Ready The Clown Car: The First Batch of Democrats Are Ready To Announce Their 2020 Bids

Since the Democrats in the House are clearly in full lynch mob style frenzy and appear to be committed to impeaching President Trump, regardless of the fact that they have nothing to legitimately impeach him for, this will presumably result in a trial in the US Senate.

In this Senate trial, if it does indeed occur, all 100 Senators will, in accordance with the US Constitution, serve as jurors. This includes the six senators currently running for President, including Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Michael Bennet of Colorado.

Looming Senate impeachment trial throws wrench in Democratic presidential campaign plans

The delay in the House could mean that the Senate will begin a trial to consider the articles around the time of the first state primary contests, forcing senators vying for the nomination to stay in Washington, D.C., rather than campaign in key states. The Iowa caucuses are Feb. 3, and the New Hampshire primary is Feb. 11.

Six senators remain in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination: Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Michael Bennet of Colorado.​

Let's remember who it is that is that is likely to be adjudicated here. It the political opponent of these aspiring six senators, the current President of the United States, Donald Trump. So, for these senators to be able to serve as impartial jurors, they will need to suspend their candidacies for president while the trial is going on.

Or, they can proceed with their presidential campaigns and recuse themselves in their roles as jurors in this trial. Since it is just a naked political stunt by the Democrats and the chances of this effort prevailing in the Senate trial are so close to zero that there is no point determining the difference, this latter option might make more sense. At least for those who are still in the race at the start of the expected trial.

The Democrats are supposedly trying to get all of this wrapped up before year end. This seems highly improbable, as the expected plaintiff and the Republicans in the House have largely been denied the constitutional provisions and protections of due process provided by the US Constitution. Rest assured that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Republican majority in the Senate, and also Impeachment Trial Judge and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts will ensure that these protections and provisions are extended, and that process will not be rushed.

So if the Democrats in the House somehow actually draft and pass articles of impeachment by the end of November, what are the chances that the US Senate finishes this trial by the end of December? A better question is probably: What are the chances that the US Senate starts this trial before January 2020 at the earliest?

So, the only one of these six senators that it seems to me that are likely to get out of the race before this starts is Michael Bennet. Maybe Amy Klobuchar as well, but it seems more likely she will wait to get out until after Iowa. But Sanders, Warren, Harris and Booker?

If this stays on the current expected course, those Democrat senators still running will have to recuse from the trial or suspend their campaigns, just as the campaigning for the primaries are getting cranked up full blast. Stay tuned.

 

Beto O'Rourke has dropped out of the race.

Beto O'Rourke drops out of 2020 race

Beto O’Rourke abandoned his flagging presidential campaign Friday, writing that it is “clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully.”

The former Texas congressman had been lagging for months in single digits in public opinion polls and was at risk of not qualifying for the November debate.

“Our campaign has been about seeing clearly, speaking honestly and acting decisively in the best interests of America,” O’Rourke wrote on Medium. “Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully."​

It is about time. There was no other candidate currently running who was so clearly out of his depth as Beto O'Rourke. And the media was not going to be able to cover for him with a proxy campaign this time they way they did for the Senate race in Texas last year.

 

Here are some way to early poll results for Trump vs. Biden, Warren, Sanders in six battleground states.

• WI: Biden +2, Trump +2, Sanders +1
• MI: Biden +1, Trump +5, Sanders +4
• PA: Biden +1, Trump +2, Trump +1
• FL: Biden +2, Trump +4, Trump +1
• NC: Trump +2, Trump +4, Trump +4
• AZ: Biden +3, Trump +1, Trump +4

Biden appears to be competitive in five out of six states, Sanders in two out of six.

While nobody should put too much stock in these sorts of polls at this point, what is really interesting is Warren's polling against Trump in these states. She is the betting odds favorite to be the Democrat nominee, and gets shellacked in all six states.

 

Joe Biden now says he did not know that Hunter was on the board of Burisma.

Joe Biden on Hunter: "I Didn't Know He Was On The Board Of That Company"

JUDY WOODRUFF, PBS NEWSHOUR: Your son Hunter, you have been asked a lot of questions about this.

But my question is, both of you have said you wouldn't, as president, have your children, have him or your children involved with foreign countries. My question is, if it's not appropriate if Joe Biden is president, why was it appropriate when you were vice president?

FMR. VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, number one, no one has established that he did anything wrong or that I have done anything wrong, period. I have carried out the policy of the United States of America, our allies in the International Monetary Fund, the E.U., in dealing with a corrupt prosecutor, period, number one.

I didn't know he was on the board of that company. {Blah, blah, blah....}​

LOL. Is anyone believing this? If so, there is some very nice ocean front property in Arizona that you might want to take a look at. It is a real bargain.

Surely this joker cannot be the nominee for the Democrats this year. Can he? Really?

 

Is there room for one more? There better be, because Michael Bloomberg is preparing to enter the race.

Mike Bloomberg is preparing to enter the Democratic presidential primary

Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, is preparing to enter the Democratic presidential primary, according to NBC News, which cited a Bloomberg advisor.

The move didn’t necessarily mean Bloomberg, 77, was announcing a campaign, a source close to Bloomberg told NBC News. Rather, this source said, he’s doing this to keep his options open. Bloomberg is “troubled” by what he has seen in the Democratic field, the source added.​

This is very timely indeed, because Joe Biden is starting to fade. He would be fading more if there were a somewhat centrist leaning alternative to fill the void the Joe Biden vacating the race would leave. And Michel Bloomberg just might be that candidate.

This could be very interesting. If Bloomberg were to become the the nominee for the Democrats, that would make two New York City billionaires facing off in the general election.

 

He has the money. He can "sell" himself as whatever he likes.