Democrats 2020

[Elixir]

The job of any national government is to take care of the nation of which it is the government.

I thought the job of any national government was to perpetuate itself. Just judging by what they actually do...

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

The job of any national government is to take care of the nation of which it is the government.

I thought the job of any national government was to perpetuate itself. Just judging by what they actually do...

You got me there.

 

[Derec]

Tulsi doesn't want occupation because it's expensive and it hurts American interests. That's a bad reason to oppose occupation. We live in an era where it's possible to indiscriminately slaughter foreign civilians remotely, without occupation, as collateral damage to "fighting terrorists".

Collateral damage != "indiscriminate slaughter" of civilians. The latter is what the terrorists do. And it is not wrong to go after terrorists even if there is possibility of collateral damage.

And just a few days ago, she and Ted Cruz announced they will attend the "Howdy Modi!" mega diaspora event in Houston to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22. Modi, a Hindu nationalist

He is also the democratically elected leader of the second most populous nation in the world. And the

known as the "butcher of Gujarat".

I don't think that has been proven.

Of course, he is currently making headlines with his not-at-all-neocon occupation and communications lockdown of Kashmir.

Kashmir is Indian territory, so they can't be "occupying it". The latest tensions stem from the fact that Pakistanis would love to occupy Kashmir instead. They have waged wars in the past against India with just that aim.

Gabbard cannot credibly claim to be anti-imperialism until she (a) disavows her support for Modi

There is a lot not to like about Modi, especially if you like beef, but cracking down on Islamist insurgents in Kashmir is not one of them.
Pulwama attack mastermind's aide conspired terror attacks across India, NIA tells court

and (b) stops buying into the neocon framing of The War On Terror as a noble effort that has a legitimate purpose.

Of course fighting against Islamic terrorism has a legitimate purpose. WTF?

On that second point, remember when the Republicans were all shitting themselves over Obama not using the term "radical Islamic terror"? Tulsi joined that chorus.

She and the Republicans were right on that one. Naming "Islamic terrorism" should not be avoided in the name of political correctness. It is as stupid as claiming that Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam.

In other words, in her capacity as a mouthpiece for enabling Islamophobia,

Calling a spade a spade is not "islamophobic".

Tulsi Gabbard is to the right of Obama. Being anti-imperialist requires the recognition that violence against America from majority Muslim countries is only tangentially related to the fact that they are Muslim, and primarily related to our long history of domination and subjugation of the region in the last century.

"Long history" and "in the last century" are contradictory. If you want long history, Islam has been dominating and subjugating these regions since the 7th century!

She has many laudable positions, but nobody who cares about peace and opposes all forms of state-sanctioned violence against innocent people should support her when Bernie Sanders has all of her good positions without the hawkishness and without being the darling of alt-right nationalists.

I would bet that the positions you think are "laudable" are her more fucked-up positions. Like standing with "Native" Hawaiian nationalists and creationists against the Thirty Meter Telescope.

 

[PyramidHead]

The job of any national government is to take care of the nation of which it is the government.

I thought the job of any national government was to perpetuate itself. Just judging by what they actually do...

You got me there.

And that's basically it. The state, when run by the bourgeoisie, exists to further the interests of that class and reproduce the conditions that enable its continued dominance of the working class, not to look after the welfare of the majority. The concessions it makes in favor of the latter are hard-won exceptions resulting from mass mobilization of the people.

Tulsi Gabbard served in the US military during the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and is proud of her service. That alone should be disqualifying in my opinion.

 

[PyramidHead]

Also Kamala Harris should drop out if she can't even hit double digits in her home state

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Here in Texas

https://poll.qu.edu/texas/release-detail?ReleaseID=3640

DEMOCRATS/DEMOCRATIC LEANERS...............................
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
LIBERAL..... Mod/
Tot Very Smwht Cons Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp

Biden 28% 18% 21% 33% 31% 26% 25% 40% 19%
Sanders 12 19 12 11 12 12 14 13 11
O'Rourke 12 13 15 10 11 13 7 8 22
Harris 5 2 3 7 5 5 5 6 5
Warren 18 31 25 13 20 17 27 15 8
Booker 1 - 2 1 1 1 1 2 -
Klobuchar 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 4
Castro 3 2 1 4 2 4 1 - 8
Gabbard - 3 - - 1 - - - 1
Delaney 1 - - 1 - 1 - 2 -
Buttigieg 3 4 6 3 2 4 9 - 1
Yang 1 - 1 1 3 - - 1 2
Williamson - - - - - - - - -
Messam - - - - - - - - -
Ryan - - - - - - - - -
Bennet - - - - - - - - -
Bullock - - - - - - - - -
de Blasio - - - - - - - - -
Sestak - - - - - - - - -
Steyer - - - 1 1 - 1 - -
SMONE ELSE(VOL) - - - - - - - - -
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 3 1 1 1 1 - 1 2
DK/NA 12 6 10 13 7 15 9 9 15

----

Texas and California are the big dogs as far as electoral votes go. Both will hold primaries in March 2020. Biden and Warren are the top candidates in Texas. This seems to be the only state that gives much to Beto O'Rourke.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Also Kamala Harris should drop out if she can't even hit double digits in her home state

View attachment 23790

Sweet. Yang continues to rise. He came in 4th in California? Go Yang! I'm not confident he'll win the race (but maybe), but I hope his ideas get in if he doesn't.

 

[Politesse]

Also Kamala Harris should drop out if she can't even hit double digits in her home state

View attachment 23790

We're still annoyed with her for running at all. Talk about tone-deaf. If she doesn't become president, she might have trouble getting re-elected Senator.

 

[Derec]

And that's basically it. The state, when run by the bourgeoisie, exists to further the interests of that class and reproduce the conditions that enable its continued dominance of the working class, not to look after the welfare of the majority. The concessions it makes in favor of the latter are hard-won exceptions resulting from mass mobilization of the people.

Tulsi Gabbard served in the US military during the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and is proud of her service. That alone should be disqualifying in my opinion.

I guess she should have thrown away her medals like President John Kerry.

 

[Derec]

We're still annoyed with her for running at all. Talk about tone-deaf. If she doesn't become president, she might have trouble getting re-elected Senator.

For the record, why in particular do you consider her run "tone-deaf"?

 

[Derec]

Also Kamala Harris should drop out if she can't even hit double digits in her home state

Things are not looking good for her. Ironically, she'd be one of the stronger general election candidates.

 

[Politesse]

We're still annoyed with her for running at all. Talk about tone-deaf. If she doesn't become president, she might have trouble getting re-elected Senator.

For the record, why in particular do you consider her run "tone-deaf"?

She thought she could get away with using Barbara Boxer's seat as a brief stepping stone on the way to the White House. A Democrat is not going to reach the presidency having just completely snubbed the most important Democratic state. We don't elect new Senators often or lightly.

 

[Derec]

She thought she could get away with using Barbara Boxer's seat as a brief stepping stone on the way to the White House. A Democrat is not going to reach the presidency having just completely snubbed the most important Democratic state. We don't elect new Senators often or lightly.

Barack Obama was in US senate as long as Kamala Harris when he (successfully) ran for president. If that's your reason, it is not a particularly compelling one.

 

[angelo]

Perhaps she has hired the same speech writers Obama used.

 

[TV and credit cards]

We're still annoyed with her for running at all. Talk about tone-deaf. If she doesn't become president, she might have trouble getting re-elected Senator.

She may have shined during the hearings but her presidential bid brought her opportunistic resume into the public light.

 

[Politesse]

She thought she could get away with using Barbara Boxer's seat as a brief stepping stone on the way to the White House. A Democrat is not going to reach the presidency having just completely snubbed the most important Democratic state. We don't elect new Senators often or lightly.

Barack Obama was in US senate as long as Kamala Harris when he (successfully) ran for president. If that's your reason, it is not a particularly compelling one.

He's not from California.

 

[Worldtraveller]

The job of any national government is to take care of the nation of which it is the government.

I thought the job of any national government was to perpetuate itself. Just judging by what they actually do...

Also, the US is continually attacking other countries and their governments for doing just that.

So maybe PH has a point and this should be re-evaluated?

 

[southernhybrid]

She thought she could get away with using Barbara Boxer's seat as a brief stepping stone on the way to the White House. A Democrat is not going to reach the presidency having just completely snubbed the most important Democratic state. We don't elect new Senators often or lightly.

Barack Obama was in US senate as long as Kamala Harris when he (successfully) ran for president. If that's your reason, it is not a particularly compelling one.

He's not from California.

Kamala doesn't have the charisma that Obama does, and I have not met a single black woman who likes her. My black friends all think she's phony. Maybe it take a black woman to find the faults in another black woman. . One of my black female friends now likes Warren, although like me, she's worried that Warren is too far left to beat Trump. I wish I felt really good about any of these candidates.....Of course, I will vote for the eventual nominee. It looks like it will be either Warren or Biden. Biden is holding the lead, but Warren keeps creeping up, while the others are falling back or remaining with very little support. But then, who the fuck knows if any of these polls are very meaningful. Anybody else 20/20

 

[PyramidHead]

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

He's not from California.

Kamala doesn't have the charisma that Obama does, and I have not met a single black woman who likes her. My black friends all think she's phony. Maybe it take a black woman to find the faults in another black woman. . One of my black female friends now likes Warren, although like me, she's worried that Warren is too far left to beat Trump. I wish I felt really good about any of these candidates.....Of course, I will vote for the eventual nominee. It looks like it will be either Warren or Biden. Biden is holding the lead, but Warren keeps creeping up, while the others are falling back or remaining with very little support. But then, who the fuck knows if any of these polls are very meaningful. Anybody else 20/20

Harris appeared to have potential, but I think she overplayed the race angle with Biden, mentioned appropriations too much, and the impeachment of Kavanaugh probably not a good thing.