2020 Elections

[O Really]

Could happen...nah


A Brief History of the Warren Presidency
A look back at American politics from the year 2050.

David Brooks
By David Brooks
Opinion Columnist

Sept. 19, 2019


A crisis of legitimacy swept across American politics in the second decade of the 21st century. Many people had the general conviction that the old order was corrupt and incompetent. There was an inchoate desire for some radical transformation. This mood swept the Republican Party in 2016 as Donald Trump eviscerated the G.O.P. establishment and it swept through the Democratic Party in 2020.

In the 2020 primary race Joe Biden stood as the candidate for linear change and Elizabeth Warren stood as the sharp break from the past. Biden was the front-runner, but fragile. Many of the strongest debate performers — Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bennet — couldn’t get any traction because Biden occupied the moderate lane. By the time he faded, it was too late.

Warren triumphed over the other progressive populist, Bernie Sanders, because she had what he lacked — self-awareness. She could run a campaign that mitigated her weaknesses. He could not.

Biden was holding on until Warren took Iowa and New Hampshire. He or some other moderate could have recovered, but the California primary had been moved up to March 3, Super Tuesday. When Warren dominated most of the states that day, it was over. The calendar ensured that the most progressive candidate would win.

Many pundits predicted that Warren was too much the progressive regulator in chief to win a general election. Indeed, her personal favorability remained low. But the election was about Trump — his personal disgraces but also the fact that he told a white ethnic national narrative that appealed only to a shrinking segment of the country.

Warren won convincingly. The Democrats built a bigger majority in the House, and to general surprise, won a slim Senate majority of 52 to 48.

After that election, the Republicans suffered a long, steady decline. Trump was instantly reviled by everyone — he had no loyal defenders. Only 8 percent of young people called themselves conservatives. Republican voters, mostly older, were dying out, and they weren’t making new ones. For the ensuing two decades the party didn’t resonate beyond its white rural base.

The American educated class celebrated the Warren victory with dance-in-the-street euphoria. In staffing her administration, she rejected the experienced Clinton-Obama holdovers and brought in a new cadre from the progressive left.

The euphoria ended when Warren tried to pass her legislative agenda. One by one, her proposals failed in the Senate: Medicare for all, free college, decriminalizing undocumented border crossing, even the wealth tax. Democratic senators from red states, she learned, were still from red states; embracing her agenda would have been suicidal. Warren and her aides didn’t help. Fired by their sense of moral superiority, they were good at condemnation, not coalition-building.

When the recession of 2021 hit, things got ugly. The failure of two consecutive presidencies had a devastating effect on American morale. It became evident that the nation had three political tendencies — conservative populism, progressive populism and moderate liberalism. None of them could put together a governing majority to get things done.

Before Warren, people thought of liberals and progressives as practically synonymous. After Warren, it was clear they were different, with different agendas and different national narratives.

Moderate liberals had a basic faith in American institutions and thought they just needed reform. They had basic faith in capitalism and the Constitution and revered the classical liberal philosophy embedded in America’s founding. They inherited Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s millennial nationalism, a sense that America has a special destiny as the last best hope of earth.

Progressives had much less faith in American institutions — in capitalism, the Constitution, the founding. They called for more structural change to things like the Supreme Court, the Electoral College and the basic structures of the market. Trump’s victory in 2016 had served for them as proof that racism is the dominant note in American history, that the founding was 1619, not 1776. They were willing to step on procedural liberalism in order to get radical change.

With the Republicans powerless and irrelevant, the war within the Democratic Party grew vicious. Progressives detested moderate liberals even more than they did conservatives. The struggle came to a head with another set of Democratic primaries in 2024.

The moderate liberals triumphed easily. It turns out that the immigrant groups, by then a large and organized force in American politics, had not lost faith in the American dream, they had not lost faith in capitalism. They simply wanted more help so they could compete within it.

By 2030, progressive populism burned out as right-wing populism had. The Democrats became the nation’s majority party. This party ran on a one-word platform: unity. After decades of culture, class and demographic warfare, moderate liberals defined America as a universal nation, a pluralistic nation, embracing all and seeking opportunity for all.

In a wildly diverse nation, voters handed power to leaders who were coalition-builders not fighters. The whole tenor of American politics changed.

[Vrede too]

... Many pundits predicted that Warren was too much the progressive regulator in chief to win a general election. Indeed, her personal favorability remained low. But the election was about Trump — his personal disgraces but also the fact that he told a white ethnic national narrative that appealed only to a shrinking segment of the country.

Warren won convincingly. The Democrats built a bigger majority in the House, and to general surprise, won a slim Senate majority of 52 to 48.

After that election, the Republicans suffered a long, steady decline. Trump was instantly reviled by everyone — he had no loyal defenders. Only 8 percent of young people called themselves conservatives. Republican voters, mostly older, were dying out, and they weren’t making new ones. For the ensuing two decades the party didn’t resonate beyond its white rural base....

I'll take whatever comes after that, and will be thrilled to have the chance to influence how it goes.

[Vrede too]

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio drops 2020 presidential bid

I had completely forgotten that he was running.

[O Really]

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio drops 2020 presidential bid

I had completely forgotten that he was running.

He wasn't, really. Just in the windmills of his mind

[Vrede too]

Interesting article to me:

Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine is a problem, but not just for Democrats

I posted about Joe possibly getting a sympathy bump from Dems, but now I doubt it. There's enough mud being hurled and enough of a real issue - one completely unrelated to the lies POSPOTUS tells and his criminal treason - that I don't think Joe survives this politically. Hopefully, we'll see him as a key martyr in the demise of 45SHOLEism.

[O Really]

I'm not sure Biden could complete the campaign without a major screw-up anyway, but it's outrageous for him to have to bite it over a total lie. Not that he's the only politician to have been mudded out of a campaign. But I wouldn't start supporting him as a first choice just because of the injustice of Trump's attack, nor would I stop. However, a lot of people are going to see him as damaged, even if they don't believe the lies - they'll just be afraid he wouldn't be able to win anymore. End result is the same either way - Trump gets him out of the campaign and moves on to spread lies about Warren or whoever.

[neoplacebo]

I'm not sure Biden could complete the campaign without a major screw-up anyway, but it's outrageous for him to have to bite it over a total lie. Not that he's the only politician to have been mudded out of a campaign. But I wouldn't start supporting him as a first choice just because of the injustice of Trump's attack, nor would I stop. However, a lot of people are going to see him as damaged, even if they don't believe the lies - they'll just be afraid he wouldn't be able to win anymore. End result is the same either way - Trump gets him out of the campaign and moves on to spread lies about Warren or whoever.

Yeah, the lying and the stupid are really starting to gain steam. They should get Joe Isuzu to help them out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJMq_7alQpU

[billy.pilgrim]

I'm not sure Biden could complete the campaign without a major screw-up anyway, but it's outrageous for him to have to bite it over a total lie. Not that he's the only politician to have been mudded out of a campaign. But I wouldn't start supporting him as a first choice just because of the injustice of Trump's attack, nor would I stop. However, a lot of people are going to see him as damaged, even if they don't believe the lies - they'll just be afraid he wouldn't be able to win anymore. End result is the same either way - Trump gets him out of the campaign and moves on to spread lies about Warren or whoever.

Yeah, the lying and the stupid are really starting to gain steam. They should get Joe Isuzu to help them out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJMq_7alQpU

"but it's outrageous for him (Joe) to have to bite it over a total lie."


How so different than any other repug campaign?

Nixon lied and extended the Vietnam war while campaigning as a private citizen

Reagan ran (or his handlers did) one scam after another from voodoo economics to training terrorists in Afghanistan and Central America, but most significant was his campaign working a deal with terrorists to continue to hold the hostages until the inauguration.

Tax liar Romney and welfare boy Paul based their entire economic platform on a completely false study.

trump's entire campaign was lies, filled with Kenyan born presidents, underground pedophile pizza parlors, murders, lies about his taxes and lies about the illegal immigrant wife he owns and he even has a fake news outlet to push his lies.

It goes on and on. They have nothing of substance to stand on, so they make up fairy tales about how we can't impose taxes on the benevolence of our rich and talented rulers.
Socialism in all forms is bad.
Jobs programs are socialism and don't ever work.
FDR had nothing to do with leading the country out of the Depression, it was all ww2.

They run away so quickly when you ask them to consider that the jobs to create the expendable war materials were government jobs, that you don't even get the chance to ask them to imagine if all those government war jobs had been jobs for creating lasting infrastructure.

I've never run into any repug idea that made any sense in the long run, it's all focused on getting their shallow minded followers to see the short term benefit.

Cut taxes, spend and borrow, throw in a distracting bright and shiny war along with a couple of hot button issues like abortion (which they have no intention of imposing on themselves) and you have the modern republican party.

Then there are all the other lies about Acorn, the post office, traitor France and the Iraq invasion, that guy who makes the fake videos - James something, it's all lies.

[Vrede too]

I'm not sure Biden could complete the campaign without a major screw-up anyway, but it's outrageous for him to have to bite it over a total lie. Not that he's the only politician to have been mudded out of a campaign. But I wouldn't start supporting him as a first choice just because of the injustice of Trump's attack, nor would I stop. However, a lot of people are going to see him as damaged, even if they don't believe the lies - they'll just be afraid he wouldn't be able to win anymore. End result is the same either way - Trump gets him out of the campaign

Yeah, that what I meant, not that I approve. The one silver lining may be that 45SHOLE also took himself out with the IED. If we're lucky, this part doesn't happen:

and moves on to spread lies about Warren or whoever.

At least not coming from 45SHOLE.

[Vrede too]

Prediction - based on absolutely nothing:
Biden will screw up significantly; Sanders' Grumpy ol' Curmudgeon act will wear thin as he gets more publicity like this https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... &ocid=iehp and starts to get hit over the head with "socialist-socialist-socialist"; Trump will re-start his "Pocohontas" act, but Warren gets past the First Nations issues and gets the nomination.

If I was forced to wager I would agree with you on the result, though not entirely the mechanism.

Biden screw ups are certain , but I think Dems will tire of regular, boring, moderate Joe, too.
If being either a curmudgeon or a socialist was going to hurt Bernie! among Dems, I think it already would have.
Warren benefits from being 8 years younger than Bernie! and 7 years younger than Joe, though it's weird putting a 70 year-old in the Spring chicken category.
Warren benefits from just being the better candidate - uber smart, energetic and really delivering the reasoned and detailed policy proposals.

Wild card: At their age the odds are pretty good that at least one will have a significant, disqualifying health event....

Not that it took a medical pro to make that guess, but:

Bernie Sanders hospitalized with chest pain, campaign events canceled

Sen. Bernie Sanders, 78, was hospitalized in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"During a campaign event yesterday evening, Sen. Sanders experienced some chest discomfort. Following medical evaluation and testing he was found to have a blockage in one artery and two stents were successfully inserted," said Sanders’ senior adviser Jeff Weaver on Wednesday in a statement....

He is one of three septuagenarians in the Democratic primary, and the oldest. Former Vice President Joe Biden is 76. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is 70.

President Donald Trump, who was the oldest elected president, is 73. If elected, Sanders would be the oldest president to serve....

I expect the Grumpy ol' Curmudgeon to persevere, but with progressives and real liberals having apparently vibrant Liz as an alternative, I'll bet that Bernie's slide relative to her continues or quickens. C'mon Bernie, take it as a warning and go spend time with your amazing family.

[O Really]

Bernie's done. His exclamation point has drooped. Not that he can't recover from a health standpoint - and may even be better - but public perception of the "old guy" now having "heart problems" isn't going to fly. Especially since Trump the sleazebag will create some derisive nickname to keep the perception of "weak, old, sick" Bernie going.

[GoCubsGo]

Why don't I love Warren?

Or really, any of the dems?

[Vrede too]

Why don't I love Warren?

Or really, any of the dems?

With so many to choose from, broad ideological range and diverse demographics, could it be you rather than them? Might it be media coverage focusing on the "game" and diminishing the meat of their campaigns? Becoming an old 'They're all assholes,' cynic like LL?

Maybe us. I do like Warren, but don't get as passionate as I used to.

[GoCubsGo]

Why don't I love Warren?

Or really, any of the dems?

With so many to choose from, broad ideological range and diverse demographics, could it be you rather than them? Might it be media coverage focusing on the "game" and diminishing the meat of their campaigns? Becoming an old 'They're all assholes,' cynic like LL?

Maybe us. I do like Warren, but don't get as passionate as I used to.

Probably just fatigue...this is a time not like no other. In 2008 I certainly hated Shrub and couldn't wait until he was gone. At this point in the election cycle I was engaged in the debates. I was on board with Biden until Obama started to catch fire.

Now, meh.

[Vrede too]

Probably just fatigue...this is a time not like no other. In 2008 I certainly hated Shrub and couldn't wait until he was gone. At this point in the election cycle I was engaged in the debates. I was on board with Biden until Obama started to catch fire.

Now, meh.

A world where 45SHOLE can become POTUS makes it more difficult to have any faith in Americans.

Warren turns 'cougar' accusation into a talking point for her college debt plan

Sen. Elizabeth Warren turned an unfounded personal attack into an opportunity to promote her college debt forgiveness plan.

Earlier Thursday, a hapless conservative activist named Jacob Wohl advanced an unfounded claim that Warren — who has been married to fellow Harvard law professor Bruce Mann for 38 years — had been involved in an affair with a young Marine. The accusation was rebutted within minutes by reporters, but the Warren campaign chose to have some fun with the claim that she was a “cougar,” or a woman who pursues younger men.

“It's always a good day to be reminded that I got where I am because a great education was available for $50 a semester at the University of Houston (go Cougars!),” tweeted out Warren along with an image of the Houston Cougars logo. “We need to cancel student debt and make college free for everyone who wants it.” ...

Brilliant. Go Cougars!

Jacob Wohl

Jacob Wohl (born December 12, 1997 in Greater Los Angeles) is an American far-right conspiracy theorist, fraudster, and internet troll. He was formerly an online blogger and a columnist for The Gateway Pundit website.

Wohl drew attention in 2018 after news outlets reported his and Jack Burkman's failed plot to discredit Robert Mueller, the U.S. Special Counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, by attempting to frame him for sexual misconduct. In April 2019, Wohl and Burkman again received media attention, this time for attempting to frame Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana and declared 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, for sexual assault.

Wohl has created and promulgated other false or unfounded claims and conspiracy theories, mainly against Democratic Party politicians such as Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Ilhan Omar, and Elizabeth Warren. On February 26, 2019, Twitter permanently banned Wohl for violating its rules regarding creating and operating fake accounts. To aid his schemes, Wohl created multiple fake private intelligence agencies, and has fabricated death threats and protests against himself.

The National Futures Association (NFA) banned Wohl for life in 2017. The NFA had received investor complaints about his activity, and upon completing its investigation, concluded that Wohl was guilty of refusing to cooperate with the NFA as required, misrepresenting investments and misleading investors. Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) charged Wohl with 14 counts of securities fraud in the same year, and forced him to pay $32,919 in restitution.

On August 19, 2019, felony arrest warrants were issued in California for Wohl and his former business partner, Matthew Johnson, for illicit sale of securities which took place in July and August 2016.

Poster boy for modern sleazebag conservatism.

Fwiw, I'm not sure that the fake news "cougar" claim would have hurt 70 year-old Warren if actually true - youthful vitality, you know. That's how stupid Jacob Wohl and his followers are.

[billy.pilgrim]

Probably just fatigue...this is a time not like no other. In 2008 I certainly hated Shrub and couldn't wait until he was gone. At this point in the election cycle I was engaged in the debates. I was on board with Biden until Obama started to catch fire.

Now, meh.

A world where 45SHOLE can become POTUS makes it more difficult to have any faith in Americans.

Warren turns 'cougar' accusation into a talking point for her college debt plan

Sen. Elizabeth Warren turned an unfounded personal attack into an opportunity to promote her college debt forgiveness plan.

Earlier Thursday, a hapless conservative activist named Jacob Wohl advanced an unfounded claim that Warren — who has been married to fellow Harvard law professor Bruce Mann for 38 years — had been involved in an affair with a young Marine. The accusation was rebutted within minutes by reporters, but the Warren campaign chose to have some fun with the claim that she was a “cougar,” or a woman who pursues younger men.

“It's always a good day to be reminded that I got where I am because a great education was available for $50 a semester at the University of Houston (go Cougars!),” tweeted out Warren along with an image of the Houston Cougars logo. “We need to cancel student debt and make college free for everyone who wants it.” ...

Brilliant. Go Cougars!

Jacob Wohl

Jacob Wohl (born December 12, 1997 in Greater Los Angeles) is an American far-right conspiracy theorist, fraudster, and internet troll. He was formerly an online blogger and a columnist for The Gateway Pundit website.

Wohl drew attention in 2018 after news outlets reported his and Jack Burkman's failed plot to discredit Robert Mueller, the U.S. Special Counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, by attempting to frame him for sexual misconduct. In April 2019, Wohl and Burkman again received media attention, this time for attempting to frame Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana and declared 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, for sexual assault.

Wohl has created and promulgated other false or unfounded claims and conspiracy theories, mainly against Democratic Party politicians such as Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Ilhan Omar, and Elizabeth Warren. On February 26, 2019, Twitter permanently banned Wohl for violating its rules regarding creating and operating fake accounts. To aid his schemes, Wohl created multiple fake private intelligence agencies, and has fabricated death threats and protests against himself.

The National Futures Association (NFA) banned Wohl for life in 2017. The NFA had received investor complaints about his activity, and upon completing its investigation, concluded that Wohl was guilty of refusing to cooperate with the NFA as required, misrepresenting investments and misleading investors. Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) charged Wohl with 14 counts of securities fraud in the same year, and forced him to pay $32,919 in restitution.

On August 19, 2019, felony arrest warrants were issued in California for Wohl and his former business partner, Matthew Johnson, for illicit sale of securities which took place in July and August 2016.

Poster boy for modern sleazebag conservatism.

Fwiw, I'm not sure that the fake news "cougar" claim would have hurt 70 year-old Warren if actually true - youthful vitality, you know. That's how stupid Jacob Wohl and his followers are.

This is also the guy who filed a false police report at about the same time as Smollett. one was a blip, the other was somewhat more

[Vrede too]

This is also the guy who filed a false police report at about the same time as Smollett. one was a blip, the other was somewhat more

Thanks, I didn't know. This one, unless there's another:

Jacob Wohl filmed himself possibly committing a crime in Ilhan Omar documentary

Found this:

Jacob Wohl’s Elizabeth Warren sex scandal claim debunked with Instagram photo
Wohl made the 24-year-old former Marine take off his shirt during the botched press conference. There was also talk of a lime green dildo. (with video)

Far-right conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl held a press conference along with wingman Jack Burkman in which Wohl claimed bombshell information about a sex scandal involving Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) would be released. It drew out a very small, unenthusiastic crowd of journalists.

According to Daily Beast reporter, Will Sommer, during Wohl’s conference–which was mostly drowned out by hecklers and a nearby car stereo system–Wohl made the claim that Warren’s alleged accuser, a 24-year-old former Marine named Kelvin Whelly, had a scar on his back from their tryst and even instructed him to take off his shirt so onlookers could see it. There was also talk about a lime green dildo purchased on Amazon.

A journalist debunked the story within moments on Twitter, pointing out Whelly’s Instagram in which he claimed he got the scar in an accident completely unassociated with Warren....

When confronted with the Instagram post during the conference, Whelly reportedly shrugged his shoulders.

The press conference is being drowned by out by Chumbawamba. Jacob tells the security guard to remove a heckler, but the guard appears to refuse on the grounds that the man is on public property.

Chumbawamba

Chumbawamba /ˌtʃʌmbəˈwɒmbə/ were a British alternative band that formed in 1982 and ended in 2012. The band constantly shifted in musical style, drawing on genres such as punk rock, pop, and folk. Their anarchist or libertarian socialist political stance exhibited an irreverent attitude toward authority, and the band have been forthright in their stances on issues including animal rights and pacifism (early in their career) and later regarding class struggle, feminism, gay liberation, pop culture, and anti-fascism....

Good choice, and kudos to the reporter for knowing about Chumbawamba . Back to the article:

...

This #JacobWohl shit is packed.

...

We found Jacob Wohl’s lime green dildo.

:!:

...

#jacobwohl, same guy who insisted that Mueller was a rapist and Buttigieg was a sexual predator is now saying that Elizabeth Warren is having an affair with a 24-year-old Marine?

I have thoughts.

1) Trump bangs porn stars left and right. No one cares.
2) "Conscious"?



Whoever is blaring Patsy Cline's rendition of "Crazy" to drown out #JacobWohl's rendition of crazy as he introduces this "marine"...

you are a hero.
#thursdaythoughts

Another good choice.

...

Kathy Griffin
@kathygriffin

I admit, I am way more excited about the Jack Burkman/#JacobWohl PRESSER than I should be. Do they offer civilian ride alongs for these things??? I'm pretty sure Senator Warren's illicit, young marine lover is ALSO the whistleblower. It's just a timesaver.

...

Wow, The Daily Dot is making a living off of conservative Jacob Wohl (I haven't read all of them):

Jacob Wohl, Jack Burkman can’t even throw a sham press conference anymore
How far the (not) mighty have fallen.

Felony arrest warrant issued for pro-Trump troll Jacob Wohl
Court documents allege that Jacob Wohl and his then-business partner Matthew Johnson unlawfully sold securities back in 2016.

Far-right troll Jacob Wohl caught pretending to travel the world for the ‘gram
A fence gave the faux jetsetter away.

Idiot.

Far-right troll Jacob Wohl scammed a Trump fan out of $25,000 (updated)
‘We got cheated by some 20-year-old kid.’

Okay, maybe he's not all bad.

Interesting tidbit in the article that came out a month before the Ukraine whistleblower revelations:

... Wohl, Mhaske said, was happy to help. He’d personally never heard of the 21-year-old, but says that Wohl talked a great game, dropping the right names and claiming that he’d also get Charlie Kirk to attend. (Kirk did not respond to a request for comment.) Wohl also bragged that he “was going to Ukraine to pull some stuff on Joe Biden.”

“He was really convincing,” Mhaske said....

[GoCubsGo]

Wow, quite the resume for 21 years old. Hope his parents are proud.

[neoplacebo]

Wow, quite the resume for 21 years old. Hope his parents are proud.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking; how can you get so fucked up in only 21 years? It takes most of these wingnuts nearly four decades to begin full bloom.

[Vrede too]

Wow, quite the resume for 21 years old. Hope his parents are proud.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking; how can you get so fucked up in only 21 years? It takes most of these wingnuts nearly four decades to begin full bloom.

I wonder if his parents had something to do with it. He got broken somehow.

Aha, I was just guessing:

Wohl is Jewish, describes himself as a Zionist, and has co-hosted a podcast for Jewish Trump supporters with Laura Loomer. As of 2019, Wohl lived in Washington DC. His father, David Wohl, is an attorney and conservative commentator who has been a guest on Fox News programs and who has also promoted conspiracy theories.

Campaign: Sanders had heart attack, released from hospital

One possibility: He's done and knows that he's done, but will persist for a bit longer so that he exits on his own terms rather than being beaten.