bostonangler

Fact-checking the debate: What's true, false and everything in between Six candidates took the stage in Las Vegas for the ninth debate of the primary season, hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, the Nevada Independent and Telemundo. Five of the candidates, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, are old hat — but it's the first presidential debate for former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who immediately came under fire. We fact-checked the White House hopefuls in real time. Buttigieg accuses Klobuchar of supporting Trump's judges. What's he talking about? Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, claimed that Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, was the likeliest "of the senators running for president" to vote for judges appointed by President Donald Trump, drawing a complaint from Klobuchar that his numbers were wrong. "I have opposed, not supported, two-thirds of the Trump judges, so get your numbers right, and I am in the top 10 to 15 of opposing them," Klobuchar said. But Buttigieg didn't say she'd voted for Trump's judges two-thirds of the time. He said she'd voted for Trump's judges more than any other Democrat on the stage. And that's true. Here's the fine print: The progressive blog banned site link - malware reported reported nearly a year ago that Klobuchar had voted for more than 56 percent of Trump's judicial nominees who were eventually confirmed — that may be where Klobuchar prepped her "two-thirds" response. Her campaign told NBC News on Wednesday night that those numbers are outdated and that, using the same methodology, the senator has voted in favor of Trump's judicial nominees just 33.51 percent of the time. That's still more than her fellow senators Sanders and Warren, who voted for Trump's judicial nominees about 25 percent of the time by the same math. Did Klobuchar vote to make English the national language? Buttigieg laid into Klobuchar for supporting legislation to declare English the official language of the U.S. "Do you know the message that sends in as multilingual a state as Nevada to immigrants?" he asked. Klobuchar was one of 17 Democrats to support a 2007 amendment to end a requirement for federal agencies to provide materials in languages other than English, according to The Associated Press. She disavowed the stance last week, saying English shouldn't be the national language. Bloomberg touts drop in crime rate under his watch "When I got into office, there were 650 murders a year in New York City," Bloomberg said, defending his record on the "stop and frisk" policy the police pursued when he was mayor. "The crime rate did go from 650, 50 percent down, to 300. And we have to keep a lid on crime." During his tenure, the murder rate in New York City — not the crime rate — dropped by roughly half, going from 649 murders in 2001 (his first year in office) to 335 in 2013 (his last year in office). But it's a stretch to attribute the decline to expanded use of the stop-and-frisk strategy. The murder rate had been declining for a decade before he took office, and it continued to decline after he left after three terms — suggesting that other forces were in play. The murder rate kept falling after Mayor Bill de Blasio formally ended the policy in 2014. Studies have also struggled to find proof of a relationship between stop-and-frisk and a reduction in crime. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics Did Amazon pay $0 in federal income tax in 2018? Buttigieg claimed that big companies like Amazon and Chevron paid nothing in federal income tax in 2018. "What we've got to do is level the playing field, where a company like Amazon, Chevron, is paying literally zero on billions of dollars in profits, and it puts small businesses like the ones that are revitalizing my own city, often Latino-owned on our west side, at a disadvantage," he said. That's true. Amazon paid $0 in federal income tax on more than $11 billion in profit before taxes in 2018. It also got a $129 million tax rebate from the federal government. Chevron also paid $0 in federal income tax, on more than $4.5 billion in income, in 2018. The company also got a federal tax rebate, to the tune of $181 million. Amazon's and Chevron's low tax bills stem partly from the Trump administration's corporate tax cut from 35 percent to 21 percent in 2017. Many companies have a longstanding practice of using tax deferral, a tax instrument that lets businesses postpone paying taxes until a later year. Trump's decrease in the tax rate allowed companies to defer more taxes. Amazon's low tax bill also stemmed from tax credits for investments in research and development, stock-based employee compensation and so-called carryforward losses from years when the company didn't bring in profits. Sanders says billionaires' wealth skyrocketed compared to average Americans'. Is he right? "We have enormous problems facing this country, and we cannot continue seeing a situation where in the last three years, billionaires in this country saw an $850 billion increase in their wealth. Congratulations, Mr. Bloomberg. But the average American last year saw less than a 1 percent increase in his or her income. That's wrong," said Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont. This is mostly true. Bloomberg's Billionaire Index reported in December that 172 American billionaires included in its ranking added $500 billion to their wealth in 2019. Bloomberg reported that the country's 173 biggest billionaires lost 5.9 percent of their total wealth in 2018, leaving them with $1.9 trillion at the end of the year. U.S. billionaires included in the index added $315 billion to their net worth in 2017. That amounts to $815 billion in total increases, not $850 billion. Sanders' claim that "the average American saw less than a 1 percent increase in their income" is correct. The median household income increased by 0.9 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to the Census Bureau. Family household median income increased by 1.2 percent, while single household income increased by 2.4 percent. Did Bloomberg oppose Obamacare in 2010? "The mayor said, when we passed it, the signature piece of this administration, 'It's a disgrace.' They're the exact words. It was a disgrace. Look it up. Check it out. 'It was a disgrace,'" Biden said of Bloomberg's stance on the Affordable Care Act. Biden's right. Bloomberg did call Obamacare a "disgrace" in 2010, and there's video — the former vice president just put it in an online ad. Bloomberg's health care plan, meanwhile, includes a proposal to "build on the ACA to achieve universal health coverage." How much did the health care industry make? "Somehow or another, Canada can provide universal health care to all their people," Sanders said. "U.K. can do it, France can do it, Germany could, all of Europe can do it. Gee whiz. Somehow or another, we are the only major country on Earth that can't do it. Why is that?" In the context of health insurance, Sanders' characterization of profits is an exaggeration. The health insurance industry earned $23.4 billion in 2018, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The industry earned $16.1 billion in 2017. However, a survey of some of the country's hospitals reported $91 billion of operating revenue in 2016, according to a 2017 Deloitte survey. Meanwhile, two of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies — Pfizer and Roche — reported $12.69 billion and $14.1 billion respectively for fiscal year 2019. Why did Bloomberg's administration cut back on stop-and-frisk? Stop-and-frisk "got out of control. And when we discovered, I discovered, that we were doing many, many, too many stop-and-frisks, we cut 95 percent of it out," Bloomberg claimed Wednesday night. That is both misleading and false. The New York Police Department's use of the strategy during his administration didn't happen without his awareness, and the practice was scaled back significantly thanks to a 2013 court order declaring it unconstitutional, not Bloomberg's change of heart. In his three terms as mayor, Bloomberg expanded and championed stop-and-frisk — the strategy that gave police the authority to detain people suspected of committing a crime and led to a practice of stopping mostly black and Hispanic men — right up until days before he announced that he was running for president, according to a comprehensive timeline reported by The New York Times. Is Bloomberg against raising the minimum wage? Sanders, in a veiled shot at Bloomberg, suggested: "Maybe we can talk about a billionaire saying that we should not raise the minimum wage. Or that we should cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. If that's a way to beat Donald Trump, wow! I would be very surprised." Bloomberg said in a 2015 interview with his own Bloomberg channel that he had "never" been in favor of raising the minimum wage. But now, as a presidential candidate, he backs raising the minimum wage to $15, according his campaign website. https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-checking-debate-whats-true-032532001.html B/A

Finally... It is the year of the Dragon!!! And this thing has been dragging on too long!!! B/A

Did they build a moat???? B/A

190% Increase in Revenue -- SinglePoint Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2019 Annual Results, Residential Solar Business Unit is the Primary Driver for the Increase in Revenues and Achieves Business Unit Profitability CEO anticipates SING will achieve between $10M-$12M in gross revenues this year, up from $10 million announced in CEO letter in January 2020 Company to focus on Direct Solar, 1606 Original Hemp product line SinglePoint plans to drive 2020 vision through organic growth in high-value, high-opportunity markets and synergistic acquisitions Phoenix, Arizona, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- SinglePoint Inc. (SING) releases preliminary (unaudited) annual results achieving over $3,300,000 in revenue. SinglePoint continues to show progress and annual revenue traction delivering increased revenue in the triple digits, 190% increase from 2018 to 2019. $2,000,000 in annual revenue was directly derived from Direct Solar of America in approximately six months of operations. Annualizing these results would have delivered over $5,000,000 in 2019 revenue. The 2020’s are positioned to be the decade of solar, and with SinglePoint’s acquisition of Direct Solar of America and its emerging business units, SinglePoint anticipates significant and sustained growth through the decade. Direct Solar America, at the time of acquisition by SinglePoint, was almost solely focused on expanding its national footprint by expanding into additional states with its unique and scalable residential solar brokerage model. The residential solar segment delivered nearly all the revenues and ended the year as a profitable business unit. The residential solar business unit will continue to expand into new markets, adding incremental revenue, while continuing to cultivate and close additional revenue opportunities in established markets. New market expansion and increased efficiencies should deliver continued revenue growth and the Direct Solar of America residential business unit is targeting an annual revenue range of $7-$10M for 2020. Throughout the year, Direct Solar America identified additional high-caliber revenue opportunities in underserved markets within the domestic solar market. The company created commercial and capital business units committing internal capital and resources, along with forging relationships with industry and strategic segment specific business partners to address these opportunities. Direct Solar America, directly and through its partnerships have engaged and made proposals to multiple schools and commercial type projects throughout the United States on the benefits of going solar. Many of these projects are in the review stage and would result in significant revenue and profitability that is purely incremental and accretive to the existing projections for the residential solar division. According to SEIA, “The U.S. installed 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV capacity in Q3 2019 to reach 71.3 GW of total installed capacity, enough to power 13.5 million American homes. Residential solar saw its best quarter in history in Q3, and the utility-scale solar pipeline now stands at a record 45.5 GW in Q2. Total installed U.S. PV capacity is expected to more than double over the next five years.” The press release goes on to say, “The increase in residential installations helped the U.S. solar market grow 45% year-over-year and contributed to 15 states having their best quarter ever for residential solar.” Solar is growing in the investing world; many large players are continuing to increase shareholder value. Invesco Solar ETF (TAN) ran up 51% in just one year, becoming 2019’s best-performing ETF. Many others have jumped in as well such as Warren Buffett investing in one of the largest solar projects to date and Goldman Sachs launch a fund with approximately $4,000,000,000 in available capital. These are just a few selections that showcase the strength of solar and renewable options in the market. “I am confident that our business units will continue to grow which translates to SinglePoint being in a better position than we have ever been. We believe the successful operating results in 2019 will continue into 2020 driving our value past historical values to new heights,” states Greg Lambrecht, CEO. “In my opinion, it’s never been a better time to be a shareholder of SinglePoint; we have growing business units in thriving sectors, we have recently become a fully reporting public company and are committed to continuing to enhance shareholder liquidity by uplisting to the appropriate exchange that allows investors to confidently invest in the company due to its trading volume.” Our proprietary brand of smokable hemp, 1606, continues to expand into new accounts fueled by the increasing consumer demand for additional products that deliver the benefits of CBD of our proprietary brand of smokable hemp products, 1606. The Company’s 1606 Original Hemp brand was launched at the MJBIZCON Show in Las Vegas. Executives and senior management recently attended the TPE “Tobacco Show” in Las Vegas which verified that retail is looking for a product that satisfies the growing consumer demand for hemp and CBD based products. The 1606 Original Hemp brand is an exclusive line of products that capitalizes on the emerging trend in the smokable hemp market and has already been picked up by distributors and retail outlets, Lambrecht reported. “We are encouraged by the reception and demand this new product category received at [NACS],” he said. “Our success at NACS with the smokable hemp product allowed SinglePoint to secure a distribution agreement to distribute PrimeTime Flavored Cigars with Japan Tobacco USA, a division of Japan Tobacco International which operates in over 130 countries.” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/190-increase-revenue-singlepoint-announces-133010615.html GO SING B/A

Do you mean the car, or his ego??? Come on I'm only kidding... B/A

Let's see. He went to a Nationals game they lost. He went to an Alabama game they lost. He goes to Daytona and it's canceled... I just hope he never shows up at our bowling league. LOL B/A

White House considering tax incentive for more Americans to buy stocks, sources say The White House is considering ways to incentivize U.S. households to invest in the stock market. Under the proposal, a portion of income would become tax-free for investment purposes. The Trump administration is considering several proposals as part of a forthcoming economic stimulus package. WASHINGTON — As part of a forthcoming package of proposed tax cuts, the White House is considering ways to incentivize U.S. households to invest in the stock market, according to four senior administration officials familiar with the discussions. The proposal, one of many new tax cuts under consideration, would see a portion of household income treated as tax-free for the purposes of investing outside a traditional 401(k). Under one hypothetical scenario described by multiple officials, a household earning up to $200,000 could invest $10,000 of that income on a tax-free basis, although officials noted these numbers are fluid. “Nothing’s ruled out,” said one senior administration official. “Nothing’s been ruled in, either.” Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC the approach looked at most closely centers on creating universal savings accounts, which would combine retirement, education and health care savings into one vehicle. Money put into the account would be done so on an after-tax basis, and taxed when withdrawn as well; but any accumulation of profits during the investment timeframe, known as capital gains, would not be taxed. Kudlow told CNBC this policy, if pursued, may extend to bonds as well as stocks. Kudlow noted that this and other ideas have yet to be fleshed out, and no decisions have been made. The development comes as President Donald Trump seeks reelection this fall. He has sought to distinguish himself from his potential Democratic rivals by accusing of them of pursuing “socialist” policies while he has touted tax cuts and deregulation under his administration. After the Great Recession, the percentage of American households owning stocks fell to 52% from 62% before the crisis, according to Gallup. That percentage reached 55% in 2019, a year when the stock market hit record highs. The tax break, if enacted, would represent “a pretty substantial amount of money for people” to have for retirement, according to Stephen Moore, economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation and close confidante of the White House. “That’s the type of thing that would expand ownership,” Moore tells CNBC. The stock market’s rise under Trump’s tenure is a well-documented point of pride for the president and his top economic officials, who have called the Dow Jones Industrial Average a “barometer” and a “mark-to-market indicator” of the administration’s performance. The S&P 500, seen as the broadest index of corporate performance, has risen 49% since Trump took office. The White House publicly has been pointing to the package as a new shot of adrenaline in an economy whose growth shows signs of slowing 10 years into an expansion. A payroll tax cut would become an option only if the economy experienced significant decline, according to two senior administration officials. Separately, Kudlow has suggested cutting the tax rate to 15% for middle-class earners. Kudlow and Vice President Mike Pence have suggested that the package could be unveiled in early fall, as voters are deliberating whether to elect Trump to a second term. New tax cuts are “one of the reasons why we’re going to focus so much energy on making sure that not only do we get President Donald Trump four more years in this White House,” Pence said in a recent interview on the Fox Business Network. “But we’re going to make sure that we reelect a Republican Senate and elect a Republican House of Representatives.” Any tax cuts would need congressional approval to take effect, a tall order while Democrats have the majority in the House of Representatives. For that reason, officials described the proposal that would be made public as “conceptual in nature.” “It’s sort of an idealistic document,” said a senior official involved in discussions. “Sort of, ‘If you reelect this administration, this is what you’re going to get.’” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/14/white-house-considering-tax-incentive-for-more-americans-to-buy-stocks.html Awesome.... Put that tax cut in the casino market to keep it running.... Wouldn't it be better to just give it to the people to spend on trinkets? Consumer spending is 2/3's of our economy. Playing the roulette wheel of Wall Street will cost people their future. JMHO B/A

Timing is everything. B/A

Yup I agree, that is going to really shape where this thing will go. B/A

That is so intelligent... No it's not. Yes it is. No it is not... Yes it is.... And so it goes..... B/A

That makes so much sense then building a wall someone can climb over.. And let's start holding the companies hiring illegals accountable. They come here to work and we pay the price. Of course when corporations pay millions into campaigns you know they won't be held accountable for their illegal deeds. B/A

Your prices are based on Home Depot... LOL It's much cheaper in Mexico... B/A

They've had like a thousand people die out of more than a billion? I think they will find replacements. B/A

No offense Indy, but medieval technology is simply a joke. and a waste to tax dollars... What's next a moat? B/A

No I believe republicans and democrats have tried for high tech modern means and technology, not ancient technology that a goat herder can overcome. But I digress. Wake up... good one. The price of one B-1 Bomber could completely change the situation, or even better, instead of giving away corporate welfare so multinationals can buy back their stock and give huge bonuses to their over paid CEOs, that money could be spent on defending America. But of course our fearful leader just wants to build something to hang his name on... He has a lot of old signs laying around as new owners of his bankrupt properties take them down. B/A

Smugglers are reportedly helping migrants scale sections of Donald Trump’s multi-billion border wall using $5 ladders. US Border Patrol has seen a rise in camouflage “hook-and-ladders” within the far south-west region of Texas since May last year, according to The El Paso Times. El Paso’s urban stretch of border is said to be littered with the ladders, which are engineered out of rebar and match the rust brown colours of the wall. “Somebody is making money off those ladders,” agent Joe Romero told the newspaper. “The agents pulled it off the wall and cut it up so it can’t be used again.” The redbar ladders began appearing in large numbers once construction of a replacement wall in El Paso was finished last May. According to Border Patrol, illegal crossings have increased ever since. “We’re starting to see a lot of evading activity,” said Agent Ramiro Cordero. “We’re starting to see the criminal organisations working hand-to-hand on either side to avoid detection. More and more we are seeing ‘failure to yields’ — they are utilising ladders to go over the fence and diversionary tactics.” Border Patrol apprehensions of single adults — those most likely to use the ladder method — have nearly doubled in the El Paso sector. From October 2019 through January 2020, Border Patrol apprehended 10,030 adults, compared with 5,150 in the same period a year ago. The ladders appear to be made by hand from two poles of 3/8-inch rebar and four thinner poles, fitted with steps and bent over at the end in a ‘U’ shape to hook on the top of the wall. The El Paso Times reports smugglers could be sourcing the rebar from a local hardware store in Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican city just south of El Paso, where six metres of the material costs roughly $5.30 (£4). To date, almost 100 miles of border have been built under the Trump administration, mostly to replace and improve existing barriers. Mr Trump’s campaign promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but thus far the almost $10bn (£7.7bn) budget has come from taxpayer money. The president has proposed spending an additional $2bn for border wall construction. A total 450 miles of the barrier is expected to be completed by the end of this year. https://www.yahoo.com/news/smugglers-helping-migrants-scale-trump-122108689.html We've come a long way..... B/A

Not a Democrat thank you... B/A

Total U.S. household debt reached a record $14.15 trillion at the end of the year after increasing by $193 billion, or 1.4%, in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the Fed’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The report, based on “a nationally representative sample of individual- and household-level debt and credit records drawn from anonymized Equifax credit data,” noted that total household debt is now nominally $1.5 trillion higher than the pre-recession peak of $12.68 trillion in the third quarter of 2008. U.S. household debt. (Source: FRBNY Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax) The rise in household debt, led by mortgage balances, marked the 22nd consecutive quarterly increase. Housing balances rose $120 billion from Q3 to December 31, 2019, ending the year at $9.56 trillion. Read more: How to manage debt Non-housing balances increased by $79 billion in the fourth quarter to hit a record $4.20 trillion. The Q4 increases included $16 billion in auto loans, $46 billion in credit card balances, and $10 billion in student loans. (Source: New York Fed) Wilbert Van Der Klaauw, senior vice president at the New York Fed, noted that the data showed that “transitions into delinquency among credit card borrowers have steadily risen since 2016, notably among younger borrowers.” And though student loans may have only seen a “muted” increase of $51 billion, borrowers are still struggling with their debt. In terms of the percentage of outstanding balances that are seriously delinquent or severely derogatory, student loans still lead the way. (Data, graphic: New York Fed) Progress on student debt varied across America in 2019 According to a separate analysis of metros across the U.S., student loan borrowers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, saw the biggest increase in their student loan balances over the course of 2019, while those in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, saw the biggest decline. The analysis by Student Loan Hero — which analyzed over 450,000 credit reports of consumers across the U.S. between Q1 and Q4 of 2019 to understand how student loan borrowers were making progress on student debt — illustrates that student loan borrowers aren’t one monolithic bloc and are making varying levels of progress on their debt. (Graphic: David Foster, Data: LendingTree) Overall, student loan borrowers in 59 metros saw their student loan balances increase, with four reporting double-digit increases. Borrowers in Harrisburg, Penn., saw their student loan balances increase the most by 11.9%, from $22,408 to $25,081, followed by borrowers in Des Moines, Iowa, who experienced a 11.3% increase in their balances from $21,894 to $24,374. The average borrower’s balance was $22,763 in the first quarter and increased by 2% — to $23,089 — by the end of the year. “Borrowing across the board has dropped dramatically,” Kali McFadden, a research manager at LendingTree, told Yahoo Finance. But “because of the [income-based] repayment programs or deferments … you could definitely see that your interest outpaces your monthly payments … [and] that is a big reason why some of these numbers went up.” According to data from the Department of Education from 2018, nearly 30% of borrowers were not in repayment — rather, they were in forbearance or deferment or delinquent or defaulting on their loans. And so while fewer people were taking out loans, the reality of interest rates outpacing payments led balances to rise. (Graphic: Student Loan Hero) Two metros saw double-digit decreases, according to the Student Loan Hero analysis. In contrast, borrowers in Winston-Salem, N.C., saw a 12.6% decline in their student loan balance, from $25,830 to $22,578, followed by borrowers in Springfield, Mass., who experienced a 10.5% decline from $19,419 to $17,382 . McFadden said that there may be a few reasons for the dramatic declines, ranging from demographic shifts, to people moving away. Winston-Salem, for one, is a college town, and graduates are quite likely to move away (or home) to find better opportunities. https://www.yahoo.com/money/us-household-debt-hits-record-high-143940395.html B/A

PIZZA-GATE B/A

That is what they are best at.... B/A

Sorry out of pluses, but I would much rather hear from someone who has been there then someone with an agenda... I hope you have some great pictures to go along with those memories. B/A

I think people are less informed because they only watch the slanted news they like... FOX or CNN for example. And regardless of who is in the final election, it won't be a landslide, it will be who gets out the most voters, because we as a country are that divided. Not many democrats will ever vote for Trump and not many republicans will ever vote for any democrat. So the independents may be the deciding factor. B/A

Wow you've been there! I would love to visit... B/A

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Culinary Union, the most influential union in Nevada politics, has decided to stay out of the state's Democratic presidential caucuses, denying candidates who aggressively courted the group from getting a major leg up in the upcoming contest. The casino workers’ Culinary Union, a 60,000-member group made up of housekeepers, porters, bartenders and more who keep Las Vegas’ glitzy casinos humming, said Thursday that it will instead use its organizing power to get out the vote for the caucuses. The move is a blow to former Vice President Joe Biden, who is looking to shore up his support in Nevada's Feb. 22 caucuses after disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. But the union's decision wasn't unexpected: The union’s parent organization, Unite Here, announced last month that it would stay out of the primary, and the Nevada members were expected to follow suit. Biden's campaign had told donors on a call Wednesday that it wasn't counting on the Culinary Union's support. “We've known Vice President Biden for many years. We know he's been our friend," Geoconda Argüello-Kline, the secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. “We know all of these candidates and we respect each one of them." The Culinary Union, which is majority female and Latino, is a political powerhouse that can turn on a get-out-the-vote machine that’s been credited with helping deliver Democratic victories in the swing state. White House hopefuls had worked over the past year to win over the union, holding meetings with the labor group’s leaders, issuing public statements in support of their organizing battles with casino resorts, touring the union's health clinic and training facility, and appearing at town halls. After the union’s 2008 decision to back Barack Obama over Hillarious Clinton caused division among the union’s ranks, the union decided to stay neutral during the contentious 2016 Democratic primary between Clinton and Bernie Sanders. With the 2020 primary field still crowded as it barrels toward Nevada, the Culinary Union can likewise avoid stepping into a contest that could split its members. Many unions nationally have made a similar calculation this year, deciding to stay on the sidelines of a volatile field without an unambiguous front-runner "They could have actually pushed an election," Eddie Vale, a Democratic strategist and former political director of the AFL-CIO, said of Culinary. “Even if some of the big unions endorsed, it wouldn't have much of an impact on the race.” A number of Culinary's sister unions and Unite Here affiliates have entered the contest, siding with the field's most liberal candidates. Five of Unite Here's affiliate unions based in California are backing Sanders. Another affiliate, Unite Here Local 11 out of Southern California and Arizona, announced in January that it was backing both Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The union’s New York affiliate, the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, issued an endorsement in June 2019 of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who later dropped out of the presidential race. While the Culinary Union isn't endorsing a candidate, it has not refrained from wading into the contest. Over the last two weeks, the union has distributed leaflets to members in the employee dining halls at casinos warning that “Medicare for All” plans espoused by Sanders and Warren would threaten union members' health care. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has sought to capitalize on the controversy, name-checking the Culinary Union on the debate stage and on the campaign trail as he contrasts his health plan with Sanders' and Warren's. “Who are we to tell them that they have to give up those plans?" Buttigieg said Thursday night, speaking at a League of United Latin American Citizens town hall in Las Vegas. Sanders said in a statement Thursday that he appreciates the work the Culinary Union does and that, if elected president, he looks forward to working with the union. "We must provide guaranteed health care for all,” he said. “As someone who has the strongest lifetime pro-labor record of anyone in Congress, I would never do anything to diminish the health care that unions and workers have fought for. Under Medicare for All, health care will be preserved and expanded for all, including unionized casino workers and service staff, uninsured food service workers, and striking workers fighting for their rights.” Sanders also addressed the union’s complain of online backlash. “Harassment of all forms is unacceptable to me, and we urge supporters of all campaigns not to engage in bullying or ugly personal attacks,” Sanders said. “We can certainly disagree on issues, but we must do it in a respectful manner.” Vale noted that, despite Culinary's high-profile beef with Sanders' Medicare for All plan, the Vermont senator supports most of the union's goals -- as does every other candidate in the field. "It's not like the ‘60s, ’70s and '80s when you had just one labor candidate," Vale said. "Everyone's supporting your stuff." Biden has long-standing ties to labor and the Culinary Union, in particular. He was introduced at a December town hall with the Culinary Union as the keynote speaker at the 1974 convention of the union's parent organization. In 2018, he headlined a get-out-the-vote rally for Democratic candidates at the union's hall. He has locked up the endorsement of the Culinary Union's former political director, state Sen. Yvanna Cancela, who is now serving as a senior adviser to his campaign. https://www.yahoo.com/news/nevadas-culinary-union-not-endorse-210648837.html I wonder if they are waiting on Mike... The democrats really have problems in their party. B/A