My Mr. Ed Standard for Presidential Candidates
Centrist presidential candidates are going to hype their electability, which is cheating of a sort — put any Democrat up against Donald Trump and that Democrat will look electable. And I would rather have any of the Democratic candidates, even Tulsi Gabbard, in the White House than Donald Trump.
So the Trump yardstick is useless. A better way to determine whether I will actively support — not vote for, but actively support — a Democrat is this: Who would I rather see as president, this person or Mr. Ed?
Yeah, I know he’s fictional, and I’m ignoring practical concerns like horseshit on the floors at state dinners. What I mean is that Mr. Ed, as presented in the show’s theme song, eschewed people who “yakety yak and waste the time of day.” Ed, we were assured, only spoke if he had something to say. He was also “always on a steady course,” an important quality in contrast to the erratic Trump.
Bernie Sanders meets my Mr. Ed standard. He ran for president the first time because while everybody else was yakety-yakking, he had something to say. And, as REV points out all the time, he’s been on his steady course for 30 years. By contrast, Joe Biden is famous for letting his mouth outrun his brain, and has had to modify positions on all sorts of things to even pass as a hawkish, law ‘n’ order Democrat. So he fails.
Shes still running? Shes going no whereeeee
Make way Liz, stay in the Senate, you demonstrated time after time you aren’t ready for prime time
This is the epitome of an empty comment. Your prediction is worth nothing, your scorn is worth nothing. Say something intelligent or this comment is going in the trash.
Also, it is under the wrong post. Sheesh.
I think a winning ticket would be Sen. Klobuchar. She’s a female, won red districts on her reelection in MN and will be 60 on Inauguration Day. Joe will be 78 and Bernie will be 79. Time for some young blood in the Democratic Party. For the youngin’s aka the Millennials her running mate should be Beto. Amy/Beto in 2020!
Full Disclosure- I am not a registered Democrat, just Independent. I’ve only missed one general election since 1971 but can’t participate in the primaries.
I’m not crazy about Klobuchar, but I could work for that ticket.
Thanks for commenting Jim. Why, may I ask, are you independent? Reagan Democrat or you have a job that requires you to appear non-partisan.
Thanks Jason, I guess it’s what my parents did.
No I never voted for Ronnie. In 1934 my Uncle Jack (nicknamed Jumpin’ Jack Parisho, not Flash) was the star forward on the Drake University basketball team. The radio sportscaster was “Dutch” Reagan (probably pronounced Reegan) and they became good friends. Reagan supported the FDR New Deal and they talked politics for hours. He introduced my uncle to a co-worker whom he did commercials with. She became by Aunt Kay. Three years later he was Hollywood bound and forgot all about his Iowa colleagues.
Good to hear from you, Jim.
Why are people chasing this imaginary constituency? The idea that anyone who can put a D behind their name, but attract Republican support does not work. This is how we got into this mess.
Stop doing this.
Also, this notion that Beto will attract “the youths” is a very Boomer idea. It’s a big tell.
There is a difference between chasing and attracting constituencies. If Klobie (or anyone for that matter) can show that they are attracting Dem and Indy voters without watering down the Dem brand – I’m for it.
We’re going to have to toughen you up. You aren’t battle ready. You’re very wholesome, which is fine. But we need a little more spirit.
How did I know Jim was a Boomer?
The reason is important.
Jim..
Consider a patronage.
patreon.com/TheHighlandsBunker
It’s a podcast on the internet.
Here’s the thing, and I think I speak for a lot of boomers on this: If we have to settle for a centrist, Beto would be preferable to Biden. Most people aren’t fully committed to any one candidate yet, and are mainly in the process of mentally ranking them at this point.
He set the standard in 1981.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/video-flashback-time-when-bernie-sanders-really-was-fringe-character-n981031