Why even bother having a presidential election in 2020? Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are already demonstrating how the neoliberal party will lose

Iran

Michael D. Shear et al., “Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back,” New York Times, June 20, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/world/middleeast/iran-us-drone.html


Donald Trump

Nancy Pelosi is wrong about lots of stuff—her ignorance on the concentration camps on the U.S. southern border and her defense of Joe Biden are astounding, appalling, and unacceptable. But there is absolutely one thing she remains right about: impeachment.

Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney, “Dems see Hope Hicks testimony as huge gift in legal battle with Trump,” Politico, June 21, 2019, https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/21/hope-hicks-democrats-trump-1374706


Nancy Pelosi

The Speaker of the House needs to do her homework before speaking.

Pelosi told reporters that she was not “up to date” on Ocasio-Cortez’s comments and that she had not spoken to her about them.[1]

There is no question the centers the Trump administration is using to hold migrants on the southern border are concentration camps. I wouldn’t even know where to begin citing authorities on this: There are so many. But concentration camps are not the same as ‘death camps’ and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s critics are conflating the two to accuse her of invoking the Holocaust. Even many rabbis disagree, explicitly saying that the phrase “never again” is meaningless if not applied here.

As for Pelosi’s defense of Joe Biden,[2] I can only attribute that to her presumptive neoliberal preference for his candidacy in 2020. But what we may very well see here is how her moral cowardice on these issues undermines her authority in resisting calls for impeachment. This is how the neoliberal party fucks up. Every god damned time.

I mean seriously, with this shit, you might as well call the 2020 general election even now: Donald Trump wins re-election.

Chris Mills Rodrigo, “Pelosi on Biden: ‘I have no criticism of what he believes is his story to tell,’” Hill, June 20, 2019, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/449509-pelosi-responds-to-bidens-comments-on-working-with-segregationists-i-have

John Wagner, “Pelosi warns Democrats that Republicans can exploit their words as controversy continues over Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘concentration camp’ comments,” Washington Post, June 19, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-warns-democrats-that-republicans-can-exploit-their-words-as-controversy-continues-over-ocasio-cortezs-concentration-camp-comments/2019/06/19/368dcc1c-929e-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html


Joe Biden

I can’t be any more disgusted with the neoliberal party than I’ve been since I noticed John Kerry’s 2004 presidential platform was indistinguishable from Republican positions and certainly since they rigged the 2016 contest in favor of Hillary Clinton. But I gotta tell you, they’re making a hell of a try with Joe Biden.

Moira Donegan, “What does Biden have in common with Trump? Delusional nostalgia,” Guardian, June 21, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/21/joe-biden-trump-sexism-delusional-nostalgia

Matt Viser and Annie Linskey, “Tensions ripple through Biden campaign as his past working relationship with a segregationist senator comes to the forefront,” Washington Post, June 20, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/tensions-ripple-through-biden-campaign-as-his-past-working-relationship-with-a-segregationist-senator-comes-to-the-forefront/2019/06/20/2518afe6-9394-11e9-b570-6416efdc0803_story.html


U.S. exceptionalism

Peter Beinart, “AOC’s Generation Doesn’t Presume America’s Innocence,” Atlantic, June 21, 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/aoc-isnt-interested-american-exceptionalism/592213/


  1. [1]John Wagner, “Pelosi warns Democrats that Republicans can exploit their words as controversy continues over Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘concentration camp’ comments,” Washington Post, June 19, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-warns-democrats-that-republicans-can-exploit-their-words-as-controversy-continues-over-ocasio-cortezs-concentration-camp-comments/2019/06/19/368dcc1c-929e-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html
  2. [2]Chris Mills Rodrigo, “Pelosi on Biden: ‘I have no criticism of what he believes is his story to tell,’” Hill, June 20, 2019, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/449509-pelosi-responds-to-bidens-comments-on-working-with-segregationists-i-have