Joe Biden 2020 campaign megathread v2

[eric82oslo]

Please don't infect this thread with Yang spam.  You've already gunked up the rest of the forum with this crap.

You do realize this drives people away from Andrew Yang right?  Like I was cool with him but now because of all the spam I tell pollsters I disapprove of him and want him to drop out.  I think most people are the same way.

If you feel that way you can block me, instead of posting toxic crap.

[ElectionsGuy]

Please don't infect this thread with Yang spam.  You've already gunked up the rest of the forum with this crap.

You do realize this drives people away from Andrew Yang right?  Like I was cool with him but now because of all the spam I tell pollsters I disapprove of him and want him to drop out.  I think most people are the same way.

You disapprove of Yang and want him to drop out because a few Yang supporters online are annoying to you? How incredibly petty. No, I don't think that's how most people are.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Please don't infect this thread with Yang spam.  You've already gunked up the rest of the forum with this crap.

You do realize this drives people away from Andrew Yang right?  Like I was cool with him but now because of all the spam I tell pollsters I disapprove of him and want him to drop out.  I think most people are the same way.

You disapprove of Yang and want him to drop out because a few Yang supporters online are annoying to you? How incredibly petty. No, I don't think that's how most people are.

I mean, he seemed like a nice guy and was injecting some new ideas, but that was it.  He didn't have much going for him in the first place.

But now it's just neverending spam of Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang, and it's never interesting stuff, there's only three things that ever get said about Yang:

• Yang was at 1.4% eight months ago, but -- get this -- now some polls have him at 2, or even 3%!  How long until he's at 30%?
• UBI is a magic wand that will solve every problem, because UBI = money and money solves problems, duh.
• Andrew Yang does dumb gimmick or Tweets about a minor internet story.

It's just like the Ron Paul spam in 2008 and 2012.  Yes, it's cute that some quirky candidate is running and throwing out some novel ideas.  But I don't really want to hear about him more than once a week.  Certainly not a dozen times a day.  When he overstays his welcome and his idea gets worn out, it's time to turn him off.

Also not a fan of him not signing the downballot pledge.  Either you want to lead the party or you don't.

[Sumner 1868]

The Super Tuesday Deplorables are voting for Biden period, so other candidates should just write them off and focus on winning the rest of the map.

[GeneralMacArthur]

The Super Tuesday Deplorables are voting for Biden period

Is that black people?  Who are the deplorables?

[Sumner 1868]

Is that black people?

Most blacks aren't Super Tuesday Deplorables, though most Super Tuesday Deplorables are black.

Who are the deplorables?

Hillary never explained.

[eric82oslo]

Also not a fan of him not signing the downballot pledge.  Either you want to lead the party or you don't.

He has stated unequivocally in interviews that he will do everything in his power in order to defeat Donald Trump, and that includes not running as an independent.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Also not a fan of him not signing the downballot pledge.  Either you want to lead the party or you don't.

He has stated unequivocally in interviews that he will do everything in his power in order to defeat Donald Trump, and that includes not running as an independent.

If you want to stop Donald Trump, you need to neuter him in the event that he does win.  If you want to undo what Trump has done, you need a Democratic congress to go pass bills.  Both of these require you to sweep the downballot races.

[eric82oslo]

Also not a fan of him not signing the downballot pledge.  Either you want to lead the party or you don't.

He has stated unequivocally in interviews that he will do everything in his power in order to defeat Donald Trump, and that includes not running as an independent.

If you want to stop Donald Trump, you need to neuter him in the event that he does win.  If you want to undo what Trump has done, you need a Democratic congress to go pass bills.  Both of these require you to sweep the downballot races.

That's why it's so important that Yang is the only one except (currently) Biden, Gabbard, and maybe one or two other candidates who seem to have cross-over appeal. Not only that, Yang is the only one, besides Sanders - and perhaps to a lesser degree Warren - who seem to excite the super-crucial voting block of young voters. The turnout of young voters is very likely to decide who ends up in the White House in the end.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Also not a fan of him not signing the downballot pledge.  Either you want to lead the party or you don't.

He has stated unequivocally in interviews that he will do everything in his power in order to defeat Donald Trump, and that includes not running as an independent.

If you want to stop Donald Trump, you need to neuter him in the event that he does win.  If you want to undo what Trump has done, you need a Democratic congress to go pass bills.  Both of these require you to sweep the downballot races.

That's why it's so important that Yang is the only one except (currently) Biden, Gabbard, and maybe one or two other candidates who seem to have cross-over appeal. Not only that, Yang is the only one, besides Sanders - and perhaps to a lesser degree Warren - who seem to excite the super-crucial voting block of young voters. The turnout of young voters is very likely to decide who ends up in the White House in the end.

Where are you getting that Yang has cross-voter appeal?  Republicans oppose UBI by about the same margin by which they opposed Obama -- 8% support, 89% oppose.  source (pg 28).  There was an Emerson poll that showed Yang beating Trump in NH but that's it as far as I know.

We already tried picking the candidate who would excite the young voters in lieu of any other qualifications in 1972 and it was the greatest landslide loss of the 20th century.  Young voters are dumb and do not vote.  They don't understand how things like government or money work so to appeal to them on policy you have to make absurd promises that turn off the rest of the electorate.  Obama was a once-in-a-lifetime talent whose strategy Democrats can not keep trying to replicate in bits and pieces.

[eric82oslo]

Where are you getting that Yang has cross-voter appeal? 

You could just look at the vast majority of independents and Republicans on this forum who support Yang, but my claim was more scientifically based as polls have shown that Yang, Biden, Sanders and Gabbard are the four most likely candidates to hit double digit support among former Trump voters and/or Republican voters.

Here's an example:

https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1172994884330020864

[GeneralMacArthur]

Where are you getting that Yang has cross-voter appeal? 

You could just look at the vast majority of independents and Republicans on this forum who support Yang, but my claim was more scientifically based as polls have shown that Yang, Biden, Sanders and Gabbard are the four most likely candidates to hit double digit support among former Trump voters and/or Republican voters.

Here's an example

That's not an example, that's a tweet.  Can you show me a single poll that shows this?  Actual general election matchups, not favorability ratings.

None of this is relevant to the point anyway, which is that if Yang really cares about stopping Trump he needs to think outside himself and support Democratic congressional+gubernatorial candidates.  If he's really as good at driving youth turnout and swinging Republicans as you think he is, he should go to Alabama and Arizona and help us save Doug Jones and beat Martha McSally.

[eric82oslo]

Where are you getting that Yang has cross-voter appeal?  

You could just look at the vast majority of independents and Republicans on this forum who support Yang, but my claim was more scientifically based as polls have shown that Yang, Biden, Sanders and Gabbard are the four most likely candidates to hit double digit support among former Trump voters and/or Republican voters.

Here's an example

That's not an example, that's a tweet.  Can you show me a single poll that shows this?  Actual general election matchups, not favorability ratings.

None of this is relevant to the point anyway, which is that if Yang really cares about stopping Trump he needs to think outside himself and support Democratic congressional+gubernatorial candidates.  If he's really as good at driving youth turnout and swinging Republicans as you think he is, he should go to Alabama and Arizona and help us save Doug Jones and beat Martha McSally.

I have no doubt that he'll do exactly that if he becomes the Democratic nominee. It's in his own self-interest too, honestly. Even if he weren't to win Alabama, it'll help his rolling out of policy proposals if he could at least do decently, like historically great, in Alabama.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNpnXiwKr3A

[UncleSam]

Yang doesn’t have crossover appeal lol. Rs and indys on this forum like him because some of his ideas are quaint, he is memey, and most importantly he is not a threat. If he had any serious chance at the Democratic nomination any appeal Yang has among Rs would vanish in an instant.

[S019]

Nominating Biden would be a disaster for Democrats. To prove their non-partisan credentials the media would BOTH SIDES every insane statement Trump makes with "balanced" coverage of the latest senior Joe episode and constantly talk about if BOTH SIDES are mentally fit to be president.

Joe Biden's occasional slips of the tongue are definitely not news-worthy, and I doubt that the media would extensively cover his occasional slips of the tongue.

[S019]

Remember when people thought he’d be a better candidate than Hillary Clinton? Lol.

He is, to be honest, he emphasizes his working class Rust Belt background, and has a unique appeal to those Rust Belt states that Democrats need to win back, that Hillary Clinton, just did not have.

[eric82oslo]

Yang doesn’t have crossover appeal lol. Rs and indys on this forum like him because some of his ideas are quaint, he is memey, and most importantly he is not a threat. If he had any serious chance at the Democratic nomination any appeal Yang has among Rs would vanish in an instant.

There have been at least two Twitter polls done already among Yang's 800,000+ Twitter followers regarding their political affiliation. In both instances, only about 35% answered that they considered themselves Democrats, a bare plurality. That's what I call cross-over support.

Not polls executed by Yang himself, but by his #YangGang fans.

[Higgins]

Honestly the latest debate has me a little unnerved. I’m on record here attacking posters who have said mean things about Biden and his age. I’m also on record of wanting a Biden/Gabbard ticket. I have wanted Joe to run since he was Obama’s VP. I was an enthusiastic supporter and he is the only Democratic candidate I would vote for.

However the last debate has shaken me. The fact that he seems to be stuck in another time mentally (the deeply embarrassing record player comment), the increasing gaffes which due to his age can be co strayed as evidence of senility, the way his speech has devolved in many cases to Trump-esque word salad - I feel my resolve weakening and my support declining from “enthusiastic” to “cautious.” I do not want Warren or any of the rest but I feel like if Biden is the nominee there’s a good chance he’ll lose and as someone who likes Biden personally I don’t want to see a great career like his end in defeat to Trump.

I also don’t know who else I’ll support because I feel the rest of the candidates are too far socially left for me.

Anyone else in a similar situation?

[Pericles]

I’m also on record of wanting a Biden/Gabbard ticket.

Lol.

[Agonized-Statism]

I also don’t know who else I’ll support because I feel the rest of the candidates are too far socially left for me.

Anyone else in a similar situation?

Inb4 random personal attack from KYWildman

[President Johnson]

Do I wish Joe Biden was 10-20 years younger? Yes, for sure. But if he's able to win the nomination, and at this point he has the easiest path, he'll take on Trump. He's a much stronger candidate than Hillary because people view him as authentic, even when he makes gaffes. He should pick a younger and female running mate, which will put doubts to rest. We also need someone who can it in and do the job, meaning to build on the Obama legacy and clean up the mess Trump has left.

It's sad Steve Bullock isn't going anywhere, because he would be a very exiciting and strong candidate as well.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Hilary Clinton lost to Obama and she was ahead at this stage. Biiden should be worried, there is a hidden women's vote out there, and this is a change election. I would be worried that Warren, not Sanders can still beat him in IA and NH. The nomination isnt over yet

[GeneralMacArthur]

No, not at all.  When you go back and watch Biden debate clips from 2007 on CSPAN, it sounds like the first 2019 debate, or how he sounds at his campaign events.  "That's number one, number two...", "the fact of the matter is...", saying incorrect words and then correcting himself ("we will get a Democratic minority in the, a Democratic majority in the Senate").  But more than anything else he sounds tired.  Tired and steady is his default voice.  That was twelve years ago.

When he did that in the first debate this year, the media said "he's so low energy SLEEPY JOE!  Go suck a Werther's and take your afternoon nap."

So his campaign advisors told him, you need to sound more energetic and passionate.  He comes out in debate two and starts talking faster, louder, angrier.  But it's not something he's comfortable with, so he stumbles more often and his stutter comes back, especially as the debate goes on and he gets asked more random questions that he doesn't have prepared answers for.

Watch this clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrc0-K3U0MQ
This is his gun control answer, from the back half of the debate (the one where "his dentures fell out").  They hit him with a weird question that he's obviously not prepared for.  He's scatterbrained and stumbly for a bit while trying to formulate an answer, but once he gets going he's fine.  And this was a bad question for him from late in the debate.  Most of his answers were way better.

Biden has lots of plans, big detailed plans.  Go look at his website.  I've read all of them and everything he says in debates and speeches is consistent, down to exact minutiae.  That bit about the "record players"?  That's just one small blip in one of his plans that he memorized and rolled out.  Biden clearly has a mastery of his policies, which is what actually matters.  If Biden was actually losing his mind or having dementia, he wouldn't be able to do that.  Eight years ago Rick Perry went on stage and couldn't even remember the third agency he wanted to eliminate.  That's what dementia would look like, not "have your kids listen to record players."

[Hermit For Peace]

Honestly the latest debate has me a little unnerved. I’m on record here attacking posters who have said mean things about Biden and his age. I’m also on record of wanting a Biden/Gabbard ticket. I have wanted Joe to run since he was Obama’s VP. I was an enthusiastic supporter and he is the only Democratic candidate I would vote for.

However the last debate has shaken me. The fact that he seems to be stuck in another time mentally (the deeply embarrassing record player comment), the increasing gaffes which due to his age can be co strayed as evidence of senility, the way his speech has devolved in many cases to Trump-esque word salad - I feel my resolve weakening and my support declining from “enthusiastic” to “cautious.” I do not want Warren or any of the rest but I feel like if Biden is the nominee there’s a good chance he’ll lose and as someone who likes Biden personally I don’t want to see a great career like his end in defeat to Trump.

I also don’t know who else I’ll support because I feel the rest of the candidates are too far socially left for me.

Anyone else in a similar situation?

Klobuchar is too far left for you?

[Donerail]

Important update on Corn Pop

https://twitter.com/EddieZipperer/status/1173196985085677569