# 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:** 163
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3241 "2020-01-24T19:43:32Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > … Well yeah, there’s a lot of rich-Dem money behind discrediting Dems who might actually threaten the status quo for rich people. It’s something we progressive types just realize is a fact of life, even if hand-wringers are upset that it’s tearing up the party. Yeah, it sucks, but no point in complaining. Really? Cite? (Evidence that intelligent Demos who happen to be wealthy are donating to Biden, the intelligent voter’s candidate, will not prove your point.) ---
**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 24, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3242 "2020-01-24T20:32:31Z")
As the weeks pass, I’m becoming more and more of a Bloomberg supporter. He’s sticking it to Trump while the others are fighting each other. Plus, how fucking great would it be to channel all of our donation dollars that would otherwise go to the presidential candidate into Senate and House races. He’s not my ideal president, but he’s on his way to becoming my favorite candidate. My current top three: 1. Biden 2. Warren 3. Bloomberg ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3243 "2020-01-24T22:34:33Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It would fire up the right wing, which would uncork the flow of money from special interests, but I’m confident that gun control is increasingly an issue that the left can win, and it should be more openly confrontational about it. Maybe so, but is _this presidential election_ really the time to test it? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3244 "2020-01-24T22:37:12Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It would fire up the right wing, which would uncork the flow of money from special interests, but I’m confident that gun control is increasingly an issue that the left can win, and it should be more openly confrontational about it. > > . So, unless youre talking repealing the 2nd Ad, which aint gonna happen- exactly what Gun control laws do you want to see that they dont already have? I mean, CA has all sales must be registered, no assault weapons can be bought and whatever is left must be registered, you cant have larger than a 10 round magazine, 10 day waiting period, Red flag laws, most new models of handguns are banned :rolleyes:, you can only buy one gun a month, etc. . NONE of these have reduced violent crime by anything we can see. So, what more would you want? [https://www.mikebloomberg.com/2020/mike-will-get-it-done-gun-safety-65698728?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyKrxBRDHARIsAKCzn8zFGT3UZ\_QHwJHRxcD9ytzSxFfviD1cjiFvQw7WP2DKuH8LzmLpOJwaAsuSEALw\_wcB&utm\_expid=.Ean3QEj9S1KUM4de8VlRlg.1&utm\_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F](https://www.mikebloomberg.com/2020/mike-will-get-it-done-gun-safety-65698728?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyKrxBRDHARIsAKCzn8zFGT3UZ_QHwJHRxcD9ytzSxFfviD1cjiFvQw7WP2DKuH8LzmLpOJwaAsuSEALw_wcB&utm_expid=.Ean3QEj9S1KUM4de8VlRlg.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F) _Require thorough background checks at point-of-sale and require permits prior to purchase:_ Permits are likely unconstitutional, and most guns have checks. I suppose this would get rid of the so-called “gun show loophole” but it hasnt made any difference in CA \*Keep guns out of the hands of violent and mentally unstable people and those protected by current loopholes: \*Already part of the law. _Institute a federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines_: Such weapons only accounts for less than 2% of violent crimes- and such a ban is in CA- and has done nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3245 "2020-01-24T23:25:06Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Maybe so, but is _this presidential election_ really the time to test it? If \*not \*now, then when? There hasn’t been a Republican presidential candidate this “obviously toast” since Dole in '96 or McCain in '08. If there were ever a time for Democratic experimentation, it’s now. ---
**Author:** ![str8cashhomie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@str8cashhomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/str8cashhomie)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3246 "2020-01-25T01:05:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If \*not \*now, then when? There hasn’t been a Republican presidential candidate this “obviously toast” since Dole in '96 or McCain in '08. If there were ever a time for Democratic experimentation, it’s now. In the words of George W Bush “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… you ain’t gonna fool me again.” ---
**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 25, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3247 "2020-01-25T01:41:20Z")
Bloomberg has overtaken Buttigieg in the RCP aggregate tracker. [https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020\_democratic\_presidential\_nomination-6730.html](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html) ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3248 "2020-01-25T02:39:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I mean, CA has all sales must be registered, no assault weapons can be bought and whatever is left must be registered, you cant have larger than a 10 round magazine, 10 day waiting period, Red flag laws, most new models of handguns are banned :rolleyes:, you can only buy one gun a month, etc. . NONE of these have reduced violent crime by anything we can see. > > So, what more would you want? I want federal gun licensing and registration with mandatory imprisonment for those who fail to do so. And I want Bloomberg to remake the federal judiciary in his image, just as Trump and McConnell has tried to do - and impeach judges who refuse to bend, and if that doesn’t work, pack the courts. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3249 "2020-01-25T02:41:19Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > Bloomberg has overtaken Buttigieg in the RCP aggregate tracker. > > [2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination Polls | RealClearPolling](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html) If Biden fails to place in the top 2 in either IA or NH, the Dems should pressure him to quit and make Bloomberg their guy with the proviso that he’ll have Harris, Booker, or Castro as a running mate. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3250 "2020-01-25T03:13:55Z")
> [@str8cashhomie](#): > > In the words of George W Bush “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… you ain’t gonna fool me again.” Come on, get the quote right, “… _won’t get fooled again_.” Pete should have sued him for plagiarism. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3251 "2020-01-25T04:15:05Z")
I’m absolutely baffled by Bloomberg. How could anyone think that a Billionaire, who spent most of his life as a Republican, is the last great hope for the Democrats against Trump, and this late in the game, to boot? It MAKES NO SENSE. This is madness, sheer madness - I swear to God, it’s total, complete madness. This election is such a trainwreck. And of course, in 2020 it’s going to be “HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN, HURRRR DURRR.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3252 "2020-01-25T04:45:00Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If \*not \*now, then when? There hasn’t been a Republican presidential candidate this “obviously toast” since Dole in '96 or McCain in '08. If there were ever a time for Democratic experimentation, it’s now. There is this venerable aphorism: _Given the choice between a Republican and a a Democrat who acts and talks like a Republican, the voters will always choose the Republican._ Caution will do the Democrats no favours this year. Just look right over there at how well Prime Minister Corbyn is doing in Number Ten Downing. Biden is the safe choice. It is unlikely that safe will be the same as effective. If the Ds are too risk-averse to win, fuck them, just as they proceed to fuck the country with their insipidity. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3253 "2020-01-25T04:53:44Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > I’m absolutely baffled by Bloomberg. How could anyone think that a Billionaire, who spent most of his life as a Republican, is the last great hope for the Democrats against Trump, and this late in the game, to boot? It MAKES NO SENSE. This is madness, sheer madness - I swear to God, it’s total, complete madness. > > This election is such a trainwreck. And of course, in 2020 it’s going to be “HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN, HURRRR DURRR.” No matter how you feel about him, you’ve got to admit he’s doing an epic job of trolling Trump. Guess where he premiered his latest ad, the one calling for Trump’s removal? **Fox and Friends** Plus they interviewed his campaign manager, too. [https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/23/bloomberg-attacks-trump-102723](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/23/bloomberg-attacks-trump-102723) ---
**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 25, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3254 "2020-01-25T04:57:30Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > I’m absolutely baffled by Bloomberg. How could anyone think that a Billionaire, who spent most of his life as a Republican, is the last great hope for the Democrats against Trump, and this late in the game, to boot? It MAKES NO SENSE. This is madness, sheer madness - I swear to God, it’s total, complete madness. > > This election is such a trainwreck. And of course, in 2020 it’s going to be “HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN, HURRRR DURRR.” You are incorrect, he spent most of his life as a Democrat before running for mayor of NYC as a Republican, then an independent. He’s back to where he started. And it’s not madness. If he can beat Trump, he’s got my (and apparently an increasing amount of other peoples’) vote. I don’t give a flying fuck how much money he has, and in fact, if he uses his wealth to defeat Trump, good for him. He’s pro-choice, pro-SSM, pro-stem cell research, pro-gun control, and very much a environmentalist. Plus, he’s sane, actually run something besides a sketchy family business, and is an \*actual \*billionaire taunting Trump which has to get under Trump’s skin. Finally, for anyone who claims to just \*know \* with all their heart how things will turn out in November if so-and-so gets the nomination, you don’t. No one does. You’re pulling a wild guess out of your ass pretty much like the rest of us. We’re all just doing our best to figure out who the best candidate will be. You don’t have any special gift or insight into this election or campaign. It’s all fucking madness at this point; Donald Trump’s in the White House. I also don’t just want to win the WH, I’d like to see us keep the House and flip the Senate. Which candidate will best help us do that? Will a far-left candidate hurt us in purple Congressional Districts and Senate races? Perhaps, and that’s what I’m still trying to sort out. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3255 "2020-01-25T08:27:21Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I want federal gun licensing and registration with mandatory imprisonment for those who fail to do so. And I want Bloomberg to remake the federal judiciary in his image, just as Trump and McConnell has tried to do - and impeach judges who refuse to bend, and if that doesn’t work, pack the courts. So, you want to tear up the Bill of Rights over Gun registration, something that even Law Enforcement thinks is totally useless- since criminals dont have to register their guns? Tell, me how Gun registration will reduce violent crime. Go ahead, i am waiting. :dubious: And you are willing to suborn the Supreme Court to get it done. :eek: And people say laugh when gun owners talk about a slippery slope. All people want is reasonable gun laws. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3256 "2020-01-25T10:07:07Z")
I sputtered coffee all over my copy of the Bill of Rights, and it’s now illegible. Am I correct that the Second Amendment reads as follows? > [@](#): > > A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, nor shall the snoopy gummint even be allowed to know who has gunz and who don’t. > [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > I want federal gun licensing and registration with mandatory imprisonment for those who fail to do so. > > So, you want to tear up the Bill of Rights over Gun registration … > > And people say laugh when gun owners talk about a slippery slope. All people want is reasonable gun laws. :rolleyes: Oooh! This seems like a fun game. Can I play? > [@](#): > > I think marijuana should be decriminalized. So (slippery slope), you want to force schoolchildren to inject heroin. > [@](#): > > I think the minimum wage should be increased to $10. So (slippery slope), you want to force Job Creators to give millions of dollars to every lazy ghetto-dweller? > [@](#): > > I want a President who speaks the truth, at least occasionally. So, the only one you’d ever vote for is some prissy do-gooder like Mother Teresa or Barack Obama. Thanks, **DrDeth**! (But would this be a better fit in _Thread Games_?) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3257 "2020-01-25T10:15:13Z")
I’ve thought for some time (and posted about it here) that some very rich guy should be flooding the airwaves (cable-waves?) with information about Trump. Bloomberg heard my prayers!! > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > No matter how you feel about him, you’ve got to admit he’s doing an epic job of trolling Trump. Guess where he premiered his latest ad, the one calling for Trump’s removal? > **Fox and Friends** Wow! Is there some law that political advertisements must be run, if someone antes up the fee? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3258 "2020-01-25T12:12:45Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Wow! Is there some law that political advertisements must be run, if someone antes up the fee? Good question! My dim IANAL recollection is that on broadcast TV, they can’t refuse _a candidate’s ads_ on stations that broadcast into the jurisdiction that the candidate is running in. (In this case, the jurisdiction is the U.S.A.) But whether those rules apply to cable (assuming I remember them right in the first place!) I have no idea. But AFAIK they can refuse anyone else’s political ads. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3259 "2020-01-25T14:31:11Z")
Interesting. So perhaps Bloomberg never anticipated being a serious contender; but he wanted to force Fox to carry his ads! ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3260 "2020-01-25T14:55:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, you want to tear up the Bill of Rights over Gun registration, something that even Law Enforcement thinks is totally useless- since criminals dont have to register their guns? > > Tell, me how Gun registration will reduce violent crime. Go ahead, i am waiting. :dubious: It helps the government solve crimes committed with guns, and it makes it easier to take them away if someone is a potential danger. There should be more than just registration; there should be a licensing component as well. I am done with politicians who continue to let the NRA dictate to the rest of the country what gun policy shall be. The 2nd Amendment was never intended to allow unfettered gun ownership. The keywords in that passage are “well-regulated.” Coming on the heels of Shays Rebellion, I highly doubt that they wanted every yokel to be armed to the teeth without giving governments the power and discretion to de-fang them. We’re left with our current interpretation of the 2nd amendment thanks to a highly partisan, hyper-political, and whimsical late justice who decided to legislate from the bench. Time for Mayor Mike to fix that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=162) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=164)