Political Roundtable Part XXVII

[MJ7]

Bloomberg dropping out and endorsing Biden, and Warren still staying in is so funny to me. Moderate gang rising up to defeat the progressive wing.

[Ruzious]

So, who's going to be Biden's running mate? Too soon?

Spoiler:

I'd go with Stacey Abrams - picking up on his focus on the South and minorities. And she's a positive likable energetic force, very well spoken, and people know she was ripped off in the GA gubernatorial race. She doesn't have a perfect background (such as owing the IRS for a few years), but that can be a positive - as people can identify with the problems she overcame.

[Ruzious]

Bloomberg dropping out and endorsing Biden, and Warren still staying in is so funny to me. Moderate gang rising up to defeat the progressive wing.

Otoh, the only reason Bloomberg went in on the race was because Biden was slumping badly at the time. He didn't want a far left candidate to win. So when Biden stepped up and it became clear Bloomberg had no shot, it make complete sense for Bloomberg to drop out - the last thing he wanted to do was mess up Biden when Biden was the best centrist candidate. Warren, otoh, has been fighting harder for far longer - she's been entrenched in this race for a long time. And it's not clear she's a big Sanders fan.

[Zonkerbl]

Bloomberg dropping out and endorsing Biden, and Warren still staying in is so funny to me. Moderate gang rising up to defeat the progressive wing.

Holy crap I didn't even see that yet

hoooooooly crap

[MJ7]

Bloomberg dropping out and endorsing Biden, and Warren still staying in is so funny to me. Moderate gang rising up to defeat the progressive wing.

Otoh, the only reason Bloomberg went in on the race was because Biden was slumping badly at the time. He didn't want a far left candidate to win. So when Biden stepped up and it became clear Bloomberg had no shot, it make complete sense for Bloomberg to drop out - the last thing he wanted to do was mess up Biden when Biden was the best centrist candidate. Warren, otoh, has been fighting harder for far longer - she's been entrenched in this race for a long time. And it's not clear she's a big Sanders fan.

I was thinking Bloomberg got in expecting a contested convention. Buy himself the nomination amid the chaos somehow. Holding the line until Biden got his act together makes a lot more sense in hindsight.

[Wizardspride]

Read on Twitter

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[Pointgod]

Bernie.....

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Well there’s only so much you can alienate everyone to the right of you before you shrink your electoral pool. I’m sure the voters in South Carolina appreciate getting written off as establishment. Bernie has the same problem this year as he had 4 years ago. And while he’s made huge inroads with some demographics other ones not so much.

[dckingsfan]

So, who's going to be Biden's running mate? Too soon?

Spoiler:

I'd go with Stacey Abrams - picking up on his focus on the South and minorities. And she's a positive likable energetic force, very well spoken, and people know she was ripped off in the GA gubernatorial race. She doesn't have a perfect background (such as owing the IRS for a few years), but that can be a positive - as people can identify with the problems she overcame.

I would go with the smartest person who was running - Elizabeth Warren.

It would give him a sounding board for real platforms.
It would make the campaign seem "smart"
It would partially heal the party

[gtn130]

Whooh boy what a night. So Bernie's slacker youth vote slacked off and cost him the nomination, because the *only* reason to support him is he might bring the youth vote out.

I don't think this is necessarily true. It wasn't the youth vote that would win him the nomination - it's what would push him over the top in the general election.

In retrospect we were all laughably overestimating Bernie's chances - the candidates in the center lane (so, everyone but Bernie) just needed to consolidate. Bernie gets his 30% regardless and that's only a winning number if there are five other centrists in the field.

Last night sucked, and Biden is not going to move this country in the right direction, but I guess I have to vote for him now.

[I_Like_Dirt]

And it's not clear she's a big Sanders fan.

This is something I really wish Sanders supporters in particular would evaluate a little more closely. Far too often it gets written off as Warren making stuff up, being insincere, being trustworthy, or simply being a centrist in disguise. The reality is that on the macro level their policies are actually really, really close so people tend to think they have a lot of common ground but they actually don't and a big reason for that seems to be with Warren's opinion of Sanders.

Sanders always seems to campaign on the idea that he doesn't actually need to reach out to anyone because his ideas are actually good for everyone and they just need to get on board or be left behind and telling people that they're wrong about their lives while also having a rather poor micro level planning side of things doesn't always translate to bringing in anyone who didn't get on board for the cult of personality. Bernie's been around for decades and largely saying the same things for decades and has managed to be an outsider for decades while there were others that were actually more successful at rare times of achieving Bernie's progressive goals than he ever will be because they can work with others to achieve them. Heck, Joe Biden has achieved more progressive policies than Bernie ever will because he works well with others. If Bernie can't find common ground with Warren (and he clearly can't at this point) then he can't find it with anyone. He's basically hoping for a Trump-style bend the knee from the Democratic party.

[Wizardspride]

Read on Twitter

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[dobrojim]

Abrams or maybe Booker? Or actually Kam Harris.

[dckingsfan]

Abrams or maybe Booker? Or actually Kam Harris.

Which is the most progressive of the three?

[Pointgod]

So, who's going to be Biden's running mate? Too soon?

Spoiler:

I'd go with Stacey Abrams - picking up on his focus on the South and minorities. And she's a positive likable energetic force, very well spoken, and people know she was ripped off in the GA gubernatorial race. She doesn't have a perfect background (such as owing the IRS for a few years), but that can be a positive - as people can identify with the problems she overcame.

Way too soon. Sanders can still come back and win this. It’s obvious Joe has lost a step so it would be important to have a VP with “experience” who you can see stepping into the Presidential role. Warren would be an excellent choice to balance the ticket but also unite the Progressives of the party. Abrams while she might not have as much experience (ironically she’d be very well qualified if she wasn’t cheated out of the governorship) is young, can connect with all people incredibly well, will help get wins in South (two Senate seats are up in her home state of Georgia) and she’ll put the fight for Democracy and fair elections at the forefront of the 2020 Presidential race while Republicans and Trump are blatantly trying to cheat. The only problem is she may not be Progressive enough for Bernie supporters. Another choice is Barbara Lee who I’ve seen talked about for Bernie’s running mate. While she’s not young, she’s a Progressive darling, the only person against the Iraq war and an African American woman. I believe her only experience has been in Congress but if you want to unite the party she’s an obvious choice that everyone should be happy with.

[doclinkin]

Abrams or maybe Booker? Or actually Kam Harris.

Kamala Harris aligns most closely with his politics and would likely be a good choice for him.

Abrams speaks well but is untested. Booker is a bit more to the left and may be perceived as more of a maverick type.

[Zonkerbl]

Abrams or maybe Booker? Or actually Kam Harris.

Which is the most progressive of the three?

Abrams

[Zonkerbl]

Actually if you want someone from the squad, Ayanna Pressley - except she didn't endorse Bernie so...

[dckingsfan]

Abrams or maybe Booker? Or actually Kam Harris.

Which is the most progressive of the three?

Abrams

I don't know as much as I should about her - here is what I found:
https://fairfight.com/

[Pointgod]

Read on Twitter

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I hate punditry like this because there is no magic ticket that satisfies everybody. Abrams, Booker, Warren, Castro are all more than qualified for VP. However just because they don’t tick certain Demographics doesn’t mean that the party doesn’t care about them or won’t implement policies to help them. The most important thing is that the VP creates a contrast to Biden, not just another version of him.

[dobrojim]

Abrams or maybe Booker? Or actually Kam Harris.

Which is the most progressive of the three?

Good question. IDK. I think all three are more pragmatic than progressive per se.

Perhaps a better question would be which would be the most strategic.
Harris wouldn't be that strategic. Abrams would be but on the face of
it, many voters would question the choice since her experience is more
thing than the others. Choosing a sitting Senator might not be a great move
unless you're 100% sure the seat can be subsequently held.