What do you guys think about the following ticket?

[Upthevibe]

Kamala Harris/Joe Kennedy III.....

[CTyankee]

1. I like it a lot.

A strong woman of color and an upcoming young man who is also a Kennedy.

My dtr in CA likes Harris a lot. And after the disaster that is Trump, the country would be relieved and grateful.

[leftstreet]

2. Neither one of them can beat Trump

They're both just fine as Democratic front runners, but not against an incumbent like Trump

[we can do it]

4. A steaming pile of dogshit could beat that ass.🙄

[Eliot Rosewater]

6. Be prepared for a line about why Kamala is great, but...great, but.

It will be endless.

[leftstreet]

14. I don't know why anyone would say that

As I said, she (and Kennedy for that matter) would be fine as candidates. They'd wipe the floor against a McCain or Romney, etc.

But they can't beat an incumbent Trump.

[John Fante]

19. Incumbents aren't invincible and Trump is the

biggest joke this nation has ever seen. He is imminently beatable. Even his "victory" was fluky.

[treestar]

56. Lowest approval rating, obviously in over his head

incumbency does not help him.

[GaYellowDawg]

71. Which is what we thought in 2016, yes?

Anyone who has Fox News carrying out 24-hour propaganda for him has a great shot at winning any election. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

Kamala Harris is not electable at the top of the ticket. Much of the country reacted to an African-American president by voting for the worst president in history. Those people haven't suddenly lost hold of their racism. Most of the same people are also quite sexist, too. There's absolutely no way at this point in our history that an African-American woman woman, even if she is as exceptional as Kamala Harris is, can get elected.

And as charismatic as he is, Kennedy is just too young. I wouldn't put Kennedy on a ticket at all, and I think the best that we could hope for with respect to Harris would be vice-president. I don't like it. I think she would make an exceptional president. But what I like and the way things are, are two completely different things.

[exboyfil]

76. Which states

I will give you Clinton's states, but you need the lost firewall of PA, WI, and MI or one of those and FL. The ticket does not enhance that chance at all. Does it help to flip AZ or NC?

2 1/2 years is an eternity away. I already see evidence of Trump solidifying even with this trade war nonsense. Trump very well could lose the popular vote by 4% or more and still retain the Presidency.

[TeamPooka]

12. You are underestimating what will happen when we nominate a black woman for President.

Especially Harris.
She's my pick right now.
She is how we galvanize voters.

[EffieBlack]

30. America wasn't ready for a black President, either. Until it was.

[TeamPooka]

38. exactly

[Hortensis]

50. True. As we all know, black men got the vote 50 years

before black women did. Most of those old enough to understand and cheer that great advance died without ever being able to vote.

Back in the 1980s or so at 3 different points I heard black female leaders say that of being black and being a woman they each felt that being a woman had been the greater handicap. Unfortunately, the only name I remember is Shirley Chisholm. Forty years on, we are all still waiting for equality.

I like Harris a lot for her real qualities and experience, though, and I hope to have her among my primary choices for president. The young (white) prince would pull in votes from the romantics yearning for that sort of thing, but she wouldn't have to decide what would work until after she won the primary.

[EffieBlack]

57. Yes and no

The right of black men to vote was codified in the Constitution’s 15th Amendment but for millions of black men across the country, especially in the South, that meant little. And after women’s suffrage was written into the Constitution, millions of black women still could not vote. In reality, millions of blacks - men and women - were not able to vote until after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

[Hortensis]

61. That's true. But it wasn't even codified for women,

and this seemed fine and natural not only to most men black and white but also to large numbers of women black and white. That huge difference, written right into the foundations of our religions and cultures, goes far deeper than skin color. Not that I'm saying women were all oppressed alike, of course. We all know, and some of us are old enough to feel, that white women have always been significantly safer and freer just walking the street, much less trying to vote, than black.

[EffieBlack]

63. But there was a difference

Certainly, white women did not have the vote during that period, but there was a big difference between their situation and that of black men and women. The vast majority of white women lived in households with men and, therefore, their families and households had political representation and voice. And while on many issues, their husbands/fathers/brothers/sons did not necessarily vote the women’s interests, on many others, their interests were joined and the males voted to protect those interests to the benefit of the white women.

On the other hand, most black women had no such protection or backstop. They not only could not vote themselves, they had no one to vote their interests on their behalf.

Moreover, white women could protest and march for the right to vote. Black women were lynched for even saying they wanted to vote - and sometimes simply because their husbands tried to exercise the right supposedly guaranteed them by the Constitution. For the most part, the Suffagette movement was strictly for white women, with black women excluded - and when women were granted the right to vote, most black women did not benefit at all and while women did little to stand up for them.

And when, later in the century, black women fought to exercise their Constitutional right, white women were just as likely as white men to be the ones screaming at them, threatening them and doing everything they could to stop them.

[Hortensis]

64. I certainly won't argue that white women didn't have a

a degree of representation through the votes of their menfolk that black women whose menfolk did not vote did not have.

You made your points very well, and I think everyone who's read them understands. I am making other points, broadening the discussion, not dismissing it.

I'm guessing Maxine Waters may have been one of the three who separately gave the same evaluation of their experiences as black women in politics because I was a young wife and mother in California in this era and one was one of ours. Maxine certainly fits that bill. The third had also been long nationally known by that time.



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[nolabear]

49. Agree. Id happily support her. And hed have a good following.

Both are young, liberal, have charisma and experience and I have no problem with his “dynasty.”

[JI7]

54. Black women actually vote for Democrats. They won't need to be convinced

They will be leading GOTV across the country.

[George II]

15. We don't even know if we'll be running against trump by then.

[0rganism]

45. and i think you either greatly underestimate Trump or overestimate the American electorate

we will know much more after November, but my outlook is nowhere near as rosy as yours.

for one thing, we assume there will be elections as we have known them after several years of Putin's Puppet running the show. let's do that for the sake of argument, although no one can say with certainty at this point what the shape of our voting systems will be by then.

imho, if Trump runs in 2020 he is quite likely to win. i don't see any reason the techniques he used in 2016 wouldn't work again. any reference we might make to his clearly awful record is offset by his actually having held the office for four years so he can campaign as The People's President or whatever other ridiculous title he chooses to bestow upon himself. those who voted for him before are going to vote for him again, and the media will have normalized his shitty behavior from multiple angles.

our best -- hell, only -- chance is to win the house in 2018 so investigations of Trump's crimes can continue in earnest. Trump must be impeached on grounds so obvious and strong that even the morally bankrupt GOP-controlled senate will have no choice but to remove him from office.

Pence? weak candidate, any cartoon character could beat him, but Trump not so much. Republicans may have given themselves a mortal wound, but they've still got a lot of bleeding out to do before they're "finished" as you say.

[nini]

43. I think either of them can beat him.

I like both of them. I think they're both headed for great things and Kamala is something special IMHO.

[pnwmom]

47. If we can fix the election system and keep the Russians out, DT would lose

against almost anyone we put up.

[leftstreet]

55. Those are big 'ifs'

You're not wrong, but I was thinking of the current reality and what we can reasonably expect to see resolved before 2020

[exboyfil]

77. The people who have the power to fix it

have no interest in fixing it.

[Blue_true]

3. Let's focus on midterms totally. Once that is done, we can look to 2020. nt

[DesertRat]

35. Exactly

[tonyt53]

80. Ain't that the truth!!!!!

[Eliot Rosewater]

5. LOve it, EASILY beats rump if we are allowed to vote and count our votes

EASILY

[we can do it]

9. Yes. Smart and caring ticket.

[stonecutter357]

7. K&R

[Clarity2]

8. Schiff/kennedy

I’d also like eliz warren appointed in the administration to clean up the banking/financing industry.
And Robert Mueller as the head of the FBI.
Schneiderman as US attorney general.

But its too soon.

The sooner anyone announces their intention, the more time the repukes have to sling dirt.

[TeamPooka]

52. No Congressnman has ever made the leap straight to POTUS without being a

Senator or Gov first.

[Clarity2]

62. I dont know why that is but

surely his 22 yrs of experience in politics vs. trumps zero experience qualifies him for the job. Oh, and he has a harvard degree and was a prosecutor, along with having extensive knowledge in foreign affairs.

[bottomofthehill]

73. Honest Abe

Abraham Lincoln served in the House, never the Senate, Governor or VP

[TeamPooka]

75. Republicans will do some crazy stuff

[Upthevibe]

84. Good point, bottomofthehill...

I hear Abraham Lincoln was a pretty good President - but maybe that's just a rumor....

[Heartstrings]

10. Midterms first, please! Nt

[GoCubsGo]

11. I think that I will worry about 2018 before I even think about 2020.

As with all the other 2020 threads, to the trash...

[duforsure]

13. I would rather see someone like Gov. Kate Brown

She's becoming more nationally known and recognized as a power in the party because she's really, really smart, works goods with people from both parties, and isn't intimidated by others easily. We need more smart women in top positions in our government. By seeing her policies she represents the people very well also.

[Upthevibe]

44. I just looked her up....

She was born in Spain but to a U.S. military family so I think that would make her eligible. I'd never even heard of her but I LOVE Oregon!

[elocs]

16. If people on the Left actually show up to vote and nobody pouts or votes 3rd party,

any competent candidate could win. We'll see if the bold talk about a blue wave in the midterms comes to pass as well as if young people actually showing up to vote is more than talk. If Democrats can take the House they can be a thorn in Trump's side along with his getting cut and weakened by Mueller's investigation (let's be real about what might actually happen) then I have my doubts if Trump will actually run if he really believes he would lose as an incumbent. He will declare his presidency to be the most beautiful and successful in presidential history, that there is a massive conspiracy to bring him down, and so he will "retire" on top (on top in his mind).
But if Democrats take the House and then proceed to spend months to impeach Trump, who will never be convicted by the Senate, they will make a martyr of him firing up his base as well as causing some Republicans to support him who might otherwise have not done that a second time.

But a note to the Left and Democratic candidates: The President of the United States is elected by winning 270 electoral votes, not by the popular vote.

[AJT]

17. Sharrod Brown/Julian Castro

[peggysue2]

18. November is looming, people

Any discussion about 2020 is premature because the November elections are critical, as in avoiding total disaster for the country at large. We win in November then we go full-speed into 2020 predictions/candidate selections/weighing this and that.

But it's one step at a time. The step coming in the Fall is HUGE and will foreshadow all to come--for the good or for the very, very bad.

[smirkymonkey]

20. I like them both, but lets see how 2018 goes first.

Some interesting things and names could pop up between now and the next presidential election.

[Golden Raisin]

21. Let's make it through 2018 first.

[Ace Rothstein]

22. No thanks on Kennedy.

His stance on marijuana alone should keep him off any Dem ticket.

[a kennedy]

69. On one issue youre going to delete him??

[Ace Rothstein]

72. It is a big issue for a lot of younger voters.

He should stay on the sidelines unless he evolves.

[a kennedy]

74. young voters only care about the weed vote?

[Ace Rothstein]

83. When did I say they only care about weed?

They also care about education costs and jobs. Someone that offers solutions to these is who they'll vote for.

[left-of-center2012]

23. No No No

I was told here on DU some weeks ago that I must support Oprah Winfrey as our candidate,
and we should scrap the primaries,
nominating her by acclamation.

I was told if I did not do so,
I am sexist and racist!

People can't keep making me switch to the flavor of the day!

I'm all in for Oprah !

[RandomAccess]

24. Let's leave it alone for awhile. Too many people here

haven't let go of freaking 2016 ticket and primary yet

[Lebam in LA]

25. Blah

Not a fan of Harris

[Bucky]

33. Explain

She seems like a moderately liberal, highly confident, effective administrator. That's just my impression though. I really don't know much about her on substance.

Can you break down what your objections are?

[Squinch]

26. Tammy Duckworth!!!

[msdogi]

28. let's do the upcoming midterms first

Let's focus on what needs doing now, and in the next 8 months

[KPN]

29. Way too early to tell.

Maybe good, maybe not so good. I'll let you know in 2019.

[ananda]

31. Adam Schiff is my current favorite!

nt

[Bucky]

32. I will vote for and work for just about anyone we nominate.

In this country, style and likeability count so much more than substance on issues. I'm an old fool, and I always look for substance and experience. But only style and likeability matter

So I don't intend to have any opinions during the primaries. We need to get someone likeable and inspiring on the ticket, win in 2020, and start cleaning all the shit off the walls

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. Cory Booker/Sherrod Brown.

[oberliner]

42. Two men?

We can do better.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

53. Cory Booker/Catherine Cortez Masto

[exboyfil]

81. Senator Masto is an intriguing choice

Would she help in AZ? I know it is difficult for a newly minted Senator, but if the party is serious about looking to the next generation of leaders, she needs better Committee assignments. Right now she has no high profile assignments.

[OldHippieChick]

36. If we don't take over the House in

2018 we may not have a country worth fighting for in 2020. Please focus folks.

[Iggo]

37. Nothing. That's the next fight. Not the current one.

Ask me again after the mid-terms.

[louis c]

39. Biden-Harris

[DAMANgoldberg]

60. Finally

Someone speaking my mind. Biden for 4 years, Harris thereafter.

Schneiderman for AG
Rosenworcel for FCC Chair
Reich for Economics
Kerry for State (again)

[louis c]

86. Exactly my opinion

Biden runs to give America a comfortable alternative to Trump, and Kamala gets groomed for 2024.

[Tatiana]

40. There's a lot an African-American woman would bring to the ticket.

Think about all of the obstacles a female has to overcome to achieve success in this country.

Then think about all of the obstacles a black person has to overcome in order to achieve success here.

Multiply those two things and that's what it takes to make it in the current society for a black female.

Successful black females need a broad array of knowledge in several different areas, have to think on their feet, know how to manage hostile entities. They also know when to walk away and when to stand their ground. They have incomparable grit and stamina. Not that others don't have these same qualities -- but I think the courage and intestinal fortitude factors give them something special.

JMHO

[elleng]

78. Yes, true there's a lot an African-American woman would bring to the ticket.

About Kamala Harris: Harris was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland, California to a Tamil Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris (1938–2009), and a Jamaican father, Donald Harris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

It would be supremely foolish to ignore her background.

[oberliner]

41. Solid

Long way to go though and lots to do before then!

[0rganism]

46. +1

miles to go before we sleep

[Upthevibe]

48. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!! To those folks who have commented that 2020 shouldn't EVEN. BE. DISCUSSED: PLEASE. DO. NOT. THINK. THAT. I. AM. DISREGARDING. OR. IN. ANY. WAY. IMPLYING. THAT. I. DO. NOT REALIZE. THE. IMPORTANCE. OF. THE. 2018 MIDTERMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I simply asked for an opinion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And to those who have given feedback on my inquiry, thank you.

[democratisphere]

51. Adam Schiff / Joe Kennedy Iii

[Upthevibe]

67. I love Schiff too...n/t

[democratisphere]

70. Adam is a real level headed, smart leader!

[exboyfil]

79. You need someone from the midwest

or a Florida favorite son/daughter. You may need both.

Also speaking as a white man, I don't see how you can have two white men on the ticket.

[Hekate]

58. Midterms first, please. GOTV

[DFW]

87. Exactly. Not interested in speculating beyond that right now.

We don't have Howard Dean working his inspirational and organizational magic this time, so it's either GOTV or have Republicans gloat at our unsuccessful efforts by pulling out one "surprise upset" after another. They will portray themselves as triumphant underdogs, coming from behind to retain their congressional majorities, claiming the America People have spoken, when no such thing took place. The American People spoke clearly in the presidential election of 2016, and the winning candidate did NOT take office. Only a massive GOTV on our side can prevent a rerun of this:

Don't think the Republicans are ignorant as to how popular they are right now. They know what they're (Republicanese: "their&quot up against. Putin acts like a Stalinist, as do our Republicans, and don't forget that quote attributed to Stalin: "Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."

[aikoaiko]

59. Sounds good but then again I thought Clinton/Kaine would win.

I hope the strategists come up with a good plan and a good message.

[Awsi Dooger]

65. We would be making a huge mistake in nominating a female

We are already making that mistake in 2018 with too many females, and consequently our net gain will not be what it should be or otherwise would be.

Pivotal independent voters shy away from female nominees. As a gambler I've known about that for a long time and it was glaring in 2006, when likewise we ruined our rightful net by nominating too many women.

Our party is incompetent in ignoring the big picture while relying on garbage subjectivity here and garbage subjectivity there. The idea should be to make fewer decisions, not more of them. Staying away from women unless it is a slam dunk race should be one of the absolute priorities, unless we are determined to remain in the minority or nearby.

This guy described the bottom line very well, estimating a 3 percent deficit for female nominees if similar caliber to an opposing male:

https://scholars.org/brief/win-elections-do-women-candidates-have-be-better-qualified-men

"Women who are more qualified to run end up doing as well as male candidates on Election Day. However, when male and female candidates are equally qualified, women confront a three-percent vote-penalty – that is, they get three percent less support from voters than would otherwise be expected."

<snip>

"I find that male independent voters – exactly the voters who often swing elections – are equally supportive of women candidates who have stronger qualifications. But when quality is held constant, male independents are 23 percent less likely to vote for female than male candidates."

[stevenleser]

66. WTF?

[Upthevibe]

68. Wow...........n/t

[shanny]

82. google the following: Kamala Harris Mnuchen OneWest Bank

[Kablooie]

85. It sure beats Bolton / Hannity

[IronLionZion]

88. We heard plenty of excuses why America would never elect Obama either

until he won in a historic landslide winning lots of new states that our party had given up for decades

Obama did temper the experience issue by picking Grandpa Joe Biden for his running mate. Joe Kennedy doesn't offer that.

I'm with you on Kamala Devi Harris, but maybe a more experienced VP like a governor or mayor with executive experience or an elder statesman/woman with international relations experience to repair the damage Trump has done to the world. A good rust belt Dem with lots of support from labor and manufacturing might help also.