2020 Democratic Primary

[danielravennest]

It's Nebraska primary day. Early balloting has already exceeded 2016's total primary vote, so turnout is good. They have in-person voting today, but they don't expect a lot of people doing it that way. Poll workers get masks and face shields, hand sanitizer, pens for the voters that they don't have to return, etc. So they are doing a lot to minimize viral transmission. Since so many people voted by mail, counting ballots will likely be slow.

 

[Essence Lumin]

One thing is for sure, my vote for Biden will be irrelevant by July 7 which is when the NJ primary is. Maybe I'll vote for Bernie anyway. He's still going to be on the ballot I think.

 

[bubblesort]

We might not be able to vote by mail soon, because of the situation at the post office. John Oliver covered it over the weekend.


Yeah, we can blame Trump for not bailing the post office out, but the people who are truly responsible for this are the senators who voted for the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which includes Joe Biden.

 

[Essence Lumin]

My conspiracy theory du jour is the republicans are trying to do in the post office in large part to get rid of vote by mail.

 

[Cristalle]

My conspiracy theory du jour is the republicans are trying to do in the post office in large part to get rid of vote by mail.

That may be the current impetus, but they have seen the post office as privatization fodder for quite some time now.

 

[Clara D.]

My conspiracy theory du jour is the republicans are trying to do in the post office in large part to get rid of vote by mail.

They've had a long standing urge to privatize it going at least as far back as Reagan's hard-on for unions.

 

[danielravennest]

In the Nebraska primary, with 92% of the votes counted, Biden leads Sanders 77 to 13%. Since Sanders is below 15%, he currently will get zero delegates awarded. The state only has 2 million population and a 14 point republican lean, so it only has 29 delegates total. Oregon and Hawaii vote later this month with 85 combined delegates, then Jun 2nd has eight states voting with about 400 delegates. Biden should cross the 1991 needed to officially win the nomination about that time.

Getting the nomination is somewhat academic, since all the other major candidates have withdrawn, but the other candidates can get representation in drawing up the party platform proportional to their delegate count. So the progressive wing can still get represented even if they don't have the top spot on the ballot.

 

[Ranma Tardis]

Yet it is not over until it is over in August. I ran to get picked for the national convention. Yet it is not going to happen. I have no way to convince the state delegates to vote for me. I had planned on a hospitality suite to ply them with booze. The state convention became a virtual one. It seems to me the Democratic party is run by a rather small group of insiders. Yet das donald needs to be defeated. He and his criminal republicans need to be removed from office.

 

[bubblesort]

Yet it is not over until it is over in August. I ran to get picked for the national convention. Yet it is not going to happen. I have no way to convince the state delegates to vote for me. I had planned on a hospitality suite to ply them with booze. The state convention became a virtual one. It seems to me the Democratic party is run by a rather small group of insiders. Yet das donald needs to be defeated. He and his criminal republicans need to be removed from office.

I don't know what state you are in, or the political situation where you are, but if I was in your situation, I'd see this as an opportunity. I know, it sounds absolutely insane, but maybe think of the party machine as a system to be social engineered into submission. Research the people you need to influence. What do they rely on? What do they do for fun? How do you leverage that to start an online conversation with them? You might turn it around, and request a favor, just to get in the door (the most powerful lobbyist I ever met built a career on that technique). Find a way to help them do what they need to do, and they will let you into the club, eventually.

Maybe it won't work this time, but then again... maybe it will. You might be surprised at how much the political class elites in America respect pure drive. Also, who else is going to be insane enough to continue to campaign to be a delegate under these conditions, for a convention that is probably going to be virtual, anyway? Remember, when you and your friend are being chased by a bear, you don't have to outrun the bear, you have to outrun your friend. The best time to go for broke is when competition is low, which is right now. Even if it doesn't work this time, you can start setting yourself up for 2024.

 

[Ranma Tardis]

I am working my way up the ladder, it is tough when 70 percent of my precinct are made up of republicans. I think it would be better in California, New Jersey or Hawaii.

 

[Eunoli]

Once a con artist...

‘Manipulative, deceitful, user’: Tara Reade left a trail of aggrieved acquaintances

 

[Free]

 

[Eunoli]

 

[Aeon Jiminy]

Once a con artist...

‘Manipulative, deceitful, user’: Tara Reade left a trail of aggrieved acquaintances

This article is as manipulative as the portrait it's attempting to paint of Tara Reade. This kind of smear essay could have easily been written about Joe Biden and would have lead us back to a point of still not knowing what happened. Women, take note. If you are ever sexually abused, you need to keep yourself financially responsible. The security of your lady parts are only worth as much as your credit history.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

This kind of smear essay could have easily been written about Joe Biden

Really? Does he have a history of giving people a series of plausible-sounding excuses for not paying the rent until they get fed up and evict him?

That's the sort of behaviour I associate with Donald Trump rather than Joe Biden, but perhaps I am mistaken.

Women, take note. If you are ever sexually abused, you need to keep yourself financially responsible. The security of your lady parts are only worth as much as your credit history.

No, but your credibility as a witness of fact about this, or any other matter, may be properly be called into question if it turns out you have a history of making false or misleading statements for financial gain, may it not?

It doesn't help that, while she was happy to discuss her work for Biden (though inflating her importance in his office, at least according to some of the people interviewed) she never mentioned the alleged assault, despite discussing her past with some of them at quite some length.

As you say, none of this means the alleged incident did not take place, but so far there's no reason I can see to prefer her account of events to Biden's, and several reasons to distrust it.

 

[Eunoli]

This article is as manipulative as the portrait it's attempting to paint of Tara Reade. This kind of smear essay could have easily been written about Joe Biden and would have lead us back to a point of still not knowing what happened. Women, take note. If you are ever sexually abused, you need to keep yourself financially responsible. The security of your lady parts are only worth as much as your credit history.

There is a giant difference between having trouble with bills and acting repeatedly to manipulate and con others - including going by false names.

 

[Aeon Jiminy]

Really? Does he have a history of giving people a series of plausible-sounding excuses for not paying the rent until they get fed up and evict him?

That's the sort of behaviour I associate with Donald Trump rather than Joe Biden, but perhaps I am mistaken.

No, but your credibility as a witness of fact about this, or any other matter, may be properly be called into question if it turns out you have a history of making false or misleading statements for financial gain, may it not?

It doesn't help that, while she was happy to discuss her work for Biden (though inflating her importance in his office, at least according to some of the people interviewed) she never mentioned the alleged assault, despite discussing her past with some of them at quite some length.

As you say, none of this means the alleged incident did not take place, but so far there's no reason I can see to prefer her account of events to Biden's, and several reasons to distrust it.

Would it make a difference if there was solid public record to confirm that Joe Biden has repeatedly lied and misrepresented various facts over the course of decades? Would that be enough to dismiss his account too?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Would it make a difference if there was solid public record to confirm that Joe Biden has repeatedly lied and misrepresented various facts over the course of decades? Would that be enough to dismiss his account too?

I'm not dismissing her account. I simply say that her history of repeatedly making false or misleading statements to different landlords about her ability to pay the rent, and then bilking them, does not help her credibility as a reliable and truthful witness.

 

[Soen Eber]

Would it make a difference if there was solid public record to confirm that Joe Biden has repeatedly lied and misrepresented various facts over the course of decades? Would that be enough to dismiss his account too?

And while I am also not entirely dismissing her account, I do know that making statements without supporting evidence still creates an emotional anchor in anyone reading such accusations, even if no evidence is given. With repetition this is called the BIG LIE and has been popular with propagandists the world over.

You may want to review the information, for and against, from credible news sources known for their integrity and impartiality and then make a decision on whether or not you have been played. Pretend it's a media studies college class assignment and that you will be graded for it, if that would help to put you into an appropriate frame of mind.

 

[Salome]

No, but your credibility as a witness of fact about this, or any other matter, may be properly be called into question if it turns out you have a history of making false or misleading statements for financial gain, may it not?

Fraud. She has a history of fraud. Deliberate deception and fraud. Lots of people struggle to make ends meet. Lots of people are poor. To imply that all of them go around scamming animal rescues and playing upon the sympathies of people is nonsense. She has zero credibility and it’s all her own doing.

It doesn't help that, while she was happy to discuss her work for Biden (though inflating her importance in his office, at least according to some of the people interviewed) she never mentioned the alleged assault, despite discussing her past with some of them at quite some length.

She worked there for eight months, got fired for doing a bad job at a low level position, and went around pretending and bragging on it ever since, inflating the importance of her role as time went on.

What do we know about the statistically very small number of people who falsely report sexual assault? Well, two of the big red flags are a history of criminality/fraud, and making grandiose claims.

As you say, none of this means the alleged incident did not take place, but so far there's no reason I can see to prefer her account of events to Biden's, and several reasons to distrust it.

It’s nonsensical to believe the incident took place based on the location she claims where it happened if nothing else at this point. And there’s plenty of other red flags to heap atop that one.

I believe she may have been assaulted, possibly while young, given that she’s accused her father among the list of many men she’s accused, but just as it doesn’t appear her ex-husband is a serial killer (which she went around implying after he divorced her), the Biden accusation has no merit.