By Dustin Rowles | Politics | October 1, 2019 |
By Dustin Rowles | Politics | October 1, 2019 |
The media — including ourselves — has been so focused on Donald Trump and the impeachment inquiry the last ten days that we’ve barely paid any attention to the Democratic field, which to be honest is how we ended up in this mess in the first place. Trump takes all the oxygen out of the room, and everything ends up becoming a referendum on Trump. But there are very good reasons to vote for Democrats aside from getting rid of Donald Trump. Take, for instance, the fact that Elizabeth Warren poses an “existential” threat to billionaires.
I’ve seen a few Fox News segments where their pundits will loudly decry Elizabeth Warren because she will take money away from the wealthy class, and I genuinely do not understand why Fox News thinks that’s an effective talking point. To wit:
A new poll shows that two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, support a 2% wealth tax on households worth over $50 million, which is the heart of Warren’s tax plan https://t.co/ukO55i23iI
— Liam Stack (@liamstack) October 1, 2019
One of those billionaires who apparently finds Elizabeth Warren to be an “existential” threat is Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, who really doesn’t want his company divided.
Mark Zuckerberg on Elizabeth Warren and the potential breakup of Facebook: pic.twitter.com/SqCOnGgi48
— The Verge (@verge) October 1, 2019
Genuine show of hands: How many people believe that makes Warren a more attractive candidate?
Likewise, is this a reverse endorsement?
Wall Street Democratic donors warn the party: We'll sit out, or back Trump, if you nominate Elizabeth Warren https://t.co/DdAeRa1uea
— CNBC (@CNBC) September 26, 2019
Meanwhile, what is this mess, Pete Buttigieg?
Pete Buttigieg on Elizabeth Warren:https://t.co/ypW8VyBrI1 pic.twitter.com/MoUhR6rDZG
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 1, 2019
What? What does that even mean, Pete? That’s like a baseball player saying, “I’m more interested in hitting home runs than I am in getting good wood on a hanging curveball.” Is he trying to say that Elizabeth Warren wants to fight for the country, but she’s not interested in actually getting results? Because that’s totally Elizabeth Warren, right? The candidate who created the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau was only interested in “the fight” (point of fact, Warren wanted to run the CFPB, but Obama wouldn’t let her because he thought she was too much of a shit-stirrer, which is exactly what makes her so appealing).
In other election news, the Democratic party sees in impeaching Trump not just removing him from office and doing the right thing but is starting to relish the idea that it may improve their ability to take back the Senate in 2020. I still don’t think there are enough Republicans to convict Trump, and that might be a lost cause, but there are enough vulnerable swing-state Republicans who would get their asses kicked if they were forced to defend Trump for months. I don’t know how other swing-state Republicans might fare, but it would destroy Susan Collins here in Maine, who is already increasingly unpopular in a blue state after her Kavanaugh vote. If she defends Trump, she’d get creamed. If she voted to convict Trump, she’d … get creamed. So, there’s one more reason to impeach Trump, besides the fact that he’s guilty as all hell.
Meanwhile, this is noteworthy in a state where two Republican Senate seats are up for grabs, where Trump could lose, and where Stacey Abrams “lost” the governor’s race in 2018 (because of voter suppression) by only 55,000 votes.
More than 352k people have registered to vote in Georgia this year, sending voting rolls to record high. 47% of new registrants are minorities, 45% under 30 - https://t.co/bOctcSTOK6
— Reid Wilson (@PoliticsReid) October 1, 2019
You know what? I think Stacey Abrams’ voting rights protection efforts are working in Georgia. Some people are mad because she didn’t want to run for either of the open Senate seats, but she may just end up winning both seats for Democrats (and if Warren also wants to make her the VP candidate, who is going to argue with that?)