Amy Klobuchar

5th Democratic Presidential Debate In Atlanta: Mayor Pete Is The Winner, But Kamala Harris And Cory Booker Also Improved Their Position

Ronald 27 Comments

The fifth Democratic Presidential debate in Atlanta on Wednesday solidified Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as the most impressive person on the stage, defending himself in a professional manner.

Kamala Harris and Cory Booker also improved their position relative to the others, while Elizabeth Warren held her own.

Joe Biden,unfortunately, flubbed and hesitated, and just seemed “old”, not improving his position, and not raising large amounts of money, but still a front runner in many polls.

Tom Steyer is clearly going nowhere, and the most disturbing candidate was Tulsi Gabbard, who seems too close to Fox News propaganda, and just comes across as totally unacceptable, and being a Congresswoman from Hawaii is, if anything, less significant, than dealing with urban problems, as Mayor Pete has for the past seven plus years.

The fact that Gabbard has been in the military is overshadowed by the fact that Mayor Pete also has, and Gabbard has no chance to be the nominee.

Neither, ultimately, does Andrew Yang or Bernie Sanders, who has been co opted by Warren, while Amy Klobuchar chugs along, looking more like a potential Vice Presidential choice.

No Thanks, Michael Bloomberg! We Do Not Need Another Aging Billionaire Muddying Up The Democratic Presidential Competition!

Ronald 12 Comments

The rumors have been around for months, but no thanks, Michael Bloomberg!

We do not need another aging billionaire muddying up the Democratic Presidential competition.

Bloomberg would have great trouble winning the White House, with his controversial record as New York City Mayor, and antisemitism would rear its ugly head, and the nation is not about to elect a New York City former Mayor, as most of the nation hates New York City, for no good reasons, but reality that hatred does exist.

The possibility of a brokered and divided Democratic National Convention is alarming, and would only help Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

It is time for narrowing of candidates, not broadening of the candidate pool.

If a moderate in place of Joe Biden is desired, it should not be Bloomberg, but more likely Mayor Pete Buttigieg, or Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Right now, a moderate ticket of Pete and Amy seems more likely, with their Midwest background, to have the opportunity to win the White House, certainly better than aging candidates reaching their 80s in a first term.

There will be plenty of time to evaluate Bloomberg over time, but first thoughts are, as stated above, no thanks!

The Two Democrats Who Might Replace Joe Biden, And Both Are From The Midwest Battleground

Ronald 11 Comments

Further thought and analysis on the Ohio Presidential debate of Tuesday makes this blogger and scholar believe that two Midwesterners–South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar—come out as the stars of the debate.

Both were very strong in promoting a moderate center left vision of the Democratic Party, which gives the party a better chance of success against Donald Trump.

Being from Indiana and Minnesota respectively gives either or both a better opportunity to contest the states lost by Hillary Clinton in 2016 by small margins.

So if Joe Biden slips, which seems very possible, both offer an equivalent vision of what Biden stands for, rather than the more leftist Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders.

There are still three and a half months to the first contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, so despite early indications that Biden, Warren, and Sanders have a dominant position, there is still time for alternatives, and the most likely, clearly, are Buttigieg and Klobuchar.

Impressions Of The Fourth Democratic Presidential Debate In Ohio–Eight Of The Twelve Should Continue

Ronald 20 Comments

The Democratic Presidential debate last night showed strong performances right from the beginning by Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar on the subject of health care, challenging Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders on their promotion of Medicare For All.

Joe Biden held his own, which is significant, and Julian Castro and Kamala Harris improved their position. Bernie Sanders looked in good health, and Cory Booker made some good points regarding the need to focus on the record of Donald Trump, more than criticism of some candidates by others.

Totally unimpressive were Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard, and Andrew Yang, and they should drop out of the race, as there are simply too many candidates.

Beto O’Rourke harmed his candidacy by his consistent stand on gun regulation including confiscation of weapons, not a winnable tactic.

In realistic terms, there should be eight Democrats left in the race—Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker.

Ohio Debate On Tuesday Will Start Winnowing The Field Of Democratic Candidates For President

Ronald 45 Comments

The Columbus, Ohio debate among 12 Democratic Presidential candidates will likely start the winnowing of the field, which is much too large.

As things stand now, Senator Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg seem like the candidates that are gaining.

Warren is taking support away from Bernie Sanders, who is recovering from a heart attack, and will be watched closely on Tuesday for signs of weariness. Sanders knows Warren is a problem for him, and has pointed out that she is a believer in capitalism, and is not a Socialist, which actually helps Warren’s image.

Mayor Pete is likely the major moderate Democratic alternative to Joe Biden, who has to deal with the issue of his son, Hunter Biden, and Ukranian connections, although it seems clear there is no corruption involved, at least as far as we know at this point. Also, Joe Biden is coming across, sadly, as not quite up to par mentally at times, a very worrisome situation for him. Meanwhile, Mayor Pete continues to make a great impression, including in the CNN gay-lesbian-transgender debate this past Thursday, and has gained a lot of financial support.

Whether Kamala Harris can recuperate from a decline in support is debatable. Beto O’Rourke and Julian Castro have also failed to take off in recent months, and have made some errors that harm them.

While Cory Booker gained enough financial backing to stay in the race, it still seems unlikely that he is going to be a serious candidate for the Presidential nomination.

Andrew Yang has had unexpected good fortune, but still it seems a real long shot that he can get anywhere gaining enough support to move forward.

Amy Klobuchar so far has not made much of a dent, and Tulsi Gabbard and Tom Steyer, in their first debate, do not seem likely to make any real move toward serious contention.

So Tuesday’s debate will likely narrow the field as we move closer to the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary four months from now.

CNN Makes Major Contribution To Addressing The Issue Of Gay, Lesbian, And Transgender Rights, Essential For Social Justice

Ronald 29 Comments

CNN made a major contribution last night to addressing the issue of gay, lesbian and transgender rights, essential for social justice.

Nine Presidential candidates had a half hour each to answer questions and make clear their views on this crucial topic.

Cory Booker, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, and Tom Steyer participated between 730 pm and midnight.

Bernie Sanders did not participate due to his recent heart attack, and Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang claimed scheduling issues made it impossible for them to be present.

Particularly impressive, in the mind of this blogger and author, was Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay Presidential candidate, who has made a good impression on many people on many different issues, and has been successful in raising millions of dollars in the third quarter of 2019, and is fourth in most polls.

But all of the candidates are open minded and tolerant, a stark difference from the evangelical right wing Christian view advocated by Vice President Mike Pence, and promoted by Donald Trump, despite his total lack of religiosity his entire life. Trump has ended the policy of tolerance of gays in the military, and has shown no willingness to have an open mind on gay rights, including judicial appointments of nominees clearly anti gay, using religion as an excuse for discrimination.

Imagine A Female President And Vice President? It Is Possible!

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The thought that in the centennial year of the 19th Amendment (woman suffrage), we might elect a woman President and a woman Vice President, seems impossible, but indeed, it could happen.

Such a combination would be either Elizabeth Warren for President and Amy Klobuchar for Vice President, or Kamala Harris running for President with Klobuchar as her running mate.

All three women are much more qualified than many men who have in the past run for the nomination for President, and it would be inspirational to have two women, with real convictions and common decency and empathy, operating the executive branch of government.

It would also make up for the loss of Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College, and imagine Warren or Harris in debate with Donald Trump, and Klobuchar in debate with Mike Pence. Do not forget that both Harris and Klobuchar were prosecutors in California and Minnesota, and that Warren is no wallflower and would come out in full combat against Donald Trump, as much as either of the other two women candidates.

And realize that all three of the women candidates, were they to lose, would still keep their seats in the United States Senate.

It would be very refreshing to have a different perspective, and two honest, decent, qualified women cleaning up the mess created by men over recent years!

The Likely Long Term Result Of The Third Democratic Presidential Debate: Probably Seven Of The Ten Are Still Viable

Ronald 3 Comments

Upon further reflection about the Houston Democratic Presidential debate last Thursday, it would seem that three candidates have lost the likelihood of having a real chance to be the nominee of the party in 2020.

Those would be:

Andrew Yang, who offered ten families $1,000 a month for the next year as part of his promotion of $1,000 a month for all adults over the age of 18, which drew some attention when he said it, but is seen as a death knell for his candidacy, even though Republican President Richard Nixon suggested a similar plan of $500 a month nearly fifty years ago.

Julian Castro, who by, seemingly, bringing up ageism as an issue about Joe Biden, made many enemies, and it is likely to derail his campaign, and probably kills any chance of him being the Vice Presidential nominee.

Beto O’Rourke, who by calling for mandatory buyback of AR 15s and AK 47s gave great propaganda to gun enthusiasts and the National Rifle Association, who will use what he said against Democrats to scare gun owners to vote Republican, not an insubstantial number. While one can understand O’Rourke’s sincere emotions after the El Paso and Odessa-Midland shootings in August, it is a guaranteed defeat for any Democrat to follow through as O’Rourke has, not because it is wrong, but because it is not winnable in a national election, despite all of the mass murders that have occurred in recent years.

Additionally, since the ageism issue has been brought up, it could be that the two oldest potential nominees–Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden–who would reach 80 early in the next term, might find that their candidacies might worry and concern voters, especially at a time when Donald Trump is showing signs of mental decline, even though he is four and five years younger than Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, respectively.

So more attention will likely be paid to other candidates—Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris.

With 141 days to the Iowa Caucuses, it is far from certain what will happen in the battle for the Democratic nomination for President.

The Third Democratic Presidential Debate In Houston: First Impressions

Ronald 13 Comments

Early impressions are as follows:

Julian Castro, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke, and Elizabeth Warren come across as the best.

Expect that Castro, Buttigieg, Booker, and O’Rourke will rise in polls, and Warren will continue to gain on Joe Biden.

Biden is not doing as well as one would expect, and neither is Bernie Sanders.

Kamala Harris has likely not gained by this debate, and the same for Andrew Yang.

Amy Klobuchar might gain, but is not shining as much as this blogger thought she would.

Overall, the ABC debate is much better than the two earlier debates sponsored by MSNBC and CNN.

The candidates are avoiding attacking each other, and clearly, any one of the group would be far better than Donald Trump!

Joe Biden Pledges His Vice Presidential Running Mate Will Be A Woman Or Person Of Color

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In an interview with a group of African American journalists, former Vice President Joe Biden pledged that if he was to end up as the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, he would select a Vice Presidential running mate who was either a woman or a person of color.

This is, if it indeed occurs, quite a revolutionary step, and it gives us the following list of potential Vice Presidential nominees:

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

Senator Kamala Harris of California

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro of Texas

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang of New York

Former Georgia Gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams of Georgia

It would seem highly unlikely that Elizabeth Warren would be asked or accept, and being the oldest potential nominee at age 71 in 2020, alongside Biden, who would be 78, is highly unlikely.

It also seems unlikely that Andrew Yang would be tapped, as he has no government experience.

Stacey Abrams was rumored months ago to be a potential Vice Presidential nominee, but without any state level executive experience or Congressional or other federal government experience, it would seem highly unlikely.

So the bet would seem to be either Amy Klobuchar, shoring up the Midwest support, which is crucial, or Julian Castro, with his mayoral experience in a large city in Texas, and his cabinet office experience. Also, Castro was on the short list for Hillary Clinton, and being that the Latino population is the largest minority in America, and that he has an inspiring story of growing up in poverty without a father present, makes him very appealing. Castro might also put Texas into play for the election.

Harris might not wish to be number 2 on the ticket, and there is no need for California to be concerned about in the election. And Cory Booker comes from the same Northeast as Biden, so seems highly unlikely to be selected, plus there already has been an African American male President, Barack Obama.