The 2020 Democratic Iowa caucuses could become more [small-d] democratic, if changes proposed by the state party are approved—and if they work—which is a
Category: 2020 Election
Is this the latest disqualifier to run for president – no hardship story to tell?
Is this what it’s come to? Someone running for office must have a background story that is so gripping that we think that he or she came out of a Dickens novel. If the candidate can’t wow the socks off voters with how compelling his or her “womb-to-candidacy” story is, she might as well forget about running.
Bernie vs. Warren vs. Everyone Else
The primary will eventually devolve into a contest of personality rather than policy and we’ll judge candidates by their fundraising totals and not their policy agendas. Hopefully before we get there, we’ll have had a serious assessment of the candidates and thought about not just “who can beat Donald Trump” but “who do we want to be President.”
Kamala Harris: Walking the Tight-Rope of Political Correctness
Kamala Harris, California’s junior senator and perhaps a 2020 presidential candidate, is walking into the quagmire of political correctness with a nominee for the federal court in Nebraska. It has to do, in part, with religion. Most politicians tend to avoid questions related to religion because the risk of offending someone is far greater than the payoff of criticism, however justified.
The Superstructure Triumphant
One of the crucial trends in the 2016 election was the 80-plus percent of white evangelicals who voted for Trump.
A Slam-Dunk plan for Democrats prior to 2020
It’s too much to ask Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker or the dozens of other possible Democratic candidates for 2020 to focus on changing the process while they are playing the game by the current rules. What is needed is for those with stature and who will not be running again to lead the way so that no one has to endure the rigors, fatigue and unfairness of how they battled their way to the presidential nomination.
Surprising number of Republicans trust mainstream news
When a local station runs a story about the Susan G. Komen efforts to fight breast cancer, is it liberal because it involves empathy, or is it conservative because it bypasses the entity with the greatest resources to fight cancer, the federal government?
Looking for insights into (er, questions about) the Republican Brain
We normally associate strong Democrats (progressives) with support of the federal government. After all, the New Deal, Great Society and most of the other fabric of the social and economic safety net comes from the federal government. So, why is it that in our survey, there is greater trust in the federal government from strong Republicans than strong Democrats.
Really, Eric Holder says we should kick them
Democrats need to make the point that their policies are designed to protect consumers, workers and businesses that operate in an ethical fashion. They also advocate strengthening the safety net so those who are experiencing mis-fortune or are simply not skilled enough to function in today’s economy have the means to have a livable income.
The Perils of Labels
I was once riding down an elevator and struck up a conversation. The gentleman told me that he was a ‘labeling specialist.’ I was