Election 2020

[The Feral Slasher]

I think it's way too early for me to try to convince anyone to choose one candidate from the field of announced candidates, let alone for me to allow anyone to convince me to settle on one candidate. I'm planning on waiting until at least the first round of debates. There's not a single announced candidate that I've ruled out or would rule out at this point.

I agree, I suppose my comments were more about the Vanity Fair article. Celebrity worship for the 1% (ok, maybe 10%).

[Sour Masher]

Well, it is crude yellow journalism, but it may still sink Beto. Fox News is basically suggesting he wants to murder children and steal all their computer passwords, because he wrote a short story ad a 15 year old where the character in the story went on a !murder spree that included running over kids. And he was part of a hacker group, though he didn't do anything wrong while in it.

[The Feral Slasher]

Well, it is crude yellow journalism, but it may still sink Beto. Fox News is basically suggesting he wants to murder children and steal all their computer passwords, because he wrote a short story ad a 15 year old where the character in the story went on a !murder spree that included running over kids. And he was part of a hacker group, though he didn't do anything wrong while in it.

I've seen a ton of stuff about Beto since he announced, but hadn't seen that. I can't imagine that it will affect many Democratic primary voters. From all I've read though, i have a hard time seeing how he will have much appeal or will last very long.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I've seen a ton of stuff about Beto since he announced, but hadn't seen that. I can't imagine that it will affect many Democratic primary voters. From all I've read though, i have a hard time seeing how he will have much appeal or will last very long.

He doesn't have a large and substantive record of political accomplishment, and that may well be his downfall in a presidential race, but in terms of being able to persuasively advocate for the Democratic agenda to a broader audience and his ability to connect with and energize a crowd, he reminds me a lot of Obama.

[Sour Masher]

He doesn't have a large and substantive record of political accomplishment, and that may well be his downfall in a presidential race, but in terms of being able to persuasively advocate for the Democratic agenda to a broader audience and his ability to connect with and energize a crowd, he reminds me a lot of Obama.

Yes, me too. It will be interesting to see how he does and how he defines himself. He, like all of the candidates, will continue to be tested, by opponents and the media. How the candidates respond and overcome will go a long way in to determining who survives this gauntlet.

[The Feral Slasher]

He doesn't have a large and substantive record of political accomplishment, and that may well be his downfall in a presidential race, but in terms of being able to persuasively advocate for the Democratic agenda to a broader audience and his ability to connect with and energize a crowd, he reminds me a lot of Obama.

First off, I should give Beto some credit for taking on the greatest politician in the history of the world and nearly beating him. You've probably seen a lot more of him than I have. From what I've read he seems to promote Bi-partinsanship and moderate policies more than the "Democratic agenda" which is actually really difficult to define since it covers quite a range of policies. It will be interesting to see how far he shifts to the left for his presidential campaign and how much enthusiasm and support he can get when competing with national Democratic politicians and not Ted Cruz.

[Teenwolf]

Beto is refusing to reveal his 1st day fundraising totals, and I saw a clip talking about a 1st day haul mentioned by Betos staff. $5000. If true, thats an absolute disaster.

Did none of you watch that announcement speech clip in the same way you would a skateboarder tackling a 100 ft rail grind? Appropriate metaphor for Beto, I think.

It was all gobbledygook. Something like "if we gather our shared ambitions, and enable the strength of our democracy, through our convictions, every one of us can enact the change necessary to come together, as one people, in an era of division... " blah, blah, blah. I think comparisons to Obama are extremely insulting to the intelligence and oratory skills of Obama. "Born to be in it, man." Obama derived his cool-factor by speaking with incredible insight, intelligence, conviction, and wittiness. Do you guys honestly see the same from Beto? Do I need to start quoting his actual words to show you what a shallow idiot he is?

[gcstomp]

Teen, same feeling. Beto might be a swell guy but there is no resemblance in stirring oratory, or charisma, intelligence, integrity, or any of 100 other qualities, to Obama. If Obama could run now, he would win by a record margin, not party nomination but Presidency. This all feels like a shabby school play now, these candidates dont inspire. Well, Bernie does, and, though there is nothing he can do about it, he is 450 years old, so that is a bummer. But the road is long, and plenty will change as candidates become someone to remember, or drop out.

[Sour Masher]

Teen, same feeling. Beto might be a swell guy but there is no resemblance in stirring oratory, or charisma, intelligence, integrity, or any of 100 other qualities, to Obama. If Obama could run now, he would win by a record margin, not party nomination but Presidency. This all feels like a shabby school play now, these candidates dont inspire. Well, Bernie does, and, though there is nothing he can do about it, he is 450 years old, so that is a bummer. But the road is long, and plenty will change as candidates become someone to remember, or drop out.

I need to actually watch Beto more, it seems. I've only seem him in sound bites, and read accounts so far. I'm pretty ignorant of him as a candidate, and I agree, he is a long way from the polished orator Obama was. I guess I'm most drawn to the contrast in styles and message between him and Trump at the moment, but I'm not suggesting that should be enough for him to win out, or that it will be. He does seem to have some appeal, so I think he will be in the mix, but I could be wrong. I plan on trying to watch as many of the debates as I can to get a sense of all of these candidates. Right now many of them I see through the filters of others.

[Teenwolf]

I need to actually watch Beto more, it seems. I've only seem him in sound bites, and read accounts so far. I'm pretty ignorant of him as a candidate, and I agree, he is a long way from the polished orator Obama was. I guess I'm most drawn to the contrast in styles and message between him and Trump at the moment, but I'm not suggesting that should be enough for him to win out, or that it will be. He does seem to have some appeal, so I think he will be in the mix, but I could be wrong. I plan on trying to watch as many of the debates as I can to get a sense of all of these candidates. Right now many of them I see through the filters of others.

This is a great point. I'm confident Bernie has turned the corner, but that's because I'm viewing what he does with a microscope. I'm also laughing at the media slant against Bernie again. It's hilarious to see them attack Bernie over his campaign sexual misconduct multiple times, when you had the same thing happen on Clinton '16, same thing on Kamala Harris without a word... Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign saw someone resign over their sexual misconduct claims being ignored, and you don't hear a peep from MSM. People are smarter than this crap, and it's exactly what emboldens his supporters against criticism. Bernie's critics have all made themselves look foolish for years in their dismissal of him. It only gets funnier, as they show polls with him closing a 13 pt Biden lead down to 2, and they'll do 10 mins of speculation on Biden without mentioning Bernie at all. This clear attempt to guide voters away from Bernie is so transparent that it becomes largely ineffectual. In such a large field, the winner might only need 20-30 % of the votes to win the nomination. Can't wait for Biden to run, split more votes.

[Sour Masher]

This is a great point. I'm confident Bernie has turned the corner, but that's because I'm viewing what he does with a microscope. I'm also laughing at the media slant against Bernie again. It's hilarious to see them attack Bernie over his campaign sexual misconduct multiple times, when you had the same thing happen on Clinton '16, same thing on Kamala Harris without a word... Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign saw someone resign over their sexual misconduct claims being ignored, and you don't hear a peep from MSM. People are smarter than this crap, and it's exactly what emboldens his supporters against criticism. Bernie's critics have all made themselves look foolish for years in their dismissal of him. It only gets funnier, as they show polls with him closing a 13 pt Biden lead down to 2, and they'll do 10 mins of speculation on Biden without mentioning Bernie at all. This clear attempt to guide voters away from Bernie is so transparent that it becomes largely ineffectual. In such a large field, the winner might only need 20-30 % of the votes to win the nomination. Can't wait for Biden to run, split more votes.

I know we have covered this before, but I have to say I'm still worried that both the progressive and centrist leaders in the clubhouse are so old. To be clear, their age, given the fact they are sharp and seem healthy doesn't matter to me, except that I worry it matters to others. Is it a coincidence that only younger dem Presidential candidates have been elected in recent decades, or does it show a bias among voters?

The only dem president elected to a first term over 50 in the last 70+ years since Truman was Carter, and he was 52. Repulicans seem cool supporting older dudes, but coincidence or not, it hasn't been the case for Democrats. Sanders may be different, because he connects with young voters better than most old candidates. Still a somewhat concerning trend. Three of the five youngest presidents ever have been recent democratic presidents. I don't know if it means anything. Maybe it means nothing. Idk.

[Kevin Seitzer]

Beto is refusing to reveal his 1st day fundraising totals, and I saw a clip talking about a 1st day haul mentioned by Betos staff. $5000. If true, thats an absolute disaster.

Did none of you watch that announcement speech clip in the same way you would a skateboarder tackling a 100 ft rail grind? Appropriate metaphor for Beto, I think.

It was all gobbledygook. Something like "if we gather our shared ambitions, and enable the strength of our democracy, through our convictions, every one of us can enact the change necessary to come together, as one people, in an era of division... " blah, blah, blah. I think comparisons to Obama are extremely insulting to the intelligence and oratory skills of Obama. "Born to be in it, man." Obama derived his cool-factor by speaking with incredible insight, intelligence, conviction, and wittiness. Do you guys honestly see the same from Beto? Do I need to start quoting his actual words to show you what a shallow idiot he is?

I haven't seen anything yet in Beto's presidential comments that reminds me at all of what I saw in him in the Texas Senate race. Beto's comments during the Senate campaign about NFL players kneeling during the anthem are a better example of what he can do.

But I will also say that comparing Obama after 8 years of the presidency to Beto a year ahead of the election isn't a fair comparison. Obama was pretty rough around the edges at this stage of the campaign, too. I don't know if Beto will rise to the occasion the same way that Obama did. And I also don't think their speaking skills are really the same style. Beto is a decade younger and that comes through.

Perhaps by bringing up Obama's name, I evoked the wrong comparison. Because no, Beto is not all that Obama was. But what he does bring (or did in the Senate race) was the ability to talk honestly about controversial issues and not be afraid of supporting progressive positions in Texas. He was able to honestly explain why some of these positions were good for society, in a way that made sense to a lot of people. That's a rare thing for Democratic politician in Texas. How does all that play on the national stage? I don't know, it remains to be seen.

The idea that he is a shallow, skateboarding idiot just doesn't square at all with what I've seen of him.

The point I was trying to make by bringing up Obama is that a candidacy doesn't have to be about staking out some special issue or set of issues that the rest of the candidates can't champion (e.g., Sanders), or about a record of political service and accomplishment (e.g., Biden). It can also be about being able to explain core party issues to a wide audience in a way that they connect with. Will Beto do that effectively at a national level the same way he did in Texas? Maybe. If he succeeds, that's what his candidacy will look like. He's not going to be a policy wonk, but that's not necessarily a path to the presidency, anyway, no matter how much some people would like it to be so. Was Obama a policy wonk? Yes. Did it make him a better president? Yes. Did it help him win a primary or help get him elected? I'm not so sure.

[The Feral Slasher]

I haven't seen anything yet in Beto's presidential comments that reminds me at all of what I saw in him in the Texas Senate race. Beto's comments during the Senate campaign about NFL players kneeling during the anthem are a better example of what he can do.

But I will also say that comparing Obama after 8 years of the presidency to Beto a year ahead of the election isn't a fair comparison. Obama was pretty rough around the edges at this stage of the campaign, too. I don't know if Beto will rise to the occasion the same way that Obama did. And I also don't think their speaking skills are really the same style. Beto is a decade younger and that comes through.

Perhaps by bringing up Obama's name, I evoked the wrong comparison. Because no, Beto is not all that Obama was. But what he does bring (or did in the Senate race) was the ability to talk honestly about controversial issues and not be afraid of supporting progressive positions in Texas. He was able to honestly explain why some of these positions were good for society, in a way that made sense to a lot of people. That's a rare thing for Democratic politician in Texas. How does all that play on the national stage? I don't know, it remains to be seen.

The idea that he is a shallow, skateboarding idiot just doesn't square at all with what I've seen of him.

The Dem primary and Texas senate race probably give two very different windows to view him through.

[Kevin Seitzer]

The other way in which Beto is like Obama is that he is a pragmatic centrist. I think that will definitely displease some in the Democratic Party and some on this board.

Because that's what I am, I probably identify more with him than some others will. He is also my age.

But I don't know whether I'll vote for him or not. I don't currently have a favorite candidate. I view Beto fondly and will certainly give him strong consideration. Buttigieg is working on moving to the top of my list, though.

[The Feral Slasher]

The other way in which he is like Obama is that he is a pragmatic centrist. I think that will definitely displease some in the Democratic Party and some on this board.

Because that's what I am, I probably identify more with him than some others will. He is also my age.

But I don't know whether I'll vote for him or not. I don't currently have a favorite candidate. Buttigieg is working on it, though.

Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are as old as my great-great-great- Grandfather