General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRipples
It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
-- Senator Robert F. Kennedy; South Africa; 1966.
I'd like to take a minute or two to talk about three types of ripples. None should be confused with a cheap fortified wine associated with brown paper bags, Steve Bannon, and/or Stephen Miller's future. So let's move on from there.
The first type of ripple was that sent out by every person who participated in campaigns and voted for Democratic Party candidates in 2018. There was a lot of variety among those wonderful ripples being sent out and building together a powerful force. There was variety among the candidates our party had at the local, state, and national levels. Combined, these ripples became the current that resulted in important victories, especially in the House of Representatives. Significant in my mind is that we are now being represented there by variety of good people. Can't say the same for that other party, can we?
The second type of ripple are of the kind being sent out by court filings by the Mueller Team, the Southern District of New York, as well as other legal entities. These are being discussed frequently by journalists in a variety of media sources, and on a number of internet sites. We are able to say that these various ripples have combined to partially uncover the 2016 shipwreck known as the Trump-Russian scandal.
The third type of ripple that we are seeing involves those people within our Democratic Party who appear very interested in entering the primaries to become our candidate for president in 2020. This includes the ripples from journalists and others discussing their opinions on who is going to best represent us in that contest. Much like the first and second types of ripples, these represent a wide range of sources.
Our ripples come in various colors black, brown, red, yellow, and white. They represent everything from young to old, male to female, with a variety of backgrounds. The opposition party is restricted to old, white, wealthy, ethically-dehydrated drippings. Hence, as we witnessed in November, the current has begun to flow in the direction of constitutional democracy.
As individuals, each of us has an idea of which candidate should be our party's nominee for president. That's a good thing, so long as we do not ignore the many other ripples of that third type. It is, I think, too early to say with any certainty which candidate will become the clear choice in 2020. We are fortunate to already have so many options especially since the opposition will almost certainly be stuck with Trump or Pence.
I believe that any one of our potential candidates could win in 2020. Some appear, at this point, to be surer bets to win than others. But a lot can change between today and election day. We should be keeping open minds, as we keep our eyes on the prize. Our focus must be on winning the White House, the Senate, and expanding our majority in the House.
To accomplish this, we will need the energy created by all of those ripples. We need to recognize what brings about the energy of excitement among potential voters. Two of my favorite politicians Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are being mentioned as possible primary candidates. However, both are old white men. As a cranky old white man myself, I'd prefer that neither run again. You can only boil an egg once, as the Irish say, and both have had their turn.
I think our ticket should include youth, color, and at very least, one female. It's not as if we would need to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find such candidates. We have lots of good options that fit these descriptions. We have the opportunity to have the energy of an exciting ticket that appeals to the broadest base in 2020, one that every Democrat will be happy to actively support.
Peace,
H2O Man
MrsCoffee
(5,801 posts)H2O Man
(73,506 posts)MrsCoffee
(5,801 posts)H2O Man
(73,506 posts)2naSalit
(86,328 posts)a well reasoned post!
grantcart
(53,061 posts)of the Party agree.
Bring on the primaries and let's see who thrives under pressure.
Iowa Republicans have covered them with shame with their support of Trump and King but the Democrats there have done well.
Adding California to the early mix will help bring more diversity to the first stage. This could be the Party's finest hour.
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)I think there are a number of very strong candidates right now. It will be interesting to see which ones do best under that pressure that such a contest will create. And there are many people who would make for a compelling VP choice.
While Trump is not the sum-total of our problems, his toxic behaviors have been helpful in bringing to light that we have to be united. And now is the time to focus some of our attention on that.
erronis
(15,181 posts)and how they can amplify or cancel one another. And how new energy is needed to keep them active.
Perhaps too tangential is the concept of standing waves or solitons that can maintain strength and cohesion if the environment is favorable.
But I'm sure you, H2O Man know all about these!
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)I think the most valuable part of DU is when someone posts a thought, and then another person responds by taking that thought to another level. Well done!
FakeNoose
(32,579 posts)I'd like to nominate Michelle Obama because she'd be an awesome POTUS. However I don't believe she would be interested. I hope I'm wrong about that.
I hang out a lot with my cousin. Days that I don't visit, we end up texting and/or calling each other. One of the things that each of us frequently says is that we wish Ms. Obama would run for president. But, as you say, that isn't likely ..at least right now. But if she did, I think she'd get more than 60% of the vote nationally.
Timewas
(2,190 posts)Foremost as always is that we promote an electable,capable candidate that can win and can do the job we entrust them with irrespective of anything else.
Color,age and gender need be separate considerations...
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)I'm interested in having the most electable, capable candidate that can win, and exactly as you note, do the job effectively. And for me personally, color, age, and gender are, as a rule, separate considerations.
However, in part because I am so old that I have watched our candidates win and lose presidential elections, I tend to look at what factors made some good candidates successful, while other good candidates have lost. Those factors include personal characteristics as well as the social-economic-political environment at the time of their candidacy. Indeed, if the vast majority of voters supported the most capable candidate, there wouldn't have been a single republican president in my lifetime, excepting possibly Ike.
The face of America has, thank goodness, changed significantly in my lifetime. This year's House election results indicate that factors including (but not limited to) age, color, and gender do play a large role in getting people out to vote. And we need more than those who can always be trusted to vote in 2020. One can look at various groups that under-voted in 2016, for example, compared to their group's participation in 2008 or 2012. Also, we should recognize what gets "young people" -- a group that changes every election cycle -- to be more active this year.
Lars39
(26,106 posts)H2O Man
(73,506 posts)what you are referring to? Thanks!
Lars39
(26,106 posts)intent in doing all she could to fight against poverty. She would write about how we are all connected, referencing ripples. Unfortunately her OPs are on an older DU version.
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)My memory isn't what it used to be. Thanks for reminding me.
coeur_de_lion
(3,676 posts)Will hopefully cause a Tsunami next spring.
A Tsunami thatll carry away the rotting carcass of Individual 1. Or as I like to call him, Imbecile 1.
I had this thought as I nodded off last night. What if the latest instruction from Imbecile 1s boss Vlad is to do as much damage to the country as he can before the big report from Mueller comes out?
Looking at his latest antics that seems to be his goal. Hurt the country as much as possible before the trap springs shut.
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)by early spring, we will all be much happier. DU:GD will feature singing and dancing with wild abdomen. Chances are that you and I will record a different version of one of John's great songs, with a chorus of, "Christ you know it ain't easy, you know hard it can be; the way things are going, their gonna impeach me."
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,254 posts)I can't dance anyway, with or without a wild abdomen.
malaise
(268,698 posts)H2O Man
(73,506 posts)I've been sicker than a dog lately, and spending most of my time in bed. The idea for this essay approached me late in the night. It took me a bit to remember it when I woke up. I like the idea behind it, if I say so myself.
sellitman
(11,605 posts)Thank you for putting into words my thoughts in a much more concise and thoughtful way then I ever could.
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)Much appreciated.
kentuck
(111,052 posts)What if, after all the primaries are over, three white men finish in front of everyone else??
I think the Party is in an historic transition. It now represents America more than any Party in our history, in my opinion.
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)Anything is possible
.and as I wrote that, I remember that is something that Rubin used to say to audiences when he spoke. At this point, I do not think anyone can predict with any certainty what our primaries will result in -- other than the candidate who will win in 2020. I'm looking forward to some outstanding debates between our candidates, and I suspect that these will identify who can best lead our party and country.
The important thing is that, no matter who wins, we all do our best to get him/her elected.