The Democratic Field
Looking past the November 2018 midterm elections, the Presidential race of 2020 looms like a boogeyman over the DNC encampment. And it has them frightened. It boggles the mind to contemplate, but in several polls of registered Democrats, their FIRST choice for 2020 is…(are you ready for this?)… Joe Biden! That’s right, creepy Joe Biden! The one who can’t keep his hands off anything in a skirt, regardless of age. The one who makes the women who are unfortunate enough to be stuck on stage with him (where they can’t run away!), squirm! And that’s WITH the cameras on! Yep, Joe Biden, who has trouble completing a sentence, let alone a coherent argument, is the top choice. Joe Biden. The one who has one gaff after another. THAT Joe Biden! THAT’s the front runner?… The DNC has REASON to tremble.
And, if THAT weren’t bad enough, Hillary Clinton is actually CONSIDERING another go at it. You read that right. Third time’s the charm, eh Hill? She might go down in history as the first Presidential candidate to be assassinated by HER OWN PARTY.
Well, the DNC might hold out hope that a viable candidate might just materialize out of the blue. But, so far, even these “knights in shinning armour” may disappoint.
Elizabeth Warren might once have been a contender. Her condescending demeanor, however, is an issue. And, although it’s hard to believe, there is the matter that she might actually be less “likable” than Hillary! And, on top of all this, she recently managed to shoot herself in the foot (multiple times!) by taking Trump’s bait and producing a DNA test showing she has less Native American “blood” than you or I. Not only did she look silly, she earned the enmity of the Cherokee Nation, who have found it necessary to, embarrassingly, reprimand and rebuke her, IN WRITING, on a number of occasions.
Then there’s Andrew “America was never that great” Cuomo. It seems that Mr. Cuomo has taken a sharp left turn since becoming governor of New York. And no wonder! According to the governor himself, “there’s no place for conservatives in New York”. That’s right. That’s what he said. No place at all. But, wait a minute! Doesn’t having single party government lead to a totalitarian state? Is that what you’re advocating, Andy?
Then there’s Bill de Blasio. What can we say about de Blasio? It’s apparent that he’s certainly not up to tackling Governor Cuomo. The governor beats him up on a regular basis whenever they go head to head. Not only does appear to be a light weight, but, in a few short months as mayor of New York City, de Blasio managed to get himself despised by police, firemen, prison guards, transit union members and horse drawn carriage operators . One more term and even the tiny 17% of New York City that had elected him might become disillusioned. Or maybe not. NYC is a sanctuary for progressives.
Then there is Corey (Spartacus) Booker. Senator Booker appears to be quite the poseur. He claimed to be the bravest of all politicians by defying Senate rules and releasing classified information on Judge Kavanaugh. Trouble is, those files had been declassified the night before, and he knew that. He was in about as much legal jeopardy as a jay walker in midtown. Then there’s was his embarrassing “confession” of teenage sexual misconduct (Please see my essay, “Nothing To Confess”, 9/24/18, for details of Booker’s laughable “confession”). Quite the poseur! Last but not least are the plausible accusations of HOMOSEXUAL misconduct leveled against HIM, by a former victim. And let’s not forget Booker’s “righteous indignation” over the uncorroborated allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. Quite the poser, indeed.
Then there’s the increasingly bizarre case of Michael Avenati, Attorney to the Stars (porn stars that is). It would appear that he has been the purveyor of some fairly dubious legal advice: recommending the breaking of paid contracts and the filing of lawsuits devoid of any factual corroboration. (A character defamation lawsuit he filed, on behalf of Stormy Daniels, against Donald Trump, was recently thrown out of court, and Ms. Daniels, screwed AGAIN, was directed by the court, to pay Mr. Trump’s attorney fees!) Furthermore, in his bid for the Presidency, Avenatti is likely to be bereft of both money and time: money, because he’s already had several large judgements against him, and time because he will be busy defending himself against criminal investigation by the DOJ, as well as the inevitable civil lawsuit for legal malpractice by a soon to be very disillusioned Ms. Daniels. None of this bodes well for candidate Avenatti.
Then, there’s New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. She might have some potential because she managed to fool enough “upstate” conservative voters to get elected while being a dyed in the wool “progressive”. She managed to do so, however, by opposing strict gun laws (which are very unpopular in upper New York State), a position she has subsequently and fervently renounced. A “flip flop” of that magnitude doesn’t play well on the national stage. And, she CAN NOT, apparently, stop herself from swearing, in multiple venues, with families AND children in attendance. The following link has some of the many examples:
Next, there’s former New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Of all the early contenders, in my opinion, Bloomberg is the biggest threat. Even though he oozes condescension (which usually is the kiss of death for American candidates: Hillary Clinton and John Kerry being two excellent examples), recent TV adds have him showing a more “humble” and, ostensibly more “sincere” persona. And, he can finance his whole candidacy directly from his piggy bank. Despite all of this, I don’t think he’ll be a winner. When one looks beyond the condescension, and the trappings of success and competence, this man’s positions are, simply put, screwball. In fact, his politics are so screwy, that during his three terms as mayor of NYC, I was forced to keep a running LOG of some of them:
1) He came out in a BIG way in favor of the construction of a Ground Zero Mosque, adjacent to the World Trade Center site, where, as we all know, three thousand innocent Americans lost their lives, horribly, at the hands of Islamist terrorists. The insensitivity of his position on this defies the imagination.
2) He hired a School Chancellor, Cathleen Black, who had NO background in education! (She was FORCED to resign due to the widespread outrage at such a faux pas).
3) He changed the City Constitution to allow himself to run for a 3rd term as mayor. This, of and by itself, might be considered a defensible political position, citing the benefits of experience and continuity. However, AFTER he’s elected for a third term, HE THEN CHANGES THE CONSTITUTION BACK, SO NO ONE ELSE CAN DO THE SAME!!! The hypocrisy boggles the mind.
4) He came out, in a big way, for INCREASING taxes during the middle of a huge RECESSION! This, ladies and gentlemen, is a “no no” in first year economics class.
5) He passed a law prohibing the donation of actual FOOD items to homeless shelters (only cash donations were permissible) because the donated food might be HIGH IN SALT AND CHOLESTEROL. He seems to have overlooked the fact that the donated food was supposed to nourish STARVING people, where such considerations are hardly the issue!!!!
6) He enacted a LAW prohibiting the sale of large glasses of soda! I suppose he figured that people would burn more calories going back and forth for refills.
7) And, at one point, Bloomberg said, incredulously, that policemen should “go on STRIKE” to promote stricter gun control! What the heck???
So, despite his new humble demeanor, and despite the gazillion dollars he could pour into his own campaign, I think America will see through this very smart man with no common sense.
Which leaves me with the most viable candidate on the Democratic side: Kermit the Frog. Kermit is personable. He is not condescending. He has no “basket of deplorables”. Being “green”, he would be environmentally conscious. And he’s been suitably vague on the issues. For the Democrats in 2020, he’d be a “natch”.
Terrific……………So much info….