Don’t do this again, Democrats. Don’t put all our resources behind a single candidate before the primary has even started, like we did with Clinton. We need a vigorous, robust primary to make sure we get the best candidate for the general election.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Beto. But I don’t know enough about him, or any of the potential Democratic presidential candidates, to have the nomination decided before we’ve even begun the race.
the usual machinery of 2020 primary prep has ground to a halt as top party players wait to see what the charismatic Texan will do
He did very well in Texas. He has explained how, and credibly.
Next he should (1) explain the loss; (2) lay out some options; and (3) pick the best option. Some but not all of this needs to happen in public. His rivals will not simply sit back and give him the time he needs, but them’s the breaks.
Beto’s current political capital has a shelf life, meaning he needs to run for John Cornyn’s senate seat, or for US president, in 2020.
I dunno. Last time a defeated Senate candidate ran for president and won was waayyy back in 1860. His name was Lincoln.
(Abe had less experience in elective office than Beto–having served one term in Congress and, if memory serves, one in the Illinois House.)
No chance of that happening.
Seems like a huge mistake to back one horse at this early stage of the race. Beto looks like a great guy, but there are too many Dems that probably feel they’ve put in their time and it’s their turn. Let’s be open about possibilities.
Well Fuck Yeah!
He could sell a populist run if he can recreate the donor fueled no pac campaign.
Difficult on a national level , but for a moment envision Beto in a debate against the Dotard.
He would mop the floor with his stupid hate filled Lying Faux news talking point ass
I can’t say I believe everyone is holding their breath waiting for Beto. Somebody said that to TPM because they want to work for Beto, but plenty of others are hard at work already.
It’s the turn of the person who will return the blue collar voters to the party that has their interests at heart
The best person should win but if that person is not owned by the pacs he/she has a better chance
Show your stuff candidates we’ll choose.
I’m not advocating for long standing Dems. I’m saying it’s too early to put all your money on one horse. At this point there may still be someone out there that would be another great candidate for President (other than DT of course).
Yeah, then we can blame every primary candidate he ran against for his loss because they may have said something negative about him during the primary. Also, we can blame any half wit, clueless celebrity who has no influence whatever that may not support him. Whoever runs as a third party candidate can also share the blame.
ncsteve and others will have an orgasmic blame spasm that’ll last for years. Yay!
We need a vigorous, robust primary to make sure we get the best candidate for the general election.
Because we didn’t have one last time since it was rigged, correct? Your voice was silenced by the “Democratic Machine,” eh? You’re certainly intimating that Clinton was not the best candidate for the general election. Good thing the party has effectively neutralized superdelegates so we can enjoy a reboot of 1972.
Chris Matthews said Beto has all the right stuff to be president. Not that Matthews is any Nostradamus but he’s been around long enough to know a winner when he sees him. Beto will be president; maybe not 2020, but he’ll do it.
What we Democrats don’t need is another novice who is inexperienced at national politics.
Beto has done nothing on a national level except get defeated by Ted Cruz, the most disliked Senator in the country.
With all the money he had and the “blue wave,” he still couldn’t beat Ted Cruz. Let him run for Governor or another Senate run first.
We didn’t have one last time, because we only had two candidates.
Furthermore, I’ve never written one word suggesting that the primary was rigged or agreeing with anyone who did. You’re welcome to trawl through all of my comments here at TPM if you want to verify it.
I’m a Democrat. Have been for 35 years.
I’m intimating that Donald Fucking Trump is president.
Could another candidate have overcome the billions in free media that cable networks gave Trump, or the covert influence and hacking perpetrated by Putin’s government? I don’t know, and neither do you, particularly because every other potential Democratic candidate bowed out of the primary in deference to Clinton.
Yes, I voted for Sanders in the primary, and then I proudly voted for Clinton in the general. I thought both were good candidates, and that neither got enough experience fighting in the primary to be adequately prepped against Trump’s idiot savant media manipulation, and the Conservative/Right-Wing donor and propaganda machine.
Finally, I’ve been reading and commenting on TPM for more than a dozen years. You recognize my userid and know my commenting history. So don’t come to me with your anti-lefty indignation and holier-than-thou hippie-punching. I ain’t having it.
I want all of our best Democratic candidates fighting for my vote in the primary, and fighting for every Democratic vote. And I want them prepped and primed to keep fighting once the general election begins, and once they’re in office too - because the GOP isn’t going to just roll over and let us fix the country once they’re out of power.
President Donald Trump had 11 primary opponents who hated him and still won the Electoral College. Explain that.
To be fair, Republicans outnumber Democrats by a 3 to 2 margin in Texas. Many of them would vote for a corpse over a Democrat.
He should run against John Cornyn for Senate in 2020 instead. We have the perfect opportunity to get rid of some of the worst Senators in 2020 including Mitch McConnell and we need the best possible candidates to get rid of the Republicans and end the rampant obstruction in the Senate once and for all.
I’d love to see him in the primaries. But won’t make any decisions until then. But I am boring like that.