JOE BIDEN is not going to draw 100,000 in Waterbury, CT in the rain at 3AM as John Kennedy did two days before the 1960 Election but he’s a good guy and Jill Biden says he can win. The former Second Lady has credibility and unique standing amongst Democrats. Her intervention was timely and effective. If the worst thing they can say about somebody is that he’s a good guy who doesn’t know how to finish a sentence….that’s not that bad. Ask Jill Biden — or Barack Obama, for that matter.
ELIZABETH WARREN can not be underestimated. She has world class determination and discipline. I thought her “Indian Problem” was fatal. Wrong. Her substantive command of the issues and unwillingness to get sidelined in non-productive bickering with other candidates has helped her. However, it’s hard to envision an end game where she’s the Nominee and she’s not a natural No. 2 for anybody.
AMY KLOBUCHAR plays well with others. I did a piece on her a while back playing off the Garrison Keillor line about Minnesota where “the Women are strong, the Men are good looking, and all the Children are above average.” Amy has the trifecta, plus she doesn’t make enemies. Her major problem is that she doesn’t have “command presence.” She makes people feel comfortable, not inspired. She’d be almost anybody’s ideal No. 2.
BERNIE SANDERS is a true believer. His natural medium is street revolutionary. He’s in the wrong country. America is more of a Center-Right Country than Socialist Country. Having said that, Bernie cannot be ignored. His following is passionate and must be on board with the ultimate nominee to ensure a win.
COREY BOOKER is just not my cup of tea. I didn’t like the smug attitude he displayed with Biden in the last debate — “you’re drinking the Kool-Aid and you don’t even know the flavor.” Biden, for all his faults, has paid his dues in the Democratic Party. He’s 76 years old and a former Vice President. He’s entitled to respect. Not a drive-by cheap shot. Show some respect, Corey, and respect will flow back to you. So far, you haven’t earned it.
KAMALA HARRIS can punch but she can’t take a punch. She broke out of the pack with her deftly planned and executed takedown of Biden in the First Debate. It was tough but not disrespectful. Then came the Second Debate, and Tulsi Gabbard put Harris’s record as Attorney General of the State of California under scrutiny. Harris’s response was, at best, impervious/petulant. Harris has suffered badly in the polls since that encounter. Here is the Gabbard-Harris exchange in its entirety.
TULSI GABBARD deserves to be heard. She’s a liberal veteran for peace. Democrats are supposed to like Peace. So what’s the problem with Tulsi Gabbard? She calls out the obstacles to peace by name. She says things like “Netanyahu and the Saudis” are pushing us into an unnecessary war with Iran. That kind of candor is, up until now, unheard of in American politics and MSNBC, CNN, and the New York Times can’t figure out how to deal with it. So, they blather on about the ridiculous and inconsequential rather than put Gabbard on and let the country see what she has.
CONCLUSION
Barack Obama became President because he had the guts and foresight to oppose the unnecessary war with Iraq that, incidentally, was urged upon us by Benjamin Netanyahu, Hillary Clinton, and many others. Obama took what was, at the time, the unpopular but correct path. The press is stuck in “fawning treatment of all things Israel.”
Gabbard is gutsy enough not to be stuck there with them. She’ll be back from Reserve Duty Sunday. We’ll hear more from her. That’s a good thing.
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