Top 15 Democratic presidential candidates in 2020

[Thin Lizzy]

His supporters are slobbering all over themselves for him to name Nina Turner as his VP choice.

Could you imagine if he checks out a few weeks before the debates and she becomes the heir apparent to take his place? 

If she were old enough, it would be AOC😰

[Soul Crusher]

kip to comments.

Sanders sends Democratic establishment into panic mode: "In 30-plus years of politics, I’ve never seen this level of doom," said one prominent centrist Democrat.
Politico ^ | February 23, 2020 | Natasha Korecki and David Siders
Posted on 2/24/2020, 1:28:25 PM by C19fan

Moderate Democrats watched in horror as Bernie Sanders soared to a landslide victory in Nevada.

It wasn't the win that was surprising — it was the walloping Sanders gave his opponents, his ability to dominate among Latino voters, and the momentum he gained moving into South Carolina and Super Tuesday. The performance sent already worried Democrats into a full-blown panic.

“In 30-plus years of politics, I’ve never seen this level of doom. I’ve never had a day with so many people texting, emailing, calling me with so much doom and gloom,” said Matt Bennett of the center-left group Third Way after Sanders' win in Nevada.

Bennett said moderates firmly believe a Sanders primary win would seal Donald Trump’s reelection. “It’s this incredible sense that we’re hurtling to the abyss. I also think we could lose the House. And if we do, there would be absolutely no way to stop [Trump]. Today is the most depressed I’ve ever been in politics.”

A renewed sense of urgency washed over establishment Democrats, who fear it’s quickly becoming too late to stop Sanders.

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...

[Thin Lizzy]

Not surprising. Latinos love free government Bennies. They might not speak English but they sure know every program available.

[Soul Crusher]

Bernie Sanders' disastrous answer on '60 Minutes'
CNN ^ | February 24, 2020 | Chris Cillizza
Posted on 2/24/2020, 2:13:50 PM

Bernie Sanders, the clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, was asked over the weekend how much his various plans would cost if implemented. He didn't know

Here's the exchange between Sanders and Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes":

Cooper: Do you know how all -- how much though? I mean, do you have a price tag for -- for all of this?

Sanders: We do. I mean, you know, and -- and-- the price tag is -- it will be substantially less than letting the current system go. I think it's about $30 trillion.

Cooper: That's just for "Medicare for All," you're talking about?

Sanders: That's just "Medicare for All," yes.

Cooper: Do you have -- a price tag for all of these things?

Sanders: No, I don't. We try to -- no, you mentioned making public colleges and universities tuition free and canceling all student debt, that's correct. That's what I want to do. We pay for that through a modest tax on Wall Street speculation.

Cooper: But you say you don't know what the total price is, but you know how it's gonna be paid for. How do you know it's gonna be paid for if you don't know how much the price is?

Sanders: Well, I can't -- you know, I can't rattle off to you every nickel and every dime. But we have accounted for -- you -- you talked about "Medicare for All." We have options out there that will pay for it.

What? So, Sanders not only a) isn't sure how much all of his proposals would cost but also b) isn't able to say how he would pay for these programs. That strikes me as a potential weak spot if/when Sanders winds up as the Democratic nominee against President Donald Trump.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...

[Soul Crusher]

https://news.yahoo.com/after-sanders-praise-for-castro-cuban-americans-like-him-even-less-195233809.html?ncid=facebook_yahoonewsf_akfmevaatca


Breadlines Bernie is a communist red diaper doper baby.   

[polychronopolous]

Judge Judy Vows to ‘Fight’ the Bernie Sanders Revolution ‘to the Death’



Judge Judy Sheindlin has put up her dukes and is prepared to “fight to the death” to stop those trying to “revolutionize” the country. She’s talking to you, Bernie Sanders… and your “bros,” too.

Sheindlin, who is the magistrate of the courtroom series “Judge Judy,” now in its 24th season, has gone all-in on endorsing former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg for the Democratic party’s candidate for president. And she has made it abundantly clear that she’s ready to stop Bernie Sanders’ revolution to change the political landscape of the country before it even gets started.

“I was born in Brooklyn, so I have Brooklyn street smarts,” Sheindlin told Fox 25 reporter Mckenna Eubank during a Bloomberg stop in Oklahoma City. “America doesn’t need a revolution. It’s the most perfect country in the world and those people that are trying to change it and revolutionize it, don’t have a chance, because I’ll fight them to the death.”

https://www.thewrap.com/judge-judy-fight-bernie-sanders-revolution-to-the-death-video/

[Thin Lizzy]

The reason Bernie gets such traction on the healthcare issue is that people on the right are dishonest or ignorant as to how we got to this point. The defining feature of our healthcare system is employer based health insurance. It is in no way shape or form a product of the free market. It needs to go.



https://www.griffinbenefits.com/employeebenefitsblog/history-of-employer-sponsored-healthcare

To combat inflation, the 1942 Stabilization Act was passed. Designed to limit employers' freedom to raise wages and thus to compete on the basis of pay for scarce workers, the actual result of the act was that employers began to offer health benefits as incentives instead.

Suddenly, employers were in the health insurance business. Because health benefits could be considered part of compensation but did not count as income, workers did not have to pay income tax or payroll taxes on those benefits. Thus, by 1943, employers had an increased incentive to make health insurance arrangements for their workers, and the modern era of employer-sponsored health insurance began, a pivotal point in the History of Healthcare in America.

[Moontrane]

The reason Bernie gets such traction on the healthcare issue is that people on the right are dishonest or ignorant as to how we got to this point. The defining feature of our healthcare system is employer based health insurance. It is in no way shape or form a product of the free market. It needs to go.



https://www.griffinbenefits.com/employeebenefitsblog/history-of-employer-sponsored-healthcare

To combat inflation, the 1942 Stabilization Act was passed. Designed to limit employers' freedom to raise wages and thus to compete on the basis of pay for scarce workers, the actual result of the act was that employers began to offer health benefits as incentives instead.

Suddenly, employers were in the health insurance business. Because health benefits could be considered part of compensation but did not count as income, workers did not have to pay income tax or payroll taxes on those benefits. Thus, by 1943, employers had an increased incentive to make health insurance arrangements for their workers, and the modern era of employer-sponsored health insurance began, a pivotal point in the History of Healthcare in America.

Ironically, I think healthcare via work was a free market response to FDR’s wage controls.  Gov’t reaches
into the free market with one end in mind, but the market responds to controls and restrictions in unexpected ways.

Just imagine if in the 1940s employers offered to pay a portion of employees’ rent or mortgage.  The median
home price would be about a million $ today.

[Soul Crusher]

mments.

Florida Dems in uproar after Sanders’ Cuba comments. “Donald Trump wins Florida if Bernie is our nominee,” said one state legislator.
Politico ^ | February 24, 2020 | Marc Caputo
Posted on 2/24/2020, 6:22:42 PM by karpov

MIAMI — Bernie Sanders says he’s the Democrat best-equipped to defeat Donald Trump in November.

But Florida Democrats insist he‘s the worst-equipped after Sanders’s refusal Sunday night to thoroughly condemn the Cuban Revolution. His comments on 60 Minutes sent shockwaves through the nation’s biggest battleground state, where Democratic members of Congress, state legislators and party leaders warned that his nomination — and Sanders’s self-described “Democratic socialism” — will cost them the biggest battleground state of them all.

“Donald Trump wins Florida if Bernie is our nominee,” said state Rep. Javier Fernandez, a Democratic candidate in a majority-Hispanic state Senate district.

“If Bernie Sanders is atop the ticket, it’s going to make it tougher for all of us to win in Florida,” said Fernandez, who has endorsed Sanders’s rival, Joe Biden. “No one really sees Sanders winning Florida and I don’t think his campaign does either.”

As a state with an influential cross-section of Latinos whose families fled leftist Latin American regimes and violence, Sanders embrace of far-left leaders and his past refusals to wholeheartedly condemn Latin American strongmen and the Soviet Union have long been seen as fatal flaws.

Sanders on Sunday did nothing to allay those concerns in a 60 Minutes interview where he was asked about his 1985 comments stating that the Cuban people didn’t “rise up in rebellion against Fidel Castro” because “he educated their kids, gave their kids health care, totally transformed society.”

There was no mention of the firing squads, political purges and mass arrests that accompanied the 1959 revolution.

"We're very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it's unfair to simply say everything is bad. You know?" Sanders said Sunday when asked about the remarks. "When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did?

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...

[Irongrip400]

To Bernie’s defense, some of the stuff Castro did, was good for the people. Much like some things Hitler did were good for his people.

[Thin Lizzy]

Ironically, I think healthcare via work was a free market response to FDR’s wage controls.  Gov’t reaches
into the free market with one end in mind, but the market responds to controls and restrictions in unexpected ways.

Just imagine if in the 1940s employers offered to pay a portion of employees’ rent or mortgage.  The median
home price would be about a million $ today.

It’s a great point. What it did was distort price incentives. Employees have no reason to shop for the cheapest healthcare options because their employer is paying for it. It’s kind a like when you go on a business trip with your employer picking up the tab.

This intervention was a big reason why Medicare was created as well. People retiring suddenly lost their employer based healthcare. The whole idea of your employer being in charge of your healthcare is absurd.

[Soul Crusher]

To Bernie’s defense, some of the stuff Castro did, was good for the people. Much like some things Hitler did were good for his people.

People are fleeing and risking life and death on the high seas in old 50’s cadillacboats from bernies utopia. 

[Soul Crusher]

ee Republic
Browse · Search      News/Activism
Topics · Post Article
Skip to comments.

Bloomberg called Warren 'scary' and vowed to 'defend the banks' in closed-door 2016 event
CNN ^ | 7:10 PM ET, Mon February 24, 2020 | Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck
Posted on 2/24/2020, 7:38:40 PM by Zhang Fei

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said at a private event in 2016 that his presidential campaign platform would have been to "defend the banks" and also labeled the progressive movement and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, now a rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, as "scary."

When asked his views on the rise of the far right in Europe, Bloomberg warned about the rise of progressive politicians in the US, citing Warren.

"The left is arising. The progressive movement is just as scary," he says. "Elizabeth Warren on one side. And whoever you want to pick on the Republicans on the right side?"

Bloomberg, who was elected mayor as a Republican and as an independent, also criticized President Barack Obama, saying that his 2012 endorsement of Obama was "backhanded" and that he thought Republican Mitt Romney could have done a better job if he'd been elected.

In the remarks, Bloomberg also spoke of the need for America to solve the problem of income equality before society "blows up." "Well, to start, my first campaign platform would be to defend the banks, and you know how well that's gonna sell in this country," Bloomberg said in his remarks.

"But seriously," he went on, "somebody's gotta stand up and do what we need. A healthy banking system that's going to take risks because that's what creates the jobs for everybody. And nobody's willing to say that. The trouble is, these campaigns in this day and age, really are about slogans and not about issues anymore. And in this election you're going to see people are voting and they either love or hate, mostly hate both, but who you hate the least. That's what they're going to vote for. And they're not going to vote on issues."

Bloomberg added of the

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...

[Soul Crusher]

o comments.

Bernie Sanders under scrutiny for backing Sandinistas in 1980s
New York Post ^ | February 24, 2020 | Carl Campanile
Posted on 2/24/2020, 7:20:31 PM by karpov

Bernie Sanders’ praise of Cuba and Fidel Castro on Sunday is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Democratic front-runner had a romance with the Marxist Sandinista government of Nicaragua in the 1980s and even honeymooned with wife Jane in the Soviet Union in 1988.

Hillary Clinton’s opposition research book on Sanders from 2016 — posted by WikiLeaks after the emails of her campaign chairman, John Podesta, were hacked — has a whole section on the then-Burlington, Vt., mayor’s trip to Nicaragua and chummy support of the Sandinistas in 1985.

“Sanders Was The Only Elected US Official To Attend Anniversary Of Sandinista Revolution In Managua,” one headline in the oppo book said.

“Sanders Supported The Socialist Sandinista Government In Nicaragua As It Fought A Proxy War Against The United States. …He used to be a ‘Sandernista,’” the Clinton campaign research book said, sourcing information from a May 28, 2015, MSNBC story.

Sanders even met with Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega.

In his own book “Outsider in the House,” Sanders called the trip to Nicaragua a “profoundly emotional experience” and praised Ortega.

Burlington and Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, became sister cities.

The Clinton oppo book also cited articles saying Sanders also tried to serve as an emissary to arrange a meeting between Ortega and then-President Ronald Reagan to resolve the conflict.

Sanders also criticized the Reagan administration’s efforts to overthrow the Sandinistas with the pro-US Contras, equating the policy to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. He also worried that the conflict could become a Vietnam-like quagmire.

Meanwhile, Sanders and his wife honeymooned in the then USSR’s Yaroslavl, which had a sister city relationship with Burlington when he was mayor.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...

[Primemuscle]

It’s a great point. What it did was distort price incentives. Employees have no reason to shop for the cheapest healthcare options because their employer is paying for it. It’s kind a like when you go on a business trip with your employer picking up the tab.

This intervention was a big reason why Medicare was created as well. People retiring suddenly lost their employer based healthcare. The whole idea of your employer being in charge of your healthcare is absurd.

In 2017 employer-based insurance was the most common, covering 56.0 percent of the population for some or all of the calendar year. In 2017, 8.8 percent of people, or 28.5 million, did not have health insurance at any point during the year. Not all employers provide healthcare insurance and not all people take advantage of it when it is provided.

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-264.html

[Soul Crusher]

In 2017 employer-based insurance was the most common, covering 56.0 percent of the population for some or all of the calendar year. In 2017, 8.8 percent of people, or 28.5 million, did not have health insurance at any point during the year. Not all employers provide healthcare insurance and not all people take advantage of it when it is provided.

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-264.html

Democrats who don’t usher in Obamacare have no footing here.

[Thin Lizzy]

In 2017 employer-based insurance was the most common, covering 56.0 percent of the population for some or all of the calendar year. In 2017, 8.8 percent of people, or 28.5 million, did not have health insurance at any point during the year. Not all employers provide healthcare insurance and not all people take advantage of it when it is provided.

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-264.html

I am aware of this. My point is that it did not come from the free market but from a government intervention. So, for Bernie to point out high healthcare costs as a failure of capitalism is dishonest.

Sure, people who have employer based healthcare might like it but I can’t see why they would like the idea of losing that healthcare if they were separated from their job for whatever reason.

[Primemuscle]

I am aware of this. My point is that it did not come from the free market but from a government intervention. So, for Bernie to point out high healthcare costs as a failure of capitalism is dishonest.

Sure, people who have employer based healthcare might like it but I can’t see why they would like the idea of losing that healthcare if they were separated from their job for whatever reason.

I had excellent family healthcare coverage through my employer for 30 years. The bargained contractual premium co-pay was nominal although it gradually increased as the cost of coverage skyrocketed. Since my wife also had very good healthcare coverage through her employer, we were well covered even when she became very ill.

So, I agree with you, those of us folks lucky enough to have 'Cadillac' healthcare plans would be idiots to give it up. Unfortunately, unless people retire with a 'golden parachute' that includes paid ongoing coverage under their employer provided plans, they are shit out of luck. When your employment ends, so does your healthcare coverage. COBRA allows you to keep that great insurance coverage for a time, but you the expensive premiums to have it.

Explain to me how you believe government intervention negatively affects healthcare insurance.

[The Scott]

I had excellent family healthcare coverage through my employer for 30 years. The bargained contractual premium co-pay was nominal although it gradually increased as the cost of coverage skyrocketed. Since my wife also had very good healthcare coverage through her employer, we were well covered even when she became very ill.

So, I agree with you, those of us folks lucky enough to have 'Cadillac' healthcare plans would be idiots to give it up. Unfortunately, unless people retire with a 'golden parachute' that includes paid ongoing coverage under their employer provided plans, they are shit out of luck. When your employment ends, so does your healthcare coverage. COBRA allows you to keep that great insurance coverage for a time, but you the expensive premiums to have it.

Explain to me how you believe government intervention negatively affects healthcare insurance.

Really?   You know the answer so quit axing the quextion.   Oh wait!  You libs just adore being stoopid.

[JustPlaneJane]

I had excellent family healthcare coverage through my employer for 30 years. The bargained contractual premium co-pay was nominal although it gradually increased as the cost of coverage skyrocketed. Since my wife also had very good healthcare coverage through her employer, we were well covered even when she became very ill.

So, I agree with you, those of us folks lucky enough to have 'Cadillac' healthcare plans would be idiots to give it up. Unfortunately, unless people retire with a 'golden parachute' that includes paid ongoing coverage under their employer provided plans, they are shit out of luck. When your employment ends, so does your healthcare coverage. COBRA allows you to keep that great insurance coverage for a time, but you the expensive premiums to have it.

Explain to me how you believe government intervention negatively affects healthcare insurance.

I hope your fatal heart attack occurs in the bladder control aisle of your local supermarket.

[SOMEPARTS]

I had excellent family healthcare coverage through my employer for 30 years. The bargained contractual premium co-pay was nominal although it gradually increased as the cost of coverage skyrocketed. Since my wife also had very good healthcare coverage through her employer, we were well covered even when she became very ill.

So, I agree with you, those of us folks lucky enough to have 'Cadillac' healthcare plans would be idiots to give it up. Unfortunately, unless people retire with a 'golden parachute' that includes paid ongoing coverage under their employer provided plans, they are shit out of luck. When your employment ends, so does your healthcare coverage. COBRA allows you to keep that great insurance coverage for a time, but you the expensive premiums to have it.

Explain to me how you believe government intervention negatively affects healthcare insurance.

Nearly all pensions and insurance coverage like this are now bankrupt due to extended lifespans and ROIs based on perpetual growth.

Just check out CALPERS to see how mismanaged govt run systems like this work...

[Primemuscle]

Nearly all pensions and insurance coverage like this are now bankrupt due to extended lifespans and ROIs based on perpetual growth.

Just check out CALPERS to see how mismanaged govt run systems like this work...

Government systems like what? I sited examples of the benefits of quality employer provided healthcare insurance, based on personal experience, which includes both  public and private sector employee benefits. (CALPERS) was not a part of this conversation until you mentioned it.

Perhaps you'd like to share how you propose healthcare benefits be provided or not provided and if not provided, how people will receive medical attention when needed?


World map of universal healthcare.
  Countries with free and universal health care
  Countries with universal healthcare
  Countries with free but not universal healthcare
  Countries without free or universal healthcare
  (white)Unknown

[loco]

Leaked audio of billionaire and 2020 Democratic contender Michael Bloomberg shows him calling the progressive left and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mas., "scary" while also suggesting that Sen. Mitt Romney, R-UT, would have been a better president than former President Barack Obama.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/audio-bloomberg-slammed-warren-scary-023635538.html

[Soul Crusher]

He is right. 

Leaked audio of billionaire and 2020 Democratic contender Michael Bloomberg shows him calling the progressive left and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mas., "scary" while also suggesting that Sen. Mitt Romney, R-UT, would have been a better president than former President Barack Obama.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/audio-bloomberg-slammed-warren-scary-023635538.html

[loco]

He is right. 

He's right about a lot of stuff.  Isn't he a former Republican, now buying his nomination as a Democrat?