The Joe Biden 2020 tracker thread (8 Viewers)

Maine secretary of state again rules GOP failed in bid to nix ranked-choice voting law

The decision still requires the court’s approval.

bangordailynews.com

Why Was the Electoral College Created? | HISTORY

The Founding Fathers had to compromise when it came to devising a system to elect the president.

www.history.com

“It wasn’t like the Founders said, ‘Hey, what a great idea! This is the preferred way to select the chief executive, period,’” says Edwards. “They were tired, impatient, frustrated. They cobbled together this plan because they couldn’t agree on anything else.”

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Another camp was dead set against letting the people elect the president by a straight popular vote. First, they thought 18th-century voters lacked the resources to be fully informed about the candidates, especially in rural outposts. Second, they feared a headstrong “democratic mob” steering the country astray. And third, a populist president appealing directly to the people could command dangerous amounts of power.

Out of those drawn-out debates came a compromise based on the idea of electoral intermediaries. These intermediaries wouldn’t be picked by Congress or elected by the people. Instead, the states would each appoint independent “electors” who would cast the actual ballots for the presidency.

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And even more important, the Constitution says nothing about how the states should allot their electoral votes. The assumption was that each elector’s vote would be counted. But over time, all but two states (Maine and Nebraska) passed laws to give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state’s popular vote count. Any semblance of elector independence has been fully wiped out. (This was the dumbest thing they ever could have done. - emphasis mine)

The Founders also assumed that most elections would ultimately be decided by neither the people nor the electors, but by the House of Representatives. According to the Constitution, if no single candidate wins a majority of the electoral votes, the decision goes to the House, where each state gets one vote.

After the unanimous election of George Washington as the nation’s first president, the Founders figured that consequent elections would feature tons of candidates who would divide up the electoral pie into tiny chunks, giving Congress a chance to pick the winner. But as soon as national political parties formed, the number of presidential candidates shrank. Only two U.S. elections have been decided by the House and the last one was in 1824.

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Infoman said:

13 days after his death, Herman Cain 'tweets' about Biden-Harris

Herman Cain died July 30, but the former presidential candidate's account tweeted Wednesday about a video criticizing the Democratic presidential ticket.

www.wwltv.com

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Booker said:

The Harris selection seems to be going over well with donors...

Biden raises $26M in 24 hours after Harris VP announcement

Joe Biden raised $26 million in the 24 hours after he named Kamala Harris as his running mate, doubling his previous one-day record and signaling enthusiasm among Democrats following the selection of the first Black woman on a major party's presidential ticket. “It's really palpable, the...

www.yahoo.com

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insidejob said:

It's just time for the EC to go but that isn't going to happen unless Democrats take over all three branches.

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Mr. Blue Sky said:

I agree, but even if Democrats win all three branches in November, IMO nothing gets done on getting rid of the Electoral College, getting money out of politics, or any type of campaign reform for that matter in the next four years becuase there is gonna be SO much to dig out of, due to the disastrous policies of the Trump Crime Family- that it will take every minute of the next four years just to get back up to the (very imperfect) level of government ineptitude we already had four years ago.. That’s just how much worse the obese orange toddler has made things.

I think if Democrats were to continue to win all three branches in 2020, 2024 and then again in 2028 (highly unlikely , obviously), then we *might* start to see some real electoral changes- but even then I’m not sure... Hope I’m dead wrong about everything i just typed.

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Infoman said:

I wasn't really trying to compare Gabbard and Harris as potential VP picks... I thought it was great how She undressed and flogged Harris during the Primaries, and exposed her for who she is... I like Gabbard's stances on most things way more than Harris'... I think Gabbard has integrity, and a genuine care for the American people... I think Harris is the opposite of that... I think she is the typical politician that would say one thing today to get her way, and say the opposite tomorrow if it was to her advantage... She has proven that. That's was all I was getting at. (not a direct experience comparison for the VP pick - just some context)

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Where Tulsi Gabbard stands on the biggest 2020 issues

Our policy team breaks down all of the presidential candidate’s proposals on the biggest issues driving the 2020 race.

www.politico.com

insidejob said:

I guess I just think if the Democrats manage to acquire all three branches that they can walk and chew gum at the same time.

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wardorican said:

I didn't realize you were against the death penalty, for ending cash bail, for removing mandatory minimum sentences, for eliminating private prisons, for bringing back Glass-Steagall, for a $15/hr min wage, for broad paid medical leave / family leave, for studying reparations, for free college, for expanding student loan debt reduction, Support the assault weapons ban, in favor of universal background checks, few limits, if any, on abortion, basically for a universal health care, citizenship for Dreamers (DACA), infrastructure investment by winding down military campaigns (think we're all in agreement there for the most part), for slashing the defense budget, for legal weed, eliminate tax breaks for off shoring, consider holding companies liable for personal social media posts, breaking up large tech giants, and don't break up the Electoral college.

Where Tulsi Gabbard stands on the biggest 2020 issues

Our policy team breaks down all of the presidential candidate’s proposals on the biggest issues driving the 2020 race.

www.politico.com

Outside of that last one, she's been pretty much lock step with most of the other Democrats, outside of maybe military intervention. Even that is more nuanced.

So, I think you like her personality, not her stances. But I could be wrong. I'd be happy to dialogue.

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Booker said:

The Harris selection seems to be going over well with donors...

Biden raises $26M in 24 hours after Harris VP announcement

Joe Biden raised $26 million in the 24 hours after he named Kamala Harris as his running mate, doubling his previous one-day record and signaling enthusiasm among Democrats following the selection of the first Black woman on a major party's presidential ticket. “It's really palpable, the...

www.yahoo.com

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Poll: Harris may bolster Biden with women, Republicans

Democratic voters overwhelmingly support Joe Biden's choice of running mate. A Reuters/Ipsos poll out this week shows nearly nine out of every 10 Democrats approve of U.S Senator Kamala Harris as their party’s vice presidential nominee. And the survey shows she is more popular than the...

www.yahoo.com

Democratic voters overwhelmingly support Joe Biden's choice of running mate. A Reuters/Ipsos poll out this week shows nearly nine out of every 10 Democrats approve of U.S Senator Kamala Harris as their party’s vice presidential nominee. And the survey shows she is more popular than the presidential candidate among women, young voters and even some Republicans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday (August 12). That support could shore up the Democratic electorate in key voting blocks ahead of a November contest that could be fought down to the margins in a few key battleground states.

Among women, 60% have a favorable view of Harris, compared with 53% who felt the same way about Biden. Women are the dominant force in American elections: they make up a bigger proportion of the U.S. electorate than men, and a surge in support for Democrats among white, college-educated women helped the party retake the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. Donald Trump derided the decision to select Harris, pointing toward her conflicts with Biden when both were competing for the presidential nomination. But Trump's attacks on Harris is unlikely to boost his already-low standing with female voters. And he's continued to use dated and sexist terms for women, tweeting Wednesday (August 12) that he would win the "suburban housewife" vote and on Thursday (August 13) attacking a news anchor as a "ditzy airhead wife." Harris's popularity extends beyond her gender.

Among younger voters, under 35, she's two percentage points more popular than Biden. And among Republicans, 25 percent - one in four - said they had a favorable view of Harris. The poll showed Biden’s lead over the Republican president ticked up slightly, increasing by 1 percentage point among all Americans to an 8-point advantage. Forty-six percent of U.S. adults said they would vote for a Biden/Harris ticket, while 38% would vote for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

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Infoman said:

I said "most"... Not all.... I am for a lot of those things, given proper context, and not pushed to the extreme interpretation (which I don't see from her).... I'm not going to explain myself or standing on each matter (as that would take a month)... but yeah... I'm on board with most of that... Not all of course, and you know that.

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Infoman said:

I wasn't really trying to compare Gabbard and Harris as potential VP picks...

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Infoman said:

I thought it was great how She undressed and flogged Harris during the Primaries, and exposed her for who she is...

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Infoman said:

I think Gabbard has integrity, and a genuine care for the American people...

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rajncajn said:

You're right that they don't really care if you vote or not as long as they get the majority vote, but I disagree with the premise that they like seeing a 3rd party get a vote because it not only siphons votes from their opponent, it siphons votes from them. Ask Hillary if she cares about people voting 3rd party. I don't buy into the "if you don't vote for me, you're voting for the other guy" farce.

So what if you think both parties have gone off the rails? You vote for the one that you think is less of a disaster?

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efil4 said:

So pick 2

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I didn't realize you were against the death penalty, for ending cash bail, for removing mandatory minimum sentences, for eliminating private prisons, for bringing back Glass-Steagall, for a $15/hr min wage, for broad paid medical leave / family leave, for studying reparations, for free college, for expanding student loan debt reduction, Support the assault weapons ban, in favor of universal background checks, few limits, if any, on abortion, basically for a universal health care, citizenship for Dreamers (DACA), infrastructure investment by winding down military campaigns (think we're all in agreement there for the most part), for slashing the defense budget, for legal weed, eliminate tax breaks for off shoring, consider holding companies liable for personal social media posts, breaking up large tech giants, and don't break up the Electoral college.

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