I totally agree with you on messing with the payroll taxes Katchen. They need money to go towards fighting the virus and provide people with paid leave and things that will actually help, not try to artificially prop up the economy (I'm not sure it would do that anyway).

The Blue Surge is out in force and they are constituencies that are voting for Biden.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...n-in-primaries

I think Biden will choose Amy Klobuchar as VP. What do you think?

i have no idea but i would be strangely happy with that

Not in a political way, though. Like in a kinky way.

Amy's kinda hot. Biden not so much. I hear she's bossy too. ;)

I think it's going to be Kamala Harris or another woman of color. Both Jim Clyburn and Governor Gretchen Whitmer (who is one of the national co-chairs of his campaign) have said the VP should be a woman of color.

I think Amy Klobuchar would be good too - especially campaigning in the Midwest - but she's white. I did think it was strange that she wasn't on stage with Biden, Whitmer, Harris, and Booker at the Detroit rally after she had campaigned hard for him for several days in Michigan. Maybe just scheduling or they wanted to make as big a deal as possible out of the Harris and Booker endorsements.

I saw in a couple of news outlets that it might be Stacey Abrams, and I could totally go for her. In addition to the fact that I think she would be a great VP, it would give me some really satisfying schadenfreude over our stupid f***ing Georgia governor, Brian Kemp.

I would also be really happy to see Bernie Sanders on the ticket as VP, but I doubt that will happen.

Bulldog? I think you're right, and I agree that there needs to be prompt and concise action for the virus issue people face. Also, it makes me wonder if voting will be affected by the current serious co-vid 19 virus epidemic.

We do mail in ballots, as you might remember; but I think it's concerning for those who live in states where you have to go to a polling location to cast your vote.

Do you know if crisis teams are working on remedies so voting impacts are narrowed down to 'no crisis' status?

Ditto for Harris

I can't go supporting vp candidates just based on whether i would want to have a scene with them* though :superfunny:

It's like the people who voted for W bc he'd be more fun to have a beer with.

* Stacy Abrams is not in this category bc i saw her speak at my conference and now i feel like we're BFFs

Therefore i'd be all set with any of them

As good a reason as any!

How Groups Voted in 2016
 

https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/how-groups-voted-2016

The Roper numbers were based on CNN's exit polls:
https://www.cnn.com/election/2016/results/exit-polls

Will be interested to see the exit polls for 2020.

Yes, I remember mailing in my ballot in Oregon. It is more fun to go to the polls but mail definitely seems a lot safer in these times.

I am concerned too. Of course, the most important thing is for voters to stay safe and to get to vote.

People are being encouraged to use early voting, mail, drop off, vote at off hours, etc. Of course, so many volunteers at polling places tend to be older so that's a concern for them too. I think each state and location is just having to cope on its own.

Louisiana was supposed to hold its primary on April 4 but has just postponed it to June 20. That's a blow out state for Biden so I'm bummed but at the same time the most important thing is people's safety.

I wonder how many times Trump has heard "to little too late " lolol ~ on the national emergency ?

Does anyone think he may have had a vaccine to prevent him from catching the virus ?

Think it will be Harris for VP, but he may surprise me with a geographic choice. Biden is from the North East. He and his team may feel like they need to choose someone from the Midwest or from one of the Southern states as a strategic move to capture the most electoral college votes.

I would LOVE to see Stacy Abrams on the ticket. She's just so cool. BUT... she's doing incredibly important work on voting rights now. I would hate to lose such a dynamic force in the place we need it most right now.

Anyone have any ideas abt why 90% of Republicans still support Trump ?

Response doesn't have to be long dense polemic...just a few ideas, perhaps about human nature, that we could discuss .

I definitely do not have a decent answer, but what my mind tends to think, is this: It's like Cancer. Cancer is the root problem. And if Cancer and it's cells are not treated and/or eradicated, it metastasizes across the spectrum of connecting/connected tissue.


That's the only thing that comes to mind, C0llette.

One Idea:
I remember this from a marketing course I once took.

CHOICE-SUPPORTIVE BIAS

Choice-supportive bias or post-purchase rationalization is the tendency to retroactively ascribe positive attributes to an option one has selected and/or to demote the forgone options. It is part of cognitive science, and is a distinct cognitive bias that occurs once a decision is made.
‎

I think that is a worthy subject of discussion and consideration, C0LLETTE.

I majored in Sociology and Communication. Both fields of study have interesting takes on Bias Theory. I imagine Psychology and Business fields of study have a commingling of ideas which finds its roots in Bias Theory.

Sociology defines Bias (in general terms of) as: A tendency (either known or unknown) to prefer one thing over another that prevents objectivity, that influences understanding or outcome in some way.

Emile Durkheim, one of the early founders of Sociology, developed theories around the subject of Bias.

I forget who to credit for this strand of thought, but someone once said that a "...good Sociologist is aware of their own bias, and the bias of others, and takes precautions."

Bottom line (generally speaking):

Be aware of bias, in terms of biased behaviors and observations and how it informs one of subsequent actions associated (directly or indirectly) by any given or demonstrated particular bias.

My dear Katzchen,

Thank you for your response. So many of us can't understand why opinions stay fixed in the face of what "seems" to be the "obvious" but maybe things aren't so obvious to those who've become intransigent in the face of every rationalization that led them to make their first decision.

So what to do, what to do?
Surely people change their minds. So what is the mechanism that makes them do that? And I doubt it is a simple "Eureka " moment.

Any ideas?

I view it as a massive struggle for remaining in Power.

The proverbial Power Struggle.

But it's not the have-not's who are winning. It's those who own and have everything, that keep winning.


You should make a separate thread for this subject, so we don't detract from the subject of discussion in d_c's politics thread, ok?

If you do that, I'll meet up with you, in your own thread, if you create it, C0LLETTE.

Guess What?

I just saw this news story on the NBC website. Stacey Abrams is definitely the one, that a progressive think tank is highly recommending: A Biden-Abrams presidential Democratic ticket for 2020.

And I quote:

LINK: Progressive group's analysis finds Stacey Abrams is Biden's best choice. Here's why (NBC)