# 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:** 197
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3921 "2020-03-07T17:10:15Z")
I regret my factual errors: I remembered that Klobuchar performed better than Warren in Iowa and New Hampshire and over-extrapolated without checking the numbers. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3922 "2020-03-08T00:35:39Z")
You say Klobuchar “performed terribly on the debate stage” as though that’s a settled fact, when in fact it is widely believed to be the opposite. :dubious: And she vastly outperformed Warren where it counts, in general elections among swing voters. She delivered Minnesota for Joe, is stumping for him in Michigan as we speak, and she has a hell of a lot better chance of becoming the first female vice president than Elizabeth Warren does. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3923 "2020-03-08T01:23:54Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > she has a hell of a lot better chance of becoming the first female vice president than Elizabeth Warren does. Vice-president? _Oh wow!!_ I mean seriously, so what? She’s got a better chance than Warren does of winning a position that you ‘win’ by being picked by a single individual? Well yeah, she does, since the individual’s almost certainly going to be Biden, and Biden’s not going to choose Warren as his running mate. (And Warren wouldn’t want the job anyway!) So her chances of being picked for veep are in fact better than zero. Big freakin’ deal!! ---
**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:** [March 8, 2020, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3924 "2020-03-08T03:18:13Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > You say Klobuchar “performed terribly on the debate stage” as though that’s a settled fact, when in fact it is widely believed to be the opposite. :dubious: And she vastly outperformed Warren where it counts, in general elections among swing voters. Ah, “widely believed.” Well there you go. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2020, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3925 "2020-03-08T04:48:56Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > [Biden Wondering Where All This Support Was When He Still Had Functioning Brain](https://politics.theonion.com/biden-wondering-where-all-this-support-was-when-he-stil-1842124077) Ha - love it! ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3926 "2020-03-08T05:13:33Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Ah, “widely believed.” Well there you go. Yes, your opinion about this is idiosyncratic to say the least. The NY Times says “her debate performances were often well reviewed” and describes what happened after the NH debate: > **[How Amy Klobuchar Pulled Off the Big Surprise of the New Hampshire Primary...](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-new-hampshire.html)** > > After a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, the Minnesota senator made a series of bets in the Granite State. > [@](#): > > Money began to flow in — more than $5 million in the four days after the debate. Crowds swelled well beyond expectation and venue capacity; overflow rooms became a standard good-problem-to-have for the advance staff. And volunteers, who were once an infrequent trickle at field offices around the state, turned into a veritable army of door knockers and canvassers. Others chimed in with similar takes: [https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/politics/klobuchar-debate-closing-statement/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/politics/klobuchar-debate-closing-statement/index.html) > [@](#): > > Amy Klobuchar’s closing statement in the New Hampshire debate was near-perfect > **[4 winners and 2 losers from the Democratic debate in New Hampshire](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/2/7/21128793/who-won-the-democratic-debate-new-hampshire)** > > Winners: party unity and Amy Klobuchar. Losers: Joe Biden and action on opioids. > [@](#): > > Klobuchar ended the night particularly strongly… > The only question for Klobuchar is whether her strong performance came too late. [https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/10/klobuchar-surges-primary-eve-new-hampshire-113561](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/10/klobuchar-surges-primary-eve-new-hampshire-113561) > [@](#): > > It’s become a familiar ritual for Amy Klobuchar — an impressive debate followed by a rush of fundraising and national media attention… > **[Klobuchar's 3rd Place Finish In New Hampshire 'Shocked The Establishment'](https://www.npr.org/2020/02/12/805155617/klobuchars-3rd-place-finish-in-new-hampshire-shocked-the-establishment)** > > The Minnesota senator captured nearly 20% of the vote on Tuesday, surprising political watchers who had been more focused on the campaigns of Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden. > [@](#): > > Her performance Tuesday followed a strong showing in Friday night’s Democratic debate, which appeared to win over late-breaking undecided voters. > The three-term senator dragged Buttigieg for being a “cool newcomer.” And she portrayed herself as a more reasonable alternative to more left-leaning candidates. She vowed to change the tone of the presidency and to be an advocate for struggling Americans. > “There is a complete lack of empathy in this guy in the White House right now, and I will bring that to you,” Klobuchar said to audience cheers during the debate. “If you have trouble stretching your paycheck to pay for that rent, I know you, and I will fight for you. If you have trouble deciding if you’re going to pay for your child care or your long-term care, I know you and I will fight for you,” she said. > “I do not have the biggest name up on this stage. I don’t have the biggest bank account,” she added. “But I have a record of fighting for people.” > It’s a message that resonated with New Hampshire voters. More than half of Klobuchar’s supporters made the decision to vote for her in the last few days before the primary, according to an AP VoteCast survey of more than 3,000 Democratic primary voters in the state. But you say she did a crap job in the debates, so I guess you must be right! :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [March 8, 2020, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3927 "2020-03-08T06:15:06Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Yes, your opinion about this is idiosyncratic to say the least. > > The NY Times says “her debate performances were often well reviewed” and describes what happened after the NH debate: > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-new-hampshire.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-new-hampshire.html) > Others chimed in with similar takes: > > [https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/politics/klobuchar-debate-closing-statement/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/politics/klobuchar-debate-closing-statement/index.html) > [Democratic debate winners and losers: February 2020 - Vox](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/2/7/21128793/who-won-the-democratic-debate-new-hampshire) > [https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/10/klobuchar-surges-primary-eve-new-hampshire-113561](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/10/klobuchar-surges-primary-eve-new-hampshire-113561) > [Klobuchar's 3rd Place Finish In New Hampshire 'Shocked The Establishment' : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2020/02/12/805155617/klobuchars-3rd-place-finish-in-new-hampshire-shocked-the-establishment) > > But you say she did a crap job in the debates, so I guess you must be right! :rolleyes: Oh look you found some things that support your opinion. And I can find some things that support mine. > **[4 winners and 2 losers from the Democratic debate in South Carolina](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/2/25/21153608/winners-losers-democratic-debate-south-carolina-cbs)** > > It was the most chaotic, confusing debate to date. > [@](#): > > Klobuchar seemed barely present for most of the night amid the candidates’ screaming and arguing, despite speaking the third-most in the field. She barely registered in the long discussion of US relationships with dictatorial regimes, and while Mike Bloomberg got many minutes to defend his record in New York City, Klobuchar didn’t get a similar opportunity to lay out her record…her final moment in the South Carolina debate was her telling the audience, “I‘d say the biggest misconception is that I’m boring, because I’m not.” If you have to tell people you’re not boring, you’re losing. > **['Not her night': What people are saying about Amy Klobuchar's Nevada debate](https://www.startribune.com/not-her-night-what-people-are-saying-about-amy-klobuchar-s-nevada-debate/568038481/)** > > Amy Klobuchar entered the Nevada debate looking to build on momentum from her third-place finish in New Hampshire. But the Minnesota Democrat spent much of Wednesday night fending off intense scrutiny and attacks from rivals.Here's a look at what... > [@](#): > > She fought back, hiding rage behind a smile, but she was clearly rattled…She came off as temperamentally ill-suited to take on Trump or serve as president. She’s a legislator out of her league…seemed desperate and less-prepared at times. > **[The winners, losers and snoozers of the third Democratic debate](https://nypost.com/2019/09/13/the-winners-losers-and-snoozers-of-the-third-democratic-debate/)** > > The Democratic presidential front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, stumbled through another debate, offering answers with so many asides and twists and turns, even The Post’s veteran … > [@](#): > > Being all the way at the end of the row can be tough and she couldn’t work her way into the discussion all night long. She can stay in, but why? > > Arrow: Down But who gives a shit? She crapped out, never even hitting 6% in the national polls. She’s fine for Minnesota, I don’t see her doing much elsewhere. If she’s on the ticket, so be it, but I don’t see how she could help a guy who already does well in the industrial Midwest. The most exciting thing she did over the course of her whole campaign was to drop out and endorse another candidate. But, hey, if you want this win this one, I’ll concede that it’s my \*opinion \*that she sucked on the debate stage. And that apparently other people hold the opinion that she did absolutely great up there. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3928 "2020-03-08T09:36:20Z")
My observations: When she had a hard time getting a word in edgewise through the crosstalk of the other candidates, she adopted a pleading posture and bleated out pathetically, “come on!!” She also had a habit of going WAY over her time. “Thank you Senator—” “blah blah blah” “Thank you —” “blah blah my grandpa worked in a mine, blah blah” —“THANK YOU, SENATOR” --“and that’s why I’m going to BEAT DONALD TRUMP!” Yes, most of the candidates did this to some degree. To Biden’s credit, he recognized when his time was coming to an end and would say, “well, my time is about to be up, so that’s it.” That’s one of the few things I liked about him. Klobuchar was the worst offender though. She always had a half-smirk on her face. Something about her expression gave me vibes of “this whole thing is kind of a lark for me, I’m in over my head, it’s actually kind of ridiculous that I’m in this situation - oh well, I might as well smile.” I can hear it already: “Misogynist! You tell women, ‘you ought to smile’, then when they do smile, that’s somehow wrong too.” To which I have two words: Lincoln Chaffee. Remember him? I doubt it. He had a very, very brief run in the 2016 Democratic Primary. Mr. Chaffee, God love him, suffered from exactly the same goofy smile; I observed it and remarked on it then (though I hadn’t joined this board yet); and as far as I know, he is not a woman. It’s a goofy, annoying habit - end of story. Klobuchar reminded me of another person from that primary - on the other side - John Kasich. Same kind of “plain folks”, “aw shucks”, “just a nice fella trying to help everyone get along” shtick. Well, it’s not enough to power through an election. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3929 "2020-03-09T16:38:49Z")
On Klobuchar in the debates, she had some really, really good debates and some bad ones. But she had more good debates than bad. People were really discussing how well she was doing in late 2019. And then she hit it out of the park before New Hampshire, which is why she got 20% there. However, after NH she had 2 poor debates. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3930 "2020-03-09T21:18:31Z")
So, something just crossed my mind after reading about the lockdown in Italy… What if the rest of the primaries can’t take place because either Trump declares a similar lockdown out of spite, or heaven forbid one is actually necessary? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3931 "2020-03-09T21:21:15Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > So, something just crossed my mind after reading about the lockdown in Italy… > > What if the rest of the primaries can’t take place because either Trump declares a similar lockdown out of spite, or heaven forbid one is actually necessary? Well, for starters - I doubt the president has any authority over elections since they’re run by the states; even more so for a party primary. But taking your hypothetical at face value: I’d bet the DNC would declare Biden the nominee…which is probably not what Trump would prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3932 "2020-03-09T21:33:13Z")
(Also, depending on the details of the Italian quarantine, such a “lockdown” here would not necessarily prevent people from voting at a local polling place to begin with.) ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3933 "2020-03-10T04:52:59Z")
This POTUS directs the US Public Health Service to ban all assemblages of more than ten people, including schools, meetings, polling places, and government offices, and directs troops (in sub-squad-size groups) to enforce the ban with lethal force as needed. Classes and confabs can go online but voting and vote-counting will have to wait till the end of the crisis, maybe around year 2029. Have patience, hey? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3934 "2020-03-10T04:55:58Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > So, something just crossed my mind after reading about the lockdown in Italy… > > What if the rest of the primaries can’t take place because either Trump declares a similar lockdown out of spite, or heaven forbid one is actually necessary? If Trump were to really do that, he’d do it near Election Day. Mucking up the (D) primaries doesn’t really help him in any way longterm. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3935 "2020-03-18T15:59:02Z")
Hearing rumors that Bernie is suspending his campaign. Axios has reported that [Bernie has suspended his campaign ads on Facebook](https://www.axios.com/bernie-sanders-suspends-facebook-ads-2020-election-8d888649-55fb-4358-a6e6-cac09584bac8.html), a common indicator that the campaign is stopping. > [@](#): > > Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign currently has no active Facebook ads, the morning after another disappointing finish in a series of primary contests. > > Why it matters: A pause in digital advertising spend on Facebook has been a good indicator that candidates are dropping out of the 2020 race before. Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bloomberg made their Facebook ads inactive hours before they suspended their campaigns. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3936 "2020-03-18T17:37:19Z")
[Sanders campaign denies it is suspending](https://www.ajc.com/news/sanders-reassessing-campaign-after-latest-series-devastating-losses/ExuXWPqziZenabZ8wCcPdM/). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3937 "2020-03-18T17:49:55Z")
Bernie Sanders has never mattered so little to so many people since 2014. He should just quit. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3938 "2020-03-18T18:13:48Z")
A lot of people are calling on Sanders to stop his campaign, but this may not be just about him. If progressives are told he is no longer campaigning, will they still bother to vote for progressive House and Senate candidates in the primary? Look what happened in Illinois’s 3rd District. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3939 "2020-03-18T18:53:37Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > A lot of people are calling on Sanders to stop his campaign, but this may not be just about him. If progressives are told he is no longer campaigning, will they still bother to vote for progressive House and Senate candidates in the primary? Look what happened in Illinois’s 3rd District. Yes, look what happened. Biden crushed Sanders in Illinois and Sanders’ favorite in the 3rd still won. Sanders can’t give similar support without being a candidate? I don’t know offhand the general dates of the down ticket primaries but Florida’s is in frigging August. He can’t hold on til then regardless. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3940 "2020-03-18T22:56:57Z")
This is just the break that the Tulsi Gabbard campaign has been waiting for! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=196) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=198)