Giantaxe

In Texas, you should be able to vote in any party's primary.

Some states are also partially open. For example, as a "decline to state" party preference voter, I can vote in the Democratic primary in California, but not the Republican. If a decent Republican (ok, maybe that's an oxymoron...) runs against Trump, I will change my party preference to Republican so I can vote against Trump in the primary.

EDit: that link is actually for state primaries, not presidential primaries. There are some differences and you have to follow the link to the pdf at the bottom of the page for them.

Rete

Thanks, Leslie.

Now if only there was someone worthy of running that was up for the primary.

Leslie

I knew it varied from state-to-state but I wonder why I thought Texas was "closed". I wonder if it was closed at one point and I missed it when it changed or if I just got the wrong end of the stick from jump. Anyhoodles, does this mean I could potentially vote in both primaries???

Oakvillian

No. In case you hadn't noticed, AOC is a Federal politician. Amazon called out the lack of support from municipal and State politicians as one of the several reasons for not choosing to build HQ2 in New York. AOC was certainly not in favour of Amazon's move, nor of the tax breaks and other corporate welfare payments they were promised, but had no direct influence on the decision.

Steerpike

Does that include Beto? I know he's not officially running so wondered if you are including him or not in the 'most ... running' comment. I have yet to see him really 'perform' so will be looking out for him.

A good friend of mine in AZ is pretty much a moderate independent; she voted for McCain in 08, but for Obama in 12, and she hates Trump with a passion so voted for Hillary in 16. She remains determined to get Trump out, but is fearful of the majority of the Dem candidates also (the typical fear of 'big government / high taxes'). She said so far, Klobuchar is the only one to impress her - she liked the directness of her responses. She said she'd probably vote for any Dem candidate this time around just to get rid of Trump. But she also said how shocked she is that so many of her friends / colleagues in AZ remain committed to Trump.

I had dinner with my 'typical Bay Area liberal' friends in Berkeley last week. They'd all vote for a piece of gum over Trump, but did, to my surprise, express concern about 'Medicare For All' - 'we can't pay for it' was their universal comment. This is coming from 50+ year-old lifelong California liberals. One of them - a Japanese-American woman - said we still need a white male candidate in order to win. They all really liked / respected Kamala Harris for what it's worth but said being female/black/from CA would count too strongly against her so they'd rather see a more mainstream candidate.

scrubbedexpat099

Nobody but AMazon had direct influence.

She certainly campaigned against it and celebrated afterwards.

At least NY has that $3bn to spend on trains and schools etc.

Oakvillian

From your commentary, it would seem you would have been in favour of the tax breaks and other incentives that Amazon had sought from NY. Does this mean you're in favour of this kind of socialistic welfare/handout payment generally, or is it only when they're applied to already hugely wealthy and profitable businesses that they somehow become OK?

scrubbedexpat099

I do not like stupidity.

And in this case hypocrisy.

Leslie

No, I was just referring to those who have announced. Beto is still an unknown quantity for me. I think he's smart for staying under the radar for now. If he gets into the race, they will try to brand Beto with the "open borders" moniker. That's not true, of course, but he'll have to tighten up his messaging.

I also like Mitch Landrieu.

I think the "Medicare For All" is a terrible way to promote healthcare reform. It needs to be "Healthcare For All" followed by reasonable options for people who are under 65 to opt-in to a single payer system. When I look at how much I pay per year for the healthcare that I get through work, for pre-deductible services, co-pays and coinsurance, plus what I contribute to a HSA account ---- I'd be thrilled just to get those numbers down. Either through paying more in taxes but not having to buy insurance, or simply paying for a less expensive policy that doesn't take such a huge chunk of my salary. Extortionist healthcare is, IMO, one of the main reasons that the middle class can't realize the same financial security as in previous generations. Healthcare simply should not cost this much.

scrubbedexpat099

Beto has stated he will take down the existing walls. Never mind any new ones.

civilservant

No he didn't. He was specially talking about the section in El Paso, not generally about all the current walls.

scrubbedexpat099

Ahh so just one section.

How does that work?

Leslie

No he didn't.

The thing that nobody, not even Beto, is explaining very well is the need for cheap labor. Cheap labor is needed desperately and Texas gets that. Some people in their ivory towers in Colorado don't seem understand. Whether it's for construction (like Trump tower), food service, hospitality (like at the Trump National Golf Club), agriculture or landscaping, these people wouldn't be coming to the US if there weren't jobs waiting for them. So, either start prosecuting the people that give them work or develop an ethical approach to labor based immigration. The only difference between Beto and Trump is that Trump wants to treat these people like slaves. Beto wants to treat them like human beings. They both want them to be able to work here though.

Leslie

Bulldozers operated by Mexicans I reckon.

scrubbedexpat099

I needed something dug out, was told I needed a Mexican Backhoe, took me some time to realise what that was. Bulldozer is new to me.

Labour availability and costs is a major issue around here, it is not just the hourly rate but all the on costs of employing somebody legally.