16 thoughts on “Friday Open Thread”

1. Bloomberg takes slight lead in Florida primary. 

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2. Emily's List, a powerful pro-choice organization, has a script leak from their superPAC for an ad targeting Bernie Sanders, who has a 100% record on choice.

   It definitely has nothing to do with the $6,000,000 Bloomberg has given them over the last several years.

   The Dem superPAC Women’s Vote is preparing an anti-Bernie TV campaign next week, calling Bernie and Trump the same person pic.twitter.com/qrIoCx0mUO

   — Brendan James (@deep_beige) February 14, 2020

   Shook, gang.  Shook.

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   1. Interestingly, the Bloomberg-funded Emily’s list (EL) has not come out in support of either of the two major female Presidential candidates. Neither Warren nor Klobuchar has received endorsement or funds from the “pro-woman, pro-choice” PAC. There has been analysis, but no Presidential endorsements, although EL helped Warren, Klobuchar, and Kamala Harris in their Senate campaigns. 
       

      Going into full-on attack mode against the pro-choice Democratic front runner would seem to contradict EL’s mission of electing pro-choice candidates to office. 
       

      So this is probably Bloomberg attacking Sanders by proxy, because of Sanders’ economic policies. Bloomberg isn’t too excited about Warren, either, for similar reasons.
       

      Emily’s List should stick with endorsing and supporting female Democratic pro-choice candidates, and not allow Bloomberg’s millions to change their message or mission.

       

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   2. Emily's List would be dumb for endorsing or attacking ANYONE in the primary.  The Democratic contest is far, FAR beyond a status that could be considered "Early Money" — and they would blow up controversy by aligning with or against any candidate.

      So, have a statement from the Sanders campaign, the Bloomberg campaign, or Emily's List, or what was in the tweet as the Super PAC "Women's Vote!"[sic]?

      Have any edited media telling more of the story?

       

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      1. Sure.  It's not ours, it's our vendor's, and it's untested, but all orgs test negative ads, because we have to know what would happen if some random folks said Bernie and Trump were the same.  Go democrats.

         In other words, "sorry we got caught doing this."

         pic.twitter.com/n0sOBRpvaq

         — EMILY's List (@emilyslist) February 14, 2020

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         1. "Obviously."
             

             

             

            smh
            The D party and it's biggest money supporters are going to find a way to lose the general and plausibly deny while giving blame to others. The 2024 plan is showing through, except they haven't factored in the destruction of the party.

             

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   3. Emily's List also attacked Barack Obama in 2008 saying he didn't support abortion rights by citing a vote he took as an IL state senator when, in fact, the vote they referenced was merely a procedural vote that in no way indicated opposition to abortion rights.  They are a bunch of liars.

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3. AIPAC Is Helping Fund Anti-Bernie Sanders Super PAC Ads in Nevada

   The ads are being run by a group called Democratic Majority for Israel, founded by longtime AIPAC strategist Mark Mellman. 

   The Nevada attack ads, which will air in media markets in Reno and Las Vegas, follow a similar spending blitz by DMFI ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Like the ads that aired in Iowa, the Nevada ads will attack Sanders on the idea that he’s not electable, Mediaite reported. 

   DMFI spent $800,000 on the Iowa ads, while the spending on the Nevada ads remains private. AIPAC is helping bankroll the anti-Sanders project by allowing donations to DMFI to count as contributions to AIPAC, the sources said. As is typical with most big-money giving programs, the more a donor gives to AIPAC, the higher tier they can claim — $100,000 level, $1 million level, and so on — and the more benefits accrue to them. A $100,000 donor gets more access to members of Congress at private functions, for instance, than someone who merely pays AIPAC’s conference fee. A $1 million donor gets still more, which means that it is important to donors to have their contributions tallied. There is also status within social networks attached to one’s tier of giving. The arrangement allows donors to give directly to DMFI, which is required to file disclosures naming its donors, without AIPAC’s fingerprints. 

   Shook.

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4. On Bloomberg’s apology for redlining comments, @JulianCastro says

   “Does your credit card company take an apology? Does equifax or credit rating agencies? Businesspeople who run for office think an apology is everything. I think voters should hold him accountable for his record.” pic.twitter.com/49ho58gBwl

   — Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) February 14, 2020

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   1. Spokesperson for Elizabeth Warren – you know, one of Bloomberg's opponents – does not accept his apology.

      Next you will tell us that Bernie, Biden, Buttigeig and Klobuchar do not accept his apology either.

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5. Thought for the day.

   not sure who best to say it or how, but people are getting worried about the coronavirus and even most rabid Trump supporters likely see that the team he has will do a piss-poor job of handling it.

   when people are worried about dying, themselves, their family, etc – they tend to focus on that. Speak to the concern that with Trump’s team in charge, more will die – maybe you, maybe your kids or spouse.

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   1. The biggest block of trump supporters are Dunning Kruger voters.
      They are immune to information like that.

       

       

      2019 -2020 
      How many people world wide have died from CoronaVirus?
      How many people world wide have died from flu?
       

       

      It's not even math. It's just "quality of source"

       

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      1. You don’t have to be a Trump supporter to be misinformed…but it helps.

         Suburban middle school kids are worried about coronavirus, think they may have it every time they sniffle, or are worried about Asian kids (of any culture) giving the coronavirus to them. 

         It’s the same hysteria we had a couple of years back about Ebola. If only we had a robust World Health Organization to give out accurate information…

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         1. "You don’t have to be a Trump supporter to be misinformed"

            You and I are actually in agreement on something. Just look at the bipartisan stupidity run rampant in the anti-vax movement.

            And, of course, the America First mentality is not going to keep the germs away. 

            Perhaps he will try to upgrade his fucking wall to make it impermeable to the movement of bacteria and viruses.

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            1. I didn't say it mathematically made sense. I just think it would have a major emotional impact.

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         2. You mean the WHO that does not allow Taiwan to participate because Xi said  "no way"?

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