Quest for the Presidency (2020 Edition)

[diamelsx]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

Frankly, she seems more interested in getting our campaign contributions than anything else. I sill think her resume is awfully thin.

Two things:

1. The money seems to like her so raising money might not be the problem you think.
2. Part are the reason she may be favored is because of that thin resume, it puts less of a Target on her back. Contrast her to Joe Biden for example and maybe you understand what I'm saying.

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by diamelsx

Two things:

1. The money seems to like her so raising money might not be the problem you think.
2. Part are the reason she may be favored is because of that thin resume, it puts less of a Target on her back. Contrast her to Joe Biden for example and maybe you understand what I'm saying.

Full disclosure: I did not think much of Kamala Harris' performance as district attorney of San Francisco. Her tenure as California attorney general was remarkable for the number of weird incidents and decisions. Given her total lack of legislative experience, I supported former Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for the senatorial seat, but Kamala had raised a lot more money and won.

Obama is a very bright man, came to the presidency with scant credentials and gave us a mixed performance. All in all, he did very well in light of Republican obstructionism that may have risen to the level of gross violation of their congressional oaths. Sadly, Mr. Trump and his congressional accomplices have unraveled much of the good work Obama did.

I don't blame Kamala Harris for raising money and trying to become president. She does remind me of an office politician I worked with who spent her time attending meetings and networking for a promotion, and neglected the day to day responsibilities of her position. I inherited that desk and was fortunately able to clean up most of the mess, but a controller at one of our offshore subsidiaries got away with several million dollars in embezzled funds due to her negligence. I don't believe that Ms. Harris has demonstrated any capacity to successfully run the country. But she could put together a strong team and do very well.

Having a clear vision, choosing one's team wisely, and enlisting the support of Congress and the voters are the key requirements for a successful presidency. Kamala Harris might be able to pull it off. I certainly prefer her as a candidate to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and probably even Elizabeth Warren. (Senator Warren is a little too old for my taste and I fear that she carries enough negative political baggage to sabotage her candidacy.) If she can pull it off as a woman of color, it will be a truly historic and legendary accomplishment.

[diamelsx]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

Obama is a very bright man, came to the presidency with scant credentials and gave us a mixed performance. All in all, he did very well in light of Republican obstructionism that may have risen to the level of gross violation of their congressional oaths. Sadly, Mr. Trump and his congressional accomplices have unraveled much of the good work Obama did.

I'm saying that Obama was a pacifier for a Nation needing a bottle. Obama ended up going into office giving both the house and the Senate and a mandate to do change any ended up being more of the same. The consequences of his actions are going to reverberate through the Democratic Party for years, if not decades.

You're going to have a faction of the Democratic Party that is going to be so now we're with the accomplishment of him being the first only non-white president if they will overlook all of his faults and pledge fealty to the Democratic Party. On the other hand for the people who feel burned by the Obama Administration and the Clinton Administration for that matter that they end up developing a high-level skepticism in the electoral process thus making it harder to turn out those voters. At some point Democratic party is going to have to regain the trust of their base voters if they want to regain the position of being the dominant party in this country.

[Arturo2nd]

The political landscape is changing. Hopefully, the Koch brothers conspiracy has overplayed its hand and we can resume trying to be a democratic republic. I use "we" rather optimistically, because natural processes are weeding my generation out of the political landscape.

It is really hard to see how the nation can continue to operate with the majority of voters who live in the wealth generating states resuming the movement to socialism and rational processes while the political landscape remains in thrall to legislators elected by the small faction of reactionary voters who live in sparsely settled rural areas. As the looming disaster of climate change begins to operate in earnest, either the nation coalesces or it breaks up. The red states lack the manpower to force the blue states to submit militarily and face a far more difficult future without continuing subsidies from those states.

We did see red state voters rebelling against the mismanagement of the lackeys of our oligarchs and actually electing Democrats. I believe that Trump's lunacy and McConnell's collusion will alienate more voters. We also have a good sized faction of the 1% that is moral and is concerned about the direction that the country has taken.

[diamelsx]

Julián Castro, who served as Housing and Urban Development secretary under former President Obama, announced Saturday he is running for president in 2020.

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by diamelsx

Julián Castro, who served as Housing and Urban Development secretary under former President Obama, announced Saturday he is running for president in 2020.

Be still, my heart. The Trump legacy appears to be that any fool thinks they are qualified, including Ivanka according to rumor.

[Quackerson]

There won't be a shortage of Democratic candidates in 2020 by the looks of things.

Looking at the roster of potential nominees, I'm hard-pressed to say right now that any one of them stands out as someone who can necessarily beat Trump, mostly because it's still too far off and I think will tend to pivot on what Trump does between now and 22 months from now.

Should the Mueller investigation fail to produce an impeachment (or at least bring to light some serious offenses that SHOULD lead to impeachment even if Congress doesn't have the fortitude to), if the economy continues to chug along, gas prices remain stable and there isn't a major international incident / new war, I can see Trump getting re-elected: as it stands right now, his removal from office via the ballot box in 2020 isn't a fait accompli.

[Quackerson]

Keep in mind I've voted for Democratic candidates in 1988, 2004, 2008 and 2012 (I didn't vote in 1992, 1996 or 2000):

Joe Biden was a bit past it in 2008 far as the presidency goes. I like Joe Biden. A lot of people like Joe Biden. Liking him and actually thinking in 2020 that he'd make a good president aren't necessarily one in the same.

Kamala Harris is simply too untested. Not seasoned enough. Same goes for Julian Castro, who I'd like to see win an election beyond a local government office. Maybe get elected governor of Texas first (a Dem winning the Texas governorship in itself would be telling as to his appeal beyond coastal regions, and it would give him a wider breadth of executive experience).

I like Elizabeth Warren. I like what she says and what she stands for. I'm not too sure her candidacy (along with that of Harris and Castro) will play well outside of the coasts. Gillibrand and Booker I consider to be a couple of pretenders, and I think Mike Bloomberg's candidacy as an idea is much more alluring than what will happen if he actually runs.

[diamelsx]

Kirsten Gillibrand Launches 2020 Presidential Exploratory Committee
The New York senator is the latest high-profile Democrat to confirm that she is seriously considering a bid to oust President Donald Trump.
By Daniel Marans and Marina Fang
01/15/2019 06:23 PM ET
|
Updated 1 hour ago

NEW YORK ― Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has launched an exploratory committee to begin raising money for a possible 2020 presidential campaign, she said Tuesday during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

“I’m filing an exploratory committee for president of the United States ― tonight!” Gillibrand told host Stephen Colbert, eliciting cheers from the studio audience.

Asked why she was running, Gillibrand replied, “I’m going to run for president of the United States, because as a young mom I am gonna fight for other people’s kids as hard as I fight for my own, which is why I believe health care is a right and not a privilege.”

“It’s why I believe we should have better public schools for our kids ― it shouldn’t matter what block you grow up on, and I believe that anybody who wants to work hard enough should be able to get whatever job training they need to earn their way into the middle class,” she said.

Gillibrand went on to argue that any president hoping to accomplish those goals would have to take on “systems of power” that currently stand in the way, including “institutional racism,” “corruption and greed in Washington,” and “special interests that write legislation in the dead of night.”

“I know that I have the compassion, courage and the fearless determination to get that done,” the senator said.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand emphasized to Stephen Colbert that she has experience finding common ground with Republicans, ev
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand emphasized to Stephen Colbert that she has experience finding common ground with Republicans, even Sen. Ted Cruz. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Although Gillibrand has spent the previous two years courting the left wing of the Democratic Party, co-sponsoring Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill and unveiling her own postal banking legislation, she emphasized to Colbert that she has experience finding common ground with Republicans on the September 11 health benefits bill and the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule.

“I have a bipartisan bill with nearly every Republican member of the Senate,” she said, before noting that she had crafted legislation combating sexual harassment in Congress with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Colbert also gave Gillibrand an opportunity to show her sense of humor ― and preview a potential network of political allies that she might be able to tap over the course of her run.

Focusing on Gillibrand’s apparent penchant for profanity, Colbert asked her whether she would refrain from swearing on the campaign trail.

“I’m gonna definitely try,” she replied.

He followed up: Which curse word would she miss most?

“It rhymes with duck,” she said, prompting laughter from the audience.

At the interview’s close, Colbert provided a bunch of gag gifts to help her in the early primary and caucus states: a corn cob for Iowa, a piece of granite for New Hampshire, barbecue sauce for South Carolina, and ― in a dig at Hillary Clinton, who was famously absent in key Midwestern states ― a plane ticket to take her to Michigan.

Gillibrand took the latter item as a cue to highlight her support for Michigan’s new Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, whom Gillibrand backed in both the primary and general elections last year.

“She crushed it in the last election,” Gillibrand said. “I helped her campaign and I helped her in the primary.”

On Tuesday, the senator also released a roughly 2-minute campaign announcement video, “Searching,” that highlights many of her legislative accomplishments:


Gillibrand, who had been widely expected to jump into the race, is the latest high-profile Democrat to confirm that she is seriously considering a bid to oust President Donald Trump in 2020.

In late December, fellow Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) became the first major Democratic figure to officially begin testing the waters for a 2020 run with the creation of an exploratory committee. Last week, former Obama administration Cabinet member Julián Castro and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) announced their entry into the field.

A number of Gillibrand’s Senate colleagues have also been floated as possible 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, including Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Trump’s 2016 defeat of Clinton, who would have become the first female U.S. president, left Democrats hoping for a slate of several female candidates to challenge his re-election bid and make history.


Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the first major Democratic figure to officially begin testing the waters for a 2020 run with t
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the first major Democratic figure to officially begin testing the waters for a 2020 run with the creation of an exploratory committee. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Gillibrand is seen as well-positioned to do so as a frequent critic of Trump ― and a target of his sexist attacks. She has consistently voted against his policies and nominees. In 2017, she called for Trump’s resignation, citing the “numerous” and “credible” sexual harassment and assault allegations against him.

Gillibrand became a senator in 2009, appointed to fill the seat vacated by Clinton, who had been named secretary of state under President Barack Obama. The two met during Clinton’s first Senate campaign in 2000, and Gillibrand came to consider her a mentor. Gillibrand later supported Clinton’s 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns.

Before joining the Senate, Gillibrand, an attorney, served two years in the House representing New York’s 20th Congressional District, which lies outside the state capital of Albany. Representing a more conservative and rural area of the state, she was considered a moderate Democrat and was part of the now-defunct group of Blue Dog Democrats in the House.


As a senator, she took on more progressive positions, later winning a special election in 2010 and a full Senate term in 2012. She handily won re-election last November.

One of Gillibrand’s key issues during her Senate tenure has been advocating for survivors of sexual violence. Long before the Me Too movement, she sponsored legislation to combat sexual misconduct in the workplace, on college campuses and in the military.

When the Me Too movement catalyzed the resignations of a spate of Capitol Hill lawmakers in 2017, Gillibrand led the charge to overhaul a set of arcane congressional policies for addressing sexual misconduct claims.

She, along with the other Democratic women of the Senate, called on then-Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign over mounting sexual misconduct allegations from nearly 10 women. She subsequently generated an extraordinary amount of fury from some progressives and defenders of Franken who blamed her for his downfall, called her a political “opportunist” and pledged not to donate to her campaigns.


Gillibrand also made headlines when she said that former President Bill Clinton, who was accused of sexual misconduct by several women, should have resigned in 1998 after his extramarital affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky became public

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by diamelsx

NEW YORK ― Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has launched an exploratory committee to begin raising money for a possible 2020 presidential campaign, she said Tuesday during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

This is a surprise? She started raising money in mid-November 2016.