theguardian--2020-03-02--If everyone was a little bit shameless, it might deflate the ‘anti-woke’ right | Keith Kahn-Harris

There was a time when being rightwing meant being conservative in the truest sense ; committed to order , civility and restraint .
No longer .
The Reagan/Thatcher years began to change things , as neoliberal economics destabilised societies by slashing and burning the state .
And in recent years , this lust for destruction has been accompanied by a gleeful lack of restraint in language and behaviour .
Donald Trump , of course , is responsible for the final triumph of rightwing incivility .
His instinctual genius lies in recognising that so many of the defences against naked power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ norms .
Trump stared out these defences and they melted away : he revels in being ignorant , abusive and cruel .
Where Trump went , Boris Johnson , Jair Bolsonaro and other proudly vile politicians have followed .
Alongside the politicians in this vanguard , constantly probing the boundaries of acceptability , are the champions of “ anti-wokeness ” .
Consider Brendan O ’ Neill , the editor of Spiked – a contrarian so consistent in his contrariness that he is totally predictable .
Or consider Piers Morgan ’ s matey smugness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rod Liddle ’ s sneeriness .
Such figures delight in shrugging off the restraints of decency while self-righteously claiming to be victimised by the woke “ establishment ” .
Toby Young ’ s new Free Speech Union embodies all the shamelessness of this movement : claiming to be oppressed from a position of power , and disguising abuse as self-defence against those who threaten liberty .
The state of the right today would have left George Orwell flabbergasted .
In his essay England Your England , Orwell famously argued that the goose-step is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , it is “ an affirmation of naked power ” expressing the taunt ‘ ‘ Yes , I am ugly , and you daren ’ t laugh at me ’ ’ .
The reason why the goose-step is not used in England , Orwell believed , is because “ the people in the street would laugh ” .
Orwell was implying that the freedom to laugh necessarily acts as a corrective to the powerful and their defenders .
He assumed that no one liked to be laughed at .
Today , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One of the defining features of the ongoing backlash against “ wokeness ” – presidents and columnists alike – is that its champions are often truly laughable characters .
And we laugh at them , we mock , we ridicule … yet nothing happens .
If anything , it works to their advantage .
It helps them come across as ludicrous , concealing the ultimate seriousness of the situation .
Because for many of today ’ s rightwing politicians , the strategy is to utilise the libidinal pleasures of disorder in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of power .
Defiance in the face of laughter is , in fact , one aspect of this wider “ liberation ” offered by the right today .
Its leaders are free , weightless , impervious to shame .
To be a follower of this movement is to vicariously experience the pleasures of this joyousness .
To live without restraint , without the complicated obligations of society , without the need to engage with the messy complexities of life : it is a powerful narcotic .
If ridicule doesn ’ t work when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ?
It is tempting to make a “ counter-offer ” of similarly ecstatic pleasures , directed in a righteous direction .
Certainly that is the argument of those , like the political theorist Chantal Mouffe , who advocate a “ left populism ” .
But for progressives to harness such forces requires containing them in some way , to prevent things turning abusive – in which case , why would those attracted to populism not choose the full-blooded version ?
The left has its fair share of laughable abusers claiming victimhood , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fun as those on the right .
We need to take seriously the allure of the transgressive , the shameless , and the ways in which it might express a human need .
The problem is that when those acting out this transgression do so from positions of power and influence , this has real consequences for real human beings .
There should be no place for transgressiveness within those spaces where power resides .
But if these desires can be harnessed outside those spaces , it might mean that the transgressiveness of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So how can we revel in transgressive fantasies without causing harm to others ?
Perhaps our pre-modern ancestors have something to teach us here .
As the Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin argued , pre-modern folk festivities such as carnivals offered a precious space for turning the world upside down , revelling in the messiness of the body , and laughing at authority in ways that were liberating , if only for a time .
Today there are some shared , private spaces in which we can be bad , such as nightclubs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need common spaces , rather than contained and limited ones , in which we can be our bad selves .
We need to come together then , as a bigger , diverse mass , for the purposes of celebrating our darker yearnings , rather than some tepid vision of harmony .
How much more thrilling would the 2012 Olympics have been had there been a place within them for gluttony , revelry and ribaldry ?
To be sure , such common spaces of transgression could be co-opted by politicians and those with dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the UK that keeping the far right from the terraces is a constant struggle .
But it is a struggle that has succeeded , at least some of the time .
Mass festivities feel small , peevish and parochial when they exclude and abuse ; they feel powerful and life-affirming when they celebrate our common human bodiliness .
Embracing our lust for play , debauchery and gluttony promises to do more than just unite us .
It can reveal how limited the transgressions offered by the apostles of anti-wokeness really are .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Strange Hate : Antisemitism , Racism and the Limits of Diversity

There was a time when being rightwing meant being conservative in the truest sense; committed to order, civility and restraint. No longer.
The Reagan/Thatcher years began to change things, as neoliberal economics destabilised societies by slashing and burning the state. And in recent years, this lust for destruction has been accompanied by a gleeful lack of restraint in language and behaviour.
Donald Trump, of course, is responsible for the final triumph of rightwing incivility. His instinctual genius lies in recognising that so many of the defences against naked power and abuse are rooted in unspoken social norms. Trump stared out these defences and they melted away: he revels in being ignorant, abusive and cruel. Where Trump went, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro and other proudly vile politicians have followed.
Defiance in the face of laughter is part of the wider 'liberation' offered by the right today
Alongside the politicians in this vanguard, constantly probing the boundaries of acceptability, are the champions of “anti-wokeness”. Consider Brendan O’Neill, the editor of Spiked – a contrarian so consistent in his contrariness that he is totally predictable. Or consider Piers Morgan’s matey smugness, Laurence Fox’s pretentiousness and Rod Liddle’s sneeriness. Such figures delight in shrugging off the restraints of decency while self-righteously claiming to be victimised by the woke “establishment”. Toby Young’s new Free Speech Union embodies all the shamelessness of this movement: claiming to be oppressed from a position of power, and disguising abuse as self-defence against those who threaten liberty.
The state of the right today would have left George Orwell flabbergasted. In his essay England Your England, Orwell famously argued that the goose-step is “far more terrifying than a dive-bomber”, it is “an affirmation of naked power” expressing the taunt ‘‘Yes, I am ugly, and you daren’t laugh at me’’. The reason why the goose-step is not used in England, Orwell believed, is because “the people in the street would laugh”.
Orwell was implying that the freedom to laugh necessarily acts as a corrective to the powerful and their defenders. He assumed that no one liked to be laughed at. Today, we can no longer make this assumption. One of the defining features of the ongoing backlash against “wokeness” – presidents and columnists alike – is that its champions are often truly laughable characters. And we laugh at them, we mock, we ridicule … yet nothing happens. If anything, it works to their advantage. It helps them come across as ludicrous, concealing the ultimate seriousness of the situation. Because for many of today’s rightwing politicians, the strategy is to utilise the libidinal pleasures of disorder in order to create the conditions for the unrestrained exercise of power.
Defiance in the face of laughter is, in fact, one aspect of this wider “liberation” offered by the right today. Its leaders are free, weightless, impervious to shame. To be a follower of this movement is to vicariously experience the pleasures of this joyousness. To live without restraint, without the complicated obligations of society, without the need to engage with the messy complexities of life: it is a powerful narcotic.
If ridicule doesn’t work when directed against such libidinous beings, what can? It is tempting to make a “counter-offer” of similarly ecstatic pleasures, directed in a righteous direction. Certainly that is the argument of those, like the political theorist Chantal Mouffe, who advocate a “left populism”. But for progressives to harness such forces requires containing them in some way, to prevent things turning abusive – in which case, why would those attracted to populism not choose the full-blooded version? The left has its fair share of laughable abusers claiming victimhood, but they aren’t as much fun as those on the right.
We need to take seriously the allure of the transgressive, the shameless, and the ways in which it might express a human need. The problem is that when those acting out this transgression do so from positions of power and influence, this has real consequences for real human beings.
There should be no place for transgressiveness within those spaces where power resides. But if these desires can be harnessed outside those spaces, it might mean that the transgressiveness of the powerful would become less attractive.
So how can we revel in transgressive fantasies without causing harm to others? Perhaps our pre-modern ancestors have something to teach us here. As the Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin argued, pre-modern folk festivities such as carnivals offered a precious space for turning the world upside down, revelling in the messiness of the body, and laughing at authority in ways that were liberating, if only for a time.
Today there are some shared, private spaces in which we can be bad, such as nightclubs and football grounds. However we also need common spaces, rather than contained and limited ones, in which we can be our bad selves. We need to come together then, as a bigger, diverse mass, for the purposes of celebrating our darker yearnings, rather than some tepid vision of harmony. How much more thrilling would the 2012 Olympics have been had there been a place within them for gluttony, revelry and ribaldry?
To be sure, such common spaces of transgression could be co-opted by politicians and those with dangerous agendas. We know from football culture in the UK that keeping the far right from the terraces is a constant struggle. But it is a struggle that has succeeded, at least some of the time. Mass festivities feel small, peevish and parochial when they exclude and abuse; they feel powerful and life-affirming when they celebrate our common human bodiliness.
Embracing our lust for play, debauchery and gluttony promises to do more than just unite us. It can reveal how limited the transgressions offered by the apostles of anti-wokeness really are.


theguardian--2020-03-02--Mike Bloomberg: four issues that could derail his White House bid – video

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has launched one of the most audacious campaigns for the US presidency in modern times – pouring @ @ @ @ @ of his vast fortune into creating the most expensive nomination bid in US history .
@ @ @ @ @ New York is under intense scrutiny : here 's a look at the key issues @ @ @ @ @ to the White House • Can Mike Bloomberg buy his way to the White House @

Elena Morresi, Nikhita Chulani and Katie Lamborn

The billionaire Mike Bloomberg has suspended his Democratic presidential campaign after launching one of the most audacious political campaigns in modern times – pouring almost half a billion dollars of his vast fortune into creating the most expensive nomination bid in US history. The former mayor of New York has come under intense scrutiny and failed to seize the moderate lane from his rival Joe Biden: here's a look at the key issues that hurt his race to the White House


theguardian--2020-03-02--Bigger than Trump: John Legend's guide to what matters in the US election – video

This year ’ s election is not just about the president .
From police brutality to vote-rigging , the singer @ @ @ @ @ out what 's at stake

This year’s election is not just about the president. From police brutality to vote-rigging, the singer and activist John Legend lays out what's at stake


theguardian--2020-03-03--Super Tuesday arrives as Biden is endorsed by former Democrat rivals - live updates

One story that will not go away during the whole of the 2020 election cycle is that of vote security .
Associated Press have been looking at some of the measures in place in the first big test of the system since the 2018 midterms .
And there ’ s a new factor at play - coronavirus .
In 2016 , the Russians weaponized social media to sow discord among Americans , scanned state and local election systems for cyber vulnerabilities and deployed the targeted release of stolen campaign emails and documents .
US intelligence chiefs have warned that foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent outbreak of a new virus could present a bad actor with an opening to spread false information to keep voters away from the polls .
We ’ ve already seen misinformation about the virus on social media go , well , viral .
One California county has sought to address concerns over the coronavirus by sending bottles of hand sanitizer to polling places and asking poll workers to post fliers from the public health department on how to avoid spreading the virus .
Jesse Salinas , the chief elections official in Yolo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a few poll workers have backed out over concerns but most understand the threat is relatively low .
The county had no reported cases as of Monday morning .
“ We are hoping people remain calm and still participate in the election process , ” Salinas said .
Unlike the fiasco of the Democrat counting at the Iowa caucuses , it will be state and local election officials will be administering Tuesday ’ s elections .
“ Texas voters can rest assured ... that our office and those of local and county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hand to ensure smooth elections as well as the integrity of our electoral process , ” said Stephen Chang , spokesman for the Texas Secretary of State ’ s Office .
States vary considerably in their use of technology to run elections .
Some utilize computerized voter lists known as electronic pollbooks to check in voters , while others rely on paper .
Voters in a few places will be using new electronic voting machines that produce a paper record of voter selections while some voters in Texas , Tennessee and Oklahoma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by election security experts .
In California - widely seen as the most crucial Democrat primary to win - a new publicly owned computerized voting system the first of its kind in the nation will face a crucial test in Los Angeles County , the nation ’ s largest elections jurisdiction with 5.4 million registered voters .
The new system won conditional state approval despite serious security and technical issues , with the county ordered to offer all voters the option of using hand-marked paper ballots .
An estimated 63 percent of voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using hand-marked paper ballots .
Such ballots are considered the most reliable by election security experts because paper can ’ t be hacked or altered by programming errors .

3 Mar 2020 22.46 GMT Mario Koran Chula Vista, California’s mayor endorsed Mike Bloomberg. The city’s assemblywoman picked Elizabeth Warren. What do the voters have to say? The Guardian’s West Coast reporter Mario Koran brings us this dispatch: On paper, this should be Bernie Sanders country. Sanders, the clear front runner, boasts 42% of the state’s Latino vote. Chula Vista, just a 10-minute trolley ride away from the US-Mexico border, is about 61% Latino; nearly half the city speaks Spanish.
But Warren has made significant inroads here, grabbing the endorsement of Lorena Gonzalez, the high-powered, Latina assemblywoman who represents this district. Last month Gonzalez joined Julian Castro as they stumped for Warren at a brewery not far from Chula Vista.
Chula Vista’s mayor, Mary Salas, appeared to be swayed by neither: Her endorsement went to Mike Bloomberg, adding to a growing list of major US cities whose leaders have embraced the former NYC mayor.
Some of the cities whose mayors have endorsed Bloomberg are also the beneficiaries of hundreds of millions in grant money from Bloomberg Philanthropies — though Bloomberg’s campaign has scoffed at the suggestion that his support is purchased.
A visit to the polls proved that the political view in Chula Vista defies a simple narrative.
“Mike proved he can run a city. Realistically, he can take on Trump,” said 19-year-old Rosalinda Gomez said outside of her Chula Vista polling place.
But her friend, Dafne Ariza, believes Sanders is the better candidate to address the issues that matter most to her. “Sanders is for everything I care about - immigration reform, LGBTQ rights,” Dafne says. Here in Chula Vista, Dafne and Rosalinda, both 19, split for Bloomberg and Sanders.
"Mike proved he can run a city. Realistically, he can take on Trump," said Rosalinda.
"Sanders is for everything I care about - immigration reform, LGBTQ rights," Dafne says. pic.twitter.com/WhZkQph7xC — Mario Koran (@MarioKoran) March 3, 2020 Meanwhile, Xochitl, 76, said she wants to see better health care and higher wages — a response that tracks with polling that shows Latino voters prioritize health care and wages even ahead of immigration.
As for how Xochitl voted today, “es un secreto”, she said. "Es un secreto," said Xochitl, 76 of Chula Vista, when asked who she voted for.
She's here bc she wants to see better health care and higher wages, which tracks w polling on issues most important to Latino community. pic.twitter.com/8j1msTCYhC — Mario Koran (@MarioKoran) March 3, 2020
Updated at 22.48 GMT
3 Mar 2020 22.33 GMT Here are some of the voting issues that popped up in Super Tuesday states Sam Levine The issues come as there is heightened scrutiny on the reliability and security of election machines in America. There is no evidence any of the malfunctions or other issues were caused by hackers or bad actors, reports the Guardian’s voting rights correspondent Sam Levine. Texas , a closely-watched state, had several technical glitches. The state’s voter lookup tool briefly crashed Tuesday morning because of heavy online traffic. It was later back up and running.
, a closely-watched state, had several technical glitches. The state’s voter lookup tool briefly crashed Tuesday morning because of heavy online traffic. It was later back up and running. There were glitches with printers in Bexar county, long lines in Dallas , and a shortage of poll workers in Travis county after many poll workers didn’t show up. The Travis county clerk said one of the reasons people didn’t come to work was out of coronavirus concerns.
, and a shortage of poll workers in Travis county after many poll workers didn’t show up. The Travis county clerk said one of the reasons people didn’t come to work was out of coronavirus concerns. There were also issues with printers in two North Carolina counties that were quickly fixed, the Raleigh News and Observer reported. Democracy NC, a civic group helping to monitor voting in the state, said there were also issues with curbside voting access for people with disabilities.
counties that were quickly fixed, the Raleigh News and Observer reported. Democracy NC, a civic group helping to monitor voting in the state, said there were also issues with curbside voting access for people with disabilities. In California , 15 counties had issues connecting to the statewide voter database, making it difficult to update voter information once people cast their ballots, according to the Los Angeles Times. In Los Angeles counties, there were also some long lines as voters cast their ballots using a new election system for the first time.
, 15 counties had issues connecting to the statewide voter database, making it difficult to update voter information once people cast their ballots, according to the Los Angeles Times. In Los Angeles counties, there were also some long lines as voters cast their ballots using a new election system for the first time. Tennessee voters also faced additional hurdles after tornadoes ripped through the state and killed at least 22 people Tuesday. In Nashville, several polling locations were closed because of the disaster. Civil rights groups asked state election officials to extend voting for several days to accommodate people affected by the disaster.
voters also faced additional hurdles after tornadoes ripped through the state and killed at least 22 people Tuesday. In Nashville, several polling locations were closed because of the disaster. Civil rights groups asked state election officials to extend voting for several days to accommodate people affected by the disaster. In Minnesota, the secretary of state apologized after a staffer redirected voters using the state’s voter lookup tool to a progressive website. The staffer had a “serious lapse of judgment,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said.
Updated at 22.51 GMT
3 Mar 2020 22.25 GMT Vivian Ho You can’t walk by a busy intersection on election day in San Francisco without someone trying to hand you a voter guide from the San Francisco League of Pissed Off Voters, writes The Guardian’s Vivian Ho:
The progressive group that describes itself as “political geeks in a torrid love affair with San Francisco” has been issuing voter guides since 2004 for local, state and national politics. In November, for the first time in the organization’s history, every item the group endorsed won.
But Tuesday’s voter guide had one very prominent item with no position: that of president.
Cynthia Crews-Pollock, who is on the steering committee of the League of Pissed Off Voters, explained that at the endorsement meeting in December, the group was of three separate camps: “One camp of the league said we should sole endorse Bernie,” she said. “One camp said we should endorse Bernie and Warren for progressive unity. Another camp said no, we should not make an endorsement - we should focus on local politics only.”
Since no camp got a majority, the league took the position of no position - which is different than no endorsement. “I think it’s good because progressive voters are not monolithic,” Crews-Pollock said. “Everybody has a different strategy of how to get a progressive candidate in office.”
The position of no position gets tougher, however, with Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar mobilizing their moderate voters behind Joe Biden. But Crews-Pollock is not discouraged. “Forty-six states haven’t voted yet, and the way that Biden wants to spring ahead against Bernie is to have his competition drop out,” she said. “That says that our primary system is broken. So in the primaries, you should vote with your heart.”
Updated at 22.30 GMT
3 Mar 2020 22.13 GMT Vivian Ho Voters fill out their ballots for the presidential primary election at a polling station inside Hua-Zang Si buddhist temple in San Francisco. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters The Guardian’s West Coast reporter Vivian Ho brings us this dispatch from San Francisco: San Francisco is electric on election days. Volunteers are out before the sun rises, waving signs supporting their candidates and passing out voter guides. Voters walk out of polling stations, proudly wearing their red “I voted!” stickers like badges of honor. “I don’t want to get too overly optimistic because I’ve been a progressive my whole life, but this is the first time that any candidate I’ve voted for has ever had this good of a chance,” said Mokai DePolo, 65, as he balanced two large Bernie Sanders signs against his shoulder.
A few weeks ago, Stacey DePolo, 45, registered the website, berniewon.me – it leads back to this New York Times opinion piece. “Because he already won by shifting the possibility of debate, with the movement he’s created, with our revolution,” she said. “Now we have all the candidates fighting over who’s more progressive, whose Green Deal is better than whose Green Deal. Bernie already won, no matter what happens.”
Updated at 22.46 GMT
3 Mar 2020 22.09 GMT Could coronavirus convince Republicans to back public healthcare? Healthcare has been a major – or even the main – issue for voters in the primaries so far and is sure to factor into many Super Tuesday voters’ decisions today. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, even Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are advocating for the sort of public healthcare that all the Democratic presidential candidates are proposing (in varying forms). Representative Ted Yoho, a Republican of Florida who has opposed the Affordable Care Act, nevertheless advocated for free coronavirus testing and treatment for uninsured Americans, according to HuffPost’s Matt Fuller. “You can look at it as socialized medicine, but in the face of an outbreak, a pandemic, what’s your options?” Yoho said. Lawmakers – who skew older, tend to travel a lot – seem to be especially wary of contracting the disease. BuzzFeed News’ Paul McLeod reports that Bill Cassidy, a Republican senator from Louisiana, was generous with his hand sanitizer.
Mid-scrum on coronavirus Senator Bill Cassidy says that as a gastroenterologist he already washes his hands like Lady MacBeth, then pulls out hand sanitizer and pours some into the hand if every reporter around him. pic.twitter.com/xQwsb2v23l — Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) March 3, 2020
Updated at 22.20 GMT
3 Mar 2020 21.42 GMT Daniel Strauss A voter casts a ballot in Richmond, Virginia. Photograph: Zach Gibson/Getty Images The mayor of Richmond, Virginia, said Joe Biden’s South Carolina victory was an “earthquake” in the Democratic primary. The Guardian’s senior political reporter Daniel Strauss reports:
“I think in South Carolina there was an earthquake that shook up this race,” said Richmond mayor Levar Stoney. “And it showed that the bedrock of the Democratic, that being African American voters, had a clear choice for the nomination. And his name is Joseph R Biden.” Stoney’s comments come just days after the South Carolina Democratic primary which Biden won by double digits. Since then Biden has enjoyed a wave of endorsements, including from two moderate rivals in the primary, Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out and backed him. The victory and endorsements have acted as a jolt of optimism for Biden’s supporters. Asked if Stoney thought former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the remaining other more moderate candidates left in the primary, should drop out, the Richmond mayor said it was up to the mayor. But he said supporters curious about Bloomberg would come to Biden now. “I’m never going to tell anyone to get out of the race,” Stoney said. “That’s for the mayor to choose. But what I recognize that some folks have flirted, dated, dabbled a little with Mike Bloomberg over the last couple months and they’re coming home. They’re coming home to Joe. That is comforting over the last three days, since the Saturday victory in South Carolina. It’s time to stop the flirtation and get serious.”
Updated at 22.35 GMT
3 Mar 2020 21.36 GMT Bloomberg, pressed on his expectations for Super Tuesday voting, claimed that: “If there’s only three candidates, you can’t do worse than that.
But, of course, he can, Richard Luscombe reports from West Palm Beach: After a reporter politely reminded him that Elizabeth Warren remained alongside himself, Sanders and Joe Biden, Bloomberg appeared confused. “I didn’t realize she’s still in, is she?” he wondered. He was also prickly when asked if he’d considered withdrawing from the race after two poor debate performances and tepid polling numbers. “Have you asked Joe if he is going to drop out?” Bloomberg responded. “When you ask him, then you can call me.” Next up: Orlando and a rally-the-troops visit to one of 20 field offices statewide that his free-spending Bloomberg campaign hopes to have operational before the primary. Then it was on to the Palm Beach county convention center four miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for the evening rally-cum-watch party. The former New York mayor is picking up the tab for supporters’ parking and refreshments tonight, dipping further into the $500m war chest he has invested into his campaign from his estimated personal fortune of $55bn.
Updated at 22.36 GMT
3 Mar 2020 21.31 GMT Mike Bloomberg is in Florida, which isn't a Super Tuesday state Bloomberg made a stop at one of his campaign offices in the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami, Florida. Photograph: JLN Photography/REX/Shutterstock Richard Luscombe reports from West Palm Beach:
Bloomberg spent Super Tuesday hopping around Florida, a state that does not vote until 17 March, before heading to an evening rally in West Palm Beach – Donald Trump’s back yard – to await his fate. The former New York mayor has already spent about $35m on TV ads in the Sunshine State two weeks before primary day, and his furious criss-crossing today, while his opponents are elsewhere, highlights the importance to his campaign of Florida’s 219 delegates. First up was the politicians’ traditional photo-op stopover in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, slurping on coffee-flavored ice cream from a Cuban-owned parlor on Calle Ocho. Mindful of his surroundings, he slammed Bernie Sanders’ questionable recent comments praising post-revolution literacy programs on the communist Caribbean island. “We will not win Florida with a candidate who sings the praises of Fidel Castro and downplays the atrocities he has committed in Cuba,” Bloomberg said. “Some of those comments are hurtful and offensive to [those] who have come here to start a new life.”
Updated at 22.38 GMT
3 Mar 2020 21.20 GMT Sam Levine Minnesota’s top election official apologized Tuesday after a staffer redirected voters to a progressive group’s website when they tried to look up their polling locations Steve Simon, Minnesota’s secretary of state, said the staffer had a “serious lapse of judgment”. The staffer linked to the website after the secretary of state’s pollfinder website went down on Tuesday. The office planned to go to a non-partisan backup, but the staffer diverted from that plan and linked to a poll location finder on boldprogressives.org. The website belongs to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which backs Senator Elizabeth Warren. The link was up for 17 minutes, Simon said in a statement.
“The moment this error was discovered, we corrected the link,” Simon, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Anyone who knows me knows that I place the highest possible value on the nonpartisanship of this office, and I deeply regret this error.”
Updated at 21.30 GMT
3 Mar 2020 21.08 GMT Vivian Ho While Biden was inside meeting with supporters, dozens of Bernie Sanders supporters rallied and chanted outside Buttercup Diner
“Bernie has historically been the candidate to fight for the folks that we fight for on a daily basis, sitting across from us in our offices, sitting across from us as we’re doing radical sidewalk therapy,” said Danielle Herrera, an associate therapist at the Harm Reduction Therapy Center. “He’s been working for them since the beginning of his political campaign and we support that.”
Herrera and her two coworkers work near Buttercup Diner, and came out when they heard Biden was going to stop by. They joined the Bernie supporters when they saw them rallying, waving “Not Me, Us” signs in support.
Leticia Brown, another therapist with the Harm Reduction Therapy Center, said as a Bernie supporter, she has some concern about the recent momentum behind Biden with the Buttigieg and Klobuchar endorsements.
“But I’m not worried in the sense that we’ve had folks that we thought were longshots before,” Brown said. “We had Barack Obama in the presidency and I remember when he announced that he was going to run, I thought, this is too soon. This is too early. Bernie, the numbers, the math is behind him. Things are being pulled in ways when it’s not just a fringe movement. People are impacted by all the things that he talks about. For us, if we fall into fear and worry, then we are just going to keep doing the same thing with the same results. Just having hope and believing this can happen needs to be a driving force for people going to the ballots today.”
Updated at 21.17 GMT
3 Mar 2020 21.05 GMT Biden meets and greets voters in Oakland, California Vivian Ho Joe Biden greets restaurant patrons at Buttercup Diner in Oakland, California. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images Dozens of Biden supporters squeezed in with members of the press at Buttercup Diner in Oakland, California, for Joe Biden to make his first of two appearances in California today. Capt “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who emergency-landed a plane on the Hudson river, and Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf were among the local big names to welcome Biden to Oakland.
After ordering a slice of coconut cream pie, Biden shook hands and took selfies with supporters at the diner. “The mayor was like, ‘This is one of our brightest stars, a small-business owner,’ and he was like, ‘What do you sell,’ and I said, ‘I sell sex toys,’ and he was like, ‘I got to come by!’” said Nenner Joiner, owner of Feelmore, the first black-owned sex shop in Oakland.
Joiner voted for Biden because “we’re going to make sure that the next candidate that gets in there is actually going to win.”
“It’s not just the next person to win – I like his morals, I like his values, I like his judgments,” Joiner said. “Let’s just hope that he also has the relationships to build a better future for us.”
Updated at 21.16 GMT
3 Mar 2020 20.55 GMT Sam Levine In Texas, there were long waits and a few glitches, the Guardian’s voting rights reporter Sam Levine writes: In Dallas, one voter told WFAA he waited for two hours at the Fretz Park branch library. Another voter told the station he was leaving without casting a ballot after waiting an hour in line. Some folks waiting up to two hours to cast their vote at Fretz Park Library in Dallas, reporting technical problems with machines. Voters encouraged to go to other polling locations. #SuperTuesday #texas #Election2020 @wfaa pic.twitter.com/Wso9zojHD3 — David Schechter (@DavidSchechter) March 3, 2020 In Travis county, home of Austin, the county clerk said voting had gotten off to a “rocky start” because pollworkers hadn’t shown up for work. One of the reasons they weren’t showing up, the clerk said, was out of concerns over the coronavirus.
In Bexar county, home of San Antonio, there were issues when voting first started because of difficulties connecting to printers at the precinct, said Jacque Callanen, the county election administrator. One polling location had no power, leaving the machines operating on batteries, KTSA reported.
Updated at 22.47 GMT
3 Mar 2020 20.36 GMT Sam Levin The Guardian’s Los Angeles correspondent Sam Levin has been chatting with voters in Koreatown, where there’s a lot of enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and also some fear about Joe Biden’s recent rise: “I’ve never felt like I trusted a political candidate before,” said Nat Tereshchenko, a 23 year old who works for a union and voted for Sanders. “Our system just doesn’t care about working-class people. To see the way he’s mobilized people who haven’t voted before means so much ... What he is proposing is not all that radical. I want to push his ideas even further.” Nat Tereshchenko, 23, works for a union, voted for Bernie: "I've never felt like I trusted a political candidate before. Our system just doesn't care about working class people. To see the way he's mobilized people who haven't voted before means so much..That's me not us.." (con) pic.twitter.com/d8SjUtlLZs — Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) March 3, 2020 Tereshchenko said they were worried about Biden and frustrated Warren was still in the race: “It makes me scared. If Biden secures the nomination, we will definitely have Trump.”
Nelson Cole, 26, who works for a literary manager and also voted for Sanders, said he was hopeful that Sanders or Warren would win: “Seeing the panic about Bernie shows just how much excitement there is for this new direction. If it’s Bernie or Warren, I think we’ll hear them talk more about the issues and less about the distractions.” He said he was encouraged by the turnout in the voter center: “I’m seeing a lot of young people out here, so I’m hoping for the best.”
Nelson Cole, 26, works for literary manager. Voted for Bernie: "Seeing the panic about Bernie shows just how much excitement there is for this new direction. If it's Bernie or Warren, I think we'll hear them talk more about the issues and less about the distractions." pic.twitter.com/NrL88Gi9zN — Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) March 3, 2020 Pooja Nair, a 32-year-old lawyer, voted for Warren and was once in her class when the senator was a professor: “She has a path forward. I think it’s narrow, but I don’t think it’s out of the question. The field just narrowed. I believe in the primary, you vote for the candidate you believe in.” She said most of her friends were choosing between Biden and Sanders: “Any Democrat will have a much more pro-science attitude. That’s what we need during a global health crisis.”
Pooja Nair, 32, attorney, voted for Warren, was once in her class: "She has a path forward. I think it's narrow, but I don't think it's out of the question. The field just narrowed. I believe in the primary, you vote for the candidate you believe in..." (con) pic.twitter.com/sdjefMBAjp — Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) March 3, 2020
Updated at 20.41 GMT
3 Mar 2020 20.26 GMT Ed Pilkington In Oxford, England, Bernie Sanders’ brother Larry has cast his absentee ballot ... the Guardian US chief reporter Ed Pilkington writes: Larry Sanders (@Sanders4Health) casting his vote for his brother @BernieSanders @RAIOxford this morning #SuperTuesday #DemocratsAbroad pic.twitter.com/0klREmZJxr — Rothermere American Institute (@RAIOxford) March 3, 2020 Larry Sanders, a Green Party spokesperson in the UK, has been feeling “the Bernard” today.
The Brooklyn-born politician, 84, who has lived in the UK since the late 1960s, has just participated in the Democrats Abroad primary. He voted in Oxford for his younger brother who he calls Bernard, or Bernie to you and me.
“Bernard’s policies are very mainstream,” he told the Oxford Mail outside the polling station.
Asked whether he’d be tempted to move back to the US were his brother to win in November, he replied: “I’d be tempted to visit a lot”.
Though the Sanders brothers have been separated by the Atlantic for more than 50 years, they have a special bond. At the Democratic National Convention in 2016, Larry cast the delegates vote of Democrats Abroad for his brother, giving a tearful speech about how proud their parents would have been of Bernie’s achievements.
Updated at 20.42 GMT
3 Mar 2020 20.17 GMT David Smith Joe Biden is hoping his success in South Carolina can spill over into North Carolina, the Guardian’s David Smith reports from Charlotte. But the former vice-president is facing a stiff challenge from Bernie Sanders: At voting place in Charlotte, North Carolina, where David and Lisa Ruch both voted for Bernie Sanders. David says: “I’m charged by his connection with the people and how he’s trying to build a people’s movement rather than a corporate agenda.” pic.twitter.com/Tn0pglu9so — David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) March 3, 2020 David and Lisa Ruch voted for Sanders at a polling place at the Wells Fargo Sense Science Garden in rainy Charlotte on Tuesday.
“I just feel we’re in a place where we need a lot of change,” said Lisa, 59, a real estate agent. “We need someone for the people, not a self-promoting president any more. We need change in health care and Bernie can get it done.”
Lisa had considered Biden but admitted: “I’m not sure about his capability in the long term. There’s something a little off.”
Mike Bloomberg had several signs outside the voting place but Lisa was unimpressed: “I feel like he’s a Republican trying to be a Democrat to win an election. He’s just another Donald Trump buying his way in.”
Her husband David, 66, a therapist and life coach, agreed: “I don’t like him. He is certainly a poster child for money in politics.”
David explained his vote for Sanders: “I’m charged by his connection with the people and how he’s trying to build a people’s movement rather than a corporate agenda. He’s been in government a long time fighting for the little guy.”
Updated at 20.28 GMT


theguardian--2020-03-03--What is Super Tuesday? Your guide to the night

It ’ s the day when the greatest number of US states cast their votes to nominate presidential candidates , who will eventually compete for the White House in November ’ s general election .
It is the biggest day in the US election calendar apart from election day itself .
The candidates have each held hundreds of meet-and-greet events , travelled thousands of miles , eaten a lot of junk food , and their campaigns have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to get them to this make-or-break moment .
In 2020 , Super Tuesday falls on 3 March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting , but because Donald Trump does not face any serious challengers , all eyes will be on the Democratic contest .
The early voting states – Iowa , New Hampshire , Nevada and South Carolina – have all had their say over the past month , with Bernie Sanders emerging as the possible national frontrunner in the race for the Democratic nomination .
But now , 14 states across the country – Alabama , Arkansas , California , Colorado , Maine , Massachusetts , Minnesota , North Carolina , Oklahoma , Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia – as well as one US territory ( American Samoa ) and Democrats abroad will cast their votes on the same day .
Who are the Democratic presidential candidates ?
There are five leading Democratic presidential candidates competing : former vice-president Joe Biden , Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren , former mayor Mike Bloomberg and Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard .
Amy Klobuchar , Pete Buttigieg and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer all withdrew from the race in recent days .
Sanders and Warren are on the progressive side of the party , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are regarded as more moderate .
This will be the first time that Bloomberg will be on the ballot , and will be a key test of whether the hundreds of millions of dollars he has invested in his own campaign have paid off .
He controversially skipped the first early voting states to concentrate on winning support in larger , delegate heavy states .
The primaries and caucuses are a series of contests , in all 50 US states plus Washington DC and US territories , by which the party selects its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates is to amass a majority of pledged delegates whose job it is to nominate the candidate at the party ’ s convention .
In all states , delegates are awarded proportionally among top winners .
To become the Democratic presidential nominee , the candidate must secure 1,991 pledged delegates from a total of 4,750 .
So far , less than 5 % of delegates have been allotted , but on Super Tuesday , more than a third of available delegates are up for grabs – giving it the potential to propel one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others who perform badly to quit the race .
California has the most pledged delegates ( 494 ) followed by Texas ( 261 ) , North Carolina ( 72 ) and Virginia ( 65 ) .
The Super Tuesday states also represent a much broader sweep of the US population , not just in terms of geography , but demographics too , than the early voting states .
The results will therefore give a more detailed picture of who supports the candidates , and what their chances of winning on a national level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote at the same time ?
Polling times vary state by state .
Vermont ’ s polls close first at 7pm ET and California ’ s close last at 11pm ET .
More than a week ahead of Super Tuesday , almost 2m ballots had already been cast as several states allow early voting .
What time will the results be announced ?
Results will begin to be reported after the first polls close at 7pm ET .
The Guardian will be reporting the results live , as they come in .

What is Super Tuesday?
It’s the day when the greatest number of US states cast their votes to nominate presidential candidates, who will eventually compete for the White House in November’s general election.
It is the biggest day in the US election calendar apart from election day itself. The candidates have each held hundreds of meet-and-greet events, travelled thousands of miles, eaten a lot of junk food, and their campaigns have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to get them to this make-or-break moment.
In 2020, Super Tuesday falls on 3 March. Both Democrats and Republicans will be voting, but because Donald Trump does not face any serious challengers, all eyes will be on the Democratic contest.
The early voting states – Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina – have all had their say over the past month, with Bernie Sanders emerging as the possible national frontrunner in the race for the Democratic nomination.
But now, 14 states across the country – Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia – as well as one US territory (American Samoa) and Democrats abroad will cast their votes on the same day.
There are five leading Democratic presidential candidates competing: former vice-president Joe Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, former mayor Mike Bloomberg and Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer all withdrew from the race in recent days.
Sanders and Warren are on the progressive side of the party, while candidates such as Biden and Bloomberg are regarded as more moderate.
This will be the first time that Bloomberg will be on the ballot, and will be a key test of whether the hundreds of millions of dollars he has invested in his own campaign have paid off. He controversially skipped the first early voting states to concentrate on winning support in larger, delegate heavy states.
Why is Super Tuesday important?
The primaries and caucuses are a series of contests, in all 50 US states plus Washington DC and US territories, by which the party selects its presidential nominee.
The goal for the candidates is to amass a majority of pledged delegates whose job it is to nominate the candidate at the party’s convention. In all states, delegates are awarded proportionally among top winners.
To become the Democratic presidential nominee, the candidate must secure 1,991 pledged delegates from a total of 4,750.
So far, less than 5% of delegates have been allotted, but on Super Tuesday, more than a third of available delegates are up for grabs – giving it the potential to propel one candidate to frontrunner status, and prompt others who perform badly to quit the race.
California has the most pledged delegates (415) followed by Texas (228), North Carolina (110) and Virginia (99).
The Super Tuesday states also represent a much broader sweep of the US population, not just in terms of geography, but demographics too, than the early voting states. The results will therefore give a more detailed picture of who supports the candidates, and what their chances of winning on a national level may be.
Do all the states vote at the same time?
Polling times vary state by state. Vermont’s polls close first at 7pm ET and California’s close last at 11pm ET.
More than a week ahead of Super Tuesday, almost 2m ballots had already been cast as several states allow early voting.
What time will the results be announced?
Results will begin to be reported after the first polls close at 7pm ET. The Guardian will be reporting the results live, as they come in.


theguardian--2020-03-03--Leftwing Texan inspired by Ocasio-Cortez in bid to upset top Republican

Seven Democratic candidates have caught the eye of progressive champion Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her recently launched political action committee Courage to Change .
Six of these candidates – all women of color – are running for Congress .
But one – Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez – has her eyes on a bigger prize .
She is running for a chance to represent the party in a vital Texas Senate seat , and to try and defeat Republican incumbent John Cornyn in what would be a remarkable victory .
Tzintzún Ramirez , and the other AOC-backed candidates , are hoping to replicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by running against more centrist and establishment Democrats .
By doing so they want to pull the party leftwards and at the same time energize the progressive base and bring in new voters in a way that will allow them to effectively beat Republicans .
“ One of my gifts is seeing a pathway to change where other people might not see one .
I see that Texas is ready and poised for change .
It ’ s going to take a dynamic candidate like myself that ’ s ready to fight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Tzintzún Ramirez told the Guardian .
Originally from Ohio , Tzintzún Ramirez has called Texas home since 2000 .
One of her first roles in politics was organizing Latino immigrant workers .
She eventually served as executive director of the Workers Defense Project , which provided aid and representation to construction workers .
This is the first attempt at running for office for Tzintzún Ramirez , a working mom who hopes to articulate what it means to be a progressive and deliver real change for marginalized communities in Texas and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my career and life in Texas facing what has often felt like insurmountable odds to change legislation and take on corporations and industries on the behalf of working people , young people , and undocumented workers .
I ’ m proud that every time someone has underestimated myself or the communities I represent , we ’ ve proved them wrong , ” she said .
It was Ocasio-Cortez who inspired Tzintzún Ramirez to run in the first place .
“ AOC ’ s endorsement matters greatly to the diverse electorate and young voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have her backing , ” she said .
Tzintzún Ramirez shares a similar origin story with Ocasio-Cortez .
The child of an immigrant , and an underdog in an important race , she is no stranger to difficult odds , having fought for construction workers and immigrants through organizations she founded like the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition ( AIRC ) and the Better Builder Program .
“ A person like me felt like I could run based on what [ AOC ] and other progressives and women of color have been doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parties to demand representation and real systemic change on the issues that matter to working people , ” she said .
Democrats are hoping to flip the once deep red state of Texas , specifically within the Senate .
Cornyn is up for re-election this year .
His Democratic opponent in the November general election will be decided on Super Tuesday .
There are currently 12 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to take on the senator .
Texas has been here before when it comes to senate races and outsider candidates .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rourke after his unsuccessful run against Ted Cruz left the state rattled , but significantly changed its political landscape with spikes in Democratic voter turnout and a renewed spotlight on the Texas Democratic party .
O ’ Rourke , who has decided to sit this election out , has yet to vocalize his support for any of the 12 candidates vying for the nomination .
Also noticeably absent from this election are high-profile Texans such as the Castro brothers , Julián and Joaquin .
Joaquin Castro did , however , endorse Tzintzún Ramirez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extensive track record working on behalf of Texans to secure living wages , protect immigrant communities , and engage our young and diverse electorate , I ’ m proud to support Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez.
” But even with support from the likes of Castro , Ocasio-Cortez , and even the actor Alec Baldwin , Tzintzún Ramirez has is far from a clear path to victory .
The state ’ s Democratic establishment is placing its bet on MJ Hegar – a retired air force veteran and the more centrist candidate .
Hegar received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( DSCC ) .
Tzintzún Ramirez is hoping her powerful support among Latinos will help her .
She founded Jolt in 2017 , a not-for-profit organization with the singular goal of increasing civic participation within the Latino community .
Now she ’ s counting on them to show up to the polls .
“ Young Latinos are a key , key demographic .
Nobody in Texas flips Texas without driving turnout among young people and Latinos , and yet we have consistently failed to invest in those voting blocs , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science professor at the University of Houston , said the Texas Democratic party is currently split between the left and moderates – but that could change on Super Tuesday .
“ The party is definitely moving in a more progressive direction , because it ’ s fueled by younger and racially diverse candidates and voters who are attempting to push the party in that direction .
But it ’ s not clear yet .
Winning Texas for Democrats is tough statewide , ” Rottinghaus said .
That may be true .
But Cornyn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ally of Trump , has himself admitted : “ Texas is no longer , I believe , a reliably red state.
” For Tzintzún Ramirez , her run against Cornyn is also personal .
“ Cornyn has blinded himself with the president .
That is very unpopular here in Texas .
He ’ s demonized and targeted Mexicans , immigrants and their children .
I fit into all of those categories , ” she said .

Seven Democratic candidates have caught the eye of progressive champion Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her recently launched political action committee Courage to Change. Six of these candidates – all women of color – are running for Congress.
But one – Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez – has her eyes on a bigger prize. She is running for a chance to represent the party in a vital Texas Senate seat, and to try and defeat Republican incumbent John Cornyn in what would be a remarkable victory.
Tzintzún Ramirez, and the other AOC-backed candidates, are hoping to replicate the New York congresswoman’s success by running against more centrist and establishment Democrats. By doing so they want to pull the party leftwards and at the same time energize the progressive base and bring in new voters in a way that will allow them to effectively beat Republicans.
“One of my gifts is seeing a pathway to change where other people might not see one. I see that Texas is ready and poised for change. It’s going to take a dynamic candidate like myself that’s ready to fight. I’m not a party insider,” Tzintzún Ramirez told the Guardian.
Originally from Ohio, Tzintzún Ramirez has called Texas home since 2000. One of her first roles in politics was organizing Latino immigrant workers. She eventually served as executive director of the Workers Defense Project, which provided aid and representation to construction workers.
This is the first attempt at running for office for Tzintzún Ramirez, a working mom who hopes to articulate what it means to be a progressive and deliver real change for marginalized communities in Texas and the US.
“I’ve spent my career and life in Texas facing what has often felt like insurmountable odds to change legislation and take on corporations and industries on the behalf of working people, young people, and undocumented workers. I’m proud that every time someone has underestimated myself or the communities I represent, we’ve proved them wrong,” she said.
It was Ocasio-Cortez who inspired Tzintzún Ramirez to run in the first place.
Today @CouragetoChange is announcing its first endorsements of newcomers to Congress:
SENATE
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez (TX)
HOUSE
Teresa Fernandez (NM)
Kara Eastman (NE)
Georgette Gomez (CA)
Marie Newman (IL)
Jessica Cisneros (TX)
Samelys Lopez (NY)https://t.co/sbSKTipijm — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 21, 2020
“AOC’s endorsement matters greatly to the diverse electorate and young voters across Texas. I’m proud to have her backing,” she said.
Tzintzún Ramirez shares a similar origin story with Ocasio-Cortez. The child of an immigrant, and an underdog in an important race, she is no stranger to difficult odds, having fought for construction workers and immigrants through organizations she founded like the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC) and the Better Builder Program.
“A person like me felt like I could run based on what [AOC] and other progressives and women of color have been doing which is standing up to both political parties to demand representation and real systemic change on the issues that matter to working people,” she said.
Democrats are hoping to flip the once deep red state of Texas, specifically within the Senate.
Cornyn is up for re-election this year. His Democratic opponent in the November general election will be decided on Super Tuesday. There are currently 12 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to take on the senator.
Texas has been here before when it comes to senate races and outsider candidates. The rise and fall of Beto O’Rourke after his unsuccessful run against Ted Cruz left the state rattled, but significantly changed its political landscape with spikes in Democratic voter turnout and a renewed spotlight on the Texas Democratic party.
O’Rourke, who has decided to sit this election out, has yet to vocalize his support for any of the 12 candidates vying for the nomination. Also noticeably absent from this election are high-profile Texans such as the Castro brothers, Julián and Joaquin.
Joaquin Castro did, however, endorse Tzintzún Ramirez. He said: “With her extensive track record working on behalf of Texans to secure living wages, protect immigrant communities, and engage our young and diverse electorate, I’m proud to support Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez.”
But even with support from the likes of Castro, Ocasio-Cortez, and even the actor Alec Baldwin, Tzintzún Ramirez has is far from a clear path to victory.
The state’s Democratic establishment is placing its bet on MJ Hegar – a retired air force veteran and the more centrist candidate. Hegar received support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
Tzintzún Ramirez is hoping her powerful support among Latinos will help her. She founded Jolt in 2017, a not-for-profit organization with the singular goal of increasing civic participation within the Latino community. Now she’s counting on them to show up to the polls.
“Young Latinos are a key, key demographic. Nobody in Texas flips Texas without driving turnout among young people and Latinos, and yet we have consistently failed to invest in those voting blocs,” she said.
Dr Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said the Texas Democratic party is currently split between the left and moderates – but that could change on Super Tuesday.
“The party is definitely moving in a more progressive direction, because it’s fueled by younger and racially diverse candidates and voters who are attempting to push the party in that direction. But it’s not clear yet. Winning Texas for Democrats is tough statewide,” Rottinghaus said.
That may be true. But Cornyn, who has long been a close ally of Trump, has himself admitted: “Texas is no longer, I believe, a reliably red state.”
For Tzintzún Ramirez, her run against Cornyn is also personal.
“Cornyn has blinded himself with the president. That is very unpopular here in Texas. He’s demonized and targeted Mexicans, immigrants and their children. I fit into all of those categories,” she said.


theguardian--2020-03-03--'He's working for it': why Latinos are rallying behind Sanders

Maria Vallardes came to the door in slippered feet , a pomeranian yipping behind her .
Standing on her porch with a clipboard and an earnest smile was Ricardo Alonzo Ugalde , a volunteer with the Bernie Sanders campaign assigned to canvas in this corner of east Los Angeles , the heart of the Latino community .
“ Buenas tardes , señora , ” he greeted Vallardes before starting his pitch .
The California primary election was Tuesday – did she plan to vote ?
She did .
And was she a registered Democrat ?
She laughed , as if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the 65-year-old told him in Spanish .
“ Do you think I would vote for Donald Trump ?
” She invited him inside to hear his pitch .
When he left , her ballot was sealed , along with her support for Sanders .
“ That ’ s about as good as it could possibly go , ” said Alonzo Ugalde , a 35-year-old engineer .
Sanders ’ campaign believes his path to the Democratic presidential nomination runs through neighborhoods like the ones Alonzo Ugalde canvassed ahead of Super Tuesday : racially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south and Midwest where voters feel left out or left behind .
That outreach was key to his victory in Nevada , where he won support from more than 50 % of Hispanic voters in a seven-way contest , according to entrance polls .
“ Brown people love Bernie Sanders , ” said Chuck Rocha , the colorful architect of Sanders ’ campaign strategy to mobilize Latino voters .
“ We realized that too late in 2016 .
So we started building where we left off.
” Outreach began almost immediately after Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has complemented his focus on economic inequality with calls for racial justice .
And , seeking to deepen the candidate ’ s connection with nonwhite voters , his campaign has highlighted aspects of Sanders ’ personal story as the son of a Polish immigrant who came to America without any money or knowledge of the English language .
Rocha , who wears a cowboy hat and speaks with a Texas drawl , said the campaign learned from 2016 that it needed not only invest heavily but to invest early in Latino communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boasts that the campaign has no “ Latino department ” .
Instead , Latinos fill prominent , decision-making roles at every level .
Under the banner of “ Unidos con Bernie , ” the campaign has demonstrated its “ cultural competency ” with Latinos , Rocha said .
As part of its outreach effort , the campaign has hosted “ Tamales for Tío Bernie , ” screened the Disney film Coco and sponsored a soccer tournament .
Super Tuesday will be the most consequential test yet of Latino support for Sanders .
California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the primary election and both have large Latino electorates .
Surveys show Sanders with a commanding lead among Latinos in both states , but Joe Biden ’ s victory in South Carolina has revived his campaign and will boost his standing with voters of color across the country .
Biden , who will hold a primary night event in Los Angeles , has polled well with older Latinos , though they make up a smaller share of the electorate .
Meanwhile , Bloomberg , who has poured hundreds of millions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday states , has also been targeting Latinos with Spanish-language ads and mailers .
Strong performances with Latinos in California , Texas and Colorado could prove decisive on Tuesday and propel Sanders into the next series of contests , which includes Arizona and Florida .
In California , the campaign has 105 staff members and 23 field offices statewide , which Rafael Návar , Sanders ’ California state director and a native of East LA , said are mostly in “ heavily Latino ” and “ working class ” neighborhoods .
Sanders visited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field office in Coachella , located in the same unit where the labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez organized on behalf of the United Farm Workers of America in the 1960s .
“ You had not had somebody running for president visit the city of Coachella since John F Kennedy , ” Návar said .
The endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , the 30-year-old Latina congresswoman from New York , solidified Sanders ’ standing among young Latinos in particular .
At a rally together in Queens , she adorned him with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has resonated with Latinos who have come to see Sanders as their champion .
“ The story of our community is one of constant struggle in America , a struggle to be recognized , and to have full citizenship and full rights , ” said Návar , a former labor organizer with the Communications Workers of America .
“ And so I think there ’ s a real connection because he ’ s seen as someone who has always been fighting against overwhelming odds.
” Many young Latino supporters say they are drawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and free college tuition .
But another major part of his appeal is his ambitious immigration platform .
Sanders has also taken some of the most liberal stances on immigration of any Democrat , policies that Latino staff , including some undocumented members of the campaign , helped to shape .
“ Latinos are going to the polls with the economy and healthcare in their minds and immigration in their hearts , ” Clarissa Martinez de Castro , deputy vice-president of UnidosUS , the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy group in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of Trump ’ s executive actions on immigration on “ day one ” , including ending his “ zero-tolerance ” policies and restoring the Daca program for young undocumented people Trump ’ s administration cancelled .
He has also promised to place a moratorium on deportations until further review , end raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( Ice ) and pass comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for some of the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US .
Even Sanders critics agree his outreach has been impressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican consultant who specializes in Latino voter outreach , praised Rocha ’ s approach but remains skeptical that Sanders can replicate his early state success .
“ Nevada Latinos are mostly blue-collar , worker-class with a family tie to a union , ” he said .
“ Because of that , the messaging of being a Democrat socialist resonates .
I don ’ t see that same formula applying to Latinos in a state like California and Texas.
” Compared with Nevada , Alvarado said there is a broader range of economic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electorate .
And Texas Latinos are traditionally more conservative than Latinos in California and Nevada .
In 2018 , four in 10 Hispanics voted for Texas ’ s Republican governor , even as Latino turnout in the state drove the “ blue wave ” that helped Democrats regain the House majority .
The Vermont senator is now the choice of 51 % of Latino voters in California , up 13 points since January , according to the final UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll of the contest .
And an NBC/Marist poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders , more than three times the support earned by his nearest rivals , Biden and Bloomberg .
The Sanders campaign is also courting Latinos in North Carolina and Virginia , where a rally in Richmond last week drew more than a hundred activists from the local chapter of Casa in Action , an immigrant rights group that endorsed him .
“ We are leaving no stone unturned , ” Rocha said .
Yet Sanders ’ recent praise for certain aspects of the Cuban revolution has alarmed Latinos in Florida , one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the party quickly condemned the comments but say they fear the impact his nomination would have on the state ’ s down-ballot candidates .
“ Revolución and camarada are not words that should be used in Florida , ” said Evelyn Perez-Verdia , a Florida-based Latino issues strategist who is Colombian American .
She said his praise of socialist governments in Latin America risks alienating not only Cuban Americans , many of whom are Republicans , but also Venezuelans , Colombians and Nicaraguans .
Among Latinos in Florida , Sanders polls notably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not view Sanders ’ remarks as problematic , ascribing the backlash to members of “ the Democratic establishment and Republicans who never liked Bernie anyway ” , Rocha said .
The campaign has announced ad buys in Florida and has already deployed staff to the state , where they are targeting younger progressives who have no memory of the cold war .
“ The people we are talking to on the ground there love him , ” Rocha said .
Two days before Super Tuesday , the most consequential voting day of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people poured into a convention hall for a Sanders rally in downtown Los Angeles .
Outside sellers hawked “ Tío Bernie ” T-shirts as street vendors pushed carts that sizzled with bacon-wrapped hotdogs .
Speaking at the rally , Marisa Franco , co-founder of Mijente , a Latinx activist organization , said the complexion of the crowd on Sunday night showed that Sanders ’ s support among Latinos was “ undeniable ” .
And why is a 78-year-old senator from one of the whitest states in the country resonating with Latinos , whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy , ” she said .
“ Because he ’ s working for it .
Because his platform speaks to our people and because of the concept of palabras ” – the consistency of his message .
The senator stepped on stage , and , admiring the size of the crowd , boasted that the establishment was getting “ very nervous ” .
But there was nothing to fear , he assured them .
His political philosophy was simple : “ My family cares for your family .
Your family cares for my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those in the crowd was Alonzo Ugalde , the volunteer who spent the afternoon canvassing for Sanders in East LA .
By the time polls close on Tuesday , he estimates he will have knocked on 2,500 doors since he began volunteering with the campaign in April 2019 .
“ I wondered if I ever would have been willing to go and knock on somebody ’ s door and ask them for their vote if it wasn ’ t for Bernie Sanders .
I probably wouldn ’ t have , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one day , that will be because of Bernie Sanders .
”

Maria Vallardes came to the door in slippered feet, a pomeranian yipping behind her. Standing on her porch with a clipboard and an earnest smile was Ricardo Alonzo Ugalde, a volunteer with the Bernie Sanders campaign assigned to canvas in this corner of east Los Angeles, the heart of the Latino community.
“Buenas tardes, señora,” he greeted Vallardes before launching into his pitch. The California primary election was Tuesday – did she plan to vote? She did. And was she a registered Democrat? She laughed, as if the question was preposterous. Of course, the 65-year-old told him in Spanish. “Do you think I would vote for Donald Trump?”
She invited him inside to hear more. When he left, her ballot was sealed, along with her support for Sanders.
“That’s about as good as it could possibly go,” said Alonzo Ugalde, a 35-year-old engineer who knocks doors and phone banks for the campaign in his spare time.
If Sanders becomes the Democratic nominee this time around, it will likely be with the support of neighborhoods like the one Alonzo Ugalde canvassed on the Sunday before Super Tuesday: racially diverse, working-class communities across the south and the midwest where voters feel left out or left behind. His campaign says that outreach was key to Sanders victory in Nevada, where the 78-year-old senator won support from more than 50% of Hispanic voters in a seven-way contest, according to entrance polls.
“Brown people love Bernie Sanders,” said Chuck Rocha, the colorful architect of Sanders’ campaign strategy to mobilize Latino voters. “We realized that too late in 2016. So we started building where we left off.”
Outreach began almost immediately after Sanders launched his campaign last year. In speeches, the candidate has complemented his focus on economic inequality with calls for racial justice. And, seeking to deepen Sanders connection with nonwhite voters, his campaign has highlighted aspects of his personal story as the son of a Polish immigrant who came to America without any money or knowledge of the English language.
Rocha, who wears a cowboy hat and speaks with a Texas drawl, said the campaign learned from 2016 that it needed not only to invest heavily but to invest early in Latino communities. And that begins with hiring. Rocha boasts that the campaign has no “Latino department”. Instead, Latinos fill prominent, decision-making roles at every level. Under the banner of “Unidos con Bernie”, Rocha said the campaign has demonstrated its “cultural competency” with Latinos. That effort has included hosting “Tamales for Tío Bernie”, screening the Disney film Coco and sponsoring a soccer tournament.
Super Tuesday will be the most consequential test yet of Latino support for Sanders. California and Texas, the biggest delegate prizes of the primary election, both have large Latino electorates.
Surveys show Sanders with a commanding lead among Latinos in both states, but Joe Biden’s victory in South Carolina has revived his campaign and will boost his standing with voters of color across the country.
Biden, who will hold a primary night event in Los Angeles, has polled well with older Latinos, though they make up a smaller share of the electorate. Meanwhile, Bloomberg, who has poured hundreds of millions of dollars of his own fortune into the Super Tuesday states, has also been targeting Latinos with Spanish-language ads and mailers.
Strong performances with Latinos in California, Texas and Colorado could prove decisive on Tuesday and propel Sanders into the next series of contests, which includes Arizona and Florida.
In California, the campaign has 105 staff members and 23 field offices statewide, which Rafael Návar, Sanders’ California state director and a native of East LA, said are mostly in “heavily Latino” and “working-class” neighborhoods.
Sanders visited the state for the opening of a field office in Coachella, located in the same unit where the labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez organized on behalf of the United Farm Workers of America in the 1960s.
“You had not had somebody running for president visit the city of Coachella since John F Kennedy,” Návar said.
Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during a campaign rally at Venice Beach in Los Angeles in December. Photograph: Monica Almeida/Reuters
The endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 30-year-old Latina congresswoman from New York, solidified Sanders’ standing among young Latinos in particular. At a rally together in Queens, she adorned him with the nickname Tío Bernie, an endearment that has resonated with Latinos who have come to see Sanders as their champion.
“The story of our community is one of constant struggle in America, a struggle to be recognized, and to have full citizenship and full rights,” said Návar, a former labor organizer with the Communications Workers of America. “And so I think there’s a real connection because he’s seen as someone who has always been fighting against overwhelming odds.”
Many young Latino supporters say they are drawn to his promise of Medicare for All and free college tuition. But another major part of his appeal is his ambitious immigration platform. Sanders has also taken some of the most liberal stances on immigration of any Democrat, policies that Latino staff, including some undocumented members of the campaign, helped to shape.
“Latinos are going to the polls with the economy and healthcare in their minds and immigration in their hearts,” Clarissa Martinez de Castro, deputy vice-president of UnidosUS, the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy group in the country.
Sanders has vowed to reverse all of Trump’s executive actions on immigration on “day one”, including ending his “zero-tolerance” policies and restoring the Daca program for young undocumented people Trump’s administration cancelled. He has also promised to place a moratorium on deportations until further review, end raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and pass comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for some of the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US.
Even Sanders critics agree his outreach has been impressive. Luis Alvarado, a Los Angeles-based Republican consultant who specializes in Latino voter outreach, praised Rocha’s approach but remains skeptical that Sanders can replicate his early state success.
“Nevada Latinos are mostly blue-collar, worker-class with a family tie to a union,” he said. “Because of that, the messaging of being a Democrat socialist resonates. I don’t see that same formula applying to Latinos in a state like California and Texas.”
Compared with Nevada, Alvarado said there is a broader range of economic and educational attainment among California’s Latino electorate. And Texas Latinos are traditionally more conservative than Latinos in California and Nevada. In 2018, four in 10 Hispanics voted for Texas’s Republican governor, even as Latino turnout in the state drove the “blue wave” that helped Democrats regain the House majority.
The Vermont senator is now the choice of 51% of Latino voters in California, up 13 points since January, according to the final UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll of the contest. And an NBC/Marist poll found 46% of Texas Latinos prefer Sanders, more than three times the support earned by his nearest rivals, Biden and Bloomberg.
The Sanders campaign is also courting Latinos in North Carolina and Virginia, where a rally in Richmond last week drew more than a hundred activists from the local chapter of Casa in Action, an immigrant rights group that endorsed him.
“We are leaving no stone unturned,” Rocha said.
Yet Sanders’ recent praise for certain aspects of the Cuban revolution has alarmed Latinos in Florida, one of the most critical presidential battlegrounds. Democrats and the party quickly condemned the comments but say they fear the impact his nomination would have on the state’s down-ballot candidates.
“Revolución and camarada are not words that should be used in Florida,” said Evelyn Perez-Verdia, a Florida-based Latino issues strategist who is Colombian American.
She said his praise of socialist governments in Latin America risks alienating not only Cuban Americans, many of whom are Republicans, but also Venezuelans, Colombians and Nicaraguans. Among Latinos in Florida, Sanders polls notably behind Biden and Bloomberg.
The campaign does not view Sanders’ remarks as problematic, ascribing the backlash to members of “the Democratic establishment and Republicans who never liked Bernie anyway”, Rocha said. The campaign has announced ad buys in Florida and has already deployed staff to the state, where they are targeting younger progressives who have no memory of the cold war.
“The people we are talking to on the ground there love him,” Rocha said.
Two days before Super Tuesday, the most consequential voting day of the presidential primary, more than 15,000 people poured into a convention hall for a Sanders rally in downtown Los Angeles. Outside sellers hawked “Tío Bernie” T-shirts as street vendors pushed carts that sizzled with bacon-wrapped hotdogs.
Speaking at the rally, Marisa Franco, co-founder of Mijente, a Latinx activist organization, said the complexion of the crowd on Sunday night showed that Sanders’s support among Latinos was “undeniable”.
And why is a 78-year-old senator from one of the whitest states in the country resonating with Latinos, whose median age is 29?
“Real easy,” she said. “Because he’s working for it. Because his platform speaks to our people and because of the concept of palabras” – the consistency of his message.
The senator stepped on stage, and, admiring the size of the crowd, boasted that the establishment was getting “very nervous”.
But there was nothing to fear, he assured them. His political philosophy was simple: “My family cares for your family. Your family cares for my family. We grow together.”
Among those in the crowd was Alonzo Ugalde, the volunteer who spent the afternoon canvassing for Sanders in East LA. By the time polls close on Tuesday, he estimates he will have knocked on 2,500 doors since he began volunteering with the campaign in April 2019.
“I wondered if I ever would have been willing to go and knock on somebody’s door and ask them for their vote if it wasn’t for Bernie Sanders. I probably wouldn’t have,” he said. “If I run for office one day, that will be because of Bernie Sanders.”