Thursday, July 11, 2019

Bernie Is The John McCain Of The Left

Bernie Sanders is a maverick. More so than John McCain. Today anybody can be a Socialist. But Bernie was a Socialist during the Cold War! Imagine that. That's a maverick.

John McCain ran for president. Twice. He did not win. But he did build stature. He was in the Senate, but he was not just another Senator. I see the same thing happening to Bernie. He will not become Majority Leader. But his megaphone will be big. He will have a loud voice.

I don't see him winning the nomination. He lacks nuance. He stays blind to orchestrated targets. The moneyed interests send the media guys after him. He stays uninformed. He does not respond.

If the entire gamut of Democratic candidates is today talking about Medicare For All, it is because Bernie hammered the point in 2016. That's to his credit. That Bernie did so well in 2016 gave a lot of people confidence that perhaps Obamacare was just a stepping stone to Medicare For All. And there is broad public support. The idea is popular among Republicans.


Nate Silver's Midsummer Night's Dream





I am in broad agreement with Nate Silver here. He is that data guy. Only I venture forth to predict Joe Biden is going to sink like a stone as soon as people start tuning in. I don't see him winning either Iowa or New Hampshire. And then it is downhill from there. Harris will swamp Biden in South Carolina, should he not have already dropped out.

Between Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, I just don't know at this point. If Warren is the nominee, Kamala Harris will be the natural pick for VP. If Harris is the nominee, on the other hand, the reverse is not true. Warren perhaps will go on to become Majority Leader in the Senate. Harris might pick Pete. It will be a good Midwestern Rust Belt balance to the coastal highflies.

Harris is more muscular on gender than Obama ever was on race. I like her stand on pay equity. I like how she asks, which male body part is the government regulating? That little finger on your right?