Good Morning!

Welcome to Tuesday's Open Thread. It's New Hampshire Primary day, and after Iowa, it's anyone's guess what will actually happen tonight. Following the reports coming out of the DNC since Iowa, I am none too sanguine. No surprise then that the specter of 2016 still creeps around the corners of my mind here in 2020. For those of us who expected our votes to be counted, the image of Hillary Clinton walking onto the stage of Wells Fargo Center in her blinding white pantsuit to accept the nomination for the candidate for the Democratic party was deeply disturbing. A sharp contrast to the image of Bernie Sanders a few days before sitting in the audience with a fresh cut on his upper cheek and an expression on his face that looked like he had turned into stone. Visibly shaken by Bernie's appearance, I told myself I was done. I was done talking about, caring about, and writing about the Machiavellian lengths the power brokers in D.C. will go in pursuit of their self interests. And just as I was beginning to believe that, 2020 rolls around, and I find myself talking about, caring about, and writing about the Machiavellian lengths the power brokers in D.C. will go in pursuit of their self interests.

So what the hell is wrong with me? Hopefully nothing more then a civic minded streak that's not ready to die quite yet. On top of which, I've decided that as infuriating as this may be, I'll be damned if I'm going to make this easier for those who would like to silence my voice by keeping silent. So, I'm canvassing here in California for Bernie. I am speaking out about the policies I believe in. And I will gladly explain the nature of the corruption perpetrated by DNC every chance I get to those not familiar with how our electoral process actually works. If the power brokers are intent on stealing this election, then I'd rather they be forced out into the open so that everybody can see the rat-fucking.

Aw, Pete! Say It Ain't So!

PETE BUTTIGIEG TOUTED THREE MAJOR SUPPORTERS OF HIS DOUGLASS PLAN FOR BLACK AMERICA. THEY WERE ALARMED WHEN THEY SAW IT.

Um, er. Except, they didn't.

The blowback came immediately. Devine, who has not endorsed a candidate yet in the presidential election, told The Intercept that she did not intend her support for the plan to be read as an endorsement for Buttigieg’s candidacy, and believes the campaign was “intentionally vague” about the way it was presented.

“Clearly from the number of calls I received about my endorsement, I think the way they put it out there wasn’t clear, that it was an endorsement of the plan, and that may have been intentionally vague. I’m political, I know how that works,” she said. “I do think they probably put it out there thinking people wouldn’t read the fine print or wouldn’t look at the details or even contact the people and say, ‘Hey, you’re endorsing Mayor Pete?’”

Asked if she knew if any of the black supporters of the plan were also supporters of Buttigieg, she said she wasn’t sure. “The only ones I really knew were me and Rep. Thigpen,” she said. “I don’t know many — actually, now that I think about it, other than the folks working on Mayor Pete’s campaign, I don’t know of any local elected officials who have endorsed him yet.”

“It was clear to me, or at least I thought I made it clear to them, that I was a strong Bernie Sanders supporter — actually co-chair of the state, and I was not seeking to endorse their candidate or the plan.

Thigpen, meanwhile, has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, and was startled when he learned the campaign had not only attached his name to the plan, but also listed him as one of three prominent supporters atop the letter.

“How it was rolled out was not an accurate representation of where I stand,” Thigpen told The Intercept. “I didn’t know about its rolling out. Somebody brought it to my attention, and it was alarming to me, because even though I had had conversations with the campaign, it was clear to me, or at least I thought I made it clear to them, that I was a strong Bernie Sanders supporter — actually co-chair of the state, and I was not seeking to endorse their candidate or the plan. But what I had talked about was potentially giving them a quote of support in continuing the conversation, because I do think it’s a very important conversation.”

Thigpen said he thought rolling out the big list of supporters was intended to show broad support in the black community, despite the reality. The letter was published out of the blue, Thigpen said. “I actually had not circled back to give them a quote, so I was alarmed and very much surprised to see, particularly, the headline as such because I do think it muddies the water, I do think it was a misrepresentation, and it easily could have confused a lot of people as to where I stood. That was, from the very beginning, concerns that I expressed,” he said. Thigpen said he reached out to the Sanders campaign to let them know what had happened, and aides there said they would talk to the Buttigieg campaign.

Happiness is a Dry Martini

Plan on watching MSM coverage of the New Hampshire Primary tonight? Then maybe you'll need a few stiff drinks to get through anything Chris Matthews says. You're welcome.

Ingredients
2 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Garnish: 1 or 3 olives or a lemon twist
Optional: ​1 dash orange or Angostura bitters

Steps to Make It

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a mixing glass filled with ice cubes, combine the gin and vermouth, pouring more or less vermouth to your taste.
• Stir for 30 seconds.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Add a dash of orange or Angostura bitters, if desired.
• Garnish with olives or a lemon twist.