Don't Feed the Trolls

We've been through this before, but it seems like a good time for your periodic reminder:

It's about to get really deep out there.  So when wading through social media, remember a few things:

1. Just because someone says they support Bernie (Biden, Warren, Buttigieg, etc.), don't take them at their word.  Especially if they're a non-verified account you don't know.  They could easily be lying to make that candidate (or their supporters) look bad.
2. Aside from their standard dirty tricks (voter suppression, etc.), the primary weapon Trump and his team will use to try to win in 2020 is to divide the opposition.  It worked just well enough in 2016 to get him across the finish line; we CANNOT let them do it again.  So be skeptical of any accounts like this one claiming 'Candidate X is corrupt/dishonest/a drug dealer/whatever'.  And no matter what your personal feelings are about the Democratic candidates who aren't your favorite, NEVER reinforce the Trumpian narrative that they're somehow corrupt!
3. On July 16 next year, the Democrats will select their nominee, and no matter who you personally support, the odds are that it won't be your candidate.  So we all need to be prepared to put our differences aside and fight like hell for 4 months to get that nominee elected, no matter who it turns out to be.

It's bad enough that the Republican noise machine has their own supporters lapping up lies about Democrats.  Don't let them poison the Democratic nomination contest as well.

Buckle In, It's Going to be a Bumpy Ride

I now declare campaign 2020 officially kicked off.  And to start it off right, I'm providing my initial list of candidates to donate money to.

Without question, the two biggest targets for Democrats in 2020 need to be --- no, not Trump, believe it or not --- but the two most powerful Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham.

They have already made a farce out of the eventual impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate, promising a kangaroo court with a predetermined acquittal.  First, here's the current head (laughably) of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Graham:

I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.

If a potential juror in a criminal trial anywhere in America said this, he'd be dismissed.  Unfortunately, such brazen devotion to subverting justice to their Dear Leader is par for the course for Republicans these days.  For example, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell makes Graham sound downright ethical:

During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, the Majority Leader said that "everything" he does "during this, I'm coordinating with the White House counsel. There will be no difference between the president's position and our position as to how to handle this, to the extent that we can."

And that's the bad news: the Republican party has given up any pretense that they care about the Constitution, checks and balances, or the rule of law.

The good news is: Both of these bastards are up for re-election in 2020, and they're vulnerable.  A recent poll showed Graham leading his likely Democratic opponent by just 2 points, with only 38% of voters 'definitely' or 'probably' planning to for him.  And while there is currently no independent polling data for McConnell's race, the Democrats just won the Governor's seat in Kentucky, a state Trump won by 30 points in 2016.

So I'm starting out the 2020 cycle by making generous donations to Graham's opponent, Jaime Harrison, and McConnell's opponent, Amy McGrath.  I urge your to do the same, and start setting money aside.  There will be lots of opportunities to influence close races in 2020.