Democratic Primary Season 2020

[phillipj]

I think someone like Micheal Bloomberg (& his pocketbook) realizes --rightly so-- that he has a much larger impact outside of Government in our political system.

...her time has passed and I think she realized that she has too many negatives to get her the nomination.

understatement of the year / most obvious thing said ever (!) what a disaster

... Biden, who will mostly likely join the race at some point

...starting to look like the field is rounding out.

I don't think Biden will run, gut feeling. Who else should throw their hat in? O'Rourke? Tom Hanks?

...

Also: Did you see that Bill Weld is in on the Republican side? Larry Hogan, governor of Maryland & John Kasich considering...

[mbonder]

If Biden can secure some early big donors I think he's in the race. If he doesn't get the "institutional" backing from the big money guys then I don't think he bothers. With Sanders raising as much money as he did right out the of the gate that puts a lot of pressure on Biden to do the same, so if he can't it'll be a stillborn candidacy.

[phillipj]

If Biden can secure some early big donors I think he's in the race. If he doesn't get the "institutional" backing from the big money guys then I don't think he bothers. With Sanders raising as much money as he did right out the of the gate that puts a lot of pressure on Biden to do the same, so if he can't it'll be a stillborn candidacy.

I'm sure you are right, it hinges on donor/support. I think he may have waited too long, needed to be more intentional about it. I am not looking forward to the horse-race of all this, odd to be commenting so much! A large part of me wants to leave the country for this next pres. election. I think the debates start in June :(

[mbonder]

I'm the complete opposite, I'm happy that there are so many candidates and it will be interesting. I think this will allow a number of different opinions to be projected and this will hopefully make the eventual nominee one that is more acceptable to the entire party than Hillary was in 2016.

[phillipj]

I'm the complete opposite, I'm happy that there are so many candidates and it will be interesting. I think this will allow a number of different opinions to be projected and this will hopefully make the eventual nominee one that is more acceptable to the entire party than Hillary was in 2016.

Well, I totally agree that a diverse field is good, and I think it'll be a positive thing, not mean or vicious, and it'll be so much better now that the Clintons are finally gone forever. Thank God.

However, I just see how the news covers the horserace of the election in this country, they shirk reporting on real stories, and then it lasts so long and all the money thrown around, the spectacle and cacophony (ha 10 cent word! but fits here) of it all really makes me want to puke. That's what makes me want to vacate the country. Because it feels like you can't escape the noise.

[mrsleeve]

So Lizzy wants to keep Amazon from selling Amazon branded products on Amazon .......Durrrr isnt that the point of having your own web site that sells shit???

And from expanding its business ventures into things other than mailing you your stuff in 2 days, Also from tech outfits from buying up other tech outfits to gain the advancements to improve their current services..... This bill goes as far as wanting to have govt appointed "regulators" step in and undo past completed tech sector merges .....

https://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-warren-plan-to-break-up-amazon-facebook-google-big-tech-2019-3

[z31maniac]

I can say I'd prefer that we hadn't been bought out by Oracle and the consequences. But I also still have a pretty killer job. So it's a double-edged sword.

[phillipj]

So Lizzy wants to keep Amazon from selling Amazon branded products on Amazon .......Durrrr isnt that the point of having your own web site that sells shit???

And from expanding its business ventures into things other than mailing you your stuff in 2 days, Also from tech outfits from buying up other tech outfits to gain the advancements to improve their current services..... This bill goes as far as wanting to have govt appointed "regulators" step in and undo past completed tech sector merges .....

https://www.businessinsider.com/eliz...ig-tech-2019-3

It has to do with Antitrust law and serious Conflict of Interest issues. It's a super interesting and pertinent subject right now with Amazon, Facebook, Google, etc and how huge and powerful they are getting.

Do you ever listen to (or you ever heard of?) 'Planet Money'? One of my very fav. shows, pretty excellent podcast about economics... funny & smart, kinda like talking about it at a bar or with your friends.

Anyway, they did a great episode about all this last week -- I highly recommend listening to it and seeing what you think, here's a few different kinds of links:

NPR: Planet Money: Antitrust 3 - Big Tech

Apple Podcast Link

Spotify Link

[mbonder]

Milwaukee chosen to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Not surprising considering that Wisconsin was one of the states that tipped the scales for Trump in 2016 after Hillary failed to campaign there assuming that because Obama won the state in 2012 that she too, would win Wisconsin.

[mrsleeve]

Well you can add Apple to the list Warren wants to break up.... because it has the app store and sell develops some of it's own apps for sale there....

The logic for all this is beyond belief.

[mbonder]

I would agree with nearly everyone that Apple, Facebook, Amazon, etc are gigantic companies that have the ability to exert tremendous amounts of power and influence over nearly whatever they choose, however, I don't think that amounts to them monopolizing the market in a particular sector. Apple makes computers, phones, apps, etc. Other people are more than capable of doing just the same, they aren't forced out. Samsung makes phones, Dell makes computers, plenty of people can create apps just like Apple does.

Amazon sells things online, everyone can sell things online. They create content and distribute it, something that anyone else can do, Netflix is a good example of a competitor to Amazon Prime as far as content distribution goes.

So although they are big and powerful, can exert tons of influence, I just don't understand the antitrust argument here, there doesn't seem to be a monopoly, at least not in a traditional sense like you saw with Bell Telephone before it was broken up.

[mrsleeve]

^
You have to understand the Crop of Demacratic Socilists that we have shaking up the party and the 2020 hopefull trying to ride that "change" and follow suit .

That is Profit is evil, especially if you make a lot of it no matter your overhead or the fact your margins are razor thin on almost everything, but sell to almost everyone in the western world..... That big companies are bad, and they are out to hurt people.... Govt is the answer to all and everything expensive should be free via the govt, yet paid for by taxing rich people and big companies.

Did you hear the idito with 2 last names latest.... Ummm errr capitalism is bad and errr ummm yeah its bad, and stuff because reasons, ramblings the other day............

[saucers]

seems Biden will be jumping in any day now.

[Wschnitz]

Facebook is the only Company I would be ok with beating the shit out of.

Its pretty easy to see how they continue to exert influence through selective advertisement. Along with allowing legit trash to advertise on there, I swear there are more conspiracy theory links/ads on that site then Infowars.

I really hope biden doesn't run, I don't see him leading the party.

[mbonder]

I'm not a fan of facebook, I have had an account since 2004, I rarely use it, but they are a private company, can't they choose to allow advertising in whatever way they wish?

The problem that I have is that people want to take away the ability to operate freely for private enterprises because individual people are too dumb to differentiate what is fact and what is fiction. This creates a culture with a lack of personal responsibility, which I just can't buy in to.

Is Zuckerberg an asshole? Of course! Do I envy Facebook's ability to make huge piles of cash off the simple platform to share pictures, thoughts, and opinions? You bet I do! But they shouldn't be forced to change the way they operate just because they have power, money, and influence.