2020 Candidate Speculation

[Ls2012]

An interesting piece on Mayor Pete , highlighting important questions/issues within the Black community and how that will affect the potential longevity of his campaign.

www.theroot.com/what-would-black-america-be-like-under-president-pete-1834232212

[doublestuf]

Apr 23, 2019 14:10:32 GMT -6 Ls2012 said:

An interesting piece on Mayor Pete , highlighting important questions/issues within the Black community and how that will affect the potential longevity of his campaign.

www.theroot.com/what-would-black-america-be-like-under-president-pete-1834232212

This is one reason why I don't think he's quite ready. He's just not ready to go up against somebody with well-laid out policies like Warren. I'm not saying she'll win the primary necessarily, but you can't accuse her of kinda sorta having a plan or taking action.

And African-American support is so important. They freaking deserve someone who is going to actively fight against the systemic and structural forces that are keeping racism so firmly in place. This article makes him seem lukewarm in this area.

[sctiger]

I was having a conversation with a gay male friend last week about candidates. He's a lawyer in NYC and went to high school in the South with me so I think he has a good perspective. He's a big fan of Warren because he said she has solid policies and a proven record. He said he likes Pete but not as a frontrunner. He said that he felt Pete's popularity over candidates like Warren showed a bias in favor of males, despite the fact that Mayor Pete is gay. He also pointed out that Mayor Pete isn't a stereotypical flamboyant gay man portrayed in movies etc so that makes his sexual orientation less of a thing.

Thought it was an interesting perspective.

[fatpony]

[athn64]

Apr 23, 2019 19:07:14 GMT -6 fatpony said:

That's creepy

[doublestuf]

I'm getting here quickly and really starting to like Warren. If only we weren't up against that insane buffoon. This is a thread with good points downthread.

[doublestuf]

Also, this. I'm not hating on Pete, but you can't deny it.

[catspajamas]

Apr 23, 2019 19:16:44 GMT -6 doublestuf said:

I'm getting here quickly and really starting to like Warren. If only we weren't up against that insane buffoon. This is a thread with good points downthread.

I'm pretty firmly in the Warren camp these days. She's the real deal in so many ways. She would be excellent.

[dc2london]

Apr 23, 2019 19:01:41 GMT -6 sctiger said:

I was having a conversation with a gay male friend last week about candidates. He's a lawyer in NYC and went to high school in the South with me so I think he has a good perspective. He's a big fan of Warren because he said she has solid policies and a proven record. He said he likes Pete but not as a frontrunner. He said that he felt Pete's popularity over candidates like Warren showed a bias in favor of males, despite the fact that Mayor Pete is gay. He also pointed out that Mayor Pete isn't a stereotypical flamboyant gay man portrayed in movies etc so that makes his sexual orientation less of a thing.

Thought it was an interesting perspective.

::nods head::
::watches second consecutive week pass without any non white men running for president appearing on Sunday shows::

[stringy]

Apr 24, 2019 7:38:54 GMT -6 dc2london said:

Apr 23, 2019 19:01:41 GMT -6 sctiger said:

I was having a conversation with a gay male friend last week about candidates. He's a lawyer in NYC and went to high school in the South with me so I think he has a good perspective. He's a big fan of Warren because he said she has solid policies and a proven record. He said he likes Pete but not as a frontrunner. He said that he felt Pete's popularity over candidates like Warren showed a bias in favor of males, despite the fact that Mayor Pete is gay. He also pointed out that Mayor Pete isn't a stereotypical flamboyant gay man portrayed in movies etc so that makes his sexual orientation less of a thing.

Thought it was an interesting perspective.

::nods head::
::watches second consecutive week pass without any non white men running for president appearing on Sunday shows::

I've seen some posts about this regarding Pete as well.  If he weren't gay...he'd be a married, midwestern, white, Christian male.  So.....everyone here would eye roll at him if he were straight (not knocking anyone here, I've gone back and forth on this in my own head).

That said, I think he's very intelligent and I like a lot of things he has to say.  And as a gay person, I cannot help but love him a little more for being outspoken about his identity struggles and for not being a stereotypical flamboyant gay public figure who is loud and proud.  Those don't really mean he should or shouldn't be pres though.  As I've said before I'm also a bit terrified of the anti-LGBT rhetoric that will come out if its him vs trump, but...its not much new.

[Dr. Cox]

Apr 23, 2019 19:59:19 GMT -6 catspajamas said:

Apr 23, 2019 19:16:44 GMT -6 doublestuf said:

I'm getting here quickly and really starting to like Warren. If only we weren't up against that insane buffoon. This is a thread with good points downthread.

I'm pretty firmly in the Warren camp these days. She's the real deal in so many ways. She would be excellent.

Same, which surprised me. I’ve been a bit less than thrilled with Pete lately. Of course I will vote for whomever the dem nom is, but some recent things his campaign has done has given me pause. I hope he addresses the issues and corrects them.

[jkjacq]

So B brought it up in his town hall and it seems to be the 'new' issue.

What are thoughts on letting convicted incarcerated felons vote? (not on parole or having served their sentence, people still in custody/serving their sentence)

Does it make a difference in your opinion if the convicted is a violent offender?

I think that once you have served your sentence, then voting rights should be restored, you've paid your debt.  I'm less convinced if you are currently incarcerated, especially those with a violent crime conviction.

[teatime]

Truthfully? It does matter to me if it’s a non violent offense or not. A murderer took away someone else’s rights to life, liberty, and property, so I haven’t been too bothered about the separating violent/non-violent offenders wrt rights. The woman who asked the question made a good point about a man who committed a sexual assault against a woman being able to vote for politicians looking to further restrict women’s rights and honestly I’m not sure what to make of that.

I have no problem with non-violent offenders voting. I agree that people who have served their time can and should be reintegrated back into society and be able to participate in the electoral process. We have a criminal justice system so steeped in racism that disenfranchisement due to selective arrest/prosecution/sentencing for criminal activity is a big problem.

[blurnette989]

So I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I believe voting is a right that you should not lose for any reason, unless you commit treason and have your citizenship revoked.

Our country has used the right to vote as a means to control and oppress. I feel the only way to fix that is to give that right to everyone over 18 no matter what. Even the distinction of a violent crime can vary so greatly from state to state and how a prosecutor chooses to charge a crime. These distinctions always disproportionately affect indigent and people of color.

From manifest destiny to slavery to Jim crow to the school to prison pipeline we've always found a way to marginalize these groups. The best way to help correct some of these wrongs is to ensure that we remove ways to disenfranchise them. Ensuring you always have the right to vote, ensures you are a part of the system.

[Minerva]

Apr 24, 2019 14:34:16 GMT -6 jkjacq said:

So B brought it up in his town hall and it seems to be the 'new' issue.

What are thoughts on letting convicted incarcerated felons vote? (not on parole or having served their sentence, people still in custody/serving their sentence)

Does it make a difference in your opinion if the convicted is a violent offender?

I think that once you have served your sentence, then voting rights should be restored, you've paid your debt.  I'm less convinced if you are currently incarcerated, especially those with a violent crime conviction.

I can see the argument to allow felons to vote, given the injustice (esp. the racial bias) of the current prison system. I think it‘s an important long term goal, but my first priority when it comes to felons and voting would be to restore voting rights immediately once a prison sentence is served.

I believe that Maine and Vermont allow prisoners to vote by mail in their most recent district of residence. I’ll be doing a deeper dive into how it works out there.

[greykitty]

I do not believe felons still serving time should be able to vote.

And, I'm very iffy about felons who have committed violent crimes should ever be able to vote. That's probably more an emotional response, but hey, people do tend to vote along emotional lines as well as policy lines.

[jaygee]

IMO, If we count a person for census purposes and they are a citizen, they should be allowed to vote.

This is a new viewpoint of mine. I was previously uneducated on the topic. Not saying that my view now is “right” but I just hadn’t even given it much thought before. Once I learned more I lean towards full voting rights for all citizens. In theory I get taking away voting rights for some crimes, but I just feel like with the history of using voting rights to oppress people, I can’t support that in practice any longer.

[jaygee]

Somewhat related but I’m also ok with non-citizens voting on some local matters - like school issues. They are constituents.

[jaygee]

::snort::

[elle]

Is there somewhere that we can catch the videos from today? Because I need to see some of these moments.

[jkjacq]

Apr 24, 2019 17:51:42 GMT -6 elle said:

Is there somewhere that we can catch the videos from today? Because I need to see some of these moments.

MSNBC is running them now

[doublestuf]

Y'all I'm watching some of Elizabeth Warren on She the People and she had them in the palm of her hand. She was electrifying and told a story that was so genuine and powerful.

I'm going to get H to watch it. He likes her policies but doesn't think she has much charisma.

[flippinchica]

I think I agree with you jaygee. I have been thinking about this today and where should we draw the line for allowing people to vote and can't think of a line that seems fair. Given the way our justice system has been weaponized and the huge unfairness of the system, I think trying voting rights to the justice system in any way contributes to marginalization of minority groups and those with low SES.

[Uncaripswife]

Apr 24, 2019 19:07:27 GMT -6 doublestuf said:

Y'all I'm watching some of Elizabeth Warren on She the People and she had them in the palm of her hand. She was electrifying and told a story that was so genuine and powerful.

I'm going to get H to watch it. He likes her policies but doesn't think she has much charisma.

I've seen her speak in person. She's really great.

[jaygee]

I’m getting excited about Warren. I’m still team Harris all the way, but I really like what Senator Warren is putting out policy wise and I appreciate her putting her nose to the grindstone. I just love them both so much and they are my top 2. Gillibrand and Booker are my 3 and 4.

ETA: i lied. Castro is a 3 for me. I need to stop
Forgetting he’s running because I really like him.

[bunnyfungo]

I got pulled into the Warren camp when she talked about pinky swearing with little girls because girls run for the senate. I was very firmly against her because of the gaff with claiming native ancestry. I just really need her to dig herself out of that. Because it was and is so so bad.

[jaygee]

A good thread on the She the People candidate performances.

[blurnette989]

Apr 24, 2019 17:05:50 GMT -6 jaygee said:

IMO, If we count a person for census purposes and they are a citizen, they should be allowed to vote.

This is a new viewpoint of mine. I was previously uneducated on the topic. Not saying that my view now is “right” but I just hadn’t even given it much thought before. Once I learned more I lean towards full voting rights for all citizens. In theory I get taking away voting rights for some crimes, but I just feel like with the history of using voting rights to oppress people, I can’t support that in practice any longer.

Speaking of. ..

[cnf]

I've been listening to some Warren stuff and I do like her the more I hear her. I still have Gillibrand above her, though I may be biased because she's my senator and I really like her and have voted for her in the past. Harris and Pete are still on my list too. I'll vote for whoever the nom is but right now I don't know that I personally have a front runner. That's my top four at this point though.

[Uncaripswife]

Biden made it official.