RE: https://mastodon.online/@mastodonmigration/116264604166662455

It really seems like Gov. JB Pritzker is running to be the next President of the United States.

Today he introduced the idea of a 'Project 2029', calling for restoring democracy, prosecution of Trump officials who have broken laws, universal healthcare, and an affordable minimum wage.

@mastodonmigration What's moderately astounding is that ... this is also *consistent* with what he's been saying and doing.
@mastodonmigration he's delusional if he thinks he can win. The DNC has already ordained Gavin as Biden and Hillary before. Maaaaaaybe if you squint and pretend South Carolina doesn't exist an AOC could win (she cannot and the DNC not making it clear they will not let her win is a play to save Chuck Schumer in 2028) but there is NO world in which a billionaire catches fire as the left insurgent candidate the DNC will kill with the primary map and cheating anyway.

@Emerson61

Feel like this is not a done deal. It's interesting when you think about it. An entire generation has grow up without seeing a real down and dirty Democratic primary. The last one was Obama 2008. Since then it has either been an incumbent or a VP selection. It will be twenty years ago in 2028.

The thing about a bruising primary is it surfaces real political talent, hones the messaging, and makes everyone better through practice and repetition. Real primaries win general elections.

@mastodonmigration @Emerson61 and it exposes those who just don't have the skill set to win an election BEFORE it's too late

@ArrestJK @Emerson61

Well said

Edit: Feel like the other big benefit is that they gain experience on the national stage, so that when it comes to the general they have more proficiency.

@mastodonmigration @ArrestJK @Emerson61 I would guess and hope that tough primaries also draw large engagement from the public early, and keep them engaged until the election.

@fsinn @ArrestJK @Emerson61

Great point. It really is a traveling road show that energizes the process. It's not perfect. Way to much attention to the small early states, but much better than a bunch of party elites picking a candidate.

@mastodonmigration @Emerson61 Will someone challenge #Fetterman in the Pennsylvania primary in’28? He beat Oz with 51 %. No way he’d get that now.
@SonofaGeorge @mastodonmigration he's dead in the water unless he switches parties, which PA senators have done within living memory...
@mastodonmigration I'd argue the sole reason that Obama '08 was competitive is that within the DNC leadership, Chuck Schumer pulled a Littlefinger and got Obama anointed behind Hillary's back, so she comes out like Ned Stark thinking that the Gold Cloaks have her back only to get beheaded while being VERY racist. It was still a pageant primary pre-determined by leadership, they just used to be more interested in winning. They're now The Producers, profiting off of bombing by choice.

@Emerson61 @mastodonmigration

I'd go full accelerationist and let 47 have a third term to finish killing everyone on the planet with his senile mush brain before voting for fucking Newsom. If that's who the Democrats offer, they deserve to lose and we all deserve to suffer.

@jrdepriest @Emerson61

Newsom has very high negatives. A lot of people feel the way you do. Hard to see how he makes it very far once the actual race begins.

@mastodonmigration @jrdepriest Biden came it fifth in every state before the DNC declared him the chosen one in 2020. South Carolina is a state where the DNC can completely dictate the outcome, so Gavin is definitely going to win the first state, putting him in a WAY stronger position to be "inevitable." I cannot see an outcome where he is not the nominee unless he pisses off the party overlords and they switch who they've ordained.
@Emerson61 @mastodonmigration then we are fucked and they continue to be fools leading us to our doom.
@mastodonmigration I would vote for him over Newsom in a New York minute.

@PattyHanson

You are not alone

@mastodonmigration @PattyHanson

Oh yes, please. Project 2029 should be project of torches and pitchforks.

The super rich should be happy they end up in jail

@mastodonmigration

Ha! I recently complained to someone about how if the Democrats were worth a shit, they'd be putting forth Project 2029 with a boldly progressive vision...etc.

I might actually be able to get behind this guy. Which is a low bar since I would crawl through broken glass to vote for virtually anyone against Newsom in the primaries.

@mastodonmigration yeah, he's absolutely running in 2028. This was practically an announcement of that. I'm glad he's running-- as a Californian, I firmly believe Pritzger would be SO much better than Newsom.
@mastodonmigration Anyone that wants to win should be able to come up with a better name than β€œProject 2029” Ffs. Sounds like another MAGA plan.

@mastodonmigration I support those policies, but it's a shitty name.

Project 2025 was a collection of donor-sponsored grifts that Heritage put together and that Trump (privately) embraced to endear himself with the GOP donors.

Perhaps Pritzer is sincerely planning to push back MAGA policies should he be elected. Or maybe Pritzer wants voters to think that he'd do that while telling the Epstein Class that he's open for their policy ideas (and donations)?

Regardless, 2029 is 3 years away, and look how bad thing have gotten after a little more than one year of Trump. America needs resistance *today.*

*"There'll be pie in the sky when you die." "THAT'S A LIE!"*

@grumble209

Certainly have not gotten the impression that he is courting the Epstein class.

But, as you say, we are a long way from the next election, and whomever rises to the nomination is going to have do a lot to convince the country they are the one to repair the incredible damage that has been done.

@mastodonmigration IMHO, the DNC has a long way to go to convince the country that they can successfully oppose the damage that is being done, let alone rebuild the country once we get the fascists out.

@grumble209

No disagreement at all. Hopefully we will see a real battle for control of the Democratic Party.

The most encouraging thing so far has been Julia Stratton's win in IL, despite opposition from AIPAC, Crypto and AI PACs. She was supported strongly by Pritzker, and she was clear that she would not support Schumer for the next leader.

So, things are happening, and we should take note of who is on the side of the people.

@mastodonmigration

I like Midwestern Democrats like Pritzker and Tim Walz. I'm tired of the drama and theatrics and relentless performance of the deadly Reality Show Trump years. Put me down for very plain-spoken solid slightly dull politicians -- enough with the chaos.

"...most people deceive themselves with a pair of faiths: they believe in eternal memory (of people, things, deeds, nations) and in redressibility (of deeds, mistakes, sins, wrongs). Both are false faiths. In reality the opposite is true: everything will be forgotten and nothing will be redressed. The task of obtaining redress (by vengeance or by forgiveness) will be taken over by forgetting. No one will redress the wrongs that have been done, but all wrongs will be forgotten." - Milan Kundera

@mastodonmigration

@mastodonmigration Might want to keep that bit quiet so those with multiple passports and /or space rockets don't do a runner. Once you're in the big chair however DOGE the hell out of his backside....dry!
@mastodonmigration I would look into the sources of his campaign funds, as I would for Newsom. Politics has no standards for originality so I can't ding Pritzger for "introducing" a term I have been using since last April. A few others I come across in FB and Mastodon also use it.

@mastodonmigration anyone who successfully stops the roll of lawlessness that's existed since nixon will get my vote; even a billionaire.. Although if we really want to stop that lawlessness, we need to tax bilionaires out of existance.

Well...most of them need to be taxes out of billionaire hood. A few of them need capital punishment for their capital crimes.

@qkslvrwolf

While not advocating an assets tax on billionaires, Pritzker has been attempting to change Illinois 4.25% flat tax to a graduated tax with the earnings over $1M taxed at 7.95%

https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/5762402-Illinois-Gov-J-B-Pritzker-s-Proposed-Graduated/

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Proposed Graduated Income Tax | DocumentCloud

@mastodonmigration

Tax billionaires robustly or dont bother.

@mastodonmigration Of course I'd prefer a leftie like Bernie. But Prizker is from Illinois, at least he understands "rust belt" states -- which are also "swing states" -- like Michigan. From what I've seen so far, he may be our best hope for 2028.
@mastodonmigration it's awfully optimistic to assume the US won't be a smoking crater by 2029 lol
@mastodonmigration My first reaction to hearing him speak is that he's not performative enough to hold the attention of the masses. I like all of what he's saying, but he's using vague terms and avoiding specifics, like most Democrats do. Trump is a master at this, Newsom does it well, AOC and Bernie can also drive a point home with specifics that mean something to the masses.
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@mastodonmigration "Business as usual", "democracy is on the line" The impact of what those phrases imply is muted, and this is the type of energy that I fell from this interview. I hope he's able to shift gears when speaking to a broader audience, becauseI like what he's saying.
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