theguardian--2020-02-22--Suffrage review: epic retelling of US women's long battle for the vote

A century after the 19th amendment , Ellen Carol DuBois makes the familiar new and sheds light on a fight against injustice It was a decidedly anticlimactic end to a life-changing campaign .
The document was sent by train to Washington in the middle of the night .
A government employee met the train and rushed it to the secretary of state , Bainbridge Colby , who signed the Proclamation of Ratification at dawn , three days after Tennessee became the 36th state to vote for women ’ s suffrage .
There were no photographers to record the moment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 26 August 1920 and after a grueling 80-year battle , the 19th amendment to the US constitution , granting women the vote , was ratified .
In this centennial year , it seems a miracle the 19th amendment ever became law .
The “ longest revolution ” began in earnest at Seneca Falls , New York , in 1848 .
It survived the civil war and the first world war and dozens of failed state votes .
Suffragists were jailed , their protests mobbed , their arguments mocked in the press , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate and in every state legislature .
Decade after decade , suffrage remained a hopeless cause that consumed the lives of brave , persistent and often brilliant women .
Ellen Carol DuBois has written a comprehensive history that deftly tackles intricate political complexities and conflicts and still somehow reads with nail-biting suspense .
With the current feminist movement now in its fourth wave , how many American suffragettes are household names , besides perhaps Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton ?
Thanks to DuBois , a UCLA professor and noted suffrage scholar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Her colorful cast includes the more prominent leaders – Anthony , Stanton , Sojourner Truth , Ida B Wells , Carrie Chapman Catt , Victoria Woodhull , Alice Paul – but DuBois gives supporting roles to many members of the “ petticoat brigade ” heretofore largely lost to history .
We meet Frances Ellen Watkins Harper , a free-born poet and novelist from Maryland who helped inspire the founding of the Equal Rights Association , and Maude Wood Park and Helen Gardner , who tirelessly lobbied Congress .
Anita Pollitzer traveled Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffrage amendment , which happened by just two votes .
Sisters Sarah J Garnet and Susan Smith-McKinney founded the Brooklyn Equal Suffrage League , the first such black women ’ s organization .
Mary Kenny O ’ Sullivan and Clara Lemlich rallied working-class women .
Kentucky had Madeline Breckinridge , California had Laura de Force Gordon and Clara Foltz , New Mexico had Adelina Otero-Warren .
Inez Milholland Boissevain , a pioneering war correspondent , traveled to 12 western states only to drop dead , exhausted , on 25 November 1916 .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and many more deserve statues in capitol buildings .
Women ’ s suffrage grew out of the abolitionist movement but abolitionists jettisoned universal suffrage with the 14th and 15th amendments , which protected the vote only for male former slaves .
Furious , Stanton , a close friend of Frederick Douglass , made the tragic decision to begin using anti-black and anti-immigrant rhetoric .
One of her refrains : “ Think of Patrick and Sambo and Hans and Yung Tung … making the laws ” for educated white women .
Over the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tangle with a racist “ southern strategy ” as it tried to pass referendums state by state .
As the alliance between male abolitionists and female suffragists fractured , Frances Ellen Watkins Harper , a black abolitionist and suffragist , tried to mediate , eventually confessing in 1869 that “ when it was a question of race , she let the lesser questions of sex go ” .
One hundred years later , the same “ lesser question of sex ” would put black women in a similar bind of loyalty between civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A split similar to that between mainstream suffragists ( Anthony and Catt ) and radicals ( Woodhull and Paul ) would visit the second-wave feminists , decades later .
DuBois reveals the root of the refusal to give women the vote : deep-seated misogyny whose grip on public mores surpassed even vicious racism .
DuBois reminds us of this fundamental truth throughout her book .
Each time it comes as a shock .
The day before Woodrow Wilson ’ s inauguration in March 1913 , Alice Paul planned an audacious and unprecedented parade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House to the US Treasury .
Inez Milholland led the demonstration astride her horse , followed by a flower-covered cart carrying a banner with the message : “ Amendment to the Constitution of the United States Enfranchising the Women of the Country.
” Women converged by the thousands ( including black delegations from Illinois and Howard University ) and marched in ladylike fashion .
A mob of men broke through deliberately passive police lines and seized the women , wrenching at their clothes and signs and harassing them “ with all manner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be called in .
Paul took notes from the militant British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst ( British women – some of them – gained the vote in February 1918 ) and started a White House picketing campaign in 1917 – the very first time activists had done so .
Women taunted Wilson with signs such as : “ MR PRESIDENT WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE ?
” Picketers were attacked , arrested and imprisoned .
Dozens , including Paul , were tortured and force-fed .
Suffragist defiance forced Wilson and Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real reason that the triumph of 26 August 1920 was anticlimactic .
By 1970 , second-wave feminists had barely begun to find traction in seeking equal financial , legal , medical and personal rights – none of which had significantly improved since 1920 .
As radical feminist Shulamith Firestone wrote in The Dialectic of Sex : “ By the time the vote was granted , the long channeling of feminist energies into the limited goal of suffrage – seen initially as only one step to political power – had thoroughly depleted the Women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ballot had swallowed everything else.
” In her fascinating depiction of suffrage ’ s epic journey , DuBois proves Firestone right .
• None Clara Bingham ’ s most recent book is Witness to the Revolution : Radicals , Resisters , Vets , Hippies , and the Year America Lost its Mind and Found its Soul

It was a decidedly anticlimactic end to a life-changing campaign. The document was sent by train to Washington in the middle of the night. A government employee met the train and rushed it to the secretary of state, Bainbridge Colby, who signed the Proclamation of Ratification at dawn, three days after Tennessee became the 36th state to vote for women’s suffrage.
There were no photographers to record the moment, no suffragists to bear witness. It was 26 August 1920 and after a grueling 80-year battle, the 19th amendment to the US constitution, granting women the vote, was ratified.
In this centennial year, it seems a miracle the 19th amendment ever became law. The “longest revolution” began in earnest at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. It survived the civil war and the first world war and dozens of failed state votes. Suffragists were jailed, their protests mobbed, their arguments mocked in the press, on the floor of the House and Senate and in every state legislature. Decade after decade, suffrage remained a hopeless cause that consumed the lives of brave, persistent and often brilliant women.
Ellen Carol DuBois has written a comprehensive history that deftly tackles intricate political complexities and conflicts and still somehow reads with nail-biting suspense.
With the current feminist movement now in its fourth wave, how many American suffragettes are household names, besides perhaps Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton? Thanks to DuBois, a UCLA professor and noted suffrage scholar, many more now spring to life. Her colorful cast includes the more prominent leaders – Anthony, Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Ida B Wells, Carrie Chapman Catt, Victoria Woodhull, Alice Paul – but DuBois gives supporting roles to many members of the “petticoat brigade” heretofore largely lost to history.
We meet Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a free-born poet and novelist from Maryland who helped inspire the founding of the Equal Rights Association, and Maude Wood Park and Helen Gardner, who tirelessly lobbied Congress. Anita Pollitzer traveled Tennessee in 1920 convincing legislators to pass the suffrage amendment, which happened by just two votes.
Sisters Sarah J Garnet and Susan Smith-McKinney founded the Brooklyn Equal Suffrage League, the first such black women’s organization. Mary Kenny O’Sullivan and Clara Lemlich rallied working-class women. Kentucky had Madeline Breckinridge, California had Laura de Force Gordon and Clara Foltz, New Mexico had Adelina Otero-Warren.
Inez Milholland Boissevain, a pioneering war correspondent, traveled to 12 western states only to drop dead, exhausted, on 25 November 1916. She was 30. All of these women and many more deserve statues in capitol buildings.
Women’s suffrage grew out of the abolitionist movement but abolitionists jettisoned universal suffrage with the 14th and 15th amendments, which protected the vote only for male former slaves. Furious, Stanton, a close friend of Frederick Douglass, made the tragic decision to begin using anti-black and anti-immigrant rhetoric. One of her refrains: “Think of Patrick and Sambo and Hans and Yung Tung … making the laws” for educated white women. Over the next 50 years, the suffrage movement would tangle with a racist “southern strategy” as it tried to pass referendums state by state.
As the alliance between male abolitionists and female suffragists fractured, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a black abolitionist and suffragist, tried to mediate, eventually confessing in 1869 that “when it was a question of race, she let the lesser questions of sex go”. One hundred years later, the same “lesser question of sex” would put black women in a similar bind of loyalty between civil rights and the second-wave feminist movement. A split similar to that between mainstream suffragists (Anthony and Catt) and radicals (Woodhull and Paul) would visit the second-wave feminists, decades later.
DuBois reveals the root of the refusal to give women the vote: deep-seated misogyny whose grip on public mores surpassed even vicious racism. DuBois reminds us of this fundamental truth throughout her book. Each time it comes as a shock.
The day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration in March 1913, Alice Paul planned an audacious and unprecedented parade from the Capitol, past the White House to the US Treasury. Inez Milholland led the demonstration astride her horse, followed by a flower-covered cart carrying a banner with the message: “Amendment to the Constitution of the United States Enfranchising the Women of the Country.”
Women converged by the thousands (including black delegations from Illinois and Howard University) and marched in ladylike fashion. A mob of men broke through deliberately passive police lines and seized the women, wrenching at their clothes and signs and harassing them “with all manner of smutty conversation”. The army had to be called in.
Paul took notes from the militant British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst (British women – some of them – gained the vote in February 1918) and started a White House picketing campaign in 1917 – the very first time activists had done so.
Women taunted Wilson with signs such as: “MR PRESIDENT WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE?” Picketers were attacked, arrested and imprisoned. Dozens, including Paul, were tortured and force-fed. Suffragist defiance forced Wilson and Congress to relent.
Which brings us the real reason that the triumph of 26 August 1920 was anticlimactic. By 1970, second-wave feminists had barely begun to find traction in seeking equal financial, legal, medical and personal rights – none of which had significantly improved since 1920. As radical feminist Shulamith Firestone wrote in The Dialectic of Sex: “By the time the vote was granted, the long channeling of feminist energies into the limited goal of suffrage – seen initially as only one step to political power – had thoroughly depleted the Women’s Rights Movement. The monster Ballot had swallowed everything else.”
In her fascinating depiction of suffrage’s epic journey, DuBois proves Firestone right.


theguardian--2020-02-22--Bernie Sanders has invested big in Nevada. Will it pay off?

Bernie Sanders closed a crucial week in the 2020 Democratic primary by making his case to west coast voters , hoping to solidify his lead in the race with a win in Saturday ’ s caucuses in Nevada .
His Friday night rally in Las Vegas looked and felt a bit like a music festival .
Supporters waved cell phone lights in the air .
Thousands screamed and clapped approval as Sanders , from an outdoor amphitheater backlit in blue , mentioned his signature policies .
“ The American people understand that it is time for fundamental change , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd count was 2,020 .
“ Everyone else is full of shit , ” said Marlene Lara , 28 as she waited to see Sanders .
“ He ’ s the first candidate that feels like he ’ s for the people.
” Polling in Nevada has Sanders well ahead of his Democratic rivals .
A Las Vegas Review-Journal/AARP Nevada poll from last week found him at 25 % support in the state , with three-fifths of voters under 30 backing him .
After a solid debate on Wednesday night , the Vermont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Get out to caucus ” rally in Las Vegas ’ s Springs Preserve Amphitheater energize his base .
His campaign is counting on a coalition of Latinos , young people and progressive voters to carry him to victory in Nevada and beyond .
“ Let us go out , let us bring our friends and our neighbors , ” he told supporters .
“ Let us have the largest voter turnout in the history of the Nevada caucus.
” Sanders has invested big , and early , in Nevada .
The campaign employs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , more than double the staff of Pete Buttigieg , who has the second-largest campaign\ with 100 people .
And an army of volunteers has canvassed for Sanders on foot and and horseback , to reach as many urban and rural voters as possible .
The message resonated with Daniel Dunbar , who will be caucusing for Sanders on Saturday .
For Dunbar , a 59-year-old HVAC technician based in Las Vegas , Sanders ’ Medicare for All plan feels especially urgent .
“ My brother died yesterday , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the hospital.
” It feels like Sanders is “ looking out for everyone ” , Dunbar added .
“ He ’ s going to reform the justice system – which I have been a victim of .
He ’ s going to help us afford a decent living.
” Sanders ’ campaign has also invested in Spanish-language advertisements across the state , hosted supporters over tamales and held a soccer tournament as part of its outreach to Latinx voters , who account for one in five voters in Nevada .
Sanders ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has 33 % support among Latino voters in the state , according to a recent Univision poll .
And just ahead of the caucus , Mijente , a prominent grass-roots organization that mobilizes Latinx and Chicanx voters – endorsed the Vermont senator .
Hector Riviera , 50 , said Sanders ’ health plan and immigration reform policies had won him over .
“ I want to hear more about how he ’ s going to do it , ” said Riviera , an electrician .
“ But I like his ideas.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the immigrant rights group Make the Road Action , said Sanders ’ repeated visits to the state showed he was committed to the community .
“ It ’ s not to say that we love Bernie , but we believe that he stands with our values.
” If Sanders wins Saturday ’ s caucus , he will have established a crucial lead heading into the primary in South Carolina on 29 February and Super Tuesday on 3 March .
He avoided mention of his Democratic rivals during the rally and instead cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We can not continue having a pathological liar as president , ” he said .
“ We are going to defeat Donald Trump.
” One potential roadblock for the senator is the tension between his campaign and the powerful Culinary Workers Union , which says it represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers in Nevada .
The union , which provides hard-won health insurance for 130,000 people , came out this month opposing Sanders ’ Medicare for All proposal .
The dispute over policy escalated in the week leading up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its leaders were being trolled by people who said they were Sanders supporters .
During the Wednesday night Democratic debate , Sanders disowned any supporters who may have acted inappropriately .
It was a rare , contentious moment for the candidate , who largely stayed above the fray during the fiercest debate of the election cycle .
Sanders also suggested some of the online vitriol blamed on his supporters might be coming from Russia .
On Friday , amid reports US officials had warned Sanders that Russia was trying to help his campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interference a month ago .
His communication director said the information was leaked ahead of the Nevada caucuses to sabotage the candidate .
“ The Republican establishment is getting nervous , ” Sanders told supporters at his rally .
“ The Democratic establishment is getting nervous .
And they ’ re going a little bit nuts !
“ You know what : when we stand up together , they ain ’ t gon na stop us.
” Nevada ’ s large labor movement has been divided on Sanders .
Whereas the local Culinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate – appeared to implicitly criticize him , the Clark County Education Association , which represents more than 18,000 educators , endorsed Sanders last month .
Across the state , Sanders ’ ambitious , progressive message seem to have landed with supporters looking for change .
Tanya Duncan , a 47-year-old Reno resident .
“ He genuinely cares about what he ’ s doing .
He has his heart and soul in it , ” said Duncan , who works as a financial analyst .
She said she appreciated Sanders ’ plans on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to negotiate on the side of the people .
”

Bernie Sanders closed a crucial week in the 2020 Democratic primary by making his case to west coast voters, hoping to solidify his lead in the race with a win in Saturday’s caucuses in Nevada.
His Friday night rally in Las Vegas looked and felt a bit like a music festival. Supporters waved cellphone lights in the air. Thousands screamed and clapped approval as Sanders, from an outdoor amphitheater backlit in blue, mentioned his signature policies.
“The American people understand that it is time for fundamental change,” he said. His campaign said the crowd count was 2,020.
“Everyone else is full of shit,” said Marlene Lara, 28 as she waited to see Sanders. “He’s the first candidate that feels like he’s for the people.”
Polling in Nevada has Sanders well ahead of his Democratic rivals. A Las Vegas Review-Journal/AARP Nevada poll from last week found him at 25% support in the state, with three-fifths of voters under 30 backing him.
After a solid debate on Wednesday night, the Vermont senator sought to hosted a final “Get out to caucus” rally in Las Vegas’s Springs Preserve Amphitheater energize his base. His campaign is counting on a coalition of Latinos, young people and progressive voters to carry him to victory in Nevada and beyond.
“Let us go out, let us bring our friends and our neighbors,” he told supporters. “Let us have the largest voter turnout in the history of the Nevada caucus.”
Sanders has invested big, and early, in Nevada. The campaign employs at least 250 people in the Silver state, more than double the staff of Pete Buttigieg, who has the second-largest campaign with 100 people. And an army of volunteers has canvassed for Sanders on foot and and horseback, to reach as many urban and rural voters as possible.
The message resonated with Daniel Dunbar, who will be caucusing for Sanders on Saturday. For Dunbar, a 59-year-old Hvac technician based in Las Vegas, Sanders’ Medicare for All plan feels especially urgent. “My brother died yesterday,” he said. “He died on the way to the hospital.”
Daniel Dunbar, 59 and Cheryl Cooper, 50 are waiting in line for a Bernie Sanders rally in Las Vegas. Cooper is undecided, and Dunbar is for Bernie all the way. pic.twitter.com/h1ZVpx8XKW — Maanvi Singh (@maanvisings) February 22, 2020
It feels like Sanders is “looking out for everyone”, Dunbar added. “He’s going to reform the justice system – which I have been a victim of. He’s going to help us afford a decent living.”
Sanders’ campaign has also invested in Spanish-language advertisements across the state, hosted supporters over tamales and held a soccer tournament as part of its outreach to Latinx voters, who account for one in five voters in Nevada.
Sanders’ outreach appears to have paid off: he has 33% support among Latino voters in the state, according to a recent Univision poll. And just ahead of the caucus, Mijente, a prominent grassroots organization that mobilizes Latinx and Chicanx voters – endorsed the Vermont senator.
Hector Riviera, 50, said Sanders’ health plan and immigration reform policies had won him over. “I want to hear more about how he’s going to do it,” said Riviera, an electrician. “But I like his ideas.”
Felipe Silva, a Las Vegas-based organizer with the immigrant rights group Make the Road Action, said Sanders’ repeated visits to the state showed he was committed to the community. “It’s not to say that we love Bernie, but we believe that he stands with our values.”
If Sanders wins Saturday’s caucus, he will have established a crucial lead heading into the primary in South Carolina on 29 February and Super Tuesday on 3 March. He avoided mention of his Democratic rivals during the rally and instead cast himself as the foil to Donald Trump.
“We cannot continue having a pathological liar as president,” he said. “We are going to defeat Donald Trump.”
One potential roadblock for the senator is the tension between his campaign and the powerful Culinary Workers Union, which says it represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers in Nevada. The union, which provides hard-won health insurance for 130,000 people, came out this month opposing Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal. The dispute over policy escalated in the week leading up to the caucuses, with the union reporting that its leaders were being trolled by people who said they were Sanders supporters.
During the Wednesday night Democratic debate, Sanders disowned any supporters who may have acted inappropriately. It was a rare, contentious moment for the candidate, who largely stayed above the fray during the fiercest debate of the election cycle.
Sanders also suggested some of the online vitriol blamed on his supporters might be coming from Russia.
On Friday, amid reports US officials had warned Sanders that Russia was trying to help his campaign, Sanders said he learned about the interference a month ago. His communication director said the information was leaked ahead of the Nevada caucuses to sabotage the candidate.
“The Republican establishment is getting nervous,” Sanders told supporters at his rally. “The Democratic establishment is getting nervous. And they’re going a little bit nuts!
“You know what: when we stand up together, they ain’t gonna stop us.”
Nevada’s large labor movement has been divided on Sanders. Whereas the local Culinary Union – which has not endorsed any candidate – appeared to implicitly criticize him, the Clark county Education Association, which represents more than 18,000 educators, endorsed Sanders last month.
Across the state, Sanders’ ambitious, progressive message seem to have landed with supporters looking for change. Tanya Duncan, a 47-year-old Reno resident.
“He genuinely cares about what he’s doing. He has his heart and soul in it,” said Duncan, who works as a financial analyst. She said she appreciated Sanders’ plans on student debt and healthcare. “He’s going to negotiate on the side of the people.”


theguardian--2020-02-22--Bernie Sanders denounces Russia's reported efforts to aid his campaign – as it happened

Here ’ s a dispatch from our west coast political reporter Maanvi Singh from Nevada , where she ’ s on the ground keeping an eye on the lead up to tomorrow ’ s caucus : Another group that 2020 hopefuls are hoping to win over are senior citizens .
Several campaigns have stopped by the MLK senior center in North Las Vegas .
Jill Biden didn ’ t make it to a monthly birthday celebration there today , choosing not to cross a Carpenters Union picket line protesting working conditions at a nearby construction site , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transport anyone interested to a Biden rally in the evening .
On Thursday , Joaquin Castro dropped by the center .
And Tom Steyer visited last week .
At the Friday event — where attendees were happy to eat and dance with or without Biden — Marshall Collins , 90 , said he ’ d already voted early .
“ I voted for Biden , ” he said -- though he ’ s happy to vote for any Democrats .
“ I hope things come together in the election .
There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ second choice is Steyer , he said .
“ All I care ” — regardless of who the candidate is — “ is if he does what he says he ’ s going to do , ” Collins said .
David Outland , 60 , was another Biden supporter .
“ I like sleepy Joe , ” he chuckled .
“ He probably had more experience than anyone else.
” Outland said he wishes the candidates would reach out more to older Nevadans .
“ Boots on the ground , like we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ d like to know more about the other candidates , he said .
“ Right now it ’ s too confusing.
” The former Vice President is the only one he ’ s familiar with .
Yvette , 62 , who said didn ’ t want to use her full name because she didn ’ t want Trump supporters to come after her on Facebook , said she ’ s going to vote for any Democrat .
“ I just don ’ t want to lose my benefits because Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Or to have our kids locked up .
”

Mario Koran in San Francisco (now), Joan E Greve in Washington and Paul Owen (earlier)

22 Feb 2020 01.14 GMT Evening Summary That does it for me here on the west coast as we close out the blog after a busy afternoon. Let’s take a quick look back at some of the day’s biggest news items: News of the day goes to the revelation that both Trump and Sen. Sanders have been the apparent beneficiaries of Russian interference. But while Trump has continued to minimize and downplay whatever impact Russian trolls may have played in the 2016 election as well as the campaign for re-election in 2020, Sanders has made clear he’s no friend of Vladimir Putin. “He is an autocratic thug,” Sanders said of the Russian leader. Check out my colleagues Joan’s latest story to read more. Days after Sen. Elizabeth Warren eviscerated Mike Bloomberg onstage at the democratic debate, she again blasted the former NYC mayor for releasing only three accusers from non-disclosure agreements that hav until now bound them to silence. Warren called Bloomberg to issue a blanket release of all accusers if he’s serious about transparency. And as Trump capped a 4-day visit to the western US, he took the opportunity to mock his foes at a mid-day rally. That included more taking more shots at the Oscars and mocking former VP Joe Biden for a lifelong speech impediment that has been widely reported on.
22 Feb 2020 00.29 GMT Kari Paul Democrats in Nevada have once again changed plans for how votes will be tracked in the caucuses, the day before voters cast their ballots. Voters sign in on tablet computers at an early voting location in the Chinatown Plaza, in Las Vegas. Photograph: John Locher/AP After announcing results would be relayed online via Google form last week, Democrats have seemingly reversed course and decided instead to instruct precinct leaders to call and text votes in to a dedicated hotline, the New York Times reported on Friday. The change was announced through a memo sent by Alana Mounce, the state party’s executive director, to the presidential campaigns. “The hotline report will be the primary source of the precinct caucus results reported on Caucus Day,” Ms. Mounce wrote. The email made no mention of the Google document forms initially slated to be used for the caucuses. Nevada Democrats initially planned to use the app used in the Iowa caucuses but abandoned those plans after the first state’s caucus went terribly wrong due to technological issues. Nevada, like Iowa, adopted new rules from the Democratic National Committee this year requiring states to report three sets of numbers from the caucuses: the initial vote number, the number of votes a candidate receives after “realignment” – when voters choose new candidates if their top choice fails to receive enough support – and the number of state delegates ultimately awarded to candidates. In order to report these numbers, volunteers are expected to use a caucus “tool” on iPads distributed by the Democratic party to precinct chairs. This is meant to help avoid some of the technical difficulties experienced in Iowa by chairs unable to download the app. Nevada Democrats were reportedly consulting with Google on best practices for using the document forms, but Google did not confirm. Nevada Democrats did not respond to request for comment regarding the change.
22 Feb 2020 00.21 GMT Cash-strapped democratic candidates are relying more and more on super PACs, which can raise unlimited money. That’s one takeaway from a new report from Politico, which says it got its first look this week at how the start of the presidential primaries are shaping the money chase. Other takeaways include: The Democratic Party’s biggest donors are getting in on the action. “Priorities USA, the main Democratic super PAC preparing to back the party’s nominee against Trump, took in $5 million from hedge fund magnate Donald Sussman in January — more than double the biggest check Sussman cut in 2019. The super PAC also raised $2 million from financier and philanthropist George Soros’ Democracy PAC, which didn’t give to any big Democratic PACs in 2019. And it raised $1 million from real estate broker George Marcus, who only donated big money to downballot causes in 2019,” Politico reports. Big differences in cash will lead to big differences in airtime. Sanders, Bloomberg and financier Tom Steyer have all dropped big money on TV ads and bought more than $2m of upcoming airtime. Bloomberg has earmarked $10m for ads in coming days. Joe Biden and ex-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, meanwhile, don’t have any television airtime currently reserved in Super-Tuesday states. Klobuchar’s third-place finish in New Hampshire primary was preceded by January fundraising bump She took in $5.5m in January — close to Buttigieg’s $6.6 million but well shy of Biden’s $8.9 m. Trump’s cash dwarfs the rest of the field’s. Except Bloomberg’s. Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee have netted $452 million since January 2019. Bloomberg, meanwhile, has said he may spend $1 billion to defeat Trump this year. The former NYC mayor has nearly outspending every other candidate after spending $409 million through January, according to Politico.
Updated at 00.26 GMT
21 Feb 2020 23.50 GMT Warren responds to Bloomberg's position on NDA's Mike Bloomberg said Friday that three women who made complaints against him and until now have been covered by non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, can be released from the agreements and speak openly about their experiences. CNN has publicly identified a woman behind one of those NDAs, reporting: “A senior Bloomberg adviser tells CNN that the woman behind one of the three NDAs is Sekiko Garrison, who accused Bloomberg in the 1990s of repeatedly saying crass things in the workplace. Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser has said that Bloomberg “did not make any of the statements alleged in the Sekiko Garrison case.” But Elizabeth Warren, who took Bloomberg to the woodshed on live TV during this week’s debate, quickly called out the former New York mayor, saying that the situation calls for a blanket release of all accusers. Warren responds to Bloomberg release of three women from their NDAs pic.twitter.com/up1g1mCaR3 — Annie Linskey (@AnnieLinskey) February 21, 2020
21 Feb 2020 23.26 GMT Maanvi Singh Here’s a dispatch from our west coast political reporter Maanvi Singh from Nevada, where she’s on the ground keeping an eye on the lead up to tomorrow’s caucus: Another group that 2020 hopefuls are hoping to win over are senior citizens. Several campaigns have stopped by the MLK senior center in North Las Vegas. Jill Biden didn’t make it to a monthly birthday celebration there today, choosing not to cross a Carpenters Union picket line protesting working conditions at a nearby construction site, according to the Biden campaign. The campaign offered to transport anyone interested to a Biden rally in the evening.
On Thursday, Joaquin Castro dropped by the center. And Tom Steyer visited last week.
At the Friday event — where attendees were happy to eat and dance with or without Biden — Marshall Collins, 90, said he’d already voted early. “I voted for Biden,” he said -- though he’s happy to vote for any Democrats. “I hope things come together in the election. There’s too many Democrats right now.”
Collins’ second choice is Steyer, he said. “All I care” — regardless of who the candidate is — “is if he does what he says he’s going to do,” Collins said. David Outland, 60, was another Biden supporter. “I like sleepy Joe,” he chuckled. “He probably had more experience than anyone else.”
Outland said he wishes the candidates would reach out more to older Nevadans. “Boots on the ground, like we used to do,” he said.
He’d like to know more about the other candidates, he said. “Right now it’s too confusing.” The former Vice President is the only one he’s familiar with.
Yvette, 62, who said didn’t want to use her full name because she didn’t want Trump supporters to come after her on Facebook, said she’s going to vote for any Democrat.
“I just don’t want to lose my benefits because Trump got pissed,” she said. “Or to have our kids locked up.”
21 Feb 2020 23.15 GMT As we blog, pundits on CNN discuss the interesting dynamic between Sanders and Trump that today’s news on Russian interference sets up. While Sanders has both acknowledged and condemned Russian interference across the board, Donald Trump and his supporters have continued to dismiss and downplay the role Russian actors may have played in getting him elected. The New York Times reported today that US intelligence officials warned House lawmakers last week that Russia was interfering in the 2020 campaign in an effort to re-elect Trump. The day after the Feb. 13 briefing to lawmakers, the president berated Joseph Maguire, the outgoing acting director of national intelligence, for allowing it to take place, people familiar with the exchange said. Mr. Trump was particularly irritated that Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the leader of the impeachment proceedings, was at the briefing. During the briefing to the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Trump’s allies challenged the conclusions, arguing that he had been tough on Russia and that he had strengthened European security... Mr. Trump has long accused the intelligence community’s assessment of Russia’s 2016 interference as the work of a “deep state” conspiracy intent on undermining the validity of his election. Intelligence officials feel burned by their experience after the last election, when their work became a subject of intense political debate and is now a focus of a Justice Department investigation. Pundits note that it will be interesting to see how Trump responds as he’s potentially pulled between two conflicting impulses: To throw mud at Sanders and his position as a frontrunner versus the desire to protect the legitimacy of his presidency.
21 Feb 2020 22.59 GMT Today’s surprise Russian-interference news aside, Sanders’ campaign marches on in their efforts to reach out to Latino voters in often overlooked corners of California. Sanders emerged early on as a front-runner in California, a position his campaign has attributed to a massive ground game across the Golden State. Young Latino voters in particular have embraced the Vermont senator for his history of supporting unions and taking to the streets in protest. Reuters has more on the efforts in California: A record 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in the general election, exceeding the number of black eligible voters for the first time, according to the Pew Research Center. About 62% of Latino registered voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 34% affiliate with or lean to the Republican Party, the organization says... Across California, and in neighboring Nevada and Texas, the Sanders campaign has also put on soccer matches and house parties, some billed as “Tamales for Tío Bernie,” an affectionate Spanish-language term for “Uncle Bernie.” The campaign wants to be deeply embedded in Latino communities, said Bianca Recto, communications director for the campaign in Nevada. She said at least half of the 200 paid staff on the ground ahead of the caucuses are people of color, many of them locals. “It’s Bernie’s message that resonates to the economic hardships of people and not treating constituencies as if they’re a monolith, as if they’re a one-issue voter,” Recto said.
21 Feb 2020 22.42 GMT As news trickles out that the Russian government is currently working to aid Sen. Sanders through online disinformation tactics, the Vermont Senator has suggested that a recent dust-up over purported Sanders supporters and culinary workers in Nevada can be traced to Russian bots. Sanders said in a statement:“In 2016, Russia used Internet propaganda to sow division in our country, and my understanding is that they are doing it again in 2020. Some of the ugly stuff on the Internet attributed to our campaign may well not be coming from real supporters.” After the culinary union distributed flyers that was critical of Sanders’ health care plan and broadly supportive of Warren’s, members of the union-members said they received threatening messages from who they believed to be Sanders supporters, or so-called Bernie Bros. So far no evidence has been reported that ties Russian interference to the controversy.
21 Feb 2020 22.24 GMT Reports: Sanders knew about Russian interference a month ago US officials told Bernie Sanders that the Russian government is working to help him secure the Democratic nomination, the Washington Post reported Friday. And new reports are emerging that Sanders knew a month ago about the interference. Asked why the news is only coming out now, Sanders pointed to the Nevada caucuses and suggested media was to blame. Unlike Trump, who has repeatedly dismissed the role Russia may have played in the last election, Sanders has acknowledged the meddling, but has worked to distance himself from Russia and Putin. “I don’t care, frankly, who Putin wants to be president,” Sanders said in a statement to The Washington Post. “My message to Putin is clear: Stay out of American elections, and as president I will make sure that you do. Here’s the video: pic.twitter.com/JpOljo2PIE — Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) February 21, 2020
Updated at 22.45 GMT


theguardian--2020-02-22--Nevada caucuses: Bernie Sanders leads in early results – live

The results of the Nevada caucuses are trickling in .
Some delays to the results were expected , as this @ @ @ @ @ Nevada allowed early voting , which complicated the calculations that precinct leaders are required to @ @ @ @ @ have also been some reports of precinct leaders struggling to report their tallies to the @ @ @ @ @ .
One precinct leader in Henderson , Nevada got a busy signal for “ about @ @ @ @ @ attempted to phone in her results , the Washington Post reported .
The state party @ @ @ @ @ official results .
One source “ close to the party ” told the Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ running smoothly overall ” and that official results are expected soon .

23 Feb 2020 04.41 GMT Summary We’re wrapping up the liveblog for today. Here’s where we’re at: Bernie Sanders declared a resounding victory in the “first in the west” primary race.
declared a resounding victory in the “first in the west” primary race. Just over a quarter of precincts have reported results. The Nevada Democrats are still tabulating the final results. Sanders is the projected winner and is by far the frontrunner so far.
Joe Biden is currently in second place and Pete Buttigieg is third. Both campaigns have claimed second place.
is currently in second place and is third. Both campaigns have claimed second place. Full results could take a while to tabulate; party officials have to integrate caucus results with early votes. Nearly 75,000 Nevadans voted early , according to the Nevada Democrats.
, according to the Nevada Democrats. Sanders was boosted up by Latino supporters – who account for 1 in 5 voters in Nevada. The campaign invested big, and early in outreach – and it paid off.
Healthcare was a big issue for Nevada voters; exit polls indicated that a majority were in favor of a single-payer system.
Read our key takeaways here. Nevada caucuses: Bernie Sanders declares resounding victory Read more
Updated at 08.49 GMT
23 Feb 2020 04.18 GMT Now 27% of precincts are reporting, but it hasn’t much affected th percent of county delegates allocated to each candidate: Sanders - 47%
Biden – 23%
Buttigieg – 14%
Warren – 9%
Steyer – 4%
Klobuchar – 3%
23 Feb 2020 03.27 GMT Warren draws around 7,000 in Seattle (including overflow crowd).
She starts her remarks congratulating Sanders for winning the Nevada caucus... and then immediately slams Bloomberg for trying to buy the election. pic.twitter.com/VAd3dUVMTh — Deepa Shivaram (@deepa_shivaram) February 23, 2020 Elizabeth Warren is continuing to project confidence in her chances of getting the nomination. “Understand this: I’m not in this fight to talk about change. I am in this fight to make change,” said the senator who is known for her detailed plans. Her campaign was re-energized after a strong debate performance this week. But with nearly 75,000 Nevadans voting early, before the debate, it’s unclear whether her post-debate momentum had any impact in Nevada. In Seattle, she addressed a crowd of around 7,000. A supporter asked her who she’d choose as a running mate if she were nominated. “I would be presumptuous at this moment to talk about it, but what I can do is describe,” she said. “That is, I want to partner in this fight. That’s it.”
Updated at 03.35 GMT
23 Feb 2020 03.15 GMT Now we have 23% of precincts reporting, but the ranking of candidates hasn’t changed. Sanders – 47%
Biden – 23%
Buttigieg – 13%
Warren – 9%
Steyer – 4%
Klobuchar – 3%
Updated at 03.19 GMT
23 Feb 2020 03.05 GMT We're about to go live from our town hall in Seattle—join us! https://t.co/pEVqB1xgYP — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 23, 2020 Elizabeth Warren’s message to Nevadans: “Thank you for keeping me in the fight.” Warren, speaking to supporters in Seattle, congratulated Bernie Sanders on his victory in Nevada. “The race has been called. Bernie has won, congratulations Bernie,” she said. But she added that since Wednesday night – the day of the debate – “our support has been growing everywhere.” As she did on debate night, and in the days after, Warren launched into a takedown of Mike Bloomberg.
“Michael Bloomberg is not the safest candidate, Michael Bloomberg is the riskiest candidate,” she said. Bloomberg was competing in Nevada, choosing to focus instead on the Super Tuesday states, where Warren will have to claim big gains in order to stay in the race.
Updated at 03.32 GMT
23 Feb 2020 02.35 GMT After a long delay, more results are starting to come in. With 11.2% of precincts reporting, Sanders is still on top, but there has been some movement below. Here’s where we are: Sanders – 47%
Biden – 24%
Buttigieg – 14%
Warren – 9%
Steyer – 4%
Klobuchar – 3%
23 Feb 2020 02.32 GMT Mike Bloomberg’s campaign manager has put out a statement on Bernie Sanders’ victory in Nevada. Bloomberg did not contest Nevada, but is staking his candidacy on Super Tuesday. The Nevada results reinforce the reality that this fragmented field is putting Bernie Sanders on pace to amass an insurmountable delegate lead. This is a candidate who just declared war on the so-called “Democratic Establishment.” We are going to need Independents AND Republicans to defeat Trump – attacking your own party is no way to get started. As Mike says, if we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base – like Senator Sanders – it will be a fatal error.
23 Feb 2020 02.21 GMT Elizabeth Warren’s strong performance in last week’s debate wasn’t enough to vault her into a winning position in the Nevada caucuses. Her campaign manager, Roger Lau, is arguing on Twitter that her vote share surged between the early voters and those who showed up in person, however. Some notes on the state of the race...
The Vegas debate shook this election up. The @ewarren vote share appears to have gone up more than 50% between early vote & those who caucused today. We’ve raised $9m in 3 days & more than $21m this month. — Roger Lau (@RogerLau) February 23, 2020 We believe the Nevada debate will have more impact on the structure of the race than the Nevada result. Since a huge percentage of the votes were cast before the debate -- likely well more than half -- tonight’s results are a lagging indicator of the current state of the race. — Roger Lau (@RogerLau) February 23, 2020
23 Feb 2020 02.07 GMT Bernie Sanders’s strength among Latino voters in Nevada could signal good things for his campaign come Super Tuesday, my colleague Lauren Gambino suggests. The two biggest prizes on 3 March, California and Texas, have significant Latino populations. One organizer I spoke to called March 3 "Latino Super Tuesday" because of California and Texas. If Sanders can replicate his success there, he'll dominate in the two most delegate-rich states in the primary process https://t.co/y77Bq3WDC1 — Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) February 23, 2020
23 Feb 2020 01.42 GMT Here is more on Bernie Sanders’s victory, from my colleagues Maanvi Singh and Sam Levin, who have been reporting from Nevada this week: The Nevada caucuses come at a critical moment in the Democratic primary, a week before the South Carolina race and just before Super Tuesday, in March, when 14 states will vote. In a state that is nearly 30% Latino, 10% black and has a rapidly growing Asian American community, the Nevada results were a compelling sign of Sanders’ strength in diverse states that more closely reflect the demographics of the Democratic party.
Warren was pushing for a surge in Nevada after her widely celebrated performance at the debate days earlier in Las Vegas. Warren announced on Saturday she had raised $14m in the last 10 days, double the amount her campaign had set out as a goal ahead of the caucuses. Nevada’s “first-in-the-west” caucuses were also a major test for the campaign of the former vice-president Biden, who was a frontrunner in polls last year but performed poorly in the first two state contests. Biden gave a triumphant speech in Vegas before the results were finalized, and his campaign manager said he appeared to be in second place. “The press is ready to declare people dead quickly. We’re alive. We’re coming back,” Biden said to cheers.
23 Feb 2020 01.32 GMT Sanders’ remarks provide a strong contrast to those of Buttigieg and Biden. With his frontrunner status cemented, Sanders is focusing his remarks on Donald Trump and his core message of economic justice, with nary a reference to his Democratic rivals. We just won the Nevada caucus. This grassroots movement is unstoppable. Together, let's win the Democratic nomination, defeat Trump and transform the country! Join us live in San Antonio: https://t.co/XB1Ua14x8m — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 23, 2020
Updated at 01.35 GMT
23 Feb 2020 01.27 GMT Bernie Sanders declares victory in Nevada Bernie Sanders declared victory in the Democratic caucuses in Nevada, while speaking at a rally in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday evening. “We won the popular vote in Iowa, we won the New Hampshire primary, and according to three networks and the AP, we have now won the Nevada caucus,” Sanders said. “We’ve put together a multi-generational, multi-racial coalition, which is not only going to win in Nevada, it’s going to sweep this country.”
Early voting in Texas, a Super Tuesday state is already underway. “We’re going to win the Democratic primary in Texas,” Sanders told his supporters.


theguardian--2020-02-22--Nevada caucuses: vote counting under way in crucial contest

Counting is under way in Nevada , where residents on Saturday cast their votes in the “ first in the west ” primary contest that will play a key role in choosing the Democratic candidate to take on Donald Trump .
Saturday ’ s caucuses marked the first voting in a state with a diverse electorate that more closely resembles the demographics of the US and the Democratic party .
Nevada is nearly 30 % Latino and 10 % black and has a rapidly growing Asian American population .
Polls ahead of the vote projected a win for the Vermont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sanders held the lead based on very early returns .
.
Voters had started lining up at some of the 200 caucus sites across the state well before the caucuses .
After days of perma-blue skies , it was raining in Las Vegas on Saturday , with volunteers bracing against the conditions to welcome voters to their sites .
On the Las Vegas Strip , hotel and casino workers streamed into the Bellagio , one of seven casino-resorts there that served as caucus sites .
Voting started at noon and many sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nearly 75,000 residents had cast their ballots ahead of the caucuses on Saturday .
A majority were first-time caucus-goers , according to Democratic party officials .
Angelica Romero , 54 , gained citizenship last year and said it was a privilege to cast her vote for the first time .
Romero , who works as a guest room attendant on the Strip and is a member , was caucusing for the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders .
“ The morals of Bernie are the same as those of my family and myself , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for All plan and his proposal for free college education .
Sanders ’ final rally in Las Vegas on Friday night attracted more than 2,000 people , according to his campaign .
Supporters waved cellphone lights in the air .
Thousands screamed and clapped as the Vermont senator , at an outdoor amphitheater and backlit in blue , mentioned his signature policies .
“ The American people understand that it is time for fundamental change , ” Sanders said .
The caucuses could be a make-or-break moment for several of the other Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first two states to vote in the Democratic primary season , are 90 % white and delivered strong results for the former South Bend , Indiana , mayor Pete Buttigieg .
But polling has shown the more moderate candidate struggling with black and Latino voters .
The Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar , the other midwestern candidate vying for moderates , has also polled poorly with voters of color and has recently faced tough questions about her record as a prosecutor .
The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren had disappointing results in the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night in Las Vegas this week has re-energized her campaign .
Warren ’ s team said on Saturday they had raised more than $ 14m in the past 10 days .
Joe Biden ’ s poll numbers have continued to drop since his weak performance in the previous two contests , and another disappointing finish could jeopardize his bid for the presidency .
The billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg , who had an embarrassing first debate performance this week , is not on the ballot in Nevada due to his late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high school outside Reno , a group of Sanders supporters were the first to arrive hours before the caucus , encouraging voters to back the Vermont senator as they lined up .
“ I ’ m Biden all the way .
He was vice-president for eight years .
He has the experience , ” said Richard , adding that protecting social security and Medicare was the most important issue to her : “ I ’ m barely surviving.
” Naomi Zamarripa , an 18-year-old high school senior , also arrived early and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for Sanders : “ I love his commitment .
He ’ s been around for so long .
He keeps fighting and stays true to his beliefs.
” A few miles away at the University of Nevada , Reno , voters waited in a long line to get inside a lecture hall .
Many Sanders and Warren supporters in line carried signs , some engaging in lively debates and trying to convince each other to change their minds at the last minute .
Sam Difulvio , a 19-year-old student , said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates minutes before the process started .
“ I ’ m trying to hone in on their character and see who I like as a person .
I want to hear what normal people have to say about the candidates.
” Cat Dow , 29 , said she was excited that this was an election with two candidates she actually liked – Sanders and Warren .
“ Elizabeth ’ s debate really shook me .
I love her , she kicked ass , everything she said was so salient and so relevant and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who works in computer technology , said she was sticking with Sanders , adding : “ I want the national embarrassment out of office more than anything else.
” Unlike private votes in traditional primaries , the caucuses have voters gather in groups based on their top-choice candidate , giving them an opportunity to switch to a second choice if their first pick doesn ’ t gather enough support to be considered “ viable ” in that precinct .
Nevada Democrats had been scrambling to avoid the technology failures that caused chaos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mishaps involving an app .
Nevada officials initially said precincts would use Google forms software to relay the votes , but a day before the election said they would instead rely on a more traditional phone hotline .
The last-minute changes have raised concerns that the counting could be slow or messy , and the party has said it can not commit to releasing same-day results after the caucuses .
Nevada is the second-to-last contest before 14 states vote on Super Tuesday in March .
“ Nevada determines how things are going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Geoconda Argüello-Kline , secretary treasurer for the Culinary Union , the state ’ s most powerful labor group , which represents Las Vegas casino workers .
At one precinct at the university in Reno , Sanders won overwhelming support , leaving a small handful of Buttigieg and Warren supporters unable to win a delegate .
Carissa Bradley , a 23-year-old Warren fan in the group , said she hoped Nevada would move away from the caucus system in the future : “ It ’ s super archaic .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who aren ’ t politically active .
And it creates issues for people who work on the weekends or can ’ t take all this time off.
” Bradley said she was ready to back any nominee : “ It doesn ’ t matter who becomes the candidate – as long as we all vote blue .
”

Sam Levin in Reno and Maanvi Singh in Las Vegas

The Vermont senator Bernie Sanders won the caucuses in Nevada, solidifying his frontrunner status in the race for the Democratic nomination.
“We’ve brought together a multigenerational, multiracial coalition that is not only going to win Nevada, it’s going to sweep this country,” Sanders told supporters in San Antonio, Texas, after the Associated Press and several US networks projected his win.
With almost half of precincts officially reported, Sanders held a large lead on Saturday night. At this stage of results, the former vice-president Joe Biden appeared to be in second place, with the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Elizabeth Warren trailing behind.
The Nevada caucuses come at a critical moment in the Democratic primary, a week before the South Carolina race and just before Super Tuesday, in March, when 14 states will vote. In a state that is nearly 30% Latino, 10% black and has a rapidly growing Asian American community, the Nevada results were a compelling sign of Sanders’ strength in diverse states that more closely reflect the demographics of the Democratic party.
Bernie Sanders' rivals applaud his Nevada caucus win – video
The victory for the self-proclaimed democratic socialist follows strong results in Iowa and New Hampshire this month and his momentum comes as the support of more centrist Democratic voters remains divided among his rivals. With none of those moderate Democrats indicating they will drop out anytime soon, Sanders has a solid lead in the race to win the nomination and take on Trump.
Across Nevada, Sanders supporters celebrated on Saturday as it became clear early on that the senator was getting significant support at the caucuses. Unlike traditional private votes, the caucuses have voters gather in groups based on their top-choice candidate, allowing them to switch to a second choice if their first pick doesn’t garner enough support to get a delegate.
“Bernie Sanders means hope to me,” said Donny Brooks, a 19-year-old student caucusing at the University of Nevada, Reno. “Bernie represents a push against the status quo. A win for Bernie is like an actual win for the public.”
Nevada is the third contest in the Democratic primary race. The first two primary states, Iowa and New Hampshire, which are 90% white, also delivered strong results for Buttigieg. But the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, appeared to have been unable to capture strong support among Nevada’s diverse electorate.
Buttigieg, who took the stage in Vegas before his standing in the Nevada results was clear, directly targeted Sanders in his speech, criticizing the “inflexible, ideological revolution” of the Vermont senator and urging Democrats not to “rush to nominate” him.
Joe Biden shoots selfies with voters at Cheyenne high school in North Las Vegas. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Nevada’s “first-in-the-west” caucuses were also a major test for the campaign of the former vice-president Biden, who was a frontrunner in polls last year but performed poorly in the first two state contests. Biden gave a triumphant speech in Vegas before the results were finalized, and his campaign manager said he appeared to be in second place. “The press is ready to declare people dead quickly. We’re alive. We’re coming back,” Biden said to cheers. “We’re going to win in South Carolina, and then Super Tuesday.”
The Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar, another midwestern candidate vying for moderates, had earned an unexpected third-place win in New Hampshire, but also polled poorly with voters of color. With 43% of precincts reporting, Klobuchar appeared to be near the bottom in Nevada.
Warren was pushing for a surge in Nevada after her widely celebrated performance at the debate days earlier in Las Vegas. The Massachusetts senator announced on Saturday she had raised $14m in the last 10 days, double the amount her campaign had set out as a goal ahead of the caucuses. She came in fourth in Nevada, making a path to the nomination increasingly difficult.
At a Saturday night rally in Seattle, Warren congratulated Sanders and thanked Nevada voters “for keeping me in the fight”. She emphasized her recent fundraising surge, adding, “We have a lot of states to go, and right now I can feel the momentum.”
The former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg was not on the ballot in Nevada due to his late entrance into the race, and the billionaire’s campaign has faced intense scrutiny this week after a particularly embarrassing first debate performance in Vegas.
After days of perma-blue skies, it was raining in Las Vegas on Saturday, with volunteers bracing against the conditions to welcome voters to their sites. On the Las Vegas Strip, hotel and casino workers streamed into the Bellagio, one of seven casino-resorts there that served as caucus sites.
Angelica Romero, 54, gained citizenship last year and said it was a privilege to cast her vote for the first time. Romero, who works as a guest room attendant on the Strip, was caucusing for Sanders. “The morals of Bernie are the same as those of my family and myself,” she said, mentioning his Medicare for All plan and his proposal for free college education.
Essie Richard. Photograph: Sam Levin/The Guardian
At Sparks high school in northern Nevada, a group of Sanders supporters were the first to arrive hours before the caucus, encouraging voters to back the Vermont senator as they lined up.
Essie Richard, a 73-year-old resident, was not swayed.
“I’m Biden all the way. He was vice-president for eight years. He has the experience,” said Richard, adding that protecting social security and Medicare was the most important issue to her: “I’m barely surviving.”
Naomi Zamarripa, an 18-year-old high school senior, also arrived early to caucus in Sparks and said she was excited to cast her first vote for Sanders: “I love his commitment. He’s been around for so long. He keeps fighting and stays true to his beliefs.”
Naomi Zamarripa. Photograph: Sam Levin/The Guardian
Linda Hunt, a 68-year-old Sparks voter who showed up to caucus with “Nevada for Bernie” signs, said it was hard not to be moved by Sanders’ message: “To be truthful, I love his passion, how he feels about the way we are supposed to be going in this world.” She said she was also terrified of four more years of Trump: “This guy in the White House will be the end of life as we know it.”
This was the first year Nevada offered early voting opportunities, and nearly 75,000 residents had cast their votes before Saturday. A majority were first-time caucus-goers, according to Democratic party officials.
“Nevada determines how things are going to go in the rest of the country,” said Geoconda Argüello-Kline, the secretary treasurer for the Culinary Union, the state’s most powerful labor group, which represents Las Vegas casino workers.
Nevada Democrats had been scrambling for weeks to avoid the technology failures that caused chaos in the Iowa caucuses, due to mishaps involving an app. Results on Saturday trickled in slowly, as Nevada officials tabulated the results.
Elizabeth Warren greets supporters during a visit to a caucus site at Coronado high school in Henderson. Photograph: David Becker/Getty Images
Cat Dow, 29-year-old Reno voter, said she was excited that this was an election with two candidates she actually liked – Sanders and Warren. “Elizabeth’s debate really shook me. I love her, she kicked ass, everything she said was so salient and so relevant and she was so tough.” But Dow, who works in computer technology, said she was sticking with Sanders, adding: “I want the national embarrassment out of office more than anything else.”
Just minutes before the process started, Sam Difulvio, a 19-year-old Reno student, said she was still torn between the two progressive candidates: “I’m trying to hone in on their character and see who I like as a person. I want to hear what normal people have to say about the candidates.”
At one precinct at the university, Sanders won overwhelming support, leaving a small handful of Buttigieg and Warren supporters unable to win a delegate. Carissa Bradley, a 23-year-old Warren fan in the group, said she hoped Nevada would move away from the caucus system in the future: “It’s super archaic. It’s not conducive to introverts or people who aren’t politically active. And it creates issues for people who work on the weekends or can’t take all this time off.”
Bradley said she was ready to back any nominee: “It doesn’t matter who becomes the candidate – as long as we all vote blue.”


theguardian--2020-02-22--Clint Eastwood: electing Bloomberg would make my day

Clint Eastwood has backed Mike Bloomberg for president , breaking with the Republican party he has supported for decades and even served in elected office .
“ The best thing we could do is just get Mike Bloomberg in there , ” the 89-year-old actor and director told the Wall Street Journal of the billionaire former New York mayor , whose run for the Democratic nomination to face Donald Trump has generated poll surges and weapons-grade controversy over his past policies and comments .
Eastwood also said he approved of “ certain things that Trump ’ s done ” but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more genteel way , without tweeting and calling people names ” .
“ I would personally like for him to not bring himself to that level , ” he said , adding that national politics “ has gotten so ornery ” .
Eastwood has said he is a registered Libertarian and has backed Democrats but most of his own experience lies in Republican party politics .
From 1986 to 1988 , he was mayor of Carmel , California .
“ I was a Republican , but people never thought about their parties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ I drank a lot of tea and chatted with people .
I told people , ‘ I ’ ll fix this , and I ’ ll fix that.
’ ” Nowadays , he said , California has too much regulation , making it “ a place other than a democracy ” .
Eastwood did not seek re-election as mayor , choosing not to continue his political career because , he told the Journal : “ You can ’ t have the same old people in office all the time.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ actor , who was born in 1930 and came to prominence in the TV series Rawhide in 1959 , if at 78 Bloomberg might be too old to take on Trump , 73 , in a fight for the White House .
Nor did the interview touch on Eastwood ’ s infamous appearance at the 2012 Republican national convention , when his bizarre conversation with an empty chair , conducted in support of the presidential nominee Mitt Romney , went viral .
Instead Eastwood reminisced about playing golf with Trump – whom he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wynn , a casino billionaire and the former Republican National Committee finance chair now , like the president , the subject of extensive accusations of sexual misconduct .
Discussing his many films , Eastwood agreed that Gran Torino , a hit from 2009 about a Korean war veteran who learns to get along with his immigrant neighbours , was made at a time when people were “ putting down masculinity ” and “ has a certain relevance in Mr Trump ’ s America ” .
“ It ’ s about a guy who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , “ a hard-ass .
He didn ’ t like minorities much , of any kind .
But he learns to appreciate people that he really hated.
” Eastwood also acknowledged recent moves for better treatment of women in the entertainment world – saying “ the # MeToo generation has its points ” – and discussed related controversy over his most recent film .
The movie Richard Jewell , the Journal said , “ got sucked into a # MeToo-like controversy over its portrayal of Kathy Scruggs , a reporter at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the portrayal of its reporter sleeping with a source for information on the 1996 Olympic Park bombing was “ entirely false and malicious , and … extremely defamatory and damaging ” .
Eastwood told the Journal he wished his studio , Warner Bros , had told the paper “ to go screw themselves ” .

Clint Eastwood has backed Mike Bloomberg for president, breaking with the Republican party he has supported for decades and even served in elected office.
“The best thing we could do is just get Mike Bloomberg in there,” the 89-year-old actor and director told the Wall Street Journal of the billionaire former New York mayor, whose run for the Democratic nomination to face Donald Trump has generated poll surges and weapons-grade controversy over his past policies and comments.
Eastwood also said he approved of “certain things that Trump’s done” but wanted the president to act “in a more genteel way, without tweeting and calling people names”.
“I would personally like for him to not bring himself to that level,” he said, adding that national politics “has gotten so ornery”.
Eastwood has said he is a registered Libertarian and has backed Democrats but most of his own experience lies in Republican party politics. From 1986 to 1988, he was mayor of Carmel, California.
“I was a Republican, but people never thought about their parties except at the national level,” he said. “I drank a lot of tea and chatted with people. I told people, ‘I’ll fix this, and I’ll fix that.’”
Nowadays, he said, California has too much regulation, making it “a place other than a democracy”.
Eastwood did not seek re-election as mayor, choosing not to continue his political career because, he told the Journal: “You can’t have the same old people in office all the time.”
The paper did not ask the actor, who was born in 1930 and came to prominence in the TV series Rawhide in 1959, if at 78 Bloomberg might be too old to take on Trump, 73, in a fight for the White House.
Nor did the interview touch on Eastwood’s infamous appearance at the 2012 Republican national convention, when his bizarre conversation with an empty chair, conducted in support of the presidential nominee Mitt Romney, went viral.
Instead Eastwood reminisced about playing golf with Trump – whom he has never officially endorsed – and Steve Wynn, a casino billionaire and the former Republican National Committee finance chair now, like the president, the subject of extensive accusations of sexual misconduct.
Discussing his many films, Eastwood agreed that Gran Torino, a hit from 2009 about a Korean war veteran who learns to get along with his immigrant neighbours, was made at a time when people were “putting down masculinity” and “has a certain relevance in Mr Trump’s America”.
“It’s about a guy who’s a racist,” he said, “a hard-ass. He didn’t like minorities much, of any kind. But he learns to appreciate people that he really hated.”
Eastwood also acknowledged recent moves for better treatment of women in the entertainment world – saying “the #MeToo generation has its points” – and discussed related controversy over his most recent film.
The movie Richard Jewell, the Journal said, “got sucked into a #MeToo-like controversy over its portrayal of Kathy Scruggs, a reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution”.
The Atlanta newspaper said the portrayal of its reporter sleeping with a source for information on the 1996 Olympic Park bombing was “entirely false and malicious, and … extremely defamatory and damaging”.
Eastwood told the Journal he wished his studio, Warner Bros, had told the paper “to go screw themselves”.


theguardian--2020-02-22--Republicans furious over history lesson comparing Trump to Nazis

Republican lawmakers in Maryland have criticized a history lesson at a public high school near Baltimore in which Donald Trump was compared with Nazis and communists .
A slide used in a history class at Loch Raven high school in Towson showed a picture of Trump above pictures of a Nazi swastika and a flag of the Soviet Union .
Captions read “ wants to round up a group of people and build a giant wall ” and “ oh , THAT is why it sounds so familiar !
” The Baltimore Sun reported that the state delegate Kathy Szeliga @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the school system ’ s response to be sent to fellow Baltimore county lawmakers .
She also posted the image on Facebook .
“ It is horrific .
It is educational malfeasance , ” Szeliga said on Friday .
The Baltimore county councilman Wade Kach said the slide was “ a piece of propaganda ” that didn ’ t belong in a classroom .
The school system said the slide was not part of the resources it provides for history teachers .
Charles Herndon , a spokesman for Baltimore county schools , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ discerning , intelligent students who are going to be able to draw their own inferences and draw their own conclusions ” .
“ The topics being discussed in the class included world wars and the attempts by some leaders throughout history to limit or prevent migration into certain countries .
In isolation and out of context with the lesson , the image could be misunderstood , ” the school district said in a statement .
The school system said the issue had become a personnel matter “ which will be appropriately addressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subject to further clarification ” .

Republican lawmakers in Maryland have criticized a history lesson at a public high school near Baltimore in which Donald Trump was compared with Nazis and communists.
A slide used in a history class at Loch Raven high school in Towson showed a picture of Trump above pictures of a Nazi swastika and a flag of the Soviet Union.
Captions read “wants to round up a group of people and build a giant wall” and “oh, THAT is why it sounds so familiar!”
The Baltimore Sun reported that the state delegate Kathy Szeliga arranged for copies of the slide and the school system’s response to be sent to fellow Baltimore county lawmakers. She also posted the image on Facebook.
“It is horrific. It is educational malfeasance,” Szeliga said on Friday.
The Baltimore county councilman Wade Kach said the slide was “a piece of propaganda” that didn’t belong in a classroom.
The school system said the slide was not part of the resources it provides for history teachers.
Charles Herndon, a spokesman for Baltimore county schools, said students in advanced high school classes are “discerning, intelligent students who are going to be able to draw their own inferences and draw their own conclusions”.
“The topics being discussed in the class included world wars and the attempts by some leaders throughout history to limit or prevent migration into certain countries. In isolation and out of context with the lesson, the image could be misunderstood,” the school district said in a statement.
The school system said the issue had become a personnel matter “which will be appropriately addressed by the school administration and is not subject to further clarification”.


theguardian--2020-02-22--Primary school: the Australians volunteering in Democratic campaigns

At 1pm on a Wednesday in Sydney , Cameron Caccamo was sending and receiving a lot of texts about Bernie Sanders .
On the other side of the world the New Hampshire primary was taking place , and the results were rolling in from Merrimack County .
There was a new field office opening in San Antonio , Texas .
In California they ’ d just gotten their mail-in ballots for Super Tuesday , and the 27-year old office manager from Australia was determined that every one should say Sanders .
Some 16,000 kilometres away , his Sydney University contemporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manchester , New Hampshire , knocking on doors for the same man .
In Detroit , Michigan , in a hotel bar , another Australian , Alistair Stephenson was organising for Elizabeth Warren .
As the US Democratic primaries ramp up ahead of the Nevada caucus on Saturday , a small cohort of Australian volunteers have been watching , organising and even winning votes for their candidates , in a race that they say has significant ramifications for domestic politics .
Caccamo has been texting for Sanders from home .
The Australian student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook page he had followed four years ago , called Australians for Bernie Sanders .
“ It ’ s really easy , ” he says .
“ The organisers will tell you : ‘ We have an event in a week in Texas , you need to tell people.
’ You send out a hundred texts to those people.
” He has been texting on the bus , from home ( in the week before he starts a new job ) , at lunch , and as he followed the New Hampshire results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguments with voters .
“ Someone asked me what were Bernie ’ s thoughts on abortion up to and after birth , ” he says .
“ Yep , they said ‘ after birth ’ .
“ For some people , who were leaning towards Trump on his economic policies , I will talk about what Bernie wants to do .
How Medicare for All will decrease their costs over the year .
Or the minimum wage increase and how that will bring up the working class … I actually took the policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a difference to have that interaction.
” In the US , Kitchen has been volunteering for Sanders for nearly three weeks .
He estimates he has knocked on a few hundred doors , and his voice is hoarse from shouting and training other volunteers for this first primary .
The 28-year-old had just finished a job as a communications manager at a tech company and found himself with three weeks to spare .
“ I have deliberately been embedding myself in the office to soak up as much knowledge , ” he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most fulfilling three weeks of my life.
” He is also in New Hampshire because he feels there isn ’ t an Australian political equivalent to what the American left is doing .
“ I don ’ t have a lot of confidence in any of the political parties in Australia at the moment to bring about the type of grassroots direct political engagement that is occurring in the US , ” he says .
“ But it doesn ’ t mean that can ’ t happen , it doesn ’ t mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I wanted to see how US political groups respond to that [ political ] crisis .
So that when , and if , it happens in Australia , we know how to respond to it as well.
” In Michigan , Stephenson is the head of the Detroit volunteer wing of the Warren campaign .
The 30 year-old digital strategist moved to the US to work for the American Civil Liberties Union , and naturally fell into volunteering in the primaries .
“ The way I see it is , the progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the rest of the world , ” he says .
“ I knew I was going to be heavily invested in the 2020 race .
It was pretty important that I ended up supporting a woman , and someone who was as deeply progressive as I was.
” The Michigan primary is on 10 March , and it ’ s a state where people already have their ballots and can vote early – which means Stephenson has been winning votes already .
He says the greatest barrier , which he and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ In Detroit , I think I have met two other Australians , ” he says .
“ It ’ s not like New York where being Australian is boring and commonplace .
In Michigan people are like : ‘ What the fuck are you doing here ?
’ “ Having this accent and being Australian , I thought would be a big barrier , but it ’ s a really nice conversation starter .
The issue on most people ’ s minds is healthcare and coming from a country where – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthcare system is just far and away better that what America has , makes it a very good comparison , and easy way into it.
” Kitchen agrees : “ My fear was that they ’ ll think : ‘ Who is this Australian telling me what to do ?
’ “ Instead when I begin to tell them I was in Australia for Christmas and the country was on fire – and for that reason it is extremely important to me that the US has a president who is invested in climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a lot of weight and they take you very seriously .
All three stress that foreign nationals can ’ t be paid by the campaigns , and all are volunteering their time .
“ Foreign nationals can not be employed by , donate to , or receive any kind of compensation for working on US presidential campaigns , ” says Kitchen .
“ That meant that even the housing I lived in could not come from the campaign .
Instead a volunteer was able to lend housing.
” ‘ We are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At the end of January , the New South Wales branch of Young Labor gathered , and after an amicable , not “ particularly intense ” debate , decided to endorse Elizabeth Warren – and even write a letter to the Massachusetts senator .
It was a fairly split room , says president Paul Mills , and not too serious .
“ It wasn ’ t a formal endorsement , ” he says .
“ The event was more of a social event.
” In the photo , posted to Facebook , of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very passionate Pete Buttigieg fans can be seen in the front row , with signs and t-shirts , and behind them , a lone Joe Biden shirt , off-cream and partially obstructed .
There were even , before he dropped out , a fair few Beto O ’ Rourke supporters , Mills says .
And as the results have rolled in , he says he has seen the Buttigieg fans – who he knows personally – and his Sanders-supporting friends crowing on social media .
“ At the end of the day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for us it is very much something people can get around because it ’ s exciting , ” he says .
But for Caccamo , in Sydney , and Stephenson and Kitchen in the US , it is much bigger than that .
“ It goes beyond just being an American politics aficionado , ” Caccamo stresses .
“ There are a lot of people that think : ‘ Oh it ’ s the American election , why should we care ?
’ Part of it is that we follow America , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living in the shadow of Reagan ’ s reforms .
The idea that the rich shouldn ’ t pay too much tax because it will trickle down – that has got us into the economic quagmire we are in .
“ We are still in the shadow of George W Bush … Now we are in the shadow of Trump .
” He says the reason he supports Sanders is “ essentially to shift the Overton Window ” – the idea of what is acceptable to discuss in politics – in Australia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deal for Americans , but it also means someone in the White House who cares about taxing big corporations .
It means a reversal of neoliberalism … That has engaged me , and it has engaged tens of thousands of people around the world.
” In Michigan , Stephenson says the reason he supports Warren is a similar belief in bold , and thus potentially global , change .
“ I like her because she has guts , ” he says .
“ She is just fearless and that is what I admire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convictions .
“ It ’ s been really inspiring , ” he says .
“ I have learnt a lot about how progressive politics works .
And one day , I imagine I will move back to Australia , and I am really excited to take what I have absorbed into progressive communities in Australia .
”

At 1pm on a Wednesday in Sydney, Cameron Caccamo was sending and receiving a lot of texts about Bernie Sanders.
On the other side of the world the New Hampshire primary was taking place, and the results were rolling in from Merrimack County. There was a new field office opening in San Antonio, Texas. In California they’d just gotten their mail-in ballots for Super Tuesday and the 27-year-old office manager from Australia was determined that every one should say Sanders.
Some 16,000km away, his Sydney University contemporary Alistair Kitchen was in the snow near Manchester, New Hampshire, knocking on doors for the same man. In Detroit, Michigan, in a hotel bar, another Australian, Alistair Stephenson was organising for Elizabeth Warren.
As the US Democratic primaries ramp up ahead of the Nevada caucus on Saturday, a small cohort of Australian volunteers have been watching, organising and even winning votes for their candidates, in a race that they say has significant ramifications for domestic politics.
Caccamo has been texting for Sanders from home. The Australian student politics devotee saw the callout on a Facebook page he had followed four years ago called Australians for Bernie Sanders.
“It’s really easy,” he says. “The organisers will tell you: ‘We have an event in a week in Texas, you need to tell people.’ You send out a hundred texts to those people.”
He has been texting on the bus, from home (in the week before he starts a new job), at lunch and as he followed the New Hampshire results.
Sometimes he has substantive policy arguments with voters. “Someone asked me what were Bernie’s thoughts on abortion up to and after birth,” he says. “Yep, they said ‘after birth’.
“For some people, who were leaning towards Trump on his economic policies, I will talk about what Bernie wants to do. How Medicare for All will decrease their costs over the year. Or the minimum wage increase and how that will bring up the working class … I actually took the policy and explained it. It does make a difference to have that interaction.”
Alistair Kitchen meets noted progressive intellectual Dr Cornel West on the campaign trail in the US. Photograph: Alistair Kitchen
In the US, Kitchen has been volunteering for Sanders for nearly three weeks. He estimates he has knocked on a few hundred doors and his voice is hoarse from shouting and training other volunteers for this first primary.
The 28-year-old had just finished a job as a communications manager at a tech company and found himself with three weeks to spare.
“I have deliberately been embedding myself in the office to soak up as much knowledge,” he says. “This has easily been the most fulfilling three weeks of my life.”
He is also in New Hampshire because he feels there isn’t an Australian political equivalent to what the American left is doing.
“I don’t have a lot of confidence in any of the political parties in Australia at the moment to bring about the type of grassroots direct political engagement that is occurring in the US,” he says. “But it doesn’t mean that can’t happen, it doesn’t mean that we can’t learn.
“I wanted to see how US political groups respond to that [political] crisis. So that when and if it happens in Australia, we know how to respond to it as well.”
In Michigan, Stephenson is the head of the Detroit volunteer wing of the Warren campaign.
The 30-year-old digital strategist moved to the US to work for the American Civil Liberties Union and naturally fell into volunteering in the primaries.
“The way I see it is, the progressive politics in America dictate what happens everywhere in the rest of the world,” he says.
“I knew I was going to be heavily invested in the 2020 race. It was pretty important that I ended up supporting a woman and someone who was as deeply progressive as I was.”
The Michigan primary is on 10 March and it’s a state where people already have their ballots and can vote early – which means Stephenson has been winning votes already.
He says the greatest barrier, which he and other volunteers worried about, was the accent.
Australian campaign volunteer Alistair Stephenson with the candidate he is supporting, Elizabeth Warren. Photograph: Alistair Stephenson
“In Detroit, I think I have met two other Australians,” he says. “It’s not like New York where being Australian is boring and commonplace. In Michigan people are like: ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’
“Having this accent and being Australian, I thought would be a big barrier, but it’s a really nice conversation starter. The issue on most people’s minds is healthcare and coming from a country where – it is not perfect – but our healthcare system is just far and away better that what America has, makes it a very good comparison, and easy way into it.”
Kitchen agrees: “My fear was that they’ll think: ‘Who is this Australian telling me what to do?’
“Instead when I begin to tell them I was in Australia for Christmas and the country was on fire – and for that reason it is extremely important to me that the US has a president who is invested in climate change … it turns out that comes with a lot of weight and they take you very seriously.”
All three stress that foreign nationals can’t be paid by the campaigns, and all are volunteering their time.
“Foreign nationals cannot be employed by, donate to, or receive any kind of compensation for working on US presidential campaigns,” says Kitchen. “That meant that even the housing I lived in could not come from the campaign. Instead a volunteer was able to lend housing.”
‘We are still living in the shadow of Reagan’
At the end of January, the New South Wales branch of Young Labor gathered, and after an amicable, not “particularly intense” debate, decided to endorse Elizabeth Warren – and even write a letter to the Massachusetts senator.
It was a fairly split room, says president Paul Mills, and not too serious.
“It wasn’t a formal endorsement,” he says. “The event was more of a social event.”
In the photo posted to Facebook of 5o or so smiling members, two very passionate Pete Buttigieg fans can be seen in the front row, with signs and T-shirts, and behind them, a lone Joe Biden shirt, off-cream and partially obstructed.
NSW Young Labor was proud to endorse @ewarren tonight.
We hope she appreciates the letter we intend to write expressing our support for her campaign. pic.twitter.com/sCUFuw2liS — NSW Young Labor (@NSWYoungLabor) January 30, 2020
There were even, before he dropped out, a fair few Beto O’Rourke supporters, Mills says. And as the results have rolled in, he says he has seen the Buttigieg fans – who he knows personally – and his Sanders-supporting friends crowing on social media.
“At the end of the day, while the policy and politics is serious, for us it is very much something people can get around because it’s exciting,” he says.
But for Caccamo, in Sydney, and Stephenson and Kitchen in the US, it is much bigger than that.
“It goes beyond just being an American politics aficionado,” Caccamo stresses.
“There are a lot of people that think: ‘Oh it’s the American election, why should we care?’ Part of it is that we follow America, here in Australia. We are still living in the shadow of Reagan’s reforms. The idea that the rich shouldn’t pay too much tax because it will trickle down – that has got us into the economic quagmire we are in.
“We are still in the shadow of George W Bush … Now we are in the shadow of Trump. ”
He says the reason he supports Sanders is “essentially to shift the Overton window” – the idea of what is acceptable to discuss in politics – in Australia.
“Sure Bernie means a Green New Deal for Americans, but it also means someone in the White House who cares about taxing big corporations. It means a reversal of neoliberalism … That has engaged me and it has engaged tens of thousands of people around the world.”
In Michigan, Stephenson says the reason he supports Warren is a similar belief in bold, and thus potentially global, change.
“I like her because she has guts,” he says. “She is just fearless and that is what I admire in leaders, people with real moral convictions.
“It’s been really inspiring,” he says. “I have learned a lot about how progressive politics works. And one day I imagine I will move back to Australia, and I am really excited to take what I have absorbed into progressive communities in Australia.”


theguardian--2020-02-22--Twitter suspends pro-Bloomberg accounts over 'platform manipulation'

Twitter has started suspending and restricting dozens of accounts posting content promoting the Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg .
“ We took enforcement action on about 70 accounts , which includes a combination of permanent suspensions and account challenges to verify ownership , ” a Twitter spokeswoman said .
The action was first reported by the Los Angeles Times .
Twitter said the accounts violated its platform manipulation and spam policy , which prohibits coordination among accounts to amplify or disrupt conversation .
This can refer to creating several accounts to post duplicative content but also includes “ coordinating with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engagement or amplification , even if the people involved use only one account ” .
“ We ask that all of our deputy field organizers identify themselves as working on behalf of the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign on their social media accounts , ” said Sabrina Singh , a Bloomberg campaign spokeswoman , adding that content “ shared by staffers and volunteers to their network of friends and family ” was “ not intended to mislead anyone ” .
The billionaire ’ s campaign , which has been pouring unparalleled amounts of money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of digital organizers to support the candidate , including by pushing content to their own social media channels .
The Wall Street Journal reported that these organizers in California receive $ 2,500 a month to promote Bloomberg ’ s candidacy through actions such as posting on social media to their own networks .
This month , a paid partnership between the former New York mayor ’ s campaign and popular Instagram meme accounts pushed Facebook to announce it was allowing US-based political candidates to run branded or sponsored content on its social networking @ @

Twitter has started suspending and restricting dozens of accounts posting content promoting the Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg.
“We took enforcement action on about 70 accounts, which includes a combination of permanent suspensions and account challenges to verify ownership,” a Twitter spokeswoman said.
The action was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Twitter said the accounts violated its platform manipulation and spam policy, which prohibits coordination among accounts to amplify or disrupt conversation.
This can refer to creating several accounts to post duplicative content but also includes “coordinating with or compensating others to engage in artificial engagement or amplification, even if the people involved use only one account”.
“We ask that all of our deputy field organizers identify themselves as working on behalf of the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign on their social media accounts,” said Sabrina Singh, a Bloomberg campaign spokeswoman, adding that content “shared by staffers and volunteers to their network of friends and family” was “not intended to mislead anyone”.
The billionaire’s campaign, which has been pouring unparalleled amounts of money into online advertising, is hiring hundreds of digital organizers to support the candidate, including by pushing content to their own social media channels.
The Wall Street Journal reported that these organizers in California receive $2,500 a month to promote Bloomberg’s candidacy through actions such as posting on social media to their own networks.
This month, a paid partnership between the former New York mayor’s campaign and popular Instagram meme accounts pushed Facebook to announce it was allowing US-based political candidates to run branded or sponsored content on its social networking platforms.