Posted on 02/27/2020 7:01:32 AM PST by Kaslin
As I type this, the South Carolina debate is barely 12 hours old, and even more anxiety has stirred among the Democratic Party establishment. They are worried. The resilience of the Bernie Sanders movement and his supporters is clear. And everyone outside the Sanders circle is growing more in its chorus crying for relief and commonsense to reign. The "Anybody But Bernie!" movement is in full swing. The challenge now rests on what to do about it within the confines of party rules.
Let's step back for a moment and see how we got here. Long before Hillary Clinton sealed her nomination four years ago, the Sanders craze was palpable and pervasive. His populist appeal is emblematic of the same appeal in Republican ranks. Progressives are just as fed up as Republicans have been for decades. They're tired of "waiting their turn." Sanders is the Democratic version of Donald Trump. He embodies all that pent-up frustration, and nothing will hold back his supporters, certainly not the appeals of establishment Democrats who claim he is "too liberal" to get elected.
That's the obvious. The often-forgotten facts simmer just beneath the political surface. Sanders is a fundraising machine. And he's barely holding fundraisers. His money-generating machine runs on the sheer intensity of his base -- all sending small-dollar donations by the millions. And nothing points to that support stopping any time soon. More importantly -- as last night's debate showed -- no other candidate has shown they can siphon off that support.
Contrast this truism with the very real scare Sanders presents to the business and investment communities. They've made it no secret he is bad news for business. Just three weeks ago, Washington consultants were sharing presentations and PowerPoints on what an Elizabeth Warren White House will or will not do. Today, many of those same consultants are forced to repurpose those slides for a Sanders administration, and many are coming up blank.
This perfect political storm points to one course correction -- a brokered convention. And with more than 47% of all delegates up for grabs by the end of Super Tuesday, the Party establishment has little time to study alternative scenarios. The good news is the nominating system is geared towards fragmentation. Without a winner-take-all structure, candidates can "lose" abysmally and still stack delegates. For example, as poorly as former Vice President Joe Biden is doing, he still has delegates and growing. The same is true for Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Only Tom Steyer seems to be a hopeless cause.
Another factor that favors the Democratic mainstream -- Mike Bloomberg. Money moves voters. It always has. And as moderate primary voters go to the polls in early and mid-March, they, too, will start feeling the pressure and looming fear of a Sanders nominee. And the nearly $2 billion Bloomberg plans to spend could push them toward him as a viable alternative. Yet, with the debate performances he's had in recent weeks, Bloomberg appears to be in a primary free-fall.
My money is on Pete Buttigieg. He has staying power. His base is equally devoted to him, yet admittedly much smaller than Sanders'. But it can grow. In my opinion, Sanders' has tapped into all the political Democratic outcasts that he can. I'm not convinced there are too many more supporters who would easily slide into his camp, especially if a compromise candidate such as Buttigieg is put forth.
Practically speaking, if Klobuchar were to exit the race, that would help Buttigieg immensely, and both know that. The same cannot be said of Warren and where her faithful would migrate. I feel they would split equally between Sanders and Buttigieg, which, for reasons stated above, ultimately favors Buttigeg. Buttigieg can appeal across many sects of the Democratic Party. As a man married to another man, he is progressive in his lifestyle and in his policies. Yet he remains grounded in the reality that programs have price tags, and there are some still in Democratic voting blocs who care about deficits and debt. Buttigieg can appeal to them.
The boost in delegates would in turn boost fundraising among liberals on both Wall Street and Main Street. If they could see a path forward for a more moderate candidate (beyond today's crowded field and the power of Sanders' supporters), they could train their energy and dollars to Mayor Pete, perhaps the Democrats' best bet.
Jury rigging another election will be child’s play for these masters of theft and deceit.
The only result from a brokered convention that I can imagine is Hellary....
How ‘bout Michelle Obama?
I could see them getting excited about her.
As a man married to another man, he is progressive in his lifestyle and in his policies. Yet he remains grounded in the reality that programs have price tags.
Yes on the first, no on the second. He's soaked up lefty philosophy from his father, who was one of the leading translators and promoters of the theories of Antonio Gramsci. The only limit on what Pete wants or would try to do is the veneer of practicality. That is, whether he can get away with it or not. That's what Gramsci was all about--long march through the institutions, slow rebellion by miseducating the public and especially the youth, etc. Pete is NOT Mr. Reasonable with a gay spouse.
Michelle Malkin and Dennis Prager agree with you, but I don’t see it.
How ‘bout Michelle Obama?
I could see them getting excited about her.
She is all about her self image
She would not run against Trump because he will tarnish her image. She wouldn’t be able to handle that.
Just a wild guess.
They could roll out Blowprah to endorse her and have BootyGig as VP.
If burny is cheated out of the nomination, the intensity will spill over into rage, which could easily lead to violence.
The arrogance and deceit of the Rat party created the Bernie Sanders movement precisely the way the arrogance and deceit of the GOPe created the Trump candidacy and presidency.
What BOTH parties need to do is humble themselves and follow WE THE PEOPLE, else the nation will devolve further into a political system that maintains continuous false reality, perpetual intrigue and murderous activity to maintain the grip on the message and appearances. Really, we are there already. Will they listen, or will the people continue their war on the political parties???
The main thing that they have really accomplished is overwhelming California, Washington, Oregon and a few other places like Minnesota with hoards of these imported Democrats.
Although many Freepers think that Michelle is too lazy, the desire for the kind of public adulation she would receive is probably immense.
This would feed her ego to an extent that is totally unquantifiable.
Blowprah has a Weinstain problem, she was his pimp, would recruit all the young wanabe starlets to meet him for movie gigs/for sex trade
She would get destroyed, it is why she has been hanging low.
Michelle values her self image more than anything. Going up against Trump is going to destroy that, she will get a Trump name, Trump isn’t afraid to blast all her life failures including the lousy school lunch program. And he would have zero problems tying her to her husband and all of his great failures.
Michelle wants to run, but not in 2020, but in 2024 she will pop out.
Biden, Bernie, Warren, Klobachar, Bloomberg are all hasbeens that probably won’t run again in 2024
Buttyboy is in it because, well, what does he have to lose? Seriously, this has elevated him on the national platform, he has nothing to lose at this point. Even if he doesn’t get the nom, he is looking to be a CNN/MSNBC contributor, book deals, speaking etc, from failed small city mayor to national figure is a giant jump and a better pay day.
Booker and Kamala left the race because 2024 looks more promising to them
Michelle Obama is a man.
I always remember that Axlegrease and Plouffy were able to re-elect Baraq with massive unemployment, $4 gasoline, the stench of Obamacare, and re-institutionalizing racism. Those guys would surely be on the team once again.
A hard line commie in the White House will be the event that begins Civil War II.
Hillary will go all in, and be drafted before the convention.
Bernie will have a McDougal, Joe will have a seizure of some sort.
Hillary with a female VP, will oppose Trump with
a. Supreme court alarm over Roe v Wade being overturned
b. Gun control over a yet to be staged mass killing
c. Health care for all
d. Female VP beating up Trump using meetoo
e. If necessary an October surprise state funeral for Bill
“My money is on Pete Buttigieg. He has staying power. “
Well Buttigieg wrote a high school paper praising Bernie.
Mayor Pete is a commie, and I really hate commies.
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