I was looking at the candidates that have declared they are in the race for President in 2020. I am not impressed. Certainly, I like Bernie, Warren, Biden, but I have a gut feeling their time has past. Beto seems to be the only one with some fire and charisma - but truthfully I do not know all that much about him. I think the biggest mistake the dems made was running Hillary - she was too disliked despite her obvious qualifications. I honestly believe Bernie would have won hands down if he was the dems nomination. At work, many of the young people liked him, and so did many of the reps. I found it hard to vote for her, admittedly for more personal reasons, but their was no choice with trump on the other side.

I think the democrats need new blood, someone with not only intellectual smarts but street smarts also. They also have to have someone with charisma to stir up the troops, and republicans a reason to vote democratic.

I am interested what others think - who would be a good candidate, and even who would not be.

https://abc7news.com/politics/whos-runn ... s/5047818/

No matter who runs, the right-wing machine will viciously attack them. It took them all of 5 minutes to go after Ocasio-Cortez and no one had heard of her until recently.

They can forget the Trump supporters and those that will always vote Republican over Democrat.

I think a number of these candidates would make good presidents, no doubt a huge improvement over the clown we have now.

But which one can would appeal to independents, those that don't stick with a party, and those that lean to the left?

An excellent question, KB ~ I just posted that Bernie has declared he's running again ... and that I'm thinking it's time for "new blood" ~ I'm a bit surprised you're not impressed by any of the currently declared or prospective candidates, KB ~ the slate is shaping up to be heavy on "young and progressive" ~

I still need to research backgrounds but I'm currently favoring Amy Klochubar or Kamala Harris ~ and I'm declaring here/now that I will vote for whomever is the D candidate, even if I have to hold my nose while marking my ballot ~

Sooz

I fully expect "the right-wing machine [to] viciously attack" any/all Dem candidates ~ that's their modus operandi ~ but demographics have changed dramatically ... especially when we factor in the DiC's hateful rhetoric and ridiculous/stupid "decisions" that have adversely affected so many people ~

Sooz

I wish I was, but they don't do much for me as far as thinking they have enough charisma to win - to date anyway. As far as Amy Klochubar- sorry, don't need a bitch who treats staff like lesser individuals, too much like Hillary in my personal experience. It is not that I do not like the young and progressive ones, they are just all missing something for me. Maybe as the race heats up their personalities will come more to the forefront. The mistake democrats made last time was thinking that qualifications and issues had nothing to do with personality and sadly, that is not the case. That said, I will also vote for any democratic candidate over a republican, listen if I could do it for Hillary - I can do it for any dem lol

This is also why the dems need a strong candidate who can give back what they get - stand up not only for the issues but to the criticism. This 'we go high when they go low' business, acting polite and above it all is not exactly a vote getter - in fact it makes a person look weak Not that I mean we go as low, but have some street smarts and outfox the the foxes. Wimps and polite candidates need not apply imo

I still need to research backgrounds but I'm currently favoring Amy Klochubar or Kamala Harris ~ and I'm declaring here/now that I will vote for whomever is the D candidate, even if I have to hold my nose while marking my

That's how Grabem got elected. Wouldn't it make more sense to wait and see who the Repubs go with before locking yourself in. It seems to me Romney would be better than any of the Dem declared and he's sounding and acting like he might make a run at it.

Why would Romney be better?

Sorry, can not take any candidate seriously who believes in magic underwear

More stable than any of the others. Not really a right wing fanatic. Would definitely moderate the Republican Party, maybe ever get McConnell kicked to the curb. He's no Obama but he's probably a more level headed, moderate and capable than any of the other potential candidates.

Sorry, can not take any candidate seriously who believes in magic underwear

Bigotry does not become you, Karolina. Would you say you could not take any candidate seriously that wears a turban. Or any candidate that wears a yamulka? How about a hijab? How do they differ from the magic underwear?

That is ridiculous. . I was saying it more as a tease, being silly, hence the wink. I would not vote for someone I thought did not have all their marbles and that does not include or mean all yamulka, turban, hiijab wearers, or most organized religions, and atheists for that matter. Nor would I vote for someone who declared they worshiped a spaghetti god or other such nonsense, and that includes religious zealots of any sect. It has nothing to do with being prejudice - it has to do with being pragmatic when voting for someone to lead the country. Plus, I did not say wears, I said believes in magic underwear. Sheesh

Rather ironic that Romney seems "normal".

you sound like you are from central Canada, right now.

Anyone taking Romney seriously has forgotten his last presidential campaign. He changes his stripes frequently and I don't think he has strong convictions about anything.

For the first time in ages, I both agree AND somewhat disagree with KB's above post ~ yes, the D candidates must "stand up not only for the issues but to the criticism" ~ we already know that the Rs will dispute both the issues and find some way to criticize/disparage the Ds for ... <whatever> ~ but the issues seem to get lost when the primary focus is on replying to criticism ~ the Ds need to respond to criticism but also to recalibrate how to keep the focus on the issues ~ it's VERY tricky ~

Sooz

Sooz wrote: I still need to research backgrounds but I'm currently favoring Amy Klochubar.

Not knowing anything about her except the recent negativity on her persona I looked her up on Wikipedia. I was totally impressed until I got to this:

“In February 2019 Buzzfeed News reported that Klobuchar's Congressional office was controlled by fear, anger, and shame".[37] Interviews with former staffers indicated that Klobuchar frequently abuses and humiliates her employees, with as much time spent on managing her rage as on business.[37] Klobuchar was also listed as one of the "worst bosses in Congress", with an annual staff turnover rate between 2011 and 2016 of 36%, the highest of any

We do not need another bully as president or one who treats people under her with no respect, or lacks self-control. It is a shame, because otherwise she seemed a good choice, but I cannot abide bullies or people who treat and see people differently accordingly to their own agendas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Klobuchar

Karolinablue wrote:

[/i]


Hey! You back off the Spaghetti Monster lest you spend eternity with nothing but tomato sauce for your pasta.

oskar576 wrote:

Rather ironic that Romney seems "normal".

I didn't say he was a good candidate and far from the best candidate that could come forward (I haven't forgotten his 47% crap) but, he is the best among those that have declared so far. (I know he hasn't declared officially but he's certainly positioning himself.) He's also the most likely to win from among those who have declared if he can oust Grabem.

Sooz wrote: but the issues seem to get lost when the primary focus is on replying to criticism ~ the Ds need to respond to criticism but also to recalibrate how to keep the focus on the issues ~ it's VERY tricky ~

Sooz"

I do not disagree with that assessment and yes it is tricky, but if you do not deal with the criticism first the issue also gets lost. People like strong leaders and ones who can hold their own. Not sure myself how to deal with it, except to respond to the criticism flippantly or humorously, with a quick wit, not giving it any real weight.. Dismissing it as silly or whatever - in other words offensively not defensively, as the dems have been doing.

A fate to terrible to contemplate

On this, I fully agree with KB ~ my first reaction is generally "flippant[] or humorous[]" too ~

Sooz

But why does that make him "better" than any of the potential Democrat candidates?
Or did I misunderstand you?

Beginning to separate the wheat from the chaff, here is a list of each currently declared Dem candidate's "signature issue" ~ there are MANY "live links" to more info on each candidate, including every name in the "Go deeper" section below ~ confession: I have NO CLUE who John Delaney, Wayne Messam, or Marianne Williamson is ~ ~ Sooz

David Nather, Alexi McCammond 10 hours ago
The 2020 Democrats' 1 big things

The Democratic presidential candidates all have something unique that captures their identity. It could be a signature proposal or issue, or a broad theme they'll run on — or it could be their personality if they don't have a substantive idea that stands out.

Here's the one big thing for each candidate — what you should know if you know nothing else about them.

The field

* Joe Biden: Hey, remember Obama? (Also: I can beat Trump.)

* Bernie Sanders: Revolution! Thanks to me. (He takes credit for pushing the rest of the field toward progressive proposals he championed first, like "Medicare for All.")

* Pete Buttigieg: The fresh face. (How many other Midwestern, gay, millennial, Afghanistan veteran mayors are in the race?)

* Kamala Harris: The "largest working and middle-class tax cut in a generation," as she calls it. The LIFT Act would provide a tax credit of up to $6,000 a year.

* Elizabeth Warren: The "wealth tax." (A 2% tax on Americans with more than $50 million in assets.) She's also running a policy-heavy campaign in general.

* Beto O’Rourke: As of this week, it's his $5 trillion climate change plan.

* Cory Booker: His theme is “Justice for All,” including criminal justice reform and an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

* Amy Klobuchar: She depicts herself as a practical Democrat. Her first policy proposal was a $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

* Michael Bennet: Another moderate who calls himself a "pragmatic idealist." (He rejects popular Democratic proposals like Medicare for All and free college.)

* Julián Castro: He's put out an immigration plan that rolls back policies implemented by Trump and George W. Bush.

* John Delaney: He promises only bipartisan proposals in his first 100 days.

* Tulsi Gabbard: She says she's anti-war and will talk to "both adversaries and friends in the pursuit of peace."

* Kirsten Gillibrand: She has emphasized issues like sexual assault and reproductive rights, but her first campaign proposal is a "clean elections" campaign finance plan.

* Mike Gravel: He's running on a platform of "ending all wars."

* John Hickenlooper: He's a centrist and is basing his campaign on that, criticizing progressive Democratic proposals like the Green New Deal.

* Jay Inslee: He's basing his campaign on fighting climate change.

* Wayne Messam: His big idea is canceling student loan debt. (His campaign advisers hope he'll do well in the southern states and with African-American voters.)

* Seth Moulton: Foreign policy, national security and defense.

* Tim Ryan: He says he wants to "rebuild the middle class." (He's concerned about the decline of the industrial Midwest.)

* Eric Swalwell: He's running on gun control.

* Marianne Williamson: She's calling for a “moral and spiritual awakening.”

* Andrew Yang: He wants to give every citizen $1,000 a month — a universal basic income — to combat job replacement from automation.

The bottom line: Is this all you need to know? Of course not. Go study them, hear them talk, watch them debate this summer. But this should help you cut through the noise.

Go deeper: A closer look at Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Beto O'Rourke, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet, Julián Castro, John Hickenlooper, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jay Inslee, Wayne Messam, Seth Moulton, Tim Ryan, Eric Swalwell, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang.

https://www.axios.com/2020-democrats-primary-what-you-need-to-know-5ec5a4cd-d1b3-49ab-8c64-e215c8a9ae08.html