# Democratic Madness: The Finals!

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [February 25, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184 "2019-02-25T17:18:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/1 "2019-02-25T17:18:07Z")

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Vote for one:

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### Author: ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/2 "2019-02-25T17:19:27Z")

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Brown, baby!

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### Author: ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/3 "2019-02-25T17:20:38Z")

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I’m stunned that Biden didn’t sail into the finals. I may have to read up on this Brown guy.

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### Author: ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/4 "2019-02-25T18:08:45Z")

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Harris is my #1 choice right now, so it’s an easy vote for me

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### Author: ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/5 "2019-02-25T19:40:23Z")

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Kamala Harris FTW

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### Author: ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/6 "2019-02-25T20:06:28Z")

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Kamala, and I kind of hate it. But she is smart enough to support Medicare for All, & Brown is trying to run on “the Dignity of Work.” Also, she’s clearly a bold person, & a little intimidating, which suits a commander-in-chief.

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### Author: ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/7 "2019-02-25T20:08:18Z")

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> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> Kamala, and I kind of hate it. But she is smart enough to support Medicare for All, …

which Dem candidates dont?

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### Author: ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/8 "2019-02-25T20:53:16Z")

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[As it’s whittled down to two, winning the electoral college sways me.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=871191) I haven’t yet perceived signs Harris would fare better in the upper midwest than HRC did beyond her recognition of the need to campaign here.

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### Author: ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/9 "2019-02-25T21:47:38Z")

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Two of the more hawkish candidates and at least one that supported mass incarceration. Yep this is the state of the Democratic Party, notwithstanding flashy headline-makers.

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### Author: ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/10 "2019-02-25T22:11:30Z")

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> [@WillFarnaby](#):
>
> Two of the more hawkish candidates and at least one that supported mass incarceration. Yep this is the state of the Democratic Party, notwithstanding flashy headline-makers.

State of the Democratic Party… based on a march madness style poll voted on by 50ish people.

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### Author: ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2019, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/11 "2019-02-25T23:06:03Z")

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I’ll gladly eat crow on this item.

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### Author: ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/12 "2019-02-26T01:43:33Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> which Dem candidates dont?

Sherrod Brown. Whom did you think we were talking about?

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### Author: ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/13 "2019-02-26T01:52:07Z")

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Ach. This one is hard. Very hard. Who’d have thought my top two would be head to head in the final? And if I had any doubts as to whether or not they are the best choices **WillFarnaby** ’s “concern” eliminates it! 🙂

I have been a big fan of Brown from back when I was advocating him as a best choice for HRC’s VP, and Harris from October.

Policy-wise not going to be too much space between them. (Or for that matter much of the field.) Both pragmatic progressives in their own ways. Neither banks on divisiveness, they play the uniter cards.

They are both “intersectional” in important but very different ways.

For Harris - As much as I wish it wasn’t so identity matters and being “of color” and a woman will help key demographic turnouts broadly. She can focus her inequality message on wealth across all groups without needing to establish that she understands how the impacts are even greater based on racial factors. Sorry to say that we are unlikely to see Obama level Black turnout without a person of color on the ticket. And that matters. MI would have gone D with that. She has the skills to rip new holes in debates. No good way to say this but a female candidate has it hard. They need to channel Thatcher. Tough and strong. Uptalk doesn’t work. Male candidates have to worry less as they won’t get called “bitchy” or “schoolmarmish”. To my ear she has that speech cadence.

But dang Brown’s strength are right where a Democrat running for President needs them the most. He is the best of the bunch to win the Northern Path. He’s of the region and understands the region, he’s got cred based on a long record with workers, and while the diehard Trumpsters (30 to 35% of voters) won’t be won over, he’s a progressive whose messaging will appeal to many independents.

Sherrod Brown in a close one with Harris as VP and queued up for the office in 8 years.

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### Author: ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/14 "2019-02-26T02:03:17Z")

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> [@WillFarnaby](#):
>
> Two of the more hawkish candidates and at least one that supported mass incarceration. Yep this is the state of the Democratic Party, notwithstanding flashy headline-makers.

Just think of how you would have felt like if, as a small child, you’d been suddenly pulled out of your parents’ arms and locked in a freezing cage.

Then multiply by several thousand kids.

Now you can take that crap and shove it.

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### Author: ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/15 "2019-02-26T02:07:20Z")

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> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> Sherrod Brown. Whom did you think we were talking about?

So is he opposed to universal health care, or just M4A?

Because personally I don’t give a tinker’s damn just **how** we cover everybody, so long as we do it. And there are good, solid, wonky reasons to think M4A is far less than an ideal way. M4A has become quite the fetish object, but I think lefties need to realize UHC by any means is good.

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### Author: ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/16 "2019-02-26T02:20:14Z")

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> [@RTFirefly](#):
>
> Just think of how you would have felt like if, as a small child, you’d been suddenly pulled out of your parents’ arms and locked in a freezing cage.
> 
> Then multiply by several thousand kids.
> 
> Now you can take that crap and shove it.

The pleas copped during this campaign will break records.

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### Author: ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/17 "2019-02-26T02:26:30Z")

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I guess the dems see that jackboots are in fashion so they follow the trend.

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### Author: ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/18 "2019-02-26T02:30:21Z")

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Gosh. I dunno. I mean the competition is how pleas copped by those who ran Trumps campaign …

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### Author: ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/19 "2019-02-26T02:37:06Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> Gosh. I dunno. I mean the competition is how pleas copped by those who ran Trumps campaign …

Is that why Harris is fairing well here? She’ll pop Trump on a coke charge like old times. Maybe she’ll stick him in a firefighter getup.

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### Author: ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-madness-the-finals/830184/20 "2019-02-26T04:26:46Z")

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> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> Sherrod Brown. Whom did you think we were talking about?

> **[Medicare for All gaining political popularity on the left, but support from...](https://www.cleveland.com/open/2018/08/medicare_for_all_gaining_polit.html)**
>
> Nationally, "Medicare for All" is growing in popularity within the political left. But three politicians help illustrate a more halting level of current support among Ohio Democrats when it comes to universal, government-provided health insurance.

\*Then, there’s Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown is a longtime supporter of single-payer health insurance, a less flashy name for Medicare for All. \*

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