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Election 2020 The 2020 Candidates: Right, Left and Center!

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5 Women Bernie Sanders Could Pick For Veep In 2020
www.ccn.com

5 Women Bernie Sanders Might Pick for V.P. if He's Nominated in 2020

Bernie Sanders’ poll numbers and fundraising are surging. He's hinted at who he might pick for his running mate if he's nominated in 2020.
www.ccn.com www.ccn.com

1 Sen. Elizabeth Warren

At 70 years of age, Elizabeth Warren is a good eight years younger than Sanders. She’s also undoubtedly progressive. Picking her for VP in 2020 would create a progressive unity ticket after their fierce 2019 war over the Democratic Party’s left wing.

2. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard is more than a couple decades younger than Sanders, so whether she makes the list depends on how literally he meant “a couple years younger.” The congresswoman might be viewed as too inexperienced, but that didn’t stop Dan Quayle from becoming George H. W. Bush’s vice president. Gabbard has been a long time Bernie ally. She stepped down from Vice Chair of the DNC to endorse him in 2016.

3. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (WI – swing state)

Here’s a name you probably haven’t heard. But Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) would make a smart running mate for Sanders in 2020. She’d help him flip a key swing state Democrats lost to Trump in 2016. Her progressive bona fides are unquestionable. She’s a member of the Congressional Progressive Congress and has one of the most liberal voting records on Capitol Hill according to the National Journal.

4. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI – swing state)

Stabenow is another U.S. senator who you’ve never heard of, but might hear a lot about if Sanders is nominated in 2020. She’s represented Michigan in the Senate since 2001, another blue swing state that Trump won in 2016. She gets high scores from progressive groups like ProgressivePunch (92% )Free market groups like the Competitive Enterprise Institute score her low (0% )

5. Michelle Obama

This would be a real wild card veep pick. But it might be the trump card the eventual nominee will need to beat Donald Trump in 2020.
 
TheLoveBandit said:
I think Tulsi gets a LOT more pull from conservatives than ANY other Dem candidate for Pres, and would likely be a great addition for Sanders to get more votes.

I question, however, the point of the VP in that they don't really execute their agenda. Mostly, it's following the agenda of the Pres and VPs are used to pull more votes and give a second person for all the White House obligations. It's a great stepping stone for her, or anyone else, that wants to run in the future, but really....the last several VPs have been forgettable shadows under their Presidents, IMO.
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I think with Bernie having had a heart attack recently, and I don’t think that counts him out - look at former VP Cheney, the choice will be more scrutinized.
 
novaveritas said:
Mueller report was pretty laughable. Russia really does have better things to do than interfere in the mythical probity of US elections, the USonians are pretty good at corrupting the process all on their own.

Russia Russia Russia is a convenient bogeyman, the current politicians version of "look squirrel". The USA has undermined its own stability by screwing over sections of its own country for the benefit of a few select elite groups. Once economic disparity and disparity of opportunity reaches a certain level instability always results. Stop blaming Russia start look at around at yourselves because denial is the real heart of the problem. The political system in the USA is broken, Russia didn't break it, Americans (lobbyists politicians cronies think tanks lawyers and on and on) broke it.
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Don't get me wrong, I know we did this to ourselves. I just don't think we should discount Russia (or China) from using this opportunity to hammer the wedge in. Both of them are set on being the top world power/empire, I don't think we should assume they're not trying to utilize this situation to their advantage. Hence my issue with Trump/etc passing the blame from Russia to Ukraine.
 
James Carville, who is nothing if not colorful, went off on MSNBC about the current Democratic field (linked to article).
Here’s an interview with him, and I think he makes some points about what people want to hear about and what candidates need to focus on now that more people are paying attention.
Why are you “scared to death” about the 2020 election?

James Carville

Look, the turnout in the Iowa caucus was below what we expected, what we wanted. Trump’s approval rating is probably as high as it’s been. This is very bad. And now it appears the party can’t even count votes. What the hell am I supposed to think?

I’ll just say it this way: The fate of the world depends on the Democrats getting their shit together and winning in November. We have to beat Trump. And so far, I don’t like what I see. And a lot of people I talk to feel the same way.
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www.vox.com

"We’re losing our damn minds": James Carville unloads on the Democratic Party

Why the longtime Democratic strategist is "scared to death" of the 2020 election
www.vox.com www.vox.com
 
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^Carville is a Clintonite through and through. No surprise he's bitter Bernie is leading the pack...

meanwhile ABC News/Disney Corp. and Mayo Pete are busy working on the Republican playbook

 
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I read something on the BBC today that said 28 millions Americans still don't have healthcare insurance.


28 million!!!​


That's insane. You yanks are just nuts. It's not like even having health insurance is particularly great either, since you still pay out of pocket for things, stupid co-pays and dumb stuff like that, and dedicate a totally unnecessary proportion of your life dealing with the bureaucracy of it all - about plans and costs and where to get treated and all that utter b/s which, as non-medical experts, very few of you are in any way qualified to make reliable judgements about.
 
It is crazy, isn't it? Even crazier that so many people staunchly defend the system and come up with reasons why we shouldn't be spending our tax dollars on taking care of peoples' health. No wonder we have an epidemic of preventable diseases. 28+ million people won't go to the doctor until there is a life-threatening emergency because they can't afford it. People have an accident, go to the emergency room, and end up in debt for the rest of their lives. It's insanity.

I have really good health insurance, and I still have to pay the first $400 a year out of pocket, and have co-pays. Plus I pay $140 a month for it through my work, and they pay 80% of the cost of the policy. So if I was single-payer, the same health insurance would cost me ~$700 a month.
 
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Yeah, it is mad.

I was over in the summer and my Mum collapsed and passed out. And the US friends we were with were like "are you sure you want to call an ambulance?!?! What about an Uber?" and I was like "what kind of f-ing planet are you people from?!? Of course I want an ambulance, call them right now!"

Finding out that you guys pay THOUSANDS for an ambulance and so would rather get a frigging taxi is just, well, surreal.

And then there's the ER visit itself and a few tests costing thousands - sometimes tens of thousands.

Fortunately she always travels with good travel insurance and we didn't pay a single penny for anything out of pocket.

But I can't imagine living in a wealthy society where people have to actually think about those kinds of things in an emergency situation. An insane society indeed.
 
It's unconscionable really. The extreme costs (over 10 times the medical costs of any other country in terms of the amounts being charged - either to the individual or the insurance company - for services and medication) are more or less the fault of the health insurance companies, too. I think the best system would be free health care (it's not free though, it's paid for by the taxes you pay), while still allowing people to purchase private care if they choose. If we spent a modest percentage less on military spending (we also do that to make some people obscenely wealthy... it's basically why we do everything), we could pay for it. Our lack of free health care services actually costs us a ton of money because of how many sick people the system is supporting. Which is why the premiums have gotten so expensive for health insurance.

College is absurdly expensive for the same general reasons. We cripple the young generations financially so some people can make obscene amounts of money (student loan companies). It's truly sick, but tons of people defend it. I'm not for free college, I'm for making college reasonably priced, so someone motivated to go can work part time or take on a small loan for it, and not take 10 years after college not saving or buying a house or building the foundation of their financial future because they have to give all their extra money to a loan company.

This is why I support Bernie, because he talks about this stuff and is not suckling on the corporate teat. And it's why they're going to try to not let him win. I need to be able to keep hope alive, but I can't help but feel like it might be a foregone conclusion that this will be 2016 all over again. :\

What really blows my mind is how many of the people who most need a citizen-focused tax money spending system are the most staunch defenders of the current way of things. They truly are masters at mind control, I'll give them that. "Trickle-down economics". FFS
 
^ I can’t imagine not thinking about medical costs! It’s wrong but it’s our normal.


mal3volent said:
^Carville is a Clintonite through and through. No surprise he's bitter Bernie is leading the pack...
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Well, he’s definitely a Clintonite, but I didn’t read the article as about being anti-Bernie; I felt it was about messaging, which the Democrats could use some help with sorting out.
 
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Nah, I've heard him making the rounds lately. He thinks it's a disaster that Bernie is a front runner in the Democratic Party because he's not a Democrat, he's a socialist. or some bullshit like that.
 
cduggles said:
James Carville, who is nothing if not colorful, went off on MSNBC about the current Democratic field (linked to article).
Here’s an interview with him, and I think he makes some points about what people want to hear about and what candidates need to focus on now that more people are paying attention.
Click to expand...

Yeah I saw him recently, an appearance he made on some show was going around social media in which he was on some show with Claire McCaskill talking about how the Democrats were all doomed, etc, and that we'd all be better with some nice, familiar milquetoast liberals like we're all used to.

I mean, we all just need to look to the electoral success of people like Claire McCaskill and Heidi Heitkamp during 2018 to see that, right? lol

His era is over.
 
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mal3volent said:
Nah, I've heard him making the rounds lately. He thinks it's a disaster that Bernie is a front runner in the Democratic Party because he's not a Democrat, he's a socialist. or some bullshit like that.
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Burnt Offerings said:
His era is over.
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Yeah, it’s over.
But Carville, who famously has ADHD and used it during his career to keep Clinton from making even longer speeches, is dead on about messaging. I’m not referring to whomever he supports, I’m referring to the fact that Democrats have important things to say and they aren’t saying them. They’re too caught up in the media/twitter spin cycle.
If you’re not concerned about the things Carville mentioned, then you might want to take a look at them, because I think his concerns are warranted and on point.
 
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cduggles said:
Yeah, it’s over.
But Carville, who famously has ADHD and used it during his career to keep Clinton from making even longer speeches, is dead on about messaging. I’m not referring to whomever he supports, I’m referring to the fact that Democrats have important things to say and they aren’t saying them. They’re too caught up in the media/twitter spin cycle.
If you’re not concerned about the things Carville mentioned, then you might want to take a look at them, because I think his concerns are warranted and on point.
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I read more of that article...some of his points I agree with, like the necessity of attaining power

But other points are...weird. For one, the necessity of the "majoritarian party", and the obvious point that rural states have a disproportionate amount of power in the Senate. How do you appeal to those people without compromising core principles? The "blue dog" Democrats didn't exactly fare that great during 2018...and neither did some of the more moderate Republicans, for that matter.

He also says that a more policy-focused argument would be more effective with the electorate. Uh, that's exactly what the Sanders campaign has been doing with policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare For All...it's hard to think of topics that affect more Americans than the environment/natural world and healthcare, right? He paints a picture of Bernie Sanders being an "ideologue" who ducks down every SJW rabbit hole that's put in front of him, when in fact this is a highly inaccurate portrayal of Sanders and the messaging of his campaign.
 
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Burnt Offerings said:
I read more of that article...some of his points I agree with, like the necessity of attaining power

But other points are...weird.
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Thanks for checking it out. 🙂
I agree that Sanders has been very policy focused, and Carville is off base on some points. I feel like his criticism would be more correctly directed at the media (ask better questions in debates, for example) and the DNC, which is a mess, obviously. They really need to get on message with the national audience.
I happen to think that the concerns Sanders addresses are the concerns of the working class, although I don’t agree with him on everything in terms of timelines, etc. I don’t think that’s coming across, and that not just Bernie’s fault.
 
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cduggles said:
Who do you think Bernie would/will choose as a running mate? Rampant speculation invited.
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Hopefully Cong Gabbard . . . or maybe try a Democrat (or other party member) guaranteed to make the heads of the loudmouths in the hoi polloi and especially their small gaggle heroes of blow up or swivel by 1620° and pop out two metres like a turtle as well.. The centre and non-Marxian socialist wings appear to be showing signs of life, but in contrast the political situation appears to be what one would expect, I suppose
 
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