Episode 279 - Dirty Break? (w/ Richard Winger)

All I could think through the episode was how little I was engaged because Cornell fucking West is running.

Sarah Jarrett

His chuckle is good. 🥰

MYK’L ROCKS

I think in the 2024 race we get pressure on Biden to compete for those 3rd party votes in the likely scenario. There's also the Biden completely collapses scenario where it would enable someone other than Trump to possibly pick up the fumble. Outside chance, but I think it's possible if there's a serious recession or the Ukraine War becomes a real disaster for people who don't live in Ukraine, both of which could happen.

Christopher E Musgrave

It’s just not making you money YET I’ve been thinking about how you told Katie the other day she does a lot with a little.

Great ep - he sounds like that droopy dawg from looney tunes 🌝

It’s very hard for me to take MW or RFK jr seriously as candidates, but even so I hope they run independent in the general regardless of primary outcome. The dems need some chaos and to work for it after Biden’s tenure. I don’t necessarily want them to lose but they certainly deserve to

Kenneth Smith

This is such wishful thinking. All this “one neat trick” crap.

AWESOME AWESOME episode!!!!!! Thanks, as ever, BJG!

Oh I don’t know.... you offer OODLES more of value than many who “make money” spewing their “rattlings” forth.....

Glad I could help , Maggie. There's a lot of things rattling around up there that can't make me any money, it makes me happy when they're of some use to somebody 😂

Jonathan Kadmon

Super background! Thanks, Jonathan

The run as a Dem for more/better media attention/coverage was Marianne Williamson’s stated reasoning. I have heard NO ONE else articulate it after what happened in 16 and 20 to Bernie Sanders. In fact, each time MW gave her reasons for remaining loyal to her party, for which she holds affection and nostalgia, there was CONSIDERABLE pushback saying “we already know what they’ll do —and SO DO YOU!!!” . There seems to be other reasons/benefits for MW to not cross her party.

"Our election laws are a mess"...yes indeed, apparently by design. James Morone's "Republic of Wrath" describes how this was done by design so that when the "people out of doors" ran amuck and elected someone who favored economic "levelling" there would be messiness and avenues for interference and contestation of populist election victories (though they weren't called that back then). The first time such messiness was used at the presidential level was the very messy election of 1800, according to Morone. Doesn't seem like the federalists were successful in their efforts but they gave it the old college try.

Jonathan Kadmon

You’re spot on here. I think while we are fighting for RCV, we can still start BUSTING out of the corrupt, fascistic red/blue duopoly—at the VERY LEAST we need to do that mentally. AND BEGIN TO NORMALIZE 3P/Indies! Frankly, actual WALK THEIR TALK people and policy OVER party/profit candidates do NOT have a chance through DNC/Dems. So one might say Indie/3P candidates have the same chances under the current system/structure :-)

Thanks for covering this topic, BJG! Just getting started! I’ll say this from the jump: irrespective of the logistical and legal hoops, a “dirty break” strategy implies a “trust me” leap by the voters to a candidate who has yet to do ONE SINGLE THING FOR THEM. And this is NOT the Electoral climate to ONCE AGAIN ask voters/people to do for a candidate/Elected BEFORE they have EARNED that ask. A “dirty break” strategy begs the question, WHY EVEN START OUT AS A DEM?! Show us you mean it and earn CREDIBILITY from the GET GO? “Dirty break” is “cake and eat it too” . A candidate receiving duopoly corrupt party benefits/perks and luring votes with the prospect of a “dirty break”. And with the DNC/Dems IGNORING THEM and REFUSING to have debates, aren’t they ALREADY being “cheated” and “mistreated”? Besides, we ALL including the challenger candidates KNOW FULL WELL the DNC holds the LEGAL RIGHT to select and install the Dem POTUS nominee—the voters/people do NOT have that right in the dem party.

I am not through the whole episode yet so forgive me if this is covered, but it always frustrates me how no one who I have heard/participated in conversations with reckons with the first past the post voting system we have. Instead of being incredibly technical about spoiler laws and hypotheticals about ballot access, I never hear about what actually happens if someone runs as a 3rd party in the general. What does it do? Do you actually think they can win? What do we get out of that scenario? I have a much more pessimistic view toward the answers to those questions, and it's a big reason electoralism definitely feels like a dead end, at least from a national electoral perspective. For all it's faults, at least andrew yang and his goofy forward party dealt with this by making ranked choice voting a platform plank.