Month: February 2020

Since this is STILL going on, let’s lay out the basics.

Somehow, almost every “error” has worked against Bernie.

Buttigieg’s campaign gave the app company over $40k. The app company is called Shadow. Shadow’s parent company is called Acronym. Acronym’s CEO is Buttigieg’s advisor’s wife and also his communications director’s sister–in-law.

Now we have Perez, the chief of the DNC, saying there may have to be a re-do, just as the satellite caucuses, made up mostly of minorities and working class people, put Sanders over the top and give him the victory

When the errors are almost all against a single candidate, and never seem to benefit that same candidate, is it “coincidence” and “incompetence?”

Nor need we pretend that malign intention and incompetence are incompatible. As the old Bush, Jr. regime joke ran: “Evil or stupid? Why not both!”

The funny thing is, it’s hard to see Buttigieg’s path to the nomination, let alone the presidency. For all of this, *cough* not-cheating, he has no meaningful support in any other state. His only way through is by a brokered convention that throws the nomination to someone who isn’t likely to even be in the top three. If that was done, it would be rightly seen as a huge abnegation of democracy, and he would be crushed in the general.

So he’s not-cheating for what? He’s not even going to make #2 overall, which means he won’t be the presumptive nominee next time.

Now, of course, the Democratic operative class, of which everyone who’s been involved–whether incompetent, not-cheating, or both–is a member, is scared of Sanders. Not because they really don’t believe in his policies (though they don’t), but because, unlike Warren, the next most “left” candidate, all indications are he won’t hire them for his administration.

They make their living by being connected, and Sanders is going to cut them out. He’s actually an existential threat to their right to be incompetent, lose a lot, and still make tons of money.

Oh.

Right, so that’s why it’s worth pulling out all the stops.

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Bernie Sanders

So, one talking point being spun out is that Bernie’s people aren’t competent enough to run government because their expertise lies in winning primaries.

This is a prime example of the flailing that occurs when an establishment is scared of losing power (and when your billionaire boss is being crushed).

First, everyone who gets into power has, as a primary competence, the ability to get into power. There aren’t a lot of slots at the top, especially not in the Senate or the Presidency. If you got there, you have something on the ball. People don’t like to admit it about people they hate, but even Trump was shockingly competent at campaigning.

Second, after the Democratic party couldn’t build an app that worked to handle the Iowa caucus results AND the Sanders campaign could, well, perhaps it’s the outsider who’s competent?

There is a larger question here, about who will run the Sanders administration.

Outsiders, mostly. People who are competent and angry. Class traitors, who have worked inside the system, hated it, and want to smash and rebuild it.

The sort of people who ran FDR’s administration: People who can’t take the bullshit any more and want the government to actually work, and actually work for the people.

There will be teething problems, especially with those who have not been high-ranked in government before, but they will manage it–because it actually matters to them. It isn’t just about a paycheck.

Further, the damage Trump has done to the the bureaucracy will be more of an advantage than a bad thing in a Sanders administration. All that “draining the swamp” will make it easier to rebuild in the way Sanders want to, and it will reduce deep state resistance.

Because if you think the deep state hates Trump, well you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Hopefully, Sanders will be willing to use the power of the Presidency and remove deep state saboteurs.

But overall, while it’s possible he could botch it, I’m not super-worried about Bernie’s ability to run apparatus. The US has been sick for a long time, but there are tons of angry competent people who are itching to set it right. He just has to pick them, let them run, and if they blow it too often, replace them. (This is what FDR did).

Don’t be too fixed on methods, be fixated on outcomes. If one thing doesn’t work, have the next plan already teed up.

It’s not easy, but it’s not rocket surgery, anyway.

And I imagine the Bernie administration, unlike the Obama one, will be able to build a healthcare web site if they have four years in which to do it.

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It’s today. It’d be a big deal if Bernie won it, and the polls show him leading.

Last week was Sanders week here at the blog.

There was a post by Pachacutec on Sanders’ Theory of Change and how he can get his platform through if he’s President.

There was a post on why I think Sanders is the best candidate.

There was a post on the characteristics of the sort of people supporting each of the candidates–from Warren to Sanders, to Biden to Buttigieg.

And there was a post on why the most important thing in a candidate is what they want to do, and why that means Sanders is superior

Feel free to use comments to this thread to discuss the Iowa caucuses and the primary in general.

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