I know that with our news cycles being lightning fast and a President who does nothing but create chaos which makes those same cycles fly by even faster, this will seem like old stuff, but I just couldn’t let the last Democratic debate go by without some comment.
I felt it was probably the most interesting one so far. No one got tied up on the minutia of how the healthcare system would work with him or her in charge. They all made the point that it would work better with any Democrat and it would no longer exist with Trump.
Elizabeth Warren made what may become a fatal mistake when she tried to rescue her former healthcare stumbles by attacking Pete Buttigieg over his big money fundraiser. It turned out Pete is sharper and much faster than she is and when the smoke cleared it appeared he had buried her without a tombstone.
Look, we all appreciate the process whereby Liz and Bernie have raised a ton of money through small donations, and we all understand that when you get a big check from a donor you feel obligated to consider that donor’s point of view, but we also know that you need a ton of money to compete in our current system. Right now the crook in the White House is awash in strings attachedmoney. Historically, this has often been the case. It’s currently the GOP’s way of doing business as money representing fossil fuels, weapons manufacturing, non-renewable energy, banking and financing interests and much more flows in as donors tell Trump, “I have a favor though.”
Those interests already know that Democrats aren’t going to be able to help them because their constituencies will hold their feet to the fire, but there are correct thinking billionaires who can and will donate big bucks to the right cause. It would be stupid to not take their money.
Amy Klobachar also took a shot at Mayor Pete, solidifying the concept that he is the next big threat to all of them. She tried to make the case that experience counts and she has much more experience than he has. If she’s talking years alive she’s absolutely right and she’s just as right on years in the Senate but Pete actually ran a municipality which, while quite small by national standards, is really just a small version of what he would have to do in the White House and that experience is much more in line with what he would have to do as President than anything Amy has done.
Yes, Amy has done a great job in the Senate so maybe she should stay there and continue her good work.
Tom Steyer was finally given some significant time and he used it well. He makes good arguments and he certainly is making points on the most serious problem facing this planet. I don’t think he has the legs to get enough votes to be a serious contender but he’d make a great head of EPA.
I like Andrew Yang. I think it’s important that we have significant representation from our Asian community. But whereas I think he’s a very smart guy, he has unfortunately, hit on a one off that only appeals to the dumb and the lazy and that’s the only reason he’s still here.
Giving away a grand a month to everyone is just plain dumb. It encourages those that are willing to settle, to do just that. It removes incentive. It’s what has already created a permanent underclass in this country and we don’t need to increase that. This guy is an entrepreneur. He should be using those skills to create more work and therefore more income rather than giving people money so they can stay home and vegetate.
Bernie Sanders had a pretty good night. He seems to have recovered both his health and his position among his peers. Bernie has established himself as the man of the people and his ability to snarl challenges at Trump has done him in good stead but he needs more than the far left to support him and he has yet to establish how he will be able to pay for his policies. He also faces the GOP ability to identify him as a Socialist and therein cost him significant votes.
In the same vein, Elizabeth Warren has already set herself up to fight the same fight. More and more it appears to be a loser. But Bernie also has the problem of his betrayal of the party after Hillary Clinton beat him last time out. When his voters abandoned Hillary and the Party in it’s fight with Trump and backed a pathetic Liberal Party candidate instead of Hillary, they gave the election to Trump. That’s hard to forgive and much as I like Bernie, who might have been my second or third choice, I will never vote for him in the primary.
Then, of course there’s Joe Biden. He had a pretty good debate, maybe his best to date. He is going to be tough to beat. His greatest strength may be the deep hatred all Democrats hold for the criminal Trump. I don’t think Joe will make the best President among his peers, but everyone is so terrified of another Trump win that they will vote for anyone they think will beat him.
In the end it looks to me that Pete Buttigieg would make the best President. He’s the smartest guy in the room, has a blindly quick mind and advocates most of the moderate positions that appeal to most Democrats while being smart enough to figure out how to make them a reality. Pete along with Joe seem to have the best knowledge of foreign policy and while Joe has much more experience, I think in the long run Pete would play best with foreign leaders both those we like and especially those we don’t.
Pete’s biggest weakness right now is his lack of support from minorities. That’s a big problem for the primaries. But if he should win the nomination, I think they will realize that it is important, especially for them, to make sure Trump doesn’t get elected again. Blacks and Hispanics may not be flocking to his banner now but when the choice becomes Pete or the Fat Liar they will be forced to see who would be best for them.
The biggest problem facing all the candidates is getting the facts of the various programs they propose before the public. Let’s face it; Trump, much like a Cobra hovering right in your face, is fascinating. You can’t take your eyes off it, or him. The Democratic candidates must make the public look, and more important, listen to what they have to say about areas other than healthcare and wages. To do that they must make it clear that they have well thought out plans on stuff like infrastructure, how they will deal with automation, how the backing of renewables will create high paying job growth and what their positions are on trade and simple foreign policy areas.
Sure, anyone who has paid any attention to what is going on knows that they all have positive positions on most of the above but it never hurts to say it again. There is a certain group of voters to whom repetition is necessary if you want your point to stick. Trump has always understood this, which is why he has adopted a technique of constantly repeating one big lie after another.
The Democrats must cater to many very different voter blocks. If any candidate doesn’t cater to all of them and make his or her intentions clear to each, in exactly the way they will understand, they lose.
This will be a tough election. Trump’s actions while in office and his almost complete lack of character have driven most thinking voters to the Democratic candidates but Trump still has a solid 35% of national voters who approach the election with their minds glued shut and a blind obeisance to their leader. One of the reasons I have favored Buttigieg in this blog is that I firmly believe his toughness; intelligence and quick wit will enable him to cut Trump to shreds, leaving a raging, mindless maniac to reveal himself and his entire damaged persona to the American people.