We missed the Democratic party “debate” last Friday night – went to a house in the country to join folks in a living room jam session instead – much healthier and more fun.
Saturday we made guacamole and watched a day-old video of the New Hampshire debate. I was struck at how subjective commentators are. Yes: Klobuchar did well, Bernie always does well, Warren and Yang are intelligent and articulate, Buttigieg worked to fend off criticisms, Biden blinked and sputtered but did better than expected (?)
And why is that billionaire in the plaid tie up there?
Last fall more than 25 men and women actively sought the Democratic nomination. Some superb candidates bowed out because the field was too big to accommodate them; there remain also-rans on the fringes as well as two self-funded billionaires. But we are down to a few viable options – male or female; young, old or in-between; and policy terms, “progressive” vs. “moderate.”
The biggest concern for voters is how will any triumph over the current president, he-who-shall-not-be-named, though he dominates headlines, bank accounts, and government.
Any Democrat will be an improvement. No matter if they promote a “socialist” agenda or incremental progress, they will restore dignity to the office; work to slow down climate emergency; fight inequality in race, gender, income, housing, education, medical care and insurance; seek to untangle the immigration snarl; advance sensible solutions to shoot-to-kill culture; protect Roe v. Wade, etc. They will replace the current kakistocracy with qualified advisers and diplomats, and nominate judges who reflect popular opinion. That’s the given.
Even if Democrats uproot Mitch McConnell’s stranglehold on the Senate, they are not likely to achieve any left-leaning legislative proposals. Buy back guns? Ain’t gonna happen. Medicare for all, free college, universal basic income? We’ll have to settle for less, because the populace, the Congress and the courts don’t support these.
The danger we face is promoting personality cults among these candidates. If my guy, or my gal, is not the official Democratic nominee, I’ll take my marbles and go home. I will not vote, and the Great Unnamed will get his four more years. That’ll show you!
Great googly-moogly! I hope, I pray, that Democrats have more sense than that! (and I am not a praying person.)
I like Bernie. I have watched all these televised debates, and he is consistently superb. He is smart, passionate, spontaneous, principled, and funny. Unlike Joe Biden, he has not grown old and feeble. But should he lose the nomination, again, I refuse to say sour grapes and thereby keep that bunghole in the Oval Office.
I like Pete. He is right-on when he says we must look to the future instead of the past for solutions, we must do what we can in the moment, and that Democrats who won the presidency since 1960 were all younger, fresher, outsider types. It would be cool to have someone really smart in that office, not to mention gay. But if he fails to be the nominee, as with Bernie, I will vote for whomever the convention anoints, because it is critical to roto-rooter that Republican swamp from the White House.
I like Amy and Elizabeth, and we are overdue for a woman president. But if neither is nominated, I won’t stay home on election day merely because we have seen enough trouble from white male presidents – let’s get rid of that white blowhard ASAP. We’ll get a female leader one day, and it always takes trailblazers to effect change.
I like Yang, but he hasn’t a chance. He should enter government at some level so he understands better how to work it. Ambassador to China? Mayor of New York City?
None of these people is the Messiah. At the 2016 GOP convention, someone said “I alone can do it.” We see what he “alone” and his sycophants have done. No more billionaires in charge – let Steyer and Bloomberg spend their lucre on winning the White House and the Senate.
The Democrats still in the show are decent human beings, competent, and qualified. Make America functional again.
Kirk Ashworth
Excellent opinion letter. I totally agree….with an added caveat. We Democrats must choose a candidate that can actually beat the current fascist that holds the office. That means the winning candidate MUST appeal to Independents and moderate Republicans as well as Democrats. I’ve asked many friends who are moderate Republicans who don’t like Trump who they would vote for. All have said Klobuchar. Ask your moderate friends, particularly the ones who voted for Trump last time. If they would be willing to vote Democrat this year, ask them who would their candidate be. We need a big tent this time in order to lick the current guy out of office. This is serious.