US elections 2020

It's dispiriting to see how Noam Chomsky seems to be right - again. He says that election spending is a reliable indicator as to who wins US elections. Bernie Sanders, a self-called socialist, who isn't really - he's more a social democrat than anything else but is as close as you can get to a socialist currently in the US -, is again doing well in the primaries, despite really obvious shenanigans, once again. And his personal wealth is not obscene, albeit significant. In the UK, Jeremy Corbyn lost the election two months ago thanks to his own party. Without their constant disparagement, the media and the Conservatives would have sounded like the vested interests they are.

Now, returning to the US, back in November Mike Bloomberg was polling at four percent nationally and had the highest disapproval rating of any potential Democratic presidential candidate. He's an old, white, ugly ex-Republican (and a true Republican at heart), he has a uniquely horrible record and no redeeming traits, but he does have a lot of money.  Crooked Hillary is his running mate, naturally. She represents that large part of the Democratic Party that will prefer anything, literally anything, to a real left-leaning candidate, however mild in his socialism.

Now, after spending $400 million in broadcast, radio and cable ads, $42 million on Facebook ads, $36 million on Google ads, and an unknown fortune on other shady manipulations, a national Quinnipiac poll released last week put Bloomberg at 15 percent nationally in the Democratic primary. This week national polls released by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist and Zogby put him at 19 and 20 percent, respectively. Sad.