Wednesday's children and Sandernistas might be full of woe today, but just wait until tomorrow. Because while the fortune-telling nursery rhyme predicts that Thursday's child has far to go, Biden will only keep demonstrating how disturbingly far gone he truly is.
Godzillionaire Mike Bloomberg has dropped out. But as of this writing, Elizabeth Warren was still in, despite coming in third in her own home state of Massachusetts. Her top-secret Super PAC might soon make her an offer she can't refuse, however, and stop writing the checks that are keeping her campaign on life support. My prediction is that she will drop out and repeat what she did in 2016: refuse to endorse Bernie.
I hope I'm wrong, because in refusing to endorse Bernie she will be destroying her progressive brand and burying what is still left of her political career.
I think the original Democratic Party game plan was to keep Liz in the race all the way to the convention, just to siphon votes away from Sanders. I highly doubt that Barack Obama included her with the other candidates he obviously called after Biden's South Carolina win to make them the charm-offensive offers they couldn't refuse. She can't stand Biden, in particular his authorship of the bankruptcy bill favoring credit card companies and banks and punishing regular people, particularly women.
As Biden continues making what are still too kindly being called "gaffes," the media will get over its Super Tuesday group orgasm soon enough. At least Ronald Reagan had his rote acting skills to mask his own dementia most of the time.
As far as the "shock" of Biden's wins is concerned, remember that until a few weeks ago, he was the front-runner for the better part of a year. He would have to literally stop campaigning and giving interviews from here to the convention to pull off a Reaganesque head-fake. His failure to even campaign in the states he won has itself been a winning strategy up to now. This is largely because the field was so thinly spread. And likely because enough voters were so spooked by the media's relentless fear-mongering and red-baiting that they pulled the lever for someone they think they know.
Now that it's just him and Bernie, Biden can no longer hide while he runs. For its own part, the Democratic Party is so bankrupt that it has made Joe its sacrificial lamb at the altar of the Trump Temple, just to keep an FDR-style liberal like Sanders out of the White House.
When you think about it, this is really a form of elder abuse by the party leadership. It doesn't matter that Biden's vice president would be the real heir or heiress apparent for 2024 and probably already running things the minute Uncle Joe stumbles through the Oath of Office, should he miraculously beat Trump.
If the rumors are true and Biden names Stacey Abrams his running mate before the nomination, then Sanders will be free to follow suit and prematurely join forces with a firebrand like Nina Turner.
Thankfully, Bernie did not mention that "Joe is a good friend of mine" in a speech to supporters on Tuesday night. But he did seem compelled to add that "Joe is a decent guy" before noting his vote for the Iraq War, his support for job-destroying trade deals and his career-long crusade to cut Medicare and Social Security. If that's decency, then I don't know what Bernie's definition of pathological cruelty is.
Stay tuned.
18 comments:
Blind, ignorant, brain befuddled voters. How can they not see. I understand. Just frustrating to watch. Biden and Trump? Two feet from the cliff. But, don't give up.
Timid Bernie loses ground for us. His idea of courage is saying the establishment is getting 'a little bit' nervous. It's always 'a little bit' this and that, playing it safe, afraid to make a bold statement about the corrupt, rotten Dem establishment who've been open about stopping him and killing our movement.
This isn't the beginning. It's the end. First Obama threw us under the bus, then when we crawled out as Occupy, he coordinated a nationwide crackdown. Now he's coordinating to take down Bernie and bury our movement again.
Has Bernie learned nothing from Trump's campaign in 2016? If you want to take on the establishment, you have to at least sound like you are. Better yet, act like it!
Timid Bernie's biggest and most serious mistake has been in not condemning the red baiting and neoMcCarthyism of the Democratic establishment concocted by the Obama administration and fomented into hysteria by the Dem establishment. Bernie should have opposed that evil before it turned around and bit him in the ass, as we knew it would and has.
He still can't condemn it though. "Oh, Mr. Bloomberg" was his only response to being called a Commie on the national debate stage. Would the words 'Shame on you' be too bold? They would at least have conveyed to the public that it wasn't true. Bernie's not up to protecting us when he can't even stand up for himself. After all, when he's the Commie, that means that all of his supporters are the Commies. That's how it works.
"First they came for.... and I said nothing... then they came for me." Hello Bernie? Is anyone home? Think of your ancestors for God's sake!
Bernie should listen to Nina Turner:
"As a little girl, I would always ask my grandmother what it would take to be successful in life. ... She said all you need are the three bones: the wishbone, the jawbone, and the backbone. The wishbone would keep you hoping and praying because hope is the motivator, but the dream is the driver. The jawbone will give you courage to speak truth to power, lift your voice — it should matter that you’re in the room, that you’re in that space with that voice. The backbone ... will give you courage to stand through all of your trials and tribulations."
Bernie should at least name a VP and let her loose without a muzzle or reins. I nominate Nina Turner and/or Tulsi Gabbard, both with tons of integrity and courage. Maybe a little will rub off on Timid Bernie.
As Vixen wrote today, "For all that anyone might want to ding [Biden's] campaign turnabout on the donor class or elites or the establishment, the fact is--working class people, and marginalized people, and all kinds of people actually in fact voted for him. You can't take away from that by mislabeling his support."
http://vixenstrangelymakesuncommonsense.blogspot.com/2020/03/there-is-metaphor-in-here.html#more
I agree with her, not you. I like Biden.
So Tom Shefchik, you like this?
Joe Biden Was Instrumental in Launching the Iraq War —
https://therealnews.com/stories/biden-launch-iraq-war-documentary
February 21, 2020
A new documentary detailing Joe Biden's pivotal role in launching the Iraq War exposes just how far he's trying to distance himself from his war vote.
We speak to the film's director, Mark Weisbrot.
Fact Check: Joe Biden Has Advocated Cutting Social Security for 40 Years —
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/13/biden-cuts-social-security/
January 13 2020 ~ by Ryan Grim
125+ Reasons You Should Not Vote for Joe Biden —
https://medium.com/@westonpagano/125-reasons-you-should-not-vote-for-joe-biden-e3cc298cad88
Jan 28, 2020 ~ by Weston David Pagano
No Joe!
Joe Biden’s disastrous legislative legacy —
https://harpers.org/archive/2019/03/joe-biden-record/
March 2019 ~ by Andrew Cockburn for Harpers
As the coronavirus spreads around the country, Bernie ought to hang Biden's support for healthcare profiteering around his neck and make him wear it everywhere. As the problems from the virus escalate, congratulate Joe on his success. Make that vermin the Face of Healthcare Profiteering.
Here's a video of Joe Biden commenting on Bernie and Hillary in an interview 4 years ago when he could still express himself cogently. I bet most voters think that man still exists and is why they cast their vote for him. I almost would.
Take a look. It's only 1:34 long. The deterioration since then is stunning.
https://twitter.com/SharnaAisha/status/1235049620767555585
Good article by Henry Giroux over on Tikkun:
"Auschwitz & Its Relevance to 2020 U.S."
https://www.tikkun.org/auschwitz-its-relevance-to-2020-u-s
wow, karen, great post. a lot to mull over, but I certainly agree thst it constitutes a form of elder abuse.
annie, the video you provided is shocking. that’s the Joe so many of us who are still Dems remember with not a little fondness. Articulate and empathetic.
I’ve learned too much about Biden at this point not to hold him accountable for his many bad policies - the irony being that at this point, he’s too far gone to be held accountable.
I actually appreciate the strategy behind Bernie treating Joe with kindness while also holding him accountable for his past bad policies.
It’s not so much going “easy” on Joe as it is wisely not being overly harsh with someone who is not all there. It humanizes Sanders who is too often portrayed as angry by the mainstream media. But most importantly, it provides a bridge for other Democrats who want a more equitable set of policies and would be happy to walk over said bridge to Sanders camp.
W/r/t Warren, I have the same concerns as Karen - that Warren will betray her own legacy to support Biden. I’d ike to be more hopeful about her, but the pattern is clear.
I had the day off, and needed it to recover from an injury. I felt frankly depressed about sanders not winning texas, so I started Dos Passos’ USA trilogy on the recommendation of a client, lively book so far, plenty of political activity and organizing.
"The political parties are two wings of the same bird of prey.”
~ Upton Sinclair
Those controlling both parties desperately want to maintain the status quo at any and all cost.
Jessica Cisneros, a Progressive Favorite, Loses to Incumbent Henry Cuellar —
https://theintercept.com/2020/03/04/jessica-cisneros-texas-28-henry-cuellar-congress-primary/
March 4, 2020 ~ by Lee Fang
…
"Dark money flooded the district, with undisclosed cash from the American Bankers Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a new group called American Workers for Progress, used to boost Cuellar over the last month. Cuellar is a favorite among the business lobbying community. Emails obtained by The Intercept show the lawmaker routinely providing favors for a border security company seeking contracts with the government after providing Cuellar with campaign contributions.
"That’s not to say Cisneros did not also receive significant support. In the last fundraising period before the election, she out-raised Cuellar largely from small donors and through publicity she received via endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ocasio-Cortez, and EMILY’s List. In the final days of the campaign, Working Families Party, the Texas AFL-CIO, and the SEIU helped Cisneros counter Cuellar’s advertising.
"But the race provided a vivid display of the power of entrenched political interests from across the political aisle. Americans for Prosperity Action, the Super PAC founded and funded by right-wing billionaire Charles Koch, intervened in the race to support Cuellar, the very first time the group has supported a Democrat. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus both worked to raise money for Cuellar over the last month."
How will the Dems protect Biden from the humiliation of having his dementia exposed and risk defeat? Use Coronavirus as the pretext to cancel debates. His staff can also try to keep him leashed to a Teleprompter and avoid unscripted events such as press conferences just as Hillary did in 2016. The media of course will keep ignoring the problem.
I might know the cause of Joe's dementia. It's the same as Nancy Pelosi's difficulty enunciating, as if she has ill-fitting dentures: Botoxicity!
Here's another wild and crazy theory or two.
The Dem establishment knows full well that Uncle Joe has dementia and they don't care - because they never had any intention of allowing him to be nominated anyway. I think that once Sanders obligingly withdraws, Biden will be taking some much needed time off from the trail and entering an undisclosed rest home to get rested up for the convention. At the last minute, Jill Biden will be sad to report that Joe has been dx'd with Alzheimer's or related malady and will be withdrawing his name. Without any presumptive nominee, who do you suppose will sweep in to save the day? (Hint: this person currently has a four part hagiography airing on Hulu.)
Of course, Annie could be right and in keeping with the neoliberal mantra of never letting a serious crisis go to waste, the pandemic will not only cancel the debates but the convention itself, necessitating the nomination of you know who by committee in a closed room. Or probably on Dave Geffen's super yacht in the pragmatic interest of avoiding germs as well as the voting public.
Whereupon the pandemic and DNC end run around democracy will give Trump the perfect excuse to cancel the whole damned election and appoint himself to another term or until the world is again safe to hold elections. If Rudy Giuliani could try this trick after 9/11, just think of the possibilities of a global pandemic.
It's like 'Weekend at Bernie's' with Joe being propped up and dragged around to make him look alive and well. I can't imagine Hillary NOT plotting to get the nomination. We know she wants it in the worst way.
She's still bashing Bernie every chance she gets, as is Liawatha who's been sounding more like Hillary every day. They'll soon both get more chances with the launch of Hillary's new podcast on IHeartRadio, yet unnamed.
Yup, it's going to be one HELLary of a year. I hope the Coronavirus doesn't hit all those old politicians... too hard ;-)
"Is Joe Biden the American Brezhnev?
Leaders in the late Soviet Union wilfully ignored the need for structural reform. The Democratic contender should take note."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/06/biden-soviet-russia-status-quo-democratic-ussr
Liawatha lol
"For its own part, the Democratic Party is so bankrupt that it has made Joe its sacrificial lamb at the altar of the Trump Temple, just to keep an FDR-style liberal like Sanders out of the White House."
That gives the Democratic Party a little bit too much credit. It created that boogeyman view of Trump/Putin/dictatorship/President-for-Life. That was its strategy to keep the donor dollars rolling in after the Hillary fiasco. That became its strategy to win in 2020 instead of offering anything disliked by those donors, like health insurance for non-donors, or fairer income distribution between donors and non-donors aka winners and losers under Obama's version of a recovery. Joe is not being sacrificed to that, he is the useful tool to further it. He won't upset the donors. He's not much, but he won't scare off the donors.
Irony: After all the talk of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump, it is quite possible that it will be Biden who is removed that way for Alzheimer's.
Therefore, be very careful of who is named as VP.
Hard to believe every Dem operative with functioning brain cells isn't fully aware that Joe has very few of his own anymore. They've got plans.
So does Elizabeth Warren. Stay tuned for her endorsement, when the time is right, of Hillary Clinton.
Bernie recently announced that he'd concede to Joe if Joe has more votes going into the convention. At first I was pissed and wondered why he doesn't just concede now and get it over since hell will freeze over before they let him win. But then I realized where he's coming from. Hillary could be chosen by the supers.
Of course Zombie Joe could be swayed to name her as VP given that she's The Most Experienced Candidate for President Ever, but he might not. Only the supers could guarantee that Hillary will get a crack at the glass ceiling again.
Warren's continuing Bernie-bashing; her new Girl Power theme; her planting a story with CNN with her version of a sexist remark Bernie allegedly made during a year-old private conversation; and her accusing Bernie during a televised national debate that HE was accusing HER of being a liar on national tv are all so perfectly Hillaryish that they could be twins.
"There's a special place in hell for women who don't support other women."
The New York Times has a particularly venomous piece today entitled, “The Bernie Sanders Personality Test”. It attacks him personally, as a human being who barks at his campaign aids, and compares him to someone who constantly complains in restaurants about the food; it even implies he has poor hygiene. It’s completely childish and untrue. A few people defend him in their comments but most believe the piece of trash is true. I wrote two comments. I’m waiting to see if the second is even published. (The first received four approval votes.)
There’s another one, entitled, “Bernie Mad! Bernie Smash!”, that is just as misleading and grownup.
I have to try to control myself.
Mike Taibbi in his latest Rolling Stone “Useful Idiots” youtube, said if Bernie Sanders doesn’t attract more voters soon, it’s his fault in part and he will have to play the same game the other candidates have, and attack Joe Biden beneath the belt. I don’t agree with him. Bernie’s fighting the Democratic Establishment, the former candidates who endorsed Joe Biden and the corporate media, who directs citizens to vote against their own interests in favor of the wealthy class.
I’m sure Bernie will continue to remain ethical and mature in this race. He has been for the past 40 years of his political career.
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