2020: The Democratic Presidential Nomination Thread

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 10:40 pm

brian wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:25 pm I don’t see anything like my idea. I need a graphic designer on retainer.

Did you not contact pdx?

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 10:44 pm

I was thinking a reverse B for symmetry but then I realized it had been taken:

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 10:44 pm

I can’t begin to say how disheartened I am right now.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 11:00 pm

Carville calling for Sanders to end his campaign for the good of the party is incredible

MSNBC has been on fire tonight.

Post by **brian** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 11:36 pm

The reversed B is a must but in a parody it doesn’t matter if you’re ripping anything off.

Post by **brian** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 11:40 pm

I’m in such denial that I think a) my idea is fucking awesome and a legit moneymaker and b) that fate exists and it’s a legit thing.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 11:48 pm

Are you still talking about your one in a dozen idea to slightly alter a logo for never plausible profit?

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 11:50 pm

I think my tshirt idea is better.

Post by **brian** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 1:34 am

Haha. No I was wrong. That was better.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 1:57 am

Yeah, I'm bummed. I was not expecting loses in some of these states. Just when you think Bernie has a commanding lead and is doing well in the polls, it gets squashed in 72 hours. Not fun.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:16 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 1:57 am Yeah, I'm bummed. I was not expecting loses in some of these states. Just when you think Bernie has a commanding lead and is doing well in the polls, it gets squashed in 72 hours. Not fun.

That’s what happens when the center/establishment consolidates and the left doesn’t, thanks to Warren staying in and continuing to criticize Sanders. I just think the sudden conventional wisdom that Biden is the best general election candidate, which grew almost entirely out of South Carolina, a state he was always presumed to win, is certifiably nuts. Forget Sanders v. Biden, I honestly think Biden is substantially weaker than Pete/Amy in that respect.

Biden has not done well in any potential general election swing state besides VA and he’s not once articulated any policy vision for running. That’s not just my opinion, this is a member of the NYT editorial board:

If all it took to defeat Trump was an establishment figure preaching decency, he wouldn’t have crushed John Kasich and Jeb Bush. Add in Biden’s daily, and I mean daily, signs of cognitive decline and the Dems are walking right into a disaster.

Putting that aside, even if Biden pulls the upset, I’ve heard for four years about how Congressional leaders are complicit in every thing from norm erosion to flat out treason, and yet the Dems are about to pick a nominee who still to this day brags about his friendship with Mitch McConnell. So there will be absolutely no accountability for Congressional Republicans for anything that has happened from 2016-20.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:42 am

I'm completely baffled. Maybe it's a caucus versus primary thing, but Nevada was demoralizing for many. Bernie crushed. February he raised $46 million. Now after one state Biden wins and a coalescing of the moderates, here's able to win 5 states he didn't even campaign in? I don't get it. This is just garbage all around.

Post by **brian** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:50 am

It’s definitely a bummer living in a country of 330 million.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 7:20 am

My bills are on auto pay to my credit card that get me points thus making sure they are paid on time and I get a little something for it. But ok, David Frum. You dick.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:04 am

I literally can't make a case for Biden:

1. He's older than Trump
2. He shows as much age-related cognitive decline as Trump - he's going to be a walking gaffe-fest in a race where only his gaffes will get traction
3. He still clings to a notion of the Senate which has been dead for 12 years
4. He holds no positions that on any level resonate with a large swath of the voters the Dems will need - bad on health care, buys into the deficits are bad crap, bad on drug policy, etc. etc. etc.
5. His kid is going to be the "but her emails" attack from the Trump-led media that we saw four years ago - with a Senate assist

I absolutely cannot conceive of a path to the White House for Biden that is built on "he's not Trump". It's insane. I genuinely don't understand the thinking of the party masters on this one - other than the obvious - the banks and other money would rather Biden and lose than the alternative. It is as disheartened as I have ever been.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:07 am

and, with regard to "electability" -I entered this cycle with that on my mind - that's why I was initially for Beto.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:17 am

The last part is it. The serious money sees Trump vs Biden as a no lose situation.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:32 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:42 am I'm completely baffled. Maybe it's a caucus versus primary thing, but Nevada was demoralizing for many. Bernie crushed. February he raised $46 million. Now after one state Biden wins and a coalescing of the moderates, here's able to win 5 states he didn't even campaign in? I don't get it. This is just garbage all around.

To the money part, I saw an estimate that Biden received the equivalent in $100M in free advertising through his 72 hours positive press post South Carolina — again, a state he was always expected to win. That’s why the timing of the Human Centristpede endorsements was very important. If created a massive perception of Biden’s strength and late-breaking voters, who often just want to back the winner, went heavily his way last night. The last best shot against Biden was probably for Warren to come out with a strong endorsement of Sanders at that same time. Its probably already too late but if she doesn’t do so within the next week, the race is completely over.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:50 am

In afraid the disillusioned voters will not show up again in November.

It's clear that the Democratic party is no longer you guyssssss party. You are party less.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:52 am

Good on Jill Biden, but WTF, JOE. How do you just stand there when your wife is grappling with someone?

Probably a lose-lose situation.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:54 am

Also, Johnnie, it's not just a caucus v. primary issue with respect to Nevada. Sanders has very real strength out west, as shown by his wins last night in CA, UT and CO. For a candidate who has been unfairly maligned for years as being only for privileged, straight, white males, the diversity of his coalitions in California and Nevada is particularly impressive. But unlike Biden's resounding (but expected) triumph in SC, which was praised as a show of strength, Sanders' resounding (and somewhat unexpected) triumph in NV was met with outrageous sensationalism including Nazi comparisons and, in a true example of throwback anti-Semitism, the comparison of a Jewish leftist leader to a deadly virus that people are struggling to eradicate.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:58 am

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:17 am The last part is it. The serious money sees Trump vs Biden as a no lose situation.

Yeah, rest assured that the serious money, party elected officials and TV media stars are all completely aware of Biden's issues, particularly the cognitive ones. I've seen reports that the whole reason Bloomberg entered the race is because a bunch of Wall Street donors in Greenwich held a private fundraiser for Biden where he was flat out incoherent. They then reached out to Bloomberg in a panic asking for a Stop Warren/Sanders savior.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:04 am

degenerasian wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:50 amIt's clear that the Democratic party is no longer you guyssssss party. You are party less.

I've been disassociated from the party for a long time but the gap is certainly growing.

(I always vote Dem, obviously, and that's part of what they rely on.)

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:07 am

It's too bad. I really wanted to see the networks work for Trump against Bernie.

So what now? Sanders was criticized in 2016 for staying in too long. Does Sanders now go full out attack on Biden or should he actually drop out?

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:11 am

Drop out and do what? Endorse the senile guy with almost zero common goals? Don't get caught up in the party that declared they owed Sanders nothing and stuck to that promise telling you he owes them anything.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:12 am

(And, when Sanders' base is told to fall in line, ask yourself what they'd getting in turn.)

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:16 am

"But the goal is to beat Trump"

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:17 am

The projected gap is less than 100 delegates with NY, FL, IL, OH, PA, AZ and MI yet to vote. No he shouldn’t drop out. But Warren really needs to think about her strategy now. I know she hired a lot of ex-Clinton staffers who probably hate Sanders but it would be maddeningly ironic for Warren to even unintentionally help Biden, who’s the architect of the awful bankruptcy bill that she built her political career by opposing.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:29 am

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:11 am Drop out and do what? Endorse the senile guy with almost zero common goals? Don't get caught up in the party that declared they owed Sanders nothing and stuck to that promise telling you he owes them anything.

Why don’t you care about the environment?

/Blue No Matter Who
//Bernie’s NOT A DEMOCRAT

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:33 am

Well, if Trump is a 74 that means you're obligated to fight harder for Biden than Biden himself does or else its your fault the establishment candidate didn't win.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:39 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:56 pm Knock yourself out:

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/Bernie+b ... search_box

ETA:

I'm just excited we could add another mouth/asshole to The Human Centristpede since Beto is so fucking cool these days. We need a shirt with that drawing!

Just like with Mayor Pete, it wasn't hard to see who Beto really was if you looked at the groups he hung out with. He was a New Democrat trying to be electable in Texas. He was never punk rock, and people that bought that were simply looking at what they wanted to see.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:43 am

Also, before Steve or anyone actually sincerely makes the “Bernie’s not a Democrat” point, I’m going to point out that Warren has essentially attempted to be a progressive who’s also loyal to the party — i.e., what Sanders is “supposed” to do. And she still wound up with basically no endorsements from other prominent national Dems. What happened to Clinton’s, Harris’ and Klobuchar’s commitment to strong, brilliant female leadership?

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:46 am

Biden calling his wife his sister and his sister his wife last night and then immediately blaming it on them is the most Biden thing ever. We're so fucked.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:46 am

brian wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:27 pm
Joe K wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:10 pm
Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:41 pm
Warren was pretty obviously finished after New Hampshire but because her supporters are so concentrated among educated white people, who largely hang out around other educated white people, pretty much none of the staunch Warren backers I know realized that. There also seemed to have been a lot of denial within her campaign as her stated goal of a convention fight where she prevails is a total pipe dream (unless the real intent in staying in is to hurt Sanders without hurting her progressive brand).
Heaven forbid those people get to choose what kind of leader might be best for everyone. (Just for posterity. I know that’s obviously not what you’re saying, just laughing at the irony of actually picking the most intelligent, best-suited person to the position. Murica!)

This.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:48 am

Joe K wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:16 am
Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 1:57 am Yeah, I'm bummed. I was not expecting loses in some of these states. Just when you think Bernie has a commanding lead and is doing well in the polls, it gets squashed in 72 hours. Not fun.
That’s what happens when the center/establishment consolidates and the left doesn’t, thanks to Warren staying in and continuing to criticize Sanders. I just think the sudden conventional wisdom that Biden is the best general election candidate, which grew almost entirely out of South Carolina, a state he was always presumed to win, is certifiably nuts. Forget Sanders v. Biden, I honestly think Biden is substantially weaker than Pete/Amy in that respect.

Biden has not done well in any potential general election swing state besides VA and he’s not once articulated any policy vision for running. That’s not just my opinion, this is a member of the NYT editorial board:

If all it took to defeat Trump was an establishment figure preaching decency, he wouldn’t have crushed John Kasich and Jeb Bush. Add in Biden’s daily, and I mean daily, signs of cognitive decline and the Dems are walking right into a disaster.

Putting that aside, even if Biden pulls the upset, I’ve heard for four years about how Congressional leaders are complicit in every thing from norm erosion to flat out treason, and yet the Dems are about to pick a nominee who still to this day brags about his friendship with Mitch McConnell. So there will be absolutely no accountability for Congressional Republicans for anything that has happened from 2016-20.

Pete and Amy had almost zero pull in the black community. Not really an option.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:50 am

So, I'll start this separate conversation...

When Sanders drops out, should his statement be, "I'm dropping out of the race to become the Democratic Party's candidate for president. Instead, I'm going to run for United State President as a (make up new party name and insert here) candidate."?

The Democratic party clearly has no interest in him winning and he, in turn, would have no need to show any allegiance to them. What punishment could they give him, aside from the obvious blame him for splitting the Democratic vote should Trump win re-election (a strong likelihood, in this case)? Turning their ire on him can be spun as backing Trump during the campaign and he'd get to pile on to all of Biden's issues.

It could end up the start of a legitimate third party (hence, the new party name), especially if Sanders outperforms Biden in the general, which is not completely unreasonable, considering how he has performed out West.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:52 am

Maybe but if Biden gets to 1,991 then Bernie really has no case. These are Bernie's rules.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:58 am

Sanders trying to pivot...not too late, maybe:

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:00 am

Biden doesn't have to do well. The guy can stand there and drool and the job will be done. And I saw him for pretty much the first time in years on a fox news show and the guy said it was his first time on in 13 years and Biden was solid other than calling the host the wrong name. He was straightforward and that was his best attribute. He has the been there and was apparent immediately in the interview. You all make him out to be more incompetent than he is and you're shooting at the wrong net. Trump will kill himself and a lot of his support has eroded over the past 4 years. Focus on the goal and work to bring voters starting now.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:02 am

Joe K wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:54 am Also, Johnnie, it's not just a caucus v. primary issue with respect to Nevada. Sanders has very real strength out west, as shown by his wins last night in CA, UT and CO. For a candidate who has been unfairly maligned for years as being only for privileged, straight, white males, the diversity of his coalitions in California and Nevada is particularly impressive. But unlike Biden's resounding (but expected) triumph in SC, which was praised as a show of strength, Sanders' resounding (and somewhat unexpected) triumph in NV was met with outrageous sensationalism including Nazi comparisons and, in a true example of throwback anti-Semitism, the comparison of a Jewish leftist leader to a deadly virus that people are struggling to eradicate.

That's about all you can hang your hat on at this moment, really.

But here's an actual million dollar t shirt idea:

A literal mouth to ass representation of The Human Centristpede. Biden leads the way followed by the Klob, Mayo Pete, and Bet On My Stork. Each is delineated with their clothes to identify them, but the picture is clear. We can even have a snarky comment underneath regarding Trump's eventual reelection. It'll be wearable all throughout his second term.