QUESTION: How do Republicans win elections? ANSWER: They do it by closing voting sites in Democratic neighborhoods.
Here's a recent RawStory headline: "‘Voter suppression, plain and simple’: Texas closed hundreds of polling sites in black and Latino areas." Texas has closed 750 polling locations since 2012, with polling places of one for every 7,700 residents today. Up from 4,000 in 2012. These are the facts...
"The 50 counties that saw the highest growth in black and Latino population had 542 polling sites close between 2012 and 2018, while the 50 counties with the lowest black and Latino population growth saw just 34 closures. The closures came despite the population in the top 50 counties rising by 2.5 million while the 50 counties that had just 34 closures saw their population fall by 13,000."
You'll find tons more about the conniving of Texas Republicans, plus, we must assume, something that is also occurring in more states across the country. The GOP just can't do it honest. A MUST READ...
Los Angeles county calls coronavirus public-health emergency...
With six new coronavirus cases discovered in L A county in the last 48 hours, the Los Angeles metropolis today decided it is time for an emergency, and the outlook is not good...
"Barbara Ferrer, director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said at a press conference with other county officials that leaders should expect more cases of #covid19 in the days ahead."
Coronavirus fear across the United States...
This is caution not panic, said county officials. The cities of Pasadena and Long Beach followed suit. Ferrer continued...
“There’s either a travel history to an area with an outbreak, there’s exposure to known travelers coming from areas where there’s an outbreak, or the person is in close contact with a confirmed case.”
The country's second largest metro area, with a death toll now of 7 cases, follows New York, which has just confirmed 5 new CV cases with a total of 11. With both being high tourist areas, this could eventually have a negative effect on travel there...READ MORE...
NEWS SNIPPETS
Wednesday morning news headlines...
‘Absolutely outrageous’: White House bars press from filming or recording coronavirus briefing...READ MORE...
How the Supreme Court could reshape the federal government — and let Trump bend it to his will...READ MORE...
Prominent Republicans mock Trump’s legal claims in Supreme Court brief — and blow up president’s ‘absolute immunity’...READ MORE...
GOP blocking coronavirus bill — because it limits how much drugmakers can charge for a vaccine: report...READ MORE...
Super Tuesday Triumph for Biden Sets up One-On-One Battle Against Sanders...READ MORE...
Mike Bloomberg Suspends His Presidential Campaign And Endorses Joe Biden...READ MORE...
After two candidates exit race, Biden on top. What will it take to return Bernie to that position?
Bernie/Biden
Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg had to bow out of the Democratic Primary for Joe Biden to jump eight points over Bernie Sanders in national polls. That leaves Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg. Klobuchar's and Buttigieg's moves are typical party loyalty, because they both have aspiration for the future. I wish them luck but am more concerned over the present and who can beat Donald Trump in November. I believe Bernie is best suited for that.
I did a post earlier yesterday, pitting Bernie against Biden, each of which must garner votes of color to win. Biden pretty much has cinched the black vote, although Bernie may siphon off a few. Bernie seems to have locked most of the Hispanic vote from the early primaries, including yesterday in California; if they turn out in November as they did in Nevada. My gut tells me it would be easier for Bernie to attract the blacks from Biden in November, than Biden appealing to Hispanics.
You Tube coverage of Biden surge and Super Tuesday...
In the 2017 midterms, Hispanic new voters were 27% of the total, where only 18% of blacks were first time. Pew Research also says 30% of the young vote went to the polls for the first time in 2018. There is never a guarantee, but the youth vote has been soundly in the Bern's corner, and that looks likely to still be the case. As far as the female vote is concerned, both candidates are basically on the fence and will require more nurturing to convince the ladies.
There is also the question of whether this new poll makes any difference in view of Bernie Sanders' results in Super Tuesday's Primaries. Sanders is ahead in six, with the heavy delegate state, California, firmly behind him. Also, the Reuters/Ipsos poll puts the Bern 11 points ahead in the Democratic Primary. It would be helpful if Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the race and endorsed Bernie, but Warren is a Democrat and she may very well go the way of Klobuchar and Buttigieg.
"The stampede to Joe Biden’s side among Democrats in the wake of his victory in a single primary has been remarkable to behold. What they are unlikely to say out loud is that this isn’t about Biden’s inspiring vision or compelling personality, so much as their fears that if Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were the nominee, he’d lose to President Trump. Biden, for all his weaknesses, looks like a better bet."
As I pointed out earlier in this piece, that may not be the case. The WP alerts us to two very important factors. One, no one can comprehend every variable that is involved in this election. And two, who knows what might happen down the road? There are over eight months left until November. Biden, a terrible campaigner, according to the Post, and in 2020, "even worse than in his disastrous runs in 1988 and 2008." Not good news when running against Donald Trump.
Another insight by WP...
"Yes, he’s [Joe Biden] getting support from African American voters — so far, anyway — but they already vote at relatively high rates, comparable to white voters. The big untapped potential for Democrats lies in young people and Latinos, neither of whom seems particularly jazzed about a Biden nomination."
Like I said, plenty of time before November. Just hang in there Progressives.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Moscow Mitch "discusses" coronavirus while U.S. citizens die
The smile on Bernie's face is because he was able to raise over $45 million in February. He did it with 2.2 million donations which, "surpassed what any Democratic candidate had raised in any full three-month quarter last year." Is it good enough? It will be if he can garner the vote of color, reports The Guardian. With Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg both out of the race and endorsing Joe Biden, Tom Steyer out with no endorsement yet, here's the scenario...
"The first four contests of the Democratic nomination have concluded, and it’s clear that whoever wins the nomination will owe their success to the love and support of people of color."
With Bernie versus Biden from the first four primaries, it shows...
Sanders [in Nevada] leading among white voters (31% to 18%) but running away with the contest among Latinos, who made up 17 % of all voters. Among that critical demographic, Sanders beat his opponents by at least a 3 to 1 margin (51% to 13% according to the entrance polls).
Blacks did the same for Biden in So. Carolina...
"where African Americans comprise the majority of all Democratic voters, exit polls showed that African Americans gave 61% of their votes to the vice president of America’s first black president, propelling him to a nearly 30-point victory."
Joe Biden "denied there was an organized effort around the dropouts," but it was reported that Buttigieg met with Jimmy Carter the day before his decision. Like a good Democrat, Klobuchar followed suit and made her exit. Surprising Warren hasn't yet done the same since she performed like a good Dem in 2016 by not endorsing Bernie Sanders when it was clear even then she was in his Progressive camp. Of course, there is still time.
Here's CNN take on Super Tuesday...
Super Tuesday (today) stacks up on Nate Silver's 538 revealing Bernie Sanders ahead in nine out of the fifteen primaries, some the Bern leads in substantially, with California 91% to 7%, yielding Sanders total primary delegates of 540 to Biden's 395. Bloomberg and Warren are insignificant. The latest Univision poll of March 2, shows "42 percent of Hispanic voters in California intend to vote for Sanders, while 15 percent favor former Vice President Joe Biden."
Sanders was at 35% among likely Democratic primary voters, well ahead of former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg at 16%, former vice president Joe Biden at 14% and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 12%.
Have Latinos finally awakened to the fact that going to the polls doesn't guarantee them a trip back to their country of origin? Or are they just so pissed at Donald Trump they have finally decided to turn on him and help the left vote him out of office? They are both possibilities, but the end result is their showing up at the polls in November, and it looks like they finally will. Welcome to the USA!
Monday, March 2, 2020
Donald Trump evokes racism, again, to cloak coronavirus incompetence...
It cannot be said better than this...
"Trump's ignorance and hostility to science makes situation worse — so he turns to an old standby: race-baiting"
Donald Trump could care less about the American public; all he cares about is containing the coronavirus epidemic in order to prevent any damage it might cause to his reelection in November. The man is ruthless and completely without morals so the CV deaths so far in the U.S. don't even phase him. Here's the scenario...
"His utter lack of concern for the health and safety of Americans, including his own supporters, is unsurprising — after daily exposure to the man for years, we should know by now that he lacks normal human feelings such as empathy or concern for others. Indeed, the administration's response to the threat of this virus spreading in the U.S. has been focused mainly, if not solely, on propaganda — seeking to create the illusion that things are under control, instead of doing the hard work of actually trying to get things under control."
So where does he turn? To the immigration issue, where it all started before the 2016 election, when he called immigrants rapists and murderers. Meanwhile, the people of this country are dying. READ MORE...
