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Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Bernie 2020. Us against them.

Day One Frontrunner. Among Relative Lilliputians. Send money.

Campaign website.

BBC, here and here.

NYTimes:

A self-styled democratic socialist whose calls for “Medicare for all,” a $15 minimum wage and tuition-free public colleges have become pillars of the party’s left wing, Mr. Sanders is among the best-known politicians to join an already crowded Democratic field and one of the most outspoken against President Trump, whom he has repeatedly called a “pathological liar” and a “racist.”

“Three years ago, during our 2016 campaign, when we brought forth our progressive agenda we were told that our ideas were ‘radical’ and ‘extreme,’” Mr. Sanders said on Tuesday in an early-morning email to supporters, citing those health, economic and education policies as well as combating climate change and raising taxes on wealthy Americans.

“Well, three years have come and gone. And, as result of millions of Americans standing up and fighting back, all of these policies and more are now supported by a majority of Americans,” he said.

Strib, carrying an AP feed:

Sanders could be well positioned to compete in the nation's first primary in neighboring New Hampshire, which he won by 22 points in 2016. But he won't have the state to himself.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California, another Democratic presidential contender, was in New Hampshire on Monday and said she'd compete for the state. She also appeared to take a dig at Sanders.

"The people of New Hampshire will tell me what's required to compete in New Hampshire," she told shoppers at a bookstore in Concord. "But I will tell you I'm not a democratic socialist."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of nearby Massachusetts will be in New Hampshire on Friday.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Sanders' candidacy is how he'll compete against someone like Warren, who shares many of his policy goals. Warren has already launched her campaign and has planned an aggressive swing through the early primary states.

Aside from Bernie and Warren, none of the others matter. Even if one finagles the nomination, it is Bernie and Warren as the only two to be actual progressives. Party regulars abound. Progressives number two, so far. And Harris spoke correctly. She is not a progressive. Neither Bernie nor Warren are in it as an ego trip. Neither need be in the process of redefinition from their past records.

An early Bernie supporter in 2016 is acting as the progressive he is, Strib reporting:

The states cite federal government figures to argue that no crisis exists at the border: Customs and Border Protection numbers show unlawful entries are near a 45-year low, and the State Department acknowledged a “lack of credible evidence” that terrorists are using the border to sneak into the U.S.

Becerra has led dozens of suits against the Trump administration since taking office in 2017. Ellison recently joined his former U.S. House progressive caucus ally in suing to block the government from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census and last week joined 21 other attorneys general in an amicus brief asking the Ninth Circuit to uphold a lower-court ruling that blocked Homeland Security from terminating Temporary Protected Status for people from Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Sudan.

“When the president or the federal government harms the people of Minnesota, I’ll use the power of my office to protect Minnesotans,” Ellison said Monday.

_____________UPDATE______________
Bernie's announcement is what we've all been waiting for. It was placeholders until then. Elizabeth Warren is great as a hedge, and would be a fine president where now Trump sits and embarrasses the entire nation before the entire world. (Trump and Bolten rattling sabres.) Beyond Warren and Bernie it is - same old, might as well be a Clinton, same old - evidence of the two party disdain for what people want and believe government should provide. Yet, Steve Bullock from Montana is fresh. Remember that.

________FURTHER UPDATE________
Big question: Where will Goldman-Sachs money go this cycle without a Clinton? How much will Wall Street and Big Pharma spend to try to block Sanders and Warren? A ton of money will be spent; but who's their favorite, besides Trump? Have they a player in the Democratic side mixed bag? Some names come to mind, Biden atop the list.

________FURTHER UPDATE________
DETAILS: CBS, "Bernie Sanders announces 2020 run: "We're gonna win;" "Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign raises more than $1 million in less than 4 hours[not billionaires];" "Bernie Sanders announces 2020 run: Full transcript."

CNN:

Along with GOP Sen. Mike Lee and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, Sanders last year won bipartisan backing for a War Powers resolution calling for an end to military support for the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen. His pressure campaigns on major corporations like Amazon also helped secure a $15 minimum wage for workers there and a pledge from the company to back legislation raising it nationwide.

"He has reached out more to work with colleagues in the last few years to show that effectiveness and that's his biggest plus point on a substance level," said Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who led the successful push for a matching resolution this year in the House.

The policy principles behind a second Sanders campaign are expected to be largely the same as in 2015 and 2016. Still, he has over the past few weeks begun to roll out or re-up proposals to combat economic inequality and fortify programs like Social Security. He is also planning to reintroduce his Medicare for all legislation in tandem with Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who has taken over developing and shepherding the accompanying House bill.

Over two weeks in January and February, Sanders unveiled plans to buy more than 50 years of padding for Social Security by raising payroll taxes on income above $250,000 and hike the estate tax on the wealthiest Americans -- suggesting a top rate of 77% on billionaire heirs.

"Our bill does what the American people want," Sanders said in a statement ahead of the rollout, "by substantially increasing the estate tax on the wealthiest families in this country and dramatically reducing wealth inequality. From a moral, economic, and political perspective our nation will not thrive when so few have so much and so many have so little."

Grounding Social Security's future against the onslaught of the likes of Paul Ryan; and putting a hold on dynastic aristocracy possibilities by fairly taxing massive estates cannot be logically attacked as bad policy; even by those who've enjoyed privilege by buying time against such sensible reform. Bernie knows what's best for a nation, and those bought by the billionaires can go their way, where a Washington with the Clintons in the rear view mirror offers every chance of being a better Washington for "us."

__________FURTHER UPDATE__________
Clinton 2016 staffers have to feed their families; here, here, here and here. If Robby Mook or either Podesta brother has attached onto someone's campaign it has not been noted here. Yet.

Beltway and other names which might attach at some point to somebody's campaign: here, here, here and here. So far it looks as if Harris has the lead in recycled Clinton people. As far as online reporting suggests. Behind the scenes, regular beltway consultants make their living consulting in exchange for money. Those used by the Clintons can be thought of as "regulars."

___________FURTHER UPDATE__________
With multiple women seeking the presidency Emily's List is keeping mum. Last cycle they stunk of Clinton. Lesson learned?