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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#298676: Jan 14th 2020 at 8:10:40 AM

It is just flat-out weird to me that mail-in voting isn't commonplace outside of Colorado.

Mail-in ballots are extremely common in Arizona, to the point that mail-in votes were the deciding factor in the 2018 Senate mid-term. I think part of the reason is that Arizona is so damn hot all the time that it could legitimately be a health hazard to not offer mail-in votes (and by that same token, a lot of people take advantage of mail-in ballots because of said heat). Say what you will about Arizona's shitty education system (and racial tensions, and the way it treats immigrants, and the disability care, etc, etc), but one thing that the politicians here take very seriously is keeping people from dying from the heat (doesn't help the homeless community, dozens of people still die of heatstroke every summer).

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#298677: Jan 14th 2020 at 9:44:05 AM

I don’t care if someone told a volunteer to claim Warren ditched M 4 A. She didn’t, and she didn’t betray Bernie by having her own transition plan. This is a pointless nitpicking story that only serves to create progressive infighting.

In other news, Buttigieg has a Wells Fargo lawyer consulting on policy.

Parable State of Mind from California (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
State of Mind
#298678: Jan 14th 2020 at 9:52:07 AM

Mail in ballots were a deciding factor over here in California during 2018 too. A lot of races that initially looked like Republican wins narrowed in the days after election as mail in ballots were processed. Then went from narrowing to tilting Democrat before finally winning the Democrats half a dozen seats.

"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
LordYAM Since: Jan, 2015
#298679: Jan 14th 2020 at 11:26:15 AM

The Iowa race is pretty tight. Biden and Sanders are also close in the polls

Monmouth University as of January 12th: Biden has 28% Sanders has 24 Selzer/CNN/Des Moines Register as of January 8th: Biden 15% Sanders 20% You Gov/CBS News as of January 3rd : Biden and Sanders BOTH have 23% Civiqs/Iowa State University as of December 16th: Biden has 15% Sanders has 21% Emerson College as of December 12th: Biden 23% Sanders has 22%

It's neck and neck so it's either of theirs to loose (even Buttigeg might win in Iowa depending) and if Biden looses both Iowa and New Hampshire he's fucked

Edit: Hell it's entirely possible that if either Bernie or Warren wins they'll both make nice. Clinton and Obama made nice despite all the horrible things they said about the other. And despite claims to the contrary 87% of Bernie supporters DID vote for Hillary in 2016.

Edited by LordYAM on Jan 14th 2020 at 11:27:28 AM

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from a handcart heading to Hell Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#298680: Jan 14th 2020 at 11:35:12 AM

Didn’t the Des Moines Register poll have Warren at 17%? Seems strange to miss her numbers out and focus on Biden’s 15%.

Iowa could go any of 4 ways, things are super tight in the polling and that’s before we account for things changing or just caucus stuff causing weirdness.

What could be key to winning Iowa could be where the backers of some candidates go. So if your candidate fails to get 15% (the minimum to win delegates) you get to back another candidate instead, remember this is done on a local level not a state level, so if in one area Pete gets less than 15 his people could bump someone else up to 1st, same with Warren in some areas and maybe even Biden or Bernie in a couple of areas.

Edited by Silasw on Jan 14th 2020 at 7:39:47 PM

"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#298681: Jan 14th 2020 at 11:44:42 AM

I forgot how asinine caucuses are. Be simpler to replace them with normal primaries.

Then again, the entire American primary cycle as a whole needs massive reform, if you don't largely trash the process outright...

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from a handcart heading to Hell Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#298682: Jan 14th 2020 at 11:57:26 AM

I’d just separate the selection of the candidate from the delegate selection process, have delegates vote on the party platform and the presidential candidate be elected by a popular vote (possibly with AV, ranked choice or such) of registered Democrats.

"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#298683: Jan 14th 2020 at 12:02:21 PM

Anything that kills the whole 18 month election cycle is good, but that works by the sounds of it.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
LordYAM Since: Jan, 2015
#298684: Jan 14th 2020 at 12:03:22 PM

Changing that's not going to be easy.

We still have election days on TUESDAY for fucks sake. That might have worked back in the 1700s when people needed to travel into the city to vote but that's not really the case anymore.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#298685: Jan 14th 2020 at 12:17:44 PM

And the primaries constantly give the same states a huge advantage, one they will never give up without a fit, for what amounts to arbitrary BS.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
tricksterson Never Trust from Behind you with an icepick Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Never Trust
#298686: Jan 14th 2020 at 3:50:38 PM

Going back to the choices for running mates, I'm not going to name anyone. For one thing it iosn't necessary that it be someone who was in the race so I'm going to just set out what I see as the important criteria. I'm also going on the assumption, which could be wrong, that it will be either Biden, Warren or Sanders.

  • They should be at least 15-20 years younger.
  • If it's Warren it will need to be a white male because, to be blunt the Democrats aren't going to win without at least one of them on the ticket.
  • If it's Sanders or Biden it will need to be a woman and/or Po C because two white males will probably alienate a lot of the Democratic base
  • If it's Biden they should be somewhat to his left but not too left.
  • If it's Warren or Sanders they should be somewhat to their right but not too right.

Trump delenda est
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#298687: Jan 14th 2020 at 3:59:15 PM

I agree. Sanders has to be particularly diligent, given his health.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
smokeycut Since: Mar, 2013
#298688: Jan 14th 2020 at 4:43:36 PM

Politico: Sanders’ camp admits their anti Warren script was deployed in multiple states.

Short version: Sanders volunteers were given scripts with talking points to tell people that Warren brought nothing to the party, and that her voters would fall in line behind Sanders if/when he wins, so therefore you should vote for him over her. The scripts were then retracted, with the cited reason being that they were “sloppily worded”.

I’m really starting to sour on Sanders by this point. His supporters even moreso.

Parable State of Mind from California (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
State of Mind
#298689: Jan 14th 2020 at 5:06:20 PM

Reminder we have a debate coming up in about an hour.

"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#298690: Jan 14th 2020 at 5:44:27 PM

Breaking news from new Lev Parnas documents produced to the House: So, uh, it looks like Giuliani was having Marie Yovanovich, the Ukraine ambassador, stalked? And that’s the best case scenario:

...most disturbing of all is a set of messages Parnas received from a person named Robert F. Hyde, a Republican congressional candidate. Hyde texted Parnas that he had people tracking Yovanovitch’s movements closely in Ukraine. He claimed he could tell whether her phone and computer were off. And he wrote: “If you want her out they need to make contact with security forces.” (It is not yet clear whether these claims by Hyde were true.)

...

Parnas sent Hyde tweets and articles from prominent conservative media personalities — such as Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and Dan Bongino — disparaging Yovanovitch and suggesting she was disloyal. “Can’t believe Trumo [Trump] hasn’t fired this bitch,” Hyde responded. “I’ll get right in that.”

About 13 hours later, Hyde reported back to Parnas: “She under heavy protection outside Kiev.” Then, two days later he said he had “guys” there who could “do” something — and that he now knew Yovanovitch’s whereabouts, and that her phone and computer were off.

Hyde went on: “They are willing to help if we/you would like a price.” He added: “Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money... what I was told.”

The next day, Hyde reported back that Yovanovitch would not be moved, and that his contacts were asking “what is the next step.”

He added, ominously: “If you want her out they need to make contact with security forces.”

Edited by wisewillow on Jan 14th 2020 at 5:45:39 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#298691: Jan 14th 2020 at 5:50:27 PM

That sure sounds an awful lot like they were preparing to assassinate her.

[up][up][up]The article also notes that Sanders tried to dismiss that as the work of rogue staffers while his supporters tried to dismiss it as fake.

Edited by M84 on Jan 14th 2020 at 9:54:33 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Lightysnake Since: May, 2010
#298692: Jan 14th 2020 at 5:50:47 PM

If only Stringer Bell was involved here.

"Is you taking notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?!"

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#298693: Jan 14th 2020 at 5:54:07 PM

These aren't exactly criminal masterminds here. Sure, they're criminal. But not masterminds.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Parable State of Mind from California (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
State of Mind
#298694: Jan 14th 2020 at 5:54:14 PM

That was revolting just to read.

"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#298695: Jan 14th 2020 at 6:06:24 PM

Debate's on. Starting with Bernie and Biden on the Iraq war.

Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#298696: Jan 14th 2020 at 6:08:08 PM

But, like, guys... the while assassination thing fell through because they were, like, totally bad at it.

No crime here! Innocent little lambs! Too dumb to crime!

<nausea>

RainingMetal Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#298697: Jan 14th 2020 at 6:26:57 PM

If Shamalyan was writing this it'll turn out that Guliani was just looking for a date. Which is still creepy.

Parable State of Mind from California (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
State of Mind
#298698: Jan 14th 2020 at 6:43:51 PM

Everyone is being very civil in the debate so far. Biden is stumbling over words.

"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#298699: Jan 14th 2020 at 6:44:40 PM

Oop. Onto CNN's reporting about Bernie saying a woman can't win. This should be fun.

Parable State of Mind from California (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
State of Mind
#298700: Jan 14th 2020 at 6:50:17 PM

Bernie vigorously denied saying Warren couldn't win because she was a woman. Warren didn't say Bernie said it, but made a case about electibility and sexism in general.

"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim

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