US Politics Mega-thread - Page 1886

On November 14 2019 07:20 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Falling, do people want to be led because that is the natural state of a certain % of people or because they have grown up accustomed to being subordinate?

I would also argue that there is a strong relation between claiming that something is natural and claiming that we should not aim to change it, although I also see the argument that 'civilization' entails the deliberate creation of social structures that limit our worst 'natural' traits and that awareness of those natural traits is important to accurately design those social structures, that argument hinges on the acceptance of my primary argument - that culture generally supersedes nature.

I would hold fairly loosely what humans were like pre-10,000 because it's part of our history we know almost jack-all.

they at least had the decency to write things down

Deval Patrick, who made history after becoming Massachusetts’ first black governor, threw his name into the 2020 Democratic presidential election Thursday.

In a video released Thursday morning, Patrick, 63, played up his poor upbringing on the South Side of Chicago and traced his journey to the "American Dream," the path to which is "closing off," he said.

"I admire and respect the candidates in the Democratic field, they bring a richness of ideas and experience and a depth of character that makes me proud to be a Democrat," he said. "But if the character of the candidates is an issue in every election, this time is about the character of the country."

Patrick made a passing reference to President Donald Trump, but did not mention him by name. The election, he said, is "about more than removing an unpopular and divisive leader" but about "delivering instead for you."

Election 2020: In California's 2020 primary, Latino voters could help Democrats defeat President Trump

Patrick is a close ally of former President Barack Obama, and previously explored a bid for the presidency before deciding not to run.

In August 2018, allies of Patrick launched a political action committee called Reason to Believe, and Patrick spent time ahead of the 2018 midterms stumping for Democratic candidates.

But in December, Patrick took his name out of the running, citing “the cruelty of our elections process.”

"I’ve been overwhelmed by advice and encouragement from people from all over the country, known and unknown. Humbled, in fact," Patrick said in a statement posted to Facebook at the time. "But knowing that the cruelty of our elections process would ultimately splash back on people whom (my wife) and I love, but who hadn’t signed up for the journey, was more than I could ask."

Patrick's decision reflects uncertainty from some about the direction of the Democratic presidential primary. Former Vice President Joe Biden entered the race as the frontrunner and maintains significant support from black voters, whose backing is critical in a Democratic primary. But he’s facing spirited challenges from Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, progressives whose calls for fundamental economic change have alarmed moderates and wealthy donors.

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Patrick’s candidacy faces a significant hurdle to raise enormous amounts of money quickly and to build an organization in the traditional early voting states that most of his rivals have focused on for the past year. And he’ll have to pivot to the expensive and logistically daunting Super Tuesday contests, when voters in more than a dozen states and territories head to the polls.

Patrick graduated from Harvard Law School and later went on to be part of President Bill Clinton’s administration as chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Patrick is not the only moderate Democrat who is seeking a late entry into the 2020 race. Michael Bloomberg is also weighing a bid, billing himself as a more centrist alternative that could beat President Donald Trump.

Due to his late bid in the race, Patrick will likely not make the debate stage in December, where he will need at least 200,000 unique contributors and at least 4% in four national or early state polls, or at least 6% in two early state polls.

The Massachusetts Democrat will likely benefit from his state’s proximity to New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state.

On November 15 2019 04:48 Nouar wrote:
Credit be due, republicans in Kentucky didn't try the hard, barely legal but scummy approach to decide the election by themselves, and Matt Bevin conceded after the recanvass showed he was behind.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/14/matt-bevin-concedes-kentucky-governor-070975

On November 15 2019 04:56 Gorsameth wrote:
really? we're going to give credit for giving up after a recount?

On November 15 2019 09:25 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:


What about the idea that Pete winning in Iowa might make other moderates more interested in him than Biden? I can't imagine too many Warren or Sanders supporters switching to Pete after Iowa, but switching from the main moderate (Biden) to another moderate (Pete) could happen?

On November 15 2019 09:55 Mohdoo wrote:

Yeah team biden going to team Pete makes a lot of sense. Would probably mean either Warren or Bernie need to drop out for either to have a chance. The Bernie/Warren merger beats a Pete/Biden merger by a long shot IMO.

On November 15 2019 09:59 GreenHorizons wrote:


If it's Warren that stays in, she'll lose, either in the primary or the general imo.

On November 15 2019 10:11 Liquid`Drone wrote:
I'd love a bernie/warren ticket but isn't there some merit to using the VP as a way of reaching out to the entire democratic base?

like warren/buttigieg duo?