So far, the 2020 election is playing out exactly as Bernie Sanders had hoped. And that has Sanders thinking with growing seriousness that this could very well end with his election as president.
Still, since some political observers and journalists haven’t wrapped their head around the reality that he could be more than a spoiler who kneecaps the party en route to a complicated convention and maybe another loss to Donald Trump, Sanders has been able to do this without the attention or scrutiny that anyone else with his poll numbers, fundraising, and crowds would face.
The campaign is moving toward its internal $280 million target and savoring polls that have Sanders just behind Joe Biden, who Sanders and his team expect will only go down once he gets in the race. The number of candidates keeps growing, lowering how many people it would take to come in first beyond the 15 to 20 percent of primary voters who will stick with Sanders no matter what.
Actually, Biden's not in the lead in the polls. From "Bernie sets a new standard (Ava and C.I.):"
The event took place on the same day a new national poll (Emerson) found Bernie leading every Democrat in the race -- and even leading Joe Biden (undeclared so far). As the front runner, you'd think the press would cover him as such. Instead, they keep rushing from one younger male to another trying to prod and push the electorate. Six women are running for the party's presidential nomination -- US House Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Marianne Williamson, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Amy Klobuchar. It's worth noting that the press has not once attempted to push and prod the electorate over to one of those women. Our electorate has changed. Our candidates are becoming more representative. It's our press that continues to fail to move forward and progress.
So Bernie is in the lead. Ava and C.I. reported on it Monday. THE ATLANTIC is behind the times. Back to THE ATLANTIC:
Aides say that Sanders is envisioning himself in the Oval Office, which has been guiding his decisions on both campaign operations and policy positions. Their assessment is that Americans want Medicare for all, but are just anxious that Sanders wouldn’t be able to manage that or any of the other big changes he’s promising. They believe that a tightly run campaign would demonstrate that he could run the country, too. (That’s a huge shift from his last run, which, even as it caught fire in the primaries, never reached a level beyond joking about making his 2016 campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, the ambassador to the Vatican). They’re also hoping that the intensity of the campaign counters the three main weaknesses they’ve identified: that Sanders is too old, that people are scared off by the prospect of “socialism,” and that they hold not being a Democrat against him.
Tulsi Gabbard is my first choice but, yes, I can vote for Bernie. That's not "hold my nose and vote for him." I can gladly vote for him. I will not say that about many others in the race. As noted before, I do not support Mayor Pete and his transphobia. I've only recently learned about his gentrification while mayor and, yes, that is racism and siding with corporations so, no, Mayor Pete, just no.
Who else could I consider voting for? Elizabeth Warren, Beto O'Rourke, Julian Castor, Marianne Williamson, and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Wednesday, April 17, 2019. War Hawk Neera Tandem rounds up her fellow War Whores to defend her from journalism.
Neera Tanden is causing a stink yet again. She's Tweeted that her mother is a stupid idiot who doesn't understand either the press or how a phone works -- hanging up was not an option because her foreign mother is so stupid and NYT was just so evil to the old woman. That's what Neera says anyway. Neera's mother is no delicate flower and if she can handle the stink off Neera, she can handle anything. (By the way, non-stop phone calls saying, "She really does stink, doesn't she?" Yes, no joke, she does. And for people like myself who have a strong sense of smell, she's been offensive for years. Soap and water, Neera, daily.) And Neera's little War Hawk buddies from the Democratic Party are rushing to prop her up including the joke that is Paul Krugman. Paul, you are a joke.
Here's a typical Tweet. See the problem?
Neera Tanden is causing a stink yet again. She's Tweeted that her mother is a stupid idiot who doesn't understand either the press or how a phone works -- hanging up was not an option because her foreign mother is so stupid and NYT was just so evil to the old woman. That's what Neera says anyway. Neera's mother is no delicate flower and if she can handle the stink off Neera, she can handle anything. (By the way, non-stop phone calls saying, "She really does stink, doesn't she?" Yes, no joke, she does. And for people like myself who have a strong sense of smell, she's been offensive for years. Soap and water, Neera, daily.) And Neera's little War Hawk buddies from the Democratic Party are rushing to prop her up including the joke that is Paul Krugman. Paul, you are a joke.
Here's a typical Tweet. See the problem?
I thought the tone of the his story was weird because he was so clearly outraged for Bernie. Just as bad, if not worse, no one at the NYT edited or asked Vogel to rewrite it.
Ken Vogel once requested Chelsea Clinton’s school transcripts, using an FOIA form.
His story?
Elizabeth Williamson and Kenneth P. Vogel (NEW YORK TIMES) reported that story. Over the years in the US, we've come to expect that women's work is disappeared but if you ever think that's just done by men, grasp that women contribute as well -- women like Amy Mullen who write women like Elizabeth Williamson out the story.
I'm also not sure why Amy Mullen's is grasping the pearls over Kenneth Vogel asking fo Chelsea's transcripts. He's in his early forties so Chelsea was clearly an adult. It appears he requested that as Hillary was making her second run for president. That's perfectly fine and Amy Mullen is just a pathetic drama queen who's going to throw anything out there in her lust to protect her beloved Neera.
Faux feminism. If it weren't for faux feminists, the US might not have any at all. Faux feminists are just concerned that women get into spots that men hold. They're not concerned with real feminist issues. They're break the ceiling gals who want the status quo because they're too limited to imagine anything better.
Hold on though, we're not done with the stupid f**ks.
The NYT story on Neera Tanden should never have brought her mom into it. And whether you agree with Neera's views or not, her aggressiveness is one of her biggest strengths and would be lionized if she were a man.
Feminist Brian Fallon. Really, "Aggressiveness is one of her biggest strengths and would be lionized if she were a man"? Well he did work for Hillary so possibly that's where he learned that crap. But, no, Brian, aggressiveness is not admired in anyone. No one, in this day and age, says, "Thank goodness he's aggressive in the work force!" No one says that you stupid idiot.
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, admitted to the NYT that she assaulted an editor at her own organization for posing a mild question about the Iraq War to Hillary Clinton. nytimes.com/2019/04/15/us/…
Brian, you know what you're really doing? You're making a lot of us want to explore your boy Mayor Pete whose racism is well known in the community he represented. So as his racist gentrification program becomes a story, remember you did your part to make it one by attacking a legitimate journalism article.
Good summary.
Oh, look, nutty Rosa Brooks. Well of course. Neera did send out that e-mail asking everyone to Tweet her defense and so we're seeing those who are compromised rush forward. Rosa, for those who've forgotten, proposed that journalists be registered. I'd settle for inoculated but Rosa has always been an Orwellian nightmare.
She's a War Whore who has gotten by on her mother's reputation because she has no accomplishments of her own. She's a cheap little whore who is either too much of a liar or too stupid to know history. "Would you run an article about a male . . ."
Oh, Rosa, you old dirty whore, stop pretending you are a feminist or that you know anything.
Rosa, we get it, you're an old whore who tires easily. But stop playing the 'woman' card because you're not a feminist and you have no grasp on history -- recent or otherwise. You're just a dirty whore who came forward to defend a dirty whore named Neera. May you both find an afterlife that is as destructive as what the two of you have done to the world.
Oh, look, disgusting Gwen Ifill's cousin pops up to defend Neera. Gwen, the dead closet case who made nice with Condi -- cooking with Condi, remember, will always be the ultimate media whore who laughed in real time when Iraqis were shot up by Blackwater, who made jokes about it on the air. You'd think that would be enough to make the whole family leave public life. But if you think that, you're giving more thought to it than that pathetic family ever did.
NEW: Last week, @AmProg reached out to reporters to pick apart @BernieSanders’ “Medicare for All” plan.
* @AmProg has its own plan, which, unlike Bernie’s, reserves a role for private insurance cos. (like those that have previously donated to @AmProg).
THANKS, MOM! @NeeraTanden says she’s not out to get @BERNIESANDERS & wants unity among Democrats.
Neera’s mom, OTOH, says her daughter believes Bernie “got a pass” in 2016, “but he’s not getting a pass this time.”
BACKSTORY: In 2008, @NeeraTanden set up what she thought would be an easy interview for @HillaryClinton with @Faiz Shakir, then editor of @ThinkProgress.
But Faiz asked about the Iraq War.
Later, Neera punched him & asked “Who the f— do you think you are?”
THE POLITICS: @BernieSanders’ broadsides against @AmProg seem designed to rally his base by casting the group as an avatar of the corrupt Democratic establishment that deprived him the 2016 nomination & to signal that he won't abide a repeat of 2016.
<br /> <b class="embed-url embed-url-touch"><code><b class="punctuation"><br /></b></code></b> <b class="embed-url embed-url-touch"><code><b class="punctuation"><br /></b></code></b> <b class="embed-url embed-url-touch"><code><b class="punctuation"> <code><b class="punctuation"><</b>iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/714212956/714212957" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"></code> </b></code></b><br /> <b class="embed-url embed-url-touch"><code><b class="punctuation"><br /></b></code></b> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.albawaba.com/node/notre-dame-fire-reminds-syria-iraq-yemen-history-lost-during-war-1280569">Randa Darwish (ALBAWABA) reports</a>:<br /> <b><br /></b> <br /> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Notre Dame, with the religious and historic value it holds for French people and the human history, has its entire roof and unique spire falling down. Meanwhile, the precious paintings and treasures inside the cathedral were fortunately saved by the firefighters' efforts who spent nine hours battling the blaze until it was all extinguished.</b></div> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Luckily, billionaires from France and Europe stepped up to helping to reconstruct the cathedral with millions of donations pouring in.</b></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <section class="block block-ads-system block-ad-blockwysiwyg-2 clearfix" id="block-adblockwysiwyg2"> <div class="block-entity-ads wysiwyg_2" id="ad-wysiwyg_2"> <div class="ad" style="width: 300px;"> <div class="field field--name-ad-script field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"> <div id="Unit6"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section><br /> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Pictures of Notre Dame on fire and the international massive media coverage and support it received reminded millions of Syrians, Yemenis and Iraqis of tens of thousands-year-old churches and mosques they lost to violence and war.</b></div> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Thinking of a loss that can never really be completely restored, they went to the internet to mourn it and post before-and-after pictures for lost historical treasures.</b></div> <div> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" data-tweet-id="1117895463934615554" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" style="border-style: none; border-width: medium; display: block; height: 255.4px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; padding: 0px; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;" title="Twitter Tweet">
Aleppo’s recognized 1350-year-old Umayyad Mosque that was
almost completely destroyed by war in Syria was one of the oldest
historical mosques that got destroyed.
That's a more polite way of speaking about an issue that has touched off rage. WHen I saw the Tweets on Monday night I wondered about it. And then yesterday I heard what? US student after US student talking about the tragedy. And it is true that there had been no US attention and mourning for the things lost in the Middle East. That's in part because Americans aren't taught about those historic buildings. Mostly, we learn about them when they're destroyed, if we ever learn about them. Those in the Arab world who feel that Notre Dame gets in one hour more attention and sympathy than the destruction of a major mosque does in six months are correct.
The following sites updated:
