# 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:** 63
**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:** [June 14, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1241 "2019-06-14T14:16:54Z")
I suspect some of the hate over that comment is just an excuse to push away a candidate they don’t favour in the first place. I mean, it was a little quip made because he’s sick of people asking him to drop out/run for Senate and now he’s a selfish unpatriotic bastard? Come on. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1242 "2019-06-14T18:16:27Z")
Fair enough, I overreacted. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2019, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1243 "2019-06-14T19:55:36Z")
I’ve spent most of the past cycle expecting him to end up as the 2020 candidate, and up to now, I’ve been a bit disappointed in how low he’s been polling. But that’s really not a good response to “why aren’t you running for the Senate?”. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1244 "2019-06-14T20:19:06Z")
There are many good answers even if they are signs of some self-delusion. Off hand snark that completely demonstrated no interest in the good of the country or the world was way not on that list. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1245 "2019-06-15T02:10:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve spent most of the past cycle expecting him to end up as the 2020 candidate Seriously? Why? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1246 "2019-06-15T10:13:55Z")
On the subject of _Not doing what’s in the best interest of the Democratic Party and therefore the country_it would take several hundreds of Hickenloopers to add up to a Lieberman. Recall that he insisted on running for BOTH Vice Prez AND Senator in 2000 and that had he won the Vice Prez job, the prevailing situation would have turned the Senate seat over to a Republican. _It would be a certain loss of a Democratic Senate seat._ Had he let a different Democrat run for the Senate, that D would have been a shoo-in. Admittedly imagining that Joe Lieberman would care about the interests of the Democratic Party or the U.S.A. is _Onion_-level satire. Still, I was quite amazed that almost no Democrats bothered to call him out for this crass selfishness. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1247 "2019-06-15T11:54:04Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Recall that he insisted on running for BOTH Vice Prez AND Senator in 2000 and that had he won the Vice Prez job, the prevailing situation would have turned the Senate seat over to a Republican. _It would be a certain loss of a Democratic Senate seat._ Had he let a different Democrat run for the Senate, that D would have been a shoo-in. It’s symptomatic of a problem Democrats have had for 20-30 years, which is focusing too closely on winning the presidency while ignoring everything else down the ballot. But in Hickenlooper’s case, he has plenty of time to run for the senate if that’s what he wants, and it might be that running for president gets him additional name recognition that he wouldn’t get otherwise, so I really don’t understand why, at such an early stage in the campaign (really the pre-campaign), everyone’s giving Hick such a hard time. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1248 "2019-06-15T12:33:14Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > … I really don’t understand why, at such an early stage in the campaign (really the pre-campaign), everyone’s giving Hick such a hard time. For me it’s not as much for the running as for the shitty answer that is completely self-centered. At least pretend you care about the good of the country and the planet. That lousy answer also makes a successful Senate run harder if it comes to that. Lp ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1249 "2019-06-15T12:42:08Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > For me it’s not as much for the running as for the shitty answer that is completely self-centered. At least pretend you care about the good of the country and the planet. > > That lousy answer also makes a successful Senate run harder if it comes to that. Lp Pffff, it’s just a comment. I think people will get over it. Hickenlooper is a pretty popular governor in Colorado, last I checked. He’s got approval ratings that are significantly stronger than his disapproval ratings, which is easy in a partisan state like Alabama but not as easy to do in a moderate/centrist state like Colorado. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2019, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1250 "2019-06-15T13:01:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **SlackerInc** : > > Seriously? Why? He’s a popular Democratic governor from a swing state in a region of the country that Democrats need to be seen to care about. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1251 "2019-06-15T18:52:13Z")
That explains why he would be a formidable general election candidate, not why you expected him to be the nominee. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1252 "2019-06-15T19:54:50Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > That explains why he would be a formidable general election candidate, not why you expected him to be the nominee. I’ve always been of the opinion that if someone is _really_ a good general election candidate, they have to win the nomination. Bernie Sanders’ supporters have been saying for the last 3 1/2 years how effing great he would have been in the general and there’s not a damn bit of evidence to support it. If Clinton had fallen ill and the DNC had selected Sanders at the last minute, I have little doubt that Trump would have kicked his ass and the election would have been called by 11 PM, if not sooner. Hickenlooper would not be a good general election candidate; otherwise he would been polling a wee bit higher than 1 percent. OTOH, he could be the kind of candidate who could balance out a ticket of someone like Elizabeth Warren, and his endorsement could mean something in Colorado, helping to keep that state safely in the Blue column. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1253 "2019-06-15T20:11:13Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > On the subject of _Not doing what’s in the best interest of the Democratic Party and therefore the country_it would take several hundreds of Hickenloopers to add up to a Lieberman. > > Recall that he insisted on running for BOTH Vice Prez AND Senator in 2000 and that had he won the Vice Prez job, the prevailing situation would have turned the Senate seat over to a Republican. _It would be a certain loss of a Democratic Senate seat._ Had he let a different Democrat run for the Senate, that D would have been a shoo-in. > > Admittedly imagining that Joe Lieberman would care about the interests of the Democratic Party or the U.S.A. is _Onion_-level satire. Still, I was quite amazed that almost no Democrats bothered to call him out for this crass selfishness. _At the time_ he was thought of a serious and ethical man, chosen by Gore to further distance himself from Clinton’s sexual impropriety. Yeah, assessments changed along the way. There [was](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/12/nyregion/lieberman-confirms-plan-to-stay-in-race-for-senate-while-seeking-vice-presidency.html) some noise made then about the decision … but it had been done that way before and what with its having Gore’s blessing it was hard for too many to go too loud about it. [Still noise got made.](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/26/us/2000-campaign-connecticut-race-lieberman-s-own-party-pressure-exit-senate-race.html) > [@](#): > > With Democrats growing more confident about their chances of regaining control of the Senate this fall, several colleagues of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman are pressuring him to let another Connecticut Democrat seek his seat so that the party will not lose it if he becomes vice president. > > Even though he is campaigning as Vice President Al Gore’s running mate, Mr. Lieberman is also seeking a third term in the United States Senate, which he is entitled to do under state law. > > Democratic strategists and senators said that two senior Democrats, Harry Reid of Nevada and Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota, have approached Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the Democratic leader, to ask Mr. Lieberman to step aside. Mr. Daschle has rebuffed their appeals, aides and senators said. > > Senator Robert G. Torricelli of New Jersey, who heads the Democrats’ re-election efforts, said this month on NBC’s ‘‘Meet the Press’’ that the ‘‘right decision’’ for Mr. Lieberman would be to step aside. > > If Mr. Lieberman wins his Senate campaign and the vice presidency, he will give up his Senate seat and Gov. John G. Rowland, a Republican, will be able to appoint his replacement. That would cost the Democrats a Senate seat, at a time when they are trying to narrow the Republicans’ 54-to-46 advantage. … > > … Mr. Lieberman has explained his decision to continue his Senate campaign by saying that there would not be enough time to hold a primary so voters could choose a replacement candidate. … Differences between then and now are several but mostly that there is much more reasonably high expectation that Senate control will come down to one or two seats in the balance and that the partisanship has ramped up even more over the last decades. As to Hickenlooper … in most cycles a popular swing state governor would be a real contender. This is not one of those cycles to be sure, but it would not had shocked if he had. Who was expecting Buttigieg to get into the pack? ---
**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:** [June 15, 2019, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1254 "2019-06-15T21:28:00Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > For me it’s not as much for the running as for the shitty answer that is completely self-centered. At least pretend you care about the good of the country and the planet. > > That lousy answer also makes a successful Senate run harder if it comes to that. Lp Was it self centered or was he merely pointing out that maybe you should be riding the ass of current Senators who are running for president instead of him? ---
**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:** [June 15, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1255 "2019-06-15T22:42:32Z")
But it matters _which_ senators. If Harris, say, wins the Presidency, she’ll be replaced by another Democrat. Her running makes no difference to the composition of the Senate. By contrast, Sherrod Brown would have been replaced by a Republican, and he opted to stay in the Senate. Which I’m sure is something that Hickenlooper knows, because it’s really obvious. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1256 "2019-06-16T21:57:31Z")
Beto says he supports reparations: > **[Beto O'Rourke backs slavery reparations in South Carolina campaign stop](https://www.yahoo.com/news/beto-orourke-backs-slavery-reparations-224001905.html)** > > Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke kicked off a campaign swing through South Carolina on Friday by pledging support for reparations for descendants of slaves and addressing climate change at a town hall with members of the Gullah... ---
**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:** [June 16, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1257 "2019-06-16T22:55:17Z")
Go, Beto! I am not saying Hickenlooper is not a serious, plausible candidate. But it’s a long way from there to actually _expecting_ him to be the nominee when there are so many others who are better known etc. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2019, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1258 "2019-06-17T01:12:39Z")
Well, OK, say rather that I thought that he had a higher chance of ending up as the nominee than did any other single individual. In any event, I’m not just saying that that quote looks terrible because I don’t like him and I’m looking for excuses why: Up until that, I mostly did like him. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1259 "2019-06-17T02:08:15Z")
That’s still a bold perspective. Do you live in Colorado? BTW, trust me: I wish someone with a resume like him would come in and be taken as a top tier contender. I feel like we’re not learning from history, in what should be really obvious ways. Popular governors of decent-sized swing states are good! (See also Inslee.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/1260 "2019-06-17T02:42:07Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Beto says he supports reparations: > > [Beto O'Rourke backs slavery reparations in South Carolina campaign stop](https://www.yahoo.com/news/beto-orourke-backs-slavery-reparations-224001905.html) Crazy talk means I cross him off my list. Does he also support going back on the Gold standard? :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=62) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415.md?page=64)