Weāre all thirsty for a leader, especially a bulletproof one like Beto
He took the worst that slimeball Cruz could throw and still out raised him with private donations and came up smelling like a rose
The first person who says, āBut he doesnāt have the experience!ā needs to take a good hard look at Donald Trump, who never held any political office, and former state and half-term US Senator Barack Obama, apologize, and then slither back into the cave they crawled out of.
(At this point in his career Beto has more experience than Obama when he ran for president. Beto also has the advantage of not being groomed for office by the billionaire Pritzker familyā¦)
Clean say a lot
Itās all good - let him get his exploratory committee and his funding together and proceed through the primary process.
Heāll either shake out as a good or a bad candidate, but until primary season, itās all speculation.
Iām not sure Donald Trump is a good example.
Betoās got the gift!
Wasnāt that similar to what Dan Quayle said when comparing himself to John Kennedy?
Agreed, heās got āit,ā call it what you will, charisma, maybe, but itās that indefinable something that inclines people to give you a hearing and gives the gift of inspiration.
Sinema > Beto. Itās not debatable.
And when can we look forward to Paul Krugman calling him an empty suit and claiming his followers are a cult of personality? Not to mention endless hand wringing over how he canāt win because reasonsā¦
Maybe he canāt. He didnāt win in Texas. But Iām not looking forward to the potential mess the fear grist mill will try to make of a very charismatic candidate. What is it about charisma that makes folks get their backs up?
So by all means letās have party leadership shake out the trees for a mediocrity to run.
Beto exudes positivity and empathy. Might make for a very appealing contrast after four years of Twitler; outside of his considerable Kool-Aid supporters, I think everybody elseānot just Democratsāis burned out on the ceaseless drama, trash-talk, and toxic, abusive atmosphere (which already existed on the right, but DTās taken it to a whole new level of awful). I hope Beto runs, and weāll see how his and othersā campaigns shake out. Sherrod Brown has my early interest as well.
Sinema > Beto. Itās not debatable.
LOL! How 'bout Bernie/Beto? Is that debatable?
Incoming!
The Democratic candidate needs to (1) energize the base and (2) flip MI, WI, PA. That is what it boils down to. There is no other way to White Houseāunless you flip FL, AZ, which are much tougher asks.
Repeat: the number one criterion is which candidate is most likely to flip the Rust Belt AND energize the base (women, minorities) so that we hold on to states HRC won.
I personally connect to Warren. Thatās my dream president. But the test isnāt who I, as a New Yorker, connect to. The test is: will Warren play well in the Rust Belt, which happens to be the Misogyny Belt? Nope. She wonāt, or very well might not. Ditto Harris. Brown would, maybe, play well in Rust Belt, but would not energize the base. Women and blacks around the country are not going to go to the mat for Brown.
By process of elimination, Beto is the best candidate. He will energize the base (women, Latinx especially) and unite the ideological divisions as well as anyone. He will appeal to the Rust Belt voters very clearly. He will also bring AZ and FL into play, which Harris, Warren, Brown will not. He also has charisma and novelty, which every successful Dem presidential candidate has had since Kenney, without exception.
BETOās honesty, sincerity and ability to connect with people is magnetic.
Plus, anybody who can skateboard in a Whataburger parking lot late at night gets my vote.
Except that even the Kennedyās compare Beto to RFKā¦
So by all means letās have party leadership shake the trees for a mediocrity to run.
That would be bone-crushing.
Bernie/Beto would be lucky to get 210 EVs.
Almost perfect, what you say, as of today. Iāve always connected with Bernie and Sen Warren. But Bernieās time has come and gone. Sen Warren still carries his message (hers as well) but sometimes she acts as the schoolmarm scolding the children. The Misogyny Belt men may not be all that comfortable with her but I think the timing is finally right for a woman in the WH 2020. Sen Brown is also close to perfect with message and resume but not very exciting. Harris wouldnāt work with all the headwind.
Beto probably is the best candidate - today. Like Obama always having perfect weather when giving his āin the parkā speeches, Beto wins big by losing to the evil Cruz. But like Obama, if he wins the WH, I hope he doesnāt, out of insecurity, bring in the Old Guard Establishment architects to āshow him the wayā. And Iām afraid thatās what would happen. Iāll stick with Sen Warren.
It is in that Trump is an example that lack of experience is not a barrier to election. (And no, it wasnāt the Russians. It was Republicanāt voter suppression in Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio and Michigan. But thatās a different discussion.)