2020 Democratic presidential primary

Ugh, the grid I found taken from govtrack is on twitter. I don't want to be the asshole to post a tweet here after just saying how annoying it is. But Harris and Klobluchar had the best average for bills that they sponsored that were enacted by year. And Klobluchar had the best average (Gillibrand second) for bills enacted for years the dems had the majority.

That's a really nice comb xpost. I usually just travel with a comb like one they gave you for school pics. That one seems more useful.

e.g, you can eat with it

correct, amy has my vote except for the bullying and me not being allowed to

hahaha I came here about this, this is the BEST slam I've ever seen against any candidate!

frankly it just shows innovation.

I know we're all focusing on the comb/salad anecdote, but this in the NYT story on how Amy Klobuchar handled parental leave for her staff... https://t.co/eM88W5hND2 pic.twitter.com/VgtSeDWPWE

— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) February 22, 2019

i read that too. it doesn't seem like she cares much about labor issues so i don't really think i want her to be my president.

especially as it's a fork/fork anecdote

seeing as i'm still in the location with an influential early caucus, i'm open to all of you coming to a consensus by february 2, 2020 and letting me know who to caucus for

otherwise, probably going to be mostly dodging the thread because most of these candidates are going to be parading through here, possibly mere blocks from my home, for the entire rest of this year and i don't need to get flooded with input online, too

sigh

a comb is a comb, a pick is a pick. i can see eating salad with a pick though it's gross and stupid. eating salad with a comb is self-defeating!

Don’t wanna be THAT GUY but if a man did that in this day and age we’d be all up on his ass to step the fuck down regardless or record or usefulness to the cause

well, he should, but I have a hard time imagining she is the only politician with that policy?

Did you skip the sentence that read "unusual on Capitol Hill"?

Unusual does not mean singular. I think the stories disqualify Klobuchar, I'd just welcome wider research into working conditions in congress. How much money was it that had been spent on nda's and settlements of harrassment suits and stuff like that?

it's not just a job, it's an indenture!

Totally reject the idea that the klobuchar reporting is insubstantive or frivolous or clickbait or whatever.

it's not just a job, it's an indenture!

― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.),

now that's a slogan I can get behind

I like this bit Jeb Lund wrote about how the internet is not the election:

https://jeb.substack.com/p/dunks-without-end

Unusual does not mean singular. I think the stories disqualify Klobuchar, I'd just welcome wider research into working conditions in congress. How much money was it that had been spent on nda's and settlements of harrassment suits and stuff like that?

― Frederik B, Friday, February 22, 2019 6:46 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, it would be interesting to read more about what life is like for congressional aides. I imagine it’s grueling, especially during campaign seasons, but the impression everyone seems to give is that the klobuchar stuff is pretty unique and beyond the pale

who cares how unusual it is? don't vote for anyone who treats their underlings like dog shit. the smartest, most talented people i have ever known have often been the kindest and most generous to the people that they employ. even dumbass morrissey understood that (it takes strength to be gentle and kind). it would be one thing if she was a brilliant political mind with all of these great ideas and she just happened to treat everyone like shit on the side, but the whole point of her campaign is to try to pull everything to the right and attract people who think that "centrist" is a position. so who cares, let her fall on her face, what goes around comes around

so if Bernie fucks around and gets the nom which Democratic Senators are going to publicly decline to support him? and will any besides Manchin actually support Trump?

I'd still want LBJ as president though

sorry to AOC up the thread, but here is how you treat your workers

Leadership starts with our choices.

That’s why I decided that no one on my staff will make less than $52k/year.

It’s likely one of the highest entry-level salaries on the Hill. We pinch pennies elsewhere, but it’s worth every dime to pay a living wage.https://t.co/IxfNH4632h

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 23, 2019

AOC- we runnin this Rep shit

the most annoying thing about "midwest nice", especially when a politician makes it part of their identity, is that it's often just a hint of a mask of politeness covering up complete assholes, and it fools so many people

"Behind every smile is a set of clenched teeth!"

I thought “Minnesota nice” literally meant being an asshole with a passive aggressively nice front. I’m very confused by this new usage where it just means nice.

it's both, is the thing

"that's interesting"

bless your heart

the most annoying thing about "midwest nice", especially when a politician makes it part of their identity, is that it's often just a hint of a mask of politeness covering up complete assholes, and it fools so many people

― Karl Malone, Friday, February 22, 2019 10:01 PM

I thought Fargo was also meh!

klobuchar really does do a convincing impersonation of a nice person.

who cares how unusual it is? don't vote for anyone who treats their underlings like dog shit. the smartest, most talented people i have ever known have often been the kindest and most generous to the people that they employ.

I mean: https://m.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/anger-management-sanders-fights-for-employees-except-his-own/Content?oid=2834657

When he defended himself against the really quite poorly sourced article he bragged that he payed his interns 12$ an hour, which seems a few dollars too low as well...

welcome back, nerdstrom!

I'd prefer that the candidate was a nice person, and that they treated their staff fairly, and I agree it is an indicator of character, but I also have to be honest with myself and say look, if Trump was all up into free healthcare and was obsessed with combatting climate change, how much do I care about his personality now? The answer might be, really, not all that much

"He yelled in meetings all the time," says one of Sanders' former Senate staffers. "He'd yell, 'I don't want to hear excuses! I want to get it done!'"

i don't doubt that sanders could be a frustrating guy to work for but this is not even close to being in the same category as throwing things at people, trying to sabotage your staffers' future careers, violating senate rules by forcing your staffers to perform personal chores for you like doing your dishes, pulling shady shit with paternal leave, or any of the other things klobuchar allegedly did

I agree, which is why I only brought it into the discussion one Karl made a broader point about employers being nice.

In my head Bernie’s ranting sounds like DeNiro’s Capone. “I want him dead, I want his family dead...”

i agree w/Killer Poin here, w/Bernie it's cute because he's a white dude in his 70s. I think Bernie's appeal comes from him almost being a old dude mascot, as much as his mostly excellent positions. People would react to Kamala saying the same thing very differently, no doubt.

― omar little, Friday, February 22, 2019 1:05 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"I was listening to Snoop while smoking up back in the day" is not the same class of statement. Maybe if she said something like "I thought Iron Maiden was a female Marvel superhero", I could see the comparison (and I would find that endearing).

― silent as a seashell Julia (Sund4r), Friday, February 22, 2019 1:15 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Admittedly, I did consider this morning whether Warren would have been seen in the same light if she made the Killer Mike comment and idk if Square Granny would be viewed as equally lovable as Square Gramps so.

(but maybe?)

maybe if Warren had a Brooklyn accent

recently decided i'll happily vote for whoever makes it out of this alive

in the past I've been bummed about my vote not mattering but it feels pretty good this time around

the thing is, anyone who achieves a certain measure of political power and has the ambition to be president is going to be an asshole to some degree. most of them are not people we would want as colleagues or bosses.

obama actually seems to have been utterly remarkable in that people generally don't have anything (or much) bad to say about his interpersonal behavior. even carter, who at this point seems to have achieved secular sainthood, had a reputation as brittle when he was president. (note i am not indulging in obama worship. his being a "nice guy"--scare quotes not really necessary i suppose--does not make up for his policy of drone murders or anything else. it's just an observation about his personal behavior.)

i totally can imagine bernie as stony and unfeeling. he certainly is incredibly single-minded. it takes a certain monomania to be so fixed in his principles and aims for so many decades. and it doesn't surprise me that that manifests in some untoward ways.

i'm not excusing it. but finding a qualified, reasonably principled, promising candidate for higher office who isn't something of an asshole, esp. in the workplace, maybe not really be in the cards.

that ended up being a much longer and more boring post than i had intended.

as seen on internet: "joe biden is hiring staff in new hampshire... heeeeere we go"

no thank's

I had a family member, who I thought knew better, tell me recently that they were hoping for a Biden/Beto ticket. WTF?

Unless that family member is highly active in Iowa, New Hampshire, or South Carolina politics their preferences today mean little.