September 2020 – Page 20

Beto shifts gears in effort to jump-start campaign

Posted on September 7, 2020 by bamdj

Can Beto O’Rourke recapture his old magic?

The Texas Democrat is searching for a jolt of momentum to energize his flagging presidential campaign, booking a series of television interviews with national news outlets as buzz around his once-promising candidacy has fallen, along with his polling numbers.

O’Rourke has spent the two months since launching his presidential bid shunning the spotlight, traveling to 15 states and holding more than 150 small events in a bid to out-hustle his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But in that time, O’Rourke has been surpassed by upstart South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE. He has fallen into the bottom tier of candidates in national polls and has watched the media, which once produced glowing profiles of his long-shot Senate bid, turn on him.

O’Rourke is now looking to change his trajectory by embarking on a media tour that is meant to reintroduce him to voters, starting with MSNBC and ABC and followed by a high-stakes town hall event next week on CNN.

“I recognize I can do a better job talking to a national audience,” O’Rourke said Monday on MSNBC’s “The Rachel MaddowRachel Anne MaddowWebb: The modern age of dissent versus riot Cable news audience numbers jump amid coronavirus, protests Demings: ‘America is on fire’ and Trump ‘is walking around with gasoline’ MORE Show.”

The new rollout has been bumpy at times.

A Tuesday interview with the “The View” went viral after co-host Meghan McCainMeghan Marguerite McCainMeghan McCain slams Cuomo, de Blasio as ‘an utter disgrace’ following another night of unrest in NYC Crowds flock to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend CNN’s Cuomo pulls out massive cotton swab to tease brother after live COVID-19 test MORE told O’Rourke she did not believe a female candidate would be able to get away with some of the things he has said and done, including his presidential launch on the cover of Vanity Fair, in which he said he was “born” to run for president.

O’Rourke said he regretted the decision to make his launch announcement on the cover of the high-society magazine and apologized for his remarks.

“It reinforces that perception of privilege,” O’Rourke said. “And that headline that said I was born to be in this, in the article I was attempting to say that my calling is in public service, no one is born to be president of the United States of America, least of all me.”

O’Rourke also apologized for having said he “sometimes” helps his wife Amy raise their children, calling it a “ham-handed way” of acknowledging all the work she does as the family’s primary caregiver.

“It’s a tough spot to be in, to have been the man of the moment and now to be relegated to an afterthought,” said Andrew Feldman, a Democratic strategist. “I wouldn’t rule him out. He’s got a great team and eternity to climb back into this. But still, it’s never good to be trying to reintroduce yourself and have people second guessing your campaign and apologizing for things you’ve done. That’s the challenge he’s facing now.”

O’Rourke entered the presidential race as a top contender with a lot fanfare.

His 2018 Senate race against Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote The Hill’s Morning Report – Trump’s public standing sags after Floyd protests GOP senators introduce resolution opposing calls to defund the police MORE (R) tantalized Democrats with the possibility of turning Texas blue. He raised $80 million in that time, which is more than any candidate for Senate has raised in any race ever.

O’Rourke fell just short against Cruz, but he turned out a record number of Democrats, won independents and drew support from about 500,000 registered Republicans.

“For the first time in at least my adult lifetime, maybe since 1976, Texas and its 38 electoral votes have been unlocked,” O’Rourke told Maddow. “They’re in contention, and we will have a seat at the table.”

O’Rourke then steamrolled into the presidential race, pacing the field by raising more than $9.4 million in the 18 days after launching. At the time of his entrance, he was polling in the 10 to 12 percent range, which had him firmly in the hunt.

But the fawning coverage O’Rourke once received has dried up. Instead, there has been an uptick in coverage about O’Rourke’s failure as a Senate candidate, his “white privilege” and questions about what he stands for and whether a three-term former member of the House of Representatives is qualified to be president.

The quixotic elements that once drew people to O’Rourke — his skateboarding, table climbing, viral internet moments, punk band and frenetic energy — have become punch lines on social media and at the White House, where President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE has dubbed him “Crazy Hands.”

“There’s undeniably something intriguing about him. He’s captivated millions of people across the country,” said Feldman. “But we haven’t seen in the first few months of his presidential campaign who he wants to be. He needs to figure out why he wants to be in this race and what his vision is.”

The clock is ticking. O’Rourke has collapsed in the polls and presently sits at only 4.2 percent in the RealClearPolitics average. An Emerson Polling survey released this week found him at 3 percent support, having fallen out of the second tier of candidates and into the pack of low-polling contenders alongside such figures as tech entrepreneur Andrew YangAndrew YangGeorge Floyd protests show corporations must support racial and economic equality Andrew Yang discusses his universal basic income pilot program Andrew Yang on the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis MORE.

“From a purely objective sense, the position he’s in is no different from the vast majority of the Democratic field, but the fact that he had a splashy entrance is problematic for him now,” said Patrick Murray, the polling director for Monmouth University. “Some of these other candidates didn’t raise expectations the way he did. Now he has to face coverage about how his momentum has stalled.”

There’s still time for O’Rourke to turn it around.

He has raised gobs of cash, which should be able to sustain his presidential campaign through the early primary states.

The allure to Democrats of a candidate that can carry Texas remains strong. Even if O’Rourke flops in the first four primary and caucus states, Texas Democrats will cast ballots shortly after on Super Tuesday. There are more delegates at stake in Texas than in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada combined.

But O’Rourke’s next big test will come on Tuesday at a nationally televised town hall event on CNN.

Buttigieg rocketed to stardom on the strength of his first CNN town hall, overtaking O’Rourke as the young new Democratic star.

During his Tuesday interview on “The View,” O’Rourke was asked if he would drop out and throw his support behind someone else if he continues to struggle.

“There’s a lot of time,” O’Rourke said. “The polls will change. There will be ups and downs, and there are a lot of people to meet who should have an opportunity to ask questions of me … to make up their minds amid this extraordinary field.”

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Buttigieg appears on cover of 'Out' magazine's Pride issue

Posted on September 7, 2020 by bamdj

South Bend Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE (D) appeared Tuesday on the cover of Out magazine’s special edition annual Pride issue.

Buttigieg will appear on issues of the magazine this month alongside actress M.J. Rodriguez and Stonewall Inn activist Sylvia Rivera, while the magazine referred to the Indiana presidential hopeful as “the most viable gay candidate to run for president to date.”

“[H]is campaign raises crucial questions about what it means to be a pro-LGBTQ+ candidate,” the magazine continued.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor @PeteButtigieg fronts one of three covers for Out’s #Pride issue.

The most viable gay candidate to run for president to date, his campaign raises crucial questions about what it means to be a pro-LGBTQ+ candidate: https://t.co/1N3uWcYeuY pic.twitter.com/XKiTzDcETN

— Out Magazine (@outmagazine) May 21, 2019

In an interview with the magazine published Tuesday alongside the cover, Buttigieg expressed his support for the Equality Act, a bill which would codify in federal law protections for gay, lesbian, and transgender people against discrimination.

“We’re not [where we should be] on gay rights, and we’re that much further from where we want to be on trans equality,” he told the magazine.

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Buttigieg added in the interview that he was eager to see a day when a gay man running for president would not be newsworthy.

“Equality, to me, looks like a world where [a gay presidential candidate is] not newsworthy,” Buttigieg told Out magazine. “But I get that it is. I understand the importance and the sort of historic quality that could be attached to [my campaign] and the change that it represents.”

Gillibrand calls for impeachment hearings on Trump

Posted on September 7, 2020 by bamdj

Sen. Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Warren, Pressley introduce bill to make it a crime for police officers to deny medical care to people in custody Senate Dems press DOJ over coronavirus safety precautions in juvenile detention centers MORE (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday joined the chorus of Democratic presidential candidates calling for the House to begin impeachment proceedings against President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE, saying that special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerCNN’s Toobin warns McCabe is in ‘perilous condition’ with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill’s 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE made it clear that Congress should move forward with hearings on the president’s conduct.

“The White House has repeatedly stonewalled Congress’ ability to take basic fact-finding steps and make an informed decision,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “Combined with the fact that Robert Mueller clearly expects Congress to exercise its constitutional authority and take steps that he could not, it’s time for Republicans and Democrats to begin impeachment hearings and follow the facts wherever they may lead.”

Gillibrand’s remarks came hours after Mueller said at a news conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) that his office did not charge the president with a crime as a result of its two-year investigation, saying it was “not an option” under existing DOJ guidelines.

He also said that his team would have explicitly stated that Trump did not commit a crime if investigators had “confidence” that that was the case. Ultimately, the special counsel’s office did not uncover sufficient evidence to conclude that Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election, and declined to make a determination on whether the president sought to obstruct the probe.

But Mueller’s news conference marked a turning point for Gillibrand, who had previously sided with Democratic congressional leaders in saying that more investigating needed to be done before a determination on impeachment could be made.

“We cannot let this president defy basic accountability measures built into our Constitution,” she said Wednesday.

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Gillibrand is the latest Democratic presidential hopeful to demand that the House move forward with impeachment hearings for Trump. Earlier on Wednesday, Sen. Cory BookerCory Anthony BookerRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-N.J.) called for Congress to begin the process “immediately.”

Trump has seized on Mueller’s report released last month and this week’s news conference to claim that he has been exonerated by the two-year probe. In fact, Mueller’s report stated that investigators could not clear Trump on the issue of whether he obstructed justice.

Still, Democratic presidential hopefuls have approached the issue of impeachment cautiously. While many left-leaning activists and progressives have called for Trump’s removal from office, some party leaders have warned that beginning the impeachment process could cause political blowback by energizing the president’s base heading into the 2020 election.

Daily Update: Andrew Yang, Chris Jericho, UFC/COVID-19

Posted on September 7, 2020 by bamdj

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Joey Janela vs. Serpentico set for AEW All Out pre-show
WWE adds Bronson Reed vs. Austin Theory to Tuesday’s NXT
WWE issues statement on talent third party deals
WWE SmackDown ratings down, still above two million viewers
‘New friend’ coming to Firefly Fun House on next WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown video highlights: Bayley attacks Sasha Banks
Jey Uso to challenge for Universal title at WWE Clash of Champions

Latest Audio:

WOR: Vince McMahon, All Out, AEW ratings, G1 9/5
FREE F4D: Lance Storm talks WCW Invasion superkick, Pat McAfee, Iron Man Match finish, whether NXT should move, more! 9/4

WON NEWSLETTER: September 7, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Future of Brock Lesnar, Rock battles COVID-19, more

A look at the different directions Brock Lesnar could go is the lead story in the new issue of the Observer. We look at the money he can generate for a fight with Jon Jones, the reality about his trying to fight today, why he’s a free agent right now, what Tony Khan said about Lesnar, and why, unless Dana White isn’t telling the truth, it’s unlikely he will fight. Plus we’ve got comments by both White and Scott Coker on fights they would want to make if he does want to fight.

Also in this issue:

Positive COVID tests of Dwayne Johnson, A.J. Styles, Kevin Nash, Glover Teixeira and others that came out this week.

Payback, including the genesis of the Roman Reigns heel turn, the Rey Mysterio injury, the booking of the show, plus poll results and star ratigns.

New Japan at Jingu Stadium, including Tetsuya Naito growing up going to the stadium, all three-time IWGP champions, most IC tilte runs in Japan, business notes, plans for the tour going on this weeeknd, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

The departure of Mauro Ranallo from WWE, looking and his five years in the company, his background prior to the company, what old and new projects he’s expected to work on, and why he left.

The NXT title Iron Man match, next Takeover shows, Rey Mysterio television cartoon show, Paul Levesque stock sales, Levesque talks UK brnad, more on different allegations against WWE talent, returns of peope who have sit time out, change to Payback, Charlotte Flair news, Renee Young talks leaving WWE, Styles talks Heyman, lots of TV ratings updates internationally, new member of WWE Board of Directors, WWE market value and the most watched shows of the past week on WWE Network.

This past week’s UFC show.

Bio of Tom Anderson, who wrestled as The Claw and one half of the Masked Interns tag team. We look at two of the most tasteless angles in wrestiling that he was involved in, how one failed miserably and how the other was a huge business success. This includes the death of Alberto Torres, the heyday of the The Interns, the history of the masked doctors tag team and where it all came from, and classic stories involving Paul “Bear” Bryant, Ken Ramey, Lonnie Mayne, Beauregarde and what top promoter wouldn’t use the Interns and Ramey and why.

The life and career of Ric Drason, from bodybuilding to wrestling, including what two AEW stars he started, the glory days of Gold’s Gym in Santa Monica and the characters involved, his art work that sold millions of T-shirts, how one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time got his name from him, and why he had chacnes to be a star and the reason he never was.

A major change in how television ratings are done and how this is expectede to impact sports the most.

A comparison of the last week of AEW with competition and the show this past week where the only television competition was a replay show. We look at how this impacted every audience, what the audience numbers are likely to be for a regular unopposed Wednesday for AEW or NXT, and go in depth as to both sides of why WWE and USA would or would not want to move NXT. We also look at the huge change in the AEW audience from 8/12 to 9/2. We also have how the audience ebbed and flowed during the Iron Man match.

Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

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SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE
Prior to the statement issued by WWE today, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang posted a series of tweets about WWE telling its talent to stop engaging with third-party platforms: “If I’m not the Secretary of Labor I’m pretty confident I’ll have his or her number to talk about the ridiculous classification of WWE wrestlers as independent contractors while controlling their name and likeness for years, even for something as benign as Cameo. Come on Vince – you’ve already deprived the folks breaking their backs for you of healthcare, security, recovery time, retirement benefits and fair treatment re: licenses and royalties. At least let them make a living off their own names. Many of them need it. I grew up a wrestling fan and it’s been sad to see so many of my childhood heroes pass away early. I’d feel better knowing that they and their families were being fairly treated – I look forward to doing what I can for the next generation of performers. I know how tough it is. Vince you’d better hope your old friend Donald wins because change is in the air and changes are long overdue where your corrupt labor practices are concerned. It would give me great pleasure. The people know. For all the wrestlers who know that you’re being misclassified but are reliant on staying on Vince’s good side – even because WWE might hire you – I get it. Our job is to make it easier for you to get what you deserve without risking your career.”
Kevin Owens tweeted about AOP’s Akam & Rezar being released by WWE: “Those guys beat the hell out of me for months…and I can say with complete honesty that I enjoyed every second of it. Good luck, boys. Hopefully, we’ll share a ring again one day and if so, you can bet you have some receipts coming you way!”
A vignette that aired on last night’s SmackDown featured an unidentified woman wearing heels.
“Clash of Champions: Gold Rush” is the full name for this month’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view. It’s taking place on September 27.
WWE has filed several trademarks for “Wobbly Walrus.”
For the first time since they were announced as the hosts of the show, Kayla Braxton and Xavier Woods hosted Talking Smack together this week. The Miz had been Braxton’s co-host for the first two episodes of the show’s revival.
ICW Fear & Loathing XI, wXw We Love Wrestling: Kutenholz, EVOLVE 124, and PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 83 were added to the WWE Network today.
WWE uploaded a behind-the-scenes video on Sami Zayn’s return to SmackDown from last week.
WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair in a last woman standing match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Evolution, The New Day vs. Cesaro & Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team titles from Roadblock: End of the Line 2016, and The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan for the United States title from Night of Champions 2010.
Other Wrestling
AEW streamed parts one and two of their Red Carpet special ahead of All Out.
Chris Jericho spoke to Sports Illustrated about not initially being a fan of Orange Cassidy: “When I first came to AEW, I was not a fan of Orange Cassidy. I just didn’t get it. When I actually spent some time with him, watching his matches and seeing how he connected with the audience, I realized that he’s over. That’s the secret of wrestling: getting over. He’s over because he’s doing something no one’s ever done before. That’s when I pulled my head out of my a– and realized what he’s doing is great. People really respond to him because he’s the type of character we’ve never seen before, so I knew I wanted to do something with him. This is a guy that hasn’t been in a main-event program before. I thought, let’s put him in one and see a side of Orange Cassidy, a violent side, that we’ve never seen before. Let’s see the Orange Cassidy that cuts a great promo and see how he does in an extended program. I believe we started this the week after Stadium Stampede, so it’s close to 14 weeks for this program. Any time you can do three and a half months in a program with somebody, that shows how special and how good the story is. It was something I had a hunch about, and I was right. We created some really good TV, and this is going to be a great pay-per-view blow-off match for this program.”
In an interview with TalkSport, Jericho said NXT should switch nights: “They came on Wednesday just to mess with us. Take your head out of your ass and go make money. Don’t worry about our company. We’re not worried about you. We don’t have a screen up that shows what’s going on every moment on NXT like they do for Dynamite — leave us alone. Do your own thing. Go to Tuesdays, grab an extra 250k viewers, finally get your demo where it needs to be because it’s embarrassing on a Wednesday night against us. The Demo God thing is not a gimmick, it’s real. So go! Go to Tuesday, go to Sunday, go to any other day that you want. But don’t exist just to mess with us because we’re beating you every single week. It’s kind of embarrassing for NXT at this point. So I think you should throw the red flag, retreat, go to Tuesdays, get more viewers, make more money, get more guys over and don’t worry about what we’re doing because we’re going to continue on either way. And we’re winning every week anyways, so just go your own way. That’s the best way to do it.”
ESPN published a feature story on Brodie Lee.
In a video for TV Guide, Brandi Rhodes rewatched some of the best moments from Dynamite.
Eddie Kingston is the guest on the latest episode of Talk is Jericho.
Kris Statlander posted an update on her recovery after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL: “For everyone that’s expecting me to come back to @AEWrestling soon. I just started walking with my brace on without crutches on Tuesday. There’s still a long way to go but I’m on my way”
Alex Shelley vs. Tony Deppen is set for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4 on October 10.
MMA
The UFC announced the following changes to tonight’s Fight Night card due to COVID-19 test results: “Due to positive COVID-19 test results, the following bouts have been canceled from today’s card: Alexandr Romanov vs. Marcos Rogerio De Lima and Thiago Moses vs. Jalin Turner. Additionally, as a precaution, Kevin Natividad has been removed from his bout against Brian Kelleher and will be replaced by Dana White Contender’s Series alum Ray Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who appeared on the show last season, has won 11 of his last 13 bouts. UFC Fight Night, headlined by top 10 heavyweight contenders Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai, will move forward at the UFC APEX with a seven-bout card beginning at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT live on ESPN+.”
The UFC will promote five events at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi starting with UFC 253 on September 26 and ending with UFC 254 on October 24.
Stipe Miocic thinks he should be the first option to face Brock Lesnar if Lesnar returns to the UFC: “A hundred percent I think so. Listen, I just think about it more and more I do think 100 percent if anything I would get the Brock Lesnar fight first or be asked first. I didn’t know [Jones] called the shots. I didn’t know that.”

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Anderson & Zbyszko win WCW Tag Team titles

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Socialism debate roils Democratic primary

Posted on September 6, 2020 by bamdj

A fierce debate over socialism has erupted among Democrats, with several centrist presidential candidates warning that progressive proposals on health care and the environment that have dominated the primary are a surefire way to get President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE reelected.

Three low-polling contenders — former Colorado Gov. John HickenlooperJohn HickenlooperGun control group rolls out first round of Senate endorsements The Hill’s Campaign Report: Republicans go on attack over calls to ‘defund the police’ Hickenlooper ethics questions open him up to attack MORE, Sen. Michael BennetMichael Farrand BennetSome realistic solutions for income inequality Democratic senators kneel during moment of silence for George Floyd 21 senators urge Pentagon against military use to curb nationwide protests MORE (Colo.) and former Rep. John DelaneyJohn DelaneyThe Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says country needs to rethink what ‘policing’ means; US cases surpass 2 million with no end to pandemic in sight Minnesota AG Keith Ellison says racism is a bigger problem than police behavior; 21 states see uptick in cases amid efforts to reopen The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan says there will be consequences from fraying US-China relations; WHO walks back claims on asymptomatic spread of virus MORE (Md.) — are unloading on socialism or taking shots at “Medicare for All” and the Green New Deal, which have gone mainstream in the Democratic Party since being embraced by Sens. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (Mass.), as well as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezAttorney says 75-year-old man shoved by Buffalo police suffered brain injury How language is bringing down Donald Trump Highest-circulation Kentucky newspaper endorses Charles Booker in Senate race MORE (N.Y.).

Hickenlooper and Delaney made waves with their warnings about socialism and Medicare for All at the California Democratic Party convention over the weekend in San Francisco, where they were booed mercilessly by the liberal crowd.

Now they’ve become targets for the party’s energized left wing, including Ocasio-Cortez, who encouraged Delaney to “sashay away” from the race after he said that Medicare for All would result in hospital bankruptcies and cost 150 million Americans access to health insurance.

But the centrists are doubling down and warning that a leftward lurch toward socialism could cost Democrats the White House in 2020.

“If we put socialism on the ballot in 2020, that sounds very risky to me,” Delaney said in a Monday phone interview with The Hill. “The lesson from 2018 is very clear. We flipped the House with moderate candidates. You can’t argue that point. The seats we flipped were with problem solvers, not with litmus test ideologues. We win when we put forth problem solvers who run in the center.”

Liberals are irate, arguing that no one running for the Democratic nomination, not even Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, is proposing that the U.S. should abandon capitalism and become a socialist country.

Neil Sroka, the communications director for the liberal group Democracy for America, described the centrists as a “group of older white men who think this is their best path to relevance in the primary.”

“Their argument hinges on a Republican view of the world that anything that is not greed-soaked exploitative capitalism must then be totalitarian communism,” Sroka said. “That’s the binary choice Republicans have decided on and all these old, irrelevant white men are doing is bending to that way of thinking because they believe it’s a path to victory for their campaigns.”

Democrats are bracing to see how former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE reacts to the controversy, noting that the party’s presidential front-runner could ignite a vicious struggle between the progressive and establishment wings of the party if he sides with the centrists.

Biden has sought to cast himself as a progressive champion, but one with crossover appeal to mainstream voters, believing it makes him the most electable candidate in the Democratic field.

Biden was noticeably absent from San Francisco over the weekend, where progressives, such as Sanders and Warren, took shots at him as the “safe” choice whose centrist leanings are ill-suited for the times.

“Some Democrats in Washington believe the only changes we can get are tweaks and nudges. If they dream at all, they dream small,” Warren told the crowd of delegates. “The time for small ideas is over.”

Liberals have found Hickenlooper’s speech from that event particularly infuriating, with many viewing his remarks on socialism as an ad hominem attack that is irrelevant to the debate going on among the left.

Hickenlooper was booed for saying that “if we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve big progressive goals, socialism is not the answer.”

In an interview with The Hill directly following his speech, Hickenlooper went further, describing Medicare for All and the Green New Deal as “massive government expansions” that are adjacent to socialism and will turn off general election voters in key swing states.

“In places like Ohio and Michigan and North Carolina and Wisconsin, places we have to win to beat Trump, we’ll be starting out 10 yards behind,” Hickenlooper said.

Progressive activist Jonathan Tasini, who described Hickenlooper, Bennet and Delaney as the “white guys who belong to the dead-ender caucus,” said the centrist Democrats are making a bad-faith argument that plays into GOP talking points about socialism.

Republicans want nothing more than for Democrats to be debating whether their policies are socialist, Tasini said.

“It’s fair game for Bennet, Delaney or any dead-ender to challenge progressives on policy, and I’d welcome that because our positions have majority support among the people,” Tasini said. “And then there’s Hickenlooper, who should be ostracized after embracing Republican-Trump talking points to mudsling and engage in vile red-baiting, along the way creating an ad featuring him sure to run in the general election with the tagline ‘even Democrats know socialism has taken over their party.’ ”

Polling data finds broad support for Medicare for All, but “socialism” remains unpopular among a majority of voters.

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A recent Gallup survey found that less than half of Americans polled would consider voting for a qualified presidential candidate if that person is a socialist.

However, a different Gallup survey from 2018 found that a majority of Democrats have a positive view of socialism for the first time ever. That phenomenon is largely driven by young liberals, who are more likely to have a favorable view of socialism.

Some mainstream Democrats are frustrated by these new dynamics, believing that the progressive wing refuses to compromise and wants to drum anyone who disagrees with them out of the party.

Delaney told The Hill that he and the progressive wing have the same goal of universal health care, but that he wants to preserve the option for Americans to purchase private insurance. After Ocasio-Cortez called on him to drop out of the race for criticizing Medicare for All, Delaney accused some on the left of trying to stifle debate.

“I’m worried that some folks in the Democratic Party are intolerant toward different views on this and don’t want a debate,” Delaney said. “That won’t serve us well … and unfortunately not enough Democrats want to step forward and say what they know to be true.”

Several Democrats interviewed by The Hill said they’re fine with a policy debate, but take issue with the centrists’ use of the word “socialism” in close proximity to the progressives’ most ambitious policy proposals, saying it only serves to give political ammunition to Trump and the Republicans.

Said one prominent Democratic strategist: “If we have a general election debate over socialism, we lose.”

Reid Wilson contributed.

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