AOC's chief of staff deletes tweet attacking Blue Dog Caucus as 'New Southern Democrats'

The chief of staff of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, deleted a tweet accusing moderate House Democrats of being the "new Southern Democrats" following a House vote that approved funding for the border on Thursday.
After initially resisting the bipartisan bill that passed in the Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, caved to the pressure of moderates in her caucus and passed the spending bill, causing backlash among progressives.
Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti lashed out on Twitter, took aim at the New Democrats and the Blue Dog Caucus.
"Instead of 'fiscally conservative but socially liberal,' let's call the New Democrats and Blue Dog Caucus the 'New Southern Democrats,' Chakrabarti said in the now-deleted tweet. "They certainly seem hell bent to do black and brown people today what the old Southern Democrats did in the 40s."
After deleting the tweet, Chakrabarti explained that he was "mad" but doubled down on the message, saying "if we don't have progress on racial justice it will be because of the new Dems and blue dogs. Just like in 1940."
"I don't think people have to be personally racist to enable a racist system," Chakrabarti told another Twitter user. "And the same could even be said of the Southern Democrats."
He continued his attacks against the Blue Dog Caucus for "wasting $4.5 billion" that "puts kids in concentration camps."
Chakrabarti nor Ocasio-Cortez's office did not immediately respond to Fox News for comment.

Mark Penn: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders -- Second Dem debate's big winners and losers

With more at stake for the front runners, the second Democratic debate Thursday night in Miami had far more fireworks than the rather tepid debate the night before.
By and large, the moderators went down a list of Democratic issues as defined by the left of the party, and the candidates largely pandered in their answers.
Interestingly when asked what issue they would bring before Congress this group of mostly seasoned politicians ducked the issue for fear of alienating one constituency over another.
Based on two nights of debates, impeachment is a dead issue of little interest to the presidential candidates but free health care for undocumented immigrants is now a consensus issue among the candidates.
Here are Thursday night’s winners and losers:
Winners
Joe Biden — He successfully showed he could stand up under withering challenges and recite a list of his accomplishments. He was generally articulate, on point and unflappable. But his response to the attack by Kamala Harris has holes, saying his vote against federally ordered busing was not a vote against busing.
Kamala Harris — She went in with a mission of having a confrontation with Biden, who is holding 50 percent of the African-American community votes. She went after him on the issue of race, and her attack will be the most replayed moment of the debate, elevating her status and perhaps reclaiming some of an important constituency from Biden. She had the most aggressive style of all the debaters and that may help her if the voters are looking for someone they believe won’t wither under attacks by President Trump.
Pete Buttigieg — His answers were generally articulate and he was careful to take some moderate positions like questioning "Medicare-for-all." His answer on the police shooting in his city was obviously rehearsed and very tentative, but he got through it. Nevertheless, he remains a candidate with a growing hold on younger voters who can’t be counted out. He has ended Beto O’Rouke’s campaign by edging him out as the less-than-experienced insurgent candidate.
Losers
Bernie Sanders — He generally repeated his attack on corporate America over and over again and it sounded a bit hollow. His performance on Thursday night is unlikely to stop the advance of Elizabeth Warren who is splitting the party’s most progressive voters.
Kristen Gillibrand — She swung for the fences with an impassioned defense of women’s reproductive rights, but her attempt to go after women’s votes seemed inauthentic and forced. She likely did not advance her candidacy much in this debate.
The rest
The rest of the candidates generally were losers even as they gave some articulate and interesting answers. But they will likely remain far behind the front runners.
So, Biden holds on to his lead. Harris is moving up. Sanders is going down. Elizabeth Warren and Buttigieg are the ones to watch.

Hannity: Rachel Maddow moderating debate an 'embarrassment' for NBC News

Fox News' Sean Hannity blasted NBC News for allowing opinion host Rachel Maddow to moderate Wednesday's debate, calling it an embarrassment.
"The real embarrassment is that NBC allowed the biggest conspiracy theorist in the country to moderate the debate. The so-called news network put 'Roswell' Rachel Maddow right there, front and center," Hannity said on Thursday's edition of Fox News' "Hannity." "The single biggest conspiracy theorist in the country."
Hannity blasted NBC and called out longtime NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, asking if the retired anchorman was watching what his news organization had become.
"NBC is not interested in the truth, they're not interested in integrity or actual journalism. Instead, NBC News -- Tom Brokaw, are you watching? Didn't you build up this brand? A TV channel that works in unison with everything Democratic Party, everything socialist. Everything to smear, slander President Trump every hour of every day," the Fox News host said.
Hannity also went after the Democratic Party for sliding further to left.
"Last night's debate did confirm what we've also been telling you for some time. Moderates in the Democratic Party, they are extinct. They no longer exist. There are no more Joe Liebermans, Scoop Jacksons. Radical socialists have completely and totally taken over," Hannity said.

"There are no more Joe Liebermans, Scoop Jacksons. Radical socialists have completely and totally taken over."
— Sean Hannity

Hannity also took umbrage with many of the political platforms candidates expressed -- in particular the ones that were anti-capitalism.
"Last night they were just obsessed with vilifying private enterprise. In other words, that which has created the greatest standard of living in the industrialized world, that has advanced the human condition more than any governmental system. Capitalism works and we share it with others," Hannity said.
"I wonder why New York, New Jersey, let's say Illinois, California are losing population? Yeah, because of what they proposed last night. Where are we going to go next?"

Biden grilled by Harris on race record at chaotic Dem debate, as Bernie’s ‘socialist’ agenda challenged

Democratic presidential primary front-runner Joe Biden ran into a formidable challenge at Thursday night’s debate from Sen. Kamala Harris, who tapped into her prosecutor toolbox to put his race record on trial following controversy over his comments on segregationist senators.
While the other top-polling candidate on stage in Miami, Bernie Sanders, avoided any direct clash with the former vice president, the California senator made a point of confronting Biden on the issue that has rattled his otherwise high-flying campaign.
In perhaps the most heated moment of the night, Harris told Biden she doesn’t believe he is a “racist” but considers his recent comments about being able to work with segregationist senators early in his career “hurtful.” (Biden has said he disagreed with the senators on segregation, but was still able to work with them in the Senate).
“You worked with them to oppose busing,” Harris then said, referring to efforts to limit orders for school desegregation by busing. In an emotional moment, she told her own story of being bussed as a little girl in California.
Biden fired back that Harris’ comments were a “mischaracterization of my position across the board,” saying he never praised racists, while denying that he opposed busing. He insisted he opposed busing ordered by the Department of Education, as opposed to localities making their own decisions.
Adamantly defending his record on race and civil rights, he also swiped at Harris by noting he became a public defender -- not a prosecutor, as she was.
The clash amounted to one of several moments where Harris grabbed attention, including when she scolded her rivals after they were shouting over one another in an earlier skirmish. “America does not want to witness a food fight,” Harris said. “They want to know how they’re going to put food on their table.”
With 10 candidates on stage, just like the previous night's showdown in Miami, the moderators frequently had to step in as well to stop them from talking over one another.
Biden, though, for the most part kept his focus on the candidate he really wants to face -- President Trump -- while repeatedly invoking the name and record of his popular running-mate Barack Obama and brushing back swipes at his age from long-shot candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell, who repeatedly called on him to "pass the torch."
"I'm still holding onto that torch," Biden said with a grin.
It's unclear whether the clash with Harris might damage Biden, considering most prior controversies have not dinged his poll numbers -- or simply give her some needed momentum in a race where fellow Sen. Elizabeth Warren, on stage the night before, has been climbing.
Sanders, for his part, spent much of the NBC-hosted debate defending his big-government agenda against questions from moderators and criticism from more centrist – and lower-polling – candidates.
Early in the debate, Sanders dismissed a moderator's contention that nominating a democratic socialist could re-elect Trump, pointing to polls showing him ahead of the president in head-to-head matchups.
“The American people understand that Trump is a phony,” Sanders said. “Trump is a pathological liar and a racist and that he lied to the American people during his campaign. He said he was going to stand up for working families.”
But several rivals took issue with some of Sanders’ socialistic policies, like "Medicare-for-all" and free college tuition.
Former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado took issue with his rivals embracing socialism, saying it’s not good politics.
“I think that the bottom line is if we don't clearly define we are not socialists, the Republicans are going to come at us every way we can and call us socialists,” Hickenlooper said.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet challenged Medicare-for-all, saying the public should be able to have a choice on health care, public option or otherwise.
And South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg broke with Sanders in saying while he supports free college for children of low and middle income, “I just don’t believe it makes sense to ask working-class families to subsidize even the children of billionaires.”
Harris was also pressed on how Democrats will pay for the massive programs they are proposing, but tried to turn the tables on Trump instead.
“I hear that question, but where was that question when the Republicans and Donald Trump passed a tax bill that benefits the top one percent and the biggest cover corporations contributing to the debt of America which middle-class families will pay for one way or another,” Harris asked.
California Rep. Swalwell was the first to go on offense against Biden, recalling a speech Biden gave years ago saying it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation.
“Joe Biden was right when he said that 32 years ago. He is still right today. If we are going to solve the issue, pass the torch,” Swalwell said.
The debate also made clear how Democrats have moved to the left on issues relating to immigration.
"One of the worst things about President Trump that he's done to this country is he's torn apart the moral fabric of who we are," said New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
All 10 Democrats raised their hands when asked if their government health care plan would cover illegal immigrants. 
“That’s the end of that race!” Trump tweeted as he panned their response.
"All of the Democrats tripped over each other in a race to see who could stand out as the most leftist candidate, threatening government control of every aspect of people’s lives," his campaign said in a statement.
At another point, most candidates raised their hands when asked if they support decriminalizing crossing the border without authorization – a vibrant topic in the debate the night before. Candidates also said they did not think someone whose only offense is coming to the United States illegally should be deported.
“Let's remember that's not just a theoretical exercise, that criminalization is the basis for family separation,” Buttigieg said.
Biden said he didn’t want to see immigrants deported whose only offense is coming to America without documents.
“That person should not be the focus of deportation,” Biden said. “We should change the way we deal with things.”
Buttigieg – who has struggled to attract black voters – entered the debate having to answer questions about the racial unrest back home in South Bend, as the city deals with a deadly police-involved shooting.
“I'm not allowed to take sides until the investigation comes back,” he said. “The officer didn't have his body camera on. It's a mess. We are hurting.”
The debate stage included two non-politicians with national followings – entrepreneur Andrew Yang and writer Marianne Williamson.
“The right candidate will be solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected,” Yang said. “I am that candidate, I can build a much broader coalition to beat Donald Trump.
“Mr. President if you're listening, I want you to hear me, please," Williamson said. "You've harnessed fear for political purposes and only love can cast that out."
It was the second of two NBC sponsored debates this week, the first being Wednesday night. The network split up 20 of the Democratic candidates over the two nights.
The Wednesday night debate reflected how the party has moved to the left on issues of immigration, taxes and abortion. The candidates who debated Wednesday were: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

This one is bad for America.

Pocahontas Warren Cartoons

Dan Gainor: Elizabeth Warren embraced by debate moderators

NBC and MSNBC embraced Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in the first debate of Democratic presidential candidates Wednesday night, treating her like the star of the show. The debate led off with Warren, who had a huge popularity advantage from the start.
Warren – who Trump dubbed “Pocahontas” because of her phony claim of Native American heritage – was the only Democrat on stage who had mustered double digits in recent polling. Moderators let her dominate the early part of the debate, when most people were likely watching.
NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie started it off sounding more like Warren’s press secretary. “You have many plans – free college, free child care, government health care, cancelation of student debt, new taxes, new regulations, the breakup of major corporations,” Guthrie said, before teeing up an economy question. Guthrie even used Warren’s plan to break up tech companies as the foundation for a question for Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.
The networks did it again halfway through. At 10 p.m. EDT, after some embarrassing tech issues that let Warren mull a question for several minutes, the debate went full-on pro-Democrat. NBC brought in bigtime liberal MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow and “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd. Once more they turned to Warren to set the agenda by asking her a gun control question;
“We are less than 50 miles from Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed in a school shooting last year and where there has been significant activism on gun violence ever since,” began Todd.

NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie started it off sounding more like Warren’s press secretary.

And, in case that wasn’t clear enough, the round-robin final comments also ended with Warren, as Maddow asked her for the “final, final statement.” That let NBC bookend the entire debate with Warren and Warren.
The Twitter account of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii made the same point. With a signature as “-V (Tulsi's sister),” it slammed the network. “It's clear who MSNBC wants to be president: Elizabeth Warren. They're giving her more time than all the other candidates combined. They aren't giving any time to Tulsi at all.”
The time element evened out a bit. Warren ended up third, according to The New York Times. Reporter Nick Corasaniti? tweeted that, prior to the “45 second closing statements,” Booker came in first with former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke second. Warren came in a solid third for time.
CNN political commentator Van Jones was much like NBC. He started and ended the night in the Warren camp. Going in, he described Warren as “the massive star of the night.”
Jones was positive about all the candidates but continued to back the senator from Massachusetts. “Elizabeth Warren looked like a college professor with a bunch of graduate students around her half the time. She is able to go back and forth between policy and the human thing better than anybody,” he concluded.
While Warren certainly did well with the network assist, MSNBC host Chris Matthews made a good point afterward, crediting former Vice President Joe Biden – who debates Thursday night – with the victory.
“I think the winner tonight, though, was probably Joe Biden because, to quote Sherlock Holmes, the dog wasn't barking tonight,” Matthews said. “No one took on the Democratic frontrunner the whole two hours.”
Where Was Trump?
We all live in President Trump’s America – whether you like it or not. But Warren and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio never even mentioned Trump. Just as Biden was left unscathed, Trump didn’t muster a lot of attention either.
According to NBC News, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota led the pack with nine mentions of the president. But the elephant in the room still dominated. MSNBC anchor Brian Williams even made a Harry Potter-Lord Voldemort allusion by referring to Trump as “he who will not be mentioned,” in a post-debate recap.
Perhaps it was Trump’s threat to tweet during the debate that had Dems running scared. Even though he never went on a tweet storm, he still tossed in a few comments. These included a damning comment 35 minutes in, calling the debate “BORING!” and criticizing the tech failures. He followed that by tweeting a humorous animation of Trump campaign signs all the way up to “Trump 2048.”
The official Trump response to the debate annoyed New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman?, who complained on Twitter: “Trump campaign issues six-paragraph statement in response to debate potus called boring. It’s so long I can’t screenshot it all.”
Former CBS anchor Dan Rather noted some candidates spoke a bit of Spanish and used it to attack Trump. “I think there are more candidates on stage who speak Spanish more fluently than our president speaks English,” he wrote.
Author and New America fellow Jill Filipovic summarized liberal frustrations with the president. “The fact that any one of these people may actually lose to Donald Trump is such an indictment of our country,” she tweeted.
Federalist Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway mocked when former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro went extreme on abortion, calling for “reproductive justice.”
“Julian Castro says he supports abortion for women who identify as men as well,” Hemingway commented. “Audience cheers. This bloody abortion fest is off the rails. Expect media reaction to be muted, however, since they are radical partisans on the issue.”
Most of the candidates wanted a breakout moment. Vanity Fair tweeted somewhat fairly that, “Of all the men and women seeking the White House, perhaps 5 or 6 have a fighting chance. Everyone else is effectively fighting for scraps.”
At least six of those on stage Wednesday night could walk down the streets of most American cities and go unrecognized. They are all trying desperately to use media exposure to change that.

MSNBC's Donny Deutsch, Lawrence O'Donnell have tense talk after debate

MSNBC hosts Donny Deutsch and Lawrence O'Donnell

MSNBC hosts Donny Deutsch and Lawrence O'Donnell had a fiery exchange Wednesday night over whether any of the 2020 Democratic candidates onstage during the evening's primary debate can beat President Trump.
Deutsch urged the panel not to "shoot the messenger," but he said he did not believe Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., can defeat Trump in a general election.
"If we're honest with ourselves and we look hard at ourselves, I think a lot of people agree with me," Deutsch told the panel after MSNBC aired the debate in Miami. "I also think when you can label somebody a socialist, 57 percent of this country thinks that word is un-American. I'm not saying it's fair. When he [Trump] can blanket Elizabeth Warren as a socialist and he's onstage with her, the Democrats lose."
When asked by MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace "who could beat Trump," Deutsch responded by saying the "Joe Biden we want" can, but "no one" on the debate stage could.
The comment did not sit well with O'Donnell.
"Let's just identify this for what it is: pure guesswork a year-and-a-half away," O'Donnell said. "And so it has, and Donny I say this respectfully, zero value."
"Don't tell me it has zero value," Deutsch shot back. "It's understanding human behavior. And I guarantee you 90 percent of our audience agrees with me."
"It's a wild guess, there's no science in it, there's nothing in it," O'Donnell continued. "You can put any name you want in the wild guess you just made and it doesn't make it true."
"I'm understanding Donald Trump -- the way he's connecting with this country and the strength he exudes," Deutsch doubled down. "We need to exude a stronger strength. It's not a policy discussion."