Here we go again. After the faux pas of suggesting the elimination of private health insurance, of “open” borders, and free health care for illegal immigrants, the Democrats need to refocus on their message: health care, health care, health care.
Kamala Harris was the big winner in the first round of debates with her “food fight” line and her crushing critique of Sleepy Joe Biden. Biden needs to step up his game in this round of debates or his support will erode. The standards for participating in the Third Round of debates in September are higher so this is the last chance for some of the candidates to move up…or move out.
Frankly, I’m not seeing any of these candidates beating Trump. Despite his racist attacks, his cruelty to immigrants at the border, and his ridiculous (and costly!) trade war with China, Trump’s support from his base is unwavering. The Democratics look weak and confused. What do you think?
I fear Trump will win again. I like Sanders and felt he won the debate but unfortunately don’t see him beating Trump. The GOP will just keep repeating SOCIALIST,SOCIALIST,SOCIALIST.
And how did Marianne Williamson get in the running? I thought she was mainly known for some useless new age self help books.
Steve, Marianne Williamson manages to qualify for the Democrat Debates (and sell more of her books). But I think Williamson won’t be able to qualify for the September Debates.
Also, she’s Oprah’s candidate.
I think…call me next year. This is all pointless sound and fury signifying NOTHING, like Trump’s blathering. Everyone who has already conceded the race to Trump needs to take a step back. Remember 1991? Poppy Bush had like a 90% favorable rating after the first Iraq War and a year later, he was voted out of office. There is a long, long way still until the election – it is SIX MONTHS until the FIRST primary! – and I refuse to play the game of getting hysterical at every daily thing that happens. That way lies madness.
Jeff, I wish I could adopt your “wait and see” strategy, but I’m seeing the Democratic candidates painting themselves into corners that will cost them votes in the Primaries and the Election.
I don’t recall any of the Democrats saying they would End private insurance so much as make a universal public insurance available. Not at all the same thing, despite the braying of the Delaneys and the Bennetts.
I think Jeff is correct, and to some extent the pessimism of Democrats helps fulfill itself. Support whom your think is worth supporting now. And Trump has his cult, but he’s also losing everyone Not in his cult. A bland Trump Lite Democrat, such as Biden, is Not how you encourage the Democratic voters who have not been voting as they feel that neoliberal candidates don’t have their interests at heart…and think this correctly.
We need a candidate as exciting as Trump, but smart. Someone who can draw attention away from the Barnum & Bailey of Politics and ficus on Reality. I still say our only hope is…. CHER!
Dan, I would vote for CHER over Trump every day of the week!
Especially since Sonny is no longer in he game … 🙂
Crazily enough there have been several cases lately in Europe where total outsiders got an important function, strange times.
Wolf, I suspect voting tampering in many of these cases. Hackers are getting access to voting machines and affecting voter sentiment with “Fake News.”
Well, voters can “hack”, too, such as when the Radicals in Italy put up Ciccolina, a softcore actress…and she won.
I looked in on last night’s debate from time to time when the baseball game I was watching got boring, and I wasn’t impressed by much of anything I saw. These people need to be pounding on President Cheeto, not each other. Remember watching the Republican debates three years ago and thinking that none of those clowns would beat Clinton?
Michael, I had doubts four years ago that Hillary could win. There’s still plenty resistance to women Presidential candidates. The WALL STREET JOURNAL has predicted that Elizabeth Warren would lose 47 states if she’s the Democratic candidate.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL desperately Does Not Want Warren, or Sanders, as the candidate, so you should take that with a flagon of salt.
Todd, the WSJ was just citing early Electoral College estimates. Those could, of course, change.
I’ll vote for whoever the Dems nominate, but we have to understand that no one who is committed to voting for Trump will budge one iota—so these debates are only to (1) winnow down the candidate pool and (2) provide misleading sound bites for Fox News to repeat on an endless loop once the nominee is chosen. At this point, Trump voters are so invested in his racism, cruelty, kleptocracy, bullying, ignorance, and general all-purpose nastiness that about the only thing that might turn them against him is for him to do something uncharacteristically kind and gracious…yeah—like that’s gonna happen!
Deb, you’re so right! Trump supporters will double down on Trump in the 2020 Election. I thought that a recession might shake their faith in Trump, but now I’m doubting even a bad Economy would weaken their support in The Donald.
Krugman had a convincing column yesterday about how Trump is acting like this is 1989 when cities were hellholes reeling from the crack epidemic, whereas now it is Trump’s rural supporters who are living in an opiod haze where the real suffering is. Yet their support is unwavering. Sad. Stupid but sad.
Jeff, they have drunk the Trump Kool-Aid.
I can never remember if it was Jonathan Swift or Samuel Johnson who said, “You will never reason a man out of something he wasn’t reasoned into in the first place,” but whoever said it, it’s absolutely true. Very few Trump voters made a “logical/reasoned” choice when they voted for him (even though I’m sure a few convinced themselves they had) so there is no appeal to reason or common sense that will move them. I keep saying it but all of Trump’s awfulness—racism, misogyny, white nationalism, ignorance, cruelty, anti-intellectualism, grifting—are not bugs, they’re features…and his supporters have voted for those features in the past and will again vote for those features in 2020.
Deb, the actual quote is: “Reasoning will never make a Man correct an ill Opinion, which by Reasoning he never acquired” and the author of that statement is Jonathan Swift (in a 1721 slim volume titled “A Letter to a Young Gentleman, Lately Enter’d Into Holy Orders by a Person of Quality.” Trump’s supporters have a cult-like felty to The Donald. His actions make no difference to their unreasoning loyalty to him.
What’s scary is how many of them seem to believe Trump is like The Blues Brothers – on a mission from God.
There is no arguing with that insanity.
Jeff, one of the women at the pool I frolic in each day told me, “God had Trump elected to change the country.” How do you argue with that?
“I’ve gotta go now, Dwayne. I’m due back on Planet Earth.”
“Ma’am, are you sure that Trump heard from God, so much as is listening to himself?” Probably won’t get her thinking…but Trump is losing some of his But I Voted For A Better Life and Swamp-Draining Supporters.
For me the two most important issues, in this order, are:
1. CLIMATE CHANGE / ENVIRONMENT
2. HEALTH CARE
Jeff is right when he says it’s too early, but you’re right when you say Trump’s base blindly supports him, regardless of his (many, many) faults. I have a lot of understanding such blind loyalty to someone who only cares about himself and is so full of hate for anyone who isn’t like himself. The other thing is that regardless of who might be elected instead of Trump, if the Senate doesn’t turn Democratic, it will be in vain.
Rick, you’re right about the U.S. Senate. If Mitch McConnell stays in power, nothing will get done.
That should have been “have a lot fo trouble” understanding…
These are sad times …
Since I don’t know the different Dem candidates (except Warren and Sanders) I have no idea who would have a chance against Trump – crazy to have 20 alternatives, not one or two!
And once the US were a paragon/role model for all of us here in Europe.
Wolf, the emergence of “Dark Money” has changed U.S. elections. Everything’s for sale now.
Everything was always for sale, George.
I vote for Biden and Kamala for VP. you guys have to stop all this hand wringing. We need a Democratic president and Senate. Right now I’ll go with a Biden /Harris ticket.
You should all watch Years and Years on HBO. It just finished with grandma in 2029 (spoiler alert) telling the assembled family that it’s all our fault for letting it happen. George- you should set up a table at your old school and register students to vote. Anybody in a more red state must do that. Deb could go to LSU. I for one plan on joining my union in all election activities.
Jackie .
Jackie, I would vote for Biden and Kamila, too. But the 2020 Election faces MORE foreign interference and “Fake News.” And Mitch McConnell (aka, “Moscow Mitch) won’t allow the U.S. intelligence community to defend our elections.
McConnell might (albeit it’s a Big might) get tossed out this next election.
Todd, I’ll be rooting forDemocrat Amy McGrath to defeat Moscow Mitch.
I don’t think enough people are ready to embrace the massive giveaways the Dems champion! Open borders, free health care for illegals, reparations for slavery, fer Christ’s sake!
By the way, have you finished moderating my comments from yesterday yet?
Bob, you’re up to date on comments. Like you, I’m concerned about how all these social programs are going to be paid for. “Taxing the Rich” is a joke. The Rich can move to non-tax countries (or buy their own island!) while their corporations keep generating profits.
Tax the corporations. Also, the healthcare for undocumented US workers isn’t free…since most of them pay taxes if they’re on the books at their jobs, which most are.
Todd, “taxing the corporations” is actually taxing ourselves. When taxed, corporations just raise prices…and we pay more.
Clinton lost mostly because she campaigned foolishly. She won, after all…this is Not evidence of a US resistance to women candidates per se, particularly when a Donald Trump is the alternative.
If the next Democratic nominee can manage to make more of a point of talking to voters in “safe” as well as swing states, and not spend Quite as much time reassuring corporate American she’s on their side (as Clinton did, rather than letting voters in West Virginia know how many good solar panel jobs unemployed coal miners might be able to get with supported training, while making dismissive noises about their jobs) , the Dems will probably win agains Trump and his cult.
It is amusing the degree to which the “news” folks keep taking the government’s word for How Strong Our Economy Is. Or course, the elites in the media are pulling down big corporate coin, as well.
Todd, Hillary lost for a myriad of reasons, but let’s not underestimate the Russians’s hacking our Election.