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jg10003

jg10003's Journal
jg10003's Journal
March 2, 2020

A lesson everyone on DU should watch; CRITICAL THINKING - Fallacies: Ad Hominem

The level of discourse on DU has been rapidly declining. The prevalence of this logical fallacy is a major reason.

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March 2, 2020

To beat Trump it's necessary to understand the reason he won.

Yes, Comey did a lot of damage.
Yes, Jill Stein siphoned off some votes.
Yes, a small number of Sanders supporters stayed home (but a lot more HRC supporters stayed home in 2008 and Obama still won) .

But these are not the main reason for Trump's victory. Trump, like any good salesman, con-man, or demagogue has the devil's wisdom. He knows what people are feeling and what motivates them. And Trump knows what to say to get the response he desires. The best explanation of Trump's success was given by Micheal Moore a month before the 2016 election. I know many people hate Moore and think he a giant asshole, and maybe he is. But Moore's personality isn't important, his analysis is. His analysis of why people respond to Trump was right then and it is still right. Democrats must confront the reason for Trump's success and address it or they will lose again.

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So what can the Democrats do to stop Trump's very effective sales pitch? The answer; offer a better solution. Do not ignore the fears, anger, and frustrations that Trump exploits. Admit that those things exist and that they exist for valid reasons. Then offer real solutions that address those fears and frustrations. Our candidate must give people a positive reason to vote for him or her, rather than just saying "vote for me, I'm not trump".
February 22, 2020

is there any way Congress can force the FBI to investigate

Russian interference or does only the justice department have that power?

February 22, 2020

is it suspicious if someone has been on DU for 3 weeks and has 1300 posts

I don't want to make any accusations so I won't say any names. But in the age of bots, trolls, Putin,
and hi-tech agent provocateurs, a little paranoia seems reasonable.

February 22, 2020

Reminder; The "Putin helping Sanders" info was classified and leaked anonymously.

The important points in original Washington Post story:
1] Members of congress of both parties received the same intelligence briefing as Sanders and trump.
2] No member of congress, including Sanders, publicly discussed it because it was classified.
3] Someone, we don't know who, leaked it to the Washington Post for reasons unknown.
4] After the information was published, Sanders addressed the issue appropriately.

From the original Washington Post story;

U.S. officials have told Sen. Bernie Sanders that Russia is attempting to help his presidential campaign as part of an effort to interfere with the Democratic contest, according to people familiar with the matter.

President Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill also have been informed about the Russian assistance to the Vermont senator, those people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence....

The disclosure of Russian assistance to Sanders follows a briefing to lawmakers last week in which a senior intelligence official said that Russia wants to see Trump reelected,.....

Sanders told reporters Friday after The Post’s report was published that he received the briefing “about a month ago.” Asked why he did not disclose the briefing publicly, Sanders replied, “Because I go to many intelligence briefings which I don’t reveal to the public.”


https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/bernie-sanders-briefed-by-us-officials-that-russia-is-trying-to-help-his-presidential-campaign/2020/02/21/5ad396a6-54bd-11ea-929a-64efa7482a77_story.html









February 10, 2020

Salon:Why does the "BernieBro" myth persist? Because pundits don't understand how the internet works

https://www.salon.com/2020/02/09/the-berniebro-myth-persists-because-pundits-dont-understand-how-the-internet-works/

...debunk the stereotype that Sanders' support base consists entirely of a mythic tribe of entitled, pushy young millennial men. To wit: young women make up more of Sanders' base than men. He polls especially high with Hispanic voters, far more so than with white voters; Hispanic voters also donated more money to him than any other Democratic candidate. Polls consistently show that nonwhite voters prefer him over the other candidates. Notably, the demographic group that likes Sanders the least is white men.


...Sanders has taken in the most money from women. Many of Sanders' female supporters bemoan how they are ignored by the mainstream press.


....many intelligent pundits and politicians persist with the myth. How do they justify it? They just know, apparently. But specifically, they feel it on Twitter.
February 7, 2020

Why I think Sanders has the best chance of beating trump

1] He appeals to the same anti-establishment frustrations that trump does. That is why in 2016 many trump supporters said they would vote for Sanders, even though they had opposite positions on most issues.

2] Trump exploited people’s frustrations by inflaming their fears, anxieties, and prejudices. Sanders addresses people’s frustrations by giving them hope. Unlike the other candidates, except maybe Warren, Sanders has a message that is more than just “I’m not trump.”

3] Sanders cannot be swift-boated like HRC or Biden. In his long career there hs never been a hint of scandal. His honesty and integrity is acknowledged by all.

4] Focus - Nothing distracts Bernie from his message. Trump is a master of distracting the press and public with trivialities and making the election about his opponent. But Bernie is totally focused on his message, and to smart to fall into any trap set for him. No matter what juvenile insults, lies, and accusations trump makes, Sanders will always stick to his message. If Sanders is the nominee I imagine the political conversation will go something like this:
Reporter: Senator, Trump has said you are a crazy old man. Your response?
Bernie: Medical care is a right not a privilege.
Reporter: Senator, Trump called your wife a “fatty”. What do you say to him?
Bernie: It is time for the top 1 percent to pay their fair share of taxes.
Reporter: Trump claims that your great-grandfather killed Abraham Lincoln.
Bernie: Public college should be tuition free.


5] He has been explaining his brand of socialism for 50 years and is very good at it. We all know that whoever is the nominee, the republicans will say he or she is a socialist. If Biden, Warren, or Buttigige is the nominee they will have to constantly explain why they are not a socialist. This puts them in a defensive position, which is never a good thing. If Sanders is the nominee he will say “yes I am a socialist and this is what I believe...”. And since Sanders has been explaining democratic socialism for 50 years, this puts him in the very position he wants.

6] The cold war has been over for 30 years. An entire generation has grown up without equating democratic socialism with communism and repressive authoritarian regimes.

7] People don’t vote for technocrats like HRC, Gore, and Dukakis. They vote for a person who they believe understands them. Bernie connects with people. People feel that Bernie understands them and wants to help. He gives the impression of a gruff but kind-hearted grandpa who only wants what is best for you.





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