# Hee-haw, y'all. The 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 12, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415 "2018-11-12T17:52:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**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:** [January 21, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/321 "2019-01-21T16:03:59Z")
Currently in the race: [Julian Castro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Castro_2020_presidential_campaign) [John Delaney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Delaney_2020_presidential_campaign) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard_2020_presidential_campaign) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Gillibrand_2020_presidential_campaign) [Kamala Harris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris#2020_presidential_candidacy) [Richard Ojeda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ojeda#2020_presidential_campaign) [Elizabeth Warren](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren_2020_presidential_campaign) [Andrew Yang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Yang_(entrepreneur)#2020_presidential_campaign) ---
**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:** [January 21, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/322 "2019-01-21T16:45:03Z")
Nm ---
**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:** [January 21, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/323 "2019-01-21T16:46:05Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > From the _Jacobin_ article: > If you’re an anti-war voter, you have to take what you can get. It reminds one of the old saying, “beggars can’t be choosers”. Anti-war Democrats had to put up with Afghanistan war plodding on for 8 years under Obama, while drone strikes also continued in numerous countries and bombing and troop engagements expanding in others. Hillary in 2016 promised to be even worse. Gabbard is the most outspoken candidate saying that she wants to end the pointless wars that we’re currently fighting and avoid starting new ones. Is it really productive to complain that she’s not completely ideologically pure in her motives for doing so? They aren’t looking for an ideologically pure antiwar stance. They are trying to undermine the antiwar stance. You can test this because these same people will be supporting true hawks, not some obscure true peacenik. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/324 "2019-01-22T16:00:17Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > [Kamala is in.](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/426272-kamala-harris-announces-presidential-campaign) [Her official announcement.](https://medium.com/@KamalaHarris/im-running-for-president-70a3574195a2) ---
**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:** [January 22, 2019, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/325 "2019-01-22T16:23:14Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > [Her official announcement.](https://medium.com/@KamalaHarris/im-running-for-president-70a3574195a2) I’m actually not as opposed to her as I once was. If she were to be the nominee and pick, oh say, Sherrod Brown as her running mate, I could get behind that. Still ain’t my first choice to take on Trump, but I could see a path with the right messaging and running mate. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/326 "2019-01-22T17:17:53Z")
I learned a new word today: momala, which Kamala uses to describe herself. From googling, it’s apparently the woman who mothers your kids, as opposed to your baby-mama who gave birth to them. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/327 "2019-01-22T17:40:11Z")
On the one hand, it’s a great sentiment. On the other hand, using a term from African-American dialect to label yourself is going to mobilize certain segments of the population against you something fierce. On the gripping hand, though, those segments of the population were going to be very tough for any Democrat to reach. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/328 "2019-01-22T17:54:12Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I learned a new word today: momala, which Kamala uses to describe herself. From googling, it’s apparently the woman who mothers your kids, as opposed to your baby-mama who gave birth to them. My googling shows it to be a Yiddish word for “little mother” used as a term of endearment for a little girl. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/329 "2019-01-22T18:27:31Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > My googling shows it to be a Yiddish word for “little mother” used as a term of endearment for a little girl. I’d never heard of the Black Israelites until this week, and now they’re all over the place! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/330 "2019-01-22T18:28:20Z")
I met and heard Harris speak at a backyard fundraiser in NE Ohio about a year ago (along with Sherrod Brown, as it happens). She was OK but not great. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/331 "2019-01-22T18:36:11Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > [John Delaney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Delaney_2020_presidential_campaign) What, who? Every time I see this name I think of Pete Davidson’s friend John Mulaney. … Uh. That’s just Will Ferrell in a bald cap. Is he doing some kind of Sacha Baron Cohen bit? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/332 "2019-01-22T18:42:40Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > My googling shows it to be a Yiddish word for “little mother” used as a term of endearment for a little girl. Isn’t that “mamala” instead of “momala”? ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Erudite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ancient\_Erudite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Erudite)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/333 "2019-01-22T18:44:17Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I heard Sherrod Brown on NPR this morning. He sounded very unprepared for the interview. Maybe because he went off-script to comment on the previous story (veterans lose burn-pit court battle), but I hope his aides scold him for it. If you can’t handle impromptu comments, stay on script. Brown is the coffee of the day for the Democrats who think he could flip Ohio. He’s not a good speaker, nor is he " famous " As such he will have a tough time standing tall in a crowded field. Can we win the nomination? In this field, sure. The winner of this race could be an unknown at this point. It’s that wide open. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/334 "2019-01-22T19:06:00Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Isn’t that “mamala” instead of “momala”? Maybe, but the term came from her jewish step children and according to an older Vogue article the word was “S-Mamala”. And the kids were getting a little old for her to be doing much step-mothering anyway. > [@Vogue](#): > > Harris grew close with his two children, who call her their “S-Mamala.” (The elder, Cole, graduated Colorado College last May and is working as an assistant at William Morris Endeavor. The younger, Ella, is a freshman at Parsons School of Design.) > **[Kamala Harris Is Dreaming Big](https://www.vogue.com/article/kamala-harris-interview-vogue-april-2018)** > > After a year in Washington, Kamala Harris has proved she doesn’t back down from a fight. How far can the star senator go? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/335 "2019-01-23T14:30:31Z")
> [@Ancient\_Erudite](#): > > Brown is the coffee of the day for the Democrats who think he could flip Ohio. “Coffee of the day”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/336 "2019-01-23T14:37:52Z")
saw Brown first time on TV, that odd voice of his is going to be a problem for him if he runs. It seemed like sometimes his voice was OK but other times it was the gravelly sound. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/337 "2019-01-23T14:49:05Z")
[Pete Buttigieg is in.](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/23/pete-buttigieg-2020-exploratory-committee-1120095) For those who don’t know: Pronounced _boot_-edge-edge. 37 years old Mayor of South Bend, IN Navy vet Served in Afghanistan Gay Probably angling for a veep or cabinet slot ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/338 "2019-01-23T15:43:16Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > [Pete Buttigieg is in.](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/23/pete-buttigieg-2020-exploratory-committee-1120095) > > For those who don’t know: > Pronounced _boot_-edge-edge. > 37 years old > Mayor of South Bend, IN > Navy vet > Served in Afghanistan > Gay > > Probably angling for a veep or cabinet slot I heard him give a speech last summer. He was an excellent speaker–dynamic, organized, clearly thoughtful about the issues. (The pronunciation he gave of his name was actually more like Boot-a-geesh…) Yeah, hard to see how he’s going to catch fire here. Part of his problem is that it’s difficult to see where he can go in Indiana. His congressional district is pretty Republican, so the House won’t be easy; the state leans GOP, so senator or governor won’t be easy either; under these circumstances a Cabinet post might make some sense. I’ll certainly be interested to see where he heads next. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/339 "2019-01-23T16:00:35Z")
Here’s Wiki on him: [Pete Buttigieg - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Buttigieg) Looks like some police issues in his city. Might be a hard sell for black Dems. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/340 "2019-01-23T18:48:36Z")
Hey Uncle Joe, as you ponder whether or not you run in 2020, [maybe take a moment to explain why you were stumping for a Republican congressman (who was entirely beatable) in Michigan just before the 2018 midterms.](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/us/politics/biden-speech-fred-upton.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=18)