From the left (can’t immediately find the wsws or counterpunch or whatever article) and from the studious, we get a reasonable if cynical analysis: Bloomberg got what he wanted. Hell, as much as we see Elizabeth Warren in her denouement crow the salvaging arc that she toppled Bloomberg — the problem there was that as cutting as her take down was, in her absence the message would have still carried by the other candidates — so obvious is Bloomberg’s unpalatability to the Democratic electorate it wouldn’t take much to bring it to the surface — his brief campaign probably did some harm to Warren and provided a diversionary foil so Joe Biden could perform adequately on the debate setting. The one concern if I were Bloomberg or those democrats pleading for his money is that his showing his face has made his money a tad more toxic so republicans running against them can now point to the “bought”. I am not sure why Biden wouldn’t have told Bloomberg that the best way he could help him is to when making his exit speech, not endorse. Please.

Jim Clyburn offers an interesting suggestion on the retail faltering of Biden, that he came off script due to the criticism of footage of his getting too close in personal relations with girls and women scanning more darkly these days. Like a man blind-sided by a feminist barking at him for holding the door for her, and so over responding by letting doors slam. He must… loosen up… But… Controlled.

If nothing else, Biden shall henceforth keep his hands to himself to not spread cornavirus.

The thing about Bernie Sanders, as I scan the “i do not like joe biden” tagline at twitter, and the confluence of the block political history comparisons… Sometimes lamely conceived as with “supporter of American Imperialism” / “opposes American Imperialism” (not the terminology that will sway the American electorate, even for popular anti-war causes… and do we dare note Trump is signing American troops out of Afghanistan?) …

So, sitting there is… Urm?… A gun control measure Biden opposed in the 90s… As too Obama era immigration policy…

ER… Sanders is not passing your partisan purity tests here… Here we have some cultural markers that helped Sanders historically over-perform democratic vote tallies in his rural state… It is to his detriment, really, as we get boxed in on any restrictive measures whatever is rhetorically tagged as racism.

Then we have Biden in the 1980s on abortion. Surely you jest. Yeah, and I guess you hold California Governor Ronald Reagan up as the model of liberalizing state abortion laws. Meanwhile, Bernie — to criticism in the Nation magazine — was campaigning for an anti-abortion candidate in Nebraska. I think well and good to do so, but by standards of the red rose twitter socialists, not.

No, I am not a fan of Biden, — and on that great “electability” thing it is six of one and half a dozen of the other on these two — but… To read the red rose Sanderistas’ whole sale takes… is to make a case for him. Hell, I see a critical assessment of his wife shouting “it’s okay” to him at the take-down of the anti-dairy protester rushing the stage as part of the mental breakdown at dusk narrative. Be… More… Selective, freaks.

Everyone enjoying this presidential election?  Satisfied with our exciting array of candidates and issues tackled?  No?  Yeah, I didn’t think so.  Confirming my unease at the last election, my thought that frankly the 2012 general election choice was as good as it was going to get and not bad — 2016 was the election from Hell, and … maybe the new norm.

I note that this piece was written at a time when Sanders appeared hearing to the nomination, and though the writer’s libertarian-ish bent colors some things, the main theme of “one election from Hell after another” stands.  I imagine the exit would be that the dnc power structure holds off the approaching aoc socialist hordes one last time, in a Democratic party delegation top heavy with olds.

The resignation of Chris Matthews is interesting.  I tend to blow past most of the “looking lovely tonight” comments — not good, but largely manageable — and leave totally aside the supposed patronizing grilling of Elizabeth Warren — strike me as reasonable queries to a politico — and not on one particular especially obnoxious moment — I am sure it’s in the clippings of the man– I think any reasonable person would highlight it as the worst moment of sexual discomfort.  And though it was not the main reason for his resignation, it didn’t help — his hot take comparing Bernie Sanders after the Nevada Caucuses and his relations with the Democratic Party establishment as that of Nazi Germany taking Vichy France — having to tell the Brits “it’s over”.  We can now point out regardless of whether the equation was appropriate, it was wrong.  Or, more to the point, Biden’s Marionette Line held.  He had resources, and a strategy And theory of the electorate that proved to work.

And why wouldn’t it?  The nominating election coming down to the two most familiar names.  A certain small d democracy there — they’ve been cultivating their voting networks for some time one way and another for the past decade and some time more and are able to withstand downturns as flashes in the pan rise momentarily above them.  In Joe Biden’s case, he ends up the last one standing for the mass of voters who, quite frankly, are not wanting big R Revolution, the rhetorical bombast of Bernie Sanders and his bros, whatever the meaning of his platform — a political candidate who came into the nominating process envisioning a path to victory with a steady 30 percent of the electorate, got a ways with it but when came time to expand — refused to try.  (and made it too damned easy to root against him). so, Yesterday on twitter, the hashtag “idonotlikejoebiden” was launched and trended, the redoubt of Sanders supporters who flick in and out of having valid points — there are some things that need refuting, some things that need porortionalizing and contextualizing, and some things I’ll nod in agreement –, but mostly are just yelling at themselves.  (Controversies of the insulated online variety,, with the “to the gif maker” line of arguring –I have to point to Michael Ian Black’s take on “Facts as Life” as being reasonable, and apt to be said in a different manner by, say, Susan Feludi.) A feeling of resentment grows that an Establishment is screwing them, contradictory arguments pop in — Obama supporters next to red socialist flag iconed Obama and capitalism opponents — the “so, why hasn’t Obama endorsed, eh?” ( Never mind, as all the “dnc conspiracy” tropes posit — he basically just did.  The trouble is staring at the ahistoric shrill populations — the voters of my candidate’s opponents infected with a false conscousness, apparently — if only they knew KNEW they’d vote RIGHT… slaves to the establishments’ conspiring to FORCE them at gunpoint to vote for their jackass… Otherwise, what can one say when you claim to have “the people” — in elections where the people say otherwise?

In the wake of Pete Buttigieg’s announcement of suspension of campaign, all the candidates jumped aboard twitter, enthused on what a super campaign he made and brought so much to the campaign and now for all his supporters and voters, they should now vote for them. The most antsy opponent, Klobucher clearly thinking he benefitted from male privilege and a woman with as light a record could never be taken seriously — seemed aware of the awkwardness of her statement and deflected to praise of Buttigieg’s delightful husband — dropping a name I had to look up.

We have no idea how close Klobucher was to pulling the plug. As it were, her campaign ended inauspiciously — not a bang, but a whimper — activist disruption and enacting the hecklers’ veto in bad faith — and a poorly attended campaign rally.

The last notes of the Buttigieg campaign seemed almost cookie cutter scripted– apparently they were able to find the one caucus goer unaware he was gay and switching her vote according to this new knowledge. Serving, I suppose, to confirm the belief among those queer activists that, damned if he’s not gay enough — sliding firmly into the satisfied with gay rights participation in our society as opposed to, apparently Marsha Gessen’s overarching goal of gaying our society. We won’t make real progress until the football season doesn’t dominate tv ratings and… Show tune competitions do? What the gummint’s supposed to do to accomplish this feat, I would not know.

A final pilgrimage to Jimmy Carter. Which, to be sure, makes some sense — a privilege of running for president within earshot of the time of the Georgia primary is you can arrange to meet with the non politicized reverant president, who is happy to meet with any of them. And I half suspect that that was the reason this floated into the ether. But read the damned thing more carefully. First of all he was accepting of civil unions, conflating it with marriage. I never made the mistake, but did understand it as a way station whose logic could not stand up against marriags. Secondly, he is coming out for your religions’ rights to refuse — a matter in the eyes of, Beto O’Rourke most explicitly but random editorials and current progressive stalwarts — aoc — will fuminate on. I don’t know where we sit with tax implications for churches not performing same sex marriages beyond o’Rourke, but the logic is clear beyond that in current court cases, and the effect is Jimmy Carter’s once progressive stance is now reactionary.

Funny, Klobuchar — expediting any twitter jump around by announcing an endorsement of Biden– resulted in the twitter hashtag cry out for warren to drop out and endorse Sanders already. Hm. No opportunistic reason to praise the man she seemed to seethe at just a tad a few weeks’ back?