"Better than Trump" is just not good enough.

[Saviolo]

Hey, everyone! It's primary season! The season when we apparently all tear each other apart. One big defense I see a lot of candidate faithfuls use is "Compared to Trump, s/he's..."

Stop it. We aren't comparing our candidate to Trump. Of course your preferred candidate is better than Trump. Almost anyone would be better than Trump. That is such an absurdly low bar I can't even look at it. Jeb! would be better than Trump right now, that's how low the bar is. GWB would be better than Trump, and I sure as hell don't want that whole mess back.

It's early in the season, there are still a lot (too many) candidates, and it's important that we keep our minds open, and we keep ourselves honest and asking important questions. A lot of us have a favourite candidate, and a lot have still not chosen anyone. It's all valid. But we have to stop with "But compared to Trump..." nonsense. Of course your candidate is better than Trump. The joke is that you'd vote for a ham sandwich over Trump, but keep in mind: Not everyone would. Some people need to be excited to come to the polls. Some people need something strong and tangible to vote FOR, not just to vote against.

Several candidates seem like they'd be very good at righting the ship and getting everything back to how it was before Trump took office. Great! We need that, but remember that there are at-risk communities whose lives still weren't great then, either. Trans people were still dying in the streets. Unarmed POC were being shot by police. The poor were getting poorer and the rich getting richer. Women were losing bodily autonomy. This has been going on under D and R presidents. D and R congress.

Whoever the D candidate is needs to do more than say "I'm going to beat Trump." Of course. Of course we all desire Trump's loss and removal (and hopefully perp walk). But that candidate also has to say "... and we're going to take this country forward. We're going to look after our vulnerable and at-risk communities. We're going to try to address decades (or centuries) of systemic inequality." That is how you get people to vote FOR you, by actually offering something to the people who need it. To the people suffering. Not only that, but you have to do your best to actually deliver.

Sorry for rambling, just some frustration. Whoever the candidate ends up being, they need to be ready to move things forward. We also need to take back the Senate, and GOTV for that race, too.

[DanTex]

1. Likelihood of beating Trump is my #1 criterion for primary candidate.

Sure, there are some candidates that I'd rather see as president than others.

But not so much so that I'd be willing to accept a greater chance of losing to Trump.

[peggysue2]

14. x1000

For 2020, WINNING IS EVERYTHING.

Anything less is national suicide. That's how critical this election is. Our lives and future as a people, a country will pivot on 2020's election results.

[Celerity]

24. +2

[FiveGoodMen]

2. k&r!

[HerbChestnut]

3. Agreed. Great post.

[wasupaloopa]

4. Presidents sign bills they do not make law. What ever plans they talk about has

to pass a Senate with 60 votes. Making your choice on plans over beating trump is stupid.

And you and others need to STOP telling what to not post.

[Saviolo]

5. What I'm trying to say is:

All of the candidates are trying to beat Trump. Everyone single person in that pool is dedicated to beating Trump. Everyone on this website is dedicated to beating Trump. There's no contest. It's baked in the DNA here. He's an absolute train wreck disaster, and not even in slow motion. He's galloping.

But some people have barely been touched by Trump's policies. They're upper-middle-class and ambivalent to politics. They probably call themselves moderates or centrists. They're not on this website. They tend to react to politicians saying shitty things about other politicians (yes, even Trump) with "Well, I don't want any part in these dirty politics." and stay home. They need something to vote for.

Beating Trump is the very lowest setting on any of these candidates, is there anyone on the debate stage that isn't passionately in favour of beating Trump? If so, what are they even doing there?

[LincolnRossiter]

6. It's not just "better than Trump" as a standard. It's "can he/she beat Trump?"

I assume this is largely targeting Biden supporters. We support Biden because we admire his earnestness, decency, and pragmatism. We trust him and respect his extensive record in public service.

But yes, like it or not, a lot of us are confident Trump would beat the other top tier candidates. I think he'd beat Warren and Bernie pretty handily, in fact. In our estimation, their policy positions are simply not representative of a winning coalition of voters.

[Saviolo]

8. I think any of the top candidates could beat Trump

So long as they do the work to engage voters and there are also strong GOTV campaigns. It worked in 2018, when the blue wave washed through Congress (and look at how Trump's ire immediately turned to how terrible Congress is). That's largely going to be grassroots efforts to get people out to vote blue no matter who. I specifically wasn't targeting anyone in my OP (except maybe Delaney who's crappy) because I think that a lot of the people up there could trounce Trump if the voters also do their part. And a part of that will be the candidate engaging with people and building enthusiasm with ideas.

[Skittles]

9. Biden is not the only candidate who could beat Trump

[myohmy2]

11. I'm...

...getting nervous he might not be able to beat trump...too many gaffs...

...when trump starts tweeting all day long about Joe's latest gaff, there'll be little time or energy for anything else...it'll be the non-stop defense of Joe...

...now I'm getting scared...

...

[Skittles]

17. yeah, I hear you

I just get weary of constantly being old Bide is the only one

[BannonsLiver]

34. Is scared a new synonym for gleeful, wishful, hopeful or excited?

Also the word is GAFFES.

[LincolnRossiter]

12. All available data suggest he's the strongest contender.

And besides, he’ll make a great president. Not taking any chances on candidates who are polling within the margin of error just because they’re a shiny new object.

[Skittles]

20. I resent being told this early in the process that we have to settle

fuck that noise

[LincolnRossiter]

25. To your point...

1. I’m not settling. I think Joe is both the best option and the most electable option.

2. No one told you that you have to settle—at this point or any point in the process.

3. I don’t care what you resent.

[Skittles]

36. LOL

ALRIGHTY THEN

[BannonsLiver]

35. Nobody told you that.

[Tipperary]

26. I like Biden, and I agree. nt

[peggysue2]

15. Excellent summation

Of where most Biden supporters stand.

[BannonsLiver]

7. "Just win, baby." - Al Davis

[Vegas Roller]

10. Being able to beat Trump is good enough

Rest is all hogwash

Only Biden can beat Trump

[Skya Rhen]

16. Very true!

[Green Line]

21. Agree

Too many questions about the others, I don’t care about Joe’s gaffes at all.

[DCofVA]

13. I support the candidate who has the best chance at beating Trump.

Her policies are great too!

[Skittles]

19. not constantly saying stupid stuff

counts for a lot

[treestar]

22. Yes it is

And it applies to pretty much every other human on the planet.

[5starlib]

23. Beating Trump is my ONLY goal

A President Biden will sign any law Pelosi sends to his desk. That's all that matters. I don't need a revolution.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Any random person off the street probably would be better than Trump.

The issue for me - the ONLY issue - is whether a candidate can beat Trump. I don't care about ideologies or plans or programs or whether a candidate prefers MFA or the ACA. It will take any president's entire term, or longer, just to fix what Trump has broken and get the government working again.

[Paladin]

28. Whoever stands the best chance of beating trump gets my vote.

Even the candidate(s) I can't stand.

Any one of our candidates is a vast improvement over trump. Even the one(s) I can't stand.

[stopbush]

29. So, if the D candidate is only marginally "better than tRump,"

might as well vote for tRump?

I’m confused.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. Nobody is "marginally" better than Trump. All of the candidates

are exponentially better than Trump.

[Saviolo]

31. No, I'm saying everyone on that stage is better than Trump.

"Better Than Trump" is an absurdly low bar to try to cross. Everyone on that debate stage is dedicated to beating Trump, and many of them are well equipped to do it. But there are a lot of people who won't just go out and vote against Trump because they're low-information voters and aren't aware of Trump's policies and their effects on them personally. Those people need to be inspired. They need something to vote for.

DU is very much a "vote blue no matter who" sort of place, no question. But whoever the candidate is needs to provide more than just "I'm better than the last guy" when the last guy was a bar so low I can't even look at it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. You're applying the wrong standard; *everybody* is better than Trump.

You're better than Trump. I'm better than Trump. My cat is better than Trump. The issue isn't whether a candidate is better than he is (all of them are exponentially better), but whether he/she can defeat him. You probably couldn't; I couldn't; maybe my cat couldn't. According to recent polls, many of our candidates could, but some can beat him by wider margins than others. I want the candidate who can beat Trump by the widest margin.

[Saviolo]

33. How much the candidate beats Trump by is largely in our hands.

It will take a concerted GOTV effort like what happened in 2018.
It will take an outreach to low-information and undecided voters like what happened in 2018.
It will take repeating the message of improvement and hope and renewal like what happened in 2018.
It will take winning down-ticket races as well like what happened in 2018.

Just like how the blue wave retook Congress, now it's important to retake the Senate, and oust Trump. That wave started from the ground up with lots of local and grassroots organizations, and that will need to happen again. It's also vitally important that we send Mitch McConnell packing.