Money talks.

[BrazilianBoiChaser]

Bernie Sanders all the way, all the other guys change positions faster than a Corbin Fisher model

[bucky13]

If the democrats keep flying and flaunting the socialist (or democratic socialist) banner, they won't have a chance.

[AdamSmith]

3 hours ago, bucky13 said:

If the democrats keep flying and flaunting the socialist (or democratic socialist) banner, they won't have a chance.

You think? I think the addition of many many millennials into the voting population might change outcomes in entirely unpredictable ways.

[AdamSmith]

We shall see.

[RockHardNYC]

Very good news for Pete Buttigieg. His formula is working so far.

Pete Buttigieg Raises a Stunning $24.8 Million in Second Quarter

I'm on my third donation to his campaign. I urge my fellow homos to send his campaign whatever you can afford. Pete is good for America. We need to elevate him as high as we can for as long as we can.

https://peteforamerica.com/

[caeron]

 

If they aren't old, white and male, I'll support them in  the primary.

If it isn't orange and a rapist, I'll vote for it in the general.

We vote late enough that there isn't much point paying too much attention because the race is basically over by the time we vote in Oregon.

I did make a small donation to Pete though. 

[RockHardNYC]

The End of Betomania

OK. So I blew a few too many Benjamins on Beto. I'm disappointed it didn't work out for him. I don't think he's over. I expect to hear from him again. He's got a gift. However, the article in the NY Times spells out his failure quite clearly. Here are some excerpts:

“Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Advice?” he asked high-school students on his first day on the campaign trail, adding, “I know that I don’t have all of the answers.” (He also did himself no favors that morning with an aside about his wife Amy raising their children “sometimes with my help,” before quickly expressing regret for the comment.)

In the months that followed, Mr. O’Rourke ostensibly rebooted a time or two, to limited effect.

His eagerness to please — feet tapping atop cafe counters, hands slicing the air, head held in a permanent display of attentiveness — began to grate on some Democrats who had preferred such tics when he was merely the alternative to Mr. Cruz, a Republican they loathed.

And after criticism early in his campaign over a dearth of major policy plans, Mr. O’Rourke had, by the end, so tested the bounds of acceptable debate within the party (“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15,” he vowed after the El Paso shooting) that some of his peers had worried that he was hurting the cause.

 

Very early in the process, Trump made fun of Beto's speaking style, which frankly caught the national audience by surprise. Several friends in NYC were talking about "ants in the pants." Speech tics are not something you want when you take your show on the national road.

The electorate is craving, starving for a true leader: a smart, informed, natural candidate who can inspire. Another Obama. Asking high school students for suggestions on your first day of the campaign, on top of the wife gaffe, is not the way to project leadership. The guy seemed doomed from day one.

Screaming, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15,” is the worst campaign slogan in the history of politics. Most of us knew it was over when he delivered that line.

You live and learn. Hopefully.

[RockHardNYC]

Money well spent, I'd say. No regrets.

I'm not much of a crier, but I have to say Chasten and Pete Buttigieg's end-of-campaign speeches tugged at my heart strings. I think Pete Buttigieg is a STAR, and perhaps Chasten has some star quality, too. I look forward to seeing more of Pete in the future. In fact, I wouldn't mind if Joe Biden picked Pete as his running mate. But I suspect there are better political incentives out there.

Loved Frank Bruni's Op Ed piece in today's Times:

Mayor Pete Flew Sky High

"He looked at what happened in South Carolina on Saturday. He looked at what was likely to happen in the many states that will vote on Tuesday. And he recognized that he had no path to the Democratic presidential nomination and that staying in the race would probably help Bernie Sanders, the rival he had branded a dangerous nominee.

So on Sunday he got out. Just like that. No praying for a miracle. No waiting too long. No protracted melodrama or slow-building drum roll of hints. No, the youngest of the Democratic aspirants did the grown-up thing."

 

[RockHardNYC]

So glad to see that Klobuchar is out, and both she and Pete Buttigieg plan to endorse Joe Biden tonight. It looks like the Democrats may not need a Barack Obama endorsement for Joe Biden before Super Tuesday. I suspected the rumor was false, but you never know.

It looks like there will be push to slow down Bernie's momentum, and that's good for the Democrats. I'm sure Bernie is a good man, but Trump and the Republicans will destroy him with Trump's branding Bernie as a Communist, even though it's completely fake news.

Joe Biden can be Trump's worst nightmare, otherwise why would he have risked impeachment over the Ukraine scandal. Joe Biden may not be able to electrify an audience, but his decency and compassion will be a WELCOME contrast to Mafia don Trump. Joe Biden will attract many independents and moderate Republicans who simply will not vote for Trump this go round. Joe Biden will help with down ticket races. Bernie Sanders has no power in these areas.

[Buddy2]

Even after Amy Klobouchar is out and about to endorse Biden why can't you give her credit for her showing in New Hampshire?

[RockHardNYC]

12 minutes ago, Buddy2 said:

Even after Amy Klobouchar is out and about to endorse Biden why can't you give her credit for her showing in New Hampshire?

I believe Iowa and New Hampshire should no longer go first. Iowa has proven to be an utter failure this year. To go first and second,  I prefer diverse states that look much more like America.

I realize a lot of people felt Amy Klobuchar provided appeal. I did not. She did not inspire, motivate, or impress me. She was constantly selling her resume and over-using the pronoun "I." She made her candidacy about herself, and that never goes well.

[caeron]

 

I sat at a table with a bunch of 80 year olds not long ago in Florida. To a one, they all wanted to vote for Biden, including my mother.

He does have a demographic.

[RockHardNYC]

7 hours ago, caeron said:

a bunch of 80 year olds

A youthful age seems overrated this year. Not one candidate for president will be under seventy. So your mother's choice seems appropriate and on target.

The electorate has not seen a young politician that has the gravitas to take on Trump and inspire voters from all walks of life. What good is youth if so few people believe in its ability to crush Trumpism? This is a fully appropriate time in our history for age, experience, and wisdom.

It seems to me, to crush Trumpism, you need experience in governing, and lots of it. Someone convincing has to build the country back up from what Trump has destroyed. And they have to start the hard work on day one. The country also needs a candidate who can help in down ballot races. Joe Biden, with Barack Obama's endorsement, can do that. Joe Biden stands the best chance.

Although some did, very few Republicans had the stomach to vote for Hillary in 2016. Joe Biden has the unique opportunity to capture all the Never-Trumpers.

[RockHardNYC]

I happened to catch Amy Klobuchar's endorsement speech of Joe Biden last night. I'd be willing to bet she didn't write it, but it was well written and delivered better than I had expected. I don't think Amy is gifted with the strongest oratory talent, but she did better last night. Joe Biden's crowd seemed to love her.

[Buddy2]

31 minutes ago, RockHardNYC said:

I happened to catch Amy Klobuchar's endorsement speech of Joe Biden last night. I'd be willing to bet she didn't write it, but it was well written and delivered better than I had expected. I don't think Amy is gifted with the strongest oratory talent, but she did better last night. Joe Biden's crowd seemed to love her.

You don't believe Amy Klobouchar wrote the endorsement last night. She is a third term United States Senator - almost as long as Margaret Chase Smith and Dianne Feinstein. Klobouchar withdrew from the primaries at the right time, like Pete. Yikes, give her some credit.

[RockHardNYC]

2 hours ago, Buddy2 said:

Yikes, give her some credit.

LOL. I thought I had in the post you quoted.

It's possible she wrote her speech, but she relied heavily on her notes throughout it. Bill Clinton had the talent to write and memorize his speeches. Amy also missed one-too-many of her stress and timing punches, which suggests to me she was speaking words of a speechwriter and did not have enough practice time.

Edited March 3, 2020 by RockHardNYC

[caeron]

As someone who has written a fair number of speeches, this is a common problem. Speakers often think that once they have the speech they're done, and they don't practice at all. Very few are good enough to get away with that. Most of the rest end up feeling like they're reading it, not giving it.

[AdamSmith]

1 hour ago, caeron said:

As someone who has written a fair number of speeches, this is a common problem. Speakers often think that once they have the speech they're done, and they don't practice at all. Very few are good enough to get away with that. Most of the rest end up feeling like they're reading it, not giving it.

Repeating myself, I wrote a speech for my boss that he gave at some software company’s global user-group meeting in Belgium.

Then they asked me to give the same speech at their U.S. user-group meeting in Troy, MI.

When I finished and came down off stage, the CEO was sitting in the front-left audience chair, chuckling his ass off.

Me: “What?”

Him: “I see who wrote that talk.”

“Was he that bad’?”

”Worse than you can imagine. He was stumbling over the words on the slides themselves."

"But I wrote out full Speaker Notes that he only had to read verbatim."

"He obviously had not looked at the goddamned thing until he got up on stage. I had to use the excuse of calling time so he would not have to endure the embarrassment of Q&A.”

P.S. I left a year after that and started my own company.

[Buddy2]

And Biden won Minnesota tonight even though he did not campaign there and probably spent very little money.

 

He won thanks to Senator Klobouchar, according to CNN. She mobilized her supporters. Klobouchar recorded radio and television message that played in the state today.

[Buddy2]

It shows how weak Senator Sanders is in New England if Former Vice President won Massachusetts without campaigning there. I  know the progressive vote was split with Senator Warren though.

[caeron]

 

Ha! I had the exact same experience with our President botching a speech I wrote and the CEO calling him on it. The place was kinda fucked up, but they paid a ton, and the work was easy.

[TotallyOz]

What a fascinating Super Tuesday this was.

[RA1]

1 hour ago, TotallyOz said:

What a fascinating Super Tuesday this was.

Followed by an equally interesting Wednesday.  I would like to know why Mayor Pete, Amy and Bloomberg all dropped out.  Difficult to believe the "stated" reasons for any of them.  

Best regards,

RA1

[RockHardNYC]

29 minutes ago, RA1 said:

I would like to know why Mayor Pete, Amy and Bloomberg all dropped out.

I'm surprised anyone intelligent would have a need to ask this question.

The Democrats are dead serious about ousting Trump. They see Trump as a threat to truth, the Constitution, and democracy. While I think the behind-the-scenes conversations would be interesting to know, I am thrilled, like many fellow voters, that the Democrats are not going to make the same mistake that the Republicans made in 2016.

Getting behind Biden in early March, with the Bloomberg apparatus supporting Biden, is the way you keep your eye on the prize.

And what exactly is Trump doing on the Wednesday morning shitter? Poking more fun at Elizabeth Warren, which is just one more nail in his coffin.

Everything Trump touches dies. It's time for him to go to hell where he belongs.

Edited March 4, 2020 by RockHardNYC

[RockHardNYC]

5 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

What a fascinating Super Tuesday this was.

Fascinating is an understatement. My phone has been ringing off the hook. It happens to be sunny with clear blue skies in NYC today, but everyone on the streets seems to be walking with a lilt in their step ever since news spread of Bloomberg ending his campaign and vowing to support Biden. And the news spread so quickly with cell phone updates via text.

Yesterday, pundits mentioned the possibility of Bloomberg getting out, but it was mentioned as wishful thinking. No one had a scoop. It was also fascinating to hear Andrew Yang's take on things, since not so long ago he was behind the scenes. Yang joined CNN as a contributor, and once in awhile he offers insider tidbits. He described the Bloomberg offices accurately, and his take on Bloomberg's grand data machine was also an earful. The speculation of Bloomberg's paid troops, paid through November, getting behind Biden almost sounded too good to be true.

And as of this morning, it's closer to reality. What a great day for our country! We can almost taste the end of Trumpism in the air.