Presidential Primaries 2016

[kellyb]

In a sense, these debates really depend on the candidates themselves and their collective and individual willingness to abide by anyone's authority. There's no inherent power in the RNC and DNC to determine debates. Candidates are free to accept any invitation to take the stage with other candidates and duke it out.

That used to be true, but it's not any more.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/06/democrats-debate-schedule-hillary-clinton

The debate process among Democrats has caused significant controversy. Some within the party have long griped that the DNC’s debate schedule, which only allows for six debates, gives an inherent advantage to Clinton in an attempt to avoid a contentious primary.

In particular, the imposition of an “exclusivity rule” – which prevents candidates from participating in debates that were not sanctioned by the national party – has drawn ire

 

[SezMe]

I don't see a problem with your bolded part. It seems to reflect the Golden Rule: He who gots the gold, makes the rules. It's Dem gig so they should be able to establish the rules.

Yeah, it sucks to be left out but I'd assert that anyone who is not "sanctioned" (whatever that means) by the Dems is not going to win the Dem nomination anyway. Is getting "sanctioned" a big deal? I certainly don't know.

BTW, when did televised PRIMARY debates become such a big deal? 2012?

 

[Trakar]

I don't see a problem with your bolded part. It seems to reflect the Golden Rule: He who gots the gold, makes the rules. It's Dem gig so they should be able to establish the rules.

Yeah, it sucks to be left out but I'd assert that anyone who is not "sanctioned" (whatever that means) by the Dems is not going to win the Dem nomination anyway. Is getting "sanctioned" a big deal? I certainly don't know.

BTW, when did televised PRIMARY debates become such a big deal? 2012?

I seem to recall the Bush Reagan debates in 1980 were a pretty big deal, as were the 2000 Bush McCain debates.

 

[kellyb]

I don't see a problem with your bolded part. It seems to reflect the Golden Rule: He who gots the gold, makes the rules. It's Dem gig so they should be able to establish the rules.

Yeah, it sucks to be left out but I'd assert that anyone who is not "sanctioned" (whatever that means) by the Dems is not going to win the Dem nomination anyway. Is getting "sanctioned" a big deal? I certainly don't know.

BTW, when did televised PRIMARY debates become such a big deal? 2012?

I don't necessarily have a huge problem with it, either, but I just wanted to let people know candidates don't have the autonomy they used to any more. The exclusivity clause and debate limits are totally new.

ETA: With the exclusivity rule, by "sanctioned" they just mean candidates can't participate in debates that aren't DNC approved.

 

[SezMe]

I'd certainly hold either party in more respect if they would turn responsibility and authority over even the primary debates to the League.

 

[Puppycow]

Well I guess we'll find out if Ed Henry is full of it or not:

Sources Tell Fox’s Ed Henry Joe Biden Expected to Run For President

Three sources close to @VP telling me he's expected to announce he is running but the sources are all urging caution on 48-hr timeline

A congressman also says the same:

I have a very good source close to Joe that tells me VP Biden will run for Prez

Supposedly announcement may come sometime this week.

Personally I wish he'd stay out.

If anyone's interested, here's an old profile of Joe Biden written in 1974 when he was a young 31-year-old senator. Written by a young reporter named Kitty Kelley:

Death and the All-American Boy

Joe Biden was a lot more careful around the press after this 1974 profile.

He is surprisingly open about his sex life in the profile. Maybe it was a sign of the times. This was during the so-called "sexual revolution" of the 60s and 70s. Maybe he thought prudery was quaint, and people wanted politicians to be more open about their sexuality. Heck, I also read that Bernie Sanders was writing about sex in those days. But if there was a brief respite, I don't think that sort of prudery ever went away. We know our politicians have sex lives, but we don't really want to hear the details.

Some other quotes:

He defines politics as power. “And, whether you like it or not, young lady,” he says, leaning over his desk to shake a finger at me, “us cruddy politicians can take away that First Amendrnent of yours if we want to.” There’s no time to pursue the point—Biden is summoned o the floor for a vote.

Another sign of the times, I guess: mansplaining to the "young lady" reporter that her first amendment rights are a privilege bestowed by politicians such as himself.

In the “Senators Only” elevator he says hello to several colleagues. Senator William Proxmire pops the question: “Hi, Joe, how are you? I understand you’re going to be getting married soon.” The Wisconsin Senator obviously read the recent UPI story about Biden and Francine Barnard, a Capitol Hill reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Since he has another reporter with him—me—Biden is flustered. He tries to make a joke out of it: Turning to Senator Thomas Eagleton, he says, “Be careful, Tom. Ms. Kelley’s with the press and she’s here to check out those rumors about your marriage bust-up.” Eagleton smoothly changes the subject as we walk back to the office. Biden tells him a joke with an antisemitic punchline and asks that it be off the record.

Biden resents being called the bright young liberal of the New Left. “I hate that picture,” he says, “and I don’t care how that damn Americans for Democratic Action rates me. Those ADA ratings get us into so much trouble that a lot of us sit around thinking up ways to vote conservative just so we don’t come out with a liberal rating. When it comes to civil rights and civil liberties, I’m a liberal but that’s it. I’m really quite conservative on most other issues. My wife said I was the most socially conservative man she had ever known. I’m a screaming liberal when it comes to senior citizens because I really think they are getting screwed. I’m a liberal on health care because I believe it is a birth right of every human being—not just some damn privilege to be meted out to a few people. But when it comes to issues like abortion, amnesty, and acid, I’m about as liberal as your grandmother. I don’t like the Supreme Court decision on abortion. I think it went too far. I don’t think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body. I support a limited amnesty, and I don’t think marijuana should be legalized. Now, if you still think I’m a liberal, let me tell you that I support the draft. I’m scared to death of a professional army. I vote my own way and it is not always with the Democrats. I did vote for George McGovern, of course, but I would have voted for Mickey Mouse against Richard Nixon. I despise that man.”

Senator Biden doesn’t believe issues make much difference in an election—personality and presentation are the key. He said as much the night he addressed the Democratic Forum, a small group of Washington liberals who meet with politicians on a regular basis. “I don’t think the issues mean a great deal in terms of whether you win or lose. I think the issues are merely a vehicle to portray your intellectual capacity to the voters … a vehicle by which the voters will determine your honesty and candor. The central issue of my campaign—and I used all the issues from busing to the war to the economy, crime, and prison reform—was to convince the people that I was intelligent and to convince them that I was honest.

 

[varwoche]

Kitty Kelley was (is?) a gossip "reporter" not known for being factual.

 

[Puppycow]

Kitty Kelley was (is?) a gossip "reporter" not known for being factual.

Yeah, true. This was before she became famous for her celebrity biographies. She was an up-and-coming reporter at the time.

 

[Trakar]

Well I guess we'll find out if Ed Henry is full of it or not:

Sources Tell Fox’s Ed Henry Joe Biden Expected to Run For President


A congressman also says the same:


Supposedly announcement may come sometime this week.

Personally I wish he'd stay out.

If anyone's interested, here's an old profile of Joe Biden written in 1974 when he was a young 31-year-old senator. Written by a young reporter named Kitty Kelley:

Death and the All-American Boy



He is surprisingly open about his sex life in the profile. Maybe it was a sign of the times. This was during the so-called "sexual revolution" of the 60s and 70s. Maybe he thought prudery was quaint, and people wanted politicians to be more open about their sexuality. Heck, I also read that Bernie Sanders was writing about sex in those days. But if there was a brief respite, I don't think that sort of prudery ever went away. We know our politicians have sex lives, but we don't really want to hear the details.

Some other quotes:


Another sign of the times, I guess: mansplaining to the "young lady" reporter that her first amendment rights are a privilege bestowed by politicians such as himself.

Sounds like the Biden I know and don't much care for, But he'll siphon some of the DINOs who would have sat in the HRC camp till after the primaries, so there's a silver lining, I suppose. Then he'll be disappointed and his political career will be over. Kinda sad, but every tool has its purpose.

 

[Tiktaalik]

So apparently Webb is dropping out, and will announce that today (Tuesday)...

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Webb is out: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/20/politics/jim-webb-2016-election-drops-out/index.html

Until the other night, I didn't even know he was "in".

 

[a_unique_person]

Good point, hgc. Given the wall to wall coverage it's easy to forget this is just the primaries.

Forgive my ignorance. Have the primaries even started yet?

 

[hgc]

It's been quite a while since we've seen any movement in the list, but today marks the end of J. Webb's quest for the Dem nod, and, with the talk of his consideration of an indy run, his addition to the Indeterminate category.

Who's next?

GOP
P. Ryan
C. Christie •
M. Rubio •
J. Bush •
M. Bachmann
W. "M." Romney
S. Palin, VP of Never Gonna Run for President
M. Huckabee •
T. Pawlenty
J. Thune
S. Walker •
D. Trump (Really!) •
R. Paul (le fils) •
J. DeMint
N. Haley
S. Martinez
R. Santorum (GOP first) •
M. Pence
C. Rice
R. "T." Cruz •
P. "B." Jindal •
J. Brewer
J. Kasich •
B. Carson •
R. "B." McDonnell
J. Huntsman
T. Nugent (Celebrity Jokebag Contingent)
P. King
J. Bolton
H. Cain
J. Scarborough
M. Rogers
M. Blackburn
A. West
R. Perry •
C. Fiorina •
L. Graham •
G. Pataki •
R. Snyder
B. Ehrlich
J. Gilmore •

Dem
H. Clinton •
J. Biden
M. Warner
M. O’Malley •
A. Klobuchar
C. Booker
A. Villaraigosa
B. Schweitzer
K. Gillibrand
A. Cuomo
R. Emmanuel
M. Cantwell
E. Warren
Ju. Castro
D. Patrick
H. Dean
E.G. "J." Brown
J. Webb • (overall first)
L. Chafee •
B. Sanders •
L. Lessig •
A. Gore

Indeterminate
M. Bloomberg
J. Ventura
V. Supreme (Jokebag Contingent)
J. McAfee •
J. Webb

 

[Dr. Keith]

Did Deez Nuts never make the list? I thought he was polling well at one point.

 

[Trakar]

Forgive my ignorance. Have the primaries even started yet?

Four more months or so before they start.

 

[SezMe]

.... with the talk of his consideration of an indy run.....

I missed that part. He did so poorly at the debate I'd be surprised if even his wife and kids were still supporters. Got a linky-poo?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Forgive my ignorance. Have the primaries even started yet?

The campaigning and debates have. But as for the first actual voting and caucuses, they are in Feb. Then there is Sooper Tuesday in March.

 

[SezMe]

The Reps go to church. It is a disgusting display of piety. This part is rich:

Everyone was invited to come but we believe the right people are in the room today,” said pastor Jack Graham, who interviewed all the candidates about the importance of faith in their lives. He identified those gathered as evangelicals whom he called “Christians who believe the Bible.” Santorum subsequently declared himself an “evangelical Catholic.

Responding to questions about his church’s non-profit status perhaps being violated because the event was political, Graham said that Democratic presidential hopefuls were also invited — but didn’t appear.

Well, color me surprised. No Dem showed up. I can imagine the invitation:

WELCOME ALL HEATHENS
Come to Jesus
Come to testify that you love the Lord
Come to kiss holy butt and gather voters into your flock

Uh, you are a Christian, right?​

 

[KDLarsen]

Perhaps a case of many were called, but few were chosen...?

 

[hgc]

At last... The long wait ends. J. Biden, not a candidate.

Housekeeping: B. Schweitzer, apparently not a candidate either.

GOP
P. Ryan
C. Christie •
M. Rubio •
J. Bush •
M. Bachmann
W. "M." Romney
S. Palin, VP of Never Gonna Run for President
M. Huckabee •
T. Pawlenty
J. Thune
S. Walker •
D. Trump (Really!) •
R. Paul (le fils) •
J. DeMint
N. Haley
S. Martinez
R. Santorum (GOP first) •
M. Pence
C. Rice
R. "T." Cruz •
P. "B." Jindal •
J. Brewer
J. Kasich •
B. Carson •
R. "B." McDonnell
J. Huntsman
T. Nugent (Celebrity Jokebag Contingent)
P. King
J. Bolton
H. Cain
J. Scarborough
M. Rogers
M. Blackburn
A. West
R. Perry •
C. Fiorina •
L. Graham •
G. Pataki •
R. Snyder
B. Ehrlich
J. Gilmore •

Dem
H. Clinton •
J. Biden
M. Warner
M. O’Malley •
A. Klobuchar
C. Booker
A. Villaraigosa
B. Schweitzer
K. Gillibrand
A. Cuomo
R. Emmanuel
M. Cantwell
E. Warren
Ju. Castro
D. Patrick
H. Dean
E.G. "J." Brown
J. Webb • (overall first)
L. Chafee •
B. Sanders •
L. Lessig •
A. Gore

Indeterminate
M. Bloomberg
J. Ventura
V. Supreme (Jokebag Contingent)
J. McAfee •
J. Webb