2019 dem primary debates

[dank69]

Sure, your BP pills are cheap, but wait until that high blood pressure causes you to have your first heart attack. Wait until that high cholesterol causes you to need a bypass. Wait until that diabetes causes you to have a skin ulcer that won't heal. Then you are suddenly hit with tens of thousands in medical bills.

Preventive medical is fairly cheap. It is the crisis intervention that bankrupts you. Half of what we are trying to do with Medicare-for-all type plans is get people to do preventative medicine more regularly.

The ACA prioritized preventative medicine, too. I'm just saying that it has nothing to do with why our system is fucked. Living perfectly healthy doesn't prevent accidents and doesn't always prevent things like heart attacks and doesn't prevent cancer all that much. Our costs are not high because of unhealthy people. The idea that it is, is insane. Living an unhealthy lifestyle just increases the odds that you will need an already expensive procedure.

 

[hal2kilo]

There's a limit to personal accountability when a) you get lied to your entire life, b) an industry has no real requirement to not lie to potential customers, and c) an industry has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research on how to sell things to people, and get them to continue buying what you're selling.

Hell, my generation grew up on the concept of a food pyramid that was injected into the US Govt via the Agriculture industry, which stated (shockingly) that ~half your caloric intake should be from bread and grains.

Thank Big Ag for why we are so unhealthy.

 

[Moonbeam]

Buttigieg had a brief moment to deliver that answer. He's been quite a bit more specific about what he means by that in the past. Also, IIRC every single candidate, or most of them, at one time or another, talked about the money in the system last night, not just Sanders.

I'm not really sure who these replies to my concern about a single minded focus on money in politics are supposed to reassure, me or the people replying to me. I warned last election that Sanders was more likely to beat Trump than Clinton was, as did some smallish number of other Democrats. Nobody listened them and I see no reason that anything would change. What I can say is that the Death of Democracy in America, were it not for the fact I have nicely recovered from hopelessness and lose of faith, would make me insanely angry, maybe even sufficiently to put dank to shame, and there is one candidate above all others that when he speaks, I hear echoes of that rage. That would of course be, what do we call him, the old man yelling at clouds? God help he who knows what he feels, because there is one thing that is avoided above all else and it is anybody who reminds of what those feelings may be. If you want to be rational and appeal to the intellect, you should never make waves. Emotions, yuck, they make me sick.

I pity the pascifist with knowledge, because they likely suppress an impulse to kill everybody they meet where they stand. I got lucky. My father claimed to be 200% American because he hated everybody equally. So whatever it is that I feel, I know I'm a patriot.

 

[dank69]

I'm not really sure who these replies to my concern about a single minded focus on money in politics are supposed to reassure, me or the people replying to me. I warned last election that Sanders was more likely to beat Trump than Clinton was, as did some smallish number of other Democrats. Nobody listened them and I see no reason that anything would change. What I can say is that the Death of Democracy in America, were it not for the fact I have nicely recovered from hopelessness and lose of faith, would make me insanely angry, maybe even sufficiently to put dank to shame, and there is one candidate above all others that when he speaks, I hear echoes of that rage. That would of course be, what do we call him, the old man yelling at clouds? God help he who knows what he feels, because there is one thing that is avoided above all else and it is anybody who reminds of what those feelings may be. If you want to be rational and appeal to the intellect, you should never make waves. Emotions, yuck, they make me sick.

I pity the pascifist with knowledge, because they likely suppress an impulse to kill everybody they meet where they stand. I got lucky. My father claimed to be 200% American because he hated everybody equally. So whatever it is that I feel, I know I'm a patriot.

Warren absolutely has all those same echoes of rage.

 

[Bitek]

This cannot be stated enough. I feel like a candidate really needs to start talking about this. I really think people have forgotten the power we wield over who gets to "rule us". We could easily vote out anyone that doesnt do what the people demand when their next vote cycle comes up. They would get the hint pretty quick that "we the people" are not fucking around anymore.

Yeah. There is absolutely problems with donations, gerrymandering and the structure of the EC.

However, only talking about that seems to shift the responsibility for our democracy away from the voters onto officials and politicos to fix it for us.

Come on. All those soldiers who gave their lives to ensure democracy, all the activists that gave their time and energy, marched, and were beaten/killed sometimes... And then we have majorities that can't bother to take some time on one day every two years to honor that sacrifice, but do have time to bitch on FB or Twitter?

Only way change will be made is when voters get out and use their power. There are no superheros to save us.

 

[DrunkenSano]

Warren absolutely has all those same echoes of rage.

I agree, Warren has the same rage. However, I believe Bernie is even more to the left than Warren.

 

[hal2kilo]

I agree, Warren has the same rage. However, I believe Bernie is even more to the left than Warren.

Which virtually makes him unelectable.

 

[dank69]

I agree, Warren has the same rage. However, I believe Bernie is even more to the left than Warren.

Probably, but probably not by much. The important thing is that we weed out anyone who will not treat the money in politics as the most important issue right now. Moonbeam likes Sanders because he thinks Sanders is the most effective at getting Americans to understand that.

 

[feralkid]

Biden is just too old. His age will be a real detriment in the general election. By the time the election comes around he would be the oldest President we have ever elected. The nation as a whole is a bit reluctant to elect people that should have retired a decade ago, and Democrats in specific are not going to get excited about yet another old white dude. Every time he says 'Change!' we are going to wonder if he is talking about his Depends.

That's a pretty superficial and agist commentary...would you ever describe some of the other candidates as "Too Black, Too Gay, or Too Female", and end it with a joke about watermelon or maxi-pads?

 

[IronWing]

Biden is too old.

 

[vi edit]

That's a pretty superficial and agist commentary...would you ever describe some of the other candidates as "Too Black, Too Gay, or Too Female", and end it with a joke about watermelon or maxi-pads?

President of the United States is one of the single most meaningful, stressful and taxing positions a person can assume. Age and decline of mental and physical faculties are a *REAL* concern here.

 

[Lanyap]

I was confused too on this.

I'm never sure when they say trans woman, do they mean a man appearing as a woman, or a woman that's being trans, and appears as a man?

Either way, they seem to be a population I'd not guess as having a strong abortion access need.

Yes, it can be confusing. I always have to stop and think about which way it goes.

Transgender man gives birth to a boy

 

[feralkid]

President of the United States is one of the single most meaningful, stressful and taxing positions a person can assume. Age and decline of mental and physical faculties are a *REAL* concern here.

Which is why I called the commentary "superficial". No actual proof of any mental infirmity we should be concerned with, no citation of any specific incidents of bad policy decisions due to his health, just cheap, ageist assumptions without any specifics. That is a form of bigotry.

 

[dank69]

President of the United States is one of the single most meaningful, stressful and taxing positions a person can assume. Age and decline of mental and physical faculties are a *REAL* concern here.

Depends on how much executive time you budget. Ignoring briefings, watching cable news, and tweeting from the crapper doesn't seem to be slowing our illustrious leader one bit.

 

[dank69]

Which is why I called the commentary "superficial". No actual proof of any mental infirmity we should be concerned with, no citation of any specific incidents of bad policy decisions due to his health, just cheap, ageist assumptions without any specifics. That is a form of bigotry.

Saying the first thing he would do as President is "make sure we defeat Donald Trump" does not inspire confidence in his mental acuity.

 

[vi edit]

Which is why I called the commentary "superficial". No actual proof of any mental infirmity we should be concerned with, no citation of any specific incidents of bad policy decisions due to his health, just cheap, ageist assumptions without any specifics. That is a form of bigotry.

And I'll simply disagree. Age and decline in ability is a reality. He chose to enter into the race. Not me. He is not a sharp sounding or confidence instilling candidate. Color and gender do not affect ability, rather electability which is an entirely different thing. One could call those superficial.

 

[nakedfrog]

Wait, did we just find a Biden supporter? I didn't know they were real.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Yeah. There is absolutely problems with donations, gerrymandering and the structure of the EC.

However, only talking about that seems to shift the responsibility for our democracy away from the voters onto officials and politicos to fix it for us.

Come on. All those soldiers who gave their lives to ensure democracy, all the activists that gave their time and energy, marched, and were beaten/killed sometimes... And then we have majorities that can't bother to take some time on one day every two years to honor that sacrifice, but do have time to bitch on FB or Twitter?

Only way change will be made is when voters get out and use their power. There are no superheros to save us.

It isn't the whole problem. The nation has never before been so divided into smaller segments that disagree with each other. There is no single candidate that is going to make everyone happy in this new digital age. Even now, we're talking about voting for ANYONE who isn't Trump, or at the very least ANYONE who isn't GOP. That's not the way democracy is supposed to work. Even if you think you have power, you don't. It's temporary at best.

 

[IronWing]

Wait, did we just find a Biden supporter? I didn't know they were real.

Biden's a nice enough guy and pretty damn smart but he's too old.

 

[Brainonska511]

I'm still kinda of pissed getting Al Frankin pushed out of the Senate. She got that ball rolling.

Al Franken was a creep who was groping his constituents. He needed to go. You can't find some other middle aged democratic white guy from Minnesota to replace him?

 

[nakedfrog]

Biden's a nice enough guy and pretty damn smart but he's too old.

I can find no fault in this statement.

 

[Ken g6]

The idea that the problems with our health system stem from environmental issues is nothing short of ludicrous. It doesn't help things in an already shitty system but you could erase all environmental and behavioral factors today, right now, and our healthcare system would continue to be shit in every way.

I would not say that fixing environmental issues will help our health system significantly. I would say that if we don't fix our environmental issues, our health system and pretty much everything else except maintaining our democracy will look insignificant by comparison.

 

[dank69]

I would not say that fixing environmental issues will help our health system significantly. I would say that if we don't fix our environmental issues, our health system and pretty much everything else except maintaining our democracy will look insignificant by comparison.

No doubt. Climate change and environmental issues should be near the top of everyone's priorities, but getting money out of government will make solving those issues, and most of our other issues much more achievable.

 

[SMOGZINN]

That's a pretty superficial and agist commentary...would you ever describe some of the other candidates as "Too Black, Too Gay, or Too Female", and end it with a joke about watermelon or maxi-pads?

I apparently was not very clear. With that last comment I was trying to point out the problems he will face as a candidate, especially against someone like Trump that has no problem flinging mud.

I do personally think that age is a serious problem for any presidential candidate. It is a stressful job, one that requires a lot of stamina, because it is basically always on 24/7 for at least 4 years. Just like I would worry about someone in a wheelchair applying to be a firefighter, I think that we have to look at his age and ask if he is really up to the realistic demands of the job? It is a fair question, as is asking how it will be used against him in a campaign.

 

[soundforbjt]

Well, if we go by age, Warren and Bernie are old as well.