Things I Learned from the Dem Debate (02/07/20)

I predict that someday in the not-so-distant future, the entire world will be shocked to learn that Andrew Yang is actually the mutated clone splice of Elon Musk and Bob Barker.

Amy Klobuchar says she's a 'fresh face', yet everything about Klobuchar is as stale as a twenty-year-old Twinkie. If 59 is the new 38, then in Amy's world we're all still living in 1999.

Early on in the debate, ABC briefly showed a split screen with Pete Buttigieg in both frames, which leads to the inevitable question: technical glitch or wishful thinking?

Tom Steyer is like the high school basketball coach in that old TV show 'The White Shadow'. Tom gave a rousing pep talk to all the players about the need to beat Donald Trump, although I kept waiting for him to yell over at Pete, "Watch those elbows, Salami!"

Desperate to revive her flagging campaign, Elizabeth Warren now argues that the way Democrats win elections is by calling out corruption. Liz then proved her brave commitment to this bold new strategy by spending the entire evening not uttering a single word about the Iowa Caucuses.

When Joe Biden yells, clouds tremble.

Joe did have a nice moment when he gave Bernie Sanders a hug in response to a question about Hillary Clinton's claim that nobody likes Bernie. A very classy gesture. Even so, in the interests of party unity I think we should ALL be extremely grateful that Bernie does not have a lot of hair.

Share
up
33 users have voted.

Comments

snoopydawg's picture

..

Yippee 4 million more cannon fodder every year for our theft of country's resources.

Seriously someone needs to ask him what this means.

up
22 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@snoopydawg

Mind if we keep this thread about the debate?

Thanks.

up
4 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Pluto's Republic's picture

@Not Henry Kissinger

...another place another time.

Snoopydawg, imposing shared sacrifice on a population at this point in time is a profound effort in mind control. It is an artificially imposed prerogative. To what end? Buttigieg is a proxy. I've seen many plucked from high schools by the Navy.

A discussion for later.

up
22 users have voted.

____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Raggedy Ann's picture

@Not Henry Kissinger
I didn't see your request until after I answered Snoopy. Pleasantry

up
6 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

snoopydawg's picture

@Not Henry Kissinger

.

BTW I did a debate thread last night ICYMI.

up
7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@snoopydawg

BTW I did a debate thread last night ICYMI.

what your point is.

up
4 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Raggedy Ann's picture

@snoopydawg
in Israel? Coincidence?

up
7 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

@Raggedy Ann

up
6 users have voted.

@entrepreneur

For Switzerland, Finland, Taiwan...

Not like a standing, professional military has had
the most salutary results for America.

Topic deserving of its own thread.

up
3 users have voted.
Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@Blue Republic

Topic deserving of its own thread.

you all continue to use this one.

up
1 user has voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

@snoopydawg could have asked him about it. They didn't.
That's what I learned from the debate. Nothing of real importance was debated.

up
7 users have voted.

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

We got this from 2 faced Liz.

up
18 users have voted.
Raggedy Ann's picture

@humphrey
I can hardly stand to listen to nor look at her. Sheesh!

up
12 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

But it didn't work so well.

up
20 users have voted.
Raggedy Ann's picture

@humphrey @humphrey
came bursting forth! "I can stand here and blow smoke up your ass and you don't even know I'm doing it!" What a dumass! I can't even stand to hear his voice.

up
12 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

@Raggedy Ann

up
11 users have voted.
Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@humphrey @humphrey

by saying that increased drug arrests were used to 'target' Black gang violence, which if you think about it, is pretty much the same pretext Richard Nixon used to START the Drug War in the first place.

At the time, I was writing a book about the politics of drug prohibition. I started to ask Ehrlichman a series of earnest, wonky questions that he impatiently waved away. "You want to know what this was really all about?" he asked with the bluntness of a man who, after public disgrace and a stretch in federal prison, had little left to protect. "The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

Pete is continuing the corrosive Nixonian conflation of drugs, Black people and violence, even as he calls for decriminalization of opioids for his poppy growing pals in Afghanistan.

What a creep.

up
25 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

longtalldrink's picture

@humphrey All I heard was blah, blah, blah with the deer in the headlights look.

up
7 users have voted.

Well done is better than well said-Ben Franklin

He messed up the talking points.

up
13 users have voted.
Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@humphrey

the same old gimmicky questions on him.
Nothing Bernie hasn't heard countless times before.

They're finally noticing.

up
11 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

I didn't spot any major highlight positives for any particular candidate, and on the neg side only Bootajudge's tussle with the mod over increased incarceration of blacks in SB over petty mj violations looked kinda bad. As in Mendacious Mayo.

I forget which exchange it was when Pete was being pressed, but he gets that look on his face of a frustrated child who's just been scolded. This is about the third time I've seen it in the debates, so last night wasn't a one-off. He just doesn't look ready to take the heat, and far more would be coming his way in a GE against the bully Donald. I think Pete is better suited to the white gloves treatment of those gentlemanly Oxford debates, where debate proprieties are strictly enforced, the debater has a second to fall back on, and a butler and finger bowls are provided.

My take on Boot's chances -- and I'm as surprised as most about where he is at this stage -- is that the buzz for him is going to wear off soon, either by NV or SC. Eventually word will get out to the dimmest bulb voters out there that he is mainly a glib, empty suit for his wealthy backers, someone who clearly needs a tad more seasoning.

He might do well in NH, coming off the surprise in IA, but I still have Bernie taking NH, possibly by more than a few points.

Klobbachair did well in the debate, and considering only the moderate side of the ledger, she remains my preferred pick if Tony Perez and the guys at headquarters insist on nominating a moderate. Or in the event it's a brokered convention -- the chances of that happening increasing as I write.

She would do well holding her own against Trump, and returning the fire, and there is a better chance for her compared to the other moderates to maintain Dem enthusiasm and drive GOTV. I do not see Boot, Biden or Bloomie doing that. Biden is just showing his declining mental situation, Boot would keep down AA and Latino turnout, and Billionaire Bloomie would greatly diminish turnout by the lib/prog wing.

Warren is about to fade into obscurity. Where does she go to regain mo after a weak 3d or 4th place finish in neighboring NH? And even Klobbachair might come close to passing her in the Granite State. She probably has enough $$ to stay in until SupTues, but I think she's done right now.

Steyer got a fair amount of talking time, but who cares. And Yang got almost none, and not many outside his immediate family are too upset.

This debate might have swayed a few undecideds in NH, but elsewhere it probably landed with a dull thud.

up
6 users have voted.
Not Henry Kissinger's picture

he gets that look on his face of a frustrated child who's just been scolded.

up
11 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

@Not Henry Kissinger A Pete v Trump debate would be hilarious.

Sad, but funny.

up
10 users have voted.

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

@Not Henry Kissinger a child getting caught in the cookie jar look. I'll keep trying to find the moment I saw.

Unless Pete and Tony have arranged to scrub all the Pete Looks Like A Scolded Child screen images from the net.

up
5 users have voted.

But it does make sense.

up
12 users have voted.
longtalldrink's picture

Tom Steyer is like the high school basketball coach in that old TV show 'The White Shadow'.

Richie Cunningham from "Happy Days"

up
4 users have voted.

Well done is better than well said-Ben Franklin

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

Hey, say what you will, but sounds good to me!

In some ways, it could be; a large portion of the problem is entirely mental (and this stupid, despicable, "social poker" thing most people do where everyone is kept down by everyone else's self-serving cowardice), and a lot of things have gotten as bad as they are purely because of self-fulfilling fiat politics.

up
5 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

was run by a Prince.

up
2 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

a large portion of the problem is entirely mental

We've been conditioned by economists to believe in a Natural State of the Invisible Hand, wherein maximizing profit lies the path to Salvation, so if we all play good little economic units and follow the natural order of capital debt accumulation, the Invisible Hand will bless us no matter how shortsighted and venal we act.

And woe betide unto any Heretic who dares challenge the Supremacy of this 'naturally occuring' Free Market by pointing out that the Invisible Hand also gets invisible manicures from Goldman Sachs.

up
10 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

@Not Henry Kissinger I've addressed that extensively elsewhere: https://caucus99percent.com/comment/458916#comment-458916

As for that which isn't mental, I was simply trying to allow for all the concrete damage (the ravages of global warming, all the dead and destroyed in the Middle East, much of a generation needlessly ruined) the originally-mental problem has already managed to inflict since that date.

up
4 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!