It is a cold ugly day here on the southern plains. One which matches the mood of the country perfectly during this age of Donald Trump. And, just like Brother Don's, presidency the bleak skies seem to signal a long dismal, perhaps never ending, winter of discontent.
In response to this dreadful experience vast numbers of democrats are throwing their hats into the political ring to run against the current resident of the White House. So many, in fact, it appears the only ones not running are political comedian, Bill Maher, documentarian, Michael Moore, freshman congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (not for lack of wanting, but instead that bit in the Constitution about an age requirement) and myself. I'd include my wife, but you never know what she might do as the field continues to expand exponentially.
The latest entry isn't even a democrat, but we've seen him before. Senator Bernie Sanders is back with his brand of Euro-socialism and a bag of promises chock full of ideals no one west of the Hudson River and east of the Sierra Nevada mountains wants to pay for.
Earlier this morning, the Vermont senator told a CBS interviewer, "We're gonna win." It is unknown at this time if he was speaking of his campaign, or his political philosophy, which are two completely separate things.
Indeed, this time around it's a different game. It isn't just Bernie vs. Hillary--the leftist renegade up against the democratic establishment--it's Bernie vs. a lot of people who are new, or almost so on the national scene.
They currently include five sitting senators, four of them women, one, an African-American man. Besides them, there is, so far, one sitting congresswoman committed to the race. One openly gay mayor. A Latino who was formerly in Barack Obama's cabinet. Plus, three other guys who have as much of a chance as the late actor, Tom Laughlin. You know, the guy who played Billy Jack in a couple of overwrought B movies which did ok with young people while critics panned them. That's right, after the acting gig was over he ran for president a couple of times..
Plus there are other potential candidates who aren't on the list yet. One is former Vice President, Joe Biden. Another is the charismatic Texan, Beto O'Rourke. Then there are the billionaire, Michael Bloomberg and Ohio Senator, Sherrod Brown. Finally there is former Obama AG, Eric Holder.
Out of that entire crowd only Biden and possibly Holder could be considered establishment democrats.
Yes, unlike 2016 Senator Sanders will now face a whole gaggle of rip roaring left leaning fire breathers all of whom are younger than him--most by a lot. In fact the only ones even close to him in age are Biden and Bloomberg. They're both a year younger. Elizabeth Warren is eight years his junior and Eric Holder is 10.
You take away those four and everyone else, except South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and Hawaiian congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, are at least 20 years younger than he is. Buttigieg and Gabbard are both 40 years younger.
Of course youth doesn't necessarily make one a viable candidate. No, it is money and it is organization. Senator Sanders may have the organization, but there is going to be a massive scramble for those, grass root donations from this moment on. Yes a lot of people, not just him, are going to be emailing small donors asking for their $20, or $50 and most of those contributors can only pitch in once.
Obviously the crowd at the gate will thin considerably after the first two turns in Iowa and New Hampshire. However the brutal truth is, with the exceptions of Dick Nixon, Hillary Clinton, and incumbents there isn't a candidate in modern history who has had more success the second time around the track. And both Nixon and Clinton had to wait eight years for it to happen.
Bernie Sanders no doubt knows this. So much so his doomed 2020 run smells to be nothing more than another attempt to push democrats further to the left. Honestly though, even that's going to be a tough nut to crack this time around. Liz Warren, Kamala Harris, and some others on board are already there. Or at least to the very edge of what much of the American body politic will buy into.
I underestimated him in 2016--I don't think I have now.
Senator, it is time give up the ghost. Leave it to the kids in 2020 and pray one of them can slay the beast. Honestly, you're time, along with Joe's and Eric's, is done. So, please, all of you, just get the fuck out of the way.
2-19-19
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