Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
brooklynite
brooklynite's Journal
brooklynite's Journal
February 27, 2020
NYT: The Case for Pete Buttigieg
In different circles at different points over the past year, it has been fashionable to hate Pete Buttigieg: He’s too clearly full of himself. He’s too far ahead of himself. What business does the 38-year-old former mayor of a relatively small city have running for president? What real claim to the job?
How about this: He has drawn closer to it than prominent senators who came out of the gate with much more heat on them and were gone even before Iowans caucused. He outpaced and outlasted seasoned governors whose popularity across a broad section of the political spectrum was supposed to be electoral magic. Before hitting a snag in Nevada, he had more delegates from Iowa and New Hampshire than any of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, who began building their political bases and growing their political careers before Buttigieg was born. His surname is a nearly impenetrable thicket of consonants (BOOT-edge-edge), and yet tens of millions of Americans can now pronounce it just fine.
You cannot chalk that up to novelty. You cannot call it a fluke. It’s a powerful testament to his knack for fashioning a message that resonates with Americans, delivering it clearly, avoiding unnecessary trouble and mobilizing support. Those talents are precisely the ones that the person sitting at the Resolute Desk needs most. Buttigieg’s campaign is his credential, and it’s a compelling one.
Undertaking a bid for the White House at his age indeed suggests hubris. But getting this far reflects a phenomenal work ethic, a stubborn optimism, extraordinary intelligence and preternatural poise. Those traits, too, are ideal for a president, and none of his rivals possess them in greater measure.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/pete-buttigieg-2020.html
How about this: He has drawn closer to it than prominent senators who came out of the gate with much more heat on them and were gone even before Iowans caucused. He outpaced and outlasted seasoned governors whose popularity across a broad section of the political spectrum was supposed to be electoral magic. Before hitting a snag in Nevada, he had more delegates from Iowa and New Hampshire than any of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, who began building their political bases and growing their political careers before Buttigieg was born. His surname is a nearly impenetrable thicket of consonants (BOOT-edge-edge), and yet tens of millions of Americans can now pronounce it just fine.
You cannot chalk that up to novelty. You cannot call it a fluke. It’s a powerful testament to his knack for fashioning a message that resonates with Americans, delivering it clearly, avoiding unnecessary trouble and mobilizing support. Those talents are precisely the ones that the person sitting at the Resolute Desk needs most. Buttigieg’s campaign is his credential, and it’s a compelling one.
Undertaking a bid for the White House at his age indeed suggests hubris. But getting this far reflects a phenomenal work ethic, a stubborn optimism, extraordinary intelligence and preternatural poise. Those traits, too, are ideal for a president, and none of his rivals possess them in greater measure.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/pete-buttigieg-2020.html
February 27, 2020
NYT: The Case for Bernie Sanders
If he wins the nomination, whether outright or at the Democratic Party convention this summer, Senator Bernie Sanders will be the most left-wing politician ever nominated for president and the only self-described “socialist” to ever run on the ballot line for either of the two major parties.
Many Democrats, especially moderates, think this is a disaster in waiting. They look back to 1972, when a different left-wing senator, George McGovern of South Dakota, was crushed by Richard Nixon, losing his home state and 48 others. They see a winnable election against a vulnerable incumbent potentially squandered by a candidate with radical views. They think Sanders will not only give Trump a victory, but a decisive one.
This could happen, but it probably won’t. The persistent belief that Sanders is unelectable is unfounded. The evidence says he can win.
The first step to winning is unifying the party, and Sanders can do that. He has a higher favorability rating among Democratic voters than any other candidate. A recent Monmouth University poll gives him a net rating of 53 points (72 percent favorable to 19 percent unfavorable) compared with 48 points for Elizabeth Warren and 38 points for former Vice President Joe Biden.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/bernie-sanders-2020.html
Many Democrats, especially moderates, think this is a disaster in waiting. They look back to 1972, when a different left-wing senator, George McGovern of South Dakota, was crushed by Richard Nixon, losing his home state and 48 others. They see a winnable election against a vulnerable incumbent potentially squandered by a candidate with radical views. They think Sanders will not only give Trump a victory, but a decisive one.
This could happen, but it probably won’t. The persistent belief that Sanders is unelectable is unfounded. The evidence says he can win.
The first step to winning is unifying the party, and Sanders can do that. He has a higher favorability rating among Democratic voters than any other candidate. A recent Monmouth University poll gives him a net rating of 53 points (72 percent favorable to 19 percent unfavorable) compared with 48 points for Elizabeth Warren and 38 points for former Vice President Joe Biden.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/bernie-sanders-2020.html
February 27, 2020
NYT: The Case for Michael Bloomberg
The best case for Mike Bloomberg is that he’s a brilliant debater who has a witty riposte for every line of attack.
OK. Let me start over. The best case for Mike Bloomberg is that he is not a brilliant debater. He can’t whip a rally crowd into an ideological frenzy. The best case for Bloomberg is that we’ve already elected a reality TV star to the White House. We need somebody who can actually run things.
We need somebody who can actually lead a government, staff an administration with talented professionals and do the mundane but essential tasks of pushing legislation and executing laws. We need somebody who will turn down the ideological temperature, so we don’t rip ourselves apart as a nation. We have enough politicians who cater to people who treat politics as the place they go to get self-indulgent moral affirmation baths. We need someone who can improve the lives of actual Americans.
Bloomberg was one of the most successful mayors of this century. He was a Republican who left office with two-thirds of New Yorkers saying he made their city a better place.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/mike-bloomberg-2020.html
OK. Let me start over. The best case for Mike Bloomberg is that he is not a brilliant debater. He can’t whip a rally crowd into an ideological frenzy. The best case for Bloomberg is that we’ve already elected a reality TV star to the White House. We need somebody who can actually run things.
We need somebody who can actually lead a government, staff an administration with talented professionals and do the mundane but essential tasks of pushing legislation and executing laws. We need somebody who will turn down the ideological temperature, so we don’t rip ourselves apart as a nation. We have enough politicians who cater to people who treat politics as the place they go to get self-indulgent moral affirmation baths. We need someone who can improve the lives of actual Americans.
Bloomberg was one of the most successful mayors of this century. He was a Republican who left office with two-thirds of New Yorkers saying he made their city a better place.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/mike-bloomberg-2020.html
February 27, 2020
NYT: The Case for Elizabeth Warren
On Tuesday night, after the latest Democratic debate, Ann Coulter tweeted, “Sen. Warren has convinced me that Bernie isn’t that worrisome. He’ll never get anything done. SHE’S the freak who will show up with 17 idiotic plans every day and keep everyone up until it gets done.” Vicious reactionary that she is, Coulter cut to the heart of Elizabeth Warren’s promise.
Warren has an almost supernatural ability to identify problems before anyone else, and to work relentlessly to solve them. Of all the Democratic candidates, she would make the most effective president. (Full disclosure: My husband, a graphic designer and creative director, works as a consultant for her.)
In 2007, Warren, then a Harvard law professor, wrote an article in the journal Democracy calling for the creation of what she called a Financial Product Safety Commission. “It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house,” she wrote. “But it is possible to finance an existing home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting the family out on the street.” This was before a cascade of mortgage failures set off the financial crisis, which she foresaw.
Warren realized that complexity was being weaponized against consumers, pointing out that a typical credit card contract had grown from one page in the 1980s to more than 30 pages two decades later. Ordinary people didn’t have the bandwidth to understand the terms they were agreeing to, allowing lenders to fleece them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/elizabeth-warren-2020.html
Warren has an almost supernatural ability to identify problems before anyone else, and to work relentlessly to solve them. Of all the Democratic candidates, she would make the most effective president. (Full disclosure: My husband, a graphic designer and creative director, works as a consultant for her.)
In 2007, Warren, then a Harvard law professor, wrote an article in the journal Democracy calling for the creation of what she called a Financial Product Safety Commission. “It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house,” she wrote. “But it is possible to finance an existing home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting the family out on the street.” This was before a cascade of mortgage failures set off the financial crisis, which she foresaw.
Warren realized that complexity was being weaponized against consumers, pointing out that a typical credit card contract had grown from one page in the 1980s to more than 30 pages two decades later. Ordinary people didn’t have the bandwidth to understand the terms they were agreeing to, allowing lenders to fleece them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/elizabeth-warren-2020.html
February 27, 2020
WHO official leads criticism of Trump's coronavirus response
Source: Axios
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, special advisor to the director general of the World Health Organization, told MSNBC Wednesday he found "most" of what President Trump said at his briefing on the novel coronavirus "incoherent."
The big picture: As the number of confirmed cases reaches 60 in the U.S., the top health professional — who was a health policy adviser in the Obama administration — is among several leading figures, in particular, Democrats, to criticize the president for his response to the outbreak.
Catch up quick: At the briefing, Trump said the risk to Americans is "very low" and the U.S. is "ready" for whatever comes next, as he announced Vice President Mike Pence would lead the administration's response to the virus.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/trump-coronavirus-response-criticism-adcb77db-a7ff-44b9-a0e0-52f5c4885e23.html
February 27, 2020
And she's been so nice to him...
Bernie Sanders going in for the kill...
Campaigning in Massachusetts Friday and Saturday. 14 other States he could have gone to.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Bernie Sanders has announced he will be hosting a rally in Springfield Friday, February 28.
The rally will take place at the MassMutual Center Exhibition A and B. Bernie is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., however, doors will be open at 6:00 p.m.
The Springfield Thunderbirds are scheduled to have a game at the MassMutual Center at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Drivers may encounter heavy traffic in the area.
https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/bernie-sanders-coming-to-massmutual-center-in-springfield/
The rally will take place at the MassMutual Center Exhibition A and B. Bernie is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., however, doors will be open at 6:00 p.m.
The Springfield Thunderbirds are scheduled to have a game at the MassMutual Center at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Drivers may encounter heavy traffic in the area.
https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/bernie-sanders-coming-to-massmutual-center-in-springfield/
And she's been so nice to him...
February 27, 2020
How to prepare for coronavirus in the U.S. (Spoiler: Not sick? No need to wear a mask.)
Washington PostThere are the exam gloves, the surgical masks, the dubious supplements and the deceptive disinfectants. If unchecked Internet information is any guide, there’s an inexhaustible list of products you should buy to prepare for the spread of coronavirus in the United States — which, according to U.S. health officials, now appears inevitable.
But here’s the thing: The virus may be novel, but you really don’t need to buy anything new or special to brace for it. The Washington Post spoke to epidemiology experts, and they said the most important aspect of preparedness costs nothing at all — calm.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 59 people had the virus in the United States, all but 17 of them evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. But officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they expect to see the number of cases increase as the disease spreads, while also stressing that the immediate risk remains low.
So here’s what doctors, researchers and the CDC say you can do now — and in the event of a future outbreak — to prepare and protect yourself.
But here’s the thing: The virus may be novel, but you really don’t need to buy anything new or special to brace for it. The Washington Post spoke to epidemiology experts, and they said the most important aspect of preparedness costs nothing at all — calm.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 59 people had the virus in the United States, all but 17 of them evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. But officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they expect to see the number of cases increase as the disease spreads, while also stressing that the immediate risk remains low.
So here’s what doctors, researchers and the CDC say you can do now — and in the event of a future outbreak — to prepare and protect yourself.
February 27, 2020
Kshama Sawant is a Socialist member of the Seattle City Council.
From an official Bernie Sanders rally (Seattle)
https://twitter.com/lindyli/status/1232837902138212353Kshama Sawant is a Socialist member of the Seattle City Council.
February 27, 2020
There's a Trump tweet for every occasion...
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1232998816564969472
February 27, 2020
Azar was unaware of decision to put Pence in charge of virus response
Source: Washington Post
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who has been leading the coronavirus task force, was blindsided by the White House decision to put Vice President Pence in charge of the response to the virus outbreak, according to five people familiar with the situation, who said Azar learned of the decision only moments before the Wednesday evening press conference.
Pence is scheduled to run a coronavirus task force at HHS on Thursday, two sources familiar with the plans said. One senior administration official said Pence was going to HHS to lead the meeting, instead of the White House, “as a show of support to Azar.”
Earlier in the day, Azar pushed back on reports that the administration was considering appointing a czar to run the response. President Trump said he did not consider Pence a czar, but noted that everyone involved in the response would report to the vice president.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/coronavirus-china-live-updates/2020/02/26/f889693a-580e-11ea-9000-f3cffee23036_story.html#link-IAXVPWALSA4VHAI77DL3WPUN5Q
Profile Information
Name: Chris BastianGender: Male
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Home country: USA
Member since: 2002
Number of posts: 94,729
