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

"Majority Of Democrats Focused On Electability Rather Than Ideology For 2020":

"New polling indicates that a solid majority of Democrats are more interested in finding a candidate who can beat Donald Trump in 2020 than they are with finding a candidate that agrees with them on specific issues.

". . . This progressive cohort, though, only represents one part of the Democratic Party as a whole and not necessarily representative of voters that might be inclined to vote against President Trump. The other part of the Democratic Party coalition, and perhaps the largest one when you actually look at the numbers, is the one that voted for Obama in the primaries in 2008 and 2012 and for Clinton in 2016. Unlike the progressives, these voters aren’t hard-left, don’t necessarily support ideas like Medicare for All, 'free' college, and other policy ideas that have become a common part of progressive Democratic policy positions in the years since the 2016 Clinton-Sanders race. Additionally, this 'center-left' cohort includes those white, working-class voters in places like the Midwest that voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012 only to turn around and vote for Trump in 2016. These are the voters who seem to be represented by the poll noted above in that their primary concern is likely to be defeating the President rather than nominating a candidate who agrees with them on the issues. This, of course, is generally how a political party is supposed to operate in our system. Just as Republicans in 2012 needed a candidate who had the most realistic chance of defeating President Obama, the Democrats need a candidate who can speak to the voters i00n places such as the Midwest as easily as they can speak to more liberal voters on the East and West Coasts. Perhaps one of the 'progressive' candidates can meet that criterion, but the more likely thing is that this would be an opening for candidates such as Joe Biden or even Mike Bloomberg, both of whom seem to be leaning toward the idea of a campaign that doesn’t just speak to the progressives in the party and, in some cases, pushes back against them when necessary. The results of this poll suggest that this, not adherence to progressive ideals, is the key to winning over Democratic voters in 2020."​

https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/m...on-electability-rather-than-ideology-for-2020

 

Boom (Island)...

 

She hasn't even announced yet, nor other possible candidates. I think she has a chance as she is (so far) the most centrist of the main candidates. Extremely likable, very smart and accomplished. But its very early.

 

pre-Klobuchar announcement chatter from a Minnesota source examining her Minnesota reputation. Faults her for, among other things, signing on to the Green New Deal. Pretty interesting stuff.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/02/klobuchar-kicks-off.php

 

Buzzfeed also cranking up the anti-Klobuchar machine. I guess if Buzzfeed is against you, that's a good thing.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/amy-klobuchar-staff-2020-election

 

somewhere around 1:00-ish Central

 

Vanity Fair picking up on the pre-announcement Klobuchar bashing

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/senator-klobuchar-temper-rumors

 

Colorado's Senator Michael Bennett thinking of throwing his hat in the ring

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...d02109aeb01_story.html?utm_term=.1f40ae411fdb

 

uber-leftie Brian Leiter puzzles over the emerging Democratic field. the essay linked (Corey Robin) is worth a look as well:

The increasingly strange Democratic field
On the one hand, we have candidates with actual, substantive positions that make clear they are not Republicans and not neoliberal Democrats--most clearly, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren--and then we have candidates who are selling their personality and life story and "feel good" blather, and not substantive agendas: Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kristin Gillibrand, and now Amy Klubochar. I sure hope the substance wins, and the personalities go back to their mirrors.

UPDATE: This is apt, from political theorist Corey Robin (Brooklyn College). (Thanks to Dean Rowan for the pointer.)
​

 

An essay that argues Trump cannot win the next election, but that Democrats can certainly LOSE it: "Trump Can Win Again Only If Democrats Keep Moving Leftward."

I'm wondering if we need a separate thread for the Trump Re-Election Campaign effort for these types of pieces. Not exactly clown car material, but might be nice to collect them in one thread.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/02/trump-can-win-2020-election-if-democrats-move-leftward/

 

He's only doing what won for Trump on the left .. Uncertainty/anxiety creates extreme mentalities amongst poor and middle classes in any nation.

 

Is he really any more socialist than the other progressive candidates right now? He might need to advocate for communal child-rearing in kibbutzim to differentiate himself again.

 

I am concerned -- with Bernie and with other candidates as well -- that the spectre of socialism will kill them in the general. Trump has picked up on this theme already and I expect it to be the hallmark of his next campaign, even if the Democrats ultimately put up some non-socialist. It probably won't scare away progressive types on the coasts, but the Democrat is also going to need a bunch of moderates in the middle of the country to vote for him/her too. It seems a bit passe, but I think Red Scare tactics will still work. The nominee will "run back to the middle" after the primaries, but they might end up having too far to run. It's hard to walk-back proposals like the wealth tax, abolishing the health insurance industry, etc. Especially if there is a third party candidate. So, I'd add 'progressives being too socialist' to the short list of ways that Trump can somehow prevail despite sucking.