ComradeKayAdams

No, they’re certainly not. And I’m glad your son and friends are navigating life successfully. But understand that public policy is molded by sociological data and not anecdotal evidence. I have anecdotal evidence of people whose lives got massively derailed by health issues. Or of people paying a heavy socioeconomic price for parents who made poor decisions. The data and the polls show that Bernie Sanders is very popular with Millenials overall. If you break down the “Millenials” category by gender, race, class, geography, and so forth to glean more info, then maybe you find a different narrative? I honestly don’t know the answer to that one. All I know is the singular poll numbers for Millenials is really good now for Bernie and has been good for him since 2015.

100% in agreement with the bolded. Somewhere between Rothbard anarcho-capitalism and end-game Marxism, our country can hopefully find common ground? We need to provide a social safety net to give everyone a reasonable chance to participate in a capitalist market, regardless of the socioeconomic status of one’s parents or of one’s health circumstances throughout life. However, we also need to be careful about enabling freeloaders and acknowledge the critical role that the wealthy classes play in providing jobs. Hats off to the aptly named Greatest Generation. However, let’s try to implement policies that avoid deep depressions and world wars, right? We can admire from afar the struggles of various humans from the past, but we don’t need to romanticize such human suffering to the point that we justify its existence as necessary character-building experiences. My understanding of Bernie’s education policies are that they do include other post-secondary public education options like trade schools. At one point in our country’s history, free high school education for all was seen as an unnecessarily extravagant public policy. Now the fundamental rationale is that civilization as a whole – and the economy in particular – benefits a lot more when more people receive the proper education to reach their productive potential. Bernie’s plan is an extension of that idea to post-secondary opportunities, one which I will again remind everyone is somehow adopted in many other first-world countries. Education costs have far outpaced costs of living since the 1970’s to the point that many graduates are diverting all of their financial resources – even during the prime years of their career – solely toward food, shelter, and student loan companies and away from all of the other areas of the economy. This is not only a major limiting factor on the economy’s true potential, but a potential ticking time bomb that keeps many economists up at night.

Hi KRC, This is the central question posed for the Bernie campaign. I gave a very basic reply on page 318, third post down, point #2 of this thread. I would expect the full official details to be revealed at some point in the coming months on Bernie’s webpage, probably as soon as the Dem nomination looks to be secured but no later than July. You will not get them during the Democrat debates or during most TV interviews. I suppose the cynics here are laughing in their laptops right now, thinking that it is either because Bernie secretly intends to soak the productive classes in the country or because he doesn’t have a realistic plan. But for context, realize that it is an extremely common campaign strategy to withhold policy details like this. Many candidates falter because they get caught up defending policy minutiae with opponents and somehow miss the policy forest for the trees. Trump himself understood this campaign concept in 2016 as much as anyone. He never provided the details of his trade policies; he focused on laying the framework philosophy that these NAFTA/TPP deals were unfair and needed to be rewritten. Similarly, Bernie is laying the framework philosophy during the Dem primary season that he differs from the others because of his insistence on the moral imperative to provide every American with health care coverage, regardless of employment status. Over the past few months, we’ve seen many of the other Dem candidates take big hits because of missteps on the singular issue of health care.

Ok, yes I will be happy to get any inside info I can and share it with everyone here. Just realize that I am merely a local volunteer with no actual power or access to campaign bigwigs. Any insight or opinions I share are either my own or secondhand scuttlebutt. Speaking of BUTT....no one in the Bernie campaign seems to have any fear of Pete BUTTigieg. But I guess that's not really earth-shattering insight, since anyone with a brain realizes that you can't win the Democratic nomination if you are polling 0.00% with African-Americans and any person of color really. The one I'm hearing who is most concerning is Amy K, so tonight is very important for her. If she finishes in a strong NH third, she could be a viable centrist for the party to rally around. Otherwise, her campaign will be running on financial fumes and will probably collapse before Super Tuesday. Warren is also still in play. She could still rebound, but she needs to do it tonight. Bernie's campaign strategy has been to stay away from slinging too much mud at the girls because of the PC woke culture within the Dem Party. Let them all murder each other, then show up later to pick up the scraps. It's the Katniss Everdeen strategy in the first Hunger Games movie, really, but again...this is more in the domain of common sense than amazing Deep Throat insight, so full apologies... While I type with bravado and bluster for fun, I am also very much aware that Bernie's chances are still kind of low simply because there are so many variables at play during the primary season and because he is so very much despised among many within the Democrat Party, the mainstream media, and beyond. I mean...just read the responses in this thread to get a sense of what Bernie is facing between now and November! But I get the sense that everyone involved in the campaign knows this. Chris Matthews types aren't abstract holograms; they show up all the time during campaign activities. The playbook against Bernie is fully anticipated: he's too old, he doesn't get along with people, he has low opinions of women, and he's a socialist. These same 4 concerns will be repeated ad nauseam. The election season will be a long referendum on socialism. If Bernie can convince Americans of the need for a reasonable social safety net, then he wins. If not? Then we're headed to the dustbin of history alongside George McGovern. I will say this, though, since I don't know how many Millenials y'all run into in your day-to-day life: people don't have the same aversion to the word "socialism" as the older crowd does. There is a VERY stark contrast between the Boomers and the Millenials on the campaign trial, with Gen X'ers somewhere in between. Many of us don't even have a single memory of a world in which the specter of the Soviet Union hung over the country. The "socialism" scare tactics are clearly not resonating with the Millenials; conversely, the more accurate "social democracy" message is only getting minimal traction with Boomers. This election is really more about rallying your troops on election day than it is with public policy persuasion. I will say this with great conviction: the Bernie Bros and Bernie Hos are EXTREMELY motivated to get out and vote. Voter apathy is historically a trend for younger people, but this is a new era of political populism and all bets are off.

Very good question. I don't know the right answer to it, but I can try asking around. I am involved at the very bottom rungs of Bernie's national campaign, but I do know higher-ups who probaby know the answer. Everyone here has already assumed that the DNC and the establishment Dems will do everything they can to bend the rules and rig the system in their favor, so I assume that someone somewhere here has already researched your question. Public policy disagreements aside, I find Bloomberg's campaign strategy entirely nonsensical. When you whip up a political machine at the last second, your ground game and grassroots infrastructure is going to have a lot of holes. Bloomberg can spam the Super Tuesday states with lame advertisments all he wants, but human connections built up over time matter. He also has no apparent answer for the other centrist establishment candidates running interference in the race, such as Pete the Cheat and Sloppy Joe (and also Amy K....we're keeping a cautious eye on her). Furthermore, I don't know exactly how he will be able to pivot from longtime Republican to suddenly staunch Democrat. There is a lot of dirt on him....it will be quite the magical transformation if he is able to pull it off. Somene like Trump could maybe do it, but Bloomberg has only a small fraction of the natural charisma that Trump has. His most ridiculous ploy is skipping the first four states of the primary season like they somehow don't matter. Bold strategy, Cotton! Um…let's see if it pays off?? Meanwhile, over here in Bernie Land, we've been carefully laying the foundation of a highly organized political campaign for AN ENTIRE YEAR. We are now a female majority movement. We own the Millenials and Generation Z. We dominate the working class. We've been slowly taking over the Latino vote too, thanks in large part to national strategists like Chuck Rocha (still waiting on Nevada polling, but we're cautiously optimistic). Independents voting in the primaries? We're leading in the polls for this group as well. There's some polling evidence that Sanders is winning back some of the white working class "Deplorables" of the Midwest that Hillary pushed away in 2016. White college-educated liberals? We've been picking some of them off from Warren's carcass since mid-January. I implore anyone to go check out Bernie's polling numbers in California! Now go check out Bloomberg's too! And most importantly: while Joe Biden has been busy creeping up on little girls from behind and challenging voters to pushups, us Sandernistas have been quietly chipping away at his alleged Southern Democrat "firewall," making inroads with the older African-American base thanks to people like Nina Turner and influential activists like Killer Mike. Biden's firewall should start collapsing any minute now. It could happen tomorrow, next week, or maybe as late as the day of South Carolina's primary. But there is some optimism here that it's on the verge of happening. In conclusion: Bloomberg and the DNC establishment can play around with the rules all they want, but they may be too late in coordinating a counter attack on the progressives. We have the high ground on 'em! Bernie's campaign has moved WAY beyond the sloppy 2016 days and is now WAY more diverse than the pejorative Bernie Bro stereotype of the angry, misogynistic white male trolling in mommy's basement in-between Antifa meetup sessions. Can't wait to clean house at the July convention! Sayonara, neoliberal scum!

I would be more than happy to do so this weekend and beyond, but honest question first: what will be the appetite for it here? Two main problems I foresee: 1. This forum comes across a bit like a monolithic right-wing echo-chamber with very ossified political beliefs. I don't mean to say this in an antagonistic way or with any genuine malice, but I don't want to waste hours of my free time trying to persuade people who can't possibly be persuaded. I waste enough current free time as it is on the hopeless pit of despair that has become the Buffalo Sabres. I'd much rather have fun with y'all here picking on the rest of the establishment Democrats while also keeping you informed of the Bernie side of things in the great Progressives vs. Centrists civil war brewing within the Dem Party. I have read everyone's responses and I understand your frustration with progressives. Y'all have worked very hard throughout your lives, have made smart and responsible choices, and don't want the government to wastefully extract your hard-earned resources only to enable a bunch of freeloaders. I don't know what more I can truly say on this other than to just try and meet more people outside your immediate social circles such as people from the working class or people under 40. Have open political conversations with them, listen to their concerns, share yours, and don't get too emotionally worked up over it all. 2. The wonky econ papers, data, and links I have come from Keynesian economics Ivy League professor types who - I can only assume - have voted all their lives for Democrats and various left-wingers. I have a hunch that this info will not be well-received here, regardless of the perceived quality of the content. Yes, I've been lurking in the global warming thread for a while...I see what people here think about the world of academia! And just to reiterate, the fundamental assertion of progressives is not that the overall economy since 1980 has not been improving at the macroeconomic scale; the assertion is that it has only ranged from stable to thriving for the professional, managerial, and millionaire/billionaire classes while leaving the working class much worse off (i.e. those without college degrees, those without any stake in the stock market, etc.). Moreover, the situation has now grown even worse since 2008 to include the Millenials and (soon to be) Generation Z of just about every socioeconomic class as they enter the workforce. That last sentence is super important, SO I HAVE DECIDED TO TYPE IN CAPS TO CAPTURE ATTENTION. IN MY OPINION, THIS IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST REASON FOR BERNIE'S RAPID RISE IN POPULARITY. IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF "SOCIALISM" AND WANT TO STOP IT, YOUR "TEAM" NEEDS TO ARTICULATE WAYS OF ALLEVIATING THE ECONOMIC CONSTERNATIONS OF MILLENIALS AND GENERATION Z. OTHERWISE, YOU COULD SOON LOSE YOUR POLITICAL POWER. PERHAPS THE VERY FIRST STEP TO STOPPING THIS MOVEMENT IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS, IN FACT, AN ECONOMIC PROBLEM FOR THEM THAT HAS BEEN FESTERING SINCE 1980 BUT ESPECIALLY SINCE 2008. IGNORING THE REALITIES OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION BY LABELING THE UNDER-40 AND WORKING CLASS WORKFORCE AS LAZY, DUMB, AND ENTITLED IS NEITHER ECONOMICALLY ACCURATE NOR POLITICALLY SALABLE.

I have, actually, as I used to be a libertarian before I became a progressive! Private charity solutions, lowering the costs of goods and services via less government involvement, trickle down economics, etc.. But if I may so politely bounce the question back to you: why are social welfare programs and progressive domestic policies rising in popularity here? Why is a "socialist" like Bernie even as popular as he is, popular enough that he's on the verge of taking over one of the country's two main political parties? These are policy ideas that were once soundly rejected by Democrats in 1972 and have been rejected fairly consistently at the national executive level between 1980-2008. So why the noticeable change in national opinion? What has happened to our country?

Can someone help me out with Step 3 below? Step 1: Join Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign listserv. Step 2: Help Bernie get elected president in November. Step 3: ??? Step 4: Mass oppression, extreme poverty, millions of corpses piled up. The twentieth century was tumultuous indeed, but aren’t there a bunch of social democratic countries that made it into the twenty-first century while managing to avoid Step 4? Or have they?! My goodness…what have I gotten myself into?! I’m just a ditzy NFL “journalist” who joined the Bernie Sanders political movement in order to meet cute Bernie Bros. I didn’t realize I was enabling a covert left-wing despot all along… In any event, I do like everyone here because you’re Buffalo Bills fans, so I will put in a good word after our takeover to make sure you get some of the better gulag assignments. Over and out, -Comrade Kay

One way in which us Bernie supporters differ so greatly with Trump-supporting Republicans is our approach to economic data. I'm not denying the facts of the current GDP rate of growth, the state of the stock market, or the unemployment percentage. My argument is that these macroeconomic metrics are overly simplistic, incomplete, and often misleading. What about wage growth rates versus cost of living, for example? Or home ownership numbers? Health care coverage percentages? The student debt bubble? Household savings data? Adjusted net wealth accumulation differences between Millenials and Boomers? Economic stats between whites and non-whites? There are reams of data suggesting that conditions are worsening for the working class across the nation - including those Rust Belt swing states - and that the recent USMCA deal did nothing to help the situation. Without a remotely suitable social safety net, a large percentage of Americans are getting trapped in hopeless cycles of socioeconomic stagnation and poverty. It’s fairly depressing to me that so many neoliberals and Republicans either don’t see these large groups of people throughout America or – even worse – don’t care about them and have deemed them as too lazy and stupid for redemption.

Okay, but I'm not arguing that just about ANY running mate of Bernie's can help him beat Trump. In fact, I only think a very small number of individuals can possibly do it, with Tulsi probably being the best one. I view the pool of potential American voters very roughly as follows: 1. 25% Trump/Republican loyalists 2. 25% Democrat loyalists who think Trump is the worst president in the history of presidents 3. 50% independents who are often apolitical, very cynical of all political institutions, and don't even bother to vote in any given year The Republican faithful will simply not abandon Trump at a time with a (speciously) healthy economy and no clear foreign policy blunders. And registered Democrats would, by and large, get behind Sanders regardless of the VP candidate (do not underestimate the strength of Trump Derangement Syndrome). So that leaves us with the largest target pool of voters that could possibly be persuaded by the VP choice: the somewhat apolitical and deeply cynical independents. And what better candidate to motivate them to actually get out and vote for such a feeble-looking socialist than a young, religious, military woman of color who physically resembles Wonder Woman, surfs, snowboards, trains with MMA instructors, wants to legalize pot, and hangs out with Joe Rogan...yet is also just as politically principled as Bernie and has accumulated solid progressive political credentials at the national level while earning endorsements from people as politically diverse as Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich?! You raised a few really good points that I unfortunately don't have the time right now to fully address: 1. Is Bernie's agenda appealing to a majority of voters? 2. Is it a practical and financially reasonable one? 3. Is it politically feasible? Question #1: In brief, I do feel that the progressive domestic agenda of such things like a living wage, universal healthcare, and student debt amelioration is enormously popular among the working class, the under-40 crowd, and basically anyone right now living paycheck-to-paycheck or suffering from serious medical issues. I will concede, however, to the fact that the professional and managerial classes with investments in the stock market are doing well and likely won't care about Sanders' brand of economic populism. In the end, it will all come down to numbers. Does your team have the numbers? And are they sufficiently motivated to come out and vote? Because I'm highly confident that us Bernie Bros and Bernie Hos are! Point #2: There is a hopelessly nuanced response to this, but to summarize: small Wall Street speculation taxes, the increase of taxes on the 1% (but not to the point where it halts business growth and investments), closing of billionaire tax loopholes, bipartisan government waste trimming, bipartisan crackdowns on crony capitalism, and a DRASTIC reduction/streamlining of the military-industrial complex. The latter point is the biggest one for me and a major reason why I'm an even bigger Tulsi fan than a Bernie fan. Remember that a Bernie revolution is not some dangerous political experiment without precedent! Virtually the entire rest of the developed world has adopted various forms of social democracies by now - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, Germany, Scandinavia, most of Europe really, etc... Many of these countries have higher rates of upward social mobility, higher standards of living, higher quantitative measures of happiness, etc... Actually visiting some of these places and talking to these people is what has gradually led me from Randian libertarianism to my current political beliefs. Point #3: Maybe. It obviously depends on how the Congressional elections turn out in 2020 and 2022. I'm not so naive to think the establishment neoliberal Dems will go down softly without kicking and screaming against a progressive agenda. But if Bernie wins the Dem nomination and goes on to beat Trump, that is an ENORMOUS political signal that the people want to move the country in a different direction. Remember that Trump only had about 35% or so of the support from his own political party in early 2016, and yet look at how much he has since reshaped the Republican Party and the country.

We prefer to be called the "progressive base" or the "social democrat base." There's a difference. Please learn it. You'll have many months this year to do so. A Bernie-Tulsi ticket would be my dream. I was a Bernie Supporter in 2016 and still am, but Tulsi has actually been my first choice for 2020 since the day that she announced her presidential run. My suspicion is that she has been working in tandem with Bernie all along, taking out enemies of the progressive cause (Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete the Cheat, any Hillary Clinton acolyte) while Bernie the Progressive Godfather does his thing. Bernie already has the name recognition, progressive infrastructure, and built-in army of supporters. Tulsi has been focusing on making inroads with the independent voter majority of this country, as well as war vets, libertarians and other disillusioned Trump supporters in 2016 who have realized that he was a fake populist carnival barker all along. Tulsi's foreign policy expertise also perfectly complements Bernie's domestic agenda. A Bernie-Tulsi partnership is a strong one and probably the Democratic Party's only real shot at beating Trump. The rest of the Dems are hopelessly mired in woke identity politics, Russiagate conspiracies, divisive impeachment shenanigans, and DNC *****. Bernie and Tulsi (Yang too) have been more focused on policies that could actually help the large majority of Americans who live paycheck to paycheck.

As much as I would like to begin ordering my Molotov cocktail supplies for the July convention in Milwaukee, the reality is that this thing is over. Bernie won. He started winning weeks ago when both Warren and Hillary unfairly attacked him. He unofficially won it when Biden faceplanted in Iowa. And his win will be obvious to everyone - even the MSNBC, CNN, NY Times, and Washington Post crowd - the morning after Super Tuesday. There are no more remaining viable neoliberal establishment machinations to be carried out, unless they are okay with taking away from Sanders what will have been rightfully earned by the time of the convention (and thereby instantly ensuring four more years of Trump). Warren and Klobuchar will be finished off in New Hampshire, Buttigieg by South Carolina, and Biden by Super Tuesday. By the time Bloomberg tries to enter the race, it will be too late. Bernie is going to win a voter majority in all but 2-3 states in the South by early March. The Clinton-Obama era of neoliberal warmongers has failed the country (especially the working class) and is thankfully almost over. We can play games for a few more weeks, but after that, it's time for the "moderate" Democrats to accept defeat and embrace a progressive FDR New Deal-style agenda. If not? Well, then make you're not near me at the convention this summer. KAY DON'T PLAY.

You sicken me, sir.

It's what I call "Chris Kelsay scar tissue." You see it everywhere throughout the Buffalo Bills fanbase that endured The Drought Era. You are either hard-working, team-oriented, blue-collar, always carrying your lunch in a pail form, completely devoid of talent, and somehow a perfect fit for the Buffalo franchise or you are a supremely talented but egotistical, lazy, and possibly criminal diva of an athlete who belongs with one of those teams that wins playoff games and division titles at least once every 25 years.

The defense is still mediocre against the run and in the red zone, though I think these issues have more to do with schemes, gap responsibility, and tackling technique than with personnel.

Clowney is a swiss army knife in the front 7. He can be lined up at Sam LB, either DE spot, nickel/dime DT, or as a LB/DE in a 3-4 scheme. Frazier's defense is at the point now where they can add layers of complexity to confuse even the most experienced of QB's and advance from really good to legendary. Clowney could singlehandedly do this for Frazier. Clowney's impact is not measured in personal sacks as much as it in the statistics of the overall defense. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that Brain Gaine is pushing Beane hard to go after him.

He's not reading this message board. You'll have to fly over to Baltimore and tell him.

This was my interpretation of the stats as well. The defense's sack totals were higher than expected, while the pass breakups and interceptions lower than expected, because fewer QB's were willing to take chances against the back 7...of which Hyde and Poyer play a key role. Buffalo's defense has a reputation for being perhaps the best in the league at disguising coverages. Buffalo also led the league in fewest pass plays given up of 20+ yards (34 all season). They deliberately scheme to keep everything in front of them, which can limit the opportunities for safeties to get interceptions and pass breakups. Also, I think some of y'all either don't watch enough football outside the Bills or are having memory selectivity biases. Safeties are missing tackles and giving up pass plays all the time...even the very best ones. Overall, Hyde and Poyer are excellent. Neal and J. Johnson are looking good, too.

Ryan Hickman can't do all of BillsMafia's dirty work. Someone else needs to step up! I've been doing my part. Notice how I'm always seated so far away from Kyle and Peter on the set of GMFB? That's because they have a 10ft restraining order on me for a few Bills-related "misunderstandings." Also, I'm about halfway through the entire series of The Wire and have some deliciously witty retorts lined up for the internet Ravens fan world. Am I worried about any blowback similar to what Jerry "Poor Woman's Ray Romano" Coleman received? No. Vinyasa yoga nights have been replaced with women's self-defense classes. All three of my assigned emotional support animal companions are cats that have not been declawed. KAY DON'T PLAY.

Oh goodness, no! I was referring to an infamous incident with ex-Bills RB, Travis Henry, who got into trouble when meeting up with an underaged girl at a gas station. No one else remembers this? Or am I imagining things again? In any case, I have higher standards. At least take me to a Dave & Buster's first.

A former Buffalo Bills head coach who quit the team. No, not Doug Marrone. No, not Lou Saban. No, not Chuck Knox. No, not John Rauch. No, not Lou Saban again.

There seems to be an unusually large number of quality free agent pass rushers this off-season. I wonder if this will suppress the market value a bit for Lawson and Phillips? Even so, about half of the league's teams are in good enough cap shape where they can throw wild money at a pass rusher if they so choose.

I see the point he was trying to make, but when I think of young athletes having children, I don't immediately think of stability and dedication to one's profession; I think of a rather unromantic rendezvous with some guy named "T. Henry" in a dimly lit parking lot behind a gas station off of I-90.

He wasn't kidding when he talked about turnover in the NFL and the difference between the 2017 Bills and the 2019 Bills. Him and DiMarco are the only players on offense that remain from the 2017 roster! Overall, you can add Ferguson, Hauschka, Hughes, Lawson, Alexander, Milano, Hyde, Poyer, and White. So that's only 11 players total out of 53 that were jumping around like maniacs in the locker room when Dalton became a hero. And only 4 of these ever experienced the Rex Ryan Circus of 2016.

Well your X receiver doesn't need to have talent at the level of Julius Jones or AJ Green, but he certainly needs to be an upgrade over Duke Williams. I'm thinking along the lines of a less lazy version of Kelvin Benjamin. I'm thinking of ways the Bills can improve the offense from #24 to top-10. How do you propose they do it? This is what I suggested: 1. X receiver in first two rounds of draft. A healthy AJ Green would be ideal! 2. Scherff or Conklin on the right side of the line to pair with Ford. 3. Power RB, like Carlos Hyde in free agency or someone in the middle rounds of the draft. Derrick Henry would be ideal! 4. Josh Allen improving. 5. Everyone staying healthy.