tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post5554790435283945625..comments2024-03-15T03:20:38.106-05:00Comments on Brains and Eggs: The two things that will keep Bernie Sanders from the Democratic nomination (part one of two)PDiddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851660342241127485noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-46906903381689399902015-07-07T08:27:33.768-05:002015-07-07T08:27:33.768-05:00(By the way, I just noticed another missing word i...(By the way, I just noticed another missing word in the first sentence in the third paragraph of my first reply above: 'those few <b>swing</b> states'.)<br /><br />Gary: that's certainly a possibility, but that outcome is contingent upon whom the Rethugs nominate. Trump versus Sanders? Most entertaining (and say hello to Pres. Bernie). Almost anyone except perhaps Bush and Walker? Same result.<br /><br />I see an epically demoralized electorate if the choices are Bush v. Clinton. Maybe you've noticed that Democrats don't usually win in low turnout elections.PDiddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05851660342241127485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-17070174174380125382015-07-03T09:10:40.588-05:002015-07-03T09:10:40.588-05:00When is the last time someone that the party insid...<i>When is the last time someone that the party insiders didn't like got a major party nomination?</i><br /><br />1972 and George McGovern. Click on the link in the OP about the campaign that year.<br /><br />The fact that the <a href="http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/2015/07/dnc-kills-texas-two-step-to-protect.html" rel="nofollow">DNC has now killed the Texas Two-Step</a> is evidence that the Dem insiders are already working against Sanders, even as he gained more positive traction this past week. PDiddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05851660342241127485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-62245294265198096492015-07-02T10:48:22.363-05:002015-07-02T10:48:22.363-05:00He should ahve much more support among minorities ...He should ahve much more support among minorities than polls supposedly give him credit for, since Hillary is an obvious corporate puppet and he does much more to address lower and middle class issues. One poll supposedly gives Hillary something like 90% to Bernie's 3%. Sounds a lot like Stalin's polls where he won 99%; I'm not convinced it is credible at all. <br /><br />It will be hard but if Hillary has to get too dirty which she probably will to rig it then the evidence can be exposed and hopefully used to either backfire on Hillary by nominating Bernie or help Jill Stein.<br /><br />What we really need is instant run off elections and open debates amoung other things like diverse media. Zacherydtaylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698044667634105382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-72902575737554288502015-07-02T10:41:14.821-05:002015-07-02T10:41:14.821-05:00I love Bernie but think he would be a McGovern in ...I love Bernie but think he would be a McGovern in the general election.<br /><br />Democratic primary voters often fall in love with the most Left candidate who runs a credible campaign but the business interests and the media doom their campaigns. <br /><br />Look what happened to Howard Dean when the media, the DC insiders, and business suddenly realized he was the frontrunner. And Dean is a lot more centrist than Bernie.Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17414725749450659875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-21767892335315108722015-06-30T10:51:09.918-05:002015-06-30T10:51:09.918-05:00Oh, so true on the sadness of Bernie seeing himsel...Oh, so true on the sadness of Bernie seeing himself as a spoiler if he doesn't run as a Dem, and the SCOTUS shit sandwich argument.<br /><br />That said, he needs inroads into one other block besides Latino and African-American voters.<br /><br />Feminists in particular and a lot of Democratic women in general, after Clinton's loss to Obama, think "It's our turn now." Sanders has to penetrate that mindset, too.Gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075757287807731373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-41394408759172748272015-06-30T10:41:05.566-05:002015-06-30T10:41:05.566-05:00Dan Morales was the last Democrat to win an electi...Dan Morales was the last Democrat to win an election for statewide office in Texas. In 1994. There are people voting this year who were not alive the last time a Democrat won a statewide race in Texas!<br /><br />But even beyond that, I like the old Eugene Debs quote: "It is better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it." Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16323871207793126503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-87552736945162593672015-06-30T10:37:52.354-05:002015-06-30T10:37:52.354-05:00"has forever been", first sentence, fift..."has forever been", first sentence, fifth grafPDiddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05851660342241127485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-13164074888269107522015-06-30T10:35:58.367-05:002015-06-30T10:35:58.367-05:00The Nader argument, which Sanders himself employs ...The Nader argument, which Sanders himself employs in the words "I will not be a spoiler", <a href="http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/2012/09/of-urban-legends-and-2000-election.html" rel="nofollow">is crap</a>, as I have previously detailed. No Republicans I know of spent <i>fifteen years</i> rending their garments and gnashing their teeth over Ross Perot (who actually DID cost Bush the Elder the election, even without winning a single Electoral College vote).<br /><br />In Texas, our votes matter not a single bit, due to the lead pipe EC cinch for the Republicans (Castro on the ticket or not). It's the same if you're a Republican in California.<br /><br />Thus the presidency is contended only in those states, in cycle after cycle, since 2000. All of this year-long spin and billions spent on media and polling and consultants and other horseshit just exposes the farce that everyone who is actually paying attention -- a dwindling number of Americans, mind you -- cannot seem to discern.<br /><br />Lots of things could fix this: eliminating straight-ticket voting would be a good start, NOTA and instant runoff voting another. But the duopoly just won't stand for it; the people must fight for it. It's why Jill Stein is suing the Commission on Presidential Debates for inclusion. <br /><br />And the deployment of the Supreme Court argument forever been the shit sandwich for progressives, served up by the centrists, DLCers, and orthodox Democrats (they used to be called yellow dogs, with pride I might add). The "monster under your bed" never explains that a vote for Clinton using SCOTUS as a rationale is only applicable in the general election, and THEN ONLY in a few states identified as 'swing'. (Using "SCOTUS", why wouldn't Bernie Sanders' potential SC nominees <b>be even more liberal and better</b> than Hillary's? "Oh well, because Bernie can't be elected; he's a soshulist doncha know". See how stupid that game gets?) There's also the disclaimer that certain Justices picked by Republicans haven't turned out all that well: John Paul Stevens (Ford), David Souter (a 'slam dunk', John Sununu said) and, from a certain POV on some cases, Chief Justice John Roberts.<br /><br />That's at least a few reasons why one can vote for Sanders as long as he's in the running (in the D primary), and vote for Jill Stein the instant he no longer is. Voting your progressive principles In a non-swing state has no downside whatsoever. Texas Greens, as you might imagine, tell me to stop encouraging Democrats by voting for them. They're never going win anything save for a few gerrymandered enclaves the TXGOP gives them, and those few are going to sell out to the oil companies and banks and call it 'bipartisan compromise' anyway. This has a certain amount of truth to it, but I can't get there yet. Greens have to grow enough themselves to be an actual threat before this leverage can be effective.<br /><br />But all of this and more is going to be in part two.PDiddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05851660342241127485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901123.post-73291741805700350652015-06-30T08:24:35.036-05:002015-06-30T08:24:35.036-05:00"Not a single Washington Democratic elected o..."Not a single Washington Democratic elected official has endorsed him" is a big hurdle. It's really insurmountable, in fact. <br /><br />When is the last time someone that the party insiders didn't like got a major party nomination? I'm not sure it's happened.<br /><br />As much as I like what sanders has to say - and I'm glad he's saying it! - Sanders is in part a guard against a Nader effect. Sanders keeps the liberals occupied through primary season and no Green ever gets traction. At that point, it becomes a matter of "Well, would you rather have Hillary as President, or Ted Cruz?"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16323871207793126503noreply@blogger.com