# Which 2020 Democrat CAN defeat Trump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 19, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218 "2018-07-19T18:35:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/221 "2018-07-24T15:37:11Z")
Saw an interview this morning with Democratic Representative of the Massachusetts Sixth District Seth Moulton. Former Marine officer. Very plain spoken and most impressive. He’s 39 years old, perhaps a little young for the job – but keep an eye on this guy. He’s going places for sure. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/222 "2018-07-24T16:01:41Z")
Mondale also said flat out he was for higher taxes. He probably would have been better off saying he worshiped the devil. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/223 "2018-07-24T16:09:32Z")
Mondale said it was _inevitable_, and that Reagan was lying about it. He was right, yanno. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/224 "2018-07-24T16:28:55Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > McRaven - maybe. I’ve always believed that a military guy could make it happen for the Dems, under the right circumstances - I’ve been a big proponent of Jim Webb, though he would need major coaching and practice to polish his debate skills and speaking presence. What these guys have, and which John Kerry who tried to run on his military record lacked, was _unassailable_ military credentials. > > I have a hell of a lot of friends both active duty and veteran. By and large, they are _reasonable_ people. Aside from being very absolutist on the 2nd Amendment in the main, they’re generally _not_ the kind of dogmatic right-wing zealots who are mindlessly hostile to anything involving Democrats. In MY experience, though maybe not others’, officers skew moderate to liberal, whereas enlisted skew conservative. I know that most of these people would rather have someone like McRaven than Donald Trump, even if the former had a D before his name. > > But of course, the military vote is only a sliver of the total, and despite the virtue-signalling veneration of the military from the right, the fact is that _the majority of Americans have no personal connection to the military and don’t really understand or care about the military in any but the most abstract sense._ The days when virtually all American males went through military service as a rite of passage, like my grandfathers and all my great-uncles, and the more educated and ambitious among them went on to be the stewards of national and civil governnance - the days when pretty much any man behind a big desk supervising a bunch of people, however comfortable or white-collar his surroundings may be, could be expected to have at one time flown a B-24 or commanded a submarine or supervised the gathering of military intelligence, or even seen his friends get shot to pieces and die horrifically in infantry combat - the days when these people were an important voting bloc, _is long over._ > > That’s why I say, military service _can_ help a candidate but it is _by no means_ the magic bullet to win the Democrats back their balls. I’m not suggesting a military guy to get the military vote. I’m suggesting a military guy as someone who could take on Trump in a way no one else could, and in doing so, capture a good chunk of the middle (and a good chunk of Middle America, which really, really looks up to the military) as well as some disaffected righties who also respect the military. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/225 "2018-07-24T20:44:43Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > … without having a huge target on her back from conservatives (like Holder, Kerry, Clinton, Lynch),… By the way, apparently Holder is seriously considering a 2020 run. Not sure if he excites Democrats, and he definitely has some miscues in his past. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/226 "2018-07-24T22:51:52Z")
Looks like [Tim Ryan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Ryan_(politician)) is gearing up for a 2020 run. Best known recently for challenging Nancy Pelosi for leadership in the House. Looks like he was traditionally a familiar type of rust-belt Democrat - socially moderate, pro-labor. However he seems to be pivoting leftwards recently, including hiring a former Sanders aid. Youngish, photogenicish. Anyone from the Akron/Youngstown area or Ohio in general care to voice an opinion? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/227 "2018-07-24T23:13:13Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > His VP choice was Bentsen, who knew Bush’s VP choice was no Jack Kennedy. You’re right - she was Mondale’s choice. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/228 "2018-07-25T00:24:27Z")
How about two term Montana Governor Steve Bullock? Age 52 Pro-choice > [@](#): > > Bullock was one of just three Democrats to win gubernatorial elections (one of whom, Jim Justice, is now a Republican), in states that President Trump carried in 2016. > [@](#): > > Bullock has publicly argued that the Democratic Party needs to expand its reach beyond urban areas and the nation’s two coasts. He has encouraged Democrats to engage with and attempt to persuade voters in suburban and rural areas rather than relying solely on base turnout. > [@](#): > > According to a September 20, 2016, survey by Morning Consult, Bullock, with a 66% approval rating and a 19% disapproval rating, was the most popular Democratic governor in the United States, as well as the fourth-most popular overall… > [@](#): > > [Bullock] serves as Chairman of the National Governors Association… > [@](#): > > Bullock was chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in 2015… > [@](#): > > Served one term as Attorney General of Montana. > [@](#): > > Bullock supports marriage equality, and praised a federal judge for striking down Montana’s same-sex marriage ban in 2014, which made Montana the 34th U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. > **[Steve Bullock (American politician)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bullock_%28American_politician%29?wprov=sfla1)** > > Stephen Clark Bullock (born April 11, 1966) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 24th governor of Montana from 2013 to 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party. > Born in Missoula, Montana, Bullock graduated from Claremont McKenna College and Columbia Law School. He began his career working as legal counsel to the Secretary of State of Montana before becoming the Executive Assistant Attorney General and acting Chief Deputy Attorney General of Montana. Bullock then entered p... ---
**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:** [July 25, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/229 "2018-07-25T04:09:47Z")
I just watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjFsqeAs-dk) of Bullock discussing Trump, Net Neutrality, and gun violence. It was a pretty good interview, he has a good speaking style and the right kind of voice and appearance to possibly earn peoples’ trust. He gave good answers and he handled the gun question the proper way - hitting a line drive down the middle and scoring a respectable base hit with his reasonable acknowledgement of the reality that people own guns for defense, rather than bringing up hunting (a red herring) or saying some form of “we don’t want to ban guns, we just want to ban certain guns”. He doesn’t have a memorable personality like Biden or Bernie, but a personality could be built up around him with the proper stage-management. If it’s done well, people won’t even know that it’s artificial. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/230 "2018-07-25T13:18:49Z")
Any Democratic candidate can beat Trump, if the left just stops expecting ideological purity and goes out and votes. I have come to the realization that Trump won for the simple reason that Republicans were willing to accept a less than perfect candidate and Democrats were not. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/231 "2018-07-25T13:44:43Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > They all lost and they were all considerably less charismatic then their opponents, IMO. Boring candidates usually lose to less boring candidates. We need to nominate someone who’s not boring. No milquetoast candidates – we need high turnout, and high turnout needs some level of charisma and genuine connection. We won’t get an Obama/Bill Clinton every election, but we can do better than Dukakis/Kerry/Hillary Clinton in the charisma department. Even Bernie connects with voters better than those three. You got that one right Dem’s need a rock star to win. Some with Charisma, and energy, and ideally a very limited record to examine. Rock stars stand out. No one on the list stand out on Television, except for maybe the X Mayor of New Orleans. Mitch Landrieu has charisma and is a good speaker, but his credentials are on the light side. One problem lefties might have is he’s a religious, and went to an Jesuit high school. Likely a pro life guy. Debating liberal points to main stream America such as putting more money / abolishing ICE, or encouraging the confrontation of public officials, which is what Dem’s stand for outside “ NO “these days is not gong to play in any battle ground area. Dem’s can’t debate the economy either. Eric Holder says he’s thinking about it. It he runs, he might have a foundation of the African American vote to go a few rounds, but he’s not a long term answer. Moreover, he’s going to be taking shots at other candidates, and going after the same pool of money for his campaign. Statler ( Sanders ) and Waldorf ( Biden ) are the best of the lot, at least for now. Each man if they won would be 78 years old when sworn in. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/232 "2018-07-25T14:12:49Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > You got that one right Dem’s need a rock star to win. Some with Charisma, and energy, and ideally a very limited record to examine. Rock stars stand out. No one on the list stand out on Television, except for maybe the X Mayor of New Orleans. Mitch Landrieu has charisma and is a good speaker, but his credentials are on the light side. One problem lefties might have is he’s a religious, and went to an Jesuit high school. Likely a pro life guy. > > Debating liberal points to main stream America such as putting more money / abolishing ICE, or encouraging the confrontation of public officials, which is what Dem’s stand for outside “ NO “these days is not gong to play in any battle ground area. Dem’s can’t debate the economy either. > > Eric Holder says he’s thinking about it. It he runs, he might have a foundation of the African American vote to go a few rounds, but he’s not a long term answer. Moreover, he’s going to be taking shots at other candidates, and going after the same pool of money for his campaign. > > Statler ( Sanders ) and Waldorf ( Biden ) are the best of the lot, at least for now. Each man if they won would be 78 years old when sworn in. LOL. I take your input on Democratic strategy about as seriously as a wildebeest would take a lion’s advice on how to avoid predators. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/233 "2018-07-25T14:40:50Z")
The more I research McRaven, the more impressed I am. I believe a democractic military man will grab a lot of former Trump voters. Pair him with an up and coming candidate for VP like Booker, Harris, The Rock 🙂 and I think we have a winner. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/234 "2018-07-25T14:41:33Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > LOL. I take your input on Democratic strategy about as seriously as a wildebeest would take a lion’s advice on how to avoid predators. **Then you are in trouble as I agree with you, Dem’s need a Rock Star**! Do you even read my posts? The only problem is you’ve got none, or maybe one, but he’s an X mayor in red state. I’d also tell you Dem’s also need media Stars to help " get out the vote " The trouble is many of them were compromised “ Me too “ guys. ---
**Author:** ![pjacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@pjacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjacks)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/235 "2018-07-25T16:04:53Z")
Trump apparently fears going up against Biden the most: [Scoop: Trump fears running against Biden 2020, losing Pennsylvania](https://www.axios.com/scoop-trump-fears-biden-losing-pennsylvania-1532514558-e1bf871b-5edb-44e8-baa4-5506e99550fb.html) My own view is that the Dems should just write 2020 off. Run a good left-wing candidate, but focus more energy on downballet races. We are due for another recession soon, and if it doesn’t come before 2020, whoever is president after that will almost certainly be in office during a recession and then blamed for it. At that point, any Republican can run and win in 2024, not to mention there’d be yet another new red wave of lunatics in the midterms. Trump might even run for a non-consecutive 2nd term while blaming the Dems for ruining the roaring Trump economy or some nonsense. The smartest long-term strategy for any political party is just to tie their presidential wins to the dips and peaks of the economy whenever possible. This is how Obama ended up with a sea of blue states in 2008 and massive majorities in Congress and control of most state governments, which of course they squandered, being Democrats. The bench is awful anyway. Biden and Sanders are old as dirt, and the former has enough creepy pics of him groping women to fill a photo album. Booker is an in-the-closet gay man, a fact that Trump has already begun to hint would be an attack line on Twitter. Elizabeth Warren? I admire her, but if you think HRC was the target of sexism, just wait until you see how a divorced woman with no kids is treated by the media and the electorate. And sorry, Gillibrand has the voice of a teenage girl, so she’s going nowhere. American voters are dumb and that is something that would turn them off completely. Kamala Harris OTOH will be painted as an ally of cop killers and a gun grabber. Eric Holder was a do-nothing attorney general and I don’t see how running on the failures of the Obama presidency is a winning strategy, so maybe it’s best to avoid anyone involved with it. Jim Webb? I can’t think of a better candidate to bring down Dem voter turnout to record low levels. I like Seth Moulton. Great life story, handsome and a seemingly genuine guy. But I don’t see a path for him in the primaries. Perfect VP choice for a woman or PoC though. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/236 "2018-07-25T16:51:30Z")
Biden will bring out those who are nostalgic for Obama, as well as for a sane and competent administration (as most sane people are). He brings back the rust belt and at least some of the older whites who went for Trump because Hillary. He’s sharper than Trump despite being his senior (and infinitely smarter). Healthwise, Biden certainly looks less likely to drop from a coronary. If he manages to remain so for another three years, I think that’s a nonissue, given an interesting choice for VP. Those allegedly “gropey” pictures are nothing and Trump cannot go up against him on women’s issues, especially now that more leaks from Cohen will probably show a path strewn with NDAs and payoffs from women he’s fucked over. Ditto the gaffe problem. No one in history has as many embarrassing gaffes (“oh no I meant _wouldn’t_”) not to mention flat-out lies than Trump. Would we love to have someone thirty years younger with Biden’s reputation, knowledge and gravitas? Yep. Do we have one? Not that I can see. (Who for VP? Dunno. How’s Gabby Giffords doing? Someone who survived an assassination attempt–assuming she’s doing well, and Wikipedia says she’s gone skydiving so I’m gathering she is–seems tough and has an excellent survival story that will resonate with young voters post-Parkland. Her gun-control activism might be an issue, but honestly, the Dems are never going to get the gun nuts anyway. Best of all we don’t lose a Senate or House seat, and she’s now an “outsider.”) Edited to add–Wiki reminded me she’s Jewish, too! That would be fucking awesome. And she’s got a navy combat ship named after her. Beats Trump and _his_ multiple failed namesakes. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/237 "2018-07-25T17:03:31Z")
…AND I totally forgot that Giffords’s husband’s a friggin’ astronaut. How kickass and patriotic can one couple be?! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/238 "2018-07-25T17:11:50Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Biden will bring out those who are nostalgic for Obama, as well as for a sane and competent administration (as most sane people are). He brings back the rust belt and at least some of the older whites who went for Trump because Hillary. > > He’s sharper than Trump despite being his senior (and infinitely smarter). Healthwise, Biden certainly looks less likely to drop from a coronary. If he manages to remain so for another three years, I think that’s a nonissue, given an interesting choice for VP. > > Those allegedly “gropey” pictures are nothing and Trump cannot go up against him on women’s issues, especially now that more leaks from Cohen will probably show a path strewn with NDAs and payoffs from women he’s fucked over. Ditto the gaffe problem. No one in history has as many embarrassing gaffes (“oh no I meant _wouldn’t_”) not to mention flat-out lies than Trump. > > Would we love to have someone thirty years younger with Biden’s reputation, knowledge and gravitas? Yep. Do we have one? Not that I can see. > > (Who for VP? Dunno. How’s Gabby Giffords doing? Someone who survived an assassination attempt–assuming she’s doing well, and Wikipedia says she’s gone skydiving so I’m gathering she is–seems tough and has an excellent survival story that will resonate with young voters post-Parkland. Her gun-control activism might be an issue, but honestly, the Dems are never going to get the gun nuts anyway. Best of all we don’t lose a Senate or House seat, and she’s now an “outsider.”) > > Edited to add–just remembered she’s Jewish, too! That would be fucking awesome. And she’s got a navy combat ship named after her. Beats Trump and _his_ multiple failed namesakes. Biden will be 76 years old this November, meaning if elected President, he’ll be 78. This is very old. Too old to guarantee a 4 year term, and probably too old to get re-elected at age 82, and sworn in again at 83. Biden has always been gaffe prone. That is only going to get worse with age. He also carries much of Obama’s baggage, which was an easy target for Trump. Joe said he didn’t have the steam to run in 2016. But I tend to think he’s the best the Dem’s have ( for now ) and could flip a state like PA, but that would not be enough by itself electorally speaking to win the presidency. Sanders is also the same age. Old. I call the pair Statler and Waldorf. I tend to think Democrats will lose some of the support they enjoy from Jewish Americans mainly because Trump is very pro Israel . Farm more than say Obama who said in a speech they should go back to 1967 boarders. As for Trump himself, he’s got a lot of energy. His father lived to age 93, his mother age 88. His two older sisters are still alive as is his young brother. Longevity appears to be in his DNA. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/239 "2018-07-25T17:12:23Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > But going back to an earlier discussion on another thread, I think what Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders are doing is crucial. And that is why it is NOT working. Bernie Sanders isn’t even a Dem for god’s sake and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is Maxine Waters level of crazy-ass. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218/240 "2018-07-25T17:24:39Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Times that the Democrats tried to appeal to swing voters and won it: > > Barack Obama. > Bill Clinton. > > Times that the Democrats didn’t try to appeal to swing voters: > > Hillary Clinton > Al Gore > > Times that the Democrats tried to appeal to swing voters but didn’t succeed: > > John Kerry > > Not appealing to the middle got you 0/2. > Appealing to the middle got you 2/3. I think the Dem’s do best when there is a rescission. That and facing rather weak candidates. The economy is doing quite well under Trump. GDP approaching projected 4% growth. While I would give Bill Clinton or Barrack Obama type of candidate a good chance to win, there is not such person in the field for 2020, and lie I said Dem’s won’t win on the economy or taxes. I’m not quite sure what their message will be for the mid terms, and that is just a few months away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-2020-democrat-can-defeat-trump/818218.md?page=13)