Donald J. Trump’s 2020 election strategy is to connect his potential Democratic opponents with “socialism.” Trump plans to use this attack on the Democrats even if Senator Bernie Sanders, who proudly calls himself a “democratic socialist,” doesn’t become the presidential nominee (Sanders has been decisively re-elected in Vermont).
The graphic above shows the 45 members of the House who signed on to a vague statement of support for the Green New Deal. But now that AOC is actually getting ready to introduce a formal bill-- although some of the details are still sketchy and up for negotiation-- there are far fewer members... at least so far. The first members of Congress to sign on as co-sponsors:
Yesterday, The Washington Post introduced us to a sad new feature of its 2020 coverage, The Post 2020 Power Ranking. Karen Tumulty, the moderator, noted that her "pick for the most interesting candidate-to-be is Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
A lot of voters-- voters who don't know rich people, I always thought-- were impressed with Trump's claims that because he was so rich he wouldn't be susceptible to taking bribes and being a crook.
Progressives think Obama could have done more-- much more-- to further the legitimate economic interests of the American working class. Others think he did as much as he could under the political constraints in Washington. His record is a mixed bag. Yesterday, the unemployment continued its downward trend, dipping to 5.6%, the best numbers since Bush tanked the economy in 2008...in fact, the best numbers since Bill Clinton was president.
The poll last week by NBC and the Wall Street Journal confirmed that most Americans support a progressive vision of our country beyond what the fractured, sclerotic Beltway Establishment Democrats have the guts to push-- and on another planet from the reactionary Republican vision of a mean, crabbed country divided in perpetual class war. 82% want to lower the cost of student debt. 75% want to spend more money on infrastructure. 65% want to raise the minimum wage.
The word on the street: rigged. It's certainly the central theme of what we're hearing from Elizabeth Warren-- and has a lot to do with why voters in Massachusetts replaced Wall Street's favorite senator with her. Yesterday we read, watched and listened to Nick Hanauer warn his fellow billionaires of the dangers inherent in too much and too blatant rigging.
