Here's why I won't necessarily vote for the most progressive candidate
We have several great candidates in the race right now and I wholeheartedly agree with what they have to say. But simply having a progressive agenda doesn't mean a thing if they can't get legislation passed.
I think it's probably a long shot that we can have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate after 2020, so we're going to need a President who can use the bully pulpit to get good legislation passed. As much as I love Barack Obama I feel that he could have done a better job getting a more progressive healthcare bill passed. We had a supposedly veto-proof majority for a time, but a few holdouts led by Joe Lieberman derailed 'Medicare for all' and put their own agenda first. President Obama was still learning the ropes at the time, I have to wonder if we could have gotten 'Medicare for all' passed had he worked with Democratic leadership and threatened the holdouts with the loss of leadership roles in the Senate, for instance.
My point is that I want a President who's articulate, compassionate, and tough as nails from day 1. I haven't made my mind up yet who I'll support among our excellent field of candidates, but I believe we need someone who has proven themselves to be impossible to say no to.
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