2020: The Only Choice is Trump, Not Trump
Right now, Democrats are doing what Democrats always do: They form into a circular firing squad and snipe at one another to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Currently, the Dems have three viable 2020 candidates – Warren, Sanders, and Biden. Buttigieg, as great as he is, can’t get out of single digits in national polls, and let’s face it – it’s not his time and he should prepare to run for governor or Senator from Indiana and then come back in 10 years. His time is in the future. There have been no votes cast in any primary yet, but the intramural feuding is well underway with Warren supporters smearing Biden and amplifying Trump’s idiotic conspiracy theories, Biden supporters saying Warren is unelectable, and Bernie supporters hating everyone.
Warren is sticking to a Medicare for All plan that doesn’t have the slightest chance of ever seeing the light of day, wants to fund it by taxing billionaires, vows to shut down the US oil industry, and is threatening businesses that she’s going to jail CEOs. Sanders vows to also shut down the US oil industry and tax billionaires; he’s more circumspect on healthcare policy. Biden is staying down the middle, making the electability argument as his main selling point.
Let’s be blunt here. As much as you’ll hate to hear it, big sweeping policy changes and turning industries and healthcare on their heads is NOT a winning strategy. Dems have only one choice, and that is Trump, not Trump. Period. Short of him being removed by impeachment (which I believe is a slim to zero chance), or him keeling over from his artery clogging diet, getting him out of office through the ballot box is the only viable chance to rid ourselves from this metastasizing tumor sitting in the Oval Office.
The New York Times published their latest poll this week that pretty much sums up what Real Clear Politics has been reporting for months – Biden is the clear choice for the best chance to beat Trump:
This is the summary of the latest poll. Sanders is second, Warren a distant third, yet Warren is catching up to Biden in the early primary states, though she is the worst of the front runners to face Trump, and her rhetoric is making it even harder for her to compete.
Before you say it, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I know – Biden is old, failing, sleepy, confused, (insert your insult here _________). What’s really weird is that none of those adjectives are used on Sanders or Warren even though he is older than Biden and is ACTUALLY suffering from a heart condition, and Warren is only a few years behind both of them. The issue here, and the ONLY issue here is beating Trump. Biden, especially if strengthened by a younger vibrant VP candidate is the highest probability candidate to beat Trump. Warren and Sanders are not. Period. Want to lose suburbanites, and middle of the roaders? Threaten to take away their healthcare and triple the price of gasoline. It’s stupid, and a losing strategy.
As much as all of us hate it, this is NOT the election for sweeping policy changes. This is the election of winning. That is the only goal. The choice is Trump, not Trump. If you think things are miserable now, imagine if this SOB got another 4 years. He has already destroyed the State Department and the Justice Department. After he packs another 2 or 3 ideologues on the Supreme Court and hundreds of lunatics in the federal court system, he would have virtually destroyed our democracy. The risk is too great to lose this one – the cost is too high.
The Dems just have to stop the infighting and focus on the only goal for 2020 – beating Trump. It’s arithmetic.
I agree, but the Progressive soul in me weeps for never getting a chance for that Progressive platform.
1Americans are not ready for sweeping change and upheaval.
So, to quote and paraphrase a bumper sticker from 2016: Fine then, Biden 2020.
I favor Warren over Biden but that is not germaine to this comment. 2016 taught me to view polling results with skepticism. The question really needs to be who would be the best president, not who the pollsters say is the most likely to win. Please lay out the reasons you support Biden without mentioning another Dem hopeful or a poll. I have loved many of the things that Joe Biden has done. Coming out for marriage equality and forcing the Obama Administration to embrace that view. He also said that Social Security would never be reduced on his watch. But I also can’t ignore things like supporting the Iraq War, and his many recent, ridiculous gaffes. Clarence Thomas much ? I think he may have even missed his chance to retire as the respected Elder Statesman of the Democratic Party, let alone be a leader in this new political environment. I won’t have to hold my nose to vote for him but I think we can do better. Please convince me otherwise.
2The oil industry needs to be shut down. And not just here… worldwide. That’s the climate killer. It will kill us all if it is allowed to continue.
I realize that this is not a popular fact in a lot of places, but face it: truth is truth. Popular won’t mean squat when we’re extinct.
3Two other points. We will not win this election by swaying the imaginary Independence, nor by winning over Republican voters. we need the candidate who will get Democratic voters to the polls on Election Day. If Democrats are not truly excited about the candidate We. Will. Lose.
4In regards to poll numbers, the other candidates are probably within the margin of error except in Michigan, where Warren likely lies outside that grayer part of the gray area that is any poll
Don’t be surprised if, going into the convention, Sanders and Warren don’t combine their delegates and run as the ticket. The differences between them are mostly about being stronger in the other’s weaker areas.
It’s very early and anything could happen. But now, looking at current poll numbers? I see a distinct possibility of a Sanders/ Warren or a Warren/ Sanders ticket.
5How come Republicans are the only ones who get sweeping change?
6So, El Jefe, you learned nothing from your relentless bashing of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and now you are going after Warren?
I see a theme here.
7The mayor of Birmingham, AL was on Morning Joe today and he had some very sane and practical ways to turn the entire south Blue. Whoever the nominee is, he/she had better spend a lot of time talking with ordinary Southerners who have been hurt so badly by the Trump administration. DO NOT IGNORE THEM! They are the 2020 version of the 2016 people in the flyover states.
8You’re right. The Democrats should nominate Ted Cruz. That will ensure victory. This time for sure.
9I agree. Every snipe will be turned into a Trump ad. He’s already spending millions a month on FB ads.
Shadow Network, by Anne Nelson is now out. She talks about how the right got control of the electoral college. I gotta get it today, but still reading Maddow’s textbook Blowout.
Unless the democrats smarten up between now and election day, or Trump is arrested, it doesn’t matter.
One of those pundits who tracks voting said the Democratic candidate could get 5 million more votes than Trump and still not win.
It will be a turnout election. Nobody is undecided.
Trump and company will use every dirty trick in the world to get their voters out and suppress the democratic vote.
10Wally’s comment: “We will not win this election by swaying the imaginary Independence, nor by winning over Republican voters. we need the candidate who will get Democratic voters to the polls on Election Day. If Democrats are not truly excited about the candidate We. Will. Lose.”
This. EXACTLY THIS.
11The damage inflicted by Trump over the last 3 years is catastrophic. What would America look like with a continuous eight year dismantling of the the judicial system, from the Supreme Court and Justice Department on down? The uninterrupted plunder of the environment and EPA?
Joe Biden probably doesn’t make my top five list. But I’ll gladly vote for him if he has the best chance to beat Trump.
12@barb – What we should have learned in 2016 is don’t hand the DNC over to the the pre-ordained candidate 3 years in advance so said person could pack the staff with loyalists and build up a giant wall of money to keep everyone else out.
13Honestly, I can’t believe Trump will make it that far. He’s a rambling demented old man with balance issues. How long can they hide it?
14I know I just plan to vote in 363 days for someone not Trump or with an R after their name.
15ditto Grandma Ada @15. i do hope that the strong candidate for the Dems is not an old white man but the candidate that gets the party nomination will have my vote. if only more had felt that way in 2016. and i’d love it if we could stop hating on the woman that got the MAJORITY of the popular votes in 2016. unless Jesus drops by, there will never, ever be a perfect candidate representing either party in any election cycle.
16I’m with Wally, and…yes…I will vote for whatever candidate has a D by his/her name. Biden and Bernie are both too old; Warren appears to still have all her marbles and frankly I like her policies.
3 years ago, it wasn’t Hilary the Candidate who lost, it was her lousy ground game. (We saw that clearly locally when her people interfered with the local Party’s proven ability to win votes.) This election is (as most of them are) all about turnout. Stick another old white guy at the top of the ticket and the only high turnout you’ll get is among old white guys who think His Orangeness is the Second Coming.
17I disagree for this reason–35-40% of the electorate always votes Rethuglican; 35-40% always votes Democratic. so what’s critical is not only winning the 20-30% of people in the middle but GETTING OUT THE VOTE. Who votes least but swings elections? Youth, and minorities, and both want to be inspired (especially youth).
Obama was an inspiring candidate, albeit one with a VERY progressive record. Didn’t matter; personal likeability and being inspiring wins. He got out the youth and minority votes in a way solid-but-stolid Hilary could not. And he beat two very likeable Republicans.
Warren is the most inspiring candidate since Beto dropped out of the race. Give her time; once she is the only Democrat on the public stage, her numbers against Trump will go up in swing states.
18Interesting detail about Kentucky race is that while bevins tried to “be trump” for last 4 years plus run his campaign as such he lost to a candinate who ran a campaign on plans, facts, details and public policy.
This bodes well for Warren who has a meme of “i’ve got a plan for that”
Running a thuglican lite like the ex senator from matercard ( biden) fudges the line and gives credence to the arguement that this is all just a game between like minded individuals who don costumes during election and pretend to actually care.
If running candinates based upon polls from a year out would have resulted in a jeb bush/hillary race. Obviously that did not happen.
I beleive the framing is wrong it is NOT a case of either/or (nod to the Danish philospher) but rather that the not trump creates that comparison BY having bold plans.
Dig out old thuglican catch phrase of dynamic scoring. As candinates campaign they create dynamic that changes the standings.
What is proposed would be in sports terms a “prevent” defense in football that fails as much if not more then just continueing to try to win. It is way to vulnerable to allowing a big play that can gather steam in the first 5 yards the defense gives the offense away as a gift.
The idea that the d’s should nominaite a candinate based upon the idea that instead of trying to win by speaking “common sense to the american people” that they will embrace the delusion that they will nominaite some one who would prevent demented donnie from winning.
That was the idea that Hillary pushed and eventually lost on.
Carter, Clinton and Obama were all behind in their first term races at this time as well. But I do not remember Pres. Hart or Candinate Teddy Kennedy, perjurer poppa’s second term or even pres. hillary in 2008.
By doing so would surrender the bold a clean lines of comparison for the electorate to choose from and sink the entire election back into the foggy miasma of crossed loyalties, vague ideas and foggy promises of what?
If we are going to work and spend and struggle in a campaign let be FOR something not just against someone.
Given the choice between a empty chalkboard and a candinate who shows signs of life the chalkboard loses every time.
PS as a Warren supporter I believe her experience as a school teacher gives her a unique ability to crush the demented one in debates. She has experience in putting immature bullys in their place.
19The comments section here, on this article and issue is the case-in-point of the Chief’s logic and impetus. Yew guys can’t get along long enough to come up with a candidate. Mayor of B’am may be able to get votes in B’ham, Atlanta, NewOrleans, Miami, Charlotte or Memphis … but that’s all folks.
The south isn’t fly-over territory. It’s the anthropogenic version of ” … you can’t fix stupid … “. I’m from Bama; class of ’65; USC ’72 (Carolina) & SMU ’76. I still live in the south. There is no repair to use to address ‘stupid’. Quit sniping at each other; listen to complete arguments; speak only in complete sentences and try your damnedest to nominate Steve Bullock to defeat trumpl-thin-skin. He beats republi-cons & -can’ts every time he runs. And he’s smart enough to keep his head dry in the rain and which end of the cow to photograph.
20Now is the perfectly acceptable time to discuss the viability of candidates. That discussion should not be interpreted as weakness, but healthy weighing of the pros and cons.
21Having experienced the Clinton loss to Drumpf, many of us are still so shellshocked that our main objective is to get him the hell out of the White House, looking forward to a more progressive program after that is accomplished. So if Biden has the best chance this time, so be it and Elizabeth next time.
To quote and agree with others
22“If Democrats are not truly excited about the candidate We. Will. Lose”
A thuglican lite such as bullock, cannot nor will excite the base.
I will vote for almost anyone who runs as a D.
( the almost is in case of an extreme black swan event such as bannon or cuccinelli or such- buys the party and steals the nomination in which case I will be at a loss on election day)
You might want to introduce your article to your headline. It might learn something.
23The failed logic of nominaiting a thuglican lite such as bullock or biden is the same logic that shoe horned Grimes into a race against mitch for her to even deny voting for Obama.
24Compare that to Doug jones who stood by the party and won in a deep red state.
Go down the list of the d’s nominiating “electable” moderates instead of leaders.
Remember President Gore who was muzzled everytime he spoke honestly on issues for fear he might scare the thuglicans?
Or President Kerry waltzing around with his shotgun to placate the ammosexuals.
Or, closer to home, Wendy Davis when she surrendered to gun lovers.
Surrender is never a winning strategy.
You encourage your opposition, discourage your supporters and do nothing but show a yellow streak to outside observers.
K –
Mild difference of opinion here. I could take refuge behind a spurious argument … such as the only thing that counts is being elected & Bullock keeps getting elected … but I won’t. The major point to the nomination exercise is communication and development of a platform. If we don’t lose any Senators, it’ll be easier to pass lege. If Senators made good executives they would not be Senators. It’s an entirely different mindset. Think about it. O’Bama, Clinton & Carter were executives before holding national office and all three were effective even though each had a different type of opposition Congress with which to deal. Legislators don’t make good executives. Kennedy is case-on-point.
25Waiting for or advocating only “the perfect Democratic Party candidate” as outlined above by ‘the Chief’ is the problem with Democrats: that … and calling a successful governor a thug. I’ve met thugs and he ain’t one. He is a successful politician in an adverse environment. He compromises when necessary because governance is driving down the middle of one’s own lane, not passing on a yellow line. Your argument seems to advocate passing on yellow, or disregarding the center-line entirely. Warren & Sanders are correct – medical bills are bankrupting the middle-class. The solution is NOT electing a legislator that doesn’t know how to manage. The solution is a ticket that puts an executive at the top and a veteran legislator as its chief instrument to shepherd legislation through Congress. Bullock is the executive (and Inslee or Hickenlooper … to a slightly lesser extent) and Amy Klobucher is the ideal V.P. candidate. She’s been an executive and has experience as well as institutional memory from terms in the House & the Senate.
Cease the search for perfection and learn to win. I don’t encourage absolute pragmatism … but as we learned from Coach Bryant, a winning attitude begets winning performance. Winning isn’t for the sake of winning. Winning here is for the sake of the country.
Beating trump is the whole enchilada.
26Mainly because every day he’s in office it normalizes and legitimizes repugnantcan’s tactics of contemptuous dehumanization of…,.us.
Everything else is how.
Time for big policy issues?
Beats the hell outta me.
But what I believe for a fact is that repugs get their reality from right-wing media.
Liberals get their reality from actual journalists, and left- wing media. Indepents? Who knows?
But they’ve decided their independent statis on their own terms.
It’s the apothetics and undecideds that the repugnantcans and Russians will kill us with on social media.
And somebody ferdamsure better be working on that, because right wing think tanks have got a decades long head start.
And mark my words. Jim Jordan will be the new standard bearer when Trump’s gone.
If they put him on the intelligence committee like they’re talking about, he’ll seal the deal.
@Jonathon P Hubbert # 25
27To take your points in order.
1) Obama was a state Senator and then a Senator his “executive” experience was limited. Johnson and Kennedy were Senators.
2) If bullocks communication skills were as highly developed as you maintain why is he buried so deep in the dust in this race that he is barely mentioned.
3) If bullock is so dedicaited to winning for the D’s he should have run for the Senate from Montana.
4)Thuglican lites are like Lipinski from Ill or Cuellar from Texas they claim to be D’s but love their thuglican lite policies and the wingnut welfare system to ease their way into complete irrelevance. ( Thuglican =repukeican If they will not use the correct name of the DemocratIC party and its candinates I refuse to use their proper title.
5) As Jim Hightower used to point out the only thing one finds in the middle of the road are armadillos and other road kill. Politically that includes the way that Kerry and Gore ran their campaigns and they became political roadkill. ( p.s. same as Klobacher)
6) If we define a candinate by what the other party might find appealling we have already lost. Just as bidens continueing to prattle about the thuglicans “coming to their senses” or mayor pete’s tripe about how we must be nice to those thuglican voters who inflicted the twit and now the demented one upon us.
7)As Rachel Bitecofer has pointed out the victory’s aicheved in 2018 were not from mealy mouthed wishy washy D’s who persuaded miscreants to switch and vote d but rather by increased registration and voting by the democratic constituencey who were mobilized by candinates they felt would fight for them not by middle of the roaders more interested in appeasing thuglicans then fighting for the people who put them there.
8) I know nothing of perfection it is an illusion. I seek a candinate that will rear up and fight for an agenda that is similiar to what I beleive in and what the democratic party ascribes to not someone who starts to “comprimise” before negoitations even start.
9) The way things will get done is to kill the filibuster, or implement rules on it similiar to what Wendy Davis had to live by when she stood up and fought in Texas Leg. Continous talking, no resting or leaning against chair/podium/desk. Otherwise it will not matter since the thuglicans will filibuster everything just in the name of obstructionism that coupled with quislings like the munchkin from west Virginia will kill any d legislative actions.
10) Never thought much of bryant a bully of a football coach with a school attached who had no respect for anyone but himself. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Turns out that poll is an outlier and is corporate media’s bias against Bernie or Warren. For me I am not afraid of a primary as that is how we choose our nominee for better or worse. The DNC and Corporate media should report the news and abide by the rules and whatever the people decide I will vote BLUE no matter who.
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