| | | | Bernie Sanders tries to go mainstream(ish) |  | | On Wednesday, Bernie Sanders gave a much-touted (by his campaign) speech that had a simple goal: Make the idea of democratic socialism less scary -- and less politically fraught -- to the average person.
Sanders used the speech to cast democratic socialism as separate and apart from the sort of socialism tried unsuccessfully in Europe, a philosophy in which economic rights are inseparable from human rights.
"It is my very strong belief that the United States must reject that path of hatred and divisiveness -- and instead find the moral conviction to choose a different path, a higher path, a path of compassion, justice and love," Sanders said. "It is the path that I call democratic socialism."
Sanders also quoted a former Democratic president to defend himself from attacks -- both in the past, the present and the future -- on his democratic socialist roots. "Socialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years," Sanders said, quoting Harry Truman's words. "Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people."
Whether or not the speech works in reframing how people (and especially Democratic voters) think about democratic socialism remains to be seen. But the very fact that Sanders gave this sort of "Democratic Socialism 101" address speaks to the clear differences between his 2016 quixotic, outsider campaign against heavy favorite Hillary Clinton and his more mainstream(ish) and viable candidacy for the presidency this time around.
Sanders simply did not engage on the topic of his beliefs -- at least in this same sort of high-profile, coordinated way -- during the 2016 campaign. There were lots of reasons for that, but one big one was that Sanders was running more of a cause than a campaign. He wanted to prove a point -- and stick it to the establishment that was trying to coronate Clinton. Winning wasn't the goal, at least when the campaign started.
The decision to give this democratic socialism speech speaks to the fact that Sanders 2020 is a far different endeavor from Sanders 2016. In this race, Sanders isn't a long shot -- he's leading the pack of candidates trying to chase down former Vice President Joe Biden. He has a credible chance at being the nominee in 2020 and, given where President Donald Trump's poll numbers stand, a real chance of being president.
To do that, Sanders knows he has to change how people regard the idea of democratic socialism. This speech was a big swing to do just that.
The Point: Sanders is becoming much more of a political pragmatist as he sees the possibility of actually winning the nomination. Can he convince people he wouldn't be too extreme as president (or even as the Democratic nominee)? We shall see.
-- Chris | | "I don't think I changed anything of what I said because there was nothing to change"
-- Donald Trump Jr. emerging from his second behind-closed-doors meeting with the Senate Intelligence Committee. Since the Mueller report release, questions remain about discrepancies between the report and Trump Jr.'s testimony. | | |
JUSTIN AMASH SMELLS TROUBLE | | Michigan Rep. Justin Amash wasn't much of a household name before his recent rebranding as a high-profile critic of President Donald Trump and the only Republican member of Congress to say Trump has committed impeachable offenses.
Since then, the President has blasted Amash as "a loser for a long time," and several top Republican officials have pushed back against the congressman's stance. Amash has also abandoned the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
When Amash returned home to his district to face voters, he was met with bouts of applause and a standing ovation at a town hall. But could his seat in Congress be in trouble?
A new poll out of Michigan's 3rd Congressional District shows that Amash is polling 16 points behind his pro-Trump primary opponent, Jim Lower.
CNN polling guru Harry Enten says it wouldn't be surprising if a primary challenger defeated Amash next year. Especially after Amash has voted with the President only 62% of the time over the last two terms, when the typical Republican votes with him 93% of the time.
"Trump's numbers today suggest that a Republican member of Congress is committing political suicide if he comes out against the Republican President. This is especially the case given the area Amash represents," Enten says. | | | Truth Hurts by Lizzo is the new summer anthem of self-love and acceptance. As this Oprah Magazine piece says: It's Lizzo's world, and we're all just lucky to live in it. | | Virginia's newest likely member of the state Senate has an, um, interesting backstory.
Joe Morrissey, who ousted incumbent Sen. Rosalyn Dance in the Democratic primary on Tuesday night, was forced to resign his seat in the state House in 2014 after a misdemeanor conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Also in his past: at least two fistfights and an election loss due to an indictment on charges of bribery and perjury.
No Republican has filed to run against him in the general election.
In recent months, the state's Democratic governor and attorney general, who are white, admitted they had donned blackface in the 1980s. The state's lieutenant governor is facing accusations of sexual assault from several women, which he's denied.
All stayed in office. | | | Deepfake As defined by CNN's Donie O'Sullivan, who covers disinformation and cybersecurity:
Deepfake videos are created using artificial intelligence technology. Often deepfakes involve mapping the face of one person onto the other, and they can be used to make it look like someone said something they didn't really say.
Unlike traditional video manipulation, with deepfakes, artificial intelligence means that computers do all the hard work in figuring out how to make a fake video look most convincing.
Sometimes videos that have been edited using traditional techniques are mischaracterized as deepfakes. The manipulated video of Nancy Pelosi, for instance, was made using simple video editing software that has been around for years -- it wasn't a deepfake. CNN's Brian Stelter called it a "dumbfake."
CNN has a big explainer on the Pentagon's race against deepfakes, which includes more information about the (terrifying!) new technology. | |  | | From Brenna: "TFW you get really excited about something and have to tell your friends not to judge you for your enthusiasm. Rep. Debbie Dingell feels you. Share The Point with someone cheering on the US women's soccer team." | | | | | | |
Post a Comment