Thread by @HootHootBerns

I've been trying to be nice, but we need to have a talk about this business.

And by "talk," I mean a very long thread.

usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

Call me picky, but I spy an immediate small red flag in the second paragraph as Tom fails to articulate what Dems stand for:

"broke down barriers"

We see you, Tom.

"The wind is at our back." Sounding a bit large in the head, buddy. Keep ignoring the issue voters cared most about in the midterms was *checks notes* HEALTH CARE. nbcnews.com/politics/elect…

Also Tom: "No coach in the history of sports has ever gone to a tryout and said, “We need less talent and fewer options.” "

I'm pretty sure no coach would intentionally injure and bench their best player while knowing it could result in the other team winning, either.

Almost like Tom realized he'd better throw some Bernie-esque sprinkles in to paper over leading with that Clintonian line earlier. 'Focus on the issues,' he claims. 'America that works for everyone.'

But unity!

"Feel like" they got a fair shake, Tom? How about getting a fair shake in the first place?

Oh, and you also said we'd know the debate schedule before we knew who was running, but multiple candidates have already formally declared.

And here lies our first problem with the debate arrangement:

The first two debates won't be until June and July of 2019? It's my understanding New Yorkers have to be registered as a Dem for 2020 by MARCH of 2019.

So if even the first debate gets someone excited about a candidate in New York...OOPS! Too late!

See the problem here?

It's also my understanding California begins early voting around the time of the Iowa caucuses, so I'm not sure how having the last debate in April plays into things. If there are still states voting all the way to June, that cutoff is rather arbitrary.

How are you gonna make this work, have all the 2019 debates in DC?

"Nor will the DNC prohibit candidates from participating in additional forums, as long as only one candidate appears on stage at a time."

THAT'S NOT A REFORM, TOM. Town halls were a thing in 2016, too.

So I guess Tom's gonna have a candidate Powerball on TV when selecting who goes on the dual stages?

Can't wait for certain candidates to never have to face each other...

Um...what is this? So you're gonna also use fundraising to decide who goes on the debate stage?

But sure, keep throwing the word "grassroots" around, Tom.

I'm sure by that you mean who gets the most honest $27 donations, rather than "candidates our buddies put money into."

I can't imagine how such a thing could possibly go wrong. Not a chance an Ojeda or Tulsi is overlooked as not "grassroots fundraiser" enough while rubber-stamping a 0.1%-polling Bloomberg or Holder.

*reduced superdelegates by keeping them off the first ballot, but they get to come back for later rounds

"increased the transparency of the DNC’s budget and operations." REALLY!? @NomikiKonst Did you hear this news?

Once again, you want candidates to "believe" the process was fair, not that it actually was.

"And the American people will be just as confident that the Democratic Party has their back."

And you know how that's going to happen, Tom? It won't be by your hand...

It will be because the American people will storm your clubhouse gates in 2020 and elect a nominee and leader we DO trust.

This will happen not because of you and management, Tom, but in spite of you and your paymasters.

https://twitter.com/HootHootBerns/status/992005058593218561

I want to point out one more thing: the increased debates and new "fundraising" qualifier lead me to believe Dem Management, like the establishment punditry, is leaning into propping up "someone new" like Kamala or Beto.

Seems obvious, but it's good to know what to watch for.

It's also good to know for the debates. Won't be hard to put two and two together when certain candidates just seem to get all the questions or the softballs.

In conclusion: The establishment was never in the business of "playing fair." It still won't.

But we only get one more chance at this. Marching into the primary is not a polite plea, but a middle finger to those who tell us "we don't want your vote" and to "STAY OUT" of the club

Support who you will otherwise, but raiding these primaries and caucuses--wearing Dem badges, where we must to participate--is not an act of acquiescence to management.

It's an act of defiance--for what this party did to us in 2016, and for what they do to us to this very day.