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super tuesday
Trump's Fascist Consolidation of GOP Advances as Haley Quits, McConnell Endorses
U.S. voters, said one campaigner, now have a choice "between an aspiring dictator who is running for office so that he can escape accountability and punish his political enemies, and a leader who will protect our democracy."
Mar 06, 2024
The Republican Party's lurch toward fascism appeared to accelerate Wednesday as former President Donald Trump notched two important political victories and fresh warnings emerged of the stark choice U.S. voters face with a 2020 rematch against President Joe Biden now all but certain.
Following a slew of Super Tuesday defeats and Monday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court—which includes three Trump appointees—to block states from barring the presumptive Republican nominee from the ballot for engaging in insurrection, Nikki Haley dropped out of the GOP presidential primary and outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) endorsed the 77-year-old former president.
Christina Harvey, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Stand Up America, emphasized the stakes of the upcoming election, saying that "Republicans have effectively chosen an aspiring dictator as their nominee for president."
"Trump's plans to undermine our freedoms and our democracy should be chilling to every American, including his pledges to abuse his power to seek revenge on political opponents, pardon his violent allies, and purge dissenters from the federal government," she said. "Voters will face a clear choice this fall, between an aspiring dictator who is running for office so that he can escape accountability and punish his political enemies, and a leader who will protect our democracy and fundamental freedoms."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also warned against Trump and suggested the choice could not be more clear.
"Another Trump presidency would be a disaster—not only for our country, but for the world," Sanders said. "We will lose the fight against climate change. Women will no longer have control over their own bodies. Billionaires will get richer and working people will suffer."
Sanders, who ran for president in both 2016 and 2020, also spoke about the threat Trump poses during a Tuesday night appearance with late-night host Stephen Colbert.
Another Trump presidency would be a disaster — not only for our country, but for the world.
We will lose the fight against climate change.
Women will no longer have control over their own bodies.
Billionaires will get richer and working people will suffer. pic.twitter.com/hkdUyGkwzU
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 6, 2024
Haley, who previously served as South Carolina's governor and Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, was the last Republican challenging him. She suspended her campaign after winning just the District of Columbia and Vermont.
"I have always been a conservative Republican and always supported the Republican nominee," she said. "It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him and I hope he does that."
Responding to Haley's decision to exit the primary race, Biden said in a statement Wednesday that "Donald Trump made it clear he doesn't want Nikki Haley's supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign."
"I know there is a lot we won't agree on," he acknowledged. "But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America's adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground."
"We all know this is no ordinary election. And the stakes for America couldn't be higher," Biden stressed.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) president Heather Williams also warned of the threat posed by Trump and his committed far-right allies nationwide.
"As Donald Trump solidifies his control of the Republican Party, we can't lose sight of the hundreds of MAGA Trump loyalists serving in legislatures across the country who pose a direct threat to our communities and our democracy," she said. "These MAGA die-hards will stop at nothing to advance Trump's dangerous agenda, even as he careens more and more towards becoming a hardline dictator."
"From pushing for a nationwide abortion ban to destroying the foundation of our democracy, a Trump presidency would be supported and enacted by his allies in state legislatures," Williams warned. "The DLCC is sounding the alarm on the dangers of a united MAGA front at the national and state level, and we are laser-focused on defeating MAGA loyalists in state legislatures."
Although the U.S. Supreme Court last June ruled against the independent state legislature theory that Trump supporters used to justify their attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, CNN's Marshall Cohen noted at the time that "the somewhat limited ruling leaves plenty of avenues for future election-related challenges, regarding how districts are drawn, the deadlines for mail-in ballots, and other key questions."
Trump has been the GOP front-runner since formally launching his campaign in November 2022 and recent polling shows him having a slim lead over Biden in this year's anticipated rematch. This, despite the Republican being impeached twice during his first term and now facing four criminal cases—two related to his 2020 election interference.
Biden has faced criticism from many Democratic and younger voters for not being bold enough in tackling the climate emergency and for supporting Israel's ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip, which is being investigated at the International Court of Justice as genocide.
Congressman Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), a longshot Biden primary challenger, suspended his campaign on Wednesday and endorsed the president for reelection, saying that "in light of the stark reality we face, I ask you join me in mobilizing, energizing, and doing everything you can to help keep a man of decency and integrity in the White House. That's Joe Biden."
Speaking on MSNBC after McConnell's endorsement on Wednesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said that he believes American voters "know who Donald Trump is," but the real question for 2024 remains: "Who are we?"
"Are we going to stand with democracy and freedom or will we lapse into some other kind of theocratic or autocratic kind of government?" the congressman asked. "That's really the question for the American people."
Raskin—who led the historic second Trump impeachment following the January 6, 2021 insurrection—also called out the ex-president for continuing "to campaign almost exclusively on his Big Lie and the idea that he was somehow cheated out of an election."
"He wasn't. He lost the election in 2020," Raskin added of Trump. "He's going to lose the election in 2024 because the vast majority of the people reject what it is he's selling."
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'Uncommitted' Wins Nearly 20% of Democratic Primary Vote in Minnesota
"Tonight's numbers showed that President Biden cannot earn back our votes with just rhetoric."
Mar 06, 2024
Nearly 20% of Minnesotans who took part in their state's Democratic presidential primary on Super Tuesday voted "uncommitted," the latest warning to President Joe Biden that his unwavering support for Israel's assault on Gaza risks eroding his base ahead of November's high-stakes general election.
Roughly 46,000 Democratic primary voters in Minnesota, which Biden won in 2020, marked the uncommitted option on their ballots just a week after more than 100,000 Michiganders registered their own protest votes against the incumbent president.
Leaders of the hastily organized uncommitted effort in Minnesota expect to win at least one delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Uncommitted won two delegates in Michigan.
(Update: Uncommitted won 11 delegates in Minnesota.)
"Tonight's numbers showed that President Biden cannot earn back our votes with just rhetoric," Asma Nizami, a spokesperson for Vote Uncommitted MN, said Tuesday. "It is not enough to simply use the word 'cease-fire' while Biden funds bombs that kill civilians every day."
"Democrats want Joe Biden to change his policies: stop sending weapons to Israel and use all possible leverage to end Israel's war crimes in Gaza," Nizami added.
Biden, who is likely to face former President Donald Trump in November, swept to victory in all 15 Democratic primaries held in U.S. states on Tuesday. (Businessman Jason Palmer won American Samoa's Democratic caucus.)
In total, more than 250,000 voters marked uncommitted or a similar option in Democratic primaries across the 15 states, including more than 54,000 in Massachusetts, over 43,400 in Colorado, and around 88,000 in North Carolina.
"Voters strongly rejected Biden's funding of Israel's war in Gaza at the polls," said Layla Elebad, campaign manager of Listen to Michigan. "And they will continue to do so until the Biden administration changes course and calls for a permanent cease-fire and stops their unchecked funding of Israel's genocide."
On the Republican side, Trump won every state that voted Tuesday except for Vermont. The Financial Times and other outlets reported early Wednesday that Nikki Haley, Trump's last-remaining Republican challenger, has decided to end her campaign.
"Take them seriously, their message is clear that they think this is an intolerable situation and that we can do more."
Organizers of uncommitted efforts across the U.S. have made clear that their goal is not to harm Biden's general election prospects, but rather to make clear that his support for Israel's war on Gaza is both morally odious and politically dangerous, potentially costing him key support in Michigan and other battleground states.
In a statement following Tuesday's contests, senior Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said the president "shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East" and is "working tirelessly to that end."
But the administration's military support for Israel has continued even as Biden has called for a temporary cease-fire and criticized the Israeli government for impeding the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Biden's campaign has also reportedly been avoiding college campuses and holding smaller events to dodge Gaza-related protests.
"Our goal is to get the president's attention, and we are doing that," Asma Mohammed, an organizer of the uncommitted effort in Minnesota, said Tuesday as the primary results rolled in. The uncommitted vote in Minnesota was reportedly strongest in areas with higher concentrations of young voters.
Polling data released Tuesday by the Center for Economic and Policy Research showed that 62% of voters who supported Biden in 2020 want the U.S. to "stop weapons shipments to Israel until Israel discontinues its attacks on the people of Gaza."
Tim Walz, Minnesota's Democratic governor, said during a CNN appearance late Tuesday that "the situation in Gaza is intolerable" and that uncommitted voters are "asking to be heard."
"And that's what they should be doing," said Walz. "That's a healthy thing that's happening here... Take them seriously, their message is clear that they think this is an intolerable situation and that we can do more."
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Tired of Corporate Propaganda? Progressive Media Outlets Join Forces for Super Tuesday Coverage
"Democracy depends on a free and independent press that can hold power accountable, but sadly, the corporate media does not meet that standard."
Mar 02, 2020
Independent media outlets are partnering up to cover Super Tuesday Democratic primary results with a pair of live-streamed evening broadcasts that offer progressives an alternative to the U.S. corporate media that has been widely criticized for favoring centrist candidates and putting the interests of their advertisers over those of viewers and the common good.
"This race is not gonna just determine who takes on Donald Trump--it also has at its center the future of the Democratic Party and movements for justice."
--Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and The Intercept's Super Tuesday live special runs from 7:00pm to midnight Eastern Time (4:00pm to 9:00pm Pacific).
Rising Up With Sonali's live program--a production of KPFK Pacifica Radio in collaboration with the nonprofit RootsAction Education Fund--runs from 10:00pm to 1:00am Eastern Time (7:00pm to 10:00pm Pacific) and will be streamed at Truthdig.com, KPFK.org, FreeSpeech.org, TheRealNews.com, and RisingUpWithSonali.com.
Detailing its special coverage, Democracy Now!explained its chief anchors--Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, and Nermeen Shaikh--would be joined by The Intercept's Jeremy Scahill to host "a rolling roundtable discussion with guests across the country, reporting real-time results and analysis as polls close in 14 states."
Registered Democrats turned out Tuesday in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia to cast votes for the party's primary candidates. Tuesday also featured American Samoa's caucuses and the first day for "Democrats living abroad" to vote.
In a clip that kicked off the Intercepted podcast's Tuesday episode, Goodman said that "the stakes in this Democratic primary are very high, and the corporate media's failing to bring people the crucial context necessary for voters to make informed decisions... This race is not gonna just determine who takes on Donald Trump--it also has at its center the future of the Democratic Party and movements for justice."
The Intercept's Aida Chavez, Lee Fang, Ryan Grim, Mehdi Hasan, Naomi Klein, Akela Lacy, and Robert Mackey are slated to participate in the program, according to promotional tweets by the outlet and journalists. Other guests will include Linda Sarsour, Masha Gessen, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Rashad Robinson, Briahna Joy Gray, Joe Salazar, and Raquel Willis.
On Tuesday morning, Intercepted published a special episode titled "Super Tuesday: Which Side Are You On?" The episode, hosted by Scahill, features Fang discussing the impact of dark money and super-delegates on the Democratic presidential primary as well as former Hillary Clinton adviser Peter Daou explaining why he is now supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 2020 contest.
\u201c#SuperTuesday @intercepted: Which side are you on? https://t.co/0lySdZIieT\u201d— The Intercept (@The Intercept) 1583233988
Sanders and four other candidates--former Vice President Joe Biden, billionaire businessman and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)--still remain in what was once a crowded race. In the wake of South Carolina's primary last Saturday, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) both dropped out and endorsed Biden.
Biden's win in South Carolina followed weak performances in the first three contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, where Sanders collected the most pledged delegates and continued to build his "Not Me, Us." movement. Sanders' strong support in early states culminated in anchors and contributors at Comcast-owned MSNBC descending into what one observer called a "full-blown freakout" after the progressive senator's massive victory in Nevada last month.
"Democracy depends on a free and independent press that can hold power accountable, but sadly, the corporate media does not meet that standard," Sonali Kolhatkar of Rising Up With Sonali (RUWS) and Norman Solomon of RootsAction argued in an op-ed published last week.
Kolhatkar and Solomon made a broad case for the value of independent media:
Truly independent journalism relies on facts, just as corporate media often does, but frames issues with a clearly stated bias--a bias that lights a fire under the powerful and roots for the vulnerable, amplifies the voices of working people to topple power, and strengthen the powerless. The function of the press in a democracy is to pursue truth in the interest of progress, not in the interest of an unjust status quo. Seen through such a lens it isn't hard to judge whether the likes of The New York Times (or CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, etc.) truly meet the definition of independent journalism.
A crucial way to fight back is to drastically amp up support for independent progressive media. Information flow is key, whether in small communities or nationwide. That flow is essential to the health of the body politic, but blockage is routine from massive clots of concentrated wealth and corporate power. Media organizations that are fueled by people power instead of money power can disrupt the dominant media narratives--and replace them with authentic stories about people's lives and grassroots efforts to create a more humane society.
The op-ed also highlighted the RUWS Super Tuesday program featuring Solomon and other guest commentators and reporters, including Jane McAlevey, Zahra Billoo, John Nichols, Kshama Sawant, Arun Guta, Mitch Jeserich, and Julio Ricard Varela.
\u201cTODAY: A LIVE STREAM TV special on Super Tuesday: 7-10 pm PT / 10 pm-1 am ET. WATCH IT at https://t.co/tGQ74Li2wB w/ @MitchJeserich @normansolomon @MsLaToshaBrown @cliff_notes @KshamaSocialist @rsgexp\n#supertuesday #2020elections #RUWithSonali #APeoplesPerspective\u201d— Rising Up With Sonali (@Rising Up With Sonali) 1583258447
"This year is the first time that California--the nation's most populous and most racially diverse state--will participate in primary elections so early in the season," RUWSnoted ahead of Tuesday's broadcast. "Based in the Los Angeles area, Rising Up With Sonali is poised to offer a unique perspective on the race for presidential nominations."
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