BUTTIGIEG-HARRIS 2020
58
If Biden is such a big that how come Barack Obama chose him as his running mate and won the presidential election as he first black man to be elected President in this country’s history? And you may be smart, but you aren’t smarter than Barack Obama. He chose Joe because he knew that Joe would have the appeal and he also has the morals and ethics not to choose somebody that is a bigot. You’re calling Obama stupid?
Just remember, OB picked Joe Biden as his running mate and won the election. There has to be at least a good amount of overlap in their political ideology. Certainly more than with Trump. Don’t shoot yourself in the leg with idealistic arguments at this point. And if you can’t see it that’s what you’re doing than unfortunately you deserve what you get. If Trump’s reelected I will be moving out of the USA and you can live in his garbage can because of your idealistic principles overrode your desire to simply restore a democracy that is in shambles. This is simply a choice between the lesser of two evils. The continuation of authoritarian fascism or the restoration of democracy. First things first.
38
If you think the election of Obama/Biden was an amazing event here in America, wait 'til you see the Harris/Buttigieg win come full fruition next year. What an marvelous country we live in.
24
Another white mayor who can't square the systemic murder of black men by white cops...in 2019! Decades and decades of contrition while the carnage continues. No thanks Frank.
23
I missed the first debate, and settled down for the second and was struck by the degree to which all candidates adopted Bernies platform...i do t think Bernie came out tops, but i think its no mean feat to see your ideas literally parroted by Kamala, Pete, Biden, Bennet, Swalwell...give Bernie his due for pushing core policy issues to the forefront...and yes hes right, America needs someone who will fight. And the fight is in three candidates only right now: Bernie, Warren and Kamala
..Buttigieg stumbled very badly on race. talking about how hes done “bias training” for police officers. Really! Thats all you got? How many of us have been to bias trainings in our lives and known them for what they are: window dressing...sorry that guy didnt impress me much
32
I was all in for Harris. But Angry black woman playing the race card doesn’t impress me. Mayor Pete and warren showed they are the adults in the room.
83
How about Senator Warren with a heavyweight policy platform and Mayor Pete from the Southbend trenches, both policy wonks and excellent communicators? Harris works that faux African American swagger and jive to her disadvantage. Phoney.
54
Really? You can’t be serious.
33
Personally, I much prefer Tulsi Gabbard to phony Harris. I see too much of Hillary in Harris.
40
The NYT headline writer is clearly out of touch , not only with the country but with the column itself which is much more nuanced.
13
Let's see - the day after, the very disingenuous Harris tried to walk back her remarks on medicare for all and doing away with her support of abolishing private insurance. Okaay.
Her attack on Biden was the biggest hack job I've seen on Live TV. It was a full blown ambush, with manufactured outrage - all designed to achieve this surge and some recognition in the polls. She has NO ideas - concrete or otherwise on any of the other issues - Foreign Policy, Trade, HealthCare, Immigration. All her views were canned talking points. Heck you name it. The race card has been played ad nauseam. Is she Presidential material over Ol'Joe? Not by a mile.
70
I think you mean Buttigieg-Harris ticket
22
Biden represents a "past" that most Americans are nostalgic for--not a past of racism--a past of 8 years of the Obama presidency when people knew that they had a decent man in the White House who cared about them.
Kamala Harris is really dense.
33
Perfect - Harris -Buttigieg - just what the trumpers want. Get ready for four more years of a vile, racist administration.
25
Warren/Buttigieg, Frank.
58
She was not an ethical and progressive prosecutor in California. Google “Nicholas Kristoff” and “Kampala Harris”.
24
A bunch of angry radicals trying to judge all aspects of life on race, gender, sexual practices, and class. We have been hearing it for 10 years. Want to secure the border - you're racist. Want to lock up criminals - you're racist. Are you an old white male - you're racist.
I believe my eyes and ears and it is really that bad in the DNC - leaderless and bankrupt of ideas.
34
I know Bruni is supposed to be one of the NYT liberals, but he's always so superficial that I finish his columns wondering what's for dinner, metaphorically speaking.
15
It’s our time. Warren/Harris.
6
Harris made her career by incarcerating young African American men
Is this REALLY who we want or need as our next president?
28
Dream in. Not gonna happen.
11
Biden-Castro
Harris’ fake outrage and cheap shot at Biden was disgusting. Her calling out “food fight” and starting one of her own was dishonest.
42
Harris 100%, Buttigieg, no. He simply doesn't have enough experience and placing a gay man with a woman seems like stunt casting.
11
Coincidentally, it's Turmp's Dream Ticket, too.
31
Democrats. They fall in love. Sigh.
6
As a Californian, for years acutely aware of Kamala Harris, her history, her sometimes controversy, her service to CA. (she has indeed served our hugely complex and important state well ) I have only one
somewhat odd , for a Left of Center Democrat, (very odd ?) issue which bothers me.
Warning: triggering question ahead, prepare oneself.
Why does Senator Harris refer to herself as "black" ?
Her mother is from India, her father is from Jamaica of partial African descent. He's very light skinned, of obvious European heritage.
My issue is why does it seem that one's ethnicity outweighs other qualities in being taken seriously?
One candidate continuously touting his racial credentials, is a famous Wall Street guy, long standing (wanted to be VP pick) sycophantic Clintonista, and self described "good friend for years" of non-other than Anthony Scaramucci !
Calling ones self "black"seems to have become a "carte blanche" for consideration as a candidate able to govern multi-racial, multi-ethnic USA. (pun intended) But how searingly honest is it to hint
you are one with black America, if you grew up in Canada, your "single mom" has a Doctorate from Berkeley(dad too) your father is a wealthy elite in Jamaica?
I think Senator Harris will more than likely be our Democratic candidate and please God! our next President. I will work for her to be elected. But I want her to be candid, transparent and own her privileges !
31
Why are some readers accusing Harris of having dealt a "low blow" to Biden? What does that even mean? She put a face on racism. She experienced busing as a child, and Biden was against it. She wouldn't have been on that podium last night had Biden and his right wing cronies had their way.
I like Harris for speaking with authenticity. In the rarefied world Biden and his aviator glasses move in, maybe that's considered low-blow. I call it "The truth hurts."
15
YASSSSSS!!! I didn't go into last night thinking that, but I did coming out. Obviously, Harris can wipe the floor with Trump and isn't going to be thrown or intimidate by him whatsoever. And if she wants a 2nd on the ticket that's nearly as strong as she is and also won't let anyone/anything get under his skin, that has to be Buttigieg. And seriously, who doesn't want to watch Mayor Pete, the Millennial Gay Mayor who won 2 terms in Indiana with 80% of the vote, on the debate stage with the former Governor of that same state, Mike Pence. Cue the popcorn...
22
I am rather stunned.
Mr. Bruni is usually very adroit and lucid, but I fear he became enamored if this dream team and smoke got in his eyes.
Ms. Harris launched a gotcha moment, a pseudo reckoning and Mr. Biden did not take the bait.
Anything other than letting the moment pass ASAP would make it worse for him.
She ambushed, but Biden got away to fight another day.
As for Mayor Pete as Veep, why would he chasten...ahem...himself with a second bannanaship?
Ti get out of South Bend before had had to get things done?
Tickets are chosen to bring together constituencies of course, but there is supposed to be some SURFACE rationale.
Mayor Pete has even LESS gravitas than Harris.
No foreign policy experience on this ticket (unless you count Pete and his M-16 trying to kill people in foreign lands).
The two of them together have about two years of national office experience.
I could go on.
You want someone without experience to be elected President? (Anyone come to mind?)
And since Mr Bruni went to the age of the two as a benefit.
Here is a time to ask Dems / Liberals / Progressives if they would like to revisit Originalism / Textualism.
When the US Constitution (USC) was written, the age specified for President was a MINIMUM of 35.
Hundreds of years ago.
I did some poking around and based on life expectancies in the American Colonies then, it is about 75% of a colonial natural life expectancy.
Extrapolate to today: 60 years of age.
Yes, 60 is the new 35.
4
"Dream" on, go to the midwest or the south with that, Trump will win.
19
Could Biden have reminded Kamala Harris of her part in the Kevin Cooper case? From Nicholas Kristof's column in the NYT:
"It appears that an innocent man was framed by sheriff’s deputies and is on death row in part because of dishonest cops, sensational media coverage and flawed political leaders — including Democrats like Brown and Kamala Harris, the state attorney general before becoming a U.S. senator, who refused to allow newly available DNA testing for a black man convicted of hacking to death a beautiful white family and young neighbor."
Harris apologized but only after Kristof called her out.
20
Radicalized democrats mean hopeless and helpless future of them. If they win the election, OMG, that's what Putin and Xi want desperately: the weak USA that does not bother them.
So called liberal elites in this country do not know how to make money in a productive way so that they invent a new occupation that doesn't have to be productive but gives them money and positions anyway. That's liberal politician and more radical ones are selling better as times goes on.
1
A dream of a Harris Buttigieg ticket....no...that is a ticket
of two candidates who are ALL about themselves...just like
Trump..
Nope....Elizabeth Warren is the real deal; and so is Joe Biden;
and so is Bernie Sanders...
Harris and Buttigieg are grandstanding....like Trump ...and we
have had enough of narcissists.
18
Being VEEP is a poisoned chalice. Buttigieg has real potential for greatness. Being a second-fiddle chair-moistener is not greatness.
9
This is how the Democrats self destruct. It makes me sick.
17
Not hard to outshine two old white men, one who’s never done anything in 30 years except bloviate (and get rich), and one who’s record is...spotty.
2
I would much prefer a Warren/Buittigieg ticket.
24
Frank Bruni's dream ticket of Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg would simply produce another Trump nightmare.
23
YEAA lets get Harris in office since she is a great race card player. I would rather have Trump president again instead of the race batter in office. She will rip this country apart.
10
I was waiting for Clueless Joe to repeat his praise of the racist Jim Eastland: “[Eastland] never called me ‘boy,’ he always called me ‘son.’"
How can a man who is only 76 years OLD be so clueless?
5
Keep dreaming, Frank. I'd like to see that to, but it's not going to win the election. I just talked with a very astute pol here in Ohio, and he was holding out for Congressman Ryan. I was surprised, but he knows his numbers. And we were sitting in a working class restaurant / bar at the time.
California and New York will for a Democrat of any stripe; but Harris and Buttigieg won't carry Ohio, Michigan or Wisconsin. Probably not Pennsylvania. Florida? Go figure.
One thing for sure, if we get Harris and Buttigieg on the ticket, we get Trump for four more years.
13
No one the dems have running can “beat” trump in a debate. Trump is not bound by truth or honesty and as we have seen from the past two nights the democratic candidates are. So forget about who can beat trump in a debate. Think about who can beat trump at the polls.
5
So all the candidates raised their hand when asked if they would take away Americans healthcare and give it to illegal migrants, without hesitating.
It’s all over, doesn’t matter what combination of lightweights you come up with, they are completely out of touch.
13
The Senator's has less experience as a Senator than her tenure as the girlfriend of the most powerful politician in CA.
9
Honestly anyone on that stage for the past two nights is better than who is in the White House. The biggest question is which one of them can beat Trump?
8
Waiting for the good cream to rise to the top of this field but if this is the outcome in the end that would be okkrrrrr with me.
2
Spot on as usual, Mr. Bruni. And I'm ready to vote for a Harris/Buttigieg ticket. Let's go.
3
I love the idea, but think it's too "diverse" a ticket for regular joe Democrat. I think Harris and some white guy who doesn't scare middle America (and goes hunting) is a better ticket to actually win against Trump. Assuming Russia, gerrymandering and voter suppression doesn't make that impossible.
Sorry Frank, neither of your picks appear authentic.
Ms. Harris comes across as a calculating attorney.
Surprise…she is. Her outrage was false and practiced. An unhinged attack using personal grievance that has no response but to either say sorry, or attempt to defend. Both calculated to make Biden appear weak in a no win situ.
Mr. Buttigieg is simply the establishments dream. Button cute, with military training and comfortable with sleazy corp. consulting firms. Fake plastic responses, from a practiced, prepped 'n polled central casting politician. A small town mayor who won with a total of 8000 votes out of 100,000, isn't a leader of The Free World.
Dems can do better.
Both need more seasoning and a track record of results and/or attempts. VP's or cabinet material maybe.
Both should look to the Senate.
18
Pete Buttigieg impressed me during the debates, as he has before, by his willingness to say he "could not get it done", admit a failure. Even being the mayor of a smallish city like South Bend is very difficult. No one else was willing to talk about failures or admit them. Being honest, regardless of the fallout out is a very good quality for a democratic, small d, leader to have. That he may have lost points with a community that is very angry is something he will have to take on. He seemed shaken. Just sayin....
15
I can't believe I'm reading what I've been thinking for while now. Hurray! I'm not alone and there is hope that this might actually come about. I think it is the winning ticket. Then Buttigieg can be prez for the second 8 years!!
5
What can I say, as a hetero woman I found Pete Buttigieg just dreamy. He is so smart and adept at articulation - like Obama. He is the heir to Obama for sure, but is America ready for a 38 year-old gay man.
6
Stuffing two faces of the Other down voters’ throats would be as heedless of 40% of the conservative population as Trump has been of the 52% who are middle to progressive.
Both are forms of violence.
2
One word: NIGHTMARE
6
Warren-Harris or Harris-Warren.
1
Harris / Buttigieg would be just dandy. So would Warren / Booker. Either ticket would bring a lot of intelligence, humanity and well-considered policy. Wouldn't that be refreshing!
5
Harris and Buttigieg - Be still my beating heart!
4
My dream ticket is Warren + Harris. Two women, one of color. It's about time!
6
A great ticket if we can get gerrymandering under control... oh wait....
3
I agree about Harris; she surprised me, not just with her strength, but with the constant aptness of her responses. But Buttigieg? I don't get it. Why is everyone so taken with this small-town mayor who isn't even doing a good job managing his small town? (I know I know, he's read the same books we have and can speak some languages, but will that make him a good Vice President?) I found his constant invocation of his own experiences ("for me, it's personal....") to be objectionable, as if the real reason he supports various progressive policies is that they'd be good for him. The opposite of Bernie's "Not me. Us." Let him run for Congress first and then let's see if he has what it takes.
The real dream ticket is Sanders/Harrris.
5
Biden riding on coattails. Harris knows how to fight.
2
I did not watch the debate and what I've seen of of Mayor Pete, he stands out. BUT I'm not sure the majoirty of America is going to take the giant leap of Pete and Kamela. And sorry as a senoir citizen, Joe is too old.
1
I stopped worrying about experience being an issue once my fellow citizens voted in this know nothing. And as far as electability I don't care who wins the nomination, that's the person I'm voting for.
27
Neither Harris nor Buttigieg has the knowledge of the vast federal government nor the experience necessary to be an effective president. Yes, it's critical that the Democrats win the presidency, but a president must have the knowledge, experience and judgment to govern effectively. Harris has misrepresented her record (see reason.com today for a summary) and did a mediocre job at best as California attorney general. Buttigieg has failed to address a major issue in his town of 100,000 people. If he's failing at that, how can he possibly manage the problems of the U.S. and the world? Also, Harris and Buttigieg (and Castro) cannot win over the mostly "poorly educated" (and racist) citizens of Middle America who elected Trump.
A presidential election is not about reflecting "inclusiveness" or tolerance. We had two terms of Obama, and he failed so miserably that he set the stage for Trump to win. Of the "diversity" group, only Castro (with his time at HUD) has the experience to be a competent president, but a Hispanic cannot be elected nationwide given the nasty immigration battle.
Warren and Sanders (who seems likely to be overtaken in the polls by Warren) are far too liberal and too easy to pillory as "socialists" to survive against Trump.
Who is left? Klobuchar and Bennett are thoughtful, experienced, moderate, pragmatic and smart. They know the Senate and its problems. Unfortunately, in today's inane, Twitter-centric culture, they stand little chance of breaking through.
18
The premise of this column suggests that the past was never more progressive than the future. Watch JFK’s national speech on race again and you will see how forward looking and bold he was compared to the myopia of today. None of the candidates in the debate were even close to his charisma, sadly. And that’s because they are afraid to take risks; he wasn’t. America favors the bold, not the complainers.
12
An awful lot of wishful dreaming going on here. No eyes on the prize amid all the tantalizing promises of the progressives.To beat Trump, the Dem ticket has to win in some combination of OH, MI, WI, FL and PA. Can't see that happening with Harris/Buttigieg or any other open borders, Medicare for all, no private health insurance, free college for all tickets. And if Harris is going to revive the bussing debate in hopes of trashing Biden, she just gave conservatives another sound bite, to run right after the ad quoting her taking away your private health insurance. How can the Dems field such bright, talented candidates and yet make so many of us despair for 2020?
28
If history has shown us anything, it's that nobody is truly qualified for this job. We booted out the elder George Bush, who had by far the most impressive resume of recent presidents, after a single term. It's more important that we look for the essentials of intelligence, integrity and character that every good president must possess, as well as the undefinable instincts that are the ultimate guide when there is no clear good way forward.
In spite of his young age, Pete Buttigieg is that rare sort of person. And youth has the advantage of improving over time, rather than declining. He also is a real, practicing Christian with a real ability to reach out to Evangelicals with a message of inclusiveness, compassion and decency, rather than pander to the most right-wing among them on hot-button issues. He is the sort of person who will not be intimidated or fear being upstaged when he really surrounds himself with the best people. And we can expect him to make real, pragmatic progress on the difficult issues of health care, the climate crisis and student loan debt, as well as repair the damage to our international standing and alliances done by the current administration. Such outstanding talents don't come along often. Our next president should appeal to all voters. We should save the vice-presidency for a candidate who will motivate specific groups of voters.
57
yes but not if my private insurance goes away. Pete has the right approach on health insurance.
22
I am a political wonk and actually look forward to the debates. Buttigieg has been on my radar since February. Obviously Intelligent. Articulate. Composed. Inspiring. Demonstrates accountability. He’s young but we Boomers made this mess, it will take a new vision to get us out of it. Harris was magnificent. She can take on Trump with ease. I’m looking at a Harris/Buttigieg ticket. It would be fantastic and electable.
30
This is such a monumental election and choice to be made.
I was so hopeful the first night of the debates. Rational, factual, truth-telling people of all ages and stripes. It seemed a respectful stating of positions and hearing of others.
2nd night ... I was both energized again, and had high moments throughout for the same reasons as above, but in the aftermath, found myself despondent.
Didn't care of the contentious and chaotic path it took. Expected more decorum ... I mean, haven't we seen and heard enough of the bluster, the yelling, the talking over one other and everyone in the last 3-1/2 years (campaign + post-inauguration) from the incumbent??
Too many candidates. Too many who will be left on the side of the road ... after all sorts of unpleasant fighting and flaying ... for a nominee ... of some sort ... who won't -- can't -- satisfy everyone, and then, really, can anyone beat DJT at this low point in our body politic, our divided nation, our split-second way of life?
I'm starting to think not.
I hope things become a bit clearer in Round Two. And I hope they -- and we -- don't eat our own so completely in the process as to put forth another candidate who can't prevail.
12
Everyone supporting one of the Democratic candidates needs to promise one thing: no matter who ultimately gets the nomination, whether your preferred candidate or not, you will cast your vote for that candidate. We must get Donald Trump out of the White House. Period.
69
Mondale Ferraro Part Deux! No clearer choice for America.
I wasn't expecting Kamala Harris to be that good. I thought she was a bit like Hillary Clinton, too elated with too much hubris. When somebody suggested, "IF you become president...," she corrected him saying, "WHEN I become president." I didn't quite like it. But yesterday she proved me wrong. She did exceptionally well. And she could well be at top of the ticket.
And Pete Buttigieg could be her best running mate, if she gets the nomination. Indeed he would be the best running mate for any Democratic ticket, if he himself doesn't get the nomination.
18
This ticket checks all the boxes the Trumpsters hate: Woman, black, gay! Republicans’ heads would explode!
8
Harris- Buttigieg sounds good to me as long as Harris does not keep pushing so far left. I really admire her and think she would be a great general contender but far left voters are a minority in the general election. Trump didn't win because Hillary wasn't left enough. He won because black voters weren't energized, white working class voters flipped conservative (or whatever you call the body of ideas Trump represents) and she made the bizarre calculation that it was safe to rest on her laurels. My generation of millennials also needs to be wooed but if we are just guaranteed health care that's enough- I don't think many of us care if private insurance is specifically ended, especially if climate change, the deplorable state of our education system and gun violence are addressed. Finally reparations is something I personally agree with in theory but it needs to be couched in a broader reconciliation effort, perhaps in tandem with an effort to elevate white rural communities that are also struggling. I worry these policies are simply not going to build the coalitions required to win the general, cascade down ballot, and actually get policies turned into law. The President must represent our entire nation- not just liberals.
I would love with my whole heart to vote for Harris or Warren. They are smart, hard working, experienced and actually care about real Americans. I just need to see them come back into the center a little bit with more pragmatic, sustainable solutions.
13
@Emma we run to our base in the primary but to the center in the general. Harris is more centrist than you currently imagine. Plenty of bona fides.
3
The Democrats have a surfeit of very good candidates. That is one takeaway after the two debates. By comparison, the Republican 2016 primary candidates were ridiculously unimpressive and unfit, including especially the present not-my-president. Harris and Buttigieg were good but so were the folks whom we know less about, like Inslee and Castro, and so were the established frontrunners, like Warren and Klobuchar.
(The format of this debate favored the male candidates who were willing to interrupt and talk over the female ones. When will the moderators ever begin to make sure these debates are done equitably? Biden's look history was always going to be a big deal. He'll just need to find a way to work with it. My view is he should just say he screwed up but has done better in the meantime. Sanders who should have done well in this format didn't do well at all.)
3
Dream on. Trump wins re-election. Republicans retain control of the Senate. Democrats lose at least 25 seats in the House probably more.
10
@mattjr last night was one very well produced RNC commercial
7
I admire Warren enormously, yet I've argued all along that Kamala Harris is the best candidate to face Trump. My reasons are complex as they're about assessing match-ups, but it's why Harris, not Biden, was always the most difficult candidate for Trump to face.
Sexism played an enormous role in HRC's loss. However, the dynamics as to Harris are fundamentally different. Harris shone in the first debate, seamlessly coupling her compelling personal story with excellent oratory. However, what will happen when Trump invariably tries to pull a version of "Lock her up!" with Kamala Harris? How would people (other than racists, of course) react?
Harris, California's former Attorney General, can be furious yet remain totally focused, brilliantly counter-attack, and still remain accessible. If Trump, the nasty big-mouthed racist, shared a stage with Harris, a much younger charismatic black and Asian woman who isn't scared of him, and employed his toxic viciousness, it would elicit enormous outrage among Democrats and Independents.
Unfortunately, though he's likeable, Buttigieg has real issues. While many, specifically older white Democrats, like him, and he communicates very well, there's a reason he so poorly underperformed with Latinos and blacks before the South Bend shooting scandal. His use of language is very recognizable to many of us, yet thoroughly alien. Further, he speaks passionately about religion in a way which is appealing to an audience that's largely not religious.
5
Sadly, the person I think has the best chance of beating trump, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, isn’t running. Nevertheless, I will vigorously campaign and vote for whoever is the Democratic nominee, while hoping it’s not Gillibrand. Her destruction of Al Franken will forever gall me.
31
I like them both, but while diverse, they also embody every prejudice that’s out there. Republicans will use all of them in every nasty way possible. That worries me.
Nasty attacks on Biden could also prevent possible VP candidates. What if Hillary and Bernie had been on same ticket last time?
2
If last night's debate were a reality show, Kamala Harris won; if it was about learning which of the candidates might best be able to lead the country, Buttigieg and Bennet appeared the most reasonable, knowledgable and unflappable. There is a long way to go but both are promising. Harris was opportunistic and her shot at Biden and his busing stance from years ago was as cheap, if somewhat more nuanced, as Swalwell's "pass the torch comment," a desperate attempt to make himself relevant in last night's debate. With over two long years of the spectacle that is Donald Trump, the last thing we need are silly gotcha moments and squishy positions on Medicare for all and private insurers that appear based less on conviction than a finger in the wind.
26
As much as I admire Harris and Buttigieg and believe that they would be superlative candidates they cannot win in 2020. Consider our uninformed, angry and fearful national electorate.
A moderate at the head of the ticket is the only way the Dems can win.
14
Buttigieg is a fascinating person to follow on the trail to the White House. He is humble, an empathetic listener, and hungry to be a part of the change we all wish to see. He may not make all the right political moves for everyone, but for me - he comes across as an honest man willing to do his utmost to represent America with dignity and diplomacy. He also seems unafraid to hold himself accountable or to ask for help when needed. He seems a man of good instincts to pioneer great change from within the heart of a problem. He would be a step in the right direction for America and the world, as President or VP.
58
Yes, Buttigieg and Harris were the winners. And the loser? NBC, because of its technical flaws, and its political moderator Chuck Todd, who continues to perform in a high school play about television news.
28
Was so impressed by Buttigieg. His calm demeanor, depth of intelligence presented so everyone, intellectual or not, could understand his points. No screaming, no shouting, no mocking or berating other candidates, yet there was silence from other debaters and the audience when he spoke. He was listened to.
He is what we need in the White House - as president. Total opposite of Trump.
73
I hate to be politically incorrect, especially when emailing the Greatest Newspaper In The Multiverse ( IMHO ), but a Harris/Buttigieg ticket would mean a 90 percent chance of four more years of Trump.
Biden/ Harris is my dream ticket.
16
But it can’t happen if she continues to attack.
9
The debates just began and already Frank Bruni is bored. To pick a team to move into the WH he embraces the media error of giving Trump this amazing power to overwhelm voters across America with his inarticulate pronouncements and inanely dangerous policies. Trump did not win the popular vote vs Clinton and he was aided by the Russians, Comey's unfortunate blunder 11 days prior to the election and Clinton's error in terms of her not campaigning in three states. Trump is not as formidable as the media would have us believe. And after two plus years of his policy walkabouts on every serious subject other than destroying Obama's legacy and peopling the courts with right wing ideologies he has done nothing that rewards all those people who he conned into voting for him in 2016. Warren could take down Trump and bring her extraordinary understanding of DC politics to the front of all discussions. Other than using his Pocahontas attack Trump's foot will be in his mouth as he finds himself with no answers to her policies. I think it is too soon to pick a winner in the which Democrat debate and hope that people simply listen and learn. It has been hard to watch a criminal in the WH. Justice may move slowly but it will hit the target and the USA can move forward to right the ship of state in 2020. And the Senate is equally important. McConnell is as dangerous as Trump when it comes to defining democracy.
18
Yes! I am all in on this ticket.
5
An even more beautiful dream is an American electorate who would elect them. I continue to be thrilled by Buttigeig, and Harris certainly moved up a couple of notches last night.
9
I usually agree with this writer but not today. Harris can't win and neither can Buttigieg. Biden and Inslee sounded presidential. Ryan could be tremendously helpful in states that will decide the 2020 election. Yeah, I know they are all white guys and the moment the GOP nominates a woman for president, I'll enthusiastically support a woman running for the Democratic nomination.
While Harris was trying to slime Biden, all she was accomplishing to the vast majority of voters was picturing herself as a figure in the famous Norman Rockwell
portrait of the four brave girls walking to school in Little Rock AR
back in the fifties. That is not going to cut it against a slimy Trump.
17
@rocky vermont Yeah I agree. I just posted pretty much the same concept and they censored me. I'm an idealist at heart but idealism isn't the ticket to winning in 8-9 the swing states that actually make the winning difference. We now how NY and CA are going to vote as well Alabama and Nebraska,
2
Mayor Pete? The one who handles Indiana the way DiLousio handles NYC? The one who takes more money from Wall Street than anyone not named Joe Biden. The one who has absolutely no real experience, so the media can adore him without having to do any work and people can pin all their desperate hopes onto a blank slate? No thank you.
16
Warren wasn't there last night, but she was there. Harris is a smart, tough lady, but she has very little in the way of concrete policy proposals. Warren is a tough, smart lady with lots of those. Warren/Buttegieg works better for me.
40
I'd really like to hear a cogent explanation of how to win a general election with a platform of Medicare for All, which several of these candidates (Harris, Warren, Sanders) support. Anyone who remembers Hillarycare in 1993 or ACA in 2009 can see the coming attack:
"The Socialists want to replace your nice employer-provided insurance with Government Death Panels!"
While I support a move toward single-payer, I think offering a universal public option and letting it prove itself alongside existing plans would be smarter and more politically viable than trying to dictate people's choices, especially since M4A will never pass even a Dem-led Senate with the filibuster in place. We couldn't even get the public option done last time around, thanks to Joe Lieberman (I-Aetna)
11
People forget how "off center" Trump was (and he won). Playing it safe is not safe at all.
12
This is a fantasy that will ensure Trump a victory. Unfortunately.
21
Instead of talking about Trump's detrimental policies, we are we litigating busing and Biden's positions from 40 years ago? Harris' race card will not play well in the states we need to win: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida.
As it is, the democrats' debates have delivered Trump a second term on a silver platter with their promises for health care for illegal immigrants, decriminalizing border violations, dismantling of private insurance, and on and on. The republicans don't even have to cut any ads. They can replay clips from the debate.
19
Well, I may not be a major fan of Biden, but Master's very calculated attack certainly didn't cut any ice with me. I've had my fill of a President that plays to the crowd. I'm surprised at you, Bruni, I thought you had better judgement. I'm a left-leaning Democrat looking elsewhere.
11
OnBiden, Iraq and busing:
Biden voted "for" the Iraq invasion. Technically, he (and many others) voted to give permission to President Bush to invade, if he so chose. The information given to the Senate turned out to be a bunch of lies, there were no WMDs in Iraqi hands.
It is easy to criticize the vote in hindsight, and certainly our allies were reluctant to jump in, but the issue was not as open and shut as it seems today.
One can say the issue of busing is also not so simple as Harris made it out to be.
Biden apparently was against forced busing.
"I oppose busing," Biden told a Delaware newspaper in 1975. "It's an asinine concept, the utility of which has never been proven to me. I've gotten to the point where I think our only recourse to eliminate busing may be a constitutional amendment."
Segregation, in particular segregation in education, was (and is) a bad thing. Busing did not solve it. People created private schools and moved out of cities to avoid it. Public schools in many major cities still suffer from severe segregation.
Kamala Harris is a brilliant woman, and got a fine education. Busing worked fine for her. But overall, it was a failure. If Biden could see that far ahead, good on him.
11
Your two Democratic Stars would be Donald trump's Dream Ticket.
A Democratic candidate who is viable would be a Biden or Swalwell sort of person. Sane, experienced, and someone a normal family in America could trust.
Trump won because Senator Clinton appealed to the left wing, non viable, and unrealistic folks.
7
Excuse me, “normal family”? Perhaps you’d care to explain your idea of that for the rest of us.
Because I’m pretty sure my white middle-class southern evangelical family was far from normal.
5
Hi Frank: Thanks for an excellent column. Although a Democratic ticket of Harris/Buttigieg would be amazing, I don't think that this country will elect them over the current person in the White House. This might sound crazy and may never happen, but Oprah as a democratic presidential nominee would win in a landslide. What we need right now is to rid the country of the corruption and evil in the White House and Senate. Oprah can save the country. I hope she reads this. Harris and Buttigieg could be in her cabinet.
5
A Harris-Buttigieg ticket would make sense and offer a fresh alternative to business as usual Democratic nominees. Trump shook up the norm, perhaps the Democrats, by nominating a Harris-Buttigieg would also shake up the norm and end the nightmare of a Trump presidency
2
Frank Bruni is right in his assessment of the debate and of what America is hungry for: forward-looking energetic and plain-spoken smart candidates that have better ideas and policy pragmatics to make ideas into reality - on health care, on equality, on women's health and rights, on heading off our climate catastrophe, and on giving our youth a future in this country. A Harris and Buttigieg ticket is the right combination to challenge Trump's corrupt and criminal disdain for American democracy. A Harris-Buttigieg ticket would give hope to America's vast middle and working-class and its young ambitious strivers who deserve a future and their chance for a better path forward than Trump has cheated and foul-mouthed his way into diminishing for them.
4
Does anyone really think Buttigieg is the most qualified person to be VP? Or even close to it?
This suggestion is enormously insensitive to the feelings of people of color, especially since the tragedy in Buttigieg's city.
If he can't manage South Bend, what exactly are his qualifications to be a heartbeat from the presidency?
7
This 86 year old feels that the flames in Biden's belly have been banked. Buttigieg and Harris appear to be what this country needs.
19
Why do we say "There’s potentially grave danger in how far to the left — on health care, immigration and more — Warren, Harris and the other debate standouts have moved," but not "There’s potentially grave danger in how far to the right — on health care, immigration and more — Trump, McConnell and other leading Republicans have moved"? Middle-of-the-road candidates don't have much to get excited about and don't mobilize voters. Conviction, passion and empathy win votes. Let Warren, Harris, Sanders and Buttigieg make their case and see who the voters like. They may surprise you.
9
They check many boxes for the PC leftists--no need for qualifications, temperament or experience...
6
No need for qualifications, temperament or experience sounds perfectly Trumpian.
13
@derek: A dead squirrel is preferable over the lying corrupt cowardly sexual assaulter we have now in the Oval Office.
7
Frank, maybe a vacation outside your bubble would be good.
15
Morons choose presidents on stage performance. Smart people choose them on policy. Harris and Buttgieg are reliable torch-carriers for the Democratic Party's now decades old betrayal of its less privileged constituencies for the money supplied by East Coast monied elites. That way lies disaster.
Bruni's reliable rightward bias is again evident in his choice for two candidates who will continue to back the privilege he so incessantly basks in his writing (he can't shut up about it)--wealthy families and eastcoast private school education. That background stinks of the rot that has led us to place where we have a fascist-lite president and a Supreme Court that wants to cement oligarchic rule in place by allowing gerrymandering.
7
Since you brought up Kamala's race in your article, it might be more factual to refer to Ms. Harris as a mixed race woman. Show some respect for her South Asian heritage.
I like Uncle Joe, but the Dems may need some more energy.
9
Bruni is lost .. can't see what a phony Harris is ... that race card move backfired & her food fight comment was well rehearsed. She blew it because she took a big chance going after Biden. He would have picked her for VP, if he was the nominee. Maybe he'll still will. And by the way as much as I don't like him I thought Biden did a good job last night, even though the whole debate drove me crazy
19
You are all fooling yourselves. Once Harris's true history in CA is revealed throughout the country she won't have a chance. No comment yet on the Mayor. He first needs better results of the current situation in South Bend.
10
So, Frank, you surprise me. Is your desire to have Trump for 4 more years, or is it that you are so into your own bubble that you think that Harris-Buttigieg ticket could be a winner? What planet do you inhabit?
10
...the planet that I live on! Buttigieg and Harris would knock it out of the park!
1
It's sooo nice that the NYT has chosen the Dem candidates. But are they tough enough to go up against the Machiavellian in the WH? That is the REAL question.
1
You won't get me voting for Harris not after her prosecutorial Linda Fairstein style attack on Joe Biden who was too gentlemanly to stoop to her nasty level.
20
@Clive Kandel
Oooh, nasty. (One of Donald's favorite insults for women.)
(And Joe's inability to stoop is due to age, not gentile manly ness.)
My political fantasy? Mayor Pete debating Mike Pence. Now *that* would be something nobody wouldn’t watch.
22
Harris did well last night, but she failed to make the sale for this Warren supporter. Sure, she's effective on the attack (be it against Trumo or Biden), but when it comes to the economy,. her answers are vague and nondescript.
I was also somewhat amused by her claims about what she would do "on Day One" of her administration, especially when most of those things would require an act of Congress.
15
I love this ticket. Fantastic candidates both.
6
"That might turn off and scare away voters that a Democratic nominee absolutely needs."
Voters as in the socio-economic group tagged white males without a college degree and who voted 67% in favor of Trump in 2016?
Scare away? They were absolutely trampled on last night.
But go ahead. Harris-Buttigieg it is.
6
Senator Harris has no substance and is the classic canned politician, right down to stage-managed indignation. I suspect some staff member came up with the food fight idea and scripted a line for her. If she thought of it spontaneously, that would display a mental agility I have never seen in her.
Her ersatz criticism was also unprincipled, because she assailed her counterparts for debating issues. What else are competing politicians supposed to do?
Her attacking Mr. Biden over his working with segregationist senators rings just as false. If she can't work with Republicans like Mike Lee or Tom Cotton, she has no business being a senator. She isn't required to agree with them on anything, but if she snubs them because they aren't woke enough, she's ipso facto incompetent to hold her office. (I'm sure she does work with them.)
It's highly unlikely a Harris candidacy will lead to anything other than President Trump's second term. Whatever the horrors of Mr. Trump's behavior, he is 100% authentic. She would provide a glaring, unflattering contrast to that.
Now, Mayor Buttigieg is a different story. He did well and might defeat the president, especially if Mr. Trump does something to sabotage his reelection chances, always a possibility. Of course he'll have a sexual-orientation headwind to overcome. But Mr. Trump is hardly the Jim Anderson of "Father Knows Best," which may dilute that factor.
37
I couldn't have put it better myself.
2
Joe Biden is Don Mattingly in 1995, no longer able to catch up to the fastball.
3
I thought KH provided the 8-year-old's perspective on 1974 busing, but not the adult's view. Busing kids into better schools is one thing, but government forcibly busing kids - against their parents' will - to a school adjudged lesser, and in a more dangerous area is another. I wouldn't put up with it now.
There's an issue about whether the government "owns" your kids and runs the people or the other way around - like the abortion debate about the government forcing itself on women (forced pelvic probes, anyone ?)
We'll see if anyone (now or) 45 years from now chastises KH for hair-straightening. The young think they know all about everything in the past. They don't.
18
It is just so refreshing and utterly excitingly to have such large array of potential presidents to talk about and play around with. It's so fun to act the part of matchmaker envisioning the successes or disasters of the potential "political marriages'!
I can't wait until Trump is a distant memory and all of the damage he has inflicted - restored.
15
I was favoring Kamila Harris until last night, though I don't know much about all the candidates, but lost interest in her after her practiced, rehearsed comments and her unfair attack on Biden. Okay, he's the frontrunner, everyone's going to take aim at him, but her seemingly superficial grasp his civil rights record and her exaggerated outrage about bussing came across as false, motivated by making points and raising her profile. Now I'm thinking that a Warren/Castro ticket would be excellent. Even though I don't support abolishing private health insurance, I think a Warren/Castro ticket would win.
19
And I reacted in the opposite way as I perceive Biden as a phony.
1
Harris' defense of busing, and attack on Biden has been making the rounds on the news cable news networks, notably CNN and MSNBC.
There two problems with her impassioned plea for the merits of forced busing; one is at the time it was widely accepted that busing was what led to "Urban White Flight," and more important is the factthat most inner city schools are as segregated today as they were during the 50's.
11
Yes the US is still a racist society. A pity.
6
I concur.
@Yuri Pelham
Unfortunate, but true.
I was blown away by Harris last night. She can beat Donald Trump and I am going to help her!
3
You heard it here first. And I mean me in my comment on your column yesterday and in my many comments to friends and on Twitter in the past few months as they've stepped ahed of the competition.
Harris bodyslammed Biden last night, but she had little of substance to say around policy and relied heavily on extracting emotion and empathy from the viewers. It felt really thin and transparent to me. Biden? Um, no. Next. Sanders? Again, no. He non-answered several questions with his stance on income inequality. An important point but not in response to a question about immigration policy. Buttigieg was underused last night, but he crushed it. He had real answers, policy suggestions and great applicable experience.
31
YES!!!!!!!!! :)
2
What matters is not the age of the candidate, but the age of the candidate's supporters.
Bernie Sanders has garnered massive support from younger voters. That makes Sanders the candidate of the young. Period.
The people who need to "pass the torch" are older voters (and old corporatist party mis-leaders like Pelosi and Schumer). Who's going to be the strongest supporter for sane climate and environmental policy, sane education cost policy, sane reproductive choice policy, sane criminal policy, sane gun policy? That's who's "young" enough.
A candidate is as "young" as the people who support them. That makes Sanders and Warren as young as any candidates on the stage.
5
You guys are smoking crack again. Usually doesn't end well.
12
Are you crazy? Picking a ticket on the basis of one debate???
And I totally disagree with you. Harris will take away my private health insurance. No way. Earlier in the week, Harris attacked Biden’s coddling of segregationists. I was appalled. She knew damn well what his point was. And old Mayor Pete is inexperienced and arrogant — a truly bad combo. How about holding off on your pronouncements. Let the voters speak in the primaries.
19
I didn’t think Biden was at all doddering and in no way reminded me of Reagan’s first debate in ‘84 (to quote two of the talking heads on today's "Morning Joe") . Still, many of his responses could have been better. Being battle-tested will either make him stronger or he will be defeated by a candidate who may be stronger against Tr#mp. I saw one on Wednesday and one last night.
2
I am simply terrified of another 4 years of trump. Look at the incredible damage done to this nation in less than 3 years. If Pelosi and the House would impeach trump, successful or not, I feel the party would be in a much better position to roll the dice on a candidate and take a chance. Win or lose in impeachment, the hearing would be on televised, and regardless of what Fox would do, people with their heads stuck in the sand or worse, would be forced to finally hear the truth. Trump is a fool but he understands the power of television, which is why he is doing is level best to stop people from testifying. Taking all of these variables into consideration, my feeling is to go with safety, and that is Biden. However, if he had someone like Harris or Abrams as his vice president, with a commitment to step down after one term and have his vp run, that would send a power, and I think, winning message.
2
Kamela Harris wants to bring back federally mandated busing. Her quest for the presidency has just ended.
15
@Fred
I don't know that mandated busing has been repealed, it is just no longer enforced.
I wrote a comment on busing posted above, citing the problems that accompanied forced busing:
1) "White Flight" during the 60's and 70's was largely attributed to busing;
2) Today's inner city schools are as racially segregated as they were during the 50's.
1
Buttigieg? Really? Also, Harris lied during the debate regarding her support for police wearing body cams at all times even as recent as 2 yrs ago.
NEXT
9
I know you like Pete - clear from your many columns on him (as compared to the hit pieces on Hillary) - but that dog won’t hunt. Sorry.
5
Harris/Buttigieg is the kryptonite ticket, each half embodying the prejudices of the opposing Republican side: Trump’s racism and misogyny and Pence’s homophobia.
What a match!
If threaded perfectly, it could be 4, 8 or 16 years of a democratic hand at the wheel to save how the current administration has driven this country off a cliff!
555
@eyeontheprize
I am going refrain from any negativity about any of the Democratic candidates and let the primary process continue.
Who knows? Trump may even resign before the end of his term to avoid jail? Tragically, this whole Trump phenomenon could blow up with a Middle East war with Iran; or the “Trump” economy begins to tank. Who knows?
18
@EyeOnThePrize Yes, they would horrify Trump-Pence voters, but so would any Democrats. I can['t see any point in cbhoosing the Democratic candidates most acceptable to Trump's base, because that base will still vote for Trump.
60
@Maureen Hawkins
Trump's base is Trump's base, and it is impenetrable by Democrats.
But that doesn't mean that Democrats should preach to the choir as they seem to do. They need to appeal to the many voters who voted for Obama twice before going for Trump, the fence sitters, the Never Trumpers, the "Trump's gross but has some points"ers - because that's who they need to win. Oh, and they have to start talking like adults on immigration, not college social justice warriors, or they'll lose.
The Democrats seem intent on making sure they look good to stalwart Democrats. To win, they need to invite some genuine "diversity" into their coalition in order to grow it, not to keep ideologically pristine.
45
a woman of color and a gay male in America? well i can dream cant i?
5
Help me understand the group thinkers commenting on experience or electability.
The current occupant of the WH had no experience and what the pundits thought was little electability and yet here we are.
As Democrats color, gender or sexual preference should have no weight in these deliberations. If they do, we're not holding true to democratic ideals. And the extends from the left to include the center.
So let's evaluate based on what we think the direction and performance will be if elected instead.
I think that's what happened in 2016.
4
Would love to see Harris on the debate stage against Trump. She will eat him alive. And would be all for a Harris-Buttigieg ticket.
5
Now that the New York Times and Frank Bruni
are having a Political Love Affair with Senator Harris
can either or both do their homework and report
on where Ms. Harris lived before the age of 12,
when her mother moved her to Canada.
What the makeup was of the public schools she
attended was during first to 6th grade and how long
her commute was on AC Transit ?
After all Berkeley is 18 square miles and so she did not
have to spend and hour or more, like my children did, to
and from school each day,
when the Federal Government ordered them to be bused
in order to achieve racial parity.
Moreover, let us be honest, Ms. Harris is not an African American.
Her father is from Jamaica and he admits of African and European
ancestors and her mother is from India, Harris is less than
1/2 African ancestry.
15
Shes an American. A mixed raced American just like Obama. Why can't these politicians just refer to themselves as Americans.
5
Frank sure doesn't dream big......
Wow, Harris/Buttegieg might reduce the 21% of national income held by the 1% in 2017 to 20% in 2022. What a dream!
2
Warren-Booker.
6
Senator Harris is also Asian American.
1
YES. YES. YES.
1
Up is down and Asian-Indian is Black.
Trump has driven Democrats to levels of denial and desperation akin to his most fervent followers.
Kamala Harris is more The Candidate than Robert Redford was in the movie. She is the essence of affect starting with her mediagenic smile and newly honed Black church lady accent.
It's open season on old though that didn't bother a beautiful 29 year old Assistant DA when 60 year old Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, Corporate America's go to fixer in California, became her paramour and political Svengali while still married (Willie now says "estranged" with a wink). Wille put her on two state boards that are political sinecures that required no real work for $72,000 and later $100,000 paychecks. Kamala happily clung to Willie's arm as they sashayed from society balls to Pacific Heights soirees. Willie engineered her election as SF DA, arranging for her to get the racist police union's endorsement and defeat DA Terence Hallinan, then the most progressive DA in the country who held cops accountable and they hated him for it.
She was against the death penalty and then changed her position when she was state AG running for the Senate.
On her watch, Wells Fargo Bank systematically defrauded its customers for year, and despite numerous complaints she did nothing. Wells Fargo was later fined $2 billion by the Feds.
If you think Ivanka earned her way to the Oval Office, Kammy Harris is your kind of candidate.
This is sheer madness.
25
@Yuri Asian
Thanks for briefly summarizing some of Harris's controversial moments in SF and California. Hallinan was clearly the best candidate and should have won the DA contest, but the hugely ambitious Harris had enormous help from Brown's political machine and prevailed. I assume Harris doesn't enjoy discussions about her relationship with Brown and the ways in which he catapulted her political career. However, if she advances as a candidate, Harris may find herself in an uncomfortable position of having to revisit her past.
7
You've oversimplified the situation in South Bend. The mayor has a lot to answer for and you should explore the facts.
2
I’m ok with the ticket, but I’d like to see Pete on top. He flat out admitted he hadn’t gotten an important job done in South Bend. When was the last (first) time Trump was ever so self aware?
After Trump, we desperately need a candidate who can speak the truth. Seems Pete is the guy. Even when the truth doesn’t flatter him. It was the most telling moment last night for me.
16
Considering what Harris did to Biden I suspect she would eviscerate Trump. And I agree that Buttigieg proved himself a nimble and adept debater (can you imagine how he could dismantle Pence?). I wish that the two had greater policy chops.
I think that there are four others who should also noticed: Elizabeth Warren, who has the greatest in-depth understanding of the economic issues facing working people, Corey Booker, who is as impassioned, intelligent, and relatable as anyone on Wednesday's stage, Tulsi Gabbard, who brings a combination of toughness and military experience to her message of world peace, and Julian Castro who demonstrated a profound grasp of issues.
Ultimately image counts, and I think the winning ticket's image must feature a woman and a person of color.
215
@Paul
Yes! Thank you, everyone in the media is ignoring Tulsi Gabbard, but while the men were interrupting all the time, she interrupted a man who was saying something stupid and wrong. I was impressed with her, but she's from that small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (albeit , a state in the United States).
14
@Paul. . I wish that the two had greater policy chops.
You mean like Trump and Pence? ;)
Policy arguments aren’t going to win this election. Neither, as Williamson somewhat weirdly stated, will plans.
You are correct. It’s all about image. And sound bite communication.
For me, this is winning ticket. For the all important swing voters and moderates they represent the “non threatening “ image of progress.
9
@Paul
I like your round-up of the top performers as well; to me the first night, save Harris, had the better, if not stronger, slate of contenders.
Would also add Buttigeg to your grouping. He's so smart and so calm. Inspires confidence. Too young ... but watch for him down the line.
10
Cory Booker is my number one choice. A modest beginning, then Stanford, Yale, Oxford, successful mayor and now senator, smart, articulate and best of all, kind as all get out, Cory Booker is it. He also has the uncanny, hilarious luck following him like a love sick puppy dog: He will be driving to work, spots and house in fire, stops his car and leaps out, running into a burning building, returning just as the media shows up, carrying a little old white lady to safety.
6
I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need
2
Buttigieg is neither smart enough nor honest enough.
1
I'm not sure how honest he is but he's definitely smart.
9
Don't confuse, or equate, Kamala Harris taking down Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris being able to take down Trump, or the Republicans.
Joe Biden was low-hanging fruit. He set himself up to be low-hanging fruit with his like-I-wasn't-Vice-President-under-Obama self-congratulations for getting along with racists. And Biden was the perfect target, the tap-in-without-looking putt, for a smart Black woman prosecutor who'd been bused to school in Berkeley. Biden was a candy-filled piñata for Harris. And she would have been wrong not to take the shot. She did all non-Trump-Republicans a favor.
But once Biden is off the stage, as he hopefully will be somewhere down the road (Mr. Bruni, didn't you pick up on Biden's gimme-gift to your thesis: "Anyway, I'm out of time?"), what further can Harris bring to the table? Let's focus on that question. Maybe a lot, maybe not so much.
But as far as I'm concerned the competitor to measure every candidate against is Elizabeth Warren. And every pundit is going to have to tell me how their favorites measure up against Elizabeth Warren.
8
I really thought the shooting in South Bend had torpedoed Mayor Pete’s campaign. I definitely liked his honesty in the debate. I also liked Harris. I would love love love to see her debate Trump. However, my number one goal is to defeat the rapist-in-chief. Who is most likely to do that?
4
Why are candidates attacking Biden while Trump was accused of rape, RAPE.....again.....two days ago? Not a single word about Trumps 19th sexual assault allegation in last nights debate. Stay tuned as democrats continue to teach us how to lose elections.
Stop attacking each other and focus SOLELY on Trumps sexual assaults, greed, racism and lies!
5
That will guarantee a Trump win. Wait until the republicans start running ads based on video where Harris supports healthcare for illegal aliens. The democrats are toast after that. Good riddance
11
Joe and Buttigieg. The old and experienced with the young and intelligent. By the time Joe retires, Buttigieg will be ready to take the helm. Harris completely turned my stomach last night. So staged. uggh!!!
11
From the article:
"...given the ongoing trauma of the Trump years."
Just a little something for the left-wing author of this article and all the other myopic lefties in these comments:
You may be traumatized, but it's just you. There are a LOT of people who might not like Trump's demeanor, but are very happy with the things he's gotten done.
Go ahead, feed your obsession and tell me how he hasn't actually accomplished anything. I'm listening...
...oh, no -- Actually, I'm not.
Unfortunately for decent Americans, we’ve always had to share the country with people who want neo-Nazis to have a place in the debate, who like it when we idiotically, pointlessly antagonize our allies and cozy up to our enemies, all while coasting on and taking credit for an economic wave created by a predecessor. So yeah, we understand why “a LOT” of people are happy with the Trump abomination.
6
Please explain what he’s gotten done? Demean and distance our allies? Provide tax relief for corporations and wealthy individuals that hardly needed it? Eliminate climate protection? Lower the standard for presidents with humiliating rants on Twitter. Some great accomplishments.
6
The trouble is Harris lied about her position of getting rid of private health insurance, and, unfortunately, that's just the tip of a terrible record. Read this, fact check it, and then see if you feel/think the same:
https://medium.com/@westonpagano/a-guide-to-the-2020-democratic-candidates-you-should-not-vote-for-c1c6e4c9c26
6
A little premature to pick a Presidential candidate let alone the Vice President candidate, isn't it?
Frank Bruni are you trying to manipulate people with your words?
6
Now who is biased?
4
Oh brother! (◔_◔) I guess we all see what we want to see, huh Frank? Keep talking, thinking and living in the Twitter bubble that will assure the Dems a loss the country cannot afford.
4
In the age of identity politics and the Democrats' obsession with it, I can only believe that a ticket with a black woman and a gay man is, indeed, a dream ticket.
Especially if an old white man gets trampled in the process.
Go ahead, Dems, nominate this "dream ticket," it will only succeed in realizing your worst nightmare.
7
Not falling for Harris one bit. She is a corporate democrat in progressive clothing:
https://pagesix.com/2017/07/15/kamala-harris-meets-with-democratic-elite-in-hamptons/
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/07/wall-street-and-new-york-business-execs-gear-up-for-2020-presidential-election-.html
8
Mayor of a small city embroiled in a police-community relations hair ball, and a former prosecutor and State of California Dept of Justice head. Both will have real problems with the anti-establishment self proclaimed progressives in the Democratic Party. Bruni is preoccupied with the superficial images of a nopenly gay man and an African American woman as President and Vice President. He is overlooking some important issues that will rise up for these two candidates that will not be trivial.
4
I would go for Warren and Buttigieg
11
Yes, that’s definitely the ticket!
2
@Colette
How about working class Dems who voted for Obama and then Trump in such places as Flint, Mich., Johnstown, Pa., St Paul, Minn., etc.??
1
Unlike Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris comes across as calculating and disengenous. She made a big deal about school bussing.
I taught school and my children attended school during the bussing era: it largely resulted in a school within a school and did little to benefit underprivileged minority students.
17
"Imagine a Harris-Buttigieg ticket, and not only what a wealth of poise but what a double scoop of precedents that would be."
Stop fantasizing like we're living in some rom-com movie confection.
We're in a fight for our lives in the US. We're in a fight for the life of the U.S. We need fighters going for the offices, and we need fighters in the voting booths.
Poise ain't gonna cut it.
181
@Robert Henry Eller - Did you miss Kamala Harris eviscerating Biden? She might do it with poise but she goes right for the jugular - see her absolute dismantling of William Barr under questioning. There are legitimate criticisms to be made of Senator Harris but 'not a fighter' is in no way one of them.
Also I think a lot of the appeal of a Harris-Buttigieg ticket is what the pair of them would do to Trump and Pence on the debate stage. Harris would disembowel Trump on national tv without breaking a sweat and I have to admit the thought of Buttigieg engaging with Pence on religion and exposing his hypocrisy gives me starry eyes.
98
@Robert Henry Eller
All of hat you mention is for naught if we don't get paper ballots to check that every vote was cast correctly and counted.
But that's of course where old Mitch puts his foot down. A guy from a state with four million people in it half of which half dead because they never had access to healthcare in their entire lives, commits obstruction in the senate with impunity and is poised to rig the election in the giant baby's favor again. We need to start there. Or else, let's just cut out this expensive distraction that is our "election cycle" and let's just all agree that we do live in an oligarchy after all.
53
@Margaret
Thanks, Margaret. I agree with you 100%.
10
Fantasy baseball. It is more than a year til the election.
My choice would be a President, not a debating club champ.
Of the female candidates, Warren has the cred. She and Sanders do well together. Still it's fantasy.
The good news is that there is a ready made cabinet and candidates for important posts.
6
I find myself wondering why it is that the most visible candidates advocating African-American causes are so often somewhat peripheral to the African-American community. Harris was raised by her Tamil mother, de Blasio is white but married to a Black woman and even President Obama, born in Hawaii, who is part white, part African, had little contact with his African family members til he finished his education. Cory Booker is the only exception. Perhaps it reflects the dismal fact that the educational system has so egregiously failed to give the great majority of African Americans access to the very high educational achievements that seem to characterize all of the most visible Democratic candidates these days. In contrast, their ultimate opponent, the orange menace, drifted through strong educational institutions without absorbing anything worth having or showing any signs of functioning intellect, on a river of his father's money.
6
Is Harris-Buttigieg really a dream ticket?
It's important to win the next Presidential election. History can teach. How many times has a female been elected President or Vice President? Zero. How many openly LGBTQ persons have been elected as President or Vice President. Zero. Indeed, how many people openly LGBTQ at the time were elected as governor. Again, the aswer is zero (McGreevey (NJ) came out in his resignation speech, Polis (CO) was not out when elected, and Brwn (OR) became governor when her predecessor resigned).
Holding the ad hominem "you're just a bigot" and like responses, how much risk of ignoring this history and what it can mean when votes are counted-- in what could be a close election -- do the Democrats want to take? Do they want to take that risk with nominees fot both President and Vice President? If the risk is taken and Trump wins a close election, will the Democrats feel elated by their history making choices as nominees, or will the "dream ticket" be a nightmare.
3
Yes, I agree, It is going to be tough for people to vote for a gay person but Mayor Pete is the best candidate by far....He might lose to Trump because once again of electoral college and gay biasness...but he is the future of this country
5
I found Kamala's memorized speech about her tough time as a black child somewhat trite - there are probably a million black adults who had similar experiences, and I found her attempt to blame Biden silly and irrelevant. My question is "So Kamila had a tough time as a kid - how does this qualify her to be the president of the United States.?"
13
It will be nice to have a good looking president after the last couple of years.
4
I want to hear the Joe haters 1 acknowledge that it really comes down to who will win PA, WI, OH and FL and 2 how their favorite will be able to do that.
8
@GC
Couldn’t agree more!
3
More like Klobuchar-Buttigieg. Harris lost support.
5
Literally, the only way Pete could get elected is if you handcuff him to Harris, a woman of color. He has no support among POC, the base of the Party.
3
I cannot comprehend how this is even a race. How we - as a country - have been so brainwashed by the Far Right (wrong) who shout slogans like "lock her up" or "USA!" and "MAGA" with zero substance, as in a trance. Noam Chomsky got it right, "manufacturing consent" - the last 30 years of de-funding liberal arts (hence: critical thinking skills and political and civic education) and the infestation of "reality tv" that was born out of the writer's strike back in the 90s -- Get rid of writers for pay and bring on the great unwashed (LOL). We have been in an intellectual black hole for too many years. Not even Trump can grasp the domino impact that starting a war creates. Cannot connect the dots. Seems to be living in a wild west of strategic terror. How do we even have a race against an administration that has surpassed cruelty and entered into criminal war fare against children? I do not understand how we can wonder if Trump will beat any or all of these candidates but my money is on any and all of them. #Truedemocracy #peace #nowornever @johannaclear
5
STOP already. Harris zinged Joe now she's it? Why are the black candidates slipping in race against Joe wherever they can? Much of it is feigned outrage, to stop Biden. It will not, I promise, secure the black female vote. It's a divisive tactic that in the end will not serve this country well especially if Biden is the nominee.
10
I happen to agree with the sentiment expressed here. However, I question the point. Do they need Mr. Bruni's stamp? Seriously, sometimes it's feels as though Bruni is to cultural commentary what Mark Bittman is to food writing--Zelig-ing themselves into the frame of people who are actually doing "it".
It's almost as though they believe their contribution to the world is their stamp of approval. Where is the value add here? I don't understand why he has this platform.
2
A debate that I want to see. Calm, intelligent Buttigieg versus volatile, unintelligent Trump. Out with the old generation and in with the new.
9
"... Harris, Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Julián Castro and Cory Booker ... fit the demographic profiles of presidents past. Two of them are women, three are people of color and the one who is neither of those things is gay."
That last phrase is very slickly worded, Frank!
1
New York Times has made the decision that their choice of Democratic Candidate to face Trump will be Kamala Harris.
Now get ready to read all kinds of supporting columns that will portray her as a savior of this country.
5
Please, please check out Harris's record as a prosecutor and the vicious and insensitive handling she did of parents of truant kids and how she lied during a rally and said none of them went to jail. One was a mother with cancer who Kamala had the police perp walk her to their car and taped it for all to see. And Kamala always being for body cams on police is not true and was debunked on twitter last night. And check out the debacle about racism in the police department and the death of a black man at the hands of a known racist cop and and settlement Mayor Pete made to cover things up. He certainly is not ready for prime time. I do applaud Kamala on calling on Joe Biden's helping racists keep schools segregated, but her hands are not clean nor are Mayor Pete's
4
In a nightmare fantasy, how about a biden-sanders ticket aka grumpy old men?
1
Democrats must want to lose, "raise their hands if they believed that crossing the border without documentation should be a civil rather than criminal offense". Get out of here! Harris all for "reparations", open borders, just a rude with no insight. Compare her to Warren, and the economic revolution. 4/5ths of the Country is ready to vote against Harris ... ~at any Cost!
6
Have to agree with Frank. When Biden ran on his own in 88 and 08, things didn't go well. Last night's debate reminded us why--he is just not that talented. Harris's attacks were predictable and defendable but Joe whiffed. Another performance or two like this and the moderate Democratic money might look elsewhere. Michael Bennett?
3
Yup
It's way too early to pick the eventual leaders for the primary stretch run, just as it's still too early to see how exactly the Democratic platform will take form. Right now, I think Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are the most dynamic, energetic and centered. They have real presence that most others lacked.
Biden just looks his age and not quite facile with facts and responses. He's singing his greatest hits but essentially running as Obama-lite. He doesn't seem fully familiar with what he WILL do going forward.
Bernie just seems perpetually angry. He'd likely be happier storming barricades than compromising with congress.
I think the rest are basically running for VP or cabinet posts, but PLEASE DON"T FORGET UPCOMING SENATE RACES. Mitch is evil incarnate and can't be in charge in 2021.
I like Pete and think he has the whole package absent sufficient political experience and a compelling body of work. A term or two as an Indiana senator or governor would make him formidable in 5-10 years.
Corey Booker is sincere and knowledgeable, and would be a very good running mate. I'm still not sure he the best we have for top of the ticket.
I've always liked Julian Castro and think he has much more to show us. We'll see but the arrow is up.
I'll finish by saying any of the 24 Dems would do a far better job than Trump. That's more a reflection of Trump's low bar, and that alone will probably give me no pause in supporting our nominee.
3
Elizabeth Warren is the candidate with the smarts, intellectual depth and breadth, authenticity and likability, passion and force to defeat Trump and lead this country. Compare the superiority of her content as well as her manner of expression in the answers to the NYT's 18 questions posed to 22 candidates; Warren outshines Kamala Harris and, in my estimation, any single candidate I can remember in 4 decades.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/politics/elizabeth-warren-2020-campaign.html
14
It’s interesting that those two are the subject here. I think they’re two of the more calculating ones. So, it seems like being calculating is paying off for them. But I see nothing in them!What she did I think should mark her as a typical self centered self interested calculating politician. It was sanctimony at its highest. She played the race/hurt card in a very calculating manner: she was the little girl! Very typical, the little girl who’s harmed! I think she has no chance!!!
And Butgeigge I think is an even worse nonstarter, also a very calculating and clever hypocrite. When asked about racial tensions in his town, he was extremely clever: he took the tactic of full admission. he hadn’t done enough, that more needed to be done etc. it was extremely clever: play humble and sad and plainly admit failure and play the honest man who admits their failure. But it just didn’t feel honest to me! It felt very clever, cold, and calculating! Pure calculation at its worst!
Both of them though would be the poor characters and hypocrites a corrupt politics deserves, but not what most Americans deserve.
I hope they go no where, and I doubt they will.
4
Harris and Buttigeig, my two favorites.
Why then am I already resigned to 4 more years of Trump?
131
@Katherine Smith
Because the most essential question is: who can win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida. Can they? Doubtful.
31
@Katherine Smith Please don't be "resigned to 4 more years of Trump." We are more than a year away from Election Day 2020. So many things can happen between now and then. And even if things stay as they are, more or less, defeatism plays right into Trump's and Mitch McConnell's hands. We need to fight and keep fighting, in every local election, in every election for every seat in every state legislature, for every House and Senate seat, for the Presidency. I don't see any other way.
46
@Katherine Smith you'll feel better after reading a few of the thousands upon thousands of "Trumpgret" stories. People voted for Trump for a lot of reasons, and a great deal of them regret the decision deeply. His base tends to revel in breaking with tradition and upsetting the establishment. A black woman against a misogynist racist, and a married gay man against a married (to a woman) gay man. The ticket would not only attract the Trumpgret crowd, but perhaps a decent chunk of Trump's more radical base.
9
It's too early for any of this. Right now, it's just a parlor game. For some, a political fever dream. On the subject of Buttigieg, he's all those good things mentioned here. But only when I can forget what I saw of him at his televised town hall over the recent police shooting in South Bend, his somnambulant lack of passion or connection with the citizens present, his annoying "I'm accountable," "that's on me" refrain in the face of years of no progress on police force diversity or body cams that actually work, his claims of success for implementing "bias training"-type classes, only then will I draw the dubious conclusion that his articulate intelligence as a very small town mayor might translate into a tour de force in Washington DC run by the likes of Mitch McConnell.
1
Harris would be a nightmare candidate -- she waffles and pretends to be something she's not.
Just last night she raised her hand with Bernie then backtracked, claiming she misunderstood the question, yet she's CO-SPONSORING the medicare for all bill WITH BERNIE!
Her revisionist tales of her work prosecuting criminals is surely going to come back to haunt her too.
14
F. Bruni, snap out of it. "Red state" Pete Buttigieg is the mayor of a city that has not elected a Republican to that post since 1968. It has almost no private economy; after a county-wide healthcare group that headquarters there, the city's top employers are Notre Dame, an Indiana University satellite campus, the city schools system, city government, county government, and an American Indian owned casino with corporate headquarters on its Michigan reservation ... in that order. And as far as Notre Dame (the city's most influential institution) is concerned, it is self governing, having established itself as the unincorporated town of Notre Dame, Indiana. His talents are estimable, but Pete Buttigieg has a long, long way to go. You may recall how things went for the last inexperienced running mate from Indiana ... and Dan Quayle was a US Senator.
2
Joe Biden is a dinosaur. He may be great in small settings where he can connect emotionally and share his pain and his earthy goodness. This is a national election, though. Is he going to go door to door across the country? Every time I see Biden on TV he seems like he's still learning how to talk. Periodically he lapses into incoherence. It's like he has the mouth parts of a new born. And this is a man who has served in the U.S. Senate and as Vice President. The Democratic Party needs a perfect combination of fire and ice, thought, passion and inspiration. They need to look to the future and take a risk on candidates like Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete.
3
Mr. Bruni obviously favors performance over substance. Thank God debates are not the only means we are given for judging the candidates. Bruni seems to have a liking for Buttigieg, who made less of an impression on me than say, Gillebrand, who said some very articulate statements but who was apparently invisible to Bruni. It's interesting to note that Harris received notice only after debating in a showy, aggressive, masculine way, which is apparently the only way one is going to be taken seriously if one is female. Buttigieg, for example, is never questioned about his large dearth of political experience and why he feels qualified to run for President at all in spite of that dearth. Bruni's commentary shows 2 points which continue to be a problem for our journalist community--taking men more seriously for no reason other than the fact that they're male, and letting their own leanings get in the way of a giving an unbiased opinion.
Kamala's race card will not play well with independents and moderate voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, that we need to win 270 electoral votes. The base may be enthralled with her, but the voters of these states will not be.
I frankly don't believe her "hurt". Unfortunately, Biden gave her an opportunity that she seized upon. This liberal is tired of hearing about being offended and demanding an apology.
11
Nothing will change if either of these people are elected. Just more elitist, corporate heads in power.
2
This is no dream. This is a catastrophic ticket, reflective of the democrats’ obsessive compulsion to expunge any progressive ideas from the party. Pete and Kamala are more than happy to return to identity politics and the era of Obama. The American people aren’t.
4
It will never win over Trump. Sorry the Dems complaining for years about their hate for Trump and these guys on the debate rounds were the best they could do? Gabbard and Yang would have better mass appeal and they are both “well behaved”.
1
KHarris was unfair towards Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe has authenticity and genuineness. Plus party needs moderates to win. Just pandering towards the left will deliver another stunning defeat in Nov 2020.
5
Too early! Too early! We have to wait to witness the evisceration of these candidates by Republican operatives, Russians, and various opposition research entities. Then, if they (and we) have weathered the totality of the insults, the howlingly hilarious nicknames given to them by Trump, the deepfake videos, the amazing last minute "discoveries" about their "secret conduct" (put forth by persons unknown), then perhaps we can make a judgement. Just wait! The vileness show won't begin yet, I hope.
I had the same thought this morning... Kamala and Mayor Pete.
1
Wow exciting team. Imagine Elizabeth Warren as the head of the Department of Justice!
2
I really want to watch someone who can take apart Trump face to face as well as Nancy Pelosi. That looks like Pete, Warren or Harris. Given the danger of moving too far left, Harris/Buttegieg is looking really good. I'm up for 8 years of Harris and 8 of Pete.
3
I was happy to see so many qualified Dems on both nights. Some of them, hopefully, will get national recognition then peel off and run for the Senate. Whoever becomes the nominee I will work my heart out for. If I was to vote today it would be for Elizabeth Warren. She has plans to make life easier for people who need a little help. And she's smart and compassionate. However, I'm open and encouraged.
3
Both are smart, compassionate, and visionary.
But it's about a generation too soon for such a combo.
3
Biden is an elder statesman and deserves respect for the many many contributions he has made to this country. It is easy to attack and much harder to achieve something in Congress. Biden has been in the trenches and knows the reality of the fight.
But I acknowledge the times have changed, and Biden's ideas have aged.
Still, my dream team is Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro.
Kamala is a great fighter, but I don't hear anything innovative from Kamala. While Warren i has solid ideas of how to make positive changes. I don't agree with her on abolishing private health insurance-at least, not as a way to start - but she has concrete ideas about where this country needs to go if we are going to address the increasing inequality and unfairness of unregulated markets.
3
Sorry Frank, but the last two nights' debates were a joke, and I'm pretty sure this was by design. If the DNC had required a minimum threshhold for debate entry (let's say, polling at least 5% in national polls), perhaps there could have been a more substantive debate. But MSNBC and the DNC establishment don't want substantive debate, because they know progressive arguments about single payer and major redistributive reform would destroy "centrist" arguments for the status quo. Instead, Biden and others got to hide behind the chaos of having ten candidates shouting over each other. How convenient for the establishment.
Fortunately, a growing number of Americans are tuning out the noise and are no longer buying the arguments being sold by corporatists like Hickenlooper, who claimed last night that there were 180 million Americans with private insurance that would be devastated if they suddenly had to switch to Medicare for All. Really? What planet is he on? Only a little over one half of individuals with private plans say they are satisfied. When you only include individuals that have actually had to use their insurance, that number takes a nose dive.
3
Harris did well...but she and all D's must drop the "do away with private insurance" policy.
Why? Because to do so, you have to remove insurance from the thousands of companies who offer it, and from the labor bargaining units that have negotiated those benefits over many decades--and take the risk that you can do better in a totally public program.
That may work--but it may not, either, and the huge risk you run by headlining "Medicare for All" as a marquee issue is that you'll undermine your own position, sewing doubt instead of enthusiasm.
Mark my words, candidates--unless you have a rock-solid plan that will assuage the concerns of employers and workers alike, you're placing a land mine in your own path to the presidency.
6
I am from an older generation (but I ALWAYS vote and have tons of life experiences). To me, the Trump presidency has brought extreme amounts of stress and fear to all generations of Americans. I even know some who, at times, have trouble sleeping with Trump's actions and tweets.
To me, and many others, we want the chaos to go away. We want calmness, experience, thoughtfulness and intelligence in our Presidency and his/her administration. Joe Biden provides these qualities. He makes most of us feel comfortable, not stressed out.
If the younger progressives in the Democratic party think they can win a presidential election, at this time, with an extreme agenda, we may all be looking at 4 more years of a Trump presidency. And that stress will be unbearable!
In order to make changes, one must have the power to make them. In order to get the power, one must WIN.
5
Pete Buttigieg was much more articulate and thoughtful than any of the others on either night. How refreshing to have someone with his obvious intellect, character and honesty. Pete should not be anyones number 2. While Harris also did well (but not as well), I think Castro was the other standout. The polling will be interesting, I predict Biden, Sanders and Warren all lose ground.
6
These, of course, just happen to be two of the most Wall Street-friendly of the candidates.
5
I’ve been most impressed with Buttigieg overall. Whip smart, compassionate and prepared, in short all the things the extant buffoon is not.
I applaud many of Warren’s policy ideas but at the same time wonder if she may suffer from Hillaryitis, just not able to connect with the six packs.
As a resident of SF I have a very jaundiced view of Harris. Currently she says all the right things, but I saw her in action as DA and it was not impressive. Quality of life plummeted on her watch, often due to the DA’s office’s failure to prosecute drug and property crimes. She will always have an albstross around her neck in my opinion. Perhaps she has grown but I’m skeptical.
I think Sanders is too old, as is Biden. I’m tired of old men mucking everything up. Most of the rest are just foam on a latte.
6
@Pde, Biden may be more appealing sitting at a desk, wearing a grey pooofy sweater, head tilted to the left while speaking into a computer text phone, and wearing clearish plastic framed glasses. Would then come across as everyone’s grandpa and very, very relatable. Possibly grow a mustache. He still is cute though in his own way, but should be standing at the desk as it may be healthier than sitting for his age and job.
1
There are three strong single issue candidates, but they are important issues: Castro on immigration, Gillibrand on women/ERA and Inslee on climate change. I think Inslee is the best of the group....less divisive in his presentation, and an issue that everyone agrees has been ignored at our peril.
I vote for Inslee for VP. But Bennet also did very well on climate, and tax policy, and is as solid on immigration as Castro. So I'd say either Inslee of Bennet is my dream VP.
Top of the ticket must be Warren. She's been thinking hard and long about what has slowly turned our democracy into a capitalist oligarchy. It is not illegal immigration. To return to what was great about the 50s, we need to rebuild the middle class...without all the racism and sexism.
Kamala Harris is better at attack, debate, and prosecution than problem-solving. She or Booker would be good for AG. I think she would be better, since she would prosecute the current ROPUS.
Butegeig is seriously underexperienced, with zero time in Washington.
3
Buttigig is great but Harris has potential to be abrasive. Joe was an easy shot. She showed disinclination to discuss the history or maybe she doesn't understand the history.
6
Universal healthcare is a wonderful idea, but it is entirely unrealistic to think that we can we can eliminate private insurance. I am grateful for medicare, and I am equally grateful my supplemental, without which my bills would not be paid. I want to choose my own physicians, in or out of network, and my hospitals.
PS. Private insurance doesn't cover cosmetic surgery. That's all on the patient. Healthcare reform needs to cover vision and dental as well.
3
@zula
Yes on the vision and dental! I’ve never understood the exclusion.
2
@zula: it’s only unreal because that’s what the insurance corps. and hedge funds want you to believe. Does Medicare preclude you from choosing a doctor? And you do not choose your hospital, get serious. You go where your doc tells you to go.
The vast majority of countries have socialized medicine and it works fine for most people. There will always be horror stories, but I doubt they’d be worse than some of the ones under our current system.
2
Frank, This is only a dream ticket if what you are dreaming of is losing to TRUMP. It remains to be seen if the Democratic party is determined NOT to appeal to independent voters.
9
The notion that two flawed candidates somehow complement each other is itself flawed. His flaw is inexperience while hers is a shallowness, opportunism and ruthlessness that is far less offensive than Trump's and yet more pronounced than many of the other leading contenders.
Bernie may be too left for some, but he is by far the most consistent, inclusive, progressive and intellectually honest of the two dozen on offer. Warren is not far behind.
Be wary of neophytes who insist the frontrunners are either too old or come with too much baggage. There is no one who has escaped decades of public service unblemished. It's part of the learning process and in many cases affords them a level of insight, experience and maturity newcomers often lack.
Trump's dismal performance as president has nothing to do with his age. He was a nasty piece of work a half century ago and - as we can all see - that leopard never changed its spots.
7
Biden was surprisingly good.
Words are cheap; actions count.
Harris built her career prosecuting young black and Hispanic men and women and placing them in jail.
Biden started his career as a public defender, working his heart out to keep black and Hispanic men out of jail.
Harris exclaimed: I was one of those children bussed. Biden responded I championed and past the 1964 Voting Rights Act.
Harris questioned Biden's commitment to reversing climate change: Biden responded my administration championed and passed the most important international agreement combating climate change to date: and the agreement was signed by China, the main producer of CO2
I support Elizabeth Warren because I believe that she has the integrity, intelligence and passion to cause great changes in the US.
But when I hear a chorus of support for those who have nothing to show but words, I have to speak up.
350
@FDRDemocrat If this election is about kitchen table issues: jobs & education there's no way the Democrats lose. If the election is about immigration & reparations there's no way we can win. Warren & Harris are for reparations. In poll after poll, the overwhelming majority of Americans voters are against this. Reparations are the only issue that would compel independent swing voters to hold their nose & vote for Trump. Reparations guarantees the Democrats will lose the working class vote again. We can't afford this. Voters are also strongly against any legislation that would increase the flow of illegal immigration. But Warren & Harris are for policies that essentially not only decriminalize illegal immigration but encourage it. They & their progressives allies are on the wrong side of this issue. Last January NY lawmakers voted to allow illegal immigrants the ability to receive scholarships & financial aid. How are Democrats supposed to tell voters that state aid to help afford college isn't available for them but is available for those who are in this country illegally? Many state Democrats are now offering illegals free healthcare, welfare, food stamps, drivers licenses, schooling, in-state-tuition, & sanctuary. This is unsustainable. Why is the only answer, that they have an unrestricted right to come to the U.S.? The more benefits we give, the more will try to get here. It's an insane & impossible equation. If Harris or Warren are the nominees we lose big in 2020.
30
@Bill Brown
On immigration, one candidate last night got it right: we need a Marshal Plan for Central America. Not a plan that would steal American jobs because its population will work for slave wages, but a plan that creates a middle class in Central America, like ours, with decent wages and effective climate controls.
47
@FDRDemocrat How about a Marshall plan for America first! Nearly 80 percent of American workers (78 percent) say they’re living paycheck to paycheck, according to a 2017 report by employment website CareerBuilder. Mind you I'm talking about mostly working class people...you know the folks who progressive fanatics and their co-dependents whose will on earth they say they represent. You grow an economy in two ways: by increasing productivity or increasing employment. Investment in infrastructure allows you do both. Instead of waiting for cities to flood why not start building dams in every state that is vulnerable. Mitigation is the 1st key to fighting climate change.
22
Gee Frank = Let's be real - we need a candidate who will beat 45 in the Electoral College as well as in the popular the vote. So far the only one I see who can do this is Joe Biden. Yes - he was overwhelmed last night, but listening to him in Chicago today restored my faith in him. I was less than thrilled with Kamala Harris's takedown of Biden. The Dems need to focus on the horrors that 45 and his band of Repubs have done to our democracy. Not on beating each other up.
5
I am telling you right now that Andrew Yang only got 3 minutes in the total debate.... Harris got pandered to at EVERY corner. I swear to you if Dems do what they did in 2016 by edging out the populists, and stacking debate crowds (which was CLEARLY the case for Harris last night) you can count my vote out this time too.
5
A Harris/Castro ticket would be perfect. I believe that they both would give Trump a run for the money.
1
Fine. But then you'll have to deal with the waking nightmare of a four more years of Trump. That's the brutal reality.
5
If you're right, it's bad news for US democracy, already in trouble. In trouble for the literally Classical weakness of democracy, that the Demos is more impressed by appearance than by reality.
As is often pointed out, tv has made this siituation worse than before. "Will that make voters feel tingly enough?", you ask. "Phrases like these came like candies from a Pez dispenser — colorful, sweet and one after the other", "Harris had a fire that Buttigieg lacked, and it was mesmerizing." And so it goes.
Much better are earlier comments on Warren having distinct, coherent, informed proposals for addressing serious matters.
2
I really liked Harris last night -- more than previously--and am always extremely impressed with Mayor Pete. My problem: I just cannot get behind a candidate who would be single payer, medicare for all, take away the people's private insurance preferences. But for that, I'd be on board with Harris or Warren. My real choice would be Pete but I'm afraid of all the bigots out there, many of them closet bigots and racists.
5
Hard pass on Mayor Pete. I agree that he sounds too good to be true--because he is. We don't need a centrist mangement consultant in the White House.
6
If you run an articulate, urbane candidate you can feel good and then watch a re-run campaign of Adlai Stevenson in 1956.
Bruce Springsteen recently told the Dems to nominate someone who can speak to hard working voters and not the elites. I will take Joe Biden in a Michigan or Pennsylvania beer hall.
2
No they did not. That is nobody's dream. Bernie or die!
2
I'd prefer a Warren/Buttigieg ticket with Harris running DOJ.
8
Biden didn't work with segregationists on segregation, and his position on busing doesn't make him morally suspect. Harris' attacks on him are not only unfair, but a perfect example of how the Democrats struggle to win national elections.
Biden worked with segregationists in order to do what positive things he could get done.
What if uber-woke, progressively pure Democrats could work with knuckle-dragging, "hateful" heartland Republicans on climate change, gun control, China, Middle East policy, the cost of medical care, prison reform - but still disagreed on reparations for slavery, abortion, etc.
What if Democrats didn't constantly put a red velvet rope around their party, checking progressive i.ds on every prospective Democratic voter, and instead focused on creating a truly diverse coalition of Americans who would fight over all sorts of subjects, while working together on very important ones.
Wouldn't that be a win?
Some times I wonder if Democrats really want to win politically. "Politically" in the old fashioned sense of winning elections in order to wield legislative power, rather than merely affirming one's membership in the Cool Kids clique.
9
If those two become the nominees we lost the election. America does not want a women president . We saw 3 million more Hilary votes and won the popular vote but America corrupt electoral college voted other wise. Then an openly gay man should be nothing wrong with that these days unless you are a homo phobic GOP and a church goer. They are so hostile to people like that and the churches support that support and we get a bad man like Trump in. Stick with Joe Biden . These debates turn me off. You are giving the GOP ammunition to do more damage to our party permanently. Very sad to many candidates.
2
Ok then! 4 more years of Trump! Can you imagine how Trump would cream such a ticket?
3
Where we are as a country today is similar to where we were in 1960 when Kennedy and Nixon were running for office. John Kennedy said while campaigning against Richard Nixon in 1960 that the Republican Party, "is controlled by men who believe the past is bright." And while many now look at Joe Biden with fondness because of Obama, he is not the future and I like Joe. Some folks talk about the legislative experience factor and while there is something to be said for that, look at the experience the apricot hellbeast brought to the WH...lying and corporate greed mentality. Senator Harris was very impressive. And Mayor Buttigieg is articulate and very knowledgeable. I really like them both. They to me represent the future and I'm an old guy. But here's the hard question. We've can obviously elect an African American again, but how ready and willing is America to also elect someone who's experience extends no further than being a mayor and being gay? And I ask this with the utmost respect. Are there enough dissatisfied mad voters on the Republican side to vote for a Harris/Buttigieg ticket?
1
@Luther
The Obama administration was not fill with hellbeasts that brought lying and corporate greed to the White House.
If they had, why was so much money spent in the last election by the top 1% to elect Trump for the express purpose of reversing most of Obama's achievements?
Obama may not have been as liberal as you may have liked, but Obama did more than every President, after LBJ, to enact positive change in America.
1
Buttigieg, Biden, and Booker have all fumbled.
Frank you might as well kiss a dream ticket with any one of those three over.
Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Julian Castro were the only 3 that came out okay at the first debate.
1
If the democrats can change the conversation to the best candidate for the most people, instead it being about a "black woman" and "gay married man," maybe there's a chance. Didn't we learn anything from trying to have a "woman president" voted in in 2016?
5
I know its extraordinarily early and the front runner will change 14 times in the next 6 months but I love the idea of a Harris-Buttigieg ticket!
3
I would love a Harris/Castro ticket! Let's WIN!
Why does everyone call Kamala Harris, Black? She's also Indian. 50%. I just love how one ethnicity seems more important than another to progressives. And that more important one is obviously "black". It was the same with Tiger Woods and Obama.
4
Lots of gushing about how "articulate" Kamala Harris is. Just goes to show you how far we've come. Every time we see a prominent candidate who happens to be a person of color, the buzz word is "articulate", as if we're all stunned by the fact that an African American knows how to talk.
2
Key question to ask in a debate: Who are your biggest donors and how much money have they given you?
2
Kamala the planned attack and laid in wait to use it. Although I get the all gloves off theory of politics, the dems must be a united party. Joe Biden is not a racist !!! Quit trying to paint him as such to take him down. (Corey and Kamala) It is not helping your party. She got in a zinger, but that will fade from the headlines soon enough - let's step back and see what she and the other contenders are made of - we've got plenty of time. Breathe people, don't make the first debate a fait accompli.
6
It the height of absurdity to pick a small city mayor for any high level post. Pete Buttigieg is ambassador to Norway material at best.
1
It would be a better ticket without Harris
3
Frankly, I'd vote for my dead cat if it could beat Trump.
2
Harris was a bully towards Biden and she used preplanned corny “food on the table” to get a sound byte which she obviously did get. The media love stuff like that, but I thought you, Frank, were too smart for that. She lost many Democratic votes last night, including mine.
8
I would go with a Harris-Castro ticket. Imagine a latino/black coalition and women in general. If they can flip Texas where Castro is well known, they would not need the rust belt states.
Not a dream for victory.
2
I think Julian Castro and Elizabeth Warren is the best democratic ticket.
2
I'm looking for a reason not to vote for Trump again.
The fact none of the candidates have any real border plan besides do not deport those who are here illegally and give healthcare was where I about turned the TV off.
The intense focus on 'The Child In Cages' - no one made these parents come here. However, America owes them nothing.
Most os us were immigrants but that was a different time and the country has changed since Ellis Island. Harsh, but most of America will not get behind a plan supporting illegals when we have our own poor at home. We owe Latin America involvement to help their governments and get all the leaders at the table.
I really enjoy Pete, but a vote for Trump will mean nothing to those who enter illegally – who are breaking American laws – and I am OK with that. No matter how sensationalized, how many Mom/Kid photos we get pushed in our faces (cheery picked, go look up the DHS stats on the website. It isn't all Mommies/Kids, but that's what they want you think, since EVERY PHOTO is a mom/kid).
Of course, I'll get told I am a bigot, but when Trump walks into the oval office for a second term, I guess liberals will have a moment and realize they were wrong the entire time.
Trump was a joke 3 years ago. Now, there are 20 people fighting for a chance at Trump. He is the zombie president, no matter how many rape accusations, no matter how many women come forward, Trump continues, and will continue.
5
Scott from Az, I agree totally with your argument and I am an old black woman who has never ever voted for a Republican but I just might have to pinch my nose and take a deep breath and vote for the most immoral president in my life time, and I am 73 years old.
2
Oh , please.
This was only the SECOND DEBATE.
Harris behaved like a prosecutor - no surprise there.
Buttigieg is everybody's new cute toy -
Let's see what the future brings.
3
I wish it could be different but the DEMs cannot win with a Black and a Gay. The country is just not ready for that. We may never be....
1
Your dreaming Frank, Harris came across bitter.
Mayor Pete intelligence yes, get back to me in a decade on him.
He has a future in politics.
3
One sees a real zeal to serve the country in all of these candidates. What a contrast to the self-serving narcissist currently in the WH. The candidates have to be a little tough on one another for awhile but when the dust settles we all want a strong and united ticket.
1
I'll vote for anyone who runs against Trump, but this ticket has no chance of happening.
2
Imagine the debate between Mayor Pete and Mike Pence!!
383
@Sarah I guess Mike Pence would be tense without his wife present to talk to Mayor Pete... :) :)
26
@Sarah Remember Pence in 2016. He lied his way through the debate with Kane. He’d do the same with mayor Pete.
5
@Brett Stephens Love it!!!
5
It is amusing to see all the early hoopla surrounding this first debate(s). Some candidates came out swinging and tossed some under the bus to find an advantage (KH) while others rose above the fray and stood out with class, composure and merit (Mayor Pete and Castro). It's a long way to the eventual nomination but so much fun watching the fray.
2
This opinion piece comes across more like a commercial for a product than it does a serious analysis of issues confronting voters. But then, that's the problem with most of the so-called political commentary coming from corporate media -- to them, the candidates are just that -- products. It doesn't matter what they're trying to sell, it's how well they sell it. Not coincidentally, Harris and Buttigieg have raised more campaign funds from wealthy donors than any of the other Democratic candidates except Biden. Has this writer asked himself why that is -- what those donors are counting on from these three? Has he asked these candidates why the bulk of their campaign funds has come from wealthy donors and what that implies for their policies? Has he looked at their histories for clues (e.g., Harris' refusal to go after the banks for fraudulent and predatory loan practices as California's AG, despite the urging of her staff)? And has he compared the potential impact on them to Biden's votes against curbing credit card interest and making it easier for ordinary citizens to declare bankruptcy in the face of unsurmountable medical bills? These candidates are selling themselves to the highest bidders. Bruni might have a more successful career in corporate advertising than he has as a political journalist.
4
It's not surprising that the passionate Harris won many hearts. And I would vote for her if she becomes a nominee. But I doubt that her rather radical policy suggestions will fly in primaries, let alone national elections.
3
Harris, whom I like, proved that she can go on the attack, but she attacked the wrong person.
The person she should have attacked was Donald Trump.
It is unfortunate that none of the candidates, over the course of two nights, voiced a detailed, full-throated denunciation of Trump.
That is what we are longing for first and foremost.
9
Something no one is mentioning is charisma. These two have it. They make others look tired and sorry - old. We don’t just need policy we need inspiration and good brawlers because it will be brutal. Those who assume the purple state Dems will be fleeing in droves does those states and people a disservice as if they can’t reason think and listen for themselves.
2
Brilliant analysis. I would be happy with this ticket, improbable as it seems. What’s wrong with dreaming big this early in the race?
Kamala Harris' debate was strong but she needs to answer for the positions she took as a prosecutor in California. While I am sure there are plenty of good DA's and prosecutors out there, she repeatedly refused to do the right thing to ensure justice was carried out when she was a prosecutor. As a huge supporter of public defenders in general, I am very hesitant to vote for a former prosecutor. Harris' record for defending peoples' rights while she was a prosecutor is poor.
7
The problem with debates is that they mostly define who is the better ACTOR.
That is one reason why we have Donald Trump. He is a highly seasoned veteran celebrity performer who knows the tricks of the acting trade (how to talk without going hoarse, how to pause for applause, how to deliver a zinger, and how to sustain dramatic tension).
Kamala Harris is a seasoned star debater. But the person who gets into office doesn't spend the day on stage looking good and being articulate. He or she must craft functional legislation and spend hours reaching out to people with opposing viewpoints.
I wish we had a better way to test which candidate is good at the day-to-day skills of being president.
4
Thank you for your service, Joe! Maybe it is time to pass the torch.
While many have been criticizing Biden lately for his moderate history and for working effectively with those that he disagreed with, he is a true American hero. Obama picked him for a reason - his experience, his savvy, and his ability to get things done in a divided Washington.
For those progressives out there determined to tear down anyone who is "not pure," please remember that Biden was the one who forced Obama's hand on gay marriage, which rapidly led to DoMA being struck down and gay marriage being legalized. And his votes on busing were the same as most of the congressional black caucus at the time.
6
Harris / Buttigieg is a marvelous ticket! They are both intellectually brilliant with resumes of competence and achievement.
The only way for the Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is not voting. All the king’s comrades won’t be able to re-elect Humpty Trump if the dems JUST VOTE!
3
None of this means anything unless you can not recover the Senate and retain the House. The question then is who can deliver them. After two ridiculous debates which were nothing more that reality TV for political junkies, I do not have that answer.
6
Its sheer lunacy to imagine a ticket of Harris and Buttieg or any other concatenation of "progressives" can capture the purple state electoral votes needed to oust the deviant orange menace from the Oval Office. Whether the Democratic ticket wins by 10% or 25% in NY and California matters not at all. But whether the electoral votes in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Illinois fall in the Democratic column is everything. The enthusiasms of "progressives" and millenials are well meant and touching but a bit of realism is needed if this threat to our society is to be defeated.
5
Also older folks actually vote. Many value experience
3
If I remember correctly, a talking point of Pete’s is that Indiana went blue only once in 50 years - and that was for Barack Obama.
1
Excellent analysis. Thanks!!!
I find Harris a bit strident and unfair in criticizing Biden. Look, he's been in congress for a long time, and he had to work with segregationists. The Times and Harris are applying presentism to judge Biden. That said, Harris performed well last night.
5
Contrast the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates against the GOP 2016 candidates including Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham, Scott Walker, and Rick Perry! What an embarrassment of riches we Democrats now have and what a pathetic and corrupt gaggle of losers the GOP presented. Whomever we choose we Democrats must put aside our differences and elect a Democrat that will start to repair the damage (again!) that the GOP has caused our country. But we must also take the Senate and send Trump and McConnell into the dustbin of history. Perhaps after they serve jail sentences.
5
@Ted. What damage are you talking about?
1
I am a Democrat. Democrats attacking Democrats is not a good idea.
I dont think Harris has a shot to beat Trump at all.
Its silly.
Lets not lose again.
I wanted Bloomberg to run.
I think he is the only Democrat that could beat Trump.
We dont want 4 more years of Trump when RBG may die thus giving the Republicans at 6 to 3 Supreme Court.
Please not Harris-Buttigieg.
We need a win here.
6
Sorry, Mr. Bruni, but Twitter is the last place you should be looking for reassurance that a Harris- Buttigieg ticket is the right path to win the White House. We all know Democratic Twitter users are largely urban...and largely far to the left of most Americans (your own newspaper says so). A ticket led by a Berkeley-raised California liberal crying racial grievance means four more years of Donald Trump. But you wouldn’t know that by consulting those who reside on Twitter. It’s a simple truth that can be gleaned by talking to the electorate who reside in the states key to the electoral college. And here’s a hint— that’s not people in California and New York.
12
I’m loving Mayor Pete. I don’t care if he looks 25, I don’t care who his partner is. I care that he’s smart, has compassion and is experienced. Let’s bring that to the table. The Democrats need someone who can WIN.
9
Biden - Kasich ticket for beating Trump
O'rourke - Buttigieg ticket for wildcard. O'rourke could take Texas which would ensure a landslide.
1
@Joe: Kasich has turned Ohio into part of the Deep South. Beto is going no where. He seems like a teenager who got invited to the adult table at Thanksgiving.
5
Sorry, Frank. Your recommendation will give the Presidency to the con man in 2020 on a silver platter. None of them are ready. Harris need to spend two term in the senate and run. Her accomplishments will speak for itself. Pete needs to do the same and figure out how to win a seat in Congress. Both of them are smart, intelligent and politically savvy. Rather than wasting their time for campaigning, they should serve as our champion to expose the daily criminal activities by the con man, his corrupt family and cronies. There are thousands of ammunitions for them. Control the news cycle - get under con man’s skin and let people know our emperor has no clothe. Yes, they can do it!
3
Here are the top picks. Warren, Harris, Castro, Buttigieg. I would not be bothered with Warren and Harris together. I really like the Idea of Castro in the VP slot. Buttigieg needs more experience but not as VP. Having said that I don't see him as president either but he needs a top spot in the cabinet.
2
With all due respect,Biden is still there for all practical purposes without any known dent in his ratings !
6
A Warren-Castro ticket is also a winning path for the Democrats, and for this country as well!
3
@PlatosOwl. Sorry, but no one wants open borders.
Likedd K. Harris going into the debate and liked her more on this side of it. The same goes for Mayor Pete. I thought Biden and Sanders were too old going in and, wow, now I think they're a couple of old cranks. Bernie seemed so wiggety that I expected him to start talking about the pudding cup he can have when this is over.
Two very smart and capable people who clearly would work to move the nation forward......forward out of the current blight upon this nation by the current administration, and it's complete lack of integrity much less brains.
I would definitely vote for a Harris/Buttigieg ticket.
I would also definitely vote for a Warren/Buttigieg ticket as well.
I want to see a woman as president... and Buttigieg would be a very positive addition and would compliment either Harris or Warren very well in my view.
Sorry.. Bernie and Joe..... what we do not need is another old grumpy white male president. We need something fresh and without stereotype.
3
@Chuck So, racism and sexism are wrong, but ageism is fine and dandy. Why not attack their platforms instead of their ages?
3
@sohy
It has NOTHING to do with age per se..... it is however OLD BIASED THINKING
Harris didn't impress me for attacking Biden on one issue. When Pete B. admitted he wasn't "able to get it done" I appreciated his honesty but it did wound his candidacy for now.
Biden and Sanders stumbled and had trouble at moments with their speaking and their age showed.
We live in a bigoted country and I am concerned that Harris and Pete B. will not only lose but cause the same same effect that happened under Obama-the 900+ losses in state legislators all over the country for the Deems.
4
for what ever his reasons, biden missed his chance in 2016. he should have run against HRC because she was a seriously damaged candidate who ultimately lost to trump because of that. had biden run in 2016 he would be president and we would not be witnessing this democratic debacle. at this time it would be a mistake to for democrats to make him the nominee.
2
Biden is indeed a flawed candidate both for carrying too much baggage from the past and seeming increasingly feeble. The dilemma for Democrats is that Biden has been the only one running who has shown the ability to attract both white working class and minority voters. I definitely agree that Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg are the class act among those running for the nomination. And I would eagerly vote for a Harris-Buttigieg ticket. Still I am skeptical that they could stir broad enthusiasm from both both working-class and minority voters that Biden appeals to. None of the other candidates fills the bill. In terms of beating Trump, a Biden-Harris ticket seems to me the strongest. But after last night's blood-letting I wonder if that is still a possibility.
2
@JackEgan
I don't think Harris could win any swing states. Some of my black friends don't even like her. They prefer Biden.
Harris has always lead a very privileged life compared to most Americans. Her father was a college professor at Stanford and her mother a physician. She never talks much about her Indian heritage, which I've read has bothered many Asian women. Harris comes across as phony to me, when she plays the part of the victim. I know a lot of poor southern black folks who have endured a lot more racism than Harris has, and none of them went to high school in Canada, like Harris did. They are very pragmatic when it comes to voting.
Harris is certainly strong, but she's not always clear as to what positions she holds. I will vote for whoever becomes the Democratic nominee in the generals because anyone will be a big improvement compared to what we have now. I don't care about the person's race, gender, or age. I only care about the candidate that can appeal to enough voters to win the election. If you live in a very blue state, I don't think you're a good judge of what it will take to beat Trump.
9
Seems that most of the Democratic candidates need a quick class in Economics 101 and 2.0 then a general psychology course followed by a philosophy course to define what an average tax payer, a poor working stiff wants from our government. We want our tax dollars to be as little as possible to do a good job to fund government but we want healthcare and decent schools, hospitals and a good paying job.
Democratic candidates are not focused on the needs of average Americans when they advocate for illegal immigration and healthcare and drivers licenses for anyone who can set a foot on American soil.
5
It might be premature to say Biden is toast, but after an utterly inept performance last night he's certainly on the ropes. Aside from being done up like a kipper by Harris, Joe looked as if he was having trouble marshaling his facts and stringing a sentence together. Whilst this might be due to any number of reasons, it won't play well with those who have doubts over his advancing years. To be fair, Castro, despite being a major player in debate 1, misspoke a few times too, but that has gone unnoticed in the excitement of his rise from the dead.
While Frank is right to highlight Mayor Pete's polished performance on the debate stage, he seems to have forgotten just how bewildered and flustered the candidate looked when the voters of South Bend were savaging his track record earlier in the week.
It was Harris's night, alright, but one issue troubles me. Why the heck is she constantly flipping on Medicare for all? If she can't make up her mind on something as central to her prospects as that, then she ain't gonna survive the next seven months of campaigning.
2
I'll take either Harris or Warren, but think a better running mate for either would be Julian Castro.
168
@moodygirl I like Kamala Harris as a candidate, but I disagree with her position on Medicare For All. I can just see the insurance-industry lobbyists and Republicans crafting their criticism : "If you like your private health care coverage, we'll take it away from you." I am quite happy with my Medicare coverage, but I was also happy with the private health coverage from my employer when I was working. I contributed a small amount, and the company paid for the rest. I think a more sensible approach would be to expand Medicare and offer a buy-in for those under 65, especially if they are not offered health care, or what they consider quality health care, from their employer. Give people a choice. That is the position of the majority of Democratic candidates for President.
15
OMG, you lose me at every turn; Castro will have this country a failed state before he finishes his first term, he is an advocate to Latinx vote. Full stop.
6
@Selvin Gootar Sorry to disagree, but I'm from Canada putting my 2 cents worth in (that's in Canadian funds) and believe in government-funded healthcare for all.
13
Are people afraid MFA will mean they'll have to stop paying their insurance companies for healthcare coverage? No. They're afraid MFA will mean they have to give up their current doctors.
91% of doctors currently accept Medicare patients. MFA won't mean people can't choose to keep the doctors they already have.
Plus, Medicare covers primary care. People can maintain their insurance for things not covered, if they want, or add perks to their Medicare coverage. Not everybody is pushing the Bernie Plan. Also, people will still need to buy insurance for their cars, homes, life, etc. So people needn't worry about the insurance industry going belly up.
The biggest difference MFA will make is, because it's non profit, people will pay less for their healthcare coverage. And not have to worry about being cut off due to pre-existing conditions.
4
This is why I ignore debates. We're not electing a debater, but someone who can govern and lead effectively, with experience and knowledge in domestic and foreign affairs. I would put Ms Harris and Mr Buttigieg fairly low on the list. She has a questionable record as Attorney General, and he showed his weakness in dealing with his constituents last weekend.
Next!
11
For the last couple months, a Harris-Buttigieg team has indeed taken shape as my "dream ticket." Either of them could mop the floor with an opponent as sloppy and insubstantial as Trump. They may be too smart and rational for the (less than) 43 percent who are going to support Trump no matter what he or anyone else does, but we desperately need a return to law and order, stability, process, rectitude, integrity. And words of more than three syllables.
1
The debate was rigged, a few candidates received the bulk of the questions and everyone else was left fighting for table scraps. Andrew Yang only received 2 questions the whole night. Shame on the Democrats and MSNBC.
6
Given the situation in the GOP and how they are in league (actively or passively) with anti-democracy forces around the world.
I'll vote for any of the aspiring Democratic candidates in the general election. That is it.
I am not going to get too wrapped up in making sure the Democrat is the 'perfect' candidate or the one I would personally prefer.
2
@Seattle. What a bizarre claim. Please supply your proof.
I am Harris/Castro.
Bruni, get out the smelling salts. Harris? The "hanging judge" of CA justice? No thanks.
11
Harris comes off as inauthentic to me, including last night. Look at her backstory, look at her forced emotion and forced outrage in her "breakout Moment" in the debate. I'll hold my nose and pull the lever for her if she winds up as the nominee, otherwise no thanks.
17
The Mayor Pete and Harris ticket will not win the general election. We might as well hand over the White House keys to Trump tomorrow. I'm sure Trump and company is delighted Harris and Mayor Pete are today's talk of the town. It's ludicrous that Dems continue to eat their own. That approach is the pathway to defeat. Harris was not a great DA in SF, nor was she as progressive as she claims to be. Mayor Pete can't solve problems in South Bend, so how can he be expected to do anything in the White House, especially if the GOP takes the Senate again in 2020? Buttigieg ran for the DNC Chair position in 2015, which clearly indicates his ambition, which is fine. But first he needs to do his job in South Bend before he runs for national office. He's articulate, but that's not enough to convince me he can be President in 2020.
5
My gut says no on both of these candidates. It's not going to happen.
7
Bruni finishes his article by stating that elections are about the future. I’ve been saying this for years. Thank you!
The Democrats mission is to elect the candidate who can get rid of Trump, keep control of the house, and gain control of the senate. Period. Hash out the rest of all the policy similarities after that.
8
For heaven's sake, let not repeat the dumb mistakes of 2016. This is not about the popular vote; this is about the distribution of Electoral College votes.
Kamala Harris might get (some) Californians and (some) New Yorkers all excited. But it not enough. She's not going to cut it in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas or Florida.
She is a good debater...she'd mop the floor with Trump.
But her dramatic stylings about being a poor little black girl being bused to school are not going to survive GOP fact-checking. She is the child of privilege and effectively came of age as a resident of Montreal. Her record as California AG is going to be a sea-anchor around the ticket.
There is a role for her in the Senate. There may be a great role for her in a Democratic Cabinet...but don't put her at the top of the ticket and watch the Electoral College deep-six Democrats the way that it did Clinton.
There are good options for Democrats...but Harris is not the one.
16
@Patrick Borunda You said exactly what I've been thinking.
1
Give me a break! Where are their policies, the most important, significant and crucial information for choosing a candidate? So they look good in an undebate and that's supposed to make them worthy candidates? Get serious! If viewers are choosing candidates as a result of these two boring undebates then the American people are fooling themselves. This is not reality. What is important is that Trump is defeated, the candidate running against him has courage, sheer brilliance, the absolute determination to win presidential-like experience, public appeal, compassion and workable policies that speak to the very serious problems of fixing a capitalist system that works only for the wealthy and corporations You know who that is don't you? Elizabeth Warren. You just watch her rise!
4
This has been my dream ticket for months now!!
2
What voters and the political chattering class need to realize is that on most of the most consequential issues of the last 40 years Joe Biden has, to put it simply, been wrong.
On debt relief he sided with the financial services/credit card companies, allowing middle class Americans to become prey to the rapturous greed of Wall Street and accelerated the transfer of wealth to the useless, non-productive speculative class.
His dismissive treatment of Anita Hill resulted in the confirmation of the worst Supreme Court Justice in our nation's history, Clarence Thomas, which has contributed to the intense right wing partisan slant of the current Court.
His vote in favor of the Iraq war resulted in an entirely foreseeable horror that wasted American blood, treasure, and honor in an episode that has made the Middle East more dangerous and America much poorer.
I do not think Joe Biden is a bad man, I truly think he is a good man. A good man with exceeding bad judgement that we can no longer afford.
2
I have always liked Biden and think that he would make a good president. Last night I saw in Harris a prosecutors strength . I saw someone who could make the case . Trump will never realize that the presidency is not about him. He cannot grasp this fact because his hunger for approval never ceases. I like Warren but as much as she can do the job if she remains in the Senate can remain a very powerful force for positive change. Do not get me wrong Warren could hold her own with Trump and do a great job as president. I will support a Democratic ticket because Trump is a dangerous demented egotist . I think that a Harris-Buttigieg or Warren-Buttigieg ticket would be ideal. Sanders is an idea man and in my opinion better suited to the Senate. I was also impressed by Bennett from Colorado . He is smart, articulate and appears to be well informed on the issues. No matter who wins the nomination it is going to be a very ugly election because Trump is going to make it so. There is though one point about Biden that needs to be made. As fine a gentleman as he is one cannot work with McConnell. McConnell needs to be put in his place. I think that either Harris or Warren can do it. Joe has to realize that Senate is not what it used to be when he was there.
Overall the Democratic Party has an impressive group of candidates . Compared to the Republicans in 2016 one can see that the Republican Party is a spent force though in its death spiral still very dangerous .
1
It is not likely. I thought her performance in the debate was trashy, attacking another of the candidates like that with her diatribe about some nebulous thing he supposedly said. No, I think most voters recognize her for what she is, a bitter woman blaming her unhappy feelings on some nebulous notion of “discrimination”, trying to convince others that the world of fifty years ago is somehow the world of today. Like many Americans, she seems to believe that the world she sometimes sees on television represents reality in real life.
6
I really wish Joe Biden could let this go. His turn came and went, he wasnt the right guy, and now is definitely not the time. It will be Hillary 2.0
4
The Democratic Party leadership and the mainstream media would much rather nominate a reliably corporate-controlled Democrat, such as Senator Harris--and lose to President Trump--than nominate the Socialist Senator Sanders and have him elected President.
7
Harris/Buttigieg is not my dream ticket.
Warren/Buttigieg, or Warren/Harris, or Warren/Booker...
I think Harris is fantastic in the Senate. She's great in the Senate confirmation hearings. She does her homework and asks the right questions.
But I don't think she is what I want in the White House.
I have a favorite democrat duo in mind, but at this point in our history, the winning duo in my opinion is anyone that can beat trump!
2
At least we Democrats have a carload of intelligent problem solvers rather than the Republican clown car we've seen the past coupe of elections.
4
Kamala Harris is a tremendously capable person. She should stand on her own merits and not resort to playing the reverse race card. I am not African American myself, but like Joe Biden, I am in my 70s and have seen a lot. Ms Harris wraps herself in the mantel of the African American Civil Rights heritage when she is herself an American of South Asian/Jamaican mixed ancestry. I would warrant that Joe Biden likely has a more complete understanding of the disempowering African American legacy stemming from enslavement to Jim Crow than does Kamala Harris. Despite being educated at Howard University, her lived experience is more that of an upwardly mobile immigrant family than that of an African American family bearing the burden of historic and systemic racial discrimination. I would suggest that Ms Harris focus more on policy and cease taking cheap shots at Joe Biden while posing as an African American.
12
If the Democrats, nominate anyone else, except, Joe Biden, then the election is over. Let us be honest here. Let us do the electoral math. Joe Biden, is the only candidate that the people who voted for Trump, would switch and vote, Democrat. What is our goal here?? Defeat Trump?? or Open all our perceived shortcomings and destroy ourselves, reelecting Trump??
I for one, want to defeat Trump, and I for one, believe, that Joseph Biden, is the only candidate that Americans could unite again and heal the nation.
4
Biden will be the nominee. Harris knows nothing about unions, fighting for workers, fighting Trump like only an Irish guy can do. I don’t care how old he is or that he is white or that he is a man.
5
After last night I will not vote for Harris under any circumstances.
8
No way!
Democratic Party must come to the center to win 2020.
5
That is what I think too, and I live in the maligned MIDWEST. We white women did not all vote for Trump, and in fact I have voted for a Democrat in every election since President Carter. Go Kamala and go Pete!
1
Yes; Biden was all for the glorious past .... kinda a softer version of Make America Great Again. He says so himself - "Make America America Again".
Biden is too old, too stuck in the past (I introduced the first ----- thirty years ago) and too used to the old way of doing things.
The winds of change are blowing globally; just look at UK (Brexit?) and Europe (alt right?); and even Australia in the early stages of becoming China's vassal state.
We need new thinking and fresh approaches - not old paradigms driven by tired old men.
I like the energy brought by Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris and the pithy statements from Pete. I hope one or more of these three make the ticket.
To be fair on the health insurance question. It was "would You be willing to give up your private insurance for mediacare for all." She said yes she would give up Hers.
I don't understand the hype about Mayor Buttigieg and with all due respect to Senator Harris, she's very clever to capitalize on Senator Booker's initial criticism of VP Biden.
Despite her glowing news coverage since her kickoff, she hasn't caught on, perhaps because she's got excellent political instincts but few, if any original ideas.
7
Though much is bound to happen from now to next summer’s nominating convention, I would say the likeliest Democratic ticket at this point is Warren-Castro, with Warren-Booker a lesser possibility. It’s hard to imagine a ticket that doesn’t include a women and/or racial minority. Kamala Harris is both, but her prosecutorial fervor, as seen last night in her attack on Joe Biden for missteps on race, some long in the past, may not always work to her advantage. Warren isn’t exactly low-key, but her persistent focus on questions of economic fairness will appeal to a more diverse group of voters. Castro and Cory Booker both have experience in national as well as local politics, but a Texan would make for a more balanced ticket than another northeasterner.
Biden's prospects have dimmed considerably in recent weeks. Sanders is calling for nothing less than a second American Revolution, which you could say is a non-starter with most voters. The only real question is who, if anyone, these two stalwarts will eventually throw their support to.
Of all the current contenders, Pete Buttigieg strikes me as the most intelligent and articulate. His nomination for either slot on the ticket still seems a long shot.
3
I have been pushing for Harris from before she decided to run. I am floored to find so many exceptional candidates running as well.
I've watched town halls, speeches, the women of color Q&A, the NY Times Q&A, these early debates and anything else I can find that does not involve commentators and I can honestly say we have a number of great choices. It is also far enough away that the Democrats, Independents and the small percentage of Republicans who do not blindly support McConnell/Trump will rally behind them regardless of gender, religion, race, age, or orientation. It's those behind Trump who can not.
If I evaluate them based on who can take on Trump without being pushed off point or distracted by his reality tv freak show, it would be Harris and Buttigieg. Harris has proven this many times over in the many side show hearings, and Buttigieg is unflappable. A great ticket in my book, as well.
2
Certainly an argument for rhetorical presentation; and, so very pursuant to the present importance of Trump's entertainment rhetoric. Sadly, Kamala Harris has not yet even showed meaningful leadership for CA as either AG (prosecutor) or very junior Senator. For me, however, Elizabeth Warren clearly has thought more, experienced more, and has the proven ability of rational analysis. Mayor Pete has much of that on a lower level of experience. I will vote for almost any Blue; but Harris at the top of a ticket gives me real pause.
6
I just hope that the great sorting happens fast. Now that these people have gotten some attention on a big stage, the serious among them need to face reality and quickly decide whether they’re actual contenders or not. If not, and if they’re not already serving in the Senate, they need to help out in the race that really matters in 2020, the race against Mitch McConnell. Make the Grim Reaper the minority leader and just maybe they can save the nation, if not civilization.
5
Well, I don't think we can be dispositive about the relative abilities of Harris, Biden and Buttigieg in the White House. One would think they would be brilliant but I don't think we can assume that. Mayor Pete, afterall, is Mayor Pete. One shouldn't conflate City Hall in South Bend with the Situation Room. Of course, if Trump is the benchmark, perhaps South Bend is okay.
I've heard Biden today and he sounds alive and well. He isn't senile. As for Sanders, he sounded like a raging 1930s trade union socialist. I have deep skepticism that he would be effective in the White House. As for Kamala Harris, like Sanders and Warren she has very expansive ideas on the role of the federal government. Creating a multi-trillion dollar health care insurance program that will cover all the medical, dental, psychiatric and long term care for 330 million people is indeed aspirational, as is the Green New Deal. However, there is no apparent reason to believe that these programs will be implemented in the first or even second term of her administration.
We will learn more as the debates continue.
3
@Yankelnevich
Sanders is doing a great job of making all of us think. We need more people like Sanders who understand the pros and cons of issues and is not afraid to speak his mind. A politicians who has solutions. We may not like him but we can all learn from Sanders, because we need to have open minds for this election otherwise we will loose our democracy.
Last night's debate was was exactly as Frank Bruni describes.
There is however one elephant in the room that is never addressed because the truth may be painful for Americans who love my country almost as much as I love my Canada.
Kamala Harris remembers vividly the bussing and integration of her childhood but her High School years were spent under the insurance of Canada's universal single payer system and Quebec's Medicare and in proximity to what is now McGill University Health Centers.
I found it ironic that when Senator Harris was asked about whether she would give up her private Health Insurance she could not give the easy answer because she had it during High School in Montreal and it was good.
We are at war with the Saudis but it is not a shooting war nor is it an economic war. It is a war of ethics and values and despite America's love of equating liberal and conservative as opposites here in Canada liberal conservatives and conservative liberals are not uncommon as the opposite of liberal is autocratic and the opposite of conservative is progressive. Since the word fascist is so charged with emotion maybe it is time to call the self-professed conservatives what they really are: Whigs or Tories. There are the traditional Tories who believe in autocrats, plutocrats and assorted tyrannies like President Trump and his minions and there are the "libertarians?" who would have Ms Rand repeating endless Mea Culpas.
2
Yes it is a dream. Dems should support the CO Governor. He made some great points about being the only person on the stage to actually do any of the things the other are dreaming about. Add in Harris as VP to that ticket. The problem Dems will have is these are all very big egos and I can't see one of them agreeing to VP status.
3
@ladyluck
A cabinet position where he could make great change for the nation. Egos leave in the garage, we need all hands on deck, we need to undo the last few years and march boldly into the future quickly. We have really smart people running for office and there is so much to do,
Listening to the people who worked for President Obama we can understand how a very well oiled brilliant democratic organization is suppose to run.
Yes the GOP are happy with hostile judges as the country dies trying to survive climate change and backward laws. Yes, the GOP wants to abuse women however we can work around their backwardness and move the country move forward.
How is this a dream ticket? And why is it that Democrats are such dreamers and not realists? Reality dictates that this ticket doesn't come close to beating Trump. You're reacting to a couple of lines from a soon-to-be-forgotten debate coming from two people who Trump will destroy. Whether you like it or not, the only candidate with a chance to win is Biden. Yes, he's old. Yes, his views are more moderate. But this still remains a moderate-conservative country, and only Biden has a shot to draw voters away from Trump.
14
@Mattbk It's good to hear someone from an area as blue as NYC come to terms with the fact that most of the country is moderate or slightly left of center. More than half of the Democratic Congress are left of center moderates too. Nominating someone who appears to be too far to the left will mean another four years of Trump.
I love the diversity in the Democratic party, but it will take someone fairly moderate to win enough electoral votes to become the next president.
2
It will come down to Warren and Harris, which will make for interesting debates. Pete is too "white Indiana", which he proved in his tepid response to the police shooting and what seems to be his inability to talk to or connect with people of color. Sure he's intelligent, but he's actually quite boring, possibly too cautious, and he definitely doesn't have the meddle to take on Trump and "the establishment" like Harris and Warren.
3
I am SO OLD that I remember the Republicans as being champions of gender equality, racial justice, international cooperation and the imperative of individual access to quality education.
That was a generation ago. When I used to be a Republican.
Now I see 20 Dems who know history, understand what policy "is" and can speak in complete sentences.
We need to engage the fire of Harris, the deep (if low-key) understanding and commitment of Mayor Pete if we are to restore democracy to America.
I'm so old that I recognize that younger thinkers must assume this exhausting job of the presidency. It's the young who will recover our heritage.
9
The impending elimination of jobs that will result from AI, robotics, self-driving vehicles, to name a few, make Andrew Yang's proposal of a Universal Basic Income pertinent.
He is ahead of the curve, and his idea should be revisited annually.
7
I am becoming tired of the incessant evaluation of people based on their race, age, orientation, etc etc., and I consider myself a strong progressive.
It’s important to have diversity in the Democratic Party - and it should continue to strive for more - but can we focus on ideas and the candidates as people rather than just “scoring” them based on the number of demographic boxes they check?
I suspect many in the general populace would agree. We should be the party that moves beyond these things, because they genuinely shouldn’t matter.
17
It is early in the process, much too early to know who will complete the marathon however it was still a relief. It was a relief to hear from a panel of candidates proposing solutions after 2 years of our failures being laid bare before our eyes. It was relief to see patriots again. People who I believe are earnest in their desire not for power or treasure, but in leading us back to not only what was the best of ourselves, but potentially an era where we are even better. It was a relief to hear 4 hours of deliberation over the best way to move forward instead of looking back to a time that never was great for so many. Above all, it was heartening to see the relief in my children as they listened intently to a group of candidates who I hope will help shape a better tomorrow for them.
7
The dream ticket is Warren and Harris. Let's vote for two smart people who are willing to deal with hard truths and conflicting national agendas.
4
What you saw as personalizing the debate, I saw as nearly narcissism. Harris kept framing everything in her very narrow viewpoint -- her job, her outrage, her difficulties. I want this to be about the vast number of things that need to be fixed, beginning with the definition and practice of democracy. I don't want a president who sees this through the lens of one set of experiences, one viewpoint. Don't we already have that?
26
I take point with the second debate being called the "top-tier", or front-runners, what have you. That was not how the debates were organized. I like the idea of a Warren-Buttigieg ticket but the first round of candidates were all long shots- at least in the eyes on the commentators last night and today.
2
Mister Bruni has every right to his opinions and his enthusiasms. I share some of them. But the vast majority of voting Americans are inclined to have quite different opinions. A Harris-Buttigieg ticket in November 2020 is almost certainly a one-way ticket to four more years of Donald Trump.
12
Between these candidates what wonderful cabinet picks the next President will have. All smart, engaged and articulate.
5
Bennett should get more press. He’s thoughtful and articulate. He has a good story to tell. Against Trump, he’d be viewed as the adult in the room. Don’t let this guy go.
5
I like them both but Buttigeig is too young as was Obama who is only now old enough to do what he could have done.
Harris is smart and effective with rhetoric and reason, easily tears apart republican flimflammery from the committee dias but she has a history of holding positions that serve her which are not necessarily right or good ones to hold.
1
As a gay man born in the Eisenhower era to a religious (fundamentalist) community, few things are sweeter than Mayor Pete skewering the far-right Evangelicals for their hypocrisy. In my parochial education I learned about the dangers of worshipping Golden Calfs, yet we see it every day in the Pence-Trump dynamic. Caging children and indifference to their physical and psychological health is the precise opposite of the words of the Beatitudes. Being caretakers of the earth, not fossil fuel interests, is implied in multiple bible verses in both Old and New testaments. Wherever he ends up, I want Pete Buttigieg to be an important leader for our country.
29
Some combination of Warren, Harris, Buttigieg would work for me. I had been leaning toward Biden for experience and calm, but his debate performance did not impress me, he's already licking the boots of big corporate interests, and his record is problematic. Warren and Harris both brought the goods and seized the debates, Buttigieg brings intelligence, eloquence, and a broad background to the table. He has military and corporate experience in addition to his mayoral experience. He and Warren both have midwestern roots, which is also a plus. I think Biden and Sanders will hang in there, but the others currently in the top 5 will pass them.
5
Kamala Harris' record includes incarcerating parents of truant children and shielding the Catholic Church by refusing to release public records that should have been released to victims of clergy abuse. These are not the actions of a champion of the little people. I don't think being a prosecutor is a net positive for the presidency, their morality ends where their career and political aspirations begin.
13
No. There's something not authentic about her. The attack on Biden was planned, contrived. Not that I'm a fan of Biden, congenial as he seems. His time has passed. Sadly, though we owe Bernie a huge and historic debt of gratitude for all the issues he's raised, his time has passed too. I think Warren ("I've got a plan for that") and Booker would make a good ticket. A smart woman who attends to details and has long cared about issues of economic fairness is what we need. Booker would be an enthusiastic running mate. Mayor Pete is hugely likeable and intelligent. A cabinet position?
19
@Andrea Whitmore
Agree about the lack of authenticity. Today in Homestead Florida she looked uninterested when the other four candidates spoke about immigrant children in detention. She did not focus her gaze on them like one does when listening. While Buttigieg was speaking she turned around, made a joke to someone behind her and laughed. The other candidates listened respectfully while they took turns speaking, but she looked uncomfortable. It made her appear self-centered and insincere.
5
@Mary York Thanks, Mary. Confirmation of her real interests.
I didn’t fully appreciate Kamala Harris until last night, or Julián Castro until the night before. Mayor Pete has long had my admiration. But today I, too, am fantasizing about a Harris/Buttigieg or Harris/Castro ticket. Both would be historic. And I’m proud that the Democrats have so many clearly intelligent, compassionate candidates. (Warren, Bennett, Booker, and Bullock — Lord, so many B’s! — are also on my shortlist. The candidates’ positions on abolishing individual healthcare policies and changing illegal immigration laws will need to be refined and attention to kitchen table interests and environmental concerns underscored in order to win a tough election (especially given the President’s wink and nod to Putin today). But I am truly enthusiastic about the prospects.
7
There are not more than 20 people seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, it is only Biden, Sanders and Sanders.
The rest are seeking the vice-presidential nomination or attention for the 2024 campaign should Trump be re-elected.
3
Get ready for #Kamalot
8
So based on two debates 17 months before the general election, the conventional wisdom is that the new running order for the Democrats is: Harris, Warren, Buttigieg, Sanders, Biden with Castro just in touch with the lead pack.
I guarantee that the list after Iowa and New Hampshire will be completely different.
Wake me up in January.
15
i like kamala and buttigieg. i also really liked marianne williamson. especially twitter blow ups about her..."sentient chardonnay" we need some levity along with the dollop of arsenic we are being fed by the current occupant of the WH. that said i am looking forward to many more "debates", with my debate watching parties, the chardonnay and cheese. and it's a great field the democrats have put together, someone for everyone
3
@sc Williamson got the "sick" care industry nailed. Even though she was talked over at the end, her commentary on how we are killing ourselves with environmental carcinogens needed to be heard. Not Presidential material but those were great points.
2
This is an entirely superficial take. I don’t care about the candidates’ aesthetics or speaking styles, but their records and politics. Bernie Sanders was the only candidate on that stage devoted to improving the material conditions of workers, and that is what should matter to a left party.
It’s great that Sanders hasn’t changed much since 2016, because the main challenges facing Americans remain the same. The biggest obstacle we face is economic inequality, produced by a capitalist system designed to benefit bosses and owners. Sanders is the only candidate able and willing to challenge that system.
6
Kamala Harris is smart and she's tough. However, I think she took a cheap shot at Joe Biden. He comes from a different era and I think he did what he could to make this country (and world) a better place.
No, he should not be the candidate but he deserves better than that. For this reason, my candidate is Elizabeth Warren.
15
@Larry Weiss
Unfortunately, Warren tends to speak in some sort of strange lingo which might be described as 'pugnacious professoreze'. It's a really jarring juxtaposition of wonky policy and fight song lingo. Might appeal to urbanite types, but the rest of us, not so much. Harris speaks directly, to her credit. Someone had to bring Biden down from his Cloud Nine and she did so. It was not a 'cheap shot', it was a prepared debate point. Yes, she interrupted to make it, probably having learned from watching the Wed. debate that the women were polite and (mostly) did not interrupt, which resulted in the alpha males (Booker, Castro & O'Rourke) dominating the debate. (Clearly Kirsten Gillebrand got the same message).
No one forced Biden to throw his hat in the ring, he looked and sounded both exhausted and unprepared.
Many women are tired of deferring to 'males from another era'. I'm not in the Kamala camp, preferring Amy Klobuchar and Jay Inslee. But I am so over being
required to submit to the needs of Senior Statesman.
2
@irene
As a minority I am tired to listening to hot air from candidates who are so upset that they had to endure busing. My family remembers having to endure lynching we remember going into a hospital and not coming out alive because the hospital was for colored only and no one cared whether we lived or died..
The family whose husband a baby girl were found in the river I am sure they are really fed up with the murderous policies of this country.
We are tired of these media soundbites for ratings and faked outrage. Give it a rest.
1
@Larry Weiss
you may be right about it being a cheap shot but Biden is not the guy and never has been In the general election whoever the D candidate is had better be able to give multiple cheap shots against the Moron in Chief.
This article is another attempt by the establishment to slander Sanders. It compares Sanders to Biden, but then almost exclusively discusses Biden's flaws. What a clever way to associate Sanders with the fallible Biden, when Sanders himself did nothing wrong.
Of course the only actual, direct critique of Sanders within this article was an ad hominem criticism about his appearance and voice.
Losing respect for the Establishment Times.
6
imagine a Warren/Harris ticket, with Harris as the aggressive (You Betcha) VP attack campaigner, and Warren as the policy wonk, both with very good political connections and skills. Yes, I would like to see Warren/Harris (with Warren in the President spot because she is most qualified, and because Harris will be stronger candidate after eight years as VP)-- Buttigieg needs some seasoning, it's too much to jump from mayor to President...and we all need about a decade to learn to pronounce and spell his name.
6
If Biden keeps his big lead, I could imagine a Biden-Harris ticket. I wish Joe would gracefully retire, however.
1
@Lawyermom
Won't be Biden-Harris after last night.
1
Biden and Sanders have reached their use-by dates.
8
I am struggling to even fathom voting for Biden... I'd rather things get worse so we actually get an even worse crisis to make a real change. I don't want 4 years of someone who is too old to be running and whose ideas are old and broken.
Buttigieg is my pick. I like Harris, Warren, and Booker.
1
Kamala Harris grew up in Berkeley with two well educated immigrant parents. Her mother was a cancer researcher and her father was an economics professor at Stanford. When her parents divorced, she and her sister moved with their mother to Montreal. Not exactly Birmingham Alabama or Jackson, Mississippi.
Her little drama left out some key facts.
23
@PM
She is a child of privilege and her fake act as if she endured some terrible experience made me hit the mute. The media needs to find out how far that busing trip was, five blocks to a nice elite school. Nothing like Boston what students endured in Boston where characters like Louise Day Hicks was throwing bricks at the yellow school buses and minorities were being chased , beaten by racist adults.
Her candidacy will be over if this all turns out to be one big lie, Terrible racist things happen to real people, everyday be happy you had a life of privilege but don't dare lie to the public trying to be something else..
5
Take is easy folks.
When millions on Americans hear about the open borders for all advertised and free health care for them too, well these people have vote too.
Just you wait and see what they do with it.
5
Kamala Harris ? YES !!! Buttigieg ? Huh? Why ??
Harris has a long and excellent list of qualifications; at the top of which is being Attorney General of California.
Buttigieg has very little to show. Two terms just as a Mayor, and in a very dis-functional City? Zero International experience? He is all talk, and no substance.
Bernie missed his moment in the last election. Biden has had his day. As the Primaries roll on, I'm looking at a Warren/Harris ticket. Hurry, 2020.
1
@W.Wolfe
No Warren can do better than having a AG on the ticket with her. Harris hasn't done anything but excel at locking up poor folks. The Warren people are about more than punishment.
Okay, following your lead. Now I imagine a Harris-Buttigieg ticket. What a beautiful sight. I fail to see, however, a Harris-Buttigieg presidency. So, my next visualization is four more years of Trump-Pence. All of a sudden the first picture is not quite as beautiful any more...
5
Harris? no appeal to middle of country.
we need that, don't need California or New York.
liking Biden, we need some sleepy time after Trump
4
So, Kamala zingers her opponents for starting a food fight, then throws a platter of JIm Crow at Biden. I guess the answer to Trump dividing the country is Kamala dividing the Democratic electorate?
15
If one desires a one-term president who can whomp the daylights out of trump now and transition us from the current madness to some sense of sanity - the answer is Biden.
If one desires two-terms of moving forward in the best ways possible - but who's odds against trump are lower - Harris/Buttigieg would make a powerful (!) team.
Such is the conundrum we are presented with at this moment - this is my first vote in the last half century that I am truly torn about and at odds with. Biden laid it out for all the candidates - if trump can't be beaten - nothing said or desired will matter.
1
Last night we were introduced to Joe Biden the Libertarian, who knew, the man who bows to the state , local , rule over the Federal Government .
For a Democrat to take this stance is quite remarkable and frankly out somewhere in the left or in this case right field.
All important legislation that allowed all minorities , African Americans , Women's Rights , Marriage Equality to gain their civil and constitutional rights came from the Federal Government , or the Courts, and still do. Joe Biden should know this .
His answer on the school busing issue was in my view appalling , I am glad Senator Harris shot back the way she did, he totally deserved the reprimand .
Senator Harris will destroy Trump in a debate, and the very notion of Buttigieg making Pence squirm , I can not wait.
Kamala 'The Slayer and 'Mr Cool ' Pete Buttigieg look like a winning ticket to me .
3
Harris/Buttigieg is guaranteed to lose to Trump. Let’s keep the eye on the ball. We have to defeat Trump. Joe Biden is the best candidate to beat Trump. He may not be perfect, but he is the candidate most likely to win back the rust belt and he is very popular with black voters as well.
8
Marianne Williamson would make the best President ever.
3
I am a diverse voter and strongly believe diversity makes the country stronger.
It is no coincidence that the Land of Immigrants became the most powerful, prosperous and innovative nation on Earth.
That said, diversity only makes companies and the country stronger when diversity equals no discrimination.
Discrimination culls the talent pool for no good reason.
I would happily vote for Harris-Buttigieg. They would make one of the most dynamic political teams in modern history - not because they are diverse, but because they are the best of the best.
Merit. This country needs to reject those who fail up like Trump and embrace the talent where ever it is.
Harris and Buttigieg represent the nation’s best.
4
@David Parsons
The USA is currently the most powerful nation, economically and militarily. But soon China will be the largest economic power and perhaps the strongest military and they are all Chinese. Not much diversity, so diversity doesn't seem to matter.
4
Your comparison of numbers-1.3 billion population to 300 million population tilts the scale - doesn’t negate the value add from diversity sans discrimination, does it?
1
I relish the thought of calm, cool, warm (yes, both cool and warm), incisive, articulate, knowledgeable, well-prepared, Kamala Harris debating Trump.
And as much as I have warmed towards the prospect of Elizabeth Warren as the candidate, Harris-Buttigieg is the dream ticket that will go a long way towards restoring my faith in this country.
3
As a Republican I say "Bring it on"!
2
George W Bush’s immortal words before raising the white flag and shipping shrink wrapped palates of billions in cash to stop the attacks!
I think that every time i watch Buttigieg speak, i can see more and more clearly that we need to let the younger generation lead this country right now. Joe Biden is one of the most decent men i have ever observed in Washington and I respect him immensely. But I believe he should do some serious thinking about his future in the race. Right now it's all about who can speak with the most intelligence and eloquence on Democratic policies and plans. We need a jolt of freshness and revitalization to overcome the enormous stench coming out of the nation's capital. I lean toward a Warren/Buttigieg ticket. They are both brilliant , and more importantly, very decent human beings. Accentuate decency and respect toward those who feel differently than you do. I'd be proud to have them begin to take the high road, as the other party continues to sling vitriolic hate the likes I have never witnessed in my life as they continue to slide into file behind their angry, hateful and ignorant golden idol. Did you check out the Trump protesters at the Democratic convention? They would not be capable of having an intellingent debate about their candidate.... So lets just ignore them (they have blindfolds on) and go after many moderates who found Hillary unpalatable. We can do this! I would include Harris and Castro in the movement, but being the sensitive person that I am, I was very turned off by her attack on Biden. I am very excited at our future possibilities .
4
Funny how the pundits are trying to make decisions for the voters. I like all the candidates mostly...would definitely vote for any of them. However the debate last night made me less confident in only two: Buttigieg and Harris. Mayor Pete unable to control the cops in his small town. Its honorable that he owned up to that failure, but scary what he would be unprepared for. Being an eloquent speaker is fine but not a sole qualification for the job. In fact it could be a smokescreen masking unpreparedness.
Harris' attack on Biden was wholly unjustified. Biden is not a racist as she herself said. We all know how complicated race and civil rights were 45-50 years ago. So you attack someone who is NOT a racist with innuendo?
My hope is that Sanders or Warren win, as they are not attackers for personal gain, they stick to their guns, and are not afraid of a fight when it matters.
5
@GN It was wrong for Joe Biden to oppose desegregation then and it is still wrong for him to oppose it now. People like you need to stop pretending that racial matters in this country are unimportant. I am glad to see Harris on the attack because that is exactly what is needed to go against trump. Sitting around whining about hurt feelings is not going to get a democrat into the white house.
1
We have months and months to go before the selection of a candidate. When are we going to learn that slogans just aren't going to change the scenario of a democracy being destroyed by Trump and his minions. Ms. Harris didn't say anything outside of poor me having to take a bus to go to a good school that we don't know already. For a poor me, she certainly went to a very elite school in Canada.
We need politices, we need to win the senate, we need to have key positions in government run by democrats. Lets stop these ridiculous love affairs on a fifteen minute performance by a want to be president candidate. This election is ours to lose and we are going to if we get into ageism , and stay in the weeds which is where Trump wants us to be in.
We have kids in ages, we have people being murdered in the streets. Last night was over talking and I was waiting for the question if you like your medical provider with your private insurance what happens when you are laid off? . Do you think that doctor will still see you?
If it wasn't for Bernie we would not be having a conversation about health care, Ms. Clinton in 2016 said we couldn't afford it after she was destroyed by the GOP when her husband was in office If we had gotten health care maybe so many people who are dead now would still be alive. The GOP wants money in the pockets of white CEO's.
Lets stick to the pressing issues and stop falling in love with one performance, we have a long road in front of us.
6
I like all of them.
I wish they would not attack each other.
This not a debate, it's a speed date.
There are 18 months before the election.
I'm already sick of this campaign.
4
@Barbyr
You are very funny!
A focused prosecutor opposite a chaotic perpetrator.
An inclusive Indiana charmer opposite a divisive Indiana prude.
Not a bad line up.
4
Harris' attack on Biden was despicable. She should call Obama and ask him about his presidency and how Biden helped him with so many issues that Obama knew nothing about. Harris is not as ageist as the other candidates, the unmentionables that have no chance of being elected now or even in the next 20 years. I have never seen so many suicidal people as the democrats. They did not shoot themselves in the foot, they annihilated their arms, legs and torsos.
Harris has absolutely no international experience. Yes, she is better than Trump (who isn't), but her behavior was reprehensible.
11
Prefer not to hear a Dem candidate for the nomination select christianity as a topic. Buttigieg apparently lacks other accomplishments.
1
@DaveD There was absolutely nothing wrong with Buttigieg injecting chrisitianity into the debate. Republicans do it all the time. Where were your complaints then?
Biden will turn out to be the 2020 Democratic version of Jeb Bush of 2016.
1
That would be the perfect ticket for me but it would never happen. How many voters that you know would vote for a ticket that contains a black, a woman and gay man? These people would zip right past intelligence and compassion just to land on bigotry on the Monopoly board.
3
I strongly disagree about Harris. Take some time and read her history on The Intercept. She is a fake and she prefers helping the rich and ignoring the poor. So far I am Warren all the way and this debate did not alter my position one bit.
To me Harris is out for herself and only herself. Read the articles in the Intercept and you will see. It is amazing she got this far. Take the time to rea∂d her record and the tricks she pulls to make herself look good when in fact she is faking it.
12
Dream on Mr Bruni and democrats. Fill out your fantasy politics lineups. When you wake up Biden will be president.
3
Andrew Yang would've impressed more if his mic wasn't off.
1
Sure, Frank! But how about the Pence-Buttigieg VP debate? Do you think Pence would stand on the same stage with him?, shake his husbands hand? Maybe god would give Pence some "guidance" on that.
That wasn't a debate. That was a game show.
I'd like to see a genuine debate once most of these folks have been voted off the island.
6
The Times reported some month ago on Harris’ dubious history as a prosecutor. Times substantiated there are incarcerated individuals in the CA penal system that are innocent. She was the prosecutor. She knows about them. She has not moved on redressing her mistakes. This makes her a terrible candidate for president. Her history as a high-performing prosecutor makes her articulate, amped up, and persuasive performance at the debate come as no surprise.
6
I liked Mayor Buttigieg as well, but I don't think he has yet had the experience of government long enough to have a chat with Vladimir Putin.
Please, no more "passing the torch" if it means bypassing maturity and experience. This voter's decision requires more reflection than tuning in to the glitzy beauty pageants of the past two nights. Scoring some good one-liners does not a President make. And if the candidate misses the importance of working with (or attempting to work with ) their colleagues who may represent very different views, they've lost my vote altogether.
1
Why does Mayor Pete get so much more press coverage than Julian Castro? Castro was amazing Wednesday night. I initially thought I wouldn't watch the debates as I'll support the Dem regardless. However, I am so glad I watched both evenings as it gave me a newfound appreciation for Amy Klobachar and Julian Castro--there are SEVERAL very good candidates--not just Mayor Pete.
7
I think Sanders came across as intelligent, informed, and impassioned, and your ageist cheap shots at him say more about you than they do about him. The Democratic Party and the country owe him a huge debt for finally bringing genuinely liberal policies and ambitions to the forefront of our political discussions. He may or may not be the best choice for the nominee, given the wealth of good choices this time around, but he deserves to be heard with respect and your comments about him in this column are not worthy of this paper. I do not get the punditry’s swooning over Harris’s performance. Yes, she confronted Uncle Joe, with good cause, but beyond that she seemed long on anecdotes and short on specifics, like a typical politician. I look forward to hearing more from her but to crown her the nominee at this point seems very premature. I would love to hear all of the candidates restate problems less and explain solutions more. We know what the problems are. Bernie is correct when he reminds us that it will take all of us, a mass movement by the people, to overcome political inertia and resistance and effect real change, no matter who we elect. We need someone who is willing and eager to lead that charge. So far he and Elizabeth Warren come across as those most able and willing to do that. It starts by having a bold agenda. Harris seems to have a bold agenda as well but she needs to start making that more clear to people.
8
Well said.
3
Buttigieg is one of a kind. His precise comments show smarts and poise. He is a winner. Harris was a clever surprise and she truly is a winsome candidate. I notice that boys bluster (save Buttigrieg) and the girls are measured and more circumspect. Harris/Buttigieg appear to be a strong mix. Time will tell.
7
@NOTATE REDMOND
Harris needs to explain her record as a prosecutor because it was far from being fair and balanced. Despite her statements yesterday she embraced three strikes your out, and went after parents if there children were truant. Her record doesn't seem to have any room for immigrants and people who were without means since she did not address the cash bail issue, the poor living conditions in the jails in California. She is very packaged as is everyone but Bernie, Warren, Yang, Buttigieg. We need to know what is behind the ribbons. Trump lied to his voters and see where we are today.
We need to really understand the backgrounds of all of these candidates, how they are voting and why they are taking certain stands. Our democracy is dependent on this election and the candidate we the voters choose. As you stated time will tell. Thank goodness we have enough time to really get inside of these individuals to much is hanging in the balance.
2
"Revolutions" always eat their young; this Democratic party revolution will do the same.
The coming Sanders/Warren/Mayor Pete and Harris showdown at the Woke Corral will shatter and scatter the party--forget the old nostrums about how the party "always comes together." With a radical, snatch-your-insurance candidate at the top of the ticket, the party (or what's left of it) will tack furiously toward the middle--but the "raise your hands" moments are already baked into the coming debates. Trump--the devil we know--will play to voters' fears, as always. He will win.
@richard Cheverton
If you go out and get people registered to vote vs, standing on the sides complaining we will win. We cant afford not to because the traitor can not get back into the white house.
Harris's self-serving attack on Biden made me cringe. We both can't villify people based on their gender and age and expect to win in the fall. To the evolved older white male, it sends a very unwelcoming signal that a man who has served as President Obama's ally and confidant for 8 years is still subject to accusations of ideological impurity on the race issue. Harris started he remarks with "I don't think you're a racist" but then initiated an Inquisition of Biden on that very question in a fashion designed to humiliate him. No, I don't want Harris anywhere near a democratic ticket now regardless of how well she rhetorically performed. I am with you on Mayor Pete - he was outstanding. I know DEM's are asking the same thing about Mayor Pete that they asked about then Senator Obama in 2008 -- is the public ready? My answer then would apply now -- the people who would have a problem with it weren't going to be voting democratic anyway.
10
@Peter
Agree with you. the whole exchange was being played for being the star of the debate. Their is a reason why she was polling so poorly it is because she has nothing else to offer outside of her stories . She was not a progressive prosecutor if you research her cases. She believed in three strikes and your out.
We can not win with her on the ticket. She proved that last night. Good for MSNBC ratings but not good for Americans who want to see Trump gone.
1
The Dems have a problem; Buttigieg is plainly their guy. This election isn't about race (Harris, Booker), it's about which segment of the white leftist elite rules the Democrat Party, the far left (Sanders, Warren), or the center-left (Buttigieg and a few nonentities). Biden is center-center so Dems can't really turn to him. That leaves Buttigieg the man to beat--but will he beat himself? Everyone, asked the question about sexual orientation will say it doesn't matter because they know if they say it does they'll automatically be asked, "why?". Not wanting to be asked that they'll reflexively give the PC answer--until they get into the polling booth. You wouldn't be able to say Buttigieg was a sure thing against Trump unless he had a 55%-45% lead going in. Does anyone expect that?
Biden keeps presenting his work with segregationists as one and the same thing as working across the aisle. That is not true! Politicians can work across the aisle without associating with the murderers in the room. Unless Biden was saying that all politicians across the aisle were segregationists? Would Biden choose to work with the Tea Party now? Would he choose to work with Republicans who want to destroy a woman's right to choose? Kamala exposed the faults in Biden's arguments - and if Biden wins the nomination, Trump will do the same thing but with a much heavier hand.
I love Bernie Sanders to pieces and am thankful to him for a lifetime of being honest, forthright and progressive and he moved the dial of politics in a progressive direction. But, I think both he and Joe Biden do need to pass the torch.
Kamela Harris, and Pete B would be my dream ticket, too. I'll admit it, I personally love the idea of a Jewish Grandpa in the Whitehouse, but now this fiery pair tops even that. I think they would crush Trump and Pence in 2020.
1
@sues
Ms. Harris was in the back pocket of Ms. Clinton in 2016, wanting to be just like Hillary. Ms. Harris gets her money from corporations large pacts not small donors. It matters, she is not an independent voice and will not represent all of the people. She will owe her allegiance to corporations.
Trump doesn't owe American democracy anything he is brought and paid for by Russia. We see how he treats America and NATO. He rather be in bed with Putin then taking care of Americans, and its ok but we are not going to vote another traitor into office.
We must be very careful in which candidates who we lavish praise on.
2
That would be so great! Trump would have a definite 2nd term guaranteed.
6
We dems must remember to not be dragged into a circular firing squad. Love your candidates. Support them all, especially whichever one attains the nomination.
Stifle the urge to throw shade upon the candidate you may not favor.
4
Buttigieg is too much like Obama. He speaks well and aspirationally but he seems too soft and passive. I don't think he will won't get down and dirty and fight the Republicans.
When Swallwell pressed him a second time about firing his chief of police, he just stood there slack jawed and didn't respond.
5
@Yachts On The Reg
Well we all cant be bullies, and Eric showed how much he hates older people in his quest to be top dog. We have an old man in office now who is a hater and is demented.
I lost a great deal of respect for Eric last night. I thought the only things he had command of was insults for older candidates who had class whether you agree with them or not. Eric reminded me of Trump and that turned me right off.
Biden like any parent who has lost a child would gladly give up there life if it would bring a dead child back who was gone to soon. A torch should be passed to end racial inequality and hate, funny Eric didn't mention that since the younger generation appears to be very pro Neo Nazi's. Where is that torch, I guess it doesn't advance his personal agenda. Eric we just don't want another Trump enough is enough
Your "Dream of a Harris-Buttigieg Ticket" sounds good to this "straight, "white" male … and in my own dream, very good indeed.
But I fear that the # of citizens who will not vote for a woman, plus the overlapping #s who wont vote for a "black" of any gender, plus the # who won't vote for a gay person, plus the overlapping #s who wouldn't vote for a person of any gender or sexual preference who is just 37 years old -- even if that person spoke every language, 'living and dead,' ever known to humanity, and even if that person had experience as a 'big-state' Governor and not just as a small-town mayor, and even if that same person had not only served but had won the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroics during service in the U.S. military -- and regarded as having been beyond the heroics exhibited by any Medal of Honor recipient or candidate before or since -- is a number far greater than those in trump's 'base capture' … so great, and sufficient by 'half-again' and at least, as to preclude the possibilities we would wish for the 'ticket' of our dreams.
1
@Thomas Murray
Call me agist, but I can't vote for someone who doesn't know the name Alfred E. Neuman, despite the remarkable resemblance. This means a candidate who has no lived experience of the MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) or even Star Wars eras. Too young for me.
@irene
I had my 70th birthday eleven weeks ago. Am not ready to anoint the 37-years-old Mayor Pete ... but I'm reasonable enough to know that trump was to old to be elected president (even if he were not by any fair regard disqualified 'six-ways-to-Sunday' by every known indicia of his character, by his every salacious, egomaniacal, cheating and 'despotic' act in life, by his repeatedly-demonstrated incompetence throughout his life, and by his utter lack of experience for any public office of consequence) -- and that Biden and Sanders should each be regarded as too old to serve as our president ... despite their good intentions and [compared to trump] more-than-relative decency.
And while I very much favor Ms. Warren and her policy ideas … she, too, is to old for me (as one I might favor to be my president, that is).
In the second night of the Democratic Debate, Kamala Harris went to far with the attack to Joe Biden. What is she looking for? Is this the kind of politicians we want? Carefull!
7
@Trassens
We don't need a female Trump. She and Eric are not in the candidates arena who I think I should even brother to follow anymore. We have bullies in the white house now and people who don't have policies but have a great deal of mouth.
Dream ticket?
Perhaps, if your dream is the nightmare of 4 more years of Trump.
6
Sanders is still the only candidate who can win over Trump. The base that voted for Trump also loved Bernie, and I know many Trumpers here in Florida that would have voted for Bernie. You want to use Bernie's age as a reason he's not a good candidate? Now we have age discrimination going on? Plenty of retired folks down here would beg to differ on whether Sanders is too old, and anyway, there'd be a vice president ready to take over if anything were to happen. Trump's base is not likely to vote for Warren, they'd think she was a bi-ch (that's just who they are) or a black woman. And being gay does not cut it in the bible belt either. Biden just does not have any pizazz left in him, he really just does not seem like he's into doing what it takes to win an election. The media was against Sanders the first time and now again, you rather have 4 more years of Trump then to pick the obvious choice, that's too bad.
4
When exactly was Joe Biden given the 'torch' that needs handing off?
2
@Plennie Wingo. You don't think decades as a U.S. Senator and eight years as Veep amounts to holding the torch? I certainly do.
One thing I noticed about Mayor Pete onstage last night is that he appeared interested in the other candidates and what they were saying. He turned toward them and seemed engaged. Everyone else seemed enclosed in their glass boxes, not looking at their neighbors. To me this may indicate that he might actually listen to someone's opinion and thoughts other than his own. I've seen him be criticized for his coolness but perhaps that's not really the case.
10
Sanders made the strongest argument that traditional candidates taking money from special interests (ie Buttigieg and Harris) will not do anything to fundamentally change how we got to Trump and a completely immoral economic and political system. Sanders isn't just talking about it. He has changed the terms of the political and economic debate. He is still the one I trust to bring justice back.
5
This would be a good ticket. And they would destroy Trump and Pence in logic. But if it's going to be a winning ticket, they should right now move virtually their entire campaign to Western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan and start knocking on every door of every White man living there because they are going to have to convince at least 70,000 of those folk to change their votes. The rest of country will come along just fine.
Not sure this is a good strategy, but the entire election should be seen as how do Democrats win in the Rust belt- which frankly is Biden's only real qualification.
After two and a half years of listening to a president that can not answer a question posed by a reporter, can not string words together to make a complete sentence and can not speak publicly without the use of a teleprompter, it was nice to hear politicians speak clearly, concise and get their point across. I hope that Kamala Harris gets the nomination. I had been thinking the Joe Biden was the only one that could defeat Trump, but am no longer so sure. The ideas of Elizabeth Warren are tremendous but I believe her talents could better serve the people and the nation in some other capacity. This will be an interesting race and will be happy with whomever wins as long as it isn't Trump.
3
NO to Harris. Here we are already forgetting what we're trying to do first and foremost, which is GETTING RID OF DONALD J. TRUMP. Trump would mop the floor with, what does he call her now? "Little Kamala" (probably his staff's reference to a "'lil Kim") in a debate. Pie in the sky match-ups are fun to dream up and play "what -if", but Harris and Pete could not be elected. I wouldn't vote for her under any circumstances. Let's try to stay FOCUSED on the objective, and support only those who can defeat Trump.
5
Why would Mayor Pete accept a second-fiddle position when he has so many better options for his political future: governor and senator, among others.
6
If being able to talk fast and glibly onstage were the only requirements for POTUS, then we'd get someone like Donald Trump. Oh yeah, we did get that.
While I like both Harris and Buttigieg, just calm your jets. Sanders and Warren have FAR more powerful policy programs in their agendas.
8
Kamala Harris spent her entire working career, over twenty years, as a prosecutor. Of course, she is an excellent debater, she has done it more than anyone running for President in a long time.
The question for the voters may be, at the end of the day, do we want a career prosecutor as president? Why did she devote over twenty years of her life to getting people locked up?
Democrats need to remember that Al Gore and Hillary Clinton arguably won every debate, but lost their elections.
7
Harris seems like a charismatic and rhetorical version of Elizabeth Warren, but she lacks Warren's measured, academic approach and deliberate thinking. For example, Warren advocates Medicare for all who want it, but will not end private insurance. Harris somehow thinks that over 100M Americans who like their doctor will surrender their plan to have a new doctor with Medicare's bureaucracy and paperwork. Or she knows they won't but says it anyway, because she'll do anything to get elected. Truth is trivial.
2
By now K Harris should have learnt that "politics is the art of the possible." Her umbrage with Mr Biden suggests that she still needs to understand that. She may have scored a point in the debate; but she exposed herself as an inexperienced politician. She may turn out to be a good candidate for the attorney general if the democratic nominee wins.
As to who should the democrat nominate, it may be too early to judge.In my opinion, the WASP heritage of American society still plays a role. And despite liberal attitudes, some old prejudices (personable/male/straight) are quite strong. I believe a team like Biden/Beto or perhaps Biden/Klobuchar may have chance in today's America.
1
@MAC
I know you don’t mean it that way but for those of us non- WASP, it’s pretty depressing to think we will always have only a marginal role to play not because of lack of talent or abilities but because of heritage and skin color. If not now to put that behind us then when?
I was proud of the level of debate on both nights. But I was inspired by Senator Harris' debate performance on the second night. It's going to be a hard choice between several really great candidates. Senator Warren gets so much right, so very often. As for Mayor Pete, well...he's just an astounding person in almost every way. I've long admired him (since he ran to run the DNC).
It's a shame we didn't have these choices in 2016, but after Trump is done burning down the Grand Old Party, I think America will be a better place. The Republicans must suffer such electoral defeat that they are banished from the political sphere for years and years. I hope one of these candidates will deliver.
5
Let’s make McConnel’s head spin!
Let’s put a black woman and a gay man on the ticket. My vote is for Harris and Buttigieg!
6
@MG -- OMG, McConnell would have a cow! (Which actually wouldn't be a sight, considering it would perfectly capture his image.)
2
Ageism was front and center on the stage last night. I would remind Ms. Harris that if it weren’t for the activists of the 60’s, she would not have been standing with the other candidates last night. And I’m a Kamala Harris fen.
4
Please, let the voters decide - we saw what happened in 2016 when the elite decided who should represent the party.
6
My guess is Biden would have stumbled on his own .. from a lack of certainty, spirit and purpose that has marked his campaign thus far.
Harris needn't have kicked the legs out from under him for transgressions more imagined than real. But she did, and in doing showed she had neither the country's nor her party's interests any more at heart than her own.
Her self-portrayal as a selfless, untainted, anti-establishment candidate is unlikely to wash. And it shouldn't. She's not a bad person - just opportunistic, insincere and hypocritical.
She'd be a far better choice for the country than Trump - as would any of those people on stage last night or the night before. But she's far from the best choice.
The feigned indignation and crocodile tears in her attack on Biden last night may have separated her from the pack but necessarily in a good way. Time will tell.
8
I’d much prefer a Warren-Harris ticket. Buttigieg needs to go back to South Bend, Indiana and take care of his own city before he can credibly join the federal government. Also, I’m still rooting for Bernie, so ideally I’d like to see a Sanders-Warren ticket. Go Genuine Progressives!
2
Harris is smart ... but, she is also mean. Spend some time watching her on c-Span -- she is all about the photo-op " got you" moment. She has a few rehearsed sound bites -- tosses them out with little regard.
Harris is like the Clintons -- win at any cost. Sorry ... I will never vote for her.
9
So you would rather see Trump reelected? I'm always suspect of so called progressives who say they would never vote for one candidate or another. They always smell like Bernie bros to me...
A wee bit early, wouldn’t you think. I think we are in the knockout round not in the final. Joe Biden will have a tough time to recover and it looks like Bernie may have jumped the shark. We’re still left with Warren, Castro, Harris, Buttigieg and 2 to 3 others.
3
There are 20 good candidates, 2 main openings. I am interested in who, while not getting the top job would fit well into open cabinet positions. I could see Pete at Defense, Liz at Treasury, Tulsi at Homeland security, Inslee at EPA or Energy, Amy at HHS.
I am interested in other readers playing HR to fill the cabinet.
3
The best choice for Senator Kamala Harris' VP is Admiral Bill McRaven!
Harris and Buttigieg would be a dream ticket. More precisely, a Buttigieg/Harris ticket, with Buttigieg leading it and Harris as VP. I'm not holding my breath for such an outcome but the country would be well served by having these 2 as our country's leaders. My worry is that if I think that would be a dream team then it probably won't come to pass because I have little faith in the Democratic rank and file, not to mention the ability of the American voter to do the wrong thing if given the chance to do so, so while I'm not going to start celebrating such a ticket at this point, let's see what happens. ALMOST too good of an option to ever come true, but time will tell, won't it ladies and gentlemen?
6
If this does become the ticket, my guess is the VP debates will be some of the most watched ever, especially when they talk about LGBTQ rights. Maybe make it pay-per-view, and give the money to an LGBTQ-friendly organization?
my number goal, wish, hope, dream is to defeat Trump. I would vote for a three legged dog to achieve that goal. I am liking several of the candidates a lot....but to win this election we need a FEMA expert. Someone who knows washington and it's ways, and how to right the ship and heal the damage done while Agent Orange is in office. That seems to me to be Joe Biden. He wouldn't be me choice if the playing field were even, but it isn't. And Trump fears him. Get him elected and THEN let those who have their eyes on the presidency wait their turn in 2024. What's to keep them from working on their issues if we have a Democratic president? Nothing. Just don't lose this election. Please.
3
The Democrats are doing a woeful job and they'll lose.
The top two issues with voters today are abortion and integration (busing). Don't believe that? See what antiabortion laws are aborning in states; see what issue Harris uses to hijack the Democratic presidential debate. Fact: These are the top two issues that will decide the elections.
While Harris and the Democrats decimate their own, the Republicans absolutely assure their base will vote. Meaning …
The Democrats couldn't direct traffic at an intersection let alone direct the national agenda.
Four more years.
1
@jr
Those are the top 2 issues for only 39% of the voters! Sorry, you’ll lose because you Republicans deserve to lose.
2
@Palcah, well said. Touche!
1
I think hearing Buttigieg say he failed at getting the South Bend police department better integrated to be the first time in my 71 years that I have EVER heard a politician take sole unqualified responsibility for any failure that happened on their watch. Mayor Pete has my vote.
21
A Harris-Buttigieg ticket - identity politics run amok. Bruni lobbies for a ticket that completely excludes straight white Americans. That's a sure fire way to lose the next election to Donald Trump, and deservedly so.
8
@Americanguy look at. Michael Bennett. I like Buttigieg but I want Trump and his slimy ilk out! Period.
Mine is a rather "mega" comment. But, isn't it wonderful to have this richness of choices for Democrats? We have strength, that we can see, among presidential hopefuls. It's a pretty deep bench.
With more debates, people will finally tire of the one-note-Charlie nature of Bernie Sanders' pitch, which is much better done by Elizabeth Warren. And people will see how Joe Biden's age is showing--I remember him from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and he is definitely NOT the same guy. He's tired.
More debates, please! Let the Democrats decide in next year's primary votes whom they want, and then we have to get out the vote and win the presidency and the Senate, while keeping the House, in 2020!
5
A candidate who actually earns the nomination would be a welcome product of this long march.
4
Kamala's statements ALL need to be fact-checked. She has a very creative interpretation of her past.
9
@Nate, why so suspicious?
1
Put Pete on top of that ticket and it could work. Harris as Prez is a loser.
Amy and Pete would work even better, in that order, but nobody could spell their names.
7
I basically came to the conclusion shortly after the debate that those two were the strongest and that combined, you'd get two clearly capable leaders and cover all the bases -- women, minority, lgbt, and others.
But we need a debater who can knock down Trump when that time comes. Maybe that means a Warren/Buttigieg ticket is best equipped to defeat Trump, and carry forward the progress we made when Obama (african-american) was elected, and Clinton (female) won the nomination. Make Harris Attorney General and her considerable skills can help restore faith in the justice department, while teeing her up for a run for the oval office downstream.
2
Tarump doesn’t debate. He bullies and name-calls like a mean kid in a schoolyard, but he hasn’t got the smarts to actually debate. Nor can he remember, or even absorb, facts.
@Caryl baron True. On reflection, Harris sure didn't seem to have problem exhibiting the needed skills at the podium, as directed toward Biden. Maybe either could do the job, and maybe a future democratic debate with Harris and Warren can debate each other on an issue they don't agree on will show Harris to be the better equipped to share the stage with Trump. What's clear is it isn't Biden, he didn't survive this debate in my opinion.
Harris-Castro for me.
Whichever way "the winds" are blowing at the time huh Frank ?
Biden has evolved with the times,and showed vigor in rebutting all flack sent his way...
Harris is no Harriet Tubman, but probably was given preferences based upon the Afro part of her heritage
I like both Harris and Buttigieg. Both would do a great job with a single-issue responsibility, such as Secretary of the Treasury. They both seem like capable people who have useful things to say that need to be said about race and gender and LGBTQ issues, etc.
But I'm sick and tired of identity politics and I'm a committed progressive. Of course there's an important place for people who can discuss issues of race and sexuality, etc. But a leader needs to be capable of more. I have the same criticism of Sanders and his fixation on healthcare. Again, it's very important, but there is more to worry about.
Someone like Warren is intelligent and creative enough to think about how to stop the slide we've been dealing with, where, because of funding cuts and Trump, our science and technology are at serious risk of lagging behind China's and Europe's and living standards/opportunity remain stagnant and falling for so many people. The protections that have been fought so hard for as far as women and working protections and environmental protections are being undone. Harris and Buttigieg don't have the experience or knowledge to deal with these complex issues.
It's really frustrating that someone like Bruni thinks the presidency needs only to be about what the media is about--sexuality and race. The rest of the issues are not an afterthought.
2
Every candidate including Bernie should state that not only do they believe in doing away with health insurance companies and coverage, replaced with a single payer plan, but they should refer to a long running platform run by a large group of doctors, physicians for a national health program, PNHP.org. Every question imaginable is answered there including the issues of cost, what it would mean for insurance companies , etc. it’s fine to favor single payer health plans as I do but it is important to support that belief with lots of facts, even if it means getting down in the weeds.
As for a ticket of Harris and B I’m in favor of it.
1
Attacks on Biden regarding his comments about working with segregationists were wrong right after he made the comment and even more wrong now. His point was obvious except to those whose heads keep getting banged by their knees and have as a result been unable to get his point. Harris either knows better, but is pursuing this to pander to the knee-jerk crowd, or doesn't know better - either way, she and others lose points with me for this. I'm sick of focusing on mischaracterizations when there are real things to focus on.
That said, while I'm not too excited about any of the candidates yet (maybe Warren), there is nothing wrong with touting one's experience - experience is a good thing, right? Also, don't forget that W got re-elected despite looking (to my eyes) pathetic in debates with Kerry - my guess is that his supporters felt sorry for him, his back against the wall with theirs. Also, don't forget how scare the Trumpos are of 'the socialists'. Instead of attacking Biden, all candidates should focus on taking away the socialist label that the GOP has imposed on them - all should call themselves democrats in favor of a thriving market economy with sufficient regulations and safety net that it works well for everyone.
4
Stable and rational. Sounds like adjectives used to describe someone with decades of experience under their belt. Instead those apply to a 37 year old democratic mayor running for president. Buttigieg manages to be logical without being boring. He takes a measured, careful approach to decision making while still maintaining the energy and excitement of a millennial. He is intelligent, articulate, and entirely capable of being the 46th president of the United States. Notice I did not mention that he is gay. Yes, he is a homosexual, but it does not define who he is or what he brings to the table as a candidate. It does provide him with a perspective that the typical, white-male protestant does not have. He can identify with a minority group that has historically received unfair treatment and fought for equal rights. No, he is not African-American and he can not identify with the AA experience, but he is capable of empathizing with their struggle for acceptance and equality. Pete Buttigieg (come on people, BUDDHA-jedge] will be the next president of the United States.
4
Two words: Warren/Castro
4
Another Woman, Tulsi Gabbard, nicely called out the war machine too.
1
My thoughts were too many for 1500 characters.
https://medium.com/@glennstrachan/trump-is-president-due-to-a-rejection-by-a-large-number-of-white-people-who-resented-that-we-had-a-aa87784473bf
1
Harris is obviously the new pick from the NY and the SF establishments...And as a result she is exposed. Let's be honest and try to anticipate what the general election will be about: she has no kid (it matters unfortunately), is married to a business lawyer, has focused most her career on societal issues and has strong (too strong) ties to the Bay Area/Wall Street big money. She looks too much like a Clinton 2.0.
8
I'd enjoy the spectacle and oratorical power of a Harris-Buttigieg ticket. That said, what will win the election won't be the ability to "prosecute" Trump. Those who can see through him are already planning to vote against him. It will be decided by who voters believe will best improve their lot and make this the kind of country they want to live in. Biden's genuine working-class roots and unforced populism make him a compelling choice, if not always a compelling orator.
1
after last nights debate, it was clear that Buttigieg and Harris or for that matter Booker would be the best Dems have at a run for the WH.
A Harris -Buttigieg ticket would be a dream come true. Can you just see them up against the pair we have now?
I was a Bernie supporter last time around, but last night he showed his true colors when he snubbed Andrea Mitchell's interview and turned his back to her. Bad optics Bernie, but thanks for showing me who you really are. Now quietly retire.
2
@Fiffie
So because Bernie doesn't grovel to MSNBC he doesn't count? I don't know how he stomachs the dumb horse race questions those reporters thrive on.
2
@RAC Bernie is a steam roller and doesn't begin to know how to be polite to people, especially older women. His responses are the same overused statements he memorized years ago.
1
I think Kamala's "hey guys" was not just directed at males in the clamorous group, as the article implied -- Kirsten was louder than many.
Bruni seems to crave novelty = Foolish criteria for choosing a politician.
4
YES!!
Hahahaha, Trump gets second term.
5
I feel the Democrat’s candidate in 2020 will, like Hillary, get more votes than Lyin’ Trump, but will the Dems win the Electoral College? That’s what it all boils down to, so whomever heads the ticket, he/she better concentrate on the swing states like nobody’s business. Make the message palatable and stay away from crazy ideas like free college for all, because as good as it sounds, Joe Factory Worker is going to be paying more in taxes for it, and he won’t like it. Think Republicans won’t hammer away at that?
2
@Rich S. - You may be right. Keep in mind, though, that in 2016, the difference was a total of 77,000 votes in three specific States. In 2018, many Governor and State seats turned blue (including those three States), and many suburban women (black, white and other) peeled away from Trump.
The Senate map was bad for Dems in 2018, but the map looks even worse for the GOP in 2020. If that turns, too, McConnell won't be able to decide what comes up or not, which would be important for the elected President in 2020.
For Warren, Bernie and others, they propose a tax on the wealthy which would bring in trillions to help the poor & middle-class. Recently, a billionaire on this site wrote an op-ed in support of their proposals. I'm not sure, but since the Trump tax plan was not well received (and news came out about Amazon paying $0 in taxes), I believe the majority of people would want the rich to finally pay their fair share.
We shall see...
1
Sign me up!
Right now, my ideal ticket is Warren/Buttigeig, but I could support Harris/Buttigeig.
3
As a 54 yr old man i've heard one too many promises from main stream Dem's over my lifetime. I've worked since i was a teenager, pay my taxes because gladly because I beleiev at the end of the day it helps those who really need it most. At the same time this country has gotten lazy, wants every gadget and toy, give above avg salaries to public employees because (they deserve it?). I want big changes that make my life and other working people lives easier ! Dont say one thing for mid terms and other for the General. Most Americans dont get raises, work hard, save $$, and take 1 step backward. It's time we get a piece of The Pie and the Time is Now!! The whole Democratic Field took pieces of Bernie's platform and call it theirs? He grew up poor and that's his greates credential for me. DJT will win again if we have some boring placating politician who runs on getting back to normalcy. I want more than that and Bernie has the ideas and the Chutzpah to give us an improved existence.
2
Harris-Buttigieg as the dream team based upon one performance on stage? Get real. This Democrat says "NO WAY". Stage performance doesn't make a president that is immune from big pharma, big war, and Wall Street. Even some of the answers from Harris were baffling like not knowing Medicare-for-all. Both candidates are a huge disappointment based upon record and behavior off-stage. Let's not forget Obama looked like the top half of the dream team in 2008 (I believed in him in 2008 too) and he turned out to be a giant, huge disappointment in the eyes of flyover country when they refused Obama 2.0 in the form of Clinton 2.0. Flyover country is not going to vote for H-B because it's just more of the same and they sound good on stage. They are not going to give a free pass to a person who sounds good on stage after what happened in 2008.
5
Give me Warren/Buttigieg and I’m on board. No question Bernie and Joe need to step back. They’re time has come and gone. We need someone who can deal with McConnell and Graham, and the rest of the GOP cabal.
5
I am so impressed by Mayor Pete. I love listening to him. I think all of us are hungry for his intelligent, thoughtful, and original remarks.
7
Let's not be too quick to forget Kamala Harris's political history. She will pivot left in order to secure the nomination, but will almost certainly swing back to prosecutorial centrism during the general election. Even Sleepy Joe helpfully reminded us of this.
Mayor Pete, despite his eloquence, remains evasive on policy. To date, I still haven't seen anyone compare to Elizabeth Warren's sincere and persuasive communication of progressive ideas, plus a willingness to fight. And we most certainly need a fighter.
9
While I appreciate that Mr. Buttigieg is a trendsetter, you might want to read this before you decide he's the bee's knees.
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/all-about-pete
4
Are we not ready for a two-woman Warren/Harris ticket?
5
@faith, how great a two-woman ticket would be. But let's all elect one (Warren) first. Then, in 10 years, maybe we'll be ready for two.
Meanwhile, Senator Warren surely will reserve a key role on her Cabinet for Senator Harris.
1
Warren 2020
11
I've been following Pete Buttigieg's progress for some time now and he is far and away the most intelligent and prepared candidate of the Democratic Party. He's handled his personal situation very well; by the time of the primaries, then the convention, his marriage will be old news. In fact, given the current WH couple, Pete and Chasten will be great WH occupants, who will be able to give State dinners where guests can expect substantive conversations. He does not duck responsibility. He has a world view and excellent ideas. As a mayor in a Republican-dominated state he understands the pressures of politics and manages to get things accomplished. He's got my vote for sure, and I'd like to see the ticket as Buttigieg/Harris, though so many are anxious for a woman candidate. Harris/Buttigieg would still get my vote, in fact whoever is the Democratic candidate!
5
I really liked Bennet last night. Some ticket combination of Harris/Bennet/Pete is probably where I am leaning
3
Hey, nobody answered in Spanish, LOL.
Thank you correctly spelling "busing."
1
Harris Castro 2020!
Harris' critique of Biden was effective and true, but what was even more striking to me was Biden's reaction. Here we are in 2019, and Joe Biden is basically making a "State's Rights" argument about school busing, to a black woman. He didn't just defend his friendships with segregationists, he let them speak through him! He should not be our candidate, and if he is, I don't know that I will vote for him.
2
Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, every Democrat and Independent of voting age needs to vote for the Democratic ticket. Otherwise we're stuck with trump for four more years. I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors he will inflict upon this nation if he's given four more years. Those years will be worse than the first two-plus have already been. And anyone who thinks I'm being paranoid clearly hasn't been paying attention.
4
Harris/Buttigieg is my dream ticket!!!!
2
I agree...I like a Harris/Buttigieg ticket. They provide a great balance and support of each other. Let's elect a woman as president this time around. What a refreshing change that would be after a dismal four years of Trump.
1
And who picked Harris and Buttigieg immediately after Trump was elected in 2016? That's right.........Barack Obama
4
Both Harris and Buttigieg showed how good it would be to have a president and vice president who are capable of independent, intelligent thought, who are smart enough and motivated enough to learn details of complicated issues, and who have the ability to communicate clearly to the public. And both seemed actually to care about problems facing the country. All the important things that Trump and Pence completely lack. Having people at the top of the government who can come up with new ideas and provide actual leadership in solving problems would be a very positive change from the mindless Trump administration fixation on helping the ultra rich and harming everyone else. Warren could have her choice of Cabinet position - maybe replace Steve Mnuchin at Treasury or poor old Ben Carson at HHS.
3
Right now I'd prefer Warren-Buttigieg, but I'd also be happy with Harris-Buttigieg. However, there is still a long way to go.
6
Watching the debates, it is easy to imagine how the various Democratic candidates would do in a debate with Trump. But this assumes that there _will be_ a debate with Trump. If the Democratic candidate is someone who Trump doesn't want to debate there simply won't be a debate. And if you think that will cause Trump to lose support, think about all the other things he has done that have not caused him to lose support.
4
Don't leave Castro and Klobuchar out of the mix.
1
No doubt a Harris-Buttigieg ticket will answer Trump's dreams.
7
@Allen Rebchook -- considering all of the outstanding Democratic presidential candidates, Trump's dreams are Nightmares.
1
After white women voted for Donald Trump, I decided I would never vote for another woman in the primaries. Such an obvious choice. I can make excuses for ignorant men, with their penchant for racist, sexist, and bullying talk. But if white women can't vote for their own, then I can't vote for women at all. Oh, and if I were a Republican strategist, I would love to see a black woman and a homosexual on the Democratic ticket. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan? Donald would have a field day with that one.
2
That ticket would do very well in places where people actually live in PA.
2
@Joe S. That's right, Joe - in Philly too.
@Joe S. Didn’t do much for Clinton. She didn’t get a lot of the voters out in the eastern part of the state who usually vote Dem. She got nobody but the Pgh area out in Western Pa, where people usually vote Dem. Yes, she would get Philly and Pgh. 2016 showed that is not enough.
Biden would make an excellent Secretary of State, for a Harris/Buttigieg ticket. Julian Castro becomes top presidential advisor, That's my dream ticket.
A Harris-Buttigieg ticket = A Trump presidency.
15
@Thomas, I respectfully disagree.
Harris and Buttigieg -- indeed, all of the Democratic presidential candidates -- are ready for prime time. Just as Trump is ready for jail time.
Stay tuned...
2
@Ken My local newspaper won't even mention the term "money laundering", so I guess Trump gets away without jail time.
Look through the calculated ambition and scripted sound bites there was no contest. Harris gives her rooting section something to cheer about; Buttigieg always gives you something to think about.
3
Uh, yeah, Frank, sure. Keep up with the anyone-but-a-progressive stuff. Very Rhode Island Democrat, I must say, at least of a certain ideological ilk. Been here for 15 years: a comparatively conservative blue state.
And based on what, exactly? A DA who blew off victims of priest abuse? A 37 year old who can't stand up to a piddly little local police department? Did he try disciplining them in Norwegian? They would have been so amazed they'd've feel right into line. I mean, the CV! The schools! He can play piano!
These things mean zero to people $400 away from total poverty and homelessness. They mean something to well-heeled, wired-in thought-leaders desperate to head off any version of actual Democratic politics, if "Democrat" means anything like "FDR" and "LBJ." Think of those people as brands, if you must (and you must): they are winning brands, then, now and forever.
Because the "flyover morons" struggling to get by are actually not as easily bamboozled, impressed, or thought-led as my cohort, the well-off, Ivy-or-equivalent-educated professional class, the intended target fo this endless propaganda.
The 1% can't run it all on their own; they need us, the, say, 15%-to-5%ers (the curve goes up near-exponentially, as you know), to do their bidding to keep their rice bowls full and unbroken, nay, uncracked.
Meanwhile, the same day as this bad reality TV show, the Financial Times whined about how $2.5tn in private equity just can't find itself any worthy use.
3
Well a Rhode Islander certainly should know all about “piddly”...and the depth of your analysis backs it up.
I see the NYT is already reveling in a younger generation of tankies. I mean it's what one would expect from Bruni, but the ideological rigidity for state orthodoxy is mind boggling.
3
A Buttegeig-Harris ticket will ensure another 4 years of Trump-Pence. Harris's political career in CA has been less than lack-luster, Buttegeig, whom I find a compelling intellectual, like Harris, is quite short on accomplishments and already met his Waterloo in South Bend with the recent shooting.
2
They all lied about the caged Child issue. It was during the Obama administration this began. The pictures that surfaced last year blaming Trump for it where taken in 2014. Yet everyone of those hacks last night acted as if this didn't happen until Trump took the office. They are all liars. Shame on them.
4
Oh dear God, I hope not.
4
H-B is also my dream ticket, and they'd kick-butt fixing everything Trump has broken if they were in the White House. And, I'd be rooting for Harris to make Warren head of the EPA so she could repair all the damage Trump and Mitch have done
. . . But it's hard to see Jack and Jill six-pack in the battleground mid-west states voting for a black woman and a gay guy. . just saying.
7
I went to bed after last night's debate dreaming of a Harris/Buttigieg ticket. Get out of my head, Frank Bruni.
2
Here comes the election. The NYT's neoliberal, corporate-rule columnists are trotting out their anti-Sanders attack lines. Expect Krugman/Egan/Bruni to get especially nasty. It seems their theme is to focus on his anger. How dare someone get angry about the current state of affairs in America? These columnists clearly don't want to see any serious change. Just keep concentrating wealth and everything will be okay.
4
@Robert FThe MY Times helped bring us 4 years of Trump. Now they are going to bring us four more.
@Robert F
The NY Times will endorse Warren. Not because I want them to, but they will. Bets?
1
I agree that Buttigieg saying "I couldn't get it done" was refreshing, but if he can't get things done in South Bend, IA, I don't see him being very effective against the Chinese or the Russians in bilateral meetings.
3
Harris-Buttigieg? Aaaahhhhh. Liberal dream, sort of, and an easy job for Trump.
But anyway, NYT and its opinion writers are not exactly known for close contact with reality, or learning from previous mistakes.
5
Why not Buttigieg-Harris?
1
@Adam Trump wins.
@rcamp35031 -- Trump could run against Elmer Fudd, and Fudd would win.
1
@KenHe rn against Clinton.
Your dream is one thing Frank.
Reality is quite something else.
Harris/Buttigieg = Trump wins.
17
One can only dream...and act accordingly..
I would certainly go to DC for the inauguration. This time, it will be packed!
1
The times call for bold changes. Climate change and economic disparity (inequality) are not going to solve themselves, especially by tweaks around the edges, or by restoring a neo liberal approach. Biden is not the right person for the job, he's too moderate. Yes, he might be able to defeat Trump, and then undo some of what he's done, but our major troubles will continue to grow and morph without the kinds of big idea policies that Elizabeth Warren, Bernie and other candidates are suggesting.
2
I certainly hope that the public does not select candidates based on a single debate appearance in which no candidate got more than 90 seconds to articulate a position. All we got from these two debates is a very small sample of what each might bring to the table but certainly not enough information on which to base the ultimate choice. Sure, some candidates performed better than others; but it's just that - a performance.
This morning, Harris did a 180 on the Medicare for all question, saying she didn't understand the question. Really?!? For me, that's a real stretch of credibility. And there will likely be other such "corrections" as we plod through this campaign.
Hopefully the voting public will base their choice not only on what they are fed by the media but also on their own due diligence to dig into a candidate's actual record.
At this point, its still a marathon, not a sprint.
9
@JK Agreed. Harris is a no-go once she feigned ignorance on the Medicare-for-all question. I don't believe for a second she didn't know. She is a very smart and intelligent person. She is just a professional liar just like 95% of the field.
3
You're kidding, right? That's a ticket that would ensure four more years. America is not left-leaning. They want a moderate. If the moderates are ignored, they'll do what they did in 2016. That is flip four or five states that normally vote Democratic.
3
Frank Bruni has chosen his candidates based on the TV"performance" of yesterday.
And we blame the average American of being shallow and guillable...
12
Buttigieg ... has this way — it’s quite remarkable — of expressing outrage without being remotely disheveled by the emotion, of taking aim without seeming armed, of flagging grave danger without scaring the pants off you.
Yes, and for anybody who needs proof that maturity isn't necessarily measured in years, well, I think that's all the proof you need.
5
Harris-Pete, Warren-Sanders, What’s her name on the end-what’s his name on the other end, Abbot- Costello...we all have to vote D!
Those ridiculous predictions would look so meaningless and a waste of time one year from now.
3
@Johan Cruyff -- These early predictions are great for public discourse; they infuse our political landscape with synergy and thoughtful debate. With all due respect, stick to soccer.
1
@Ken Like the inevitability of Clinton.
Electability is what this election is all about. Not issues. Any of the Democrats will be better on the issues than Trump. And I question whether a ticket of a black woman and a homosexual man is electable. It's OK with me. But I am a left coast elite (something I have been trying to convince my wife for some time). I just don't believe that the people in the middle would select this ticket over Trump. So if Kamala gets the nomination, I think she has to pick a straight white male as her running mate.
2
I thought Harris came across as mean and vicious when she attacked Biden. Whatever Biden might have stood for in the distant past he has a long and distinguished record as a public servant and he enjoys widespread respect.
I also thought Buttigieg blew it when asked about the recent shooting in South Bend. There appears to be ample evidence that this man tried to attack the officers. He would have been shot had his color been black, white, brown or purple.
Buttigieg should have said I don't want to comment on the shooting until all investigations are complete.
3
Democrats need to dethrone Trump. Biden needs to commit to 1 term only, with Harris as his VP. She can then run in 2024 with Buttigieg as her VP. With Trump in the rear view mirror (likely in prison). And this is from a right wing, fiscally conservative person.
2
I don't think either of those personalities would deign themselves to play second fiddle to the others.
1
"you’ve got a lot of candidates who sound operationally open borders."
They don't just "sound" that way. They ARE that way.
1
@calleefornia
Sorry! Wrong Opinion article. Trying to reply to the other one. My error.
This election is about generational change.
I am 62 years old; still younger than Warren but older than Harris or Buttigieg or Booker or Klobuchar or . . . . You get the idea.
I care about climate change. I care about the ominous rise of atavistic reactionary forces both within this country and elsewhere in the world. But . . . in the back of my mind I always know "well, however bad it is at least I won't have to live with it for very long." If other people my age are honest they'll admit that they have these thoughts also.
What the U.S. urgently needs now is the leadership of someone who cannot retreat in his or her heart of hearts to that mental refuge.
I'm not suggesting that my generation be thrown out the window. By all means, consult with us and exploit our accumulated knowledge and wisdom. After all, it is OUR memories that inform us that things are going off the rails now. But . . . the people leading this nation must be those who will live with the consequences of their decisions.
4