a future to believe in

In a new memo this a.m., Team Buttigieg calls on BLOOMBERG to drop out.

“If Bloomberg remains in the race despite showing he can not offer a viable alternative to Bernie Sanders, he will propel Sanders to a seemingly insurmountable delegate lead siphoning votes away from Pete. “ pic.twitter.com/RYQK6c2yep

— Kevin Robillard (@Robillard) February 20, 2020

William Murderface wrote:Zanimljiv tekst, iz više razloga.

It should come as no surprise, therefore, that those who understand Putin’s kleptocratic system – such the leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny – are now rooting for Sanders.

Breaking: Bernie Sanders briefed by U.S. officials that Russia is trying to help his presidential campaign https://t.co/7ypPZLTnl8

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 21, 2020

zvezda je zivot wrote:berni u pravu sto se odreko cenka

Today, @TheYoungTurks refused voluntary recognition of the TYT Union. This is a disappointing decision from an organization that presents itself as progressive. Join us in telling @TheYoungTurks to respect their so-called principles and respect their workers! #1u #UnionStrong https://t.co/FCz4LHF8Wu

— IATSE (@IATSE) February 21, 2020

#Nevada AtlasIntel Poll (2/19-21):
Sanders 38%
Buttigieg 14%
Steyer 11%
Biden 11%
Warren 9%
Klobuchar 5%
Gabbard 3%

— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) February 21, 2020

Here’s the video: pic.twitter.com/JpOljo2PIE

— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) February 21, 2020

чувствовать ожог

— Team Bloomberg (@Mike2020) February 21, 2020

Joe Biden tells a Las Vegas crowd that Russia is “engaged again, right now as we speak, trying to affect not only the general election but who becomes the nominee of the Democratic Party.”

— Eric Bradner (@ericbradner) February 22, 2020

New @AP poll

Favorability- Democratic Voters

Sanders 74%
Biden 67%
Warren 64%
Buttigieg 58%
Bloomberg 50%
Klobuchar 47%
Steyer 37%

Favorability- All Voters

Sanders 46%
Trump 43%
Biden 40%
Buttigieg 37%
Warren 35%
Bloomberg 35%
Klobuchar 32%
Steyer 22%https://t.co/9xMFzLqsA8

— Eldon Katz (@eldon_katz) February 22, 2020

When I look at the Democratic primaries, I see an ideological struggle pitting Bernie Sanders against the party establishment.

But that probably isn’t what most Democratic primary voters see. They’ve been watching a totally different contest: a months-long televised audition to find a qualified, appealing leader who can win in November. Ideological differences aren’t foremost in their minds; in fact, many voters probably find them difficult to parse. The candidates are all Democrats, aren’t they? What more is there to say?

Voters do see differences, of course. But they’re mainly differences of style and temperament: some candidates are dealmakers, others are scrappers. Some are outsiders, others power brokers. And of course there are differences of age and gender. As for Bernie, probably everyone recognizes him as the pugnacious outsider in the race, the kind of politician who errs more on the side of principle than expediency (whether they’re into that sort of thing or not).

But that’s not the same as a fundamental ideological difference. My hypothesis is that when Sanders condemns the depredations of the “billionaire class,” or calls for a major power shift from corporations to workers, a majority of the party faithful assume he’s just saying out loud what popular Democrats like Barack Obama truly believe in their hearts but are, perhaps, a little too politically prudent to state so baldly.

It’s not hard to see how this puts the Democratic elite in an agonizing bind. There is an ideological struggle going on within the party, even if many ordinary Democrats hardly notice it. But it’s a struggle that dare not speak its name. Whatever popular legitimacy the party possesses depends on its followers’ believing that the party hews to the very principles now most closely associated with Bernie Sanders. That makes it excruciatingly difficult to craft an effective anti-Bernie appeal.

The obvious solution, of course, is to resort to electability arguments. Indeed, if Sanders once seemed to have a ceiling of support, it wasn’t because Democratic voters were alienated by his “extremism” or turned off by his “rabid fanbase” (a hilariously solipsistic explanation that doubles as a diagnostic test for Terminal Onlineness). They worried about whether he could beat Trump.