2020 US Presidential Election

[RBP]

I have said for years, even before the current bullshit about medicare for all, that medicare only exists because private insurance subsidizes it. There is research data to support this. The general guideline is that private insurance pays double what medicare does (medicare 50% lower). I have also seen 40% and an estimate that 80% of hospitals would be insolvent by accepting medicare only patients. The medicare for all idea is deeply flawed because the numbers do not work. The $52T price tag assumes reimbursements at medicare rates. It does not address the elephant in the room about private insurance subsidizing its existence.

If you want to go deeper...

How Much Would Medicare for All Cut Doctor and Hospital Reimbursements?

Private Health Plans Pay Hospitals 241% of What Medicare Would Pay

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Beto bites the dust

[lost in melb.]

War's coming.

A mini-one when they come for your bazookas

[lost in melb.]

Beto bites the dust

Oh, was he running for president?

[DemonGeminiX]

A mini-one when they come for your bazookas

It won't be a mini-one.

Oh, was he running for president?

Yes, the village idiot with a criminal record thought he could be a leader.

[perrhaps]

War's coming.

With respect, you sound like my father did when The Beatles flew into America.

[Muddy]

With respect, you sound like my father did when The Beatles flew into America.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Frank Camp - The Daily Wire




A new Harvard-Harris national poll has former Vice President Joe Biden running a substantial lead ahead of his closest rivals, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Democratic voters were asked: “Which of the following candidates are you most likely to vote for in a Democratic primary?”

33% selected Biden, 18% selected Sanders, and 15% selected Warren. No other candidate came close to double digits. 8% were “not sure.”

When independents were added to the Democratic group, the numbers shifted, but the positions remained the same. 25% for Biden, 15% for Sanders, and 12% for Warren. 14% were “not sure.”

When asked about their level of commitment to the candidates they selected, 60% said they “might change” their minds, while 40% said they were “committed” to their choice.

Here’s where things get interesting – the survey asked respondents to choose a candidate if the pool were expanded to include Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, and John Kerry.

Once these candidates are added to the mix, the race changes dramatically. Biden still leads with 19% of the Democratic vote, but Clinton comes in second with 18%. Warren falls to 13%, and Sanders to 12%.

When independents are added to the pool, the race gets even tighter, with Biden and Clinton tied at 13% each. Warren and Sanders also tie at 10% each.

The idea of Hillary Clinton entering the race at this late stage has been floated by several people. Even Clinton herself has been making the rounds on talk shows and podcasts, calling President Trump “an illegitimate president” on multiple occasions.

After Trump tweeted about Clinton in early-October, the former secretary of state said the following to Judy Woodruff on “PBS NewsHour”:

You know, it truly is remarkable how obsessed he remains with me … maybe there does need to be a rematch. Obviously, I can beat him again. But, just seriously, I don’t understand, I don’t think anybody understands what motivates him.

Speaking recently with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, former Clinton advisor Philippe Reines said: “You know, she ran for president because she thought she would be the best president. If she still thought that now, if she thought she had the best odds of beating Donald Trump – I think she would think about it long and hard.”

When Carlson suggested that Clinton “hasn’t foreclosed the possibility,” Reines replied: “No, she has not.”

On October 22, The New York Times published a piece about Democratic donors wondering about the state of the race:

When a half-dozen Democratic donors gathered at the Whitby Hotel in Manhattan last week, the dinner began with a discussion of which presidential candidates the contributors liked. But as conversations among influential Democrats often go these days, the meeting quickly evolved into a discussion of who was not in the race — but could be lured in.

Would Hillary Clinton get in, the contributors wondered, and how about Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor? One person even mused whether Michelle Obama would consider a late entry, according to two people who attended the event, which was hosted by the progressive group American Bridge.

At a Georgetown University Law School event on Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton told the crowd: “She may or may not ever run for anything, but I can’t legally run for president again.”

Hillary Clinton may be battered and bruised, having lost to Donald Trump in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2008, but there remains a certain segment of the Democratic electorate that would vote for her regardless. The question remains – will she throw her tattered hat into the ring?

[DemonGeminiX]

With respect, you sound like my father did when The Beatles flew into America.

What did your dad have against the Beatles?

[perrhaps]

What did your dad have against the Beatles?

Other than their hair, beats me. Of course, I was only 10 or 11 at the time.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Isaac Saul - Independent Journal Review




Mayor Pete Buttigieg has surged to the front of the pack in Iowa, according to a new Quinnipiac poll.

In the latest polls released, Buttigieg received 19 percent of support from likely Iowa caucus-goers, second only to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma.). That leaves the small-town Mayor ahead of both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden, two frontrunners in the race.

The Quinnipiac poll comes just days after a New York Times/Siena College poll showed Buttigieg leading Biden in Iowa, the presumptive frontrunner in the race.

Historically, candidates who win in Iowa — the first state to vote in the primary — are able to build momentum behind their campaigns. That’s why the coveted battleground state is one of the most popular campaign stops, and that’s why the news of Buttigieg’s surge to the front could usher in a new chapter of the race.

Throughout his campaign, Buttigieg has been selling himself as someone who understands the Rust Belt midwest and can connect with liberal, cosmopolitan voters too. As the positive poll numbers came in, he embraced the new momentum from a campaign stop in Iowa.

“Well, friends, this is what it feels like when you realize you are definitely going to be the next president of the United States!” he told an excited crowd in Des Moines, according to The Chicago Tribune. “This is what it feels like to build a movement. This is what it feels like to insist on change.”

Some onlookers weren’t as thrilled about the news. Walker Bragman, a far-left reporter and pundit, said if Buttigieg does well in Iowa it will only prove that “corporate money can buy limited success for even unknown candidates.”

There’s still plenty of time for things to change. The same Quinnipiac poll found that just around half of all likely caucus-goers were open to changing their mind before the election, and national polls still show Buttigieg trailing other top-tier candidates like Warren, Biden and Sanders. For now, the campaign is embracing what might be an early election victory.

[RBP]

Other than their hair, beats me. Of course, I was only 10 or 11 at the time.

I'm sorry your dad beat you.

[perrhaps]

Just read that Bloomberg is trying to get on the ballot in Alabama.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Andrew O'Reilly | Fox News




Hillary Clinton continued to stir speculation on Tuesday that she could make a late entry into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, saying “many, many, many people” are pressuring her to consider a third run for the White House.

The former secretary of state said during an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live that she hasn't ruled out joining the already-crowded Democratic fray looking to be the nominee to challenge President Trump in next year’s general election.

“I, as I say, never, never, never say never,” Clinton said. “I will certainly tell you, I’m under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it.”

Clinton added: “But as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans."

While previous election cycles have seen the list of potential nominees winnow down as the first primaries approach, the 2020 Democratic primary looks different. With no clear front-runner and shifting polls, a number of potential candidates have indicated an interest in launching a late bid for the presidency.

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, filed paperwork last week to qualify for the primary in Alabama and has spent the past few weeks talking with prominent Democrats about the state of the 2020 field, expressing concerns about the steadiness of former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign and the rise of liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder has also reportedly been considering entering the primary. Newsweek reported last Friday that Holder had spoken with strategists about a potential run. And on Monday, sources close to former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick told The Associated Press that he's mulling a White House run, as well.

If Clinton were to join the race, she would quickly become the biggest figure in the Democratic field. She has twice run for president in the past, losing the Democratic nomination to then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 and losing the general election in a close race to Trump in 2016.

Rumors about Clinton entering the 2020 race, however, have been circulating for a while, with Mark Penn, an adviser and pollster to Bill and Hillary Clinton from 1995 to 2008, making waves last year by predicting in The Wall Street Journal that Clinton would return in 2020 as a “liberal firebrand."

Despite the rumors, Clinton’s supporters in early voting states don’t think she’ll be entering the race in 2020.

“I don’t think she’s running again,” incoming New Hampshire Senate President Donna Soucy, a four-term Democratic state senator who backed Clinton’s 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns, told Fox News.

“I know the rumors floating out there that that’s a possibility,” Soucy added. “I don’t believe for a second that it is.”

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Emily Zanotti - The Daily Wire




Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told ABC News Monday night that his new campaign trail-mate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) would play a significant role in his White House if he is elected president.

ABC News wanted to know whether Sanders was considering Ocasio-Cortez as a potential running mate in the unlikely event he snags the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and goes on to face President Donald Trump in a general election.

Sanders was non-committal on the answer but did say that Ocasio-Cortez would have a significant role in shaping both domestic and foreign policy in a Sanders administration.

“Look, I’ve said this before, let me say it again and I don’t want you to hear this because your head will explode,” Sanders said in the joint interview with the freshman New York legislator. “I don’t know of any person who, in the course of less than one year, has had more of an impact on American politics as a freshman member of Congress than she has.”

“It’s not only that she has focus on the real issues impacting the American people, like climate change, the usury rates that Wall Street are charging working people in this country, but she has been an inspiration to working people all across this country and to young people in particular,” Sanders gushed.

“I happen to believe that the future of this country depends on young people becoming increasingly involved in the political process and there’s nobody I know that can do a better job inspiring young people than Alexandria,” he continued.

“If I’m in the White House, she will play a very, very important role. No question. One way or another, absolutely,” Sanders concluded, acknowledging that her role could be a “Cabinet-level” position.

Ocasio-Cortez was among the first of the Congressional progressives to endorse Sanders, and has since brought fellow “squad” members, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), along for the ride. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), the fourth member of the “squad” bucked the trend with a more logical endorsement, throwing her support behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Sanders has definitely reaped benefits from Ocasio-Cortez’s support, commanding more headlines and drawing more supporters to his events. His campaign re-launch, which came just a little over a week before the aging Senator suffered a mild heart attack, was one of his largest rallies to date. The Brooklyn gathering, which featured Ocasio-Cortez announcing her support for Sanders, drew thousands.

Sanders had hoped that Ocasio-Cortez, who grew up in a tony suburb of New York City and attended a pricey university before moving back to the Bronx to work as a waitress and bartender, would connect with the blue collar and working class Democrats he’ll need to secure both the nomination and win the election, according to TIME magazine.

Although Ocasio-Cortez has brought a measure of excitment to the geriatric politico’s campaign, she hasn’t really brought the target demographic. In a New York Times poll released last week, Trump bested Sanders in all of the key “battleground” states in the working class Rust Belt. The only candidate challenging Trump for the presidency was former Vice President Joe Biden, widely criticized by progressives like Ocasio-Cortez who believe — without much evidence — that the electorate has taken a significant shift leftward since 2006.