2020 Democratic Candidates Tracker

Status
Not open for further replies.
RecoveringYuppy said:
That's obviously a lie. I don't think anyone is repeating the idea that he shouldn't be voted for because he's gay more than you are.
Click to expand...

It's not a lie. And I'm offended you would say that.

I admit I have a prejudice. I'm also ashamed that I have it. I wish to hell I didn't think that way. But I KNOW this for a FACT. We don't control our thoughts. We only can control what we do after we have them.
 
Mumbles said:
Part of the penalty of being an "outsider", in the view of much of the US.

Would it be possible for Buttegeig (sp?) to change your mind on this - say if he were to crush his competition in an early state like Wisconsin or South Carolina?

I ask this because I was skeptical of Obama's run right up until he beat the brakes off of Hillary in the Wisconsin primary, based on similar reasoning to yours - namely, that he would inevitably lose due to bigotry (of course, after this I worried about assassination attempts and a racist backlash, the latter of which came to pass with Dolt 45), but I decided that, just maybe, he could actually pull it off, and I was all in.

Now, I'm definitely leaning against Mayor Pete based on other matters, but I do think that him being elected president would be important symbolically, so I'm asking the above sincerely.
Click to expand...

Sometimes America surprises me; sometimes it delivers on my more cynical projections.

The biggest surprise was the country rallying behind Obama. I, too, was certain he'd be chewed up in the battles against the bigots and racists (two distinctly different groups with the latter being a much larger voting bloc). Accordingly, if Mayor Pete takes a couple of unlikely primaries in non-crossover states, I'd be more likely to actively support him. I say non-crossover because the GOP has no primaries to fight. Like their fatuous support of "outsider Sanders", I can see right wing PACs getting behind Pete as the better candidate to run against in 2020. I need to see that the Dem and Leans Dem moderates will go for him. He'll get the progressive and liberal votes. (It's against Trump - there's No Doubt in that reality.)

I'm taking my stand from 2016, which unfortunately turned out to be correct. The important thing is to stop the Republicans. They are a smarmy organization who have chosen and even smarmier figurehead to rally behind. I'd prefer someone else (right now, that's Kamala Harris) but if the Dems nominate Bernie or Mayor Pete or Beto of the Zero Substance or Joe of the Baggage,... I'm getting behind them.
 
Foolmewunz said:
Sometimes America surprises me; sometimes it delivers on my more cynical projections.

The biggest surprise was the country rallying behind Obama. I, too, was certain he'd be chewed up in the battles against the bigots and racists (two distinctly different groups with the latter being a much larger voting bloc). Accordingly, if Mayor Pete takes a couple of unlikely primaries in non-crossover states, I'd be more likely to actively support him. I say non-crossover because the GOP has no primaries to fight. Like their fatuous support of "outsider Sanders", I can see right wing PACs getting behind Pete as the better candidate to run against in 2020. I need to see that the Dem and Leans Dem moderates will go for him. He'll get the progressive and liberal votes. (It's against Trump - there's No Doubt in that reality.)

I'm taking my stand from 2016, which unfortunately turned out to be correct. The important thing is to stop the Republicans. They are a smarmy organization who have chosen and even smarmier figurehead to rally behind. I'd prefer someone else (right now, that's Kamala Harris) but if the Dems nominate Bernie or Mayor Pete or Beto of the Zero Substance or Joe of the Baggage,... I'm getting behind them.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

What I'd really like to see is Pete Buttigieg lay out his policy positions early and strongly.

He has an air of intellectual honesty that may be refreshing for many voters after 4 years of the orange menace. He should perhaps downplay, or rather just not play up too much, his homosexuality. Like acbytesla said that could make a lot of Americans uncomfortable, but he should strongly urge voters to judge him by what he wants for the American people.

I was confident Obama would get the W because Bush had one of the lowest approval ratings of any president at that point and Obama kept hammering home the "you really want four more years of this?".
 
acbytesla said:
I don't hesitate to say that the most important consideration for me in choosing a Demcratic nominee is their ability to win.
Click to expand...

Let me ask you this: When was the last election that you did not feel it was vital to defeat the Republican?
 
Venom said:
The first poll of the year by Emerson College has Sanders clearly leading.

1. Sanders
2. Biden
3. then Buttigieg trailing behind significantly with single digits

I predict these three will go furthest.
Click to expand...
Will Harris or Warren agree to run as VP for any of those?
I'm thinking Harris will.
 
Brainster said:
Let me ask you this: When was the last election that you did not feel it was vital to defeat the Republican?
Click to expand...

It's a fair point. But I have never thought this strongly about it. But honestly, I would say 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004 and 2012.

Trump is by far the worst human being in intellect, integrity and temperament that has held that office in the last 150 years maybe ever. He's beyond corrupt. He doesn't work to unite the nation but to divide it.
 
Can't be Warren. Any word out of her mouth is going to be countered with "but POCAHONTAS!" The spin machine is extant and it works on her, we've seen it. Maybe as VP. Maybe.
 
Beelzebuddy said:
Can't be Warren. Any word out of her mouth is going to be countered with "but POCAHONTAS!" The spin machine is extant and it works on her, we've seen it. Maybe as VP. Maybe.
Click to expand...

They're going to do something similar to any Democratic candidate. I really don't think the Pocohantas name calling wins new votes. It is just red meat for the crazies. Warren has presented more policy than any candidate. I like that. A lot. She isn't just an empty suit.

My biggest complaint about Beto and to some degree Pete is they are so far weak on policy and substance. But policy only wins over people like me. But at some point they will need to say more about what their positions on issues are.
 
Brainster said:
Let me ask you this: When was the last election that you did not feel it was vital to defeat the Republican?
Click to expand...

Blind guess: Some election in the nostalgia-tinted past, that did not result in catastrophe, is probably okay. Ideally one of those elections from the "they weren't really Republicans back then" days.
 
acbytesla said:
It's a fair point. But I have never thought this strongly about it. But honestly, I would say 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004 and 2012.

Trump is by far the worst human being in intellect, integrity and temperament that has held that office in the last 150 years maybe ever. He's beyond corrupt. He doesn't work to unite the nation but to divide it.
Click to expand...

Okay, fair enough. What I was getting at is that if you were completely and fanatically partisan enough, your stance on only selecting the "electable" candidate would mean that you would never support the nomination of a gay man.

I do find it interesting that you list 2004 as a non-crucial election but not 2000. Bush grew on you?
 
Brainster said:
Okay, fair enough. What I was getting at is that if you were completely and fanatically partisan enough, your stance on only selecting the "electable" candidate would mean that you would never support the nomination of a gay man.

I do find it interesting that you list 2004 as a non-crucial election but not 2000. Bush grew on you?
Click to expand...

No, but I didn't think there was a chance to win in 2004. Same goes for 1984. Also, as as much as I have wanted Democrats to win in the past, I think I learned that it isn't the end of the world if the other guy wins.

I see Trump as a threat to civil discourse, law and order and our democracy.

And I would happily support a gay man if I thought he could bridge the discrimination and was competent.

I remember feeling similarly about Obama. I didn't want to nominate a black man if the country was going to see him as a black man. Because I thought their bigotry might get the best of them. But Obama carried himself like a President. He spoke like a President. He acted as a President. It became easy to view him not as a black man running for President but as a man running for President who just happened to be black.
 
Last edited:
Tero said:
Will Harris or Warren agree to run as VP for any of those?
I'm thinking Harris will.
Click to expand...

I can see Buttigieg and Harris as VP for Biden and Buttigieg for Warren.

Warren in turn may be open to being Sanders' vice-president. I think Sanders would welcome her over anybody else for VP.
 
Venom said:
I can see Buttigieg and Harris as VP for Biden and Buttigieg for Warren.

Warren in turn may be open to being Sanders' vice-president. I think Sanders would welcome her over anybody else for VP.
Click to expand...

I don't see Sanders or Warren as anyone's VP. They're both too old for VP. You want someone who can step in and they are both getting long in the tooth.
 
acbytesla said:
I don't see Sanders or Warren as anyone's VP. They're both too old for VP. You want someone who can step in and they are both getting long in the tooth.
Click to expand...

Sanders will want someone as close to his agenda as possible, and I see few immediate options. Probably a progressive governor or mayor we've never heard of.
 
New candidate: Seth Moulton, Congressman from Massachusetts. Biden is supposed to announce Wednesday. I must have missed Tim Ryan's and Eric Swallwell's announcements That makes 18 people who have been elected to some office in the land. Still not including Andrew Yang.

In Or At Least Exploring (By Current or Highest Office Held):

Governors:
Jay Inslee
John Hickenlooper

Senators:
Corey Booker
Kirsten Gillibrand
Mike Gravel
Kamala Harris
Amy Klobuchar
Bernie Sanders
Elizabeth Warren

US Representatives:
John Delaney
Tulsi Gabbard
Seth Moulton
Beto O'Rourke
Tim Ryan
Eric Swallwell

Cabinet Members:
Julian Castro

Mayors:
Pete Buttegieg
Wayne Messam

Unannounced But Considered Likely:

Vice Presidents:
Joe Biden

Senators:
Michael Bennet

Mayors:
Bill De Blasio
 
acbytesla said:
I don't buy it. Seems like major absurd bs.
Click to expand...

Did you read the link? There are public court documents showing Douglas Rutnik (Gillibrand's father) worked for NXIVM as an attorney.

There isn't evidence that he knew about the really bad sex slavery stuff they were doing, but the link doesn't claim he did.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top Bottom