U.S. Senator Klobuchar joins Democratic presidential field

[webfact]

U.S. Senator Klobuchar joins Democratic presidential field

By Ginger Gibson

 

FILE PHOTO: Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) attends the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

(Reuters) - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar entered the 2020 presidential race on Sunday, becoming the first moderate in an increasingly crowded field of Democrats vying to challenge Republican President Donald Trump.

 

Klobuchar becomes the fifth U.S. senator to announce her candidacy, and the fourth woman in the chamber.

 

Klobuchar, 58, now in her third six-year term as a senator for Minnesota, will seek to position herself as a contrast to Trump, who is expected to be the Republican candidate in the November 2020 election, focusing on both policy differences but also style and tact.

 

"I stand before you as the granddaughter of an iron ore miner, the daughter of a teacher and a newspaperman, the first woman elected to the United States Senate from the state of Minnesota, to announce my candidacy for president of the United States," Klobuchar said.

 

A large crowd assembled in Minnesota on an island in the middle of the Mississippi River, despite a heavy snowfall and 14 degree Fahrenheit (minus 10 Celsius) temperatures.

 

Klobuchar's announcement came amid several news reports of high staff turnover in her Senate office with workers complaining of having to do personal chores, making it difficult to hire high-level campaign strategists.

 

A former prosecutor and corporate attorney, Klobuchar joins a list of Democratic hopefuls that includes fellow Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

 

Warren went to Iowa to campaign on Sunday after formally launching her bid on Saturday. Booker also spent the weekend in the Midwestern farm state.

 

"I'm tired of a government that works for a thin slice at the top and nobody else," said Warren, appearing at the University of Iowa. "It's pretty straightforward to me, not much fancier than that."

 

Booker also spent the weekend in the Midwestern farm state.

 

Klobuchar gained national attention in 2018 when she sparred with Brett Kavanaugh during Senate hearings on his Supreme Court nomination. Her questions earned her recognition in Democratic circles for working to advance the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault.

 

But the senator will have work to do to build a national profile. She barely registers in early opinion polls of potential Democratic candidates.

 

Klobuchar won her most recent Senate race in November with more than 60 percent of the vote.

 

But she raised only about $7.4 million, a relatively small amount compared with Senate candidates in more competitive races. By comparison, Warren raised $35 million in the same period.

 

Klobuchar hopes her moderate policies and strong electoral record in Minnesota will help her win back states Trump took from Democrats in the 2016 White House contest, including nearby Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, Wisconsin, as well as Pennsylvania.

 

Klobuchar was the first 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful to use her launch speech to vow action on digital issues like privacy, saying "big tech companies" are misusing personal data.

 

"Our laws need to be as sophisticated as the people who are breaking them," she said. "We must revamp our nation’s cybersecurity and guarantee net neutrality."

 

Klobuchar began her foray into Minnesota politics by advocating for better access to healthcare for babies and new mothers after her own daughter was born with health complications, a personal narrative she is likely to use in the debate about the future of the nation’s healthcare system.

 

Klobuchar endorsed universal healthcare in her announcement speech, an issue that will be heavily debated during the Democratic nominating race.

 

She said she supports increasing "shared prosperity," adding, "We won't get there if people can't afford their health care and that means getting to universal health care and bringing down the costs of prescription drugs."

 

Klobuchar's legislative efforts have focused on antitrust oversight, agriculture and voter security. She recently pushed for Senate investigations into whether Facebook Inc broke the law when it resisted oversight on how Russians used its platform to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

 

She has been measured in her criticism of Trump, attacking the effects of his trade tariffs on farmers but avoiding more explosive issues like immigration and gun control.

 

Klobuchar is expected to focus her early presidential campaign on Iowa, which borders Minnesota and holds the nation's first nominating contest in February 2020.

 

An aggressive push in Iowa and a win there in 2008 helped catapult Barack Obama from underdog status to the Democratic nomination and eventual victory in that year's presidential election.

 

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Additional reporting by Amanda Becker in Iowa City, Iowa; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Jeffrey Benkoe)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-11

 

[howbri]

"Moderate"? No such thing in the democrat party. Socialists all.

[Boon Mee]

She is said to abuse her staff. Not Minnesota 'nice'. 

[Berkshire]

It almost doesn't matter who runs for the Democrats.  All they have to do is point to this:

 

[Millions of Americans could be stunned as their tax refunds shrink

Millions of Americans filling out their 2018 taxes will probably be surprised to learn that their refunds will be less than expected or that they owe money to the Internal Revenue Service after years of receiving refunds.

People have already taken to social media, using the hashtag #GOPTaxScam, to vent their anger. Many blame President Trump and the Republicans for shrinking refunds. Some on Twitter even said they wouldn’t vote for Trump again after seeing their refunds slashed.]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/millions-of-americans-could-be-stunned-as-their-tax-refunds-shrink/ar-BBTpTS8?ocid=wispr

 

[quandow]

Another "Bernie wannabe." I watched her announcement, nothing to see there. She is popular locally but I picture her in the national boxing ring with the pussy-grabber-in-chief and she gets trounced soundly.

[TopDeadSenter]

Amy Klobuchar(er..who?) with a 22-1 chance of winning the next election. vs Donald Trump with a 2-1 chance.

https://www.oddschecker.com/politics/us-politics/us-presidential-election-2020/winner

Is it even worth the democrats fielding a candidate at all? Save themselves yet more embarrassment by not running. They could then use the 4 year term to regroup and apologize for the hate and negativity since Trump smashed Clinton, and work towards a more positive campaign message. I think they have realized that negativity just doesn't sell beyond the die-hard extremists and commies.

[beechguy]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

It almost doesn't matter who runs for the Democrats.  All they have to do is point to this:

 

[Millions of Americans could be stunned as their tax refunds shrink

Millions of Americans filling out their 2018 taxes will probably be surprised to learn that their refunds will be less than expected or that they owe money to the Internal Revenue Service after years of receiving refunds.

People have already taken to social media, using the hashtag #GOPTaxScam, to vent their anger. Many blame President Trump and the Republicans for shrinking refunds. Some on Twitter even said they wouldn’t vote for Trump again after seeing their refunds slashed.]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/millions-of-americans-could-be-stunned-as-their-tax-refunds-shrink/ar-BBTpTS8?ocid=wispr

 

And what those math wizards are failing to mention, is their take home pay went up, and they spent it already. Also, they could have made adjustments on their withholdings, but I guess that was just too much for them.

 

I would rather owe a little, or have a smaller refund, than have the IRS sitting on my money all year. 

[RickTik]

Here we are in February, 2019.

The election is almost two years away. 

Rather than these people babbling about an election in late 2020, they should be focused on the issues at hand in February, 2019.

[Chomper Higgot]

7 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Amy Klobuchar(er..who?) with a 22-1 chance of winning the next election. vs Donald Trump with a 2-1 chance.

https://www.oddschecker.com/politics/us-politics/us-presidential-election-2020/winner

Is it even worth the democrats fielding a candidate at all? Save themselves yet more embarrassment by not running. They could then use the 4 year term to regroup and apologize for the hate and negativity since Trump smashed Clinton, and work towards a more positive campaign message. I think they have realized that negativity just doesn't sell beyond the die-hard extremists and commies.

The mathematics of probability is not your thing is it?!

 

The probability of Donald Trump

winning the 2020 election is defined by the logical sum of two probabilities:

 

p(Trump standing for re-election) AND p (Trump winning election)

 

The probability of any Democrat winning the 2020 election is defined by the logical sum of a different set of probabilities:

 

P(Democrat Candidate winning the primaries)* AND p(Democrat bearing Trump in the election).

 

 

* Winning the primaries is itself a complex probability.

 

Added to which the probability of Trump winning will change when the electorate see who the Democrat candidate is.

 

My suspicion is the odds being quoted for Trump are based on the historical data for unseating a president seeking a second term.

 

Eitherway, the basis of the probalities for Trump and the Democrat candidates is demonstrably not the same.

 

[Chomper Higgot]

4 minutes ago, beechguy said:

And what those math wizards are failing to mention, is their take home pay went up, and they spent it already. Also, they could have made adjustments on their withholdings, but I guess that was just too much for them.

 

I would rather owe a little, or have a smaller refund, than have the IRS sitting on my money all year. 

TDC doesn’t get probability.

 

You don’t get simple arithmetic.

 

Ordinary working Americans are not simply facing zero tax return, they are facing new tax debts.

 

Despite your beliefs many rely on their tax refund to pay down debt.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/some-americans-depend-on-their-tax-refunds-to-survive/425427/

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

8 minutes ago, RickTik said:

Here we are in February, 2019.

The election is almost two years away. 

Rather than these people babbling about an election in late 2020, they should be focused on the issues at hand in February, 2019.

 But didn’t Trump start his 2020 campaign immediately after his inauguration?

 

Or was that simply a money raking scam?

[Berkshire]

12 minutes ago, beechguy said:

And what those math wizards are failing to mention, is their take home pay went up, and they spent it already. Also, they could have made adjustments on their withholdings, but I guess that was just too much for them.

 

I would rather owe a little, or have a smaller refund, than have the IRS sitting on my money all year. 

555555....if that was all.  But no, there are changes related to deductions which will result in a higher tax bill for millions. 

 

Let's face it, Trump's ONLY legislative achievement was this new tax bill which gave corporations a huge tax cut--at the cost of massive increase in the US debt--and gave a middle finger to the US middle class.  Trump can run on that.

[beechguy]

10 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

TDC doesn’t get probability.

 

You don’t get simple arithmetic.

 

Ordinary working Americans are not simply facing zero tax return, they are facing new tax debts.

 

Despite your beliefs many rely on their tax refund to pay down debt.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/some-americans-depend-on-their-tax-refunds-to-survive/425427/

 

 

Not going to argue the new tax debts, just yet. But you, and they, are ignoring the fact, they already got some of their refund, every pay check they collected. My pay checks for the month increased $250-$300 per month. If they neglected to put it to good use, it is their problem.

[RickTik]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 But didn’t Trump start his 2020 campaign immediately after his inauguration?

 

Or was that simply a money raking scam?

It is used as a tool to divert attention from the issues at hand.

Yes, it is a money raking scam for those dumb enough to fall for it.

Think about it. Plastics are polluting our oceans.

Another coup de'tat has been initiated. This time, it is Venezuela.

The police state network continues to attack cannabis civil liberties around the world.

By clouding the public's mind on future elections, where a speech is going to be held... etc., etc., they continue to profit off of persecution, human suffering, senseless wars, and other crimes against humanity. 

[stevenl]

I just hope whoever gets elected knows the difference between the present weather and climate.

[Longcut]

Sorry, can't win with a name like that.........

[Enoon]

4 hours ago, howbri said:

"Moderate"? No such thing in the democrat party. Socialists all.

 

The one thing that is guaranteed to leave me open mouthed and speechless is when I hear an American defining one of their establishment members as "Socialist".

 

What do they teach you in schools?

 

Is education in the USA based on some sort of Thai system?

 

 

[TopDeadSenter]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

I just hope whoever gets elected knows the difference between the present weather and climate.

and understands seasons and natural cycles?

[Berkshire]

24 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

The one thing that is guaranteed to leave me open mouthed and speechless is when I hear an American defining one of their establishment members as "Socialist".

 

What do they teach you in schools?

 

Is education in the USA based on some sort of Thai system?

 

 

Well the American educational system got us D. Trump, so the Thai system is infinitely superior. 

[stevenl]

50 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

and understands seasons and natural cycles?

Yes, and accepts what 97% of scientists are saying and agreeing on.

 

Doesn't matter BTW if  you deny manmade climate change, Trump's comments show he doesn't even understand it.