Running List of Declared 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates

Introversion said:

I dunno. Never, in my entire adult life, have I ever heard anyone talk about Vermont as an important state to campaign early in. And he's older than I am.

It's New Hampshire you go to rub elbows with the locals. Always been that. Joe is a career politician. For him to forget that he's in New Hampshire to campaign, seems pretty sundowny to me.

Analogy: I write software to pay the bills. Have done this for 37 years now. I use a text editor to do this. If I instead called that tool a browser some day -- not idly when I was distracted, but in a job interview -- that's not a good sign.

As voters, I think we should worry about his mental fitness for a job as stressful as president.

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I always tend to get a little cautious with diagnosing the candidates myself (fine with others if they wanna do it), I remember the endless discussions surrounding GW and his pathologies when it always seemed to me just like he was this derpy. Same with Biden, I kinda just think he's always been like this. My mom's almost 70, and I worry when she calls me her brother's name until I realize she's been doing it since I was a teenager. Some people never had minds to lose.

THAT SAID, I am totally unprepared for how riddling and gnomic his gaffes are getting, and how they used to be a source of great entertainment for me now they just make me feel sad for him.

He's definitely got the inside track in the race. The media likes him, Beltway insiders like him, and the demographics that support him are pretty broad. It seems like he's running out of the sheer pressure that's built up behind him, as well as very likely the stubborn refusal to believe anyone else can take the helm. His heart's not in it, that's what I see.

Introversion said:

Another day, another Biden gaffe.



Sure, everyone gets tired, makes mistakes. But when someone this old is this gaffe-prone, I worry there’s a reason for it.

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Biden: Better his foot in his mouth than their foot on your throat.

Introversion said:

Another day, another Biden gaffe.

Sure, everyone gets tired, makes mistakes. But when someone this old is this gaffe-prone, I worry there’s a reason for it.

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Notice Biden is making fewer campaign stops than other candidates?

Apparently one of his campaign strategies is to be in as few places as they can manage to prevent gaffes. This guy thinks if he can coast to the convention on the sole premise he can beat Trump, he'll win.

He can't win against Trump by hiding out. He is not a good choice.

Roxxsmom said:

Biden: Better his foot in his mouth than their foot on your throat.

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And I’ll vote for the guy if the choice is between him and Orange Twitler. Not happily, but I will.

MaeZe said:

Notice Biden is making fewer campaign stops than other candidates?

Apparently one of his campaign strategies is to be in as few places as they can manage to prevent gaffes. This guy thinks if he can coast to the convention on the sole premise he can beat Trump, he'll win.

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It's also worth pointing out that someone on his campaign leaked that nugget, showing you how much enthusiasm there is among his staffers.

Biden 2020: I'm older than Trump and my hair looks better.

In case anyone cares, Kirsten Gillebrand is being sweated to drop out already for heaven's sake and stop embarrassing yourself.

Biden 2020: I've forgotten more than Trump ever knew.

Even up in Canada, we know the importance of New Hampshire to your elections.
I wonder if Biden isn't forcing himself through the campaign because he's afraid that none of the other candidates can pull enough voters to unseat Trump?

Senator Warren and her huge Seattle crowd

A reply: To meet her is to like her. To hear her is to respect her.

MaeZe said:

Senator Warren and her huge Seattle crowd

A reply: To meet her is to like her. To hear her is to respect her.

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Sadly, I think we'll see a replay of Clinton in 2016 if Ms. Warren is elected. She's clearly IMO qualified for the job, but women need to jump higher than the men and still look good doing it.

Introversion said:

Sadly, I think we'll see a replay of Clinton in 2016 if Ms. Warren is elected. She's clearly IMO qualified for the job, but women need to jump higher than the men and still look good doing it.

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No no no. Clinton was bashed from Bill's early days. I don't think Warren is a mirror candidate just because they are both female.

Yes, women need to jump higher but that doesn't mean all female candidates will be equally bashed like Clinton was.

While the GOP certainly had a loooong head-start on bashing Hillary, Ms. Warren has been getting it non-stop since her first days in the Senate, and probably more loudly & “effectively” since Orange Julius was elected and took her up as a frequent rally target.

Not entirely sure it’s as different as you’re hoping.

Ruh-roh, Joe.

Biden Plummets Below Sanders and Warren for First Time in Major National Poll

Rolling Stone said:

Joe Biden’s presidential campaign has been characterized largely by a string of gaffes — from saying poor kids are “just as bright as white kids,” to, most recently, confusing Vermont and New Hampshire. It looks like they may finally have caught up with him.

In a new national poll released Monday, Monmouth University found the former vice president trailing in the Democratic primary for the first time. The poll has Biden clocking in with 19 percent support, down a whopping 13 points from the 32 percent he registered when the poll was last conducted, in June. Ahead of Biden are Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who comes in at 20 percent, up 6 points from June, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who also comes in at 20 percent after garnering 15 percent in June.

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Of course, these things bobble around a lot. Still, this is an odometer moment if nothing else.

Yang has less than a canary in a coal mine's chance of being anointed as the Democratic candidate, and I'm unsure he's really qualified anyway, but to give the man credit, he's out in front in one way: really talking about climate change and coming up with concrete plans to deal with it.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/8/26/20833263/andrew-yang-climate-plan

I'm hoping he at least influences some of the other candidates in this respect.

Roxxsmom said:

Yang has less than a canary in a coal mine's chance of being anointed as the Democratic candidate, and I'm unsure he's really qualified anyway, but to give the man credit, he's out in front in one way: really talking about climate change and coming up with concrete plans to deal with it.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/8/26/20833263/andrew-yang-climate-plan

I'm hoping he at least influences some of the other candidates in this respect.

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I've noticed the Vox folks really like Yang (and Pete). Yang is so 50-50 for me, in a lot of ways he's this smart guy who can laser-focus on issues that get dropped and need to be part of the conversation. In terms of people running he's definitely not the worst person based on the merit of his ideas.

But I get this kind of Extropian-Libertarian vibe from him, like him and I read a lot of the same SF and frequent similar websites with a transhumanist bent. Reading through this article I kinda continue to feel that way, there's a lot of stuff that's good, sensible, and sharp, a lot that's kooky (space mirrors), and much of what he says that's somewhere in the middle. He has a bit of a hardcore Reddit fanbase that makes me nervous.

I have a relative who is a freelance PR consultant and works with a lot of liberal politicians and causes. She swears Bernie is the man and has the broad appeal that is needed and that Warren’s appeal is too narrow. She says Warren doesn’t have a strong enough campaign structure and that Bernie is very strong in that area because he has been working at it for so long. Is she right? I don’t know. I like Warren but if Bernie has a better chance of winning I would go with him.

sandree said:

I have a relative that is a freelance PR consultant and works with a lot of liberal politicians and causes. She swears Bernie is the man and has the broad appeal that is needed and that Warren’s appeal is too narrow. She says Warren doesn’t have a strong enough campaign structure and that Bernie is very strong in that area because he has been working at it for so long. Is she right? I don’t know. I like Warren but if Bernie has a better chance of winning I would go with him.

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Bernie's not a democrat, but I'll vote for him if I have to. Not touching him in the primary, though.

Based on what I see, hear (and have been subjected to by my 20-something kids and their friends), most Berners appear to think Bernie has the best chance at everything.

We're talking primaries, though, right? The time where we're narrowing our choice? That's the point where any number of reasons could be valid. Vote for who you love, who you think could win, whose policies you like best, who has the best hair (or looks best bald), as long as, in the end, everyone whose first choice didn't win comes around to whomever gets the nomination. After 2016, I don't trust Berners in this regard, and I don't trust Bernie to stay away from a 3rd party run, but I am ever hopeful for a more pragmatic election this time. Republicans are ready to cheat to win, and the best way to counter that is overwhelming turnout and support for the Dem candidate. IMO, anyway.

sandree said:

I have a relative that is a freelance PR consultant and works with a lot of liberal politicians and causes. She swears Bernie is the man and has the broad appeal that is needed and that Warren’s appeal is too narrow. She says Warren doesn’t have a strong enough campaign structure and that Bernie is very strong in that area because he has been working at it for so long. Is she right? I don’t know. I like Warren but if Bernie has a better chance of winning I would go with him.

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That's, pardon me, a ridiculous argument.

First, why is her appeal more narrow than his? She's a member of the party; he's not, among other things.

As to the campaign structure, it's irrelevant. Once there's a nominee, they have the full force of the DNC machine behind them. Sanders has not run a national campaign any more than Warren has -- he ran a primary campaign and lost decisively.

sandree said:

She says Warren doesn’t have a strong enough campaign structure and that Bernie is very strong in that area because he has been working at it for so long.

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I'm really curious what your friend means by campaign structure. FWIW, I think EW has a seasoned, adroit campaign structure that's been rolling along like a juggernaut, while Bernie's campaign structure includes some people I find appalingly dishonest & have a bad habit of recycling RW talking points. I peaced out on Our Revolution when it started emailing me with debunked HRC Uranium-1 theories.

Kjbartolotta said:

I've noticed the Vox folks really like Yang (and Pete). Yang is so 50-50 for me, in a lot of ways he's this smart guy who can laser-focus on issues that get dropped and need to be part of the conversation. In terms of people running he's definitely not the worst person based on the merit of his ideas.

But I get this kind of Extropian-Libertarian vibe from him, like him and I read a lot of the same SF and frequent similar websites with a transhumanist bent. Reading through this article I kinda continue to feel that way, there's a lot of stuff that's good, sensible, and sharp, a lot that's kooky (space mirrors), and much of what he says that's somewhere in the middle. He has a bit of a hardcore Reddit fanbase that makes me nervous.

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I have the same sort of mixed feelings about him. I tend to take a dim view of rich, "smart guys" and "entrepreneurial types" who think not having any background in government or politics makes them especially qualified for high office (rather than starting at the bottom and gaining experience in politics the normal way).

Though I suppose a rich, smart guy exhibiting the Dunning-Kruger effect would be preferable to the rich, dumb (and completely hateful) Dunning-Krugerite we now have in office.

As far as the more likely scenario of Yang at least tossing interesting ideas out there for other candidates to incorporate, given how bad the climate picture is, I don't think anything should be off the table as possible solutions--even space mirrors if there were a way to make them plausible.

though I'd settle for orbiting solar panels that may not block enough sunlight to make a difference but provide sustainable and clean energy that doesn't come from fossil fuels.

Roxxsmom said:

But given how bad the climate picture is, I don't think anything should be off the table as possible solutions--even space mirrors if there were a way to make them plausible.

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I suspect that fighting back climate change is going to take some fairly grandiose measures, and wouldn't rule out orbital mirrors at all if we could make them viable. That's both what I like about Yang and don't, I think plenty of his ideas are good ones and it seems like the purpose of his campaign is to introduce these ideas to the conversation. But there's a fine line for me when a lot of these big ideas start to sound grifty and I wonder why people riding to fame on them choose to involve themselves at this moment.

Like I said, his bigger issue for me is his flirtation with the online alt-right, which has created issues for his own campaign. I had posted an article early about his weird fanbase among white supremacists. I'm not going anywhere close to say that Yang supports their idealogy, or anything remotely close to it, but I wonder about this weird affinity that keeps popping up.

ElaineA said:

Based on what I see, hear (and have been subjected to by my 20-something kids and their friends), most Berners appear to think Bernie has the best chance at everything.

We're talking primaries, though, right? The time where we're narrowing our choice? That's the point where any number of reasons could be valid. Vote for who you love, who you think could win, whose policies you like best, who has the best hair (or looks best bald), as long as, in the end, everyone whose first choice didn't win comes around to whomever gets the nomination. After 2016, I don't trust Berners in this regard, and I don't trust Bernie to stay away from a 3rd party run, but I am ever hopeful for a more pragmatic election this time. Republicans are ready to cheat to win, and the best way to counter that is overwhelming turnout and support for the Dem candidate. IMO, anyway.

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Thanks for the “Berner” perspective. That does describe her stance. I keep getting into arguments with her that go nowhere.

Missing the benchmarks for the next round, Kirsten Gillbrand is the next to drop out.

Bye, Felicia.

Biden had some issues today conflating several stories into one mega-whopper.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has repeatedly incorrectly recounted a war story involving a US service member who received a military honor from him and his latest telling of the story last week contained several inaccurate elements, including the time period, the heroic act, the type of medal and the location of the story, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The Post -- citing conversations with more than a dozen US troops, their commanders and officials from Biden's presidential campaign -- said the 2020 hopeful recounted the story last Friday during a packed town hall in New Hampshire. The Post reported Biden mixed the details from at least three real events into one complete story that never actually took place.

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Kjbartolotta said:

Biden had some issues today conflating several stories into one mega-whopper.

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Fortunately, recent elected officials have lowered the bar for factuality to ground level or below, so this may not be the liability it would've been eight or more years back.

I'm on board with the "blue no matter who" thing for the general election, but I find myself really, really hoping someone other than Biden gets past the primary... "electability" be danged, the man just can't seem to open his mouth without something weird tumbling out these days.