I am puzzled as to why Joe Biden is the frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Supposedly, he gets more support from African Americans than any of the other candidates. Is this simply because he was Obama’s VP? I like all of the Democratic candidates, but Uncle Joe doesn’t strike me as being more capable than most of them. Biden voted for most of the things Hillary Clinton voted for when they were both in the Senate, but Clinton was accused of being every negative thing anyone could think of for those votes. Biden actually voted for the 1994 crime bill, as did Sanders and most of the members of CBC, and the overwhelming majority of the black community supported the legislation as well. But, because Hillary Clinton said people who murdered little children and other innocent people in drive-by shootings, were super predators, she was a racist. It has been said that our Russian friends made this a faux issue in the 2016 election, so I am not trying to make it an issue in the 2020 election. I am just pointing out things Biden is apparently getting a pass on.

Biden also gets as pass on how he was part of the good ole boy network during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearing and did not allow some of the witnesses to testify on behalf of Anita Hill. He also voted for H.J. Res. 114, not that I hold that against him because contrary to what the press promoted, it was not a war resolution, but rather a peace resolution that the Bush administration and congressional republicans hijacked and made it a war resolution. However, apparently Hillary Clinton was the only Democrat who was responsible for that “resolution”, not a declaration of war, being used to invade Iraq. Biden also initially brushed Obama off as simply being a “clean” candidate in the 2008 primaries.

Now, Biden comes out as being against the Hyde Amendment, at age 76. I guess better late than never. The same women who suffered because of the Hyde Amendment before Biden opposed it, will suffer because of it after he opposes it. But now that he opposes it, that is all he needs to say because he is the only Democrat who can defeat a justly impeached president who was not convicted by the Senate in the 2020 election. Oh, my bad. Trump is not being impeached because House Democratic “leadership” doesn’t think Trump is worth defending the Constitution and the rule of law, and they don’t want to cause anymore division between Trump’s supporters and any sane people.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/matt-schlapp-joe-biden-caved-to-exceedingly-radical-dems-on-hyde-amendment/ar-AACzmoc?ocid=spartandhp

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Dajuan Candle
Member

Double standards. Plus, Hillary was married to you know who. I haven’t made up my mind as to who I will be voting for, but I can say it will not be for Uncle Joe. His time has come and gone, that is my primary reason (pun intended). His candidacy could be the one thing the Democratic party didn’t need. I think the young Democratic party voters are going to shock the system, upset the apple cart, and vote many of out the baby boomers and throw their support behind a younger Presidential candidate.

TubaJesus
Member
TubaJesus

He doesn’t get one from me, of course, you already know that though.

Kimtech
Member
Kimtech

Biden’s got name recognition going on.

That’s the reason for his popularity.

Lame as it sounds, that’s it.

AdLib
Admin

Exactly. And just as we saw in previous primaries, once voters get to see candidates in debates and get to know them, name recognition fades away as a factor.

Really looking forward to the debates.

escribacat
Member

At this point, I’m guessing Biden’s lead is simply a matter of name recognition. Ditto for number 2, Sanders. We’ll see how it looks after the debates, and this winter, when the campaign actually gets rolling.

AdLib
Admin

That seems to be the case. What’s interesting is how Warren, Buttigieg and Harris, who have much lower name recognition, have all been rising in the polls while Biden and Sanders have been dropping. I think Biden is riding a bubble that’s not going to last through the debates.

Nonpartay
Member
Nonpartay

Well, sorry, but we got cheated out of a woman president the last time, and I want a woman next time. Joe’s fine, with all those little exceptions you mentioned, and like the others, I’ll vote for whoever is nominated on the Democratic side. But I really like Elizabeth Warren at this point. She has a plan for just about everything. And Kamala Harris is very impressive as well. It’s time, folks. Let’s join the rest of the civilized world and finally have a woman leading this country. She certainly couldn’t do any worse than this man-child in there at the moment. And besides, nothing would warm the cockles of my heart more than seeing him lose to the second woman running against him. Only this time, let’s hope the Electoral College is in tune with the voters and that enough people come out to vote for her so there’s no question about who won the election.

escribacat
Member

I’m still at “any rational adult” and whoever can pummel Trump the most effectively. I have to say, Biden’s pretty good at pummeling Trump. I do like that about him. I’m big on Inslee because he has prioritized climate change. I’m also very fond of Harris. But I like all except for two of them: Sanders and Gabbard.

Kimtech
Member
Kimtech

I participated in a fun exercise on Twitter yesterday in which the question was asked, fill in the blank with whatever would be the worst activity or person yet could beat tRump’s ratings.

_____________ 51%

to

tRump 40%

Some fun ones

Colonoscopy 51%
tRump 40%

3 successive root canals 51%
tRump 40%

Dinner and dancing with Steve Bannon 51%
tRump 40%

Hovering over a litter box to pee 51%
tRump 40%

AdLib
Admin

Very funny!!!

A couple more?

Flesh eating virus 51%
Trump 40%

Certain Death 51%
Trump 40%

Ouch!

tepake
Member
tepake

Jam two knitting needles into eyes 51%
tRump 40%

Drop carving knife on foot 51%
tRump 40%

Kiss Mitch McConnell 51%
tRump 40%

AdLib
Admin

I think both Warren and Harris are going to be strong contenders for the nom though Warren is my favorite between the two.

Remember, the whispers about Obama during the primary was that America might not be ready for a black president so the whispering about America not being ready for a woman president is just as mistaken.

The latest polls show all of the top Dem contenders beating Trump handily so as the primary continues, I think the argument about being a woman could be a liability will be disposed of.

tepake
Member
tepake

Please don’t go to the “couldn’t do any worse” argument. First of all, you could say that about a carrot. Secondly, and I know it’s not intentional, its patronizing to any female candidate. Let’s judge them at face value.

I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Warren and I’m going to have a t-shirt made – “I’ve Got a Plan for That.”

Nonpartay
Member
Nonpartay

How is it patronizing to a female candidate when I’m a woman myself? It’s important that this country put a woman in charge because the men have made such a mess of things. Sorry, but that’s just a fact. When this has happened in other countries, it made a huge difference. Check out Iceland, for example. It was on the brink of ruin, but women got in control and put the country back on track. The men in this administration have made such hash of our system and ruined so much of our government, it’s going to take a woman to clean up the mess—as usual. And as you say, Warren has a plan for that, and given half a chance, I will vote for her, too.

Opie Cat
Member
Opie Cat

I tend to agree with what you’ve written TOCB. I like Joe, but I like a couple of others better. He is not my choice, but if he wins the primary, rest assured I’ll vote for him!

jac
Member
jac

I agree. I will vote for who wins the Primary.

AdLib
Admin

First off, I am in complete agreement that this kind of “playing-it-safe” mentality that has Biden at the top of polls is a mistake and is exactly how Dems lose elections.

Americans like to be inspired, they really do like hope and change, they want to be excited about how a new president will make things much better and try different things. It worked in Trump’s favor in 2016, it won’t in 2020 but it won’t work for Dems in 2020 if they pick a candidate who doesn’t represent something fresh and optimistic.

Voters don’t get excited by someone who is pointedly not really about change and instead embraces small, incremental tweaks to a system that is not working for most Americans.

It may seem curious at first, Biden’s #1 ranking in the polls, but considering that the two main factors for this will soon dissipate, I think his initial lead in primary polls will decline similarly to Hillary Clinton against Barack Obama in 2008 and Jeb Bush against Donald Trump in 2016.

Polling this early is rarely accurate in predicting outcomes since debates and the actual campaign haven’t begun yet. So all that polls can be based on is name recognition, the bits and pieces about candidates some voters pick up from news items and early campaign stumping which is localized.

As for Biden getting Mulligans, I couldn’t agree more.

We castigate the GOP and Trump voters for ignoring the terrible things (and crimes) Trump does because they favor bigger political goals Trump represents to them (like ending Roe v.Wade and purging people of color from the country). Dems doing the same with Biden and overlooking his positions and decisions that are terribly wrong because they think he’s the best candidate to beat Trump is similarly unprincipled.

Polling always tightens up as elections near and whoever the Dem candidate is will not have a huge advantage by the time November rolls around. Biden’s support for old school, conservative positions are a liability that Trump and Russia will no doubt hammer in a General Campaign if Biden was the nominee. The truth is, there is no candidate more vulnerable to being chopped down over his political baggage than Biden.

It is unacceptable, in today’s Democratic Party, that a Dem candidate would favor the oppression and prejudice that the Hyde Amendment represents. In essence, it created two classes of American women, those who have money and can exercise their Constitutional right to abortion and those who are poor (and mostly people of color) who can’t exercise their Constitutional right to abortion because they are poor. Supporting Hyde was supporting prejudice and a stripping away of Constiutional rights from poor women. That’s not okay.

Biden’s unflattering flip-flop on this exposed the very weakness of his candidacy. He folds as easily as a wet napkin on a supposed principled position he’s held for decades? Because it’s now a political problem? How would Trump portray Biden in a General Election if he does it then too? As weak, unprincipled, desperate and pandering.

Biden has sabotaged himself in other presidential runs, I don’t see why anyone would think he would suddenly become a perfect candidate instead of self-destructive as usual.

And consider how many other issues over which he will be put on the defensive, where he supported something that runs contrary to current day Dem values or American values.

    Biden supported the bankruptcy bill that stripped Americans of many rights to claim bankruptcy (Biden did this to help banks over Americans because he’s in Delaware where many banks are based).

    Biden supported the crime bill that led to record imprisonment of African Americans.

    Biden mistreated Anita Hill and other women in the Clarence Thomas hearings who risked sharing personal stories of sexual harassment to help the country (or wanted to, Biden blocked another woman from testifying about Thomas’ sexual harassment of her).

    Biden voted for the Iraq War.

    Biden opposed the ACA/Obamacare.

Whether one can make legitimate excuses for some or even all of these positions, it would be Trump-supporter-level denialism to think that these won’t be hammered on by Trump’s campaign to damage and muddy up Biden.

Wouldn’t it just simply be better to have a candidate who was never on the wrong side of all those issues and more?

And if you think Russia was successful depressing Dem turnout for Hillary, imagine how effective they could be depressing Dem turnout with all this ammunition against Biden.

Add to that, Biden is running a cynical front-runner campaign of avoiding details on issues, plagiarizing other candidates and organizations position papers, dissing Progressive Dems as “elitists” and “socialists” and frankly, coming off as a bit creaky and stiff on the stump.

I think that if a candidate so out of touch with the modern day Dem base was the nominee, we could see a 2016 type loss or worse, despite the Hillary-like advantage Biden may have now in polling against Trump.

Dems need a candidate that they can get enthusiastic about and combined with the passion to remove Trump, that would be a powerful voting block that could yield big results for Dems as happened in 2018.

We ran an old school, establishment and corporate-friendly candidate against Trump in 2016 and lost. The numbers proved that voter turnout went down for Dems in 2016, enough to swing the election. There were multiple factors for this, including James Comey’s sabotage of the election, Wikileaks and the Russian disinformation campaign on social media.

However, there is no question that voter enthusiasm for Hillary was lower than for Obama, voters wanting someone new leaned for Trump and the high negatives of both Hillary and Trump discouraged some voters from voting for either of them.

What we need in 2020 in a Dem candidate for president is someone who doesn’t carry decades of baggage that can be used to bury him/her, someone who offers vision, energy and enthusiasm to American voters, someone who has modern day sensibilities on what is right and just and someone who’s not afraid to push for the big changes this country needs.

Unfortunately, Biden doesn’t check any of those boxes. So I think that as the debates begin in about two weeks, we’ll see this sugar-high polling lead of Biden’s dissolve as other Dems step up to hold his feet to the fire on his negatives as a candidate and promote their charisma and determination to the American public.