2017 Democratic Thread

[Soxbadger]

2016, not so much.

 

Bernie lost. It wasnt even close. I accidentally went to a "Burn" rally because we were looking for a bar and it was completely empty. When we got inside they said it was a rally for Bernie, not 1 person was there.

 

Its strange, but most people who think Bernie was treated unfairly are Republicans...

 

(edit)

 

And not sure what the relevance of those links are. People say things like that all the time, its the nature of the election business. I cant imagine Clinton writing "Well, maybe if I wasnt being stupid and trying to win states like Texas, id have actually visited Wisconsin, MN, PA etc. What the f*** was I thinking?'

 

Would be shocking to read a politician being honest about their shortcomings.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Soxbadger

[StrangeSox]

The Democratic establishment didn't treat the outsider running against the establishment very friendly. I don't know why anyone was ever shocked about this. But ultimately the primary wasn't all that close and Clinton won by a comfortable margin.

 

The RNC tried stacking the deck in favor of a couple of specific candidates, too, but that didn't work out for them.

 

One unfortunate side affect of Bernie's run was a lot of people thinking the DNC is a lot more powerful and important than it really is.

[Soxbadger]

The Democratic establishment didn't treat the outsider running against the establishment very friendly. I don't know why anyone was ever shocked about this. But ultimately the primary wasn't all that close and Clinton won by a comfortable margin.

 

The RNC tried stacking the deck in favor of a couple of specific candidates, too, but that didn't work out for them.

 

One unfortunate side affect of Bernie's run was a lot of people thinking the DNC is a lot more powerful and important than it really is.

 

Only people who bring it up are people who werent voting for Sanders/Clinton in the first place.

 

Its purely political noise to try and hurt their political opponent.

 

Why do you think Trump wanted Bernie to run as an independent? Because he liked Bernie? Or maybe it was because he thought it would hurt Clinton's chances?

 

Hmm hard question.

[bmags]

Important part of the article, which, again that resolution was soundly defeated.

 

This won:

Earlier in the day, Sanders supporters scored another win by passing language officially rejecting “corporate donors that conflict with our DNC platform.”

 

That language had first been introduced in 2016, when the DNC’s quadrennial platform committee met over two days to hammer out differences between supporters of Sanders and Clinton. Christine Pelosi, a San Francisco activist who had backed Clinton in the primary, introduced language that would committed the party to rejecting money from business interests whose interests conflicted with the party’s platform. The platform committee, dominated by Clinton delegates, voted it down.

[Soxbadger]

Cool. But frankly this is Bernie's party now:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpo...m=.e07bbeb85fb5

 

How can it be "his party" if he doesnt want to be a part of it?

 

 

[StrangeSox]

Only people who bring it up are people who werent voting for Sanders/Clinton in the first place.

 

Its purely political noise to try and hurt their political opponent.

 

Why do you think Trump wanted Bernie to run as an independent? Because he liked Bernie? Or maybe it was because he thought it would hurt Clinton's chances?

 

Hmm hard question.

 

"Bernie woulda won" is still a big deal on the left fwiw. There's still plenty of fighting between the more centrist and more left wing factions.

[Soxbadger]

"Bernie woulda won" is still a big deal on the left fwiw. There's still plenty of fighting between the more centrist and more left wing factions.

 

Thats an entirely different argument.

 

 

[Reddy]

"Bernie woulda won" is still a big deal on the left fwiw. There's still plenty of fighting between the more centrist and more left wing factions.

it has been factually debunked with statistics, but yeah. Thing is, Bernie himself is now the divisive figure in Democratic politics. See: Women's Convention fiasco.

 

The idea that it's "his party" is laughable. Should he run, Trump will be re-elected.

[StrangeSox]

You can't "debunk" historical counterfactuals, but the best argument against it is that he was a bad enough candidate to lose to Hillary Clinton

[Reddy]

You can't "debunk" historical counterfactuals, but the best argument against it is that he was a bad enough candidate to lose to Hillary Clinton

There are plenty of takeaways from the election results that help create the argument as well. He didn't mobilize minority voters, and while he may have been able to flip Wisconsin, he would've likely lost places like Virginia in addition to Pennsylvania and Michigan (Philly/Pittsburgh, Detroit respectively)

[GoSox05]

it has been factually debunked with statistics, but yeah. Thing is, Bernie himself is now the divisive figure in Democratic politics. See: Women's Convention fiasco.

 

The idea that it's "his party" is laughable. Should he run, Trump will be re-elected.

 

"it has been factually debunked with statistics".

 

 

Agree. There is no way possible the most popular politician in the country would have won.

[StrangeSox]

"it has been factually debunked with statistics".

 

 

Agree. There is no way possible the most popular politician in the country would have won.

 

Let me ruin your morning:

 

51% of Democrats now hold a favorable view of George "International Torture Regime and 2 Never-ending Wars" W. Bush.

[bmags]

Let me ruin your morning:

 

51% of Democrats now hold a favorable view of George "International Torture Regime and 2 Never-ending Wars" W. Bush.

 

To me this just means that people aren't answering the question actually asked.

[GoSox05]

Let me ruin your morning:

 

51% of Democrats now hold a favorable view of George "International Torture Regime and 2 Never-ending Wars" W. Bush.

 

I read this yesterday. All you have to do to be loved by some Democrats is say something negative about Trump. Only a matter of time before Dick Cheney joins #theresistance.

 

 

 

 

[StrangeSox]

To me this just means that people aren't answering the question actually asked.

 

This is true of a lot of questions on a lot of polls. Could be some Democrats signaling "Trump bad" since W just gave an anti-Trump speech, though there has been far too much genuine "well, at least Bush wasn't as bad as Trump!" sentiment.

[Balta1701]

Eww eww eww eww eww

Grolnick described a similar incident, when Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush went backstage to meet the cast of a play he’d seen, and of which she was a member: “We all circled around him and Barbara for a photo, and I was right next to him,” she told Deadspin. “He reached his right hand around to my behind, and as we smiled for the photo he asked the group, ‘Do you want to know who my favorite magician is?’ As I felt his hand dig into my flesh, he said, ‘David Cop-a-Feel!’”

 

The former first lady, Grolnick said, said something like “He’s going to get himself put into jail!” Lind, in her case, said Barbara Bush had said, “Not again.”

“At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures. To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely.”

Deadspin’s Dave McKenna noted in his report on Grolnick’s allegation that he had found, in previous reporting, two women who had tweeted about Bush making the “David Cop-a-feel” joke on Apr. 4, 2014.

 

"My favourite magician is David Cop-A-Feel" – #GeorgeBushSnr #quote #GOPfail #ladieslunch

 

— Sarah Pinborough (@SarahPinborough) April 4, 2014

 

"My favourite magician is David Cop-a-feel" – George Bush Sr #quote #ladieslunch #georgebushsr #republican #GOPfail

 

— Abigail Blackmore (@snaxhanso) April 4, 2014

[bmags]

This is true of a lot of questions on a lot of polls. Could be some Democrats signaling "Trump bad" since W just gave an anti-Trump speech, though there has been far too much genuine "well, at least Bush wasn't as bad as Trump!" sentiment.

 

"Do you approve of the Presidency of George W. Bush"

[StrangeSox]

Eww eww eww eww eww

The dam seems to have burst a bit here. Mark Halperin out at NBC over multiple sexual harassment allegations.

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/...1026-story.html

[bmags]

And Leon Weiseltier

[StrangeSox]

People weren't named, but there was an open letter by Illinois congresswomen detailing many, many cases of harassment by their colleagues over the years.

 

A growing number of women are speaking out about their experiences with sexual harassment and misogyny in Illinois politics - many through an open letter demanding a change in the culture.

 

As of Tuesday afternoon, the letter had more than 170 signatures from lawmakers, staffers and political consultants.

 

Combined with a Facebook group named "Illinois Say No More," the call to action has caught legislators' attention, with a proposal to require yearly sexual harassment training garnering bipartisan support.

 

The letter in its entirety reads as follows:

 

#MeToo?​ ​It’s​ ​Time​ ​to​ ​Demand​ ​#NoMore​ ​in​ ​Illinois.

If you’re one of the 6.9 million Illinois residents on Facebook, your news feed has undoubtedly been inundated with a stream of #MeToo posts, ranging from daily microaggressions to acts of pure viciousness. This should not come as a surprise. Every industry has its own version of the casting couch. Illinois politics is no exception.

 

Ask any woman who has lobbied the halls of the Capitol, staffed Council Chambers, or slogged through brutal hours​ ​on​ ​the​ ​campaign​ ​trail.​ ​Misogyny​ ​is​ ​alive​ ​and​ ​well​ ​in​ ​this industry.

 

It looks like The Globe on any given session night in Springfield, where it’s clear that a woman must endure the crude jokes and untoward advances of male colleagues and legislators if she wants to garner support for her work.

 

It looks like a male legislator -- a chamber leader -- asking a female staffer out to dinner under the guise of offering​ ​mentorship,​ ​then​ ​proceeding​ ​to​ ​explain​ ​his​ ​“open​ ​marriage”​ ​to​ ​her​ ​and​ ​ask​ ​if​ ​she’s​ ​single.

 

It looks like a female staffer leading a complex bill negotiation, and the male legislator whose assent is crucial to her success starts texting her late at night asking what she’s doing. (The answer? She was sleeping. Because​ ​she​ ​was​ ​working​ ​with​ ​dogged​ ​pursuit​ ​to​ ​accomplish​ ​her​ ​goals.)

 

It looks like a committee chairman, with the power to kill her bill, telling a female staffer “nice ass” as she walks through the hotel hallways fresh from her morning workout, the forced intimacy of staying in the same hotels leaving​ ​little​ ​room​ ​for​ ​privacy​ ​or​ ​refuge.

 

It looks like the candidate who slides his hands across the body of his fundraising consultant during call time. Who calls and texts her in the middle of the night, and refuses to pay her what she is owed because his advances​ ​are​ ​rebuked.

It looks like the popular downstate (married) county chairman, who while walking down Michigan Avenue late one evening after attending a campaign fundraiser with a much younger female campaign staffer, asks if she’d like​ ​to​ ​come​ ​upstairs​ ​to​ ​his​ ​hotel​ ​room​ ​for​ ​a​ ​“night​ ​cap”.

 

It looks like the female colleagues who advise the next generation of women to “flirt back” and to “smile and shrug​ ​it​ ​off”​ ​because​ ​“that’s​ ​what​ ​I​ ​had​ ​to​ ​do​ ​to​ ​get​ ​ahead.”

 

It looks like the willful ignorance of every colleague who sees this behavior and ignores it, dismisses it as “locker​ ​room​ ​talk,”​ ​and​ ​shrugs​ ​it​ ​off​ ​because,​ ​“boys​ ​will​ ​be​ ​boys”​ ​and​ ​that’s​ ​“just​ ​how​ ​men​ ​talk.”

 

We​ ​see​ ​it.​ ​We​ ​live​ ​it.​ ​We​ ​power​ ​through​ ​it.​ ​Every​ ​day.

 

With each act of aggression, a woman internalizes the idea that she’s not enough. That she somehow deserves this or simply has to accept it as the status quo. That the only way to get ahead is to endure this type of dehumanizing behavior, with a smile no less. It’s truly exhausting and utterly defeating. And for many, it’s not a sustainable way to live. So women choose to leave careers in public service, and all Illinoisans suffer the loss of​ ​their​ ​brilliance​ ​and​ ​commitment​ ​to​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​better​ ​Illinois.

 

Let’s be clear: every woman you know, in every industry -- regardless of age, race, physical appearance, gender expression, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation -- has a #MeToo story. Even if they don’t feel safe enough to share it in a social media post. So why the silence up until this point? The reality is that telling the​ ​truth​ ​can​ ​still​ ​cost​ ​you​ ​your​ ​career.​ ​Unless​ ​enough​ ​of​ ​us​ ​speak​ ​up.

 

Empowered by the the brave women who represent California, women who’ve done their part to help make Illinois run are taking a stand. The time has come for us to raise our collective voices, share our stories, and say #NoMore. We need our male allies to commit to saying #IWill do better. And men, if you’re reading this and thinking “that’s not me” -- perhaps not, but have you ever witnessed a microaggression and not called it out?

 

Have you heard a male colleague judge a female colleague on anything ​but her ability to do her job effectively, and​ ​said​ ​nothing?​ ​Then​ ​yes,​ ​it’s​ ​also​ ​you.​ ​And​ ​your​ ​silence​ ​is​ ​deafening.

 

This election cycle, we need to commit to challenging every elected official, every candidate, and every participant in our democratic process who is culpable. Illinois deserves responsible stewards of power. Let’s demand​ ​better.

 

Sincerely,

The​ ​Women​ ​Who​ ​Make​ ​Illinois​ ​Run

[Reddy]

"it has been factually debunked with statistics".

 

 

Agree. There is no way possible the most popular politician in the country would have won.

 

Google Hillary's approval rating as Sec of State. Polls mean nothing outside of election cycles. Nothing.

 

[StrangeSox]

Bob Corker’s poll numbers just plunged among Republicans amid his Trump feud

 

The GOP is now the party of Trumpism and loyalty to a single individual is all that matters.

[Dam8610]

it has been factually debunked with statistics, but yeah. Thing is, Bernie himself is now the divisive figure in Democratic politics. See: Women's Convention fiasco.

 

The idea that it's "his party" is laughable. Should he run, Trump will be re-elected.

 

Please present said statistics.

[GoSox05]

The alt-right fell for a Twitter joke and now it's total chaos

 

 

Really funny, but also these people do not live in reality.

[StrangeSox]

The alt-right fell for a Twitter joke and now it's total chaos

 

 

Really funny, but also these people do not live in reality.

 

Krang's got a piece up on his side of the story

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/evbpkn/t...te-supremacists

 

This isn't the first time that the alt-right and sovcit movement has been trolled by "antifa" posters into going to non-existent antifa rallies. These guys don't seem to get that antifa shows up as a reaction force to fascist gatherings, not the other way around.

Edited November 1, 2017 by StrangeSox