Hillary, Pete, and Bernie

Hillary Just. Won't. Go. Away.
And she still only punches down and left.

Clinton urged voters to ask themselves, “Who do you think can win? Because if you don’t win, you can’t govern. And who can best govern at a very difficult time in American history.”

If this sounded like an implicit critique of her other big 2016 rival Bernie Sanders, that notion was enforced when DeGeneres added: “It seems to me, more than ever, that we need somebody who’s going to go in and be able to steer this ship in the right direction instead of going to the extreme.”

Every time she opens her mouth she reminds everyone why we hate her, and that she hates Bernie, and that Bernie winning would upset her and prove her wrong.
Coming from a person who believed that Trump couldn't win, why should we care what she thinks?

Speaking of hubris, Mayor Pete makes an interesting claim.

Initially, it appeared that Pete Buttigieg–the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana– would accumulate the most state delegate equivalents of any presidential candidate. But as the results continued to become public, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders narrowed the gap to nearly 0.1 percent. That occurred as the state party began to include the results of satellite caucuses, the new addition to this year’s Caucuses as a way to increase access for people to the process.

Those numbers became a source of contention, according to sources close to the results process. Sources say that Buttigieg’s campaign contends the state party computed the state delegate equivalents incorrectly and gave too many of them to Sanders. That error, Buttigieg’s campaign believes, could give an overall victory to Sanders.

Wow. I gotta hand it to Pete. His lack of shame ranks up there with Trump and Hillary.

Meanwhile, Bernie finally got around to declaring victory in Iowa.

While it is tempting to get bitter about how the Dem establishment and MSM tried to screw Bernie yet again.
The fact is that Iowa ended up helping Bernie in every way.

iowa_2.PNG

If the final vote shapes up that way, it will be a dream scenario for Sanders. It’s not clear that Warren’s campaign can survive consecutive disappointments in the first two nominating contests. She’s already polling well behind in South Carolina and Nevada, and losing more momentum won’t help. Sure, it’s possible that Warren could limp to Super Tuesday after a string of third- and fourth-place finishes, but even if she does, many of her supporters might defect to Sanders, since he’ll be the progressive with a promising chance of winning. As for Biden: He might still be able to pull out a win in South Carolina, but he’ll still look weak, and between Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg—whose entire strategy is premised on a strong performance on Super Tuesday, and thus is 100 percent guaranteed to be around for it—Biden won’t have the moderate lane to himself.

In short, Buttigieg is helping to consolidate the left and split the moderates, creating ideal conditions for a Sanders win. Meanwhile, there’s still little sign the man from McKinsey has a real shot himself. Even with his recent success, he’s still polling at fifth nationally, now behind Bloomberg, and hasn’t shown a pulse with minority voters yet. If he does somehow manage to knock out Biden entirely, it might actually be counterproductive. According to Morning Consult, the most popular second choice among the ex-VP’s voters is Sanders, followed by Bloomberg, and then Warren (this is your regular reminder that Americans don’t vote strictly based on ideology). There’s a reason that FiveThirtyEight is giving the democratic socialist a roughly 50 percent shot at the nomination right now, versus 1 in 30 for Buttigieg.

iowa1.PNG

Pete has no lane. So all he can do is drag down the corporate centrists.

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Wally's picture

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33 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

is spouting the same old lies. It's scary because Ellen has a huge voter base at her command.

Bernie "isn't electable," say people who don't want him to win. Meanwhile polls actually suggest he'd win against Trump.

The Democrats actually want to nominate a "centrist" to depress voter turnout and allow Trump to win -- you know, like Dukakis, Kerry, and Gore were centrists who didn't win and like Clinton One and Obama only won because they jumped into vacuums created by Ross Perot and by the economic downturn. As for Clinton Two, how is it that she's become an authority on who can win?

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33 users have voted.

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

@Cassiodorus

As for Clinton Two, how is it that she's become an authority on who can win?

Step One: Be Rich
Step Two: Use money to rig the election
Step Three: Victory!

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24 users have voted.
WoodsDweller's picture

@gjohnsit
Step One: Be rich.
Step Two: Use money to rig the election.
Step Three: Lose anyway.

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38 users have voted.

"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

@WoodsDweller why does everyone forget that? /s

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22 users have voted.
Alphalop's picture

@Le Frog

We are a Republic so fortunately the Popular vote doesn't matter.

A

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3 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

@Alphalop

benana republic.jpg

(Apologies to mods: I uploaded this and was playing around with the size of it, resulting in several uploaded copies which I could not delete.)

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5 users have voted.
boriscleto's picture

@WoodsDweller Step one: Parachute with you carpetbag into a blue state.
Step two: Be rich
Step Three: Run for US Senate against Rick Lazio, then run for re-election against the former mayor of Yonkers.

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23 users have voted.

" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "

Roy Blakeley's picture

@boriscleto People sometimes forget that Hillary Clinton only ever won a race that was basically set up for her. She is not only bad in terms of policy, ethics, ect., but she is a damned bad politician.

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27 users have voted.

@gjohnsit Misquoting Chuck Schumer: "For every vote we lose in Michigan or Wisconsin, we pick up two in California! Victory!"

I voted for Hillary in 2016 (in the general), because "Not a psychopath" is always a viable option, if a low bar. But I have no freaking clue why she is popping out of the woods now trying to sandbag Bernie. Bernie would be wise to ignore her. Then Hillary can go back to sniping at Tulsi Gabbard while Bernie rises in the polls.

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11 users have voted.
Roy Blakeley's picture

@SancheLlewellyn rather than not a psychopath. Both HRC and the Donald have high psychopathy scores, although Hillary is worse. Hillary is a corporate tool. She would rather see Trump win than Bernie. So this is why she keeps running her mouth. She probably still harbors notions of becoming president as well. Remember that one of the revelations in Stormy Daniel's book was that Hillary called Donald when Donald and Stormy were in a hotel room together. Hillary and Donald are mock enemies. It's kind of like professional wrestling. They are playing roles, but they work for the same team.

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32 users have voted.

@Roy Blakeley It’s all part of the show.

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7 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Roy Blakeley

that Donald started freelancing when he was supposed to job for Hillary. I think she and hers are genuinely mad at him for that reason. He was supposed to be the monster heel jobber who lifted her Lex Luger self to shining babyface prominence.

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6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

ego wouldn't let him do it once he realized he actually had a shot at the WH.

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

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5 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@gjohnsit

Lose because you didn't consider that you were running against a bastard as sociopathic as yourself.

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Alphalop's picture

@Cassiodorus

succeed where she so spectacularly failed and then all her acolytes and whatnot that have been screaming at the sky about Trump will find out that she was responsible after all for Trump becoming president and turn on her.

What am I thinking, those boorish, brainwashed, bullying bitches don't have that much self reflection ability. They would then also have to own the fact that they too are complicit in his election for spreading the Bernie Bro racist accusations and lies about thrown chairs in Nevada, etc..

They rant the loudest about Trump but will never own up to the fact that they OWN his Presidency.

A

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41 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

@Alphalop "secretly"?

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16 users have voted.

"When my wife makes Harvard beets they taste like they went to Brooklyn College. "-Henny Youngman

Raggedy Ann's picture

@brae-70
She's shouting it now. She is one pissed off bitch that Bernie is rising so well.

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13 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Alphalop's picture

@brae-70

It has always been obvious to me which was one of the biggest reasons I was always perplexed by why all the drones at GOS were so behind her.

If anyone was a Republican wrapping herself in the flag of progressiveness it was Her. Yet they ate it up.

They are very short on critical thinking skills over there when it goes against what they want to believe.

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7 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Alphalop

If they do, their entire gravy train is upset for good.

Now I understand what Kerry meant when he said Bernie would destroy the Democratic party.

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6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cassiodorus

It's scary because Ellen has a huge voter base at her command.

I know lotsa people watch her. Is her audience naturally Hillary supporters and would vote against Bernie anyway? Is she doing this as her audience did not back lash against her for her love fest with Bush Jr.?

God I hope this does not become how many celeberties can attack Bernie.

What a class divide. Joe Rogan vs. Ellen.

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28 users have voted.

@MrWebster I just read that he raised $25 million in January, AND he's gaining momentum with voters:

https://www.newsweek.com/majority-democratic-voters-more-likely-vote-ber...

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29 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@MrWebster

and goes with the worst candidate ever while Rogan goes with Bernie and gets slammed for being homophobic.

Anyone see the irony here?

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43 users have voted.

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg And vomit afterwards. I would hope that Ellen can get away with being a closet goper for not too long.

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21 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@snoopydawg

like human beings. In return, we give automatic moral credibility to anybody they tell us to.

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cassiodorus's picture

@MrWebster to Ellen asking that a contrary opinion be allowed on her show. We'll promise to be nice.

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23 users have voted.

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Cassiodorus's picture

@MrWebster who are barely making it, working class people, people who would REALLY benefit if Bernie were President. It appears she doesn't yet see through Buttigieg or Clinton Two, though.

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10 users have voted.

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Cassiodorus
She was at that game with dubyah, 'member?

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13 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Cassiodorus's picture

@Raggedy Ann and well socialized into her class. However, Ellen does understand at times that her working-class audience is more impressive than she is and that to leave said audience drowning in debt would be a really big disservice to it. Too bad this hasn't yet translated into political consciousness. Ellen is of the "gee Barack Obama is cute and cuddly but I don't know what he actually did in office" persuasion. She's married to a woman who's busy saving the gorillas in eastern Africa.

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9 users have voted.

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

@MrWebster . She's not ideological. She loves her life exactly as is, wants to stay good with her 1% buddies, and sees anything that could topple her big rock candy mountain as an evil threat.

With Hillary it's different. If ideology is based on deeply felt social/political values, Hillary is not ideological. The views she holds belong to those who helped her climb to wealth, power, and stardom. She serves the oligarchy because it rewards her efforts. What really moves Hillary is psychological -- grandiose fantasies of worldwide adoration and near-absolute power. She lusts for it like Gollum lusts for the ring. She wants it, she needs it, it rightfully belongs to her. It is hers, hers, hers. She is simply nuts.

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13 users have voted.

Lurking in the wings is Hillary, like some terrifying bat hanging by her feet in a cavern below the DNC. A bat with theropod instincts. -- Fred Reed https://tinyurl.com/vgvuhcl

@laurel And your points define that behavior rather well. While she gets up there and screams about Trump's narcissism she cannot see her own, and personally I think that only adds to the diagnosis, if you will, of her being a true psychopath.

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7 users have voted.

Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Bollox Ref's picture

Let's take instruction from The World's Sorest Loser™.

Also, too, this DeGeneres personage thinks Sanders is "extreme"?

Also, too again, what is the "right direction"? The right direction?

(Edited)

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31 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Cassiodorus's picture

@Bollox Ref Can you think of a more proactive attitude?

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7 users have voted.

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Alphalop's picture

@Cassiodorus

Things I would do would be to have Sanders go on her show for a rebuttal, or even better have one of his well spoken proxies go.

I would send a LGBTQ minority to do it over Sanders himself just to defuse two likely angles that she could possibly use for calling his or her position into question.

I'm really hoping someone gets on there to call it out.

I wonder if Ellen got any push back from Sanders supporters or surrogates on it. If so I sure missed it so far.

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9 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

Centaurea's picture

@Bollox Ref

to Ellen DeGeneres is for us all to keep doing the things that have made her wealthy, famous, influential, and able to rub elbows and pal around with the likes of George W. Bush.

She sees herself as one of the elite now, and she would very much like to keep it that way.

(Ellen did not start out life in an upperclass family. She grew up in the same New Orleans suburb as I did, in a decidedly middle class family. She attended public schools and the public University of New Orleans.)

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12 users have voted.

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Centaurea
does it????? Shok

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10 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Centaurea's picture

@Raggedy Ann

Secret

I didn't know Ellen back in her "yat" days. It could be she hasn't changed at all. Part of current American culture (or the lack thereof) is the deification of fame and wealth, and climbing the social ladder until you've arrived at the top. Everyone wants to be a celebrity and an Important Person.

Personally, that kind of life sounds hellacious to me.

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12 users have voted.

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Centaurea
I imagine, anyway. ROFL

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5 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

WoodsDweller's picture

@Raggedy Ann
It reveals the person they wanted to be.
Hardship changes people. It strips away the dross and leaves the diamond. Unless, of course, there was no diamond there to start with, then it leaves a shell.

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10 users have voted.

"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

I’ve been saying this for a long time but I think she’s so far past her sell by date that she’s reached that level where the only people who believe her or want to hear her can’t be reached anyway. What’s more, the more she’s out there, the more she peels off the few who are left who could be convinced.

I often criticize Sanders when it comes to his reluctance to saying anything critical of Democrats but his recent dismissive “you’ll have to ask her why she’s still talking about 2016” was really a perfect response. This is really a case of when your opponent is making a fool of themselves, don’t try to stop them.

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43 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

snoopydawg's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter

I did this morning and tried writing up my thoughts on it. But like I said in the other essay why is it acceptable for her to be still whining about losing after 3 years when every male candidate just accepted the results and went away. But don't you dare tell Hillary to sit down and shut up. This means you're sexist and misogynistic. I wish I was kidding.

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31 users have voted.

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg I made a similar comment elsewhere. Hell, Gore really would have had a case to complain, but if he did, I never heard it.

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21 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

@Dr. John Carpenter handling the Hillary nonsense very well.

And yes, Gore didn't utter a peep in public about that curious 2000 election outcome. He was a little too afraid of what the Serious People in the Beltway would say, imo. Wish he had spoken up, in a timely manner, when events were unfolding, which may have put a stop to the SupCt intervening with a free hand to save the day for Junior. He was too much the gentleman, to a fault.

Sorta ditto for Kerry, who should have spoken out, again at the time, re the peculiar sudden surge of votes for Bush in the middle of the night in OH. Mark Crispin Miller later heard him say at a party that he knew the election had been stolen from him. And iirc his running mate wanted him not to concede so quickly, wait for more info on the developing situation.

HRC's case is different as she and the Dems chose to go the bogus R-gate route for 3 yrs. She and the party could have instead been making the case for the elimination of the EC. And now, lately, she's been blaming Bernie. I doubt if she carries much if any clout in the party any more, although she's inside her bubble of sycophants and doesn't know.

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22 users have voted.

@Dr. John Carpenter the attorneys to stop the count.
Not for long.

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15 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@on the cusp

the emotions I experience when you mention an actual individual person who helped suppress my state's vote.

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5 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal I had absolutely no idea he had participated in that coup until the 3rd, and last date.
He had described himself as a libertarian, which I can stomach.
He paid John Roberts to stop that vote count.
He is Dan Moody, Jr. Check out Moody Foundation.

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1 user has voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@on the cusp

It's just that thinking of a particular individual person involved in that makes it all the more real.

When I moved to MD in 2005, I felt a great relief because it had become untenable to live under a Governor that I hated as much as I hated John Ellis Bush.

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1 user has voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@on the cusp

he can hardly be a libertarian, can he? The correct word might be "fascist."

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1 user has voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

lotlizard's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter  
In the movie An Inconvenient Truth, Gore shows himself getting laughs from a lecture audience by introducing himself as someone who “used to be the future president of the United States.”

As if there was nothing fishy about Supreme Court justices voting to award the presidency strictly on party lines, while explicitly disavowing their own behavior (by declaring the case should not be taken as setting a precedent) —

Nor about the governor of Florida being George W. Bush’s brother JEB and the head of the Bush campaign in Florida, Katherine Harris, also chairing the state election commission . . .

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17 users have voted.
Fionnsboy's picture

@snoopydawg SO TRUE!!!!! And you would be 'silencing women' and 'a place in hell!' and all that-- but they have no problem whatsoever silencing the last woman of color in the presidential race!!!! The hypocrisy!!!

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22 users have voted.

Semper ubi sub ubi

snoopydawg's picture

@Fionnsboy

After people bitched about how Hillary's treatment was sexist....but now it's okay for people to say horrible things about Tulsi is the height of hypocrisy. If you said Hillary was a warmonger on DK you risked being banned. But you can now say "f'ck Tulsi and she isn't democrat and I'll never vote for her even if I have to vote for Trump" and you get recs instead of flags. Go figure.

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24 users have voted.

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

lotlizard's picture

@snoopydawg  
Unlike Obama, who conned us into treating him as Hawaii’s favorite son while being a corrupt Chicago pol all the way.

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16 users have voted.

@snoopydawg

is doing more to set back women in this country than Trump could ever do.

As a woman, I find her intolerably insulting to our gender. If anyone had reason to complain after an unfair election, it's Al Gore, and yet you don't see him doing the circuit ranting about hanging chads and the Supreme Court. He took up his mantle and went after the cause of climate change. He has more dignity in his little finger than Hillary Rodham Clinton will ever have.

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13 users have voted.

"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

snoopydawg's picture

@Fishtroller 02

And why the hell isn't anyone asking why It is acceptable for her to still be out there whaaing about losing to Trump? And how the hell can she say Bernie, Russia and the rest of the kitchen sink she uses when she got 3 million more votes than Trump? Were those dastardly Russians smart enough to know that she was vulnerable in the 3 states she lost? Maybe they heard her campaign begging her to come there cuz they knew they were weak?

I want someone to ask her when she will just accept the fact that she lost and isn't it time for her to MoveOn from it?

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10 users have voted.

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg

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9 users have voted.

"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

@Dr. John Carpenter @Dr. John Carpenter he is starving that bitter narcissist of what she wants: his attention and a reaction. That self-promoting docu-series, I am convinced, was made only to provide her with a platform for getting a rise out of Bernie. He keeps showing us that she has no centrality in his vision of the party and the future. Think about how much that must chap her entitled ass. He is ignoring her, and her latest stunt with that VP bollocks was a desperate attempt by a contemptible has-been to stay relevant.

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33 users have voted.

only helps bernie

A full 52 percent of respondents to the Morning Consult survey, which was released Thursday, said they were leaning more toward backing Sanders for the Democratic nomination following Iowa's Monday caucuses. Of those, 29 percent said they were "much more likely," while 23 percent said they were "somewhat more likely."

Buttigieg, who prematurely declared he was "victorious" in Iowa, saw significantly less enthusiasm, with just 38 percent saying they were more likely to back him. Of those respondents, only 14 percent said they we
Maybe they should stop trying to rig the election.

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26 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

@gjohnsit

Requires a party 'loyalty oath', which I wasn't happy about.
After this Iowa debacle, I'll be plonking my 'x' next to Bernie's name, regardless.

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26 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

@Bollox Ref
I'm registered as a Democrat for the first time since 1992.

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22 users have voted.

@gjohnsit who would you like to see as his DNC chair?

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12 users have voted.

@Le Frog
I'm thinking about his vp.
You won't like it:

Warren

It makes a lot of political sense

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6 users have voted.

@gjohnsit but if you are comfortable sharing, I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

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11 users have voted.

@gjohnsit could do better. He could do worse of course, but that pick wouldn't be his best option. And two white bread Dem tickets back to back?

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11 users have voted.

@gjohnsit

Actually, I think Warren would be a terrible idea--and after the "Did you just call me a liar on tv?" thing, I'm not sure she'd be keen on it.

If Sanders nominates a centrist VP (I consider Warren a centrist), he will be walking around with a huge target on his back. If I were in his position, I'd make sure the second in the line is even more frightening to the establishment (Nina Turner? Tulsi Gabbard?).

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30 users have voted.
Bob In Portland's picture

@apenultimate There's the whole thing about "impeachment/assassination insurance". If everyone in Washington is your mortal enemy you don't want to give them a golden opportunity to release another lone nut, feed you polonium or impeach you.

FDR had Henry Wallace as his VP. Wallace was a radical socialist. They couldn't off FDR just to get Wallace. Then in 1944 Democratic Party Treasurer and head of the Democratic convention talks FDR into a more moderate veep, Truman. Soon after his election he's dead.

JFK was stuck with LBJ and we know what happened there.

Nixon had Agnew, I think it was Nixon who called Agnew "impeachment insurance" he was even more corrupt than Nixon. In the end Agnew resigned and CIA friend Gerald Ford was inserted. That's when Nixon got in the helicopter and left the scene of the crime.

So with all that I say have Gabbard as veep. They wouldn't bump off Sanders just to get Tulsi.

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28 users have voted.
PriceRip's picture

@Bob In Portland

          I how have another reason to support Bernie selecting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as vice-president.

RIP

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10 users have voted.
Hawkfish's picture

@PriceRip

Is too young I believe?

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8 users have voted.

We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg

PriceRip's picture

@Hawkfish

          You are correct, she was born five years too late. Sigh!

RIP

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5 users have voted.

@Bob In Portland brought in to be Nixon's impeachment insurance. Nixon thought TPTB in D.C. would not tolerate such a political dim bulb as Jerry in the Oval. Another Nixon miscalculation.

On JFK/LBJ, I think you put it about right -- Kennedy was stuck with Lyndon after LBJ craftily arranged with his backers to essentially force himself onto the ticket at the last minute, whereas JFK had apparently already selected Sen Symington of Missouri. The full story is from Bobby in his later oral history interviews. What a mess. They just couldn't get rid of Lyndon, he refused to step aside.

This is a bit premature of course but as for Bernie, it has to be someone who's at least in the same ballpark ideologically. Anyone too centrist would dampen Bernie's progressive brand and be a drag on the ticket. A woman of course. But younger than septuagenarian Liz. And preferably from another part of the country. Preferably too someone with a little less personal baggage and more of a fighting spirit, preferably with a proven track record in winning elections against established R opponents outside of New England.

Sen Tammy Baldwin of WI would be a better pick than Liz. And the Latina gov of NM, Michelle Grisham, brings color plus someone with politics in her DNA, someone who obviously could greatly increase Latino turnout which has always been low.

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7 users have voted.

@wokkamile

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8 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness times already, with no substantive rebuttal, that Tulsi would bring far too much incoming heat at the ticket with her FP stance. TPTB would go all out either to prevent the D ticket from winning or to undermine her once in office.

And by undermine I mean either the modern way of assassinating her character to the point where Bernie would be dealing with a constant firestorm of media attacks on her with nothing else getting done, or the old-fashioned way of actual assassination.

She would be a very risky pick in the best case.

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3 users have voted.

@wokkamile
Baldwin, although from my neighboring state, I know little about.
I have the impression (just an impression) that she is another Centrist, Left on social issues, hard Right on economic issues.

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2 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Alphalop's picture

@gjohnsit

Than Warren, Warren is still a closet republican imo and would probably work against Bernie when it came time to rally votes in congress for important legislation.

I admit I could be wrong but I have ZERO trust in her after 2016.

Plus, Tulsi is young enough that after 1 or 2 terms as VP she could then run as president giving us 16 years of progressive control in the WH.

Just my 1.5 cents. Smile

A

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7 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@gjohnsit

opposes Bernie's policy positions to be the one to take the reins if he dies.

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5 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@gjohnsit
but you don't have to win over the same voters twice with a candidate from a state that borders yours.

If he gets the nomination Bernie needs somebody from the rust belt or the west.

Maybe he could persuade Pelosi. /s

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0 users have voted.

@Le Frog
She would kick butt and take names.
I wish Bernie had her cojones.

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19 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Bollox Ref

Minnesota's new primary Requires a party 'loyalty oath', which I wasn't happy about.

loyalty oath? ???

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8 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@thanatokephaloides "My God, I am sorry for voting Left with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to support Hillary, the daughter of God, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things"

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7 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

lotlizard's picture

@Bollox Ref  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Democratic%E2%80%93Farmer%E2%80%...

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8 users have voted.
TaZsa's picture

@Bollox Ref Yeah, I early voted for Bernie and I noticed that too, for the 1st time I had to be a democrat to vote. Yuck.

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8 users have voted.
Alphalop's picture

@TaZsa

They are the antithesis of Democratic in nature and probably hurt candidates a lot more than protecting them from RF'ing the party.

How else do you expect to grow your membership? Someone that is independent today, votes for Bernie, Likes what he does and joins the party vs said independent doesn't vote in the primary, loses interest and then doesn't give a rats ass about the primary and doesn't vote at all or votes for the opposite of the party that excluded him or her.

It's a silly rule, Florida has it too but I just can't bring myself to switch back to the Dems, I don't want the current party apparatus to be able to think they earned my vote.

I won't join the party until a progressive is leading it.

Those guys suck the sweaty taint of Satan at the moment.

But I'm not mad at them. Wink lol!

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4 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

100%. Or, so they say. Or, is it 99%?
https://edition.cnn.com/election/2020/state/iowa

And NYT says 99%. Needle still points to Sanders:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/04/us/elections/results-iowa...

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15 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

The hell someone doesn't have to earn my vote. This Medhi guy would fit in quite well on DK. They think it's the voters who let Obama down and why democrats lost all those seats.

"You will vote for me even though I'm offering nothing you want!"

Not going to happen!

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28 users have voted.

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg otherwise why even have elections? Just appoint the leaders and spare us the illusion that we have any power to change things.

...not that they’re not trying to do just this.

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22 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Alphalop's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter

Received and not a single post embraced his position.

Saw LOTS of "I'm only in it for Bernie" posts and others calling out that he had it exactly backwards.

One guy even said, "Now I want to see YOUR tax returns. Seriously! LOL!

I don't think he got the response he was hoping for.

How much you want to bet he was a Hillbot?

A

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7 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg strategic voting: hold your nose to keep the bad guy (usually the Conservative party) at bay. The centre-left Liberals and the more-left New Democrats have a lot of swing voting between them, with some Green party thrown in there, based on which candidate is the most likely to get more votes than the Con candidate. I don't disagree that candidates should be working for every vote, but I also understand choosing the lesser evil on a spectrum of mostly evil. I sometimes give serious thought to the idea that we introduce a ballot that asks who you are voting against and work backwards from hatred to disdainful acceptance.

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15 users have voted.
Alphalop's picture

@Le Frog @Le Frog

We need a None of the Above! option added to EVERY election.

This would force the Parties to eventually run a candidate the people accepted rather than having to constantly choose between a Turd Sandwich or a Giant Douche.

Personally I decided last election that I was always going to vote for a 3rd party candidate, no matter who (last year was stein) as a protest vote rather than not voting, this way they would at least see that there were votes out there that they left on the table because even the 3rd party protest voters know they are not going to win, they accept that they are just there to force discussion and maybe move the needle a little bit. (In most cases of course, there are not absolutes. Well, except one, The Clinton's are absolutely horrible, evil people. Smile )

If it takes several run offs, fine, so be it.

I am not in a hurry to get another terrible candidate in the first place if they both suck...

A

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7 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

TheOtherMaven's picture

@Alphalop

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4 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@snoopydawg

The most annoying sentiment I hear expressed on parts of self-styled leftie Twitter is "you have to EARN my vote". Nope, that's not how voting works. It's your country and your responsibility to try and make it a better/less worse place. Not pretend you're a passerby/spectator.

Making candidates EARN your vote is how one tries to "make it a better/less worse place".

I hope to Goat this Mehdi guy isn't hiring doctors any time soon!!

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18 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@thanatokephaloides Hasan once wrote a letter to a prominent political rag in the UK looking for a regular column from which he would attack the Left from the Left.

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8 users have voted.

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