It’s good news at this stage - but it would be better if Biden was polling above 50-%, rather then under it. Still - nice to see PA over 6% in booting the Orange Idiot.
6 Likes
What, no onebox from CNN any more?? OK, try Newsweek, which apparently still exists:
4 Likes
Maybe they should just change their name to the Plutocratic Party.
3 Likes
If they cancel enough primaries they can change their name to the Greens.
2 Likes
it’s the best possible present that the republicans and the trumps could be given.
prior to this the democrats could have said, you can’t cancel an election you can only make it safe.
now? it’s nicely normalized.
i can only hope this is seven dimensional chess to get the courts on record and prove elections can’t be dropped as fast as a joss whedon tv show
4 Likes
I think it was a stupid move, but it should be remembered that it was by one state branch of the party, and says something important about the national structure of the party. The decentralization of the party is a feature, not a flaw.
I do think there is a chance that the national party will try to intervene, but I hope they aren’t too heavy-handed, and can succeed without setting a bad precedent w/r to top-down influence.
Upthread, before Sanders suspended his campaign, I expressed the hope that he would stay in to the end, so that he could continue to keep his message alive and apply pressure to the party. (It would also mean the media would need to keep covering Democrats, instead of just blacking them out and giving nonstop coverage exclusively to Trump.) The NY party wouldn’t have been able to cancel had just one opponent, even Tulsi, stayed actively in the race. I think the candidates who pulled out share at least a little in the blame.
2 Likes
there’s no reason to play defense for them. at least not one that i see. they retroactively removed candidates who had every expectation of being on the ballot. and they have removed the ability of new yorkers to vote for whom they want.
to me it seems they are trying to avoid the catastrophe of sanders ( hometown advantage ) getting any sizable vote and undermining biden. ( honestly, biden and sanders have been almost equally visible lately, which is to say nearly not at all )
It’s terrible politics, and won’t play well for the long term. most people don’t know and don’t care about the difference between the state party and the national party. it’s not clear even to me who pays some attention how much daylight there is between.
the blame is not with the candidates, it’s with the party.
4 Likes
100%. And unless shit like this ends the political careers of everyone involved in that decision, they can’t even claim to care about democratic principles.
2 Likes
If I was in the right position of power then I would have been taking advantage of this, getting Biden to do fireside chat style streams and showing that he is far more presidential than Trump (whether he is or not isn’t the point, getting rid of Trump is).
Yet again we are having to deal with the incompetence of the Democratic Party (and I hope it is incompetence as the alternative is that they are deliberately trying to lose the election).
6 Likes
If by “them” you mean the NY branch of party, I’m not defending them; I hope the NY membership does what I would have done had my local party branch, which is scream bloody murder and support opposing candidates for all board elections. They get most of the blame for sure. However, pulling out of the campaign but hoping to keep amassing more delegates moving forward was a little optimistic. I think it is possible to support Yang’s lawsuit but still wonder why he didn’t just stay in if he wanted to stay on the ballot.
he never withdrew his name. he suspended his campaign, ceased accepting donations, and endorsed joe biden.
while to most people that’s no different, it is still actually different, and both he ( and up to now ) the party knows the difference.
at the very least, you’re still at the convention. and that’s important to the candidate and the candidates supporters.
it seems disingenuous to say this doesn’t matter or that it’s any of the candidates fault. they aren’t the ones who just changed the rules midstream.
3 Likes
He’s actually been doing this. He has a weekly podcast (which I haven’t listened to). It is apparently either very good or very bad depending on your expectations and feelings about Biden.
7 Likes
7 Likes
I just assumed he’d move somewhere without an extradition treaty with the US.
4 Likes
“Apparently, Democrats’ mantra is: Believe the women … but only if their accusations help our pursuit of political power .”
Sounds about right, considering that there is, at least, extremely strong evidence that Reade was talking about this back in the 90s.
Not to mention that Biden is demonstrably not a reliable source about anything.
To be clear, saying “I think this allegation is credible, but it’s not as important as defeating Trump.” is a perfectly legitimate position.
I wouldn’t hold taking that position against anyone, or taking the position that it’s disqualifying, no matter what, as long as you’re honest about what you’re advocating.
The kind of dishonesty and hypocrisy that we’re seeing from Democratic politicians and their pet media organs really fucking pisses me off, though.
Another take:
“I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even know if I have any answers. But I know this: I don’t believe that my right to a president who isn’t Donald Trump should take priority over a woman’s right to be heard. To quote Sarah Ann Masse, one of the Silence Breakers who came forward against Harvey Weinstein earlier this year: “Let me be clear. I despise Trump. I believe he’s a serial predator and rapist who is dangerous. I still believe Tara Reade. #BelieveSurvivors isn’t about politics or convenience. Sexual violence isn’t a partisan issue. I think Biden is the better choice and I still believe Tara Reade.””
4 Likes
I’m leaning pretty heavily in that direction, too. Once Reade filed charges, that raised her accusation in my mind above the level of those from the right-wing fraud outfits like Project Veritas. She has demonstrated commitment to the accusation. To me, that means the ball is in Biden’s court: if it’s a false accusation, prove it. At the bare minimum, match the level of commitment of the accuser and answer questions under oath or provide a sworn statement, or get out of the way and let someone else run who doesn’t have this hanging over them.
8 Likes
Shoulda been.
9 Likes
my cat has a weekly podcast. it’s not a particularly high bar.
5 Likes
I don’t know if Biden’s podcasts are better than your cat’s. I’m sure they are more presidential than Trump’s coronavirus briefings.
2 Likes
