My Presidential Candidate Is Better Than Yours [Maybe]
There are two hundred and seventy-something days until the first California voters receive their mail-in ballots for the March, 2020 primary. As of this morning 23 candidates (I’ve included a list further down in this posting) with at least a modicum of name recognition have declared the interest in running for president as Democrats.
Any one of these candidates would be a better president than Donald J. Trump, if for no other reason than they could pass a physical and mental health exam.
What makes choosing a favorite more difficult is the question: who will be the best candidate for the people of this country?
There are already overt and covert campaigns underway to influence the process.
Wednesday’s New York Times featured a long nothingburger of an article admittedly including information solicited by Rudy Giuliani from Ukrainian officials with the intent of undermining the Mueller report and the candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden.
The account includes a mention of Giuliani briefing Trump. And now, of course, the pressure is on to have the Justice Department investigate.
Call this the 2020 version of Hillary Clinton’s Uranium One deal, a repeatedly debunked scandal flaunted in the right wing press whenever they ran out of other ideas to sully the reputation of the 2016 Democratic nominee. As recently as January 2018 various publications made claims (also debunked) about a pending indictment in the matter.
It’s no wonder that Ms. Clinton made the claim she is living rent-free in Donald Trump’s head.
The Uranium One bit of “truthiness” also gained notice after it was published in the New York Times based on allegations made in the book Clinton Cash by Breitbart News editor and Steve Bannon collaborator Peter Schweizer.
Of course, the Times was “just saying,” y’know.
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1123769251800735744
Other deliberately misleading or misrepresenting campaigns about (and against) Democratic candidates are already being played out in social media and search engines.
The Trump campaign and its PAC followers are running dozens of customized ads that fall outside the boundaries of what Facebook and Google consider acceptable practices. On Facebook, an ad paid for by the Trump Make America Great Again committee says “Democrats have admitted what they truly want; a repeal of the Second Amendment.” On Google, a variety of Black men named “Howard” are portrayed in videos praising Trump before viewers are asked to sign on with campaign..
A network of more than 5,000 pro-Trump Twitter bots railed against the “Russiagate hoax” shortly after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, according to NBC News.
This particular misinformation campaign was carried out via a network originally created to convey support for Saudi Arabia, which certainly has a chummy relationship with the current administration.
You can bet foreign misinformation campaigns will originate from a variety of nations who have the technical ability and vested financial interests with the current administration. Some of these are literally “for rent” operations.
Media grifter Jacob Wohl (also right-wing conspiracy theorist, Trump enthusiast, securities fraudster) — has been caught trying to raise $1 million from investors with an idea for profiting from the manipulation of political betting websites.
His purported “trial run” included recruiting a young man from Michigan who was promised remuneration in exchange for falsely claiming candidate Pete Buttigieg sexually assaulted him.
Social media accounts previously identified as active in one of the largest influence operations of the 2018 cycle have cycled through attacks on Democratic presidential candidates.
A POLITICO review of recent data extracted from Twitter and from other platforms, as well as interviews with data scientists and digital campaign strategists, suggests that the goal of the coordinated barrage appears to be undermining the nascent candidacies through the dissemination of memes, hashtags, misinformation and distortions of their positions. But the divisive nature of many of the posts also hints at a broader effort to sow discord and chaos within the Democratic presidential primary.
The cyber propaganda — which frequently picks at the rawest, most sensitive issues in public discourse — is being pushed across a variety of platforms and with a more insidious approach than in the 2016 presidential election, when online attacks designed to polarize and mislead voters first surfaced on a massive scale.
Recent posts that have received widespread dissemination include racially inflammatory memes and messaging involving Harris, O’Rourke and Warren.
Senator Bernie Sanders has also been targeted, though the messages being used are not necessarily racially charged.
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Along with these efforts, I’ve seen a proliferation of negative social media commentary coming from hyper partisans, nihilists, and people who (I hope) are simply politically naive.
In case you are unaware of the impact of over-the-top accusations against candidates, let me set you straight-- the ONLY impact they have is to discourage people from participating in the political process.
It’s one thing to compare platforms or past performance and --for instance--another say to say a candidate is the creation of or supplicant for [insert name of evil person or ideology].
People won’t choose not to vote for a candidate they’re considering accused of, say, witchcraft. They just won’t vote.
I have strong opinions about many of the declared candidates running for the Democratic nomination. I’m seriously interested in hearing more about some of them. And I’m simply not interested in about two-thirds of them.
History has a way of messing with our heads when it comes to campaigns.
Some polls had Rudy Giuliani as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination at this time in 2015. Howard Dean went from hero to zero in 2004. Gary Hart’s infidelity scandal was set up by GOP operative Lee Atwater in 1988. John Edwards’ senior staff were reportedly the sources in 2008 about his extramarital affair.
So it ain’t until it’s over.
I’m very much in favor of the Indivisible Pledge for candidates.
As of this writing, 13 candidates have signed up, including: Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee, Amy Klochubar, Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Marianne Williamson.
Here’s the short version of how it came about, via Buzzfeed:
A national progressive group, Indivisible, is asking the 20 candidates in the Democratic presidential race to sign a pledge promising a positive, “constructive” primary that ends with all participants coming together to support the eventual nominee — “whoever it is — period.”
The “2020 Candidate Pledge,” posted online on Tuesday, sprang out of discussions among prominent Democratic organizations about a unity pledge in the weeks after Bernie Sanders accused the “political establishment” of “plotting” to undermine his presidential campaign, reflecting a field that remains fractured after the bitter primary fight three years ago...
...The Indivisible document asks candidates to agree to three terms: “make the primary constructive” and “respect the other candidates”; “rally behind the winner”; and “do the work to beat” President Donald Trump. “Immediately after there’s a nominee, I’ll endorse,” the pledge reads.
Individuals can also “take the pledge” (doing so will put you on their mailing list, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing):
We must defeat Donald Trump. The first step is a primary contest that produces a strong Democratic nominee. The second step is winning the general election. We will not accept anything less. To ensure this outcome, I pledge to:
Make the primary constructive. We'll make the primary election about our hopes for the future, and a robust debate of values, vision and the contest of ideas. We’ll remain grounded in our shared values, even if we support different candidates.
Rally behind the winner. We'll support the ultimate Democratic nominee, whoever it is — period. No Monday morning quarterbacking. No third-party threats.
Do the work to beat Trump. We’re the grassroots army that’s going to power the nominee to victory, and we’ll show up to make calls, knock doors, and do whatever it takes.
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Following is a list of all the currently major declared candidates for the 2020 Democratic nomination.
Study carefully, there will be a quiz on Monday
Senator (Colorado) Michael Bennet, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator (New Jersey) Cory Booker, Mayor (South Bend, Indiana) Pete Buttigieg, Former Mayor (San Antonio, Texas) Julian Castro,Congressman (Maryland) John Delaney, Congresswoman (Hawaii) Tulsi Gabbard, Senator (New York) Kirsten Gillibrand, Former Senator (Alaska) Mike Gravel, Senator (California) Kamala Harris, Governor (Colorado) John Hickenlooper,Governor (Washington) Jay Inslee, Senator (Minnesota) Amy Klobuchar, Mayor (Miramar, Florida) Wayne Messam, Congressman (Massachusetts) Seth Moulton, Congressman (Texas) Beto O’Rourke, Congressman (Ohio) Tim Ryan, Senator (Vermont) Bernie Sanders, Congressman (California) Eric Swalwell, Senator (Massachusetts) Elizabeth Warren, Author Marianne Williamson, Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
In cooperation with PoliticalCharge.Org, this blog is featuring profiles along with candidate stances on the seven issues polling says voters care about most every Tuesday.
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Email me at DougPorter@WordsAndDeedsBlog.com