President P*nis
In the wake of Warren’s and Klobuchar’s withdrawal from the presidential primary, leaving two old white men playing geriatric High Noon in the arena, son’t miss my new post on Cloven Not Crested, really a guest post by Boston-based artist Jo Ann Rothschild, skewering the patriarchy. Ouch.
Ambiance 
wj said,
March 8, 2020 at 11:40 am
Sometimes, however irritating it may be, we are stuck taking things in small steps. This time, the small step was having numerous women who were serious candidates for the nomination. (When Rep Shirley Anita Chisholm ran, it was a gesture. When Hilary Clinton ran, it was groundbreaking, but she was still the only serious female candidate ever.)
For the moment, I think the necessary next step is getting rid of the out-and-proud sexist currently holding the office. Preferably in a landslide, of course, but just getting him out will be an improvement.
amba12 said,
March 8, 2020 at 11:54 am
The fear, as enunciated here (in the typically over-the-top style of this writer), is, “Here’s the hard truth. Either Bernie or Biden is probably going to lose to Trump.” Because “Biden wants nostalgia — neoliberalism. Bernie wants class war. Social democracy isn’t really about either one. It’s about the kinds of values that Liz championed.”
wj said,
March 8, 2020 at 12:10 pm
“Here’s the hard truth. Either Bernie or Biden is probably going to lose to Trump.”
Certainly that is a possible outcome. But not, I think, an overwhelmingly likely one. Consider that Trump won the Presidency while losing the popular vote. A couple hundred thousand votes, in just 3 states, made the difference. But what is the situation today?
First, last time nobody (including Trump) thought he had a chance. Which meant there were those who saw no reason to bother to show up and vote. Nobody will make that mistake this time.
Second, there were those who took the opportunity to make what they saw as a protest vote for someone with no chance. This time, they know that luxury isn’t available.
Third, there were those who voted for Trump on the basis of “how bad could it be?” Well, now they know.
Finally, consider that Trump is the first President, since polling started, to NEVER manage to achieve even 50% approval. In a period when the economy is purring along (it’s only a continuation, and a slowing one, of the Obama boom; but it’s still purring), to have a President who is unpopular is unprecedented.
In short, if someone wants to bet on Trump winning, they would be well advised to demand that they get odds. Because an even money bet is a bad deal.
wj said,
March 8, 2020 at 12:12 pm
I should also, perhaps, note that Bernie is far more likely than Biden to manage to lose. And it appears that Democratic voters have decided that getting rid of Trump is their priority — regardless of the details of their policy preferences.
amba12 said,
March 8, 2020 at 12:14 pm
“Second, there were those who took the opportunity to make what they saw as a protest vote for someone with no chance. This time, they know that luxury isn’t available.” Sorry, no, that’s not the case at all. A lot of the Bernie hardliners declare themselves ready to vote third party or stay home if it’s Biden.
amba12 said,
March 8, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Those same people might not turn out in sufficient numbers to put Sanders across if he were the nominee, though. Some seem like they can’t tear themselves away from Twitter long enough to get to the polls.
wj said,
March 8, 2020 at 12:36 pm
A lot of the Bernie hardliners declare themselves ready to vote third party or stay home if it’s Biden.
But did they turn out to vote for Hilary last time? I’m guessing not.
While a lot of Biden voters might vote for Sanders, there are also those (especially those who are not Democrats) who would voter for Biden, but see Sanders as a populist every bit as much as Trump is. Or, put another way, they dislike Trump, but see voting for Bernie as a bridge too far. I don’t agree with their view, but I am aware that they are there.
Polly said,
March 10, 2020 at 3:19 pm
As far as I know “populist” is the opposite of “elite.” And I thought it was the elite (Wall Street, Big Drug, Big Food, Big Science, etc.) that some of us were trying to oppose.
I personally don’t like Sanders or Trump, but I can understand why so many do like them. It’s because they despise and distrust the current elite rulers.