Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

John Fetterman: Too Manly for Pennsylvania.  Paid for by the Oz for Senator campaign.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Second rate reporter says what?

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

T R E 4 5 O N

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

The revolution will be supervised.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / The Disappearing Of Elizabeth Warren

The Disappearing Of Elizabeth Warren

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New NBC poll shows Sanders in the lead, with a four-way tie for second place.

But let’s see how they tweet it.

Someone missing, no? And do they shorten the men’s names to Bloo or Butt? I think not.

Jeez, NBC. Do better.

Reader Interactions

134Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    They disappeared her on the Today show this morning when talking a Virginia poll too.  It’s quite something.

  4. 4.

    Ruckus

    @Baud: 
    Well at least we know that EW must be gaining a lot of ground if the MSM is worried. Can’t have that woman winning.

  8. 8.

    Cameron

    Gee, you’d almost think TPTB were more worried about Elizabeth Warren than about Bernie Sanders. Almost.

  10. 10.

    Yutsano

    They’re not going to do better Cheryl. They have no incentive to do better. All their paymasters have ordered is don’t let that woman with the plans win. It’s Clinton on steroids. But Warren is making her own presence felt. She is everyone’s second choice. That doesn’t happen without her getting her message out despite the MSM.

  11. 11.

    senyordave

    If Sanders is the nominee he will probably go down in flames.  I’ll take Warren or Klob (seriously that is what they put up?), and then probably Bloomberg.  At this point somebody better start using the big stuff on Sanders.  Take a long hard look at Jane Sanders and her land deal.  And I’m sure his praise for the old Soviet Union will play real well in WI, central PA, and MI rural areas.  Sanders is a selfish fuck who truly has pie-in-sky proposals, but he was smart in promising a lot of free shit without any substance – he learned from Trump.  Warren made a fatal area, she had plans with details on how she would achieve them.  Americans don’t want details, most of them can’t balance their checkbook, much less do a household budget.

    Here’s one Democrat who will be an ex-Democrat if Sanders is the nominee and loses.

  13. 13.

    greenergood

    The MSM, Wall Street, etc. are scared of her because she’s the real deal – she’s gone after them before, and she’s happy to announce that she will keep going after them. My hedge-fund brother despises Trump, but is scared of her because she speaks a truth he and his ‘colleagues’ want to ignore, so they can maintain the wealth gap that keeps them comfortable while the 99% are floundering.

  15. 15.

    JMG

    If she is elected President (probably not, but one can hope), the networks won’t cover the inaugural. She is a direct threat to the telecommunications oligopoly. Can’t have that.

  18. 18.

    Elizabelle

    Call NBC.  Tweet back at the twitterers.

    Make some noise.  None of this shit is real, or fair, and it does no good to complain privately about it.

    Have Elizabeth’s back.

  19. 19.

    Mnemosyne

    @zhena gogolia:

    Either he’ll lose or he won’t get shit passed because nobody likes him and he has no idea how to compromise on anything.

    Warren has actual detailed plans that seem to be pretty feasible, so she’s a bigger threat. 

  21. 21.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Baud:

    I don’t really think so. No one has a problem with Biden, he’s just not the first choice for a lot of people in the Democratic Party. But more people (especially in the middle, people who are afraid of Sanders) would be pretty happy with a Biden choice.

  22. 22.

    randy khan

    Klobuchar is the flavor of the month, so of course they’re covering her out of proportion to where she is in the polls.

    I’d be perfectly fine with her as the nominee, but it’s insane that they’d a head-to-head for her and not for Warren, who is polling at twice where she is and essentially tied with three of the other people in the poll.

  23. 23.

    Chris T.

    Nevertheless, she persists.

    Make noise, and donate a few bucks to the campaign (and, alas, wind up with multiple daily begging email messages and texts)…

  26. 26.

    Dan B

    @greenergood:  It amazes me that the hedge fund masters fail to see that the boom years of the 50’s and 60’s were when marginal tax rates were high, the GI’s got loans and education and healthcare, unions were strong, and we were mostly at peace.  The stock market was not a roller coaster but it did not have the crazy heights that make investors dream of that bigger yacht.

    Is this a fear that some of them might have less to brag about on the links?  Is it fear of losing at the dick measuring fest?

    Sad. (As in pathetic.)

  27. 27.

    germy

    NBC is hosting the debates tomorrow.  They must be frustrated that Warren is still standing.

    I still remember that town hall debate thing hosted by Matt Lauer, and how aggressively he went after Hillary.

  31. 31.

    different-church-lady

    Soooooo… we’re going to pick the guy with the 1 point lead over Trump in the key states instead of the guy with the 8 point lead.

  34. 34.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: There was some previous information from another commenter here that Bernie actually DOES have a history of compromise, even somewhat recently (2012 or so). He doesn’t build coalitions, but he is willing to budge and make deals with people he doesn’t agree with.

    It’s just that ‘no compromise’ is part of his brand now, so while he might know how he can’t do this anymore. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.

  37. 37.

    different-church-lady

    @senyordave: I think I finally figured out why my gut is telling me Sanders would be a disaster.

    Trump-or-Sanders voters are politically incoherent. All they know is they want “something big and different.” If that choice becomes a reality, their incoherence is going to make them stick to Trump, because he’s the one that makes incoherence fun.

  38. 38.

    Baud

    The other interesting thing about the Biden matchup numbers is that it suggests the possibility that Dem primary voters have been more spooked by Hunter Biden then GE voters.

  39. 39.

    Major Major Major Major

    I feel like basically everybody I talk to in person supports Sanders. Probably because the people who support somebody else aren’t constantly talking about it. He’s like CrossFit.

    Reminds me of four years ago when I’d be the only person in the room to support Hillary. Boy were they shocked when she won California.

  42. 42.

    MomSense

    @different-church-lady:

    Apparently we are looking at an existential threat to our democracy, a president who is obviously corrupt and unfit, and deciding to turn this existential threat election into a referendum on socialism.  Hooray!  Wicked smaht.

  44. 44.

    different-church-lady

    @Baud: Well, exactly, and I’m surprised nobody’s been talking about it before now. Trump’s ratfuck of Biden worked. It just worked a lot earlier in the process than they thought it was going to.

  45. 45.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Baud:

    True. It is definitely interesting.

    It’s kind of why I’m still considering Biden despite some bad showings and having other people that I agree with more. Biden consistently does well in all these matchups, even as his share of the Democratic primary lowers. Even after the Ukrainian problem, and he’s somewhat inoculated against Republican shitflinging due to the fact that they already publicly blew their load and got impeached for it.

  46. 46.

    zhena gogolia

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Today I made the mistake of having a brief political conversation with people in real life. They asked me what I listened to if I didn’t listen to NPR. I said I didn’t listen to anything and I got most of my news from twitter. They laughed scornfully so I asked them where they got their news from. They said NYT, WaPo, and the Guardian, the Guardian is really good. I said, “They’re Berniebros.” They looked at me as if I were crazy. Maybe I am. I need to remember I’m not always talking to BJ.

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I’m not sure his fans really get how pissed off people are about the whole LOL we don’t really think M4A will pass, but you’re still murderers if you don’t support it thing. Assholes gonna asshole. ?

  53. 53.

    Mnemosyne

    @Baud:

    Given how unreliable the polls have been so far, I’m not even sure we can call them evidence at this point. Which pollster predicted that Mayor Pete would come out of Iowa with the most delegates?

  59. 59.

    snoey

    @zhena gogolia: Even if he does win he’s still (at best) an intellectually lazy ineffectual lightweight who doesn’t play well with others, so nothing for them to worry about either way.

  61. 61.

    Cacti

    Warren decided 4 years ago that she wanted to position herself as the intelligent, female Bernie.

    Turns out the bros prefer the original version.

    Who could have seen that one coming?

    (raises hand)

  63. 63.

    The Dangerman

    @different-church-lady:

    Soooooo… we’re going to pick the guy with the 1 point lead over Trump in the key states instead of the guy with the 8 point lead.

    I think it is worse than that … the guy with the 8 point lead has been hit with a firehose of shit for months and has an 8 point lead …

    …just wait until Sanders gets the firehose of shit treatment.

  65. 65.

    Cacti

    @The Dangerman: …just wait until Sanders gets the firehose of shit treatment.

    Plus all of the Dem candidates in light red or purple states/districts having to run away from a daily bombardment of ads with candidate Bernie declaring “I’m a socialist” or praising Fidel Castro, the Soviet Union, etc.

  66. 66.

    Baud

    @The Dangerman:

    We could really use a strong debate by Biden tomorrow.  I fear the not-Bernies will gel around whoever wins Super Tuesday and odds are that will either be Biden or Bloomberg.

    Like all forecasts, grain of salt.

  67. 67.

    BellyCat

    I am solidly for Warren and have been long before she announced her candidacy.

    The cold-shoulder from the press is disturbing beyond description, but confirmation of the fear she inspires among the Privileged. The fact that the press today bows and scrapes before privilege is (and will remain) a core problem. Solutions in the near, or even far term are Sisyphean.

    Serious question: I have read in this here esteemed blog, a few people say that they don’t trust Warren’s political instincts, even though they “want” to support her. I haz a confused. Examples are?

  68. 68.

    Elizabelle

    Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran endorsed Elizabeth Warren today. Very proud to have Kathy’s endorsement.

    Have to say, I really LOVE Delegate Sally Hudson’s statement, though.

    “We get Presidents like Elizabeth Warren once in a generation: leaders with the vision and backbone to face crisis head on,” said Delegate Sally Hudson. “We don’t need another lullaby to sing us back to sleep. We need to build a democracy and economy that keeps us all safe and thriving for the long haul. Decades from now, we’ll look back on the core institutions she built and wonder how we ever lived without them. I know my generation is ready for a President like that.”

    Source:  Blue Virginia

    First I have heard of Sally Hudson.  Another woman to watch.  Represents Virginia’s 57th (Charlottesville area). She’s an Elizabeth in the making!  Per wiki:

    Hudson grew up in Iowa. She studied economics and math at Stanford University, and received her PhD in economics from MIT.

    Hudson is an assistant professor of economics at the Batten School of the University of Virginia.

  69. 69.

    J R in WV

    @germy:

    I still remember that town hall debate thing hosted by Matt Lauer, and how aggressively he went after Hillary.

    And of course Lauer was FIRED for sexually predatory behavior, like so many other high ranking folks at NBC and MSNBC. The current behavior against Professor Senator Warren, who will still be a senior Senator if she loses the nomination or general election, is a perfect storm of the same misogyny from the top of NBC.

    What I’m saying here is that the firing of Matt Lauer was way too short of achieving the cleansing of NBC management when it comes to sexual predation in that network!! Everyone in the management structure of NBC news is corrupt and guilty, their treatment of Senator Warren shows it plainly and in clear public view.

    I hate it that MSNBC is currently the best cable news network covering our election. Afraid to fire Rachel Maddow and Joy Reid for good reason, willing to keep the despicable Chris Matthews forever.

    I won’t go into Andrea MItchell Greenspan and her news fabrication, she twisted every speech and event at the Democratic National Convention while we watched it going on! Can it be possible that these people are all Russian tools??? Because otherwise someone else must be buying them off — it can’t just be happening because~!!~

  70. 70.

    Mnemosyne

    @Baud:

    I don’t know the answer to this and can’t Google it because I’m on my phone at work: how many Super Tuesday ballots is Bloomberg even on? I know he wasn’t on the early ballots.

  71. 71.

    Elizabelle

    @J R in WV:   NBC’s MOTUs got their tax cut.  Who cares what else happens?

    We really, really need to break up big media, and get Fox News out of the mix.  They distort reality to a dangerous degree.

    As in, incompatible with a functioning democracy.

  72. 72.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Was in one of my favorite local cafes this morning. And I noticed that a Bernie flyer had been put on the bulletin board where there used to be a Warren one, and the stack of Warren flyers that used to be on the table had been disappeared.

    Assholes. Trying to figure out where my local Warren HQ is so I can tell them.

  73. 73.

    germy

    @J R in WV:  They know Warren has plans, and they’re afraid of those plans.  They like things the way they are. They’re more afraid of her than they are of Sanders, because they know she’ll get things done.

  74. 74.

    Ksmiami

    @MomSense: I’m gonna call the DNC tomorrow and give them an earful- Sanders should never have been an option esp after his dickishness in 16

  75. 75.

    trollhattan

    @J R in WV:

    How could an organization 1. not have known about Lauer’s shenanigans (“He wants a remote lock on his office door.” “Why, so nobody breaks in?” “No, so nobody can break out.” “Approved.”) and 2. let it ride for years before finally dragging their loafers and finally canning him?

    Ratings and not giving a shit.

    He’s gone but I suspect the dryrot remains.

  76. 76.

    Mnemosyne

    @BellyCat:

    She embraced Medicare for All and doing so hurt her badly. She should have staked out a position away from Sanders. To be fair, she wasn’t the only one to fall for that trap — it was one of the big things that tanked Kamala Harris’s campaign. Warren would have been much smarter to position herself as an alternative to Bernie, not an ally.

    Releasing her DNA results also seems to have been a misstep. The people who were already calling her a liar weren’t convinced and she pissed off a lot of politically active Native Americans.

  77. 77.

    Cacti

    I will note that in the Bloomie thread, there was a complaint about him not making himself available enough to the media.

    I’d say that might be the least concerning thing about him.  Unless one thinks that we’re missing something when a candidate isn’t filtered through the pen of MAGA Haberman.

  78. 78.

    piratedan

    @The Dangerman: and yet, that never seems to happen… Harris, Warren, Biden, all nailed in the MSM with GOP talking points as the lede…. The  guy who isn’t even a Democrat… not so much, funny ain’t it?  I could almost discern a pattern taking shape…

  79. 79.

    ThresherK

    Has anyone else noticed an uptick of far lefties using the word “liberal” referring to Dems supporting Buttigieg or Bloomberg, when they used to use “neoliberal”?

  80. 80.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @trollhattan: That’s an element in so many of those predator stories. “Management knew but covered up and paid his legal fees and settlements because he generated so much revenue for the corporation.”

    Almost as if the destroyed lives and lost employees aren’t part of the cost-benefit analysis.

  81. 81.

    Chyron HR

    @Cacti:

    If that’s what you really believe, then you should be thanking your lucky stars that she’s keeping Bernie from being at 41%.

  83. 83.

    Elizabelle

    @Mnemosyne:   I don’t understand not going specifically after Hillary’s 3 million voters.

    I think Sanders in the race has spoiled a lot.  His supporters are bitter because they think BS would have won, so you can’t talk about Hillary bested Trump by 3 million plus votes.

    They also think BS was cheated by not enough caucuses.  Glad to see Iowa blow up like the Hindenburg on them.

    I hear at the doors (not that often, thank dog) fears that a woman cannot win.

    But.  A woman already did.  It is just not convenient to acknowledge that.  (You all know that I don’t believe the EC victory.  I think that was cheating and manipulation.)

    And look at how Hillary is slammed down every time her name surfaces in the news.  It’s clinical.

  84. 84.

    topclimber

    @schrodingers_cat: Russians don’t do comrade anymore, tovarish. They are more on the Franco/Soprano paradigm.

    Bernie put wealth inequality on the map. Whatever his other sins, give him that.

  85. 85.

    Geminid

    I am a newshound and political junkie and a fast reader, and I consume news from a lot of sources. But I frequently catch the hourly news on am radio when I am driving or working, and it’s not such a bad source. I have friends who are beyond “old media” and avidly consume blogs and podcasts. I sometimes wonder if they are over informed.

  86. 86.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I know that there is very little chance of this, but could everyone please take a couple of deep breaths and calm down?

    ETA:  I am annoyed.  My polling place moved.  It is actually closer to my home and more accessible than the previous one But I had to come home to look it up and now I need to go out again to vote.

  93. 93.

    Mnemosyne

    @ThresherK:

    Yep — all liberals are now the enemy. Thanks, Bernie!

    @Elizabelle:

    Oh, I’m with you on that. No one can admit that Hillary was cheated (and I think literally cheated in MI with vote-switching) because then the whole façade of normalcy collapses and we have to accept that our political system has rotted from the inside. The group of elites running our media can’t admit that, so they desperately spin everything to pretend this is just a normal election year and not the motherfucking apocalypse that will determine whether our country lives or dies.

    You can only ignore a rotting foundation for so long before it collapses, but our media is doing their best to pretend that everything is fine.

  94. 94.

    Fair Economist

    To emphasize your point:

    Klobuchar: 9 letters

    Bloomberg: 9 letters (and longer in proportional font)

    Buttigieg: alright, that would be an unacceptable abbreviation so fine.

  96. 96.

    Fair Economist

    @Cacti: Warren has always supported what she thinks are the fair and efficient ways to do things. It so happens that ends up close to Sanders’ proposals, for all his personal faults.

    That goes for M4All too. If SARS-2 gets here, we will be in a world of hurt for not having universal coverage. Tens of millions unwilling to go to the doctor to get checked because they can’t pay will make it nearly impossible to contain an outbreak beyond the early stages.

  100. 100.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Mnemosyne: And the reports of so-called Native American anger were deceptive and overblown. The Oklahoma figure who called her out on the DNA test had no official tribal role. And US Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), one of the first native women elected to the House along with Sharice Davids of Kansas, endorsed Warren and campaigns for her throughout the country.

    But since when do the MSM and other vested interests let the truth get in the way of a useful (to them) narrative?

  102. 102.

    Draco7

    Long time lurker here b/c of time constraints, but if this thread has not totally expired I will throw this into the conversation. As crisis points are reached (or perceived) in the political realm, comments here do get amped up – overheated, depressed, despairing, whatever. One of the prime factors seems to be ambiguity; how do I even understand what’s happening, what can I do about it, can I do something meaningful, etc.

    I can’t resolve that for anyone else and it bothers me a bit as well, but in terms of choices and direction I look at the objective. Politics is sales, government is policy and execution. Can’t get to the 2nd part w/o the 1st. Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama all made the sale. Who is the best salesperson available to nominate? That’s my primary (!) question to answer. The balance of the questions are how good are they at rapid response (swiftboating) and managing interviews/moderators/presentations so that they don’t get derailed. Focus, in other words. Once that’s answered I’m good.

    I’m an analyst by trade, and I generally frame analyses in terms of % probability rather than binary terms, so lose/win doesn’t ever quite exist. The best response to alleviate anxiety ( and have some effect) is to take action, but it is difficult to determine where to focus when the “war” (per ALS) is asymmetric. I’m confident that this election cycle will go outside of any familiar paradigm, but I will not speculate publicly – because that’s obviously not helping. I can recommend staying informed and flexible in considering the dynamics, as well as identifying the resources that need to be asked or prompted to pursue the more arcane possibilities. The Republicans have a strategy (or many) that needs to be anticipated and countered, and that’s my focus.

    Anyway, that’s a lot of yapping to say that the candidate has to be good at sales and media management (I know, d’oh!) – the unknown unknowns are what’s getting to everybody. I’ve made my decisions and I’m working and contributing to campaigns, but I’m also looking to see who is digging into the strategic possibilities surrounding the election. That’s my quest for direction and it would be nice to have some sort of handle on that piece.

    OK, that rambled – I do have some specific ideas, but this has gotten long enough. Sorry.

  103. 103.

    Mnemosyne

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Quite a few Black people I trust say that it made them wary of her because it showed a racial tone-deafness that worried them, even if it wasn’t directed at their group in that specific instance. I don’t know enough American Indian people to have a reliable sample from that group. I report, you decide, but it may be one of the factors in her weak numbers with Black voters. ?‍♀️

  105. 105.

    Kattails

    @Mnemosyne: see the link to a twitter thread by a black man, Frederick Joseph, about how Elizabeth is working with them. It’s heartening.  My comment just above, #101.

  108. 108.

    WaterGirl

    @MomSense: I haven’t been tracking the details.  Is there only one serious Democratic candidate?

    At this point, I think I might vote for Satan over Collins.  At least he wouldn’t be a total fucking hypocrite.

  110. 110.

    Marcopolo

    @Chris T.: Just look at the bottom of one of those emails & click on the unsubscribe link.  Worked like a charm for me.  And I am currently giving every week or two and new contributions don’t restart you being on the list.

  111. 111.

    Morzer

    G. Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris)

    Per new NBC/WSJ poll:

    Hypothetical general election matchups in AZ, CO, FL, ME, MI, MN, NV, NH, NC, PA, & WI:

    Biden 52% – Trump 44% (+8)

    Bloomberg 48 – Trump 46 (+2)

    Sanders 49 – Trump 48 (+1)

    Klobuchar 48 – Trump 47 (+1)

    Buttigieg 47 – Trump 47 (-)

  114. 114.

    Cameron

    @Fair Economist: Yeah, I think we’re gonna get hosed here in Florida.  The high number of us Olds and the refusal to accept the Medicaid expansion…add this epidemic to the mix, and we’ve got a disaster.

  116. 116.

    Brachiator

    @senyordave:

    If Sanders is the nominee he will probably go down in flames. I’ll take Warren or Klob (seriously that is what they put up?), and then probably Bloomberg.

    Coming late to this, but I gotta say that Bloomberg does not have a chance at becoming the nominee, and certainly not a chance of winning the election.

    Right now, Bloomberg has not given anyone a single reason why he should even be in the race.

    The only thing I know about him is that he has spent a lot of money and has a despicable track record as mayor.

    He supposedly hates Trump.  So what?

    I will be happy when this empty suit and his phantom candidacy disappears.

  117. 117.

    Geminid

    @MomSense: Collins and McSally both have strong opponents and an unpopular president at the top of the ticket. I think they are both goners. Tillis (NC) and Gardner (CO) also. Looks like we will have strong Senate candidates in GA, IA, KY,  KS, and TX. These states are winnable if we can get a strong candidate at the top of the ticket. Which looks kind of problematic right now.

  118. 118.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Mnemosyne: One can disagree over whether taking the DNA test was a misstep or not (I think she allowed herself to be baited into it by Trump, so not the wisest decision), BUT when prominent Native Americans aren’t bothered by it, then the racial narrative is weak. Some members of the black community bought into the “Kamala is a cop” trope, so no group is immune to disinformation campaigns.

  120. 120.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    The pardons aren’t just symbolic, part 32:

    In addition to clearing his criminal record, Trump's pardon for ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik cancels out $103,300 he still owes the IRS as part of his tax fraud conviction, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan tells NYDailyNews. https://t.co/rkCKOndQ0f

    — Chris Sommerfeldt (@C_Sommerfeldt) February 18, 2020

  121. 121.

    BellyCat

    @Mnemosyne: Just because Sanders believes in M4 does not mean it is not ultimately in the best interest of America to pursue M4A.  Warren, in my opinion, accurately perceives this. Obama would have gone for the same if it were politically feasible at the time.

    As for the DNA test. Nothingburger.  She has clearly made amends with the Native American community regarding this.

    Soon enough we will have a better sense of whether her political instincts have been good enough. To this middle-aged white male, she looks pretty damn brilliant thus far.

  122. 122.

    Brachiator

    @Cacti:

    I will note that in the Bloomie thread, there was a complaint about him not making himself available enough to the media.

    Apart from his ads and his shitty reputation, I don’t know who Bloomberg is.

    I noted that the Bloomberg campaign was eager to appear on a Los Angeles area talk radio show. But they insisted on sending a surrogate, not to make Bloomberg himself available. The host of the show, who has had various candidates on before said, “No.  We want the candidate, or no interview.” So, no interview.

    I’d say that might be the least concerning thing about him.  Unless one thinks that we’re missing something when a candidate isn’t filtered through the pen of MAGA Haberman.

    I also noted that Bloomberg had turned down an interview with the NY Times editorial board.  I noted that I do not give a shit that this is the NY Times.  As far as I know, Bloomberg has not been interviewed by any newspaper editorial board.  Not that newspaper editors are God, but in 2016, Sanders’ interview with the NY Daily News sealed the deal that he was all gas and no engine.

    Bloomberg appearing in a debate will not do it for me.  The moderators suck and other candidates will be vying for attention.

    Bloomberg is an empty vessel into which some folks are pouring their dreams of beating Trump.

    Does not work for me.

     

  123. 123.

    cokane

    Meh, blaming the media for Warren’s poor performance in Iowa and New Hampshire is bogus. It’s not as if she’s been relentlessly attacked for the Native American stuff in the media or something like that.

    She’s run a poor campaign. It really is that simple. And I say that as a voter who wanted her to win the primary. She moved off of focusing on an economic/corruption message to trying to cover every single issue in the party, including some pretty niche issues. That’s not good campaigning.

  124. 124.

    Geminid

    @Another Scott:          Yeah, forgot about him. There has been a strong anti-incumbent, outsider vs insider dynamic at work  the last couple election cycles. Make people like Graham, Cornyn, McConnell et al beatable. Kansas has an open seat. The probable Democratic candidate, State Senator Barbara Boullier, is solid (“a doctor, not a politician, who wants to fix the mess in Washington”). And her opponent may well be the odious Kris Kobach.

  125. 125.

    Brachiator

    @Mnemosyne:

    Releasing her DNA results also seems to have been a misstep. The people who were already calling her a liar weren’t convinced and she pissed off a lot of politically active Native Americans.

    I recently heard a political podcaster say that he and his wife liked Warren, but that she tries to be too nice and apologizes too much.  Maybe there is a little something to this, in the eyes of some.

    The Native American “controversy” is bullshit that should just fucking go away.  Racist right wingers want to use this nonsense to hurt Warren and also to whine about affirmative action.

    And some Native American activists want to use Warren’s statements to work over grievances that have nothing to do with Warren.

    Her ancestry is whatever it is.  She never claimed tribal membership because of it, which is an entirely separate issue.

    Anybody trying to make more of this doesn’t understand genetics, doesn’t understand American history, doesn’t understand American racism, or is just trying to keep shit stirred up.

     

    ETA: And I note that some women candidates seem to never be able to do anything that everyone happy, while male candidates can be aggressive without apologizing for it.

  127. 127.

    Geminid

    @Another Scott:      Someone else to keep an eye on is MJ Hegar in Texas. She faces a crowded primary, but if she comes through I think she will be a formidible challenger to John Cornyn. He is not especially popular. She projects cheerful toughness, has a compelling life story. And she is a member of the largest group of outsiders- women.

  129. 129.

    BellyCat

    @Mnemosyne: Just because Sanders believes in M4 does not mean it is not ultimately in the best interest of America to pursue M4A.  Warren, in my opinion, accurately perceives this. Obama would have gone for the same if it were politically feasible at the time.

    As for the DNA test. Nothingburger.  She has clearly made amends with the Native American community regarding this.

    Soon enough we will have a better sense of whether her political instincts have been good enough. To this middle-aged white male, she looks pretty damn brilliant thus far.

     

    @cokane:

    “She moved off of focusing on an economic/corruption message to trying to cover every single issue in the party, including some pretty niche issues“

    This actually does resonate. Typical Prof. problem: “she’s got an answer for that”.

    I don’t think her campaign has been lousy, but it has lacked one and two syllable focused and repetitive sound bites.

  130. 130.

    Mnemosyne

    @BellyCat:

    If not for that fucking asshole John Roberts, we would be well down the road of Medicaid For All by now, which is why he ripped mandatory Medicaid expansion out of PPACA and made it optional. It crippled the bill in a major way.

    I really feel like a lot of Sanders fans didn’t pay any goddamned attention in 2009-2010 and have no idea that most of the stuff that they say they want was written into the bill and then destroyed by Roberts’ decision. That’s why I can’t take them seriously — they whine about Obama’s “compromise” and “betrayal” but ignore all of the other moving parts.

  132. 132.

    Mnemosyne

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    I’m still waiting to see how North Carolina shakes out. I vote on Super Tuesday and it’s a coin flip for me between Warren and Biden, and that flip will be influenced by how each of them does with a heavily AA electorate. I am still committed to following the lead of Black women this year.

  133. 133.

    Geminid

    @BellyCat:       I wish Warren had pushed her Green New Deal proposal. It’s much better than the rest of the candidates’ proposals, and combatting climate change the smart way is a winning issue in the primary and the general. Jobs. Infrastructure! A positive issue, and she is best when she is positive.

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