2020 Democratic Candidates Tracker

[acbytesla]

The logic seems sound, but I don't think you're properly handicapping a reelection.

I didn't know I was handicapping the election. And I certainly wasn't handicapping Trump's chances at re-election. I admit I DON'T know any candidate's actual chances.

Booker impresses me and always has. I'm just concerned that if the Democrats roll out another minority, particularly African-American that some voters will not look at their stances and qualifications but view it as if the Democratic Party no longer represents them.

 

[varwoche]

I'm not sure I agree so I'd appreciate a discussion of 2016 aberrations in order to assess more accurately the landscape for 2020.

The aberrations were (1) wikileaks and (2) Comey's announcements, without which I strongly suspect she would have won despite her considerable weaknesses.

 

[CapelDodger]

Yeah, possibly. I want to win.

I'm an atheist. I would prefer an atheist as POTUS. But I do think itvwould be a disaster in the next Presidential election to nominate an acknowledged atheist too.

Best not touch on the afterlife at all. Focus on lives as they're being lived, and how they could feasibly be lived better.

 

[acbytesla]

Best not touch on the afterlife at all. Focus on lives as they're being lived, and how they could feasibly be lived better.

Amen.

 

[CapelDodger]

Obama demonstrated that an articulate intelligent African-American can be elected President so Booker should be able to as well. But I think Obama led to a racial backlash and it was one that Trump rode to the White House.

I think Trump rode the wave created by the Tea Party, and his role was more general : as another apparent confirmation of the inexorable demographic decline of the Republican Party, a spectre which has been hanging over them since the 60's. Young, college-educated, non-WASP, urban, aspirational. Kennedy was another example, then Clinton was at least the younger man. It's been the GOP's efforts to stave off that fate which has opened them to corruption from within. Trump is just the eruption of a fungal fruiting head from a well-rotted log.

 

[Trebuchet]

They wouldn’t just hold their nose and vote for Sanders in order to get Trump out?

As I've said before, I'd vote for Colonel Sanders to get Trump out.

 

[Lambchops]

She won by 3 million votes. The issue is not centrist or not, it's campaign strategy and messaging.

She "won by 3 million votes". And yet, Donald Trump is POTUS.

 

[Brainster]

WHAT!?!? Surely you jest.

I seldom jest and don't call me Shirley.

Overall, we rate Brooking Institution Left-Center biased based on donations to primarily Democratic candidates, as well as policy advocacy that slightly favors the left.

 

[Brainster]

FTFY
I'm not sexist and I'm definitely not anti-catholic unless that Catholic wants to outlaw same-sex marriages or birth control.

I DON'T care about color or sex or sexual preference. I would prefer an atheist as POTUS, but not as a candidate in the upcoming election cycle.

I'm not trying to play gotcha here, but how is declining to support a black candidate (whose policies you agree with) solely because he is African-American, not racism in effect (if not in intent)?

 

[Brainster]

Early polling among likely caucus-goers in Iowa:

Biden: 27
Sanders: 25
Warren: 9
Harris: 7
Beto: 5
Booker: 3
Klobuchar:3

The article notes that nobody else got above 1% and several (including Kirsten Gillibrand) were not the first choice of anybody responding to the poll.

Hickenlooper's refusal to identify himself as a capitalist makes more sense when you read this about Iowa caucus-goers:

That’s roughly comparable to a 2016 Iowa Poll in which 43 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers said they identify as “socialist.” That was more than the 38 percent who identified as “capitalist.”

 

[Venom]

And Cory Booker came across quite well on Colbert tonight with his justice system reform platform.

I like his record overall.

He's my third or fourth choice.

 

[Brainster]

I didn't know I was handicapping the election. And I certainly wasn't handicapping Trump's chances at re-election. I admit I DON'T know any candidate's actual chances.

Of course you don't and neither do I despite my occasional confident pronouncements. But if you are voting based on electiblity, then you have handicapped the race and decided candidate X has a better chance of winning than candidate Y.

Booker impresses me and always has. I'm just concerned that if the Democrats roll out another minority, particularly African-American that some voters will not look at their stances and qualifications but view it as if the Democratic Party no longer represents them.

And hey, if they nominate Biden or Sanders, they will tell septuagenarians that the Democrats represent them?

 

[a_unique_person]

Biden. The Dems really need to up their game if they don't want to come across as just the party machine all over again.

 

[angrysoba]

Elizabeth Warren has proposed breaking up tech giants such as Facebook, Google and maybe Twitter, as well as mergers such as Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, and maybe Amazon’s buy up of Wholefoods. It’s considered one policy that makes her stand out from the others. How do you think this will play? For me, this is also an idea that is worth airing at the debates. I wonder if we will see Google, Facebook and Twitter and Amazon will use their platforms to downplay her influence as a result.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...facebook-google-amazon?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

[acbytesla]

Of course you don't and neither do I despite my occasional confident pronouncements. But if you are voting based on electiblity, then you have handicapped the race and decided candidate X has a better chance of winning than candidate Y.

And hey, if they nominate Biden or Sanders, they will tell septuagenarians that the Democrats represent them?

Fair enough. Nevertheless, I tend to believe that people have a natural bias towards younger attractive white males. That and an "x factor" I thought Kennedy had it, I thought Eisenhower had it. Reagan had it, Bill Clinton had it and so did Obama. So far IMV, the only 2 people that have shown flashes of that in this election is Beto and Booker.

The"x factor" doesn't make a better President, but it does make a better candidate.

 

[acbytesla]

I'm not trying to play gotcha here, but how is declining to support a black candidate (whose policies you agree with) solely because he is African-American, not racism in effect (if not in intent)?

I'm not declining anyone at this point. You can call my opinion regarding electability as a form of race based but I wouldn't describe it as racism. Making a choice using race as a factor is certainly unfair in my mind. I also have in my mind probably an unfair view about women as candidates.

I thought Hillary was by far the best qualified and best prospect to being not just a good President but a great one. And I still think she would make the best President in 2020.
But I also thought she was a terrible candidate.

I'd like to ignore the electability factor entirely. Except Donald the Turd is POTUS and we have to get that POS gone.

 

[theprestige]

Nevertheless, I tend to believe that people have a natural bias towards younger attractive white males.

That probably sounded a lot better in your head than it reads on the screen.

 

[acbytesla]

That probably sounded a lot better in your head than it reads on the screen.

Probably.

No PC way to say that.

I certainly don't think that people SHOULD be judged on their race. But SHOULD isn't always factored in.

Let me say this. If electability wasn't a factor, I'd be inclined to support Warren first and Booker second. If Electability is most important, I'd think Beto or Biden. I love Biden's personality but he's more conservative than I'd like and I worry about his age. Beto is charming and charismatic, but he came off as a lightweight in a recent interview. I'm concerned that he needs more seasoning.

 

[RecoveringYuppy]

I certainly don't think that people SHOULD be judged on their race. But SHOULD isn't always factored in.

Should the Democratic part nominate a black person if they win the primaries?

 

[theprestige]

Should the Democratic part nominate a black person if they win the primaries?

What's the point of party primaries, if they don't nominate the party's candidate?