My current estrangement from party politics is going to become permanent if Biden gets the nomination. What a phenomenally bad idea. As it is, I’m going to be holding my nose voting for anyone but Sanders or Warren.
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I’d be curious to hear what you guys think makes the non-Sanders/Warren folks nose-holding worthy (not including Biden...I think he’s obvious)
Other than lack of experience, I’m having trouble finding substantial policy differences (at least what we’ve gotten so far). The Klobuchar woman seems moderate (compared to a Sanders), but I don’t see a whole lot of daylight between them all on policy.
Worse than anyone in the current primary field, and substantially worse than the failed 2016 (D) candidate. I knew about the disqualifying legislative résumé and the foreign policy missteps (putatively one of his “stronger” areas); but 50’s article also illuminates grave organizational and logistics deficits.
There are real policy differences—Warren’s recent ambitious student-debt plan goes far beyond anything proposed by the non-Sanders/Warren field; Sanders’ recent support for actual universal suffrage is a loud one in the discourse right now—but I think it’s equally important to look at the legislative and advocacy records when making candidate comparisons.
For instance, it’s hard to take Harris seriously on criminal justice and mass incarceration reforms when, as a DA in SF, and then AG of CA, she billed herself as a tough-on-crime candidate and jailed substantially more Californians than her predecessors; that’s nine years worth of actions versus nine months worth of (carefully triangulated) speeches. Likewise, it’s hard to take Booker seriously re healthcare reforms or M4A support when he’s spent most of his political life carrying water for (and buckets of donations from) the pharmaceutical industry (and it’s likewise true re education, given his history of vociferous support for charter schools).
I’m not saying people’s thinking and positions can’t evolve—Warren herself experienced a pretty massive course-correction in the 1990s—but it’s hard to take these policy turns seriously, especially when weighing them against a candidate (Sanders) who’s been consistent on a lot of these issues since before I was born.
Bernies economic advisor
Well we have been trying very hard to run out and have been so far unsuccesfull. Bernie aint getting 1% of what he wants economically through Congress.
For me, and obviously reduced to thumbnail form:
Biden - long, mostly abysmal legislative record. Iraq war vote is a major red flag for me. Plus all the hair-sniffing and whatnot.
Harris - I have a problem in principle with how we elevate prosecutors into elective office. Anyone who’s anti-carceral-state is probably going to balk at her.
Klobuchar - Same. I had a generally favorable opinion of her as a decent middle-of-the-road type, but the stuff about how she treats her staff is really off-putting.
Booker - good on a few issues but has pretty much always struck me as a neolib corporate money vacuum
Buttigieg - I will have a more informed opinion when he’s got more substance on the policy side, but for me the media narrative around him (brainiac, veteran, aw-shucks Midwesterner) isn’t sufficient. A lot of similarity with Obama, minus the oratory skills...which, from a left perspective, is not an endorsement.
I guess those are the top-tier candidates? Some of the second-tier candidates seem at least have some things to recommend them, but are essentially irrelevant.
Well, to be fair, it’s an easy story to write—we’ve gone from gay marriage being a huge election-year wedge issue to a married gay candidate in 4 election cycles. But, yeah, I see him rising on a big cloud of positive media, which I’m at a bit of a loss to explain...I get why it’s happening, and in his defense, his sexual orientation isn’t the primary driver of it, but as a lefty I don’t find myself enamored.
American voters (in both parties) tend to be more gut rather than ideologically oriented, compared to most other countries. Once an appealing narrative takes root, it becomes more like a movement than anything else. Like catching lightening in a bottle. A lot of things have to come together.
I hope people judge mayor pete in his record while in office as opposed to checking the right identity politics buckets.
It would still be a shock if an incumbent president gets beat on the back of a strong economy which is what the narrative looks like currently. Still a long time till election day though.
And with a con man as President we can expect record fundraising.
Lol, 120k votes is all they have to flip or get new people to vote for in 4 states combined
He hasn’t been getting new people to come to his side
A lot more have not liked him