Saturday, February 29, 2020

A Leap


















For the last six months, I have been really unhappy with the  selection process for the Ds.  For me, there was only one obvious solution.  The right candidate, in my view, must among other things, get at least those 72,000 votes back from the three blue states that went red on that dreary November evening in 2016.

The right candidate would be an extension of an administration that had saved the country from an R induced Great Recession and provided 8 years of consistent, yet moderate growth.  The right candidate would be in favor of a public option for health. He would be strong on climate change action, and he would be trusted by the large black constituency in the Democratic Party.

I watched almost every debate.  (at least as many as I could stand)

And, in the last year, 28 democrats have joined the presidential marathon and 25 have dropped out.

Here they are:













Many of these aspirants had a lot of promise and promises.

Some of my friends liked O'Rourke because he was young and energetic and used to be in a punk rock band, plus he could skateboard to the Burger King. Most of my adult politically astute friends liked Warren of course.  Our Mayor liked Buttigieg.  My climate change pals liked Inslee even though they had realistic expectations. His reasonably short campaign proved that this process is not rational.

Yang was also one of the rational ones.  He tried to explain that not only do we have problems with the climate, we have problems with robots taking our menial jobs away and we need to understand that giving folks money for being a good cooperative member of society is a good investment.  Otherwise, they might not cooperate some day when they finally have had enough of not enough.

I always wondered why none of us liked Steyer even though he is a pretty good plutocrat.  And toward the end of the month, it became obvious through two debates that Bloomberg was not going to be our savior.  That's a dodged bullet, because if Oligarchs can buy the presidency without even a front man, our democracy would soon find itself on a ventilator.

I liked Bullock, but he needs to run for senate.  (apparently he will)

And I've always liked Bernie.  But he's not a democrat.  He just caucuses with them. And sure, we should join the other civilized nations and provide health care to us all, but then again, we're just not that civilized.

As a former political operative, and just like our unPOTUS, I thought Biden was our ticket to victory at the White House and hopefully in the Senate.  Sure, he looked tired and a little slow in the debates.  And at 77, he should be expected to need a nap from time to time.  But Biden is tough and he's from a state that we lost and should have won.  And with him on the ticket, we should pick up the other two too.

And isn't that what we want?

To Win?

Leading up to Feb 29th, I had almost begun to be a little embarrassed when folks would ask me who I was voting for.  "Biden",  I would say, even though the party, the other party, the media, the Russians, and Biden's campaign staff seem bent on his destruction.

And then, like from nowhere, the senior members of my brunch bunch said they were voting for Biden.  My friday night dinner group announced they were voting for Biden.  Even my partner said she was voting for Biden.

It's as if Obama got on the phone and called a million or so important people.  Or maybe Jim Clyburn and a bunch of other Democrats decided all at once that they didn't want to "feel the Bern" in November.

South Carolina got the message. And one of the greatest comebacks in American history blew though our living rooms and radios on a day that comes only once every four years.

This was no small step, it is a leap.

One that will allow the electorate to rid itself of a troublesome demagogue.


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