theguardian--2020-02-08--Klobuchar campaign says it has raised $2m in less than 24 hours since debate

Amy Klobuchar has raised $ 2m since Friday ’ s 2020 Democratic debate , her campaign said on Saturday , in the latest sign of her resilience in the presidential primary contest .
The hefty haul underscores the staying power of the Minnesota senator ’ s campaign , despite consistently polling well behind rivals Bernie Sanders , Pete Buttigieg , former vice-president Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren .
Klobuchar has been regularly outraised by those candidates .
She has polled below the other top-tier candidates , and after doggedly campaigning in Iowa she came away with just 12 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remained a fixture on the debate stage , and has been endorsed by the New York Times and more recently a set of coveted New Hampshire newspapers .
Maura Keefe , a former chief of staff to the New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen , said Klobuchar has managed to stay in the race by consistently exceeding expectations .
“ She has the ability to exceed expectations and certainly did herself a lot of good last night , ” Keefe said .
“ The closing argument is always good in any race , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where 50 % of the voters may be undecided so the closing response could be very very important .
“ She had a standout debate and made a very compelling case on electability , which is her history and ability of winning independents and moderates .
So she put herself in the conversation for the final few days here .
She ’ s counting on a momentum and surprise and exceeding expectations , and that ’ s how you continue.
” During Friday ’ s debate , Klobuchar largely distinguished herself by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newcomer ” would make for a good president – deftly using Buttigieg ’ s outside-the-Beltway pitch against him .
She also seized on Buttigieg ’ s prior comments that the impeachment proceedings were exhausting .
Praise for Klobuchar came from the likes of MSNBC ’ s Chris Matthews , who said : “ She seemed like a president tonight .
She seemed like the president I would like to have as a president.
” Columnist Frida Ghitis said in a CNN op-ed : “ On Friday night , I could for once picture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stage.
” Even a piece in the conservative Washington Examiner praised Klobuchar , with Kaylee McGhee writing that she “ successfully sold herself as the Democratic party ’ s ideal centrist pick ” during the debate .
But Klobuchar ’ s path beyond New Hampshire is unclear .
She is not expected to win the New Hampshire primary .
A CNN/University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll found her with just 5 % support in the state , well behind Sanders , Buttigieg and Biden .
In the next primary contest , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klobuchar in the low single digits .
In South Carolina , a state with a large African American electorate that Biden is banking on , recent surveys have found her in a similar position .
It ’ s also unclear how Klobuchar ’ s background as a tough-on-crime prosecutor will play there .
In past elections she campaigned as on her record as a hard county prosecutor .
Klobuchar said during an interview on Meet the Press in 2006 : “ I am committed to this war against terror .
I am someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living .
I am tough on security .
And I will tell you this : I believe that the people on the frontline have to have the tools to wiretap , they have to have the tools to do the surveillance that we need .
“ I supported the Patriot Act , I did support some of the changes that were later made to the Patriot Act with library books , library records and things like that.
” Former South Carolina state representative Bakari Sellers said he has seen no outreach by Klobuchar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
In an interview on Saturday , a day after the debate , Sellers said : “ She hasn ’ t even tried to engage black voters .
I don ’ t know who told her that her strategy to be the Democratic nominee was just getting white midwestern women to vote for you .
Whoever did that needs to be fired .
I don ’ t know what black woman is voting for Amy Klobuchar.
” But Sellers also conceded that Klobuchar is a talented politician .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s probably as talented on the debate stage as she ’ s a prosecutor , ” Sellers said .
“ The last prosecutor we had on the debate stage got run out of town because she was a prosecutor – but nobody has pushed her on the issue.
” Ruth Ann Gaines , an Iowa state representative who is black , was the first state representative to endorse Klobuchar .

Daniel Strauss in Hanover, New Hampshire

Amy Klobuchar has raised $2m since Friday’s 2020 Democratic debate, her campaign said on Saturday, in the latest sign of her resilience in the presidential primary contest.
The hefty haul underscores the staying power of the Minnesota senator’s campaign, despite consistently polling well behind rivals Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, former vice-president Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren.
Klobuchar has been regularly outraised by those candidates. She has polled below the other top-tier candidates, and after doggedly campaigning in Iowa she came away with just 12% of the vote.
Yet she’s remained a fixture on the debate stage, and has been endorsed by the New York Times and more recently a set of coveted New Hampshire newspapers.
Maura Keefe, a former chief of staff to the New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen, said Klobuchar has managed to stay in the race by consistently exceeding expectations.
“She has the ability to exceed expectations and certainly did herself a lot of good last night,” Keefe said. “The closing argument is always good in any race, but particularly in a crowded field like this, where 50% of the voters may be undecided so the closing response could be very very important.
“She had a standout debate and made a very compelling case on electability, which is her history and ability of winning independents and moderates. So she put herself in the conversation for the final few days here. She’s counting on a momentum and surprise and exceeding expectations, and that’s how you continue.”
During Friday’s debate, Klobuchar largely distinguished herself by criticizing the idea that a “cool newcomer” would make for a good president – deftly using Buttigieg’s outside-the-Beltway pitch against him. She also seized on Buttigieg’s prior comments that the impeachment proceedings were exhausting.
I don’t know who told her that her strategy to be the nominee was just getting white midwestern women to vote for you Bakari Sellers
Praise for Klobuchar came from the likes of MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, who said: “She seemed like a president tonight. She seemed like the president I would like to have as a president.”
Columnist Frida Ghitis said in a CNN op-ed: “On Friday night, I could for once picture the Minnesota senator shredding Trump on that stage.”
Even a piece in the conservative Washington Examiner praised Klobuchar, with Kaylee McGhee writing that she “successfully sold herself as the Democratic party’s ideal centrist pick” during the debate.
But Klobuchar’s path beyond New Hampshire is unclear. She is not expected to win the New Hampshire primary. A CNN/University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll found her with just 5% support in the state, well behind Sanders, Buttigieg and Biden. In the next primary contest, the Nevada caucuses, recent polls have found Klobuchar in the low single digits.
In South Carolina, a state with a large African American electorate that Biden is banking on, recent surveys have found her in a similar position. It’s also unclear how Klobuchar’s background as a tough-on-crime prosecutor will play there. In past elections she campaigned on her record as a hard county prosecutor.
Klobuchar said during an interview on Meet the Press in 2006: “I am committed to this war against terror. I am someone who puts people in jail for a living. I am tough on security. And I will tell you this: I believe that the people on the frontline have to have the tools to wiretap, they have to have the tools to do the surveillance that we need.
“I supported the Patriot Act, I did support some of the changes that were later made to the Patriot Act with library books, library records and things like that.”
Former South Carolina state representative Bakari Sellers said he has seen no outreach by Klobuchar or her campaign to black voters in the state. In an interview on Saturday, a day after the debate, Sellers said: “She hasn’t even tried to engage black voters. I don’t know who told her that her strategy to be the Democratic nominee was just getting white midwestern women to vote for you. Whoever did that needs to be fired. I don’t know what black woman is voting for Amy Klobuchar.”
But Sellers also conceded that Klobuchar is a talented politician.
“It’s funny to me, because she’s probably as talented on the debate stage as she’s a prosecutor,” Sellers said. “The last prosecutor we had on the debate stage got run out of town because she was a prosecutor – but nobody has pushed her on the issue.”
Ruth Ann Gaines, an Iowa state representative who is black, was the first state representative to endorse Klobuchar.


theguardian--2020-02-08--'Hijabi clout': the women of color unknowingly used by 2020 campaigns

With the 2020 election well under way in the US , political advertisements with messages of hope and inclusivity have been flooding social media feeds and inboxes all across the country .
Sabirah Mahmud , a high school student and the national logistics director for the US Youth Climate Strike was surprised on 2 February when she came across footage of herself in a video ad for Joe Biden ’ s presidential campaign , after a friend texted her .
But the main shock was that it happened despite the fact she is a vocal Bernie Sanders supporter .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel very uncomfortable .
Of all the [ Democratic ] candidates , [ Biden ] is the one I would be most alarmed about , ” Mahmud said .
“ This is a national campaign ad and my face is being put out to uplift his campaign .
People will look at me and think ‘ Biden has young Muslim followers ’ , but that ’ s not true because I ’ m not one of them.
” Mahmud tweeted a screenshot of herself from the ad , adding : “ was just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ JoeBiden campaign , too bad i ’ m # hotgirIsforbernie ” Mahmud attended campaign events for several of the 2020 presidential candidates including Biden ’ s kickoff rally in Philadelphia back in May of 2019 .
Mahmud went in order to question him on his policy regarding the climate crisis , but she never expected to be a prop for diversity .
Mahmud said she recalled being very nervous talking to the former vice-president .
“ Before I could even ask him the question , he interrupted me mid sentence , mansplaining the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He went on to the next people to take pictures and shake hands.
” The Biden campaign did not return a request for comment .
Ayanna Lee , another Sanders supporter , protested with friends at an Elizabeth Warren rally in Milwaukee .
She later discovered her photo was featured in an ad for Warren 2020 .
“ My friend sent a screenshot in the group chat , ” Lee said .
“ I clicked on it and was like ‘ No way.
’ ” “ Not even 10 minutes into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team was asking us what we were doing and trying to bargain with us to not make a statement , ” Lee said .
“ We talked to her .
Each of us took 10-20 seconds to give a statement about what we cared about like agriculture , indigenous rights or water.
” Lee said the Warren campaign was aware she was not at the rally in support of Warren .
The Warren campaign also did not return a request for comment .
“ I honestly didn ’ t know what to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I took myself to that rally but they took advantage of who I am , ” Lee said .
“ It made me upset that I was being used for a campaign that didn ’ t support what I support.
” Nida Allam found herself in a similar situation in 2016 .
The Hillary for America twitter account , @ HFA , supporting Clinton ’ s election campaign , tweeted : “ We made history.
” It featured a picture of Allam , who wears the hijab , crying .
Like Mahmud and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate .
“ I was at the DNC convention on the delegate floor and it was the moment Senator Sanders had conceded .
I was crying because I was working on the Sanders campaign , ” Allam said .
“ It was obviously really raw , hearing the stories of marginalized voices across the country who found hope in the message of the [ Sanders ] campaign .
Allam discovered the tweet from the Hillary for America twitter account after friends texted the link to her .
“ As a visibly Muslim American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was being used in a manner that I didn ’ t approve of , ” Allam said .
The loss of a loved one influenced Allam ’ s decision to pursue working on Sanders ’ 2016 presidential campaign .
“ I had gotten involved in the campaign after losing my best friend.
” The best friend was Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha , one of the three victims of the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting at the University of North Carolina .
“ Our community was hit with such a huge tragedy , ” Allam said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motivated me to become politically active , to uplift marginalized voices.
” Allam pointed out the Clinton campaign ’ s error at the time by replying to the original tweet with “ Guess you didn ’ t get the memo… # StillSanders ” .
“ @ HFA responded eventually and said ‘ Sorry for the mix up .
Thanks for everything you do ’ , ” Allam said .
“ But they never took it down.
” This election cycle , Allam urges candidates to listen closely to different communities about what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speak to the moms , the kids , the Imams .
You can ’ t just use our image to garner support , ” Allam said .
“ You have to speak to the issues that affect us on a day to day basis .
We have to have equitable access to education and other resources through policy.
” Allam is now vice-chair of North Carolina ’ s Democratic party , the first Muslim woman to hold this position .
She ’ s also running for county commissioner in her local election in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be the first Muslim woman ever elected in the state of North Carolina .
“ My entire campaign is about continuing to uplift marginalized voices and engage people who haven ’ t been involved in the electoral process , ” Allam said .
“ If there is representation across every level of government , you ’ re less likely to fall into these tokenisms of people .
”

With the 2020 election well under way in the US, political advertisements with messages of hope and inclusivity have been flooding social media feeds and inboxes all across the country.
Sabirah Mahmud, a high school student and the national logistics director for the US Youth Climate Strike was surprised on 2 February when she came across footage of herself in a video ad for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, after a friend texted her. But the main shock was that it happened despite the fact she is a vocal Bernie Sanders supporter.
“Initially I was surprised but now I feel very uncomfortable. Of all the [Democratic] candidates, [Biden] is the one I would be most alarmed about,” Mahmud said. “This is a national campaign ad and my face is being put out to uplift his campaign. People will look at me and think ‘Biden has young Muslim followers’, but that’s not true because I’m not one of them.”
Mahmud tweeted a screenshot of herself from the ad, adding: “was just used as hijabi clout for the @JoeBiden campaign, too bad i’m #hotgirIsforbernie”
was just used as hijabi clout for the @JoeBiden campaign, too bad i'm #hotgirIsforbernie 🥵😌 pic.twitter.com/YtjoYJh1C3 — sabirah ☾ (@sabirahmahmud) February 3, 2020
Mahmud attended campaign events for several of the 2020 presidential candidates including Biden’s kickoff rally in Philadelphia back in May of 2019. Mahmud went in order to question him on his policy regarding the climate crisis, but she never expected to be a prop for diversity.
Mahmud said she recalled being very nervous talking to the former vice-president.
“Before I could even ask him the question, he interrupted me mid sentence, mansplaining the entire climate crisis,” Mahmud said. “He went on to the next people to take pictures and shake hands.”
The Biden campaign did not return a request for comment.
Ayanna Lee, another Sanders supporter, protested with friends at an Elizabeth Warren rally in Milwaukee. She later discovered her photo was featured in an ad for Warren 2020.
“My friend sent a screenshot in the group chat,” Lee said. “I clicked on it and was like ‘No way.’”
“Not even 10 minutes into us walking in the door, her team was asking us what we were doing and trying to bargain with us to not make a statement,” Lee said. “We talked to her. Each of us took 10-20 seconds to give a statement about what we cared about like agriculture, indigenous rights or water.”
Lee said the Warren campaign was aware she was not at the rally in support of Warren. The Warren campaign also did not return a request for comment.
“I honestly didn’t know what to do. I felt weird because I knew I took myself to that rally but they took advantage of who I am,” Lee said. “It made me upset that I was being used for a campaign that didn’t support what I support.”
Nida Allam found herself in a similar situation in 2016. The Hillary for America twitter account, @HFA, supporting Clinton’s election campaign, tweeted: “We made history.” It featured a picture of Allam , who wears the hijab, crying. Like Mahmud and Lee, Allam was also supporting another candidate.
We made history. pic.twitter.com/TBvItE7oSa — Hillary for America (@HFA) July 26, 2016
“I was at the DNC convention on the delegate floor and it was the moment Senator Sanders had conceded. I was crying because I was working on the Sanders campaign,” Allam said. “It was obviously really raw, hearing the stories of marginalized voices across the country who found hope in the message of the [Sanders] campaign.
Allam discovered the tweet from the Hillary for America twitter account after friends texted the link to her.
“As a visibly Muslim American woman, it felt like my hijab was being used in a manner that I didn’t approve of,” Allam said.
The loss of a loved one influenced Allam’s decision to pursue working on Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.
“I had gotten involved in the campaign after losing my best friend.”
The best friend was Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, one of the three victims of the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting at the University of North Carolina.
“Our community was hit with such a huge tragedy,” Allam said. “That’s what really motivated me to become politically active, to uplift marginalized voices.”
Allam pointed out the Clinton campaign’s error at the time by replying to the original tweet with “Guess you didn’t get the memo…#StillSanders”.
“@HFA responded eventually and said ‘Sorry for the mix up. Thanks for everything you do’,” Allam said. “But they never took it down.”
This election cycle, Allam urges candidates to listen closely to different communities about what they want from their elected officials.
“Speak to the moms, the kids, the Imams. You can’t just use our image to garner support,” Allam said. “You have to speak to the issues that affect us on a day to day basis. We have to have equitable access to education and other resources through policy.”
Allam is now vice-chair of North Carolina’s Democratic party, the first Muslim woman to hold this position. She’s also running for county commissioner in her local election in Durham. If Allam wins, she will be the first Muslim woman ever elected in the state of North Carolina.
“My entire campaign is about continuing to uplift marginalized voices and engage people who haven’t been involved in the electoral process,” Allam said. “If there is representation across every level of government, you’re less likely to fall into these tokenisms of people.”


theguardian--2020-02-09--The secret behind the Sanders campaign: people before tech | Common Knowledge

The Iowa caucuses this week were a tale of two political technologies .
There was Shadow Inc ’ s disastrous app for tallying votes , funded by a team drawn from Obama-era politics and technology , which failed due to impossible timelines , a lack of training and testing , and a likely measure of hubris .
And then there was the political technology of Bernie Sanders ’ campaign , which won the popular vote in Iowa .
Each of these point to differing approaches to the interaction between politics and technology in Democrat election campaigns over the past decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference between an approach characterised by mobilising ( top-down and centralised ) and one characterised by organising ( bottom-up and distributed ) .
Partly by virtue of its sheer scale , US electoral politics has always been a proving ground for new deployments of political technology .
The first time digital technology was adopted with real success was Barack Obama ’ s first campaign in 2008 , which made effective use of social media that was in its infancy , putting effort into Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and , this being the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 100m into technology , but it was not without its missteps : Obama ’ s team also created Project Houdini , a system designed to give almost real-time updates on the get-out-the-vote drive in high-priority precincts .
On the day , however , the phone lines jammed and the system was a failure .
By the 2012 presidential election , the situation had changed .
The Obama campaign ’ s bespoke Narwhal software marked a step up in volunteer mobilisation and microtargeting of voters .
Part of its functionality relied upon a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook , Twitter , Tumblr and Pinterest – to find voters , discover their interests and preferences , and monitor message effectiveness and targeting .
Ironically , this was the precedent for Cambridge Analytica ’ s infamous work .
Few at the time considered the ethical implications .
Obama ’ s campaigns cast a long shadow over the state of technology used in the Democratic party .
Especially after the defeat of the centre-left in 2016 , those associated with the party in this era looked to Silicon Valley-style innovation to generate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incubators and startups .
Founded by Shomik Dutta and Betsy Hoover , who had worked on both Obama ’ s campaigns , Higher Ground Labs emerged as an investor and incubator in new technologies to aid the Democratic party , investing $ 15m and funding dozens of political technology startups .
And Acronym , the tech consultancy that launched Shadow Inc , was founded by Tara McGowan , a digital producer on Obama ’ s 2012 campaign .
Innovation in campaigning techniques is important .
But that ’ s not always the kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2016 , it came from Sanders ’ campaign .
This reflected his democratic socialist politics : it was willing to trust regular people , while employing some of the oldest campaigning tricks in the book .
Using a strategy named “ distributed organising ” , a small team of full-time staff was supplemented by thousands of technical volunteers , contributing to open source code repositories and creating tools that tied together commercial technologies such as Google Sheets with specialist political software .
Downstream , many many more volunteers worked on the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data entirely , but supplemented it with face-to-face interaction .
The “ big data ’ ’ of the Obama era had given way to big organising .
Niche targeting of specific demographics gave way to a social democratic , universalist message regarding issues such as healthcare .
The techniques that evolved out of these campaigns have increasingly emphasised “ relational organising ” : placing relations , conversations and existing human networks at the centre of efforts , rather than data-based targeting .
In 2020 , the Sanders campaign ’ s Bern app is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honest , and thorough conversations with our friends , family , and neighbours ” and record their information , persuading them over the course of the campaign .
This simple technique is a hallmark of traditional campaigning , but the communication power of digital technology helps it take place on a massive scale .
The key distinction between the Obama campaigns and the Sanders campaigns is the distinction between mobilising and organising .
Obama ’ s campaign didn ’ t lack organising chops – Obama himself was a community organiser .
But its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to mobilise people to do something .
Sanders ’ campaign , by contrast , is seeking to organise people , like a social movement , to do it themselves , and the tech follows this .
The campaign relies heavily on supporters but , in distinction to the Obama era , makes them the centre of the campaign – they aren ’ t treated as volunteers who are less important than staffers , but as full participants and even experts , running whole chunks of the campaign .
The lesson is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enabled and supplemented , rather than replaced , by digital technology .
The focus for any progressive campaign should be on building relationships , trust and power and using these to deliver political change .
Yet there is something about the timescale of elections that makes this difficult .
Electoral campaigns create innovation in political technology , but they are finite and separate from most day-to-day political work .
When they come to an end , the technology that enabled the campaign is quickly dropped , making it hard to develop it further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build upon it .
Sanders has said that Obama ’ s “ biggest mistake ” was , after the election , saying : “ Thank you very much for electing me , I ’ ll take it from here.
” If Sanders succeeds in becoming president , the challenge for his campaign is to ensure that the movement he is attempting to build continues to have power .
Seeing elections as just a tactic in a wider strategy of building power in workplaces and communities is part of the answer .
If Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us ” is to become a reality , new and different political technologies will need to emerge , not tied to electoral cycles .
• Common Knowledge is a workers cooperative based in London .
It works directly with grassroots activists to build digital technology

The Iowa caucuses this week were a tale of two political technologies. There was Shadow Inc’s disastrous app for tallying votes, funded by a team drawn from Obama-era politics and technology, which failed due to impossible timelines, a lack of training and testing, and a likely measure of hubris. And then there was the political technology of Bernie Sanders’ campaign, which won the popular vote in Iowa.
Each of these point to differing approaches to the interaction between politics and technology in Democrat election campaigns over the past decade or so. It is the key difference between an approach characterised by mobilising (top-down and centralised) and one characterised by organising (bottom-up and distributed).
Partly by virtue of its sheer scale, US electoral politics has always been a proving ground for new deployments of political technology. The first time digital technology was adopted with real success was Barack Obama’s first campaign in 2008, which made effective use of social media that was in its infancy, putting effort into Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, this being the 2000s, MySpace. The campaign threw $100m into technology, but it was not without its missteps: Obama’s team also created Project Houdini, a system designed to give almost real-time updates on the get-out-the-vote drive in high-priority precincts. On the day, however, the phone lines jammed and the system was a failure.
Sanders has said that Obama’s biggest mistake was, after the election, saying: “Thank you very much for electing me, I’ll take it from here.”
By the 2012 presidential election, the situation had changed. The Obama campaign’s bespoke Narwhal software marked a step up in volunteer mobilisation and microtargeting of voters. Part of its functionality relied upon a huge data mining operation – drawing from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest – to find voters, discover their interests and preferences, and monitor message effectiveness and targeting. Ironically, this was the precedent for Cambridge Analytica’s infamous work. Few at the time considered the ethical implications.
Obama’s campaigns cast a long shadow over the state of technology used in the Democratic party. Especially after the defeat of the centre-left in 2016, those associated with the party in this era looked to Silicon Valley-style innovation to generate the next technical advantage: venture capital, incubators and startups. Founded by Shomik Dutta and Betsy Hoover, who had worked on both Obama’s campaigns, Higher Ground Labs emerged as an investor and incubator in new technologies to aid the Democratic party, investing $15m and funding dozens of political technology startups. And Acronym, the tech consultancy that launched Shadow Inc, was founded by Tara McGowan, a digital producer on Obama’s 2012 campaign.
Innovation in campaigning techniques is important. But that’s not always the kind of innovation that Silicon Valley recognises. In 2016, it came from Sanders’ campaign. This reflected his democratic socialist politics: it was willing to trust regular people, while employing some of the oldest campaigning tricks in the book.
Using a strategy named “distributed organising”, a small team of full-time staff was supplemented by thousands of technical volunteers, contributing to open source code repositories and creating tools that tied together commercial technologies such as Google Sheets with specialist political software. Downstream, many many more volunteers worked on the ground. The Sanders campaign did not junk data entirely, but supplemented it with face-to-face interaction. The “big data’’ of the Obama era had given way to big organising. Niche targeting of specific demographics gave way to a social democratic, universalist message regarding issues such as healthcare.
The techniques that evolved out of these campaigns have increasingly emphasised “relational organising”: placing relations, conversations and existing human networks at the centre of efforts, rather than data-based targeting. In 2020, the Sanders campaign’s Bern app is encouraging people to “have open, honest, and thorough conversations with our friends, family, and neighbours” and record their information, persuading them over the course of the campaign. This simple technique is a hallmark of traditional campaigning, but the communication power of digital technology helps it take place on a massive scale.
The key distinction between the Obama campaigns and the Sanders campaigns is the distinction between mobilising and organising. Obama’s campaign didn’t lack organising chops – Obama himself was a community organiser. But its tech functioned like a brand: it tried to mobilise people to do something. Sanders’ campaign, by contrast, is seeking to organise people, like a social movement, to do it themselves, and the tech follows this. The campaign relies heavily on supporters but, in distinction to the Obama era, makes them the centre of the campaign – they aren’t treated as volunteers who are less important than staffers, but as full participants and even experts, running whole chunks of the campaign.
The lesson is that organising tactics work best when they are enabled and supplemented, rather than replaced, by digital technology. The focus for any progressive campaign should be on building relationships, trust and power and using these to deliver political change. Yet there is something about the timescale of elections that makes this difficult.
Electoral campaigns create innovation in political technology, but they are finite and separate from most day-to-day political work. When they come to an end, the technology that enabled the campaign is quickly dropped, making it hard to develop it further, put it to other uses or build upon it.
Sanders has said that Obama’s “biggest mistake” was, after the election, saying: “Thank you very much for electing me, I’ll take it from here.” If Sanders succeeds in becoming president, the challenge for his campaign is to ensure that the movement he is attempting to build continues to have power. Seeing elections as just a tactic in a wider strategy of building power in workplaces and communities is part of the answer. If Sanders’ campaign slogan “Not me, us” is to become a reality, new and different political technologies will need to emerge, not tied to electoral cycles.


theguardian--2020-02-09--May I have a word about… being left all at sea by civilianisation | Jonathan Bouquet

As both my father and uncle served in the navy , I take an interest in goings-on in the Senior Service .
The news never seems anything other than of cutbacks and delays in the deployment of new ships .
Last week was no exception , with a story headlined : “ Navy to axe half of office staff in boost to front line ” .
I ’ m all for getting desk wallahs to be more active , but half ... ?
In the report , a spokesman was quoted as saying : “ We could send them back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their jobs could be done by either reducing the rank that it ’ s done or we potentially civilianise them.
” I ’ ve seen some grotesque words but that ’ s off the scale .
I wonder if the navy still flogs offenders round the fleet .
If it doesn ’ t , it should reinstate it swiftly , for that man surely deserves it .
Mind you , there were a lot of voters in the Iowa caucus debacle causing similar offence by proudly brandishing posters saying : “ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m caucusuing Joe ” .
Not nice .
It seems that even some US political pundits have trouble pronouncing Pete Buttigieg ’ s surname .
Many have resorted to the reasonable fallback position of calling him “ Mayor Pete ” .
Also last week , I was delighted to hear a fine sporting phrase that should certainly be added to the lexicon .
Commentating on the Ireland and Scotland game ( how did Stuart Hogg contrive to drop that ball ? )
, an excitable commentator boldly proclaimed that “ Scotland are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Brilliant .
I just hope someone will explain to me what that means .
Lastly , a prediction .
Just as “ precarity ” has taken an unpleasant hold , I forecast that “ particularity ” will soon follow in its clunking footsteps .

As both my father and uncle served in the navy, I take an interest in goings-on in the Senior Service.
The news never seems anything other than of cutbacks and delays in the deployment of new ships. Last week was no exception, with a story headlined: “Navy to axe half of office staff in boost to front line”. I’m all for getting desk wallahs to be more active, but half...? In the report, a spokesman was quoted as saying: “We could send them back to work on a ship, while their jobs could be done by either reducing the rank that it’s done or we potentially civilianise them.”
I’ve seen some grotesque words but that’s off the scale. I wonder if the navy still flogs offenders round the fleet. If it doesn’t, it should reinstate it swiftly, for that man surely deserves it. Mind you, there were a lot of voters in the Iowa caucus debacle causing similar offence by proudly brandishing posters saying: “I’m caucusing Bernie” or “I’m caucusuing Joe”.
Not nice. It seems that even some US political pundits have trouble pronouncing Pete Buttigieg’s surname. Many have resorted to the reasonable fallback position of calling him “Mayor Pete”.
Also last week, I was delighted to hear a fine sporting phrase that should certainly be added to the lexicon. Commentating on the Ireland and Scotland game (how did Stuart Hogg contrive to drop that ball?), an excitable commentator boldly proclaimed that “Scotland are playing on the edge of the envelope.” Brilliant. I just hope someone will explain to me what that means.
Lastly, a prediction. Just as “precarity” has taken an unpleasant hold, I forecast that “particularity” will soon follow in its clunking footsteps.


theguardian--2020-02-08--The real outrage about Iowa? The Democratic party silencing black voters | Karine Jean-Pierre

The results from Iowa are in : there are no results .
On Thursday , three days after the caucuses began on Monday , the Associated Press announced that due to irregularities and how close the race is , it would be unable to declare a winner .
Confusion and a lack of information are the story coming out of Iowa right now .
But there ’ s another story worth telling : that , no matter who wins , the results won ’ t be representative of the Democratic race for president writ large .
And that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting in Iowa and New Hampshire , systematically drowns out the voices and power of black voters .
There ’ s no doubt Iowa is important under the current Democratic primary system .
It is seen as a crucial test of electability , and in seven of the last nine contested Democratic primaries , the winner of the Iowa caucuses went on to win the Democratic nomination for president .
But both the state , being predominantly white , and the type of election it holds , a caucus , actively diminish the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By continuing to allow the Iowa caucuses to hold such an influential role in the Democratic nomination process , the Democratic party is failing its black voters , plain and simple .
The first reason is one of simple demographics .
Iowa is predominantly white – over 90 % , in fact .
The Democratic party , on the other hand , considers black voters a core constituency and relies on high turnout rates among black voters to win elections .
The statistics are staggering : 85 % of black voters say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic nominee is .
In the 2018 midterm elections , 90 % of black people voted for the Democratic candidate versus 9 % who say they voted for the Republican candidate .
Why does a political party that counts on black voters let a state where just 3.8 % of the population is black have such a big influence ?
Of course , the next state in the process – New Hampshire – isn ’ t any better ( it ’ s actually worse – it ’ s 94 % white ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic nomination hits South Carolina , the menu has already been set .
South Carolina ’ s voters , which includes a much more robust black population , are left choosing among options dictated by predominantly white states .
But demographics aren ’ t the only reason the Iowa caucuses are a disaster for black voters .
It ’ s also the caucus itself .
By its very nature , caucuses are undemocratic .
They require would-be caucus-goers to spend long hours that many Iowans simply don ’ t have ( or simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Who has the time to participate in that process ?
People who can afford an extra night of childcare .
People who can afford to take off work , or who work during “ traditional ” business hours and don ’ t have to even arrange to take the time off .
People who aren ’ t managing chronic illnesses or physical disabilities that precincts haven ’ t accounted for .
People who don ’ t have a parent to take care of .
People who , in one way or another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to think of a state and a form of voting that would do more to disenfranchise the voices of black voters in the Democratic nomination process than the Iowa caucuses .
If we ordered the Democratic primaries in terms of how representative and fair they are , Iowa would be close to last .
And yet , beyond logic , the Iowa caucuses somehow have more influence than any other state .
The results we do have so far confirm that leading with Iowa ’ s caucuses is a disservice to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bloc .
Pete Buttigieg infamously was polling at 0 % nationally among black voters – but is currently neck and neck with Bernie Sanders for number one in Iowa .
Meanwhile , the candidate who ’ s shored up the most support among black voters nationwide , Joe Biden , is doing worse than expected in Iowa , currently coming in at fourth .
One of the most recent polls showed Biden winning an astounding 48 % of black voters , with the second-highest candidate , Sanders , at 20 % .
Buttigieg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he was polling at just 2 % of black voters in this poll .
In Iowa , we ’ re watching the current Democratic primary system silence black voters in real time .
It ’ s time to put an end to it .
If the Democratic party is going to dismantle white supremacy , it can start right now by dismantling another system : its very own primary and caucus system that effectively diminishes black voters ’ voices .
Nothing short of creating a new system that gives black voters just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else is acceptable .
We can not accept complacency .
Not in the white voters who just don ’ t care enough to show up at the polls , nor in a Democratic party that won ’ t create a fair and democratic nomination system .
Right now , there ’ s a spotlight shining on Iowa .
I hope we use it to illuminate the real injustice of the caucuses .
• None Karine Jean-Pierre is chief public affairs officer for MoveOn and political analyst for MSNBC , recently published her memoir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Hard Work , and the Promise of America

The results from Iowa are in: there are no results.
On Thursday, three days after the caucuses began on Monday, the Associated Press announced that due to irregularities and how close the race is, it would be unable to declare a winner.
Confusion and a lack of information are the story coming out of Iowa right now. But there’s another story worth telling: that, no matter who wins, the results won’t be representative of the Democratic race for president writ large. And that’s because the Democratic nomination process, by starting in Iowa and New Hampshire, systematically drowns out the voices and power of black voters.
There’s no doubt Iowa is important under the current Democratic primary system. It is seen as a crucial test of electability, and in seven of the last nine contested Democratic primaries, the winner of the Iowa caucuses went on to win the Democratic nomination for president. But both the state, being predominantly white, and the type of election it holds, a caucus, actively diminish the role of black voters in the process. By continuing to allow the Iowa caucuses to hold such an influential role in the Democratic nomination process, the Democratic party is failing its black voters, plain and simple.
The first reason is one of simple demographics. Iowa is predominantly white – over 90%, in fact. The Democratic party, on the other hand, considers black voters a core constituency and relies on high turnout rates among black voters to win elections. The statistics are staggering: 85% of black voters say they’ll vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is. In the 2018 midterm elections, 90% of black people voted for the Democratic candidate versus 9% who say they voted for the Republican candidate.
Why does a political party that counts on black voters let a state where just 3.8% of the population is black have such a big influence?
Of course, the next state in the process – New Hampshire – isn’t any better (it’s actually worse – it’s 94% white). By the time the race for the Democratic nomination hits South Carolina, the menu has already been set. South Carolina’s voters, which includes a much more robust black population, are left choosing among options dictated by predominantly white states.
But demographics aren’t the only reason the Iowa caucuses are a disaster for black voters. It’s also the caucus itself. By its very nature, caucuses are undemocratic. They require would-be caucus-goers to spend long hours that many Iowans simply don’t have (or simply don’t have off work). Who has the time to participate in that process? People who can afford an extra night of childcare. People who can afford to take off work, or who work during “traditional” business hours and don’t have to even arrange to take the time off. People who aren’t managing chronic illnesses or physical disabilities that precincts haven’t accounted for. People who don’t have a parent to take care of. People who, in one way or another, are privileged.
It’s hard to think of a state and a form of voting that would do more to disenfranchise the voices of black voters in the Democratic nomination process than the Iowa caucuses. If we ordered the Democratic primaries in terms of how representative and fair they are, Iowa would be close to last. And yet, beyond logic, the Iowa caucuses somehow have more influence than any other state.
The results we do have so far confirm that leading with Iowa’s caucuses is a disservice to the Democratic party’s crucial black voting bloc. Pete Buttigieg infamously was polling at 0% nationally among black voters – but is currently neck and neck with Bernie Sanders for number one in Iowa. Meanwhile, the candidate who’s shored up the most support among black voters nationwide, Joe Biden, is doing worse than expected in Iowa, currently coming in at fourth. One of the most recent polls showed Biden winning an astounding 48% of black voters, with the second-highest candidate, Sanders, at 20%. Buttigieg isn’t quite at zero – but he was polling at just 2% of black voters in this poll.
In Iowa, we’re watching the current Democratic primary system silence black voters in real time. It’s time to put an end to it.
If the Democratic party is going to dismantle white supremacy, it can start right now by dismantling another system: its very own primary and caucus system that effectively diminishes black voters’ voices. Nothing short of creating a new system that gives black voters just as much of a say as anyone else is acceptable.
We cannot accept complacency. Not in the white voters who just don’t care enough to show up at the polls, nor in a Democratic party that won’t create a fair and democratic nomination system.
Right now, there’s a spotlight shining on Iowa. I hope we use it to illuminate the real injustice of the caucuses.


theguardian--2020-02-08--Is the Democratic race really just down to Sanders and Buttigieg now? | Moira Donegan

Heading into Friday night ’ s Democratic debate , the media had effectively declared that the Democratic primary was down to only two viable candidates : Mayor Pete Buttigieg , of South Bend , Indiana , and Senator Bernie Sanders , of Vermont .
Monday ’ s Iowa caucuses had ended with the two candidates effectively tied after disastrous and seemingly systemic incompetence drew out the reporting process for days .
The debate in New Hampshire was pitched as a contest between them , a bid to see which would prevail – the moderate , big money-backed Buttigieg , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders .
Prognoses pitched the debate as a battle between the party ’ s ideological factions , and speculated at how the two men would attack each other , and which would prevail .
But the five other candidates onstage had other plans .
Senator Amy Klobuchar , of Minnesota , attacked Buttigieg fiercely and repeatedly .
The moderate Senator is competing with the mayor for the Democratic party ’ s right flank , and it made strategic sense for her to go after the man stealing away what she sees as her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also what seemed like a degree of sincere personal contempt in Klobuchar ’ s remarks toward Buttigieg .
She has remarked before that his youth and inexperience would not be overlooked so easily in a woman candidate , and her comments on his inconsistent positions and lack of national experience carried with them a sting of anger at his arrogance and easy rise to the top of the polls .
The exchanges highlighted Klobuchar ’ s refreshing authenticity , coming as they did on a stage full of people who are very practiced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This combined with a ready sense of humor made Klobuchar a more charismatic figure on stage than many of her competitors , even as her policy positions continue to tend toward the unimaginative , uninspired , and unambitious , and threaten to reproduce ongoing cruelties .
Klobuchar was not alone in attacking Buttigieg , as his competitors for the moderate wing of the party seemed to have determined that he poses the greatest risk to their own success .
The billionaire Tom Steyer attacked his inexperience and said that he was afraid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
And former Vice President Joe Biden , though often incomprehensible , seemed to make a similar case implying that the mayor would not be able to effectively reach across the aisle .
Even Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren pointed out that only her campaign and Klobuchar ’ s were being supported neither through their personal wealth nor through opaque 501 ( c ) 4 organizations , a comment that named no names but implicitly cast aspersions on Buttegeig ’ s robust fundraising operation , which relies heavily on wealthy individuals and organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donors .
If attacking Buttigieg was popular , the mayor himself did little to convince viewers that he did not deserve it .
He responded to questions and volleyed attacks with his accustomed air of rehearsed imprecision , never deviating from his robotic affect and never giving a straight answer .
The only time he ever seemed to answer a direct “ yes ” or “ no ” question was once , early in the evening , when he responded in the affirmative to confirm that he was indeed trying to attack Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan and he dodged a question on a troubling history of police racism during his tenure as the Mayor of South Bend .
He was heavy on niceties , light on specifics .
He made lots of calls for unity , specifically in his attacks on the Senators to his left , but he did not have much to say about what Americans should unify around , or how to persuade them do so .
His answers sounded more like marketing copy for a nefarious tech start up than like statements of political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything , like a man who has not relaxed since he was a child .
Through his cloud of consultant-speak and imprecision , it became clear that Buttigieg was trying to attack Sanders , and specifically , trying to emphasize that the Vermont Senator was divisive .
He wasn ’ t alone in this project .
Biden in particular attacked Sanders , pointing out , correctly , that Sanders has not released a financing plan for his signature Medicare for All plan , and speculated , incorrectly , that the plan would double @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not outright double , taxes for working people .
For his part , Sanders parlayed most of these attacks with uncharacteristic patience , and he was at his best when he was making the plain moral case for his progressive positions , as when he called for diverting funds that have been spent on disastrous foreign wars to help fight climate change instead .
Still , at times Sanders seemed a bit daunted by the attacks .
At one point , he had to walk back and disavow comments made by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He did not give a concrete answer to a question about his past pro-gun stances .
At another point , he answered a question on foreign policy , an area where his competence has improved tremendously since 2016 , in a rambling and distracted manner , failing to make the plain humanitarian case for his own noninterventionist position .
It ’ s clear that Sanders is not used to receiving these kinds of attacks from his competitors : this is the first time that they are attacking him in a sustained manner , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first time that they have taken his candidacy seriously .
Withstanding these aggressions is a skill he will have to hone if he is to face Trump in a general election as the party ’ s nominee .
Unexpectedly little was heard from Senator Elizabeth Warren , of Massachusettes , who has been largely absent from media narratives about the race in the days since the Iowa caucuses .
Despite conventional wisdom that the primary grants “ three tickets out of Iowa , ” her better-than-expected third place finish has been overlooked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pundit class on the emerging rivalry between Buttigieg and Sanders .
On the debate stage , Warren tried to use this to her advantage : while her rivals attacked one another and everyone else , she avoided making direct criticisms of other candidates and instead used every answer to make a broad moral case for her own position , tying everything back to her recurring anti-corruption message .
At times , this involved some impressive verbal contortions : a question about gun control became an answer about gun control , gun suicides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bribery power of the NRA .
She stayed out of the sectarian fights that erupted around her , and depicted herself as a dedicated anticorruption advocate who could rise above the fray .
The strategy seemed to be to show herself being the thing that the other candidates kept loudly declaring themselves to be : the unity candidate .
But a shadow hung over the debate : Mike Bloomberg , the billionaire who entered the presidential race in November .
Bloomberg is effectively sitting out the first several contests of the primary cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he does not qualify for the televised debates .
But the super-billionaire is buying huge amounts of airtime in Super Tuesday states to run commercials for his bid ; his stiffly smiling face appears whenever you flip on a television .
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren both went out of their way to say that it was not acceptable for someone so wealthy to try to effectively purchase themselves political office .
“ A billionaire shouldn ’ t be able to buy their way into this race , ” Warren said .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But its very possible that he can .

Heading into Friday night’s Democratic debate, the media had effectively declared that the Democratic primary was down to only two viable candidates: Mayor Pete Buttigieg, of South Bend, Indiana, and Senator Bernie Sanders, of Vermont. Monday’s Iowa caucuses had ended with the two candidates effectively tied after disastrous and seemingly systemic incompetence drew out the reporting process for days. The debate in New Hampshire was pitched as a contest between them, a bid to see which would prevail – the moderate, big money-backed Buttigieg, or the grassroots financing juggernaught of the progressive Sanders. Prognoses pitched the debate as a battle between the party’s ideological factions, and speculated at how the two men would attack each other, and which would prevail.
But the five other candidates onstage had other plans. Senator Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, attacked Buttigieg fiercely and repeatedly. The moderate Senator is competing with the mayor for the Democratic party’s right flank, and it made strategic sense for her to go after the man stealing away what she sees as her most likely voters. But there was also what seemed like a degree of sincere personal contempt in Klobuchar’s remarks toward Buttigieg. She has remarked before that his youth and inexperience would not be overlooked so easily in a woman candidate, and her comments on his inconsistent positions and lack of national experience carried with them a sting of anger at his arrogance and easy rise to the top of the polls. The exchanges highlighted Klobuchar’s refreshing authenticity, coming as they did on a stage full of people who are very practiced in saying things they do not mean. This combined with a ready sense of humor made Klobuchar a more charismatic figure on stage than many of her competitors, even as her policy positions continue to tend toward the unimaginative, uninspired, and unambitious, and threaten to reproduce ongoing cruelties.
Klobuchar was not alone in attacking Buttigieg, as his competitors for the moderate wing of the party seemed to have determined that he poses the greatest risk to their own success. The billionaire Tom Steyer attacked his inexperience and said that he was afraid that the mayor couldn’t beat Trump. And former Vice President Joe Biden, though often incomprehensible, seemed to make a similar case implying that the mayor would not be able to effectively reach across the aisle. Even Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren pointed out that only her campaign and Klobuchar’s were being supported neither through their personal wealth nor through opaque 501(c) 4 organizations, a comment that named no names but implicitly cast aspersions on Buttegeig’s robust fundraising operation, which relies heavily on wealthy individuals and organizations that are not required to disclose their donors.
If attacking Buttigieg was popular, the mayor himself did little to convince viewers that he did not deserve it. He responded to questions and volleyed attacks with his accustomed air of rehearsed imprecision, never deviating from his robotic affect and never giving a straight answer. The only time he ever seemed to answer a direct “yes” or “no” question was once, early in the evening, when he responded in the affirmative to confirm that he was indeed trying to attack Sanders.
Buttigieg dodged questions on his healthcare plan and he dodged a question on a troubling history of police racism during his tenure as the Mayor of South Bend. He was heavy on niceties, light on specifics. He made lots of calls for unity, specifically in his attacks on the Senators to his left, but he did not have much to say about what Americans should unify around, or how to persuade them do so. His answers sounded more like marketing copy for a nefarious tech start up than like statements of political principle. He looked, more than anything, like a man who has not relaxed since he was a child.
Through his cloud of consultant-speak and imprecision, it became clear that Buttigieg was trying to attack Sanders, and specifically, trying to emphasize that the Vermont Senator was divisive. He wasn’t alone in this project. Biden in particular attacked Sanders, pointing out, correctly, that Sanders has not released a financing plan for his signature Medicare for All plan, and speculated, incorrectly, that the plan would double the federal budget and wildly increase, if not outright double, taxes for working people.
For his part, Sanders parried most of these attacks with uncharacteristic patience, and he was at his best when he was making the plain moral case for his progressive positions, as when he called for diverting funds that have been spent on disastrous foreign wars to help fight climate change instead. Still, at times Sanders seemed a bit daunted by the attacks. At one point, he had to walk back and disavow comments made by his own campaign co-chair, Nina Turner. He did not give a concrete answer to a question about his past pro-gun stances. At another point, he answered a question on foreign policy, an area where his competence has improved tremendously since 2016, in a rambling and distracted manner, failing to make the plain humanitarian case for his own noninterventionist position.
It’s clear that Sanders is not used to receiving these kinds of attacks from his competitors: this is the first time that they are attacking him in a sustained manner, and that is probably because this is the first time that they have taken his candidacy seriously. Withstanding these aggressions is a skill he will have to hone if he is to face Trump in a general election as the party’s nominee.
Unexpectedly little was heard from Senator Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, who has been largely absent from media narratives about the race in the days since the Iowa caucuses. Despite conventional wisdom that the primary grants “three tickets out of Iowa,” her better-than-expected third place finish has been overlooked in favor of a myopic focus by the pundit class on the emerging rivalry between Buttigieg and Sanders.
On the debate stage, Warren tried to use this to her advantage: while her rivals attacked one another and everyone else, she avoided making direct criticisms of other candidates and instead used every answer to make a broad moral case for her own position, tying everything back to her recurring anti-corruption message. At times, this involved some impressive verbal contortions: a question about gun control became an answer about gun control, gun suicides, domestic violence, and the political bribery power of the NRA. She stayed out of the sectarian fights that erupted around her, and depicted herself as a dedicated anticorruption advocate who could rise above the fray. The strategy seemed to be to show herself being the thing that the other candidates kept loudly declaring themselves to be: the unity candidate.
Andrew Yang was also present.
But a shadow hung over the debate: Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire who entered the presidential race in November. Bloomberg is effectively sitting out the first several contests of the primary cycle, and as a self-funded candidate, he does not qualify for the televised debates. But the super-billionaire is buying huge amounts of airtime in Super Tuesday states to run commercials for his bid; his stiffly smiling face appears whenever you flip on a television. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren both went out of their way to say that it was not acceptable for someone so wealthy to try to effectively purchase themselves political office. “A billionaire shouldn’t be able to buy their way into this race,” Warren said. He shouldn’t be able to. But its very possible that he can.


theguardian--2020-02-07--Republicans feel bullish about 2020 as Trump revels in 'incredible' week

In a celebratory speech at the White House after his acquittal on impeachment charges this week , Donald Trump struck a note of complaint about having been put through “ a phoney rotten deal by some very evil and sick people ” .
But the president was smiling , the assembled crowd of fawning Republicans was laughing , and the mood was buoyant .
An understanding was passing between Trump and his closest supporters on Capitol Hill that three years into his presidency , he had just enjoyed a very good week – and more good news might be ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declare a winner in the Iowa caucuses , meant to be the first step on the road to picking someone to beat Trump in November .
On Tuesday , Trump delivered a thunderous State of the Union address whose applause echoed for days in the conservative pundit-sphere .
And on Wednesday , Trump watched as one Republican senator after another stood on the Senate floor and uttered the words “ not guilty ” in response to charges that Trump had abused his power and obstructed Congress – charges that theoretically could have removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was not even close .
Every Republican senator but one , Mitt Romney of Utah , voted in Trump ’ s favor , with many of them making speeches that piled on praise for Trump while raging at Democrats for attacking the man .
It is by no means clear what the impeachment and acquittal will mean for Trump ’ s re-election effort , and , given the pace of Trump ’ s surprises and scandals , the defining issue of the day on 3 November might not yet be on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the context of his storm-tossed presidency , Trump is riding high , political strategists agreed .
“ This is where we are today : Donald Trump is on a victory lap that could last until November , while the Democrats can ’ t find their backside with both hands , ” said Michael Caputo , a Republican strategist and former Trump communications adviser .
“ I think this is going to be a very difficult election .
But I think he ’ s destined to win.
” Peel back the top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , and underneath was … more good news .
In a crucial metric for presidents seeking re-election , a historic number of Americans feel good about the economy , with 74 % telling Gallup they believe they will be better off next year than they are now – the highest percentage since 1977 .
Friday morning brought another good jobs report .
Trump ’ s juggernaut effort to overhaul the judiciary by appointing an unprecedented number of conservative judges was also proceeding apace , with four additional confirmations last week for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – doubling Barack Obama ’ s pace .
About a quarter of the active judges by now have been appointed by Trump .
That accomplishment was among those Trump touted in his State of the Union address before a packed House chamber on Tuesday night , in a speech that also highlighted jobs growth and a pair of newly minted international trade agreements with China and with Mexico and Canada .
“ Three years ago , we launched the great American comeback , ” Trump told the audience .
“ Tonight , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results.
” Bob Dole , a former Senate majority leader and Republican presidential nominee , said Trump “ really hit a home run ” with the speech .
“ In my 36+ years serving in Congress , ” Dole wrote on Twitter , “ I heard quite a few # SOTU [ State of the Union ] addresses .
This was one of the best.
” There was more .
On Monday , the reputed pollster Gallup released a survey that showed approval of Trump at an all-time high-water mark of 49 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party to declare a winner days after the caucuses denied any candidate a significant early boost in the primary race .
But the candidate Trump seems to fear most , former vice-president Joe Biden , appears to have come in a disastrous fourth .
And one candidate who performed well was Bernie Sanders , the democratic socialist senator from Vermont – which some Republican officials also saw as good news for Trump .
“ Between the State of the Union , impeachment acquittal and Iowa caucus debacle , America got to see what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become and with Bernie Sanders ’ pending nomination , it ’ s only going to get worse !
” said Michael McAdams , national press secretary at National Republican Congressional Committee , in a direct message .
Whoever Trump runs against – with the possible exception of billionaire Michael Bloomberg – his campaign is likely to enjoy a fat fundraising advantage .
The Trump campaign made a record $ 46m cash haul in three months at the end of last year , compared with $ 34.5m for Sanders .
The national Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cash on hand as Democrats .
“ Since the president ’ s campaign only got bigger and stronger as a result of this nonsense , this impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history , ” said Brad Parscale , Trump ’ s campaign manager , in a statement after the acquittal vote .
Though he may feel that way , Trump is by no means invincible .
For years he has proven incapable of expanding on a narrow base of support .
The State of the Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audience that had shrunk 20 % from the previous year , according to Nielsen .
And it ’ s a long way to November .
But instead of taking steps toward coalescing around a candidate with a clear winning message , Democrats find themselves in the uncomfortable position , nine months out , divided by uncertainty and hoping for a Trump stumble .
“ I ’ ve known the president since 1988 and worked with him for years , ” said Caputo .
“ This is classic rebound Trump .
He ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , until he can ’ t beat them any more .
“ The Democrats have fumbled the ball , he picked it up and they may not ever get it back .
”

In a celebratory speech at the White House after his acquittal on impeachment charges this week, Donald Trump struck a note of complaint about having been put through “a phoney rotten deal by some very evil and sick people”.
But the president was smiling, the assembled crowd of fawning Republicans was laughing, and the mood was buoyant. An understanding was passing between Trump and his closest supporters on Capitol Hill that three years into his presidency, he had just enjoyed a very good week – and more good news might be ahead.
On Monday, Democrats failed to declare a winner in the Iowa caucuses, meant to be the first step on the road to picking someone to beat Trump in November. On Tuesday, Trump delivered a thunderous State of the Union address whose applause echoed for days in the conservative pundit-sphere.
And on Wednesday, Trump watched as one Republican senator after another stood on the Senate floor and uttered the words “not guilty” in response to charges that Trump had abused his power and obstructed Congress – charges that theoretically could have removed Trump from office.
In the end, it was not even close. Every Republican senator but one, Mitt Romney of Utah, voted in Trump’s favor, with many of them making speeches that piled on praise for Trump while raging at Democrats for attacking the man.
It is by no means clear what the impeachment and acquittal will mean for Trump’s re-election effort, and, given the pace of Trump’s surprises and scandals, the defining issue of the day on 3 November might not yet be on the horizon.
But for the moment, in the context of his storm-tossed presidency, Trump is riding high, political strategists agreed.
“This is where we are today: Donald Trump is on a victory lap that could last until November, while the Democrats can’t find their backside with both hands,” said Michael Caputo, a Republican strategist and former Trump communications adviser.
“I think this is going to be a very difficult election. But I think he’s destined to win.”
Peel back the top layer of good news for Trump last week, and underneath was … more good news. In a crucial metric for presidents seeking re-election, a historic number of Americans feel good about the economy, with 74% telling Gallup they believe they will be better off next year than they are now – the highest percentage since 1977. Friday morning brought another good jobs report.
Trump’s juggernaut effort to overhaul the judiciary by appointing an unprecedented number of conservative judges was also proceeding apace, with four additional confirmations last week for a grand total of 191 Trump federal judges – doubling Barack Obama’s pace. About a quarter of the active judges by now have been appointed by Trump.
Ivanka Trump and others applaud the president’s speech at the White House on Thursday. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
That accomplishment was among those Trump touted in his State of the Union address before a packed House chamber on Tuesday night, in a speech that also highlighted jobs growth and a pair of newly minted international trade agreements with China and with Mexico and Canada.
“Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback,” Trump told the audience. “Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results.”
Bob Dole, a former Senate majority leader and Republican presidential nominee, said Trump “really hit a home run” with the speech. “In my 36+ years serving in Congress,” Dole wrote on Twitter, “I heard quite a few #SOTU [State of the Union] addresses. This was one of the best.”
There was more. On Monday, the reputed pollster Gallup released a survey that showed approval of Trump at an all-time high-water mark of 49%.
The Democrats have fumbled the ball, he picked it up and they may not ever get it back Michael Caputo
The failure of the Iowa Democratic party to declare a winner days after the caucuses denied any candidate a significant early boost in the primary race. But the candidate Trump seems to fear most, former vice-president Joe Biden, appears to have come in a disastrous fourth.
And one candidate who performed well was Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist senator from Vermont – which some Republican officials also saw as good news for Trump.
“Between the State of the Union, impeachment acquittal and Iowa caucus debacle, America got to see what a socialist train wreck the Democrat Party has become and with Bernie Sanders’ pending nomination, it’s only going to get worse!” said Michael McAdams, national press secretary at National Republican Congressional Committee, in a direct message.
Whoever Trump runs against – with the possible exception of billionaire Michael Bloomberg – his campaign is likely to enjoy a fat fundraising advantage. The Trump campaign made a record $46m cash haul in three months at the end of last year, compared with $34.5m for Sanders. The national Republican party has seven times the amount of cash on hand as Democrats.
“Since the president’s campaign only got bigger and stronger as a result of this nonsense, this impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history,” said Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager, in a statement after the acquittal vote.
Though he may feel that way, Trump is by no means invincible. For years he has proven incapable of expanding on a narrow base of support. The State of the Union address had poor viewership, with an audience that had shrunk 20% from the previous year, according to Nielsen. And it’s a long way to November.
But instead of taking steps toward coalescing around a candidate with a clear winning message, Democrats find themselves in the uncomfortable position, nine months out, divided by uncertainty and hoping for a Trump stumble.
“I’ve known the president since 1988 and worked with him for years,” said Caputo. “This is classic rebound Trump. He’ll beat them and he’ll beat them, until he can’t beat them any more.
“The Democrats have fumbled the ball, he picked it up and they may not ever get it back.”


theguardian--2020-02-07--Good week/bad week: the winners and losers in US politics

It has been a rollercoaster week in US politics , starting with the voting debacle in Iowa and carrying on through Donald Trump ’ s divisive State of the Union address , his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial and his extraordinary victory lap in a triumphalist speech at the White House .
But who are the losers and winners from a dramatic few days for Republicans and Democrats ?
A swaggering and aggressive US president called his speech at the White House on Thursday a “ celebration ” – and well he might .
He was coming to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had spent 80 minutes making the case for his re-election on primetime TV in his State of the Union address and had been acquitted in his impeachment trial – with only one Republican breaking ranks to vote against him .
A Gallup poll put Trump ’ s approval rating at 49 % , the highest level for that survey since 2017 .
And on top of that the Democratic primary race got off to a disastrously shambolic start in Iowa .
Holding up a newspaper front page ( despite having called the mainstream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that read “ Trump acquitted ” , the president told his White House crowd : “ Let me take that home ; maybe we ’ ll frame it .
It ’ s the only good headline I ’ ve ever had in the Washington Post.
” His speech sounded like a preview of the one he might make on 4 November should he win the election .
If anyone managed to wring any momentum out of the mess in Iowa , it was the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results were in and went on to grab as much of the spotlight as possible .
Did he even win ?
With almost 100 % of the vote in , Buttigieg is only 0.09 % ahead of socialist rival Bernie Sanders in the delegate count , and Sanders is ahead of the young pretender , who just turned 38 , in the popular vote .
But the veteran Vermont senator , 78 , will now have to wait until the New Hampshire primary next week to attempt to grab his full share of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of New York ’ s decision to sit out the early states and instead blanket California with advertising seems partially vindicated .
With the usual momentum conferred on the winner of the Iowa caucuses blunted , a strong showing from Bloomberg in the array of populous states voting on Super Tuesday ( 3 March ) is bound to launch a thousand thinkpieces asking whether Bloomberg can elbow aside Joe Biden and Buttigieg and unite the centre .
Feel queasy about a rich man buying the race ?
Bloomberg has an answer .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too much money ?
’ and I said : ‘ I ’ m spending money to get rid of Donald Trump.
’ And the guy said : ‘ Spend more.
’ ” Barack Obama ’ s former vice-president went into the week as the frontrunner in the Democratic race and still leads most national polls and match-ups with Trump .
But coming fourth in Iowa – a result he called a “ gut punch ” – has seriously dented his pitch that he is the most electable candidate .
If he underperforms again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could find supporters and donors abandoning him for Buttigieg or Bloomberg .
The Democrats Democratic leader in the House of Representatives took a lot of persuading to agree to impeach Trump , only doing so when the strength of the evidence in the Ukraine case became overwhelming .
She initiated the process knowing it was almost certain Trump would be acquitted because of his party ’ s majority in the Senate , but hoping to put his impeachment on the record for posterity and damage him ahead of November ’ s election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate .
And on top of that , Pelosi – usually so poised in her dealings with Trump as speaker of the House – risked losing the moral high ground when she ripped up her copy of his State of the Union speech on live TV , leading the secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , to liken her to Lisa Simpson .
( Critics said he hadn ’ t understood the episode in question . )
Iowa was already facing criticism that as a small , 90 % white , largely rural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic race even before Monday ’ s debacle , in which apps failed and telephone lines were overwhelmed , meaning that even by Friday Democrats were unable to say who had won the first contest of primary season .
In the results the party eventually released , vote tallies did not add up , and figures contained inconsistencies and errors , according to the New York Times , leading the national party chair to demand a review “ to assure public confidence in the results ” .
Conspiracy theories raged that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – and the Trump campaign gleefully fanned the flames .
If the Iowa state party had deliberately set out to undermine its own place in the primary hierarchy it couldn ’ t have done better than this .

It has been a rollercoaster week in US politics, starting with the voting debacle in Iowa and carrying on through Donald Trump’s divisive State of the Union address, his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial and his extraordinary victory lap in a triumphalist speech at the White House.
But who are the losers and winners from a dramatic few days for Republicans and Democrats?
5/5: Donald Trump
A swaggering and aggressive US president called his speech at the White House on Thursday a “celebration” – and well he might. He was coming to the end of a week in which he had spent 80 minutes making the case for his re-election on primetime TV in his State of the Union address and had been acquitted in his impeachment trial – with only one Republican breaking ranks to vote against him. A Gallup poll put Trump’s approval rating at 49%, the highest level for that survey since 2017. And on top of that the Democratic primary race got off to a disastrously shambolic start in Iowa. Holding up a newspaper front page (despite having called the mainstream media the enemy of the people) that read “Trump acquitted”, the president told his White House crowd: “Let me take that home; maybe we’ll frame it. It’s the only good headline I’ve ever had in the Washington Post.” His speech sounded like a preview of the one he might make on 4 November should he win the election.
4/5: Pete Buttigieg
If anyone managed to wring any momentum out of the mess in Iowa, it was the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who more or less declared victory before the results were in and went on to grab as much of the spotlight as possible. Did he even win? With almost 100% of the vote in, Buttigieg is only 0.09% ahead of socialist rival Bernie Sanders in the delegate count, and Sanders is ahead of the young pretender, who just turned 38, in the popular vote. But the veteran Vermont senator, 78, will now have to wait until the New Hampshire primary next week to attempt to grab his full share of the glory.
3/5: Mike Bloomberg
The billionaire former mayor of New York’s decision to sit out the early states and instead blanket California with advertising seems partially vindicated. With the usual momentum conferred on the winner of the Iowa caucuses blunted, a strong showing from Bloomberg in the array of populous states voting on Super Tuesday (3 March) is bound to launch a thousand thinkpieces asking whether Bloomberg can elbow aside Joe Biden and Buttigieg and unite the centre. Feel queasy about a rich man buying the race? Bloomberg has an answer. “Someone said: ‘Are you spending too much money?’ and I said: ‘I’m spending money to get rid of Donald Trump.’ And the guy said: ‘Spend more.’ ”
2/5: Joe Biden
Barack Obama’s former vice-president went into the week as the frontrunner in the Democratic race and still leads most national polls and match-ups with Trump. But coming fourth in Iowa – a result he called a “gut punch” – has seriously dented his pitch that he is the most electable candidate. If he underperforms again in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Biden could find supporters and donors abandoning him for Buttigieg or Bloomberg.
1/5: Nancy Pelosi
The Democrats Democratic leader in the House of Representatives took a lot of persuading to agree to impeach Trump, only doing so when the strength of the evidence in the Ukraine case became overwhelming. She initiated the process knowing it was almost certain Trump would be acquitted because of his party’s majority in the Senate, but hoping to put his impeachment on the record for posterity and damage him ahead of November’s election. The latter is very much up for debate.
And on top of that, Pelosi – usually so poised in her dealings with Trump as speaker of the House – risked losing the moral high ground when she ripped up her copy of his State of the Union speech on live TV, leading the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to liken her to Lisa Simpson. (Critics said he hadn’t understood the episode in question.)
0/5: the state of Iowa
Iowa was already facing criticism that as a small, 90% white, largely rural state it had a disproportionate impact on the Democratic race even before Monday’s debacle, in which apps failed and telephone lines were overwhelmed, meaning that even by Friday Democrats were unable to say who had won the first contest of primary season. In the results the party eventually released, vote tallies did not add up, and figures contained inconsistencies and errors, according to the New York Times, leading the national party chair to demand a review “to assure public confidence in the results”.
Conspiracy theories raged that the party was deliberately sabotaging Sanders’ chances – and the Trump campaign gleefully fanned the flames. If the Iowa state party had deliberately set out to undermine its own place in the primary hierarchy it couldn’t have done better than this.


theguardian--2020-02-10--Democrats go on the offensive ahead of New Hampshire primary – live

President Donald Trump is due to present his $ 4.8 trillion budget proposal for the fiscal year 2021 later today which includes plans to slash spending on foreign aid , social safety net programs like Medicaid , housing assistance and disability insurance and provide billions of additional dollars for a wall along the southern border .
Democrats are expected to object to the deep spending cuts in what is essentially a pre-election budget highlighting what Trump sees as his priorities as he seeks re-election .
It will include $ 2 billion to fund further construction on a border wall with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popular with his political base , and funding for an infrastructure bill that is unlikely to be passed by Democrats and Republicans in Congress .
Trump is also planning to request a major boost to the country ’ s nuclear weapons arsenal in order to modernize the stockpile for the future , reports Axios .
The New York Times reports that Trump ’ s budget is expected to reinforce the anti-immigration platform that helped propel him into office .
The White House plans to unveil the budget blueprint at 12:30 pm eastern time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced , and ahead of Trump ’ s visit to Manchester , New Hampshire later this evening , he has been tweeting about the Democrats and last week ’ s impeachment trial .
Seems like he ’ s looking forward to his rally later too .

11 Feb 2020 01.05 GMT Evening summary The rallies still rage in New Hampshire tonight, but that’s it from us. Stay tuned for more news from our stellar politics team, who will have updates. President Trump met with just some families of victims of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland , Florida - and this select group apparently did not include those who are calling for gun control.
met with just some families of victims of the 2018 school shooting in - and this select group apparently did not include those who are calling for gun control. Retired brigadier general Peter Zwack had some choice words for Senator Lindsey Graham and his support of the firing of impeachment witness Alexander Vindman.
had some choice words for and his support of the firing of impeachment witness The South Dakota bill that proposed jail time for doctors who gave puberty-blocking drugs to transgender children died in Senate committee.
bill that proposed jail time for doctors who gave puberty-blocking drugs to children died in Senate committee. Federal prosecutors asked for a judge to sentence longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone to up to nine years in prison.
11 Feb 2020 00.35 GMT At the Trump rally in Manchester, a familiar chant has appeared to have turned on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. New Hampshire crowd chants "Lock her up!" after President Trump alluded to Nancy Pelosi "mumbling terribly behind me" during the State of the Union.
"There was a little anger back there," he said. "We're the ones who should be angry, not them." https://t.co/2OrQPtHreq pic.twitter.com/TkKtm2MxgM — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2020
11 Feb 2020 00.09 GMT Because it’s New Hampshire primary eve, there are multiple rallies happening simultaneously and it is a lot. Lauren Gambino is in Manchester, where Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle warmed up the crowd for President Trump and the vice-president, Mike Pence. Loudest boos yet at the rally for Elizabeth Warren. Donald Trump Jr is winding up the crowd by saying she got "trolled into taking a DNA test."
"Remember that one?" — Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) February 10, 2020 Donald Trump Jr. says "I sorta want it to be Joe."
"All I want for Christmas is him one-on-one with Donald Trump for six months," he said after doing a fuddy-duddy impression of Biden, quoting his dog-faced pony soldier comment. — Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) February 10, 2020 Elsewhere in Manchester, Joan Greve is at a Joe Biden rally. Sean Hannity is here at the Biden event in Manchester talking to New Hampshire voters. pic.twitter.com/DoXu5116dG — Joan Greve (@joanegreve) February 10, 2020 Former New Hampshire governor John Lynch is speaking at this Biden event in Manchester and introducing the state lawmakers who have endorsed Biden and are present tonight. — Joan Greve (@joanegreve) February 10, 2020
Updated at 01.05 GMT
10 Feb 2020 23.45 GMT Remember Roger Stone? It was only just three months ago that the self-described “dirty trickster” and longtime adviser of Donald Trump was found guilty of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, but after these past few weeks, that all feels years before. Federal prosecutors haven’t forgotten, however – and today they’re asking a judge to sentence him to up to nine years in prison. In a sentencing memo out this evening, federal prosecutors ask Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentence Roger Stone to up to 9 years in prison. https://t.co/yz3y5tUL70 — Dan Friedman (@dfriedman33) February 10, 2020 “Stone knew the gravity of the House intelligence committee’s investigation when he obstructed it by giving false testimony and tampering with a witness,” the sentencing memo reads. “Indeed, Stone acknowledged as much in his opening statement before the committee. Stone chose – consciously, repeatedly and flagrantly – to obstruct and interfere with the search for the truth on an issue of vital importance to all Americans. This court should impose a sentence that accurately reflects the value the judicial system places on the need to allow witnesses to testify truthfully without threat or interference, and the importance of testifying truthfully under oath.” Read the whole document here.
Updated at 00.04 GMT
10 Feb 2020 23.21 GMT The retired brigadier general Peter Zwack, a former supervisor of impeachment witness Alexander Vindman, reacted strongly to Senator Lindsey Graham supporting Vindman’s ousting, exclaiming out right, “This is ridiculous!” “Senator Graham, I always had a lot of respect for you,” Zwack said. “I met you when I was in Afghanistan in 2008 when you arrived with Senator McCain and Joe Lieberman as part of the three amigos. We thought you guys were rock stars. Where are you now, sir?” This interview took my breath away. Thank you General. #vindman #cnn https://t.co/WbhjD4kYD1 — Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) February 10, 2020
Updated at 00.02 GMT
10 Feb 2020 23.00 GMT The South Dakota bill that proposed jailing doctors for giving puberty-blocking drugs to transgender children failed to get enough support in a senate committee on Monday. The Republican-dominated committee voted 5-2 to kill the legislation, according to the Associated Press. BREAKING: The South Dakota bill to criminalize health care for trans youth just effectively died in committee, being moved to the 41st Legislative Day.
This is a huge win for all LGBTQ+ South Dakotans and every person who made their voice heard on this bill. pic.twitter.com/FbDLJX6uxJ — ACLU (@ACLU) February 10, 2020
Updated at 23.13 GMT
10 Feb 2020 22.53 GMT Nadler demands answers on Giuliani The House judiciary chair, Jerry Nadler, sent a letter to William Barr, the attorney general, today, demanding answers after he and Senator Lindsey Graham admitted that “Rudy Giuliani is sending information concerning Ukraine to the Department of Justice through a special intake process.” BREAKING: @HouseJudiciary Chairman Nadler Demands Answers from AG Barr on Giuliani Back Channel to DOJhttps://t.co/37WkipwSTV — House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) February 10, 2020 “As you know the department has formal, established channels by which to receive information and begin investigations,” the letter reads. “This new channel to Mr Giuliani would seem to be a significant departure from those traditional channels.” Read the full letter here.
Updated at 22.58 GMT
10 Feb 2020 22.25 GMT Donald Trump met today with some families of victims of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, to discuss ways to keep schools safe – but it appears he was selective in which families he invited to the Oval Office. For those wondering, White House schedule today says:
3:30PM THE PRESIDENT greets Parkland Families
Oval Office
Closed Press
I guess it is not all of the families as I only learned of this today through a reporter. My family and I were NOT invited. — Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) February 10, 2020 Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was one of 17 killed almost two years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, was escorted out of the State of the Union last week when Trump defended the US constitution’s second amendment and the right to bear arms – and Guttenberg loudly objected. It appeared that the White House invited just the Stand With Parkland group, which does not include all the families, specifically to discuss how to guard schools against mass shootings by improving building designs and employing best practices – and not talk about gun control, on which other Parkland activists have turned their focus. (1,2) As I read more of the public reports on this, here is what appears to have happened. The group Stand With Parkland was invited as they are working on several initiatives. This group does not include all of the families and my family is not part of this group. https://t.co/rBhgM660ma — Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) February 10, 2020 (2,2) I wish the families well today and I hope that they have a great meeting. My issue with the public schedule remains however as it is not accurate and considering this week is two years since this happened, this should have been handled differently by the White House. — Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) February 10, 2020
Updated at 22.46 GMT
10 Feb 2020 21.51 GMT The Utah senator Mitt Romney was already “formally NOT invited” to this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference after he broke ranks with the Republican party to cast a vote for President Trump’s impeachment. The conference chair, Matt Schlapp, went on Greta Van Susteren’s Full Court Press to explain that he feared for Romney’s physical safety. “This year, I would actually be afraid for his physical safety, people are so mad at him,” he said. He later tempered that sentiment on Twitter: Stuart I take my little girls and my 80 year old mom to @CPAC and we have never had a problem w any of our attendees ever. Listen to the whole interview if you can. I wish Gov Romney no harm I just want him to find a new hobby away from destroying GOP momentum https://t.co/9by17dhLWt — Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) February 10, 2020
Updated at 22.48 GMT
10 Feb 2020 21.36 GMT Hey all, Vivian Ho on the west coast here, taking over for the inimitable Joan Greve. Let’s see where the rest of the day takes us.
10 Feb 2020 21.31 GMT Evening summary That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Vivian Ho, will take over for the next few hours. Here’s where the day stands so far: Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders have both requested partial recanvasses of the Iowa caucus results, after the state’s Democratic party said Buttigieg appeared to edge out Sanders by 0.1% in the state delegate equivalent metric, which is used to determine the winner of the first voting state.
and have both requested partial recanvasses of the Iowa caucus results, after the state’s Democratic party said Buttigieg appeared to edge out Sanders by 0.1% in the state delegate equivalent metric, which is used to determine the winner of the first voting state. Polls show Sanders leading in New Hampshire, which will hold its primary tomorrow, with Buttigieg trailing in second place.
A national poll showed Sanders jumping ahead of Joe Biden after the former vice president’s poor showing in Iowa, as Michael Bloomberg crept into third place.
after the former vice president’s poor showing in Iowa, as crept into third place. The White House officially released its annual budget proposal, which calls for spending cuts to safety-net programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The number of US troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries from last month’s strike on a military base in Iraq has surpassed 100. After the attack, Trump initially claimed no service members had been injured in the strike. Vivian will have much more coming up, so stay tuned.
10 Feb 2020 21.24 GMT Amy Klobuchar appears to be riding a wave of momentum in New Hampshire after her widely praised debate performance on Friday. Her campaign event in Exeter was at capacity and stretched into an overflow room, allowing the Minnesota senator to address more than 500 people, with one day to go until the state’s primary. .@amyklobuchar onstage in Exeter. Fire marshal tells me hall is at capacity (439 people) and overflow room is also at capacity (100 people) pic.twitter.com/usIBwvkoI4 — Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) February 10, 2020 Several polls have shown Klobuchar in the double digits in recent days, but she will need to hit at least 15% to receive any national delegates from New Hampshire.
10 Feb 2020 21.01 GMT Although most New Hampshire voters will head to the polls tomorrow, three small towns with a tradition of midnight voting will cast their ballots later tonight, and the results will be immediately available. 3 tiny towns in NH's North Country -- Dixville Notch, Hart's Location and Millsfield -- will vote at midnight tonight and the results will be released right away. Here's how they've voted in contested Dem races -- the statewide winner for each year is in italics: pic.twitter.com/8EOSnhleQM — Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) February 10, 2020