palmerreport--2020-03-15--Joe Biden just ripped Donald Trump a new one

A Donald Trump continues to show zero leadership and make a complete mess of the coronavirus crisis , Americans are increasingly looking for leadership .
They ’ re never going to get it from Trump , or from Mike Pence , or from anyone else in the current White House .
Trump ’ s disastrous Oval Office address this week was a particularly low point .
In contest , Joe Biden had laid out a clear path for how Americans can deal with the current crisis .
He ’ s spelled out specific steps .
He ’ s acting like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now he ’ s ripping Donald Trump a new one : The White House is no place for on-the-job training — Donald Trump 's handling of the coronavirus has made that even more clear .
We need a president who is ready to clean up his mess , take responsibility , and lead us forward on day one .
Of course it ’ ll only matter if we all turn out and vote for Joe Biden in November , thus ensuring that Biden wins by too large of a margin for Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more to say about the coronavirus crisis here .

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A Donald Trump continues to show zero leadership and make a complete mess of the coronavirus crisis, Americans are increasingly looking for leadership. They’re never going to get it from Trump, or from Mike Pence, or from anyone else in the current White House. Trump’s disastrous Oval Office address this week was a particularly low point.
In contest, Joe Biden had laid out a clear path for how Americans can deal with the current crisis. He’s spelled out specific steps. He’s acting like a leader, because he is one. Now he’s ripping Donald Trump a new one:
The White House is no place for on-the-job training — Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus has made that even more clear. We need a president who is ready to clean up his mess, take responsibility, and lead us forward on day one. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 14, 2020
Of course it’ll only matter if we all turn out and vote for Joe Biden in November, thus ensuring that Biden wins by too large of a margin for Donald Trump to cheat around. Biden has more to say about the coronavirus crisis here.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Newt Gingrich is caught right in the middle of a coronavirus lockdown

Even as Americans try to figure out what to do about the coronavirus outbreak in the United States , and @ @ @ @ @ dealing with testing and quarantines themselves , Newt Gingrich finds himself in a whole different @ @ @ @ @ Gingrich is stuck on lockdown in Italy .
Donald Trump appointed Calista Gingrich as the @ @ @ @ @ , which means that she and her husband Newt Gingrich are currently residents of Italy @ @ @ @ @ now on lockdown because the coronavirus is so out of control .
Based on his @ @ @ @ @ of the last people in American politics we should be taking at his word in @ @ @ @ @ s sounding the alarm about the coronavirus situation in Italy , and he appears to @ @ @ @ @ important message out .
Gingrich has written a lengthy article for Newsweek in which he @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s seeing in Italy , and let ’ s just say that it @ @ @ @ @ You can read his article here .

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Even as Americans try to figure out what to do about the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, and numerous American politicians are now dealing with testing and quarantines themselves, Newt Gingrich finds himself in a whole different kind of coronavirus mess. Gingrich is stuck on lockdown in Italy.
Donald Trump appointed Calista Gingrich as the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, which means that she and her husband Newt Gingrich are currently residents of Italy. That entire nation is now on lockdown because the coronavirus is so out of control. Based on his history, Newt is one of the last people in American politics we should be taking at his word in general. But he’s sounding the alarm about the coronavirus situation in Italy, and he appears to be trying to get an important message out.
Gingrich has written a lengthy article for Newsweek in which he covers the specifics of what he’s seeing in Italy, and let’s just say that it isn’t good. You can read his article here.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Joe Biden just embraced a major Elizabeth Warren initiative

Even as Joe Biden solidifies his lead in the Democratic primary race , he ’ s been putting together a coalition of sorts .
He ’ s been endorsed by a double digit number of his former opponents , including Amy Klobuchar , Pete Buttigieg , Beto O ’ Rourke , Mike Bloomberg , and Kamala Harris .
Now Biden is taking another step toward unity .
Joe Biden is confirming today that he ’ s decided to adopt Elizabeth Warren ’ s bankruptcy reform plan .
Why is this important ?
There are two things at play here .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ night with Bernie Sanders .
This move gives Sanders the opportunity to claim victory ( even though it ’ s Warren ’ s plan ) , giving Sanders an easier off-ramp for endorsing Biden and dropping out .
Even if Sanders refuses to budge , this opens the door for Elizabeth Warren to endorse Joe Biden soon .
Warren presumably wants to wait until Sanders is out of the way .
But at the rate Biden is racking up delegates and opening up blowout leads in upcoming states , Sanders will be out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether he drops out or not .
Notably , Julián Castro ’ s communications director Sawyer Hackett responded positively to Joe Biden ’ s news today , tweeting “ This is huge … Biden endorsing it is a big deal.
” Castro is firmly on team Warren .
We could be looking at Castro and Warren endorsing Biden soon .
Stay tuned .

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Even as Joe Biden solidifies his lead in the Democratic primary race, he’s been putting together a coalition of sorts. He’s been endorsed by a double digit number of his former opponents, including Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke, Mike Bloomberg, and Kamala Harris. Now Biden is taking another step toward unity.
Joe Biden is confirming today that he’s decided to adopt Elizabeth Warren’s bankruptcy reform plan. Why is this important? There are two things at play here. First, Biden has a debate tomorrow night with Bernie Sanders. This move gives Sanders the opportunity to claim victory (even though it’s Warren’s plan), giving Sanders an easier off-ramp for endorsing Biden and dropping out.
Even if Sanders refuses to budge, this opens the door for Elizabeth Warren to endorse Joe Biden soon. Warren presumably wants to wait until Sanders is out of the way. But at the rate Biden is racking up delegates and opening up blowout leads in upcoming states, Sanders will be out of the running after this Tuesday, whether he drops out or not.
Notably, Julián Castro’s communications director Sawyer Hackett responded positively to Joe Biden’s news today, tweeting “This is huge … Biden endorsing it is a big deal.” Castro is firmly on team Warren. We could be looking at Castro and Warren endorsing Biden soon. Stay tuned.
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palmerreport--2020-03-14--Donald Trump now claims he tested negative for coronavirus. Here’s the evidence trail that says he’s

Donald Trump now claims he tested negative for coronavirus. Here’s the evidence trail that says he’s probably lying.

Just now the White House released a statement claiming that Donald Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus .
Here ’ s the thing , though .
It ’ s fairly easy to sketch out why Trump and his White House are probably lying – and not just for the usual reasons .
Yesterday afternoon , Donald Trump announced at a press conference that he was going to be tested for the coronavirus , but he refused to say when that test would take place .
Then last night Trump ’ s doctor released a statement asserting that Trump doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then today , Trump announced at a press conference that he was tested last night .
Let ’ s be clear here .
There is no scenario – none – in which Trump ’ s doctor tested him for coronavirus last night while simultaneously announcing that no test was necessary .
In other words , based on the specific circumstances we ’ ve just seen play out , there is no reason to believe that Donald Trump was even tested .
Considering the numerous other major things he ’ s lied about , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s lying about this as well .
This is even before getting to the fact that Trump has been in visibly poor health during his public appearances this week , suggesting he ’ s ill with something .
Our best guess is that once the news broke this evening that RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel is ill and is awaiting test results to see if she caught the coronavirus during the Mar-a-Lago outbreak , and suspicion rose even further that Donald Trump may have it as well , Trump decided he needed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unfortunately , despite the obvious antics going on here , most major news outlets will likely report Trump ’ s supposed test result without questioning it .

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Just now the White House released a statement claiming that Donald Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus. Here’s the thing, though. It’s fairly easy to sketch out why Trump and his White House are probably lying – and not just for the usual reasons.
Yesterday afternoon, Donald Trump announced at a press conference that he was going to be tested for the coronavirus, but he refused to say when that test would take place. Then last night Trump’s doctor released a statement asserting that Trump doesn’t need to be tested. Then today, Trump announced at a press conference that he was tested last night. Let’s be clear here. There is no scenario – none – in which Trump’s doctor tested him for coronavirus last night while simultaneously announcing that no test was necessary.
In other words, based on the specific circumstances we’ve just seen play out, there is no reason to believe that Donald Trump was even tested. Considering the numerous other major things he’s lied about, there is every reason to believe he’s lying about this as well. This is even before getting to the fact that Trump has been in visibly poor health during his public appearances this week, suggesting he’s ill with something.
Our best guess is that once the news broke this evening that RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel is ill and is awaiting test results to see if she caught the coronavirus during the Mar-a-Lago outbreak, and suspicion rose even further that Donald Trump may have it as well, Trump decided he needed to falsely announce that he tested negative. Unfortunately, despite the obvious antics going on here, most major news outlets will likely report Trump’s supposed test result without questioning it.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Nice try, Donald Trump!

Nice try, Donald Trump!

Donald Trump ’ s unhealthy relationship with science has long posed a serious danger to the nation he is charged with protecting .
By neglecting , abusing , belittling and maligning science and encouraging his base to do the same , Trump has been putting Americans at grave risk .
Trump did not create this new coronavirus , but his deceit , recklessness , and gross incompetence make him and his sycophantic administration responsible for the public health and economic horror show that is starting to play out .
Thanks to Trump ’ s lies , coverup , and bumbling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resort ” to relying on science to save America as he also attempts to salvage what is left of his dying presidency .
While scientists race to address this scary disease with professionalism and selflessness even in the face of Trump ’ s war on science , the editor-in-chief of Science magazine has published a much-needed editorial lambasting Trump for his failed leadership and unforgivable hypocrisy .
H. Holden Thorp warned that you “ can ’ t insult science when you don ’ t like it and then suddenly insist on something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Thorp recounted how Trump has made deep cuts to the budgets for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health .
He also called out the Trump administration ’ s “ disregard for science ” when it comes to believing the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , among other examples , simply to further his own political agenda .
As a result , the Trump presidency has been dedicated to “ harming and ignoring science.
” As for a COVID-19 vaccine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all especially the President of the United States , which is that a vaccine must have a scientific basis , be manufacturable , and , of course , be safe .
Thorp also reminds us that just a few years ago , Trump spoke out loudly against vaccines and even tried to launch an anti-vaccine task force—yet “ now he suddenly loves vaccines.
” Thorp accurately blames Trumps ’ “ distortion and denial ” for “ almost certainly ” contributing to the government ’ s slow response to combatting the coronavirus .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s words not only matter but are “ clearly a matter of life and death.
” Thorp ends his piece by telling Trump that if he wants something , he should “ start treating science and its principles with respect.
” That ship has sailed .
The only antidote to America ’ s woes is to replace this man-child and his medieval governing methods with real leadership that embraces the truth and invests in science every single day .
The sooner this can happen , the better .

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Donald Trump’s unhealthy relationship with science has long posed a serious danger to the nation he is charged with protecting. By neglecting, abusing, belittling and maligning science and encouraging his base to do the same, Trump has been putting Americans at grave risk. Trump did not create this new coronavirus, but his deceit, recklessness, and gross incompetence make him and his sycophantic administration responsible for the public health and economic horror show that is starting to play out.
Thanks to Trump’s lies, coverup, and bumbling, this narcissistic ignoramus must now “resort” to relying on science to save America as he also attempts to salvage what is left of his dying presidency. While scientists race to address this scary disease with professionalism and selflessness even in the face of Trump’s war on science, the editor-in-chief of Science magazine has published a much-needed editorial lambasting Trump for his failed leadership and unforgivable hypocrisy.
H. Holden Thorp warned that you “can’t insult science when you don’t like it and then suddenly insist on something that science can’t give on demand.” Thorp recounted how Trump has made deep cuts to the budgets for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. He also called out the Trump administration’s “disregard for science” when it comes to believing the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among other examples, simply to further his own political agenda. As a result, the Trump presidency has been dedicated to “harming and ignoring science.”
As for a COVID-19 vaccine, Thorp states what should be obvious to all especially the President of the United States, which is that a vaccine must have a scientific basis, be manufacturable, and, of course, be safe. Thorp also reminds us that just a few years ago, Trump spoke out loudly against vaccines and even tried to launch an anti-vaccine task force—yet “now he suddenly loves vaccines.”
Thorp accurately blames Trumps’ “distortion and denial” for “almost certainly” contributing to the government’s slow response to combatting the coronavirus. He noted that it is now clear that Trump’s words not only matter but are “clearly a matter of life and death.” Thorp ends his piece by telling Trump that if he wants something, he should “start treating science and its principles with respect.” That ship has sailed. The only antidote to America’s woes is to replace this man-child and his medieval governing methods with real leadership that embraces the truth and invests in science every single day. The sooner this can happen, the better.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Trump-aligned Governor of Oklahoma posts idiotic coronavirus tweet, deletes it

With Donald Trump still refusing to quarantine himself after having been exposed to the coronavirus , and now pretending that he ’ s tested negative for it , we suppose that “ leading by example ” isn ’ t something that ’ s in the Republican vocabulary these days .
But even Trump grudgingly tweeted something in support of social distancing .
That means Republican Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is even worse at this than Trump is .
Governor Stitt posted a tweet depicting himself and his family at a “ packed ” restaurant on Saturday night .
It wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to trick people into thinking it was safe to be out in such environments , or if he was just being that tone-deaf while putting his family at risk : Either way , Stitt received widespread negative feedback from his tweet , to the point that “ Governor of Oklahoma ” began trending on Twitter .
Eventually Stitt deleted the tweet in question .
Stitt ’ s other tweets inexplicably include praise for Donald Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus crisis , which probably tells you all you need to know .

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With Donald Trump still refusing to quarantine himself after having been exposed to the coronavirus, and now pretending that he’s tested negative for it, we suppose that “leading by example” isn’t something that’s in the Republican vocabulary these days. But even Trump grudgingly tweeted something in support of social distancing. That means Republican Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is even worse at this than Trump is.
Governor Stitt posted a tweet depicting himself and his family at a “packed” restaurant on Saturday night. It wasn’t clear if he was trying to trick people into thinking it was safe to be out in such environments, or if he was just being that tone-deaf while putting his family at risk:
The contrast between the Saturday nights of the governors of Illinois and Oklahoma is pretty telling. pic.twitter.com/sRrBk4eKdc — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) March 15, 2020
Either way, Stitt received widespread negative feedback from his tweet, to the point that “Governor of Oklahoma” began trending on Twitter. Eventually Stitt deleted the tweet in question. Stitt’s other tweets inexplicably include praise for Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, which probably tells you all you need to know.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--This better be worth it

This better be worth it

After Bernie Sanders got blown out yet again five days ago , and it became clear that he had no remaining shot at the 2020 Democratic nomination , he decided not to drop out of the race .
At the time , the move felt silly .
What was he really going to accomplish by remaining in the race and keeping the left divided against itself ?
Five days later , with America now ensconced in a pandemic , Sanders ’ decision to remain in the race feels downright selfish .
So what has Bernie Sanders gotten for his trouble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show for it is tonight ’ s debate against Joe Biden .
The coronavirus crisis has advanced to the point that there won ’ t even be a live audience .
Yet Bernie is insisting this debate take place anyway .
Not that most people will be a in a mood to watch a pointless debate in an already-decided primary race .
When Sanders puts his foot down like this , he usually ends up doing it in a way that harms the nation and harms himself , because it ’ s just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given Joe Biden a list of questions he plans to ask him during the debate .
Okay , what kind of reality show is this supposed to be ?
If we were dealing with a normal , reasonable person , we might expect that after Biden gives sufficient answers to the questions tonight , Sanders might drop out and endorse him right there on the air .
But as we keep seeing , Sanders is neither normal nor reasonable .
It ’ s difficult to argue that any major American political figure has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left .
His views are worth considering as a platform , but for a painfully long list of reasons that are obvious to everyone outside his cult , he ’ s not worth considering as a candidate – as most voters keep reminding him .
So this debate tonight had better be worth it .
Joe Biden is the de facto Democratic nominee , and everyone outside the Sanders cult is already lining up behind him .
The only way we ’ re getting Donald Trump out of office is if we unite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible .
But Bernie Sanders has a small bit of leverage remaining , and he ’ s using it to force this debate to happen , before he gets blown out in all four states this upcoming Tuesday .
If Sanders doesn ’ t endorse Biden tonight or tomorrow , his last bit of relevance will be gone , as the nation fully turns its focus to surviving the pandemic and ousting Donald Trump .

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After Bernie Sanders got blown out yet again five days ago, and it became clear that he had no remaining shot at the 2020 Democratic nomination, he decided not to drop out of the race. At the time, the move felt silly. What was he really going to accomplish by remaining in the race and keeping the left divided against itself? Five days later, with America now ensconced in a pandemic, Sanders’ decision to remain in the race feels downright selfish.
So what has Bernie Sanders gotten for his trouble? The only thing he has to show for it is tonight’s debate against Joe Biden. The coronavirus crisis has advanced to the point that there won’t even be a live audience. Yet Bernie is insisting this debate take place anyway. Not that most people will be a in a mood to watch a pointless debate in an already-decided primary race. When Sanders puts his foot down like this, he usually ends up doing it in a way that harms the nation and harms himself, because it’s just who he is.
Sanders has apparently given Joe Biden a list of questions he plans to ask him during the debate. Okay, what kind of reality show is this supposed to be? If we were dealing with a normal, reasonable person, we might expect that after Biden gives sufficient answers to the questions tonight, Sanders might drop out and endorse him right there on the air. But as we keep seeing, Sanders is neither normal nor reasonable. It’s difficult to argue that any major American political figure has done a worse job of representing the left. His views are worth considering as a platform, but for a painfully long list of reasons that are obvious to everyone outside his cult, he’s not worth considering as a candidate – as most voters keep reminding him.
So this debate tonight had better be worth it. Joe Biden is the de facto Democratic nominee, and everyone outside the Sanders cult is already lining up behind him. The only way we’re getting Donald Trump out of office is if we unite behind Biden as quickly and thoroughly as possible. But Bernie Sanders has a small bit of leverage remaining, and he’s using it to force this debate to happen, before he gets blown out in all four states this upcoming Tuesday. If Sanders doesn’t endorse Biden tonight or tomorrow, his last bit of relevance will be gone, as the nation fully turns its focus to surviving the pandemic and ousting Donald Trump.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Let’s get real here

Let’s get real here

Let ’ s start with a question addressed to progressives like me : Is giving Trump another four years better for progressivism , or is giving Biden four years better for progressivism ?
I ’ m going to be frank — Joe Biden will almost certainly be the Democratic candidate .
He was not my first choice to go up against Trump .
He wasn ’ t even my second or third choice .
But I ’ m going to very happily vote for him , and regardless of who you wanted to see on the ballot in November , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Is Biden as qualified as Secretary Clinton ?
No .
Is he as progressive as Senator Sanders ?
Nope .
Is he anywhere near as polished as Mayor Buttigieg ?
Not at all .
Like it or not , he ’ s almost certainly going to be our candidate .
But know this : Biden ’ s worst days would be immeasurably better than Trump ’ s best days .
With that thought alone , he ’ s earned my vote , and I ’ m looking forward to casting my ballot in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with professionals and act like a president should .
Harrowingly , not every Democrat or left-leaning independent feels this way , and it might cost Biden the election .
Per Politico : “ Some Sanders supporters see the consolidation of moderate presidential candidates and other elected officials around Biden as the establishment asserting its power over the grassroots .
Trump has happily stoked the divide , declaring that the Democratic primary is ‘ rigged ’ against Sanders , just as he did four years ago.
” In other words , some Sanders supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters did in 2016 — abstain from voting , or worse , vote for Trump to spite the DNC .
This scares me .
Arguably , Secretary Clinton lost in 2016 because of people who sat it out because she wasn ’ t their ideal candidate .
I can not bear to see this happen again .
Like I said , Joe Biden is not my ideal candidate .
Secretary Clinton wasn ’ t my ideal candidate in 2016 either , to be honest .
But democracy is quite literally at stake .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ falling apart at the hands of an orange lunatic , democracy isn ’ t about picking your dream candidate .
It ’ s about picking the best candidate of the candidates available .
Elections are about voting in the person who will do a better job of leading .
Between Trump and Biden , the answer is clear .
I understand the frustration you might feel from the DNC ’ s moves the day before Super Tuesday .
I understand the frustration you might feel from how the DNC operated back in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not voting is not the answer .
Again , ask yourself this : Is giving Trump another 4 years better for progressivism , or is giving Biden 4 years better for progressivism ?
With Biden , progressives can make crucial inroads and shape the future of the party —with Trump , progressives are more likely to end up on a government hit list .
Your vote , your choice .

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Let’s start with a question addressed to progressives like me: Is giving Trump another four years better for progressivism, or is giving Biden four years better for progressivism?
I’m going to be frank — Joe Biden will almost certainly be the Democratic candidate. He was not my first choice to go up against Trump. He wasn’t even my second or third choice. But I’m going to very happily vote for him, and regardless of who you wanted to see on the ballot in November, you should vote for him too.
Is Biden as qualified as Secretary Clinton? No. Is he as progressive as Senator Sanders? Nope. Is he anywhere near as polished as Mayor Buttigieg? Not at all. Like it or not, he’s almost certainly going to be our candidate. But know this: Biden’s worst days would be immeasurably better than Trump’s best days. With that thought alone, he’s earned my vote, and I’m looking forward to casting my ballot in November for someone who will surround himself with professionals and act like a president should.
Harrowingly, not every Democrat or left-leaning independent feels this way, and it might cost Biden the election. Per Politico: “Some Sanders supporters see the consolidation of moderate presidential candidates and other elected officials around Biden as the establishment asserting its power over the grassroots. Trump has happily stoked the divide, declaring that the Democratic primary is ‘rigged’ against Sanders, just as he did four years ago.”
In other words, some Sanders supporters are ready to do what some Sanders supporters did in 2016 — abstain from voting, or worse, vote for Trump to spite the DNC. This scares me. Arguably, Secretary Clinton lost in 2016 because of people who sat it out because she wasn’t their ideal candidate. I cannot bear to see this happen again.
Like I said, Joe Biden is not my ideal candidate. Secretary Clinton wasn’t my ideal candidate in 2016 either, to be honest. But democracy is quite literally at stake. When the nation is at risk of falling apart at the hands of an orange lunatic, democracy isn’t about picking your dream candidate. It’s about picking the best candidate of the candidates available. Elections are about voting in the person who will do a better job of leading. Between Trump and Biden, the answer is clear.
I understand the frustration you might feel from the DNC’s moves the day before Super Tuesday. I understand the frustration you might feel from how the DNC operated back in 2016. I am frustrated too. But not voting is not the answer. Again, ask yourself this: Is giving Trump another 4 years better for progressivism, or is giving Biden 4 years better for progressivism? With Biden, progressives can make crucial inroads and shape the future of the party —with Trump, progressives are more likely to end up on a government hit list. Your vote, your choice.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Chelsea Clinton comes out swinging

Chelsea Clinton comes out swinging

Chelsea Clinton has endured more harassment and abuse in her life than just about any other public figure out there @ @ @ @ @ have been the subject of tabloid lies for as long as they ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ Now she ’ s coming out swinging at a crucial time .
The National Enquirer @ @ @ @ @ fake stories .
It criminally conspired with Donald Trump and his 2016 campaign to run @ @ @ @ @ , with the intention of swinging the election .
Now the Enquirer is trying to @ @ @ @ @ believing that the coronavirus has been cured .
Chelsea Clinton is having none of it @ @ @ @ @ If you have to tell health lies , please return to lying about my parents @ @ @ @ @ some of your/The Globe ’ s greatest hits : Hillary ’ s Two Secret Strokes @ @ @ @ @ Live ; Parkinson ’ s Killing Bill .
And , shame on every store carrying @ @ @ @ @

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Chelsea Clinton has endured more harassment and abuse in her life than just about any other public figure out there. She and her family have been the subject of tabloid lies for as long as they’ve been in the public eye. Now she’s coming out swinging at a crucial time.
The National Enquirer doesn’t just run fake stories. It criminally conspired with Donald Trump and his 2016 campaign to run fake stories about Hillary Clinton, with the intention of swinging the election. Now the Enquirer is trying to trick those same rubes into believing that the coronavirus has been cured. Chelsea Clinton is having none of it:
.
👋 National Enquirer! If you have to tell health lies, please return to lying about my parents’ health. Maybe recycle some of your/The Globe’s greatest hits: Hillary’s Two Secret Strokes; Hillary 6 Months To Live; Parkinson’s Killing Bill.
And, shame on every store carrying ⬇. https://t.co/mY1BcKBfOz — Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) March 15, 2020
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Donald Trump just painted himself into a no-win corner

It ’ s been over 24 years since I read “ Atlas Shrugged.
” It was during the “ blizzard of ‘ 96 , ” a miracle of snowfall that turned the western New Jersey landscape into a vast prodigy of silence , that I yawned my way through Ayn Rand ’ s pretentious , self-congratulatory tome .
My assessment of the book at that time came without any presentiment of its later ( for me ) political implications .
I didn ’ t know I would one day grapple online with rabid Libertarians and Tea Party “ fans ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never actually read the thing .
For me it was nothing more than the most overrated “ classic ” ever written , an assessment that remained unchallenged until I finally got around to reading “ The Great Gatsby ” last year , which at least had the good taste of being shorter .
Even so , “ Shrugged ” gave me a takeaway , which “ Gatsby ” did not ( unless you count the fact that the American aristocracy of any era is composed of shallow , pointless , ornamental idiots , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for that . )
Rand conveyed , with uncanny , superlative clarity , the sound of the whine of the coward whose principal job — whose only job really — is to convince everyone in earshot that everything that goes wrong is emphatically not their fault .
Rand didn ’ t need a whole book for that , but give credit where credit is due .
She ’ s so good at it I wonder now if she wasn ’ t one of them .
So in that tradition one of Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone that nothing bad is ever his fault .
He even hamfistedly engineers it that way by keeping cruise ships , lousy with COVID-19 cases , offshore to artificially deflate the number of “ official ” American sufferers .
He points out that , while the 2018 dismantling of the whole apparatus of the pandemic response team may in fact have been a bad thing , it also wasn ’ t his fault , because he didn ’ t know about it .
The buck ( or , in Ayn Rand parlance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there , in Trumpland .
As outrageous as all this is , it ’ s not half as outrageous as the Republican readiness to enable him .
These days no official word from the White House can come without its inveterate paeans to the president .
Someone is coaching them , reminding them before they go on that they can ’ t talk very long without praising Trump .
“ This was all BB ’ s [ Big Brother ’ s ] idea , of course , ” Syme says to Winston Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I think Trump may have painted himself into another one of his famous corners by insisting that he has tested negative for coronavirus .
I hope it goes without saying that we have no idea if this is true or not .
In fact , there are two parts to this question , really .
One , we have no idea if he was tested or not and , two , we have no idea of the outcome of the test if he was .
Three possibilities and we are truly no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which possibility is correct .
Such is the current credibility of this White House and this president .
The important question remains .
Does Trump have it ?
There ’ s a good chance he does , but it would almost be an extension of his Devil ’ s luck if he didn ’ t .
But assuming he does then he is in serious trouble , not only because we will have almost perfect proof that he lied , but that he is meantime infecting American politicians and world leaders and diplomats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If that ’ s true and one of them should die , then Trump will be an existential murderer .
And if one of his victims should turn out to be an important foreigner and they should die , it could trigger an international incident of staggering proportions .
If I had to guess I would guess that Trump has not been tested and he doesn ’ t have a clue if he ’ s infected ( or infectious ) or not — and , because he ’ s a sociopath , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think Trump assumes he isn ’ t infected because he ’ s Donald Trump and he ’ s immune to consequences from coronavirus the same way he ’ s immune to heart attack because of his diet , or the same way he ’ s immune from the law because of his criminal activities .
In any case , he thinks he doesn ’ t need to be tested for that reason .
That everything is going to one day catch up with him , maybe even all at once , never occurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he has no imagination .
So what does all this mean ?
Greed is good ?
You ’ ll get no help from Ayn Rand ( or her much smarter fictional descendant , Gordon Gekko . )
Only from Orwell , the true genius here , can any useful answer come .
“ For the first time he perceived , ” Orwell writes , “ that if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself.
” Trump ’ s problem is that if he ’ s infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hide it much longer .
Not from himself , not from anyone else .
Should that be the case you may be assured that , the perennial victim Trump , will loudly and truculently proclaim that it ’ s not his fault ,

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It’s been over 24 years since I read “Atlas Shrugged.” It was during the “blizzard of ‘96,” a miracle of snowfall that turned the western New Jersey landscape into a vast prodigy of silence, that I yawned my way through Ayn Rand’s pretentious, self-congratulatory tome. My assessment of the book at that time came without any presentiment of its later (for me) political implications. I didn’t know I would one day grapple online with rabid Libertarians and Tea Party “fans” of the book, who clearly had never actually read the thing. For me it was nothing more than the most overrated “classic” ever written, an assessment that remained unchallenged until I finally got around to reading “The Great Gatsby” last year, which at least had the good taste of being shorter.
Even so, “Shrugged” gave me a takeaway, which “Gatsby” did not (unless you count the fact that the American aristocracy of any era is composed of shallow, pointless, ornamental idiots, but I didn’t need Gatsby for that.) Rand conveyed, with uncanny, superlative clarity, the sound of the whine of the coward whose principal job — whose only job really — is to convince everyone in earshot that everything that goes wrong is emphatically not their fault. Rand didn’t need a whole book for that, but give credit where credit is due. She’s so good at it I wonder now if she wasn’t one of them.
So in that tradition one of Donald Trump’s jobs these days is convincing everyone that nothing bad is ever his fault. He even hamfistedly engineers it that way by keeping cruise ships, lousy with COVID-19 cases, offshore to artificially deflate the number of “official” American sufferers. He points out that, while the 2018 dismantling of the whole apparatus of the pandemic response team may in fact have been a bad thing, it also wasn’t his fault, because he didn’t know about it.
The buck (or, in Ayn Rand parlance, the almighty dollar) stops anywhere but there, in Trumpland. As outrageous as all this is, it’s not half as outrageous as the Republican readiness to enable him. These days no official word from the White House can come without its inveterate paeans to the president. Someone is coaching them, reminding them before they go on that they can’t talk very long without praising Trump. “This was all BB’s [Big Brother’s] idea, of course,” Syme says to Winston Smith in Orwell’s “1984.”
But I think Trump may have painted himself into another one of his famous corners by insisting that he has tested negative for coronavirus. I hope it goes without saying that we have no idea if this is true or not. In fact, there are two parts to this question, really. One, we have no idea if he was tested or not and, two, we have no idea of the outcome of the test if he was. Three possibilities and we are truly no wiser now than we ever were about which possibility is correct. Such is the current credibility of this White House and this president.
The important question remains. Does Trump have it? There’s a good chance he does, but it would almost be an extension of his Devil’s luck if he didn’t. But assuming he does then he is in serious trouble, not only because we will have almost perfect proof that he lied, but that he is meantime infecting American politicians and world leaders and diplomats and golf cronies all over the place. If that’s true and one of them should die, then Trump will be an existential murderer. And if one of his victims should turn out to be an important foreigner and they should die, it could trigger an international incident of staggering proportions.
If I had to guess I would guess that Trump has not been tested and he doesn’t have a clue if he’s infected (or infectious) or not — and, because he’s a sociopath, he doesn’t care. I think Trump assumes he isn’t infected because he’s Donald Trump and he’s immune to consequences from coronavirus the same way he’s immune to heart attack because of his diet, or the same way he’s immune from the law because of his criminal activities. In any case, he thinks he doesn’t need to be tested for that reason. That everything is going to one day catch up with him, maybe even all at once, never occurs to him because he’s stupid and he has no imagination.
So what does all this mean? Greed is good? You’ll get no help from Ayn Rand (or her much smarter fictional descendant, Gordon Gekko.) Only from Orwell, the true genius here, can any useful answer come. “For the first time he perceived,” Orwell writes, “that if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself.” Trump’s problem is that if he’s infected, he won’t be able to hide it much longer. Not from himself, not from anyone else. Should that be the case you may be assured that, the perennial victim Trump, will loudly and truculently proclaim that it’s not his fault,
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SHUT IT DOWN

Yesterday we learned that Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel was physically ill , and that she was awaiting the results of a coronavirus test , after she was exposed to it at Donald Trump ’ s recent Mar-a-Lago party .
This comes after multiple other people who attended the party have also tested positive .
Shut it down .
Shut down Mar-a-Lago .
Quarantine the whole place .
Not just to punish the negligent criminal who owns it , but because the place is now a public health hazard .
We ’ ve got multiple members of the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set foot in Mar-a-Lago during that party .
The place is that infested .
Does anyone really believe that delusional cheapskate Donald Trump has had the place properly disinfected since the outbreak there began ?
Local officials need to get in there and shut Mar-a-Lago down for health code violations , before the coronavirus outbreak emanating from the place ends up spreading further around South Florida , and begins infecting a bunch of innocent people who have never set foot in Trump ’ s shithole resort .
Donald Trump announced last night that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that he ’ d tested negative , but of course no one believes him , because he always lies about everything .
We don ’ t know if he has it .
But we know that he ’ s the owner of a coronavirus hotspot – and the whole place needs to be cordoned off with caution tape until further notice .

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Yesterday we learned that Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel was physically ill, and that she was awaiting the results of a coronavirus test, after she was exposed to it at Donald Trump’s recent Mar-a-Lago party. This comes after multiple other people who attended the party have also tested positive.
Shut it down. Shut down Mar-a-Lago. Quarantine the whole place. Not just to punish the negligent criminal who owns it, but because the place is now a public health hazard. We’ve got multiple members of the House and Senate in quarantine simply because they set foot in Mar-a-Lago during that party. The place is that infested. Does anyone really believe that delusional cheapskate Donald Trump has had the place properly disinfected since the outbreak there began?
Local officials need to get in there and shut Mar-a-Lago down for health code violations, before the coronavirus outbreak emanating from the place ends up spreading further around South Florida, and begins infecting a bunch of innocent people who have never set foot in Trump’s shithole resort.
Donald Trump announced last night that he’d been tested himself, and that he’d tested negative, but of course no one believes him, because he always lies about everything. We don’t know if he has it. But we know that he’s the owner of a coronavirus hotspot – and the whole place needs to be cordoned off with caution tape until further notice.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Joe Biden just got a major boost

Joe Biden just got a major boost

As the primary winds down , we ’ ve seen Joe Biden rack up a number of endorsements .
On Saturday , he got a pretty big one .
The National Education Association , the country ’ s largest union , announced their decision to endorse Biden for president .
Lily Eskelsen Garcia , the NEA ’ s president , attributed her decision to Biden ’ s proposals for raising teacher salaries and improved funding for support staff positions .
The case was made only after Biden appeared at three presidential forums and gave several videotaped interviews .
The NEA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is made up of three million members .
75 % of them are college educated women – a demographic that both Democrats and Republicans are hoping to win over for the 2020 election , but also where Biden has shown some significant in-roads in the primaries held so far .
It ’ s clear that he ’ s building a winning coalition – and he may even have more of an advantage as Republicans led by Donald Trump have been struggling with both women and college-educated voters in general ( who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 election . )
In early 2016 , the union endorsed Hillary Clinton well before she was established as the clear frontrunner in the Democratic primary .
Like Biden , the NEA also wants to see Betsy Devos replaced as the Secretary of Education with someone who has a background in public schools .
As the NEA has members in every congressional district , and in a number of swing states , this decision could be crucial to the general election .

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As the primary winds down, we’ve seen Joe Biden rack up a number of endorsements. On Saturday, he got a pretty big one. The National Education Association, the country’s largest union, announced their decision to endorse Biden for president. Lily Eskelsen Garcia, the NEA’s president, attributed her decision to Biden’s proposals for raising teacher salaries and improved funding for support staff positions. The case was made only after Biden appeared at three presidential forums and gave several videotaped interviews.
The NEA voted in support of Biden on Saturday and is made up of three million members. 75% of them are college educated women – a demographic that both Democrats and Republicans are hoping to win over for the 2020 election, but also where Biden has shown some significant in-roads in the primaries held so far. It’s clear that he’s building a winning coalition – and he may even have more of an advantage as Republicans led by Donald Trump have been struggling with both women and college-educated voters in general (who have been shifting Democratic since at least the 2016 election.)
In early 2016, the union endorsed Hillary Clinton well before she was established as the clear frontrunner in the Democratic primary. Like Biden, the NEA also wants to see Betsy Devos replaced as the Secretary of Education with someone who has a background in public schools. As the NEA has members in every congressional district, and in a number of swing states, this decision could be crucial to the general election.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Team Trump’s reaction to Ronna McDaniel’s illness points to coronavirus coverup

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has become physically ill , and she ’ s currently awaiting the results of a coronavirus test , after she was exposed to the virus at Mar-a-Lago last weekend .
You ’ d think this would set off all the alarms within Donald Trump ’ s inner circle , considering Trump and most of his cronies were also exposed to it last weekend .
Indeed , they ’ re upset – but not for the reason you ’ d think .
It turns out Trump ’ s inner circle isn ’ t upset that Ronna McDaniel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the coronavirus , or even that they have the coronavirus .
No , according to the New York Times , they ’ re upset that she dared to publicly disclose her condition .
This is not only heartless , it ’ s shortsighted on their part .
If Ronna McDaniel does have the coronavirus , it means a whole lot of other people in Donald Trump ’ s inner circle probably have it too .
They should be worried about their own health , considering this is a deadly virus .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ability to cover it up if they get sick .
Come to think of it , how many Trump ’ s cronies from the Mar-a-Lago party are covering up coronavirus-like symptoms as we speak ?

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RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has become physically ill, and she’s currently awaiting the results of a coronavirus test, after she was exposed to the virus at Mar-a-Lago last weekend. You’d think this would set off all the alarms within Donald Trump’s inner circle, considering Trump and most of his cronies were also exposed to it last weekend. Indeed, they’re upset – but not for the reason you’d think.
It turns out Trump’s inner circle isn’t upset that Ronna McDaniel is ill, or that she might have the coronavirus, or even that they have the coronavirus. No, according to the New York Times, they’re upset that she dared to publicly disclose her condition.
This is not only heartless, it’s shortsighted on their part. If Ronna McDaniel does have the coronavirus, it means a whole lot of other people in Donald Trump’s inner circle probably have it too. They should be worried about their own health, considering this is a deadly virus. Instead they appear to be more worried about their ability to cover it up if they get sick. Come to think of it, how many Trump’s cronies from the Mar-a-Lago party are covering up coronavirus-like symptoms as we speak?
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--What are we supposed to do now?

What are we supposed to do now?

The United States is battling a pandemic , and the President of the United States is a damaged buffoon who lacks both the intelligence and the psychological competence to handle it .
Donald Trump keeps stepping to the plate , lethargically swinging and missing , falling down , and hitting himself in the head .
So what are the rest of us supposed to do ?
By now we all know the bad news .
The coronavirus currently has no vaccine , and there isn ’ t one on the near-term horizon .
The confirmed number of infected people keeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ botched the acquisition of testing kits , we have no way of knowing how high the true number of infected people might be .
Americans are dying .
Far more Americans will die .
The country is in the process of shutting down .
But you already knew all of that .
Is there any good news ?
That at least partly depends on you .
There are plenty of things you can do , and should be doing right now , to keep yourself as safe as possible .
Listen to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep yourself , and the people around you , as healthy as possible until the cavalry arrives .
There will be a cavalry .
Don ’ t ask me when or how , but there will be .
At some point the proper testing equipment will become available .
At some point a vaccine will eventually be invented .
We ’ ll get through this together .
One priority is to keep everyone safe .
The other priority is to come together and make sure Donald Trump loses in November .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long term recovery from everything that ’ s happening .

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The United States is battling a pandemic, and the President of the United States is a damaged buffoon who lacks both the intelligence and the psychological competence to handle it. Donald Trump keeps stepping to the plate, lethargically swinging and missing, falling down, and hitting himself in the head. So what are the rest of us supposed to do?
By now we all know the bad news. The coronavirus currently has no vaccine, and there isn’t one on the near-term horizon. The confirmed number of infected people keeps going up, and because Trump completely botched the acquisition of testing kits, we have no way of knowing how high the true number of infected people might be. Americans are dying. Far more Americans will die. The country is in the process of shutting down.
But you already knew all of that. Is there any good news? That at least partly depends on you. There are plenty of things you can do, and should be doing right now, to keep yourself as safe as possible. Listen to the experts on this. Your job is to keep yourself, and the people around you, as healthy as possible until the cavalry arrives.
There will be a cavalry. Don’t ask me when or how, but there will be. At some point the proper testing equipment will become available. At some point a vaccine will eventually be invented. We’ll get through this together. One priority is to keep everyone safe. The other priority is to come together and make sure Donald Trump loses in November. It’s our single best hope of long term recovery from everything that’s happening.
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palmerreport--2020-03-15--Something doesn’t add up about Lindsey Graham’s quarantine

Truly appreciate the care package from @ FLOTUS Melania Trump and President @ realDonaldTrump .
Can ’ t wait to @ @ @ @ @ the President and my Senate colleagues to contain coronavirus and stabilize the economy .
We @ @ @ @ @ !
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/eFUFWBG8iZ

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Earlier this week, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham announced that he was quarantining himself because he’d been potentially exposed to the coronavirus while he was at Mar-a-Lago. This was the right thing to do, of course. But last night Graham posted this tweet, and something is off here:
.
Truly appreciate the care package from @FLOTUS Melania Trump and President @realDonaldTrump. Can’t wait to get back to work with the President and my Senate colleagues to contain coronavirus and stabilize the economy. We will get through this together! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/eFUFWBG8iZ — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 14, 2020
Wait a minute. This card from Melania Trump says “Hope you feel better soon.” There has been no reporting that Graham had any coronavirus symptoms; he was merely quarantining himself in case it turned out he was infected. So is Melania just being incredibly tone-deaf here, or does this mean that Graham really is sick?
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palmerreport--2020-03-16--Here comes the cavalry

Here comes the cavalry

On Friday , Chinese billionaire Jack Ma announced that he was going to be donating a ton of masks and @ @ @ @ @ United States .
This sounded good , and the Alibaba cofounded certainly has the resources @ @ @ @ @ off .
But under the current difficult circumstances , was it going to be feasible @ @ @ @ @ tweet overnight , showing that the coronavirus medical supplies are already en route to the @ @ @ @ @ just have to hope that these coronavirus medical supplies end up in the correct hands @ @ @ @ @ States .
It also raises a crucial question .
If it ’ s this easy @ @ @ @ @ to get his hands on this many coronavirus testing kits in such short order , @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump , who currently controls the entire United States Treasury , make it happen @

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On Friday, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma announced that he was going to be donating a ton of masks and coronavirus test kits to the United States. This sounded good, and the Alibaba cofounded certainly has the resources and infrastructure to pull it off. But under the current difficult circumstances, was it going to be feasible?
Jack Ma posted this tweet overnight, showing that the coronavirus medical supplies are already en route to the United States:
The first shipment of masks and coronavirus test kits to the US is taking off from Shanghai. All the best to our friends in America. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/LTn26gvlOl — Jack Ma (@JackMa) March 16, 2020
Now we just have to hope that these coronavirus medical supplies end up in the correct hands once they reach the United States. It also raises a crucial question. If it’s this easy for a guy with money to get his hands on this many coronavirus testing kits in such short order, then why couldn’t Donald Trump, who currently controls the entire United States Treasury, make it happen?
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palmerreport--2020-03-16--Today could be the day

Today could be the day

With the U.S. stock market having steadily dropped over the past month and now finding itself down more than twenty percent , we keep waiting to see if there ends up being a single day where it truly goes off a cliff .
It ’ s become volatile and unstable to the point that last week it dropped two thousand points in a day , then gained it all back the next day .
But today we ’ re looking some uniquely bad news .
Last night the Fed cut interest rates to essentially zero .
It ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make when you know you ’ re going into economic contraction anyway , and you ’ re just trying to minimize the size of the recession .
The trouble is , it ’ s a final signal to Wall Street that the roaring Obama economy is now 100 % over and isn ’ t magically bouncing back .
This comes even as major cities announce shutdowns of all restaurants and bars , which will further flatten economic output .
Accordingly , investors sold off so heavily last night in overnight trading , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the third time in a week .
This means that when the Dow Jones opens in the morning , it ’ ll likely have to be immediately halted due to the corresponding selloff .
By the time the market reopens after the halt , we ’ ll get a sense of just how sour of a mood investors are truly in , but it ’ s unlikely to be pretty .
Again , the market is too unstable at this point to be predictable .
But investors have clearly decided that their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Trump ’ s ridiculous press conference full of what turned out to be lies , wasn ’ t worth the effort .
Now we wait to see if today is the day the market truly falls to pieces , or if there ’ s any remaining stability left in it .
The stock market was one of the few bragging points that Trump was planning to use in his 2020 campaign , and now that ’ s gone .

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With the U.S. stock market having steadily dropped over the past month and now finding itself down more than twenty percent, we keep waiting to see if there ends up being a single day where it truly goes off a cliff. It’s become volatile and unstable to the point that last week it dropped two thousand points in a day, then gained it all back the next day. But today we’re looking some uniquely bad news.
Last night the Fed cut interest rates to essentially zero. It’s the regretful yet responsible kind of move you make when you know you’re going into economic contraction anyway, and you’re just trying to minimize the size of the recession. The trouble is, it’s a final signal to Wall Street that the roaring Obama economy is now 100% over and isn’t magically bouncing back. This comes even as major cities announce shutdowns of all restaurants and bars, which will further flatten economic output.
Accordingly, investors sold off so heavily last night in overnight trading, it triggered yet another automatic circuit breaker, for the third time in a week. This means that when the Dow Jones opens in the morning, it’ll likely have to be immediately halted due to the corresponding selloff. By the time the market reopens after the halt, we’ll get a sense of just how sour of a mood investors are truly in, but it’s unlikely to be pretty.
Again, the market is too unstable at this point to be predictable. But investors have clearly decided that their bounce back on Friday afternoon, triggered by Trump’s ridiculous press conference full of what turned out to be lies, wasn’t worth the effort. Now we wait to see if today is the day the market truly falls to pieces, or if there’s any remaining stability left in it. The stock market was one of the few bragging points that Trump was planning to use in his 2020 campaign, and now that’s gone.
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palmerreport--2020-03-16--Lindsey Graham’s coronavirus quarantine just took another strange turn

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has been under voluntarily quarantine because he attended a Mar-a-Lago party with multiple people who have since tested positive for the coronavirus .
Suffice it to say that some things about his quarantine haven ’ t added up .
Now it ’ s taken another strange turn .
On Saturday , Lindsey Graham tweeted an image of a care package he received from the White House .
The card was signed Melania & Donald ” and the message was “ Hope you feel better soon !
” This set off some alarms , because the reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ill , and had merely been self isolating as a precaution .
Why would the Trumps have told him to “ feel better ” if he ’ s not sick ?
In any case , Lindsey Graham announced on Twitter last night that he ’ s tested negative , and that he ’ s looking forward to “ getting back to work ” in the Senate .
So this raises the question of where Graham managed to get a testing kit , considering there don ’ t appear to be any testing kits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the question of why Graham was tested , if he wasn ’ t showing any symptoms .
The CDC ’ s own website says that if you ’ re infected but you ’ re not yet sick , the test results can falsely come back negative .
This brings us back to the question of why the Trumps told Graham to “ feel better ” if he wasn ’ t sick to begin with .
As with all things Lindsey Graham these days , this is just strange .

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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has been under voluntarily quarantine because he attended a Mar-a-Lago party with multiple people who have since tested positive for the coronavirus. Suffice it to say that some things about his quarantine haven’t added up. Now it’s taken another strange turn.
On Saturday, Lindsey Graham tweeted an image of a care package he received from the White House. The card was signed Melania & Donald” and the message was “Hope you feel better soon!” This set off some alarms, because the reporting had been that Graham wasn’t ill, and had merely been self isolating as a precaution. Why would the Trumps have told him to “feel better” if he’s not sick?
In any case, Lindsey Graham announced on Twitter last night that he’s tested negative, and that he’s looking forward to “getting back to work” in the Senate. So this raises the question of where Graham managed to get a testing kit, considering there don’t appear to be any testing kits available anywhere.
There’s also the question of why Graham was tested, if he wasn’t showing any symptoms. The CDC’s own website says that if you’re infected but you’re not yet sick, the test results can falsely come back negative. This brings us back to the question of why the Trumps told Graham to “feel better” if he wasn’t sick to begin with. As with all things Lindsey Graham these days, this is just strange.
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palmerreport--2020-03-16--Everything changes forty-eight hours from now

Considering the manner in which the coronavirus crisis is incrementally shutting down the United States , there are questions about how much longer the 2020 Democratic primary race can continue .
Upcoming states like Georgia and Louisiana have postponed their primaries , in order to save people from having to congregate while voting .
Here ’ s the thing : everything changes forty-eight hours from now anyway .
By this time Tuesday night , the four states of Florida , Ohio , Illinois , and Arizona will have been called in favor of Joe Biden .
Ongoing coronavirus concerns will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden is leading by twenty to forty points in the polls in all of the states .
So even if the results are skewed by lower turnout , the huge margins going into it mean that Biden is still going to win them all .
At that point the primary race would effectively have been over , even if the nation weren ’ t trying to fend off a pandemic , with anyone else in Bernie ’ s position immediately dropping out .
Bernie is of course too stubborn for his own good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to acknowledge on Tuesday night that with no remaining ability to hold rallies , no remaining media attention for his dead-end campaign , there will be zero reason to remain in the race after Tuesday .
We ’ ll see if Bernie Sanders has the sense to drop out after Tuesday and push Joe Biden for policy concessions in exchange for a swift endorsement .
If Sanders doesn ’ t do it by Wednesday , the primary race will have fundamentally shifted such that he ’ ll have no remaining leverage over Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation – will move on without Sanders .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Considering the manner in which the coronavirus crisis is incrementally shutting down the United States, there are questions about how much longer the 2020 Democratic primary race can continue. Upcoming states like Georgia and Louisiana have postponed their primaries, in order to save people from having to congregate while voting. Here’s the thing: everything changes forty-eight hours from now anyway.
By this time Tuesday night, the four states of Florida, Ohio, Illinois, and Arizona will have been called in favor of Joe Biden. Ongoing coronavirus concerns will probably drive voter turnout downward. But Biden is leading by twenty to forty points in the polls in all of the states. So even if the results are skewed by lower turnout, the huge margins going into it mean that Biden is still going to win them all.
At that point the primary race would effectively have been over, even if the nation weren’t trying to fend off a pandemic, with anyone else in Bernie’s position immediately dropping out. Bernie is of course too stubborn for his own good. But even he’ll have to acknowledge on Tuesday night that with no remaining ability to hold rallies, no remaining media attention for his dead-end campaign, there will be zero reason to remain in the race after Tuesday.
We’ll see if Bernie Sanders has the sense to drop out after Tuesday and push Joe Biden for policy concessions in exchange for a swift endorsement. If Sanders doesn’t do it by Wednesday, the primary race will have fundamentally shifted such that he’ll have no remaining leverage over Biden, and the race – and the nation – will move on without Sanders.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-16--Five women who could end up being Joe Biden’s running mate

During tonight ’ s Democratic primary debate , Joe Biden announced that his running mate will be a woman .
This has set off quite a bit of speculation just who it will be .
There are plenty of qualified Democratic women to choose from , but here are the most likely options .
Kamala Harris : Joe Biden suggested on the Lawrence O ’ Donnell show last week that his running mate will be a black woman who has experience on the national debate stage .
Kamala fits that description better than anyone , and she ’ s already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the question of whether she ’ d rather be Biden ’ s Attorney General than his running mate .
Stacey Abrams : Back when Biden was first entering the race , there were major media reports that he was focused on Abrams as his running mate .
That reporting has since gone cold , but it ’ s notable that Abrams has taken a pass on other races such as running for Senator in Georgia .
Amy Klobuchar : Klobuchar is popular in midwestern states and she ’ s clearly aligned with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did say last week that he was leaning toward an African American woman .
Elizabeth Warren : This would be a fascinating way to try to unite the Democratic Party .
The question is whether Warren would want to be Vice President .
Val Demings : She became a quickly rising star during the House impeachment hearings .
She ’ s the former Chief of the Orlando Police Department , and she ’ s popular in the key swing state of Florida .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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During tonight’s Democratic primary debate, Joe Biden announced that his running mate will be a woman. This has set off quite a bit of speculation just who it will be. There are plenty of qualified Democratic women to choose from, but here are the most likely options.
Kamala Harris: Joe Biden suggested on the Lawrence O’Donnell show last week that his running mate will be a black woman who has experience on the national debate stage. Kamala fits that description better than anyone, and she’s already clearly committed to his campaign. There is the question of whether she’d rather be Biden’s Attorney General than his running mate.
Stacey Abrams: Back when Biden was first entering the race, there were major media reports that he was focused on Abrams as his running mate. That reporting has since gone cold, but it’s notable that Abrams has taken a pass on other races such as running for Senator in Georgia.
Amy Klobuchar: Klobuchar is popular in midwestern states and she’s clearly aligned with Biden’s campaign. But Biden did say last week that he was leaning toward an African American woman.
Elizabeth Warren: This would be a fascinating way to try to unite the Democratic Party. The question is whether Warren would want to be Vice President.
Val Demings: She became a quickly rising star during the House impeachment hearings. She’s the former Chief of the Orlando Police Department, and she’s popular in the key swing state of Florida.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-16--Donald Trump has berserk meltdown after Joe Biden wipes the floor with him

Joe Biden did enough during tonight ’ s Democratic primary debate to fend off Bernie Sanders and retain his status as the de facto Democratic nominee .
Biden also made headlines by announcing that his running mate will be a woman .
But Biden ’ s biggest swings during the debate were directly at one person : Donald Trump .
It turns out the ever narcissistic Donald Trump was watching to see what would be said about him tonight .
After the debate , Trump fired off this lie-filled tweet : I must say , that was a VERY boring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I want to cut Social Security and Medicare .
That ’ s what they ALL said 4 years ago , and nothing happened , in fact , I saved Social Security and Medicare .
I will not be cutting , but they will .
Be careful !
This is almost hilariously absurd , considering Donald Trump flat out admitted during a recent town hall that he ’ ll be “ cutting ” Social Security and Medicare if he gets the opportunity .
In any case , it ’ s clear that Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to face Biden in the general election .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Joe Biden did enough during tonight’s Democratic primary debate to fend off Bernie Sanders and retain his status as the de facto Democratic nominee. Biden also made headlines by announcing that his running mate will be a woman. But Biden’s biggest swings during the debate were directly at one person: Donald Trump.
It turns out the ever narcissistic Donald Trump was watching to see what would be said about him tonight. After the debate, Trump fired off this lie-filled tweet:
I must say, that was a VERY boring debate. Biden lied when he said I want to cut Social Security and Medicare. That’s what they ALL said 4 years ago, and nothing happened, in fact, I saved Social Security and Medicare. I will not be cutting, but they will. Be careful! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2020
This is almost hilariously absurd, considering Donald Trump flat out admitted during a recent town hall that he’ll be “cutting” Social Security and Medicare if he gets the opportunity. In any case, it’s clear that Trump is increasingly rattled by the prospect of having to face Biden in the general election.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-16--What Joe Biden was really trying to say about “Jack The Ripper” when he got cut off

Joe Biden unquestionably won tonight ’ s debate .
When you ’ re the frontrunner this late in the race , all you have to do is stand your ground in order for it to be a win , which he did .
Biden took things further by committing to picking a woman as his running mate .
But one moment during the debate had people rather confused .
Joe Biden began making an analogy involving Jack The Ripper before he ran out of time and got cut off .
It wasn ’ t a gaffe ; it just left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say about the infamous serial killer .
The context is key .
Bernie Sanders had just repeated his partial praise of Fidel Castro and the current regime in China .
Biden then began to assert that when someone is sufficiently awful overall , you have to be careful about going around pointing out their good qualities .
For instance Adolf Hitler was kind to animals , but who gives a damn ?
Hitler doesn ’ t deserve credit for anything .
When Biden evoked Jack The Ripper , he was in the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wouldn ’ t go around praising Jack The Ripper for some positive quality he might have had , when the overall reality was that he was a serial killer .
So that ends that mystery .
Palmer Report has often quipped that Trump will either pardon Jack The Ripper , or add Jack The Ripper to his cabinet , so we welcome Joe Biden to the analogy club .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Joe Biden unquestionably won tonight’s debate. When you’re the frontrunner this late in the race, all you have to do is stand your ground in order for it to be a win, which he did. Biden took things further by committing to picking a woman as his running mate. But one moment during the debate had people rather confused.
Joe Biden began making an analogy involving Jack The Ripper before he ran out of time and got cut off. It wasn’t a gaffe; it just left people wondering what he was about to say about the infamous serial killer. The context is key. Bernie Sanders had just repeated his partial praise of Fidel Castro and the current regime in China.
Biden then began to assert that when someone is sufficiently awful overall, you have to be careful about going around pointing out their good qualities. For instance Adolf Hitler was kind to animals, but who gives a damn? Hitler doesn’t deserve credit for anything.
When Biden evoked Jack The Ripper, he was in the process of making that same analogy. You wouldn’t go around praising Jack The Ripper for some positive quality he might have had, when the overall reality was that he was a serial killer. So that ends that mystery. Palmer Report has often quipped that Trump will either pardon Jack The Ripper, or add Jack The Ripper to his cabinet, so we welcome Joe Biden to the analogy club.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-16--Why Joe Biden just won

Why Joe Biden just won

The thing about presidential primary debates is that they ’ re generally only watched by people who are politically inclined enough to care about who ends up being the nominee .
These same people are aware that the 2020 Democratic primary race is effectively over , and that Joe Biden is going to be the nominee .
So other than the people who simply love watching this kind of thing , and the people who can ’ t find anything else to watch during the coronavirus lockdown , not many people were even watching tonight ’ s debate .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would end up judging tonight ’ s debate not by watching it , but by scanning tomorrow morning ’ s headlines .
If the headlines ended up saying something like “ Joe Biden struggles against Bernie Sanders , ” then that would be a clear win for Sanders ( and frankly for Donald Trump ) .
But instead , Biden just made sure that the bulk of the headlines will all be about one thing .
Joe Biden has been strongly hinting for the past week , and subtly hinting for the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a woman .
During the debate tonight , he went ahead and confirmed it .
But he just ensured that the media coverage of the debate will largely center around this bombshell .
Biden also repeated his commitment to putting the first black woman on the Supreme Court , meaning he ’ ll get headlines for that too .
Biden also just set off a whole lot of speculation about which woman he ’ ll pick .
This helps his cause , because it helps shift the public ’ s focus toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to also commit to a woman running mate , but he seemed caught off guard , and he merely said it ’ ll be likely .
This means most headlines will simply say that Biden has committed to a woman running mate , with only secondary mention of Sanders .
In other words , Biden won the debate .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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The thing about presidential primary debates is that they’re generally only watched by people who are politically inclined enough to care about who ends up being the nominee. These same people are aware that the 2020 Democratic primary race is effectively over, and that Joe Biden is going to be the nominee. So other than the people who simply love watching this kind of thing, and the people who can’t find anything else to watch during the coronavirus lockdown, not many people were even watching tonight’s debate.
This meant that most of the American people would end up judging tonight’s debate not by watching it, but by scanning tomorrow morning’s headlines. If the headlines ended up saying something like “Joe Biden struggles against Bernie Sanders,” then that would be a clear win for Sanders (and frankly for Donald Trump). But instead, Biden just made sure that the bulk of the headlines will all be about one thing.
Joe Biden has been strongly hinting for the past week, and subtly hinting for the past year, that his running mate would be a woman. During the debate tonight, he went ahead and confirmed it. But he just ensured that the media coverage of the debate will largely center around this bombshell. Biden also repeated his commitment to putting the first black woman on the Supreme Court, meaning he’ll get headlines for that too.
Biden also just set off a whole lot of speculation about which woman he’ll pick. This helps his cause, because it helps shift the public’s focus toward the general election. Sanders had an opportunity to also commit to a woman running mate, but he seemed caught off guard, and he merely said it’ll be likely. This means most headlines will simply say that Biden has committed to a woman running mate, with only secondary mention of Sanders. In other words, Biden won the debate.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-16--Donald Trump just gave something away by suddenly threatening to pardon Michael Flynn

Donald Trump is coming off one of the most embarrassing weeks in the history of the United States presidency , and he ’ s headed into anther bad week .
So where is Trump ’ s head ?
He posted this tweet today , which gives away quite a lot : So now it is reported that , after destroying his life & the life of his wonderful family ( and many others also ) , the FBI , working in conjunction with the Justice Department , has “ lost ” the records of General Michael Flynn .
How convenient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pardon !
Donald Trump is a desperate man whose presidency is falling apart by the hour , and he knows that if he loses the election , he ’ ll very likely end up in prison for his crimes .
So his behavior could become unpredictable .
But up to now , Trump has shown a highly consistent pattern .
When Trump does something awful , he usually tries to do it quietly , in secret .
When he publicly threatens to do something awful , he very rarely ends up actually doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has pardoned several people , he still hasn ’ t pardoned a single one of his co-conspirators , which would open up a legal can of worms for him .
The takeaway here is that Donald Trump is probably just trying to change the headlines by making yet another deranged threat that he doesn ’ t intend to follow through on .
Sure , Trump could go ahead and actually pardon Michael Flynn .
But he wouldn ’ t just magically get away with it .
Such a corrupt high profile move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only make things worse for him , not better .
Don ’ t let Trump scare you into paralysis with this kind of thing .
He ’ s playing with an empty hand right now .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Donald Trump is coming off one of the most embarrassing weeks in the history of the United States presidency, and he’s headed into anther bad week. So where is Trump’s head? He posted this tweet today, which gives away quite a lot:
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So now it is reported that, after destroying his life & the life of his wonderful family (and many others also), the FBI, working in conjunction with the Justice Department, has “lost” the records of General Michael Flynn. How convenient. I am strongly considering a Full Pardon! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2020
Donald Trump is a desperate man whose presidency is falling apart by the hour, and he knows that if he loses the election, he’ll very likely end up in prison for his crimes. So his behavior could become unpredictable. But up to now, Trump has shown a highly consistent pattern. When Trump does something awful, he usually tries to do it quietly, in secret. When he publicly threatens to do something awful, he very rarely ends up actually doing it. Keep in mind that while Trump has pardoned several people, he still hasn’t pardoned a single one of his co-conspirators, which would open up a legal can of worms for him.
The takeaway here is that Donald Trump is probably just trying to change the headlines by making yet another deranged threat that he doesn’t intend to follow through on. Sure, Trump could go ahead and actually pardon Michael Flynn. But he wouldn’t just magically get away with it. Such a corrupt high profile move, during a national crisis, would only make things worse for him, not better. Don’t let Trump scare you into paralysis with this kind of thing. He’s playing with an empty hand right now.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-16--Joe Biden just made history by dropping a bombshell about his running mate during the Democratic Deb

Joe Biden just made history by dropping a bombshell about his running mate during the Democratic Debate

If you skipped tonight ’ s Democratic primary debate , either because you ’ re busy dealing with the coronavirus crisis or because you know the primary race is already over , you missed a fascinating moment .
When the topic came up about a running mate , Joe Biden dropped a bombshell .
Joe Biden just 100 % committed to having a woman for his running mate .
He did it in exact words .
And just to make sure there was no doubt , his official Twitter account then posted “ My running mate will be a woman.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be ?
Last week Joe Biden seemed to strongly hint on the Lawrence O ’ Donnell show that his running mate would be Kamala Harris .
We ’ ve also seen earlier speculation in the media that his running mate could be Stacey Abrams .
Others have asked if perhaps it could be Amy Klobuchar or Elizabeth Warren .
Either way , history has just been made .
While Walter Mondale and John McCain each picked a woman for a running mate , neither was the frontrunner at the time , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win .
In contrast , Joe Biden has announced that he ’ s going with a woman running mate at a time when he ’ s the clear frontrunner .
Biden also repeated his earlier assertion that he ’ ll put a black woman on the Supreme Court .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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If you skipped tonight’s Democratic primary debate, either because you’re busy dealing with the coronavirus crisis or because you know the primary race is already over, you missed a fascinating moment. When the topic came up about a running mate, Joe Biden dropped a bombshell.
Joe Biden just 100% committed to having a woman for his running mate. He did it in exact words. And just to make sure there was no doubt, his official Twitter account then posted “My running mate will be a woman.” So who’s it going to be?
Last week Joe Biden seemed to strongly hint on the Lawrence O’Donnell show that his running mate would be Kamala Harris. We’ve also seen earlier speculation in the media that his running mate could be Stacey Abrams. Others have asked if perhaps it could be Amy Klobuchar or Elizabeth Warren. Either way, history has just been made.
While Walter Mondale and John McCain each picked a woman for a running mate, neither was the frontrunner at the time, and neither of them was seriously expected to win. In contrast, Joe Biden has announced that he’s going with a woman running mate at a time when he’s the clear frontrunner. Biden also repeated his earlier assertion that he’ll put a black woman on the Supreme Court.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-03-16--Donald Trump just sent the stock market off an overnight cliff

For some reason , it turns out the guy who went bankrupt six times isn ’ t very good at this economic stuff .
In the midst of a coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis , Donald Trump held yet another press conference today , and essentially tried to make the whole thing about himself .
Overnight stock market trading promptly went off a cliff .
Overnight trading in the U.S. market has plunged so badly , it ’ s already triggered a bottom limit .
This means that the Dow Jones will likely open down more than a thousand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll see the markets immediately halted – for the third time in a week .
The kicker is that the Fed announced it ’ s cutting interest rates to zero , and investors still don ’ t have any faith in what ’ s going to happen next .
Donald Trump is seen as just that much of a liability .
Sure , he managed to create an artificial stock market surge on Friday afternoon when he used a press conference to announce a bunch of things that weren ’ t even real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they ’ re done with him .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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For some reason, it turns out the guy who went bankrupt six times isn’t very good at this economic stuff. In the midst of a coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis, Donald Trump held yet another press conference today, and essentially tried to make the whole thing about himself. Overnight stock market trading promptly went off a cliff.
Overnight trading in the U.S. market has plunged so badly, it’s already triggered a bottom limit. This means that the Dow Jones will likely open down more than a thousand points tomorrow morning, and we’ll see the markets immediately halted – for the third time in a week.
The kicker is that the Fed announced it’s cutting interest rates to zero, and investors still don’t have any faith in what’s going to happen next. Donald Trump is seen as just that much of a liability. Sure, he managed to create an artificial stock market surge on Friday afternoon when he used a press conference to announce a bunch of things that weren’t even real. But investors see through this guy, and they’re done with him.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.