Just because Joe was his VP does not mean Joe is Obama. Just watch the debate. I think he’s trump’s most beatable opponent for sure. I mean watching the debate was painful. Trump would destroy Biden in that setting. Yes, there’s plenty of time but let’s not act like Joe has been the most successful at running for President. I think it’s too early to say he’s the only one electable from this crowd, when he’s done nothing but screw up so far. Is that really what we want? We shouldn’t settle, fight for your candidate!!
Please, I beg everyone. Let’s not let this become Hillary vs. Bernie, Part Two. By all means, support your favorite candidates, but also make it clear that you will wholeheartedly support whoever the eventual nominee is. And please avoid spending most of your time bashing the other candidates in order to make yours look better. And if your friends say they’ll just stay home (or vote third party) if X candidate is the eventual Democratic nominee, please tactfully and factually lay out for them why that’s a horrible idea. If this troubling pattern continues, we may never (slight hyperbole) have another Democrat as president.
None of this really matters right now, you are about a year too early for all of this. When the field is cut down by 75%, then the actual reality of who can beat the Sociopath can really begin.
For more than half a century, I have voted in every single election that came my way (national, state or local). I have voted with my head and my heart; and have not been swayed by how others vote. Polls mean nothing to me. My favored candidates didn't always "win," but I have never second-guessed the voting decisions I made.
My head and my heart have been with Joe Biden since before he annouced his candidacy. I will go the distance with him, no matter how far that might take the two of us.
"None of this really matters right now, you are about a year too early for all of this. When the field is cut down by 75%, then the actual reality of who can beat the Sociopath can really begin."
It kinda does since the DNC released new qualification criteria for this cycle's debates. The candidates are desperately trying to meet both unique donor and polling metrics to ensure that they qualify for the party's 2nd round of sanctioned debates at the end of this month and the 3rd in September. The new rules were released with very little notice. They also were clearly designed to thin the herd because 23 folks seeking the party nomination is about 17 too many.
The crowded bottom tier is going nowhere fast and is an albatross around the neck of a couple of very attractive middle tier candidates. Before the first round of televised debates neither Elizabeth Warren nor Kamala Harris nor Pete Buttigieg was well known nationwide, relative to Biden, Sanders, or Trump. Warren, Harris, and Mayor Pete in particular have an opportunity now to gain mind-share and $$$ ahead of the primaries. But a simple 2 to 3% dip in either qualification metric could get them the chop.
Check out the pre- and post-debate metrics at The First Democratic Debate In Five Charts. These early debates are equivalent to WWE barbed wire steel cage matches. The 2nd night of round 1 was a ratings bonanza watched by over 18 million television viewers alone.
I look forward to September then, because having a crowded stage of people yelling isn't particularly productive. People don't want to research 23 people.
I'm not the biggest fan of the televised debates but arguably they've become a necessary evil. The MSM lies in wait for an opportunity to seize on a "gotcha" moment to derail a candidate who isn't highly favored. Political campaigns have never been for the feint of heart or tone deaf. And since the first televised debates between Nixon & Kennedy, viewers place a helluva high premium on "optics".
If the Democrats candidates are successful in making Biden look like a feeble racist I feel Trump will sail through to another victory.
The show Year After Year on HBO projects a world where Trump wins a second terms and then Pence becomes the President in 2024. All of the chaos we see now escalates as the years go by.
Harris is doing a very poor job defending her position on single payer insurance. I’m listening carefully to everything she says and I feel like she takes a different position in each interview. That doesn’t bode well for her future, at least in my house. I know I’m not the only person who feels this way, so hopefully her advisors will convince her to take a side and stick to it. And hopefully she concludes that the only viable plan, at least in the near term, is to shore up the Affordable Care Act with the option for a government sponsored program.
sabrelady said: "Doesn't matter. USA is gonna be made greater in 2020. Sorry."
If the democratic process fails this time around, I would fully support extrapolitical methods of removing Trump from power. Frankly, I already do, but there are not enough of us to do anything about it.
ETA: I do not mean a violent coup. I would only support the minimum amount of force necessary to remove him from power, which may well be none at all. If everyone who opposes him simply refused to pay taxes, for instance, this would create immediate problems for the operation of his government. But it would have to be tens of millions of people doing it, not one or two or even a few thousand; in the latter scenario, they'd just crush us like grapes and claim victory over another conspiracy.
I'd like it if about 15 of them dropped out after tonight's debates.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
I’d like about 10 of them to drop out. Not because I don’t like their ideas, but because I don’t think they have much chance of garnering the nomination and can’t beat Trump. The reality is most of their plans are pretty similar so it really comes down to that.
While Warren and Sanders represented their views very well, I don’t think I like their extreme views on college education and health care. I may or may not want to give up my private health care insurance policy. I understand that insurance companies are not our friends, but even if I am willing to switch, it should be my choice. And I think most Americans feel the same.
And I agree with Klobuchar that we shouldn’t be paying for wealthy people to send their kids to college. Plus when I was there, I saw lots of kids in college who shouldn’t have been there. They weren’t ready and might never be. College isn’t for everyone. What about trade schools, etc, too? I also have friends who have college degrees and have never found professional footing in their careers and struggle financially and they’re in their fifties. Look, I’m glad I went to college. It set me on a path that lead to me being able to semi-retire at 52. If people want to go to college, I think they should be able to, but not really down for the views from Harris and Sanders as they’re presently presented.
The person who I actually was the most impressed by was Klobuchar. I don’t think she could beat Trump, but other than possibly Bernie, I’m not sure any one on that stage last night could.
As someone who did not go to college because of cost, I’m all For free college since it’d likely set up a better career path for me. I’m currently serving which I could do forever, but it’s going to be a tough line of work. Especially for me since I have a bad back. Being guaranteed some type of Medicare with no bills after for me in the long run is what I want and frankly need. I’m not 100% sold on Warrens and Sanders ideas But I am pretty damn close. I also think in a general election they’d spark a high turnout.
Also very poor job by CNN I thought last night. Really hope Bullock, Delaney, Hickenlooper, and Ryan drop out as soon as they can. While I perosnally am not a major fan of their ideas, my main point is the same as Miles, they can’t and won’t be able to beat trump. There’s no sense in having your lowest polling candidates attack your top polling candidates for much longer as voting approaches. Good to have these preliminary debates but now we need to start focusing in on a cohesive message and focus on beating trump which I loved how passionate Warren was about that in general last night. She flat out said she’d fight like hell basically for any of these people on the stage to win. She didn’t attack others she just kept on pushing forward. Really really liking her and her leadership.