Joe Biden's Absence Looms Over California Campaign Events

[pdsimdars]

The former vice president’s rivals pounced on his controversial agenda at a San Francisco convention.

SAN FRANCISCO ― No fewer than 14 Democratic presidential candidates were slated to speak at the California Democratic Party’s convention over the weekend. Eight of them did double duty at MoveOn.org’s Big Ideas forum a few blocks away.

And a fifteenth contender, spiritual guru Marianne Williamson, attended the convention without a speaking slot.

But the preponderance of candidates made former Vice President Joe Biden’s decision not to attend that much more conspicuous.

Biden, who consistently leads the crowded primary field in the polls, chose instead to speak at a Human Rights Campaign dinner in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday kicking off LGBT pride month.

Biden campaign spokesman Jamal Brown said in a statement that Biden would return to the Golden State in the near future “to meet with voters, learn firsthand about their concerns, and ultimately, compete strongly in the state.”

In Biden’s absence, however, some candidates took subtle jabs at his consensus-seeking agenda, illustrating the hazards of a presidential campaign that has emphasized appeal to moderate swing voters and limited its candidate’s public appearances.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) took the toughest shots at Biden in their remarks, even as none identified Biden by name.

“Some Democrats in Washington believe the only changes we can get are tweaks and nudges. If they dream at all, they dream small,” Warren told a crowd of thousands in the California Democratic convention hall. “Some say if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses. But our country is in a time of crisis. The time for small ideas is over.”

. . .

“Here’s the thing ― when a candidate tells you about all the things that aren’t possible, about how political calculations come first, about how you should settle for little bits and pieces instead of real change, they’re telling you something very important: They are telling you that they will not fight for you,” she argued, drawing cheers from the crowd. “Not me. I’m here to fight.”

Buttigieg used his time to turn the conventional wisdom that Biden would be the most electable against Trump on its head, arguing that restoring the pre-Trump status quo, as Biden suggests, would not be enough to prevail.

“The riskiest thing we can do is try too hard to play it safe,” Buttigieg said. “There’s no going back to normal right now.”

And while Buttigieg’s shot at Washington politicians could have applied to any number of members of Congress seeking to occupy the White House, Biden is by far the most experienced of the bunch.

“[Trump] wins if we look like more of the same. He wins if we look more like Washington,” Buttigieg said.

continues . . . .

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-absence-looms-california-democrats_n_5cf33839e4b0e346ce7f59a4

[Demsrule86]

1. Separates himself from the pack...will go down when he is he only one...smart politics.

[ucrdem]

3. Very smart.

[Demsrule86]

9. Yes...he has good people running his campaign...

[Sneederbunk]

65. Let it loom.

[ucrdem]

2. I'm sure they had a lovely welcome planned.

[Kahuna7]

14. You know it.

[Scurrilous]

19. Yep.

[BannonsLiver]

54. That's why a few people in this thread are salty he didn't attend

They wanted to see the crowd try to embarrass him. It couldn’t be any more transparent.

[Kahuna7]

55. Exactly. Team Joe proves to be one step ahead of the knuckleheads...

[aikoaiko]

4. Joe won't be able to hide from the primary debates.

But I can't understand why his campaign would keep him from the California Dem Convention.

[Demsrule86]

8. He is a hell of a debater and eviscerated Ryan...there are multiple candidates...I doubt the debates

will be meaningful...perhaps will cement Biden's position as the front runner.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

10. I don't see Joe hiding from the debates, as he'll, no doubt, wanna promote his "return to normalcy"

campaign, which contrasts greatly with the rest of the field's more forward-looking progressive agenda. Joe's strategy will either cement his status as the frontrunner, or a new one will emerge... I expect the latter, but, obviously, we'll see.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

44. He was at an HRC event

It doesn’t take a lot of work to find that out. Give the Google machine a whirl.

To you point, either way he’s beating Bernie badly.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

45. I never asked or even cared where Joe was... so why would I bother to Google it?

Glad you figured it out, but, he should've showed... though it's understandable why he didn't... no worries. I do commend him for attending the HRC, an important event to be sure.

Anyway, hearing the call of We The People for a forward-looking progressive revolution beats, every time, advocating for a return to normalcy, while taking small incremental steps.

Guess we'll soon find out... see ya at the debates. Let the best candidate win... best of luck to yours!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[JI7]

47. it's not more important than the HRC event he was at

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

50. I hear ya... which is why I commended Joe for attending. I just think...

weighing the importance of the two events, he should have been at the CDP Convention... but, I can see where reasonable minds can differ.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[George II]

61. You commended him for attending the HRC event in Ohio only AFTER you complained about him....

....not being in California this weekend.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

75. Yes, IMHO, Joe should've showed at the CDP Convention...

but, as I ALSO said, his decision was UNDERSTANDABLE, given that, at least he chose to attend the HRC event, an important one to be sure, for which he should be commended.

Yes, I commended Joe AFTER expressing my opinion that the better choice would've been to attend the CDP Convention. I suppose I could have reversed the order, and commended him first for attending the HRC event, but suggest next that he should've showed at the CDP event instead. But, it would have no bearing on the point I was making.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

49. So the HRC isn't a worthy cause in your view. Got it.

At least you’re laying your cards on the table.

BTW, the word salad you wrote would seem to contradict the reality we’re in. Pie in the Sky isn’t winning right now.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

51. Nope, that's why I commended Joe for attending the HRC.

I just think, in considering the two events, the CDP Convention would have made more sense for Joe to attend. But, like I told another poster, reasonable minds can differ on this.

Suggesting one over the other, however, is NOT to say HRC isnt a worthy cause - the two are not mutually exclusive when it comes to worthiness - so, I'd appreciate your not putting words in my mouth. Thank you!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

52. You "commended him" by saying he should have been in California anyway.

“Glad you figured out out, but, he should've showed...”




I’m not sure that word means what you think it means.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

57. Wrong again... I specifically stated I understood why Joe didn't attend the CDP convention

and, though I disagreed with his decision, from a political viewpoint, I commended him for attending the HRC.

Not sure why you would want to try to twist my words. Saying that, IMHO, Joe should've showed at one political event over another doesn't take away from my commending him for the fact that, if he was going to be a no-show at the CDP Convention, at least he understandably attended another worthwhile cause, the HRC event.

Rather than make up things I didn't say, you could accept my statement that reasonable minds can differ on the better event Joe should've choosen to attend. But, I know you won't do that, so, carry on and make up more things I supposedly said... it's actually somewhat amusing to see you struggle with the English language.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

58. I quoted from your post

Once again:


“Glad you figured out out, but, he should've showed...”

I don’t think you know what you want to say or what you mean TBH. That much is clear, and par for the course.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

64. LOL! Again, that has nothing to do with what I said in response your repeated semi-quote...

which is but a fraction of what I said. Can't say I blame you for not acknowledging the substance of my responses to you on this subject and responding in kind.

So, go ahead, repeat that I said Joe should've showed at the CDP Convention... that's my opinion, and as I've said, reasonable minds can differ, but that doesn't take away from what else I said that you refuse to acknowledge.

It's okay though... it just shows the weakness of your argument in pretending that's all I said. So, carry on, quote the same phrase over and over, which doesn't detract the least little bit from the point I was making in full, which you continue to ignore... I've come to expect it.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

66. Righhhht

- You never said it.

- You meant something else.

- Your words aren’t meant to be taken at face value.

- Readers are meant to guess at what you really mean. Like a parlor game.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

69. As I expected... smart of you to avoid further embarrassment.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

71. LOL

I “commend you” for that!1!1

[George II]

59. Joe Biden is an experienced, sophisticated campaigner with well organized campaign staff.....

I'm sure he knows what he's doing, and he probably would disagree with your "he should've showed", most importantly because he didn't show.

[BannonsLiver]

60. Now the poster is claiming they never said he should have showed

And is “commending” Biden for not attending the MoveOn event.

[George II]

62. Yes, we're thinking along the same lines, see my post #60 posted simultaneously to yours!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

70. The EXACT OPPOSITE is true... the poster (me) repeatedly stood by what I said...

and continues to do so: Joe should've showed... said that repeatedly. You can't find where I denied saying that.

But, go ahead... twist my words and continue to ignore everything else I said along with my opinion that Joe should've showed. It just shows the weakness of your argument.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

72. You should invent a board game

Call it “No, I mean that!” where players guess what you really mean. There could be a spinner like on twister and maybe points awarded for guessing the REAL meaning of a statement within a certain time frame. Just spitballing here....

[Kahuna7]

74. It could even be a television game show...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

76. As I expected... how about a game where you actually read and quote exactly what I said.

It couldn't be clearer...but, you know that.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

77. Or one where a coherent point/argument is presented.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

79. Your insult is noted... how very kind of you.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BannonsLiver]

80. You should probably be less concerned about Biden

And more concerned with Bernie and the fact he’s languishing in the polls, having to scrap to hold off Warren and Mayor Pete for second place. Not exactly how it was supposed to go, was it.

Between his lackluster crowd at his “re-launch” event in VERMONT, and repeated gaffes like at She the People and when he was asked recently about abortion laws, he’s had a really bad run lately. The day to day itineraries of the other candidates should be the of the least concern to any Sanders supporter right now.

[BannonsLiver]

73. But you "commend him" for not showing?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

78. Not at all, I commended Joe for attending another worthwhile event, which I said was understandable.

Just not the WISER choice of the TWO events, IMHO. But, you know that's what I've consistently been saying.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[George II]

63. He doesn't need to "cement his status as the frontrunner", he IS the frontrunner, by more than.....

....a 2-1 + margin in most polls.

I suspect other candidates have to "cement" the viability of their campaigns.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

68. For NOW, yes Joe IS the frontrunner... I think most people know that by now...

I was talking about in the FUTURE, when the candidates start DEBATING... not NOW. In response to another poster, I defended Joe, saying he WOULDN'T hide from the debates... why would he? The point being he has an opportunity to cement his status as the frontrunner by promoting his political agenda via the debates, which will be judged against the agendas of the other candidates.

So, feel free to read the rest of what I said to get the full context... though I don't expect you will.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[George II]

12. THIS is why, he certainly wasn't hiding:

[crazytown]

32. One of his best speeches

Passionate. Detailed. From the heart.

[Cha]

24. Biden wasn't "hiding" as you put it.. He

was at the HRC celebrating the beginning of June Pride Month.

Vice President Joe Biden was the first sitting Vice President of the United States to express his personal support for marriage equality and helped lead the most pro-LGBTQ administration in our nation’s history. After leaving office, Vice President Biden has continued to champion the rights of LGBTQ people in the United States and globally through the Biden Foundation, which built on the Bidens’ lifelong commitment to advancing equality, including fighting for equal treatment, inclusion, acceptance, dignity, and justice for LGBTQ people.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=137353

[mcar]

37. He was speaking at the Human Rights Campaign

Not home watching TV.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

85. Yes, exactly the point... that's why I commended Joe for THAT...

AND suggested that the BETTER choice would have been to speak at the CDP Convention. But, you're right, had Joe simply stayed home, that would not have been a good look.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

5. This is no time to play it safe... the survival of our country is at stake!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Skya Rhen]

15. I am astonished and dismayed that a chunk of our Democratic party feels so comfortable with Trump's

harmful and destructive influence over this country and would even go so far as to mock its seriousness. This sentiment is particularly rampant on Twitter and other social media platforms.

They actually feel that there is no urgency in having him removed and seem quite content with another four years of Trump. This proves to me that it will be very difficult to beat him as he has a large pool of both witting and unwitting supporters that can replicate his 2016 victory.

This reality convinces me that our strongest, most capable candidate must end up being our nominee because there is a tough fight ahead...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

46. Abso-fuckin-lutely!! Right there with you!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[samnsara]

7. I for one agree with Bidens choice...

...he went where he felt he was needed the most.

[George II]

11. I think he made the right choice yesterday, it wasn't like he spent the day reading on his porch:

[Kahuna7]

13. Hell yeah, he made the right choice. There is no way that crowd would have

shown him respect.

[revmclaren]

67. That's the reason some are so upset

with Biden not going to California I think that they were hoping for an anti Biden crowd to show up and disrupt him. Sorry folks...he was at the HRC celebrating June Pride month. Just more proof of how great a Democratic president he will be.



ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[yardwork]

16. Ohio is a must-win state in 2020, and Columbus is the epicenter of progressives there.

Gay rights, in Columbus, OH, brings together a huge number of progressives in one place. Remember that Jim Obergefell is from Ohio.

With one appearance, Biden just placed himself head and shoulders above the rest of the Democratic field among gay folks and progressives in Ohio. Smart move.

[left-of-center2012]

17. Biden haters will continue to attack him no matter what

Instead of promoting their candidates,
they tear down Joe.

"Why should we vote for your candidate ?"

"Because we hate Biden !"

"What will your candidate do for us?"

"We hate Biden !"

"Give me one reason to vote for your candidate."

"We hate Biden !"

[Skya Rhen]

18. #BidenEnvy

[Peacetrain]

21. Truth in that!

[Peacetrain]

20. Don't think so...

[BeckyDem]

22. Warren 2020

[loyalsister]

23. This is exactly what I want to hear in the GE

Some say if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses. But our country is in a time of crisis. The time for small ideas is over

Warren is in a unique position as the opposing force that gained entrance into a mess that had been decades in the making.

There is currently no record of serious government accomplishments that outweighs the damage done by catering to predatory corporate culture. From strengthening punitive policies at federal level and encouraging states to do the same to welfare reform to corporate subsidies to bankruptcy reform to sub prime mortgages to attacks on reproductive rights to failures to confront continuous environmental sabotage to extreme hostility towards immigrants is institutional misogyny and white supremacy at work.

She was there in opposition from the outside before getting elected and she has an "I told you so" in her pocket, and it looks like she's got the guts to use it.

The impetus for an outsider to come in and clean things up started with Obama and had legitimacy. Blocking his every effort, forcing him back into the long standing normal bipartisan strategies that brought us here, creating a breakdown, and responding to voters' anger with a promise to burn it down was a evil con that demands a very different response from going back to normalcy.

Warren and others recognize the depth of the white male supremacy that is normalcy and are willing to take serious steps toward dismantling some of what it has brought us most recently.
They are cultivating plans that go beyond anti- Trumpism. Aggressively attacking misogyny and racism when they are on full display may make many voters nervous but so have other major advances. I really think it's time to finally do the work.

[Demsrule86]

28. I won't vote for Elizabeth Warren in the primary. It is my opinion that she can't win a general...

[Cha]

25. Biden was celebrating June Pride month with the HRC..

Vice President Joe Biden was the first sitting Vice President of the United States to express his personal support for marriage equality and helped lead the most pro-LGBTQ administration in our nation’s history. After leaving office, Vice President Biden has continued to champion the rights of LGBTQ people in the United States and globally through the Biden Foundation, which built on the Bidens’ lifelong commitment to advancing equality, including fighting for equal treatment, inclusion, acceptance, dignity, and justice for LGBTQ people.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=137353

[mcar]

38. Horrors!

He was supporting equal rights for all? How terrible!

[Cha]

42. And, doing an excellent job of it!

mcar

[mcar]

43. Hey Cha

[Eliot Rosewater]

26. Love Joe, but man if he still thinks pence and cheney and other cons are decent people, then

that is NOT what I need right now.

[Skya Rhen]

27. Did you watch the speech Joe made just last night, at the HRC, where he forcefully called out Pence?

[Eliot Rosewater]

83. no, good to hear...I love Joe, and he wants to be liked by his fellow politicians because

in the old days that was how it was done...

vote for him as if my life depends on it if he is the nominee but I want someone else, Kamala

[Demsrule86]

29. I will say the same thing I said to a Warren supporter...I do not believe that Harris can win back

the blue wall without which we can't beat Trump. I like her but I won't vote for her in a primary...I don't care one bit about what policy this candidate advance or what not...I care about beating Trump. All Democrats are acceptable to me in the general,but I believe only Biden can win the general.

[Kahuna7]

56. So. Bernie believes there are actually "honest" repubs he can work with...

to prevent a war with Iran. As if.

[still_one]

30. What some may not realize is that the California Democratic Party does NOT necesarily represent

their membership.

A perfect example of this was when they endorsed Kevin de Leon for Senator over Dianne Feinstein.

"Dianne Feinstein won reelection by an overwhelming majority in that race.

This proved the state party organization comes nowhere near representing the party’s membership.

This begs the question why is that, and it goes to how they select their delegates for the next party convention.

They have caucuses in all California Assembly districts where they choose 14 delegates per district for the next convention, the one we are seeing now.

The problem was, the party didn't notify most of the Democrats of the vote that was to take place, and there was no notice on the party website. Most who attended were informed by candidates or word of mouth, and they called this a Democratic process?

Those who did turn up for the caucuses, heard a few speeches, then waited in line to vote, and when they voted, no one verified where they lived, or whether they had already voted.

They used a hand stamp as there verification, but not everyone received that hand stamp. It was somewhat of an "honor" system, where anyone could vote, citizen or not, district resident or not, Democrat or not, multiple times.
The check was through a laptop computer per caucus, used to verify ID through a voter DB, but only if someone challenged the legitimacy of a would be voter.

and determining who won these delegate elections was a mess. The party created two gender categories: "self-identified female" and "male/other than self-identified female" Voters could mark seven in each category, but no matter who got the most votes, the top seven of each would become delegates. So if 14 self-identified other-than-females got more votes than the leading female, seven would be knocked out.
This is democracy?"

https://www.redding.com/story/opinion/columnists/tom-elias/2019/04/08/california-democrats-art-they-really-democratic/2916017002/

[crazytown]

33. On the ground intel,

thank you. Much appreciated.

[Cha]

34. Mahalo for that, still_one.. I was thinking

the same about those at the California Events.

[still_one]

36. You're right Cha

[DCofVA]

35. It is strange that Biden was a no-show to the biggest gathering of Democratic candidates to date.

In such an important state as California. Don't they have over 400 hundred delegates? It may be that he has a bad campaign manager. If this is not the case, I would like to know why he chose not to go.

[BannonsLiver]

39. Yes he should have been in California

After all the Human Rights Campaign is a terrible cause and should always take a backseat to other events.

Tell you what, if his staff is as awful as you say it is that is a big problem for the other candidates because their collective staffs are getting outperformed badly by “old Joe’s” bunch.

[Skya Rhen]

41. Boom!!!!!!

[JI7]

48. it's not that important. and i live in California

[Hekate]

40. Shame in Joe! Oh wait, he went to an LGBTQ event in Iowa? Hmmmm

Good Lord, people.

[Hoyt]

53. Don't know what's going on, but Biden needs to be out there working as hard

as the other candidates. Don’t think he can, or should, lay back much longer.

[emmaverybo]

81. You are concerned because you support him? You just don't think he's doing the right thing? Oh,

he CAN’T campaign the way he chooses to? How do you know he is not working as hard as the others? The subject at hand is his choice of which event to attend. So is he attending the lazy event and the other candidates are attending the industrious one?
I will assume you are criticizing how he’s running his campaign and claiming that his strategy, which you imply you don’t understand with your “don’t know what is going on” will not help him sustain his lead.
We can only wait and see.

[Hoyt]

82. Where was Biden today, yesterday, day before, after Mueller?

[Cha]

87. Biden was guest speaker at the Human

Rights Event for June Pride Month, in Columbus, Ohio, Hoyt.

Vice President Joe Biden was the first sitting Vice President of the United States to express his personal support for marriage equality and helped lead the most pro-LGBTQ administration in our nation’s history. After leaving office, Vice President Biden has continued to champion the rights of LGBTQ people in the United States and globally through the Biden Foundation, which built on the Bidens’ lifelong commitment to advancing equality, including fighting for equal treatment, inclusion, acceptance, dignity, and justice for LGBTQ people.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=137353

Also..

Alexandra "Alex" Gallardo Rooker, acting chairwoman of the California Democratic Party, said at one point during the event, however, that she and Biden spoke last week and the former vice president said he had already committed to the Human Rights Campaign Dinner on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio, and therefore could not make it to the convention.

Biden, Gallardo-Rooker said, assured her that he would visit California "many times."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/02/politics/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-california-democratic-convention/index.html

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=138226

[Hoyt]

88. Got it, and Kudos. But where was he Sunday, Friday, Thursday, after Mueller spoke?

All I'm saying is that Biden needs to be getting around more, or he needs to get better press coverage if they aren't reporting his campaigning.

I am not opposed to Biden, at all. I'd love for him to be our nominee, although I really prefer a woman for several reasons. He appears to have the best chance to take trump down, and he did a fine job as VP. However, I'd prefer he hit several states every day, appear on talk shows, etc., just like the other candidates before I switch from Undecided.

[Scurrilous]

84. Bernie Sanders takes jab at Biden for not attending California Democratic Convention

<snip>

"Bernie Sanders on Sunday took a tacit jab at former Vice President Joe Biden, calling out his Democratic presidential opponent without mentioning him by name for not appearing at the California Democratic Convention -- where more than a dozen other 2020 candidates made their cases to scores of Democratic voters.

"As you all know, there is a debate among presidential candidates who have spoken to you here in this room and those who have chosen for whatever reason not to be in this room about the best way forward," the Vermont senator said as attendees booed. "So let me be as clear as I can be: in my view, we will not beat Donald Trump unless we bring excitement and energy into the campaign."

<snip>

"Although Sanders did not directly name Biden, the former vice president's absence was explicitly noted by the group Action for a Progressive Future, whose members handed out fliers at the event that read: "Where is Joe Biden?"

Alexandra "Alex" Gallardo Rooker, acting chairwoman of the California Democratic Party, said at one point during the event, however, that she and Biden spoke last week and the former vice president said he had already committed to the Human Rights Campaign Dinner on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio, and therefore could not make it to the convention.

Biden, Gallardo-Rooker said, assured her that he would visit California "many times."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/02/politics/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-california-democratic-convention/index.html

[Cha]

86. Because, of course, he did.. However..

Alexandra "Alex" Gallardo Rooker, acting chairwoman of the California Democratic Party, said at one point during the event, however, that she and Biden spoke last week and the former vice president said he had already committed to the Human Rights Campaign Dinner on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio, and therefore could not make it to the convention.

Mahalo, Scurrilous!