2020 Elections

[Parasaurolophus]

democracy is not functioning.

https://www.newsweek.com/fake-biden-campaign-website-being-run-secretly-trump-campaign-operative-report-1446693

I'm surprised the Biden campaign didn't manage to get that domain under their control. That's a mistake. To be honest, though, I don't think the site is especially misrepresentative of Biden and his doings. It's telling that the "context" CNN provides for some of those "misrepresentations" doesn't do much to actually turn them around.

[magnemite]

Does Trump have to debate?


Harris and the others missed his point about contrasting the civility of normal politicians with Trump and his ilk. It was a  chance for them to make a good point.
I don't love Biden. I just think he might be able to get it done.

A few replies- earlier, you mentioned the "tyranny" of the majority- worth pointing out to you that the current POTUS did not get a majority of the votes cast in the 2016 election. So, a tyranny of the minority, and that is a larger cause for concern.

The point about Trump not debating is a good one- he could decide to do just that, and stick to rally after rally. Especially if he feels someone like Harris would destroy him (which she would). He would likely claim ducking the debate is justified, as they are moderated by fake news, and just give free publicity to his opponent- and would be taking a page from the Putin playbook.

and, Biden needs to go. Your concern about civility at this particular time is perhaps off the mark- it's pretty early in the process, and two months from now nobody will really recall anything in detail about those first debates, and most voters will not pay attention until the primaries start up in 2020- and many will not tune in until after August 2020. There should be a time for civility within the Dems- that will be leading to the convention, and picking the VP, etc. Then it should be Trump take-down.

[marshwiggle]

In my area, the local school building was old and crumbling and would cost untold millions to fix. The options seemed to be to build a new school, and pass a mandate to increase property taxes by a huge amount to fund it, or to give up on having a school in this rural part of the county, and have the kids go 40 minutes to the nearby town to school.  The county voted overwhelmingly to raise taxes and keep the school.  So in certain circumstances, rural areas will certainly pay more taxes.  No question that they have an independent streak.  But I think it's more complicated than saying their taxes don't pay for much so they don't want any.

That's the point. Many of those ares will tend to get written off by the left as "Trump's base" without realizing that they don't necessarily fit all of those stereotypes. But if Democrats want to win, they're going to have to convince many of those people that they are valued and their issues matter.

[mythbuster]

     Biden did have a good point about working across the aisle, but he chose the worst possible example to illustrate it. Personally, I think it would have much more powerful had he used the example of a more moderate, fiscal type conservative and called for that type of voter to join him. But by choosing a segregationist as his example, he put a softball on the plate for Harris, Booker et al. to swing at.
    My bigger issue was that his entire pitch seemed to be "I'm buds with Barack".  I need more that than Uncle Joe; and I've always been a fan of his. I thought he might cry when Kamala was taking him down, I think it really did get to him.

   Did no one else see the irony in the only candidate from any party with military experience being the gay man?

   Looking ahead, California has moved up their primary date to Super Tuesday. That will be an ugly, and potentially very strange, fight.
   

[scamp]

   Did no one else see the irony in the only candidate from any party with military experience being the gay man?

You forgot about Tulsi.

[writingprof]

I thought [Biden] might cry when Kamala was taking him down, I think it really did get to him.

Indeed. But I hope Harris's staff are reminding her that Trump will not care when she calls him a racist--that he may, in fact, be the only person she has ever met to whom that charge is meaningless. Quite a bit of Harris's game right now appears to hinge on her presumed moral authority as a woman "of color." Biden certainly quakes before it. Trump won't, and my guess is that Harris will be quite flustered as a result.

[scamp]

I thought [Biden] might cry when Kamala was taking him down, I think it really did get to him.

Indeed. But I hope Harris's staff are reminding her that Trump will not care when she calls him a racist--that he may, in fact, be the only person she has ever met to whom that charge is meaningless. Quite a bit of Harris's game right now appears to hinge on her presumed moral authority as a woman "of color." Biden certainly quakes before it. Trump won't, and my guess is that Harris will be quite flustered as a result.

I think she would be prepared for that - if she isn't, then that's on her and her campaign strategist. They better have a back up plan, because I think you are entirely right about Trump here.

[mahagonny]

I thought [Biden] might cry when Kamala was taking him down, I think it really did get to him.

Indeed. But I hope Harris's staff are reminding her that Trump will not care when she calls him a racist--that he may, in fact, be the only person she has ever met to whom that charge is meaningless. Quite a bit of Harris's game right now appears to hinge on her presumed moral authority as a woman "of color." Biden certainly quakes before it. Trump won't, and my guess is that Harris will be quite flustered as a result.

Well, I'm pretty sure Harris as district attorney helped young men way blacker than herself to death row. If that matters. What Trump did to
Hillary over calling him a sexual predator: made her into a sexual predator enabler. The guy is shrewd that way.

Biden was worried about losing his Senate seat. That's why he backed away from supporting federally mandated bussing. Those Delaware voters.

[spork]

[. . . ]

Interesting (to me, at least) editorial on the Kamala Harris/Joe Biden exchange durinng the televised "see candidates together on a stage" event: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/opinion/harris-biden-busing-debate.html. Anti-Harris comments fail to recognize that 1) elections are competitive and Harris succeeded in diminishing a major primary opponent at least temporarily (i.e., her tactic probably worked even better than she and her campaign thought it might), and 2) many Americans don't think that good governance in 2019 means being able to engage with racists in a civil manner.

Harris and the others missed his point about contrasting the civility of normal politicians with Trump and his ilk. It was a  chance for them to make a good point.
I don't love Biden. I just think he might be able to get it done.

I don't consider the rabid segregationists who were in Congress during Biden's formative years in the Senate to be a good standard for civility in 2019. And it's sad that in 2020 America, we might need a white male to defeat a white male whose racist appeals won him the presidency in 2016:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/16/17980820/trump-obama-2016-race-racism-class-economy-2018-midterm

[Bbmaj7b5]

My focus on the 2020 elections is on the state level. The next legislative round, which will have many new members (we only meet once every two years), might (in the wake of the SCOTUS ruling) be the one to influence the drawing of districts. Right now the state capitol (far more liberal than the rest of this state) is divided among five different legislative districts - and it is not a very large city, at least not compared to the true behemoths.

[mahagonny]

[. . . ]

Interesting (to me, at least) editorial on the Kamala Harris/Joe Biden exchange durinng the televised "see candidates together on a stage" event: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/opinion/harris-biden-busing-debate.html. Anti-Harris comments fail to recognize that 1) elections are competitive and Harris succeeded in diminishing a major primary opponent at least temporarily (i.e., her tactic probably worked even better than she and her campaign thought it might), and 2) many Americans don't think that good governance in 2019 means being able to engage with racists in a civil manner.

Harris and the others missed his point about contrasting the civility of normal politicians with Trump and his ilk. It was a  chance for them to make a good point.
I don't love Biden. I just think he might be able to get it done.

I don't consider the rabid segregationists who were in Congress during Biden's formative years in the Senate to be a good standard for civility in 2019. And it's sad that in 2020 America, we might need a white male to defeat a white male whose racist appeals won him the presidency in 2016:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/16/17980820/trump-obama-2016-race-racism-class-economy-2018-midterm

So Biden has always said weird things, but either the liberal democrats concluded these offbeat things did not express his truest self or they just used him to help Obama get elected.  But he sees himself as a civil rights guy. It's obvious from the hurt look on his face. He's a good gabber but no actor.

I did read the piece you linked, still letting it percolate. Wish I had more education.

Interesting (to me, at least) editorial on the Kamala Harris/Joe Biden exchange durinng the televised "see candidates together on a stage" event: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/opinion/harris-biden-busing-debate.html. Anti-Harris comments fail to recognize that 1) elections are competitive and Harris succeeded in diminishing a major primary opponent at least temporarily (i.e., her tactic probably worked even better than she and her campaign thought it might), and 2) many Americans don't think that good governance in 2019 means being able to engage with racists in a civil manner.

Oh that's a good belief. What could possibly go wrong?

[spork]

Signs point to a recession in the USA by the end of the calendar year. In which U.S. Senate elections will the economy be a major factor? John Hickenlooper is supposedly ending his presidential campaign to enter the race for Senate in Colorado. I'm not familiar with how Colorado voters think about national economic policy.

[Parasaurolophus]

IMO, Democrats need to do something with their congressional majority. Pretty much anything will do, even if it dies in the senate. But if they don't do a damned thing, it'll torpedo their new voter turnout. Especially if their candidate isn't someone who's focused on motivating new voters.

And really, who can blame new voters for staying home? What's the point of electing Democrats if they just twiddle their thumbs all day every day and whine about how they need 75-100% support to do even the smallest things?

[Puget]

Signs point to a recession in the USA by the end of the calendar year. In which U.S. Senate elections will the economy be a major factor? John Hickenlooper is supposedly ending his presidential campaign to enter the race for Senate in Colorado. I'm not familiar with how Colorado voters think about national economic policy.

Former CO resident and just got back from a visit. The CO economy is very hot and has been for a while now (at least along the Front Range-- their are some less prosperous rural areas), thanks to a becoming a tech center and being an attractive place with increasing population and tourism and will probably continue to be so even with a national recession. Concerns are about managing growth, protecting the environment, dealing with a labor shortage in areas like construction, and having enough affordable housing.

It has also become much more blue in the last decade and is edging away from swing state status. Gardner is certainly the most endangered senate incumbent in 2020 and I doubt he has much chance with or without Hick in the race, but certainly a popular moderate former governor would pretty much seal the deal and the nomination is his for the asking. He's certainly not going anywhere in the presidential race, and all signs point to him jumping to the senate race soon.

[Anselm]

It seems that Uncle Joe can say anything and be safe since he appears to be the officially selected candidate.   Speaking of which, who will get the superdelegates this year?  He gets the most media attention and free advertising.  It is nice to learn that the poor kids can be just as smart as the white kids.

Do we have any serious third party spoilers this time around?