democrat

Why We Do This

I was posed a question over Christmas. It was respectful and well-meaning, but the gist of it was, “Why do you bother to do this? You’re no expert, and sometimes you’re wrong.”

And that’s perfectly true: I have no degree in political science, nor even one in journalism. From time to time I’ll make a mistake — sometimes an egregious one. It’s even possible that the entire premise of an article might be completely off-base. These are all quite valid points, and it’s worth remembering them when you read: I might be wrong.

On the other hand, it’s occasionally possible everyone else is wrong.

(more…)

F&L 2020: It’s Not Over

It’s not over yet, people.

No, not the Presidential race, though to be sure we’re still working through some of the process. Instead, let us consider the Senate: presently deadlocked at 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats, with a probable two seats up for runoff elections in Georgia.

Republicans don’t seem to have quite realized yet that the Democrats are probably going to win both seats.

(more…)

Fear and Loathing: Bernie Sanders Drops Out

I’m warning you up front:  This is not news.  It’s a biased opinion piece.  The only news is that Bernie Sanders has ended his presidential campaign.

Read anyway.  It’ll be good for you, and you might even learn something. (more…)

F&L: The Secret Of PersistPAC

Now that the news has broken (props to Lee Fang of The Intercept), it’s finally OK for me to write this.  It’s been killing me for weeks, knowing that I’d never get confirmation.

A week before Super Tuesday, the big news was the formation of two SuperPACs designed to inject life into campaigns that had started to founder:  PersistPAC and (more…)

F&L: Tulsi Gabbard Suspends Campaign

I thought it would never happen.  Either Gabbard or Yang was going to stay in way too long and then endorse Sanders, was my prediction.  And now they’ve both let me down.

I mean, yeah, sure, nobody could have predicted the election would pivot to be about the Coronavirus.  Taking down Trump I can see, and I even anticipated that the Democratic establishment would fear a Sanders presidency even more than a Trump (more…)

F&L: Going Into Super Tuesday

It’s here.

Tuesday’s vote will decide who stays in the race and who goes home.  It may decide who comes out of July’s convention as the final candidate.  In that sense, it’s quite possible it may determine our next president.  I cannot overstate the importance of this primary event.

On the other hand, common wisdom has it that, as always, The Fix Is In.  There’s (more…)

F&L: What To Watch In South Carolina

This may seem like a minor state contest, but in the greater scheme of things it’s vital.  The entire D.N.C. conceit of identitarian politics is being tested today, and we’ll get to watch in real time. (more…)

Fear and Loathing: The Conspiracy Against Sanders?

Most of what I write that’s not Gonzo satire is fact, or as close to it as I can come.  In this case it’s different; the entire topic is subjective, and what we’re discussing here is entirely about motives and speculation.  All I can tell you is what I’ve been told, what I’ve read, and what I’ve extrapolated from other sources; there’s some (more…)

Fear & Loathing: Yes, Nevada Is A Caucus

What you need to know going into today:  Nevada is a caucus state, but different from Iowa.  Every state is different, of course, but Nevada is very different.  And I’m not just talking about the prostitution laws, although that does hit politicians very close to home; no, they do everything differently here in the Sagebrush State.

To begin with, it’s a closed caucus; only registered party members can vote.  Which would matter (more…)