Yea... right.
It’s simple.
If you’re a transgendered, unemployed and receiving disability payments after having registered as a felon- vote democratic.
If your an honest, law-abiding, employed, hard-working, tax paying entrepreneur - vote republican.
Too easy.
8
O.K., so the Democrats' benches are full of brilliant brainy candidates under and over 50 who are raring to run this year and in 2020. Here's hoping there'll be a virtual stadium full of Democratic prospects to win seats in the House and Senate and one of these days to bid farewell, ave atque and morituri to our Dumpster President.
Trump's demonic presidency is what it is. Demented. Chaotic. Every day a crisis and colossal drama. We are all witnessing an American Tragedy and still have no idea when or how the whole catastrophe will end. Our favourite oracles can't predict diddly. Throwing the bones, reading the entrails, prognosticating - even the most brilliant of columnists (as you are, Frank Bruni) are hamstrung and unable to give us any ideas of who will run and win this year or in 4 more years.The unforeseeable future. In the meantime, if that's all there is, let's keep dancing in the serious moonlight.
16
Don't discount “Comey & McCabe.” It has all the elements of hit TV.
It’s a story of 2 G-men gone bad. Comey is a Cagney-esque character with a clownish twist. McCabe is his seemingly straight-laced sidekick & foil.
McCabe is delusional & Comey is insufferable.
Comey knows where all of McCabe's bodies are buried, & vice versa.
Each one has been captured under oath contradicting the other one, most notably about the leaks to the WSJ & the NYT, which means one of them has lied under oath to the FBI &/or Congress.
McCabe has been caught on video threatening the entire cabal. (“If I go down, I'm taking everyone down with me.”)
Thus, the omnipresent tension: How to be the rat-fink to save your own neck before another potential rat-fink beats you to the punch?
The Comey & McCabe m.o. is to collude & coordinate, witness their wont to "memorialize" their conversations w/ the prez.
A waste of time: McCabe is an FBI-discredited liar and, via Strzok-Page emails, a documented coconspirator to take Trump out. His account of his conversations with Trump will have zero credibility. The same applies to Comey & his "memorializations." Their arrogance & delusion, ultimately, will take them down.
Both sabotaged the presidency & damaged the country. They are headed for the slammer. In post-Weinstein America, 2-tier justice will not stand.
If the pilot doesn’t sell, Comey & McCabe can always do punditry from prison. You can call it their “CNN pension.” I call it poetic justice.
5
It was sad to witness Hillary fall in India and then break her wrist and it would be not very cavalier if one did not wish her well, however judging by her animus-driven latest outburst a new Humanities course at those oh so Liberal ideological factories called academic institutions might be to offer a Course on 'Studies in Demoralisation’. All that would be required of the students is a breathtaking literal-mindedness and an enthusiasm for limitless renunciation. It is a deformity in some, 'not all Liberals' (note how I covered myself) to imagine that, once they have found the lowest or meanest motive for an action or for a person, say Trump as a vile reprobate, they can amble through to the certainty that they have correctly identified the authentic person or real situation. One could term this approach '...the lower we go the higher we understand,' thank you Michelle. Think of it, in 'Studies in Demoralisation’ all the students would have to do is draw conclusions by skimming from the top of arguments, not unlike the analysis of a poem on the basis of a one-sentence summary . The motto for the class would not be raison d'être (reason for being) rather it would b raison d’état (a purely political reason) While this is going on Hillary can return to her unstable imperium made the more dynamically erratic by the flaw at its heart - her pooch who refuses to stop straying from his porch.
I'm desperately hopeful for the rest of '18 and grasping and gasping with bleeding fingernails at 2020.
But whatever transpires between the chaos of now and the who-knows-what-happens-next of the next couple of weeks and years -- don't forget that the huge swath of land between NYC-Boston-Philly-DC and the West Coast is still hangin' out, totin' guns, hatin' on the government, swillin' beer, and loudly or moderately humming the Trumpian tune.
Okay, that's nasty profiling and generalization -- but I live in Texas, and every day I see 9 of these good folks for ever 1 barely breathing, secretly liberal Democrat. All ten are good Americans, decent human beings wanting the best for their families and friends -- but they're not voting Democrat, despite Beto's squeak-by.
If Trump gets through the psycho-path of his current presidential uproar, and makes it to the next race -- he'll win again, I have no doubt. Russia, Cambridge Analytica, Facebook, Koch cash, and other dark monies, invisible PACs -- so many un-democratic means of ensuring his victory next time.
Embarrassed beyond all measure to be so cynical, but fear, anxiety, and too much CNN have rendered me a frail Texas Democrat wondering if the national Democratic party can ever overcome this bizarro-world juggernaut of corrupt weirdness we're all adjusting to. I'm eager, so eager to be proved wrong!
18
The Democrat Party is fundamental to the American Political System. Its been around since 1800....when the Jefferson agri-biz crowd cut a deal with the Aaron Burr urban political machine crowd....
The Democrat Party represents lock step adherence to Status Quo.....stay the course......if it aint broke dont fix it....dont change the recipe for success, power, and stability.
The Democrat Party has consistantly relied on the Agrarian Patron, the Country Gentleman, the Courthouse Lawyer allied with the Ward Heel, the Union Boss, the controller of all the immigrants yearning to be free.
At first that meant keeping the slaves down on the farm, while the white immigrants streamed into NY Harbor......then after mechanization, the ex-slaves moved north, Jim Crow kept them under control for a while, as the white immigration numbers swelled...but finally Civil Rights offered a new way to win over the urban black vote.
The Chicago Daly Machine Tactics kept everybody voting for years after they died......voter ID threatens to weaken that recipe for success.......
And now finally, the DNC(a corporation uniterested in actual citizens,,,, only in its stockholders profits)....cynically throws the urban black a bone....a Chicago Machine groomed "black man" as president.....who did little except continue Bush Era programs....all while promoting policies that essentially ignored the black community while promoting massive numbers of "immigrants" and other special interest groups.
NO.....
2
"Her (HRC`s) prominence also scared away other contenders" (in 2016 for the Debbie Wasserman primary, you mean Frank) .
She won 3 million+ more votes than Bernie but most were in Red states that were meaningless as they could never be converted into Electoral College wins/votes. HRC was a terrible candidate. Bernie was the only honest person running.
9
Frank, there is a silent revolution. It is silent because making noise is distracting, it needs to happen below the radar, especially the media radar. When Bernie first came on the scene in 2015, he surprisingly attracted the youth and very soon became a cult like figure. He activated the youth as much as or more than Barack Obama had, back in 2008. Back then those high schoolers in 2008, had now become post college millennials, whose eyes opened, on Bernie's revelations of what was truly going on in the country. People like you in the media largely ignored Bernie and his followers. Many young people in the media, journalists, political pundits also joined mainstream media in dismissing Bernie and his youthful followers. When it was revealed that the DNC had blatantly assumed Hillary to be the nominee, the farce of the primaries became public knowledge. Those same youth never slunk back, they silently joined the revolution. They have been working quietly behind the scenes and we can all watch proudly as the democrats become viable in all 50 states. They will do it without the Clintons, thank you and they will do it, without your help, Frank, you and your bandwagon of media snobs.
10
Please let's focus on 2018. 2020 is a long way off.
If recent elections in Alabama and PA have taught us anything, it's that moderate, intelligent democrats can win in very red districts. Let's take back the House and preserve our democracy before we focus on 2020.
18
It's obvious that the Democrats may have quantity but not quality in candidates. Democrats in the end are for open borders, globalism and gay rights. Average Americans have had enough of the "progressive" agenda. Democrats therefore will neither take back the house in 2018 nor win the presidency against Trump in 2020.
7
You are arguing primarily against yourself, Frank Bruni! You begin by candidly admitting your are one of the "chromosomally dyspeptic pundits [who] prefer[s] to shake [his] head and sigh," and then make the case that "optimism about 2020 makes more sense than pessimism." May you win this internal battle. In the meantime, it does all of us a disservice to focus on the 2020 election before the 2018 mid-terms. If we hadn't yet learned that the Presidency is nothing without a strong Congress and Judiciary, surely the past and current administrations have made the case. Obama accomplished as much as he could, but too much by executive orders that Trump has now easily overturned. And while Trump is a chaotic and possibly despotic man, he continues to have the support of the same anti-Obama Republicans who are either fine with tolerating his abuses for their self-enrichment or too spineless to complain. Please do not give in to America's fascination with the Presidential election when so much more is at stake.
3
Stop talking about 2020.
We are nearing a national emergency with Trump in charge and 2018 may be the final firewall for the republic.
Think 2018.
21
Here is an obvious and winning slogan for Democrats: "PROTECTING WHAT'S OURS! "
Protection can mean saving Health Care and Social Security. Protection can mean saving our traditional American constitutional system of checks and balances. Protection can mean salvaging our good name and values from the depredations of Trump Inc.
And "Ours!" ? That is a naked appeal to our heritage, our property, our tribes. Just the emotional bang that the Democrats have failed to deliver with past slogans.
Know any Democrat think-tankers or opinion-influencers? Send them, at last, a winning slogan: "PROTECTING WHAT'S OURS! "
5
I like your analysis, Paul King. Some simple truth among a 500-comment frenzy of speculation.
Your guy may be Sherrod Brown. Give this Ohioan a look, America. He's authentic and scandal-free.
5
And with any luck, the Democrat will be running against Pence in 2020.
3
Hillary is bright and strong even if not charismatic. However she inherited the massive right wing Republican backlash against our first black president. The GOP spent eight years building up hate against Obama and anyone who worked with him. Hillary was a dual victim: Anti-Obama Racism promoted by McConnell and his cronies, and GOP Witch Hunts targeting 'Clinton each with no basis whatsoever in truth or in fact.
Hillary won the popular vote by 3 million and Trump was only placed in office by fraud and deception ..a Republican election strategy supported by bottomless money from dark corporate sources (Koch, Mercer, et al.) with Russian digital assistance. We will continue to face disgusting, gut-wrenching news every morning of every day coming from the Fake President. The only way to generate any optimism is to work hard get out the vote and sweep the Republican scourge from Washington
21
Governor Jay Inslee of Washington would be my pick.
4
Don't believe for a second that this is a gimme! The republicans are on the run? No they aren't! That's what they want us to think. At least the "Bernie or Nobody" thing isn't in play. Neither do we have to contend with "Hillary's stupid email lasagne recipe. But, if there's a way to blow this thing, the democrat party will find it! We have to cancel the pedicure, walk the dog later, and go over the cancelled checks some other time...WE HAVE TO VOTE!!! Trump's picture is everywhere but in the post office, where it belongs and may yet be, and he has indicated he intends to be campaigning for republicans, thank you, Jesus! This is so, so simple...If it has a D behind it's name, is not on life support, and can move on it's own, vote for it! If you never vote again, you absolutely have to vote this time! Boys and girls, if we screw this one up, we're finished!
6
Once Trump is finally gone, what should we Americans do to restart our constitutional republic?
Perhaps we should start by renewing our marriage vows to democratic principles and all that includes.
Before we allow a newly elected president to begin a new administration we should hold a modern constitutional convention with all political parties represented wherein we devise a plan for the future United States of America. This must include a list of all those changes to be made this century to insure a stronger America. The first change will be the abolishment of the electoral college replaced by a simple popular vote for president.
A serious discussion about the two party system and it's continued usefulness may be productive along with consideration of a parliamentarian system that includes a shadow government making for a flexibility to change executive branch leadership in a less cumbersome manner.
After almost 250 years of our current system of government, we may be overdue in reviewing the need to upgrade and modernize our form of democratic capitalism!
10
We've all heard the expression ....If it isn't broke, don't fix it.
If we can agree that it is broke is it time to start fixing it?
2
I generally agree with Mr Bruni's points, except one.
The lack of Democratic candidates in 2016 wasn't entirely owing to Hilary Clinton's prominence. It was also the result of what was essentially a closed primary. The DNC made it apparent that she was already crowned, and she asserted that it was 'her turn.' The Sanders campaign was attacked on every front, and Sanders supporters were told repeatedly to shut up and vote for Hilary. After all--her turn.
I voted for Hilary in both the primary and the general election, but it was nothing more than a vote against Trump.
The main enemy of the Democratic Party is the Democratic Machine.
12
No, please not Gillibrand-- shallow and opportunistic. I would love to see Amy Klobuchar on the ticket-- smart, tough, a fighter and a pragmatist. She would be formidable and relatable. How about Biden-Klobuchar for.a term, and then Klobuchar? Joe could bring back Pennsylvania and most of the Rust Belt in 2020 and some humanity and sanity to relationships between the parties and between the White House and Congress.
62
Yep I could live with that.
The cool thing is that f we can get a D in the white house there are so many nationally known blue wave/next-gen candidates who'd be great in the cabinet (K Harris, E Garcetti to name just two, along with a lot of other state-level officeholders like the crowd that just did so well in VA) and who then could go on to successful white house runs of their own.
2
Don't forget Adam Schiff. I think we are going to see much more of him in the coming years, and the country will be all the better for it.
24
TEN GOLDILOCKS CANDIDATES
Candidate #1: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #2: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #3: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #4: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #5: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #6: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #7: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #8: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #9: Amy Klobuchar.
Candidate #10: Amy Klobuchar.
19
She's my choice, Too! Klobuchar-Booker!
2
Although complaints are made about Pelosi there doesn’t seem to be any profound position preferred that she impedes, never mind any profundity of purpose. The proponents of aiding the middle class and correcting the numerous social and economic issues of the USA are struggling to be heard, and personalities are pushed as the issues, not principles.
Wake up!!
2
Democrats need a credible, consistent message rooted in economic justice otherwise they will again have their optimism - indeed arrogance - shattered in 2018\2020 just like in 2016.
8
There have already been republicans who have said if the "illegal voter problem" is not solved maybe we should just postpone the 2020 elections.
If the Democratic Party does not take the House and the Senate, and take it back with a big enough majority to get things done (and undone) we may not have a democracy by 2020. So let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we Frank.
It is said that Democrats need to fall in love while republicans just fall in line. Not this year. It doesn't matter if your candidate is perfect, if they have a D next to their name you must vote for them. From county commissioner to U.S. Senate. While young people and democrats tend to ignore midterms (if they had not stayed home in 2010 we would not be having these problems) everyone must get register, get out the word to friends and family, and VOTE.
Let's prove old Will Rogers wrong this year, "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat."
12
Variable (and nice - like lamb) not a lock-step candidate will be desireable. Variability is the driving force of evolution. I hope and think we are currently evolving (or we will die).
1
I want, with all my heart, to be optimistic. But I have this awful weight in the pit of my stomach, just like I did in 2015/2015 when all indications in the media were that the Debs would be able to beat Trump. Let's not bring out the heralding trumpets until after November.
The Dem's have a lot of work to do:
First they have to convince voters that they have a platform, and a means to make their platform a reality, not just disparage the opposition.
Next, they have to put their feet to the ground the way Lamb from PA and O'Rourke in TX are doing. GET YOUR POTENTIAL CONSTITUENTS TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE...don't just rely on slick TV and radio ads. And in the ads, DO be genuine...no classy standard "campaign rhetoric". Be honest.
Then ring (carefully and responsibly) the clarion for preservation of our democracy, our decency and the better angels in all of us to erase the hate and destruction of the current administration.
Finally, make sure that voters can get to the polls and vote...build a campaign organization that helps with transportation, registration, and can jump over the roadblocks that the GOP is sure to have out in full force.
We have to have more than "thoughts and prayers" for the US...our Republic is in jeopardy, and a lot of work is going to have to be done to get it back on track.
7
Also, voters need to be reminded that there are 365 days in a year, and that single issues don't mold a standard of life for every hour of every day. Ask them how they would like their lives to be better...and I bet every one of them has more than one facet that could be improved by a Dem platform.
Additionally, the press needs to remember their complicity in getting us Trump. He was great for headlines and readership...not so great on giving us in depth looks as candidates. Even with this column, Bruni missed several possibilities who would be equipped to deal with national issues (re:2020). And Reps & Senators are of interest to us all as we will be at their mercy as Congress shapes up. After all, who had heard of Lamb before he became news because of an upset? The NYT is not the only media guilty of sidelining credible candidates. National and regional TV and radio could help us make rational decisions in the voting booth as well. Contact your media...let your voice be heard there as well so that we can have a government that can be proud of, instead of one we deserve through negligence by not doing OUR work.
3
I regret that one person has said he won't run is Adam Schiff. Smart, experienced and (as far as we know) clean as a whistle.
16
He might not run for president yet, but give it time. And he would make a great speaker of the House.
4
Frank, good column. You almost, but not quite make me optimistic. The other thing needed is for Hillary Clinton to go away. She just doesn’t get it and never will. Her politics of blame are the biggest obstacle to Democratic party success.
13
One thing the DNC and Democratic leadership can do to elect a successful candidate is get rid of the super delegate. 2016 showed us that party leaders are myopic as to what the constituents want as they eliminated the field for Hillary Clinton to run almost unopposed.
7
As a resident of Massachusetts and former public employee of the Commonwealth, I almost choked (and drove my car into a ditch) when I heard that Deval Patrick was considering his options for 2020. Seriously? Really? He had several major disasters/scandals as Governor-New England Compounding selling tainted medications resulting in people dying and being permanently sick; a chemist at the State Labs corrupting drug testing in criminal cases; corruption in the Parole Department; Emergency Medical Techs cheating on the licensing exam, to name just a few. He left a financial mess for Charlie Bake to clean up. No on I know-Democrat or Republican give Patrick high marks. In fact, he surrounded himself with "bullies" to do his dirty work and that is what we recall-as well his as his own incompetence and blaming of others. The last thing this country needs is Patrick. Frank, do your due diligence on your proposed candidates before adding to the list of potential Democratic 2020 Candidates. The Party needs to do and can do better than Patrick.
40
Not to mention he promptly joined Bain Capital special team soon after leaving public office.
8
Democrats can nominate Jesus Christ himself and it won't make a bit of difference if (1) the economy doesn't tank and (2) Mueller's investigation reveals anything but the strongest evidence against Donald J. Trump (not Trump Inc, not Trump Jr, etc.).
5
Sorry, Frank. All your 2020 candidates are less than inspiring. A combination of mealy-mouth centrists that don't really stand for anything, and relative neophytes - neophytes who lack the magnetism of the 2008 newcomer who won the presidency. And to boot, the candidate with the most passionate following - Sanders - will be in his late 70s in 2020 (same goes for Biden, the preferred candidate of the Obama nostalgists).
Of course, none of this might matter. Trump could be such a raging dumpster fire by 2020 (not that he isn't already) than any sentient human with a "D" next to their name might be enough to win. Or who knows, maybe Trump won't make it to 2020, and it's Pence instead - given that my dishrag has more charisma than Pence does, it might also be a relatively easy going.
But how about this: It's 2020, the economy is still chugging along, and Trump hasn't set the world on fire by starting a war or worse. Who is to say that the majority of white voters won't vote for him again? After all, they saw a corrupt, racist, xenophobic, liar - one who admitted to sexual assault - and voted for him anyway.
Dems should be focusing on mimicking what Republicans did over the past fifteen years. Win the state legislatures and governorships. Win Congress. Lay down the necessary infrastructure that will make it possible to enact your agenda whenever you have the White House. It's a long play, but given our system and polarization, it's the most effective one.
7
Frankie, the Democratic Party lost to a Guy who didn't even want the job .
Without independent voters either party is toast.
12
No, the way for Democrats to win is by appealing to their base, which is growing larger and increasingly liberal.
It looks like Democrats are primed but they have leaders who are primed to take losses from the jaws of victory. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have become totally irrelevant, archaic and yet they are hanging onto leadership just for personal glory. They love drama. Pelosi's 17 hr. speech in the House. What was the real Achievement? Nothing except to make a moral point and sound bites for her and a few minutes on TV. Would it get votes at the polls? No! The Republicans are getting away with murder because the Democrats when they really have the opportunity to make gains acquiesce to wily Republicans "intent" and "promises" These Democratic leaders do the same thing over and over, expecting different results from the same Republicans. It is downright stupidity. If Pelosi and Schumer really love their country they should step down, allow and support new ideas and tactics the young blood will bring to the Democratic table. But if these leaders don't voluntarily step down, they should be pushed out.
Because come 2018 or 2020 it will be the same old - losing, losing. losing while the Republicans will unabashed destroy our country. Their quest has already begun.
5
In the current reality TV environment can any candidate expect to succeed without such appeal? It's still hard to understand why so many fell for the "Apprentice" motif in 2016, but it seems casual voters who skip local and mid-term elections crank themselves up every four years to see who's hot and who's not. This may not turn out not so badly as with BHO, but also deliver a true disaster as we are now experiencing.
4
Honestly, unless Eric Garcetti makes inroads into fixing L.A.'s seemingly intractable homeless problem, I don't think he's going anywhere (I voted for him twice, think he'd be great, but . . .). Obviously, he didn't cause it; but blame is always placed at the top when things are sour, right? L.A. as the American embodiment of Mumbai or Rio is not a good look.
4
Skid Row Los Angeles was the most bizarre, distopian scene I've ever witnessed.. and that was in 2003. Streets teeming with vendors selling clothing and household goods from racks & heaps on the sidewalk, interspersed with milling, tentative crowds. Prostrate drunks & dopers occupied doorways & vestibules.
A short distance away, glittering high rises & lovely landscaped grounds bathed in California sunshine. Nightmarish indeed.
1
Democrats - please, please focus on midterms and don't get cocky or complacent. Stop preaching to the choir and being anti (insert here). Let's get a cohesive, simple message out there!! By the people for the people!!
16
OK, here's the Democrats' slogan: Make American Normal Again, MANA -- as in mana from Heaven.
12
Sorry to say, you will need another n for MANNA from heaven...
2
Nowhere does Will Rogers' joke about Democrats and organization ring more true than in western NY, where the late Ms. Slaughter has no successor ready to campaign.
Excuse me? An incumbent aged 88 has no groomed successor, nobody who has been working the district on her behalf (she probably spent much of her time fundraising)? And we have the Republicans, who seem to understand that a republic works best from the bottom up, and have worked to gain a commanding hold in state legislatures and governors' offices.
So what do we read here? "Let's get our guy in the Oval Office". Oh Lord, when will they learn? How many Dukakis and Clinton fiascos must happen before the the Democrats and their supporters figure out how to gain power and keep it? Will they look at the map and note how bad they are faring outside the big urban areas? Even in California the map is mostly red outside the cities. The Democrats, far from being resurgent, are going to keep losing unless they fix their issues.
9
Seems like it’s always been this way with the Dems. I’m old enough to remember Humphrey and (gulp) McGovern. The GOP does get that all politics is local, first, and then rolls up. It’s not too late for the Dems, and they have an incredible tailwind this year with Trump in office, but they have to work for the WH, it’s not a gimme, quite the opposite.
3
Will Donald Trump be a candidate in 2020? That is a serious question.
If the Democrats regain control of the House in 2019 they are going to
impeach him. I don't know if he will be convicted by the Senate but rest
assured Trump will be investigated by the Congress until the end of his
term and perhaps afterwards. What does Trump's image look like after we
have soiled it with all the dirt that is still to be revealed? Can he run for
reelection with a 30 percent approval rating? The last president with that kind of approval rating to run for reelection was George H. Bush in 1992. He faced two candidates not one and finished with 37 percent of the popular vote. I just wonder where Trump will be in 2020. He may not run at all.
4
Maybe I read your column too quickly, but I can't believe you didn't mention Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota. She is definitely presidential all the way and could bring the other smart, ethical senator, Cory Booker, along as VP. My dream team for 2020! How is that for a March madness Cinderella story?
5
She's in there. Read it again.
2
Thank you for your upbeat column.
How about Joe Kennedy.
Young, great speaker, smart etc.
Go Joe
3
What will propel Democrats to win the contest is for so-called progressives to ease up on their sanctimony and support the Connor Lambs of the party who will wrest working-class votes away from the Republicans. It would be preferable if Bernie sat this one out and did not try to lead our impressionable youth into his socialist Nirvana, especially if not getting it means that you stay home and refuse to play the game. In honor of the oncoming baseball season, it is small ball that will win the game, not swinging for the ideological fences.
10
A lot depends upon when the 2018 election is held and when the SECOND CIVIL WAR starts. One could overtake the other.......
2
One thing every Democrat should have learned from or should have learned from the Clinton debacle is this:
Let things happen, let the primaries percolate and don't yield to the inevitable because that could become inevitable failure as it did in 2016 when Hillary Clinton became the party's inevitable destiny with defeat.
This from a Democrat who says let's see what happens. There are a lot of them mentioned in this column who I find preposterous to imagine winning the nomination much less the presidency, but let them run and let's see who can go the distance.
Being near their age I rule out only two, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. They, like Nancy Peolosi and, especially 84-year-old Diane Feinstein, need to do what they can to support rising generations of Democrats but otherwise get out of the way. That Diane Feinstein refuses to retire is at this point ridiculous.
Yah, I'd love to have seen Joe Biden in the WH, but that won't make sense in 2020 unless he enters the field and wins it away from all the younger candidates without them having to contend with a halo of inevitability falling on him. If 2016 would have been his year, and it would have, that in no way means that 2020 should be his.
Let it all play out -- and let the played out elders leave the field to new generations of viable and vital younger Democratic women and men.
10
Please do a story about the reduction of town hall meetings held by GOP Congress members. Congresswoman Stefanik only has "teletownhalls" and gets to screen who gets thru and who gets notice via her weekly email and NOT on the website schedule. This is wrong and must stop!
7
You didn't mention Adam Schiff, who has calmly and consistently fought back against Trump. He may not be the most exciting candidate, but after the bombasticness of Trump, his steadiness and knowledge could be refreshing.
14
Democrats, Don't make the same mistake Republicans made with Trump. Allowing non-party candidate with a cult following of non-party members into a wide open primary to get a plurality win in every primary.
Tell Bernie to stay home now; and keep his flock of LaRouchies, Ron/Rand Paulites, trust-fund socialists, and bitter ex-husbands out of our party.
10
Cory Booker? The guy who took tons of drug company money and voted against allowing people to get low cost drugs from Canada? LOL.
Pay attention working-class Democratic voters - stop assuming Democratic leadership will do what's right. They won't. Both parties operate as a business. They sell, we buy. As long as the money comes in from Wall Street, win or lose, nothing is going to change.
We need to stop pretending we have a real choice. Presidents Clinton and Obama (along with Bush) secured 3rd world levels of disparity and poverty for the USA. They chose to do that in spite of many objections that it would ultimately hurt the middle class.
Republicans believe that a Wall Street investment banker should be allowed to carry a gun while stealing your pension plan. Democrats are ok with this as long as that same person can use any bathroom they want. Both parties are owned by Wall Street and the NRA.
Education, health care, fees and taxes levied against the non-rich are punishing us to the point of middle class extinction. These are the weapons the rich have used to steal our wealth and government representation.
Stuffed full of "smart", "moderate", "centrist", 4.0 entitled, over-achieving Ivy Leaguers, Democratic Party is still in denial over the well deserved loss of the a toxic presidential candidate to a cartoon character.
The modern Democratic leadership will never fight for the middle-class.
18
Mitch in 2020 would be a total winner.
Forget the stultified folks at the top. Look at local candidates. Look at communities that need representatives who show up at town halls and listen.
4
Come on, Frank! You're going to jinx it. This is sport (bloodsport), and any self-respecting sports fan is superstitious. So should you be. But does it really matter? Is there any noble politician left of center-right who can't be co-opted, bought, or stolen by the corporations that really run America now, and have for who knows how long? If politics is the art of compromise, when the other party is the devil (conservatives or corporations, take your pick), any bargain made is tainted. A deal struck with people of bad faith and ill will is a tainted deal. I just wish even a tainted deal were enough to get the job done. These days, it isn't.
6
Conner Lamb had the same resume and views in 2016 and 2014, and would have been the nominee for the Penn 18th CD if he and the Democrats there had any possible hope that he could win. Then, Lamb could not have won. The only difference today was Trump.
Trump would have no hesitancy in stating something to the effect that: "The middle class got a giant tax cut and the rich did not, don't believe anyone who is telling you otherwise, especially the fake mainstream media, your accountant or H&R Block .
The unpleasant truth is that today's white non-college educated working class person is not your grandfather's white non-college educated working class person.
Eighty years ago, there were many very intelligent people who did not attend college because of financial circumstances or because of discrimination against their race, religion or gender. Henry George, arguably the most brilliant American economist of the 19th century, left school at age 14. President Harry Truman was not a college graduate.
Today, with many exceptions, someone under the age of forty who was never interested in college probably is not very smart. That could reduce their wages. That also makes them vulnerable to the lies that got Trump elected. Even some with college educations are not able to understand that NAFTA and trade agreements in general increase employment and standards of living and that immigrants are not responsible for slow economic growth. .."
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4134453
7
I, as do most people of goodwill, loathe Trump. But these aren't predictions, they're fairy tales for the hopeful.
If the Democrats would just follow the sage advice of Charlie Brown:
"Winning isn't everything, but losing isn't anything"
5
Apparently many voters in 2016 thought both Trump and Hillary were ugly, not "looking pretty", and a few more chose Trump (and thousands more Republicans down the tickets).
Now, from Alabama to VA to PA, Democrats have shown that supporting candidates who are less ugly (for example, who oppose Pelosi) is a way to beat deeply ugly Republicans. Running on a basis of 'my dog's less ugly and corrupt than your dog' is no way to win over independents and disaffected Republicans in the long haul.
That will take:
1) Better policies, clearly and plainly articulated.
2) A vision and a plan for getting there.
3) A means to rapidly identify and counter falsehoods.
4) Courage. The better the candidate, the more they will be attacked. I was watching live when Bobby Kennedy said "On to Chicago and let's win there", and still had the TV on those few minutes later. It will take courage to overcome the crazies and Putins who want to control our elections through fear and confusion.
14
As long as the liberal press keeps promoting Pelosi, Hillary and Obama (either one) in the news and as a topic of discussion, democrat gains in the next election will be minimal.
7
I really can't believe that any Democrat would bemoan the lack of a dominant candidate. That's what we had last time!
For 2020 we have a chance to figure out together what we really stand for. I'm cautiously optimistic.
8
I’m only arguing that optimism about 2020 makes more sense than pessimism. It’s just far less fashionable. What’s more, negativity is better directed at the party’s policies than at its personnel. I’m still waiting on a convincing economic plan, a distillable governing philosophy and a slogan less like a used-car salesman’s come-on than “A Better Deal”...
Ever since I first heard the latest iteration of a possible slogan for the Dems, I have been tossing out my suggestion to all who might listen. How about "A Fresh Start"? G-d knows we will need one by 2020!
8
What about Governor Jay Inslee of Washington.
4
Trump admirers promote the myth, and Bruni repeats it here, that Trump won the big prize the first time he tried for it. The myth is supposed to prove Trump's instinctual genius. But it is a myth.
Trump seriously considered running three times - in 1988, as a Democrat, and in 2004 and 2012 as a Republican. All three times, he did the preparatory work that presidential candidates do - raising his profile by sitting for news interviews, running ads in key markets, and appearing before important constituency groups like CPAC, where he gave the cornerstone speech of his political career in February 2011. All three times, Trump dropped out for lack of support.
Trump formally ran for president in 2000, winning Reform Party primaries in California and Michigan, losing the nomination to Pat Buchanan. No one has taken the Reform Party seriously since it went for Buchanan, but it was taken very seriously before then - the Reform Party was the party of Ross Perot, who won more of the popular vote than any third-party candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.
By the time Trump ran in the Republican primaries in 2016, he was well practiced in presidential politics. He brought a narcissist's keen sense of his opponents' vulnerabilities and willingness to destroy everything and everyone around him to further his own ambitions - which, even to his own surprise, was enough to squeak by a weak candidate.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
9
The Democrats need to be thinking not just about 2018 and 2020, but all the way till at least 2050. For that is how long it will take to cut away the gangrene that has been injected into the judicial system, not to mention the evisceration of the IRS, the EPA, and other watchdog agencies.
Sadly, I don't see any evidence that the Democrats are thinking for the long term at all. There is no equivalent of ALEC, the Koch Brothers, Rupert Murdoch, Fox News, the Heritage Foundation, the Heartland Institute, or the NRA. Unless they can muster up the wherewithal to counter all these enemies of humanity, even winning all three of the White House, the House and the Senate will not be enough.
13
Thank you, Frank, for writing this. I agree.
I would like to nominate our own governor, who might take the leap, and our Senator Murray, who probably won't. We are proud of the way Governor Inslee's administration has opposed Mr. Trump each and every time it was necessary. Murray has been on the right side of everything, and has been an effective participant and leader of many bipartisan efforts.
9
Conor Lamb won in a district that was 60% High School grads the second oldest demographic voters in PA and 95%white. He did that by following the Tip O Neill rule, "all politics are local."
Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance and Labor were the subjects of the greatest concern for that region. The priorities in that region may not be the top priorities for people in areas of the West Coast, those areas have different needs. One size does not fit all, nor should it.
There are 110 seats in play and Democrats will win the majority. We need to be unrepentant, unapologetic Democrats and vote, that's how we take our Country back. And the Republicans, they need to learn to swim.
28
Well said, thanks--
3
For a long time I've been advocating for "Competent Leadership" for the Democratic rallying cry. We're all exhausted by all the incompetence and venality.
Democrats actually love governing, and they actually aspire to deliver Positive Progress. Competent Leadership means finding solutions to complex problems and protecting constitutional rights. It means genuine dedication to public service and even (occasionally) accepting responsibility for failures. It means acknowledging that there’s no free lunch. All things worth doing are worth paying for. Competent leadership means not letting critical infrastructure collapse. It means maintaining strong military readiness, but prioritizing diplomacy to avoid foolish military engagements. It means trusting the views of actual experts over preening bloviators, funding independent research, and crafting and implementing intelligent long-term strategic policies.
Once in office politicians fall short of the promise, but remember that Transformational leadership is actually very rare in human history, though competence in leadership shouldn’t be.
Critically, to elect competent leaders we need informed and engaged voters.
Imagine how far we've fallen if basic competence and engagement is our highest aspiration.
http://northernpublicradio.org/post/what-will-win-next-election
3
It is time for a blanket ‘anti Republican’ campaign that supersedes all other issues and considerations. The last two Republican Presidents have given us a misdirected war that has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, a global financial crisis, a unilateral retreat from the fight against global warming, the undermining of decades of global trade alliances, an assault on the intelligence community, the creation of a state media outlet, and the complete breakdown of any pretense of dignity in the Oval Office.
The only way to address this carnage is to completely destroy the host.
Vote.
15
Democrats have to stop bickering with one another and agree upon a united-we-stand-divided-we-fall approach to 2018 and 2020.
They need to field candidates who are the anti-Trump (truthful, experienced, knowledgeable and scandal-free, if possible) without ever mentioning the name Trump as Conor Lamb did recently.
They have to get a solid, believable economic message across that addresses wages, pensions, health care and the continuing viability of Social Security and Medicare. Nothing else matters if you can't afford housing or putting food on your table, or have nothing to look forward to in your old age.
Finally - ignore Trump. He would like nothing better than to be the focus of everyone's attention again during the next election cycle. Don't give him or his handlers that satisfaction. Make American workers, taxpayers, youth and retirees the center of attention.
17
Please, no more "entertainers". That means you, Oprah.
18
I think bad people can promote good policy and I have voted for more than a few in my time. The Democratic bench has many good people with strong hearts and weak minds. Too many refuse to separate good policy from bad policy because it might hurt someone’s feelings. A leader willing to face Donald Trump needs to be bold and tackle the big issues.
Abortion – Let fathers have a right to consent enforced by a civil cause of action against the doctor that aborts his child without permission.
Guns – Require gun insurance priced for the risk of harm of a particular weapon and ammunition in the hands of an owner with specific experience. Victims will be compensated, backgrounds will be thoroughly checked, and military style weapons will be priced out of the market.
Taxes – Tax wealth and income inversely enabling low wealth families to accumulate savings with lower income tax rates.
Jobs – Low unemployment is the perfect time to guarantee transitional jobs and training to all with the non-profit sector. Full employment will raise basic salaries and resolve all serious immigration issues.
Affirmative Action – Declare it obsolete.
3
Do not look now, think on your feet before reading what others have to say about their vision of 2020. The day before George Bush was elected to a second term, I felt oppressed by the power of The Republican Party, and Ionesco might have understood in writing his 'Rhinoceros' of the trumpeting of happy politicians, no longer people, leaving one man standing unhappily on earth.
Charles Blow has taken this stand, and so has this American. But Ionesco was a socialist! To quote Reagan, 'I do not recall' but the Catholic nuns at school chose this play for a reason.
Mr. Bruni, in Republican country where we remain staunch in our political beliefs, we are now going to our Community Leaders and voting for these this Tuesday. Do not be surprised if I add that if former President Obama were listed on a third ticket, he would have my vote in hearts and spirit.
I feel sorry for Trump and probably he is insulated in a comfort zone, and does not understand that he is going to be The Scapegoat in this historical story where America found itself morally bankrupt and scavengers abounded along with parasites.
Thinking of our Veterans at this time for this is Veteran country. As a matter of courtesy, find out what our Elders want first and foremost. It is Moscow-on The-Hudson here, and thanking Mr. Mueller for his ongoing research for clarification, while the Community here comes together. We even have an emergency plan in case of an outside attack? America returns.
I see the 2018 midterms as being far more important than most presidential elections. The United States is now 90% of the way from democracy to oligarchy or worse. Without major gains by Democrats Republicans will have our political system so rigged by 2020 that their grip on power will be unassailable. The current Republican majority on the Supreme Court is unlikely to slow them down let alone stop them. If they are able to appoint one more right wing automaton like Thomas, Alito or Gorsuch, every politically charged opinion the court issues will be a foregone conclusion. This scenario becomes all too possible if Democrats cannot win control of the Senate. The current crop of republican traitors in Congress will almost certainly allowTrump to have Mueller fired with impunity. Checks and balances are now a quaint historic remnant. November 2018 could be democracy's last stand in the United States.
8
I'm a geneticist.
Dypepsia is not generally considered a genetic disease.
But "chromosomally dispeptic" made me laugh.
2
What happens to all these potential candidates if the democrat dream comes true and Trump departs at some point? It seems that the air goes out of the balloon for almost all of them.
1
Forget, for a moment, about the presidential race in 2020. There are too many unknowns right now to project the best Democrats to vie for the party nomination in 2020.
The 2018 midterm elections are a totally different story.
Democrats (1) need to find good candidates to stand for election, (2) need to have a bigger tent to accommodate a range of views, (3) need to agree in advance that, regardless of the party candidate nominated for each Senate and House seat, every Democrat will campaign vigorously for that person, and (4) need to make a moral commitment to vote and to make sure other like-minded citizens vote.
As difficult as it is to admit it, we Democrats also must agree that, regardless of the importance of getting more people of color, more women and more gay, lesbian and trans people elected, the present threat to the survival of our democracy is too dire to risk defeat by making noble gestures.
2
How bout the Dems run under the banner of "progressive fiscal responsibility". We don't have to squander over a trillion dollars a year (compared to per-capita costs in other wealthy nations) on an abysmally inefficient health care system that still fails to cover millions of Americans. America is better than that.
We don't have to incarcerate 6X as many as our citizens as other wealthy nations at an expense of 30 grand annually per prisoner, Americans aren't an essentially criminal people- we are better than that.
We don't have to offer million and billionaires huge tax cuts while our inadequate investment in infrastructure has it sinking into third world conditions and children in poor neighborhoods have their potential wasted in underfunded schools. These children should be allowed to flourish and enrich all of us instead of many becoming a national burden.
No more bleeding heart liberalism, let the Democrats promote a platform of hard-nosed, progressive pragmatism.
4
Frank:
The Democratic Playbook:
1- Pick a viable candidate (this is obvious; you mentioned a few; there are many more).
2- WIN THE SWING STATES - especially the ones with high electoral votes. In the last 16 years we have seen two candidates run up the score in the popular vote and lose the election!
3- Continue the relentless ground game....it worked for Jones; it worked for Lamb. It's a winning play.
Jobs/gun control/health care/DACA/women's rights/Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid. There's plenty of policy issues. There's plenty of room in the tent for everyone.
Optimism/hope combined with the Doug Jones and Conor Lamb victories continue to fuel the momentum for 2018/2020. It's very dark right now. But, hope springs eternal.
Stay positive. Most of the betting shops in Europe have the generic Democrat listed as a 4/5 favorite to win the 2020 Presidential Election. Lets hope the favorite can carry us to the finish line in 2020.
3
Democrats are the way to bet, to be sure. But as long as Republicans are still suppressing votes and gerrymandering districts -- and courts are late to the party -- there is still a good chance they will retain control of congress.
The problem is, no matter who replaces Donald, they will look good by comparison. But being less crazy than Donald is not the standard.
2
In 2020 what is important is Democrats should have in the words of that great political theorists Tom Brady "laser focus" behind whoever gets the nomination. We don't need Sarondonistas encouraging us to opt out of the process because their candidate didn't get the delegates. We have to remember the Bernie Sanders' saying that Hillary on her worst day is better than any Republican on their best. With Trump do we need a millisecond to even think about this? We should reject any post Convention carping and be suspicious that those that are doing it are Boris Badanov bots or Natasha Fatale trolls.
5
Please don't let hillary sit on that bench!
4
It is neither ageist nor sexist to say that it is time for Nancy Pelosi to go. It is hard-nosed, practical politics and Pelosi, as hard-nosed and practical a politician as ever there was, should recognize it as such.
Doug Jones and Colin Lamb won districts considered beyond the reach of Democrats by a) showing up and b) staying as far away from Pelosi as possible.
That is lesson enough that it is time for new thinking.
The country's cemeteries are filled with those convinced that their organizations ... businesses ... community groups ... countries ... worlds even ... could not go on without them.
Pelosi must choose. She can be the savior of the Democratic Party by working right now to ensure a smooth succession to the next generation.
Or she can be that person who stood in the way of meaningful renewal.
She can't be both.
6
What the Democrats need is someone who won't retreat in the face of the insults, innuendo, and falsehoods Trump likes to spread. What they need is someone who will counter every offensive volley Trump launches. Not by countering, but by refocusing. What they need is someone who will point out how few will be helped by Republican policy and how many will be hurt. What they need is someone who will condemn Trump and the entire Republican party for allowing the public humiliation of Trump's wife and son on a daily basis. Melanie and Barron are the poster children of the innocent victims of Republican policy: Republicans do not care who gets hurt as long as wealthy people are rewarded. Democrats need someone who doesn't turn and flee, but stands and fights for both those at the bottom and people like Melania and Barron. All victims of Republican policy and hypocrisy. Democrats, plain and simple, need to remind America that Republicans embrace mistreatment of women, disenfranchisement of minorities, and wholesale assuring the widening of income inequality. Democrats need to stand up for the masses. Then they will win back the heart and soul of America.
2
Frank, our democracy may not make it to the next midterm elections, let alone the next Presidential election! Not only has the President violated his oath of office on several things like the Emoluments Clause, like not acting on the sanctions against Russia for months and then only half-heartedly, like not asking for monies to put into anti-hacking plans, like cancelling plans for infrastructure that supports national internal business etc.
Frighteningly, most of the Republicans in both Houses of Congress are also AWOL through their silence in the face of his incompetence as well as his treasonous stands on international affairs. Great governments fail because their legislators are fighting each other internally or fighting for their corporate sponsors and not the national interest. This struggle is for the survival of the democracy and the outcome is by no means certain.
2
When is a socially progressive, fiscally moderate party going to emerge from the vacuum that the two polar status quo parties have created? The political center doesn't mean status quo, it means people who seek a balance between change and big government. A different platform is badly needed.
So many people (myself included) fit this label, and as anathema as we find Trumpublican party, they don't like supporting Democrats simply because they are NOT Republicans. Lamb's narrow victory in right-wing western PA is unlikely to be replicated across the nation. Mike Bloomberg, where is your voice?
4
There are three issues Democrats must talk about openly and honestly:
1. Immigration - say that we want to help the Dreamers and others that have been here, working, going to school, helping build America. We want them to become full-citizens.
But, we also are trying our best to help the millions in need in America and must focus on this country, before opening our borders to more millions coming in. This is compassion, but it is a real-life compassion to our citizens, first. Don't wail and be morally fake about the evils of limiting immigration; stand up for those already here, some here for generations, even hundreds of years. What about them? No, we must limit immigration and say that; and, more importantly we must help Americans in need. We must fight poverty and promote decent, quality lives for all our citizens.
2. Abortion - Hillary said it before, but not during the election; she played that way too safe. We want to limit unwanted pregnancies; and that has been proved to be best done with education and contraception. We want fewer and fewer abortions (which has been happening, but still far too many). Women with better education have a better understanding of prevention of unwanted pregnancies, & more of an interest in have children later in life.
3. Guns - talk first about hunter rights. Talk about crime-ridden inner-city areas where you would want a gun. And, talk about abolishing semi-automatic weapons. Talk about our need for feeling safe in our communities. Talk.
4
Great writing and a convincing argument creating hope that there can be an end to our national nightmare.
2
Here's a bit of political trivia to consider: all three of the last US presidents pre-Trump had a dramatic failure in their lives: all three had run for a House seat and lost. Clinton, G.W. Bush and Obama, all "failures" in their first attempts to gain national office. Working your way up is sooo 20th century.
We will see half a hundred, or more, Democrats seeking the nomination in 2020. This is good and bad. The bad part is that many of them won't get more than about 20 seconds of consideration before they fold. The good part is that the voters will have a lot to choose from, but the nominating system, as practiced, stinks. It favors name recognition, big money contributors and a quick knock out punch from candidates who win "the media primary" wherein those who seem to have a chance are pushed to the front.
The Dems need to nominate someone from left field, or even right field, someone completely new but not unknown. It has to be someone willing to make bold proposals but also who will promise to keep the lid on government spending. AND, it has to be someone confident enough and strong enough to stand up to a bully, Trump, and trade punches with him, hard.
There will be plenty (too much) tacking toward the concerns of "working class" Americans, but it has to be sincere, believable, someone with a life story to make it seem completely true, not faked. Tall order, but the odds are that someone new, fresh and bold will find their way to the nomination. I believe it.
3
The Democrats already had the candidate with little name recognition, bold proposals and the chutzpah to take on Trump and the ability to raise huge sums of money without the backing of wealthy donors or help from the DNC
But the DNC did him in. That would be Bernie Sanders.
The DNC has to clean themselves up before I would trust them to come up with a candidate. I do not trust their decision process.
5
How about holding all Congressional and Senate candidates to a pledge to support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of an amendment for direct election of the President by popular vote, along with a pledge by all state Legislative candidates to support ratification of such an amendment?
Such a pledge would greatly reduce the likelihood of government-by-connivance in the future, and would do wonders for voter turnout in both 2018 and 2020.
Here's a good prototype--in fact, I'd take it "as is":
http://www.nycbar.org/pdf/report/SFX101.pdf
4
Abolishing the Electoral College would clearly be a cost savings measure for the USA. Without the EC candidates would only need to campaign in about 6 cities.
2
Let's cut to the chase. The Dems will nominate Michelle Obama. And, sadly, she'll have a good chance of winning.
You say she won't run? Yeah, sure. And there were similar denials regarding Hillary when we all knew that the odds of Hillary not running were less than the odds of the sun not rising in the morning.
1
There is one possibility that no one has considered, one that looks more likely every day; they may not be running against Donald Trump in 2020. It hasn’t happened since the 19th century (it almost happened to Jimmy Carter) but it is not unheard of for a political party to deny an incumbent President the nomination. If the Republicans loose big in 2018 and the Mueller investigation indicts him or issues a finding of high crimes and misdemeanor and if his approval rating remains mired in the thirties, the party would be crazy to re-nominate him. Granted they’re pretty crazy but they are starting to get queasy about going down in flames with him.
Trump is the worst President ever elected to the office in our history and he may be guilty of treason, so it is hard to believe there won’t be a revolt against him at some point. The party is acquiescing for now because of his hammerlock on the party’s base but after a massive defeat in 2018 all bets will be off. Either Trump will have to go, or the Republican Party will split apart.
If the Democrats think they can just nominate anyone who pleases their left wing, identity obsessed base they should think for a moment; they might end up running against a centrist, moderate Republican and that would be a different race than they expect.
2
I wonder why Schiff isn't mentioned-- is it because Reps, like mayors, don't end up in the White House? He has been a very consistent champion of Democracy through the last 2 horrible years. Then there's Chris Murphy from Connecticut, brave gun safety activist, and Joe Kennedy. And Eric Holder! Really Democrats have an amazing field, all of whom are coming through a fire right now and will be more than ready to fill the Presidency and more in 2020.
4
As an Independent who will never, ever vote for a Republican (because I doubt they can clean up their act and become sane again before I die) and as someone who has little faith in the Democrats, I'd like to see our Maine Senator Angus King run.
1
@porcamiseria
I'm wondering where the Independent (or viable 3rd party even) candidates are for the next two elections. I hope to see more than a few, probably the best opportunity in a long time to slip in between the other two party wrecks.
I'd say that Bernie Sanders is the top seed for the Democratic nomination in 2020. Sanders gave Secretary Clinton a run for her money in 2016, and arguably took a lot out of her in the race for the White House. His appeal to the millennials cannot be dismissed. Elizabeth Warren is also a contender to be reckoned with. But a strong message to the middle class and suburban white voters will be important to win back their support.
A weak and compromised sitting president may be low hanging fruit but the Democrats still have their work cut out for them. Nobody saw the 45th coming and if they did, they didn't take him seriously. Just ask the experienced 16 Republican contenders for their party's nomination what happened to them when they ran against a loud mouthed playboy masquerading as a businessman. The Democrats would do well to study Conor Lamb's winning playbook.
7
I want to see Frank Bruni's shocked look, when, later this year, Doug Jones(D-AL), in order to get re-elected to the US Senate......announces that he's switching party allegiance.
The guy has already sided with Trump on several vote calls...........
1
The 2020 bench needs to:
1. follow the Reagan Rule (modified) “speak ill of no democrat”.
2. Come from a state without an ocean touching it.
3. Have real morals and integrity.
4. Propose real policies directed at the middle class.
5. Learn to respond to Trumpist assaults with humor.
6. Take sensible positions on gu s and abortion.
7. Somehow convince Americans that facts do matter.
Let’s hope someone o. Frank’s bench can do that. But, more importantly, Democrats need to find some way to win the Senate in 2018 to prevent the appointment of 40years worth of ruinous right wing judges.
9
Too much analysis can be overwhelming for the average voter. You write that a certain candidate "had a compelling biography and undeniable magnetism, but a slender political résumé...still, he soared past other candidates proving that a party’s savior isn’t necessarily part of a teeming, gleaming, preapproved bench. Sometimes he’s just an unexpected someone whose story and style catch fire." Your words refer to Barack Obama in 2008. They can also be used to describe Donald Trump in 2016.
It cannot be denied that party, politics and policies affect the decisions of voters, but often it also comes down to a person to whom you are attracted. Despite all of the deep character flaws of Trump,he broke the mold of the typical candidate, spoke in sound bites devoid of any real policies, entertained instead of inspired, manipulated and built an army of followers based upon fear mongering, the threatening menaces of immigrants, Muslims, the free press, all the while with the promise of making America (them) great again. And they loved him. He magnetized him. Barack Obama also magnetized his voters. He however appealed to our higher angels.The Democrats need a man or woman of character like him.They should start a focus group to find a few good appealing candidates and get on with it,giving more time to campaign and get that candidate out into the public early. We don't need 17.
Above all, one must never discount the fact that people often vote for people they like! Simple but true.
2
Frank Bruni makes one excellent point in this column: the Democratic Party has plenty of plausible presidential candidates for 2020. What it lacks is a coherent platform, especially on the economy. A good candidate, but one lacking a message, will flail about as aimlessly as Al Gore, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton--none of whom could offer voters a succinct, clear, persuasive reason to vote for them. I believe that the Democrats have a real opportunity to win in 2018 and in 2020, but if there is one organization on the face of this earth capable of blowing the 2020 presidential election, it is the Democratic Party.
5
Nonsense. Sec. Clinton's economic policies were very clear, and clearly pro-working class and pro-middle class. As all studies tell us, Mr. Trump's voters were motivated principally by racial resentment, not economics. Moreover, she won 3 million more votes than her opponent. There are many factors involved in her loss. Senator Sanders was one, who ran a brutal campaign. Trump copied many of his attack lines verbatim. Another was Mr. Comey. Etc.
Chris Rasmussen wrote:
"Frank Bruni makes one excellent point in this column: the Democratic Party has plenty of plausible presidential candidates for 2020. What it lacks is a coherent platform, especially on the economy. A good candidate, but one lacking a message, will flail about as aimlessly as Al Gore, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton--none of whom could offer voters a succinct, clear, persuasive reason to vote for them. I believe that the Democrats have a real opportunity to win in 2018 and in 2020, but if there is one organization on the face of this earth capable of blowing the 2020 presidential election, it is the Democratic Party."
4
I do not mean to suggest that Hillary Clinton utterly lacked economic planks in her platform, but that her campaign lacked an overall narrative or rationale--and I have yet to hear many Demorcrats articulate one. In my opinion, "I'm with her" was not a particularly compelling narrative in 2016. Robert repeats the canards in Clinton's self-justifying account of the campaign, "What Happened," in which she blames Sanders, Comey, racism, sexism, Russians, Wikileaks, the media, et al., etc.--everyone and everything but herself for her loss to the worst presidential candidate in American history. As for the contention that "all studies" show that Trump voters were motivated by racism, I do not deny the power of racism or sexism in the 2016 campaign. But I have read plenty of studies that point to other factors, including the economy. To adopt a monocausal explanation and say that Trump voters were motivated by racism almost certainly cannot account for his 63 million votes. Indeed, hurling the charge of "racism" against those who do not share one's political preferences is one of the reasons that some conservatives have become resentful toward liberals. I wish that Donald Trump were not president. I wish that Clinton and the Democratic Party had done their jobs better in 2016 and prevented this catastrope from befalling our country. But they failed, and, as a result, we are all forced to suffer the consequences of their failure. I certainly hope they don't fail again in 2020.
3
It wasn't long ago we had Obama, and there was plenty Dems disappointed with his leadership. Seems too much emphasis is being placed on the person, and not enough on what is said or what the platform is all about. We get hung up on names, and the great ones of the past. Yes, I wish we had a dynamic, young, pistol to end the disgrace of our present self-appointed 'genius' PotUS. But before the Dems are ever going to come back, they better get a platform going, a word we remember, a theme we can support. Trump won because 1-he said it is time to drain the swamp, and 2-he didn't mind being laughed at to get the word out. He got the White House because he told us where he was going. The DNP hasn't figured out how to get Hillary out of their program. Every time she gives a speech and mentions the DNP, she brings the party down another notch. The DNP needs new leadership first, then get their word out and find their candidate.
I'm Canadian, but my dream team pick for America would be Kamala Harris and Joe Kennedy Jr.They tick all the political boxes and are both serious, socially committed candidates as well. It also would prove to the nay sayers that competance, care and committment to the job matter, race, sex and class standing doesn't.
1
Because a team from California and Massachusetts would be a surefire winner in the heartland.
4
Bernie Saunders was.
1
"Bernie Saunders was."
From Vermont, a very rural state. And he had no VP, so we don't know where he would have chosen one from if he had won the primaries.
Democrats have to put more people in governorships, state legislatures and in Congress in 2018. Then they can focus on 2020.
3
Frank, your column assumes that we will still have a democracy in 2020. Having seen this president, these congressional Republicans and this Supreme Court in action, I don't believe that is a slam dunk unless control of congress is pried from Republican hands in November. Apparently little or nothing has been done to protect the November elections from attacks, foreign or domestic.
144
It’s interesting how many are pessimistic about the future of the Republic but continue to call for the repeal of the 2nd Amendment . What this commenter points out is exactly the reason the 2nd Amendment was included in the Bill of Rights. You can’t start fooling with the Bill of Rights at the same time you worry about our democracy.
2
This post deserves thousands of recommends. After all, it is only your country you are talking about.
I love the conservatives who smugly claim the Dems have no message while their candidates run nationwide on tax cuts and Nancy Pelosi.
1
All the money in this kakistocracy is on Republican Trump side.
The Fox News affiliates, all Sinclair Broadcast Group, the majority of lobbyists, the Crhistian right, the military welfare program.
Then there are those liberals, the ones that are not 'Republican light".
Jobs? tax cuts for the middle class? Healthcare? Infrastructure? Protecting our environment?
What is our country worth? Ask a Republican, they have already put a price on everything.
1
you could have saved a lot of words, Frank, if you just came out and admitted that ANYBODY, especially any Democrat, would be great compared to Trump, his enablers, and the very low bar they have set for a Presidential administration.
compared to this bunch, President Grant looks terrific, even though he was a drunk and has been occupying a spot on the West Side for 100 years.
Democrats will most likely be fighting over which of the most despised and oppressed groups should be abandoned and betrayed in order to win an election. It is always important to listen for what is not said as much as what is said.
3
Stands to reason that 2016 was a bad harvest due to HRC seemingly pre-ordained rise to the White House. The party made a mistake in stifling democracy, an error being paid in a high price for our nation. But many presidents have been dark horses. If the blue tsunami is coming that will encourage a rich and diverse list of candidates. Mean while the GOP is committing suicide by narrowing itself to its ultra right ideological base. Ironically this is the mistake the Democrats made at the presidential level ordaining HRC early on. The difference is the GOP is doing this nation wide for almost all offices. The big blue is more because of the arrogance of the GOP. What we need besides a compelling candidate is an even more compelling vision and plan
2
Dems need to consider they will be going against a war-time president (I mean a new one). That will create a mitigating factor for good or ill.
1
Democrats need a plan, a focus, and a string of strong candidate for 2020. They need to groom possibilities from now. Running past performers will not do.
1
Maybe it was Hillary Clinton's prominence that scared away potential contenders in 2016. Or maybe it was because everyone except Bernie Sanders knew Debbie Wasserman Schultz had the whole thing rigged in Hillary's favor before the primaries even started.
6
Bernie knew it, he's not an idiot. The superdelegates came out for Clinton long before the primary.
1
Nice column, but let's not count our chickens. The Republicans have stolen elections before, and will try to do it again. As intriguing as it is to wonder just who in the GOP world colluded with Russia in 2016, it's more important to find out who in the GOP world is going to collude with Russia to tilt the midterms. If you doubt that it's happening, I have a tower on Fifth Avenue I'd like to sell you.
7
America is a truly progressive and even socialist country if you put together all of its parts and ideas. The problem is that regionally, people vote against their own interests or blatantly because they are voting against ''other''.
Now that republicans have given their tax cut, ( a meager debatable portion going to the poor and middle class and the vast majority going to the rich and corporations ) there is nothing more to promise except for the usual single issue tropes. ( like those scary people that are going to take away the 2nd amendment, women's reproductive rights, or again ''others'' changing your way of life ) That's it.
People want health care and good schools and fairness. Exclude those single issues from above, and present a reasonable and smart candidate and Liberals can win almost anywhere. Recent special elections are proving that.
Get out there and do everything you can to make as many people as possible realize that true American values are on the line this midterm and in 2020.
Progressivism.
7
Ruben Gallego.
Harvard to combat Marine, and not as an officer but a grunt. And then Congress.
Yes, 2020 is on all of our minds, but we need to focus on 2018. A strong blue (or at the very least, much bluer) Congress will pave the way for a Democrat in 2020.
However, we need to tighten up the bench. For one thing, we don't want to see a repeat of the clown car that was the 2016 GOP field. That cluster of mostly incompetents opened the door for the most incompetent person with the highest name recognition.
For another thing, let's freshen up the field. I love, love, love Joe Biden, but he's been down this road before. Cory Booker is my senator, and he is absolutely not our guy for 2020. And frankly, I'm not sure we're ready for a woman to run again.
I'd like to see a scrappy Democrat pummel the heck out of the Trump bluster. Andrew Cuomo, Sherrod Brown, Gavin Newsome - could they do it?
42
Re Corey Booker "not our guy", please speak for yourself--he could be "my guy", as well as the "guy" for the majority of other Democrats and Independents (and, hopefully, at least a few enlightened Republicans).
And I'm not even from New Jersey.
2
Definitely not Cuomo. He has been tarnished by the conviction of his closest aide. Even Democrats in NY don't like him.
4
Andrew Cuomo is my governor, and he is absolutely not our guy for 2020 (unless you're just looking to trade in Republican corruption for Democratic corruption).
3
Let’s hold off on front runners. While the reeps hold the house, any dem in public life would have a Benghazi/email type of investigation launched against them. Got to retake the house first. Then possible 2020 candidates can emerge.
4
Adam Schiff.
3
The Democrats are their own worst enemies, especially when they are convinced they can’t lose (Gore, Hillary), so I wouldn’t count on their success just yet.
5
Fresh faces, independent, imaginative thinkers and courageous visionaries who you and your neighbors fine likable; the kind of women and men you'd be proud to have over for dinner. Democrats are quite capable of encouraging candidates in this mold who are deeply steeped in life experiences and proud that they are cultured, educated and well-mannered. Caveat: quit parading tired old voices on TV and toss those ridiculously strangling litmus tests into the rubbish bin. The criteria for success lies within the ambitious women and men who dare to tell the truth, who are unafraid of Team Trump and who don't watch Fox News to determine which way the crazy right wind is blowing.
1
Whomever is the candidate, aside from basic moral and ethical distinctions, must be unsparing in dealing with Trump ( or any of the others who enabled him). Lying, cheating, possible Treason, world disorder-be direct, unsparing and, if need be, quietly vicious (like Mueller is).
Fight fire with fire, fight lying with facts, and fight ethical degradation by calling it out for what it is.
3
Dems need someone younger, smart, and with a shot of charisma. There is some shallow in these comments, but we're talking about securing votes here.
1
Mitch Landrieu is a contender, though a dark horse. Listen to his speech on removing Confederate monuments, and you hear a thoughtful, decisive man. And he has to work with some of the sketchiest characters around...Louisiana pols.
1
It’s vitally important to have the right vessel, but what’s more important is the contents. I voted for Hillary because the alternative was unthinkable (I hate to have been right) but I never understood what her platform was. If Trump could figure out what themes to play, then God help us if the Democrats can’t. Come on.
2
This article by Mr. Bruni is an exercise in disinformation.
There is only one Socialist candidate, Senator Sanders.
There may be 30 Corporate Democrats running against him--so what? None of the obscure empty suits you are puffing has any credibility with the voters.
Senator Sanders is by far the most popular politician in the country, with a 75% approval rating. To attempt to dismiss him by bracketing him with Joe Biden is absurd. But it is consistent with the negative coverage by the TIMES of the Socialist candidate, whose campaign they would love to ignore.
Here is what will happen in 2020. After Sanders wins in early primaries, the TIMES and the rest of the Democratic Party establishment will get behind whatever one of the above suits comes in 2nd or 3rd as the Stop Bernie Candidate.
"You don't need a Weatherman to see which way the wind blows"
4
Look for Gavin Newsome when he becomes California governor tobe a front runner as he is bright, handsome,tall and probably out flank Trump on every front.He could energize the young voter and unite the party.
1
It may not matter who the Dems run in 2020. The Trump stain is so pervasive and noxious, any functioning adult would win.
At this point the democrats have a slim chance a taking the White House. Even with the worst president in history. So far. They have no real vision and no viable center. They are gambling on trumps failure, not their own success. Barack had several things going for him. No baggage, a thousand watt smile, ability to speak well and deliver a message. None of the candidates listed here have anything like what Obama had. They will pick Joe Biden and lose. I’m looking for a moderate from anywhere than the east or west coasts. Mr lamb would be a great choice. Take his advice. Get rid of Pelosi.
3
The only Democrat named in this article whom I will NOT vote for is Kirsten Gillibrand. Detestably, she is the Senator most responsible for forcing Al Franken, who was a very good Senator (even if he wasn't, as his book title jokingly calls, the giant of the Senate), to resign his seat in the Senate. I will not forgive her for that. Ever. Don't even try to claim that he, not Gillibrand, was responsible for it. I don't buy it. She thought it was her opportunity to seize the political moment and distance herself from the pack . I will love to see her become distant in the other direcction.
17
I'm not sold on Gillebrand, either.
6
Amen! I cannot adequately describe my hatred for Gillenbrand...what she did to Al Franken was shameless opportunism and she will never ever get my vote. I will actively campaign against her if she decides to run. She wishes she had a modicum of the gravitas that Al Franken displayed in the Senate. Gillenbrand is officially the worst possible Democrat that could run. My money is on Cory Booker... he's eloquent, intelligent and relatable.
9
Great article to read after slogging through the depression of reading about Trump calling oligarchs "the top of the line." Please, please can we just jump ahead to 2020?
3
Joe Kennedy of Ma. Might be a good candidate but I am not sure if he is , or will be , old enough.
4
Yes, things look good for Democrats to pickup seats...but no one is better at blowing expectations better than Democrats.
3
Conor Lamb will be 36 in 2020. Just saying. Lots more who can beat Trump. He should be scared. GOP should be scared.
1
Anyone of those folks that Mr. Bruni mentioned would be a fine choice, I believe.
Except Kirsten Gillibrand, who got her moment in the spotlight only to convict Al Franken without a trial or even a credible witness. We don't need to burn down our own folks just to be PC.
10
Let's see...about that bench...Bernie is Bernie and we still do not know what his wife did, so no, not him. Joe has missed the train, good guy but should have challenged HRC. Those two are out. Cory Booker? No, Obama took that ticket of color and inexperience. Harris is a Californian and that alone excludes her for consideration. I know, I used to be her neighbor. Unless Warren can stop scolding us like school children and run as a Native American, no! Gillibrand has made some idiotic statements that will come back on her. Landrieu has potential, but is from Louisiana - that other LA. He might not connect with the voters HRC torched. Gracetti needs to figure out the homeless thing or it gets hung on him. Kind of like trying to sell a messy house. However, Seth Moulton and John Higgenlooper? They have something to run on and could craft a message meaningful to the middle. But, the Dems cry of "someone, anyone" is sounding a little needy. Trying to get over the top they might find the effort a little like "Gallipoli".
I didn't read anything in the article or all the comments that gave me a very good feeling about the prospects of the Democratic Party. Figure out a way to get non-Republicans to turn out in force to vote in the elections. If we really are still outnumbered, then it's all over. And please, no lectures about gerrymandering, the Electoral College, or voter suppression; not when turnout is only around 60%.
Sorry, but I have a sinking feeling that We're stuck with Trump. Folks will vote him through their pocket books. They can delete his lack of gravitas, the fleeing folk from the white house, his coarse womanizing, all his grandiose self adulation, and his fake claims, because they benefit financially. His claim of helping folk is questionable. He hasn't done a darn thing about the poor. The tax breaks have enabled big corporations to buy back their stock Hurrah for helping hard working families!
Sadly, who will unseat him? Does any single one come to mind?
Yet I pray there will be a surprise.
2
Thank you, Mr. Bruni. I have been thinking this for awhile. Those who say the Democrats don't have a bench have their heads in the sand or are running scared because they know we have many, many contenders. And what do the Republicans have? An unfit erratic buffoon with an abysmal record. I've also thought that it may be smart to lay low for the time being - why give the opposition and Fox more time to gear up their smear campaign?
3
I went to the local phone directory.
Stopped at page one.
I'll take an Aaron Aardvark/Adeline Abraham ticket on the Democratic side in 2020 over any Republican who gets that party's nomination.
113
You have a phone book?
2
Lol.
2
Let's not forget the thousands of Democrats, particularly women, who have been highly motivated by the dangerous, threatening policies of this extremist Administration to throw their hats in the ring, many for the first time, and campaign for numerous offices on a local and state level. Hopefully, the prospects for an unprecedented "blue wave" will start at the broad base of our electoral politics and continue unabated upwards, right into the White House. Abortion rights, immigration rights, voting rights, civil rights, gun control, and other central issues are inextricably linked to state and local election outcomes.
4
I think it is great that they are choosing to run, but don’t ignore or downplay the reservoir of misogyny in the culture or the fact that the money to run most often flows to men. I think it’s hopeful but it is only a teeny beginning.
Dear (Mr.?, Ms.?) Rothman: It is that very misogyny which is the catalyst for why many of these women are running in the first place, particularly centered around the lightning rod issues of sexual assault, the right to choose, and gender discrimination in the work place. I am confident that these candidates will be sufficiently, even well, funded from innumerable sources. This near-phenomenon is way far beyond "hopeful". Take the time to explore the developing data available. This subset, gender wave is happening now! You go girls!
I hope that in 2020,the DNC let's the voters determine who runs.No more anointed candidates.
6
The EC means that even the voters don't decide who wins.
4
Obama did not exactly blow past Hillary in 2008, especially since Hillary received more popular votes in the primary than Obama.
I think 2020 needs to be the year when the Democrats return to their roots in their presidential candidate:
Male. White. Southerner.
Joaquin Castro/Beto O'Rourke
1
I won’t be optimistic until someone can assure me that Hilary is not on the bench, bleachers, in the stadium, or anywhere near it, and that the DNC will keep its dirty hands off the democratic process that is supposed to pick the nominee.
3
The more Democratic Presidential candidates the merrier! I hope it's a wide open contest unlike 2016 when the establishment (aka the Democratic National Committee) was working to elect Hillary (as we learned from Russian hacking of the DNC) with the aid of the super-delegates. History tells us that a Democrat who comes out of nowhere (like Jimmy Who? or the "Comeback Kid," Bill Clinton or Barack Obama) are the ones who end up winning. When the party gets in the way we have a trail of losers from Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry, and sadly Hillary Clinton. So, look for someone now off the radar screen to sweep into the primaries and win in 2020 IF the Tom Perez will just stay out it.
1
No more pols in the Oval Office. No more CEOs in the Oval Office.
What we need is a person with a background in journalism in the Oval Office. (Real) journalists have extensive and well-rounded knowledge of all things, along with resources for information gathering, which is what a president needs. We are so stuck on businesspeople and pols in this country, when there is a vast pool of incredibly talented and smart people out there (yes, I know, smart is out on the right, but we cannot give in to that!).
3
As an Angeleno, consider yourself warned about Garcetti. He is about having lunch and establishing commissions. Did he dazzle you with his Spanish ? He is as ineffective as he is ambitious.
The best public servant in America is Ca governor Jerry Brown whose leadership only magnifies how lame Garcetti is.
I hope the Dems have better sense than to promote Garcetti. By the way I held my nose and voted for him because the other candidates were a bigger joke. A lot of people feel the same way about him.
3
I will listen to what they all have to say except Gillibrand. She ate her own in hopes of gaining name recognition. I will vote for her for senator, but not for president. Sorry.
6
“I’m still waiting on a convincing economic plan, a distillable governing philosophy and a slogan less like a used-car salesman’s come-on than “A Better Deal...” I am also and that economic plan with a governing philosophy and slogan is vital to having something beyond anti-Trump to vote for. I’d wager that an anti-corruption campaign that attacks our rigged systems with clear conflict of interest laws could be part of a winning strategy. We also have to respect the nation’s desire for stricter border security while bringing heart and common sense to immigration.
1
Intellect, charisma, and agility aplenty in your list; what Democrats need most is a knife fighter. The most skillful of these mentioned is Senator Gillibrand whose shiv in Senator Franken's ribs was at once deft and ruthless. Governor Cuomo comes in a close second for his 2-term role as Nixon, Richard M., not Cynthia. Is this New York's turn? We'll leave it to the party to sort out the contenders from pretenders and keep in mind that it will take a lot more than winning at street fighting to defeat any Republican.
21
The Rust Belt states, sadly, voted against Hillary b/c she was a feminist. Why would it be any better with Gillibrand?
4
Bernie spends very little time on septuagenarian sofas. He has been actively campaigning throughout the current Trumpian reign. Did you happen to catch the videos of the high schoolers at the Capitol jubilant to see ol' Bernie off his imagined sofa and out there with them?
2
Remember Sully, the experienced pilot who expertly landed the plane on the Hudson? His experience saved lives that day.
Our government is in chaos right now...an emergency situation. We need someone who can walk into the Oval Office and who needs no on the job training. We need a Sully to land the plane.
Joe Biden can land the plane. He could be America’s Sully.
7
That's pretty optimistic, but I do agree the Democrats are stronger than they seem. Depending on how this Russia stuff shakes out, don't discount Eric Swalwell & Adam Shiff.
Bruni: This is the best prognostication for the 2020 contest that I've seen. Congrats.
I'd be your running mate but septuagenarians are too scary to elect, even as #2's.
I'm glad you left Hillary out. We don't need a used car.
You hit the nose on the head with your negatives and positives of the Democratic party.
1
Jay Inslee, the Democratic governor of Washington, is the man to watch for 2020.
The Democrats have gone for broke in embracing identity politics and taking up the cause of illegal immigrants. They have dug their hole and it won't be easy to get out. Lamb is being heralded as the key to the future but the low-key measured praises of the Democratic leadership signal that that is not where their heart is. When push comes to shove, you have to believe in something and stand up for it. That's what Trump did, like it or not. The only way to beat him is to have equal fervor and vision and not just be a mini-Trump.
1
"Her prominence also scared away other contenders."
I would say the Clinton Machine and the Democrat establishment kept away contenders.
2
I think almost any Democrat could win any race right now as long as they stay away from identity politics and promote an economic, healthcare, and education platform. If, on the other hand, they decide to spend all their campaigning accusing Republicans of being racist, misogynistic, homophobic, etc, then all that is going to do is motivate Republicans to get out and vote against them. And for God's sake, someone please put a muzzle on Hillary.
3
"In 2008, Barack Obama had a compelling biography and undeniable magnetism, but a slender political résumé. Still, he soared past Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and John Edwards, proving that a party’s savior isn’t necessarily part of a teeming, gleaming, preapproved bench. "
Sometimes it seems that in attempting to put a larger narrative into a limited number of words results in an inaccurate impression. Hillary and Obama were close in the delegate count until the Democratic Party Rules and Bylaws Committee awarded some of Clinton's delegates to Obama.
Obama was great at campaigning. For all he did as president, he was not someone who enjoyed a good fight. His lack of legislative depth at the federal level may have made him less effective. It may also have made it seem that experience did not matter as much as it does.
1
This excellent article is a good Chapter One. Now follow up with in depth looks at the various people you have mentioned. I, for one, need a lot more information. The desperate need for a Democratic leader is painfully obvious. Help us become well informed. Please.
2
Your overconfidence is chilling, Mr. Bruni.
If Democrats do not choose candidates as moderate and mainstream as we did in Pa., we will go down in flames once again.
An Elizabeth Warren or Nancy Pelosi clone will sink Democrats for the century and cement the trashing of the Democratic Republic we cherish.
52
Re: E. Warren: while I agree with the substance of virtually everything she says, her gender and stridency are every husband's worst nightmare. Her candidacy would be a great gift to the republicans.
As hypocritical it is to say, the dems need a white, articulate, passionate male candidate. Women's vote? - a majority of women voted against Hillary.
3
All of these potentials have to listen to the voters in all their varieties across the country to form an agile platform. Coming in thinking you got all the answers is a loosing platform.
Let's not put the cart before the horse. Democrats need to focus on winning control of the House this year. The 2020 election can wait.
4
"Jeb! was still making Republicans' hearts go pitter-patter. He had not yet rolled out his exclamation point only to crumple like a comma."
That was inspired, Mr. Bruni.
3
Bruni engages in a dreamy fantasy about 2020 as if these are normal times.
Back in normal times, 2 years out political journalists would act like they were sports journalists at spring training, wondering who would win that year’s World Series.
But these are not normal times; we are in emergency crisis times. 2020 doesn’t matter if the Dems do not capture the House this year.
Thus column reads as totally out of touch.
Dreaming as if we have a future when in reality wr are on life support with a prognosis of imminent death.
1
Sherrod Brown. Yesssss.
3
Democrats are still not yet in the game due to the fact that the party has largely ignored local politics and offices for the past two decades while Republicans stuck to fundamentals and focused their efforts on what was happening within each state versus the United States. As a result the Republicans have 70% of state houses and governorships. Even Massachusetts has a Republican governor, and he is enormously popular. The GOP 20 years ago decided to focus on the basics and let the national offices take care of themselves, or rather flow from their state rep and governorship successes. In other words, they decided to focus on building a good farm team structure with the idea that this would eventually build a stronger major league team. They did this by finding candidates that were a food fit for their states and statehouse districts. Even in Massachusetts, while the Democrats are still waiting for Godot (the next Obama).
2
Back in 2000 George Bush's "chief primary opponent" wasn't Orin Hatch or Steve Forbes. It was Sen. John McCain, a moderate war hero who rode the "Straight Talk Express." After McCain defeated W in the New Hampshire primary, junior called daddy to make a stand in South Carolina. Luckily, Daddy Bush was able to call in the big donors and Lee Atwater's old cronies to slander and destroy the war hero.
The Republicans are very good at gathering big money and big racism when they need to.
4
Frank, and all Dems, should take a closer look at Tulsi Gabbard, the very capable representative of Hawai - who could unify center and progressives in the Dem tent.
3
Whatever. Democrats counting chickens before they hatch, once again. So boring.
Dude in Pennsylvania was a republican. Democrats are running Republicans? I feel 1992 all over again. How boring Republican Bill Clinton was going to win the nomination. Clinton and Obama were Republicans, if you are honest. America is so bad that the only way D's win is by being R's.
19
Run Joe Run for one term to right the ship. Get a good number two, and there will be twelve years to make America sane again. Your country needs your wisdom
1
Mogwai, excellent point. No one is bothering to mention the dude's talking points or the genesis of his grounding in politics. All Dems can see is his party affiliation. Desperate people.
I for one will not vote for any candidate who will not support Medicare for all. I have seen too much suffering of both the elderly and the young who can not afford expensive for profit health care.
6
You assume the Democrats could make a sandwich with two slices of bread and a jar of peanut butter.
4
“He had not yet rolled out his exclamation point only to crumple like a comma.”
Genius writing! Frank, it is thrilling to read your thoughts & concepts! Would love to hear your brainstorms on Democratic Slogan. One that inspires, but also true? Do we possess those words & ideas?
1
It's an easy wager for Dems to win in 2018-20, for so many reasons. But the question is, how far left the Dem for president? Everything trump does must be reversed soon.
I'd say a lefty Dem will win out, since corporate Dems are on the wane, but one who has some solid credentials, since the USA is already so burnt out by the "outsider" catastrophe of trump.
1
"Only to crumple like a comma." That's the most devastatingly lyrical writing I've read in ages ... Frank, you rock!!!
89
We need to grab the wheel in 2018 step on the brakes and take the keys away from the DWI in charge.
Then a full majority in 2020 to repair the republic over the next dozen years.
2
Observations:
1. How did Bobby Kennedy win Indiana primary in 1968?
2. How did Obama win Indiana and the one EC vote in Nebraska in general election in 2008?
Why don't we just let Jerry Brown, Joe Biden, Barack Obama write the platform ... And pick our candidate. We'd have a much better shot at winning.
7
Let's have an 2020 election where the female candidates are not fodder for working out mommy, wife or girlfriend issues.
8
Oh wouldn't this be lovely.
3
It would be unwise to ignore the 800 lb gorilla that refuses to leave the room--Hillary Clinton. Despite an unfortunate mishap during her Indian trip where she fractured her wrist Hillary Clinton still remains a force to be reckoned with. I know Hillary Clinton would love yet another chance to redeem herself with another presidential run because she doesn't know when to quit or the meaning of the word NO.
1
Good. I hope she doesn't leave the room. She is smart and has very good ideas. No one knows them because Americans get stuck on the superficial and allow Republican propaganda to take hold, like you do here.
7
I would love for Hillary Clinton to win the presidency but it is just about impossible; she is so hated by a huge cross-section of America.
3
Funny how no male politician is accused of misunderstanding the word NO. 66 million of us voted for Clinton for President. She is one of the great political figures of the time, the most admired woman in the world year in and year out. Her engineered loss has given us a President whose cruelty and corruption know no bounds, a nation writhing in the grip of treason. Fortunately her work has given rise to a generation of women who are willing to push past the naysayers to do good in the world. May they continue to rise.
8
A former Republican congressman tweeted yesterday that Democrats are angry "crawl naked on broken glass to vote angry". Yep.
5
You left out the Rock!
He's a Republican.
The best candidates in the world won’t help with an electorate that gets it political information from an “article” shared by their cranky Uncle Fester on his Facebook page.
5
You left out Gavin Newsom of California. Handsome, intelligent, earnest, experienced.
3
2020: “Make America Proud Again!”
5
I believe the election will be about turn out as much as the candidates.
1
You need the candidates to be able to get the turnout.
"I’m still waiting on a convincing economic plan, a distillable governing philosophy and a slogan less like a used-car salesman’s come-on than “A Better Deal,” which was the party’s most recent stab at pith."
Dude, it's easier to criticize than create. So what's your stab at pith here? Come on, we need it yesterday; if you're going to describe a problem, you are thus burdened with putting forth a solution. Business management 101.
Spend some time trying to create one. You're a highly paid wordsmith. We need your good idea, the sooner, the better. We're waiting.
4
I'm 71 and, if I may put in my dos centavos, my age group is not the place to be searching for the next president. Having enjoyed excellent health my entire life, I still do not buy ripe bananas by the bunch. Old dogs and new tricks is yet another reason. Trump, also 71, you will notice, hasn't learned a thing on the job. The writers of the Constitution should have established a maximum as well as a minimum eligibility age to become president.
Mitch Landrieu impressed me mightily with his handling of Confederate memorials in Now Orleans. One will never hear from Trump the emotions and the phrasings Landrieu spoke from the heart and not from a bouncing ball on a transparent glass plate. Teleprompters don't, as far as I know, also cue inflections of voice and facial expressions.
Warren has proven herself a formidable contender on intellect and bulldoggedness alone. I would dearly love to see "Pocahontas" send Trump, tarred and feathered, down the river on a rail.
Bruni is correct. There are plenty of Democratic horses in the corral who already are or should be champing at the bit. Drop the reins and let them run.
9
Alex Baldwin.... in his Trump character of course.
1
Democrats will need to nominate a moderate white man to defeat Trump.
Luckily for Trump, such a candidate will never get nominated.
4
“It’s the economy stupid.” If the stock market/unemployment/wage growth/economic optimism continue as is, sorry liberals, people will hold their noses and vote their pocketbook (like they always do) and keep Trump in 2020.
4
And will they remember in 2025, when their pocketbooks are empty, and their social security and Medicaid gone, that it was because they kept Trump in 2020?
5
I can't wait for all the "independent" voters whose whining will escalate in 2020. (Where are they now?) They will opine that the major parties are obsolete and will vote "independent" because they are voting their conscious, thus putting 45 in office again.
3
Maybe the DNC should nominate someone we can all get behind without holding our nose.
2
The white male Trump Democrats that voted for Lamb, won't vote for a black or female Democratic candidate for President - period. Get real Democrats. A southern male with the accent is the best bet in 2020 for the Democrats. Trump has torqued racist and anti-woman sediment so much among white and Latino men that a person of color or a woman won't bring the angry white males into the Democratic camp. And, no I'm not a political scientist or a pundit, just a 68 year old anthropologist who has been a Democrat all my voting life.
2
Southern accent? Written by someone who doesn't know a doggone thing about political demographics and the electoral college.
Probably part of the Clinton brain trust who thought going after North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri was a strategy. It's not!
The map is Obama 2008 without North Carolina. The swing demographic are Catholics, the daughters and sons and granddaughters and grandsons of what we used to call "ethnics". If you were going to add states to Obama 2008, it would be Texas and Arizona.
The South is a dead end. The best possible thing would be for every Democrat in the South to switch parties and try to moderate the Republicans via primaries.
1
Kirsten Gillibrand for President, John Hickenlooper for Vice President
is my dream team.
1
“The American people, taking one with another, constitute the most timorous, sniveling, poltroonish, ignominious mob of serfs and goose-steppers ever gathered under one flag in Christendom since the end of the Middle Ages.”
These words were written by H.L. Mencken in 1922.
How much has really changed since then?
3
Frank, wishful thinking does not translate into results. Your hated nemesis Trump will win again because there are more of them than you.
2
Michael Bennett, Senator from Colorado, is worth a look.
I am a raging liberal but I would hate to see Gillibrand on any ticket. She is a naked opportunist, who I still blame for the demise of Al Franken, who did not deserve that fate. I despise Trump, but it would be hard to motivate myself to even vote if she were on the Democratic ticket.
209
I don't like her for a lot of reasons, but every politician is a "naked opportunist." Why does that only matter in a woman?
10
So you are saying you would rather have Trump another 4 yrs? Trump is certainly no opportunist so go ahead, let him win again. This is what the Bernie crowd did for us this time around.
5
Kim Murphy, gender has nothing to do with it. My wife and lots of women I've spoken to about it will not forgive her humiliation of Franken- forced resignation without a fair hearing. Some opportunists are more brazenly unethical and devoid of conscience than others. I'm with Elizabeth and I was with Hillary. I would certainly vote for Gillabrand in the general, of course.
5
Let's hope they all get a fair shot at it and that Russia doesn't tip the scales for Bernie again. Eric Garcetti IS impressive.
3
I can hear the crowd roar!
1
You know what? You had most of this bench available in 2016. Too bad the party choked it off in favor of one nominee - the one who couldn't beat Trump.
Pro-tip for Dems (DNC, DLC, DCCC, etc) - probably ought to keep your grubby digits off of the scale.
1
You left out the 2018 and 2020 American preference of the 'primed' and 'pretty' bipartisan politically transnational transcendental titan smiling and smirking Vladimir Vladimirovich 'Czar' Putin.
2
No matter how many great presidential candidates fill the stadium, Bernie Sanders will be there the bring down the entire party, which he does not even belong to.
8
Because Sanders thinks Americans should have what citizens of every other first world nation have: health care and college education. But this is too “left “ for the DNC.
2
I'm further left than Sanders. He's just the worst imaginable candidate for the message and he didn't know when to quit. His 10 million supporters fail to understand that 13 million of us voted for Clinton in the primaries were not "duped", we were just being realistic.
4
Ya want a slogan? Live to our ideals, get real, and deal.
Conor Lamb seems just the chap
Joe Biden, please!
1
No, Biden's too old. We need young blood, progressive, hungry and varied candidates now. As a 62 yr old woman, I'm sick of white old men (WOM) making decisions for the rest of us. We need to get these WOMs out of office. As for the Republican WOM, YUK!!! They are truly a gross and immoral bunch starting with Trump, Sessions and McConnell.
3
Cory Booker please.
3
Maybe. Just maybe. I suspect this Indeendent might be able to live with Booker / Warren.
With regard to the illustration that accompanies this article: the only visual “sign” that a woman can be a leader is spiked heels?
1
The other woman isn't wearing spiked heels, and you'd have griped louder if one of the profiles was in a dress, I'm sure.
Given that HRC sucked out all the oxygen from the Democrat tent so recently, it's reasonable to expect successors to emerge slowly.But Bruni may be being seduced by his own aftershave.The main risk in both 2018 and 2020 is that Democrats double down and field candidates who are too far to the Left and focus on issues shown not to resonate with enough Americans, wit Dreamers and immigration, climate change and minority rights.That makes most of the names mentioned unlikely winners.
3
I have to give Kamala Harris credit for her hair. It is distinctive and immediately identifies her with the voter. In this respect she is a match for Trump who, too, is identified by his distinctive orange mane. It will be the battle primordial between the tousled tiger and the sleek leopard. Who will win? I wish I could have better news, but it definitely will not be a contest of ideas.
Please do the country a big favor and allow non native Americans like myself run for president.
1
Mid terms will not be kind to the Dems. They're focused on fringe issues: confederate statues, trangender bathrooms, and rewarding illegal aliens. And to oppose tax cuts! Talk about insantiy. Nancy Pelosi gave an eight hour speech for illegal aliens. She never gave an eight hour speech for US citizens or taxpayers. Chuck Schumer is just as bad. Both of them need to step down.
1
How I wish we could bring Obama back...
4
Your interview of Deval Patrick won this observer. Whoever winds up nominated needs to avoid appearing as a nag and a scold (name omitted in the interest of intra-party comity).
"We are going to take care of women...and
We are going to take care of men...and
We are going to take care of blacks...and
We are going to take care of the old...and... the sick...and ...
Do we dems have any other platform?
This one worked so well in 2016.
We got the votes!
Losing in the College was not our fault, it was in the stars.
2
And thus the Hillary campaign is resurrrected.
2
Listen to Landrieu's speech on removal of the Confederate monuments ... impressive!
2
Democrats are primed for 2018? Sure they are. They just offered a job to disgraced FBI agent McCabe.
1
The disgrace is not McCabe. The disgrace is the Trump administration and a president pathologically abusing his power to tear down our checks and balances and destroy anyone he has to to protect himself. Oh, the irony of a supporter of Donald Trump accusing anyone else of disgrace! Wow. Explain for me, please, how anyone is supposed to take seriously people who support and defend Donald Trump at every turn who then call people accused of ONE alleged infraction, which he denies, btw, a disgrace? And I thought you Trumpers said that denying an accusation is enough. Or is that also 'different when it's Donald"?
6
Andrew McCabe disgraced? Wrong. The disgrace is Trump and Sessions. Trump planned this, as evidenced by his Dec 23, 2017 90 days tweet.
5
Democrats need a presidential candidate who is not boring.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary was... boring, dull, blah. Obama became "no drama Obama."
Trump may be awful, but he is always interesting. His every Tweet, every action makes news and resonates throughout the media. Democrats must learn how to stay interesting, one way or another way. Otherwise they will keep losing, even if Trump bottoms out. Boring is a no - no, Democrats. Showmanship is on.
Democrats, don't fool yourselves into believing that you win by rambling on.
=========================================================
2
But oh! What the world would do right now for a boring POTUS!
2
Robbie, a boring POTUS would not be possible, in the age of the internet and social media, period. Even the NY Times would lose readers, without shocking news from the White House.
No, the Democrats need to wise up. No more boring telepromiter leaders, like Obama. No more intellectual aloofness like Hillary.
We need leaders who entertain, laugh, make mistakes. But unlike Trump, we need leaders who have some intelligence, honesty, humility, and humor.
Fortunately, there is time for the Democrats to wake up, before the 2018 and 2020 elections. But will they wake up???
2
But you already _have_ an entertainer in office. Unfortunately, the entertainer is no good at prosecuting the _duties_ of office.
I know it's really hard to win an election these days if you are not an entertainer, but can you really say the country does not need competence (even boring competence) in office? Here's a clue: a candidate who is likely to be a competent officeholder is also a candidate who will not leave any detail unattended, who will do the work _on the ground_ and who adheres to coherent logic and allows themselves to be guided by _facts_. That needs not be boring, and indeed it is possible to put that together with an entertaining program of presentation that can win electoral campaigns, but "don't do stupid stuff" really _does_ make sense.
2
The Dem slogan in 2020 has to be: MAGA (Make America Good Again)
1
From a Democrat who first voted for George McGovern—since you asked:
Convincing economic plan
* Invest in education from pre-K to PhDs
* Universal health care through Medicare for all—it offers the best deal
* Index the minimum wage to worker productivity changes—if workers produce more, those at the bottom benefit
* Replace the GOP tax cuts with renewed progressive taxes because it’s about time the 10% shared the load
* Impose tax penalties for corporations and individuals who stash profits overseas on business activities here at home
* Tax fossil fuel consumption to pay for infrastructure improvements
* Send people who commit corporate crimes to prison, don’t fine the corporation—its not a person, but it’s run by people
A distillable governing philosophy
* Money does not get a vote or a voice—repeal the Citizens United ruling by congressional action
* Privacy is a right—we own our data and our bodies
* Restore equality to justice—fully fund public defenders, decriminalize public health issues like addiction, and appoint judges and prosecutors who look like America
* Democracy works—vote by mail (if it’s good enough for paying taxes…) and make it postage-free
And a slogan
* Butter tastes better than bullets or bombs
* Don’t complain with your mouth full of tax breaks
* Putin is not my president
* Can you hear us? You better listen!
* The majority is silenced no more
* It’s our turn, #get_[you can fill it in]
9
I like Mitch Landreiu a lot. He has a presence and knows his city. I'd like to see him engage Trump in a debate, this guy knows his stuff. Eric Garretti as well. The problem is we only get to see them compete for a democratic nomination spot. Looking back we should have seen Hillary imploding. Trump stumped her, she decided to mostly ignore him as she had to do with her husband. There was no war room when a nuclear war room was needed. Tim Kaine was a mistake he spoke to state she already had. I'm all for stronger together, but transgender rights are not what a presidential candidate fights for. But she did. Caitlin Jenner voted Trump. We're stuck with a moron as called by the Secretary of State. Or are we? This is not a swamp its a cemetery. A city of monuments to dead leaders. No one wants to work in the White House, DC is not a fun place to be. Its a protest economy in all departments wondering how quick they can retire. This is the state of the American Government. Its gotten boring. I hope he fires Milania too.
"Tim Kaine was a mistake he spoke to state she already had. I'm all for stronger together, but transgender rights are not what a presidential candidate fights for."
There's that "We mustn't campaign with identity politics" trope again. Well how about this: you have a president who has definitely _not_ campaigned with "identity politics". Indeed, he does not appear to have campaigned in defense of any kind of human rights. Indeed he ran a campaign of scapegoating and deceit. Do you like what you got there?
Consider this. What people are calling "identity politics" as a pejorative is really the defense of human rights. So are you asserting that no president or presidential candidate should stand in defense of human rights in their campaign? I remind you to again look at the result following the last presidential candidate who did not stand in defense of human rights, who won office and fails to stand in defense of human rights as president.
I urge all persons who lament "identity politics" to consider that they are lamenting _human rights_, and while you might not be able to win an election campaign using only your defense of human rights, you definitely cannot be a good holder of office if you don't defend human rights in the campaign and continue to do so in office.
3
The first thing Democrats have to accept is that there are no perfect candidates. Then we need to choose the best candidate we have and support him/her whole-heartedly. No sulking in corners. No voting for useless third-party candidates to show we are "following our conscience." No staying home because "my vote doesn't count."
7
Eric Holder!
2
Please no! He and Loretta Lynch are attached to the Clintons by the hip.
2
What? Hillary drew few challengers because of a '...barren bench...?" Outrageous. How about that rigged primary process that was so exposed it made the front pages of Pravda? Of course, Pravda apparently had better sources than Mr. Bruni. The Dem "Bosses" rammed Hillary down our throats, and then we Blues got throttled by a clown. Lamb's election is proof of one thing: 2018 is going to be a Blue Flush only if Dems run local, run honest, and run without the DNC's help.
4
Democrats will blow it. They always do. You know, if Democrats has wisely voted for Hillary Clinton in 2008 (and she would have defeated McCain and Palin), not only would we have had our first woman president, a person more qualified than any modern candidate, but Barack Obama would be president NOW.
Instead, Democrats themselves insist on remaining tepid and proving to Republicans somethingorother. The latest is the criticism Hillary Clinton received for recently stating the truth about the voters she got versus the ones Trump got. Oh, Democrats were verklempt! Get the smelling salts and fainting couches! Hillary was BAD, and instead of being like that we should be kind to Trump voters because they might not vote for a Democrat if we aren't...blah, blah, blah. Hillary Clinton's problem was that she is too smart for everyone, including Democrats. What have we heard from Democrats? Hillary ran a bad campaign! Versus Trump's???? Trump's is what we want now in America? As usual, it has to be said: Democrats need to grow a spine and stop being so scared that Republicans might not like them. We're a MUCH better party for America! Just go out and SAY it and WHY! Good lord, it's not that difficult. And yes, run AGAINST Trump! Sheesh.
137
Virginia, if it's possible to be 1000% correct, that's where you stand!
Dems are *so* self-conscious. They need to get down in the mud and take the gloves off! Let's see some tweets -- and good ones at that. Fight fire with fire, with courage, with perseverance. Dems: you are fighting against only *one* other political party!
Here's the algorithm, it's a simple loop: (1) Get elected (stop overthinking it), (2) Do the right things for the People, who will appreciate it, (3) Go to (1).
What don't you understand?
7
Right on, I'm sorry to say. This is so devastatingly true.
3
That's a nice story, but 8 years of Hillary would have meant 8 more years of Obama in the Senate. And one of his advantages was no long history of Senate votes for opponents to latch on to. But then, we likely wouldn't have had the ACA and any number of other divisive Obama policies.
2
It's the candidate, stupid.
1
I just hope the DNC doesn't screw up the way it did in 2016. They (more so than the Russians) threw the election away, in lots of ways but mainly by favoring Hillary from the start and all the time denying it.
4
This time there are people who may want to be President, and maybe the Democratic party apparatus will not make a selection years in advance. There will probably be a reaction against Trump - unless there is something like a 9/11 which automatically unites people behind the President (Bush's approval ratings almost hit 90% after the attack). But people will still be looking for a Presidential candidate who they think will represent their interests. Hillary Clinton did not succeed in convincing people that she was the one, nor did the establishment Republican candidates, leaving Trump with his phony promises. Voters are very, very dissatisfied with politics and both parties. Could it be that neither party is really representing the interests of the majority? Does either propose policies that would really reduce inequality - or just stop its growth?
Bruni is interested in personalities, not policies, but Democrats may have to establish a set of policies that puts them on the side of the majority economically, rather than chase campaign money from big donors. If not they may be vulnerable beyond 2020 to a more competent version of Trump, or a new party.
4
Wishful thinking or complacency? Lessons from Lamb are stay away from Pelosi and embrace Trump's policies. Democrats have to realize that they need to have an effective vision.
3
you have been fed the wrong information apparently unless embracing Obamacare suddenly is Trump's agenda. The truth is given the absolute banana republic administration the Republicans have demonstrated, Democrats just have to be able to NOT be Trump.
Bewley5 from Austin. Congress removed the draconian Obamacare mandate and Trump signed it into law that would force those who did not wish to have any health insurance to pay a penalty even though the person could hardly afford to buy balanced nutrition essential for good health. Also insurance across the state lines is possible and more competition is fostered. Obamacare as we know it is over. It is now just on the books as one of the options for health insurance. I don't think any democrat is going to win on bringing back the preTrump version of Obamacare.
2
Thanks for the great piece. We so need your optimism and sense of the many possibilities!
2
Normally when I hear the phrase "no bench" tossed about, critics are generally referring to Democratic seats down ticket and elections held in fiercely conservative areas. The executive office was never really a focus of concern in our discussions. We all know 2016 was not a referendum on the Democratic presidential bench. Hillary Clinton declared "My turn!" and everyone but Bernie Sanders walked away from the challenge. Not to mention Clinton was anointed by the DNC before the primary ever took place and 2016 was an off year for Democrats anyway. We all know how that election turned out.
As noted before, the challenge I offer to Democrats is what about lower-profile positions within the government. Having 30 all-star pitchers doesn't help you win the game if the rest of the infield is standing empty. The gaps in the Democratic bench manifest themselves more dramatically the further away you get from the White House. Solidly Democratic areas will always produce hopefuls but if you look at the national picture, the Democratic bench begins to look like Swiss cheese. That's something the Trump opposition needs to work on. The world doesn't begin and end at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
3
“Sometimes he’s just an unexpected someone whose story and style catch fire.”
Yes, this explains how a voter could vote for Obama twice and then switch to Trump. Perhaps it has also been true in the past: a handsome, charismatic JFK comes to mind. Then there is fear (Nixon), trust (Eisenhower), nostalgia (Reagan), hope (FDR), and greed (Clinton’s re-election).
For 2020, character, honesty and decency ought to be paramount. It will also need to be someone Trump will be totally uncomfortable with. We don’t need the VP of the previous administration: Fritz Mondale, the first Nixon are cautionary tales that preclude Biden as a good candidate.
3
As has been media fodder for the past week, there is something to learn in Conor Lamb's victory in a deeply red district. People voted for honesty and integrity, yes, but more than that they voted against current Republican/Trump policies. Lamb may be "moderate" but he is deeply liberal where it counts most. He campaigned against the tax policy, against the dismantling of Obamacare (and I believe he favors single payer health care). He had union support. On the moderate side: He is personally against abortion but believes it is private. He favors reasonable gun control (not no gun control).
Democrats can win by
4
It's not nationally known candidates that the Democrats need. It's voters. Too many stay home on election day unless their "perfect" candidate is on the ballot. Too many others live in the wrong States. Winning 60-80% of the vote in New York or California is easy. Winning in at least some Red States is necessary to gain an Electoral College majority. Giving up on Hillary's "deplorables" is the ticket for another defeat. Lamb got it and won, the national Democratic Party had better get it or we all will get Trumped in 2020.
89
then, the Republicans still win, by pushing everyone, including Democrats, to the right.
forget it!
think of Trump as Hoover, and his successor in the FDR mold.
we have way more celebrities than we need; now we need. actual candidates with actual policies voters can get excited about.
2
Lamb's strategy worked in a red district. To say that all Democrats need to model their candidacy on him to win is a little naive. Each Democrat should run as an individual, catering to the needs of each district....that is if we're talking about running for the House of Reps. You wouldn't want to run like Lamb did...in a really liberal district....that's how you'd fail.
3
Here I thought they were both primed and pretty in 2016! What happened" Pride goeth before a fall, Frank.
It's not the predicted numbers. We've already learned that lesson. And having a stadiumf full of contenders doesn't mean a thing, either. What both parties need, and we all need, is a worthy contender. So far, there's none to be seen.
1
I have often believed that jokes are effective only if they are really, really good or real, real groaners. The best that the middle ground of comedy can do is to have no effect on anybody's funny bone at all.
In today's political world, the GOP is the really really bad joke. That's why it wins by managing to capture the nation's attention with its spectacular awfulness. So, this November let's go for bland and imperfect, but sane and functional.
Let's get our government back.
10
The problems growing for our country from the Trump administration will need an exceptional achiever to handle. Obama inherited the economic collapse left by Bush which he handled masterfully despite the Republican promise to make him a one term president. But that let the door open for a charlatan such as Trump. So our country needs not only the exceptional president but a party with morals to help govern. There is only one party currently that has that character. Resist 'till 2020.
34
What the Democrats need is to let go of perfectionism and divisiveness. News flash: No candidate is perfect. None is issued a magic wand on inauguration day. Let's work together and keep it positive, creative, and collaborative. That's what will keep the blue wave moving forward.
26
(A critique in 3 parts.)
Let's redefine the notion of party and its relationship to voters. The seeds of this new understanding are evident in the nearly-unthinkable victories of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, in the consecutive losses of Hillary Clinton, in the socialism of Bernie Sanders--in the sexual politics and child-bashing of state GOP legislators/candidates, in the unresolved tensions in a nation whose leader fires its highest officials by tweet and tells us the way to remember the horrors of slavery by honoring the men on iron pedestals who fought viciously to preserve it. Parties, Democratic or Republican, conceal the white male paradox. Unspoken is the new redefinition: justice-is-punishment. A nation is famished and fearful and blind to its future.
Parties spin. Republicans flag-wrap messages of hate, they legislate redistribution of income to the waiting arms of the rich; they bash young survivors of mass shootings due to age, not principles, Parties no longer test integrity. Instead, they tempt voters with messages void of public service, wrestled away from a shining vision of progress and way-making.
White supremacist made robo-calls for Trump, attempted to trick us that their message was mainstream—embraced by many “good” folk, as Trump declared. Democrats depend upon algorithms, and have abandoned yard signs, a symbol of commitment and a proud public declaration; their voter drives didn't provide poll rides. What's the fix?
(Parts 2 and 3 below).
4
(Part 2.)
The fix means seeing problems through new lenses! New thinking, both big and small, wins; elections bear this out! Obama went big: his fierce urgency of now, embedded in hope, was also embedded by a 50 state grass roots campaign, that organized every precinct, spoke to neighbors, and articulated messages of decency that withstood smear attacks. This campaign style enabled a first time, Democratic transgender candidate to handily defeat an iconic foe in a Virginia House of Delegates race, the self-declared “chief homophobe” of Virginia. His appeals to fear and bias impotent, because he served power---and couldn't fix roads.
The campaign style worked in the working class US House district of Pennsylvania 18. Overcoming labels of “godless” and “unAmerican,” outspent 17 to 1, a Democrat won--as Trump came to campaign and called for a tariff on steel, an appeal in a district with many former steel workers. The grass roots, think-big-and-small campaign worked in Alabama, to win a Senate seat. A former state Supreme Court Justice and former troll of teenagers who he sought to touch and kiss, blamed not his indecency but partisan politics for his loss, his supporters claiming stalking teenagers was acceptable to God on historic grounds, and imagined busloads of out of state black voters getting past local GOP precinct watchers to cast ballots. A Democrat lost a Georgia US House seat by abandoning this winning campaign style: grassroots; think big and small.
1
(Part 3.)
What are the specifics of grassroots, think big and small? First abandon algorithms, but use data. Data reflects, algorithms project. Clinton accepted projections in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania because her data didn't reflect the obvious—a campaign's arithmetic must count crowds, appearances, yard signs, rides organized. Her silence on black radio sealed her fate. It said “we don't have to engage you.”
Grassroots politics, Donna Brazile says, is reaching voters where they “eat, work, and pray.” Failing to heed this maxim, Clinton's insular staff watched as her numbers slip when it counted—at the polls. Obama focused on counts. How many voters called; how many teams working. The process was his structure for winning. But be careful: Trump exported it into television, making its appeal into entertainment, giving star power to hate.
Strom Thurmond practiced thinking small. He spent Christmas day making 100s of calls to his supporters. He visited court houses and delivered social security checks, paved roads, built schools and put in sewer lines.
In contrast, Thinking big means sharing a future: solution based politics! The future's biggest trend: the global middle class, centered in Asia and the Pacific rim, doubling to 6 billion people in a decade—as America's share shrinks from 18% to 9%. US government/businesses have no perception or position about this trend! Winning politics must see a successful future.
1
As far as I'm concerned, we need a complete contrast to Trump and all he stands for. We need sanity, we need to feel safe again, we need to feel comfortable in our American skin, not embarrassed. We need someone fit for the office, we need to trust again. we need someone who speaks the King's English with education and some dignity; we need someone with moral fiber, competent and ethical. We need someone who knows history and has learned from it. We need what we used to have before the barbarian came to our gate.
We need to see the truth spread through this country to provide us with the freedom we've always stood for and is the core of who we are as a people. We need our democracy back.
29
Pkay, thank you. I agree and more. We need a decent, moderate candidate who won't run on identity politics and sticks to mainstream issues BUT! stands in character, word and deed in the starkest contrast to DJT,highlighting and underscoring DJT's appalling indecency, lying, racism, you name it, as well as the scurrilous actions of our bankrupt republican congress and this so-called president. We need a moral, well-educated individual who knows the issues, is willing to hear the trump supporters' issues, too, and demonstrate s/he will work for the American people. And everyone must get out and VOTE.
3
I wish I could be hopeful, but I simply cannot do it. The Democrats will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Democrats are underestimating Trump's popularity outside of urban echo chambers at their peril. And heaven help the Democrats if the Clintons decide they need to re-involve themselves in politics. Bill and Hillary - do Democrats a favor and retire to lives of quiet solitude and contemplation. Sorry Frank - I loathe the current administration, but the Democratic Party will be unable to dislodge the Republicans from power in the near future. By then, it may be too late for the country.
8
But the past doesn't dictate the future. Believe in cultural change. We'll have a slew of new voters.
Pessimism just turns more people off to participation--and we need participation. Look at all the younger voters and first-time voters. Do they really have to carry on the old story of how Democrats will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? No! Let. It. Go. It's a new era.
25
It's easy to ignore naysayers, because the biggest one among them is sitting in the White House.
Honestly, if after one year of this corrupt and catastrophic administration, Americans don't have the common sense to see what Donald Trump and the Republican party is doing to this country, we're all lost.
By now one can only hope it's abundantly clear that his promise to 'Make America Great Again' only stretches as far as his sights on his own bottom line, and Americans will be stuck with higher taxes, no options for affordable health coverage, trillions of dollars in U.S. debt, no Medicare or Medicaid, and eventually no Social Security.
That is, if we don't end up in a nuclear war first.
Those who balk at voting at all while waiting for the perfect candidate, are as bad as those who vote for more of what this current administration has to offer.
And while Democrats may not be the silver bullet to all problems, they certainly can't be worse than what is happening now.
24
Trump won because of his message and stayed true to it. None of the double-talking Democrats can make a clear case how their policies will help the middle class. So they can talk about tone and being "Presidential" all they want but the voters want action not empty high-sounding talking points and then back to business as usual.
27
Dear Lord! Trump won with a racist, nasty, brutish campaign filled with name-calling, occasional calls to violence and constant calls to join in. The message was upbeat hatred. At best, it was a high school pep rally on steroids.
He has stayed true to it, saying neo-Nazi organizations have some "fine people" and ending DACA. He's given a huge tax break to the wealthy and put it on the tab.
I won't get into the blanket dismissal of all Democratic. But normalizing Trump's message cannot be allowed to stand. America must not stand for such hate.
5
Trump's message: never reveal his tax returns; never insult Putin; hire as many incompetents as possible; create chaos on a daily basis; behave like a bitter teenage girl shooting base Tweets at 3am to all his enemies; selling of Our Public lands to the highest bidders. If that's what you mean by staying 'true to his message', then yes, you are correct.
4
ed: Yes, it's quite a message he's stayed true to. He's revived hatred and bigotry in the country; he's demeaned people who work for him; he's spread division between people, races, immigrants are berated; he's displayed a lack of empathy for those who are unfortunate; he's embarrassed this country worldwide; he's chipped away at our democracy, our freedoms, our constitution; he's shown nothing but concern for himself and his investments where he has shown great malfeasance; he is unfit for office in every way, shape or form. He is crippled morally and ethically and is ruining our country. This is not about "tone" this is about the truth of the matter. The man is unfit for the presidency and is a disgrace to our history and what we have always stood for as a beacon to the world.
5
Firstly policy. This must be a left of center set of embracing policies at home and an internationalist policy abroad. This is a clear differentiation from the current policies of the GOP and its leader President Trump. With respect to policies at home the emphasis should be on economic growth and a more equal distribution of the fruits of that growth. Secondly, the criminal justice system needs reform but that is mainly a subject for States and municipalities. Thirdly, immigration has to be addressed such that people feel that there is real control over who can and who cannot enter the country. Lamb showed what should be done and said about other social issues.
Overseas, there needs to be focus on strategic imperatives and cooperation with respect to defense opening up markets and protecting IP with respect to trade and full support for the reasoned policies in the Paris Climate accords.
Above all the DEMS must understand that policy without power is useless. They have to win. As for leadership my bet would be on a Biden/Harris ticket.
5
I'm with you up until Harris. She is one of the most divisive candidates I can think of. She would obviously be a sop for the leftists but a ticket with her and Biden would be seen as a cynical ploy to coopt the left. She is just cynical enough to go for it, but the left wants a time-tested Bernie or a thoughtful Warren not some uncredentialed know-it-all newcomer who would make the ticket toxic.
1
The good news is there are plenty of elective offices available for the suggested large bench. Hopefully most of the current bench sitters are as concerned with getting the right stuff done than demonstrating they are the one with the right stuff.
Then, more importantly, eligible voters will turn out and vote. Not only for the big names mentioned here, but for candidates in all races who advocate for the general welfare.
11
Democrats should appeal to the same instincts that the swing voter felt when they elected Trump. Sadly, it was lies. But, they could not overcome their emotions. The emotion itself was not "wrong." I would alter the slogan to 'Make American Decent." That is just the front of the hat. On the back I'd add what de Tocqueville remarked " America is great because it is good." My 2020 ticket would be Biden/Obama. We never did give "hope" the chance it deserves.
4
I, too, hope for and look forward to a solid comeback for Democrats in the next several upcoming elections. My biggest fear, however, is that they will then start to become arrogant, complacent, and self-serving like the Republicans are now. We will need truly exceptional leaders that are not afraid to be self-critical about the party and to place the needs of the people over the interests of the powerful.
10
2018 most certainly be the focus, but this was interesting to read and ponder for a few moments....
Every single name mentioned would be far better than another 4 years of Trump, and every single name mentioned would advance progressive policies. The key is for Democrats to unite and not destroy each other in the circular firing squad, and realize that any Democrat, from Sanders to Manchin would be a great improvement over our current situation.
Some specific things to look for would include unquestioned competence, and the ability to generate trust with both the traditional party loyalists, and the more liberal progressives. Assuming Trump is the opponent, some degree of toughness will be needed to stand up to the vicious assault that is sure to develop, although Dems should work hard to keep the focus on competence. A few others who seem to be considering a run and should be added to the list are the impressive Gov. Inglis of Washington, and the very interesting possibility of Eric Holder. Although Terry McAuliffe has all the tools to take on Trump and be a strong President, I fear he would be too easily eviscerated by his connections to the Clintons.
9
Terry McAuliffe? The guy who invented renting out the Lincoln bedroom? Please.
1
I really don't understand the animosity towards the Clintons. Bill was elected president by popular vote and the electoral college. Hillary was chosen by the majority of Americans, but not the electoral college. They are not perfect, but neither is any one else.
It seems to me that the constant negativity towards Hillary is misplaced, mostly by bernie supporters. Why they would think true blue Democrats would choose him over her is ridiculous, especially since he himself declared he was not a Democrat. It is either sexism or the fact that she is not absolutely more perfect than any man.
3
The problem isn't about the candidates.
The problem s the party itself - what does it stand for ?
Is it a pack of anti-business, tax and spend progressives who want to extend the social wars, or does it, like Congressman-elect Lamb, aim for the center ?
Barack Obama's running as a centrist and governing as a leftist has not helped, and the emphasis on sanctuary cities, transgender rights, and the-environment-is-more-important-than-jobs hasn't helped either.
40
The environment is more important than everything, because without breathable air and drinkable water we’ll all be dead. Runaway global warming dooms us to an ungovernable and perhaps uninhabitable world. We need leaders who know this, who can articulate it fearlessly and who are looking to build new economic opportunities in clean energy.
12
Lamb did not "aim for the center." He supported some things rather leftish, and some things rather rightish, both matching opinion in his district. He did not do center.
Center in national office too often means Republican-Lite, and that is a path to defeat. Neither party base supports that.
18
Obama a leftist? Exactly what was leftist about bank bailouts while morgatage holders got hosed? Trying to ship even more jobs overseas via shiny new trade agreements written by big biz, while facilitating the import of as much cheap labor as possible? And making sure that the electorate wasn't allowed to know what was in those agreements. A health care bill that Big insurance and pharma wrote, and gives all of the leverage to opt in or pull out to the companies and not to the proles? What was leftist about kill-list Tuesdays?
4
While surmise and conjecture have their place, gaming Trump's America through to November and then 2020 don't seem to be it. There is bigtime snakes-and-ladders drama down the 2018 road.
Many of the recent presidents just appeared out of nowhere and while the Democrats may need more forceful articulation at this juncture, the lack of a presidential frontrunner right now, probably works in their favour.
2
Who will run is not the question since the field is wide open. The question is what will the person and the Democratic Party stand for?
13
If the Democrats do win back the Oval, it will have to be a moderate; opine what you want, those votes in the middle MATTER. Those "Reagan Democrats", the"Silent Majority" or as they are now called "college graduate voters in the suburbs", those (as am I) are in the middle. I believe Democrats CAN be prudent on the economy, understand the need for a viable (not weakened) military force as well as prudent on matters of the law, but to win and make that win viable the middle will have to be wooed and committed to. Flirting (yes, Ms. Clinton, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin remember your forsaking) will not do, which is how 2016 happened. Also if extreme right wing views don't resonate then BELIEVE that the extreme left will get a deaf ear as well.
This country needs an adult, but not just someone who sounds smarter than Donald; Jimmy Carter was plenty smart, but being the President needs more than that. The Democratic Party over the past year has been energized by the voices of those who have been told repeatedly to shut up or those who no one figured could lead. It's sad but true that if Donald Trump can do it, WHY can't we? If we fail, our political system as we recognize it will be gone, and with it America. Everyone, no more "sitting out", because that's still a vote for the opposition. We still have time until 2020, but our first preparations for that are this year.
13
All politics is local.
An old axiom, made that way by being true.
Democrats are learning. They are learning that they must run the best candidate for the District. Someone who was born and bred there, who understands the people and the culture and the dynamic. Who reflects the District, in a Democratic light.
The candidate must be personable; people get off the couch to go to the polls to vote for people they like - and trust - and believe in.
The candidate must be able to articulate the concerns of their District - unions or traffic or schools or crime or development... . And they must be able to tie local concerns into a broader national platform that is solid, and doable and dedicated to making life better for all Americans - the legacy of the Democratic Party.
If we do this - and it is doable by being ourselves - we will take back the House, and ultimately the Senate, and the WH, and end this nightmare the Republicans have visited on us. We will have earned the right to govern.
2018. 2020.
27
Click on the link in column for New Orleans mayor, Mitch Landrieu. Read the speech that he delivered in May of last year. (Or click the video link to watch it.) I remember stumbling upon it at the time and thinking, "Oh my God, this guy is the real deal. If he was running for president, he'd have my vote."
Character, eloquence, historical perspective, humility, socio-political astuteness, bravery, leadership and a very relatable humanity.
I didn't sense the raw ambition that I see in a lot of the other candidates mentioned. What I sensed was a human being, a leader, who truly cared about leading ALL the people of New Orleans forward.
A powerful and honorable public servant.
My kinda guy. Love to have a beer with him!
56
We totally love the guy! He's a brilliant man, with a heart as gold.
2
Given the rapid dismembering of crucial parts of the Executive Branch, the rigid partisan divide in Congress, and what promises to be several years of fast-paced change in foreign affairs and national security (and I haven't even gotten to health care, housing, upward mobility, and much more), the political environment in 2020 promises to be unlike anything in recent memory. It's to the Democrats' advantage to have an array of prospective presidential candidates with diverse skills and interests.
My best guess is that even if Trump somehow manages to be happily ensconced in the White House with lots of followers, he'll nevertheless be politically obsolete and facing strong primary challengers.
10
Trump becoming politically obsolete by 2020 is an interesting observation I have not seen before. Trump is so specialized and unique that it is quite possible. Good idea.
5
Trump is already becoming obsolete in certain rural regions because some voters no longer feel the need for him and realize they are wiser in many ways; bored by the noise he engenders, and more in tune with the times we are living where the children have to be fed and where morality does not feature. He makes for a jolly Santa at Christmas.
Trump, so entangled in lies and deceit, forgot about 'The Forgotten', and they are repaying the favor, moving ahead without him. His name is rarely mentioned, while the Republican Banner flows in the wind. We have hard working Americans who will never accept the TPP, will keep their rifles (see what Robert Leonard has to say), while the Youth Movement is coming to the fore. Education matters now and we keep a caring eye on our Elderly. Some of our Seniors are turning Democrat at an advanced age.
We are a blood-thirsty political mob, there is no denying, and we want new blood, fit, willing and capable to serve our needs. Politics have become beyond a 'dirty game'; these are no longer entertaining, and we want essential resources like clean drinking water. Washington is farther away than ever, along with its antics. We believe our lot is more important than Trump.
On wings of a soaring Eagle.
1
Bozo the clown would make a better POTUS than the incumbent. What the Dems need is a coherent, clear and digestible platform and any candidate who can walk and chew gum at the same time.
The rest will take care of itself.
11
@Philip S. Wenz
Unfortunately, too many voters choose the candidate with the most charisma, as if they were voting for Prom King/Queen. A clear, coherent and digestible platform doesn't matter that much in the face of a charismatic opponent.
The rest will not take care of itself--we need a candidate with all of it.
1
And then again, sometimes too much of a good thing...is too much.
My biggest concern with the Democrats is if they can move beyond their obsession with identity politics. Not that any of the communities need to be threatened by any loss of support from the party, but that some (trolls?) seem intent on making demographic issues a zero-sum game.
Sometimes, the "demands" of these communities seem intentionally designed to turn other groups of voters away from the party.
If the party can navigate these waters successfully, and tamp down some of the extremism within their own party, they could run Minnie Mouse and win.
First, get your team elected. Then make demands. It's much more productive that way.
8
Once they get elected, they don't need groups until next time, and it is too late to make demands.
There needs to be a balance, not to antagonize other groups, but to make plain what is expected and promised. Then if the promise is broken, it is necessary to go all AIPAC on them and defeat ones own side.
2
BillG, Identity politics is a tool of Republicans by pandering to zealots of the NRA , corporation biggies, human rights suppressors, and you can add more to the list.
1
I could care less about optimism or pessimism regarding 2018, or 2020. American elections are media spectacles that are decided in the final week or so. We don't need hope or despair about a sudden magical changeover. We need realism. We need to be fighting, now, the daily assaults that Trump & the Republicans are making on democracy & the public interest.
14
We also need the people and ideas that will win in that last week or so. If we neglect that, the rest is for nothing.
11
I'm really tired of all of the scapegoating--it was Hillary Clinton's fault, or the DNC's, or Bernie Sanders', or Robbie Mook's, or pollsters', or the press', etc. etc. All of those participants made mistakes, but the 2016 election was fundamentally a failure of the American public. The country was faced with the possible election of the most glaringly unfit person ever to run for president on a major party ticket, but much of the electorate chose to quibble with the alternative, or sulk that their preferred candidate wasn't selected, or to sanctimoniously vote for a fringe candidate, or to vote their resentments instead of their reason, or to just plain be lazy and distracted and disengaged. The failure of the American public to take seriously the responsibilities of citizenship has given us the greatest political crisis in 150 years.
Any of the potential Democratic candidates Bruni mentions (and truthfully, a few possible Republican challengers as well) would be vastly preferable to the person now sitting in the oval office. But let's not for hope a savior. If the American people want to defend their democracy and protect their country, they have to stand up and defend it, each and every one of them. In 2018 and 2020, it will be time for the American people to show what kind of country they want to live in.
182
I wish I could agree, but I can't. An election is all about selling yourself to the public, and Hillary did an abjectly terrible job in that area. Maybe she thought her win was inevitable, I don't know. But the past is past, and no amount of kvetching is going to bring it back. I just hope the Democrats learn from the mistakes made, and move forward to victory.
14
Exactly. Just look at the students from Parkland. It's even obvious to our nation's children that adults have abdicated responsibility for democracy. Stand up, volunteer and vote!
5
"...but the 2016 election was fundamentally a failure of the American public."
No. It was a spectacular failure of both parties. People were hurting and needed change, and both parties were both too stupid and up their own tails to grasp that. The Republicans, because despite their large roster of cookie cutter candidates, none of them were what the people wanted. So they were stuck with Trump. And a colossal failure on the part of the Dems, who shoved the most stale, clueless, and compromised candidate possible down the throats of the electorate. And essentially choked off any other options years in advance. When the choice is between Trump and Clinton, the failure is not solely on the part of the electorate.
Bruni is spot on in noting that there is a panoply of Democratic hopefuls and I am sure a few will rise to the top of that pile.
The more important question is: will enough progressives get out and vote and help get out the vote? That is the surest way to win elections.
97
That depends on who is running. If not progressives, then no, they won't. That is especially true of those of us who identify as Independents. If they again go for corruption, they'll do it without many of us.
13
@chickenlover: I hope progressives who were in such rapture over Bernie (whom I supported from the day he entered the race) will get out and vote against the rampant corruption of the Trump Republican Party. Letting the perfect become the enemy of the good helped put Trump in office.
I think a larger progressive majority will come out in 2018. My husband and I had no problem voting for Clinton when she won the nomination in 2016 as we always vote Democratic because we want a Democrat appointing federal judges and members of SCOTUS. That has been our top priority since the Republican majority decimated the VRA, embraced Citizens United and have been almost unanimous in finding for business over labor.
25
Progressives will vote if there's a progressive candidate, which we didn't have in 2016 after the primary was decided.
5
No matter who the Dems nominate, if elected they need to undo the embarrassment of a large swath of the working class switching to the Republicans - and they do this by advocating for solid working class policies such as a $15 minimum wage; jobs programs (beyond the level of rhetoric, for a change); increased Social Security benefits (instead of the cuts they ridiculously proposed during Obama's presidency); and how about a financial transaction tax (although that's a long shot - the Dems can't even bring themselves to utter those words).
The DNC tried the "left on social issues and center-right on economic issues" strategy, trying to please two masters - and the result was Trump and the loss of both chambers of congress. It's time to change course.
146
Sometimes it is enough to say, "The other guy is worse." Sometimes not.
Which is which? When voters sense cruel manipulation, "heads I win, tails you lose" then it won't be good enough. When voters sense a necessary compromise with someone who means them well, then it can be good enough.
The DNC came across as cruel, arrogant manipulators, who despised many of the voters. They still do. "How dare they not vote for us!"
Social and economic issues are not really separate. It is always the economy. Social issues tend to be at bottom getting excluded from the economy that others enjoy, be it housing, jobs, rates of pay, control of one's body.
"We'll say nice things about you if you let us steal everything" is not social left and economic center.
10
Well said, Mark!
3
The Democrats are generally deluded in their belief that the current level of taxes on the middle-class is politically sustainable. In Hilary Clinton's speech announcing her candidacy she said that the middle class pays too much taxes. She never mentioned a middle-class tax cut again. Presumably, due to pressure from Sanders who pushed her to the left, which severely hurt her chances. Most Democratic politicians are not aware that, by far the best thing government could do for most middle-class households would be to lower their taxes. Thus, in many cases middle-class households will grasp at any chance they think could lower their tax burden and support candidates who promise them a tax cut, no matter how odious the candidates might be otherwise..."
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4067359
2
Cart before the horse, Frank. This kind of optimism, without acknowledgement of the fragmentation among the leadership and the base nor a coherent strategy to organize the base for 2018, is dangerous, I believe.
The Democratic Party is inclusive but not cohesive. The GOP effectively mobilizes the right and even the far right due to tribal unity. Although the Dems’ strength lies in its diversity and heterogeneity, we must urgently capitalize on that which binds us as one - our morality based on care, liberty, and fairness. Our leaders must urgently band together and co-lead a United base into the midterms. Our whole must be greater than the sum of our “party.”
This “whole” must also include those disenfranchised, disenchanted Trump voters who seek recognition of their traumatic losses- care about their loss of jobs due to technological advances, renewable energies and globalization; economic suffering; loss of community identity, and opioid abuse.
The best proposed Dem slogan I have heard to date is “Restore Respect.”
Together we must restore respect for the presidency, democracy, America, and each other.
I have devised a low-cost/high reward strategic proposal for the Democratic leadership to achieve this goal and hope my persistent efforts to engage them prior to the midterm elections will be successful.
6
Democrats are no longer inclusive. They are arrogant elitists. They excluded much of their own base, even openly insulted it, and did not bother to campaign for it.
15
'Democrats are arrogant elitists' did make this American smile, without snark, but it did hit the funny-bone. It is not wise to second-guess another person, but hopefully Mr. Thomason is suggesting that the Democratic Party is going to have to put up quite a fight with iron hands clad in velvet gloves.
1
The Democratic Party represents the economic interests of the great majority (99%?) of voters and controls no branch of government. In 2016, they ran the one candidate--in addition to Bernie-- who could lose to Donald Trump because it was her turn, and after the debacle, they reelected their leaders in congress. A year later, Democrats have offered no concrete alternatives to Republican programs. The word to describe all this is incompetence. The problems of the Democratic Party run much deeper than a lack of candidates. Unless a new generation of leadership appears who will take a pragmatic, hard nosed, approach to winning elections, things are not likely to improve.
12
You have it backward. All the Trump administration has done is roll back policies Democrats implemented or had in progress-- the Clean Power Plan and nearly all other environmental protections, the ACA, the TPP, Dodd-Frank, the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris Accords, overtime pay rules, even progress on shrinking the deficit. It astounds me that Republican's perpetually run on only two ideas--undo whatever Democrats have done and cut taxes-- and somehow people conclude that it's the Dems that have no program to offer.
22
"The Democratic Party represents the economic interests of the great majority (99%?) of voters"
It should. It has not done that lately.
15
Who didn't they represent? People with high medical costs? We saw what Trump did for them. People with low wages? The GOP certainly sponsored higher minimum wage laws. NOT. Loss of middle income jobs? The GOP/Trump tax cut for the wealthy sure fixed that. NOT. Create jobs with an infrastructure plan? Trump plan to pass costs to the states will fix that. NOT. A comprehensive immigration plan? Trump plan separates mothers and children, deports people who have been here for decades, paying taxes and contributing to society. Trump and GOP are the party of NO, with no plans except tax cuts for the wealthy, cut social safety nets and social security/medicare, and fill the judiciary to implement their social agenda, bigotry and white supremacy.
8
A hopeful column, Mr. Bruni; the possibilities seem endless. So do the remaining years (months?) (weeks?) of the Trump presidency. I’ll pay more attention to Mayor Garcetti although Amy Klobuchar has my inside track. Wouldn’t it be supremely delicious to have a woman kick Donald Trump out the door? And wouldn’t it just fry Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan?
8
Tulsi! Read up on her.
1
Although Bruni has a sanguine view of the possible Democratic contenders, none of them, with the stellar exception of Bernie Sanders, bring me much cheer.
But I was cheered by Bruni's deft use of language, and this sentence, about Jeb Bush, is more sensational that all of the sound bites of all the politicos he mentions:
"He had not yet rolled out his exclamation point only to crumple like a comma."
16
Republicans & Democrats have never been further apart ideologically. If Dems want to win in 2020 they need to run a centrist which will eliminate most of the bench. Someone like Conor Lamb who won the Pa. special election last week. Progressives will gnash their teeth but Lamb’s victory proves that you can win by articulating your beliefs in an intelligent & dignified manner. Democrats hoping for 2018 and 2020 success need to heed this lesson: You can't win unless you appeal to Independents & moderate Republicans in right-of-center congressional districts. We have proven that point by losing the Presidency, Congress, SCOTUS, the majority of governorships & state legislatures, all of which was lost under progressive leadership. For progressives 2020 will be do or die. If the GOP wins three SCOTUS Justices will be replaced. If a conservative can holds the White House until 2024, SCOTUS is likely to end up with 7 conservative Justices and 2 liberal Justices. Even if a liberal were to be elected president for two terms & replaced Justices Thomas & Alito, SCOTUS is still likely to hold a 5:4 conservative majority until 2032. The conservative legal arm is the best organized, most far-reaching & far-seeing sector of the Right. They truly are in it — and have been in it — for the long term goals. Control the SCOTUS, stack the judiciary, & you stop the progressive movement, no matter how popular it is, no matter how much legislative power it has. That's the GOP's end game.
9
The Dems ran a 'centrist' in 2016. Perhaps that was the problem.
2
Re: "If Dems want to win in 2020, they need to run a centrist.... Someone like Conor Lamb.."
Conor Lamb was not a centrist, as defined by the donor controlled leadership of the Democratic Party establishment (Wall Street / Hillary / Pelosi wing). He was to the *left* of Hillary on economics, as was Trump (in terms of campaign rhetoric - yes, Trump's actual policies are no better than Wall Street Democrats). On most issues, Conor Lamb had a lot in common with Bernie Sanders: Pro Social Security. Pro Union. Moderate on the divisive issues of guns, abortion, and immigration. These are the issues that won the election for Conor Lamb.
Some calling themselves progressive might agree with your definition of "progressive". However some of us see ourselves as being progressive on economic issues, and see economics as the defining issue, and the one issue where candidates need to be on the same side as the 80% of voters who support SS, the 70% who favor a higher minimum wage, and the majority who support reining in corruption and rule by Wall Street.
Re: "Democrats have never been further apart ideologically." Voters are to the left of both parties on economics, and are rejecting the establishment of both parties.
Re: "(majorities), all of which was lost under progressive leadership". Only if you define "progressive" as pushing hard on abortion, guns, and immigration, while letting banks run the economy and government. I don't call that "progressive".
3
Unless you think Thomas and Alito will die in six years .... that will not happen. Justices serve for life.
It seems like 2020 is far far away but in fact the presidential race begins in the summer of 2019 or 15 months from now. So, those who are thinking of running should be in full planning mode as of now. If you haven't declared by the end of the summer next year you aren't running. The first announcements should be next spring i.e. a year from now. So all of this is in motion. Of course, 30 candidates are meaningless when you compare what happened to all of those Republican hopefuls between July 2015 and March 2016. Many barely registered on the Richter scale. Many had great resumes but were spectacularly incompetent as presidential candidates. One could point to Jeb Bush as the classic example but there were many more in that groups in elections past. Does anyone remember Rudolph Giuliani as a presidential candidate? How about that guy who ran against George H. Bush in 1988. Michael Dukakis, who was the Democratic standard bearer that year? Walter Mondale ring a bell? How about Gary Hart?
The ace in the hole the Democrats have is Donald Trump. Trump is their ticket back to the White House. In theory, any Democratic should be able to defeat him. Of course, we really won't know that until the night in November in 2020 when the returns come in. Please God, for once, give us a break.
2
A lot depends on whether the Democratic party continues down its suicidal path of social politics and conflicting hard policy. Connor Lamb victory is a good model for the party. Will party elite allow this strategy nationally? They’ve invested an awful lot in sociopolitical messaging.
They should take the House but I’m not sure how predictive that will be. Congressional candidates can run on DACA/immigration in Arizona and higher wages in Wisconsin without reconciling these conflicting policies to a national electorate.
The spate of sexual harassment allegations is a similar contradiction. The tsunami of scandals by the virtual army of sexual predators among Hollywood’s progressives, Washington’s mainstream liberal reporters, and prominent politicians undermines the Republican war on women narrative. Do voters really see the Democratic party as more virtuous because Al Franken resigned?
The Mueller investigation is also wacky. The left hammers local police officers and ICE yet see the FBI as this independent paragon of virtue.
Voters may say they find Trump puerile and repellent while in private enjoying that he is as petty as they are and hits back at those who long ago needed a smack.
6
"Connor Lamb victory is a good model for the party."
Yes, but it can be and is being understood in different ways. Some are accurate, and some are self-justification.
I think the accurate lesson is to listen to the voters and represent their opinions. It is not insulting the other guy and insulting many of the voters too whose votes you need.
7
Personally, I am tired of the Democrat bashing. I don't think any of these "deep thoughts" about where the left is supposed to move is helping. We are being torn into pieces. And still, I believe that the left at its core stands for the same basic things. As a progressive, I do not think I have to spell it out.
I don't think we are that much apart on the issues at all.
Decency, Fairness, Equality. These are such basic concepts and I am sure they are enough to unite the left to vote the extreme right that is dominating this country out this coming fall. Period. We may disagree on the minutiae of policy, but we do not disagree on the fact that what is going on right now is a travesty. And it must end
12
'Democrat' once was synonymous with the left. It no longer is, & that's why it doesn't have a consistent message. That can work out well in a congressional election - congress people represent their districts- but in a national election, there's got to be a unified message. And if the Democrats no longer represent the left, but are actually centrists (new Democrats) we need another party.
4
I noticed that among the qualifications you list, you do not include an ability to win conservative voters. The political geography of this country is that inspiring progressives if conservatives are equally mobilized in opposition.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and recently elected Congressman Conor Lamb all owe their positions to an ability to convince at least some conservatives. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper might also have done well enough among conservative voters, but a closer look at his performance would be needed.
2
There are not so many "conservatives" as there are people who have conservative opinions on some thing, and liberal opinions on other things. Lamb understood that and campaigned accordingly, to win.
It is not necessary to go to the right. It is necessary to go to the voters.
23
AZ CD 8. Trent Franks's district before he resigned in disgrace. a 25 point GOP registration advantage. Dems did not even field a candidate in the general in 2014 or 2016.
This year, 2 Dems ran in a primary. One, a Hillary centrist, an ER doctor born in India and the other, a Bernie progressive and a 33 year old transgendered woman.
"Hillary", well funded for a primary ($165,000) won 60-40. "Bernie," funded to the tune of $1500, got an incredible 15,000 votes.
"Bernie" has decided to run for a vacant state senate seat in 98% white, 100% old Sun City. I would love for the real Bernie Sanders, himself old, white, male, grumpy, to come here and campaign with this young woman, an AZ local.
"Hillary" is working to register new voters and is encouraging her supporters to vote for "Bernie."
"Bernie" is encouraging her supporters to vote for "Hillary" for Congress.
Both women are working synergistically to help each other with no carping or back biting like we saw in 2016.
Neither woman has a chance of winning given this is arguably the most conservative district in AZ, but is should serve as a blue print for how the party can move forward in a positive and united way.
12
The large number of possible candidates highlights the extent to which Hillary Clinton had a stranglehold on the whole party leading up to 2016. There were a couple dozen candidates better than Clinton (or Sanders), but all were successfully dissuaded from running by the series of carrots and sticks the Clintons used so as to prevent a re-run of 2008. This left only an independent socialist and a couple of no-name East Coast governors as her token opposition - and even then, Bernie turned out to be much stronger than expected.
Now the problem is going to be similar to the GOP clown car from 2016 - there are too many, and that causes its own problems. They'll be lucky if there are enough candidates to avoid having two undercard debates. At least most of the candidates won't be insane/incompetent/evil...
7
"There were a couple dozen candidates better than Clinton (or Sanders)..."
Just curious, who would have been better than Sanders? Keep in mind that he was, and still is, the most popular politician in the country.
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/apr/27/mike-crute/de...
2
I should probably have qualified my statement to say I'm less sure about how many Democrats would have been better than Sanders. I voted for him and am reasonably sure he could have at least beat Trump.
I suspect that people with Rust Belt appeal (e.g. Biden, or Sherrod Brown) who did not call themselves socialists might have been in a better position. Franken might have worked too; he has charisma, and the allegations from last year would have been swamped by Trump's much larger problems. Among younger people, Tulsi Gabbard strikes me as being quite electable as well.
Most of the current crop of Dems, though, are probably in between Clinton and Sanders in terms of candidate strength.
Yes, another excellent example of the Democrat Echo Chamber. Wrong. Cognitive biases and more. Picking from the biases listing at random: exaggerated expectation (real world evidence is less extreme than our expectations); optimism bias (tendency to be over-optimistic, overestimating favorable and pleasing outcomes); overconfidence effect (overconfidence in one's own answers to questions, trying to predict the future);pareidolia (seeing hidden messages in the clouds); in group bias ; halo effect ; false consensus effect (the tendency to overestimate the degree to which people agree with them) and on and on. Whatever we think today is wrong. How wrong? Wait and see.
12
Painfully accurate and specific.
7
The problem, Frank, is that none of the potential candidates impresses of effective and wise governance capability, and as importantly, is convincingly electable. And don't forget, Democrats have a tradition of tripping over their own feet to lose winnable elections. One need only go back as far as 2016 to demonstrate that, but 2004 and 2000 were also very winnable if the D's had played a good hand well and didn't naively think they were in a kumbaya contest instead of a dirty knife fight for democracy. (And hadn't observed Will Rogers's maxim: "I don't belong to any organized political party. I'm a Democrat.)
A name you left off: Amy Klobuchar. For President 2020.
4
Yeah, but look at 2012, 2008, 2006 and prior to that, 1996, 1992, etc. (Or you could say the same thing about the Republicans, tripping over their own feet.) There's a lot of back and forth it seems over the decades, so I think it can go either way. I don't think there is as much control as you seem to think there is.
2
Kumbaya is a weeping song from a region of Africa where people were brought to this Country as slaves. While tempted to go Independent, it is going to be 'Democrat' all along the border so as not to create a wider divide.
Fifth paragraph from the end.
The problem with the Democratic Party is not that it has no bench; it is that the Party has a very deep bench but refuses to use it, especially in selecting its top leadership. The current leadership with the party in its grip seems to believe that it has a lock based on seniority rather than merit or appeal.
The current leadership needs to step aside to make room for younger talent capable of inspiring younger voters. Democrats might be in good shape for 2018 and 2020 simply by virtue of the atrocious character of the GOP. Until the Democratic Party renews itself at the top, however, any advantage it currently holds cannot be sustained for very long.
10
Talking about the field of 2020 presidential candidates for the Democratic Party is an exercise best left for after the 2018 midterm elections. If the Democrats can't retake the House or Senate later this year, be a lot more to worry about than whether the name Hickenlooper fits on a campaign button...
13
"Winning isn’t everything; it's the only thing"
-Henry Russell ("Red") Sanders
Vince Lombardi used the quote in his first practice. And we know how well that paid off for the "Packers".
Go get-em Democrats, just win, win, win. After November the Dems can figure out how to manage the middle, near right, near left, left of middle and far left. Just win.
32
I liked this column and really appreciate your enthusiasm Mr. Bruni, I only wish I could share it. I still feel battered and bruised by 2016, and while I have taken heart in the election of Doug Jones and Connor Lamb, the mid-terms are a long way away and 2020 seems like light years away. So much can and will happen I am afraid, and Mr. Trump's base and most Republicans stand behind him no matter what revelation comes to light, no matter how dastardly Trump's actions, nor how much his ignorance shows. How do you fight that?
People seem to be looking more for someone who will entertain them, rather than someone who will enlighten them, and Mr. Trump has certainly fit that bill.
6
2020 is interesting but 2018 has to be our top priority.
We need an economic plan which all demographic and psychographic constituencies can sign onto.
It has to achieve 5 objectives
Reduction in income inequality
A reduction in health care costs and expanded coverage.Start with reducing prescription drug prices to European levels
An infrastructure plan including a renewable energy planpaid for without an increase in the deficit. All materials to be American sourced.
A reduction in interest rates on student loans.
Containment of our deficit. The Republicans cannot wait to use the pretext of a rapidly increasing debt ( caused by them) to attack Medicare , Medicaid benefits.
Candidates can tailor this directional plan to the needs of their community as they can with their Social values.
I have sent a detailed plan to Tom Perez , not even an acknowledgement other than another begging email.
We have to all remember it is the Economy stupid and this plan will increase jobs and wages by expanding consumer demand.
5
Plan? You need a plan to run for President? The last guy never had no stinking plan except to build a wall and that wasn't really a plan, just an impulse he wouldn't let go of.
3
I am always amazed that in a country of 350 million people, with prestigious education institutes, and no shortage of talent, that such mediocre candidates are often selected for the ticket.
Really , the USA Presidental selection system is appalling, and if the current system continues, the US economy and world status is going to be run over like a steam roller by other players. Nothing is for ever, and the past is not necessary the quite to the future.
7
Members of Congress spend half their time begging for money. Who wants a job like that? If we had real public financing of campaigns, you'd see a change in the candidates who choose to run.
8
To win elections, it is not enough to be against, to condemn the other guy. One must motivate with what one stands for.
Consider Robert Kennedy campaigning against the Vietnam War and the failures of his own party. He soared. He was for ideas, and laid them out in inspiring ways. He could have just been against that War and against Johnson, like Eugene McCarthy, but he was much more, and that is why he was the greater candidate.
The same is true now. It is not enough to condemn Trump, however colorful the terms. It is not just a contest in insulting Trump.
Conor Lamb showed that. He went to his district with what they wanted to hear, not just attacking Trump.
To win in 2020, the Democrats need a Robert Kennedy figure. Not just Eugene McCarthy.
To win in the 2018 midterms, they need to do as Conor Lamb did. It would help in each district to be supported by a national ticket emerging as a Robert Kennedy, to inspire.
We've already seen in 2016 that NeverTrump and It's Impossible to Imagine Trump as President are just not enough on their own.
66
It's not enough to be against something and RFK proved that by being against the Vietnam War?
Huh?
Hillary's biggest problem was she drew a challenger with absolutely no public record to run on who was also the most secretive person ever to be nominated.
Now Trump has a record to run on and it is not good. Lamb ran:
AGAINST the tax cuts.
AGAINST taking away a woman's right to chose.
AGAINST taking away access to health care insurance for millions.
And running AGAINST those Trump policies worked for him.
9
Lamb went to his district carrying President Trumps agenda forward.
1
What about his grandson , perfect candidate for 2020 and incidentally supported Connor Lamb .
1
Frank, if you think things look rosy now, wait until Trump's harebrained economic policies begin to have their full impact.
The king of debt and bankruptcy is getting ready to fully assert himself - having rid himself of men who actually made their money the old fashioned way, by understanding the nuances of big corporations and macroeconomics.
What could go wrong there, right?
Trade war with China, anyone? Does this dummy have any idea how interrelated the world economy has become, how dependent on growth in China some American corporations are, and how when China's growth cools, Wall Street begins to sneeze?
Does he have any idea how financial market will react once the debt numbers begin skyrocketing?
So yeah, I've always felt that Democratic chances would dramatically improve once America had a good look at "The Apprentice - Presidential Edition". But this does not absolve Democrats from the need to develop a comprehensive plan to take back the hearts and minds of blue collar voters.
The reality is that Democrats cannot consistently hold the House of Representatives without a reasonably effective 50 state strategy. Howard Dean emphasized one when he was head of the DNC - and as soon as he delivered overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate to Barack Obama in 2008, he was replaced. I never understood that.
The reality is we can't effectively govern without first attempting to win every heart and mind possible - even in red states.
61
The fact the in special elections the Dems have over performed Hillary in all but Georgia would indicate some version of the 50 state strategy is working, BUT a lot of it, admittedly, is based solely on the local candidate selected because in places like AL or MT or KS there is no state party infra structure or apparatus to help the Democrat.
And I don't think one can be built by November.
Here is the comprehensive plan to take bake the hearts and minds of blue collar voter:
Social Security
Medicare
Education
The environment
Challenge any red state blue collar voter to say any one of those are NOT important to him or her.
4
I would add:
Affordable/Universal Healthcare
5
Paul - I like your list but the first item on it should be decent paying jobs.
4
I am surprised you did not include Jay Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington. True, he would be the first President from that state, but until the relatively recent past, there were no Amazons, Microsofts or Starbucks. He is honest, successful, courageous and straight from central casting. Worth a hard look--and compared with some of those mentioned--would be in the first row of those fictional bleachers.
23
We need someone who can inspire with their words and their actions, someone who's not pre-compromised by having accepted huge "speaker fees" from Wall Street, someone who has a vision and a reason to want to become president besides the fact that they are related by blood or marriage to a former president. Is that really so much to ask?
93
Try reading some of her Wall Street speeches and then get back to us.
W ran for president because "Saddam Hussein tried to kill my daddy."
4
Love to see you still fighting the last one and blaming the women for the misogyny.
6
I'm beating the drum for Bloomberg. Granted, his age is a negative (75?) but he looks vital and energetic. His policies fit well in the Democratic tent: global warming, environment, infrastructure, education, fiscal responsibility, and he has political experience and real intelligence. He considered a run in '16 but he was boxed out of the Democratic primaries and no Republican would vote for him (another plus). He considered a third party bid couldn't win as a third party candidate because of our bizarre electoral system. Think about it.
5
I voted for Mayor Mike in 2016 as a write-in. He is the best. A billionaire from New York who really can run things in the private and public sectors. Successfully.
4
He should have run in 2016. All of my contingent would have voted for him, over Clinton, had he run as a third party candidate. We wouldn't be in the mess we are in if he had put his hat in the ring. Bloomberg would have siphoned off the "never Hillary" group and the Bernie group of Democrats and Independents. Sad.
Um, no.
First, no more boomers or silents. They've had their time.
Bloomberg may look good to you from a distance all the way out in California, but maybe you didn't get the news about:
1) The CityTime mess. Hundreds of millions of dollars for largely off-the-shelf payroll processing technology.
2) Traffic-snarling, unused bicycle lanes not only in Manhattan but also in industrial areas like Hunts Point.
3) The ridiculous pedestrian plazas in Times Square. An entire section of the city rendered unusable except to tourists and the scam artists like the fake Elmo and Minnie Mouse grifters who prey on them.
4) Sweetheart tax breaks to real estate developers for ultra-premium towers where international crooks launder their money through purchases of twenty-five million dollar co-ops.
5) Middle class city workers going without contracts or salary increases for years.
And, oh yes, the hubris of number
6) Arranging a third term for himself because the city couldn't possibly function without him.
No.
Yes. More of this please. I am feeling so much energy in the Democratic Party lately, but in local and state campaigns. Optimism is moving to the fore.
11
We need to focus on 2018. Trump needs to be sidelined as soon as possible.
Conor Lamb had a good basic message - increased funding for SS, Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA, strengthening labor unions and pensions and criticizing GOP tax cuts that rewarded wealth over labor and drastically reduced revenues for infrastructure, scientific innovation and education.
This message would probably appeal to 90% of Americans and can be easily tweaked to suit each district or state.
It won't be easy. Gerrymandering and big money are advantages Republicans have but Democrats have momentum, enthusiasm and good policy. They will also have the truth on their side. Republicans have to rely on lies because their policies are only to enrich the one percenters.
The majority of dark money ads will be funded by Republican donors who pledged their support if Congress passed the atrocious tax bill and groups like the NRA. They will be very dirty.
Trump and the Republican Congress have done nothing to prevent Russian interference and the GOP's support to Cambridge Analytica to sabotage Democratic candidates will continue, so Democrats have to get out every vote they can:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/opinion/cambridge-analytica-facebook-...®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
Vote for a return to sanity in 2018 and then, it's on to 2020.
149
I will vote for the candidate that is ONLY funded by small donors. Sanders showed it was possible and this, more than anything, more than free college, more than a $15 minimum wage, made him such a threat to the racket which is the Democratic establishment. When Nancy Pelosi is hailed for her fund-raising prowess it absolutely turns my stomach. Who is cutting her these large checks and what are they getting in return? The problem is, we'll never know because as mere citizens, we're not invited to the ball. As George Carlin said "It's a big club and you aint in it".
23
""It's a big club and you aint in it"."
Like Mar-a-Lago?
I'll take the Democratic establishment over the Republican establishment every time.
48
Mary Ann -- Establishment vs Establishment is a lose-lose. We need to aim higher to get a convincing win that can be turned into the things we need in laws and policy.
10
And the Democratic establishment will take you every time.
1
I like the names you mention, Frank, and yes, the size of the theater.
But please, let's not let in the entertainers or celebrities. We're getting our daily dose of horror on that one, although it's hard to find a candidate, let alone a victor, with so little knowledge of government (or is it, willful ignorance?) as our current president.
I vacillate between despair and hope about Democratic prospects, but tonight, reading all those names, puts me in a better mood than before.
But let's add a few caveats to any future elections from this year to 2020. Unless we find a way to simultaneously prevent or minimize Russian meddling and increase digital literacy, we're not going to see much better results than we did in 2016.
The problem with our current state of politics isn't just big money and political polarization, although that's bad enough--it's the fact that not enough people are truly engaged enough politically to separate the real from the fake, the right from the wrong, and why staying home instead of voting keeps making everything worse.
104
It's interesting to speculate but it's not what matters at the moment.
The Democratic Party need to put a laser focus on building its base in the House. Presidents can only be powerful and effective when they are supported by a powerful party - Obama's last 6 years being a case in point.
FOCUS on retaking the House. It may well take both 2018 and 2020 elections to do it. And even if the presidency is lost if the House is DEM controlled much can be done to stop Trump.
This is important because a Presidential strategy requires a national focus and a nationally appealing candidate, whereas House strategies should be tailored to their LOCAL electorates and cultures. The LOCAL is where DEMs need to focus for 2018. In 2020 they need to allow enough flexibility in the national strategy that centrist DEMs can still connect in swing districts.
As always in a presidential election, the swing states will be where the president is actually picked. 100% turnout by the far left in CA and NY doesn't make a bit of difference in the electoral college. Appeal to the middle, to the broadest base possible, and focus on the local.
62
The Senate!!! The judiciary!!!
1
Just last week, Frank and other parsers of social trends, including real number-crunchers at the Times, were warning Democrats that the midterms didn’t look at all too solid. Other than the PA Lamb election, that was such a squeaker that it still may be contested, what has changed? Tillerson? Much of America doesn’t even know who Tillerson IS.
And the notion that anyone can foresee what could decide the 2020 election from this remove is absurd.
What will decide the 2018 midterms is the state of the economy in early November of this year – competition for jobs, rising wages lifting all boats, the material effect to millions of working-class and middle-class voters and taxpayers of that reimbursement the tax bill promised (and that liberal pundits, comfortable in their six-and-seven-figure incomes, belittle so) and that they now see in their paychecks, the availability of housing and car loans at wearable interest rates, the price of gas at the pump, how the Trump-Kim Jong-un talks came out and the real threat that North Korea continues to pose to us, whether Trump’s gambit on trade brinkmanship worked out well for us or we see dramatic increases in the cost of cars and other finished goods – all things that currently favor Republicans, not Democrats.
I’m wondering if the word came down that the Times, in its excess of analytical gloom, perhaps wasn’t being sufficiently supportive of the “good fight”, and that more pieces were needed to buck-up the troops.
2
Yet the facts remain the facts. Clearly, much of America has decided to give Trump a mulligan on his persona so long as he delivers, largely on economic factors; and those factors are looking VERY good for November. The electoral effects of the current instability in the Cabinet Room will depend almost entirely on how the newbies perform; and, certainly, enough time remains before the election for them to demonstrate that.
A rash of young Democrats considering running for office between now and 2020? If Trump is riding high after November of this year and Congress retains its Republican majorities, then 2020 looks as good for Trump as it CAN look this far out. If it does in 2019-2020, then all those young Democrats, not being foolish, will consider reality and decide to remain in their high-paying jobs for AT LEAST two more years. Where will the Democratic bench be if THAT happens? Back where it is, caught like a fly in amber in dependency on its gerontocracy.
And congressional Democrats STILL haven’t marshalled the will or the intelligence to modify their messages and agendas in order to appeal to more independent voters whom they need to attract in the FACE of all this good economic news; or to do their jobs and ENGAGE with Republicans to moderate otherwise too-conservative legislation.
But the real question remains: how will the Times regard Democratic chances NEXT week?
4
You fail to see the dynamics here: Richard is our foil upon which we place our gemstones that sparkle and bedazzle the mind as they lead to greater thoughts and higher ground.
We all understand that if we agree even slightly with Richard that we need to work on that weak spot in our mind and heart. Thus, his communications are always beneficial. I am not being sarcastic, satirical, snooty, or snarky.
4
Yes, because the state of the economy worked so well in the past. The economy was good when Trump took over, so there is not much more that can be wrung out of it.
Rising interest rates and inflation will eat up that tax increase.
Steel and coal not coming back; the deficit soaring crowding out private borrowing; food stamp usage still at record levels.
And all of the risk is on the Republican side. The tax cut has stopped working as a rallying cry, that's why the GOP is proposing ANOTHER one!
3
This is St. Patrick's Day, not April Fool's. Don't kid yourself Mr. Bruni, the Democrats are in NO WAY prepared for 2020.
Where is REAL dialogue with POC?
Where is organized labor outreach?
Where are town Halls with milenials?
Where are the voter registration drives?
Where are the progressive policies like universal pre k, paid maternity, independent redistricting commissiobs, universal health care, college loan forgiveness, national service programs, sane gun reforms, public campaign finance reform, climate change preparedness and infrastructure?
No. We are NOT ready and anti-Trump rage will not be enough. The time now is to indeed resist but at the same time ORGANIZE.
108
You have to win elections before you can govern. If some of your ideas work in CA, run on them. If others work in KS, run on those.
Get elected first, then work on the NATIONAL agenda.
Anti Obama rage worked just fine for Republicans and I think that is why so many faux Democrats talk it down; they don't want Dems to have the benefit of a winning tactic.
3
All of these candidates are enough to make a democrat drool but let's not get too far out over our skis.There is 2018 which will be a challenge because everyone, including Republicans, is so ready for change!Democrats need to earn credibility by persuading voters that they identify with them.They have to be truly credible with no social media slip-ups and no mixed messages.The main thing Democrats need to be concerned about is the integrity of our elections.The states have not stepped up to assure voters that there can be no tampering with the votes.People will not turn out to vote unless they are persuaded that their vote counts.
8
We in Colorado are engaging in a listening tour where we knock on doors and ask constituents what THEIR concerns are, instead of trying to persuade them of anything.
3
Forget about 2020 for now, Frank. The immediate concern must be a smashing success in delivering a beating during mid-terms to republicans that a democratic majority can begin immediate impeachment hearings on obstruction and an avalanche of corruption.
Even if Democrats can’t gain a conviction in the Senate, the lingering smell will be enough to win a ‘uuuuge’ popular and electoral vote in November, 2020.
We need to focus on getting the vote out in just seven months.
45
Join your local Indivisible group.
2
Yes, negativity certainly is best saved for the Democratic Party's policies - or lack of them. "A Better Deal", which is a tepid, pale copy of FDRs New Deal, shows how far the party has drifted to the right since Roosevelt's day. Just being anti-Trump will not be enough to counter the Republicans' (and their corporate/wealthy puppeteers') determination to keep all things R. Lack of a coherent message is a big problem, one the party has made little headway on. Due to the influence of corporate campaign contributions, the party does not represent what mainstream America would like to see - universal healthcare, better paying jobs, help with the costs of college and housing, a reduced military presence around the world - with the savings finally going to our tattered and inadequate safety net, repair of our crumbling infrastructure,etc.. If the party sticks with its identity politics theme, things don't look that great and people will sit on their hands, vote third party, or vote R. Only a handful of Democratic politicians echo these themes at the moment, one being Tulsi Gabbard.
25
Sherrod Brown and Patty Murray? I know they aren't loaded with charisma...
If there is no coherent message then why have they won 34 of 38 local races in an off-off election year?
2
Here's which candidate will win in 2020:
The one who is the most plain-spoken, with a common, folksy touch and a few good ideas that spark the imagination.
And, more important, than any of these things: the one who is most likeable.
The most likeable candidate always wins.
So, work on your basic, common likability
That is all.
82
Trump was/is likable?
3
"The most likeable candidate always wins."
Richard Nixon beat Hubert Humphrey in 1968, a fact that destroys your conclusion.
3
Is there a more likable guy than Donald Trump? I have a hard time imagining...
1
Love this. I have my own favorites and some I would prefer not to run, but I’m not going say who they are. I’ll meet you halfway, fellow Democrats. This is not the time for political endocannibalism. There’s too much at stake, and any one of the possible candidates is better than what we have. Some are darn good.
14
Don't jinx yourself, Mr Bruni. the Dems have their own problems. Had they heeded the warning, America might not have been in such sorry state. Yeah, the job market is booming and the stock market near record high - perhaps Trump and the Republicans are counting on them to continue long enough - but they only make things so much worse. So one might say the Dems are in a good position, right? But President Obama did an admirable job pulling America out of the Great Recession - without any help from the Republicans, one should add 0 but no one seems to remember what got the world to the fateful moment 10 years ago. Now the Republicans are undoing all the safeguards. So do people really care Trump is making a mess in DC when everyone is experiencing a political high they have never experienced before.
So while the Dems may have a deep bench, in-fighting is what destroyed it in the last round. There is no indication it won't happen again
9
Too much horse-race celebrity drama journalism, Bruni san.
What we need in 2018 and 2020 is nationwide political blocking and tackling and on-the-ground reporting.
The candidates will take care of themselves on the issues, as Conor Lamb did by pounding the Pennsylvania pavement without any help from the DNC AND by refusing corporate PAC money and relying on human citizens and rejecting dark, perverted 'Citizens United' money.
What we need is journalists exposing the collective right-wing rot of GOP gerrymandering nationwide, the voter suppression laws and ongoing Kris Kobach 'Crosscheck' voter file purges in Russian-Republican red states, the scandalous non-verifiable black box vote counting by corporate computer machines, the 0.1% campaign finance cancer and the repeated reporting of Republican hijacking techniques to subvert democracy.
What we need is a nationwide voter registration drive in Republican tyranny-of-the-minority states.
What we need is 3rd-world-style election monitors to counteract Republican political hijacking that landed 320 million Americans in the feculent GOP Trump Toilet.
And then let Democratic candidates clean the electoral plate with real public policy discussion on wages, healthcare, infrastructure spending, clean & cheap green energy, voting rights and fair taxation.
Then let the Grand Old Propagandists spill their lies.
Then Democrats will win...as long as fake Democrats like Andrew Cuomo are rejected as the moneyed frauds that they are.
367
I think what is really needed is some way of determining the leadership qualities of a candidate.
1
Sensational!
2
Mostly agree...particularly about the press.
However, Trump won because Americans rejected both parties....settling for a "what can you lose" candidate.
If Dems don't engage in big time housecleaning of its leadership and rid itself of its corporate donors and lobbyists, we are going to be in the same spot after 2020.
2
An interesting column. Which Democrat can beat Trump in 2020? Mr. Bruni sees a battalion of candidates marching four abreast. Democrats need a candidate who can inspire voters. Mr. Bruni gets it wrong when he says we need a candidate whose "story and style catch fire". We need some who ignites a fire in voters.
19
@OldBoatMan
" Which Democrat can beat Trump in 2020?"
If a majority of the American voting public could ignore reality and show such an appalling lack of judgement, character, and just plain common sense as to reject any somewhat normal, experienced candidate offered by the Democrats against Trump in 2020 (that is assuming that Trump's address is still the White House, not Leavenworth), than your country is well and truly doomed. If this majority cannot see that, then God help us all.
4
It was not a majority of the American voting public. It was a majority of the electoral college, and even that was accomplished in those states that made a difference by a very very small fraction of the voting public.
6
Let’s focus on 2018, not 2020. What have the Democrats done right so far?
In his victory speech, Conor Lamb said, "We fought to find common ground, and we found it." He found it in Social Security, Medicare, union problems and the opioid crisis—the issues that mattered most to the people in his district. http://tinyurl.com/yaza2q4h
There were no litmus tests, just kitchen-table talks where people spilled out their fears and hopes. In the process, he drew many Trump voters into his column. Voters found in him someone they could trust—who, they believed, would work for them in Washington.
Lamb avoided the high-profile, divisive issues of the day, such as guns, Trump or #metoo. By focusing instead on local concerns, he demonstrated that he was committed to solving problems, not to waging partisan or cultural warfare.
If Dems hope to retake the House, they must win some rural and suburban districts currently represented by Republicans. Yes, the high-profile issues are important, but winning the House and saving our democracy are MORE important. And local issues are the key.
To those liberals who feel that Conor Lamb is too conservative, I offer this recent tweet by Paul Krugman in which he described Lamb as follows: "If we had a Congress run by 'conservatives' like that, we'd have higher taxes on the rich, universal health care, and reinvigorated unions. And you know, that might just happen." http://tinyurl.com/y9cu462o
352
Conor Lamb showed us that Democrats can win when we put aside purity tests and when we turn out to vote.
Voters respond to candidates who speak their language. Let's not get hung up on too old/young, experienced/wet behind the ears, and so on. Citizens look for someone who hears them and mirrors back their priorities.
And don't think that will mean Democratic legislative failures, either. Congressional Republicans toe a thin party line, yet all they got through was a tax cut bill, the likes of which is their basic reason for being. We won't do worse, even with candidates who aren't in lockstep with each other.
Ultimately, Republicans now hold Congress and the White House. They are tanking. Seats are ripe for the picking. If we don't fall into apathy or ideological inflexibility, we can turn them blue.
160
Forget 2020, Frank Bruni!
If the Democrats don’t win the House in November, there very likely will be no real election in 2020, just a Putin-style sham election. The plutocrats will have won.
The Koch brothers and their billionaire allies already control the Republicans in Congress. If the GOP continues to hold all three branches after November, the Koch brothers will move to consolidate their power by forcing Trump out and putting their own man in the Oval Office.
Then they truly will call all the shots.
So, stop tempting fate, Frank Bruni, and focus on the midterms in November. That is, unless you look forward to living in a Putin-style police state.
269
How are the Koch brothers, or anyone else, going to "consolidate their power by forcing Trump out"? They have all been trying to force Trump out long before he won the nomination, let alone the election.
Did you miss the "Never Trump" movement? The fact that Jeb! had all of the donor class locked up before the first primary? For all the good it did him.
Millionaire after politician all lined up to stop Trump. Mitt unloaded on him like few politicians have ever done before. Lyin' Ryan just couldn't quite support him. So he said. They all grovel before Trump now.
The midterms are important. But the championship game is in 2020.
You neatly gloss over the fact that if the House at least, if not the Senate, then the likely hood of fair elections in 2020 is in peril. Or is that your intent?
Apparently, qualifications are highly overrated. One look (if you can stomach it) at the current squatter in the Oval Office is enough to prove that point. Hillary Clinton had her flaws, but she was as solid a candidate as you could imagine. She was torn down by claims of questionable finances, emails, misdeeds regarding Benghazi, health issues, age and political infighting.
So take a look at what floated to the top of the swamp. There was no crime, no display of ignorance, no tasteless mocking of the disabled, no crotch groping, no financial morass and no fraudulent business dealings that could even slow down his Caligula-like ascent to the throne.
Clearly competence and strength are not at issue. It’s the mental weakness and snide resentments of the voters that caused this national embarrassment.
Every one of the Democrats Mr. Bruni named would do a better job as president. Most of the people reading Mr. Bruni’s column would do a better job. They’re at least interested in politics, can focus for three minutes, and can read without moving their lips.
As a former New Orleanian, I’d like to see Mitch Landrieu in the mix. But I’d take almost any Democrat over this moronic liar.
And I think lots of others agree. Republicans and their clueless, deplorable voters can do their worst, but Democrats are going to do their best to put this country out of our shared misery. Our rallying cry must be Never Again.
627
Remember Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan?
Talk is he is interested in more movies such as Saving America Again.
He is interested in being a DC outsider who can channel American Decency back into 1600 Pennsylvania.
He has my vote for the Most Decent Man in America ... and after some stealth polling, he's rumored to be talks with Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates to fund his Decency Campaign.
5
I agree. Qualifications will not be enough to win the day. Sec. Clinton was perhaps the most qualified candidate in recent history and yet she was taken down from being one of the most admired people in the country to being seen as compromised. This as a result of a very effective smear campaign by the GOP which excels at these tactics (just think of how John Kerry was swiftboated). The challenge for Democrats is to neuter these tactics without completely going into the gutter by replicating them. That means being ready for the worst.
8
You neglected to mention that one of the other forces that brought Hillary down was sexism.
7
in a time when metro areas in the US are growing and rural areas shrinking, its worth noting the the mayors of the 50 largest cities in the US are overwhelmingly Democrats. Only one of the mayors of the top 10 cities is a Republican and would probably be considered a Democrat outside of CA. And two thirds of the US GDP is represented by counties that voted Democratic in the 2016 election.
It represents part of the bleachers but more importantly is evidence of a powerful political realignment in the making. The GOP base has become more rural and small town with every election and dependent on rear guard voter suppression and gerrymandering action.
Metro political leaders tend to be more centrist and practical in their leadership than those representing smaller areas, which have too often become radicalized by economic decline. There are not many Tea Party types representing large metro districts in Congress, except when extreme gerrymandering has occurred like in Austin, TX.
69
If the GOP stays in control in 2020 the gerrymandering will get much worse.
DEMs MUST start appealing to rural voters. It's not just a question of getting a majority of the votes. DEMs have done that and still lost. It's a matter of getting a majority where it counts.
The 51 GOP senators represent 44% of the population of the USA. Clinton got millions more votes than Trump.
The DEM leadership needs to promote policies that support both urban AND rural communities.
No child must be left behind, neither the African-American child in a poor urban neighborhood, nor a white child whose coal-mining father is now unemployed.
17
In some ways, the fact that red rural areas are shrinking and blue urban areas are growing is NOT a good omen for Democrats. Rural votes are counted and represented at a much higher rate than urban ones, both regionally and even at a state level (look at Wyoming and California). The rural votes will get redder and redder as the old white people remaining in those areas grow further isolated from the changing and diversifying world while the educated flock to cities where their votes are essentially meaningless.
The rural / urban divide isn’t monolithic, fortunately. Some small states, like Vermont, Delaware and Rhode Island have that same dynamic of high clout vs population size.
Having said that, it’s not even-Steven.
1
I'm guessing that Mr. Bruni has determined that Oprah won't be a contender. My own dream ticket would still be Biden/Bill Richardson but, for those who believe they're too old or passé, I'd go with either Brown/Booker or Hickenlooper/Booker. Still, I can't help wondering who'll end up on the GOP ticket with President Pence.
52
Maybe Ivanka will end up running to be Pence's VP. From what I gather, their rapport got Pence on papa's ticket.
Besides, at this rate, they may be the last two left standing. By that, I don't mean simply not fired by Donald; I mean not dragged out in cuffs or a straightjacket.
2
President Pence? Already giving up on 2020 and just conceding reelection to Trump? Did the 2016 beating cause you to just give up? Come on now, stiff upper lip!
1
Those of us who live in NM know, for sure, that Mr. Richardson must never run for public office again.
James Comey also has a book coming out - wonder if he and Andrew McCabe have ever contemplated national political office (except in their nightmares) ?
24