The Future of the Democratic Party

[Dr. Medulla]

Bernie running is the best political news of the year.

His best function might be as an unofficial attack dog for Warren, to expose the garbage centrists, and then let her be the electable version of him.

Also: push her away from her worst inclinations. Someone cutting through bullshit vagueness is exactly what the race needs.

The Hillary/Obama coalition still has enough of a finger on the till not to let him through, but if he did miraculously get the nom, while I think Trump will walk it, Bernard is one of the few I think with a fighting chance.

If he somehow won the nomination, which I doubt will happen because there are more alternatives than in 2016, almost all of them more tolerable than Clinton, he'd have the advantage that the pool of voters who will never ever vote for Trump (assuming he's around to run, which is a massive if) is bigger. The "well, maybe Trump won't be so bad" voter won't exist this time because he's a known quantity now and there are more people who'll vote Democrat regardless of who wins the nomination. That said, fucking hell, he's way too old for the job.

[Silent Majority]

Bernie running is the best political news of the year.

His best function might be as an unofficial attack dog for Warren, to expose the garbage centrists, and then let her be the electable version of him.

Also: push her away from her worst inclinations. Someone cutting through bullshit vagueness is exactly what the race needs.

The Hillary/Obama coalition still has enough of a finger on the till not to let him through, but if he did miraculously get the nom, while I think Trump will walk it, Bernard is one of the few I think with a fighting chance.

If he somehow won the nomination, which I doubt will happen because there are more alternatives than in 2016, almost all of them more tolerable than Clinton, he'd have the advantage that the pool of voters who will never ever vote for Trump (assuming he's around to run, which is a massive if) is bigger. The "well, maybe Trump won't be so bad" voter won't exist this time because he's a known quantity now and there are more people who'll vote Democrat regardless of who wins the nomination. That said, fucking hell, he's way too old for the job.

More faith in the brain and stamina of an 88 year old Bernie than in 70.year old Trump, ideology and intent quite aside.

[Dr. Medulla]

Bernie running is the best political news of the year.

His best function might be as an unofficial attack dog for Warren, to expose the garbage centrists, and then let her be the electable version of him.

Also: push her away from her worst inclinations. Someone cutting through bullshit vagueness is exactly what the race needs.

The Hillary/Obama coalition still has enough of a finger on the till not to let him through, but if he did miraculously get the nom, while I think Trump will walk it, Bernard is one of the few I think with a fighting chance.

If he somehow won the nomination, which I doubt will happen because there are more alternatives than in 2016, almost all of them more tolerable than Clinton, he'd have the advantage that the pool of voters who will never ever vote for Trump (assuming he's around to run, which is a massive if) is bigger. The "well, maybe Trump won't be so bad" voter won't exist this time because he's a known quantity now and there are more people who'll vote Democrat regardless of who wins the nomination. That said, fucking hell, he's way too old for the job.

More faith in the brain and stamina of an 88 year old Bernie than in 70.year old Trump, ideology and intent quite aside.

Well, sure, but the answer, to me, should be neither.

[Flex]

Well, sure, but the answer, to me, should be neither.

You heard it here first, folks: a vote for Flex!

[Silent Majority]

His best function might be as an unofficial attack dog for Warren, to expose the garbage centrists, and then let her be the electable version of him.

Also: push her away from her worst inclinations. Someone cutting through bullshit vagueness is exactly what the race needs.

The Hillary/Obama coalition still has enough of a finger on the till not to let him through, but if he did miraculously get the nom, while I think Trump will walk it, Bernard is one of the few I think with a fighting chance.

If he somehow won the nomination, which I doubt will happen because there are more alternatives than in 2016, almost all of them more tolerable than Clinton, he'd have the advantage that the pool of voters who will never ever vote for Trump (assuming he's around to run, which is a massive if) is bigger. The "well, maybe Trump won't be so bad" voter won't exist this time because he's a known quantity now and there are more people who'll vote Democrat regardless of who wins the nomination. That said, fucking hell, he's way too old for the job.

More faith in the brain and stamina of an 88 year old Bernie than in 70.year old Trump, ideology and intent quite aside.

Well, sure, but the answer, to me, should be neither.

OH I GUESS YOU WANT A PRESIDENT WHO IS NEITHER DYING OF OLD AGE NOR INCLINED TO PUT CHILDREN INTO CAMPS.

Making perfect the enemy of the good.

[Flex]

Doc is engaging in what we call "the soft bigotry of not wanting insanely old people to get senile and then die in political office"

[Dr. Medulla]

Doc is engaging in what we call "the soft bigotry of not wanting insanely old people to get senile and then die in political office"

"Soft bigotry"? My bigotry against old people is like granite.

[revbob]

I know it's been said before but Bernie really needs to do a better job of connecting with African Americans. He's only served office in Vermont (whitest state in the nation). To a lot of people who arent necessarily hardcore political junkies he looks like that crazy old racist guy who complained about the blacks moving into his neighborhood. I know he gets support from African American intellectuals like Cornell West. He also has a fear of alienating racists who might vote for him. When a white person won't vote for an African American because they are African American is racist and to try and excuse it shows either tremendous ignorance or fear of alienating racists.

[Silent Majority]

I know it's been said before but Bernie really needs to do a better job of connecting with African Americans. He's only served office in Vermont (whitest state in the nation). To a lot of people who arent necessarily hardcore political junkies he looks like that crazy old racist guy who complained about the blacks moving into his neighborhood. I know he gets support from African American intellectuals like Cornell West. He also has a fear of alienating racists who might vote for him. When a white person won't vote for an African American because they are African American is racist and to try and excuse it shows either tremendous ignorance or fear of alienating racists.

The guy's got his head up his arse for a bunch of stuff, but he's the only game in town for a kind of politics that may slightly improve American lives and murder fewer people overseas. The other dems want to compromise bipartisanly on accessibility to improving llfe-esque qualities for Americans in an affordable manner and are dedicated to setting up committees very very soon to ponder the policy of fewer dead foreigners.

[Flex]

I thought the parsing of this polling info on the subject was interesting: https://www.vox.com/2019/2/19/18231538/ ... ces-gallup

[revbob]

I know it's been said before but Bernie really needs to do a better job of connecting with African Americans. He's only served office in Vermont (whitest state in the nation). To a lot of people who arent necessarily hardcore political junkies he looks like that crazy old racist guy who complained about the blacks moving into his neighborhood. I know he gets support from African American intellectuals like Cornell West. He also has a fear of alienating racists who might vote for him. When a white person won't vote for an African American because they are African American is racist and to try and excuse it shows either tremendous ignorance or fear of alienating racists.

The guy's got his head up his arse for a bunch of stuff, ut he's the only game in town for a kind of politics that may slightly improve American lives and murder fewer people overseas. The other dems want accessibility to improving llfe-esque qualities for Americans in an affordable manner and are dedicated to setting up committees very very soon to ponder the policy of fewer dead foreigbers.

I don't disagree with you but I'm pretty sure he can't win without getting out the African American vote something that previous Democrats were able to do.

[Dr. Medulla]

I know it's been said before but Bernie really needs to do a better job of connecting with African Americans. He's only served office in Vermont (whitest state in the nation). To a lot of people who arent necessarily hardcore political junkies he looks like that crazy old racist guy who complained about the blacks moving into his neighborhood. I know he gets support from African American intellectuals like Cornell West. He also has a fear of alienating racists who might vote for him. When a white person won't vote for an African American because they are African American is racist and to try and excuse it shows either tremendous ignorance or fear of alienating racists.

I can speak from the experience of my mostly social democratic family members. They genuinely care about people having equal access to material goods and opportunities, but they don't see things in any way but a white norm. That is, take care of all the other stuff and things like racial and sexual discrimination will just, well, go away. That stuff is a distraction. I'll even confess that my inclinations are in that direction, but only in the more mercenary way—dealing with those questions cover more ground and encompass more people than questions that break on race and sex (I think). But I don't begrudge a person of colour who raises a skeptical eyebrow at how social democrats who focus on class can skip lightly with a lot of racists. This shit is a lot simpler in Scandinavian countries who conveniently bury racial issues—something I cite (without success) to those socdem family members.

[Inder]

[revbob]

Fun fact Ben Cohen makes a real mean beef stew. One of the best I ever had.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://splinternews.com/dianne-feinste ... 1832833216

The mark of the Democrat: That's nice, but we can't do that.