Who are the Democrats for president in 2020?

[S.E. TN Liberal]

Last edited Thu Apr 26, 2018, 05:35 PM - Edit history (8)

When potential candidates are trying to build a base and test the waters before making an official announcement to run, they tend to do a few things that are indicators of their intentions.

- Often, they write a book. This helps get their name out, gets them an income stream, and shows a bit of what they want to stand for.

- They start showing up at events in Iowa and New Hampshire.

- They get involved with raising money for other candidates hoping to receive help in turn when they run.

- They get even more careful how and when they vote for legislation.

With the candidates who are expected run, (Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, for example), we can see the pattern already taking place. I think these four are working to get into position to make serious runs.

Who else is preparing to run?
Edited to add; Chris Murphy, Deval Patrick, Eric Holder, Sherrod Brown, and Elizabeth Warren, (thanks, Garrett78)

Also, Terry McAuliffe, (Thanks VA Lefty)

Also, Julian Castro, Ex-Obama housing secretary. https://www.apnews.com/9f60ffbe39ac49a0bf219710adcd69f4

Who are the lesser known candidates who are showing signs of planning to run?

Edited to add; Maryland Congressman John Delaney, (thanks, Algernon Moncrieff) https://www.democraticunderground.com/11001961

Also; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/la-mayor-eric-garcetti-considers-2020-run/ is said to be exploring a run.

Edited to add; Pete Buttigieg, who is the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. (Thanks, stevenleser)
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/03/27/buttigieg-2020-president-off-message-217712

Also, Representative Luis Gutierrez from Chicago, (thanks, lunamagica)


15 so far and still counting.

This was the event that made me wonder just how many and which Democrats are looking to run in 2020;

"Clinton to fundraise alongside possible 2020 contenders"

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/383173-clinton-to-fundraise-alongside-likely-2020-candidates

___________________________________________________________________________

This article suggests there may be as many as 40 Democrats who stand up to run in 2020:

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/01/democrats-obscure-candidates-trump-312215

"...Eyeing a historically unpopular commander in chief, a national party devoid of an obvious front-runner, and increasingly accessible online tools providing a semi-reliable source of funding, Democrats find that the barriers to entering the presidential conversation are lower than ever. And each new entry begets others eager to be in the mix or at least raise their profile — however slim their chances of winning the nomination might be.

Indeed, the swift expansion of the "Why-not-me caucus" shows no signs of slowing. And it's ballooning the party’s roster of potential candidates, which is stretching past 40 wannabes — including a dozen-plus senators, a half-dozen governors, seven or so House members, and 10 or more former lawmakers of all stripes...."...

____________________________________________________________________________-

How do they handle televised debates if there are 20 or more candidates who commit to run? There will be lots of controversy about who should get to be on the stage and how much time they are allowed to speak. We saw the controversy happen when there were so many republican'ts running in 2016. Be prepared to see it happen again.


The early campaigns in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and South Carolina might well become crazy with so many candidates. The fifth primary, in California is going to shake out all but the best known and best financed candidates.

With so many delegates to be won in California, whoever wins there will have a huge advantage over everyone else.

With only one nominee to be chosen, many supporters are going to have to accept their first choice won't be the nominee. We need everyone to get behind the eventual winner and put a Democrat in the White House.

[kimbutgar]

1. What would any sane Democrat announce this early and experience the poison arrows, defamation,

Made up lies of the right wing industrial hate complex and inneudos now?

[S.E. TN Liberal]

3. kimbutgar, they are not announcing yet...

..but several are clearly laying the foundations for their campaigns.

Other then the ones I have mentioned, who else is already showing signs of making preparations?

[kimbutgar]

4. Nothing wrong working under the radar.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

27. kimbutgar,

At least one candidate has, in fact, already announced he is running for president; Maryland Congressman John Delaney.

https://www.johnkdelaney.com/about/

https://www.johnkdelaney.com/my-vision/

Good for him. He looks like the first of the many who are expected to throw their hats in the ring.

The 2020 campaign is already underway.

[kimbutgar]

28. First time I have ever heard of him

[S.E. TN Liberal]

30. kimbutgar,

First time for me also.

That is why I started this thread. I want to hear about the candidates early so I have time to see what their records are and what they stand for.

[StevieM]

2. I am hoping that Tom Steyer runs. (eom)

[S.E. TN Liberal]

13. StevieM, why do you think Tom Steyer would do well being a politician?

Raising money and bringing up issues is something he does very well. Being in the hot seat is a very different job.

[StevieM]

17. I like the things he has had to say. And I especially like his devotion to fighting climate change.

Al Gore isn't running. So I want Tom Steyer.

In the end about 20 Democrats are likely to run. Eventually we will settle on one of them and I trust that we will all get behind the nominee.

Welcome to DU!!

[S.E. TN Liberal]

41. StevieM,

Thanks for the welcome.

I'll eventually settle on one candidate I think most represents my views on issues.

Whether that one becomes the party nominee or not I will support whoever the majority of Democrats select unless they pick someone like TraitorTrump, (I do have my limits).

[karynnj]

66. I agree with you that climate change is important, but the first steps

for ANY Democrat are obvious. Rejoin Paris and reimpose the Obama executive orders.

What I will look for when we have people running is whether any have any real commitment on this. It has not, in the past, been a key voting issue. Only Kerry and Gore really had long term commitment and energy on this issue when they ran. Both made huge contributions AFTER they lost. Gore with his talks, movie and activism and Kerry as an essential architect of Paris.

Any Democrat will do the minimum stated. We may have to push this as a grass roots issue and demand that the cabinet have at least one person who will passionately make this his or her signature issue. That person could and would lead efforts to aid state, city, or business efforts, pulling everyone together to learn from each other.

[Sherman A1]

5. Yes, some are doing the basic stuff needed to get

in a postion to run or are testing the waters as you have mentioned. Also remember that some are really running for the #2 slot on the ticket in order to position themselves for further down the road.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

12. Sherman A1, who do you think is running already for the #2 position?

So far, I think they all have hopes of being #1 on the ticket.

[Sherman A1]

21. It is really far too early to tell as to who will be looking at either spot

I would think the more likely ones that would be looking at the #2 spot are the younger ones or the ones with far less national name recognition. As you looked at the crowded GOP field last time around, many knew they really didn't have a chance but would have been very happy with just getting on the ticket or perhaps a senior cabinet post.

In any case it's a long way off and things can change rapidly.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

22. Sherman A1,

you say, "It is really far too early to tell as to who will be looking at either spot...".

There are several candidates who are clearly doing the things they need to be doing for a 2020 run for president.

All the trips being made to Iowa and New Hampshire, the meetings with the bigger donors, and even some of the choices being made on votes in the Senate show a pattern of getting ready to announce.

Candidates want to believe they will have the money and support needed to make a serious run before they announce.

Of course, the actual announcements will come next Spring and Summer. But, the steps leading to those announcements are already underway. You just need to keep an eye on news reports to see the pattern.

If you want to follow some of the news about what the candidates are doing, http://www.electoral-vote.com is a good site to follow.

[Sherman A1]

24. I must disagree.

I believe that it is far too early to tell who will be looking at either spot. Certainly some are laying some basic ground work and testing the waters for a potential run, but that hardly means that they will even if things look promising for them, people change their mind or circumstances change their minds for them.

24 hours is an eternity in politics and we have a whole lot of 24 hours between now and the primary runs.

Thanks for the link but, I will wait for a considerable period and let it all sort itself out.

I will make a choice in my State Primary when it comes about and I will vote for the eventual nominee whoever they happen to be. I likely will not donate to anyone as my track record tells me that is probably not the best thing to do. Whoever I give money to seems to come in second.

[cbreezen]

6. I think we need to get through November 2018 first.

After that, we can better assess where we're headed.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

8. Actually, cbreezen, the run for 2020 is already being prepared for..

If you want to limit your thinking to 2018 that is fine. But, 2018 is only about Congressional, Senatorial, State and local elections.

They have little to do with the 2020 presidential campaigns.

Many people can look ahead at the same time.

[red dog 1]

76. "They have little to do with the 2020 presidential campaigns"???

The mid-term elections this November have EVERYTHING to do with the 2020 presidential campaign.

If the Democrats can re-take control of both houses of Congress in this year's mid-terms, Shitler will surely be impeached, and Pence may be as well, so we, as Democrats, need to focus on the upcoming mid-term elections this November.

I'm not being critical of your thread.
Speculating about who may or may not be the Democratic nominee for POTUS in 2020 is a legitimate and interesting topic for discussion.
But the mid-terms are coming up this November..which is only a little more than 6 months from now.
So to say that "they have little to do with the 2020 presidential campaigns' is just plain wrong, in my opinion.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

82. red dog 1,

If you follow the news there are already a bunch of candidates getting their 2020 campaigns ready for announcement by this Winter or next Spring.

You can be sure there will be a bunch of Democrats who will be running for president who won't be deterred by the 2018 outcomes.

So, while you have your opinion, I am sticking with mine.

Also, if you read the political sites, most agree the Democrats will not start impeachment against TraitorTrump. Hoping they will do so is wishful thinking.

Reasons are;

1-Impeaching takes 2/3 majority in the House to Impeach and 2/3 majority to convict in the Senate. Without republican'ts support any effort to impeach will be a waste of time.

2-TraitorTrump is doing great harm to the republican't party. Why get rid of the one guy who is working so hard in the Democrats favor?

3-After impeaching Clinton, the republican'ts lost public support. The Democrats fear they will lose more than they can gain if they waste time trying to impeach TraitorTrump.

Don't get your hopes up that major changes will happen when the Democrats get control of the House and if they get control of the Senate. The republican't Senators will still be able to filibuster anything the Democrats bring to the floor in the Senate while, even if somehow the House and Senate get anything passed, they still will have TraitorTrump's veto to deal with.

Also, the Democratic leadership is already telling Democrats to avoid talking about impeaching TraitorTrump.

[red dog 1]

89. 1) Impeachment does not take a two-thirds majority of the House, only a simple majority

Bill Clinton was impeached on grounds of perjury to a grand jury by a 228 to 206 vote.
He was impeached for obstruction of justice by a 221 to 212 vote.
You're correct about the Senate, though..It does take a two-thirds vote to convict.

2) After impeaching Bill Clinton, the Republicans did lose public support, but not because of the successful impeachment by the House.
The GOP probably lost public support because the Senate failed to vote to convict.
The perjury charge was defeated with 45 votes for conviction and 55 against.
The obstruction of justice charge was defeated with 50 votes for and 50 against.
Both charges failed to even come close to the 67 votes it would have taken for a conviction.

3) Democratic leadership cannot "tell" Democrats to avoid talking about impeaching Trump.
Pelosi and other Democratic leaders can only "suggest" that.
Democrats in Congress can talk about whatever they want to, without seeking "permission" from Democratic leadership.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Shouldn't we be worried about the mid term elections first?

[S.E. TN Liberal]

9. Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin, those who want to win in 2020 are already at work.

Running for president takes years of preparations.

If Democratic voters sit back and wait till the last minute, they will have missed the real work that has taken place.

Learning about who is running and what their track records are is important.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

16. Then they are the ones who should be working

First things first. You never addressed my comment about 2018.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

23. Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin,

your question is, "Shouldn't we be worried about the mid term elections first?"

Are you suggesting we can only "worry" about one thing at a time?

If that is your choice, by all means focus on what you most are "worried" about.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

36. I hope this point is obvious to you

But if we don't take control of one or both house of Congress in 2018 we may not have a presidential election in 2020.

[dalton99a]

39. No shit

Or at least in a weakened position

[red dog 1]

77. + 1

[elocs]

10. Bernie Sanders' mistake was in allowing a savvy and experienced candidate such as Hillary Clinton

get years of a head start on him, even unofficially, in building and funding her campaign organization and getting her ducks in a row. You don't give such a horse a big head start on you and realistically hope to catch them. Also, running for the nomination is hardball and not some pretty and polite competition with Marquis of Queensbury rules and crying about how it's not fair when you lose.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

11. elocs, have you seen any signs that indicate Bernie is planning a 2020 run?

I personally doubt he will run again.

I hope 2020 does not turn into a circus with 18 Democrats going against each other. Four or five would be more than enough.

[StevieM]

18. As I wrote to you above, I expect 20 Democrats to run.

It will probably be down to 2 or 3 by Super Tuesday.

And I would be shocked if Bernie does not run. Same for Biden.

[elocs]

62. "I hope 2020 does not turn into a circus with 18 Democrats going against each other."

I am loathe to say anything positive about my governor Scott Walker but when he dropped out as a candidate for the Republican nomination he encouraged others to do the same to prevent Trump from winning. If only some had listened, but the egos got in the way and we ended up with Trump.

But my comment about Sanders was in regard to the last campaign when I think Clinton had her eye on running the moment she left as Secretary of State.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

83. elocs,

I was under the impression Scott Walker dropped out because he was not getting many votes and the Kochroach brothers cut off his funding.

Then he tried to pretend he was drooping out for a heroic reason. That piece of slime would not know the truth if he he had a truckload of it dumped on his head.

I believe Hillary was already looking to the 2016 elections when she took the SOS job for Obama. She was using her position to pad her resume and to make lots of contacts to help her 2016 run. Plus, she made a deal with Obama to get his support.

[elocs]

88. Whatever Walker's reasons, his saying others should drop out to stop Trump was correct.

But in the end their egos were too big and they never thought Trump would win.

[trueblue2007]

14. allowing a savvy and experienced candidate such as Hillary Clinton ????

i feel this comment is sexist. a woman like Hillary Clinton ALLOWED ??? i DON'T THINK SO.

[redgreenandblue]

32. Sigh. No. nt

[S.E. TN Liberal]

37. trueblue2007,

The full sentence was "Bernie Sanders' mistake was in allowing a savvy and experienced candidate such as Hillary Clinton get years of a head start on him, even unofficially, in building and funding her campaign organization and getting her ducks in a row."

Your reply does not fit with the full sentence.

[KentuckyWoman]

15. I'm a huge Joe Biden fan... but

i'd like to see us put up some fresh faces. We've got plenty of talent.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

42. KentuckyWoman,

I also am a huge Biden fan. His experience is a big plus. Plus the fact he is such a decent human being.

Imagine if he became the Democratic nominee for president in 2020, ran with one of the younger Democrats for VP, got our government back on track, and then refused to run for a second term leaving us with someone with 4 years as VP running for President in 2024?

That would be a big help towards cleaning up the mess these republican'ts leave behind and get a Democrat into a strong position for the 2024 campaign.

Just a thought. Crazier things have happened.

[KentuckyWoman]

63. I can easily give you that one.

4 years of Mr. Biden and another 8 of the next generation.

Selfish, I know, but it would mean I could leave this world telling myself this country is in better hands.

Good plan.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

19. Maryland Congressman John Delaney

I posted a thread here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/11001961

[S.E. TN Liberal]

25. Algernon Moncrieff,

thank you for this input.

I have never heard of Maryland Congressman John Delaney before.

It looks like he stands for several issues that I support.

https://www.johnkdelaney.com/my-vision/

I am kinda of surprised he has actually announced his intent to run for president already but, good for him.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

45. I know he's not a household name at this point

But he has, indeed, announced and I think DU is a great place to spread the word about his campaign and his message.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

47. Algernon Moncrieff,

neither were; Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, or Bernie Sanders. All of them were basically only locally known.

I am a Union man myself and I gotta say, I like what Congressman John Delaney supports.

[Garrett78]

20. Chris Murphy, Deval Patrick, Eric Holder and Sherrod Brown have been mentioned.

Various governors and mayors have also shown up on lists of possible candidates.

Both Biden and Sanders would be, by far, the oldest to ever take office. Holder and S. Brown (and Elizabeth Warren) are also getting up there. Let's face it, the body and mind tend to break down when people reach their 70s and beyond. That's just a fact of life.

That said, I could see Sherrod Brown as VP. Murphy-Brown would be ripe for jokes that millennials wouldn't get.

The likes of Brown and Murphy (not to mention Warren) would cut into Bernie's support.

Harris-Brown or Harris-Murphy makes the most sense to me.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

26. Garrett78,

you've mentioned a few that I should have remembered are exploring their options already.

Thanks for adding to the list of potential candidates.

I am guessing Bernie will stay out of the 2020 run.

[workinclasszero]

29. Maybe we should concentrate on the fall elections first?

If we don't have a massive blue wave election, nothing else matters.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

31. workinclasszero,

I am curious; how does looking forward to 2020 take away from working on 2018?

Is it impossible to do both?

[workinclasszero]

34. IMO it's needlessly divisive and will pit dem vs dem just before one of the most

important elections ever held in this country.

Who runs for president in 2020 doesn't mean a damn thing compared to the midterm elections.

Democrats should be united as one in a GOTV effort for that election, period. IMO of course.

Many folks want to stir up divisions ahead of this super important election and I question their motives.

Seeing lots of shit stirring on this board lately and I don't think its a coincidence.

[dalton99a]

38. +1

I will refrain from any endorsements until after the midterms

[Heartstrings]

86. Thank you dalton99a! nt

[S.E. TN Liberal]

40. workinclasszero,

It is a fact that potential candidates are already at work on their 2020 efforts to become the Democratic nominee for president.

My purpose is to help make people aware of who the candidates are.

I hope nothing in this thread is about pitting any candidate against any other.

As for the attacks they will face, that is a given. Both Democrats who prefer one over another and republican'ts who will attack every Democrat have their agendas. Nothing in this thread will have any effect on that.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

44. What does divisiveness matter here on DU?

It's a discussion board with next to zero influence AFAIK on the national political scene.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

46. workinclasszero,

It appears to me that you know about trying to create divisiveness towards Democrats who are likely to run for president in 2020 with this article to turn people against Kirsten Gillibrand.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210536769

I think it is your motives that deserve being questioned.

[workinclasszero]

64. I reject your unfounded criticism

Sen Gillibrand has stated publicly that she has no intention of running for president in 2020.

[crazycatlady]

33. Let's get through the midterms first

ETA there are a lot of seats up this year (particularly governors) and I think after November some superstars will emerge. I've got a few names in mind, but I want to see what our bench looks like after November too.

I don't want to give up a governor/senate seat only to see it flip red.

[red dog 1]

79. I agree

We can speculate now about 2020, but the midterms are coming up soon, and they are much more important (as a topic of conversation) than who might emerge as our nominee in 2020, imo.

[average_mo_dem]

35. I think Jon Tester would make a good candidate

[S.E. TN Liberal]

43. average_mo_dem, welcome to DU. nm

[average_mo_dem]

50. Thank you

[bluestarone]

48. I think maybe wait til after the midterm! Actually NO ONE to my knowledge

Has stepped forward to announce they are running? Except for Tom Steyer! He's the only one that said he will run i believe. (could be wrong here)

[S.E. TN Liberal]

49. bluestarone,

Actually, Congressman John K. Delaney has announced he is running.

https://www.johnkdelaney.com/my-vision/

Several others have made it clear they are preparing for a run.

[Heartstrings]

51. Midterms first please.........nt

[S.E. TN Liberal]

54. Heartstrings,

why ignore the fact the 2020 candidates are already getting ready to start their campaigns?

What about the 2018 campaigns will suffer by discussing who is running for president in 2020?

[Heartstrings]

58. Once we gain some control with midterms

we can discuss all we need. Without any control it’s futile imo. Besides, why give the gop more time for character assasinations....just my opinion for what it’s worth.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

69. Heartstrings,

the republican'ts are going to engage in character assassinations anyhow.

They sure as hell can't run on their record or what they actually are doing to this country.

Besides, I would bet you a dollar against a dough-nut hole that the republican'ts are already more knowledgeable about who is planning to run than you or I are. They already have staffs of people doing research and making up lies to use against all the Democrats who might run.

What is it about the midterms you think might change if we ignore discussing who is taking steps to get into the 2020 campaign for president?

Personally, I feel capable of doing what I need to for the midterms and looking to the future at the same time. It is even less challenging than walking and chewing gum simultaneously.

[Heartstrings]

70. We can debate our potential 2020 candidates

until the cows come home but if we don't take control at midterms we may not have a party to run in 2020.
Focus on Midterms, and after we take control, we go for the WH.....

[S.E. TN Liberal]

72. Heartstrings, do as you like and I will do as I like. I hope that works for you. nm

[Heartstrings]

75. See, the thing is TN Liberal,

in my state of Wisconsin...I need to fight tooth and nail to hold onto my dem senator and congress reps, while also fighting to unseat Walker and keeping Ryan at bay come 11-2018...that is my entire focus and I have no extra energy to expend until after those seats are secure.
It’s certainly not a case of I don’t care or haven’t thought about the 2020 candidates, it’s just that I need to focus all my energy on 2018 as my state needs to flip...looking at the big picture, I hope you can understand where I’m coming from.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

84. Heartstrings,

With all that is on your mind I am surprised you would spend time going into a thread clearly defined as "Who are the Democrats for president in 2020?" and try to shift it to the 2018 midterms; especially since there are no candidates running for president in 2018.

Start a thread on the 2018 midterms and have your discussion there.

This is not the thread to bring those concerns into.

[Heartstrings]

85. Point taken....

I'm assuming you've made that point clear to the rest of the posters concerned more for the midterms, at this time, than the 2020 run.
I also wasn't aware of any rules or regulations on the flow of a thread, have I missed something? Pretty sure we can freely post our feelings on any thread as long as it's kept civil.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

87. Heartstrings,

You are free to talk about anything you wish.

I just am surprised at the amount of time you, as well the others who have said pretty much the same thing you have, choose to waste being off topic.

[Ccarmona]

52. I Will Not Be Seeking the Democratic Nomination

To run for President in 2020.
There, that’s done. 😎

[S.E. TN Liberal]

56. Thanks Ccarmona,

at least you have somewhat narrowed the field. lol

[MyOwnPeace]

61. To quote Pat Paulsen:

"If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve!"

[S.E. TN Liberal]

73. MyOwnPeace,

I am old enough to remember Pat Paulsen "running" for president. He was always a lot of fun.

[PoliticAverse]

80. That's not "Shermanesque" enough - to make people stop speculating you have to say

something like...

"I hereby state, and mean all that I say, that I never have been and never will be a candidate for President; that if nominated by either party, I should peremptorily decline; and even if unanimously elected I should decline to serve."

[Va Lefty]

53. I'd be very surprised if former Gov. of Va. Terry McAuliffe doesn't run

[Garrett78]

67. There is reason to believe he will, but he shouldn't.

Neither Sanders nor anyone closely associated with Clinton should run, for good of the party and nation. Not that McAuliffe would have any chance at being nominated.

[Va Lefty]

68. Agree with both points

[S.E. TN Liberal]

74. Va Lefty,

Thanks for adding Terry McAuliffe. I did not know he was looking to run in 2020.

I do know he skipped running in 2016 because he would not run against his good friend, Hillary Clinton. That shows some personal character I respect.

"Terry McAuliffe, Elizabeth Warren and the race to be the Democrats’ 2020 Trump antidote"

...“The focus ought to be on ’18,” he told CNN. “I think if people are interested in running for president, they ought to look at it January and February and March of 2019.”

Apparently not even McAuliffe can wait that long.

The former Virginia governor just dropped a big hint about his 2020 intentions, telling the Washington Free Beacon, “Who better to take on Trump than me?” It wasn't altogether surprising from the Macker — he has been dropping hints for a while now — but it is the most directly he's spoken about the whole thing.

And combined with a few other developments in recent weeks, it makes clear that the 2020 race is already lurching to a start — with a heavy premium on defining exactly what is the Democrats' antidote to Trump. But there are about as many viable answers to that question as there are potential candidates...."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/02/26/terry-mcauliffe-elizabeth-warren-and-the-race-to-be-the-democrats-2020-trump-antidote/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.524b94f804bb

[LanternWaste]

55. I want to see the makeup of both chambers after the Nov. elections

I want to see the makeup of both chambers after the Nov. elections to more effectively see who would be in the best tactical position to take advantage of the new body's dynamics.

In other words, I first want to read the relevant terrain and know which flanks need reinforcement prior to engaging or supporting any one particular leader. For example, one individual may be better suited to working with a minority-friendly congress than another who herself may be better suited to working with a majority-friendly.

After November, I'll begin collating policy for a presidential candidate.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

57. LanternWaste,

That is an interesting strategy.

Are there any candidates you think would be better than others depending upon the make-up of the Congress?

[LanternWaste]

59. Yes. But that potential make-up can consist of so many variations

"Are there any candidates you think would be better..."

Yes. But that potential make-up can consist of so many variations (not simply majority-minority) that at this point, it's simply guessing which drops of rain hits my nose first.

If we use the tactical battlefield analogy again, I want to know what the specific terrain is (in this case, the houses, which specific on-point political brandings of the cycle gets play, who my opponents are, who my soldiers are, etc) before I assign a general (e.g., pick a candidate).

Gen. Franks was effective when he had fuel, supplies and open terrain. Remove any two of those three variables, and Gen. Bradley becomes the better choice. Add even another variable, and we open ourselves to prophecy and guess-work.

Not to say it's a waste of your time (or anyone else's) to peer into the looking glass, but were I to prognosticate at this early, it would be little more than a guess.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

60. LanternWaste,

I am not asking anyone who they think will win.

I am not asking who should or should not run.

I have simply asked who is showing signs that they are taking the steps potential candidates take when preparing to run.

It may seem like November 2020 is a long time away but, many potential candidates have been preparing for months, if not years, already.

Your views about who might be better in given circumstances intrigues me and would make for an interesting discussion in another thread.

[stevenleser]

65. Pete Buttigieg is my candidate. nt

[S.E. TN Liberal]

71. stevenleser,

I did not know he was in the run. Thanks for adding his name to this thread.

"Buttigieg Gets Closer to a 2020 Campaign"


"The South Bend mayor has a PAC spending money in Iowa, is staffing up with presidential campaign vets and quietly building key relationships ahead of 2020."

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/03/27/buttigieg-2020-president-off-message-217712

[lunamagica]

78. Rep. Luis Gutierrez

[S.E. TN Liberal]

81. Thanks, lunamagica,

I had not heard of Representative Luis Gutierrez, from Chicago, before.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-gutierrez/democratic-representative-gutierrez-hints-at-2020-u-s-presidential-run-idUSKBN1DT3JX