Розділ: Політика
Coronavirus Fears Could Become Defining US Election Issue
The coronavirus threat has emerged as a political issue in the United States, with Democrats questioning President Donald Trump’s decisions and competence in responding to a potential epidemic that is taking a toll on the U.S. economy. VOA’s Brian Padden reports there are concerns that the spreading virus could disrupt the election itself, by restricting public gatherings at campaign rallies, political conventions and even voting sites.
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By Polityk | 03/06/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Bloomberg Ends Short, Expensive White House Bid
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s decision to drop out of the Democratic presidential race has brought to an end one of the shortest, most expensive political bids in history. Michelle Quinn take a look at what the Bloomberg campaign was about.
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By Polityk | 03/06/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden: Maybe it’s Time to Consider Secret Service Protection
Former Vice President Joe Biden says that he’s worried that protesters have stormed the stage when he’s been speaking at campaign events with his wife beside him and that it might be time for Secret Service protection.
“Well, I think that’s something that has to be considered, the more outrageous some of this becomes,” Biden told NBC’s “Today” show Thursday,
Two animal welfare protesters rushed the stage during Biden’s Super Tuesday victory speech in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, waving anti-dairy signs and yelling. The first was escorted off the stage by a man, and the second was tackled by Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, and one of his senior advisers, Symone Sanders.
The protesters got within a few feet of Biden, who was speaking after primary victories in several states propelled him into a two-man race for the Democratic presidential nomination with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“I wasn’t scared for me, I was worried about for Jill,” Biden said, recalling that she did the same thing at an event in New Hampshire when a man approached him from behind. When the man tried to interrupt him, Jill Biden put her arms around the man, turned him around and helped push him away.
“That’s what I worry about,” Biden said. “I worry about Jill.”
Biden isn’t the only candidate to have been accosted at a campaign event. Topless demonstrators crashed a Bernie Sanders rally in Nevada two weeks ago. The breaches prompted an online outcry that the candidates be granted Secret Service protection. That demand was followed by a letter Wednesday from some House Democrats advocating more urgent action.
The Secret Service, by statute, protects the president, the vice president and their families as well as some other senior government officials. It is also authorized to protect major party presidential candidates, an authority granted after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
The leading candidates in 2012 and 2016 all had Secret Service protection at this point in those races. None of the 2020 Democratic candidates has Secret Service protection, or has asked for it.
“The idea of jumping on a stage is just not permissible,” Biden said. “The last thing we need is anybody hurt.”
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By Polityk | 03/05/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden’s Victories Unleash Something he’s Never had: Money
Support for Biden from the Democratic establishment abruptly materialized Wednesday as influential donors lined up behind the former vice president following his romp through 10 of the 14 contests. The showing reshaped the primary into a two-person race between him and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, providing clarity in what had been a crowded field.In Los Angeles, a pricey Biden event suddenly sold out on Tuesday night. In Florida, a prominent fundraiser received an outpouring of phone calls from donors who now want to help Biden clinch the Democratic nomination.Others who hadn’t been in touch with the campaign were nonetheless laying the groundwork for big-dollar events. Bryan Rafanelli, a major Democratic donor in Boston who was one of Pete Buttigieg’s top fundraisers, was flooded with requests to host a gathering after announcing his support for Biden on social media.“I don’t have a date. I haven’t talked to the Biden people,” Rafanelli said. “I don’t want to get out over my skis. But it’s going to happen.”How Winning Turned Joe Biden Into a Confident CandidateFormer vice president has hit his stride and found his voice after wins in South Carolina and across Democrats’ Super Tuesday presidential primary mapDemocratic megadonor Susie Tompkins Buell, who also backed Buttigieg before he dropped out, said in a text message that she now supports Biden and is open to hosting an event.Biden has never been a particularly successful fundraiser. His perseverance over better-funded candidates, including two billionaires who poured their personal wealth into their campaigns, demonstrates the limits of unlimited money.But it also underscores the indecision that gripped many moderates, donors included, who had several candidates to choose from until Biden cleared much of the field with a commanding win in Saturday’s South Carolina primary.“It has been a lot easier to fundraise for Joe Biden in the last 72 hours than it had been over the previous 72 days,” said Alan Patricof, a Wall Street venture capitalist and longtime Biden supporter.Now that Biden is in a tight contest with Sanders, his campaign is poised to be flooded with cash — the very resource he has sorely lacked. The money will come from donors who say they are nervous about Sanders’ open embrace of democratic socialism and fear his nomination would result in President Donald Trump’s reelection.“Everyone likes a winner. It’s not very complicated,“ said Tom Nides, a former deputy secretary of state and adviser to Hillary Clinton. “Joe Biden has proven it’s not all about money and not all about organization — it’s about authenticity.”Biden was running on fumes headed into Super Tuesday, drastically outspent across the country by billionaire former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Billionaire Tom Steyer flooded the airwaves with pricey ads in South Carolina, where he tried to cut into Biden’s support from black voters. And for much of the contest, he lagged in fundraising behind Sanders, Buttigieg and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.The sudden interest in Biden is intense — and overwhelming.At Wednesday’s fundraiser in the posh Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, there was no available parking, and valet service was over capacity, according to a person with direct knowledge of the event. Held at the home of Paramount Pictures executive Sherry Lansing, it exploded from 80 to 350 registered attendees, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio, in the days leading up to it.A Florida consultant said out-of-state donors asked about flying in for a Biden fundraiser. Both people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss planning details.Sanders Refocusing His Campaign After Biden’s Super TuesdaySanders targeted Biden’s record on trade, Social Security and fundraising just hours after billionaire Mike Bloomberg suspended his campaign Despite the flood of incoming cash, Biden’s newfound financial success could also prove to be a liability. Sanders took aim at him over the issue during a news conference in Vermont on Wednesday.“You’ve got a candidate from the establishment going out to rich people’s homes, raising all kinds of money,” Sanders said.Such rhetoric is precisely why some wealthy donors are uneasy about Sanders, who calls for political revolution, and are now eager to work with Biden.“We had a revolution back in 1776,” Rafanelli said. “We don’t need another now.”For some longtime supporters, the change in fortunes is cathartic after a monthslong stretch of tough headlines about poorly attended town halls and uneven debate performances that seemed to reinforce a perception of Biden as someone doomed to lose.“Primaries are always messy,” said Steve Westly, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who has been raising money for Biden since he got in the race. “Momentum is everything, and people want to be a part of the wining side.”Biden’s financial picture began to shift the week before the South Carolina primary. A super PAC backing him called Unite the Country, raised $2.5 million that week. Biden’s campaign also reported raising $10 million in the days after.Since then, Biden aides say they’ve taken in $7.1 million online during a 42-hour period that included Super Tuesday. Strategists for Unite the Country, which can raise and spend unlimited sums so long as they don’t coordinate with Biden’s campaign, now expect to take in even more.That will help get Biden’s message out while defending him from attacks by Sanders. The group, which is cutting an ad now, expects to be on the air soon in Missouri, Michigan and Mississippi.“We are going to defend our guy,” said Unite the Country strategist Steve Schale.
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By Polityk | 03/05/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Ramps Up Attacks on Biden After Super Tuesday Surge
After Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden dominated in Super Tuesday contests, President Donald Trump and his allies are intensifying their attacks on the former vice president and ramping up efforts to convince Bernie Sanders’ supporters that he’s being robbed of the nomination. The story from White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara.
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By Polityk | 03/05/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
In Wake of Super Tuesday, It’s a Biden-Sanders Race
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the U.S. presidential race Wednesday, the day after former Vice President Joe Biden scored key victories in several of the Super Tuesday primaries. Biden’s dramatic political comeback has reshaped the Democratic primary battle into a two-man race between himself and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. VOA national correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington on where the race is headed.
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By Polityk | 03/05/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
LGBT+ Candidates Win Big in US Super Tuesday Contests
Most of the openly LGBT+ candidates competing in this week’s Super Tuesday elections won their races, campaigners said, showing acceptance and momentum building among the nation’s largest-ever field of gay and trans people running for office.At least 28 LGBT+ candidates won primary races to become their political party’s nominee in the November election, according to the Victory Fund, a nonpartisan group that supports lesbian, gay, bi and trans candidates.Fourteen U.S. states on Tuesday held political primary contests, most closely watched as the Democratic Party chooses its nominee to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election.Lower-echelon party contests included the mayoral race in San Diego, California, where openly gay candidate Todd Gloria finished first in the city’s primary, and in southwestern Texas, where Gina Ortiz Jones won the Democratic Party nod in her bid to be the first openly LGBT+ member of the U.S. Congress from Texas.Gina Ortiz Jones, shown Aug. 10,2018, won the Democratic Party nod in her bid to be the first openly LGBT+ member of the U.S. Congress from Texas.In all, 38 Victory Fund candidates were on ballots on Tuesday. Of those, 28 won and three races remained too close to call.”We are building toward a rainbow revolution in November, with historic LGBTQ candidates running in parts of the country and for levels of government that we never have before,” said Annise Parker, head of the LGBTQ Victory Fund in an emailed statement.”We are rewriting the rules on electability and embracing the fact that America is ready to elect LGBTQ candidates up and down the ballot.”More than 730 openly LGBT+ candidates are running for elective office nationwide this year, the largest number ever, according to the Victory Fund.Political experts said credit was due to Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay candidate to make a competitive run for the U.S. presidency.The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and a relative unknown narrowly won the Iowa caucuses, the first measure of the Democratic Party’s nominating process in February, and followed with a close second in New Hampshire’s primary.But his early momentum did not hold, and Buttigieg dropped out of the race on Sunday.”There’s one very obvious reason here: The candidacy of Pete Buttigieg has inspired more LGBTQ people to run for office,” Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.”There’s a greater acceptance of the LGBT community among the public and a willingness to vote for LGBTQ candidates in many parts of the country.”Also, efforts to trim LGBT+ rights by the Trump administration, such as banning trans people from serving openly in the military and proposing that firms with federal contracts be allowed not to hire gay and trans workers on religious grounds, gave momentum to LGBT+ candidates, experts said.”The mainstream position now is one of acceptance for LGBT people and the challenger position is for those who don’t,” said Susan Burgess, a political science professor at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.”And that’s huge,” she said.According to an exit poll conducted in 12 of the 14 states by NBC News, one in 10 voters identified as LGBT+.This year’s field of LGBT+ candidates follows a historic 161 openly gay or trans candidates winning office in 2018 out of 225 candidates endorsed by the Victory Fund.
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By Polityk | 03/05/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Weighs In on Democrats After Biden’s Super Tuesday
The day after Super Tuesday voting positioned two Democrats to have the best chance to face him in November’s general election, President Donald Trump gave former Vice President Joe Biden credit for “an incredible comeback.”Biden won nine of the 14 states — including the second most populous, Texas — while Sen. Bernie Sanders is on track to claim four more, including California, the state with the most delegates.After voting on Tuesday, Maine is still a toss-up.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a primary election night rally, March 3, 2020, at Eastern Market in Detroit.The president on Wednesday criticized Sen. Elizabeth Warren for not dropping out of the race to help Sanders.“She was really a spoiler,” Trump told reporters at the end of a coronavirus task force meeting at the White House with airline executives. “She was very selfish.”Trump professed not to care about the continued internal battle among the Democrats, although it is evident he would rather face Sanders, a self-avowed democratic socialist, rather than the more politically moderate Biden.“We’re just waiting to find out who we’re running against,” he said. “I think Joe has an easier path right now, believe it or not.”Trump’s running, real-time commentary on the opposition party’s primary battle “does sort of go to the really unprecedented character of this president,” noted Thomas Schwartz, a professor of history and political science at Vanderbilt University.Earlier on Wednesday, Trump tweeted that Warren, who finished third in her home state of Massachusetts, cost Sanders that state and others in Tuesday’s balloting. Wow! If Elizabeth Warren wasn’t in the race, Bernie Sanders would have EASILY won Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas, not to mention various other states. Our modern day Pocahontas won’t go down in history as a winner, but she may very well go down as the all time great SPOILER!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign event, Feb. 28, 2020, in Springfield, Mass.Many Sanders supporters felt their candidate was badly treated during the 2016 campaign by the Democratic establishment that they viewed as rigging the nominating process on behalf of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and view party elites as trying again to prevent Sanders from capturing this year’s nomination.“The Trump campaign will stoke that grievance, because I think it hopes not that Bernie Sanders’ supporters necessarily will vote for Trump, but that they’ll stay home,” Schwartz told VOA.Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary election night campaign rally, March 3, 2020, in Los Angeles with his wife Jill Biden, left, and his sister Valerie.Biden, attempting to thwart Sanders on his left, received a further huge boost on Wednesday when former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on television commercials, dropped out.Bloomberg’s only Super Tuesday victory was in American Samoa’s party caucus.“He made a fool out of himself,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.Earlier, Trump quickly reacted on social media to the announced demise of Bloomberg’s campaign, saying, “I could have told him long ago that he didn’t have what it takes, and he would have saved himself a billion dollars, the real cost,” the president said.Trump told reporters Bloomberg would now pour money into Biden’s effort “to try to save face.”Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks at the the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2020 Conference, March 2, 2020, in Washington. Bloomberg, one of America’s wealthiest individuals, is endorsing Biden, and is expected to lavishly contribute to the Democrats’ effort to deny Trump a second term.“He’s a spiteful guy. He’s very upset,” Trump said Wednesday. Trump has repeatedly heckled Bloomberg on Twitter and at political rallies, labeling him “Mini Mike” for his short stature, as the political rivalry between the two New Yorkers deepened.Patsy Widakuswara and Jesusemen Oni contributed to this report.
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By Polityk | 03/05/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden, Sanders in Two-Man Contest; Bloomberg Drops Out
The race for the Democratic presidential nomination has consolidated from a once-crowded field with more than 20 candidates into essentially a two-man contest after big wins Tuesday by former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Biden took nine states, including the delegate-rich state of Texas. Sanders won three states and early polls show he has a commanding lead in California, the top prize in the contest. Meanwhile, Michael Bloomberg quit the Democratic race Wednesday, after a poor showing. VOA’s Mike O’Sullivan has more on the Super Tuesday results.
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By Polityk | 03/05/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democratic Presidential Race Narrows as Resurgent Biden Faces Off with Sanders
The race for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination has narrowed to two competitors after Super Tuesday voting — resurgent former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist long at odds with the party establishment.The voting across 14 states also forced former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg out of the contest after he had spent a reported $600 million of his own fortune on his campaign but only won the vote in the tiny American Somoa territory in the Pacific and a handful of delegates to the Democrats’s national presidential nominating convention in July.In defeat, Bloomberg quickly endorsed Biden, calling him “my friend and a great American.”Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary election night campaign rally, March 3, 2020, in Los Angeles with his wife Jill Biden, left, and his sister Valerie.Big win for Biden
Biden was the big winner in the coast-to-coast voting on Super Tuesday, capturing nine states in a show of voter strength that extended from liberal Massachusetts, the Northeastern home state of rival Elizabeth Warren, through conservative southern states to Texas on the country’s southwestern border. He held a tiny lead in Maine in the incomplete vote counting in the Atlantic coastal state.Less than a week ago, Biden’s campaign to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the November national election was on life support, with his poor finishes in the first three party nominating contests in February threatening to end his third run for the presidency that has spanned three decades.But he won last Saturday’s South Carolina primary with resounding support from African-American voters and expanded his base of voters in Tuesday’s balloting. Exit polls showed him capturing voters who have an unfavorable view of socialism, who do not favor a government takeover of health insurance in the U.S., as Sanders does, and voters who thought Biden had the best chance of ousting Trump after a single term in the White House.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., accompanied by his wife and other family members speaks during a primary night election rally in Essex Junction, Vt., March 3, 2020.Sanders takes California, Utah, Colorado
Sanders won four states, his own small state in the northeastern U.S., the country’s biggest state California as well as Utah and Colorado in the West.His support came from Hispanic voters, those who have a favorable view of socialism and those who support his plan to end private health insurance in the U.S. in favor of the government takeover that would cover the medical bills for all 327 million Americans.In the race for delegates to the Democratic national presidential nominating convention in July, Biden took at least a 404-340 lead over Sanders, with neither one yet close to the 1,991 needed to claim the nomination to oppose Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Warren won 10 convention delegates in the Tuesday voting but had yet to win any of the first 18 states that have voted in the lengthy nominating process. She was reassessing her candidacy on Wednesday.Biden told a cheering victory rally in Los Angeles, “It’s a good night and it seems to be getting even better! They don’t call it Super Tuesday for nothing.””We are very much alive,” he said. “Make no mistake about it, this campaign will send Donald Trump packing.”The Associated Press is projecting Joe Biden has won nine of the Democratic Super Tuesday primaries so far, and that Bernie Sanders has won four, including his home state of Vermont and the day’s biggest prize, California.Sanders celebrated his own wins, denigrating Trump as “the most dangerous president in the history of this country.”But Sanders also chided Biden ahead of the nearly three dozen Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses yet to come over the next three months, saying, “We’re taking on the political establishment. You cannot beat Trump with the same-old, same-old kind of politics.”Trump chimes in
Trump tweeted his own assessment, saying, “The Democrat establishment came together and crushed Bernie Sanders, AGAIN! Even the fact that Elizabeth Warren stayed in the race was devastating to Bernie and allowed Sleepy Joe to unthinkably win Massachusetts. It was a perfect storm, with many good states remaining for Joe!”The Democrat establishment came together and crushed Bernie Sanders, AGAIN! Even the fact that Elizabeth Warren stayed in the race was devastating to Bernie and allowed Sleepy Joe to unthinkably win Massachusetts. It was a perfect storm, with many good states remaining for Joe!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2020Trump claimed, “So selfish for Elizabeth Warren to stay in the race. She has Zero chance of even coming close to winning, but hurts Bernie badly. So much for their wonderful liberal friendship. Will he ever speak to her again? She cost him Massachusetts (and came in third), he shouldn’t!” So selfish for Elizabeth Warren to stay in the race. She has Zero chance of even coming close to winning, but hurts Bernie badly. So much for their wonderful liberal friendship. Will he ever speak to her again? She cost him Massachusetts (and came in third), he shouldn’t!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2020Biden presaged the battles to come against Sanders, discounting one of his signature lines.”People are talking about a revolution,” Biden said. “We started a movement.”Sanders, at his Tuesday night rally, recited his contrasting views with Biden, saying the upcoming political fight would be waged over their past policy differences over Social Security, trade and military force.”This will become a contrast in ideas,” he said.
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By Polityk | 03/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Bloomberg Quits Race After Tuesday Strategy Falls Short
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has dropped out of the race to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, after a weak showing in the 14 states that held primaries Tuesday.Former Vice President Joe Biden won nine states, including the delegate-rich state of Texas. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders took the state with the most delegates, California, as well as Colorado, Utah and his home state of Vermont. Bloomberg won American Samoa, the U.S. territory, gaining five of its six delegates, while picking up three more delegates in Colorado and one in Arkansas.”Three months ago, I entered the race for President to defeat Donald Trump. Today, I am leaving the race for the same reason: to defeat Donald Trump – because it is clear to me that staying in would make achieving that goal more difficult,” Bloomberg said in a statment Wednesday. “I’ve always believed that defeating Donald Trump starts with uniting behind the candidate with the best shot to do it. After yesterday’s vote, it is clear that candidate is my friend and a great American, Joe Biden.”Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden takes a picture among supporters at his Super Tuesday night rally in Los Angeles, California, March 3, 2020.In the past two months, Bloomberg’s path to the Democratic nomination had been the one to watch. A former Republican and independent, Bloomberg’s message had been that he was the one who could beat Trump in the general election, appealing to moderate and conservative Democrats.Entering the race late, Bloomberg skipped the first four states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina and went straight to Super Tuesday, with 1,357 delegates at stake. He reportedly spent $600 million of his vast fortune on TV and social media campaign ads and built a staff seemingly overnight on the ground in each state. He tapped into local mayors and community groups for support.Like a lot of people, Soham Bhatia, who works at an educational nonprofit organization in Oakland, had divided loyalties. Wearing a “CA for Mike” shirt in support of Bloomberg and a “Team Joe” sticker for Biden, Bhatia went to a cafe in Oakland on Tuesday to see Biden, who was making a campaign appearance.”I voted for Mike Bloomberg,” he said. “I got all my friends to vote for Mike Bloomberg. We voted early. It looked like Biden would not get his stuff together. And then he did. Now it’s time to unite behind Joe Biden.”Bhatia still supports Bloomberg, though, hoping the former New York mayor plays a role in the Democratic convention in Milwaukee this summer.”He gambled, he did something very interesting, and he should be commended for that,” he said.
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By Polityk | 03/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Super Tuesday Democratic Results Pave Way for Biden-Sanders Matchup
The race for the Democratic presidential nomination has consolidated from a once-crowded field with more than 20 candidates into essentially a two-man contest after robust results Tuesday for former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.Biden won nine states, including the delegate-rich state of Texas where his victory was a surprise after early national polls showed Sanders with a commanding lead there. He was strong across the South, also capturing Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas, along with Minnesota and Massachusetts.Sanders took the state with the most delegates, California, as well as Colorado, Utah and his home state of Vermont.The Associated Press is projecting Joe Biden has won nine of the Democratic Super Tuesday primaries so far, and that Bernie Sanders has won four, including his home state of Vermont and the day’s biggest prize, California.The two candidates were still locked in a close battle early Wednesday in Maine where the contest was too close too call.Sanders expressed confidence at a late Tuesday rally in Vermont, saying not only would he become the Democratic nominee, but also defeat Republican President Donald Trump.”You cannot beat Trump with the same old, same old kind of politics. What we need is a new politics that brings working class people into our political movement, which brings young people into our political movement, and which in November will create the highest voter turnout in American political history,” Sanders said.Biden’s victories, coming three days after his resounding win in South Carolina, projected new strength in the race to oppose Trump in November’s national election. Biden won the South Carolina contest due to robust support from African American voters.Before South Carolina, Biden’s candidacy showed little signs of life with a fourth-place finish in Iowa, a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire and a distant second-place showing in Nevada. He earned late endorsements from former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke — three of his opponents who had dropped out of the race.Biden pointed to that resurgence as he addressed his supporters in California late Tuesday, saying, “It’s a good night, and it seems to be getting even better.””I’m here to report we are very much alive,” he said at a rally in Los Angeles. “And make no mistake about it, this campaign will send Donald Trump packing.”Biden’s speech Tuesday night was interrupted briefly by anti-dairy protesters before they were quickly rushed off the stage by Biden’s security and staff. The same group interrupted a Sanders event last month.Supporters hold a sign before a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, March 3, 2020, in Los Angeles.Voting was spread across the United States in the single biggest day of balloting in the race for the Democratic nomination. Last month’s contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina were conducted on different days.The one-day marathon of balloting Tuesday presented the candidates with a wide mix of diverse voters, from more liberal bastions in Vermont and Massachusetts to conservative enclaves in Alabama, Tennessee and Texas, to the polyglot Pacific coastal state of California, with its heavy Hispanic vote.In all, 1,357 national convention delegates were picked Tuesday, a third of the total delegates available. A candidate needs 1,991 delegates to secure the nomination.Delegates to the national convention are awarded state by state on a proportional basis according to the vote count in each state’s primary election, but candidates have to clear a 15% vote threshold in order to win any delegates in states as a whole or in individual congressional districts.Sanders and Biden had to contend with two other major opponents, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a one-time Harvard law professor, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has spent $600 million of his personal fortune of $55 billion funding his presidential campaign.WATCH: Super Tuesday resultsSorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline. Embed” />CopyWarren once was near the top of Democratic favorites for the party’s presidential nomination, but she has yet to win a state nominating contest, and suffered losing to Biden in her home state of Massachusetts Tuesday.She is hoping to win the nomination at a brokered convention with no candidate clinching the nomination ahead of time, which has not occurred since 1952.Bloomberg was entered in his first party contests after choosing to skip the first four in February. After disappointing results Tuesday, though, he plans to reassess Wednesday whether he should continue.In addition to the voting in 14 states, there were also contests in the U.S. territory of American Samoa and for Democrats living abroad. CNN projected that Bloomberg won five of the six delegates from America Samoa with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii winning one.In CNN exit polls, voters in both Virginia and North Carolina widely said it was more important for them to pick a candidate who could beat Trump rather than to find a presidential choice who agreed with them on issues. In Alabama, Maine and North Carolina, voters said their overwhelming feeling about the presidential race is that they are angry at Trump, not just dissatisfied with his performance.Trump has commented almost daily about the Democratic race, dishing out negative nicknames to all of his would-be Democratic opponents, calling Sanders “Crazy Bernie,” Biden “Sleepy Joe” and Bloomberg “Mini Mike” for his short stature.The president said Tuesday he would gladly debate any of the Democrats in the weeks before the November 3 election, when the party’s nominee has been selected.”Whoever it is, I don’t care. We’ll take them on,” Trump told reporters. “I’ll debate any of them, gladly. Very gladly.”He said there is “no question the Democratic establishment is trying to take it away from Sanders. No question in my mind.”
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By Polityk | 03/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Bloomberg’s Super Tuesday Strategy Appears to Fall Short
With early results in Tuesday night, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s path to the White House may have disappeared with a weak showing in the 14 states that held primaries.As of 10 p.m. EST, Bloomberg’s chief competitors for the Democratic Party’s nomination to compete against President Donald Trump notched key wins. Former Vice President Joe Biden was sweeping the South with wins in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama. Senator Bernie Sanders won his home state of Vermont as well as Colorado. Still to call are big states such as Texas, with 228 delegates, and California, with 415 delegates, where Sanders was expected to do well.Bloomberg won American Samoa, the U.S. territory, gaining five of its six delegates.Reuters and other media reported that Bloomberg would consider dropping out of the race Wednesday.In the past two months, Bloomberg’s path to the Democratic nomination has been the one to watch. A former Republican and independent, Bloomberg’s message has been that he is the one who can beat Trump in the general election, appealing to moderate and conservative Democrats.Entering the race late, Bloomberg skipped the first four states, going straight to Super Tuesday, with 1,357 delegates at stake. He reportedly spent $600 million of his vast fortune on TV and social media campaign ads and built a staff seemingly overnight on the ground in each state. He tapped into local mayors and community groups for his support.Supporters of Democratic presidential hopeful former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg attend a rally at Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020.That may not have been enough.For his part, Bloomberg put a positive spin on his Super Tuesday results.“I have no intention of dropping out,” he said at an event in Florida. “We’re in it to win it. I don’t understand why you would not ask other candidates that.” First-time voters appear to support Sanders, according to an NBC News exit poll. Late-deciding voters may be another factor in Biden’s favor, with nearly half of late-deciding voters breaking for the former vice president. There are also many voters in Super Tuesday states who voted for former candidates, such as former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, both of whom endorsed Biden after dropping out of the race earlier this week.Like a lot of people, Soham Bhatia, who works at an educational nonprofit organization in Oakland, has divided loyalties. Wearing a “CA for Mike” shirt in support of Bloomberg and a “Team Joe” sticker for Biden, Bhatia went to a cafe in Oakland Tuesday to see Biden, who was making a campaign appearance.“I voted for Mike Bloomberg,” he said. “I got all my friends to vote for Mike Bloomberg. We voted early. It looked like Biden would not get his stuff together. And then he did. Now it’s time to unite behind Joe Biden.”Bhatia still supports Bloomberg, though, hoping the former New York mayor plays a role in the Democratic convention in Milwaukee this summer. “He gambled, he did something very interesting, and he should be commended for that,” he said.
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By Polityk | 03/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Candidates Who Have Pulled Out of the Race Can Still Have an Impact
Democrats Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar have all but given up their hopes of becoming the next president of the United States, but both can still have a major impact on who could be sitting in the Oval Office after January 20.Buttigieg and Klobuchar are technically still presidential candidates because they have formally suspended their campaigns rather than dropped out.By technically remaining in the race, they have control over what happens to the delegates they won in the four early nominating contests held before Super Tuesday — 26 for Buttigieg and seven for Klobuchar. Those numbers could even go higher because early voting and absentee ballots are still being tabulated.Democratic presidential candidates, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., right, speaks as former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg looks on during a Democratic presidential primary debate Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas.Delegates are political party members who nominate presidential candidates at the national convention and then cast ballots on those candidates they want to see run in November.Delegates who are pledged to a candidate are expected to vote for that candidate at the convention.So what happens to the 33 delegates Buttigieg and Klobuchar have won? They are still pledged to the two candidates, still loyal, and would still likely cast their ballots for them at the convention.If no one wins the nomination in the first round of voting, some states allow the pledged delegates to vote for a different candidate, meaning Buttigieg, Klobuchar or any other candidate who had suspended his or her campaign would tell their delegates to choose Biden, Sanders or someone else.
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By Polityk | 03/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democrats: Judge Extends Tennessee Voting in Storm-hit Area
A judge extended Super Tuesday voting hours in Tennessee’s second-largest county after a tornado devastated the area, a Democratic party spokeswoman said. Tennessee Democrats and campaigns for Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren had sued to extend the hours. A Davidson County Chancery Court judge ruled that polling locations in the county, whose seat is Nashville, must remain open until 8 p.m. Central time. Five so-called megasites, where anyone in the tornado-hit county could go to vote, were to be open until 10 p.m. under the judge’s ruling, Tennessee Democratic Party spokeswoman Emily Cupples said. Voting locations in Davidson County had opened an hour later than scheduled — at 8 a.m. — after an early morning tornado damaged more than a dozen polling places and voters were advised to go to other locations to cast ballots. Cupples said some voters showed up at 7 a.m. but their polling locations were not open and they had to leave without being able to vote. Also, some locations opened after 8 a.m. because of storm damage, and those voters were not able to cast ballots either. Lines were long at some locations that were unprepared for additional voters, and people left without casting their ballots, Cupples said. “This is a victory for all voters and this decision will ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in this historic election,” Mary Mancini, chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, said in a statement. Tornadoes ripped across downtown Nashville and other parts of Tennessee as families slept early Tuesday, shredding more than 140 buildings and burying people in piles of rubble and wrecked basements. At least 22 people were killed, some in their beds, authorities said.
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By Polityk | 03/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Wins 3 States, Sanders 1 in First Super Tuesday Results
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden won three states — Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama — while Senator Bernie Sanders captured his home state of Vermont in the first results from Tuesday’s Democratic presidential nominating contests in 14 states.Biden’s victories, projected by cable television networks as the polls closed in the early evening, were his third and fourth in four days, after his resounding win in South Carolina Saturday that was forged with robust support from African American voters.Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, had been widely expected to win his small Northeastern state.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., arrives to vote in the Vermont Primary near his home in Burlington, Vt., March 3, 2020.Sixty-three percent of black voters in Virginia supported Biden, compared to only 18% for Sanders and 10% for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to CNN exit polling. On the question of which candidate was best equipped to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in November’s national election, 58% picked Biden, compared to 19% for Sanders and 11% for Bloomberg. Exit polling in North Carolina showed similar overwhelming African American support for Biden and confidence that he would be best able to topple Trump.Voting was spread across the United States Tuesday, the single biggest day of balloting in the race to pick a Democratic nominee to oppose Trump.Last month’s contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina were conducted on different days. But the 14 states voting Tuesday spanned the U.S. from coast to coast and presented the candidates with a wide mix of diverse voters, from more liberal bastions in Vermont and Massachusetts, to conservative enclaves in Alabama, Tennessee and Texas, and to the polyglot Pacific coastal state of California, with its heavy Hispanic vote.According to pre-election polling, Sanders was expected to win the largest share of the delegates Tuesday to the party’s national convention in July, particularly if he does well in California, the country’s biggest state, which alone controls a fifth of the delegates to the quadrennial conclave.In all, a third of the national convention delegates are being picked Tuesday.But Sanders faces stiff competition in several states from Biden, who after the South Carolina vote, was later endorsed by former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke — three of his opponents who dropped out of the race.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a primary election night rally, March 3, 2020, at Eastern Market in Detroit.Sanders and Biden also face stiff competition from two other contenders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a one-time Harvard law professor, and Bloomberg, who has spent more than $500 million of his personal fortune funding his presidential campaign.Bloomberg is entered in his first party contests after choosing to skip the first four in February.The states of Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Utah also are voting, along with the U.S. territory of American Samoa and Democrats living abroad. Bloomberg won the six delegates from American Samoa, CNN projected.In CNN exit polls, voters in both Virginia and North Carolina widely said it was more important for them to pick a candidate who could beat Trump rather than to find a presidential choice who agreed with them on issues. In Alabama, Maine and North Carolina, voters said their overwhelming feeling about the presidential race is that they are angry at Trump, not just dissatisfied with his performance.Pre-election polls showed Biden winning the most Super Tuesday states, but with Sanders winning the all-important delegate count for the day, largely because of California.Democrat Jamie Wilson gets a sticker after voting in the Super Tuesday primary at John H. Reagan Elementary School in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, March 3, 2020.A total of 1,991 delegates to the national convention is needed to secure the party’s presidential nomination. No candidate is anywhere close to that number after the voting in the four early states, but Sanders began the day with 60 delegates over Biden’s 53.Delegates to the national convention are awarded state by state on a proportional basis according to the vote count in each state’s primary election, but candidates have to clear a 15% vote threshold in order to win any delegates in states as a whole or in individual congressional districts.The key question in California is whether any of Sanders’ challengers clears the 15% threshold to keep him from winning a massive haul of national convention delegates. Pre-election polls also show Sanders doing well in the second-biggest prize of the day, in the Southwestern state of Texas, with Biden ahead in smaller states with a fewer number of delegates at stake.Bloomberg has advertised heavily in the Super Tuesday states, but his halting performance and controversy over his tenure as mayor and as a business tycoon in two nationally televised debates raised questions about whether he would be able to amass wide voter support.Warren once was near the top of Democratic favorites for the party’s presidential nomination, but she has yet to win a state nominating contest, and could even lose her home state of Massachusetts to Sanders Tuesday.She is hoping to win the nomination at a brokered national convention with no candidate clinching the nomination ahead of time, which has not occurred since 1952.U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions in front of the West Wing of the White House as he departs to attend a briefing at the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center, March 3, 2020.Trump has commented almost daily about the Democratic race, dishing out negative nicknames to all of his would-be Democratic opponents, calling Sanders “Crazy Bernie,” Biden “Sleepy Joe” and Bloomberg “Mini Mike” for his short stature.The president said Tuesday he would gladly debate any of the Democrats in the weeks before the Nov. 3 election, when the party’s nominee has been selected.“Whoever it is, I don’t care. We’ll take them on,” Trump told reporters. “I’ll debate any of them, gladly. Very gladly.”He said there is “no question the Democratic establishment is trying to take it away from Sanders. No question in my mind.”
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By Polityk | 03/04/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Former VP Joe Biden Picks Up Key Endorsements Ahead of Super Tuesday Balloting
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden picked up three key endorsements Monday from former rivals for the Democratic presidential ticket, adding momentum to his campaign ahead of voting in primaries in more than a dozen states known as Super Tuesday.U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Monday and, along with former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, endorsed Biden at a rally in Dallas. Klobuchar’s withdrawal came a day after another moderate Democrat, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, ended his campaign. He also endorsed Biden on Monday.Klobuchar, from the Midwestern state of Minnesota, positioned herself as a practical pragmatist in the Democratic presidential nomination race, adopting decidedly moderate positions on several issues, including opposition to a government takeover of health care insurance in the United States.But despite a brief surge in political surveys, she did no better than third-to-sixth-place finishes in the first four state nominating contests last month. Pre-election surveys for Super Tuesday voting showed her ahead only in her home state.Biden swept to his first primary election victory in three runs for the U.S. presidency on Saturday, a convincing win in South Carolina.In addition to Klobuchar and Buttigieg, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer also dropped out of the race after Biden’s strong showing in South Carolina.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., greets supporters during a rally Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Richmond, Va.The trio of withdrawals leaves four major Democratic contenders: current leader Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a self-declared democratic socialist; Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, another liberal who has fared poorly in early voting; former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire whose name is appearing on ballots for the first time Tuesday; and Biden, who served two terms as the country’s vice president under former President Barack Obama.Polling shows Biden winning seven of the 14 states voting Tuesday, with Sanders coming out on top in six states. Minnesota is now uncertain with Klobuchar’s withdrawal. But Sanders is far ahead in California, the most populous state in the U.S. and the biggest prize in Tuesday’s voting.A total of 415 delegates to July’s National Democratic Convention are at stake in California, which could give Sanders a substantial edge in the race for delegates no matter how many other states Biden might win in the Tuesday balloting. Candidates are awarded pledged convention delegates based on their vote counts in the state-by-state elections, but get none if they do not win at least 15% of the vote.But Biden is already pressing his case that Sanders at the top of the Democratic ticket would prove a disaster in some parts of the country for other Democratic candidates in the November election.“I think there’s an awful lot of people who are running for office who don’t want to run with Bernie at the top of the ticket as a self-proclaimed socialist,” Biden said in an interview with CBS News.”The establishment is getting very, very nervous,” Sanders told supporters at a Monday rally in Utah.
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By Polityk | 03/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democratic Presidential Contenders Face Grueling Super Tuesday Test
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar ended her presidential campaign Monday and was expected to endorse former vice president Joe Biden. Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg is also endorsing Biden after dropping out of the race yesterday (Sunday). The shifting alliances come as the battle for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination reaches a new level of intensity on Tuesday, when 14 states around the country hold primaries. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is favored in several of the states on Super Tuesday, but Biden is hoping his victory in South Carolina on Saturday will give his campaign a shot of momentum heading into the Tuesday primaries. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has a preview of the Tuesday voting from Washington.
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By Polityk | 03/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Voters Warned of Foreign Influence Operations
U.S. security and intelligence officials are warning voters to expect foreign actors to try to sway their views as they prepare to go to the polls in a series of key presidential primaries.The warning, issued on the eve of Super Tuesday votes in 14 states and one territory, comes as a series of intelligence leaks in recent weeks suggested Russia, in particular, has been trying to put its mark on the upcoming U.S. presidential election.While the latest statement did not single out Russia, it urged voters to beware.“Foreign actors continue to try to influence public sentiment and shape voter perceptions,” it said. “They spread false information and propaganda about political processes and candidates on social media in hopes to cause confusion and create doubt in our system.”The warning from leaders of the departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security and Justice – with the FBI, the National Security Agency and other federal entities – added, “We remain alert and ready to respond to any efforts to disrupt the 2020 elections.”There has been growing concern in recent weeks following reports indicating Russia is seeking to bolster the reelection campaign of both President Donald Trump and a Democratic candidate, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.U.S. intelligence officials have since denied some of the allegations – based on leaks from a classified briefing to lawmakers – that there is any evidence Moscow is backing Trump’s reelection efforts. But Sanders told reporters he was, in fact, warned about Russian meddling. And since then there has been an increasing number of calls from lawmakers and former U.S. intelligence officials for the government to clarify what is and is not transpiring.Growing Calls for US Intelligence to Clear Up Russian Meddling AllegationsSome US lawmakers and former officials are urging declassification of the latest intelligence on Russian election inference efforts to give voters an unvarnished look“The level of coordination and communication between the federal government and state, local and private sector partners is stronger than it’s ever been,” Tuesday’s statement said. “Our Departments and Agencies are working together in an unprecedented level of commitment and effort to protect our elections and to counter malign foreign influence.”The U.S. intelligence community concluded, following the 2018 elections, that Russia, Iran and China all sought to interfere. Since then, numerous officials have warned those countries and others, even non-state actors, may try to meddle with the upcoming presidential elections.A good deal of concern has focused on influence campaigns, like those implemented by Russia on social media four years ago in the run-up to the last U.S. presidential election.“We believe that as they did in 2016 that they will try to influence the election in 2020,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told lawmakers last week.“They continue to sow discord with our elections,” he said, cautioning, “We don’t have any specific intelligence.”A report earlier this year from Estonia’s foreign intelligence service also warned meddling by the Kremlin was likely.“Russia wants to show that the West is failing to hold fair elections,” it said.But there are also concerns that Russia and others might target some of the U.S. voting infrastructure, such as each state’s voter registration database.”The areas where information is centralized and its highly networked, that’s where a lot of the risk is,” Chris Krebs, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA) said at a security conference last week.”The American people need to understand that we are taking this seriously, we’re engaged on it, but 100% security is not going to be the outcome,” he added.In the meantime, there has also been growing political acrimony over the Trump administration’s response to election security.Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday slammed the administration for missing a deadline to report on election security and accused the president of “refusing to protect the integrity of our elections.”NEW: @SpeakerPelosi blasts @POTUS for missed deadline on #Election2020 security reportTrump, @senatemajldr “need to explain to the American ppl why they are refusing to protect the integrity of our elections…As I continue to say, with this President, all roads lead to #Putin” pic.twitter.com/m1MMpDY1wl— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) February 28, 2020Tuesday’s statement by U.S. security and intelligence officials, though, said systems are being secured and that any meddling will not go unpunished.“We continue to make it clear to foreign actors that any effort to undermine our democratic processes will be met with sharp consequences,” it warned.
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By Polityk | 03/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Amy Klobuchar Ends US Democratic Presidential Bid
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Monday, with plans to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden.Her decision came a day before Super Tuesday, when voters head to the polls in 14 states.Klobuchar, from the Midwestern state of Minnesota, positioned herself as a practical pragmatist in the Democratic presidential nomination race, adopting decidedly moderate positions on several issues, including opposition to a government takeover of health care insurance in the United States.But despite a brief surge in political surveys, she did no better than third-to-sixth-place finishes in the first four state nominating contests last month. Pre-election surveys for Super Tuesday voting showed her ahead only in her home state.Her aides said she would endorse Biden in a Monday night speech in Dallas, Texas. Biden swept to his first primary election victory in three runs for the U.S. presidency on Saturday, a convincing win in South Carolina.Trio of withdrawalsKlobuchar’s withdrawal came a day after another moderate Democrat, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, ended his campaign. He also plans to endorse Biden.Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer announces the end of his presidential campaign following the results of the South Carolina primary, Feb. 29, 2020, in Columbia, South Carolina.Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer also dropped out of the race after Biden’s strong showing in South Carolina.The trio of withdrawals leaves four major Democratic contenders: current leader Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a self-declared democratic socialist; Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, another liberal who has fared poorly in early voting; former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire whose name is appearing on ballots for the first time Tuesday; and Biden, who served two terms as the country’s vice president under former President Barack Obama.Polling shows Biden winning seven of the 14 states voting Tuesday, with Sanders coming out on top in six states. Minnesota is now uncertain with Klobuchar’s withdrawal. But Sanders is far ahead in California, the most populous state in the U.S. and the biggest prize in Tuesday’s voting.A total of 415 delegates to July’s National Democratic Convention are at stake in California, which could give Sanders a substantial edge in the race for delegates no matter how many other states Biden might win in the Tuesday balloting. Candidates are awarded pledged convention delegates based on their vote counts in the state-by-state elections, but get none if they do not win at least 15% of the vote.But Biden is already pressing his case that Sanders at the top of the Democratic ticket would prove a disaster in some parts of the country for other Democratic candidates in the November election.“I think there’s an awful lot of people who are running for office who don’t want to run with Bernie at the top of the ticket as a self-proclaimed socialist,” Biden said in an interview with CBS News.Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg announces his withdrawal from the race during an event in South Bend, Indiana, March 1, 2020. (Credit: Santiago Flores/South Bend Tribune via USA TODAY NETWORK)As he dropped out, Buttigieg, the first openly gay presidential candidate in the U.S., said he had made what he called the “difficult decision” to exit the contest.He promised to do “everything in my power” to see a Democrat take over the White House next January. Buttigieg said he hopes he sent a message to every kid who is “marked as different,” showing them they can become a leading presidential candidate “with his husband at his side.”Buttigieg finished a disappointing fourth in the South Carolina primary, winning no delegates.His campaign had gotten off to a strong start with a narrow win in the Iowa caucuses, and a close second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary. But he struggled to compete for support among moderates with Biden, who had far greater support among African American voters.Biden called Buttigieg’s candidacy a “historic trailblazing campaign,” while Bloomberg said the Buttigieg campaign made the Democratic Party “stronger, and our nation better.”
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By Polityk | 03/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Southern Super Tuesday States Put Sanders to Test
If polling data holds true, Senator Bernie Sanders could score big wins on Super Tuesday in many of the 14 states up for grabs, including California and Texas, America’s most populous and delegate-rich states.The front-running self-described democratic socialist Sanders has polled well in all Super Tuesday battlegrounds, including the home state of a competitor. An average of recent public opinion surveys gives Sanders an edge over Senator Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts. The poll also shows him nearly tied with Senator Amy Klobuchar in her home state of Minnesota, though she announced Monday that she is dropping out of the presidential race.But Saturday’s primary result in South Carolina foreshadows a likely bumpy ride for Sanders in southern states overall. The Palmetto State provided a badly-needed win for former Vice President Joe Biden, a moderate who served alongside Barack Obama, America’s first black president. African Americans comprise the largest bloc of Democratic voters in the state and are a major constituency throughout the South.FILE – Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virginia, March 1, 2020.Polling data show Democratic voters in the South, especially African Americans, tend to be more moderate than their counterparts in the northeast and the West Coast. For instance, a 2014 Pew study found that only 24% of Alabama Democrats identified themselves as liberal, while Gallup poll data from the same year showed 43% of Democrats across the nation considered themselves liberal.The South’s moderate Democratic leanings could also bode well for former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg who, like Biden, wants to reform major American institutions, not upend them. Sanders, by contrast, wants the federal government to supplant private health insurance and guarantee free college education nationwide.Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2020 Conference in Washington, March 2, 2020.With 415 delegates up for grabs in California, and another 228 in play in Texas, Alabama’s 52 delegates might not seem like a big deal. Taken in aggregate with delegates from Arkansas (31), North Carolina (110) and Tennessee (64), however, and a majority of these 257 delegates could make the difference between clearing Sanders’ road to the nomination, and the moderate wing of the party finally rallying around a single challenger like Biden.A frequent complaint of the first three primary-season contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, was that African Americans made up no more than 9% of each state’s population — making them significantly more homogeneous than the country at-large. However, African Americans comprised 60% of the Democratic primary vote in South Carolina over the weekend. And diversity will become a key factor this week, as each of the southern Super Tuesday states have African American population percentages ranking in the top dozen. Alabama tops the group at 26%.Many of the remaining candidates have claimed to build campaigns meant to appeal to a broad, representative electorate, and this Tuesday they will have their chance to prove it. Robert Coon, a managing partner and political consultant at Impact Management Group in Little Rock, says Arkansas, for example, “will include a mix of African Americans, liberals, moderates, and both urban and rural voters, that is much more reflective of the nationwide Democratic electorate.”Two other southern states, Virginia and Oklahoma, appeared to be promising territory for Sanders. However, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine’s endorsement of Biden a day before the South Carolina primary may enhance Biden’s prospects in Virginia, where 99 delegates are at stake.Ultimately, in states as diverse as these, the race may come down to turnout, says Jay Barth, professor of politics at Hendrix College in Arkansas.”If the electorate on Tuesday skews younger, it could mean victory for Sanders,” Barth explained. “If it skews more heavily African American, it will be good for Biden. And, if it skews older, I think Bloomberg will benefit.”No matter the outcome, this relatively small number of Southern Super Tuesday voters will play a major role in this next stage of the 2020 Democratic Primary.
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By Polityk | 03/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democratic Campaign Expands With Super Tuesday Voting
The competition for the Democratic presidential nomination expands significantly Tuesday with voters in 14 states casting their ballots in support of the candidate they want to oppose President Donald Trump in the November national election.About one-third of the delegates that will be awarded during the state-by-state voting process are up for grabs Tuesday, including the biggest pot of candidates at stake in the western state of California.After one-off contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, the so-called Super Tuesday event brings a national tone to the nomination process, with voters in western, southern, northeastern and midwestern states all taking part on the same day, along with those in the U.S. territory of American Samoa.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign event, Feb. 28, 2020, in Springfield, Mass.Frontrunner Sanders
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leads the race with 58 pledged delegates so far. He could get a big boost from voters in California and Texas where polls showed him leading all other candidates.The third-biggest prize Tuesday is the state of North Carolina, where polls showed Sanders in a tight battle with former Vice President Joe Biden.Biden is fresh off a win Saturday in the primary in neighboring South Carolina, and now has earned 50 pledged delegates.Sitting in third place in the delegate count is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who earned all eight of hers a month ago in Iowa before a series of disappointing finishes. She is in a tight race in Massachusetts with Sanders, according to recent polls.Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is the only other active candidate with any delegates — seven — and is expected to do well in her home state.Besides expanding to a larger number of states, Tuesday’s voting comes at a time of change in the race.Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg campaigns Feb. 29, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.Buttigieg, Steyer withdraw
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced Sunday he was ending his campaign for president. He ascended from little-known status to win the Iowa caucuses and finish a close second place in the New Hampshire primary.Billionaire Tom Steyer also ended his campaign after finishing in third place, with no delegates, in South Carolina where he had hoped his strongest polling could yield positive results.Bloomberg
In an addition to the race, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is appearing on ballots for the first time. He joined the race months after his competition and decided to skip contesting the four February states in order to focus his early campaign on Super Tuesday. The billionaire spent $400 million on a massive ad campaign targeting Super Tuesday states.The other states holding contests Tuesday are Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
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By Polityk | 03/03/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Supreme Court Will Decide the Fate of Obama Health Care Law
The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide a lawsuit that threatens the Obama-era health care law, but the decision is not likely until after the 2020 election.The court said it would hear an appeal by 20 mainly Democratic states of a lower-court ruling that declared part of the statute unconstitutional and cast a cloud over the rest.Defenders of the Affordable Care Act argued that the issues raised by the case are too important to let the litigation drag on for months or years in lower courts and that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans erred when it struck down the health law’s now toothless requirement that Americans have health insurance.The case will be the third major Supreme Court battle over the law popularly known as Obamacare since its passage in 2010. The court has twice upheld the heart of the law, with Chief Justice John Roberts memorably siding with the court’s liberals in 2012, amid President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. The majority that upheld the law twice remains on the court, Roberts and the four liberal justices.The Trump administration’s views on the law have shifted over time, but it has always supported getting rid of provisions that prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against people with existing health ailments. Congressional repeal of the law narrowly failed in 2017, when the Republicans controlled the House and the Senate.The entire health care law is in effect pending the ongoing court case. About 20 million people now have coverage through the ACA, including its subsidized private insurance and Medicaid expansion.The Democratic states had asked for a fast-track review with a decision by late June, before the 2020 elections in November. Instead, the justices probably will hear arguments in the fall, with a decision likely in the spring of 2021.Still, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra welcomed the court’s decision to take up the appeal.“As Texas and the Trump Administration fight to disrupt our healthcare system and the coverage that millions rely upon, we look forward to making our case in defense of the ACA. American lives depend upon it,” Becerra said in a statement.The high court action takes the case out of the hands of a federal district judge in Texas who had previously struck down the entire law.The new case stems from the 2017 passage of tax legislation that left the health insurance mandate in place but eliminated the financial penalty for not buying insurance. Congress made no other changes to the law.Texas and other Republican-led states sued, arguing that the elimination of the penalty rendered the mandate unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor agreed, adding that the mandate was so central to the law that without it the rest of the law must fall, too.While finding the health law’s individual mandate to be unconstitutional, the appeals court made no decision on such popular provisions as protections for people with preexisting conditions, Medicaid expansion and coverage for young adults up to age 26 on their parents’ policies.The 5th Circuit sent the case back to O’Connor to determine whether other parts of the law can be separated from the insurance requirement and thus remain in place.University of Notre Dame law professor Richard Garnett said the high court’s decision to “intervene now, and not — as it could have — to wait for the case to develop more below, suggests that the justices are skeptical about the challengers’ sweeping argument that the entire Act is unconstitutional.”Besides expanding insurance coverage, the 900-page law also made many changes to other programs, including Medicare, community health centers and fraud-fighting. Sorting out whether some provisions could remain while others go with the insurance mandate would be a colossal effort.The justices on Monday granted two different appeals, one from the Democratic states and the other from the Republican side, that essentially put all the issues in front of the court, from the insurance mandate to the validity of the entire law if the mandate does not survive. The court took no action on a separate appeal filed by the Democratic-led House of Representatives.
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By Polityk | 03/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
What is Super Tuesday?
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This map shows the states holding 2020 primaries on Super TuesdayWhat is at stake? On Super Tuesday, 1,357 delegates will be awarded, a significant chunk of the 3,979 pledged delegates at stake in the nominating race.In order for candidates to win any delegates in a state, they must finish with at least 15% of the vote, either in the statewide total or an individual congressional district.North Carolina, with its 110 delegates, could give the winning candidate bragging rights about success in a general election battleground state.Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar will be tested in the respective states they represent in the Senate – Vermont (16 delegates), Massachusetts (91 delegates) and Minnesota (75 delegates).The other states’ delegate counts are as follows: Virginia (99), Colorado (67), Tennessee (64), Alabama (52), Oklahoma (37), Arkansas (31), Utah (29) and Maine (24). Additionally, 13 delegates will be awarded for “Democrats Abroad” and six in American Samoa. FILE – From left, candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg, participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas.Who is best positioned to win? To be competitive on Super Tuesday, candidates cannot simply invest time and money in one place to try to win votes. Instead, they must have the infrastructure and fundraising to air television ads and have staff in states across the country.Sanders tops opinion polls in California, where he is hoping to capitalize on his momentum to build a large lead. Former Vice President Joe Biden has seen his position there slide after failing to win any of the first three state votes.Biden hopes to gain ground in South Carolina, where he leads polls ahead of its primary on Saturday. But he and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have struggled to match Sanders in fundraising, making it harder for them to compete on a broader scale.Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman, skipped the early states and has spent more than $500 million running ads in Super Tuesday states as he looks to surpass Biden and Buttigieg as the front-runner among moderates.Bloomberg appears to be taking moderate voters from Biden in Texas, where both men are hoping to best Sanders.The trio of states represented by candidates still in the running will also be closely watched. Sanders is the easy favorite in Vermont, but Warren and Klobuchar face tougher fights in their home states.When will we know results? With the exception of a single caucus in American Samoa, the rest of the Super Tuesday states are holding primaries, meaning they should be able to avoid the problems that led to reporting delays after caucuses in Iowa and Nevada.But with so many states voting, the full picture of Super Tuesday results could still take days to emerge.Several states in the Eastern time zone will be the first to close their polls on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST (0000 GMT). Results should start to trickle in soon afterward, although it will likely take hours for all the votes to be tabulated and winners declared.California’s polls close last at 8 p.m. PST (0400 GMT Wednesday). In 2016, because the race was so close, it took a month for California Democratic officials to count all of the votes and declare Hillary Clinton the winner over Sanders.State officials are hoping that even with a tight race and bigger field this year, the Democratic nominating battle is settled more quickly. If the margins are close, the state could take a while to reach a conclusion as it waits to count absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day.
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By Polityk | 03/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Are Texas Democrats on Super Tuesday Ready for a Socialist Presidential Candidate?
Asia Wright is in her second year of law school at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She’s voting for the first time in a presidential election and says “duty and conviction” brought her out to the polls. She’s looking, she said, for a candidate in touch with the community, one who relies on a team to make decisions.“I want someone who isn’t like (President Donald) Trump, who just thinks that they are the end-all and they know everything,” she said. In early voting, Wright chose former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.But Sunday evening, Buttigieg suspended his campaign and canceled a Dallas rally minutes before it was to begin, leaving many supporters standing around, talking about Buttigieg’s future.Vinny Bonanno sat, looking shell-shocked, as workers dismantled the stage and seats. He said he’s still proud of his candidate for “putting the words ‘gay’ and ‘president’” in the same sentence for many Americans.Texas traditions vs Democratic primaryWith days to go before the vote, Texas polling has Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leading the southern state, followed by and occasionally tied with, former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders’ popularity in a traditionally staunch conservative state confounds some because he is a self-described democratic socialist who champions Medicare-for-all and free public universities.Gary Buster from Fort Worth, Texas, calls those empty promises. “A lot of the younger generation is supporting these Democrats and these socialist ideas, and it’s crazy to think that something’s free — it’s not,” he said.But Anita Basudevan of Houston, Texas, disagrees. She chose Sanders in early voting for many reasons, including his health care plan. She says democratic socialism is misconstrued and Texans are looking for someone “new and fresh.”Basudevan says her understanding of socialism is that it “really takes the power away from the big businesses and gives it back to the people.”Longtime Texas Republican Consultant Republican Political Consultant Craig Murphy (l) discusses the Texas Primary with colleague Ross Hunt at Murphy Nasica. (VOA/Carolyn Presutti)“His strength is more a function of the weakness of all the other candidates that he shares the ballot with,” Murphy said.Money winnows the packDallas County District Court Judge Eric Moyé has been active in Texas politics since the early 1990s. Moyé predicts the other candidates on the ballot will soon drop out and that Biden will edge out Sanders in Texas because he is the “established” candidate.“Almost every elected official has endorsed Biden,” said Moyé, who believes the Sanders’ “early lead will galvanize the establishment of the Democratic Party” to urge more moderate candidates to drop out of the race, pushing more support to Biden.Immediately following the release of Saturday’s results from South Carolina’s primary, billionaire Tom Steyer dropped out of the Democratic race saying, “I no longer see a path to victory.” That was followed by Sunday’s announcement from Buttigieg. Experts predict the field will narrow even more following Super Tuesday when more candidates may find they lack the funds to continue.The Biden campaign, coming off his win in South Carolina Saturday, says it raised $5 million in 24 hours. The Sanders campaign raised $46.5 million in February from more than 2 million donors. The campaign says the average donor gave $21.Conservative TexasThe A rodeo competition at the American Rodeo semi-finals. This cowboy is trying to lasso and wrestle a steer to the ground in record time. (VOA/Carolyn Presutti)“We love rodeo,” said self-described “strong conservative” Susanne Franks of Austin, Texas, who calls former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg “interesting.”Lupe Valdez, former Dallas County Sheriff and former Texas gubernatorial candidate, is throwing her support behind any Democrat “who can beat (Republican President) Donald Trump.” Valdez became the first gay Hispanic sheriff elected in the U.S.She does not believe Sanders will do well in Texas asserting, “I think a moderate will be more successful … maybe not in the primary, but in the general election, especially in Texas.”In a Marist/NBC News poll released Sunday, Sanders is predicted to get 34% of the Texas vote, and Biden 19%. They are followed by Bloomberg (15%) and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (10%).
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By Polityk | 03/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Sanders’ Praise of Castro Raises Foreign Policy Concerns
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ foreign policy views are coming under increased scrutiny, in light of his past comments praising Castro’s communist Cuba.The progressive senator from Vermont, who is the current Democratic front runner in the race to win the party nomination for president, was recently confronted by positive remarks he made years ago about improved health care and education in Cuba under Communist leader Fidel Castro, during a “60 Minutes” television interview on CBS.Cuban American leaders from both political parties, including Senator Marco Rubio (Republican-Florida) and Senator Bob Menendez (Democrat-New Jersey) have criticized Sanders for appearing to ignore or condone widespread repression in Cuba, where, according to Human Right Watch, thousands have been “incarcerated in abysmal prisons”, and “entire generations” have been denied basic political freedoms.At last Tuesday’s Democratic Party debate in South Carolina, Sanders emphasized his opposition to “authoritarianism all over the world,” when questioned about his past praise of communist Cuba, but defended his views, saying they are no different than those of former president Barack Obama, who restored full U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2014.”Occasionally, it might be a good idea, to be honest about American foreign policy,” Sanders said, adding that the U.S. should acknowledge both the constructive progress made by authoritarian adversaries, as well as America’s past role in overthrowing governments in Iran, Guatemala and Chile.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., greets the audience after speaking at a campaign rally in Springfield, Va., Feb. 29, 2020.Radical pastSanders’ polarizing foreign policy views along with his socialist domestic agenda, is raising concerns about both the viability of his candidacy and his ability to govern, if elected.”If it’s humanly possible for the country to become more polarized than it is right now, a Sanders presidency will achieve it,” said David Barker, a professor of politics at American University in Washington.Many moderates warn that his proposed policies are too extreme, and could bring about a Republican landslide, ensuring both U.S. President Donald Trump’s reelection and possibly losing Democratic control of the House of Representatives, if he were to become the Democratic nominee.Sanders has a long history of criticizing U.S. foreign policy while praising communist adversaries. In the 1980s he aligned with the Socialist Workers Party that was calling for “solidarity” with Iran while it was holding American hostages, and for communist Cuba. He also praised the investment in culture and mass transit in the Soviet Union while visiting the country in 1998.As a candidate for president, Sanders’ foreign policy positions reflect his long standing views that American foreign interventions from Vietnam to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, have not succeeded to deter foreign aggression, to support democracy abroad, and to root out the threat of terrorism.“I think the last 20 years has shown that we need to be, I think, a bit more humble about our ability to produce certain outcomes in other countries,” said Matthew Duss, a foreign policy adviser to the Senator Sanders campaign at a conference in Washington last week, organized by the Foreign Policy news organization and Quincy Institute Forum public policy research group.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign event, Feb. 28, 2020, in Springfield, Mass.Trump comparisonSanders shares President Trump’s view that the U.S. should pull back from “endless” foreign military engagements in Afghanistan and Syria, but differs on what he sees as Trump’s impulsive implementation that left Kurdish allies in Syria abandoned.Sanders instead would implement an incremental strategy of restraint, one that critics say, would act more aggressively to reduce the U.S. military capabilities than Trump, by significantly cutting the defense budget, and rejecting the use of almost all military force, except to prevent a direct attack on Americans or to support an ally like Taiwan if China were to invade.“Of course we should be more restrained, until we shouldn’t,” said retired Army General David Petraeus, a former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan at the foreign policy forum. “How do you deter actions by an adversary or a potential adversary? You do it by showing that you have the capability and also the will.”Along with many in the foreign policy establishment, Sanders has been critical of Trump’s unilateral approach to security and trade, and supports reestablishing close working relationships with allies and international institutions like the United Nations. Sanders would also rejoin the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by President Barack Obama that eased sanctions on Tehran for a freeze on its nuclear development program. President Trump pulled out of the agreement and increased sanctions to force Iran to end its ballistic missile program and curtail support for militant groups in the region.
However, Sanders is also skeptical about the effectiveness of sanctions to force compliance. Sanctions advocates are often “very hawkish factions that really want to prevent diplomacy from taking place,” said Sanders’ foreign policy adviser Duss. He added that economic trade restrictions end up “hurting populations” and “empowering the very people we supposedly want to impact.”By taking the military option off the table and using sanctions sparingly, opponents question the effectiveness of Sanders’ diplomatic viewpoint.People listen as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a campaign rally in Springfield, Va., Feb. 29, 2020.In January, the Trump campaign accused Sanders of “pushing a naive, dangerous policy of appeasement toward Iran,” after Sanders criticized the U.S. drone strike killing Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, that he said, risked a “dangerous escalation” into a potential military conflict. The progressive foreign policy that Sanders espouses, prioritizes supporting democracy versus autocracy, opposing efforts by Russia and China to undermine elected governments around the world while supporting human rights and inequality for working people.However, this sets up a “fundamental contradiction,” wrote Thomas Wright, a foreign policy analyst with the Brookings Institution, on his policy blog, that would force Sanders to “choose between waging the struggle against autocrats and cutting the defense budget and de-emphasizing military power.”
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By Polityk | 03/02/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
