US Politics: Talking about the Elephant in the race.

[Larry of the Lawn]

15 minutes ago, karaddin said:

I also think it's one of the most societally damaging components of modern capitalism with way too much impact on our economies tied up in the second to second feelings of stock traders or gaming by algorithms.

Totally.  Not to mention legal mandates that companies fill shareholders pockets over making socially and environmentally responsible decisions.  

 

16 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

So faced with this news, do I vote for Warren in the hopes she gets more delegates and thus can possibly get more of her policies and goals on the plank, or do I vote Sanders?

This was the discussion at breakfast today in my house.  We vote late April so who knows what it'll look like then.

[Fez]

ETA: NVM. I'm misremembering. It was really the two weeks after Super Tuesday that were decisive for Obama in 2008.

[Fragile Bird]

19 minutes ago, larrytheimp said:

I mean the stock market is a terrible indicator of quality of life.

Absolutely! When did I ever say it was? 
People here talk about things they are familiar with. I worked at GE for 10 years and then in the financial sector. 

[Larry of the Lawn]

3 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

Absolutely! When did I ever say it was? 
People here talk about things they are familiar with. I worked at GE for 10 years and then in the financial sector. 

That was what Simon said that you quoted as being bizarre.

[Fragile Bird]

24 minutes ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

 

Michigan is up next, what do I do with all these Bloomberg flyers littering my mailbox?

Do you have a fireplace?

[Darzin]

I think the idea that Joe Biden would not help struggling Americans is ludicrous. He wants to expand healthcare coverage for low income Americans, make a $15 minimum wage and have free community college. That's not nothing. A lot of Bernie's grand plans are not truly helping the working class anyway. Free college and student debt forgiveness are not working class issues.

[Maithanet]

1 minute ago, Darzin said:

I think the idea that Joe Biden would not help struggling Americans is ludicrous. He wants to expand healthcare coverage for low income Americans, make a $15 minimum wage and have free community college. That's not nothing. A lot of Bernie's grand plans are not truly helping the working class anyway. Free college and student debt forgiveness are not working class issues. 

Not to mention being able to access an abortion, maintaining medicaid and food stamp programs, enforcing clean air + water laws and working with the international community to keep the planet livable.  These are not small items. 

[A Prince of Dorne]

Disappointed that Warren was unable to gain enough traction. Feels like she is the best of the bunch. 

Any chance of a Biden/Warren ticket when all is said and done?

[Fragile Bird]

1 minute ago, larrytheimp said:

That was what Simon said that you quoted as being bizarre.

What is bizarre is the idea the stock market reflects quality of life and that I would say that. Where the hell have I ever said that? Do you think I’m a Trump supporter? This labeling is bullshit. I posted a couple of weeks ago that CNN reported Bloomberg had built a campaign team bigger than Obama had and would offer it to whoever the nominee was in case he didn’t win, and then I get ranted at about How Dare You Compare Bloomberg to Obama! And that I, a Canadian, am the leading voice in this thread against income equality. And now the stock market indicates quality of life!

Like, wt holy f?

Here we go again.

ELIZABETH WARREN. I love her. She had a plan for everything. If she were in Canada I’d vote for her. She’d probably be the leader of the Liberal Party and be Prime Minister Warren.

[DMC]

13 minutes ago, Fez said:

It was really the two weeks after Super Tuesday that were decisive for Obama in 2008.

Yep.  He netted upwards of 120 delegates from February 9 to 19.  Now you got me all nostalgic.

1 minute ago, A Prince of Dorne said:

Any chance of a Biden/Warren ticket when all is said and done?

I'd prefer a younger choice for VP, but I do think Biden - and Sanders for that matter - is almost definitely gonna pick a woman.

[Kalbear]

Also, I hope the folks who said that Bloomberg would stay in no matter what and not help the other dems have a bit of self reflection today. 

[Maithanet]

Just now, A Prince of Dorne said:

Any chance of a Biden/Warren ticket when all is said and done?

There's a chance.  I imagine that Biden would want a VP under 60 and preferably someone who could help with minority turnout (not Warren's strong suit).  But she could help shore up the left flank, which might be Bidens biggest problem of all.  So it could help. 

[DMC]

5 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

Also, I hope the folks who said that Bloomberg would stay in no matter what and not help the other dems have a bit of self reflection today. 

Right because what's really important today is to reflect on the dignity and righteousness of Michael Bloomberg.

[Kalbear]

Also, who knew that a strategy of calling people stupid as shit, ignorant, idiotic, sellout or neoliberal shills and instead relying on 18-29 year olds to vote would not work?

It's a mystery. 

[IheartIheartTesla]

6 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

There's a chance.  I imagine that Biden would want a VP under 60 and preferably someone who could help with minority turnout (not Warren's strong suit).  But she could help shore up the left flank, which might be Bidens biggest problem of all.  So it could help. 

That is Obama's job (to shore up AA support). I mean, if a Clyburn endorsement could do so much, Obama on the campaign trail would be all the better. Also, note that he is a better fit with Biden than he would ever be with HRC. I'd suggest someone who can energize the youth vote and lower the 30% LatinX vote for Trump.

[Kalbear]

1 minute ago, DMC said:

Right because what's really important today is to reflect on the dignity and righteousness of Michael Bloomberg.

Heh.

It does bug me about the level of cynicism about every candidate that isnt the one folks support. It's reasonable to expect some strategy, but seeing people talk about Buttigieg like he was a log cabin republican really bothers me. Sometimes people are actually doing what they say they are doing for the reasons they say it. 

[DMC]

Just now, Kalbear said:

seeing people talk about Buttigieg like he was a log cabin republican really bothers me.

Yeah that's absurd.  And offensive.  Absurdly offensive.

[Fez]

3 minutes ago, DMC said:

Right because what's really important today is to reflect on the dignity and righteousness of Michael Bloomberg.

Eh. Anyone who authorizes their social media team to post the following in response to Trump's tweet insulting Bloomberg for dropping out, gets a bit of a pass in my book.

 

[DMC]

1 minute ago, Fez said:

Anyone who authorizes their social media team to post the following in response to Trump's tweet insulting Bloomberg for dropping out, gets a bit of a pass in my book.

He does hire good people!  Couldn't think of a better link in response, that's great.

[Mexal]

1 hour ago, Liffguard said:

They’re mostly not. His healthcare plan, for example, is significantly less radical than the NHS, which has functioned well for seventy years.

More to the point though, even if Sanders doesn’t pass any legislation, the things he can do with executive powers will still make him the best potential president IMO. He’s by far the least likely to drop bombs on people, provide material support to other governments that drop bombs on people, and generally continue the USA’s genuinely frightening and devastating overseas aggression.

He’s the most likely to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The most likely to make aid to Israel contingent on actually respecting human rights. The least likely to support Latin American coups.

And that’s not even talking about trade issues yet, and how they can be leveraged in support of climate change action.

If we take the view that non-American lives are worth just as much as American lives, and that executive powers allow the US president to exercise a huge amount of power over non-American lives, then I think Sanders would make the best President even if he was unable to pass a single piece of domestic legislation.

I mean, he wants to end all private insurance, forgive all student debt, give free college to everyone, all while having no plan to actually pay for it. We have some significant issues we should address within each of those, but having the government pay for everything is a rather extreme position to take in the US. As I said, I'm all for Universal Healthcare but M4A (which btw, is a stupid way of describing it) as the only option for healthcare in this country is something I am fundamentally against.

As for foreign policy, we'll see. Each of those actions have real world consequences. The world isn't black and white and a President finds that out real quick.