2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

[Kepler]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

Having resigned and apologized he's certainly fine to run again and let the voters decide. If the good guys win and Amy is named to the cabinet (or is the Veep -- always a possibility) I can see him running for that seat. But again, short of leadership Congress is weak sauce and I'd rather somebody with his unique talents find a way to use them better. There are literally thousands of fungible vacuous lawyers with nice hair to shove into that slot and sentence to 70 hours a week working the phones fellating rich doub-chbags for donations.

[Handyman]

Read his posts on Facebook. Then just scan the comments. His posts read like he wants back in. The comments are all begging him to get back in.

But he needs an opportunity. We have two DFL senators. We have a DFL governor. A DFL AG. Basically it’s down to try to pick off a congressional seat in one of the burbs. The only one that’s R right now is the north metro. But they’re beyond saving.

He is shut out. Thanks to that dipsh-t in New York, we lost a wonderful senator. Perhaps for a long time.

He could end up in the next administration if the Dems win...

[GrinCDXX]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

He could end up in the next administration if the Dems win...

That's a good thought. Something like head of the Consumer Financial Protection Buereau. Somebody will have to piece that back together once the gang of criminals is booted (and publicly flogged if there's any justice).

[dxmnkd316]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

Regarding Franken, I did think he needed to resign because that picture was d amning. Having said that, he can credibly say he's paid a price and the woman I think accepted his apology so he's free to launch a comeback. I don't think his prospects are that dire. If Klobacher is feeling the itch for a different office she could bag a cabinet appointment in the next Dem administration (unless you're going all Scooby on me and predicting we'll never have another Dem admin again ). That's easier to do politically if there's a good candidate waiting in the wings to defend the seat.

Dam-ing my ***. He was grabbing the air in front of her. There was a clear air gap.

[Kepler]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

Dam-ing my ***. He was grabbing the air in front of her. There was a clear air gap.

Nobody thought he was actually touching her. The joke was the mocking of her and whereas that was funny once it isn't now. A classic example of cultural goalposts being moved by time to make a formerly harmless gesture now seem malevolent. This happens all the time because culture is what we say it is at any given time -- there are no rules, it's all arbitrary

He got f-cked by history. It happens. The only thing to do is to apologize and above all don't protest and ignite the Streisand Effect. Resigning was the safest and probably the smartest thing to do: it ends the controversy -- the dullard mob will have their blood -- and then with time we all grow up and realize that Franken is a 2 on the 10-point misogyny scale on which the GOP is a 10 and Dump is a 73.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

He could end up in the next administration if the Dems win...

That's a good thought. Something like head of the Consumer Financial Protection Buereau. Somebody will have to piece that back together once the gang of criminals is booted (and publicly flogged if there's any justice).

I just think he needs to be in a position of more power. Maybe I underestimate the power afforded to that person. I also think he's a great face for the Democrats. He's likeable/relatable and very intelligent. Which is something the dems struggle with. THere aren't many people who have that combination. I struggle to think of any to be honest. Biden, Obama (but maybe only before his reelection, not really sure former POTUSs are relatable).

But yeah, I didn't really think about that as a possibility (getting into an administration or even seeing Klobuchar pulled in). I have to imagine that he'd be dam near the top of the list to be appointed to her seat if she leaves in 2020.

[GrinCDXX]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

I just think he needs to be in a position of more power. Maybe I underestimate the power afforded to that person. I also think he's a great face for the Democrats. He's likeable/relatable and very intelligent. Which is something the dems struggle with. THere aren't many people who have that combination. I struggle to think of any to be honest. Biden, Obama (but maybe only before his reelection, not really sure former POTUSs are relatable).

But yeah, I didn't really think about that as a possibility (getting into an administration or even seeing Klobuchar pulled in). I have to imagine that he'd be dam near the top of the list to be appointed to her seat if she leaves in 2020.

Whatever the role, it would good to find something that's a good balance between publicly visible, but also something kind of wonky. He would be good for both those aspects.

[Kepler]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

I just think he needs to be in a position of more power. Maybe I underestimate the power afforded to that person. I also think he's a great face for the Democrats. He's likeable/relatable and very intelligent. Which is something the dems struggle with. THere aren't many people who have that combination. I struggle to think of any to be honest. Biden, Obama (but maybe only before his reelection, not really sure former POTUSs are relatable).

But yeah, I didn't really think about that as a possibility (getting into an administration or even seeing Klobuchar pulled in). I have to imagine that he'd be dam near the top of the list to be appointed to her seat if she leaves in 2020.

He's not going to be the face of the Democratic party because for the next 20 years or so we're going to be riven by the "men are bad, m'kay" types. Which, given that for 10,000 years women have been treated like sh-t, is getting off pretty easy as a gender and I'm not going to complain about it. Is it dumb? Sure. Newsflash: people in large numbers are dumb, where "large" equals 40. But it's not actually stoning anybody to death or making them carry a baby to term or anything so my outrage has no urge to rise.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

Whatever the role, it would good to find something that's a good balance between publicly visible, but also something kind of wonky. He would be good for both those aspects.

Yeah, I agree. That would be perfect for him. There aren't a ton of those jobs available unfortunately. Normally visibility is limited to Capitol Hill and the front office of the West Wing.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

He's not going to be the face of the Democratic party because for the next 20 years or so we're going to be riven by the "men are bad, m'kay" types. Which, given that for 10,000 years women have been treated like sh-t, is getting off pretty easy as a gender and I'm not going to complain about it. Is it dumb? Sure. Newsflash: people in large numbers are dumb, where "large" equals 40. But it's not actually stoning anybody to death or making them carry a baby to term or anything so my outrage has no urge to rise.

Then we better start electing some women with intelligence and personality to office AND shine the light on them. AOC might fire up the base, but she's a bomb-thrower and doesn't strike me as a leader... yet. Klobuchar is very bright, but has the personality of John Kerry. Gillibrand would feed her own dog to the wood chipper if it would get her elected. Warren is very smart, probably brilliant, but she's about as likeable as an eelpout. Speaking of slimy, there's also Kamala Harris, but she might have the chops. Sinema might be that person, I just don't know enough about her. Duckworth and Abrams are both entirely possible, but again, we just don't see enough of them.

There are a slew of bright women in the House, they just need the spotlight shined on them. I'm hoping party leadership does that in the next few years. I'm also hoping the members themselves take the opportunity to author legislation, give interviews on TV, and get their names out there.

[Handyman]

Yeah, I agree. That would be perfect for him. There aren't a ton of those jobs available unfortunately. Normally visibility is limited to Capitol Hill and the front office of the West Wing.

He could be SecState...worked for Hillary.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

AOC is not a bomb thrower. Stop buying the Fox News narrative.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

AOC is not a bomb thrower. Stop buying the Fox News narrative.

She absolutely is.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

She absolutely is.

Absolutely not.

[Kepler]

Re: 2020 Democratic Challengers: Who ISN'T Running At This Point?

Then we better start electing some women with intelligence and personality to office AND shine the light on them. AOC might fire up the base, but she's a bomb-thrower and doesn't strike me as a leader... yet. Klobuchar is very bright, but has the personality of John Kerry. Gillibrand would feed her own dog to the wood chipper if it would get her elected. Warren is very smart, probably brilliant, but she's about as likeable as an eelpout. Speaking of slimy, there's also Kamala Harris, but she might have the chops. Sinema might be that person, I just don't know enough about her. Duckworth and Abrams are both entirely possible, but again, we just don't see enough of them.

There are a slew of bright women in the House, they just need the spotlight shined on them. I'm hoping party leadership does that in the next few years. I'm also hoping the members themselves take the opportunity to author legislation, give interviews on TV, and get their names out there.

These little media-packaged soundbites do not do these candidates, nor us, justice.

All of the candidates you blithely summarize to dismiss have depth. They all mix evil and good and strengths and weakness. Don't succumb to pundit idiocy. Not all cynicism is aphorism. Often it's laziness or applause-seeking. You're better than that. Leave that stuff to Rover.

Obama and Hillary were the final cartoon hero and villain. Now we are condemned to radically consider our candidates in full, which is a slow and messy process and doesn't grant social media likes. But the alternative is to keep skipping stones ironically with the idiots, never get to anything of substance, and consequently create a world where Dump and his paper-thin frauds have exactly the same merit and standing as our leaders -- as us, for that matter.

The lesson of 2016 is flippancy doesn't work anymore. Take heart; this is much worse news for me, a natural as-shole, than you, a sincere and good person.