With 20 Democratic presidential candidates vying for public attention, it will take a while even for voters eager to defeat one of the worst presidents in history to sort through the crowded field of alternatives to decide upon the strongest possible candidate. That’s actually a good thing.
There’s no hurry. The Iowa caucuses aren’t until Feb. 3, 2020. Next month, the most diverse group of presidential candidates in history will begin nationally televised debates. That’s when we’ll start seeing which candidates rise above all the others. The long-distance runners will emerge, and the strongest possible nominee—perhaps even the strongest possible ticket—will become obvious before July’s 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.
Here are some differences among the candidates that will be resolved along the way:
Who’s Too Old?
It’s an odd issue for Democrats since the incumbent Republican president is an alarming, emotionally unstable 72-year-old who raves incoherently about his own awesome intellect and unprecedented greatness.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 77, the two best-known Democratic candidates, aren’t much older than Donald Trump, but neither has ever lost touch with reality and shouted more than 100 lies in a single speech or had any difficulty in interviews finishing intelligible sentences.
Biden’s political stature grew after being utilized by President Obama as a central player in his presidency. But now, as many Americans long for the return of rational, progressive leadership, the media is casting Biden as past his prime. Is he too moderate for today’s young, activist Democrats? That completely misrepresents Biden’s career on the cutting edge of most progressive issues. Without losing his strength among white, working-class voters, Biden was out in front of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in supporting same-sex marriage. Obama also chose Biden to lead the drive for common-sense gun regulations after the slaughter of children at Sandy Hook before many Democrats worked up enough political courage to speak out.
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Sanders, too, is rightfully proud of how many years he’s been promoting progressive ideas. He’s the old guy who ignited political passion among young voters all over America in the last election for the same sort of social-democratic ideas that made Franklin Delano Roosevelt one of America’s greatest presidents. Trump and Republicans who long to return to the good old days that led to the Great Depression are the ones hopelessly behind the times.
What About Gender and Race?
Here’s a safe bet. The 2020 Democratic ticket will include a man, a woman, someone white and either an African American or a Latino. The Republican ticket will be two white guys. Only one of our two major national parties looks like America.
Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are the most prominent female candidates. Harris is a skillful former prosecutor, once considered a plus for female candidates to prove they were tough. With a snarling bully as president, it may be more important that she talks about protecting health care and keeping children out of cages. Harris also is the biracial daughter of immigrants from different countries; her father is from Jamaica and her mother from India. Warren is an endless source of creative plans to protect the public from abuses by financial institutions and to force the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes. Republicans hate her ideas, but most Americans think they’re long overdue.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, another former prosecutor, is also getting attention from those hoping a Midwestern candidate could help take back Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, traditionally Democratic in presidential elections until Trump narrowly won. Democrats got a big head start in the midterms by sweeping all three states.
What About Those Exciting New Young Guys?
Yeah, how about those guys? Beto O’Rourke wasn’t a total surprise after his high-energy Texas Senate campaign came within a few points of knocking off the villainous Ted Cruz and created a large nationwide donor network. The former Mexican border district congressman also is perfectly situated to debate Trump on his vicious, racist policies demonizing Latino immigrants.
Pete Buttigieg was the one who came out of nowhere. Who did the unknown mayor of South Bend, Ind., with an unpronounceable name think he was running for president? The media initially focused on him as a novelty act. Every time they did, Buttigieg, a former Rhodes Scholar and Navy intelligence officer in Afghanistan, impressed more people as one of the brightest, most articulate and likable candidates running. He’s also a happily married gay Christian.
The media backlash already has begun against all the glowing coverage O’Rourke and Buttigieg have received, but those charismatic, fresh, new candidates can only attract more interest to the debates. Don’t believe anybody who claims to know how it all will turn out. Unexpected things can still happen in politics, and it doesn’t have to be a horror like 2016.
