Current Affairs 2020 Democratic Primary

[BirkenheadBlue]

He also wants to raise everyone's income taxes to pay off student loans for those lucky enough to go to uni. Only in the bubble of the hard left would someone like Bernie Sanders actually believe he could be president

There’s a fella called Dave Ramsey who does a financial talk radio show, focused on getting people out of debt.

Both he and his listenership are overwhelmingly right of centre (and mostly religious right, at that).

The vast majority of those who call in have tens or even hundreds of thousands of debt and the largest part of those debts are usually from the following (from smallest to largest):

4. Credit cards
3. Car loans
2. Medical bills
1. Student loans

People frequently have six figures in student loan debt alone.

There’s a reason that (if you take the candidate’s names off them) Warren and Bernie’s policies often poll at >50% popularity amongst Republicans.

It’s the same reason that Republican politicians had to rebrand the ACA as “Obamacare”.

 

[Pittsburgh Footy]

I think the whole electability thing is out the window at this point isn’t it?

I mean, you’ve SEEN who the President is, right?

I’m just terrified of another 2016. For some reason some people in the middle hated Hillary more than they were disgusted by Trump

I don’t get it. But that was reality

 

[Pittsburgh Footy]

I think most Trump fans just value getting one over on liberals more than condemning a rapist traitor, it's like the escape velocity of being a gobshite

Sadly this is correct. Hard core GOP voters and trump “fans” like owning the Libs more than anything else, even if to their detriment financially, or even if it looks utterly ridiculous and indefensible. Absolutely bonkers these times in which we live

 

[BirkenheadBlue]

I’m just terrified of another 2016. For some reason some people in the middle hated Hillary more than they were disgusted by Trump

I don’t get it. But that was reality

I don’t disagree.

I just mean that Clinton was infinitely more “Electable”(TM) than Trump and look what happened.

I think the traditional electability arguments don’t really hold water in quite the way they used to.

I mean look at 2008 even. Every strategist and pundit was saying the Dems needed to nominate a white male from a rural state to ensure an electoral college victory and they ended up nominating a black guy from Chicago with the middle name Hussein... who then won in a landslide.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Harris has a problem - her record as a prosecutor. And the stuff about shagging her way to the top

Did "Mayor Pete" mention he was gay? He's gay, you know. And a Mayor of tiny liberal town no one's heard of

Biden's the only hope you guys have got. Deal with it

I think you might have confused Senator Harris with Jarad Kushner who, despite never winning a single election or doing anything notable in his life apart from racking up huge real estate debts is currently swanning round at the G20 and playing footsie with MBS.

Pete Buttigieg mentioned his husband on the debate stage and nobody seemed to blink an eye, personally I found it good sign of progress whatever happens to his candidacy.

 

[Pettifogger]

Sadly this is correct. Hard core GOP voters and trump “fans” like owning the Libs more than anything else, even if to their detriment financially, or even if it looks utterly ridiculous and indefensible. Absolutely bonkers these times in which we live

I obviously disagree but regardless, it goes both ways. Parts of the left are increasingly focused on punishing those who do not fit into a narrow world view, and the goal posts are always moving. To keep it on topic and not get bogged down on Trump/the GOP, I think this is going to be part of the issue confronted in the Dem primary, because it applies to infighting on the left.

The truth is that the average democrat is probably not going to worry much about Biden having been civil to some segregationist. That's because they're not unreasonable and will accept that the world was a different place, people change, etc. and it's not some sign of how Biden views the country in 2019. But all of the candidates are tailoring their campaigns to the fringe, and when your primary tools are highly stigmatizing identity politics attacks, it's going to bruise the hell out of all viable candidates. Lifelong loyal Democrat Joe Biden gets the "I don't believe Joe Biden is a racist" caveat, Kamala Harris is a cop for daring to prosecute crimes, Buttgieg is called out ON STAGE for having the audacity to let a law enforcement investigation conclude before he fires a cop who may not have done anything wrong, etc.

Enough "bonkers" to go around.

 

[LinekersLegs]

I obviously disagree but regardless, it goes both ways. Parts of the left are increasingly focused on punishing those who do not fit into a narrow world view, and the goal posts are always moving. To keep it on topic and not get bogged down on Trump/the GOP, I think this is going to be part of the issue confronted in the Dem primary, because it applies to infighting on the left.

The truth is that the average democrat is probably not going to worry much about Biden having been civil to some segregationist. That's because they're not unreasonable and will accept that the world was a different place, people change, etc. and it's not some sign of how Biden views the country in 2019. But all of the candidates are tailoring their campaigns to the fringe, and when your primary tools are highly stigmatizing identity politics attacks, it's going to bruise the hell out of all viable candidates. Lifelong loyal Democrat Joe Biden gets the "I don't believe Joe Biden is a racist" caveat, Kamala Harris is a cop for daring to prosecute crimes, Buttgieg is called out ON STAGE for having the audacity to let a law enforcement investigation conclude before he fires a cop who may not have done anything wrong, etc.

Enough "bonkers" to go around.

Not necessarily disagreeing with your central point but hasn’t that always been the case though - lock down your base in the primary then tack closer to the centre in the general if you win? I don’t think a review of early primary debates since I’ve been watching them (~1999) has been particularly flattering to any poltical party or even match with the eventual nominee’s general election campaign.

In particular I don’t recall the 2012 Republican primaries, probably the closest analogy to this election, being a “let’s convince the moderate swing voter” campaign with Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich all trying to outdo each other. The only one who even attempted to try the centrist approach was Huntsman and he didn’t manage to get past New Hampshire.

 

[Pettifogger]

Not necessarily disagreeing with your central point but hasn’t that always been the case though - lock down your base in the primary then tack closer to the centre in the general if you win? I don’t think a review of early primary debates since I’ve been watching them (~1999) has been particularly flattering to any poltical party or even match with the eventual nominee’s general election campaign.

In particular I don’t recall the 2012 Republican primaries, probably the closest analogy to this election, being a “let’s convince the moderate swing voter” campaign with Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich all trying to outdo each other. The only one who even attempted to try the centrist approach was Huntsman and he didn’t manage to get past New Hampshire.

Absolutely and I meant to mention it. I do think this year may require more walking back than normal, though. And some of these accusations are typically fatal on the left, so I'm interested to see how dirty it gets and whether primary voters will overlook some of the stigmatizing labels.

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[riddick]

Reanked choice not being everywhere is going to give us Biden. He's really such a waste of a candidate.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Reanked choice not being everywhere is going to give us Biden. He's really such a waste of a candidate.

I agree this is Biden’s race to lose but there is a reason why, even as a younger and sharper candidate, his previous presidential campaigns didn’t do well...

 

[LinekersLegs]

Impressive haul

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[Pettifogger]

"Beto, these numbers don't look great, let's discuss-."

"HOLA COMO ESTAS ME LLAMO BETO"

 

[LinekersLegs]

Quite a large margin of error on this poll and a strong 2nd debate could change things completely but -10 is a hell of a hit for Biden