In a wide-ranging quarantine <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/style/larry-david-curb-your-enthusiasm-coronavirus-psa.html">interview</a> with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, Larry David, co-creator of “Seinfeld” and creator and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” said that it’s time for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to drop out of the Democratic presidential primary.
“I feel he should drop out,” David said.
<blockquote>Because he’s too far behind. He can’t get the nomination. And I think, you know, it’s no time to fool around here. Everybody’s got to support Biden.</blockquote>
David is also known to many for his uncanny impersonation of the Vermont senator on “Saturday Night Live.” David first appeared as Sanders on “SNL” during the 2016 Democratic primary between the senator and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. David was brought back to the stage after Sanders announced his candidacy for the 2020 nomination.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, “at least 15 states and one territory have postponed or otherwise extended their presidential primaries,” according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/states-shelve-primary-contests-now-coronavirus-shuffles-2020/story?id=69713829">ABC News</a>. The Democratic National Convention has also been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/finally-dnc-moves-democratic-national-convention-to-august">delayed</a>, moving from its initial mid-July date to sometime in August.
All of this has stalled what was a roaring comeback for the Joe Biden campaign, which, prior to the former vice president’s landslide victory in South Carolina in late-February, was looking bleak.
Following his win in the Palmetto State, Biden whipped up enough enthusiasm to score victories in 10 of the 14 Super Tuesday states, gaining the upper hand on rival Sanders. Biden also went on to win eight more races in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Florida prior to most other primaries being postponed.
As of publication, Joe Biden has 1,217 delegates, and Sen. Bernie Sanders has 914. To clinch the Democratic nomination at the convention, a candidate must have 1,991 pledged delegates.
Despite Sanders’ increasingly narrow path to the nomination, as well as pressure from the media, the senator has refused to bow out of the race.
On Wednesday, Sen. Sanders told Whoopi Goldberg of “The View” that he wasn’t dropping out:
<blockquote>Last I heard, people in a democracy have a right to vote and they have a right to vote for the agenda that they think can work for America, especially in this very, very difficult moment. We are assessing our campaign, as a matter of fact, where we want to go forward.</blockquote>
The senator went on to speak about his work on the next proposed COVID-19 stimulus legislation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bernie Sanders on staying in the race: “Last I heard, people in a democracy have a right to vote and have a right to vote for the agenda that they think can work for America, especially in this very, very difficult moment. We are assessing our campaign.” <a href="https://t.co/XqBZIxsIGR">https://t.co/XqBZIxsIGR</a> <a href="https://t.co/WPNsidZQ7f">pic.twitter.com/WPNsidZQ7f</a>
— ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1245379379108220928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
According to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html">RealClearPolitics</a> national polling average, Joe Biden leads Bernie Sanders by 20.5 points (56% to 35.5%). Although the polling isn’t as fresh, Biden leads Sanders by a 22.5-point margin in <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/oh/ohio_democratic_presidential_primary-6873.html">Ohio</a>, he leads Sanders by an 11.5-point margin in <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/pa/pennsylvania_democratic_presidential_primary-6860.html">Pennsylvania</a>, and he leads Sanders by an 18.3-point margin in <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/wi/wisconsin_democratic_primary-6848.html">Wisconsin</a>.
The <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/elections/betting_odds/democratic_2020_nomination/">betting odds</a> also give Biden a seemingly insurmountable lead with 83.9 points. Sanders actually comes in fourth place with 5.2 points behind New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (6.3 points) and Hillary Clinton (6 points), neither of whom are running for president.

Larry David as Bernie Sanders

Larry David To Bernie Sanders: ‘Drop Out,’ We Need To ‘Support Biden’

2020 Election

Bernie Sanders

Democratic Party

Joe Biden

Larry David

Yesterday, former president Barack Obama sent out a tweet scolding President Trump and tying the coronavirus pandemic to climate change.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic,” Obama wrote. “We can&#8217;t afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall.”
Along with this tweet was a link to an LA Times article about the Trump Administration curtailing some of the Obama Administration’s vehicle emissions standards. Obama’s point is that, in his opinion, a failure to take governmental action against climate change will have the same sort of effect as Trump’s initial failure, in his opinion, to take governmental action against the coronavirus.
Obama here is hammering on a now familiar theme. Many media outlets have attempted to link the one thing with the other. A recent article in Time, titled “5 Lessons From Coronavirus That Will Help Us Tackle Climate Change,” argues that one crucial lesson is that “global challenges require systemic changes – changes that can only be activated by government or companies.”
The article continues: “But they also require individual behavioral changes. We need both. We have seen over the past few weeks that governments can take radical action and we can change our behavior quite quickly.”
Al Jazeera has connected the two issues more directly. “The coronavirus outbreak is part of the climate change crisis,” an op-ed on the news outlet’s website declared this week. We’re told that “these sweeping and unprecedented measures taken by the government and international institutions” to curb the virus should cause us to “wonder about another global emergency that needs urgent action – climate change.”
“In fact, one may argue that the pandemic is part of climate change,” it goes on. “And therefore, our response to it should not be limited to containing the spread of the virus. What we thought was ‘normal’ before the pandemic was already a crisis and so returning to it cannot be an option.”
I could marshal other examples, but hopefully the point is clear. The Left is arguing that the governmental response to the coronavirus should serve as a model for the government’s response to climate change. Phrases like “systemic changes” and “sweeping and unprecedented measures” are being used, in a positive sense, to suggest a path forward in our mortal struggle against the weather. Those of us who, historically, have not been so keen on the government doing things that are “sweeping” and “systemic” should take note and be wary.
It seems at this point very likely that the next Democratic president will use the precedents being set right now to justify dramatic infringements on our liberties for the sake of fighting the climate change bogeyman, or any number of other real or imagined threats. The government projected that millions would die from the coronavirus and used that as a justification for effectively suspending the Bill of Rights, locking millions of Americans in their homes, forcibly closing millions of businesses, relegating entire sectors of the workforce to the unemployment line, arresting pastors, quarantining whole cities, and banning people from walking outside unless they do so for an approved reason. Many Americans have cooperated approvingly with these measures, despite the fact that they are destroying our economy and bringing us closer and closer to a crash and eventual depression unlike anything we’ve yet seen. It does not take a fortune teller to detect where this might go next.
If the government’s “projections” and “models” are reason enough to take this sort of action, then what happens when the government, under a Democratic president, projects the end of all life on Earth unless extraordinary things are done to avoid armageddon? On what basis can those of us who endorse the current shutdown of American society “to save millions of lives” really object when a similarly drastic program is put in place &#8220;to save billions of lives&#8221;? If the government can issue declarations that shutter, in many cases permanently, tens of millions of small businesses, why can’t it issue declarations dismantling industries that, it will say, contribute to climate change and thus the apocalypse? 
Those of us who support these shut downs will be in quite a bind. We will not be able to argue that the government in principle should not, or does not have the power to, toss free enterprise into the wood chipper along with the Bill of Rights, and seize dictatorial control of our civilization. We will have already ceded such power to it. Instead, all we will be able to do is debate whether it is actually true that climate change poses that kind of threat. But the government will have the “consensus of the scientific community” on its side. And that will settle that, for all intents and purposes.
There are other possibilities, just as plausible, or nearly so. Imagine a future Democratic regime that declares gun violence a national emergency and public health crisis, and summarily orders the confiscation of all “assault weapons” or hand guns. Those of us who obediently support the effective suspension of the First Amendment, even up to the arrest of pastors who hold worship services, will have little ground to stand on when we protest the effective suspension of the Second Amendment. If the one is negotiable and mutable, why not the other?
When I objected yesterday to the arrest of pastors, many self-professed conservative Christians reprimanded me, insisting that I am putting lives at risk by questioning the State&#8217;s authority and motivations in this matter. I was also told, repeatedly, that churches &#8220;don&#8217;t need to meet&#8221; because they can always stream the service online. True, they don&#8217;t need to. You also don&#8217;t &#8220;need&#8221; that &#8220;assault rifle&#8221; in your house. A handgun or shotgun is fine for home defense. You don&#8217;t need it. Stop being difficult. Is your silly gun more important than human life?
You will respond that it isn&#8217;t about &#8220;need,&#8221; and no matter how many mass shootings are carried out with the style of weapon you own, you still won&#8217;t give it up. You would be right to respond that way. But the people who are willing to forfeit the First Amendment based on &#8220;need&#8221; will have a hard time explaining why they shouldn&#8217;t do the same with the Second. All they will be able to do is argue that gun violence is not actually a health crisis or an emergency, or that they do need their gun for whatever reason. Once again, though, the consensus of smart and powerful people will win the day. We will have nowhere else to go, no other argument to turn to. The most powerful argument – that the government in principle should not have the power to take these actions, even if there really is a crisis – will no longer be available. We will have forfeited it. We are forfeiting it, right now, as we speak.
Or what if a future New York Governor Ocasio-Cortez, enjoying the support of a Democrat-run federal government, decides that the refusal of certain churches in her state to perform gay weddings is its own emergency because of the mental and emotional damage it does to the gay couples who suffer from it? Can she close those places of worship until they pledge to end their bigoted practices?
If these possibilities seem wholly implausible to you, I would suggest that you haven’t been paying very close attention to the rhetoric and language these people use when making their case. They have been setting the stage for this kind of power grab for many years now. But the coronavirus response, and its passive acceptance by many Americans, has made what was once only likely seem now inevitable.

Dem Donkey

WALSH: We Are Setting A Dangerous Precedent That Future Democrat Administrations Will Almost Certainly Exploit

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Democrats

First Amendment

freedom of religion

President Trump said Tuesday that his response to coronavirus was not affected by his impeachment trial in the Senate — but said Democrats were.
The virus, known as SARS-CoV-2, was first detected in Wuhan, China on Dec. 1, according to Chinese officials. Trump&#8217;s Senate trial began Jan. 16, a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signed the articles of impeachment with more than a dozen commemorative pens.
The first <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2001191">diagnosis</a> of the virus in the United States was Jan. 20. Trump&#8217;s 20-day trial ended Feb. 5 with his acquittal.
During his impeachment trial, the Trump administration created a coronavirus task force, which occurred on Jan. 27. Two days later, Trump chaired a meeting of the task force, which is now led by Vice President Mike Pence. On Jan. 31, the president enacted a travel ban on China, blocking all entries from the country, a move criticized by many Democrats. And on Feb. 4, he mentioned coronavirus in his State of the Union address.
Pelosi later tore Trump&#8217;s speech in half.
Democrats, meanwhile, had done little. On Feb. 5, the day Trump was acquitted, Democrats held a hearing, but only in a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Still, they have pointed out that Trump initially downplayed the virus, at one point saying it was already contained in the U.S.
In a radio interview, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was asked by host Hugh Hweitt: &#8220;In your experience in the Senate, was Senator [Tom] Cotton the first one to say &#8216;Hey, Leader, hey Mitch, this is a deadly situation that I do not trust to the Chinese?&#8217; Was he first?&#8221;
Said McConnell: &#8220;He was first, and I think Tom was right on the mark. And it came up while we were tied down on the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government, because everything every day was all about impeachment. But Tom figured this out early, and he was absolutely right.&#8221;
On Tuesday, during the daily coronavirus task force press conference at the White House, Trump was asked, &#8220;Did [impeachment] divert your attention, or your team’s attention?&#8221;
Trump gave a lengthy response.
&#8220;Did it divert my attention? I think I’m getting A-pluses for the way I handled myself during the phony impeachment, OK? It was a hoax. But certainly I guess I thought of it. And I think I probably acted — I don’t think I would have done any better had I not been impeached, ok? I think that’s a tribute to something. Maybe it’s a tribute to me. But I don’t think I would have acted any differently, or I don’t think I would have acted any faster. But the Democrats, their whole life, whole being, their whole existence was to try and get me out of office any way they can, even if it was a phony deal — and it was a phony deal,&#8221; he said.
In his radio interview, McConnell also criticized Pelosi for “inserting herself” into Senate negotiations on the recently passed coronavirus stimulus bill.
“The way I thought it would work best would be for those of us in the Senate to try to get started on a bipartisan basis and we were doing really quite well, as you may recall, until the Speaker of the House decided to insert herself into the process,” the Senate leader said. That, he said, &#8220;created a couple of days of unnecessary partisan sniping.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buy-american-trump-announces-more-affordable-car-rule-hits-obama-politically-correct-companies">‘Buy American!’: Trump Announces ‘More Affordable’ Car Rule; Hits Obama, ‘Politically Correct’ Companies</a>

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP-SOTU

Trump On Coronavirus Response: I Wasn’t Distracted By Impeachment — But The Democrats Were

Donald Trump

Impeachment

Nancy Pelosi

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) unloaded on Senate Democrats on Monday for continuing to play partisan games in trying to reach an agreement for a massive stimulus bill to provide relief to American families and the economy.
It had looked like the two sides were going to come to an agreement on Sunday to move the proposed $1.8 trillion stimulus bill along in the process until Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-democrats-block-coronavirus-bill-that-provides-lifeline-to-economy-families">ruined</a> talks.
&#8220;It was one party — the Democratic Party saying to this chamber and the American people, ‘Hell no. We won&#8217;t even take this up and discuss it,’&#8221; Cruz said on the Senate floor. &#8220;At a time of crisis, at a time when people are dying, that&#8217;s wrong. That&#8217;s shameful.&#8221;
He added, &#8220;When we awakened this morning following the Democrats&#8217; obstruction, worldwide, there were 372,563 reported cases of the coronavirus. In the hours since then, just today, there have been an additional 23,352 cases reported today. While the Democrats are blocking the bill 23,000 new cases today.&#8221;
&#8220;In the United States, when we started this morning, there were 35,224 cases this morning. Right now, as of the latest numbers, there are 41,708 cases in the United States today,&#8221; Cruz continued. &#8220;That means we&#8217;ve had an additional 6,484 four cases today, while the Democrats are blockading.&#8221;
Cruz noted that Senate Democrats were not even in the chamber as he talked because they had all left.
&#8220;They&#8217;re not showing up for work,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;They&#8217;re not doing their job.&#8221;
&#8220;In the United States, as of this morning, there were 471 deaths reported due to coronavirus. As of right now it&#8217;s 573,&#8221; Cruz continued. &#8220;That means today 102 Americans died while the Democrats were blocking consideration of this bill.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Just today, while Democrats obstructed efforts to deliver more relief to the American people, There were at least 6,484 new cases in the US. There were at least 102 deaths in the US. There was another death in TX.
Our nation does not have time for Dems’ petty partisan games. <a href="https://t.co/8RWLfErK5H">pic.twitter.com/8RWLfErK5H</a>
&mdash; Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1242269852494159874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>The New York Times headline moments afterwards said, ‘Democrats block $1.7 trillion stimulus bill.’ Of course that headline had the fault of being accurate and so within minutes the New York Times changed it to ‘Democrats block $1.7 trillion stimulus bill, citing worker concerns.’ That was headline number two. But then apparently the partisan leanings in the New York Times were too strong for that, and so they revised it a third time to say, ‘Partisan division halts discussion of the bill.’
No, it wasn&#8217;t a partisan division. It was one party &#8211; the Democratic Party saying to this chamber and the American people, ‘Hell no. We won&#8217;t even take this up and discuss it.’ At a time of crisis, at a time when people are dying, that&#8217;s wrong. That&#8217;s shameful.
When we awakened this morning following the Democrats&#8217; obstruction, worldwide, there were 372,563 reported cases of the coronavirus. In the hours since then, just today, there have been an additional 23,352 cases reported today. While the Democrats are blocking the bill 23,000 new cases today.
In the United States, when we started this morning, there were 35,224 cases this morning. Right now, as of the latest numbers, there are 41,708 cases in the United States today. That means we&#8217;ve had an additional 6,484 four cases today, while the Democrats are blockading.
And by the way where are the Democrats? C-Span doesn&#8217;t show this whole chamber often, but it&#8217;d be nice if they did because that entire side of the chamber is empty. They&#8217;re not showing up for work. They&#8217;re not doing their job.
In Texas this morning, there had been 668 cases. As of right now, there are 722 &#8212; 54 more cases today while the Democrats are blocking consideration of this bill.
How about deaths? As we look at this crisis, there are people right now gasping for breath. You and I, we have friends who have been diagnosed with this disease. We’ve read stories, we’ve talked to people who have struggled under it.
I heard from one individual, who is hospitalized right now, that breathing felt like a belt strapped across his chest. That he could barely breathe.
As of [now], worldwide, there have been 16,381 deaths. This morning it was only 15,308. That means today, while the Democrats have been blocking this bill, 1,073 additional people died.
In the United States, as of this morning, there were 471 deaths reported due to coronavirus. As of right now it&#8217;s 573. That means today 102 Americans died while the Democrats were blocking consideration of this bill.
In Texas, as of this morning, there had been eight deaths. Now there are nine. One Texan died while half this chamber refused to show up and do their job.
Now this morning when we voted again, we saw the first signs of cracks as one Democrat, Senator from Alabama, who had voted ‘no’ yesterday decided this morning, ‘well, maybe we should take up the bill.’ One. One Democrat. Where are the rest? There are a lot of Democrats who like to hold themselves out as moderate Democrats. Where are they?
Right now what the Democratic leadership is doing is they&#8217;re playing games. They&#8217;re playing games in a way that is irresponsible.
&nbsp;</blockquote>

Senate Holds Hearing On Role Of Aviation In Containing Spread Of Infectious Disease

Cruz Highlights How Many Americans Have Died Today While Democrats Block Spending Bill

Ted Cruz

On Monday, President Trump slammed The New York Times for changing the headline of its story about Democrats blocking the coronavirus stimulus bill, asserting that it did so to &#8220;satisfy the radical Left.&#8221;
Trump wrote, &#8220;The New York Times changed headlines 3 times in order to satisfy the Radical Left. What should have been a good story got &#8216;worse &amp; worse,&#8217; until the headline alone made it very unfair. Fake &amp; Corrupt News that is very dangerous for our Country!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The New York Times changed headlines 3 times in order to satisfy the Radical Left. What should have been a good story got “worse &amp; worse”, until the headline alone made it very unfair. Fake &amp; Corrupt News that is very dangerous for our Country!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242095933296443395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The article in question dealt with Senate Democrats voting against a stimulus package that would provide checks to Americans.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-times-changes-headline-about-democrats-blocking-coronavirus-stimulus">The Daily Wire</a> reported earlier on Monday, the original headline for the article read: “Democrats Block Action on $1.8 Trillion Stimulus.” But then the Times changed the headline to read, “Democrats Block Action on Stimulus Plan, Seeking Worker Protections,” eschewing any notion that the Democrats were acting in a partisan fashion. The Times appeared to change the headline yet once again, this time to “Partisan Divide Threatens Deal on Rescue Bill,” which elided the fact that Democrats were responsible for the failure of the bill. The Daily Wire noted, “The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/us/politics/coronavirus-economic-rescue-plan.html">headline</a> at the time of this writing reads, “Emergency Economic Rescue Plan in Limbo as Democrats Block Action,” which posited that Democrats blocked the bill as they were “seeking stronger protections for workers and stricter rules for bailed-out businesses.”
Last August, President Trump ripped the Times after it changed its headline of its front-page story on his televised statement responding to the horrific mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-calls-out-nyt-changing-headline-after-james-barrett?ref=patrick.net">reported</a> at the time, “In his prepared remarks on Monday, Trump condemned white supremacy and all forms of racial hatred, called for Americans to come together, and urged congressional leaders to work toward bipartisan solutions to help prevent future tragedies.”
Trump had stated:
<blockquote>The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online, consumed by racist hate. In one voice our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul … We cannot allow ourselves to feel powerless. We can and will stop this evil contagion. In that task, we must honor the sacred memory of those we have lost, by acting as one people. Open wounds cannot heal if we are divided. We must seek real bipartisan solutions — we have to do that, in a bipartisan manner — that will truly make America safer and better for all.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire continued, &#8220;The Times initially gave its coverage of Trump&#8217;s speech the headline &#8216;TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM,&#8217; as shown in a preview of Tuesday&#8217;s edition circulated online.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/50277/democrats-blast-nyt-after-outrageous-trump-speech-james-barrett">The Daily Wire</a> added, &#8220;After a flood of complaints from the Left, including several Democratic presidential hopefuls, the Times altered the headline to &#8216;ASSAILING HATE BUT NOT GUNS.'&#8221;
Trump responded with a Twitter thread in which he wrote:
<blockquote>&#8220;&#8216;Trump Urges Unity Vs. Racism,&#8217; was the correct description in the first headline by the Failing New York Times, but it was quickly changed to, &#8216;Assailing Hate But Not Guns,&#8217; after the Radical Left Democrats went absolutely CRAZY!&#8221; &#8220;Fake News — That’s what we’re up against&#8230;&#8221;</blockquote>
Trump quoted former Bill Clinton advisor Mark Penn asserting, &#8220;This is an astounding development in journalism. I’ve never seen it happen before, I’ve just never seen anything like this! Is that journalism today? I don’t think so!&#8221;
&nbsp;

White House Coronavirus Task Force Holds Daily Briefing

Trump Blisters NY Times After Times Changes Headline About Democrats Blocking Coronavirus Stimulus Bill

New York Times

On Monday, some pranksters took advantage of an opportunity provided them by the Democratic Party to change the Democrat logo on the Google results page for “Democratic Party” from the traditional donkey to a rat.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇺🇸 — OK! Someone changed the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Democratic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Democratic</a> Party’s logo on google to a rat. <a href="https://t.co/KC7NnB7lrX">pic.twitter.com/KC7NnB7lrX</a>
&mdash; BELAAZ (@TheBelaaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBelaaz/status/1239686467280080902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As <a href="https://www.bizpacreview.com/2020/03/17/google-responds-after-democrat-party-logo-in-search-changes-from-donkey-to-a-rat-898149">BizPacReview</a> notes, “The apparent hack remained in place for at least 90 minutes before being corrected by Google’s emergency responders.” <a href="https://mashable.com/article/google-knowledge-panel-democratic-party-rats/">Mashable</a> pointed out “Google&#8217;s so-called Knowledge Panel which, on Monday afternoon, displayed a multicolored rodent in all its red-white-and-blue glory.”
Google’s Knowledge Panel is an information box sitting to the right of search results. Google <a href="https://support.google.com/knowledgepanel/answer/9163198?hl=en">explains</a>:
<blockquote>Knowledge panels are information boxes that appear on Google when you search for entities (people, places, organizations, things) that are in the Knowledge Graph. They are meant to help you get a quick snapshot of information on a topic based on Google’s understanding of available content on the web.
Knowledge panels are automatically generated, and information that appears in a knowledge panel comes from various sources across the web. In some cases, we may work with data partners who provide authoritative data on specific topics like movies or music, and combine that data with information from other open web sources … Knowledge panels are updated automatically as information changes on the web, but Google also considers changes in two main ways: directly from the entities depicted in the knowledge panel, and from general user feedback.</blockquote>
Mashable quoted a Google spokesperson who stated that Google was not to blame, the Democratic Party was because they hadn’t claimed their “Knowledge Panel. The spokesperson said, “Most images in Knowledge Panels are automatically generated from pages on the web. When errors are reported, we fix them quickly. We encourage people and organizations to claim their Knowledge Panels, which allows them to select a representative image.”
BizPac Review wrote, “It’s not known who may have manipulated the Knowledge Panel result, or if in fact it was some kind of random, algorithmic, karmic retribution for an incident in 2018 in which Nazism was listed on a Google Knowledge Panel as the ideology of the California Republican Party.”
<a href="https://www.history.com/news/how-did-the-republican-and-democratic-parties-get-their-animal-symbols">History.com</a> delineates the history of the Democratic Party and the donkey symbol:
<blockquote>The origins of the Democratic donkey can be traced to the 1828 presidential campaign of Andrew Jackson. During that race, opponents of Jackson called him a jackass. However, rather than rejecting the label, Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812 who later served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, was amused by it and included an image of the animal in his campaign posters. Jackson went on to defeat incumbent John Quincy Adams and serve as America’s first Democratic president. In the 1870s, influential political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize the donkey as a symbol for the entire Democratic Party.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.americanheritage.com/cartoonery">American Heritage</a> adds:
<blockquote>Nast’s donkey (or “jackass” as it was known then) first appeared in Harper’s Weekly on January 15, 1870, kicking a dead lion. Published barely a month after the sudden death of Lincoln’s former Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, the cartoon was a scathing invective against the Democratic, “Copperhead” press (named for its snakeish insidiousness), which was abusing Stanton’s memory. Nast’s cartoon, entitled, “A live jackass kicking a dead lion,” suggested the reverse of the old proverb, “A live ass is better than a dead lion.”</blockquote>

30 Days Until Election At Hillary Clinton Campaign Office In Arlington, VA

Pranksters Replace Google’s Democratic Party Donkey Logo With A Rat

Google

On Monday, the executive director of the Illinois Democratic Party admitted that the number of volunteers for Tuesday’s primary election <a href="https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/487822-illinois-democratic-party-executive-volunteers-drop-out-during-coronavirus">has plunged</a> because of the coronavirus. Mary Morrissey told Hill.TV, “That is the biggest crisis in terms of the election right now is we need election judges. It’s critical that we have election judges tomorrow.” She stated, “In terms of efforts to protect volunteers and protect workers, the election authorities have made sure that the workers have gloves, that there’s hand sanitizer.”
Morrissey said “one of the biggest challenges for the election authorities” was that nursing homes typically used for polling places were unavailable, although the fact that schools had closed permitted more use of them as polling places.
On Monday, just after Illinois State Board of Elections announced that unlike Ohio, Illinois would hold the primary as scheduled, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, asserted, “We have to have our elections continue, in my opinion. This is the right thing to do. Our democracy needs to go on. If we cancel these elections, when would you have an election? I feel good about the decision to have the election go on tomorrow. We do believe it’s safe. We’ve certainly consulted experts, and we think that the election will go on just fine,” as <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2020/3/16/21182302/pritzker-election-illinois-coronavirus">The Chicago Sun-Times</a> reported.
Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois electoral board, said the reason the primary would remain was that much early voting had been completed 504,000 early votes had been cast and 294,000 mail ballot were sent to voters. He stated, “At this point, there is no date in the foreseeable future when we can expect greater safety with any certainty,” adding, “in-person voting is a comparable transaction to picking up a takeout restaurant order or shopping at a grocery store.”
Prizker said, ““There really have not been large crowds in many places at any given moment,” surmising that time spent at polling places “isn’t very much.”
The <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-presidential-primary-20200313-kbzljlpa6jcarmq2xtptstj2gm-story.html">Chicago Tribune</a> noted:
<blockquote>There are 155 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July coming out of Illinois — 101 of them to be selected by primary voters from throughout the state’s 18 congressional districts, and 54 decided by the statewide results. Big wins by Biden in Illinois, as well as Florida, Ohio and Arizona, which also vote Tuesday, could all but make Sanders mathematically ineligible to overtake the former vice president in the race for the 1,991 convention delegates needed to win nomination.</blockquote>
The Tribune added that it was “imperative for Sanders to make a stronger showing in the Chicago suburbs than four years ago, encouraging support not only from women voters but also generating a larger turnout among his younger supporters who in earlier states have not shown up in the record numbers he promised.”
John Jackson, a visiting professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, <a href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/one-thing-coronavirus-hasn-t-canceled-illinois-primary-election#stream/0">opined</a>, “The pattern for us on Tuesday night will look a great deal like Michigan last Tuesday night. That similarity with another big urban, manufacturing and agricultural state leads me to believe that the outcome will be very similar in Illinois.” He said he thought Biden could win every single county in Illinois, adding, “The momentum has made a huge difference, there’s no question. [Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders] just got clobbered in Michigan.”

Voters Cast Their Ballots for Presidnetial Elections

Illinois Primary That Could Help Seal Deal For Biden Losing Tons Of Volunteers

Illinois

On Saturday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger postponed the Democratic primary election, which was scheduled to take place on March 24, over concerns regarding the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
Secretary Raffensperger <a href="https://twitter.com/gasecofstate/status/1238976499186896896?s=21">posted the following</a> on Twitter: “I believe it is necessary and prudent to suspend in-person voting in the Pres Pref Primary, &amp; the local elections associated with them, &amp; resume in-person voting for those elections as part of the already scheduled May 19 Gen Primary.”
In a press release, Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia Nikema Williams <a href="https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/secretary_of_state_raffensperger_postpones_the_presidential_preference_primary">said</a>:
<blockquote>Our priority is to protect the health and safety of all Georgians and to ensure that as many Georgians as possible have an opportunity to vote. &#8230; Continued in-person voting could compromise both goals. Georgians who have already cast their vote in person or by mail for the March 24 primary will be able to vote again in the May 19 primary for the elections already scheduled for that date. If Georgians who have already cast their vote for the March 24 primary do not vote again in the May 19 primary, their votes for the presidential preference primary will still count.</blockquote>
Georgia is the second state to postpone their Democratic primary in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/louisiana-gov-postpones-democratic-primaries-due-to-coronavirus-bans-gatherings-of-250-or-more-including-worship-services">executive order</a> postponing the state’s Democratic primary by two months, moving it from its scheduled April 4 date to June 20.
So far, 24 states and several territories have cast their votes in the Democratic presidential primary, which has been effectively winnowed to a race between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Although Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) remains in the race with a single delegate, she has no real path to the nomination.
The next primaries are set to take place on Tuesday in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio. Together, those states carry 577 delegates.
According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Biden leads Sanders in Florida by a staggering 42 points (65.4% to 22.6%). In Arizona, Biden leads Sanders 48% to 25.5%, and in Illinois, Biden leads Sanders 60% to 30.5%.
There has only been one recent poll in the state of Ohio, so the data isn’t as reliable, but according to that poll, Biden leads Sanders 57% to 35%.
Nationally, Biden stands tall with 54.4% support compared to Sanders’ 35.4% and Gabbard’s 2.3% support, according to <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html">RealClearPolitics</a>.
The next Democratic debate, which was set to take place on Sunday in Arizona, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/politics/cnn-univision-debate-arizona-dc/index.html">has been moved</a> to Washington, D.C., and will feature no audience due to coronavirus concerns.
CNN reports that in a statement, DNC communications director Xochitl Hinojosa <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/politics/cnn-univision-debate-arizona-dc/index.html">said</a>: “Out of an abundance of caution and in order to reduce cross-country travel, all parties have decided that the best path forward is to hold Sunday&#8217;s debate at CNN&#8217;s studio in Washington, D.C., with no live audience.”
As of Saturday, Joe Biden leads in the delegate count with 890, while Sanders has 736. In order to secure the nomination outright, a candidate needs 1,991 delegates by the end of the primary/caucus process.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/louisiana-gov-postpones-democratic-primaries-due-to-coronavirus-bans-gatherings-of-250-or-more-including-worship-services">Louisiana Gov Postpones Democratic Primaries Due To Coronavirus, Bans ‘Gatherings Of 250 People Or More,’ Including Worship Services</a>

Voting booths

Following Louisiana, Georgia Postpones Democratic Primary Amid Coronavirus Concerns

Georgia

On Friday, Louisiana’s Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order postponing the state’s Democratic primary by two months due to growing fears related to the spread of the coronavirus.
The executive order <a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/ExecutiveOrders/No.27-Additional-Measures-Covid-19-Public-Health-Emergency.pdf">reads in part</a>:
<blockquote>In an effort to reduce and limit the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana, and to preserve the health and safety of all members of the public, all gatherings of 250 people or more between Friday, March 13th, 2020 and Monday, April 13th, 2020 shall be postponed or canceled. This applies only to gatherings in a single space at the same time where individuals will be in close proximity to one another. It does not apply to normal operations at locations like airports, medical facilities, shopping centers or malls, office buildings, factories or manufacturing facilities, or grocery or department stores. This provision may be extended beyond Monday, April 13th, 2020 by further order.</blockquote>
Louisiana was scheduled to hold its Democratic primary on April 4. CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/louisiana-postpones-democratic-primary-over-coronavirus-the-first-state-to-do-so.html">reports</a> that “the state will push its presidential nominating contests back to June 20 from the planned date of April 4, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced Friday.”
Louisiana is the first state to move the date of its primary in response to the coronavirus, reports the <a href="https://apnews.com/8e7c2334a3b6bf49d107973a6718254e">Associated Press</a>.
During a press conference, Edwards offered updates on the state’s number of cases, and prescribed best practices for the general public, as well as the elderly.
The governor noted that the executive order does indeed pertain to churches with more than 250 parishioners.
“This prohibition does apply to churches and houses of worship with congregations that exceed 250 in a single service,” Edwards stated. “However, churches and places of worship can engage in multiple services and bring the number of people in them below 250.”
The governor explained why the decision was made, saying:
<blockquote>It is important, and this is probably the one time a week where we know that the most number of elderly people and people with chronic health conditions are sitting in pews next to others for at least an hour. And so while it’s a very heavy decision, it was one that was deliberate to include churches&#8230;</blockquote>
Edwards said that “this is in keeping with guidance from the CDC on community spread &#8230; to limit the spread of COVID-19” in order to flatten the curve of cases so as not to overwhelm the medical system.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6lApU5I1-HA?start=192" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
In a press release pertaining to the election, Edwards <a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/2406">said</a>:
<blockquote>The number of presumptive positive cases in our state is constantly increasing, and we want to make certain that we have maximum participation by all voters regardless of their age and health conditions. &#8230; The majority of our poll workers are older Louisianans who are among the most vulnerable to this virus along with those who have chronic health conditions. It’s necessary that we take every precaution to protect the health and safety of our people, and this is a serious situation that demands serious action. This was also a recommendation made by an in agreement with Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin. This is a rapidly changing situation, and we will respond appropriately to protect our citizens.</blockquote>
During the earlier press conference, Edwards urged residents of Louisiana to be “responsible citizens and good neighbors” in these difficult times.
According to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-map-confirmed-cases-2020-n1120686">NBC News</a>, which cites its own reports, as well as data from the “World Health Organization, state government leaders, and health officials,” as of publication, the coronavirus has infected more than 135,000 people worldwide, leading to over 5,300 deaths.
China has the bulk of the cases at more than 80,000. Italy has the second highest number of cases at approximately 17,660. The United States, according to NBC News, has 2,150 confirmed cases with 49 deaths.
On Friday, President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-unleashes-full-power-of-u-s-government-to-fight-coronavirus">declared</a> a national emergency to help combat the virus.

Voting

Louisiana Gov Postpones Democratic Primaries Due To Coronavirus, Bans ‘Gatherings Of 250 People Or More,’ Including Worship Services

John Bel Edwards

According to multiple reports, former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2019/01/29/andrew-gillum-joins-cnn-as-a-political-commentator/">CNN contributor</a> Andrew Gillum was allegedly involved in a drug overdose situation in a Miami Beach hotel that police say included &#8220;suspected crystal meth.&#8221;
The police report, first obtained and reported on by the <a href="https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/andrew-gillum-in-alleged-meth-incident-in-miami-beach-police-say-11594094">Miami New Times</a>, describes an emergency call that involved multiple men who first responders believed to be suffering from possible drug overdoses, among them Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee who lost to Republican Ron DeSantis in the hotly contested 2018 gubernatorial race.
The incident report names &#8220;Andrew Gillum&#8221; as one of the men involved, and a source with knowledge of the incident confirmed to the Miami New Times that the date of birth given for Gillum matches the identifying information on the report. The Miami New Times reports:
<blockquote>Per the documents, Miami Beach police responded to a cardiac-arrest distress call just before 1 a.m. at the luxe Mondrian South Beach hotel. When two MBPD officers arrived, they noted that Miami Beach Fire-Rescue was already on scene treating a man named Travis Dyson for a possible drug overdose, but he was in stable condition.
The officers stated that one of the men involved in the incident, Aldo Mejias, had lent Dyson his credit card information to rent a hotel room yesterday. The two men were supposed to meet later that day. Mejias told the officers that he arrived at the hotel room around 11 p.m. yesterday. Mejias said Dyson opened the door and then immediately collapsed on a bed and started vomiting. Mejias said he began giving Dyson CPR and called 911.
In the meantime, Mejias said Gillum was inside the hotel room &#8220;under the influence of an unknown substance.&#8221;</blockquote>
The police report states that upon arriving Meijas says he &#8220;observed Mr. Gillum inside the bathroom vomiting.&#8221;
After the responding officers spoke with Mejias, the report states, they &#8220;attempted to speak to Mr. Gillum,&#8221; but &#8220;Mr. Gillum was unable to communicate with officers due to his inebriated state.&#8221;
The officers say they &#8220;observed in plain site three small clear plastic baggies containing suspected crystal meth on both the bed and floor of the hotel room,&#8221; the report states.
When Miami Beach Fire-Rescue went to the hotel later that night for a wellness check, responders said Gillum appeared to have recovered.
&#8220;Gillum left the hotel room and returned to his residence without incident,&#8221; the report states.
Police say the incident is not being treated as a criminal matter, the New Times reports.
UPDATE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/andrew-gillum-responds-to-report-that-he-was-involved-in-alleged-crystal-meth-incident">Andrew Gillum Responds To Report He Was Involved in Alleged Crystal Meth Incident</a>
Full text of the <a href="https://images.miaminewtimes.com/media/pdf/oi_2020-21902_redcated_copy_2.pdf">incident report</a> narrative section below (formatting adjusted):
<blockquote>ON 03/13/2020, OFFICERS GOMEZ (2033) AND MALDONADO (2030) RESPONDED IN EMERGENCY MODE TO 1100 WEST AVENUE ROOM #1107 IN REFERENCE TO A CARDIAC ARREST.
UPON ARRIVAL, MIAMI BEACH FIRE RESCUE (#11) WAS ON SCENE PROVIDING TREATMENT TO TRAVIS DYSON (PATIENT). MIAMI BEACH FIRE RESCUE ADVISED OFFICERS THAT MR. DYSON WAS BEING TREATED FOR A POSSIBLE DRUG OVERDOSE. HE WAS IN STABLE CONDITION BUT AS A PRECAUTION WAS GOING TO BE TRANSPORTED TO MOUNT SINAI FOR FURTHER MEDICAL TREATMENT (MBFR CASE #2020-4950).
OFFICERS THEN MADE CONTACT WITH TWO OTHER MALES WHO WERE INSIDE OF THE HOTEL ROOM: ALDO MEJIAS (COMPLAINANT) AND ANDREW GILLUM (INVOLVED OTHER). MR. MEJIAS STATED THE FOLLOWING TO OFFICERS:
MR. MEJIAS PROVIDED HIS CREDIT CARD INFORMATION TO TRAVIS DYSON TO RENT A HOTEL ROOM FOR THE NIGHT; MR. MEJIAS WAS TO MEET MR. DYSON LATER IN DAY. TRAVIS DYSON RENTED THE ROOM AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 HOURS ON 03/12/2020. MR. MEJIAS ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL AT APPROXIMATELY 2307 HOURS, WHERE HE DISCOVERED TRAVIS DYSON AND ANDREW GILLUM INSIDE THE ROOM UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE. PER MR. MEJIAS, MR. DYSON OPENED THE HOTEL ROOM DOOR AND IMMEDIATELY WALKED OVER TO THE BED AND COLLAPSED IN A PRONE POSITION. MR. MEJIAS OBSERVED MR. GILLUM INSIDE OF THE BATHROOM VOMITING. MR. MEJIAS STATED THAT HE OBSERVED MR. DYSON HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING, PROMPTING HIM TO WAKE HIM UP. MR. DYSON THEN BEGAN VOMITING ON THE BED AND IMMEDIATELY COLLAPSED AGAIN. MR. MEJIAS BEGAN CONDUCTING CHEST COMPRESSIONS ON MR. DYSON AND PROCEEDED TO CONTACT POLICE AND FIRE RESCUE.
OFFICERS THEN ATTEMPTED TO SPEAK TO MR. GILLUM. MR. GILLUM WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH OFFICERS DUE TO HIS INEBRIATED STATE.
MBFR (R1) RESPONDED A SECOND TIME TO THE HOTEL REFERENCE A WELFARE CHECK ON MR. GILLUM. FIRE RESCUE STATED THAT HE WAS IN STABLE CONDITION AND HIS VITALS WERE NORMAL (MBFR INCIDENT #2020-4952).
OFFICER PASCUAL (2049) RESPONDED TO MT. SINAI TO CHECK ON THE WELFARE OF MR. DYSON. THE REGISTERED NURSE AT MOUNT SINAI (JUDITH) STATED THAT MR. DYSON WAS CONSCIOUS AND IN STABLE CONDITION.
INSIDE OF THE HOTEL ROOM, OFFICERS OBSERVED IN PLAIN SIGHT THREE SMALL CLEAR PLASTIC BAGGIES CONTAINING SUSPECTED CRYSTAL METH ON BOTH THE BED AND FLOOR OF THE HOTEL ROOM.
THE THREE SMALL BAGGIES OF SUSPECTED NARCOTICS WERE IMPOUNDED AT THE MIAMI BEACH POLICE STATION PROPERTY AND EVIDENCE UNIT FOR DESTRUCTION.
GILLUM LEFT THE HOTEL ROOM AND RETURNED TO HIS RESIDENCE WITHOUT INCIDENT .</blockquote>

Andrew Gillum

Police Report: Andrew Gillum Involved In Alleged Crystal Meth Incident In Miami Beach

Florida

Ron DeSantis

As the impact of coronavirus grows, politics has not waned. Suffice it to say, none of this is helpful. And all of it is designed to polarize the country at a time we require concerted action.
Take, for example, the current Congressional negotiations over coronavirus appropriations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has packed her House bill with priorities having little or nothing to do with coronavirus. White House officials told <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/12/donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-coronavirus-stimulus-hyde-amendment-abortion-funding-white-house-allegations/">The Daily Caller</a> that Pelosi pushed for $1 billion to “reimburse laboratory claims,” which would not include barriers to funding for abortion clinics in the future – thus burying open-ended funding for abortion in a bill designed to save lives.
Pelosi’s bill would also include mandatory paid sick leave forced on private businesses – not as a temporary measure, but permanently. As Billy Binion of <a href="https://reason.com/2020/03/12/dems-want-to-combat-coronavirus-by-mandating-paid-sick-leave-for-stalking-victims/">Reason</a> points out, “businesses would be federally required to provide seven days of paid sick leave – with or without a pandemic.” In fact, the bill includes language that mandates paid sick leave “due to an instance pertaining to stalking, domestic violence, or sexual assault.”
Then there is former Vice President Joe Biden, who took the opportunity of coronavirus’ spread to make a speech laying out what his priorities would be as president. That speech was certainly an easy putt: all Biden had to do was point to Trump’s failures, then suggest that he could singlehandedly fix those failures without any practical specifics. And that’s precisely what Biden did: slam Trump, while providing no path toward the accomplishment of his wish list.
It was a foregone conclusion that Biden would slam Trump for being “overly dismissive” in the early days of the pandemic; it was a politically polarizing move to slam Trump for labeling COVID-19 a “foreign virus,” which it clearly is. It was similarly polarizing to slam the Trump administration’s decision to ban travel from Europe – a move that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases called “compelling,” adding, “Of the 35 or more states that have infections, 30 of them now, most recently, have gotten them from a travel related case from that region.”
Biden nonetheless stated, “banning all travel from Europe or any other part of the world may slow it, but as we’ve seen it will not stop it.” Technically true, but irrelevant: nothing will stop coronavirus now. The only question is how to flatten out the growth curve.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Congress, “The real risk in general right now, and this is why the president took the action he did last night, within the world now over 70 percent of the new cases are linked to Europe. Europe is the new China, and that’s why the president made those statements.”
And Biden naturally had words for Trump’s handling of the government overall:
<blockquote>Public fears are being compounded by pervasive lack of trust in this president, fueled by adversarial relationships with the truth that he continues to have. Our government’s ability to respond effectively has been undermined by hollowing out our agencies and disparagement of science and our ability to drive a global response is dramatically, dramatically undercut by the damage Trump has done to our credibility and our relationships around the world. We have to get to work immediately to dig ourselves out of this hole. And that’s why today we will combat and overcome the coronavirus.</blockquote>
This isn’t exactly rally around the flag type stuff. And no matter what Biden says about his strategy for overcoming coronavirus, he isn’t the president, and his words have no actual impact.
When Biden says, “anyone who needs to be tested based on medical guidance should be tested at no charge, at no charge,” he lays forth no plan for how these tests will be produced or distributed. When Biden explains that “we should make every person in a nursing home available for testing,” he offers no pathway toward realization of that goal. When Biden demands that “we need to surge our capacity to both prevent and treat the coronavirus and prepare our hospitals to deal with this influx of those needing care,” he offers no actual strategy for realization of that goal.
All of which means he’s playing politics. It’s obvious that we need more ICU beds, more testing kits, more funding for those who will be economically devastated by the sudden stop in the economy. But Biden’s words don’t accomplish any of that. They’re designed to elect him president. They very well might accomplish that goal.
In the meantime, Americans will grow more panicked, less trusting of authorities, more likely to act irrationally. Some of that is on Trump and his slapdash response to the crisis, obviously. A lot of it is due to a media and Democratic Party that aren’t looking to come together across the aisle and enact solutions on behalf of the American people.

COVID-19 And The Danger Of Polarizing Politics

Sen. Bernie Sanders really would be an easier candidate for President Donald Trump to campaign against in November. Sanders is so far left, with a history of burning bridges, that Trump and the Republican Party could easily and deservedly vilify him.
The American public got a taste of Sanders, the true believer in communist revolution, when he sat for an interview with Anderson Cooper on &#8220;60 Minutes.&#8221; Sanders praised Cuban dictator Fidel Castro for a literacy program after the Cuban revolution. Never mind that Castro also rounded up dissidents, engaged in mass murder and pulled his people into unending poverty. At least they could read how poor they were.
On Tuesday night, across the country, it appeared Democrats mostly rejected Sanders. In states Sanders won, former Vice President Joe Biden came close. In states like Virginia, where Sanders had been ahead in recent polling, Biden decisively crushed him. Sanders got a few good wins, including California. However, even California was closer than it should have been, and in Sanders&#8217; home state of Vermont, Biden drew closer than anyone expected he could.
Believe no pundit who said they saw the Super Tuesday results coming. On the morning of Super Tuesday, some polls showed Sanders winning 10 of the 14 states. While some votes are even now outstanding, it looks like Biden won 10 of the 14. In fact, Biden won Oklahoma, Minnesota and Massachusetts with very little campaigning in those states.
Massachusetts was really the most remarkable race. Polling and Democratic strategists predicted Sanders would beat Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Polling had consistently shown this; contrary to media advocacy for Warren, she is not very popular in her home state. Biden, however, was not a factor. Well, he was not a factor until he won the state.
Given Biden&#8217;s amazing rebound in South Carolina, a lot of knowledgeable pundits calculated he could get ahead of Sanders in delegates in the next two weeks. After Florida, Biden could dominate the race. No one saw Biden jumping ahead this past Tuesday. He now looks set to be the Democrats&#8217; nominee, barring an unforeseen event.
That is a good thing for the country. Super Tuesday was formalized by Southern Democrats in 1980 to stop the advance of Sen. Ted Kennedy against incumbent President Jimmy Carter, and Democrats have used it ever since to blunt the momentum of the far left in their party. They did it again this year.
While the Democratic Party continues to drift toward an eventual split between secular, rich, white voters and voters who are black or Hispanic, enough of their voters overall rejected a radical candidate. That is a good thing for the country. It is a recognition that the far-left socialist policies of Sanders and Warren are being rejected by minority voters within the Democratic Party. It is a recognition of the fact that a full government takeover of health care and other parts of the private sector are nonstarters. It is a recognition that &#8220;Medicare for All&#8221; will go nowhere. It is a recognition that the &#8220;Bernie Bros&#8221; are marginalized. It is the death of the Green New Deal.
The nation needs two mostly-sane political parties. While the Democrats will never acknowledge the GOP is sane under Trump, those of us who know better know it is and should be thankful the Democrats appear to be rejecting their insane fringe. That makes November a more difficult fight for the President. But at least it ensures, even if by accident, the country is spared a radical communist as a major party leader.
As a bonus, this will undoubtedly exacerbate the divisions within the Democratic Party between the radical left and the establishment. Lastly, if you cannot bring yourselves to applaud Democrats for rejecting a radical communist as their presidential nominee, at least applaud them for exposing their own lie. Democrats have told us Russians spent a few million dollars and stole the 2016 election for Donald Trump. If Mike Bloomberg could not buy the election with $500 million, it is even less plausible today to presume the Russians could steal it with far less.
To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Sen. Bernie Sanders

ERICKSON: Applaud The Democrats

Socialism

On Tuesday, former DNC head Donna Brazile told RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to &#8220;go to hell&#8221; for saying that the Democratic Party is trying to rig the primary against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Later, McDaniel responded to Brazile&#8217;s comments, saying she was &#8220;out of line.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s never fun to have your teenagers come home from school and say, &#8216;Hey mom you’re trending on social media because some woman said you should go to heck,&#8217; but that being said, politics is a contact sport, and I think she was out of line with her response,&#8221; said McDaniel, as reported by the <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/elections-2020/out-of-line-ronna-mcdaniel-fires-back-at-donna-brazile-for-telling-her-to-go-to-hell/ar-BB10JGAF?li=BBnb7Kz">Washington Examiner</a>. &#8220;Of course, we all recognize that the Democrats did put their thumb on the scale for Hillary Clinton in 2016 because of Donna, because of the book that she wrote, she exposed that.&#8221;
&#8220;I felt very in my lane saying that this is happening. I don&#8217;t think it’s something we can&#8217;t discuss, and I think her response was a little out of line and disproportionate to my comments earlier today,&#8221; added McDaniel.
On Tuesday, Brazile not only told McDaniel to &#8220;go to hell,&#8221; but also accused her and the Republicans of repeating &#8220;Russian talking points&#8221; in order to divide the Democrats.
“And for people to use Russian talking points to sew division among Americans that is stupid. So, Ronna, go to hell,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-former-dnc-head-donna-brazile-tells-gop-chairwoman-go-to-hell-twice-on-live-tv">Brazile exclaimed</a>, prompting some pushback from the hosts. “No, go to hell. I’m tired of it. We are not trying to prevent anyone from becoming the nominee. If you have the delegates and win, you will win.  This notion that somehow Democrats are out there trying to put hurdles or roadblocks before one candidate. That’s stupid.”
As to why Republicans were pushing this alleged narrative, Brazile said that the GOP is “scared” of the Democrats uniting to defeat President Trump in November while accusing them of practicing “foreign interference” by repeating “Russian talking points.”
“I know what’s going on, they are scared of Democrats coming together to defeat Donald Trump,” she said. “They need to be focusing on what we are focusing on in the Democratic Party, and that is preventing foreign interference in our election. Stop using Russian talking points, Madame chairwoman. Stop using it. It pisses me off.”
Later on Tuesday, Brazile said that she was speaking &#8220;truth to power.&#8221;
&#8220;Let me just say this: As long as I&#8217;m alive, I&#8217;m going to speak truth to power,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And I want to make sure that the chairwoman – I know what her job is like – but I want her to understand, to respect the process on the Democratic side &#8230; Democracy is messy, but do not tell the world that the Democratic Party is trying to rig it for one candidate.&#8221;
On Wednesday morning, during an appearance on &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends,&#8221; <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/donna-brazille-references-go-to-hell-drama-on-fox-and-friends-i-was-a-bad-girl-yesterday/">Brazile said</a> she was a &#8220;bad girl&#8221; and a &#8220;hot sister.&#8221;
“Now, let me just say this because I don’t want to be a bad girl today,” Brazile said Wednesday morning. “I was a bad girl yesterday because you know I’m a hot sister.”

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD &#8211; FEBRUARY 28: Ronna McDaniel, Chair of the

Ronna McDaniel Fires Back After Donna Brazile Says ‘Go To Hell.’ Brazile: ‘I Was A Bad Girl’

Donna Brazile

Ronna Romney McDaniel

In a rare moment of honesty about deception for a political figure, former Democratic congresswoman Katie Hill (CA) openly admitted in an interview with New York magazine that she was planning on lying about an adulterous sexual relationship with her then-campaign staffer that ultimately resulted in her resigning just days after it was exposed last October.
In the interview, Hill — who has repeatedly portrayed herself as the true victim of the #MeToo scandal, blaming her political downfall on right-wing critics — discussed her infamous &#8220;throuple&#8221; relationship with the then-staffer and her then-husband with Caitlin Moscatello back in December, telling her that initially her plan was to &#8220;just deny it.&#8221;
&#8220;You know, honestly, it was one of those things where it was like, Well, I&#8217;ll just deny it,&#8221; Hill told Moscatello, as reported in a lengthy profile piece published by <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2020/03/katie-hill-scandal-aftermath.html">The Cut</a> Monday. &#8220;[My former campaign staffer] is not accusing me of anything. She doesn&#8217;t want it to come out any more than I do.&#8221;
Moscatello pauses for a moment to point out the rarity of the admission. &#8220;Plenty of politicians lie, but it&#8217;s rare for one to tell a reporter it was her game plan,&#8221; she writes.
But as Moscatello highlights in succinct fashion, the exposure of Hill&#8217;s &#8220;throuple&#8221; relationship was only part of the problem for the progressive rising star:
<blockquote>
This was in early December as Hill scrambled to form a new life after photos of her — some of which she said were taken without her consent — were published online in mid-October. One shows Hill nude, brushing the hair of a junior female campaign staffer, Morgan (referred to here only by first name), in a hotel room. In others, there is Hill naked, holding a bong, with a tattoo of an iron cross — a Nazi-associated symbol used by white supremacists — near her groin; Hill and Morgan kissing. The articles accompanying them include private text messages among Hill, Morgan, and Hill’s estranged husband, Kenneth Heslep, detailing a three-way romantic relationship, as well as a claim by Heslep from a since-deleted Facebook post that Hill had had an affair with her male legislative director, Graham Kelly.
</blockquote>
While the hard evidence that she&#8217;d conducted an adulterous sexual relationship with a subordinate on her campaign staff was politically damaging, as was the Nazi-esque tattoo, the allegation that she&#8217;d been involved in a relationship that violated a new #MeToo-inspired congressional rule quickly became the more immediate problem, as Moscatello details:
<blockquote>
Hill released a statement denying the relationship with Kelly and accusing Heslep of spreading the rumor. The House Ethics Committee soon announced it would investigate the allegation related to Kelly (who also denied the relationship). If true, a relationship with Kelly would have violated a Me Too–era rule prohibiting members from having sexual relations with congressional staffers.
</blockquote>
Upon the announcement of the investigation, Hill issued an admission that she had in fact had an affair with her then-campaign staffer.
&#8220;I had to admit that, yes, I had this relationship with a campaign staffer,&#8221; Hill told Moscatello. &#8220;So, you know, I’ve admitted to that. And once you’ve admitted to that one thing, then it brings everything else into question.&#8221;
She <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/katie-hills-resignation-impacts-congressional-investigation-into-her">resigned</a> within days, suggesting to Moscatello that she made the decision because she wanted to save her staff, and the Democratic Party, from the potentially damaging ethics investigation. &#8220;I knew so much was still coming. The ethics thing, it was going to pull our office in, and specifically my staff in, in a really f***ed-up way.&#8221; (<a href="https://www.thecut.com/2020/03/katie-hill-scandal-aftermath.html">Read the full interview here</a>.)
<div class="teads-inread sm-screen">
As noted by the Free Beacon&#8217;s <a href="https://freebeacon.com/politics/media-darling-katie-hill-says-she-pllaned-to-lie/">David Rutz</a> in his coverage of the interview, Hill has continued to be a &#8220;media darling&#8221; even after her #MeToo scandal. &#8220;Since her scandal broke, Hill has been interviewed on Good Morning America, MSNBC&#8217;s All In with Chris Hayes, and CNN&#8217;s Reliable Sources,&#8221; Rutz notes. &#8220;She has also published an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/07/opinion/sunday/katie-hill-resignation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">op-ed</a> in the New York Times, and is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/books/katie-hill-she-will-rise-neon-literary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writing a memoir</a>. According to New York magazine, she dated Playboy writer Alex Thomas last summer and fall, but she now has a &#8216;new girlfriend.'&#8221;
</div>

Former Rep. Katie Hill

Katie Hill Admits She Planned To Lie About ‘Throuple’ Relationship Before Scandal Blew Up

Katie Hill

MeToo

President Donald Trump responded to the news that Democrat presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was dropping out of the race on Sunday by mocking Buttigieg&#8217;s failed campaign and saying that this was part of a larger plan by Democrats to block socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) from getting the nomination.
Trump tweeted, &#8220;Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play &#8211; NO NOMINATION, AGAIN!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play &#8211; NO NOMINATION, AGAIN!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1234263037110083587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Tim Murtaugh, Director of Communications for the Trump campaign, responded to the news by writing on Twitter, &#8220;Apparently insufferable condescension just wasn’t what voters were looking for.&#8221;
On Saturday, after Democrat presidential candidate Tom Steyer dropped out of the race, Trump tweeted, &#8220;Democrats are working hard to destroy the name and reputation of Crazy Bernie Sanders, and take the nomination away from him!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Democrats are working hard to destroy the name and reputation of Crazy Bernie Sanders, and take the nomination away from him!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1233976658572566529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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FiveThirtyEight statistician Nate Silver predicted that Buttigieg dropping out may increase the likelihood of a contested convention, writing on Twitter, &#8220;Buttigieg dropping out may actually increase the likelihood of a contested convention. He was polling at &lt;15% almost everywhere on Super Tuesday, meaning he was tracking to get very few delegates, but his votes will help other candidates to get over 15% and get delegates.&#8221;
The majority of Trump&#8217;s tweets on Saturday and Sunday took aim at billionaire Democrat presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, Joe Biden, and Steyer.
&#8220;Sleepy Joe Biden’s victory in the South Carolina Democrat Primary should be the end of Mini Mike Bloomberg’s Joke of a campaign,&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;After the worst debate performance in the history of presidential debates, Mini Mike now has Biden split up his very few voters, taking many away!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sleepy Joe Biden’s victory in the South Carolina Democrat Primary should be the end of Mini Mike Bloomberg’s Joke of a campaign. After the worst debate performance in the history of presidential debates, Mini Mike now has Biden split up his very few voters, taking many away!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1233908953026908161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
&#8220;Congratulations to Sleepy Joe Biden!&#8221; Trump continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Congratulations to Sleepy Joe Biden!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1233977649552384005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Tom Steyer who, other than Mini Mike Bloomberg, spent more dollars for NOTHING than any candidate in history, quit the race today proclaiming how thrilled he was to be a part of the the Democrat Clown Show,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;Go away Tom and save whatever little money you have left!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tom Steyer who, other than Mini Mike Bloomberg, spent more dollars for NOTHING than any candidate in history, quit the race today proclaiming how thrilled he was to be a part of the the Democrat Clown Show. Go away Tom and save whatever little money you have left!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1233987865350148097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump continued, &#8220;I would find it hard to believe that failed presidential candidates Tom Steyer, or Mini Mike Bloombeg, would contribute to the Democrat Party, even against me, after the way they have been treated &#8211; laughed at &amp; mocked. The real politicians ate them up and spit them out!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I would find it hard to believe that failed presidential candidates Tom Steyer, or Mini Mike Bloombeg, would contribute to the Democrat Party, even against me, after the way they have been treated &#8211; laughed at &amp; mocked. The real politicians ate them up and spit them out!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1233990259802767360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump continued, &#8220;Mini Mike Bloomberg’s consultants and so-called &#8216;advisors'(how did that advice work out? Don’t ask!), are on the “gravy train” and all making a fortune for themselves pushing Mini hard, when they knew he never had what it takes. Don’t pay them anymore Mike, they led you down a very dark and lonely path! Your reputation will never be the same!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;..a very dark and lonely path! Your reputation will never be the same!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1234107028295077888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump added, &#8220;Mini Mike Bloomberg didn’t bring NYC back, as he said in his fake ad. It was @RudyGiuliani who brought NYC back and who also, with his endorsement, got Mini Mike elected (with barely a thank you). A boring mayor who the people couldn’t stand!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Mini Mike Bloomberg didn’t bring NYC back, as he said in his fake ad. It was <a href="https://twitter.com/RudyGiuliani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RudyGiuliani</a> who brought NYC back and who also, with his endorsement, got Mini Mike elected (with barely a thank you). A boring mayor who the people couldn’t stand!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1234269356760104961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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This report has been updated to include additional information.

Trump Buttigieg

Trump Mocks Buttigieg’s Failed Campaign, Points To Larger Plot By Democrats

Pete Buttigieg

Far-left Democrat presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of the race after a disastrous showing during the South Carolina primary.
Politico reporter Carla Marinucci reported: &#8220;Pete Buttigieg to announce he is out of the presidential race, his staff now hearing the news in campaign call, sources tell us.&#8221;
&#8220;Mr. Buttigieg was trounced in South Carolina’s primary and earned just two percent of the vote from African-Americans, according to early exit polling,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/us/politics/buttigieg-black-voters-south-carolina.html">reported</a>. &#8220;What support he received came mostly from young black voters; he appeared to have barely any votes from African-Americans who are 60 and older, according to the exit polling. Black voters decisively backed former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who won the primary; Senator Bernie Sanders and the hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer drew low double-digit support from African-Americans.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
New! BREAKING <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PeteButtigieg</a> to announce he is out of the presidential race, his staff now hearing the news in campaign call, sources tell us.
&mdash; Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmarinucci/status/1234252611546570752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Associated Press and Fox News also confirmed that Buttigieg was dropping out of the race.
&#8220;Buttigieg had been scheduled to headline a rally in Dallas on Sunday night. The charter plane has been rerouted to South Bend, Ind., where Buttigieg will announce that he is dropping out,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/buttigieg-exits-presidential-race-after-claiming-iowa-win">reported</a>. &#8220;A campaign aide told Fox News that Buttigieg wants to unite the party.&#8221;
Buttigieg had been widely criticized for his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-pete-buttigieg-compares-christianity-ryan-saavedra">attacks</a> on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-says-he-cant-understand-how-christians-can-support-trump-no-compatibility">Christians</a> and for his attacks on Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-pete-buttigiegs-war-on-mike-pence-is-shameful">Mike Pence</a>.
Legal expert Josh Hammer summed up the way that many conservatives viewed Buttigieg, writing on Twitter, &#8220;Pete Buttigieg was, perhaps aside from Eric Swalwell, the single most insufferable member of the 2020 Democratic field. His smugness knew no bounds, his warping of Christian doctrine to suit his worldview was grotesque, and his incessant jihad against Mike Pence was simply gross.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Pete Buttigieg was, perhaps aside from Eric Swalwell, the single most insufferable member of the 2020 Democratic field. His smugness knew no bounds, his warping of Christian doctrine to suit his worldview was grotesque, and his incessant jihad against Mike Pence was simply gross.
&mdash; Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) <a href="https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1234259237162954753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Buttigieg, who portrayed himself as a moderate Democrat, was anything but that as he held far-left policy views on a wide range of issues.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-pete-buttigieg-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">highlighted</a> some of Buttigieg&#8217;s extreme policy stances:
<blockquote>Health Care: Buttigieg supports a single-payer health insurance system that would amount to a governmental takeover of health insurance and imposition of socialized medicine in America.
Immigration: Buttigieg supports amnesty for “DREAM Act”-eligible illegal aliens and supports other pro-amnesty policies that would magnetize our border and incentivize Mexican cartels and trafficking rings to make their dangerous treks north. He has been consistently critical of President Donald Trump’s attempts to secure our southern border amidst a hitherto unprecedented deluge of illegal aliens arriving en masse at our beleaguered southern border. He has <a href="https://www.apnews.com/ab60f79dbd7961edc9148a14a3c34196">encouraged illegal aliens to flock</a> to his city of South Bend.
Abortion: Buttigieg is emphatically pro-abortion and has <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1130254523249889281">refused to identify</a> a single legal restriction on abortion that he would support.
Guns: Buttigieg supports “universal” background checks, thereby requiring a government intermediary for all private transfers of firearms. He is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a consortium of pro-gun control mayors. Buttigieg supports a <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/buttigieg-endorses-nationwide-gun-licensing-system">national gun registry</a>, which is a longstanding policy nemesis of Second Amendment supporters. He supports banning the undefinable sub-class of firearms referred to as so-called “assault weapons” — a line of thought that, if taken to its logical conclusion, could <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42837/hammer-kamala-harriss-flirtation-banning-all-semi-josh-hammer">lead to the banning of all semi-automatic firearms in America</a>.</blockquote>

Pete Buttigieg Dropping Out Of Presidential Race

South Carolina

Far-left billionaire activist Tom Steyer&#8217;s campaign announced on Saturday that the candidate was dropping out of the presidential race after failing again in another Democratic primary.
&#8220;The news came after Mr. Steyer, 62, failed to capitalize on his investment of millions of dollars in South Carolina, where he had pinned the hopes of his campaign,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/us/politics/tom-steyer-drops-out.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur">reported</a>. &#8220;Despite spending more than $175 million on adverting throughout his campaign, Mr. Steyer did not earn any national pledged delegates in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada, making South Carolina something of a make-or-break state for his continued viability.&#8221;
“There’s no question today that this campaign, we were disappointed with where we came out, I think we got one or two delegates from congressional districts, which I thank South Carolina for and the people,” Steyer said. “But I said, ‘if I didn’t see a path to winning, that I would suspend my campaign. And honestly, I can’t see a path where I can win the presidency. So am I going to continue to work on every single one of these issues? Yes, of course I am, because I’ve never stopped. That’s what I’m here for.”
&#8220;And let me say, I kept trying to say this during the campaign, I&#8217;m a huge grass roots person,&#8221; Steyer continued. &#8220;I of course will be supporting, I&#8217;ve said from the beginning, every Democrat is a million times better than Trump. Trump is a disaster and let me this, we&#8217;re in South Carolina, Lindsey Graham is a disaster, he&#8217;s a disaster for the people here.&#8221;
&#8220;And let me say once last thing,&#8221; Steyer concluded, &#8220;When the Lord closes a door, he opens a window. I will find that window and crawl through it with you, I promise you that.&#8221;
Steyer was widely mocked online after he danced and sang along with a rapper on Friday night in an apparent attempt to appeal to his targeted audience.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
When you have to &quot;back that azz up&quot; out of the race after you spend $22.5 million in ad buys and can&#39;t hit 15%<a href="https://t.co/DI06UM3yk5">pic.twitter.com/DI06UM3yk5</a>
&mdash; Mike Hahn (@mikehahn_) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikehahn_/status/1233942380593713152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Back that campaign up &#8212; Tom Steyer is dropping out of 2020 race.
&mdash; Ari Melber (@AriMelber) <a href="https://twitter.com/AriMelber/status/1233938907810717696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Others attacked the amount of money that he spent on his hopeless campaign.
&#8220;Tom Steyer spent a quarter of a billion dollars on his campaign and he might end up without a single delegate,&#8221; Josh Jordan wrote. &#8220;Just imagine all of the good he could&#8217;ve done with that money instead of burning it on the ultimate ego trip, which ended with America resoundingly rejecting him. lol.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tom Steyer spent a quarter of a billion dollars on his campaign and he might end up without a single delegate.
Just imagine all of the good he could&#39;ve done with that money instead of burning it on the ultimate ego trip, which ended with America resoundingly rejecting him.
lol.
&mdash; Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) <a href="https://twitter.com/NumbersMuncher/status/1233943500271575041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-does-tom-steyer-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">highlighted</a> last year Steyer&#8217;s general stance on political issues:
<blockquote>Perhaps more so than any of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, Steyer’s candidacy revolves around one core issue: Environmentalism. He has made global warming prevention, opposition to the oil and natural gas industries, and a concomitant greater government role in investing in alternative energy sources the central tenets of his public activist profile. Steyer has a less prolific track record and history of commentary on other issues, but all available evidences points toward his being an across-the-board, full-spectrum progressive/leftist. For example, his 2020 campaign <a href="https://www.tomsteyer.com/about-tom/">website</a> also touts his work in “promot[ing] social justice and increas[ing] participation in our democracy through voter registration and grassroots organizing.”</blockquote>
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Tom Steyer Campaigns For President In South Carolina

Far-Left Billionaire Activist Tom Steyer Ends Presidential Campaign

Tom Steyer

Multiple news outlets have called the South Carolina Democratic primary for Joe Biden, former Vice President of the United States.
According to the <a href="https://apps.npr.org/liveblogs/20200229-south-carolina/">Associated Press</a>, with 95% of precincts reporting, Biden has 48.7% of the vote. In second place is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) with 20% of the vote. Third and fourth place belong to billionaire Tom Steyer and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 11.4% and 8%, respectively. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) takes fifth place with 7%, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) rounds out the top six with 3% of the vote.
Just after news outlets called the race for Biden, the former vice president tweeted:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just days ago, the press and the pundits declared our campaign dead. But after tonight, it&#8217;s clear we are very much alive — and we need your help to keep the momentum going.
Chip in to help us make the most of our big victory in South Carolina: <a href="https://t.co/93SWSQkpA5">https://t.co/93SWSQkpA5</a>
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1233907481388158979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
Prior to Saturday’s primary, the RealClearPolitics polling average had Biden winning South Carolina by double digits, with 39.7% support compared to second place Sanders’ 24.3% support.
Third and fourth place were Steyer and Buttigieg with 11.7% and 11.3%, respectively.
South Carolina is a massive win for the Biden campaign, which until this point has been subjected to a string of embarrassing losses.
In Iowa, the former vice president came in fourth with just 15.8% of the vote. In New Hampshire, he fell to fifth with an abysmal 8.4% of the vote. In Nevada, Biden placed second, but was blown out by Sen. Sanders who received 46.8% of the vote compared to the 20.2% that Biden garnered.
South Carolina has been perceived as Biden’s “firewall” state, which could provide a boost going into Super Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/politics/jim-clyburn-endorses-joe-biden/index.html">endorsed</a> Biden, stating in part: “I want the public to know that I am voting for Joe Biden. South Carolina should be voting for Joe Biden.”
The congressman also tweeted the following:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I know Joe Biden.
I know his character, his heart, and his record.
Joe Biden has stood for the hard-working people of South Carolina.
We know Joe. But more importantly, he knows us.
In South Carolina, we choose presidents.
I’m calling on you to stand with <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a>.
— Jim Clyburn SC-06 (@ClyburnSC06) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClyburnSC06/status/1232674035076681728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
Until Saturday, Sanders was starting to be seen as an inevitability following a staggering win in Nevada, a win in New Hampshire, and a virtual tie for first place in Iowa. However, a second place finish in South Carolina isn’t going to end his campaign.
The states voting on Tuesday are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. American Samoa and Democrats Abroad also vote on Super Tuesday.
According to <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/SuperTuesday.html">RealClearPolitics polling averages</a> for the Super Tuesday states, Sanders leads in California, Texas, Virginia, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Utah. Other states where the senator leads haven’t had enough polling to provide an average.
Biden leads in North Carolina.
With Super Tuesday only days away, and Biden’s South Carolina victory so fresh, pundits and voters alike will surely be wondering if the former vice president can pull off a surge, and become a real competitor to Sanders going forward.

BREAKING: Biden Projected To Win South Carolina

Can we acknowledge no real conservative would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders over President Donald Trump? If you want, you can sit out because the process grosses you out and you hate them all. But actively voting for a socialist to stop the populist disqualifies you from ever talking about conservatism.
You can rationalize it and say that four years of Sanders would be ineffective because of Congressional gridlock, but that can be said of Trump, too. Trump, at least at the regulatory level, has rolled back government, not expanded it. Sanders would undermine the private sector, the free market, churches and individual liberty, without ever involving Congress.
Stop posing as a conservative if you are going with Sanders. It&#8217;d be far better to sit it out. To go for Sanders is really an admission that your pride is suffering, not the country.
As for the rest of us, ironically, millions are going to turn out to vote for a guy they hate to stop a guy they loathe. I know a lot of people who refused to vote for Trump in 2016 who will crawl over broken glass to support him in 2020 against Sanders. I know Democrats who despise Sanders but consider Trump a bigger threat because of judges, deregulation, etc.
The upside is, perhaps, that our politics are getting so broken that people will realize they have to do something different at the local level. Our politics are only going to get better if people actually turn away from Washington and start focusing on their local communities. People burning out on national politics and convinced the country is held hostage by the fringes of either side is actually good. It will get them to stop worrying about Washington and start worrying about their local communities instead.
Mike Bloomberg is going to try to present an alternative. He intends to spend millions on advertisements to emphasize the negative outcomes of a Sanders presidency. It might actually help Trump more than Bloomberg. But Bloomberg is going to do his best to stop Sanders.
I am writing this before the South Carolina primary, which Joe Biden is expected to win. Sanders will pick up more delegates, because he will come in with above 15% of the vote. Three days later is Super Tuesday. That will see races in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
Sanders is going to win most of California&#8217;s 495 delegates. Texas has 262 delegates. Recent polling has Sanders surging in Texas with Bloomberg actually holding Biden back from winning. With Bloomberg on the ballot, Sanders may win outright or keep it very close. Sanders will, therefore, continue to pick up delegates while also winning most Super Tuesday states, if the polls are right.
The next major haul will be Florida with 248 delegates, and Sanders may be shut out there. But he is going up in the polls there, too. It is presumed his pro-Castro comments will stall him out in Florida. Even if they do, Sanders will still keep leading in delegates for the time being.
Biden will keep picking up delegates, too. That keeps Biden in the race fighting Bloomberg. Sen. Elizabeth Warren also has no reason to get out, because she is doing well in several polls and will gain delegates on Super Tuesday. She is also a useful instrument to attack the establishment in a way that protects Sanders.
Bloomberg has pushed a media storyline that only he can stop Sanders. The reality is Bloomberg has, as of now, exactly zero delegates. Sanders leads in delegates, with Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar all having delegates, too. Bloomberg would like to throw the race into disarray and force a brokered Democratic convention. But the reality is the communists will either win it or riot — and they might riot even if they win it.
If Sanders wins the most states, the most delegates and the most votes, Democrats will be hard-pressed to deny him the nomination. This will be fun to watch.
To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

ERICKSON: Voting For Who You Hate To Stop Who You Loathe

Republicans in South Carolina have launched &#8220;Operation Chaos 2020&#8221; and other grassroots efforts by urging fellow Trump supporters to switch sides and vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the South Carolina primaries so that he would clinch the presidential nomination. Obviously, this has been motivated by the fact that a Sanders candidacy would cause a serious divide in the Democratic Party that would likely benefit President Trump&#8217;s reelection.
&#8220;We are calling for specifically for Republicans and Trump supporters all across South Carolina to turn out and vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary on Saturday,&#8221; Stephen Brown of Operation Chaos 2020 said, as <a href="https://www.wyff4.com/article/one-person-dead-in-shooting-at-herdklotz-park-in-greenville-deputies-say/31116209">reported</a> by WYFF.
Videos of Trump supporters encouraging other fellow travelers to vote for Bernie in the coming primary have since been circulating all over social media, such as this one from the group &#8220;Trump 2-29&#8221;:
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A Trump-Sanders smoking gun. South Carolina Trump activists in a much-promoted Facebook video: &quot;We&#39;re asking South Carolina Republicans to show their support for President Trump by crossing over and voting in the Democratic primary for Senator Bernie Sanders.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/FNqEUNXDWq">pic.twitter.com/FNqEUNXDWq</a>
&mdash; Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1232731739467976704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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“I’m a Republican &amp; Trump supporter&#8230; we have an operation chaos going on &amp; all over the state we’re encouraging Republicans to vote for Bernie because we believe Bernie is the best worst candidate in contrasting his socialism against Trump and his capitalism.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RidinWithBiden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RidinWithBiden</a> <a href="https://t.co/wV7PyafIQj">pic.twitter.com/wV7PyafIQj</a>
&mdash; Bryan Dawson (@BryanDawsonUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanDawsonUSA/status/1232729591405588483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When pressed if Operation Chaos could potentially backfire by making Bernie Sanders president in November, Brown said he is confident that America will &#8220;reject socialism.&#8221;
&#8220;I believe that our nation will reject socialism – I can&#8217;t say there&#8217;s no risk, any time you have an election there&#8217;s a risk – but I think we&#8217;ll have an overwhelming and resounding victory for President Trump,&#8221; said Brown. &#8220;And if we can&#8217;t defeat a socialist here in 2020, we wouldn&#8217;t deserve the freedoms that we have. I&#8217;m confident that Donald Trump will prevail.&#8221;
Brown added that the Democratic establishment clearly does not want Bernie to win the nomination and that they will split their party in an effort to keep him down.
&#8220;We see things happening behind the scenes to help undo Bernie&#8217;s nomination, so we as Republicans think that there&#8217;s a very reasonable chance that Democrats might deny the nomination to Bernie Sanders,&#8221; he continued, &#8220;and if they were to do that, we believe it would enrage the Left, cause the Democratic Party to split, and only help Donald Trump in his reelection because I want to be clear, all of us are fully supporting Donald Trump in his reelection. We&#8217;re excited about that. We can&#8217;t wait to vote for Donald Trump in November.&#8221;
Though Greenville County&#8217;s GOP chair said that the party considered a cross-voting push, they are ultimately not involved in either Operation Chaos 2020 or Trump 2-29.
&#8220;The Republican Party is not encouraging voters to cross-party vote,&#8221; said Nate Leupp, chairman of the Greenville County Republican Party. &#8220;We understand some of our affiliates and members and friends are, and we understand the logic behind it. But from a party standpoint, we feel that that push is best left to the activists like the Trump 2-29 organization.&#8221;
In response, Greenville County Democratic Party accused the groups of voter interference and undermining the electoral process.
&#8220;In calling for voters to select a specific candidate for the purpose of disrupting Saturday&#8217;s primary, Operation Chaos 2020 is engaging in interference in a free and fair election,&#8221; said Kate Franch, chair of the Greenville County Democratic Party. &#8220;They are undermining and dishonoring the very right to franchise that they claim to want to protect.&#8221;
&#8220;Elections are not games,&#8221; Franch continued. &#8220;Democrats believe in the right to directly choose our representatives and welcome any voter to participate in the democratic process we champion. Every voter should carefully select the candidate who most closely reflects his or her values with the knowledge that that candidate can ultimately win the seat. Your vote is your voice – it should not be wasted or debased.&#8221;
Jessica Bright, the Sanders&#8217; campaign state director in South Carolina, did not specifically condemn either movement while asserting that the socialist senator from Vermont is the best candidate to beat Trump.
&#8220;Recent reports have made it clear that Donald Trump and the Republican establishment have always been afraid to run against Bernie Sanders going back to 2016 and this is more of the same,&#8221; said Bright. &#8220;The truth is that Sen. Sanders consistently beats Trump in general election matchup polls in battleground states. He&#8217;s the only candidate with more individual donations than Trump and the only candidate with the network of grassroots volunteers it takes to win in November.&#8221;

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