Since 1861 the Democrat Party was not going to win with a vote from the Reynolds family. You have been warned. I am a Garfield Republican. Perhaps the best thing about being a Garfield Republican is nobody gets my vote by default. No unfit candidate gets our votes, but we are not looking for a messiah or a perfect person either.
That is your bias alert.
Bottom line: these two days of Democratic debates were a disaster for the opposition to the current administration. We are (generally) doing well economically (nothing is ever perfect) and (generally) less at war than under the Obama administration. There was not even a vague acknowledgement of those facts in the last two days.
Meanwhile, back in the vast majority of people who do not Tweet, have friends in both political parties, have loved ones who voted for Clinton and Trump, the Democratic debates (first round) happened. They were an echo chamber of Twitter Democrats (not most Democrats) and genuine lack of intellectual diversity. Socialism is not very popular, but represented. The vast number of pro-life Democrats had not one candidate out of twenty.
Not one.
There was not one Democrat who cared to try for the pro-life vote.
Not one.
Maybe the person named Hickenlooper thought about socialism and history a bit and was hesitant, but Hickenlooper isn’t trending in his own household.
These debates were the best political moment Trump has had. Nobody admitted the economy is good, even though (realistically) it is. Everyone is (generally) doing better.
This is the same stupidity that thought Mondale would surely beat the washed up, unpopular (most of his first term) actor Reagan who won on a fluke. (We should have nominated Ted Kennedy/Bernie Sanders!)
Here is the bottom line (from a gettable GOP vote) on the Democrats first debate with twenty candidates. I list them best to worst:
- Kamala Harris: she is an awesome political talent. She made Joe Biden a man whom fame outran so the candidate died before the man. She also cannot win short of a recession. I could vote for a pro-life Kamala, but Kamala has always done what needs to be done to get to the next step. No moral compass.
- Pete Buttigiege: he is bright, but morally wrong on almost everything, earnestly.
- Cory Booker: second string Barack Obama. There are worse things.
- Bernie Sanders: he meant what he said.
- Julian Castro: never count a bright person out. He can kill in a line.
- Elizabeth Warren: wicked smart, but how has it gone nominating wicked smart people from Massachusetts after 1960?
- Joe Biden: I have no doubt he would beat Donald J. Trump. I have no doubt he will not be the nominee. Trump knows; sleepy Joe.
- Kirsten Gillibrand: Suppose she was still her original self? She would be the more moderate candidate the Democratic Party needs. Instead, she is just another one.
- John Delaney/Hickenlooper: He could win GOP voters. He has no chance.
- Bill de Blasio: smart, good debater, mayor of a country (NYC is state sized). No chance of winning North Carolina.
- Tulsi Gabbard: another person who if she had stayed as she was could have won GOP voters, but is now, except on foreign policy, everybody else. Still interesting.
- Amy Klochuchar: boring Kamala.
Everyone else making the debates is a LOL in the making. . . But special mention to Eric Swalwell the most self-reverentially self-referentially failure ever.
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