# Who do the Democrats run in 2020? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207 "2016-11-09T14:54:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/141 "2016-11-14T04:38:54Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I wish people would stop acting like Clinton lost by some horrible amount. The entire party is not repudiated by what happened here. It’s not that she “lost by some horrible amount”; it is that she won the popular vote by such a small margin against an opponent who ran an openly racist, misogynistic, and most absurdly, anti-factual campaign that by any reasonable expectation a decent candidate should have been able to completely shut down by such a wide margin that there wouldn’t even be a story. Ignoring that it was Hillary Clinton that lost this election, rather than “a Democrat” or “a woman” fundamentally misses the problem, and a failure to recognize this will fail to inform a future selection of good candidate. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/142 "2016-11-14T04:44:35Z")
I would say the four qualities needed for an ideal Democratic candidate are charisma, political intelligence, biography and honesty. Bill had three of them and his biography and charm was off-the-charts effective for the white working class voters who were even more important in the 90’s. Obama had all four though his biography was both an asset and a liability. Hillary arguably had none of them. She is widely considered an intellectual giant but the evidence I see is of someone who is articulate and knowledgeable but has a remarkable capacity to miss the big picture which leads to repeated fiascos like Hillarycare, 2008 and 2016. Booker has the charisma and Duckworth has the biography but it remains to be seen whether they have the other qualities. In particular do they and their team have the intelligence to understand the political landscape and where the opportunities and threats really lie? This quality is hard to judge as evidenced by the general overestimation of Hillary. The Democrats should not make the mistake of thinking they could get away with nominating someone like Trump. Their coalition is fundamentally more unwieldy and less disciplined. The white part of their coalition is at least as complex as the entire GOP coalition and you have blacks and Hispanics on top of that. Bringing them all out is like solving a really complex puzzle. Maybe we should check how many hours of Civilization/Europa Universalis the candidates have.😃 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/143 "2016-11-14T04:55:54Z")
If the right promises not to let the Bush twins ever run, can you offer up a woman who is neither the wife nor daughter of a former president too? Surely there are other women who can make the first female presidency on her own merits rather than her attachment to a former president. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/144 "2016-11-14T04:57:57Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > A charismatic black guy worked for them twice so how about Cory Booker? Pfft. He’s not the answer. The answer is obviously Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/145 "2016-11-14T08:02:10Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > The Democrats should not make the mistake of thinking they could get away with nominating someone like Trump. Their coalition is fundamentally more unwieldy and less disciplined. These two sentences seem to clash. Fact is, this is not 2019. It is not the time to be picking the successor. The political landscape of the next election will be very different, just as the landscape of 2012 was quite different from 2015. Most likely, some kind of leader will phoenix-rise to prominence, and we will all say, _well, of course_. Or we might get another Kerry. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/146 "2016-11-14T08:20:14Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Pfft. He’s not the answer. The answer is obviously Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. That’s two of us now. We need one or 2 more and we’ll have a movement. Seriously though, it seems people respond to braggadocio more than calm, reasoned facts. I think we might be approaching the point where he would be a viable candidate, and holy shit, that happened a lot faster than I ever dreamed. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Smythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jane\_Smythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Smythe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/147 "2016-11-14T09:17:17Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I’m gonna say AFL-CIO President [Richard Trumka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trumka). He’s a big manly white guy with a mustache, for those rural and blue-collar voters who find comfort in such things. He’s a union guy, to bring back the union vote. He’s largely a progressive to bring in the Bernie supporters. He’s a Mine Worker, bringing credibility and a voice to people wary of the Democratic Party’s approach to clean energy. He’s from Pennsylvania, a swing state. He’s a dynamic speaker with a track record on speaking out on behalf of middle class families, and could go toe to toe with Donald any day of the week. He’s a Catholic. He’s an outsider (in that he’s never held elective public office) with DC connections, who has an intimate knowledge how Washington works. > > And throw Tammy Duckworth on there as his running mate. > \*\* > Trumka-Duckworth 2020\*\* This one sounds quite interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Smythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jane\_Smythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Smythe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/148 "2016-11-14T09:22:42Z")
I think someone will emerge who has not yet been thought of. Someone of high intelligence, dynamic, charismatic, and a true leader. He/she will enter the primaries and emerge as the nominee and be able to put Trump in his casket, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/149 "2016-11-14T09:30:20Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > I would say the four qualities needed for an ideal Democratic candidate are charisma, political intelligence, biography and honesty. > > D Especially for Democrats though, I think executive experience is a must. If you read any books about Bill Clinton, talking about the nonbiased kind here, strictly chronicling history, he and Hillary had long shared a belief that in order to have activist government, it has to be work well. Republicans by then had made huge gains by attacking big government as too expensive, too wasteful, and not even working all that well. So Clinton made that a priority. It’s not sexy and it doesn’t make headlines, but one of the untold stories of those eight years is how much confidence in government improved under Clinton. Well, not entirely untold. When he said “the era of big government is over” he wasn’t so much talking about its size so much as its effectiveness. No longer were programs growing just because they had grown last year. No longer were people collecting welfare indefinitely. Al Gore had taken an ax to unnecessary regulations and duplicative federal programs. And programs that worked, Clinton proposed ideas to make them work better. Knowing how to do all that takes executive experience. So add executive experience, otherwise you risk eroding confidence in government. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/150 "2016-11-14T18:15:43Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > That is exactly the kind of blinkered catagorical thinking that let us to where we are now. “Nobody will vote for Trump so Clinton will be okay even if she is widely disliked.”. > > If that is your mentality, you deserve what you get. Unfortunately, everyone else is going to get it, too. So who is your idea? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/151 "2016-11-14T21:49:08Z")
Jon Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/152 "2016-11-15T04:32:27Z")
Stewart would first have to get rid of his security blanket of saying, “I’m just a comic!” whenever he says something outrageously wrong. That wouldn’t fly on the campaign trail. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/153 "2016-11-15T05:08:14Z")
After Trump, I no longer will listen to anyone who says such and such can’t possibly win. If Trump can pull it off, then so can anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/154 "2016-11-15T05:23:03Z")
I’m sick of stunt-casting presidential candidates. I don’t want another tv star, or a presidential spouse or presidential offspring. I want a career politician with a distinguished record. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/155 "2016-11-15T10:38:12Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > After Trump, I no longer will listen to anyone who says such and such can’t possibly win. If Trump can pull it off, then so can anyone else. I don’t think it’s that simple. What Trump proved is that if the other party also nominates someone who probably wouldn’t be electable under normal circumstances, AND you’re drawing voters who normally don’t vote, then Vermin Supreme could indeed win. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/156 "2016-11-15T10:40:56Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I’m sick of stunt-casting presidential candidates. I don’t want another tv star, or a presidential spouse or presidential offspring. I want a career politician with a distinguished record. But that career politician should also be someone who has done more than just climb the ladder. It should be someone who has been willing to oppose their own party on principle and has actually come up with new ideas. It’s the difference between a Bill Clinton and a Hubert Humphery. HHH was accomplished, but his accomplishment seemed to be pretty much just being a good Democrat for a long time. Clinton shook things up, founding a party within a party(the DLC) and advocating for changes, as well as implementing some innovating policy solutions in Arkansas. Martin O’Malley fits that bill nicely. Plus unlike Clinton, he’s a little to the left of his party on most issues, so it’s not like the liberal activist base has to swallow their pride like they did in 1992. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/157 "2016-11-15T11:12:39Z")
Poor Martin. Between Clinton and Sanders he never had a chance of being noticed. Admittedly Chafee, Webb, and Lessig wouldn’t have been noticed even without Clinton and Sanders on the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/158 "2016-11-15T11:19:28Z")
Chaffee and Webb are pretty experienced and competent as well though. I understand why they weren’t favored by Democrats, but their resumes were impeccable. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/159 "2016-11-15T11:40:14Z")
…yeah, I’m on the Jon Stewart train. I make the case for him in another thread. > [@I don't think I can say this in the Elections forum](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-i-can-say-this-in-the-elections-forum/771297/151): > > [snip] > > And you need to start playing the game as it is played now. And be prepared because as technology changes, the rules of the game are going to shift. There isn’t a Democrat that I can think of that knows how to play this game. To beat Donald Trump you are going to need a Jon Stewart. And even Stewart would struggle against this command of the message that Trump has at the moment. But Stewart at least understands the game and can match Trump blow for blow. Either Stewart or Lisa Simpson. (Because in cartoon reality Lisa inherited the presidency after Trump: yes, THE SIMPSONS ALREADY DID IT) > > But it needs to start now. The protests fit Trumps narrative and as right as the protesters are to protest (IMHO) it plays perfectly into Trumps hands. To fight it you need to re-write the narrative. So white people: get the fuck down to the protests and make your voices heard. Not just to show solidarity: but to fight the narrative that the Trump administration is going to create once they take office. It is no longer about convincing everyone. Its about convincing enough people to make change happen. Politics is now an agile process. Its gonna move rapidly and you need to understand how the narrative is going to be shaped and be prepared with a counter-narrative. > > And someone start the #JonStewartforpresident hashtag. A couple of years ago the thoughts of this would have been an absolute joke. But we’ve just watched Trump demolish the Republican candidates and beat out Clinton and we live in a new world now. I can’t actually think of someone else who is a voice of rationality in the United States with the mana of Stewart. And he isn’t afraid to say “fuck.” But it would be interesting to hear some other thoughts on who else could fit the bill. If not Stewart, then someone similar who can go toe to toe with Trump. I just watched about 20 seconds of that video that Salvor posted of Cory Booker and just shook my head. I’m sure he is an exceptionally nice guy who is doing fantastic things and one day might be presidential material. But he would get eaten alive by the Trump Empire. They would chew him up and spit him out. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2016, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207/160 "2016-11-15T12:02:31Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Chaffee and Webb are pretty experienced and competent as well though. I understand why they weren’t favored by Democrats, but their resumes were impeccable. Maybe they should have sent their resumes to the primary debates, because they came across as being \*\*way \*\*out of their depth. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …yeah, I’m on the Jon Stewart train. I make the case for him in another thread. I’m gonna pass on Jon Stewart. He’s a very smart man and was excellent at what he did, but he’s clearly a man who suffers from a lot of self-doubt. That’s the sort of quality a skilled comedian can channel into producing sharp material (and you may recall there was a lot of self-deprecation in his TDS work, which was one of his more endearing traits), but in a President would result in a nervous breakdown in very short order. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-the-democrats-run-in-2020/771207.md?page=9)