Commentary: The Impatience of the Democratic Primary

A few takeaways after two weeks of stomping where the candidates were stumping and stalking Democratic voters in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“It’s not who votes that counts, it’s who counts the votes.” Or in the case of the Democrats’ caucuses in Iowa, who doesn’t count the votes.

The Iowa app-ageddon exposed the Washington political class for the self-serving failure it is. These people keep getting hired even though they keep losing elections or screwing them up as they did in Iowa.

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Iowa Ambassador Attorney Jim Larew Speculates Top Four Candidates and an Unpredictable Surge

In a specific discussion, Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy spoke to Jim Larew who is a long time friend and resident of Iowa. Larew is also a leading Democrat from Iowa who served as an aid and chief of staff to former Senator John ‘Chet’ Culver.

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IOWA: Attorney Jim Larew Talks Senate Presidential Candidate Commitment to Impeachment Trial and Campaign Effects

In a special interview, Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with good friend and Iowa attorney Jim Larew about the current front runners in the 2020 Democratic presidential race.

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‘Mayor Pete’ Buttigieg is Coming to Nashville Wednesday to Raise Campaign Cash

  Pete Buttigieg is the latest 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to plan a Nashville visit. Buttigieg will make a campaign stop in Music City on Wednesday, his campaign website says. The location so far has been hush-hush but will be announced this week. The doors, at whatever the location is, will open at 6 p.m. During a campaign visit in Nashville last week, Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said that Nashville and Texas and other “places that formed the Confederacy” are bigoted and America was formed on white supremacy, The Tennessee Star reported. Former Vice President Joe Biden, a latecomer to the 2020 Democratic presidential race, visited Nashville on May 20 for his “American Promise” tour, The Star said. Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) visited Nashville’s Fisk University in April and inserted herself into the failed $9 billion Nashville transit referendum of 2018 when she said voters rejected the referendum because they wanted to use federal funds. If one wants to hear Buttigieg’s pitch directly, he or she will have to cough up some cash for the privilege. Tickets are available in various denominations from $25 to $1,000, and are available from the event page referenced above. In addition…

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Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke Visits Nashville

  Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke was welcomed by a large, raucous crowd during his Nashville campaign stop Sunday afternoon. Former U.S. Rep. O’Rourke (R-TN-16) tweeted a video from the rally. Nashville! pic.twitter.com/Gx6aGYvvPY — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) July 7, 2019 In promoting the event, the Tennessee Democratic Party tweeted, “2020 Democratic presidential candidate @BetoORourke will hold a campaign rally at @MMusicWorks in Nashville tomorrow, July 7th at 3 p.m. CT! The event will feature live music from @Elizabeth_Cook and @RaelynNelson Band.” 2020 Democratic presidential candidate @BetoORourke will hold a campaign rally at @MMusicWorks in Nashville tomorrow, July 7th at 3 p.m. CT! The event will feature live music from @Elizabeth_Cook and @RaelynNelson Band. RSVP: https://t.co/WfP0aAVus7 — TN Democratic Party (@tndp) July 6, 2019 The venue was Marathon Music Works on Clinton Street. Music was provided by Elizabeth Cook and the Raelyn Nelson Band. O’Rourke’s campaign billed the visit as his first stop in the Volunteer State. O’Rourke retweeted this tweet: “HAPPENING NOW! @BetoORourke in Nashville, Tennessee! He believes background checks on every gun sale can save lives and recognized @MomsDemand as making a difference across America! #gunsense #tnleg”. HAPPENING NOW! @BetoORourke in Nashville, Tennessee! He believes background checks on every gun…

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Tim Ryan Wants Social-Emotional Learning in Every Public School Nationwide

  2020 hopeful Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) wants to introduce social-emotional learning standards to every public school in the country. The Ohio Star’s Beth Lear recently did a deep dive on the Ohio State Board of Education’s efforts to bring social-emotional learning to the state. “This is part of a national movement to psychologize education falsely advertised as improving academic achievement and preventing violence and suicide,” said Dr. Karen Effrem of Eagle Forum. Effrem said she was concerned that social-emotional learning standards would lead to an erosion of parental rights, over-medication of vulnerable students, and inaccurate mental health assessments from personnel not trained as mental health experts. “Many of us on the state board of education are concerned about the state getting involved in social and emotional learning for a variety of reasons,” State School Board Member Kirsten Hill told The Ohio Star. “Measuring children’s feelings, values, attitudes, dispositions and behaviors is difficult to do and then sharing this highly sensitive and personal information with parties beyond the teacher and the school breaches privacy. There are student surveys being conducted that parents aren’t aware of. Is the school role going to expand into mental health treatment?” If it’s up to…

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Warren Leading in Minnesota, Klobuchar Polling in Fourth in Home State

  A new poll shows Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) leading the field in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in Minnesota. According to the recent Change Research poll, Warren attracted the support of 21 percent of respondents, while former Vice President Joe Biden came in second with 20 percent of the vote, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) placed third with 19 percent. Sixteen percent of respondents said they would vote for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in Minnesota’s Democratic primary, putting her in fourth place in her home state. That puts her in front of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who polled at 11 percent and four percent, respectively. Younger voters between 18 and 49 preferred Sanders over Warren, while voters between the ages of 50 and 64 preferred Biden as the nominee. Klobuchar polled stronger among older voters as well, receiving 19 percent of the vote among respondents aged 50 to 64. Female voters selected Warren, Biden, and Klobuchar as their top candidates, while male voters preferred Sanders, Biden, and Buttigieg. Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) polled at zero percent in Change Research’s poll, along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-02) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). “Polling…

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Bernie Will Take on Biden During the First Round of Democratic Debates

by Molly Prince   Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is slated to go up in a debate against the only Democratic opponent who has consistently been polling ahead of him, former Vice President Joe Biden. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Thursday the 20 presidential candidates invited to participate in the first round of primary debates, and a day later the DNC revealed the break out of who is scheduled to appear on which of the two debate stages. The two frontrunners, Biden and Sanders, will noticeably appear on the same stage during the June 27 debate. The other candidates who will be at a podium include Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, California Sen. Kamala Harris, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and author Marianne Williamson In order to score one of the debate podiums, candidates must have either received donations from at least 65,000 unique donors (with a minimum of 200 donors in more than 19 states) or received at least 1 percent support in three DNC-approved polls. Who gets a spot at which debate was reportedly determined by a random draw of the qualifying…

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Democrat’s Debate Lineups for June 26-27 Are Set: Four Highest Polling Dems In Second Night Faceoff

  With 20 candidates qualifying for the first debates over two consecutive nights in Miami later this month, the Democratic National Committee decided to use a “lottery” process to divide the qualifiers into two ten candidate groups. The idea was to avoid a “varsity and junior varsity” division where the top candidates debate each other and the lesser-known candidates are relegated to the “kids table.” But despite the DNC’s hopes to sprinkle the top polling candidates into both pools, the process has four of the top five in the second-night event while only one will be appearing on the first night. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg are four of the highest polling candidates at this point…and all will face off with six other contenders on the second night of the debates. The fifth, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), will appear on the first night. The second night of debates will also include Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO), former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and spiritualist Marianne Williamson. Joining Warren in the first round will be Sen. Cory…

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2020 Democratic Presidential Debate: Who Qualified And Who Is Struggling?

by Molly Prince   The crowded 2020 presidential primary field is beginning to shape up as Democratic hopefuls meet the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) threshold for who qualifies to participate in the party’s debates. In order to score one of the debate podiums, candidates must either receive donations from at least 65,000 unique donors (with a minimum of 200 donors in more than 19 states) or receive at least 1 percent support in three DNC-approved polls. With one debate scheduled for June and another for July, and each debate limited to only 10 candidates, the 20 podiums allotted are filling up. Who gets a spot at which debate will be determined by a random draw of the qualifying candidates. In the event that more than 20 Democrats qualify, those who meet both the fundraising and polling threshold will be prioritized. Here is where 2020 presidential hopefuls stand on qualifying for debates: Qualified With Fundraising And Polling Joe Biden, former vice president to Barack Obama Cory Booker, senator from New Jersey Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana= Julián Castro, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary to Barack Obama Tulsi Gabbard, representative from Hawaii Kamala Harris, senator from California Jay Inslee,…

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Tim Ryan Leads the Pack in Missed Votes, Third Most Absent Member in the House

  Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) has missed 70 votes since the start of the 116th Congress, putting him near the top of the pack in this category among his fellow 2020 Democratic contenders. According to a project from ProPublica, Ryan missed 31.6 percent of all votes in the House as of last week, making him the third most absent member of the House. For comparison, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15) has missed 48 votes, or 22.1 percent, while Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-02) has missed 18.9 percent at 41 votes skipped. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) leads the field among 2020 Democrats in the Senate. The New Jersey senator has missed 37 votes, which is 31.9 percent of all votes. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has missed 27 votes, or 23.3 percent of all votes in the Senate. ProPublica points out that Ryan has cast zero votes against party lines during this Congress. Out of the 433 members of Congress, Ryan ranks at 373 in bipartisanship. “It’s no secret that Ryan has long been angling to leave his constituents behind with musings for higher office,” Mandi Merritt, Ohio spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, told The Ohio Star.…

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Minnesota’s Presidential Hopeful Klobuchar Campaign Called 3 Percent Polling Number ‘Huge News’ in Fundraising Pitch

  Sen. Amy Klobuchar jumped from one percent to three percent between April and May in Monmouth University’s monthly polling, which her campaign called “huge news.” “There’s huge news in a new Monmouth poll. As more people learn more about Amy, her bold plans for our country, and how she’ll address the problems Americans face, they’re putting their support behind her,” a recent fundraising email from Klobuchar’s campaign said. “Polls go up and down, but this new Monmouth data confirms what we’re seeing on the ground: big crowds, great enthusiasm, and a surge of grassroots donations from Americans who want Amy to be our next president,” the email added. The poll, conducted by Monmouth University’s Polling Institute between May 16 and May 20, had Klobuchar polling at three percent overall. The poll, however, did show significant gains for female candidates, who received a combined 27 percent of support among Democratic voters, up from the 16 percent they received in April. “Women are commanding a larger slice of Democratic support than they were a few weeks ago and we are seeing bumps in their individual voter ratings,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “We can’t parse out…

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Another Democrat Just Jumped Into the 2020 Race

by Evie Fordham   Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announced Thursday he is entering the crowded 2020 field for president. “We cannot be the first generation to leave less to our kids, not more. That’s why I’m running for President. Let’s build opportunity for every American and restore integrity to our government,” Bennet announced on Twitter Thursday morning. We cannot be the first generation to leave less to our kids, not more. That’s why I’m running for President. Let’s build opportunity for every American and restore integrity to our government. — Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) May 2, 2019 Bennet, 54, is expected to make health care a big part of his presidential platform, but he is not a supporter of Medicare for all like many of his Democratic rivals. Bennet re-introduced his legislation that would create “Medicare-X,” a public option that does not eliminate private health insurance. Health care is something that has been at the forefront of Bennet’s agenda, especially after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, something he revealed to The Colorado Independent earlier in April. “It was detected early. It is highly treatable. I have insurance through Kaiser Permanente. I feel lucky that the doctors found it. I feel…

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Nine Radical Policies 2020 Democrats Are Putting on the Table

by Peter Hasson   Democratic presidential candidates are increasingly embracing radical policies as they jockey for position in their party’s crowded primary. Here are nine radical policies that Democratic candidates say are on the table in 2020: Packing The Supreme Court South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke have all expressed their openness to expanding the Supreme Court, in order to counter a slim conservative majority. Left-wing activist groups have pressured Democrats to support court-packing, after they were unsuccessful in stopping Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Lowering Voting Age To 16 Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii voted for legislation in March that would have lowered the federal voting age to 16. Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker both expressed openness to lowering the voting age when asked about it by The Daily Caller News Foundation in March. Harris said she is “open to that conversation for sure,” while Booker said he hadn’t “thought about it” but was “willing to hear the case.” O’Rourke has also said he’s open to lowering the voting age.…

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