Vaccinations & Antibodies

[warriorchick]

What kind of maniac wants to be a politician?

Exactly. Anyone who could actually do the job well is too smart to run for office.

[pbiflyer]

Exactly. Anyone who could actually do the job well is too smart to run for office.

One of my favorite quotes ever.

[warriorchick]

One of my favorite quotes ever.

OH, did someone say this before me?

[pbiflyer]

OH, did someone say this before me?

It was about the presidency. There have been a bunch of similar ones. Lee Iacocca was one. Douglas Adams had a similar one as well.

But none as eloquent as you!

[MUBurrow]

Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst.

But we'll save his take on which form of government is the best for another day 

[SERocks]

Wanting to run for the Presidency should disqualify you from the office.

[Hards Alumni]

Tower

That is my point. It is a schtick, unless the candidate serves a purpose. Biden was picked and supported regardless of his age and simply to have the best chance to beat Trump. My "guys" are too old and we need new blood in Republican party and I am not afraid to admit it.

Biden was picked by the DNC when Jim Clyburn went to bat for him in South Carolina.  Biden was getting smoked in the primary just like Hilary Clinton was.  But then miraculously the 'old guard' of the DNC gets the candidate they want... again.  The primary system is entirely broken in this country.  Every state should vote on a primary on the same day.  A tiny Republican leaning state in the Midwest shouldn't have the sway that it does over our national elections.

[Hards Alumni]

Sadly, there is no young Buckley

But conversely, where are the young Moynihans? The young JFKs? Even the young Clintons?

Great young Ds? Joe and Bernie are almost 160 between them and they dominated this cycle. And Joe’s talking 4 more years even though he’ll be 83 next Inauguration Day. And who is testing the waters? Hillary. She’ll be 77 or 78 next Inauguration Day. The only Democrat on stage for the debates who looked smart and interesting enough to go anywhere was Andrew Yang - and he just left the party. Kamala Harris? Corey Booker? Mayor Pete? Elizabeth Warren? Beto O’Rourke? The women in the Progressive Caucus? Etc., etc.? C’mon, man!

Neither side is brimming with talent IMHO.

Personal opinion here.  Biden will step back.  He won't do it until there is a seemingly high polling national consensus about who the pick for 2024 will be.  The democrats don't want a long drawn out primary.  And if no overwhelming consent can be manufactured until the convention nears I would not at all be surprised to see Biden say he is pulling out (unless he is polling well above 60%) and we get a pick from the DNC at the convention.  And it will be entirely dependent on who the GOP candidate will be.  If Trump is on the menu again, the DNC will go with Harris, Stacy Adams, or Buttigieg.  If not, I absolutely believe they are stupid enough to trot ol' Hilary Clinton out there.  And she'll lose again.

And for the record, the members of the 'squad' are phenomenal and I'd be proud to vote for any of them for President. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Biden was picked by the DNC when Jim Clyburn went to bat for him in South Carolina.  Biden was getting smoked in the primary just like Hilary Clinton was.  But then miraculously the 'old guard' of the DNC gets the candidate they want... again.  The primary system is entirely broken in this country.  Every state should vote on a primary on the same day.  A tiny Republican leaning state in the Midwest shouldn't have the sway that it does over our national elections.

And this is what I don’t get. Obama was not the candidate of the DNC, yet was a 100 times better candidate than Hillary was.  Trump was the same on the Republican side. Establishment candidates like Jeb would have been crushed by Hillary.

I think the primary process works if the party trusts it. But instead the party preaches unity and rallies around establishment candidates often to its own peril.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Hards

I cannot speak for other Republicans, but I have never followed the company line. More times than not, I have not supported the Presidential nominee and have voted accordingly. I have made some awfully poor choices in voting, but never based off the company line. I have to admit that I have not had many winning Presidential elections in my lifetime, starting with my Ross Perot decision.

You sound like a New England Republican which is essentially the Buckley's you speak of since he lived here. 
My dad's friend used to cater some of his outdoor gatherings.

[Hards Alumni]

And this is what I don’t get. Obama was not the candidate of the DNC, yet was a 100 times better candidate than Hillary was.  Trump was the same on the Republican side. Establishment candidates like Jeb would have been crushed by Hillary.

I think the primary process works if the party trusts it. But instead the party preaches unity and rallies around establishment candidates often to its own peril.

That's because the party doesn't understand itself.  It's why it resorts to constantly being the party of, "at least we aren't those guys" so you better vote for us!  The party establishment exists to serve its donors, but on a *slightly* less horrible scale than the GOP.  The future of the Democratic party hinges on polling and data analysis, but they're beholden to the donors that put them in power.  Look no further than Kyrsten Sinema.  Her 'evolution' of ideology is insulting to even the most casual observer.

Obama won because he actually tapped into people's beliefs and what they thought the country could become.  And it certainly still can... but he absolutely wasted the opportunity to move the country forward.  Always afraid to spend his political capital early on in his first term.  Because politicians who are pragmatic do that.  They try to toe the line and not be a one term president... and the ones that ram through their party's agenda end up as one term-ers.  So you're left with a choice.  Use your chance to change things and piss people off (Trump) or worry about your next election and accomplish very little (Obama).

[Warriors4ever]

I think you are overestimating the ‘power’ of the DNC and the old guard. They didn’t want Obama, they didn’t particularly want Clinton, and certainly weren’t into Carter.
I do agree that the Iowa caucuses shouldn’t be as important as they are. But elections are run by the states. And remember that primaries themselves aren’t actually required ( hence the caucuses).
I happen to like Mayor Pete. I heard a number of interviews with him when his book was released. He talked in complete sentences, actually used words bigger than sound bites, , is very intelligent and curious, is open to discussion, and actually talked about ideas and ideals.

[Hards Alumni]

I think you are overestimating the ‘power’ of the DNC and the old guard. They didn’t want Obama, they didn’t particularly want Clinton, and certainly weren’t into Carter.
I do agree that the Iowa caucuses shouldn’t be as important as they are. But elections are run by the states. And remember that primaries themselves aren’t actually required ( hence the caucuses).
I happen to like Mayor Pete. I heard a number of interviews with him when his book was released. He talked in complete sentences, actually used words bigger than sound bites, , is very intelligent and curious, is open to discussion, and actually talked about ideas and ideals.

Mayor Pete is as pragmatic, calculating, and smart as they come.  I don't particularly dislike him, but I certainly don't like a lot of the things he says.

The old guard is great at picking centrists while simultaneously throwing anything left of center-right directly to the curb.  See Sanders, Bernard.

[MUBurrow]

I think the primary process works if the party trusts it. But instead the party preaches unity and rallies around establishment candidates often to its own peril.

+100000000. Hotly contested primaries are always a benefit in the general, no matter how much pearl clutching goes on about the party doing itself damage.  Under the most pessimistic reading, they keep the party at the top of the news headlines which is all that matters.  Under the most optimistic reading, they show that the party can be a big tent with enough room for disagreement.  Either way, clearing the floor for a candidate other than a popular incumbent is never ever ever ever ever a good idea.

[4everwarriors]

Personal opinion here.  Biden will step back.  He won't do it until there is a seemingly high polling national consensus about who the pick for 2024 will be.  The democrats don't want a long drawn out primary.  And if no overwhelming consent can be manufactured until the convention nears I would not at all be surprised to see Biden say he is pulling out (unless he is polling well above 60%) and we get a pick from the DNC at the convention.  And it will be entirely dependent on who the GOP candidate will be.  If Trump is on the menu again, the DNC will go with Harris, Stacy Adams, or Buttigieg.  If not, I absolutely believe they are stupid enough to trot ol' Hilary Clinton out there.  And she'll lose again.

And for the record, the members of the 'squad' are phenomenal and I'd be proud to vote for any of them for President.

You were fine until your last sentence. God help this country if ever one of those racist, Marxist, anti-semetic, bumbling idiots ever gained traction, hey?

[4everwarriors]

That's because the party doesn't understand itself.  It's why it resorts to constantly being the party of, "at least we aren't those guys" so you better vote for us!  The party establishment exists to serve its donors, but on a *slightly* less horrible scale than the GOP.  The future of the Democratic party hinges on polling and data analysis, but they're beholden to the donors that put them in power.  Look no further than Kyrsten Sinema.  Her 'evolution' of ideology is insulting to even the most casual observer.

Obama won because he actually tapped into people's beliefs and what they thought the country could become.  And it certainly still can... but he absolutely wasted the opportunity to move the country forward.  Always afraid to spend his political capital early on in his first term.  Because politicians who are pragmatic do that.  They try to toe the line and not be a one term president... and the ones that ram through their party's agenda end up as one term-ers.  So you're left with a choice.  Use your chance to change things and piss people off (Trump) or worry about your next election and accomplish very little (Obama).

Obama was neutered because the Dems only controlled Congress during his first 2 years. Congress was split in the middle 4 years with Reps controlling the last 2 years, hey?

[jesmu84]

Mayor Pete is as pragmatic, calculating, and smart as they come.  I don't particularly dislike him, but I certainly don't like a lot of the things he says.

The old guard is great at picking centrists while simultaneously throwing anything left of center-right directly to the curb.  See Sanders, Bernard.

Pete is a pure political robot. I hate the idea of handing the reigns to someone like him. Harvard, oxford, McKinsey? I believe he'd continue the DNC tradition of putting donor wants over populist needs

[warriorchick]

It was about the presidency. There have been a bunch of similar ones. Lee Iacocca was one. Douglas Adams had a similar one as well.

But none as eloquent as you!

 

Remind me sometime to tell you the story of my high school friend who ran for Senator. She was not a politician by trade, but I have never know a smarter, more honorable, more natural leader in my life.  She won primary and the other party destroyed her with gossip and outright lies.