uawchild
uawchild's JournalFox News is the unlikely new power player in the 2020 Democratic primary
Meet the new media player in Democratic Party politics. Fox News.
Blocked from participating in the lineup of official Democratic debates scheduled for the 2020 presidential cycle, the network that appeals to conservative-leaning voters has muscled its way into the process by offering candidates a valuable commodity: Air time during televised town halls.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was the first Democratic contender to take up the Fox invitation last month in Pennsylvania.
And Wednesday at the Grain Exchange in Milwaukee, before an invited audience in the city that's hosting the 2020 Democratic National Convention, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota gets her 60 minutes on Fox. The event begins at 5:30 p.m.
So, why would Democratic candidates go on a network that has been accused of having close ties to President Donald Trump's administration?
"I think you have to reach everyone," Klobuchar said.
"And I've always believed in my runs for office and in my governing style that you go not just where it's comfortable but you go where it's uncomfortable and that includes on Fox News," she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
This presidential cycle has been punctuated by made-for-TV town halls — with CNN even holding five on one night.
Town halls give the candidates an unscripted and relatively unfiltered way to reach hundreds of thousands, if not millions of voters at a time.
...
2.6 million viewers for Fox town hall
...
There will be more Democratic presidential town halls on Fox News.
South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have scheduled town halls with the network. MacCallum said the network has reached out to all the other campaigns.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/05/07/fox-news-plays-role-democratic-presidential-race-tv-town-halls/3662596002/
Kamala Harris unveils bill to fund, support public defenders
California Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate for president, will unveil a new bill Wednesday that promises to provide hundreds of millions in new funding for public defenders.
Harris' EQUAL Defense Act would allocate $250 million to establish workload limits for public defenders and create "pay parity between public defenders within five years," according to a statement released by her office. It would also authorize an additional $5 million to train public defenders.
Some progressives have criticized Harris, who was San Francisco's district attorney and California's attorney general, for her record as a prosecutor. Harris has responded that she was a "progressive prosecutor" who fought racial bias in police departments, opposed the death penalty, and tried to keep first-time offenders out of jail.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-unveils-new-bill-to-fund-support-public-defenders/
Wow, this is a practical, implementable step forward in reforming a criminal justice system that systemically discriminates against the poor and people of color.
Good job!
The 2020 Endorsement Primary from 538
Which Democratic candidates are receiving the most support from prominent members of their party?
Why we’re tracking endorsements:
Party elites use endorsements to influence not only voters but also each other, hoping to get other powerful party members to rally behind the candidate they think would be most acceptable.
The pace of endorsements — whether leaders coalesce early around a single candidate or are backing a variety of candidates — can indicate how drawn out the primary season will be.
A lack of a consensus can mean that party leaders’ first-choice candidate may have more trouble securing the nomination.
Joe Biden 80 points
Cory Booker 57
Kamala Harris 55
Amy Klobuchar 39
Elizabeth Warren 23
Bernie Sanders 22
Beto O'Rourke 14
Pete Buttigieg 12
Julian Castro 12
FiveThirtyEight’s point scale:
10 points. Former presidents and vice presidents, Current national party leaders
8 points Governors
6 points. U.S. senators
5 points. Former presidential and vice-presidential nominees, Former national party leaders, 2020 candidates who have dropped out
3 points. U.S. representatives, Mayors of large cities
2 points. Officials in statewide elected offices, State legislative leaders
1 point. Other Democratic National Committee members
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-endorsements/democratic-primary/?ex_cid=rrpromo
Well, that's a fun thing to keep an eye on and see how it changes over time. Obviously my friends who are Biden and Harris Supporters will agree with me that this endorsement tracker is simply the best thing ever! 
Yes! Cory Booker in a solid second place with 57 points. woot!
I will now bask in the warm glow of inevitability with my Biden supporting friends. lol
How Joe Biden could win the battle but lose the war to Trump in 2020
KEY POINTS:
* Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman is challenging two broadly-accepted understandings about Joe Biden and the 2020 presidential race.
* That Biden’s moderation muddies his chance to lead a left-leaning Democratic Party, while his broad acceptability and blue-collar appeal makes him the strongest Democrat against Donald Trump.
* But the opposite could be the case - circumstances make his chances of winning the nomination strong, but his age and moderate views could dampen voter enthusiasm in the general election.
* The Democrats best-equipped to beat Trump, Wasserman says, include a young gay man and a young black woman who make party traditionalists nervous.
In Sept. 2017, with many political analysts still preoccupied by President Donald Trump’s blue-collar base, David Wasserman identified something else: the Democrats’ burgeoning white-collar base.
The Cook Political Report elections expert envisioned the looming 2018 campaign as the “Year of the Angry White College Graduate.” And that’s precisely what the mid-term elections became, handing Democrats control of the House of Representatives.
Now Wasserman is challenging two broadly-accepted understandings of the 2020 presidential race: that Joe Biden’s moderation muddies his chance to lead a left-leaning Democratic Party, while his broad acceptability and blue-collar appeal makes him the strongest Democrat against Trump.
Both notions, he argues, have it backwards: the former Vice President holds a strong position for the nomination race, but less so for a general election. The Democrats best-equipped to beat Trump, he adds, include a young gay man and a young black woman who make party traditionalists nervous.
Biden’s early polling surge has dented skepticism that he can win the Democratic nomination on his third try over three decades. But only slightly.
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The case extends to his age, currently 76, which would make him the oldest president to take the oath of office if he wins. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, gently drawing an age contrast with Biden, calls herself “a candidate for our times.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/07/how-joe-biden-could-win-the-battle-but-lose-the-war-to-trump-in-2020.html
Trump's approval rating hits all-time high in Gallup poll
President Trump’s approval rating reached new heights in the second half of April, according to the Gallup poll, as nearly half of voters gave him positive marks.
Trump’s approval rating ticked up to 46 percent, up slightly from 45 percent in the first part of April and the highest mark to date for Trump in the Gallup poll.
It comes on the heels of strong economic numbers and the largely favorable outcome of the Russia investigation.
Trump remains overwhelmingly popular among Republicans, 91 percent of whom gave the president positive marks in the latest Gallup poll. That figure falls just short of the record high of 92 percent approval among GOP respondents, reached in a Gallup survey in November.
Among Democrats, 12 percent said they approve of Trump’s job performance, according to the poll. That figure matches the previous high among Democrats recorded in April 2017.
Trump’s approval among independents dipped slightly from 39 percent in the first half of April to 37 percent in the latest poll.
The Gallup poll surveyed 1,024 adults nationwide from April 17 to April 30. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Trump has largely been buoyed by a strong economy that saw continued growth in April.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/442336-trumps-approval-rating-at-all-time-high-in-gallup-poll
I take away 2 points from this:
1. THE ECONOMY is clearly the over-riding issue.
2. People are deaf, dumb and blind in regards to the Russia investigation.
This line from the OP stuns me, someone actual wrote this:
It comes on the heels of strong economic numbers and the largely favorable outcome of the Russia investigation.
Ok... clearly the economy IS the issue. Our candidates must have strong an detailed economic messages to blunt tRump taking credit for the economy.
I am still stunned that The Hill writer feels the outcome of the Russian investigation was "largely favorable". Is this really the perception of voters? Do they need to be educated more on the facts or is it a minor argument in voters' minds and all they care about is the economy?
I don't know.
Trump's approval rating hits all-time high in Gallup poll
President Trump’s approval rating reached new heights in the second half of April, according to the Gallup poll, as nearly half of voters gave him positive marks.
Trump’s approval rating ticked up to 46 percent, up slightly from 45 percent in the first part of April and the highest mark to date for Trump in the Gallup poll.
It comes on the heels of strong economic numbers and the largely favorable outcome of the Russia investigation.
Trump remains overwhelmingly popular among Republicans, 91 percent of whom gave the president positive marks in the latest Gallup poll. That figure falls just short of the record high of 92 percent approval among GOP respondents, reached in a Gallup survey in November.
Among Democrats, 12 percent said they approve of Trump’s job performance, according to the poll. That figure matches the previous high among Democrats recorded in April 2017.
Trump’s approval among independents dipped slightly from 39 percent in the first half of April to 37 percent in the latest poll.
The Gallup poll surveyed 1,024 adults nationwide from April 17 to April 30. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Trump has largely been buoyed by a strong economy that saw continued growth in April.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/442336-trumps-approval-rating-at-all-time-high-in-gallup-poll
I take away 2 points from this:
1. THE ECONOMY is clearly the over-riding issue.
2. People are deaf, dumb and blind in regards to the Russia investigation.
This line from the OP stuns me, someone actual wrote this:
It comes on the heels of strong economic numbers and the largely favorable outcome of the Russia investigation.
Ok... clearly the economy IS the issue. Our candidates must have strong an detailed economic messages to blunt tRump taking credit for the economy.
I am still stunned that The Hill writer feels the outcome of the Russian investigation was "largely favorable". Is this really the perception of voters? Do they need to be educated more on the facts or is it a minor argument in voters' minds and all they care about is the economy?
I don't know.
Why is Biden stuck at 14% favorability here on DU?
Sure, its early, but early polls have him at 40% popularity among responders, yet only 14% have got behind him here on DU.
Is it because DU members are more informed?
I really like the display fo DU rankings for the candidates, but would it be too hard to have that show the "ranked choice voting" of people's preference here?
"With ranked choice voting, voters can rank as many candidates as they want in order of choice. Candidates do best when they attract a strong core of first-choice support while also reaching out for second and even third choices."
https://www.fairvote.org/rcv#where_is_ranked_choice_voting_used
20 year war between Biden and Warren over bankruptcy, explained
en. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was the first Democratic 2020 hopeful to take a direct swing at former Vice President Joe Biden since he got into the race, accusing him of being “on the side of the credit companies” in a fight that launched her political career a decade ago.
Warren’s quarrel with Biden isn’t personal. It’s about a 2005 bankruptcy bill he supported as a senator. Warren opposed the bill so vehemently that its passage inspired her transition from a Harvard bankruptcy law professor, who studied middle-class economics, to a senator and now a presidential hopeful.
“I got in that fight because [families] just didn’t have anyone and Joe Biden was on the side of the credit card companies,” Warren said after an April rally in Iowa. “It’s all a matter of public record.”
The bill made it harder for individuals to file for bankruptcy and get out of debt, a legal change that credit card companies and many major retailers had championed for years. The bill passed Congress with large majorities, but most Democratic senators, including Barack Obama, voted no. Biden voted yes and was widely seen at the time as one of the bill’s major Democratic champions.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/5/6/18518381/baccpa-bankruptcy-bill-2005-biden-warren
Sadly, this is another example Biden voting with the Republicans. President Obama and most other democrats in the Senate voted against this bill. Biden voted for it. Has he ever apologized for doing so?
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