This is great, exactly the sort of defense and support I would like to see more of. These are reasons.
As a voter, I hope so, and to learn it during the campaign.
But as a Democrat hoping to win: Having a history of foreign policy statements will turn off voters who find something in said history they don’t like. This is partly why, before Obama, we had the phrase “senatorial curse.”
The electoral problem with an exciting candidate is that they excite the other side to get out their vote. The exception might be an exciting moderate without a long record. Here’s my dream 2024 VEEP candidate:
He had an affair with his then best friend’s wife, who happened to be his subordinate (the friend was his campaign manager, the wife was his appointment secretary at the time), destroying their marriage. Quite consensual affair by all accounts, but I call I like I see it and that there qualifies as shitty behavior.
Then there was the notorious hypocrisy charge that publicly fueled the recall campaign against him. In the heart of the pandemic (November, 2020), Newsom had been the hardest of the hard-line governors in terms of locking down the state with mask mandates, distancing and all the rest and good on him. I think he did an outstanding job overall. But he was photographed with 11 associates, unmasked and undistanced, laughing it up at a private party at the $350/plate French Laundry. It was laughably bad judgement - like something you might see on an episode of Arrested Development.
Also he uses too much hair product and most unforgivably had the truly terrible taste to marry Kimberly Guilfoyle 
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Yeah, I get it. I don’t like Newsom. He has always rubbed me the wrong way, even back in his mayor days. But I support Newsom - our political values are usually roughly congruent, he’s generally sane and effective and I keep grumpily voting for him. I like to compare him to the basically well-meaning, but sleazy Mayor Carcetti from The Wire 
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But a lot of Democrats isn’t the nation. I cynically just don’t think any Californian is going to get over the hump nationally in the current climate. I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
Don’t know. Can’t we get some better draft picks? Not Biden, please. Not Trump, thank you. Also not American — have some interest but no say….
Running vs. Trump, I can’t see this becoming a crucial issue
I should think that saying “I used laughably bad judgment, and I apologize for my hypocrisy” should do the trick for most Democratic voters, and nothing will ever do the trick for hardcore GOP voters.
This might be a bridge too far. However, “Hey, I was young, and she was very hot, honest, at the time. I did show good judgment, though, in divorcing her–people change, and I’ve changed for the good” might work here.
I agree that it’s going to be easier to win the general election if you aren’t from CA, NY, MA, or VT.
But I don’t think any of those is a death sentence.
I think the first time I ever saw Kimberly was on Larry King. Isn’t she related to John Wayne or something? Anyway, I thought she seemed perfectly sensible back then. I’m not sure what happened, but either she changed or I did, cause now I just see a woman attracted to dj junior and it makes me want to puke. Blech,
She worked for Fox News for quite a while, starting with them soon after she and Newsom divorced. She was forced to resign from Fox, due to sexually harassing an assistant (and, apparently, by generally being sex-crazed and inappropriate). As per Wikipedia (bolding mine):
Please dont let her post jr.s genitalia.
Moderating:
I keep looking for a substantive post from you, and I’m not finding one.
Just dropping “cute” comments into threads that are intended for at least somewhat serious discussion is borderline threadshitting. Please refrain from doing this. Save the goofing for the Pit. Thanks.
She totally won big time here in Michigan just a couple months ago, but I think part of that is that they ran a Trumper against her. And the reason they had to do that…is that the top 5(?) Republican governor candidates were ALL banned for election fraud. Their people forged signatures to get them on the ballot and they were consequently banned.
I wonder if Whitmer could ever have nation-wide appeal.
I’ll vote for her, anyway.
Swinging Michigan Democratic is essential to the presidency.
Really…
Just to make an aside on this — this is one of the things that happens when you create a narrative of “everyone cheats, it’s all always rigged”. You end up with self-goals when you try it.
I would add two names:
Jay Inslee, current Governor of the State of Washington. He’s young enough, dynamic, champions the cause of climate change. His big obstacle is name recognition, but Obama showed that can be overcome if enough people support the candidate.
I’d also put forth the name of Mark Warner, current Senator from the State of Virginia. He’s got the experience and knows his way well around congressional politicking.
I dislike that they’re both white men, but I think they’re both extremely well qualified and could do good things as President. Inslee ran in 2020. I don’t think Warner particularly wants the job but could maybe be persuaded.
He’d be 73 by then - not exactly a whippersnapper . He looks younger and spryer than average for his early 70’s so I get the feeling people frequently assume he is younger than he is. He was loosely my first choice in 2020, but he got nowhere. I’m not sure he’d fare much better in 2024, but we’ll see if he gives it another shot.
Inslee’s good, but not great. He’s blessed with single party rule. He’s not a bad leader, but not a superstar. I’d certainly support him, but not my dream candidate.
How about a Democratic governor or senator from a swing state? Such a candidate would already have had to appeal to people from both parties.
I feel someone we haven’t even considered may become public and makes some strides by the time. Lets hope.
Slight amendment if I may. …
… you end up with self-goals if you try it before you’ve fully suborned the election law enforcement mechanism. But once you have done that, then the outcome of cheating is perpetual power.
I’ve long been a fan of Senator Jon Tester of Montana. I don’t think the fact that’s he’s missing fingers should be too big a negative.
I am an enormous fan of Jon Tester, but the rumor is that he’s ready to go back to his farm and put Washington, DC firmly in the rearview mirror.
Of course, there was another leader who retired to his farm and was later convinced to assume the Presidency . . .