We do need people like Joe Biden. Lots of them. Patriots who have spent decades working for the country, in the Senate when it comes to Joe, and doing it without being obsessed with enriching themselves. That's Joe, who rode a commuter train to DC every working day as a US Senator. If he gets the nomination, I'll strongly support him. Having said that, I'm working for someone younger to get the nomination, if given the chance, someone like O'Rourke or Harris, for example. Why? Because it's time for a new generation of Democratic leaders to step forward and capture the country's electorate. I think the people want that, and I think they will support it. I don't want a 70+ Joe Biden, as good as he would be as president, and I think he'd make a fine one, to be running in 2020 against a 70+ year old trump. I want a fresh, young, articulate ticket raising their campaign funds largely through small donations. Bernie showed the way, and Beto proved that it wasn't a fluke during his run in Texas, a state large in population, in size, of course, and with an economy larger than that of many, many countries around the world. He got people excited here. A friend of ours started up a phone bank in Austin during the 2018 campaign and got involved for two reasons. She despises what trump is doing to our country, with his entire ethos wrapped in promoting division, not unity. Chaos in Congress, not comity, which had been the tradition for so long. Bigotry, not acceptance. The other reason was Beto O'Rourke. Mr. trump has been promoting bigotry because he thinks it's part of a winning formula for 2020, that since it "worked" (it didn't) for him in 2016, and "worked" (it didn't) in 2018, he foolishly believes division and bigotry and demagoguery will work for him again. It won't. trump's 2016 campaign saw 3,000,000 more Americans voting for Ms. Clinton, despite her very, very poor and frustrating campaign. Over 9,000,000 million more Americans voted Democratic instead of Republican in 2018 in the mid-term election, which should have meant an overwhelming victory. It did in the House, despite massive GOP gerrymandering using sophisticated technology we didn't have back in the day, and would have in the Senate if there hadn't been so few Republicans running this year. In 2020? Things will be reversed. Relatively few Democrats will be running for the Senate. Far more Republicans will be exposed to the wrath of the body politic. I'm not even getting into the widespread voter suppression efforts by the Republican Party, efforts finally coming to the attention of the public. The GOP is screwed (pardon my French), and they know it. That trump won a "huge victory" in both campaigns is simply another lie from a serial liar. He "won" thanks to the electoral college and around 30,000 crucial votes. That was no "victory," that was "winning" by the skin of his teeth. I'm not even getting into another factor, help from a foreign power, help desired by trump and his people, help asked for publicly, in front of the American people, and help received. I could go on with more reasons to support Beto in the run-up to 2020, and so could my friend, but this post is long enough, so I'll wrap it up. When she found out about Beto's run and saw in him someone she could believe in, she got involved. There are women, and men, all over this country who only need a star to guide them. O'Rourke could be that nationally. He certainly captured to the hearts of a huge number of Texans during a mid-term election, in numbers that surprised the media pundits and the leadership of the Republican Party. I think he can do the same nationally. We'll see.
He's not ready. We've seen the devastating effects of an inexperienced and partisan president can have on a country. right now this country needs someone who can heal the divide - someone who can unite 60% of this country and still can be respected by 80%. And Joe Biden is the only guy in my mind that can do that. He can restore respect to a tarnished brand both internally and externally. Biden is the guy whom Putin will respect and fear, not Beto.
Camile Paglia weighs in with an excellent and very interesting interview: Camille Paglia: ‘Hillary wants Trump to win again’ The author and academic discusses 2020, Trump and Jordan Peterson
Biden would be gifting Trump 4 more years. O'Rourke should, IMO, be the candidate and you would want age and experience as his VP. Even then, not someone like Biden, you'd want someone who won't embarrass themselves every time they speak publicly. Off the top of my head I can't think of a good Democrat to run as his VP, but youth and energy should be the main candidate and age and experience should be the VP.
Man why do your type always trot out some fringe person and credit them with being excellent and interesting. I mean really that like her opinion man.
Not ideal, and I disagree about with you about his oratory skills, and I'd disagree with some of his policies, but I'd take that guy every day versus someone who embarrasses themselves every single time they speak...and tweet...and try to act like a normal human
Camille Paglia is one of the world's best known public intellectuals. Her expertise might be art history, but she's hardly a nobody.
Never said she was a nobody but why should we care what she says about Clinton or presidential politics? like I said that's her opinion and what the hell is a public intellectual?
Because her opinions are well-formed, independent arguments that she'll eventually tie back to her field (art, academic freedom, human sexuality) given enough paper to write on. That's a perfectly reasonable question worthy of it's own thread, or getting paid by the NY Times to answer, but I would agree with this definition.
If the nominee is Beto he should pick someone experienced. A Senator with good working relationships would be ideal for him. Sherrod Brown Amy Klobuchar Those would be my initial top two picks. Credible, experienced, respected Senators with history of bi-partisanship and don't come from liberal states. Tammy Baldwin, Kristin Gillibrand, William McRaven, Jeff Merkley, etc. would all be credible names as well. I actually think if Beto is the Democratic nominee he would have a lot of great choices to fill out a ticket.
As antagonistic as many among the more outspoken Democrat left have become towards people with light-colored skin, I wonder if the people you noted above are going to be able to pass muster with this crowd this time around.
Who would confuse the surname name O'Rourke with Hispanic or Latino descent anyways? I literally can't think of a more Irish last name. Anyways, for those voting strictly based on the perceived heritage of one's name, I'm sure Beto really takes the cake over a Cruz...
