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9/12 …And Then There Are Ten: DNC 2019 Debate #3 Live Blog

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Tonight is the 3rd DNC sanctioned debate. Some basics (courtesy of NPR and NYT):

  • When & Where? 7-10 p.m. ET, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX

    The debate will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central) and last until 11 p.m. Eastern, so the debate will be three hours long. It’s worth noting that the debate this month is estimated to last 30 minutes to an hour longer than the July debates.

  • What channel is it on? ABC and Univision (with Spanish translation); also via websites for Good Morning America and Five Thirty-eight.com, Hulu Live, Apple TV, Apple News, Amazon FireTV, The Roku Channel, YT, and Twitter. (Note: it’s all ABC sites, except for Univision).
  • Debate format? The debate format will be one minute and 15 seconds for direct responses to questions and 45 seconds for responses and rebuttals. Candidates will have the opportunity to deliver opening statements, but there will be no closing statements.
  • Who are the moderators? ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, David Muir, Linsey Davis and Univision’s Jorge Ramos
  • Who’s on the stage? Fmr VP Joe Biden, Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, as well as South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Obama Housing Secretary Julián Castro, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas and tech investor Andrew Yang.

(photo: NYT)

The media’s eyes are on Biden and Warren, who will share the center space. However, Andrew Yang promises something different:

Meantime, the horse race state polls continue, this one out of NH:

Any predictions about the other candidates and how they will get noticed? Will Bernie be ignored?

Please join us in the comments.

8/1 Evening OT: Lunch is Over

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

We’ve had two debate rounds with 20 candidates. Like having extra long lunches with the candidates, at a lengthy table with a microphone. They’re tested by the media with questions about past comments, op-eds, and whether or not it’s better to be a centrist or a progressive. Fare is broiled chicken and salads (vegan for Booker)Light conversation but at a West Wing pace. Sometimes there is strong coffee served to keep the energy going.

August is the month whereby the candidates who are currently serving in Congress don’t have to worry about committee votes, hearings, or votes on the floor. They have a month to go to county fairs in Iowa & NH, and other events in SC, NV, and CA to court potential voters. Some candidates may be spending time on Martha’s Vineyard, NAPA, Santa Barbara, or the Hamptons to meet with the wine & cheese crowds in hopes that some cash is coming their way to get ready for the dinners coming this fall.

On Real Time, Bill Maher culled all of the candidates pictures and decided which ones should be eliminated. Take a look:

On all of them, I would agree. They aren’t gaining much traction from the debates. Eric Swalwell did drop out, but I think Bullock, Steyer, and Sestek should rethink why they are in this race. Inslee doesn’t inspire people for his GND because already it has a spokesperson: AOC. Amy Klobuchar is invisible with Biden and Harris in the top tier. Seems to me Bullock would be better off running for Senate, as well as Hickenlooper, and Beto. I would also argue anyone who is polling below 5% consistently should know that the lunch dates are over.

Despite continued teeth gnashing by WaPo’s Jen Rubin, WaPo finally gave Sanders (and Warren) some sherry in their press coverage of the debates. MSNBC, which is notorious for its bias against Sanders, invited him on Morning Joe this morning, and asked him some more centrist questions. But their tone was slighty different: they were polite and more patient.

Good press pays off.

It’s interesting though that stockholder-driven media for the most part didn’t pick up on the nuances in the second debate. How Harris and Castro struck back by telling CNN their framing of the questions was from GOP talking points. Biden was indirectly laced with the GOP label, which he resented. But Joe Scarborough finally acknowledged that Sanders’ ideas have more than just spilled over into 2020 cycle: they are driving the debate. And Steve Rattner was scared s**tless.

I hope the dinners are more sober and not about the best quip. Yes, the candidates should fight for their ideas. Biden and Harris: you are on notice that the progressive wing has lots of little birdies to carry their candidates with the seeds given to them by those who want a more just government. And independent media is finally getting its due by appearing as guest contributors on cable networks and on the Hill’s Rising.

This also serves as an open thread. What’s on your mind?

2/25 BNR Evening & Open Thread: CNN Town Hall at 8ET Live Blog

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

CNN is hosting Bernie Sanders in a town hall. From Newsweek:

Following the announcement of his 2020 presidential campaign, Senator Bernie Sanders will head to Washington D.C. to talk policy and field questions from voters during a nationally-televised town hall event.

Monday evening’s town hall, which will be moderated by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, will air at 8 p.m. eastern time. The event can be watched live on the cable news channel or streamed online at Sanders’s official Twitter account @berniesanders and CNN.com.

Sanders announced his candidacy for the presidency last week, telling Vermont Public Radio that “what I promise to do is, as I go around the country, is to take the values that all of us in Vermont are proud of—a belief in justice, in community, in grassroots politics, in town meetings—that’s what I’m going to carry all over this country.”

This will be Sanders’s second shot at the Oval Office. In 2016 the Vermont senator lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton, though his grassroots campaign gave the former secretary of state a serious primary challenge. Sanders won 23 primaries and caucuses before conceding defeat to Clinton. According to CNN, Sanders will “address a host of issues” during the prime-time event. It is the first town hall of Sanders’s 2020 campaign, which was launched less than a week ago on February 19.

You can also watch it via TYT.com on YT or TYT via Pluto Channel if you have a Roku streaming device.

Follow me below for more BNR as well as your other news. Open Thread.

Update: good soundbite from the TH: “Damn right I will’ raise taxes on the rich.”

Andrew Gillum on MSNBC & 8/29 Open Thread

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Just saw the clip of Andrew Gillum on Morning Joe and was so happy to see how laser-focused he is on the issues.

Sam Stein tried his best to have the conversation turn to Trump (natch) but Gillum handled it wonderfully.

See the 5:40 mark.

I think Gillum is on the money on this.

UPDATE:

They finally posted the clip to YouTube about an hour ago, so that’s easy.

The comments under it are very positive which makes me happy.

Here’s a very good one, imo, from Elaine:

Mayor Gillum’s response should be the Democratic Mantra going forward, do not focus on tRumpf, focus on the people and their needs!!!!!!

Gillum is striking a chord with people!

This comment is also one that I’m in agreement with and I’ll bet many others will be/are too:

I really like his stateman-like, calm demeanor. That suddenly matters to me post 2016.

Update #2 at 7:30 pm,

Elaine’s comment now has 170 likes 🙂

Water Protector & Pipeline News – Religious Leaders Oppose Enbridge Pipeline & Anti-Terrorism Agencies Monitoring Mountain Valley Protesters & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Mountain Valley Pipeline protesters lock themselves to drilling equipment Opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline tried a new tactic Monday: chaining themselves to construction equipment. West Virginia state police arrested three people who were trying to slow down workers in Lindside, a community in Monroe County, West Virginia. They delayed construction for a few hours on Route 219. Police cut them out around 10 a.m., about two hours after they received a call. Police said Maxwell Shaw, 24, Evin Ugur, 21, and Sydney White, 18, are all from Massachusetts and are out on bond. Court documents showed they’re each facing … Continue reading →

5/24 News Roundup – Sanders To Swing Through California, Planned Parenthood Seeks Union Busting Help & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Bernie Sanders to make swing in California, state that will play starring role in 2020

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will make a swing through California early next month ahead of primary elections in a state that is set to play a starring role in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Sanders will make four stops in southern California next Saturday, June 2, just days before the state’s closely watched primary elections on June 5. But instead of backing candidates in any of those races during the trip, Sanders will speak to protesting workers and rally with activists.

His packed day will start with a roundtable with Disneyland workers in Anaheim, where unions are pushing a ballot measure that would raise wages for hospitality workers at companies that have received subsidies from the city.

Then Sanders will hold a town hall with dockworkers near the Port of Long Beach.

After that, he’ll head to downtown Los Angeles for a rally with Shaun King and Patrisse Cullors, two prominent activists affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement. More than 3,500 people have RSVP’d online to attend the event.

More news/video/tweets/etc. in the comments.

Any issues with registering/commenting/etc. can be sent to the tpwhelpdesk@gmail.com.

5/18 News Roundup – Sanders Endorses Stacey Abrams, Six Dems Vote To Confirm Torturer Gina Haspel & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Georgia 2018: Abrams nabs Bernie Sanders’ endorsement

Democrat Stacey Abrams earned the support Thursday of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former presidential candidate who is a hero to many of the party’s progressives.
Sanders called Abrams, a former state House minority leader, the “only candidate for governor of Georgia who has real solutions that will help the lives of working people in Georgia.”

Abrams faces former state Rep. Stacey Evans in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, and both claim they are the most ardent progressives – a sharp shift from the party’s conventional strategy.

..

In his endorsement, Sanders touted Abrams’ proposals to expand the pre-kindergarten program, raise the minimum wage, introduce automatic voter registration and eliminate cash bail.

“This is an agenda the working people of Georgia can stand proudly behind,” said Sanders.

More news/video/tweets/etc. in the comments.

5/16 News Roundup – Sanders Emerges As Washington’s Leading Voice Against Gaza Violence, Bernie Speaks @ CAP & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Sanders emerges as Washington’s leading voice against Gaza violence

Most members of the U.S. Senate have had little to say about the Israel Defense Forces’ violent response in response to protests in Gaza that left more than 50 Palestinians dead. But there has been one notable exception.

Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has stood out for his forceful condemnation of the Israeli government’s actions and the U.S. response.

The progressive firebrand’s public remarks are the latest in a series of condemnations against Palestinian deaths at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces, as Palestinian protesters have been participating in a series of protests at the Israel-Gaza border since March.

So far only a handful of Democratic representatives in the House have joined Sanders in strongly condemning the violence. In the Senate, the response has been characterized by either silence or unlikely praise for the Trump administration.

..

In both February 2017 and April 2018 Sanders gave speeches to the liberal Jewish anti-occupation group J Street, where he condemned Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

In April, during the first wave of Gaza protests, Sanders was the only member of the U.S. Senate willing to call out the Israel Defense Forces for their role in the violence.

Around that time, Sanders’ office released a Facebook video that featured several prominent activists detailing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

More news/video/tweets/etc. in the comments.

Water Protector & Pipeline News – Federal Court Halts Atlantic Coast Pipeline Work, Raw Crude Oil Spews in Oklahoma City & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Federal appeals court orders halt to work on Atlantic Coast Pipeline A federal appeals court has ordered a halt to construction of Dominion Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline, finding that restrictions against harming wildlife are inadequate for the controversial 600-mile natural gas project. Three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said in a ruling issued late Tuesday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had failed to set clear limits for impact on threatened or endangered species. The judges said that “the limits set by the agency are so indeterminate that they undermine . . . the enforcement … Continue reading →

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