Opinion: How Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar Dropping Out Will Impact Super Tuesday

The first four Democratic Primary contests were all relatively straightforward. After South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s surprising and narrow victory at the disastrous Iowa caucus kickoff, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders went on to dominate both the New Hampshire Primary and Nevada Caucus, cementing his place as the frontrunner early-on and moving forward. Then came the atrocity of a debate days before South Carolina’s primary, where Joe Biden ended up outperforming the polls and winning handily, reestablishing himself as a worthy contender moving forward in the race. I, along with most, didn’t think much would change in the few days between Saturday’s primary and the upcoming Super Tuesday, but low and behold, a wrench has been thrown into the race with the sudden departure of Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar from the race.

The Democratic National Committee has rules which establish that each candidate needs to surpass a viability threshold of fifteen percent support in order to begin accumulating pledged delegates. If a candidate is able to secure a majority of the delegates (1991 of them) before the Democratic National Convention, then that candidate automatically becomes the party’s nominee for the General Election. If not, then there is what is called a contested convention, and DNC officials known as Superdelegates vote and effectively select the nominee they want to choose, regardless of whether there is a candidate with more popular votes or a plurality of delegates at that point. Pretty complicated, but those are the primary rules in a nutshell.

Ideologically similar candidates split support from one another, and a crowded field of likeminded candidates often sabotages each candidate involved. In this particular primary, the moderate / establishment candidates had been pulling support from one another, and that trend looked likely to continue into Super Tuesday’s many contests. This led to Bernie Sanders becoming a clear frontrunner, as his only progressive competition up until this point had been Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. By dropping out of the race and endorsing Joe Biden within just days of Super Tuesday, moderate candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar are signaling to the electorate that the establishment is rallying all of their support behind Joe Biden for the nomination in an attempt to prevent Bernie Sanders from securing the highly-coveted majority of earned delegates. The Democratic primary has been known for pulling these sorts of tricks before… see 2016.

At this point I really only see two possible outcomes for this Democratic Primary. The first is that the young demographic shows up on Super Tuesday unlike they did in South Carolina, and that Bernie Sanders secures a nomination from a majority of delegates in the coming months. The chances of this happening are slimmer now that support will be consolidated behind Joe Biden. The second outcome is that the young vote will stay home as they are infamously known for, and that Joe Biden will be handed the nomination at a contested convention over the summer. We will likely know which of these two paths we are headed down after tomorrow’s votes, and there is no way to known for sure what is going to happen.

Politics are increasingly unpredictable in today’s climate. The electorate doesn’t get to know what happens behind closed doors, but it’s certainly easy to connect the dots and infer about connections between events and candidates. Either the Democratic Party will continue to implode over the coming days and months, or they will rally behind a popular candidate capable of defeating Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Tomorrow will be very telling, and I can’t wait to see what happens. We shall see. Things certainly just got a lot more interesting. Thanks for reading.

Best Foot Forward: A Sneaker Series (Part 9)

I’m delighted to be bringing back one of my favorite blog series for another installment today. Back in November, I posted what was, at the time, the last of my Best Foot Forward series. Luckily since then, I’ve been able to pick up a couple of long-awaited pairs which I will be showcasing in this post. I’m really lucky to have these two pairs. Let’s get into it.

Pair 1 (Left): Air Jordan 11 Retro “Bred”

By the time of the Chicago Bulls 1995-96 season, Michael Jordan was already a 3-time NBA champion and widely regarded as one of the best players of all-time. That year, MJ led the Bulls to a 72-10 record and an NBA title, all while wearing the Tinker Hatfield-crafted Air Jordan 11 silhouette, which is Jordan’s own favorite pair from his signature line. The black and red colorway featured here is one of the most iconic sneakers around, and I’m lucky to finally have these in my collection.

Pair 2: (Right): Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Black Non-Reflective”

After releasing an abundance of similarly-hued 350 V2 silhouettes, Kanye West finally blessed those of us who had been waiting for another black Yeezy to release. If you throw black and red on any shoe, I’m automatically much more likely to try to get my hands on it. This pair is sleek and stealthy but still features loud design elements like the 3M lace accents and white boost on the bottom of the outsole. This may be one of my personal favorite shoes that Kanye has ever released, and I’m going to be holding onto these for a long time.

Straight to the point. Short and sweet. I only had two new pairs to feature here opposed to the usual four, but I think these two amazing pairs will suffice. Thanks for reading, and hopefully I will be back with Part 10 of this series soon!

Opinion: Why Bernie Sanders Should Be The Democratic Nominee For President

It’s common knowledge that the modern political era in the U.S. is extremely divisive. At the same time, however, there seems to be a shift in the way that people of all walks of life view their own political involvement, as increased awareness has led to more substantive discussions of differences in policy and worldview. In what can sometimes feel like a toxic environment, I find it important to take a bird’s eye view and analyze the issues affecting the most Americans, regardless of political party or defining characteristics, and to try to come to a common understanding across party lines. After spending months becoming more politically educated and involved, I believe I’ve begun to understand what has been happening to our country’s politics over the past few years, and why it’s my opinion that Bernie Sanders should be the Democratic nominee for President.

When Donald Trump became the Republican nominee for President in 2016, he did so by presenting himself as a political outsider. Those who felt disenfranchised and left behind by the political landscape at that time saw Trump as someone who, at the very least, seemed to relate to their struggles and presented himself as different from the norm. Whether or not any of that was true or came to fruition is up for debate, but the root cause being millions of people feeling left behind and susceptible to his political rhetoric is undeniable fact. For decades, conventional and calculated candidates gave stump speeches and played into an established political norm, which many disregarded. The reality now is that people are starting to realize they do have a political voice, they can create a movement, and they can take their country in a different direction that benefits them and their families. We are in an era of populism which is uprooting the decades of elitism which came before it.

Candidates who speak directly to their bases needs and desires are the ones who gain momentum and popularity. Since FDR’s presidency decades ago we’ve seen glimmers of populist rhetoric from various presidents, but no systemic change in favor of the everyday working American. However, some of the country’s most important and necessary steps forward, such as the civil rights movement and the feminist movement, were built upon progressive populist movements which were met by establishment resistance. Bernie Sanders has built a giant grassroots movement made up of small contributions from millions of working people on the promise that he will give them things they need, such as universal healthcare, student and medical debt forgiveness, a living minimum wage, and many other beneficial policy proposals. Sanders and Trump even share some policy viewpoints, particularly on trade. Bernie has won the first three Democratic primaries and caucuses, which could be the start of a primary landslide. Now is a time to encourage as much political participation as possible.

This country is truly at a crossroads in the 2020 election. While I have somewhat established political ideologies and viewpoints, I respect others’ perspectives as long as they are well-thought out and as long as they aren’t presented with animosity. It should be okay to believe in something different than someone else and to still get along with them. Appealing to the needs of as many Americans as possible is key in the upcoming election, not bending to the will of donors or political pressure. That is why I think Bernie Sanders should face off against Donald Trump in the general election this year, and the will of the people will decide which direction we take our country moving forward. Thanks for reading.

Here’s a link to register to vote: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Album Review: The Slow Rush - Tame Impala

Musical genius, admitted perfectionist, and one-man band frontman Kevin Parker has returned with the release of the long-awaited album The Slow Rush. The five years in-between the critically acclaimed Currents and his most recent offering allowed Parker to let the running theme of time develop in his mind, evolving this album into a concept record with a unique and larger-than-life sound. It was well-worth the wait to say the least.

Tame Impala is special because everything it has to offer is authentic and creative. The signature sound is recognizable on every track, and yet Parker finds a way time and time again to prevent his projects from becoming stale or predictable. The singles released leading up to this record seemed immediately familiar, and fit seamlessly into the band’s discography. Sonically, this album continues to be experimental and inventive, adding to the band’s tradition of offering a new approach to music-making.

The themes and subject matter discussed on The Slow Rush are as deep and as substantive as ever before on a Tame Impala record. Everything from self-doubt, the passage of time, and healing damaged relationships are discussed here, but not so forwardly that this project ever garners a somber tone. Even some of the most cutting lyrics are delivered with an upbeat tone, a juxtaposition which is rare. Opening with “One More Year” and ending with the spectacular “One More Hour” are bookends to a project which discusses man’s relation with time, a very interesting subject not often discussed in this medium.

Almost every track on this album has something to offer. While I found the transitions between tracks to be slightly awkward at times, this album generally flows seamlessly from beginning to end. I went into this album with high expectations, and luckily those expectations were met and then some. Kevin Parker just can’t miss. As someone who is very familiar with the creative process and who has a knack for perfectionism at times, I appreciate the effort and attention to detail Parker puts into every Tame Impala track. This is a solid listen. Can’t wait to go to this concert.

Best tracks: “One More Year”, “Borderline”, “Posthumous Forgiveness”, “Breathe Deeper”, “Lost In Yesterday”, “Is It True”, “One More Hour”

Score: 7/10

Award Season Recap: Absolute Dominance

The 2020 Grammys and Academy Awards have come and passed after months of speculation and predictions. These awards are increasingly becoming less popular, as television ratings have been consistently decreasing for them over the past few years, but they are still interesting to analyze, especially in such a unique year. In both ceremonies this year there were many records broken, and there was absolute dominance which I was happy to see. Let’s break it down.

Billie Eilish has taken the pop music genre by storm over the past year and a half, accumulating a loyal fanbase after the release of her 2019 debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?. Her competition going into the Grammys was stiff this year, facing off against celebrated artists such as Ariana Grande and Lizzo among many others. Despite this, Billie Eilish and her producer brother Finneas walked away from the ceremony with a combined total of 10 Grammys, an absolutely astonishing feat for such a young artist. I was very happy that Billie did as well as she did after enjoying her debut album as much as I did and still do to this day. I was also delighted that Tyler, The Creator won in the Best Rap Album category for IGOR, but I agree with his sentiment that he should be included in the pop category instead of being pigeonholed into a less competitive field.

I was very pleased with the results of the 2020 Academy Awards as well, as a lot of my predictions came true. Bong Joon-ho and Parasite altogether were absolutely dominant, winning Best Picture, Directing, Editing, and Original Screenplay. By winning the biggest award of the night, Parasite became the first foreign film to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars, which it absolutely deserved. Most of the other awards went my way, too, with the films I enjoyed most beating their competition in their respective categories.

I don’t let what I enjoy rely and depend on what wins at award shows. This year, however, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the music and cinema I enjoyed so much in the past year receive the praise it deserved in such an incredibly dominant fashion. Here’s hoping that 2020 brings just as much enjoyable media as 2019 did.