theguardian--2020-02-12--Bernie Sanders declares victory in New Hampshire primary – as it happened

That was a canny not-quite-victory speech from Pete Buttigieg , drawing a battleline with Bernie Sanders - and repositioning his candidacy for the contests ahead .
When he said it made no sense to risk another four years of Donald Trump for the sake of “ ideological purity ” and that “ We must get this right ” , he was directly targeting those Democrats who might like Sanders ’ positions , but fear he would lose to the current president .
More striking was the former South Bend mayor ’ s attempt to pivot to the blocs of voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to progress .
Mindful that he has been polling at close to zero among people of colour , he peppered his speech with nods to the concerns of the voters who will determine the outcome of the next two rounds of voting , in Nevada and South Carolina .
There was a line of Spanish aimed at the Latinx voters who will be decisive in the first-in-the-west contest in a state Buttigieg said represented “ the future ” , and several attempts to reflect the concerns of African-Americans - a huge part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he denounced voter suppression and racial bias in the health , education and criminal justice systems .
There was also an allusion to the Black Lives Matter movement as he spoke of the “ young man who fears for his safety in the lights of a police vehicle.
” Missing from the speech was even a coded attack on his immediate opponent : Amy Klobuchar , third placed in New Hampshire and now battling him for dominance in the so-called moderate lane of this contest .
That duel will come soon enough @

12 Feb 2020 05.09 GMT New Hampshire primary summary That’s it from me in Nashua tonight. Here’s how the New Hampshire primary shook out: Bernie Sanders secured a narrow victory over Pete Buttigieg in the second voting state. With 85% of New Hampshire precincts reporting, Sanders currently leads Buttigieg by 1.4 points, capturing 25.8% of the vote. The victory will solidify Sanders’ status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
secured a narrow victory over in the second voting state. With 85% of New Hampshire precincts reporting, Sanders currently leads Buttigieg by 1.4 points, capturing 25.8% of the vote. The victory will solidify Sanders’ status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Amy Klobuchar surprised pundits with a strong third-place showing. The results currently indicate the Minnesota senator won nearly 20% of the vote, far exceeding expectations, but she will need to scale up her campaign operation quickly to replicate that success elsewhere.
surprised pundits with a strong third-place showing. The results currently indicate the Minnesota senator won nearly 20% of the vote, far exceeding expectations, but she will need to scale up her campaign operation quickly to replicate that success elsewhere. It was a disappointing night for Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, who appear to have failed to break into double digits in New Hampshire. Both candidates downplayed their defeats by looking ahead to the next voting states, but they will need to secure victories soon to reverse media narratives about their sinking electoral fortunes.
and who appear to have failed to break into double digits in New Hampshire. Both candidates downplayed their defeats by looking ahead to the next voting states, but they will need to secure victories soon to reverse media narratives about their sinking electoral fortunes. Two candidates, Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet, dropped out of the race after disappointing finishes, and Deval Patrick may similarly withdraw as soon as tomorrow. With the debacle of the Iowa caucuses behind them, Democrats are finally starting to narrow the field to a handful of candidates. The live blog will return tomorrow morning for more coverage of the election and fallout from Trump’s impeachment, so tune back in for that. And thanks for following our coverage of the New Hampshire primary.
12 Feb 2020 04.56 GMT Because of the close margin tonight between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, it appears the two candidates will each win eight New Hampshire delegates for the national convention. Combined with the Iowa results, Buttigieg’s performance tonight gives him a slight edge in the delegate count. Buttigieg has currently won 23 delegates compared to Sanders’ 21. Elizabeth Warren is then a distant third with eight delegates, while Amy Klobuchar has seven and Joe Biden stands in fifth with six delegates. But to demonstrate how long the road ahead is, any candidate will need 1,991 delegates to win the nomination.
12 Feb 2020 04.48 GMT AP confirms Sanders' New Hampshire victory The Associated Press has officially confirmed that Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary. With 84% of New Hampshire precincts reporting, Sanders currently leads Pete Buttigieg by 1.4 points, capturing 25.8% of the vote. But there will also be much talk of Amy Klobuchar’s third-place finish after the Minnesota senator far exceeded expectations by hitting close to 20%, according to the most recent results.
12 Feb 2020 04.45 GMT Jonathan Freedland That was a canny not-quite-victory speech from Pete Buttigieg, drawing a battleline with Bernie Sanders - and repositioning his candidacy for the contests ahead. Chants of “President Pete” pic.twitter.com/xmvv6tZTb7 — Jonathan Freedland (@Freedland) February 12, 2020 When he said it made no sense to risk another four years of Donald Trump for the sake of “ideological purity” and that “We must get this right”, he was directly targeting those Democrats who might like Sanders’ positions, but fear he would lose to the current president.
More striking was the former South Bend mayor’s attempt to pivot to the blocs of voters he must now win over if he is to progress. Mindful that he has been polling at close to zero among people of colour, he peppered his speech with nods to the concerns of the voters who will determine the outcome of the next two rounds of voting, in Nevada and South Carolina. There was a line of Spanish aimed at the Latinx voters who will be decisive in the first-in-the-west contest in a state Buttigieg said represented “the future”, and several attempts to reflect the concerns of African-Americans - a huge part of the electorate in South Carolina - as he denounced voter suppression and racial bias in the health, education and criminal justice systems. There was also an allusion to the Black Lives Matter movement as he spoke of the “young man who fears for his safety in the lights of a police vehicle.” Missing from the speech was even a coded attack on his immediate opponent: Amy Klobuchar, third placed in New Hampshire and now battling him for dominance in the so-called moderate lane of this contest. That duel will come soon enough.
Updated at 04.46 GMT
12 Feb 2020 04.41 GMT New Hampshire turnout on track to match 2008 As the last of the New Hampshire results trickle in, turnout in the second voting state appears on track to match or exceed that of 2008, when nearly 288,000 people participated in the Democratic primary. With 87% counted, turnout in the NH Dem primary has passed the 2016 level and is on track to come close to the 2008 level and possibly surpass it — Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) February 12, 2020 Those numbers will please Democratic strategists, who expressed fear that the lower-than-expected turnout in the Iowa caucuses signaled declining energy among the party’s grassroots.
12 Feb 2020 04.29 GMT With his victory tonight, combined with his strong showing in Iowa, Bernie Sanders solidifies his status as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Vermont senator is also expected to turn in a solid performance in Nevada, which will hold its caucuses next Saturday. However, Sanders is facing some resistance on that front. Specifically, the influential Culinary Union that represents 60,000 workers in Nevada has started distributing a flyer warning Sanders would “end” their very popular healthcare plan. NEW: In a new flyer, @Culinary226 warns members that @BernieSanders would "end" their much-loved union health care. The union has not announced whether it will endorse, but the flyer appears to be part of a coordinated campaign ahead of the caucus. https://t.co/jCdAbjHfyd — Megan Messerly (@meganmesserly) February 12, 2020
12 Feb 2020 04.20 GMT Lauren Gambino Bernie Sanders closed his remarks to supporters in Manchester by looking ahead to the next contests. “It is not just about beating Trump; it is about transforming this country,” Sanders said as he wrapped up. “It’s on to Nevada. It’s on to South Carolina. It’s on to win the Democratic nomination.”
12 Feb 2020 04.16 GMT Sanders says victory is 'the beginning of the end of Donald Trump' Lauren Gambino Shortly after declaring victory in the New Hampshire primary, Bernie Sanders addressed his supporters in Manchester. As the results dribbled in, the swaggering confidence that emanated from the arena earlier in the night gave way to tense nail-biting when it looked, momentarily, like Pete Buttigieg could eclipse him. "This victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump."
Bernie Sanders is addressing supporters after winning the New Hampshire primary. pic.twitter.com/0aUcQyQgw2 — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 12, 2020 But the result was called shortly after 11pm EST and the crowd erupted in applause and chanting, reminiscent of Sanders’ 2016 victory here. “Power to the people” blared as Sanders took the stage at a sports arena with his family and tried unsuccessfully to quiet the crowd for several minutes.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank the people of New Hampshire for a great victory tonight,” he said after sustained cheers. “This victory here is the beginning of the end of Donald Trump,” he roared, as his supporters burst into a chant of “Bernie beats Trump.”
12 Feb 2020 04.12 GMT Sanders declares victory in the New Hampshire primary Bernie Sanders has delcared victory in the New Hampshire primary, as results show he has secured a narrow lead over Pete Buttigieg. We just won the New Hampshire primary. What we have done together here is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution. Join us live at our primary night rally in Manchester! https://t.co/OmKd1xIumv — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 12, 2020 With 77% of New Hampshire precincts reporting, Sanders is currently at 25.8% compared to Buttigieg’s 24.2%.


theguardian--2020-02-12--Joe Biden dealt major blow by fifth-place finish in New Hampshire

Joe Biden ’ s bid to win the Democratic nomination for president and face off against Donald Trump in a battle for the White House was dealt a heavy blow on Tuesday as the former vice-president sank to a disastrous fifth place in the key New Hampshire primary .
The Vermont senator and democratic socialist Bernie Sanders romped to a win and centrists Amy Klobuchar , the Minnesota senator , and Pete Buttigieg , the former South Bend mayor , both performed well , throwing Biden ’ s anaemic less than 10 % of the vote into sharp relief .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had in fact left the state long before the polls had closed , and headed to South Carolina where he ’ s betting his traditionally strong support among black voters will serve as a firewall for his campaign ’ s survival .
That state is friendlier turf for Biden compared with the overwhelmingly white early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire .
Before voting began in Iowa Biden had been a clear frontrunner in almost all national polls , running on his résumé as Barack Obama ’ s right-hand man during his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden also earned the overwhelming share of endorsements from elected officials across the nation as party leaders sought a relatively “ safe ” nominee to run against Trump .
Biden addressed his abandoned supporters at his primary night event in New Hampshire via a live stream from South Carolina .
“ Now we are moving on [ to ] Nevada and South Carolina and beyond , beyond , ” Biden told a small group gathered in a hotel in Nashua .
“ We ’ ll see you in the general.
” He added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I mean it.
” Later at a gathering of supporters in South Carolina Biden made a clear appeal to black voters to get behind his campaign , repeatedly referencing his time in office with America ’ s first black president .
“ I had the back of a great president named Barack Obama for eight years , ” he said to cheers .
Biden had spent the week after the Iowa caucuses – where he came in fourth – downplaying expectations for his performance in New Hampshire .
Biden has said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Carolina , will be the launching pad for his candidacy , but national polls already indicate he has taken a hit from his poor showing in Iowa .
Biden plans to travel later in the week to Nevada , which holds its caucus vote later this month .
If his campaign continues to lose out to other centrists like Buttigieg and Klobuchar , Biden will face fresh questions over whether he is actually the most “ electable ” candidate , as he has repeatedly claimed and painted as the core value of @ @ @

Daniel Strauss in Manchester, New Hampshire

Joe Biden’s bid to win the Democratic nomination for president and face off against Donald Trump in a battle for the White House was dealt a heavy blow on Tuesday as the former vice-president sank to a disastrous fifth place in the key New Hampshire primary.
The Vermont senator and democratic socialist Bernie Sanders romped to a win and centrists Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator, and Pete Buttigieg, the former South Bend mayor, both performed well, throwing Biden’s anaemic less than 10% of the vote into sharp relief.
No doubt sensing the loss, Biden had in fact left the state long before the polls had closed, and headed to South Carolina where he’s betting his traditionally strong support among black voters will serve as a firewall for his campaign’s survival. That state is friendlier turf for Biden compared with the overwhelmingly white early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
Before voting began in Iowa Biden had been a clear frontrunner in almost all national polls, running on his résumé as Barack Obama’s right-hand man during his two terms in the White House. Biden also earned the overwhelming share of endorsements from elected officials across the nation as party leaders sought a relatively “safe” nominee to run against Trump.
Biden addressed his abandoned supporters at his primary night event in New Hampshire via a live stream from South Carolina. “Now we are moving on [to] Nevada and South Carolina and beyond, beyond,” Biden told a small group gathered in a hotel in Nashua. “We’ll see you in the general.”
He added: “I do love New Hampshire and I mean it.”
Later at a gathering of supporters in South Carolina Biden made a clear appeal to black voters to get behind his campaign, repeatedly referencing his time in office with America’s first black president. “I had the back of a great president named Barack Obama for eight years,” he said to cheers.
Biden had spent the week after the Iowa caucuses – where he came in fourth – downplaying expectations for his performance in New Hampshire.
Biden has said the next two voting states, Nevada and South Carolina, will be the launching pad for his candidacy, but national polls already indicate he has taken a hit from his poor showing in Iowa. Biden plans to travel later in the week to Nevada, which holds its caucus vote later this month.
If his campaign continues to lose out to other centrists like Buttigieg and Klobuchar, Biden will face fresh questions over whether he is actually the most “electable” candidate, as he has repeatedly claimed and painted as the core value of his campaign.


theguardian--2020-02-12--Bernie won, but what now? Our panelists' verdict on the New Hampshire results | Cas Mudde, Jill Fili

Bernie won, but what now? Our panelists' verdict on the New Hampshire results | Cas Mudde, Jill Filipovic, Art Cullen, Lloyd Green and Jessa Crispin

Cas Mudde : ‘ Will Klobuchar be the last woman standing ?
’ The New Hampshire primary confirmed that Bernie Sanders is the only candidate certain to make it to the Democratic convention in July – even if he gained only half of his 2016 support , as he did in Iowa .
His biggest success in New Hampshire was the disappointing result for Elizabeth Warren , like him a progressive from a neighboring state .
Barring a shock success in South Carolina , Sanders might have the progressive vote to himself by the end of the month .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moderate vote is wide open .
As Joe Biden seems on his way out , rapidly losing his main campaign issue – electability – after two very disappointing results , Pete Buttigieg is picking up his donors and voters .
But both will soon face billionaire Michael Bloomberg , whose deep pockets and endless ads are starting to pay off in the polls .
The main story of the New Hampshire primary was , however , Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar .
After a very disappointing fifth place in the neighbor state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boost from the New Hampshire debate , raising $ 2m in 24 hours , and massively increasing her support in the state within a week .
While her road to the Democratic convention remains far from certain , there is a big chance that Klobuchar soon will be the last woman standing in the primaries , and that is something few saw coming , maybe not even the senator herself .
• None Cas Mudde is a Guardian US columnist and the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor in the School of Public and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His latest book is The Far Right Today Jill Filipovic : ‘ Don ’ t count Biden or Warren out just yet ’ Here is the story you ’ re going to hear about the New Hampshire primary : that it was Klobuchar ’ s night , and that her campaign has new momentum .
And indeed , after a strong debate showing , she has seen a notable spike , going from being one of the many at the bottom to one of the few toward the top .
But pundits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ metaphors , there ’ s an advantage to being the underdog .
Elizabeth Warren has hovered around third in the polls for months ; she was third in Iowa .
And yet her showing was met with a shrug .
This is affecting the coverage of Sanders , too .
Even though he won New Hampshire , the narrative is that he did worse than last time .
Of course he did !
There are a ton of candidates in the race – it follows that votes will be divided more broadly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ accurate way to cover a race .
Biden is already in South Carolina , the first primary state with a large African American population – and African Americans have overwhelmingly not yet cast their ballots for anyone in the primary .
Neither have other important segments of the Democratic base , including people who live in big cities .
Nevada is up next , which has larger populations of color across the board than Iowa and New Hampshire , especially Latinos .
But it ’ s worth noting that , because predominantly white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hampshire have precedence in the Democratic race , large segments of the Democratic base have been shut out of this decision so far .
That ’ s a big problem .
That ’ s why it ’ s important not to count Warren or Biden out yet .
And it ’ s foolish to overestimate any candidate ’ s momentum – and irresponsible to make that the story rather than what is by definition a slow , messy and adversarial process where different communities with different priorities will cast their votes differently .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the The H-Spot : The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness Art Cullen : ‘ Klobuchar is the new credible centrist candidate ’ It ’ s no surprise that Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg came out on top in New Hampshire as they bounced out of muddled Iowa .
I was so bleary-eyed from watching a year ’ s worth of TV debates that I couldn ’ t see how Amy Klobuchar ’ s performance last weekend would vault her into the game .
But it did .
She parlayed a strong effort in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Each of them heads to South Carolina with many questions in the African American community .
Buttigieg had problems with his police department as South Bend mayor and Klobuchar was a prosecutor from Minneapolis who carries the same baggage Kamala Harris did .
If Joe Biden felt a gut punch in Iowa , he got his duff kicked in New Hampshire .
Neither he nor Elizabeth Warren mustered a single delegate .
Biden is counting on a rescue in South Carolina .
Warren , short on money , argues that she is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Buttigieg falters or Sanders hits his ceiling .
But Sanders won .
And Buttigieg is gaining the nation ’ s attention with cash in hand .
Klobuchar has emerged as a credible centrist candidate who can win a place like Wisconsin or Michigan , which gave Trump the difference in 2016 .
• None Art Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake Times in north-west Iowa , where he won the Pulitzer prize for editorial writing .
He is a Guardian US columnist and is author of the book Storm Lake : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America ’ s Heartland , just out in paperback In New Hampshire , Bernie Sanders held on , Pete Buttigieg stalled in second , and Amy Klobuchar surged to third .
Although Mike Bloomberg and his war chest await all of them on Super Tuesday , Sanders ’ win is significant : with the exception of Bill Clinton in 1992 , no Democrat has won the nomination after losing Iowa and New Hampshire .
As for Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden , both finished with sub-par performances .
Once upon a time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Instead , he and Warren are on borrowed time .
Looking ahead , the Sanders campaign has reason to exhale not gloat .
The nation ’ s first primary bore a decidedly moderate hue .
Without Hillary Clinton as a foil and facing a crowded field , Sanders looked vulnerable .
He has emerged as the undisputed candidate of the left but his crossover appeal remains uncertain .
Klobuchar is the evening ’ s star .
Her Friday night debate performance made a difference , a reminder that voters can reward those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s shout-out to Mitt Romney , a one-time Massachusetts governor , fell on welcome ears .
In other words , the desire for normalcy and bipartisanship hasn ’ t disappeared .
At a minimum , Klobuchar looks like a solid vice-presidential pick .
• None Lloyd Green was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush ’ s 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992 Senator Bernie Sanders beat Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the New Hampshire Primary by more than 4,000 votes .
CNN ’ s exit polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly every category .
He secured votes from half of voters under 25 , 36 % of voters age 26-44 , half of “ very liberal ” candidates , half of white women without college degrees , one- third of white men without college degrees , a quarter of white men with college degrees and 30 % of people who reported healthcare as a top issue .
Sanders received 32 % of the nonwhite vote , double what Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg received .
Although New Hampshire is not representative of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multi-generational movement to transform our democracy resonated with the majority of white voters there .
I was shocked by Elizabeth Warren ’ s voter turnout .
She finished fourth behind Senator Amy Klobuchar- with half as many votes .
After Warren claimed that Sanders said that a woman could not win the election , she transitioned from a tacit progressive alliance with him , towards a vocal gendered alliance with Klobuchar , a moderate .
Warren affirmed this during her debates , on interviews and Tuesday tonight after congratulating Sanders and Buttigieg for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s working .
Still , Warren ’ s positive attitude persists : “ This is going to be a long race.
” • None Derecka Purnell is a social movement lawyer and writer based in Washington , DC Jessa Crispin : ‘ Bernie won .
Must we make this about Klobuchar ?
’ Oh , we decided to do this again , did we ?
We still don ’ t know what happened in Iowa but we ’ re just going to plow forward with this whole process , even as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parliament pointing out just how insane all of this looks from afar .
Cool , cool .
I ’ m sure it ’ ll all be fine .
The media look like they are going to try to make this a story about Amy Klobuchar ’ s emergence in the race , with a decent showing tonight and some fundraising success since Friday ’ s debate , but by now we know they ’ ll do just about anything to avoid talking about Bernie Sanders ’ success .
Klobuchar has been saying throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let people get to know her , and once we do know her , we will support her .
My guess is she thinks if she keeps telling us that story about raising money for her campaign from ex-boyfriends enough times , we ’ ll think “ oh that Amy , what a card ” and cast our ballots .
But getting to know Klobuchar means learning unsavory things about her time as a prosecutor , such as the possible railroading job she and the police did on the probably innocent 16-year-old Myon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faced harsh questions about that case on The View , and she handled it awkwardly and inelegantly , trying to deflect blame on to “ structural racism ” .
So as much fun as it has been to watch her rain righteous hellfire on Pete Buttigieg with the purest form of hatred I ’ ve ever seen in a campaign , this story is not going away , nor should it .
But if Klobuchar can ’ t even acknowledge let alone explain past abuses of power , nor show humility or candor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that helps us to get to know her a bit better , too .
• None Jessa Crispin is the author of the Public Intellectual podcast

Cas Mudde, Jill Filipovic, Art Cullen, Lloyd Greenand  Jessa Crispin

Cas Mudde: ‘Will Klobuchar be the last woman standing?’
The New Hampshire primary confirmed that Bernie Sanders is the only candidate certain to make it to the Democratic convention in July – even if he gained only half of his 2016 support, as he did in Iowa. His biggest success in New Hampshire was the disappointing result for Elizabeth Warren, like him a progressive from a neighboring state. Barring a shock success in South Carolina, Sanders might have the progressive vote to himself by the end of the month.
In sharp contrast, and equally unexpected, the moderate vote is wide open. As Joe Biden seems on his way out, rapidly losing his main campaign issue – electability – after two very disappointing results, Pete Buttigieg is picking up his donors and voters. But both will soon face the billionaire Michael Bloomberg, whose deep pockets and endless ads are starting to pay off in the polls.
The main story of the New Hampshire primary was, however, the Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar. After a very disappointing fifth place in the neighbor state of Iowa, her campaign got a massive boost from the New Hampshire debate, raising $2m in 24 hours, and massively increasing her support in the state within a week. While her road to the Democratic convention remains far from certain, there is a big chance that Klobuchar soon will be the last woman standing in the primaries, and that is something few saw coming, maybe not even the senator herself.
Cas Mudde is a Guardian US columnist and the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia. His latest book is The Far Right Today
Jill Filipovic: ‘Don’t count Biden or Warren out just yet’
Here is the story you’re going to hear about the New Hampshire primary: that it was Amy Klobuchar’s night, and that her campaign has new momentum. And indeed, after a strong debate showing, she has seen a notable spike, going from being one of the many at the bottom to one of the few toward the top.
But pundits like a horserace and, to mix metaphors, there’s an advantage to being the underdog. Elizabeth Warren has hovered around third in the polls for months; she was third in Iowa. And yet her showing was met with a shrug. This is affecting the coverage of Sanders, too. Even though he won New Hampshire, the narrative is that he did worse than last time. Of course he did! There are a ton of candidates in the race – it follows that votes will be divided more broadly. Novelty isn’t always the most accurate way to cover a race.
Biden is already in South Carolina, the first primary state with a large African American population – and African Americans have overwhelmingly not yet cast their ballots for anyone in the primary. Neither have other important segments of the Democratic base, including people who live in big cities. Nevada is up next, which has larger populations of color across the board than Iowa and New Hampshire, especially Latinos. But it’s worth noting that, because predominantly white, rural states like Iowa and New Hampshire have precedence in the Democratic race, large segments of the Democratic base have been shut out of this decision so far. That’s a big problem.
That’s why it’s important not to count Warren or Biden out yet. And it’s foolish to overestimate any candidate’s momentum – and irresponsible to make that the story rather than what is by definition a slow, messy and adversarial process where different communities with different priorities will cast their votes differently.
Jill Filipovic is the author of the The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness
It’s no surprise that Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg came out on top in New Hampshire as they bounced out of muddled Iowa. I was so bleary-eyed from watching a year’s worth of TV debates that I couldn’t see how Amy Klobuchar’s performance last weekend would vault her into the game. But it did. She parlayed a strong effort in Iowa into a finish just behind Buttigieg. Each of them heads to South Carolina with many questions in the African American community. Buttigieg had problems with his police department as South Bend mayor and Klobuchar was a prosecutor from Minneapolis who carries the same baggage Kamala Harris did.
If Joe Biden felt a gut punch in Iowa, he got his duff kicked in New Hampshire. Neither he nor Elizabeth Warren mustered a single delegate. Biden is counting on a rescue in South Carolina. Warren, short on money, argues that she is the unity candidate who will remain standing when Buttigieg falters or Sanders hits his ceiling. But Sanders won. And Buttigieg is gaining the nation’s attention with cash in hand. Klobuchar has emerged as a credible centrist candidate who can win a place like Wisconsin or Michigan, which gave Trump the difference in 2016.
Art Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake Times in north-west Iowa, where he won the Pulitzer prize for editorial writing. He is a Guardian US columnist and is author of the book Storm Lake: Change, Resilience, and Hope in America’s Heartland, just out in paperback
Lloyd Green: ‘Warren and Biden live on borrowed time’
In New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders held on, Pete Buttigieg stalled in second and Amy Klobuchar surged to third. Although Mike Bloomberg and his war chest await all of them on Super Tuesday, Sanders’ win is significant: with the exception of Bill Clinton in 1992, no Democrat has won the nomination after losing Iowa and New Hampshire.
As for Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, both finished with sub-par performances. Once upon a time, Biden was a frontrunner and a vice-president. Instead, he and Warren are on borrowed time.
Looking ahead, the Sanders campaign has reason to exhale not gloat. The nation’s first primary bore a decidedly moderate hue. Without Hillary Clinton as a foil and facing a crowded field, Sanders looked vulnerable. He has emerged as the undisputed candidate of the left but his crossover appeal remains uncertain.
Klobuchar is the evening’s star. Her Friday night debate performance made a difference, a reminder that voters can reward those who take prudent risks.
Klobuchar’s shout-out to Mitt Romney, a one-time Massachusetts governor, fell on welcome ears. In other words, the desire for normalcy and bipartisanship hasn’t disappeared. At a minimum, Klobuchar looks like a solid vice-presidential pick.
Lloyd Green was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush’s 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992
Derecka Purnell: ‘Elizabeth Warren’s strategy isn’t working’
Bernie Sanders beat Pete Buttigieg in the New Hampshire Primary by more than 4,000 votes. CNN’s exit polls reveal that Sanders beat every candidate in nearly every category. He secured votes from half of voters under 25, 36% of voters age 26-44, half of “very liberal” voters, half of white women without college degrees, one-third of white men without college degrees, a quarter of white men with college degrees and 30% of people who reported healthcare as a top issue.
Sanders received 32% of the nonwhite vote, double what Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg received. Although New Hampshire is not representative of the US demographics, Sanders’ multi-racial, multi-generational movement to transform our democracy resonated with the majority of white voters there.
I was shocked by Elizabeth Warren’s voter turnout. She finished fourth behind Amy Klobuchar – with half as many votes. After Warren claimed that Sanders said that a woman could not win the election, she transitioned from a tacit progressive alliance with him, towards a vocal gendered alliance with Klobuchar, a moderate. Warren affirmed this during her debates, on interviews and Tuesday tonight after congratulating Sanders and Buttigieg for placing well. I do not think it’s working. Still, Warren’s positive attitude persists: “This is going to be a long race.”
Derecka Purnell is a social movement lawyer and writer based in Washington DC
Jessa Crispin: ‘Bernie won. Must we make this about Klobuchar?’
Oh, we decided to do this again, did we? We still don’t know what happened in Iowa but we’re just going to plow forward with this whole process, even as we have a member of the European parliament pointing out just how insane all of this looks from afar. Cool, cool. I’m sure it’ll all be fine.
The media look like they are going to try to make this a story about Amy Klobuchar’s emergence in the race, with a decent showing tonight and some fundraising success since Friday’s debate, but by now we know they’ll do just about anything to avoid talking about Bernie Sanders’ success. Klobuchar has been saying throughout her campaign that her challenge is to let people get to know her, and once we do know her, we will support her. My guess is she thinks if she keeps telling us that story about raising money for her campaign from ex-boyfriends enough times, we’ll think “oh that Amy, what a card” and cast our ballots.
But getting to know Klobuchar means learning unsavory things about her time as a prosecutor, such as the possible railroading job she and the police did on the probably innocent 16-year-old Myon Burrell, accused of murder. She faced harsh questions about that case on The View, and she handled it awkwardly and inelegantly, trying to deflect blame on to “structural racism”. So as much fun as it has been to watch her rain righteous hellfire on Pete Buttigieg with the purest form of hatred I have ever seen in a campaign, this story is not going away, nor should it. But if Klobuchar can’t even acknowledge let alone explain past abuses of power, nor show humility or candor when asked about the issue, surely that helps us to get to know her a bit better, too.


theguardian--2020-02-11--How New Hampshire could prove the tipping point for Bloomberg

The man widely tipped to be a major beneficiary of the first round of formal voting in the Democratic party ’ s search for a challenger to Donald Trump does not even have his name on the ballot paper .
The billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has skipped the New Hampshire primary , and yet he could still prove to be one of the contest ’ s big winners .
Final polls showed the veteran senator Bernie Sanders in pole position in the state , with a pack of “ moderates ” jostling behind him .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic moderates fail to unite behind a single challenger to Sanders and his message of revolutionary change – on which Bloomberg ’ s presidential bid is predicated .
So long as neither the former vice-president Joe Biden , the former mayor Pete Buttigieg nor the senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar manage to break decisively from the rest of the pack , Bloomberg can see a way to overtake them all .
Even as he stayed away from New Hampshire , the financial media magnate is now a strong presence in the race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and online advertising than any candidate in US political history , having already dropped about $ 350m ( £270m ) of his vast personal fortune – more than the entire budget of the Trump campaign in 2016 .
That effort is bearing fruit , as a national poll on Monday showed Bloomberg having moved from statistical nowhere to third place on 15 % , behind Sanders and Biden .
Another survey showed Bloomberg beating Trump by nine points , a wider margin than for any of his Democratic rivals .
Bloomberg is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the contrary , his broadcast and social media campaign has been fought with considerable elan .
The former mayor , who first won office in New York as a Republican , can claim to have produced the best ad of the Democratic field , one that intercuts archive footage of oratorical flights by past presidents from John F Kennedy to Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama with expletive-laden abuse from the current occupant of the Oval Office .
In less than 30 seconds , Bloomberg ’ s ad makes the case that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s also told the best joke of the 2020 campaign .
Asked whether it would be healthy for a presidential election to be fought between two billionaires , Bloomberg replied : “ Who ’ s the other one ?
” That hits at a Trump weak spot : the president is famously insecure about his wealth , boasting of a fortune in the high billions that he does not quite have .
Bloomberg , by contrast , is thought to be the 14th-richest person in the world with an estimated fortune of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prospect of facing Bloomberg in November would unnerve Trump , that the former mayor would get under his skin .
Trump ’ s most devoted supporters have certainly picked up that animus .
“ He ’ s a blowhole , he thinks he can buy his way into the presidency , ” was the assessment of Bloomberg offered by Donna , one of the many thousands of Trump fans who queued in the cold on Monday night to attend a Trump rally in downtown Manchester , staged to ensure the Democrats did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves .
“ He ’ s got nothing to offer except billions of dollars .
He doesn ’ t love America.
” And yet those billions of dollars are proving effective .
Normally skipping the first four state contests would doom a presidential candidacy to failure , depriving it of early momentum and publicity .
But by spending at a rate of $ 38 a second , Bloomberg has ensured his name is mentioned at least as frequently as any of those who ’ ve spent the last weeks and months trekking through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school gyms across this frozen corner of New England .
In the words of David Plouffe , who masterminded Obama ’ s victorious campaign in 2008 : “ We ’ ve never seen anything like it.
” But while getting from zero to 15 % in the polls is a serious achievement , Plouffe told MSNBC , “ the path from 15 % to 30 % is 50 times harder ” .
And for Bloomberg there are multiple obstacles in the way .
The first is race .
In New York , Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , widely held to be discriminatory towards people of colour .
Some assumed that would doom Bloomberg ’ s bid , not least because African Americans account for a huge chunk of the Democratic primary electorate .
And yet that same Quinnipiac poll found Bloomberg ’ s support among black Americans had leapt from 7 % to 22 % .
Trump attempted to reopen the controversy on Tuesday , tweeting that Bloomberg was a “ racist ” and posting a video from 2015 showing the former mayor speaking about stop and frisk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in minority neighbourhoods .
Yes .
That ’ s true , ” Bloomberg was recorded saying .
“ Why do we do it ?
Because that ’ s where all the crime is .
And the way you get the guns out of the kids ’ hands is to throw them up against the walls and frisk them.
” Trump later deleted the tweet .
A second brake on Bloomberg ’ s hopes is surely his own limitations as a candidate .
While TV ads can make him look like a titan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only because of his diminutive stature .
( Trump has already branded him “ Mini-Mike ” . )
He ’ s not a charismatic performer , more technocrat than politician .
Which is one reason why senior Democrats suspect he will skip participation in the Democratic TV debates , even if he clears the qualifying threshold .
But the primary worry is that should Bloomberg somehow win the Democratic nomination , passionate Sanders supporters could withhold their support , just as many refused to back Hillary Clinton in 2016 .
Shifting from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to Bloomberg , a luminary of high finance , would surely be a compromise too far .
And yet those waving placards for the Vermont senator at an eve-of-poll rally on a university campus in Rindge on Monday were unexpectedly accommodating towards the billionaire candidate .
“ He ’ s competent , ” conceded Aquino Loayza , while Brett Zografos said that if Bloomberg were his party ’ s eventual nominee , “ I ’ d vote for him .
He will champion policies that fit with me more than Trump.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , everything about Bloomberg ’ s candidacy is unlikely .
But , as the events of the last four years have shown , that ’ s no disqualification at all .

Jonathan Freedland in Manchester, New Hampshire

The man widely tipped to be a major beneficiary of the first round of formal voting in the Democratic party’s search for a challenger to Donald Trump does not even have his name on the ballot paper. The billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has skipped the New Hampshire primary, and yet he could still prove to be one of the contest’s big winners.
Final polls showed the veteran senator Bernie Sanders in pole position in the state, with a pack of “moderates” jostling behind him. That’s precisely the scenario – in which Democratic moderates fail to unite behind a single challenger to Sanders and his message of revolutionary change – on which Bloomberg’s presidential bid is predicated. So long as neither the former vice-president Joe Biden, the former mayor Pete Buttigieg nor the senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar manage to break decisively from the rest of the pack, Bloomberg can see a way to overtake them all.
Even as he stayed away from New Hampshire, the financial media magnate is now a strong presence in the race. He is spending more on TV and online advertising than any candidate in US political history, having already dropped about $350m (£270m) of his vast personal fortune – more than the entire budget of the Trump campaign in 2016. That effort is bearing fruit, as a national poll on Monday showed Bloomberg having moved from statistical nowhere to third place on 15%, behind Sanders and Biden. Another survey showed Bloomberg beating Trump by nine points, a wider margin than for any of his Democratic rivals.
Bloomberg speaking at a rally in Rhode Island last week. Photograph: David Goldman/AP
Bloomberg is not relying on brute financial force alone. On the contrary, his broadcast and social media campaign has been fought with considerable elan. The former mayor, who first won office in New York as a Republican, can claim to have produced the best ad of the Democratic field, one that intercuts archive footage of oratorical flights by past presidents from John F Kennedy to Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama with expletive-laden abuse from the current occupant of the Oval Office. In less than 30 seconds, Bloomberg’s ad makes the case that Trump is unfit to be president.
He’s also told the best joke of the 2020 campaign. Asked whether it would be healthy for a presidential election to be fought between two billionaires, Bloomberg replied: “Who’s the other one?”
That hits at a Trump weak spot: the president is famously insecure about his wealth, boasting of a fortune in the high billions that he does not quite have. Bloomberg, by contrast, is thought to be the 14th-richest person in the world with an estimated fortune of $58bn. Some Democrats believe that the prospect of facing Bloomberg in November would unnerve Trump, that the former mayor would get under his skin.
Trump’s most devoted supporters have certainly picked up that animus. “He’s a blowhole, he thinks he can buy his way into the presidency,” was the assessment of Bloomberg offered by Donna, one of the many thousands of Trump fans who queued in the cold on Monday night to attend a Trump rally in downtown Manchester, staged to ensure the Democrats did not have the New Hampshire spotlight to themselves. “He’s got nothing to offer except billions of dollars. He doesn’t love America.”
Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA
And yet those billions of dollars are proving effective. Normally skipping the first four state contests would doom a presidential candidacy to failure, depriving it of early momentum and publicity. But by spending at a rate of $38 a second, Bloomberg has ensured his name is mentioned at least as frequently as any of those who’ve spent the last weeks and months trekking through snowstorms to speak in diners and high school gyms across this frozen corner of New England. In the words of David Plouffe, who masterminded Obama’s victorious campaign in 2008: “We’ve never seen anything like it.”
But while getting from zero to 15% in the polls is a serious achievement, Plouffe told MSNBC, “the path from 15% to 30% is 50 times harder”. And for Bloomberg there are multiple obstacles in the way.
The first is race. In New York, Bloomberg maintained a policing policy of “stop-and-frisk”, widely held to be discriminatory towards people of colour. Some assumed that would doom Bloomberg’s bid, not least because African Americans account for a huge chunk of the Democratic primary electorate. And yet that same Quinnipiac poll found Bloomberg’s support among black Americans had leapt from 7% to 22%.
Trump attempted to reopen the controversy on Tuesday, tweeting that Bloomberg was a “racist” and posting a video from 2015 showing the former mayor speaking about stop and frisk. “We put all the cops in minority neighbourhoods. Yes. That’s true,” Bloomberg was recorded saying. “Why do we do it? Because that’s where all the crime is. And the way you get the guns out of the kids’ hands is to throw them up against the walls and frisk them.” Trump later deleted the tweet.
A second brake on Bloomberg’s hopes is surely his own limitations as a candidate. While TV ads can make him look like a titan, the reality can be disappointing – and not only because of his diminutive stature. (Trump has already branded him “Mini-Mike”.) He’s not a charismatic performer, more technocrat than politician. Which is one reason why senior Democrats suspect he will skip participation in the Democratic TV debates, even if he clears the qualifying threshold.
But the primary worry is that should Bloomberg somehow win the Democratic nomination, passionate Sanders supporters could withhold their support, just as many refused to back Hillary Clinton in 2016. Shifting from Sanders, the scourge of Wall Street, to Bloomberg, a luminary of high finance, would surely be a compromise too far.
And yet those waving placards for the Vermont senator at an eve-of-poll rally on a university campus in Rindge on Monday were unexpectedly accommodating towards the billionaire candidate.
Bernie Sanders poses for selfies at at campaign rally in Rindge, New Hampshire, on Monday. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters
“He’s competent,” conceded Aquino Loayza, while Brett Zografos said that if Bloomberg were his party’s eventual nominee, “I’d vote for him. He will champion policies that fit with me more than Trump.”
It hardly sounds likely. In fact, everything about Bloomberg’s candidacy is unlikely. But, as the events of the last four years have shown, that’s no disqualification at all.


theguardian--2020-02-11--'What's a gay candidate meant to look like?': Buttigieg and LGBTQ+ voters

Outside Salem high school , where Pete Buttigieg was attending a town hall rally on Sunday evening , fans could take their pick between oversized pins of the presidential nominee silhouetted against a rainbow flag , or the stars and stripes .
There was a “ Pride for Pete ” pin , and a “ Give Pete a Chance ” pin .
There were T-shirts screen-printed with Princess Leia and the words “ We are the Resistance ” , a nod , perhaps , to the debunked rumor that Buttigieg once planned to change the name of South Bend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , to Sith Bend .
And there were sweatshirts helpfully emblazoned with a phonetic spelling of the candidate ’ s family name : “ Boot Edge Edge ” .
Buttigieg used to joke about having a name that can be difficult to pronounce , but if it was ever an electoral handicap that time is past .
He enters the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday a close second to Bernie Sanders after success in Iowa .
Is it a blip ?
For those crowded into Salem high school , with George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loudspeakers , Buttigieg was the real deal , a candidate who could take on Donald Trump – and win .
Buttigieg ’ s name was always the least of his challenges , of course .
But what ’ s remarkable is how little his biggest challenge – his sexual orientation – has appeared to register , until now .
A poll last October found that almost four in 10 Americans felt the country was not ready for a gay president , but at the Salem event attendees seemed baffled that it would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not what this is about , ” said Sandy Thomas , a Buttigieg supporter .
“ It ’ s about who is going to lead our country.
” Kevin Brown , from Windham , agreed .
“ I don ’ t care about his gender or sexual orientation : can he be our next president ?
Can he reunite us with our allies and bring more common sense to the White House ?
” Ironically , the question of Buttigieg ’ s sexuality may be less of an issue for older @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Salem event than for young millennials .
Harrison Ivins , a 20-year-old who had grown up in Tennessee , and identified as a Republican until Trump ’ s election , acknowledged being an anomaly as a young gay Buttigieg supporter .
“ While he is a member of the LGBTQ community , a lot of people don ’ t view him as being radically queer , ” he said .
“ I think there ’ s a distinction between what makes somebody gay and what makes somebody queer , ” he added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ love , it ’ s not your identity ; being queer is much more about how you define yourself , so I think there ’ s an aspect of being queer which is visible , it ’ s not something you can hide.
” For Ivins , Buttigieg was gay , but he was not queer .
This might seem like semantics to older , and straight , voters , but for some millennials it matters .
They see a candidate who makes a virtue of traditional institutions with often deeply homophobic histories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buttigieg soliciting donations , in 2017 , for the Salvation Army .
It ’ s not that Buttigieg , who came out publicly in 2015 – the year that the supreme court voted in favor of marriage equality – is downplaying his sexual orientation .
His husband , Chasten , has been a visible presence on the campaign trail , and in Salem on Sunday the largest cheer came when he brandished his wedding ring , but the campaign ’ s emphasis has often been on Buttigieg ’ s military service in Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people , that looks like assimilation .
Is it possible that we have reached a stage where a gay candidate for president could lose a critical demographic for not being gay enough ?
In an irony that appears to have passed under the radar , LGBTQ+ millennials are largely flocking to Bernie Sanders , a 79-year-old straight white man .
Meanwhile , Buttigieg , the only viable millennial among the candidates , is doing strongest with those aged 60 and over .
According to a poll in late January , more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was followed by Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden , with Buttigieg trailing in fourth place .
“ What is a gay candidate supposed to look like ?
” asked Alex Halpern Levy , a Democratic speechwriter who supports Buttigieg .
“ Should he wear Balenciaga sneakers ?
I ’ ve heard people criticize the fact that Pete sometimes wears brown shoes with a navy suit .
In the staid world of politics , that passes as a gay aesthetic.
” Levy suggested the millennial backlash was primarily a social media phenomenon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assimilationist , but it ’ s the culture of assimilation that allows gay Twitter to say they care more about the big revolution or structural change than supporting a historic gay candidacy , ” he said .
“ If you are a gay kid in suburban Ohio , you are inspired by Pete ’ s campaign.
” That may be true , but it ’ s also in states such as Ohio where Buttigieg may have to play down his sexual orientation – or , per the advice of Johnnie Cordero , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carolina Democrats , not “ flaunt ” it – a trigger word for generations of gay men who were forced to hide their identity .
To win votes over Biden he ’ ll have to find a way to secure socially conservative Democrats , like the woman in Iowa captured on video trying to change her vote after learning that Buttigieg was gay .
At one point , after paraphrasing the Bible , she asked : “ How come this has never been brought out before ?
” For Jason McNary , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the reaction to Hillary Clinton in his own Southern Baptist family is a cautionary tale .
A few weeks before the 2016 election he had returned to Memphis , where he had grown up , and casually asked his aunt who she planned to vote for .
“ She said no one because she didn ’ t believe it was a woman ’ s place to be a president , ” he said .
“ It was not just my aunt that stayed away [ from the polls ] , it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kicks into high gear , McNary , who is black and gay , finds himself wondering if history will repeat itself should Buttigieg become the Democratic nominee .
Although he admires Buttigieg , whom he considers the smartest candidate in the race , he is sticking by Biden for now .
“ I worry they would wait another four years rather than vote for a gay man , ” he said .
“ My priority is getting Trump out of office.
” If Buttigieg does well in New Hampshire and then consolidates his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McNary may be persuaded to switch allegiances .
After Iowa , there was a palpable sense that many Americans were contemplating , for the first time , the possibility of having an out gay pesident .
What does it take to turn a possibility into an inevitability ?
“ To see a gay candidate standing in front of a national audience claiming victory in Iowa was a very emotional experience , ” recalled Fred Karger , a political strategist .
“ I started crying.
” Although now largely forgotten , Karger was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , in 2012 , when he stood for the Republican nomination .
Largely self-funded , Karger tied his entire campaign to his sexual orientation , holding town hall meetings in gay bars and distributing frisbees and business cards emblazoned with the words “ Fred Who ?
” His aim , he said , was to use the platform of televised debates to illuminate the Republican party ’ s appalling record on LGBTQ+ rights .
In the end , Karger didn ’ t make any debates .
He came in ninth place in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and withdrew from the race in June .
But eight years is a long time .
Karger was an early supporter of Buttigieg , after turning up to see him speak at a Brooklyn library last February .
Since then he has seen Buttigieg go from “ Pete Who ?
” to a household name .
At his gym in Orange county last week , Karger was watching the New Hampshire debate , when a man came in and switched the channel to Fox News .
“ I asked to switch it back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working out and listening to what was being said , ” Karger recalled .
“ And then he nodded to Pete on the screen and said : ‘ I like that guy.
’ ” • None Aaron Hicklin was editor of Out magazine from 2006-2018

Outside Salem high school, where Pete Buttigieg was attending a town hall rally on Sunday evening, fans could take their pick between oversized pins of the presidential nominee silhouetted against a rainbow flag, or the stars and stripes. There was a “Pride for Pete” pin, and a “Give Pete a Chance” pin. There were T-shirts screen-printed with Princess Leia and the words “We are the Resistance”, a nod, perhaps, to the debunked rumor that Buttigieg once planned to change the name of South Bend, Indiana, where he was mayor until this year, to Sith Bend. And there were sweatshirts helpfully emblazoned with a phonetic spelling of the candidate’s family name: “Boot Edge Edge”.
Buttigieg used to joke about having a name that can be difficult to pronounce, but if it was ever an electoral handicap that time is past. He enters the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday a close second to Bernie Sanders after success in Iowa. Is it a blip? For those crowded into Salem high school, with George Michael’s Freedom pumping from the loudspeakers, Buttigieg was the real deal, a candidate who could take on Donald Trump – and win.
Buttigieg’s name was always the least of his challenges, of course. But what’s remarkable is how little his biggest challenge – his sexual orientation – has appeared to register, until now. A poll last October found that almost four in 10 Americans felt the country was not ready for a gay president, but at the Salem event attendees seemed baffled that it would be an issue at all. “That’s not what this is about,” said Sandy Thomas, a Buttigieg supporter. “It’s about who is going to lead our country.” Kevin Brown, from Windham, agreed. “I don’t care about his gender or sexual orientation: can he be our next president? Can he reunite us with our allies and bring more common sense to the White House?”
Ironically, the question of Buttigieg’s sexuality may be less of an issue for older, moderate voters like those at the Salem event than for young millennials. Harrison Ivins, a 20-year-old who had grown up in Tennessee, and identified as a Republican until Trump’s election, acknowledged being an anomaly as a young gay Buttigieg supporter. “While he is a member of the LGBTQ community, a lot of people don’t view him as being radically queer,” he said. “I think there’s a distinction between what makes somebody gay and what makes somebody queer,” he added. “Being gay is about who you love, it’s not your identity; being queer is much more about how you define yourself, so I think there’s an aspect of being queer which is visible, it’s not something you can hide.”
For Ivins, Buttigieg was gay, but he was not queer. This might seem like semantics to older, and straight, voters, but for some millennials it matters. They see a candidate who makes a virtue of traditional institutions with often deeply homophobic histories – such as when photos emerged of Buttigieg soliciting donations, in 2017, for the Salvation Army. It’s not that Buttigieg, who came out publicly in 2015 – the year that the supreme court voted in favor of marriage equality – is downplaying his sexual orientation. His husband, Chasten, has been a visible presence on the campaign trail, and in Salem on Sunday the largest cheer came when he brandished his wedding ring, but the campaign’s emphasis has often been on Buttigieg’s military service in Afghanistan and his faith. To a lot of people, that looks like assimilation. Is it possible that we have reached a stage where a gay candidate for president could lose a critical demographic for not being gay enough?
Pete Buttigieg drops by a polling location in Hopkington, New Hampshire, on 11 February. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters
In an irony that appears to have passed under the radar, LGBTQ+ millennials are largely flocking to Bernie Sanders, a 79-year-old straight white man. Meanwhile, Buttigieg, the only viable millennial among the candidates, is doing strongest with those aged 60 and over. According to a poll in late January, more than one in three LGTBQ+ voters support Sanders. He was followed by Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, with Buttigieg trailing in fourth place.
“What is a gay candidate supposed to look like?” asked Alex Halpern Levy, a Democratic speechwriter who supports Buttigieg. “Should he wear Balenciaga sneakers? I’ve heard people criticize the fact that Pete sometimes wears brown shoes with a navy suit. In the staid world of politics, that passes as a gay aesthetic.” Levy suggested the millennial backlash was primarily a social media phenomenon. “Pete is decried as an assimilationist, but it’s the culture of assimilation that allows gay Twitter to say they care more about the big revolution or structural change than supporting a historic gay candidacy,” he said. “If you are a gay kid in suburban Ohio, you are inspired by Pete’s campaign.”
That may be true, but it’s also in states such as Ohio where Buttigieg may have to play down his sexual orientation – or, per the advice of Johnnie Cordero, the chair of the Black Caucus for South Carolina Democrats, not “flaunt” it – a trigger word for generations of gay men who were forced to hide their identity. To win votes over Biden he’ll have to find a way to secure socially conservative Democrats, like the woman in Iowa captured on video trying to change her vote after learning that Buttigieg was gay. At one point, after paraphrasing the Bible, she asked: “How come this has never been brought out before?”
For Jason McNary, a 41-year old CEO of a fashion company, the reaction to Hillary Clinton in his own Southern Baptist family is a cautionary tale. A few weeks before the 2016 election he had returned to Memphis, where he had grown up, and casually asked his aunt who she planned to vote for. “She said no one because she didn’t believe it was a woman’s place to be a president,” he said. “It was not just my aunt that stayed away [from the polls], it was the whole church.”
As primary season kicks into high gear, McNary, who is black and gay, finds himself wondering if history will repeat itself should Buttigieg become the Democratic nominee. Although he admires Buttigieg, whom he considers the smartest candidate in the race, he is sticking by Biden for now. “I worry they would wait another four years rather than vote for a gay man,” he said. “My priority is getting Trump out of office.”
I worry they would wait another four years rather than vote for a gay man Jason McNary
If Buttigieg does well in New Hampshire and then consolidates his success on Super Tuesday, skeptics like McNary may be persuaded to switch allegiances. After Iowa, there was a palpable sense that many Americans were contemplating, for the first time, the possibility of having an out gay pesident. What does it take to turn a possibility into an inevitability? “To see a gay candidate standing in front of a national audience claiming victory in Iowa was a very emotional experience,” recalled Fred Karger, a political strategist. “I started crying.”
Although now largely forgotten, Karger was the first openly gay candidate to run for president, in 2012, when he stood for the Republican nomination. Largely self-funded, Karger tied his entire campaign to his sexual orientation, holding town hall meetings in gay bars and distributing frisbees and business cards emblazoned with the words “Fred Who?” His aim, he said, was to use the platform of televised debates to illuminate the Republican party’s appalling record on LGBTQ+ rights.
In the end, Karger didn’t make any debates. He came in ninth place in New Hampshire, with 346 votes, and withdrew from the race in June. But eight years is a long time. Karger was an early supporter of Buttigieg, after turning up to see him speak at a Brooklyn library last February. Since then he has seen Buttigieg go from “Pete Who?” to a household name.
At his gym in Orange county last week, Karger was watching the New Hampshire debate, when a man came in and switched the channel to Fox News. “I asked to switch it back to the debate, and he started working out and listening to what was being said,” Karger recalled. “And then he nodded to Pete on the screen and said: ‘I like that guy.’”


theguardian--2020-02-12--Trump says he will not pardon Stone 'yet' as Barr agrees to testify over conduct – live

Influential Nevada union says Bernie Sanders would ‘ end ’ its hard-won healtcare The Culinary Union , an influential force in Nevada politics , released a flier yesterday warning that Bernie Sanders ’ Medicare for all plan would “ End Culinary Healthcare ” .
Ahead of the Nevada caucuses next week , the group , which has not endorsed a candidate in the primaries , singled out Sanders among the top six Democratic candidates running for president as the one who will end union healthcare .
The Culinary Union represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers in Nevada and it provides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Although Elizabeth Warren ’ s healthcare plan is similar to Sanders ’ plan , the union flier says that hers would “ Replace Culinary Healthcare after 3-year transition or at end of collective bargaining agreements ” .
The Nevada Independent first reported the news .
The union had previously cast both Sanders and Warren as candidates who want to take away hard-won union healthcare .
In a statement issued today , the group ’ s secretary-treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline said , “ It ’ s disappointing that Senator Sanders ’ supporters have viciously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Nevada simply because our union has provided facts on what certain healthcare proposals might do to take away the system of care we have built over 8 decades.
” It ’ s unclear what effect the union ’ s despite with Sanders ’ will have on his chances in Nevada .
The group is encouraging members to participate , and directing them to early voting sites .
Sanders ’ s Nevada state director responded : “ We will guarantee that coverage is as comprehensive or more so than the health care benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health clinics , including the Culinary ’ s health clinic , will remain open to serve their members .
”

Maanvi Singh  (now), Tom McCarthy and Paul Owen (earlier)

13 Feb 2020 01.00 GMT Marie Yovanovitch was awarded the Trainor Award For Excellence In Diplomacy At Georgetown.
Photograph: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Marie Yovanovitch, the US ambassador to Ukraine who provided key testimony in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump said the state department is in trouble. “We need to re-empower our diplomats to do their job. We can’t be afraid to share our expertise or challenge false assumptions,” Yovanovitch said, speaking at Georgetown University, where she was being awarded by the School of Foreign Service. “Working off of facts is not the trademark of the deep state but of the deeply committed state ... Truth matters,” she added, echoing the words of National Security Council officer Alexander Vindman, who also testified about Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine. Yovanovitch retired from the state department last month. In May, she was abruptly recalled from her post in Kyiv, after she was targeted by allies of the president, including his personal lawyer Rudy Guiliani and his associates. The ambassador’s appearence at Georgetown was her first public appearance since she testified before Congress. The university invited her to a ceremony where she was honored for “Excellence in the Conduct of Diplomacy”. The award has been previously presented to secretary of state Madeleine Albright, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
12 Feb 2020 23.46 GMT Donald Trump has conditionally approved a peace deal with the Taliban, which would withdraw American troops from Afghanistan more than 18 years after the US invaded, according to reports. From the New York Times: The deal will only be signed if the Taliban prove their commitment to a durable reduction of violence over a test period of about seven days later this month. If the Taliban do end hostilities and a deal is signed, the United States would then begin a gradual withdrawal of American troops, and direct negotiations would start between the Taliban and Afghan leaders over the future of their country. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed Afghanistan’s top leaders in separate phone calls on Tuesday that Mr. Trump had given tentative approval to this approach, according to a senior Afghan official briefed on one of the calls. The administration has said it was working on a deal for months. Talks with the Taliban were temporarily stalled in September. Plans to invite the militants to Camp David in Maryland fell apart after the death of the US soldier and once press and lawmakers realized the meeting would coincide with the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In November, Trump said talks were back on.
Updated at 23.46 GMT
12 Feb 2020 22.57 GMT Amy Klobuchar has raised $2.5m million after finishing third in New Hampshire. About 60% of donations were from first-time donors, according to her campaign. The Minnesota senator has promoted herself as the most promising centrist candidate, an antidote to the “extremes in our politics”. Her centrist competitor Joe Biden had raised about $4m since the Iowa caucuses. After his lackluster performance in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden is betting on Nevada and South Carolina, where he’s running radio ads in a push to regain lost ground.
12 Feb 2020 22.34 GMT Influential Nevada union says Bernie Sanders would ‘end’ its hard-won healthcare Bernie Sanders arrives to speak at a Primary Night event at the SNHU Field House in Manchester, New Hampshire on February 11, 2020. Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP via Getty Images The Culinary Union, an influential force in Nevada politics, released a flier yesterday warning that Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for all plan would “End Culinary Healthcare” . Ahead of the Nevada caucuses next week, the group, which has not endorsed a candidate in the primaries, singled out Sanders among the top six Democratic candidates running for president as the one who will end union healthcare. The Culinary Union represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers in Nevada and it provides health coverage for more than 130,000 people. Although Elizabeth Warren’s healthcare plan is similar to Sanders’ plan, the union flier says that hers would “Replace Culinary Healthcare after 3-year transition or at end of collective bargaining agreements”. The Nevada Independent first reported the news. The union had previously cast both Sanders and Warren as candidates who want to take away hard-won union healthcare. In a statement issued today, the group’s secretary-treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline said, “It’s disappointing that Senator Sanders’ supporters have viciously attacked the Culinary Union and working families in Nevada simply because our union has provided facts on what certain healthcare proposals might do to take away the system of care we have built over 8 decades.” It’s unclear what effect the union’s despite with Sanders’ will have on his chances in Nevada . The group is encouraging members to participate, and directing them to early voting sites. Sanders’s Nevada state director responded: “We will guarantee that coverage is as comprehensive or more so than the health care benefits union workers currently receive, and union health clinics, including the Culinary’s health clinic, will remain open to serve their members.”
Updated at 06.55 GMT
12 Feb 2020 21.53 GMT Summary Here’s a summary of where things stand: Stunned reaction continued to unfold to a justice department reversal of a sentencing recommendation in the case of Roger Stone after Donald Trump complained on Twitter about the original recommendation.
to a justice department reversal of a sentencing recommendation in the case of Roger Stone after Donald Trump complained on Twitter about the original recommendation. Four career prosecutors stood down from their posts in apparent protest following the reversal, and one of them left the justice department entirely.
in apparent protest following the reversal, and one of them left the justice department entirely. Trump said he did not want to comment on whether he was considering a pardon of Stone “yet” . “No one even knows what he did,” Trump said.
. “No one even knows what he did,” Trump said. Stone was convicted in October by a jury of his peers on seven felony charges including obstruction of justice and witness tampering for misinformation he gave to investigators examining Trump campaign ties to Russia.
by a jury of his peers on seven felony charges including obstruction of justice and witness tampering for misinformation he gave to investigators examining Trump campaign ties to Russia. The House judiciary committee said attorney general William Barr, whom Trump congratulated for acting on his complaint about the Stone case, had agreed to testify on 31 March.
whom Trump congratulated for acting on his complaint about the Stone case, had agreed to testify on 31 March. Justice department veteran s reacted to the Stone case news with distress, saying that Barr was enabling Trump’s efforts to use justice as a sword against his political enemies and as a shield for his friends.
s reacted to the Stone case news with distress, saying that Barr was enabling Trump’s efforts to use justice as a sword against his political enemies and as a shield for his friends. A week after voting to acquit Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Republican senators dismissed concerns about the sudden twists in the justice department:
GOP senators downplay Barr move to lessen Stone sentence. Some critical of timing of Trump tweet, but say they believe DOJ that it made the decision on Stone before Trump tweeted his fury at the sentencing recommendation of 7-9 years. https://t.co/wFvAmBZau0 pic.twitter.com/hfboOxsO6k — Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 12, 2020 In the Democratic presidential race, Bernie Sanders declared victory in New Hampshire, with Pete Buttigieg coming in second.
Bernie Sanders declared victory in New Hampshire, with Pete Buttigieg coming in second. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s campaign showed new life after a strong third-place finish, underscoring that it could be awhile before Democrats arrive at a nominee.
12 Feb 2020 21.02 GMT And here’s video of Trump saying he’s not ready to say he’s considering a pardon for Stone “yet”: President Trump: "The fact is Roger Stone was treated horribly…Roger Stone for doing – nobody even knows what he did."
Q:"Are you considering a pardon for Roger Stone?"
Trump: "I don't want to say that yet." pic.twitter.com/PCnqpyU8dg — CSPAN (@cspan) February 12, 2020
12 Feb 2020 21.00 GMT Here’s video of Donald Trump talking about what he learned from impeachment: Q: "Some Republicans have said they hoped you would learn a lesson from impeachment. What lesson did you learn from impeachment?"
President Trump: "That the democrats are crooked…that they shouldn't have brought impeachment and my poll numbers are 10 points higher." pic.twitter.com/N7ToHqdKfY — CSPAN (@cspan) February 12, 2020


theguardian--2020-02-12--Barr agrees to testify to Congress amid growing outrage over Roger Stone case

William Barr , the US attorney general , has agreed to testify before a congressional committee over alleged political interference at the justice department , Democrats said , as they warned of “ a crisis in the rule of law in America ” .
Washington is reeling from aftershocks of the department ’ s unusual decision to overrule career prosecutors and seek a lighter prison sentence for the political operative Roger Stone , a longtime friend of the US president .
The entire prosecution team resigned in protest .
On Wednesday , Democrats on the House judiciary committee wrote to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testify at a hearing on 31 March .
Chairman Jerry Nadler wrote in the letter that the attorney general should expect to be asked about recent steps that “ raise grave questions ” over his leadership of the justice department .
These include , Nadler said , “ the decision to overrule your career prosecutors and significantly reduce the recommended sentence for Roger Stone , who has been convicted for lying under oath , at the apparent request of the president – a decision that led to all four prosecutors handling the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
Stone , 67 , a political operative and self-described dirty trickster , was convicted last November of lying to Congress , witness tampering and impeding the investigation into Russia ’ s interference in the 2016 election .
On Monday , prosecutors requested that he serve seven to nine years behind bars .
But Trump issued a late-night objection via Twitter , stating : “ Can not allow this miscarriage of justice !
” Hours later , a new memo from the justice department cut the proposed sentence , offering Stone ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal circumstances and lack of criminal history ” as mitigating circumstances .
Media reports suggested Barr had personally intervened .
All four lawyers that prosecuted Stone abruptly quit the case , with one leaving the justice department altogether .
On Wednesday , the White House insisted that Trump had not meddled , but on Twitter the president brazenly praised Barr for “ taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought ” .
Later , speaking to reporters at the White House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sentencing recommendation .
He declined to say whether he would pardon Stone .
“ They treated Roger Stone very badly , ” he said .
But Chuck Schumer , the Democrat minority leader in the Senate , sounded the alarm about an unprecedented threat to the independence of the legal system .
“ We are witnessing a crisis in the rule of law in America – unlike one we have ever seen before , ” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor .
“ It is a crisis of President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was enabled and emboldened by every Senate Republican who was too afraid to stand up to him and say the simple word ‘ no ’ , when the vast majority of them knew that that was the right thing to do.
” Trump was acquitted by the Republican majority in the Senate in his impeachment trial last week and immediately began a purge of officials who testified about his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival – fuelling Democrats ’ fears that he would feel further emboldened , unleashed and able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after his acquittal , Schumer noted , Trump retaliated by firing members of his administration who testified in the impeachment inquiry , including Lt Col Alexander Vindman and Ambassador Gordon Sondland .
He even dismissed Vindman ’ s brother .
“ How vindictive , how petty , how nasty , ” Schumer said .
On Tuesday Trump withdrew the nomination of Jessie Liu , a former US attorney in Washington whose office prosecuted Stone , for a new post in the treasury department .
But it was the Stone case that prompted Schumer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee hearing , where Barr would potentially be obliged to testify , and an investigation by the department ’ s inspector general , an external watchdog .
“ The president is claiming that rigging the rules is perfectly legitimate – he claims an ‘ absolute right ’ to order the justice department to do anything he wants , ” he said .
“ And the president has as his attorney general an enabler – and that ’ s a kind word – who actually supports this view.
” Schumer added : “ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has contempt for the rule of law beginning to try out the new , unrestrained power conferred on him by 52 Republican senators … Left to his own devices , President Trump would turn America into a banana republic , where the dictator can do whatever he wants and the justice department is the president ’ s law firm , not a defender of the rule of law.
” The sentiments were echoed by Hillary Clinton , the former secretary of state who was defeated by Trump in the 2016 presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using the powers of the presidency like a tyrant – now , to reward accomplices and go after witnesses who dared to speak against him .
This should concern and anger us all.
” Eric Holder , who served as Barack Obama ’ s attorney general , wrote on Twitter : “ Do not underestimate the danger of this situation .
This affects the rule of law and respect for it .
Unprecedented.
” Yet most Senate Republicans , all but one of whom voted in Trump ’ s favour in the impeachment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina told reporters : “ I ’ m not disturbed about it at all .
If you read the reports , this action began on Monday night before the president ’ s tweets , so I ’ ve got to take them at their word.
” However , Senator Susan Collins of Maine , who had claimed Trump would learn his “ lesson ” from impeachment , struck a note of dissent .
“ The president should not have gotten involved , ” she told the Reuters news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentenced by the US district judge Amy Berman Jackson on 20 February .
Barr last year cleared the president of obstruction of justice even when the special counsel Robert Mueller had pointedly declined to do so after the Russia investigation .

William Barr, the US attorney general, has agreed to testify before a congressional committee over alleged political interference at the justice department, Democrats said, as they warned of “a crisis in the rule of law in America”.
Washington is reeling from aftershocks of the department’s unusual decision to overrule career prosecutors and seek a lighter prison sentence for the political operative Roger Stone, a longtime friend of the US president. The entire prosecution team resigned in protest.
On Wednesday, Democrats on the House judiciary committee wrote to Barr confirming that he had agreed to testify at a hearing on 31 March. Chairman Jerry Nadler wrote in the letter that the attorney general should expect to be asked about recent steps that “raise grave questions” over his leadership of the justice department.
These include, Nadler said, “the decision to overrule your career prosecutors and significantly reduce the recommended sentence for Roger Stone, who has been convicted for lying under oath, at the apparent request of the president – a decision that led to all four prosecutors handling the case to withdraw from the proceedings in protest”.
Stone, 67, a political operative and self-described dirty trickster, was convicted last November of lying to Congress, witness tampering and impeding the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. On Monday, prosecutors requested that he serve seven to nine years behind bars. But Trump issued a late-night objection via Twitter, stating: “Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!”
Hours later, a new memo from the justice department cut the proposed sentence, offering Stone’s “advanced age, health, personal circumstances and lack of criminal history” as mitigating circumstances. Media reports suggested Barr had personally intervened.
All four lawyers that prosecuted Stone abruptly quit the case, with one leaving the justice department altogether. On Wednesday, the White House insisted that Trump had not meddled, but on Twitter the president brazenly praised Barr for “taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought”.
Later, speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump thanked justice department officials for trimming the sentencing recommendation. He declined to say whether he would pardon Stone. “They treated Roger Stone very badly,” he said.
But Chuck Schumer, the Democrat minority leader in the Senate, sounded the alarm about an unprecedented threat to the independence of the legal system.
‘Trump is using the powers of the presidency like a tyrant,’ Hillary Clinton said. Photograph: Suzi Pratt/Getty Images for Refinery29
“We are witnessing a crisis in the rule of law in America – unlike one we have ever seen before,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor. “It is a crisis of President Trump’s making. But it was enabled and emboldened by every Senate Republican who was too afraid to stand up to him and say the simple word ‘no’, when the vast majority of them knew that that was the right thing to do.”
Trump was acquitted by the Republican majority in the Senate in his impeachment trial last week and immediately began a purge of officials who testified about his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival – fuelling Democrats’ fears that he would feel further emboldened, unleashed and able to act with impunity.
Two days after his acquittal, Schumer noted, Trump retaliated by firing members of his administration who testified in the impeachment inquiry, including Lt Col Alexander Vindman and Ambassador Gordon Sondland. He even dismissed Vindman’s brother. “How vindictive, how petty, how nasty,” Schumer said.
On Tuesday Trump withdrew the nomination of Jessie Liu, a former US attorney in Washington whose office prosecuted Stone, for a new post in the treasury department. But it was the Stone case that prompted Schumer to call for an emergency Senate judiciary committee hearing, where Barr would potentially be obliged to testify, and an investigation by the department’s inspector general, an external watchdog.
“The president is claiming that rigging the rules is perfectly legitimate – he claims an ‘absolute right’ to order the justice department to do anything he wants,” he said. “And the president has as his attorney general an enabler – and that’s a kind word – who actually supports this view.”
Schumer added: “We are seeing the behavior of a man who has contempt for the rule of law beginning to try out the new, unrestrained power conferred on him by 52 Republican senators … Left to his own devices, President Trump would turn America into a banana republic, where the dictator can do whatever he wants and the justice department is the president’s law firm, not a defender of the rule of law.”
The sentiments were echoed by Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state who was defeated by Trump in the 2016 presidential election. She tweeted: “Trump is using the powers of the presidency like a tyrant – now, to reward accomplices and go after witnesses who dared to speak against him. This should concern and anger us all.”
Eric Holder, who served as Barack Obama’s attorney general, wrote on Twitter: “Do not underestimate the danger of this situation. This affects the rule of law and respect for it. Unprecedented.”
Yet most Senate Republicans, all but one of whom voted in Trump’s favour in the impeachment trial, again held the line. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina told reporters: “I’m not disturbed about it at all. If you read the reports, this action began on Monday night before the president’s tweets, so I’ve got to take them at their word.”
However, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who had claimed Trump would learn his “lesson” from impeachment, struck a note of dissent. “The president should not have gotten involved,” she told the Reuters news agency.
Stone is scheduled to be sentenced by the US district judge Amy Berman Jackson on 20 February. Jackson on Wednesday declined to grant Stone’s request for a new trial.
Barr last year cleared the president of obstruction of justice even when the special counsel Robert Mueller had pointedly declined to do so after the Russia investigation.


theguardian--2020-02-12--Bernie Sanders wins New Hampshire primary with Buttigieg second

Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night , with Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , coming in a close second .
“ Let me say that this victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump , ” Sanders said , hailing his “ unprecedented grassroots movement ” from coast to coast .
“ It is not just about beating Trump it is about transforming this country , ” Sanders said , ending his remarks with a nod to the next contests later this month .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s on to South Carolina .
It ’ s on to win the Democratic nomination.
” On Wednesday morning , with 97 % of New Hampshire precincts reporting , Sanders had taken 25.7 % of the vote compared with Buttigieg ’ s 24.4 % .
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar celebrated a surprise surge into third place with 20 % .
The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren slumped in fourth with just 9 % of the vote , a shade ahead of the now-ailing campaign of former vice-president Joe Biden , who came in fifth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result for the long-favoured frontrunner following last week ’ s chaotic Iowa caucuses .
The New Hampshire results underscore Sanders ’ position as the new frontrunner .
The results also call into question the long-term viability of Biden and Warren ’ s respective campaigns .
At the same time , Klobuchar ’ s third place showing suggests her campaign could outlast some of her better-known rivals .
In his speech to supporters , 38-year-old Buttigieg congratulated Sanders , but then offered a thinly veiled criticism of his 78-year-old competitor , saying voters should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and the “ status quo ” .
“ Most Americans don ’ t see where they fit in that polarizing vision , ” Buttigieg said .
New Hampshire put an end to some long-shot candidacies .
Businessman and political newcomer Andrew Yang had attracted a small but loyal following with his signature policy offering Americans a universal basic income , but said the numbers were not there for him to claim a path to the nomination .
He called it “ bitterly disappointing ” .
Colorado senator Michael Bennet also suspended his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick dropped out , saying : “ The vote in New Hampshire last night was not enough for us to create the practical wind at the campaign ’ s back to go on to the next round of voting .
So I have decided to suspend the campaign , effective immediately.
” Those announcements left just eight candidates in the Democratic primary .
None of the remaining major candidates are African American , a stark contrast to the early months of the primary .
After more than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and millions of dollars spent , the New Hampshire primary came just over a week after the Iowa caucuses , which ended in chaos over the reporting of the results .
No clear single victor has been officially declared .
Speaking to her supporters on Tuesday , Warren said it had been a good night for Sanders and Buttigieg , and congratulated Klobuchar on “ showing just how wrong the pundits can be when they count a woman out ” .
But she also said that it was still in the race – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 55 states and territories to go ” – and once again attempted to cast herself as the candidate who can “ unite this party and this country ” .
After her strong performance at a televised debate on Friday , Klobuchar surged to third place , after placing fifth in Iowa , where she had devoted the majority of her resources .
“ Hello America , my name is Amy Klobuchar and I will beat Donald Trump , ” the senator told a crowd of about 400 people in New Hampshire .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are still ballots left to count , we have beaten the odds every step of the way.
” Anticipating a lackluster result , Biden headed to South Carolina hours before the results were released .
His campaign is banking on strong support from black voters in South Carolina , which votes at the end of the month .
Biden polls ahead of Sanders and Buttigieg among minority voters .
Democratic turnout was better in New Hampshire than Iowa .
With 90 % of the estimated vote reporting , the vote tally had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to NBC News , and was approaching 2008 ’ s record of 288,672 voters .
Trump ’ s 2016 win was attributed , in part , to an enthusiasm gap , with some Barack Obama voters staying home instead of voting for Hillary Clinton .
After Iowa , fears had mounted that Democratic voters might again be less enthused by their choices , but New Hampshire ’ s turnout is a source of encouragement .
Trump , who faces no serious challenger for his party ’ s nomination , easily won the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One person looming over the Democratic race was fellow candidate and former New York mayor and centrist Michael Bloomberg , the billionaire who decided to completely forgo New Hampshire and all other early primary states to instead invest heavily in the crucial set of Super Tuesday states that vote on 3 March – an unconventional and risky strategy .

Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night, with Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, coming in a close second.
“Let me say that this victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” Sanders said, hailing his “unprecedented grassroots movement” from coast to coast.
“It is not just about beating Trump it is about transforming this country,” Sanders said, ending his remarks with a nod to the next contests later this month. “It’s on to Nevada. It’s on to South Carolina. It’s on to win the Democratic nomination.”
On Wednesday morning, with 97% of New Hampshire precincts reporting, Sanders had taken 25.7% of the vote compared with Buttigieg’s 24.4%. Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar celebrated a surprise surge into third place with 20%.
The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren slumped in fourth with just 9% of the vote, a shade ahead of the now-ailing campaign of former vice-president Joe Biden, who came in fifth with 8.4% support – another disappointing result for the long-favoured frontrunner following last week’s chaotic Iowa caucuses.
Q&A What are the primaries? Show The primaries and caucuses are a series of contests, in all 50 US states plus Washington DC and outlying territories, by which each party selects its presidential nominee. The goal for presidential candidates is to amass a majority of delegates, whose job it is to choose the nominee at the party’s national convention later in the year. In some states, delegates are awarded on a winner-take-all basis; other states split their delegates proportionally among top winners. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.
The New Hampshire results underscore Sanders’ position as the new frontrunner. The results also call into question the long-term viability of Biden and Warren’s respective campaigns. At the same time, Klobuchar’s third place showing suggests her campaign could outlast some of her better-known rivals.
In his speech to supporters, 38-year-old Buttigieg congratulated Sanders, but then offered a thinly veiled criticism of his 78-year-old competitor, saying voters should not have to choose between “revolution” and the “status quo”.
“Most Americans don’t see where they fit in that polarizing vision,” Buttigieg said.
New Hampshire put an end to some long-shot candidacies. Businessman and political newcomer Andrew Yang had attracted a small but loyal following with his signature policy offering Americans a universal basic income, but said the numbers were not there for him to claim a path to the nomination. He called it “bitterly disappointing”.
Colorado senator Michael Bennet also suspended his campaign on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick dropped out, saying: “The vote in New Hampshire last night was not enough for us to create the practical wind at the campaign’s back to go on to the next round of voting. So I have decided to suspend the campaign, effective immediately.”
Those announcements left just eight candidates in the Democratic primary. None of the remaining major candidates are African American, a stark contrast to the early months of the primary.
Elizabeth Warren answers questions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Monday. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters
After more than a year of campaigning, hundreds of events and millions of dollars spent, the New Hampshire primary came just over a week after the Iowa caucuses, which ended in chaos over the reporting of the results. No clear single victor has been officially declared.
Speaking to her supporters on Tuesday, Warren said it had been a good night for Sanders and Buttigieg, and congratulated Klobuchar on “showing just how wrong the pundits can be when they count a woman out”.
But she also said that it was still in the race – just “two states in, with 55 states and territories to go” – and once again attempted to cast herself as the candidate who can “unite this party and this country”.
After her strong performance at a televised debate on Friday, Klobuchar surged to third place, after placing fifth in Iowa, where she had devoted the majority of her resources.
“Hello America, my name is Amy Klobuchar and I will beat Donald Trump,” the senator told a crowd of about 400 people in New Hampshire. “My heart is full tonight. While there are still ballots left to count, we have beaten the odds every step of the way.”
Anticipating a lackluster result, Biden headed to South Carolina hours before the results were released.
His campaign is banking on strong support from black voters in South Carolina, which votes at the end of the month. Biden polls ahead of Sanders and Buttigieg among minority voters.
Democratic turnout was better in New Hampshire than Iowa. With 90% of the estimated vote reporting, the vote tally had already surpassed 2016’s 250,983, according to NBC News, and was approaching 2008’s record of 288,672 voters.
Trump’s 2016 win was attributed, in part, to an enthusiasm gap, with some Barack Obama voters staying home instead of voting for Hillary Clinton. After Iowa, fears had mounted that Democratic voters might again be less enthused by their choices, but New Hampshire’s turnout is a source of encouragement.
Trump, who faces no serious challenger for his party’s nomination, easily won the New Hampshire Republican primary on Tuesday night.
One person looming over the Democratic race was fellow candidate and former New York mayor and centrist Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire who decided to completely forgo New Hampshire and all other early primary states to instead invest heavily in the crucial set of Super Tuesday states that vote on 3 March – an unconventional and risky strategy.
Additional reporting by Joan E Greve, Lauren Gambino and Adam Gabbatt