Democrats trying to unseat each other III

[Derec]

One of the overlooked stories of the 2022 midterms was how many leftist or Squad-friendly candidates won elections. The old Justice Democrats strategy of contesting safe-blue seats is beginning to bear considerable fruit.

That is a bad trend for the country. It makes Democratic Party more extreme. Just like moderate Republicans losing makes GOP more extreme.

"But these Democrats may seek their own places on influential committees like Rules and hope, over time, to sap the power of the legislative leader and force more debate on the House floor."

If they had some good ideas, more debate would be a good thing. But they tend to be doctrinaire leftists clinging to absolutist ideas.

Would the leftists force Mr. Jeffries to bring Medicare for All to the floor for a vote?

Why has that Bernie idea become such a litmus test for fauxgressives? They all even use the same phrase for it, like a bunch of sheeple. Can't they have an original thought?

Will they fight for more legislation to combat climate change?

Depends on the legislation proposed. A lot of climate stuff was already passed as part of the misnamed "Inflation Reduction Act".
Their real goals like banning fracking, banning pipelines, banning new oil/gas projects altogether etc. are idiotic. Even with most optimistic adoption of EVs, we will still need some oil into 2050s. Same goes for natural gas. And a transition becomes even harder if we eschew nuclear, and many GNDers are also anti-nuclear. These ideas would just make us more dependent on KSA, Russia et al for decades to come.

After years of relative deference to the Washington foreign policy establishment, will they demand far smaller Pentagon budgets

Russia invading Ukraine and continued aggressive stance by China shows that it would be stupid to do so.

or try to derail military aid to Israel?

Ah yes, the hatred for Israel that is festering on the left-wing of the Democratic Party.
Just recently the rabidly antisemitic Rashida Tlaib was foaming at the mouth, ranting against Israel for killing twelve terrorists in Jenin.

 

[Derec]

Laughable. Even Mitt Romney understands why BLM exists.

I know why #BLM exists. I don't know what Mitt says about them. Do you have a link?

If you are to the right of Mitt Romney on race, your claim to not be right-wing cannot be taken seriously.

I do not base my views on what Romney of all people thinks. And note that you haven't really stated his views anyway. Why so cryptic?

Your embrace of white victimhood puts you out in alt-right territory.

#BLM is all about racial grievance and perpetual politics of black victimhood. I am not alt-right, but they (and you) are certainly alt-left.

 

[CosmicJellyfish]

Laughable. Even Mitt Romney understands why BLM exists.

I know why #BLM exists. I don't know what Mitt says about them. Do you have a link?

Why Romney Marched

The path that led the Republican senator to march in a Black Lives Matter protest began half a century ago with his father.

www.theatlantic.com

Not that he's any sort of civil rights hero who would actually support policies that might diminish the obscene inequality in this country. I'm just saying that the tiny amount of empathy that this vulture capitalist is apparently capable of makes him look like a woke SJW leftist compared to your alt-right ass.

If you are to the right of Mitt Romney on race, your claim to not be right-wing cannot be taken seriously.

I do not base my views on what Romney of all people thinks. And note that you haven't really stated his views anyway. Why so cryptic?

Your embrace of white victimhood puts you out in alt-right territory.

#BLM is all about racial grievance and perpetual politics of black victimhood. I am not alt-right, but they (and you) are certainly alt-left.

Black people in the US are victims. They are victims of four centuries of—let's say "affirmative action for white people"—since affirmative action is apparently the most racist thing ever, to hear the way RWNJs bitch about it. Their grievances, unlike yours, are eminently justified.

 

[lpetrich]

However, Marie Newman does not seem interested in running for office again.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 7, 2023 | Jamie Raskin for Congress
He has decided to run for the House again rather than run for the Senate.

I'm keeping my eyes open for new and returning progressive candidates.

 

[lpetrich]

Mondaire Jones wants back in | Semafor - he's running for NY-17 again. Last year, as a result of redistricting, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney decided to run in the new NY-17,

Naturally so, as NY-17 is his home district.

Then came redistricting. The short version: New York Democrats drew a favorable gerrymander, Republicans sued and got it thrown out, a judge imposed a new map on the state, and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney — without a “heads up” to his colleague — switched to run in Jones’ district.

Weigel is either misunderstanding or misrepresenting redistricting. When you redistrict a state, the old districts do not exist any more. Just because Jones used to represent old NY-17 does not mean the new NY-17 is "his district" or that he has some sort of right of first refusal.

Self-contradictory. Either the new NY-17 is the same as the old NY-17 or it isn't.

In 2021-2022, MJ was in NY-17 and SPM in NY-18. After redistricting, SPM moved into the new NY-17, and MJ fled to NY-10, not wanting to challenge Jamaal Bowman in NY-16.

 

[lpetrich]

I hope SPM comes back for a rematch.

MJ would likely clobber him if he tried. In any case, SPM is now busy with other things.
President Biden Announces Key Nominees | The White House - May 12, 2023

Sean Patrick Maloney, Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with rank of Ambassador

PN738 - Nomination of Sean Patrick Maloney for Department of State, 118th Congress (2023-2024) | Congress.gov | Library of Congress - "06/01/2023 Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations."

When he was defeated, he decided to fit JMLS's depiction of him as a lackey of Big Pharma. Something like Joe Crowley becoming a lobbyist after being defeated by AOC.

Do you really think that if AOC were defeated she would not start working for some left-wing lobby group or "think tank"? She certainly would not go back to bartending ...

She'd likely become an activist in some activist organization, but that's not quite the same as being a corporate lobbyist. BTW, AOC once worked on drafting a bill that would mandate a lifetime ban on becoming a lobbyist for ex-Congresspeople, working on it with Ted Cruz, of all people.

 

[lpetrich]

One of the overlooked stories of the 2022 midterms was how many leftist or Squad-friendly candidates won elections. The old Justice Democrats strategy of contesting safe-blue seats is beginning to bear considerable fruit.

That is a bad trend for the country. It makes Democratic Party more extreme. Just like moderate Republicans losing makes GOP more extreme.

Both-sides-ism. As if AOC is as horrible as MTG.

Will they fight for more legislation to combat climate change?

Depends on the legislation proposed. A lot of climate stuff was already passed as part of the misnamed "Inflation Reduction Act".
Their real goals like banning fracking, banning pipelines, banning new oil/gas projects altogether etc. are idiotic. Even with most optimistic adoption of EVs, we will still need some oil into 2050s. Same goes for natural gas. And a transition becomes even harder if we eschew nuclear, and many GNDers are also anti-nuclear. These ideas would just make us more dependent on KSA, Russia et al for decades to come.

Derec, what do *you* support to reduce our CO2 emissions?

I must note that bellyaching about environmentalists is not a possible method for reducing CO2 emissions.

 

[ZiprHead]

Immigration derail split and moved to Elsewhere.

 

[lpetrich]

After years of relative deference to the Washington foreign policy establishment, will they demand far smaller Pentagon budgets

Russia invading Ukraine and continued aggressive stance by China shows that it would be stupid to do so.

But government spending is bad, right? The market will provide, right? Cutting it drastically will produce such an explosion of economic activity that it will become much easier to bring it back up, right?

or try to derail military aid to Israel?

Ah yes, the hatred for Israel that is festering on the left-wing of the Democratic Party.
Just recently the rabidly antisemitic Rashida Tlaib was foaming at the mouth, ranting against Israel for killing twelve terrorists in Jenin.

So all Palestinians are terrorists? How is that much different from what anti-Semites say about Jews?

From Rashida Tlaib on Rosh Hashanah - "To all our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors in #13thDistrictStrong and across the country celebrating #RoshHashanah: Shanah Tovah! Wishing you all joy and prosperity in the #newyear."

If RT was really an anti-Semite, she'd be posting conspiracy theories of Jewish villainy, like how the US economy is controlled by Jewish bankers as part of the Jewish plot to take over the world, not what she or her staff posted there.

Your embrace of white victimhood puts you out in alt-right territory.

#BLM is all about racial grievance and perpetual politics of black victimhood. I am not alt-right, but they (and you) are certainly alt-left.

"I'm so angry that they are just like me!!!"

 

[Derec]

Immigration derail split and moved to Elsewhere.

It should have been split off, but it is a legitimate political topic, so it should be moved back here from the purgatory of ~~Elsewhere~~.

 

[Derec]

But government spending is bad, right?

No. Some government spending is essential.

The market will provide, right?

Usually, but not always.

Cutting it drastically will produce such an explosion of economic activity that it will become much easier to bring it back up, right?

Is it a lot of fun to knock down all these strawmen?
Being against massive expansion of spending like the 3.5 terabuck Spendapalooza does not mean one is also in favor of drastic spending cuts or that one opposes government spending in general.

So all Palestinians are terrorists?

Nobody said they were. You are knocking down strawmen again.
However, the recent IDF operation in Jenin targeted terrorists and the fatalities have been terrorists. People like this:

That's whom Rashida Tlaib is ranting about. That's whom she and other Israel haters support. A couple of them were 17. But that becomes "Israel kills children" talking point promulgated by the antisemitic Left.

How is that much different from what anti-Semites say about Jews?

Very different. IDF targets Palestinian terrorists. Palestinian terrorists target Jewish civilians.
Tel Aviv: Seven injured in Palestinian car-ramming and stabbing attack
Rashida Tlaib and her ilk had nothing to say against that.

From Rashida Tlaib on Rosh Hashanah - "To all our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors in #13thDistrictStrong and across the country celebrating #RoshHashanah: Shanah Tovah! Wishing you all joy and prosperity in the #newyear."

Easy to come up with such empty platitudes. I would rather see her be critical of Palestinian terrorism that is festering in places like Jenin. PA has basically lost control of that city, and it is being controlled by terror groups.

If RT was really an anti-Semite, she'd be posting conspiracy theories of Jewish villainy, like how the US economy is controlled by Jewish bankers as part of the Jewish plot to take over the world, not what she or her staff posted there.

She is more cunning than that. She wants to maintain the fiction that she only hates Israel. As if hatred for Israel and denial of its right to self defense is not because it is the Jewish state.

"I'm so angry that they are just like me!!!"

BS

 

[ZiprHead]

Immigration derail split and moved to Elsewhere.

It should have been split off, but it is a legitimate political topic, so it should be moved back here from the purgatory of ~~Elsewhere~~.

The thread should never have been derailed by your hobby horse in the first place.

 

[ZiprHead]

But government spending is bad, right?

No. Some government spending is essential.

The market will provide, right?

Usually, but not always.

Cutting it drastically will produce such an explosion of economic activity that it will become much easier to bring it back up, right?

Is it a lot of fun to knock down all these strawmen?
Being against massive expansion of spending like the 3.5 terabuck Spendapalooza does not mean one is also in favor of drastic spending cuts or that one opposes government spending in general.

So all Palestinians are terrorists?

Nobody said they were. You are knocking down strawmen again.
However, the recent IDF operation in Jenin targeted terrorists and the fatalities have been terrorists. People like this:

That's whom Rashida Tlaib is ranting about. That's whom she and other Israel haters support. A couple of them were 17. But that becomes "Israel kills children" talking point promulgated by the antisemitic Left.

How is that much different from what anti-Semites say about Jews?

Very different. IDF targets Palestinian terrorists. Palestinian terrorists target Jewish civilians.
Tel Aviv: Seven injured in Palestinian car-ramming and stabbing attack
Rashida Tlaib and her ilk had nothing to say against that.

From Rashida Tlaib on Rosh Hashanah - "To all our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors in #13thDistrictStrong and across the country celebrating #RoshHashanah: Shanah Tovah! Wishing you all joy and prosperity in the #newyear."

Easy to come up with such empty platitudes. I would rather see her be critical of Palestinian terrorism that is festering in places like Jenin. PA has basically lost control of that city, and it is being controlled by terror groups.

If RT was really an anti-Semite, she'd be posting conspiracy theories of Jewish villainy, like how the US economy is controlled by Jewish bankers as part of the Jewish plot to take over the world, not what she or her staff posted there.

She is more cunning than that. She wants to maintain the fiction that she only hates Israel. As if hatred for Israel and denial of its right to self defense is not because it is the Jewish state.

"I'm so angry that they are just like me!!!"

BS

Don't start another derail.

 

[Derec]

Both-sides-ism. As if AOC is as horrible as MTG.

I did not compare MTG with AOC. I was just saying that both Dems and GOP are responsible for polarization that is harming the country.
MTG is very fringe even for GOP. She was kicked out of the Freedom Caucus. On the other hand, AOC is the "sergeant" of the far-left "Squad" in the House that keeps growing.
If I would compare her with anybody it would be with Cynthia McKinney, my former congresswoman. But she hasn't been in Congress for a long time.

Derec, what do *you* support to reduce our CO2 emissions?

Plenty of things.

• Expand nuclear energy, including using it to produce pink/purple hydrogen. I remember you were writing about the hydrogen color spectrum before.
• Carbon tax to discourage use of carbon-based fuels. Instead of hamstringing domestic producers, it would address the demand side. The fossil fuels we still need should preferably come from here, as that creates jobs and tax/royalty revenues rather than sending billions abroad. A tax credit for low and middle income taxpayers should compensate them for the higher prices but still incentivizes saving energy.
• Government should invest in research in things like carbon removal from the atmosphere and measures to reduce solar input such as the L1 sunshade

I must note that bellyaching about environmentalists is not a possible method for reducing CO2 emissions.

As if that's what I do! In every discussion about these matters I have offered solutions.

 

[Derec]

Don't start another derail.

Not my intention. Lpetrich was the one who mentioned the position of ending military aid to Israel and also the one who made a strawman accusation against me.
In any case, that too is a political discussion and not an elsewhere one.

 

[Derec]

The thread should never have been derailed by your hobby horse in the first place.

"Unlimited mass migration good" is bilby's hobby horse and he is the one who was derailing. I was merely the one who suggested spinning it off. Regardless, it is still political issue not off topic for PD.

 

[Derec]

MJ would likely clobber him if he tried. In any case, SPM is now busy with other things.

Not sure about that. Isn't NY-17 a more moderate district and MJ is far left?
Good for SPM and his (likely) new post. Maybe MJ will get another moderate primary challenger who can beat him. We need more moderates in the Congress, and fewer squaddies.

She'd likely become an activist in some activist organization, but that's not quite the same as being a corporate lobbyist.

What's the difference really, if they are both lobbying for legislation whether it's a corporation or a special interest organization?

BTW, AOC once worked on drafting a bill that would mandate a lifetime ban on becoming a lobbyist for ex-Congresspeople, working on it with Ted Cruz, of all people.

Not a bad idea, as long as it includes all lobbying.

 

[ZiprHead]

I did not compare MTG with AOC. I was just saying that both Dems and GOP are responsible for polarization that is harming the country.

Wrong.

 

[ZiprHead]

The thread should never have been derailed by your hobby horse in the first place.

"Unlimited mass migration good" is bilby's hobby horse and he is the one who was derailing. I was merely the one who suggested spinning it off. Regardless, it is still political issue not off topic for PD.

You started it. Bilby responded to you. Both of you continued it. Responding to moderation in thread is also against the rules.

 

[Derec]

Self-contradictory. Either the new NY-17 is the same as the old NY-17 or it isn't.

I did not write anything contradictory. The districts are obviously different.

In 2021-2022, MJ was in NY-17 and SPM in NY-18. After redistricting, SPM moved into the new NY-17, and MJ fled to NY-10, not wanting to challenge Jamaal Bowman in NY-16.

It was not SPM who moved, it was district boundaries. That's my whole point. So new NY-17 is SPM's home district. New NY-16 is the home district for both MJ and JB. MJ had no connection to NY-10, .old or new, which is why that move was quite baffling.