I’m not paying much attention to the Presidential candidates yet because (1) that race is about nothing other than the plain moral imperative to vote out the moral menace of Donald Trump and elect a President who can serve as a role model of democracy and decency for our children and (2) the real action is at the state level, in taking back legislatures for redistricting.
I’m pleased to see I’m not the only Democrat who gets #2. A couple of progressive groups are pouring big money into legislative races in key states:
Two groups, Arena and Future Now Fund, are planning to spend $7 million to try to flip GOP-controlled state legislatures in Florida, Arizona, Michigan and North Carolina.
“If you look at where the important states are, the places most people are watching are the Electoral College to secure the White House,” said Daniel Squadron, co-founder of the Future Now Fund. “But the truth is that when you talk about the impact of 2020, electoral control of the state legislatures is critical.”
The organizations said their funding represents “the largest coordinated-side commitments to date in North Carolina, Michigan and Florida for the 2020 cycle” [Holly Otterbein, “Liberal Groups to Spend $7 Million to Flip State Houses,” Politico, 2019.12.12].
Forget the Presidential primary: if you want to make some big change, support your local Legislative candidates (preferably not the ones wearing Trump shirts and muttering white supremacist codewords).
Seems a bit of a slap in the fact that these outfits aren’t pouring some money into the party that Paula wrecked, donit?
Dropping an FYI in here. The latest Quinnipiac poll:
Biden 51%, Trump 42%
Sanders 51%, Trump 43%
Warren 50%, Trump 43%
Bloomberg 48%, Trump 42%
Buttigieg 48%, Trump 43%
Klobuchar 47%, Trump 43%
Minnesota’s Sen. Klobuchar is up to 10% in Iowa.
Bloomberg is putting a lot of $ into state elections too. Redistricting, state election laws, US senators and reps. Important stuff.
Here’s the Bloomberg news. I didn’t have it quite right. It comes from Axios AM by Mike Allen:
Mike Bloomberg’s spending on the 2020 election is going well beyond Mike Bloomberg.
Bloomberg will donate $10 million this week “to defend vulnerable Democratic House members against paid Republican attacks on their support for impeachment proceedings,” the WashPost reported.
Why it matters: We’re told Bloomberg sees House Democrats as a counterweight to President Trump — the reason he was the biggest outside individual spender on Democrats during the 2018 midterms.
Bloomberg is also giving $5 million to Stacey Abrams’ voter-protection efforts.
Between the lines: The most likely path for Bloomberg depends on a brokered convention, where superdelegates — political insiders — would be vital.
So it’s smart of him to use his biggest advantage — unlimited wealth — to curry favor with elected officials.
And his spending on state and local caucuses gives his presidential candidacy a rationale beyond himself.
It’s not a new slap, is it, Grudz? Has any outside group ever made a concerted effort to help SD Democratic candidates win Legislative seats? I don’t expect such assistance here, but I’m pleased to see a focus on bringing some states back to the center.
I welcome Bloomberg’s money to help any down-ticket Democrat. He’ll be of more assistance as a funder than as a candidate.
Then you should probably take note of Britain and the sweeping Conservative victory that will impact their government for the next 5 years it was a sort of referendum on Brexit, policies too far to the left, and the disdain for socialist Jeromy Corbyn. If Democrats want to win they need to move to the right!!! Or at least toward the center and abandon similar radical policies. Labor is in tatters.
Did the Conservatives in Britain come to power by promising private health care? I don’t know the answer, but since there is disdain for a socialist there, one of the planks in their platform must be to move away from socialist programs, right?
It’s also a big mistake to think you can get rid of Trump by demonizing him. He must go, but it must be based on policy he’s distracting with 100 tweets a day changing government inside out while the voting public is getting desensitized to his behavior. You have to make the case this person is better, not Trump is a moral degenerate it will fail. Be warned don’t fall in love with Elizabeth Warren like you did with Sanders she’s Jeremy Corbyn the kiss of death. Boris Johnson is lovin life right now live on BBC. Corbyism was just way too extreme. He wanted to nationalize large industry, challenge Brexit, free college, etc.
Wingnuts have always demonized Democrats with lies and innuendo and it works for them. The whole contingent of wingnuts in impeachment hearings are demonizing Dems, not even bothering to defend drumpf.
grudznick,paula had nothing to due with the party problems ! i believe most of the blame can be laid to a few in sd.’s largest city .
From what I’ve read about Britain’s election, Corbyn himself was very unpopular and may be what doomed that party. Britain is in for another Thatcher economy and that’s bad.
I still like Warren but I could totally get behind a Klobuchar/Abrams ticket. Of course any Democrat has my vote because the GOP is determined to destroy US democratic governance.
I’m not demonizing Trump. I’m describing the actual fact of his complete moral failure and that of anyone who excuses his immorality and his corruption of our youth. If you tell me I’m going to lose votes because I say Trump is scum, I will lose those votes. I cannot in good conscience say anything other than the truth, and the most pressing truth of our age is the harm we do to our children and our nation and our world by letting Donald Trump lead our nation.
The Democratic groups helping legislators win seats can coach their recipients anyway they want for practical vote-getting. But I will continue to tell the absolute truth about Donald Trump and the morally weak individuals who capitulate to him.
Very well said, Cory. If we don’t have truth, we’re living in a what’s-behind-the-curtain world and it’s going to come crashing down, if not on us, then on the next generation. And that’s NOT ok.
Britain is Britain and U.S. is U.S. I’d wager that most people who think Trump should stay in power and will vote that way, know and care nothing about Britain. Some of them are proud if they have an idea where it is. Too many are like the guy who was suspicious because he didn’t know where Obama was on 9/11.
Despite you demonstrably hating women, grdz, note that the House Judiciary committee voting to impeach Trump today is composed of 11women 23 members on the Democratic side while the 17 Repubs include just 2 women. You are in “good” company.
Btw, required reading for all SDDP County chairs and Randy’s staff should include https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/12/19/no-more-nice-democrats/
HC, there’s another organization that doesn’t share your dim view of Progressive/Liberal politics in red states. It’s called Rural Forward. I just read a post about it on SD Standard:
“In addition to Daschle, former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and former USDA Secretary and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack are serving as honorary co-chairs.
“Former congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC) is chair of the Rural Forward board. John Whitaker, a former Iowa state representative and former head of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Iowa, is the executive director and Brad Woodhouse, a former agricultural aide to Etheridge who is considered a top Democratic strategist, serves as a senior adviser.”
is.gd/l68Iud
You can find Rural Forward here on FB:
is.gd/WTsrpw
Here on the interweb tubes:
http://www.ruralforward.com
Former senator and smart politician Barney Frank has a clever slogan for all Democratic US Senate candidates:
“You don’t have to live in Kentucky to vote against Mitch McConnell.”
YESSSS!!!!! Minnesota’s junior senator, Tina Smith, is up for reelection against slimy trumplican and my one term Congressman, Jason Lewis. Our #1 misogynist and racist is not likely to win since he built his reputation on ignoring constituents while puckering up to Big Orange Butt. Still, we can’t take a chance on the Minnesota Embarrassment weaseling his way back into DC. So…
“You don’t have to live in Kentucky to vote against Mitch McConnell!”
Has anyone you know gotten a 13% pay raise? How about any raise? If you got a raise, did living expenses more than consume it? Democrats would be smart to ask those questions. It’s the economy stupid, as much today as it was when Clinton used it against Bush.
Debbo, before drumpf jumps on you like a ton of manure, Frank was a longtime Dem Congressman from Mass. Never a Senator to my knowledge. No phezzies today, more’s the pity.
Yup, rep. My error.