Progressives (Liberals)

Not by trotting out the same old class warfare story we've gotten from the left for the past 150 years. It's more as if US politics is re-inventing Sanders. Instead of building a revolutionary party from the ground up, he merely hitched a ride on the Democratic Party, and by the time he decided to seek the presidency, he simply gained instant traction by rolling out promises for different key constituent groups, like promising free tuition for young voters, and contrasting himself with the weak establishment candidate.

People think they're participating in a "revolution" by sending in small donations but they're really just treading water. Because attempting anything which actually destabilizes the status quo will fail in Congress, get rejected in court, or spur a financial and economic meltdown. But it's a lot easier than actually organizing a Socialist Party, training cadres, and building presence in precincts and communities like the Democratic "ward heelers" of old.

1.4 million individual donors sounds impressive because it's much higher than that of the other candidates. But the Democratic Party has over 40 million registered voters. So, while impressive, the number isn't particularly indicative of wide voter support, only dedicated movement support. It will take over sixty million votes to win in November, probably well over seventy million to win convincingly, and he'll need sufficient numbers of socialist Democrats to form a socialist majority in the House and Senate. Without decades of organizing and practical experience the romantic conceit of a "socialist revolution" will fail and the House will be back in Republican hands after the 2022 mid-terms.

Calm down. One does not destroy a party simply by losing an election. Otherwise, Clinton would have "destroyed the party"...

I don't think Trump is reinventing US politics. What I see him doing is making explicit what was until now an implicit domination of US politics by big money. IOW, he (and Bloomberg) are saying: the billionaire class has taken direct control of the country now, rather than just delegating that to a class of incompetent politicians. This is not real change, more like an acknowledgement of what was already going on under the surface.

Okay so you're not overly impressed by Sanders. Fair enough. Which candidate do you prefer?

Bloomberg's latest rollouts indicate he's running a everything to everybody campaign, except for the ardent gun folks, which is going to be much more effective than the Sanders movement can ever muster. Bloomberg doesn't have to pick a lane, which was an expectation of Warren's campaign that never gelled.

Downticket national politicians can't afford to support Bernie's policies in addition to so many of them owing Bloomberg a favor. I just don't see any traction there for Sanders.

AOC is already backing off M4A, could be because she's got several challengers coming after her seat. Sanders supporters need to be thinking about who his successor will be and how to advance the cause in the future, because first you have to get elected and get downticketers onboard.

Then brace yourselves for 2024 when it's Gavin Newsom vs Don Jr. who are igloo brothers. lol

Bernie was asked on CNN if he was going to release his medical records. His answer? “No, I don’t think we will.”

https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/bernie-sanders-asked-whether-hell-release-more-medical-records-says-i-dont-think-we-will/

The median survival rate is about three years for people who have a first heart attack after age 75.

https://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/acute-coronary-syndrome/study-65-older-mi-patients-die-within-8-years

This holier than thou sumbitch promised to release his full medical records. See, Bernites, he lies just like all those lesser politicians.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bernie-sanders-promised-to-disclose-his-medical-records-what-happened/2020/01/04/9769ed08-2e67-11ea-bcd4-24597950008f_story.html

If he wins the nomination then has another MI during the general, we’re stuck with 4 more years of the orange blight.

Why, other than to hide a serious medical condition, would Saint Bernie hide his medical records?

Really?

CNBC
·
Mike Bloomberg would sell the financial data and media company he created in the 1980s — which bears his name and made him a multibillionaire — if he is elected U.S. president.

With two weeks to go before election day, Bernie Sanders has blown open an 18-point lead in California’s Democratic presidential primary, a new poll released Tuesday found, distancing himself from a pack of more moderate rivals in a growing ideological battle for the heart of the party.

The poll, conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California over the last week and a half, found Sanders leading with 32 percent among likely voters in the Democratic primary.



https://www.mercurynews.com/california-presidential-primary-poll-sanders-bloomberg

If Bloomberg's skin isn't too thin and doesn't totally implode in tonights debate, he'll likely have an 18 point lead over the field in a week or two.

Here's Bernie's line of defense against Bloomberg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HSimTtMhN4

That's highly speculative.

Of the ones who have a chance of winning the nomination, I suppose it would be Sanders. But I'm not enthusiastic. Unless he comes up with a more realistic message after he's nominated. (I sure don't want to see Sanders/Gabbard or Sanders/Kucinich ticket). I liked a number of the candidates who got eliminated and I'm still really hostile to the free-for-all nature of the selection process where quality candidates are winnowed away by the ones who are simply more recognizable.

I'm preparing myself for Trump's re-election, however, and will spend my declining years as a recluse, holed up in a cabin with my tenor sax, bass clarinet, books, and cats. Sayonara.

Agreed.

Pete keeps claiming turf he doesn't own and/or backpedaling.



More context.

https://theintercept.com/2019/11/15/pete-buttigieg-campaign-black-voters/

Why doubt it?

Personally, I think there is enough out of Bloomberg's own mouth to decide he is not the best alternative for democrats without useless speculation and punishing people because they happen to be self-made rich billionaires.

If Biden was only ten years younger and more with it, he would have been the best democrat chance for 2020. As it is, for one reason or another we are left with terrible choices. Dismal.

Bernie Sanders is not just a garden-variety social democrat

I bet most people don't realize Bernie and Mike are the same age.

Finally this:

Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg are both right. The other guy’s got issues.

It don't really matter, both seem more spy than poor Biden.

Politicians who spend their lives almost alone in a world of ideological fantasy, spouting totally discredited (by ample historical evidence) theories about a happy communal welfare state with prosperity and freedom for all, don't have either means or the opportunity to demonstrate their competence or singular lack of it - that is, competence in any areas outside that involving their rhetorical skills.

Such persons do however, give us all good reason to mistrust both their reasoning power and their competence in organizing anything.

Okay so we by and large agree, except I'm more optimistic than you are about his chances.

As a lot of people have been saying for a long time, the thing the dems should avoid at all cost is drawing bad blood in the primary process, to the extent that they approach the general election divided and depressed. At the same time, they do need to test their candidates, including through oppo. What Bloomberg is trying to do could prove useful in demining the field, but it could also verge into sabotaging the chances of other candidates...

It appears the Democrats aren't taking your advice. The emerging three-way divide among them now, between the supporters of Bernie + Sanders with those of Biden and now Bloomberg, respectively is sharp and increasingly divisive. The basic conflict is one between the emerging new Left wing of the party and moderates (or merely pragmatists who want to win an election). However there appears now to be a, perhaps less intense, divide emerging among moderates who support and those who are opposed to Bloomberg.

The late entry of Bloomberg into the race, and the remarkable accommodations the DNC has so far shown him, coupled with some of his past positions & statements and his rather authoritarian ("Mike will get it done") manner has created a fairly interesting and hard-to -predict situation in the Democrat primary.

Meanwhile Trump has pardoned Michael Milken (remember him?) and commuted the sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich after eight years served. Is this response to recent actions of various State Democrats to release sometimes violent convicts from prison or pretrial confinement? Or possibly a precursor to similar actions for Michael Flynn and Roger Stone.

Very interesting times!