Democratic Debate #212 – Open Thread
[guest post by Dana]
Two things: I really don’t have anything great to say about the Democratic yahoos who will be on stage tonight, and I really don’t know how many Democratic debates there have thus far, but it sure seems like there have been 3 too many. Tonight’s debate is coming from Las Vegas, and will air on NBC and MSNBC.
The candidates on stage:
1 – Joe Biden, who came out uh, swinging against Michael Bloomberg’s latest ad:
I don’t endorse Republicans. https://t.co/uQMjLdxHA3
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) February 19, 2020
Meanwhile, Biden’s firewall is reportedly crumbling:
The former vice president has long touted his support among black voters. Earlier this month, the one-time unrivaled front-runner told reporters that “not a single person has won [the Democratic nomination] without overwhelming support from the black community, overwhelming, overwhelming. So here’s the deal… right now I am far and ahead of everybody in the African-American community. It’s the base of the Democratic Party.”
And after two lackluster fourth- and fifth-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively — the two overwhelmingly white states that hold the first contests in the presidential nominating calendar — senior campaign adviser Symone Sanders stressed that “it would be a mistake for anyone to write Biden and our campaign off before people of color have had their say in this election. You know people of color — black folks, Latino voters — are the base of this party.”
But according to an ABC News/Washington Post national poll released Wednesday morning, Biden’s support among black voters plummeted from 51 percent in January to 32 percent this month.
2- Mike Bloomberg, who shares a malfunctioning moral compass with Donald Trump, apologized for his “stop and frisk” policy (conveniently) before he announced his candidacy, and then this week, apologized for it for the first time on the campaign trail. This at the launch for “Mike for Black America” in Houston:
There is one aspect of approach that I deeply regret, the abuse of police practice called stop and frisk. “I defended it, looking back, for too long because I didn’t understand then the unintended pain it was causing to young black and brown families and their kids. I should have acted sooner and faster to stop it. I didn’t, and for that I apologize.
Bloomberg’s camp also warned that if the other candidates didn’t drop out, Bernie Sanders might be unstoppable. They should drop out of the race before Super Tuesday, not him.
3- Pete Buttigieg, who, when recently was presented with the opportunity to publicly condemn infanticide, was unable to make such a judgment, somehow found it within himself to make a judgment about Christians who vote for Trump:
During a Tuesday night CNN town hall, moderator Erin Burnett asked Buttigieg if he thinks it remains impossible for a true Christian to support the president. Before quoting Buttigieg’s previous remarks on the president’s evangelical support, Burnett prefaced her question, “To the point you talk about God not belonging to any kind of a political party … Do you think it is impossible to be a Christian and support President Trump?”
“Well, I’m not going to tell other Christians how to be Christians, but I will say [that] I cannot find any compatibility between the way this president conducts himself and anything that I find in Scripture,” Buttigieg said, to which the audience applauded.
“Now, I guess that’s my interpretation, but I think that’s a lot of people’s interpretation, and that interpretation deserves a voice.”
4- Amy Klobuchar, who you also might know by her Spanish name, Elena, was twice unable to correctly name the President of Mexico this week. Surely that is right up there with not knowing what Aleppo is, right? Further, Klobuchar’s former staff members are still waiting for her mea culpa over the poor treatment they received from her:
You ate lunch with a comb, the story goes, to humiliate a staffer who failed to deliver a fork with your salad. You have not denied throwing things at employees, which raises question about your temperament and self-control, issues that have no place in any executive suite, much less the White House.
Those on either side of her tonight on the debate stage should be prepared…
5- Bernie Sanders, who suffered a heart attack last year and promised full disclosure regarding his medical status, announced that he would not be releasing any more records related to his health. Also, his national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, made an on-air false claim that Bloomberg “suffered a heart attack in the past.” She later claimed that she misspoke.
[Ed. There is a report about Bloomberg, Sanders and their health at The Forward, and the title of it made me laugh: Two Old Jews Argue Over Whose Arteries Are Worse”.]
6- Elizabeth Warren, the only faux-Native American in the group, remains a walking-talking hypocrite. The candidate, who has condemned her competitors for “sucking up to billionaires,” is now willing to accept money from billionaire Michael Bloomberg if she is the nominee:
Then:
“I didn’t fund my campaign by sucking up to billionaires and spending 70% of my time on fund raising,” said Warren, repeating a common campaign theme of hers. “I’ve already been to 31 states and Puerto Rico. We now have offices in 30 states and are bringing in volunteers. This is a campaign that’s built for the long haul because it’s a campaign from the heart.”
Now:
Burnett followed up about the issue of billionaires involved in the 2020 election, noting Warren’s comments earlier tonight criticizing the self-funders and PACs. “And you know Mayor Bloomberg is obviously out there now, spending a lot of money and he has said if he’s not the nominee he’s willing to support whoever is.”
“Good!” said Warren.
“If that’s you, would you take his money?” asked Burnett.
“Sure,” replied Warren.
Moreover, Warren, who has nothing but disdain for big money in politics in politics, including super-PACs, now finds herself with a super-PAC supporting her campaign. Does she refuse the money? What, is this your first day in politics?:
Persist PAC, formed on Friday, will begin airing its first ad on Warren’s behalf on Thursday. The super-PAC has booked $796,000 in television and cable time in Nevada, more than twice the $323,000 that Warren’s campaign is spending, according to Advertising Analytics.
Finally, here are the findings of a few top national polls this week, via Axios:
Washington Post-ABC News:
Sanders: 32% (up 9% since January)
Biden: 16% (-16%)
Bloomberg: 14% (+6%)
Warren: 12% (even)
Buttigieg: 8% (+8%)
Klobuchar: 7% (+4%)
NBC News-Wall Street Journal:
Sanders: 27% (even since January)
Biden: 15% (-11%)
Bloomberg: 14% (+5%)
Warren: 14% (-1%)
Buttigieg: 13% (+6%)
Klobuchar: 7% (+2%)
NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist:
Sanders: 31% (up 9% since December)
Bloomberg: 19% (+15%)
Biden: 15% (-9%)
Elizabeth Warren: 12% (-5%)
Amy Klobuchar: 9% (+5%)
Pete Buttigieg: 8% (-5%)
–Dana
What a group…
Dana (4fb37f) — 2/19/2020 @ 5:34 pmA clown car full of trolls.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 5:41 pmMark Twain
Bored Lawyer (56c962) — 2/19/2020 @ 5:56 pmNo, Crassus is deadly serious.
Make America Ordered Again (afc191) — 2/19/2020 @ 5:58 pm“Two Old Jews Argue Over Whose Arteries Are Worse”…
in the town Siegel and Lansky built, no less.
Goodfellas all. 😉
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:00 pmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries
This is the 9th debate (counting split debates as 1) It will be broadcast on NBC from 9–11 p.m. EST
The next debate will be on CBS next Tuesday, February 25, from 8–10 p.m EST.
NBC has its usual partners and CBS will have some partners too, including Twitter.
after that there are no debates until March 15 8–10 p.m on CNN and anything after that depends on the state of the race. Historically, when it gets down to two candidates (or 3) one of them declines to debate
Sammy Finkelman (be1929) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:00 pmJoe Biden is going to attack Mike Bloomberg on his television commercials that link him to Obama. Say he’s exaggerating the relationship. It doesn’t look too much to me like a link as it does an endorsement – people might not catch that Obama said all that in 2013.
Meanwhile the Mike Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders campaigns are fighting. About trolls. And about heart attacks.
Sammy Finkelman (be1929) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:01 pmWith all those old people on that stage, I hope it’s cool and well-ventilated. They already smell like farts and when they start sweating as well …. — Quoting a high school teacher’s complaints about old people at the gym.
nk (1d9030) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:02 pmNo sane human being loves their insurance company or plan, Mikey.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:05 pm“I’m a New Yorker.” – Little Big Mike
That’s a fib, Mikey: Bloomberg was born in Boston and grew up in Medford, Massachusetts.
Donald Trump is the New Yorker; born and raised in Queens, a borough of New York City.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:09 pmCIA creature is serious too.
Make America Ordered Again (afc191) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:10 pmThe Daily Beast
@thedailybeast
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Warren: “I’d like to talk about who we’re running against. A billionaire who calls women ‘fat broads’ and ‘horse-faced’ lesbians, and no I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about mayor Bloomberg.” #DemDebate
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The coming for Dorf The Candidate
harkin (b64479) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:11 pm_
The horse-faced lesbian vote isn’t all that big and they were going to vote for Buttigieg anyway, but the “fat broads” crack could cost him half the Democrat base.
nk (1d9030) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:21 pmDoes Bloomberg have on elevator shoes?
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:21 pmklobuchar is a drunk
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:22 pmis biden awake
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:23 pmOo, a bloodbath tonight. It’ll be interesting to see which come out the winners.
Nic (896fdf) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:30 pm@16. JoeyBee has the profile of a wet kitchen mop.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:30 pm@16, 18 He is awake thought.
Nic (896fdf) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:32 pminsert that hands up Elmo with burning background… this debate went there already!
whembly (c30c83) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:33 pmBiden’s words are literally an advertisement for Barack Obama, who refused to endorse him. All this does is make everyone, even me, see how much superior Obama’s intellect and judgment is to Biden’s.
Biden will only collapse more after tonight, but he’s already a deflated soufflé, so that ain’t sayin’ nothin.
Make America Ordered Again (afc191) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:33 pmNo bow and arrows; rat-a-tat-tat Warren: she’s gunning for Little Big Mike.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:33 pmPeople laughed at Buttigieg’s self-serving pledge to put out his personal medical records if frontrunner Bernie does. Well yeah. He was the wrong person to call for that.
Make America Ordered Again (afc191) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:38 pm“I only decided to run 10 weeks ago.” – You little stinker; Little Big Mike is shoveling sh!t about his taxes.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:43 pmI’m confused about all those folks that Bernie says go bankrupt over medical bills. What happened to Obamacare?
If you’re poor, you can get Obamacare for next to nothing (and, really, how can you go bankrupt if you’re poor?)
If you have assets, one of three things are true: You’re a deadbeat and didn’t sign up, and now expect everything for free; You signed up but the insurance company didn’t pay (which is really part of the third point); Obamacare does work.
I wish Bernie would tell us which one is the case.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:48 pmAmy reminds me of ome of those those painted fire hydrants popular in Midwest towns a few decades ago.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:48 pmdoesdoesn’tgah
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:48 pmBloomberg is getting beat up pretty bad while scoring no points against anybody.
My prediction remains that CIA creature Buttigieg gets the nomination. If he chooses McRaven as his running mate, he’s got a shot. An “all-Navy” ticket would be interesting.
Make America Ordered Again (afc191) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:50 pm@25. (and, really, how can you go bankrupt if you’re poor?)
Friend-of-the-banks-Biden can tell you; he made sure blood can be wrung from a stone for his MBNA chums.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:50 pmand fools will vote for these hacks
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:50 pmBloomberg reminds me of William Shockley. Brilliant in one discipline, he decides he’s brilliant in all disciplines and is willing to tell you how to live.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:51 pmIt’s odd that the one who appears most reasonable and sane is the gay guy.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:52 pmWilliam Shockley was brilliant in multiple disciplines, and honest about biology.
Make America Ordered Again (afc191) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:52 pmThis debate is getting a little chippy.
Paul Montagu (ae8832) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:53 pmI love that Bernie blames RUSSIANS for infiltrating his campaign.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:53 pmbiden has eyes of a meth head from breaking bad
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:54 pmWilliam Shockley was brilliant in multiple disciplines, and honest about biology.
I will agree that you beleive that.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:54 pmLOL, it’s ironic since he travelled to the Soviet Union.
Make America Ordered Again (afc191) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:55 pmThese moderators are nasty.
JRH (52aed3) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:55 pmtime for the weather channel yet?
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 6:58 pmhope these hacks stay in vegas
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:00 pmThe Biden Solution: invest in rail, buy batteries, air-condition the world.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:00 pmBloomberg just insulted Australia.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:01 pm@32
Well… Pete just admitted to the whole world that he’s a Bernie socialist when he said, paraphrasing, “You and I are pulling policies in the same direction”.
whembly (c30c83) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:02 pm@44. He outta quill an adoring essay… oh, wait…
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:03 pmFirst intermission, Bloomberg indeed is getting beat up. He actually seems to have answers. Except maybe about the non disclosure agreements but anything involving him is probably over 20 years old. He wanted to say something about supporting George W Bush and Republicans for the Senate in 2004 but never got the chance and now they seem to have moved on. Biden also maybe didn’t get a chance or two to reply to thins. Bernie and EW have got the most response time.
Others have started arguing on other things. There was a debate, started by a moderator, about what Amy Klobuchar not knowing the name of the president of Mexico in another interview meant. Amy comes off as not serious by the way.
Next, climate change
Sammy Finkelman (be1929) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:04 pmPete just admitted to the whole world that he’s a Bernie socialist
Yeah, but there is far less spittle.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:05 pmwinner gets the rest of these clueless bastiges as cabinet members
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:05 pmBloomberg just insulted Australia.
Well, nobody’s all bad, DCSCA.
nk (1d9030) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:07 pmJoeyBee is having trouble understanding the Telemundo babe. Just have her turn down the beds and leave an extra set of towels, eh Joe?
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:10 pmI’m stuck between this being amazing and horrifying….D.GOOCH
GOOCH (d83d3a) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:14 pmWhat’s the matter w/Biden’s chin? Has he begun to decay already?
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:14 pmTurn down the volume when Biden barks and points and you’ll agree in a minute to move your car and stay off his lawn.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:16 pm@51 It’s amazing. I wish the Rs had had as universally vicious a debate in the last election.
@52 I think it’s the makeup. His makeup artist for the evening doesn’t seem to have done him any good.
Nic (896fdf) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:18 pm@54. He genuinely looks like a kitchen mop when he turns in profile— or a muppet.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:21 pmBloomberg’s giving it all away????????
When can I expect my check Little Big Mike?!
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:22 pmBloomberg’s slip is showing; he’s really out touch w/t real world.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:25 pmBloomberg’s giving it all away????????
No. Not all. Only as much as he needs to, to reduce his taxes for a net gain. Like Gates, Zuckerberg, Steyer and all the other bloodsuckers who are now “philanthropists” on their Wikipedia pages. (I wonder, do they have people on full-time Wikipedia watch to maintain that edit?)
nk (1d9030) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:27 pmMAOA, why do you call Buttigieg a “CIA creature”? Is there something in his bio I didn’t notice?
Kishnevi (410e69) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:30 pm@58. So he lied. Again.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:34 pm@58 Great American 1st Gilded Age tradition, might as well revive it for the 2nd one.
Nic (896fdf) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:36 pmIt’s time to toss Amy and JoeyBee overboard.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:36 pmThey keep raising hands as if they are at a Hitler rally.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:38 pmif amy had a purse and a hat she could double as ruth buzzi on laugh in.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:40 pm@63. The drinking game around that is you must say “down the hall and to the left”– then you take a swig.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:43 pmChuck cut off ‘debate’ at a debate to ask a hypothetical.
Idiot.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:48 pm@65 I haven’t needed a game to drink during this debate. D.GOOCH
GOOCH (d83d3a) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:52 pmI’d take Klobuchar above the rest of ’em. She’s probably the least polished and rehearsed but she’s the most honest up there imo. Bloomberg second. I kind of like his calm demeanor and refusal to take the others’ bait. I think either of them can give Trump a run for his money. The rest of them can go jump in a lake.
JRH (52aed3) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:53 pmGive Amy credit for asking for their vote.
Worked in NH.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:54 pmI kind of like his calm demeanor
Pffft. W/$60 billion, what’s to worry about, win lose or draw.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:55 pmNot one question or word about the Afghan War. It’s endless and costing billions.
Amazing.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:00 pmWarren attacks on Bloomberg and Buttigieg earn applause and cheers from press
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/warren-attacks-on-bloomberg-and-buttigieg-earn-applause-cheers-from-press?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true
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Grant Bosse
@grantbosse
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Political reporters are Warren’s base.
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Long Running Joke
@LongRunningJoke
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Don’t forget about ivy league faculty!
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Me
@NeolithicBarber
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“Journalists”
harkin (b64479) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:01 pm__ _
Debate ends; Bloomberg literally walks off the stage.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:02 pmWho were those screamers before Biden’s final remarks, and what were they saying?
Paul Montagu (ae8832) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:02 pmI couldn’t pick a clear winner, but I came away liking Warren and Sanders less.
Did you expect him to fly?
Kishnevi (410e69) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:03 pm@73. Oh, he came back. Pee break, eh Mikey?!
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:03 pm@75. Well, he is a chopper pilot.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:03 pmI’d take Klobuchar above the rest of ’em. She’s probably the least polished and rehearsed but she’s the most honest up there imo
I took a look at her website yesterday. Unlike Buttigieg, her platform is not riddled with the virus of Wokeism.
Kishnevi (410e69) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:06 pmYou would think these folks were running for President of California.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:13 pmThey are during the Primary.
Make America Ordered Again (23f793) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:19 pmSo…Bernie, huh? That’s nice. So…who do you think will take the mantle from Trump in 2024? D.GOOCH
GOOCH (d83d3a) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:21 pmhttps://mobile.twitter.com/ComfortablySmug/status/1230341278010920960
harkin (b64479) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:56 pm__ _
Bernie wins bloomy loses!
asset (e58978) — 2/20/2020 @ 12:52 amAll they talked about was spending my money.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/20/2020 @ 4:04 amTypical never trumpers.
Bloomy is the gerbil never trumpers have been waiting for.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/20/2020 @ 4:27 amhttps://issuesinsights.com/2020/02/20/the-billionaire-and-the-moderates-are-socialists-too/
They’re all socialists.
NJRob (4d595c) — 2/20/2020 @ 5:02 amYou must be really pissed at what Trump and GOP are doing with the budget.
time123 (7cca75) — 2/20/2020 @ 6:41 am44. whembly (c30c83) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:02 pm
Later on he said, in answer to a question about having different opinions than people his age because they were supporting Sanders: “I was into Bernie before it was cool.” I felt that was the best spin he could put on it. He had to acknowledge it.
(He also said that that didn’t mean he agreed with everything. He sounded like he had to remind himself, and wasn’t completely sure that Bernie Sanders was only a Congressman then.)
@44. DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 7:03 pm
Here it is:
https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/education/profile-in-courage-essay-contest/past-winning-essays/2000-winning-essay-by-peter-buttigieg
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 6:47 amYou must be really pissed at what Trump and GOP are doing with the budget.
Nah, all the old codgers are okay with that. The Trumpablicans are not spending their money, they’re putting it all on our children’s credit card.
nk (1d9030) — 2/20/2020 @ 6:54 am71. DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/19/2020 @ 8:00 pm
Donald Trump seems ready, or even anxious, to abandon Afghanistan to the Taliban, if only they would stop their terrorist attacks for a week, but the Taliban want the withdrawal to be humiliating, so as to enhance their possibilities of establishing a tyranny.
A lot was missing. They talked about persuading (I think that was Bloomberg) or pushing China in some way to cut its carbon emissions, not noticing that China has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by some 70% or 80% just in the last three weeks! since the start of the Chinese New Year holiday.
And they probably will be down 30% to 40% for at least the remainder of the year. Of course China is trying to keep that a secret, but you can tell from anecdotal reports.
Amy Klobuchar got in a little hint that she’s pro-Israel by stating that (while she didn’t know the name of the president of Mexico before, although she now does) that everybody knows some thigs other people don’t, like she knew the answer to some other questions, like the number of members of the Israeli Knesset: 120 she said. (which is correct) Pete Buttigieg said he hadn’t known that before. Now the interesting thing about that there though, besides the proportional representation system, is the question of how man elections they will have to go through before they get a Prime Minister. They may set a record for Parliamentary democracies. The third election is scheduled for March 2.
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 7:02 amElizabeth Warren told an obvious lie about Mike Bloomberg, and the New York ZTimes fact check reveals that the lie is worse than I thought. (Mike Bloomberg didn’t give a good response though. He shold ahe=e said: When did I say that? Now? Last year? Anytime in the last ten years? Twenty years? Thirty years??? (it wasn’t even in 1997 but it obviously was before he became mayor?)
Yet she used the present tense.
And it turns out also a good question would be: “About whom did I say that? People who worked for me? Or some people in the news?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/us/politics/democratic-debate-nevada-fact-check.html
Bloomberg’s response to Elizabeth Warren was to talk about all the women he had employed, at his philanthrophy, at his buziness and when he he was mayor of New York: one wa deputy mayor. So Elizabeth Warren said he was nice to some women. And that was a lie. Because the people who felt treated badly were in the minority and not the other way around and furthermore he probably wasn’t not nice to any women at least not that way (calling them names to their faces)
Except that there was another issue there: lawsuits and no disclosure agreements. Mike Bloomberg admitted to telling bad jokes. Said that was the n;y thing that involved him personally. Now you know what he should do? Offer to do the following: Let Elizabeth Warren state what she thinks is in the sealed court records and what she thinks what a woman released from a non disclosure agreement is going to say and then have them released only, under embargo, so that all wll be published simultaneously, to various fact check organizations and see what it is.
He should have asked: Do you have any accusations from the last twenty years?
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 7:19 amAt least to my ears, Lizzie came off as a nagging harpie. She may have knocked Bloomberg down a notch or two (temporarily), but I don’t see how she improved her standing.
Paul Montagu (ae8832) — 2/20/2020 @ 7:53 amBiden did pretty well, but then he blurted out “tariffs” when talking about dealing with China. Tilt. Trump has that bad policy covered.
Klobuchar did pretty well, but that “do you think I’m stupid” remark hurt her.
Bernie was the loudest and he waved his arms a lot. Why this frontrunner wasn’t attacked more is kind of a mystery.
I disagree with Van Jones. Bloomberg didn’t do great but he wasn’t the Titanic. That’s Jones’ own bias talking.
Buttigieg probably came out best, but I didn’t see a clear-cut winner.
The polls show between 5% and 11% undecided, so you should add a point or two and that means a shutout in any state is unlikely and most states should have at least 2 candidates besides the front runner getting above 15% This is besides the fact that the threshold for most delegates is at the Congressional district level.
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 7:57 amThere’s a Bloomberg lawsuit from an incident that happened 25 years ago, when Bloomberg asked an employee, who had recently gotten married how was married life and she said good and that she was going to have a baby and he said she should kill it. Bloomberg has denied at least using those words..
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 8:01 amThe New York Times found Joe Biden was inaccurate, in that it was not the Obama administration that got Mayor Michael Bloomberg to cut down drastically on the number of stop and frisks, but rather the New York Civil Liberties Union.
I don;t agree with some of the NYT evaluations as t true and false. Disproportionate is not the same thing as outrageous.
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 8:18 amOne thing I noticed: Nobodyy, not even Bernie, seemed to have an explanation for or a remedy for the (not disputed)he remarked on, that medical care costs so much in the United States.
Bernie Sanders had that as some kind of an answer s to why we should have national health insurance but he didn’t even try to say that his plan would reduce per capita health care costs to the level of that in Denmark or Canada.
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 8:26 amBloomberg showed himself to be the NYC wizard of oz. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Watch the TV commercials. that’s the real Bloomberg.
rcocean (1a839e) — 2/20/2020 @ 9:44 amI’m sure Mr. Bloomberg will release his income tax returns ASAP. After all, its the only ethical thing to do. And his Mittens called Bloomie “Racist” for his past remarks? Mittens couldn’t wait to call Trump a racist and demand tax returns be released. Lets see if “Republican” Mitt Romney plays the same cards with Bloomberg.
rcocean (1a839e) — 2/20/2020 @ 9:47 amI didn’t watch the debate, as I have no intention of voting for any of these clowns. But from what I’ve read, Warren, Sanders and Buttigieg had the strongest performances, at least to Democrats anyway.
Bloomberg bombed. This guy has spent more money on network and cable advertising than all the other potential candidates combined. He blew off the previous debates and didn’t bother to register in the early primaries and caucuses. So he has zero delegates. Apparently, his strategy, if one can call it that, is to bombard the airwaves with ads in the hope of generating a strong showing on Super Tuesday.
Not going to happen. He showed up for his first debate and got pummeled.
Same with Biden. He had his usual weak showing. This is his third presidential race, and he has yet to win a single primary or caucus. He seems to think his support among minority communities will carry him over the top, but if it didn’t before why should it now?
Both of these guys will be toast by the end of summer. As for Warren, she isn’t going anywhere. Steyer too has spent a fortune on ads, and has zero delegates to show for it. Klobuchar presents herself as the most sensible candidate, but she’s lagging in the polls. That leaves Sanders and Buttigieg.
In all likelihood, the Democratic party will have a brokered convention, with no candidate having the majority. Then there will be back door deals with super-delegates. I doubt they will support Sanders; they didn’t the last time around. I doubt they will support Warren, if she gets that far.
What the Democrats want is to nominate the best candidate who is most likely to defeat Trump in the general election. Well, that’s not going to be Biden, Sanders, Warren, Bloomberg, Steyer, or Klobuchar, although she does have the best chance. The Democrats are going to offer a sacrificial pawn.
The real chess game here is maintaining control of the House and regaining control of the Senate. Should the Democrats gain that advantage, a Trump presidency would be impotent.
Since the GOP has cancelled primaries, caucuses and debates, and are all in for Trump, so much that they won’t allow a challenger, it’s a foregone conclusion that Trump will be the nominee. Yet, the Democrats are incapable of nominating a candidate that can defeat him.
Thus, the Democratic strategy, if one can call it that, is to focus on state legislatures and governors, city and county governments, school boards and the like. They have a much better chance of winning those elections.
The Republican strategy, if one can call it that, is to emulate Trump in campaign mode. That may or may not work out well for them. We shall see.
What I know is that I will not be voting for any Democrat. I will not be voting for any Republican either. I will vote, but it will be against both parties. I will be doing my Libertarian thing, even though it’s only a protest vote, at least it will be counted.
Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1) — 2/20/2020 @ 9:51 am‘I will vote, but it will be against both parties. I will be doing my Libertarian thing, even though it’s only a protest vote, at least it will be counted.’
Recommended reading:
“Treadmill To Oblivion” by Fred Allen.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/20/2020 @ 11:20 amMedia that has fawned over Democrats pandering for votes for decades all of a sudden in a panic over the Master Panderer:
https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1230548670220652544?s=20
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harkin (b55301) — 2/20/2020 @ 11:34 amWhat the Democrats want is to nominate the best candidate who is most likely to defeat Trump in the general election. Well, that’s not going to be Biden, Sanders, Warren, Bloomberg, Steyer, or Klobuchar, although she does have the best chance. The Democrats are going to offer a sacrificial pawn
How about Hillary? That would up the comedic value of the election.
Bored Lawyer (998177) — 2/20/2020 @ 11:35 amGawain’s Ghost (b25cd1) — 2/20/2020 @ 9:51 am
Well, what some of the people working for him think is the (only strategy) is to ick up the torch when Biden (and now also Buttigieg and Klobuchar) falter and someone there is almost desperate to get them to drop out of the race.
He was prepared for some things, but not for this. You could see how he was winging it. In some ways that was good.
He had a few terrible lines like the one about Communism.
He didn’t have support among minority communities in 1987 (for 1988) and in 2008 but he does so now because he was Vice President while Obama was President.
But he was losing it.
The problem with that is then you can’t vet the vice president, a process that takes weeks. We haven’t had an unexpected presidential nominee after the Eagleton affair in 1972. The convention would have to leave the vice presidential slot unfilled. Unless someone was brave enough to dispense with that.
Well, which one: candidate most likely to defeat Trump, or sacrificial pawn? Or do you mean they’re not going to be be able to do what they want?
The House has been surrendered by the Republicans with all the retirements. A Dem majority in the Senate (the seats up favor that) leads to extreme difficulty with any conformations. And maybe another impeachment this time with a full fledged trial.
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 12:11 pmKeith Ellison
@keithellison
·
I have never seen @BernieSanders supporters being unusually mean or rude. Can someone send me an example of a “Bernie Bro” being bad. Also, are we holding all candidates responsible for the behavior of some of their supporters? Waiting to hear.
__ _
Steve Scalise
@SteveScalise
I can think of an example.
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John Willow
harkin (b55301) — 2/20/2020 @ 12:19 pm@JohnathonWillow
·
Replying to
@SteveScalise
This is quite literally the dunk of the century.
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New York Times:
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/20/2020 @ 12:38 pmOut of staters with a lot of money are who own camps in Vermont.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/20/2020 @ 2:14 pmBurnee is from New York.
Blooming turd didn’t use a box to stand on but he could use one to put his campaign in.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/20/2020 @ 2:15 pmAmy should go on hannity they could call it hannity and comb.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/20/2020 @ 2:17 pmIt would be groovy if bloomy spent billions on operative research on the rest of those boobs on the stage. Can you imagine the dirt on lieawatha?
mg (8cbc69) — 2/20/2020 @ 2:29 pmLittle Big Mike is quite the fibber;not as big a liar as a real New Yorker, but close for a New Englander. Firstly, Bloomberg is not a “New Yorker”- having been born in Boston and raised in Medford, MA. Trump is the real New Yorker, born and raised in Queens, a borough of New York City.
And Mikey’s cries of “I started a business’ are as misleading as his chumminess w/Obama; Mike didn’t go begging to borrow from banks; he was no Steve Jobs tinkering in his garage looking for scratch:
“In 1973, Bloomberg became a general partner at Salomon Brothers, a large Wall Street investment bank, where he headed equity trading and, later, systems development. In 1981, Salomon Brothers was bought by Phibro Corporation, and Bloomberg was laid off from the investment bank. He was given no severance package, but owned $10 million worth of equity as a partner at the firm.
Using this money, Bloomberg, having designed in-house computerized financial systems for Salomon, went on to set up a company named Innovative Market Systems (IMS).
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/20/2020 @ 2:34 pm110 so, yes, indeed, he started a business.
Agewise, he’s almost precisely between my parents and myself. If his family had stayed in Brookline instead of moving to Medford, he would have probably been a classmate of my older cousin, who did grow up in Brookline.
Kishnevi (fe0b52) — 2/20/2020 @ 2:48 pmyou can always tell a harvard man
mg (8cbc69) — 2/20/2020 @ 3:04 pmyou just can’t tell him much
@111. so, yes, indeed, he started a business.
No. Not quite- not alone. Again, Little Big Mike likes to mislead. It’s a pattern of half-truths in virtually all his attempts to communicate– from TV commercials to rally babble.
Little Big Mike ‘started’w/ $10 million [in 1980 dollars] “seed money” ‘inherited’ from his firing. So slamming Trump on any ‘inheritance’ is misleading, too. Bloomberg, as w/all capitalist billionaires, excels at hyping success w/ha;f-truths while attempting to hiding blemishes:
‘The culture of the company has been compared to a fraternity, with employees bragging in the company’s office about their sexual exploits. The company was sued four times by female employees for sexual harassment, including one incident in which a victim claimed to have been raped. During this time, colleagues published a pamphlet entitled Portable Bloomberg: The Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg. The work included off-color sayings that were attributed to him, many of which are considered sexist or misogynistic.’ -source, wikiscumbagbio
Bloomberg is no Steve Jobs. Nor Thomas Edison.
‘Bloomberg, along with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, and Charles Zegar, developed and built a computerized system to provide real-time market data, financial calculations and other financial analytics to Wall Street firms.’
So again, misleading Americans, he didn’t start a company alone.
‘The machines were first called “Market Master Terminals” and later became known as “Bloomberg Terminals.” In 1983, Merrill Lynch became the company’s first customer, investing $30 million in IMS to help finance the development of “the Bloomberg” terminal computer system. As of 1983, IMS was selling machines exclusively to Merrill Lynch’s clients; in 1984, Merrill Lynch released IMS from this exclusive deal.’ -source, wikiscumbagbio
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/20/2020 @ 3:30 pmKlobuchar’s reactions, both to the Latina journalist and Buttigieg, lend credence to her former staffmembers’ claims that she was abusive and vengeful. In between her fake smiles, it was as clear as day.
norcal (a5428a) — 2/20/2020 @ 3:43 pmhttps://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/02/mike-bloombergs-wit-and-wisdom
A spokesman for Bloomberg’s campaign told Inside edition Mike Bloomberg did not say what Elizabeth Warren referred to.
That is, it is parody. Of course,a parody, to be good, has to resemble in some way what somebody said.
This is the quote in the book that Elizabeth Warren based her statement that Mike Bloomberg “calls” (present tense) women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians.
Inside Edition says the “horsey faced lesbian” is Princess Anne, and the “fat broad” is the wife of Prince Andrew, that is Sarah Margaret Ferguson.
We don’t know if Michael Bloomberg actually said any of these things in that book. The most we could say is that this could be what some people around him thought he could have said
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 2/20/2020 @ 4:32 pmWanna watch a dead duck quack? Tune into Biden’s CNN Town Hall.
Elected to the U.S. Senate in the era of the Ford Pinto; a month before the last Apollo moonshot in 1972 [two of the three astronauts are now dead;] began serving before the now museum piece Polaroid SX-70 was sold nationally, three years before the Pet Rock and the collectible antique, the Sony Betamax, hit the marketplace in 1975…
He’s had brain surgery, hair transplants…run twice before and lost… is a known plagiarist and chummy w/big banks.
Here’s the deal, Joe: you’re too goddamned old to be running for president to lead America into the end of the first quarter of the 21st Century.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/20/2020 @ 5:30 pmInside Edition says the “horsey faced lesbian” is Princess Anne, and the “fat broad” is the wife of Prince Andrew, that is Sarah Margaret Ferguson.
I don’t know why anyone would call her a lesbian, but “horse faced” is not far off the mark in describing Princess Anne, especially given her interest in equestrian sports. The term applies just as much to her brother Charles.
Kishnevi (3ccbfa) — 2/20/2020 @ 6:18 pmThere are three possible explanation of the kesbian comment:
1) That part is a parody.
2) It’s about somebody else than Princess Anne.
3) When her marriage was breaking up, somewhere speculation as to that appeared.
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/21/2020 @ 10:46 amBloomberg did rehearse for this debate but evidently they didn’r really catch what the problem was. e did hae some prepared remarks on stop and frisk but was unprepared for the accusatioooon that came from the book, the NDA’s and the anti-billionaire/suoer high taxes comments.
Bloomberg made some public appearances Thursday but has gone into seclusion for debate preparation until Tuesday night.
The comparison with Reagan’s first and second 1984 debate with Mondale is not good because Reagan used to be good (in 1980)
What happened is they gave him all sorts of statistics to memorize and he couldn’t both keep it in his mind and think at the same time. But this is standard Bloomberg. It;s hrd to improve at anything in less than a week.
Mark Simone on WOR says the problem with loomerg is:
1) He just doesn’t like people (this would be that he gets impatient and snippy when he hears something that doesn’t sound right to him)
2) He was supplied with words to say that aren’t true.
It would have been better to say he thought stop and frisk was a good idea at the time. Even better that there was nothing wrong with it being concentrated in minority neighborhoods, that’s where the problem was and the place where this was done was not picked on that basis. But there was a problem of it being overused. The deterrent effect can be maintained with a lot less. But now it declined so much that shootings by teenagers (not adult criminals – they are still careful about carrying guns) have gone up. Finally.
Sammy Finkelman (f2d620) — 2/21/2020 @ 10:59 am