I Need A Democrat

I need a Democrat to stand up, to step up, to move this party forward. And I don’t want a Not _____; see, at some point in the not too distant future, when the current president is either impeached or flees from office in disgrace, everyone in the GOP will position themselves as a Not _____, so don’t stoop to that level.

We, the Democrats who voted last time—and, yeah, I’m still pissed at those of you who stayed home because Bernie wasn’t in it, or you thought Hillary had it made, and allowed this travesty to happen—want someone who will tell us what they are going to do, not how bad that ‘other guy’ is; I know how bad he is. I mean, scarcely a minute goes by that he does do or say something reprehensible, or do or say something illegal, or do or say something just plain stupid, so don’t campaign on not being _____.

We already know that.

Give us some ideas; give us some hope; make us some promises on how you’re going to make this country work, for all of us, and not just the wealthiest among us, and then get elected and do it. Give me something other than Not ____.

And now, according to The Hill, these are the top Democratic candidates for the presidency in 2020—along with my thought, or thoughts:

Senator Elizabeth Warren

I like her; smart, shrewd, stands up for herself, and because of her no-punches-pulled attacks on banks and the financial industry, but, yeah, she does engage in _____-like fashion on Twitter, though mostly to _____.

Don’t sink to that level; rise.

Warren has joined the Senate Armed Services Committee, a move seen by some as a way to bolster her foreign policy and national security credentials in advance of a presidential run, but, then again, she would be 71 in 2020, and I’m kinda looking for new, young blood, to continue moving the party forward beyond the next election cycle.

Senator Bernie Sanders

Yup, I know some of you are still Feeling The Bern, but, for me, this plays along the lines of those who thought Clinton should get the nomination last time because it was “her turn”; this may not be Bernie’s turn. He has a lot of great ideas, a lot, but so many means that sometimes you can’t get anything done.

And there is also Sanders’s age: he’ll be 79 on Election Day and, again, for me, I want new, fresh ideas that carry us onward.

Senator Cory Booker

Earlier this year, Booker joined the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and that is also seen—as with Warren—as an effort to build his credentials for a presidential run.

And for me, he has age on his side: he’s just 47. He’s also quite media savvy which could be an advantage, but one disadvantage, for some, is that he is not the most liberal Democrat in Congress; that, however, could be a good thing as he won’t be seen as too far to the left.

Plus, there is talk that he is a little too “corporate-friendly” for the tastes of Democratic primary voters.

Senator Amy Klobuchar

The New Yorker calls her, “popular, practical, appealing [and] progressive” and she comes from Minnesota, where the currents of labor and progressivism run strong; plus, her no-nonsense attitude could play well with the Rust Belt voters whom the Democrats sorely need. But who is she? She hasn’t quite stepped up yet, and it’s getting time to make a move.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Gillibrand replaced Hillary Clinton as a New York senator in 2009, so is she The New Hillary? And does that mean she has what it takes, or does it mean she has an Achilles heel?

She does have a high-profile and, like Booker, is also media savvy; and being the Senator from New York gives her access to high-profile donors and we all know money talks in elections.

But, yeah, there’s the Hillary factor; is she so much like Clinton that the GOP will go after her as viciously, and falsely, as they did Secretary Clinton? And if that’s the thought, would the Democrats want to take that chance again?

First Lady Michelle Obama

Yeah, I know, she said ‘No,’ but maybe she’d rethink? I mean, other than her husband who else in the Democratic Party could, and can, move the voters as much?

Right, no one; but then, again, it becomes that sort of dynasty thing ... another Obama?

I’d vote Yes ... in a heartbeat, because she has strength of conviction, she’s been through the vileness of the GOP, and she does not, has not, will not, sink to that level.

She’ll go high.

Governor John Hickenlooper

Hickenlooper is governor of Colorado, a key battleground state, though it has become more solidly Democratic in recent years, having gone Blue in the past three presidential elections.

Hickenlooper is down-to-earth, which could appeal the Middle America, which may, or may not, have bought into the New York Liberal Elite rhetoric of the GOP, and has high approval ratings in his state. On the down side? Who is John Hickenlooper? He may be a name in his state, and he may be known to some in DC but the rest of us don’t know him.

Senator Chris Murphy 

Murphy, from Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook shooting took place, gets props from me on one of my core issues: gun control.

That means a lot to me. But he’s kind of that one issue, right now; he’d need to build up his political credentials if he were to run for the White House, but he is one to watch.

Vice President Joe Biden

I feel about him as I do Michelle Obama; Joe should have run the last time and I think, had he done it, we might have seen a different outcome in 2016.

He has made slight overtures that he would consider another run, but has also said he has “no intention” of running. 

Plus, if he won, he’d be 78 when he took office but, for me, that doesn’t matter as much with Joe as it does with Warren and Sanders, because he feels much more youthful and open and responsive to new ideas.

Governor Andrew Cuomo

On paper, Cuomo, governor of New York, looks strong. He comes from a liberal state and from a well-established political family—though there isn’t that ‘dynasty’ vibe with Cuomo.

His one issue, some say, is that he is more of a centrist, and with what we are dealing with now, there are some in our party who are leaning further to the left than Cuomo.

Senator Kamala Harris

Harris is a bright spot among Democrats but she is too new, too green, too unknown. I like her; I find that she has conviction and backbone and won’t sit quietly while the men talk, but I think she needs to build up her cache and then go for it.

Still, Barack Obama was seen by many as not having the experience to be president because he was too now, so ...

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Could she run again? Should she?

I like Hillary, but ... no. I think she’s too much of a liability, and there’s too much, real and imagined, baggage, that comes with her. We’d once again focus on innuendo and suppositions and she’d not have the time to bring the issues to the forefront.

Former Governor Deval Patrick

Patrick was once considered a man of enormous political skill, and a contender after Obama left office, but Patrick also left office in 2015 and has been relatively silent since.

It’s not clear if he’d run, and would anyone know him if he did.

Senator Tim Kaine

Sure, he was Hillary Clinton’s 2016 running mate, but was he really exceptional?

I don’t find him presidential at all, and I’d hate to see him run just because he was in the race the last time.

Oprah Winfrey

Okay, those of you suggesting this, knock it the fuck off. The last thing we need is another celebrity president—think Reagan and _____. Sure, they were both Republicans but each had little experience with national politics and Winfrey falls into that category.

The good news is that she’s said she won’t run; the bad news is that means less bread for the rest of us.

Sorry. I don’t like her one bit, so stop suggesting she run.

So, there you have it, the leading [?] contenders for the Democratic Party in 2020. There are some I can see, and some I cannot, but, again, I ask, I beseech, I beg, that whomever takes on the challenge not run as the Anti-_____, or the Not _____; stop telling me how bad he is, because I already know, and tell me what, exactly, you’re gonna do to make this all seem like a bad dream.

Step up, Democrats. I need a Democrat.

The Hill