# Hee-haw, y'all. The 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 12, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415 "2018-11-12T17:52:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 151
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3001 "2020-01-07T23:27:43Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > 1. Yes, we all know you think that. > 2. Kerry’s loss was actually pretty close. > 3. You are delusional if you think that their propaganda machine has EVER “unleashed all they can” against anybody. That reminds me of the Hillary people saying “But her negatives are already baked in!”. Whoever is the nominee will be smeared relentlessly, and nobody has a crystal ball that can predict which candidate might be more or less vulnerable to such smears. Hillary’s negatives were \*baked \*in, until the Comey memo. But that wasnt something made it. However, during 2026 the kremlin & co actually _helped_ bernie, he hasnt gotten much negative propaganda, just some very reasonable flak for some of his ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3002 "2020-01-08T00:01:51Z")
I wonder how much of Bernie getting treated with kid gloves by the media is that his supporters online are so vociferous. You’re going to get swarmed in your comments as a journalist if you dare mention Hillary Clinton getting pneumonia was more of a story than a near octogenarian having a heart attack. You’re going to get swarmed if you dare bring up one of Bernie’s advisers, Nina Turner, was pushing the Clinton pneumonia story as a cover-up. They can’t make their mind up between crying about a media blackout or crying about being criticised by the media. It’s a little Trumpian whereby if it’s not totally fawning about their candidate then it’s not right. I believe if Bernie’s online support was more about embracing and uniting rather than excluding and dividing then he would be the nominee. It’s those people that turn others off from Bernie. It also doesn’t help when his most popular surrogate AOC was talking about the democratic party being too big a tent. That kind of messaging from militant supporters of a leader over in Britain caused Labour’s socialist agenda (which as individual items polled well) suffer its biggest electoral defeat in 90 years. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3003 "2020-01-08T00:04:44Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > I wonder how much of Bernie getting treated with kid gloves by the media is that his supporters online are so vociferous. You’re going to get swarmed in your comments as a journalist if you dare mention Hillary Clinton getting pneumonia was more of a story than a near octogenarian having a heart attack. You’re going to get swarmed if you dare bring up one of Bernie’s advisers, Nina Turner, was pushing the Clinton pneumonia story as a cover-up. > > They can’t make their mind up between crying about a media blackout or crying about being criticised by the media. It’s a little Trumpian whereby if it’s not totally fawning about their candidate then it’s not right. > > I believe if Bernie’s online support was more about embracing and uniting rather than excluding and dividing then he would be the nominee. It’s those people that turn others off from Bernie. You may be right, there. Hmm. I admit that all the attacks on Hillary from BernieBros- rather than plaudits for bernie- did piss me off. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3004 "2020-01-08T00:07:03Z")
[Here](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/04/joe-biden-electable-trump-2020-election?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_News_Feed&fbclid=IwAR0T4yjuDHFsHxw9V0gAyFGv38fVnd8NOmx9EzPcwPDdKz_jMRJ74yaAxZ0) is a good Guardian article making the case for Biden’s vulnerability against Trump. I had tended to not take the electoral implications of the Hunter Biden “scandal” too seriously, because it’s obvious bullshit, but the way this author puts it makes me pause. > [@Nathan Robinson](#): > > Democrats who think this way are walking into a buzzsaw. Let us recall: Hunter Biden was paid up to $50,000 a month by a Ukrainian oil company. Officially, the chief Ukrainian prosecutor had an open investigation into that company. Joe Biden bragged about pressuring Ukraine to fire that prosecutor, which they did. Hunter Biden says he told his father about his position in Ukraine, and Joe Biden did not ask him to step down. Joe Biden contradicts his son’s story, saying they never discussed Hunter Biden’s “work” in Ukraine. One of them is not telling the truth. > > Defenders of the Bidens like to point out that the prosecutor was fired for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Hunter Biden. In fact, there was widespread pressure to fire the prosecutor because he wasn’t doing enough on corruption investigations, and there was a consensus among experts that this was the case. Biden’s actions had absolutely nothing to do with his son and it is ridiculous to suggest that they did. > > All this is true. But the important question is: does it sound good? And the answer is: no. It sounds terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3005 "2020-01-08T00:10:52Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > I wonder how much of Bernie getting treated with kid gloves by the media is that his supporters online are so vociferous. You’re going to get swarmed in your comments as a journalist if you dare mention Hillary Clinton getting pneumonia was more of a story than a near octogenarian having a heart attack. You’re going to get swarmed if you dare bring up one of Bernie’s advisers, Nina Turner, was pushing the Clinton pneumonia story as a cover-up. > > They can’t make their mind up between crying about a media blackout or crying about being criticised by the media. It’s a little Trumpian whereby if it’s not totally fawning about their candidate then it’s not right. > > I believe if Bernie’s online support was more about embracing and uniting rather than excluding and dividing then he would be the nominee. It’s those people that turn others off from Bernie. > > It also doesn’t help when his most popular surrogate AOC was talking about the democratic party being too big a tent. That kind of messaging from militant supporters of a leader over in Britain caused Labour’s socialist agenda (which as individual items polled well) suffer its biggest electoral defeat in 90 years. Low-information voters may have been turned off by Bernie supporters (or Russian agents posing as such) being rude on the Internet. It’s kind of insulting to imply that professional journalists would censor themselves for fear of getting “swarmed in the comments”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3006 "2020-01-08T00:14:40Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > [Here](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/04/joe-biden-electable-trump-2020-election?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_News_Feed&fbclid=IwAR0T4yjuDHFsHxw9V0gAyFGv38fVnd8NOmx9EzPcwPDdKz_jMRJ74yaAxZ0) is a good Guardian article making the case for Biden’s vulnerability against Trump. I had tended to not take the electoral implications of the Hunter Biden “scandal” too seriously, because it’s obvious bullshit, but the way this author puts it makes me pause. That’s by a die hard bernie supporter. Just another cheap attack on Biden and another reason not to support Sanders. > **[Why Bernie Has To Win | Current Affairs](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/10/why-bernie-has-to-win)** > > \This man will sacrifice so much to bring about a better world. He needs all of our help. \ > **[Nathan Robinson’s case for socialism](https://www.vox.com/podcasts/2020/1/7/21055676/nathan-robinson-ezra-klein-socialism-bernie-sanders)** > > Listen to the editor of Current Affairs on Bernie Sanders, libertarian socialism, utopian thinking, and more on this episode of The Ezra Klein Show. and here’s his attack on Warren: > **[The Prospect of an Elizabeth Warren Nomination Should Be Very Worrying ❧...](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/09/the-prospect-of-an-elizabeth-warren-nomination-should-be-very-worrying)** > > The differences between Warren and Sanders are critically important… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3007 "2020-01-08T00:16:44Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > [Here](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/04/joe-biden-electable-trump-2020-election?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_News_Feed&fbclid=IwAR0T4yjuDHFsHxw9V0gAyFGv38fVnd8NOmx9EzPcwPDdKz_jMRJ74yaAxZ0) is a good Guardian article making the case for Biden’s vulnerability against Trump. I had tended to not take the electoral implications of the Hunter Biden “scandal” too seriously, because it’s obvious bullshit, but the way this author puts it makes me pause. And the hunter Biden thing is just GOP lies and smokescreen, so shame on him for bringing it up. It’s like, a bernie bro parroting GOP & Kremlin propaganda. Hmm, where have we heard that before? ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3008 "2020-01-08T00:39:23Z")
Weren’t you just talking about how the GOP would swiftboat Bernie by faking a CPUSA membership card or something? Are you ashamed of yourself for bringing that up? At least the Hunter Biden thing is real GOP bullshit, not hypothetical future GOP bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3009 "2020-01-08T00:46:33Z")
Nm. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3010 "2020-01-08T01:18:48Z")
I agree that Biden is very weak vs. Trump. Anyone who thinks otherwise might be doing drugs with Hunter . Biden is an empty suit. 44 years in DC and basically he did nothing major there. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3011 "2020-01-08T03:24:25Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Weren’t you just talking about how the GOP would swiftboat Bernie by faking a CPUSA membership card or something? Are you ashamed of yourself for bringing that up? At least the Hunter Biden thing is real GOP bullshit, not hypothetical future GOP bullshit. Nope, I am not, that is the sort of thing I expect. By no means am I saying ol’ Bernie is/was a Commie, just that they will spread that lie about him. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3012 "2020-01-08T04:57:49Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The VP pick could take care of some of that. > > IF an enthusiasm-generating person is willing to take that slot, of course. But there are possibilities. Political writers and TV “experts” always write and say a lot about the Vice Presidential pick, who it should be, how it can compensate for weaknesses or build on strengths, and what effect it will have on the race. But is there any evidence that the right person in the VP slot actually does anything for any presidential campaign? In my lifetime there’s been one VP choice that destroyed the campaign (Sarah Palin). I can’t think of any that really boosted the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3013 "2020-01-08T05:07:38Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Political writers and TV “experts” always write and say a lot about the Vice Presidential pick, who it should be, how it can compensate for weaknesses or build on strengths, and what effect it will have on the race. But is there any evidence that the right person in the VP slot actually does anything for any presidential campaign? In my lifetime there’s been one VP choice that destroyed the campaign (Sarah Palin). I can’t think of any that really boosted the campaign. I daresay the following three are good examples: Joe Biden, for Barack Obama. Helped secure him the blue collar industrial midwestern vote, the union guys who may have been nervous voting for a black guy named “Barack Hussein Obama.” Dick Cheney, for GWB. Served to calm the nerves of people who may have thought GWB was an inexperienced rube with no federal experience. Mike Pence, for Donald Trump. Brought the evangelical vote out for Trump with gusto. Any right-wing religious folks who had doubts about Donald were soothed by the Bible-thumping guy from Indiana who tried to outlaw the homosexuals. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3014 "2020-01-08T15:42:55Z")
I think if Biden is the nominee they will attack Hunter Biden’s drug problem which he has admitted to. Among many other GOP attacks on Biden. I am sure they have loads of stuff ready to attack Biden. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3015 "2020-01-08T15:49:12Z")
I am of the opinion that Biden has the best chance of any Democratic nominee of beating Trump. Mostly because I think Pennsylvania turns solidly for Biden, and that may have some knock on effects in Ohio and other upper Midwest states. Now, if Biden selects someone like Klobuchar as his VP (which seems like it may be likely), I can see him picking up Wisconsin and Michigan again. So in popular vote, he may win slim (and not do as well in places that Hillary Clinton rolled or made competitive - like forget about turning Georgia blue), but he can reinstitute the ‘blue wall’. (FWIW, I’m a Warren supporter… but my faith in that candidacy is fading fast) ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3016 "2020-01-08T15:49:36Z")
LBJ helped hold the south for JFK. That was the primary reason for his selection to be on the ticket despite disapproval from RFK and others in the Kennedy camp. That and having LBJ under JFK kept him under control whereas there was concern a Senate Majority leader LBJ would be confrontational. Obviously an assassin’s bullet put LBJ from a ceremonial vice president isolated from decision making to one of the most powerful presidents of the century. ---
**Author:** ![Aescwynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Aescwynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aescwynn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3017 "2020-01-08T19:20:55Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > I am of the opinion that Biden has the best chance of any Democratic nominee of beating Trump. Mostly because I think Pennsylvania turns solidly for Biden, and that may have some knock on effects in Ohio and other upper Midwest states. Now, if Biden selects someone like Klobuchar as his VP (which seems like it may be likely), I can see him picking up Wisconsin and Michigan again. Biden/Klobuchar would be awesome. ---
**Author:** ![pjacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@pjacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjacks)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3018 "2020-01-08T22:44:40Z")
The hot takes from the boomers on this board never cease to amaze me. Biden/Klobuchar is the exact same kind of losing ticket as Clinton/Kaine was, but with the genders reversed. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3019 "2020-01-08T23:15:37Z")
That’s not what “hot take” means but whatever. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3020 "2020-01-09T00:10:00Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > The hot takes from the boomers on this board never cease to amaze me. Biden/Klobuchar is the exact same kind of losing ticket as Clinton/Kaine was, but with the genders reversed. Except Biden is doing best vs trump. Poll after poll after poll. I dont get all the anti-biden propaganda here. Are people being influenced by the kremlin/GOP or Bernie Bros that much? They cant think for themselves? Dont get me wrong, it’s perfectly Ok to prefer Warren or sanders or Pete over Biden. Sure. But these constant crazy attacks on him are coming from the fact he is the current front runner and is scaring the krap out of the kremlin, not to mention trump. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=150) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=152)