be better or worse for women and minority voters, he doesn't seem to be reaching out to voters who aren't in his base, trying out different pitches, reaching out to influential figures in other parts of the party, etc. Honestly, the fact that one would even think that this weak-sauce argument would be the case for why Sanders is good for women and POC doesn't indicate anything good about what actual efforts he's making to win over voters who didn't vote for him in 2016 or only voted for him in 2016 because they didn't like Clinton.

Surely there's a better case than "he agrees with all the Democrats about the minimum wage, and the largest private employer in the US and the world employs the largest number of his donors", isn't there?
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  #230  
Old 07-17-2019, 05:42 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

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  #231  
Old 07-22-2019, 10:42 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

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  #232  
Old 07-31-2019, 04:33 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

I didn't watch the debate - I was still working when it started, but Damn!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Elizabeth Warren
I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for.
This could have gone into the "Because fuck you, that's why" thread, too.

She also called out White Nationalism as domestic terrorism.

Two thumbs up from me.
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  #233  
Old 07-31-2019, 07:39 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

My main takeaway from half-watching it was that John Delaney is annoying.
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  #234  
Old 07-31-2019, 03:36 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Saw a lovely ad during a YouTube video last night. The basis message was, "These Democrats! They're all the same. They want to take YOUR MONEY and give it to ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS." That's what we're up against, and it figures to be formidable now that extraordinarily stupid white people in three states get to decide who's going to be the president.
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  #235  
Old 08-01-2019, 02:06 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Having watched none of the debates (because they sound fucking awful) and looking mainly for a pulse in a Democratic candidate, I, ChuckF announce the current Official ChuckF Ranking of 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates:
  1. Kamala Harris - Fucking smart and threatens Republicans.
  2. Elizabeth Warren - Fucking smart and threatens the oligarchy.
  3. Joe Biden - has pulse, for now.
  4. Bernie Sanders - ugh, this guy, fine, if that is what it takes.
  5. Pete Buttigieg - stay in a little longer for a ripe cabinet appointment and then come back in 2028/2032.
  6. Cory Booker - Seems genuinely good and smart, not really killing it in terms of breaking out as a candidate.
  7. Amy Klobuchar - Sure, I guess.
  8. Kristen Gillibrand - Would be ok, should withdraw gracefully soon.
  9. Jay Inslee - Running for EPA head. I seriously respect his single issue candidacy.
  10. Julian Castro - Transportation or Commerce.
  11. Beto O'Rourke - Go the fuck home and run for Senate, where you might impress someone.
  12. Andrew Yang - Novelty candidate is all out of novelty.
  13. Michael Bennett, Steve Bullock, John Delaney, John Hickenlooper, Seth Moulton, Tim Ryan, Joe Sestak, any other constituents of the mass of bland white guys - Once I was confident that I could identify John Hickenlooper by sight but now I am unsure. I have literally no idea who the rest of these people are.
  14. Bill de Blasio - lol no, fuck off.
  15. Marianne Williamson - The candidate Seymour Lessans would want us to send money to.
  16. Tulsi Gabbard - So bad that I would literally vote for Marianne Williamson before her. Needs to fuck the fuck off forever.
This has been the Official ChuckF Ranking of 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates for today, July 31, 2019.
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  #236  
Old 08-01-2019, 02:46 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckF View Post
15. Marianne Williamson - The candidate Seymour Lessans would want us to send money to.
:lol:

From his perch in the Germinal World of Potential Consciousness, ol' Seymour encourages exactly that.
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  #237  
Old 08-01-2019, 03:00 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

:foocl: In a manner that brooks no opposition, no less!
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  #238  
Old 08-01-2019, 03:33 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

My only quibble with Chucketh's list would be Booker. Like a lot of NJ dems, he's DINO, like a RINO, but democrat. I saw him on some NJ talk shows and was aghast, he's a freaking corporatist, trust me on this.

Quote:
But by Thursday, the story about Booker had flipped. The New Jersey senator and 12 other Senate Democrats had joined the bulk of the Republican caucus to kill a proposal aimed at lowering prescription drug prices. What made Booker’s vote all the more anguishing for the left is that the proposal won the backing of 13 Republican senators, and had a real chance of passing.
The recriminations came quickly. “This is classic Booker — stand out front on feel-good social issues, regardless of his past positions, and align with big money everywhere else,” wrote Walter Bragman at Paste Magazine.
Booker has long faced criticism on the left for cultivating the elite financial ties that much of the Bernie Sanders wing despises. And while it’s true that his vote may have had more to do with the concentration of the pharmaceutical industry in his home state, it’s also only served to confirm some progressives’ suspicions that he’s too closely allied with corporate interests in the Democratic Party.
Smart, definitely. Good, meh, I'm very skeptical. Just to paint a picture of Jersey democrats, albeit with a broad brush, they wouldn't legalize it (you know what I'm talking about) even in a state with solid democrat majorities in both chambers where 60 odd percent of the good citizens are in favor. What the F?

When I first heard of him I so wanted him to be the magic negro, but alas, no, he's cast in the Clintonian mold but with added pigmentation. The difference is only skin deep.

Googling up some "Cory Booker corporatist" gets you a lot of stuff like this -

Cory Booker: Private Equity in the Sheets, Public Equality in the Streets ~ The Ghion Journal

Quote:
There is one sure fire way to know when a politician is lying—the minute any one of them open their lips. Booker took this art of deception to a whole other level. After spending six years in the Senate carrying the water of Wall Street and being a courtesan of Big Pharma, he wants us to believe that he is a corporate prostitute with a heart of gold who will do right by the people.
Here are some fun facts people should know about Booker. He once staunchly defended private equity firms like Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital. Private equity firms are the malicious extreme of capitalism, where private investors (pirates) go on a prowl to buy out vulnerable companies and corporations that are hemorrhaging profits.
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  #239  
Old 08-01-2019, 05:04 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Booker has some issues with comments he's made about Wall Street and his support of charter schools, but his voting record is pretty solid:

Fifth lowest Trump score from 538, 5th most progressive voting record from Progressive Punch, one of the most liberal according to the DW-Nominate measure.

Are there concerning things in his record? Sure. But not particularly more than many of the other candidates. On some issues, he's been notably good (criminal justice in particular). If you want a progressive, he's a better choice than most of them.

Also, I have actually negative interest in anything Walker Bragman (of "The Liberal Case for Donald Trump" fame) has to say about politics. He's not interested in what will actually bring about progress in this country. That trust-fund twit needs to shut the fuck up forever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckF View Post
  1. Julian Castro - Transportation or Commerce.
  2. Beto O'Rourke - Go the fuck home and run for Senate, where you might impress someone.
To be fair, if Castro is doing better than Beto, maybe we'd be better off with him running for Senate?

I dunno. One of them probably should though. And maybe the other one should run in a flippable TX House district.
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  #240  
Old 08-01-2019, 06:07 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

From what I've been hearing from Texas political junkies, it may actually be better that both of them passed on running. Democrats in the state seem pretty fired up about MJ Hegar.

I agree with most of Chuck's list, but I go back and forth on #1 and #2, and Biden would be nowhere near #3. Then again, there would be a massive gap after #2. The next spot after Warren and Harris really deserves to be #13 on my list, and then it would go down from there. Biden still wouldn't be #13 though. Lastly, I'd probably swap Klobuchar and Gillibrand, just because I like Gillibrand's politics more and trust her more on labour issues, but neither of them seem to possess a chance this cycle.

People that actually watched this clown show seem to be saying that Booker did pretty well in tonight's debate, so maybe he'll hang on for a bit longer. Fortunately, the criteria for qualifying for the next debate are actually going to winnow the field meaningfully. Hopefully grifters like Williamson and obvious Russian stooges like Gabbard won't make it into that one.
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  #241  
Old 08-01-2019, 04:42 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckF View Post
Tulsi Gabbard - So bad that I would literally vote for Marianne Williamson before her. Needs to fuck the fuck off forever.
Until today, I didn't see the video where she toed the GOP line about the Mueller report. She claims it might have led to civil war if Mueller indicted him. Yikes.
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  #242  
Old 08-01-2019, 05:44 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Watch white guy shout over a woman in his quest for an isolated sound bite about taxes going up devoid of any other context:




Downthread bonus:



Trump's meltdown during/after a debate with Warren would be epic.
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  #243  
Old 08-01-2019, 08:21 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Quote:
Originally Posted by erimir View Post
To be fair, if Castro is doing better than Beto, maybe we'd be better off with him running for Senate?

I dunno. One of them probably should though. And maybe the other one should run in a flippable TX House district.
I don't know that one is better than the other in terms of Senate candidacy.
Beto ran a credible ground operation in 2016, and I think deserves credit for that. He has (or should still have) an organization there. I don't know that Castro has run for any statewide office, so he'd just be a newb.

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Originally Posted by The Man View Post
I agree with most of Chuck's list, but I go back and forth on #1 and #2, and Biden would be nowhere near #3.
Yeah, Biden's main asset is his pulse right now. He is a vanilla pre-Trump old white guy that doesn't scare the old/racist/idiot middle that decides these things. That outweighs his policy preferences, about which I do not give a shit if he can win. If that is what it takes, fine, I am on board.

Quote:
Originally Posted by specious_reasons View Post
Until today, I didn't see the video where she toed the GOP line about the Mueller report. She claims it might have led to civil war if Mueller indicted him. Yikes.
That is the Kremlin line, bizarrely by way of Damascus, that she is reciting there - happens to be the same as the GOP one (coincidence, amirite?)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamilah Hauptmann View Post
Watch white guy shout
In fairness this is Chris Matthews' only setting.
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  #244  
Old 08-02-2019, 12:46 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Watched both debates, cliff notes: Joe Biden down, Kamala Harris down, Warren up, Sanders even. Pete Buttigieg up and Andrew Yang up as long shots. Three hours two nights in a row makes one fatigued.

Pete Buttigieg performed well but leaned on attacking Republicans on Christian principles, which he seems to lean on as an, "Aha, hypocrisy! That's sure to shame them!" angle that I don't think works, unless it's entirely signalling on his part. He's the alternate there to be Biden if Biden is no longer Bidening it up in the lead. That's a verb for sure.

I say Andrew Yang as a long shot but I think he's unlikely in the extreme, though he did better in this debate and improved his brand and messaging.

Cory Booker performed well but is polling very low and of course is a corrupt NJ Democratic machine corporatist tool as SR71 pointed out. Unlikely to continue.

Jay Inslee performed well and did succeed in not only highlighting the huge ecological crisis and the cost of inaction, but also has shown how the DNC won't give it as the topic of a debate night- so instead there will be a 'climate change town hall' hosted on CNN with candidates who make the qualifying requirements for the DNC-hosted debates in late September. I expect the questions to be framed nearly as badly as they were in the debates. Which is bad as fuck.

Julian Castro made many salient and hard-hitting points in the debates, and showed clear lines can be drawn and held. He cut Biden pretty hard in the debates in criticizing him for being unable to apologize for his past positions. As others have suggested, seems like he has a strong future just not as president this round.

Tulsi Gabbard did well in the debate, especially in pointing out Kamala Harris' record as a prosecutor, her jailing people for marijuana, and then laughing about her own marijuana use, withholding evidence that would exonerate a death row prisoner, keeping prisoners on past their sentence as cheap labor for the state of California- and more; Kamala's non-responses and then dismissal of the critique after the debate as just a "lower tier" candidate taking shots at her- again not addressing the substance. All that said, Gabbard has some problematic stances and background politically and is not polling well enough nor maintaining funding to continue.

Marianne Williamson is a grifter who thinks a lot of dumb things like loving HIV away, praying away the fat, and being anti-vaccine, etc- some of which she's walked back; but she's also smart and occasionally says things worth saying and hearing:
Quote:
I assure you — I lived in Grosse Pointe, what happened in Flint would not have happened in Grosse Pointe. This is part of the dark underbelly of American society. The racism, the bigotry and the entire conversation that we’re having here tonight, if you think any of this wonkiness is going to deal with this dark psychic force of the collectivized hatred that this president is bringing up in this country, then I’m afraid that the Democrats are going to see some very dark days.
People chuckled when she described it as a "dark, psychic force"- but nearly everyone in the room I saw watching this also appeared to agree that institutional racism and class war against the poor under both parties is real.
Quote:
We need to say it like it is — it’s bigger than Flint. It’s all over this country. It’s particularly people of color. It’s particularly people who do not have the money to fight back. And if the Democrats don’t start saying it, why would those people feel they’re there for us. And if those people don’t feel it, they won’t vote for us, and Donald Trump will win.
She is unlikely to continue in the presidential debates, based on polling and donations, even the ironic ones.

The rest of the field not already mentioned above is fading, except maybe Bill De Blasio with his billionaire pockets? Klobuchar and Gillibrand raised their national profiles and the rest of the mayo club of white guys no one can tell apart are thankfully done, except for Beto, who we can tell apart and want to skateboard right off to Texas and get back to being the guy who couldn't beat Ted Cruz.

Happy to see in the debate questions and serious discussion about reparations, climate change, health care, immigration, race in America- questions were intolerably badly framed and CNN and its millionaire hosts suck.

Here's who I think is likely to continue to campaign, based on polling/fundraising: Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris... Buttigieg and De Blasio as second tier.

Biden took a lot of shots and came across as shaky- always relieved and obedient to time being up. Again he is solidly the leader by far in polling, and generally a target in a debate- he offered poor answers on immigration, ducked the question of the huge numbers deported under Obama. Flubbed his contact info at the final word.

Sanders did well overall in the exchanges and was in Spicy Bernie (TM) mode, got told to stop yelling and waving his arms, gave zero fucks; did not take the bait of the questions framed to force conflict with Warren and framed to make social safety nets and health care as a human right as too much to expect or ask for in a society. "I wrote the damn bill!" Flubbed a few lines, bulled on, on point. I might have been biased, though the 130 other people I watched the debate with at the watch party I helped host as part of the DSA at a local tap room seemed even more jazzed (might have been the beer).

Warren did very well; she shut down moderators and pointed out that they were asking questions that were just straight Republican talking points; she says to John Delaney, after he complains that the plans offered by Sanders and Warren are unrealistic: "I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for." Warren countered effectively again and again when attacked by the moderators or other candidates without being defensive, and pivoting back to her points.

Harris held her own in many interactions but was savaged by Gabbard on her record as a prosecutor, and struggled to clearly explain or defend her health care plan. She will definitely continue and should not be discounted, but I think is still overall in fourth.

Still early and all of this could be shaken up; and of course Iowa is going to be a big fucking deal, not to mention the convention, superdelegates, etc.
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  #245  
Old 08-02-2019, 05:01 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

I was unaware that Bill de Blasio was a billionaire :? Perhaps chunks has confused him with Michael Bloomberg :chin:

As for overall thoughts about the debates... I didn't pay close attention the whole time, but the ones I thought did well/liked were:

Warren, Sanders, Castro, Booker. Sanders was notably better. But Warren was even better than her first debate, I think, where she did well already. Inslee and Gillibrand did better too.

Biden was better than last time, but not great.

Harris, O'Rourke and Buttigieg didn't do great, but I don't think hurt themselves that much.

Improved but still suck: Yang and Williamson both did much better. Yang spoke more and better, and Williamson was more coherent and got some good points in. But she's also a whackaloon grifter and honestly that a TV self-help New Age woo guru would be able to adjust to give a better TV performance isn't that surprising. That's how she got to be famous in the first place.

I think Castro would be closing in on Harris in my ranking. I dunno that I have a strong second choice after Warren, who is my clear first choice. The clearest reason to pick Harris over Castro is just bandwagon at this point, I think. She has more momentum while Castro is struggling to gain any traction.

To copy Chuck, my current ranking would be...
  1. Warren: Clear first. Smartest plans, seems to understand how to work the government and scope of the problems we have.
  2. Harris: If the most progressive option falters, Harris might be able to beat Biden. And I think she could do well in debate against Trump.
  3. Castro: He's been doing well in debates and his platform is pretty progressive
  4. Booker: He's fine.
  5. Inslee: He's old, he's white, but he has a good record and he's right about the climate being the most important issue (only one that can compete: political reforms like voting rights and ending gerrymandering - because the bias in the system prevents progress on climate and all other issues).
  6. Sanders: He still has a lot of work to do to improve on 2016, but I think he could beat Trump and I'd prefer his policy to Biden's. But with Warren in the race I have little reason to prefer him. And he's old - there's like a 25% chance he'd die before 2024, denying us the benefit of running an incumbent for reelection!
  7. Gillibrand: I liked her on paper but she seems to be struggling. The most bullshit part is how Franken seems to be the biggest reason for that.
  8. Biden: So old. But he seems to be comforting to dumbass old white people, so if it has to be him, it has to be him. I just hope he would step up and do what needs to be done once he actually has the power. Of course, a lot of this is more about Schumer and other Senators - they ultimately will be the ones who have to get rid of the filibuster.
  9. Buttigieg: He's smart and all. He's gay, I'm gay. But I don't really feel anything when he talks. He doesn't seem to have much passion.
  10. O'Rourke: I like you well enough, but go run for Senate.
  11. Klobuchar: If we're going to have a bland moderate other than Biden, I'd rather it be her than one of those white male mediocrities I suppose. But meh.
  12. Bullock: Seems less awful than the ones below, I guess. And has a better electability argument I suppose.
  13. Hickenlooper, Bennet, Ryan, de Blasio, Sestak, Messam: Why are you still here?
  14. Yang: No, we don't need a businessman.
  15. Steyer: Especially one that doesn't even have any ideas.
  16. Moulton, Delaney: Go away. In the case of Moulton, I want you to lose your House primary as well.
  17. Williamson, Gabbard: Loony religion in very different ways. I don't want homophobic cult members in government (Gabbard still has some of them on staff!). I also don't want any New Age woo bullshit.
  18. Gravel: This isn't even a campaign.
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  #246  
Old 08-02-2019, 06:23 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

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Originally Posted by erimir View Post

Harris: If the most progressive option falters, Harris might be able to beat Biden. And I think she could do well in debate against Trump.
It would be interesting to see how Trump would manage against Harris. How unsubtle would he be in sending out racist dog whistles before he finally had a meltdown and flat-out called her a "n*gger"?
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  #247  
Old 08-02-2019, 03:23 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Booker is not "fine". He's a Clintonian neo-liberal.
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  #248  
Old 08-02-2019, 07:23 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

It's all about beating Trump, and the Dem candidate who knows how to do that is Marianne Williamson. Just ask David Brooks. He'll tell ya.
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  #249  
Old 08-02-2019, 10:57 PM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

Hold my beer.

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Old 08-03-2019, 01:49 AM
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Default Re: Ultimate Cagefight MMXIX, Democratic Edition

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Originally Posted by SR71 View Post
Booker is not "fine". He's a Clintonian neo-liberal.
Hillary Clinton's platform was not neo-liberal. She was not running on austerity, privatization or deregulation. She came out against TPP and did not have a record of reflexively supporting free trade deals in the past (she opposed CAFTA, for example). But sure, I agree her flip-flopping on TPP indicated something. But I doubt that she would've flopped back - it would be politically damaging to flip-flop on it and her record did not indicate free trade deals are something she's so dedicated to she would be willing to take damage over it.

She was running on expanding the ACA, expanding public insurance and Social Security, creating new social welfare programs (for childcare and mandatory paid sick/family leave), investing in infrastructure and green energy, more regulations in a number of areas, opposing Citizens United, etc. None of those are neo-liberal policy.

Booker has some issues in his record because of business interests in New Jersey, where he's a Senator, and his support of charter schools. Since he's been in the Senate, he has a very progressive voting record. He has a good platform on a number of issues, including being a leader on criminal justice reform.

Like I said, I have some concerns about him in some areas. But I have some concerns about most candidates. I'm not only considering policy proposals/voting record but also taking into account how they come across in campaigning and other concerns (such as Sanders's and Biden's ages, ability to turn out black voters, management ability, record of achievement, etc.). A ranking based on purely who would have the most progressive positions would be somewhat different (e.g. de Blasio seems like a horrible choice for the general election, but in terms of progressive positions and some notable achievements such as universal pre-k i.e. subsidized childcare, he would rank much higher). While I can see a progressive ranking Inslee and Sanders above Booker, there aren't that many others below in my ranking that seem plausibly better if you want a progressive. Ergo: fine. A far improvement over Trump, and better than Biden and other moderate candidates like Klobuchar, Bullock, etc.
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