2020 Elections

[O Really]

Bias can be positive or negative, and probably the biggest force in selecting a picture is interest and relation to the story, not necessarily whether it makes the person look good or bad (unless the story is about, for example, the cellulite on Kim K's ass or Melania swooning over Trudeau). But I do think if, over time and in many publications, a person has a certain look, than probably that is a good portrayal of who they are. And of course, the more pics taken, the more and wider variety of choices there are. Some people are better at controlling pictures - and/or have better resources to help them. Paris Hilton is/was exceptionally good. It's hard to find any pics of her without her standard 3/4 face smile. The royal family does a good job. Trash mag paparazzi notwithstanding, you don't find a lot of pics of Kate looking stupid. They probably learned from the Diana experience, too. But Trump - even before being President* always had that asshole mouth and now he's almost never seen not angry. And much of that he does to himself because he frequently stands out there in the helicopter wind, fat suit and long tie flapping, yelling and squinting into the camera.

[Vrede too]

... Paris Hilton is/was exceptionally good. It's hard to find any pics of her without her standard 3/4 face smile....

It's not a tactic, it's a way of life:
https://quotes.thefamouspeople.com/pari ... n-2505.php

All you have to do in life is go out with your friends, party hard, and look twice as good as the bitch standing next to you.

Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins.

The only rule is don't be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in.

Always walk around like you have on an invisible tiara.

Barbie is my role model. She might not do anything, but she looks good doing it.

Off topic, but funny:

Every woman should have four pets in her life. A mink in her closet, a jaguar in her garage, a tiger in her bed, and a jackass who pays for everything.

In reality:

I’m an animal activist. Many people say that I’m a hypocrite, because I eat burgers and stuff like that but I won’t wear fur. But I’m not a hypocrite. I just only wear fake fur.

Deep:

A life without orgasms is like a world without flowers.

[Whack9]

Bias can be positive or negative, and probably the biggest force in selecting a picture is interest and relation to the story, not necessarily whether it makes the person look good or bad (unless the story is about, for example, the cellulite on Kim K's ass or Melania swooning over Trudeau). But I do think if, over time and in many publications, a person has a certain look, than probably that is a good portrayal of who they are. And of course, the more pics taken, the more and wider variety of choices there are. Some people are better at controlling pictures - and/or have better resources to help them. Paris Hilton is/was exceptionally good. It's hard to find any pics of her without her standard 3/4 face smile. The royal family does a good job. Trash mag paparazzi notwithstanding, you don't find a lot of pics of Kate looking stupid. They probably learned from the Diana experience, too. But Trump - even before being President* always had that asshole mouth and now he's almost never seen not angry. And much of that he does to himself because he frequently stands out there in the helicopter wind, fat suit and long tie flapping, yelling and squinting into the camera.

Whenever he releases a video of himself addressing the camera, he always does this thing where he squints his eyes, like he's trying real hard to seem tough or something:

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTr ... 0518522883

[Vrede too]

OK, so I know publications select images of politicians, entertainers, and sports people with some possible degree of bias. But when lots of photographers, publications, editors, yada keep coming up with similar-looking shots (like Trump's asshole-shaped lips), you start to think maybe that's what the person looks like a lot of the time. And, again like the perpetually angry look of Trump, you start to think maybe that's what the person is like. So with that context, is this the real Bernie! ? Looks like it to me.

Bernie Sanders Shushes Crying Baby: ‘If We Could Keep That Down A Little Bit, Okay’

The funny thing is that it worked. Bernie! the Baby Whisperer.

Who could forget:



Trump Tells Mother, Crying Baby To Leave Rally

Not a Baby Whisperer.

[O Really]

Saskatchewan PPC party to decide candidate by shoot-out...

https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/ ... 72c461b73d

and related...

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/newselec ... &ocid=iehp

Rednecks everywhere (sigh)

[Vrede too]

Ex-SC Gov. Mark Sanford to challenge Trump in primary

These Repugs have no delusions about winning the nomination, EXCEPT that they are hoping to take advantage of a health incident, POSPOTUS withdrawal, or his doing something so obnoxious that even Repugs can't stand it, though it's hard at this point to imagine what that might be.

A new 2020 Democratic primary poll shows Warren surging alongside fellow frontrunners Biden and Sanders

... It shows former vice president Joe Biden in the lead with 27%, followed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren at 19% and 17%, respectively. Other candidates trailed by 10% or more....

Warren's numbers increased by a striking six points, the only candidate to gain a percentage. Senator Kamala Harris fell from 11% to 7%, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg remained steady with an unchanged 4%. Representative Beto O'Rourke and entrepreneur Andrew Yang both received 3%, and all other candidates fell under 1%....

In terms of who could beat President Donald Trump, Biden also reigns supreme, with 42% picking him as the most likely to win in a general election, compared to 14% for Sanders and 12% for Warren.

However, while primary polls have historically been good predictors, even this early out, general election polls are not. Being able to beat Trump is important to a majority of Biden and Warren supporters, whereas Sanders supporters ranked "closest to me on issues" as more important. When asked if Biden was "the best president for the country," his numbers dropped to 23%, with Warren at 19%, and Sanders at 16%.

Biden's support stems largely from black voters, who favor him at 44%, double his support from white and Hispanic voters. He also leads moderates by 33%, but has comparable numbers to Sanders and Warren among liberals. In terms of age, Biden has courted seniors, whereas voters aged 18 to 29 prefer Sanders by 41 percent.

[neoplacebo]

I truly think trump is going to go further off the rails, if you can imagine it, during the next year. It's going to be one fucking stupid stunt after another; by next summer he'll be fucking watermelons out on the 18th green in a rainstorm while Fox and Friends provides live commentary and gaga praise for his technique and blaming Democrats for the whole mess.

[Vrede too]

I truly think trump is going to go further off the rails, if you can imagine it, during the next year. It's going to be one fucking stupid stunt after another; by next summer he'll be fucking watermelons out on the 18th green in a rainstorm while Fox and Friends provides live commentary and gaga praise for his technique and blaming Democrats for the whole mess.

One example among so many:

RNC Not Sharing Data with GOP Candidates

ProPublica: “Since Trump’s election in 2016, critical ‘voter scores’ — sophisticated polling-based analytics that the RNC provides to party committees and candidates — have conspicuously omitted an essential detail for any down-ballot race: how voters in specific states and congressional districts feel about Trump. Republican insiders believe these analytics are being withheld to try and prevent GOP candidates from publicly distancing themselves from the president or leaking unfavorable results that embarrass Trump.”

Thus making their campaigning less informed and effective. We all know that 45SHOLE is destroying the GOP, but that is usually passively. Here, he is actively working for the loss of all of Congress and many down ballot seats.

[Vrede too]

Donald Trump's latest tweets!

Greg Murphy won big, 62% to 37%, in North Carolina 03, & the Fake News barely covered the race. The win was far bigger than anticipated - there was just nothing the Fakers could say to diminish or demean the scope of this victory. So we had TWO BIG VICTORIES tonight, Greg & Dan!

62% is the SMALLEST tally for a Repug in NC 3 dating back to at least 2002.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Car ... on_results

[Vrede too]

OK, so I know publications select images of politicians, entertainers, and sports people with some possible degree of bias. But when lots of photographers, publications, editors, yada keep coming up with similar-looking shots (like Trump's asshole-shaped lips), you start to think maybe that's what the person looks like a lot of the time. And, again like the perpetually angry look of Trump, you start to think maybe that's what the person is like. So with that context, is this the real Bernie! ? Looks like it to me.

Bernie's very first words: "Let me blunt . . ." Then, he talks about oligarchy, cool.

Yang just offered $1K/month x 1 year to 10 families that submit needy essays on his website.
:confusion-scratchheadblue:
Must think he's Oprah.

Biden is going after Bernie! and Warren right out of the gate. Must be nervous. Warren and Bernie! took the high road in response, ignoring Biden and each other while detailing their healthcare plans, with Bernie! saying, "I wrote the damn bill." Biden is whining in response, I think his gambit flopped.

Panthers vs. Bucs now.

Edit: Lightning delay. Great set on systemic racism, failed prohibition and criminal justice reform, not just slamming 45SHOLE but also positive proposals.

Great set on guns - El Paso's Beto winning it.
Harris: Trump has not pulled the trigger, but he's tweeting the ammunition.

http://www.blueridgedebate.com/forum/vi ... es#p101381

... So how many people have been killed with guns since 2001? I don't know, but it's probably more than 3,000. Eliminate the hunting "accidents" and the parental negligent "accidents" and just count killings with AR-style rifles. Wouldn't that be enough to prompt some 9/11-style action? Apparently not. What if all those people had been shot at once, would that have been enough? I doubt it. Why am I considered more dangerous with a pair of knitting scissors on a plane than I am with a gun on the street?
Idiots. NRA slaves.

Booker: In my lifetime more Americans have died from gun violence than have died in all of the nation's wars.
Bernie: I am proud of my NRA F rating!

Game back on.

Yang unveils plan to give $1,000 a month from campaign to 10 families — which may violate election laws

... Yang, whose signature policy proposal would be to give every adult American $1,000 a month, has been giving monthly checks in that amount to a New Hampshire family out of his own pocket. His new offer would be to distribute the money from his campaign funds — a move that could run afoul of a Federal Election Commission rule prohibiting the use of campaign money for “personal use.”

I wondered if it was vote buying.

... “It’s original, I’ll give you that,” South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg told Yang after he made his offer.

Whatever, even if ultimately deemed illegal and never carried out, it got Yang his own Yahoo! and likely other articles while the debate is still in progress. Mission accomplished.

Edit, just one article:

5 key takeaways from the Democratic debate

My takeaways from the takeaways article, Yahoo! again:

1. Biden rambling, laughed at.
2. Warren competent, policy-focused, stuck to high road as I said earlier.
3. Beto won the gun control section as I said earlier.



4. Mayor Pete is gay.
5. They would suck at standup comedy

[Vrede too]

Morning Consult's Senator Approval Rankings

On a daily basis, Morning Consult is surveying over 5,000 registered voters across the United States on their senators. Each quarter, we’ll update this page with the latest survey data, providing an in-depth look at how all 100 U.S. senators stand with voters in their state.

The 10 Most Unpopular Senators
(Tillis has the highest unfavorable, but McConnell has the worst margin)

Rob Portman (R-OH)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Cory Gardner (R-CO)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Gary Peters (D-MI)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)

2 D, 8 R.

Up in 2020

The 10 Most Unpopular Senators
(looking endangered, Tillis has the highest unfavorable)

Tina Smith (D-MN)
Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Martha McSally (R-AZ)
Doug Jones (D-AL)
Cory Gardner (R-CO)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Gary Peters (D-MI)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)

4 D, 6 R.

2020 United States Senate election in North Carolina

Tillis has declared primary and general opponents. I'm not familiar with any of them yet.

http://www.blueridgedebate.com/forum/vi ... is#p100859

... Tillis is a shameless money whore who would sell out his entire family for the right price and a reasonable path to deny it all. Many people say he's a major drug dealer who has dozens of surrogates who work the streets and bring him paper grocery bags full of money at all hours of the night when he's in NC. It's also said he enjoys sitting in his basement office shoving huge piles of cocaine around on his desk with the butt of a sawed off shotgun. He will be betrayed by a group of illegal aliens he hired to make collections for him.

Per politics show on NC PBS Tillis was BOOED at the 45SHOLE rally. They did not say why and Tillis has been a loyal Trumpette. Interesting.

[neoplacebo]

Surprised that my TN Senator Marsha Blackburn isn't on the list; she's a dingbat for the ages and is in safe water until 24 I think unless she's caught robbing a liquor store in Memphis or planting roadside bombs out on I-40. Plus she looks like an animal cracker.

[Vrede too]

Surprised that my TN Senator Marsha Blackburn isn't on the list; she's a dingbat for the ages and is in safe water until 24 I think unless she's caught robbing a liquor store in Memphis or planting roadside bombs out on I-40. Plus she looks like an animal cracker.

Well, it is the people of TN that were polled .
There's a "Senator Lookup " feature.
https://morningconsult.com/senator-rankings-q2-19-2/

Blackburn's net approval is +12, the 48th most popular Senator, nothing to brag about.
Lamar Alexander, also R-TN, is +11, 70th most popular.

Richard Burr, R-NC, is +6%, 93rd most popular.
Thom Tillis, R-NC, is -2%, 100th most popular.


Either NC's Senators are worse, its people are wiser, or both.


The weird, telling Joe Biden debate moment that didn’t get enough attention
His Iraq and Afghanistan answer raises some serious questions about his fitness for office.

I'm not predicting who the Dem nominee will be yet, but I'm pretty close to guaranteeing that it won't be Biden.

[O Really]

I'm not predicting who the Dem nominee will be yet, but I'm pretty close to guaranteeing that it won't be Biden.

I'd agree, unless he manages to screw up less than the other plausibles. I don't think Warren will screw up - she ran somewhat of a shadow or practice campaign last election ostensibly on behalf of Hillary, and is used to making speeches, responding to dumb or misleading questions, and not prone to mental lapses. And I'll bet she's got hours of prep time in how to deflect/ignore/respond to Trump's Pocahantas crap and the rest of the Indian heritage non-issue. And Bernie! isn't likely to do anything other than be Bernie! so it's hard to determine what a screw-up might look like. The rest of the, ummm, "field" has a way to go to get to the point where anybody cares if they screw up.

[Vrede too]

I'd agree, unless he manages to screw up less than the other plausibles. I don't think Warren will screw up - she ran somewhat of a shadow or practice campaign last election ostensibly on behalf of Hillary, and is used to making speeches, responding to dumb or misleading questions, and not prone to mental lapses. And I'll bet she's got hours of prep time in how to deflect/ignore/respond to Trump's Pocahantas crap and the rest of the Indian heritage non-issue. And Bernie! isn't likely to do anything other than be Bernie! so it's hard to determine what a screw-up might look like. The rest of the, ummm, "field" has a way to go to get to the point where anybody cares if they screw up.

I still favor Warren, but am not donating yet. I'll give it more time to sort out between her and Bernie! Maybe after the Oct. debate/s.

[neoplacebo]

Surprised that my TN Senator Marsha Blackburn isn't on the list; she's a dingbat for the ages and is in safe water until 24 I think unless she's caught robbing a liquor store in Memphis or planting roadside bombs out on I-40. Plus she looks like an animal cracker.

Well, it is the people of TN that were polled .
There's a "Senator Lookup " feature.
https://morningconsult.com/senator-rankings-q2-19-2/

Blackburn's net approval is +12, the 48th most popular Senator, nothing to brag about.
Lamar Alexander, also R-TN, is +11, 70th most popular.

Richard Burr, R-NC, is +6%, 93rd most popular.
Thom Tillis, R-NC, is -2%, 100th most popular.


Either NC's Senators are worse, its people are wiser, or both.


The weird, telling Joe Biden debate moment that didn’t get enough attention
His Iraq and Afghanistan answer raises some serious questions about his fitness for office.

I'm not predicting who the Dem nominee will be yet, but I'm pretty close to guaranteeing that it won't be Biden.

Well, I wasn't polled about her and if I had been, she wouldn't like what I had to say about her. I did not know Tillis was at the bottom of the barrel, but he'll do good there.
As for the Dem contenders, I worry that the "fake news" is insidious enough to influence fake brains about the "radical left" and "socialism" even though most of the fake brains have no clue about what socialism actually is. It makes me worry that Warren and especially Sanders will generally be perceived as too radical for the voters of low cognizance and that trump's self declared love for the poorly educated will suffice to get him re elected; after all, there's a lot of poorly educated in this country and they seem to only be getting dumber as far as I can tell.

[O Really]

The right-wing propaganda machine has always and will always screech "socialist" "commie" or whatever the buzzword of the decade might be. They called Obama a socialist; they called Bill Clinton - Bill Clinton, ferpetesake - a socialist for his health care efforts. It's a little more complicated since Bernie! calls himself a socialist, but I think a lot of the sting has come off that particular barb.

[Vrede too]

The right-wing propaganda machine has always and will always screech "socialist" "commie" or whatever the buzzword of the decade might be. They called Obama a socialist; they called Bill Clinton - Bill Clinton, ferpetesake - a socialist for his health care efforts. It's a little more complicated since Bernie! calls himself a socialist, but I think a lot of the sting has come off that particular barb.

Biden would be "socialist". Maybe it's time to reply with "So?" "No I'm not," hasn't worked out all that great.

[O Really]

The right-wing propaganda machine has always and will always screech "socialist" "commie" or whatever the buzzword of the decade might be. They called Obama a socialist; they called Bill Clinton - Bill Clinton, ferpetesake - a socialist for his health care efforts. It's a little more complicated since Bernie! calls himself a socialist, but I think a lot of the sting has come off that particular barb.

Biden would be "socialist". Maybe it's time to reply with "So?" "No I'm not," hasn't worked out all that great.

I think that's a great response - "So? - Pay attention to the plan/policy/proposal/issue and not the label"

[Vrede too]

Biden would be "socialist". Maybe it's time to reply with "So?" "No I'm not," hasn't worked out all that great.

I think that's a great response - "So? - Pay attention to the plan/policy/proposal/issue and not the label"

Or, "So? What's wrong with being as happy as the Danes?"