tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post4645809669232528228..comments2024-03-18T21:52:45.757-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: On Iran's "retaliation" - a guest perspectiveDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-80909462772532902152020-01-11T15:16:13.314-08:002020-01-11T15:16:13.314-08:00The job of the Dem president is to preside over hu...The job of the Dem president is to preside over hundreds of skilled and brilliant people demolishing all fragments of the oligarchic-treason-putsch. I have no doubt of Biden's intent to do that. Klobuchar is problematic in many ways re: temperament, but I don't doubt her ability to seek that too. She'll not get the nom.<br /><br />onward<br /><br />onward<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-88825677332690371192020-01-11T14:09:44.994-08:002020-01-11T14:09:44.994-08:00I wasn't desperate to "come up with a sce...I wasn't desperate to "come up with a scenario": Biden really did say he would consider a Republican running mate. Now, I have no idea how serious he was--his mouth often outpaces his brain--but it didn't send a good message to those of us who recognize the futility of trying to treat with this generation of Republicans. It reminded me unpleasantly of Obama's decision to include a couple of Republicans in his cabinet--a decision I approved of at the time but quickly learned was another "There shall be peace in our time" moment. (Neville Chamberlain was a much better PM and person than history gives him credit for--he just made the same grievous mistake of thinking the other side was dealing in some sort of good faith). <br />I did read your essay you mentioned, and agreed with most of it. I will note that failing to approve triangulation against an implacable foe is not the same as being a screaming leftist radical. I note that while Bernie is my favourite in the primaries, I would give my full and unreserved support for Elizabeth Warren. I don't trust Gabbard or Bloomburg for reasons I'll be happy to articulate, and even though I like a lot of Steyer's philosophy and believe him to be sincere, I don't want another billionaire in the White House. Yang falls into that same category. Biden and Klobucher are both DLC, which is not moderate as much as it is fearful, and I can't see either standing up to Trump, McConnell and that lot. <br />There were a couple of really good moderates, but unfortunately they've both dropped out of the race. Apparently their own magical incantations didn't have the appropriate juju. <br />I'm very much aware of Putin's malign intent--you may recall I chased a couple of his stooges out of here myself over the past few years. But if we can't have this debate now, at the start of the primaries, then when? <br />Re: "Zeepp"--no worries. I've made that same typo myself. <br /> <br />Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-30091804393621987122020-01-11T12:46:15.442-08:002020-01-11T12:46:15.442-08:00Bizarro, but I'll pause the "onward."...Bizarro, but I'll pause the "onward."<br /><br />You know it makes you look insane to shrug off the blatant fact that ALL of our security agencies ascribe to the Kremlin acts of war agains the US, our institutions and elections?<br /><br />Putin called the fall of the USSR the 20th Century's worst tragedy. He and his pals and "ex" KGB consist of nearly all the same men, doing the same things, with the same goals, as when they all grew up reciting Lenin. For 70 years they failed to suborn the US left. Within a few years of dropping the hammers and sickles and claiming to be "christian traditionalists", the SAME MEN in the SAME spy agency completely suckered and won over the entire American right.<br /><br />Russian mass media is resurrecting and glorifying Stalin! <br /><br />See here how desperately Putin wants to reframe the USSR as the sole hero of WWII, washing out lend lease and using Orwellian methods to white-out Stalin's collaboration with Hitler and invasion of Poland and the Baltic States. Again... Putin called the fall of the USSR the 20th Century's worst tragedy.<br /><br />We need nothing more than to see how desperately Fox and the Limbaughsphere are working to kissy-kissy the man with nukes aimed down our throats.<br /><br />Oh, but I waste my time using words with the ent. Watch this scene again, and look at the puppet entering the room in the background.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXiSafSqXAY<br /><br />Watch the grin as he greets his master, while other western leaders know what they are looking at. The winner of the new cold war, destroyer of NATO and puppetmaster for the American fall.<br />https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2018/11/13/late-night-trump-putin-paris-greeting-orig-vstan-emg.cnn<br /><br />And now onward<br /><br />onward<br /><br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-89184060722527300662020-01-11T12:26:42.301-08:002020-01-11T12:26:42.301-08:00Where does our host’s bizarre obsession with Putin...Where does our host’s bizarre obsession with Putin come from? He mentions him in almost every post, like some demon who haunts his mind. Did something happen to him personally that he blames on Russia, is it family history, or something else? I’ve seen him gloat about Russia’s low birthrates, compare Russian men unfavorably to farm animals, suggest that the KGB might come after him personally, claim that a president, party, and a large segment of the American people are Putin's puppets, and basically blame Putin for every political development he disapproves of. It suggests something deeper than ideology at work, something pathological, personal or tribal. Care to enlighten us?Treebeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03418009308135148330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-19631694178376163002020-01-11T12:21:36.400-08:002020-01-11T12:21:36.400-08:00onward
onwardonward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77258673695016891932020-01-11T12:20:25.148-08:002020-01-11T12:20:25.148-08:00"Zeepp" was a typo. Sorry about that. An..."Zeepp" was a typo. Sorry about that. And my derision of lazy-comfy splitterism is intended to KEEP our alliance, not drive guys like Zepp away. David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-29314740362056645612020-01-11T11:56:12.735-08:002020-01-11T11:56:12.735-08:00“I note that Bernie is now leading in the polls in...“I note that Bernie is now leading in the polls in Iowa, a state ravaged by Trump's trade wars. He got there by talking to the farmers and finding out what they need in order to keep going.”<br /><br />You leap to comfy conclusions always always without bothering to study the lay of the land. Dig it. Iowa is weird. The conservatives are extreme and so are the liberals. Look across the past cycles. Iowa democrats always swing left.<br /><br />“Republican as a running mate?” Your desperation to come up with scenarios is tedious. To imagine Biden would do this is beyond any reach of a sane person. Seriously? When he knows that splitterism is our one route to defeat, you think he wouldn’t chooseWarren or someone suited to shore up his left?<br /><br />“I know a lot of good Democratic moderates, but the centrists, the DLC types who believe that there is an imaginary political centre they must cling to and forever triangulate--they are useless.”<br /><br />you probably have never read my essay on this:<br />http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2019/08/five-devastating-rebuttals-to-use-with.html<br /><br />You certainly show not the slightest sign of tackling the challenges there. All you can do is repeat the same magical incantations over and over again. They comfort you, it’s clear. And of course they especially comfort Putin, because therein lies his hope for 2020.<br /><br />Watched Bernie on Colbert last night. I love the guy. He reminds me so much of my own dad. I see flaws. But I’m no dogmatist. The dems I deemed unacceptable are off the stage, now, though Bloomberg will likely get on. I like Liz & Bern above all because the KGB will seek dirt in vain.<br /><br />So the KGB will instead try to split us, shatter our coalition. And Zeepp is a great example to us all of how easily Putin’s guys might use our saps against us.<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84496392233919468942020-01-11T11:14:06.837-08:002020-01-11T11:14:06.837-08:00Way outside my area of expertise. Anyone with more...Way outside my area of expertise. Anyone with more knowledge care to comment? Alfred? <br /><br />Vanity Fair reporting on very unusual futures trading just before the Suleimani strike. <br /><br />https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/01/the-mystery-of-the-trump-chaos-trades-iranmar-a-lago-edition<br /><br />matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2176882521765886292020-01-11T11:08:26.311-08:002020-01-11T11:08:26.311-08:00@Dr Brin,
That's the primary contest you are ...@Dr Brin,<br /><br />That's the primary contest you are talking about. I'd like to see a similar dynamic in actual elections.<br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-89685723376346224102020-01-11T10:35:19.310-08:002020-01-11T10:35:19.310-08:00(continued)
That's an electoral college vote a...(continued)<br />That's an electoral college vote away from an immediate win and TRump's out on his lard ass. There are, arguably 14 contestable seats, at least according to Trump's sorry job approval numbers. (I know... South Carolina and the Dakotas are kind of stretching it.) This list goes from likeliest Trump to likeliest Bernie:<br /><br /> • South Carolina- +5<br /> • North Dakota- +5<br /> • South Dakota- +5<br /> • Montana- +3<br /> • Indiana- +3<br /> • Texas- +1<br /> • Nebraska- +1<br /> • Florida- even<br /> • North Carolina- even<br /> • Alaska- minus 2<br /> • Georgia- minus 2<br /> • Ohio- minus 3<br /> • Arizona- minus 3<br /> • Virginia- minus 5 <br /><br />So 14 true battleground states. Let's say Trump wins every one of them but one-- any one... Bernie is president. All Bernie has to do is win one of the states were Trump is underwater-- Virginia, Arizona, Ohio being the most likely. Or how about this? He can win the one electoral vote he needs by taking Omaha, which is extremely likely.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-19636227922925375292020-01-11T10:34:34.969-08:002020-01-11T10:34:34.969-08:00I'm passing this along, something I got from H...I'm passing this along, something I got from Howie Klein over at his downwithtyranny blog. It's a useful guide for battleground states based on Trump's job-performance ratings.<br />https://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-path-to-victory-doesnt-go-through.html<br /><br />If job approval is an indication of how someone is likely to vote, a Bernie v Trump election in November isn't going to be close. The new Morning Consult state by state job approval numbers for Trump are out and basically he has only 13 states locked down (with 79 electoral votes). Bernie would have 23 states locked down (with 269 electoral votes). The incontestable Trump states-- from bad to worst in terms of job approval:<br /><br /> • Missouri- +6<br /> • Kansas- +7<br /> • Utah- +7<br /> • Oklahoma- +8<br /> • Louisiana- +9<br /> • Arkansas- +10<br /> • Kentucky- +14<br /> • Mississippi- +14<br /> • Tennessee- +15<br /> • Idaho- +16<br /> • West Virginia- +21<br /> • Alabama- +22<br /> • Wyoming- +28 <br /><br />And these are the states that the Democrats would begin the general election campaign with lock-downs-- from safe blue to tsunami blue:<br /><br /> • Maine- minus 6<br /> • Pennsylvania- minus 6<br /> • Iowa- minus 9<br /> • New Mexico- minus 10<br /> • Wisconsin- munus 10<br /> • Minnesota- minus 10<br /> • Nevada- minus 12<br /> • New Jersey- minus 14https://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-path-to-victory-doesnt-go-through.html<br /><br />If job approval is an indication of how someone is likely to vote, a Bernie v Trump election in November isn't going to be close. The new Morning Consult state by state job approval numbers for Trump are out and basically he has only 13 states locked down (with 79 electoral votes). Bernie would have 23 states locked down (with 269 electoral votes). The incontestable Trump states-- from bad to worst in terms of job approval:<br /><br /> • Missouri- +6<br /> • Kansas- +7<br /> • Utah- +7<br /> • Oklahoma- +8<br /> • Louisiana- +9<br /> • Arkansas- +10<br /> • Kentucky- +14<br /> • Mississippi- +14<br /> • Tennessee- +15<br /> • Idaho- +16<br /> • West Virginia- +21<br /> • Alabama- +22<br /> • Wyoming- +28 <br /><br />And these are the states that the Democrats would begin the general election campaign with lock-downs-- from safe blue to tsunami blue:<br /><br /> • Maine- minus 6<br /> • Pennsylvania- minus 6<br /> • Iowa- minus 9<br /> • New Mexico- minus 10<br /> • Wisconsin- munus 10<br /> • Minnesota- minus 10<br /> • Nevada- minus 12<br /> • New Jersey- minus 14<br /> • Delaware- minus 15<br /> • Michigan- minus 15<br /> • Colorado- minus 18<br /> • New Hampshire- minus 19<br /> • Connecticut- minus 20<br /> • Oregon- minus 20<br /> • Illinois- minus 21<br /> • Rhode Island- minus 23<br /> • Maryland- minus 24<br /> • Washington- minus 25<br /> • New York- minus 25<br /> • California- minus 28<br /> • Hawaii- minus 28<br /> • Massachusetts- minus 31<br /> • Vermont- minus 35 <br /> • Delaware- minus 15<br /> • Michigan- minus 15<br /> • Colorado- minus 18<br /> • New Hampshire- minus 19<br /> • Connecticut- minus 20<br /> • Oregon- minus 20<br /> • Illinois- minus 21<br /> • Rhode Island- minus 23<br /> • Maryland- minus 24<br /> • Washington- minus 25<br /> • New York- minus 25<br /> • California- minus 28<br /> • Hawaii- minus 28<br /> • Massachusetts- minus 31<br /> • Vermont- minus 35 (continuedZepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-47950583459336759102020-01-11T10:06:34.577-08:002020-01-11T10:06:34.577-08:00Larry: Trump's policies are making workers th...Larry: Trump's policies are making workers the same dispossessed that (some) of them despise. There was a study the other day that claimed that states that saw a $1 increase in the minimum wage in 2018 saw a 10% drop in the suicide rate as well. LBJ's dictum of winning by making poor white trash feel superior to the best ****** may be smart politics, but it's about the most self-destructive way of running a society or a country I can imagine. (And just to be clear, I realise you're not advocating that!). Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21975339782013810292020-01-11T09:59:28.369-08:002020-01-11T09:59:28.369-08:00I note that Bernie is now leading in the polls in ...I note that Bernie is now leading in the polls in Iowa, a state ravaged by Trump's trade wars. He got there by talking to the farmers and finding out what they need in order to keep going. <br />And what are you going to do if Biden gets the nomination and follows through on his statement that he would consider a Republican as a running mate? One assassin is all it would take...<br />Several Dems--all centrists--were urging Pelosi to give up on trying to wrest a fair trial in the Senate and just submit the damn articles of impeachment. Of what use are they to anyone?<br />I know a lot of good Democratic moderates, but the centrists, the DLC types who believe that there is an imaginary political centre they must cling to and forever triangulate--they are useless. They consider surrender a precondition for office. And they don't dare offend that imaginary political centre by running stridenly Rooseveltian Dems for office.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60500861000248798352020-01-11T09:50:55.664-08:002020-01-11T09:50:55.664-08:00LH there's two places left where the candidate...LH there's two places left where the candidates can dicker & horse trade. First as legislators back in their houses... but since most are Senators and hence powerless...<br /><br />The other is at the convention. They can't order delegates to vote a certain way, anymore. But their requests will be heeded.<br /><br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-49350435383088205542020-01-11T05:21:56.197-08:002020-01-11T05:21:56.197-08:00Emphasis mine. Seems awfully similar to the ridic...Emphasis mine. Seems awfully similar to the ridiculous attacks on President Obama which were inexplicable except for outright racism:<br /><br />https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/opinion/meghan-markle-prince-harry.html<br /><i><br />...<br /><br />Then there was the sublimely ludicrous suggestion that [Princess] Meghan’s avocado consumption is responsible for mass murder, while her charity cookbook was portrayed as somehow helping terrorists.<br /><br /><b>Those who claim frequent attacks against the duchess have nothing to do with her race have a hard time explaining these attempts to link her with particularly racialized forms of crime — terrorism and gang activity — as well as the fact that she has been most venomously attacked for acts that attracted praise when other royals did them.</b> Her decision to guest-edit British Vogue, for example, was roundly condemned by large parts of the British media, in stark contrast to Prince Charles’s two-time guest editorship of Country Life magazine, Prince Harry’s of a BBC program and Kate Middleton’s at Huffington Post, all of which were quietly praised at the time.<br /><br />Her treatment has proved what many of us have always known: No matter how beautiful you are, whom you marry, what palaces you occupy, charities you support, how faithful you are, how much money you accumulate or what good deeds you perform, in this society racism will still follow you.<br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40241366291609303682020-01-11T05:13:30.637-08:002020-01-11T05:13:30.637-08:00Dr Brin:
Bernie may collect bunches of delegates ...Dr Brin:<br /><i><br />Bernie may collect bunches of delegates then decide to be convention kingmaker.<br /></i><br /><br />Which mimics my proposed alternative to ranked choice voting. That in a real election, if no one candidate reaches 50%, the <b>candidates themselves</b> get to horse-trade their votes with each other in return for such things as policy concessions or cabinet appointments.<br /><br />I don't claim to have vetted all of the details, but it seems to me that that method would produce a better result for those factions with large pluralities but not majorities. With "traditional" IRC, you get the personal satisfaction of voting for (say) AOC and still helping (say) Biden beat Trump, but in the end, AOC is just one more loser. My way, Biden would have to make some concessions that AOC's constituents approve of in order to get her votes.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-30615567445044052622020-01-11T05:05:03.905-08:002020-01-11T05:05:03.905-08:00Zepp Jamieson:
All they [Democrats] have to do is...Zepp Jamieson:<br /><i><br />All they [Democrats] have to do is be left-populist--stand for working people and the dispossessed, and MEAN IT. <br /></i><br /><br />No, that's the secret sauce that Trump stumbled upon in 2016. Much of the working class themselves <b>despise</b> the dispossessed. Trump may have appealed economically to the working class in the campaign, but he keeps their support by making it clear that they can be mean to the dispossessed. Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41223535344209659222020-01-10T21:39:05.748-08:002020-01-10T21:39:05.748-08:00"All they have to do is be left-populist--sta..."All they have to do is be left-populist--stand for working people and the dispossessed, and MEAN IT."<br /><br />Thus repackaging the same utterly utterly disproved splitter nostrum. Something's disproved? DOUBLE DOWN on it!!!!!<br /><br />Ignore all the evidence. Ignore how we won red districts in 2018. Ignore polling and the actual words of actual local people. Keep trying the same thing, expecting different results.<br /><br />You CAN push socialism by primarying moderates in blue districts WHILE backing those with a chance to take territory in red-purple ones. But guys like you will always hate on your allies.<br /><br />---<br /><br />Bernie may collect bunches of delegates then decide to be convention kingmaker.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-67548862221665955892020-01-10T19:50:18.473-08:002020-01-10T19:50:18.473-08:00To repeat myself, as a "fire up the guillotin... To repeat myself, as a "fire up the guillotines" leftist, I can't understand why people can't see that serially electing the lesser of two evils eventually gets decent officials. <br /> On a mostly on topic note, the website of the Iranian Ski Federation has been inaccessible for several days. Don Gisselbeckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05770961482198971383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25813787155402278572020-01-10T19:21:16.119-08:002020-01-10T19:21:16.119-08:00Brin sayeth, " "just being more sincerel...Brin sayeth, " "just being more sincerely socialist!""<br /><br />Welp, they don't have to declare themselves socialist. GOP will call them that anyway. All they have to do is be left-populist--stand for working people and the dispossessed, and MEAN IT. (That's what passes for "socialism" in this propaganda-besotted country). Hillary paid lip service to it, far too tepidly, while Trump, unencumbered by any ethics or morals, ran as the working-class candidate. Brought him close enough in the rust-belt states that the GOP could steal it.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36357264645849270392020-01-10T19:17:31.788-08:002020-01-10T19:17:31.788-08:00Oh and pour one out for Neil Peart.
Drummer and l...Oh and pour one out for Neil Peart. <br />Drummer and lyricist for Rush. Literate and a SciFi lover. Unfortunate emphasis on Ayn Rand (which he later regretted), leading to many a nerd becoming a libertarian. Played D&D enthusiastically. Wrote a seriously great book about grief and loss and motorcycles (Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road).<br /><br />Perhaps the most influential drummer I know. Every band I've been in, punk to country, blues to rock and electronica, when the drummer got bored they started playing Neil's stuff. I can think of no higher compliment. <br /><br />He was an amazing human. We are poorer without his voice and presence. matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82409574944657725902020-01-10T18:56:43.508-08:002020-01-10T18:56:43.508-08:00Acacia: I note that Sanders gave full throated an...Acacia: I note that Sanders gave full throated and active support to Hillary in the general, even after it became obvious that she was going to renege on her promise to be a stonge voice for labour and workers and address their concerns. (She lost to Trump in mid-west states where Sanders ran strong, too). It highlights the big problem the Democratic Party has with the left: they consider the left to be in thrall to them just because they aren't Republicans, and the left is left to chose between the Hitlers of the GOP or the Chamberlains of the Democratic Party. <br />Do you really think Bloomberg, a billionaire, will give the same full support to Sanders or Warrent that he might to an apostle of slow surrender, such as Biden. (Biden even said the other day he would consider a Republican running mate!)Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56190831673678654852020-01-10T18:30:00.005-08:002020-01-10T18:30:00.005-08:00When black women in SC side with Steyer, I'll ...When black women in SC side with Steyer, I'll take him seriously. Until then, I suspect Democrats will eventually come around to the idea that he's buying an election. It's not like that hasn't been done in the past, but it puts the tarnish on a candidate for the Dems.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-42060675288996770542020-01-10T16:49:27.027-08:002020-01-10T16:49:27.027-08:00Steyer and Bloomberg have had a free rein in many ...Steyer and Bloomberg have had a free rein in many of the traditionally red states in terms of advertising. They are the only ones making media buys in a lot of places, and the sparse polling in those places show them in good positions. Steyer is in 2nd in South Carolina, for instance. We should be treating them as serious contenders, as much as it pains me to say so. I certainly don't want another oligarch as president. <br /><br />Bloomberg has his NDA problems from his time as mayor. I suspect if he starts gathering delegates or his team really ends up helping a Biden or Buttigieg in major ways then someone is gonna offer to pay to break a couple of the NDAs and Bloomberg will be another #MeToo statistic. <br /><br />Steyer is interesting. Well done adds and public image. His campaign needs to learn to back off though. One of my friends ended up on his list and he was getting contacted 20+ times every day. DM, email, texts, calls. My buddy says he'll vote for Trump over Steyer because of the harassment. I don't *think* he's serious but he certainly doesn't like the dude. matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-64239822418606906302020-01-10T14:29:47.319-08:002020-01-10T14:29:47.319-08:00Acacia,
I'm glad to hear that concerning many...Acacia,<br /><br />I'm glad to hear that concerning many of the people around you. That means some of the world has moved along faster and farther than I thought likely to happen. In a similar way, I was caught a bit by surprise by the same-sex marriage movement in California. I have very definite, liberalizing opinions*, but after the embarrassment of the 2008 election, I didn't think my neighbors would help reverse the error for some time. I underestimated them. In proving me wrong, they helped me be a bit more optimistic about the general state of our liberty.<br /><br />* [I advocated for PDA's to help acclimatize youngsters so the battle could be won in about half a generation, but they all went full-on legal challenge. They were right and I was too timid.]<br /><br /><br /><br />As for Bloomberg, I've never met a politician who ran for office who didn't think they could win it. Charisma AND Ego. Bloomberg might have fallback positions he isn't thinking much about, but I don't doubt he thinks he can win.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.com