I have, on occasion, expressed the view that despite the fact that they are the current frontrunners I’d rather that Biden, Sanders and Warren not be running this round due to their advanced ages. So I was curious as to who might come to the fore if for whatever reason the three of them dropped out of the race and left the rest of the current field intact.
Hence, a completely unscientific poll: IF you are likely to vote for the eventual Democratic nominee next year, which of the other 21 contenders would you prefer (as of your current opinions and level of knowledge of the field)?
Now here’s hoping I can remember how to do a poll.
I am still in the winnowing phase of candidate selection. There are several (many) candidates I have ruled out, but there is no single candidate I am prepared to commit to at this time.
I still like Castro. Any Democrat is pretty much aligned with me, but he has a personal warmth and charisma that I think would play well in November.
I don’t see where Warren is too old. I hope to have as much energy as she does when I’m her age, which is unlikely since I don’t have as much energy as her now.
Too soon to tell. But I do know who I’m happy to stick a fork in right now:
Beto O’Rourke - tired of his ADHD shtick and his idea of being prepared is a stream of platitudes. His bell is still ringing this morning after Julian Castro rang it for him last night.
John Delaney - remarkable for being unremarkable
Amy Klobuchar - just unremarkable
Jay Inslee - wrong trick pony for this election
I liked Bill de Blasio more than I expected.
I thought Tulsi Gabbard would make an excellent secretary of Defense.
Elizabeth Warren did not disappoint, but did not exactly knock it out of the park either.
I don’t think Warren is too old. Older than I might like, as I’d prefer a generational contrast with Trump, but she’d complete two terms while still in her seventies (if only just), and I don’t think that’s an issue. I’ve known plenty of folks in their seventies who are with-it enough to carry out all the duties of a president.
Biden and Sanders, on the other hand…I haven’t known very many people in their eighties, and essentially none in their late eighties, who I would trust to carry out the things a president must do. Sanders would be 87 when he finished a theoretical second term, Biden not far behind. In a month or so Sanders will be exactly as old as Ronald Reagan was–on Reagan’s last day of office. This feels like a Really Bad Idea.
Anyway, the candidates I like best aren’t to be found among Biden, Sanders, or Warren, so this was a less-than-hypothetical question for me
I suppose I should have waited until tonight’s debate to post this, in the interest of fairness.
And Wayne Messam is the mayor of Miramar, Florida. He’s one of four candidates who didn’t make it to the debate stage. Played football for Florida State. As mayors go, he’s no Pete Buttegieg.
I went with Booker, on the grounds that he’s got a reasonable resume, there’s nothing I find objectionable about what I know of his policies, and I think that he’s probably more electable in the general than most of the rest of the field.
But that’s all a very preliminary assessment, and my support could shift to pretty much any of the senators or governors running.
I don’t think Warren’s age is likely to be a relevant factor either, certainly not in a negative sense. And Mike Gravel isn’t actually running - some hipsters have taken interest in him for whatever reason.
Big Pharma supposedly, but he’s since tried to shake that reputation. YMMV on how successfully.
Living in NJ, and at one point living in Newark while he was Mayor, I have high hopes for Cory Booker. Among other things, the man is a literal superhero, running into burning buildings and all.
My second choice is Buttigieg. I was originally skeptical, but like many, hearing him speak has changed my mind. And both Booker and Buttigieg’s debate performances this week cemented that.
