I'm ready to start looking forward to 2020. And right now, Joe Biden is our best answer.

[phleshdef]

My mind on this could change of course, Trump isn't even officially validated yet. But I look over the Democratic party's bench and I see a lot of good people. But we need more than a good person. We need someone that has that x-factor. We just got screwed for whatever reason... FBI bullshit, Russian bullshit, sexist bullshit, general bigotry of the electorate in certain states... something went wrong and we will eventually sort it out.

And yea I know, there are people that will remind me how old Joe Biden will be in 4 years. I don't care. Donald Trump is an old man too, yet I look at him and look at Joe and Biden seems way healthier than Trump. He has plenty of stamina right now and if he still has as much in 4 years, then I think he is the best choice. Biden is the person that can go out to these rural white areas and reconnect the party with those people where possible. He is tough as nails and could debate Trump into a blubbering mess. And he doesn't have any significant perceived baggage that the right wing media could exploit to no end.

There may be a better candidate to come along over the next 4 years. But right now, given the shit storm we are about to deal with from the GOP with a sociopathic maniac leading the country, I believe Joe Biden is the best person to put my stock in. We need a good person who is inspirational, unquestionably empathetic, a policy expert, someone with experience and has the ability to get the Obama coalition reactivated.

[Buzz Clik]

1. You should care that he'll be 78 in four years.

The rest of America will care.

[phleshdef]

4. And Trump will be 74 going on 75 into what would be his second term.

That is why is doesn't make a difference to me. If Trump weren't so old himself, then I'd agree.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

78. Age is but a state of mind... I know whom I'm supporting next go round!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!

[Auggie]

2. We need a fresh face.

[phleshdef]

5. And as I said in my post, if one comes along that meets my criteria, I'm down.

[Auggie]

9. The DNC needs to groom one NOW. Preferably from the Midwest or South.

[phleshdef]

10. You can't "grow" a candidate like that. We win when our candidate is naturally organic.

[Auggie]

28. I didn't say grow. I said groom. If we don't let go of the past we're doomed to repeat it

Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter came out of nowhere. They were fresh faces and given support from which to build on. Good people are out there. We just need to a pedestal of sort in which to put them.

A Gavin Newsom type, but NOT from California. And NOT Newsom.

(not that I would mind but the rest of America isn't ready for him)

[madinmaryland]

14. There are very few. All statewide offices here are help by Repubicans, except for Sherrod Brown.

We had the young mayor of Cincinnati run against Ted Strickland in the Dem Primary, but he did not win. And there has been no support from the National Democratic Party to help our candidates. We need the "50 State Strategy" of Howard Dean.

[brooklynite]

21. You're aware that Dean's "50-State strategy" got us the House on the backs of Blue Dogs?

Too many House seats are outside of liberal urban enclaves.

[phleshdef]

31. And yet that situation was a hell of a lot better than the current one.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

80. Yep

It gave us control of both houses of Congress

[meow2u3]

41. Better Blue Dogs than teabaggers

We can reason with Blue Dogs. We can't reason with crazy teabaggers whose idea of bipartisanship is dictating to Democrats under penalty of violent death.

[Auggie]

32. The DNC needs to let go of the past too, and that includes Dean

I'm all for Dean/Biden/Pelosi mentoring and advising but get some new faces like Tim Ryan's (D-OH) out there:



This is the audience we have to win back.

[madinmaryland]

33. I'm not excited about a sitting rep or senator being the DDWS.NC chairman. We saw what happened

with DWS. I want someone who can focus on the job fulltime, which is what Howard Dean did and not treat it as a part time job.

[Auggie]

35. I'm not suggesting Ryan head the DNC.

Just get new faces like his out there on talk shows and such. Totally agree the DNC chair is a full-time job. But we need to craft a new message or at least a new way in which it's delivered. Give them the new and improved Democratic Party ... as we say in the ad biz.

How about them Cowboys?

[madinmaryland]

37. Gotta love it!!!

I'm sure Elway Supremo's head is exploding.

You are right that we need fresh blood in the party leadership. Committee assignments, etc. We can't rely on Elijah Cummins being in Congress forever.

[Grey Lemercier]

69. do you think termed-out Kasich runs against Brown in 2018?

We already are looking looking at a bloodbath, and that race could be the 60th ReThug senate seat.

[OnDoutside]

72. PROVIDED the DNC take the necessary corrective action, why would you expect 2018 to now be a

bloodbath ? The Republicans now control all 3 branches, it is ALL on them. If the super duper Make America Great Again doesn't happen in the next 18 months why expect Democrats to suffer ? I don't. I see the opportunity to capitalise, first in 2018 and second in 2020. ALL provided of course that the Democratic Party get re-organized, and pick the best candidates they can.

[Grey Lemercier]

74. I do hope that Trump goes south in a huge way, but I fear he may get a temp sugar high with

a massive stimulus package (perhaps the Rethugs in Congress will pare it back). Many rows to how until 2018, but the map is terrible for us

Dems will have 11 or possibly 13 hard races, all defending seats, many in red or purple states, all in an off year, and we historically do poorly in many midterms (hopefully this will NOT be the case)

FL Bill Nelson (probably retiring, but will be hard race even if not)
IN Joe Donnelly <<< probably toast, a deep Red state now, look at Bayh's collapse and Trump won by almost 20 points
MI Debbie Stabenow (2nd safest of these 11, but will not be easy)
MO Claire McCaskill <<< probably toast, DEEP red now, she barely beat an insane Rethug last time, and Trump won by over 21 points
MT Jon Tester <<< probably toast, DEEP Red state now, Trump won by 24 points
ND Heidi Heitkamp <<<< toast, she barely won last time, and trump won the state by over 35 points, the other ND Senator, Republican Hoeven won 78.6 to 17%
VA- Tim Kaine, (safest of the 11, but again, will be a battle)
NJ Bob Menendez (mainly due to his criminal case, if it is not resolved and he runs still)
PA Bob Casey (definitely a hard race)
WI Tammy Baldwin (definitely a hard race)
WV Joe Manchin (may switch to Republican or might be in big trouble, over SEVENTY percent of WV voted Trump, Manchin already said he will support all of Trump's picks, and Trump will de-reg coal)

then these

NM Martin Heinrich (probably safe unless Susanna Martinez, who is termed out, runs)
OH Sherrod Brown (not as safe as Heinrich, especially if termed out Kasich runs for Senate) Portman won by over 21 points

ME (Angus King, Independent, will probably win fairly easily)


The only Republican seats Dems can realistically flip are

NV Dean Heller

Maybe, maybe Jeff Flake in AZ

the rest are pretty much 100% Rethug safe seats (MS, TX, TN, NE, UT, WY)

in 2020, the new census will occur and Republicans dominate state legislatures, so another round of gerrymandering will further quite possibly give the Republicans another full decade plus (until 2032 at the earliest) of dominating majority control in the House.

[OnDoutside]

75. If Hillary had won, I would fully agree with your assessment, but the Repubs owning the 3 branches

does present an opportunity that would not have otherwise been available. I'm not saying it is easy, and clearly from what you have described in your post, that is not the case, However, Democrats now HAVE to get their act together rather than wandering aimlessly along, or else all is lost. I don't care who gets the DNC job as long as they are the best person for the job, it is too important to screw up. And whoever that is, MUST have 100% buy in from all. If you cannot unite to fight what has just happened, well, no more needs to be said.

[MoonRiver]

3. Absurd

[etherealtruth]

6. As much as I love Joe ... No

I am hoping we find someone youthful (in political terms) and full of promise and "new" ideas.

[phleshdef]

8. I hope that too. But there really isn't anyone out there that stands out to me right now.

There is not another Barack Obama or even Bill Clinton waiting in the wings at this moment.

[etherealtruth]

15. Barrack Obama and Bill clinton were not on the radar 4 years prior to the elections

I do like Joe Biden (I have forgiven him for the 1990/2000s in which he was aptly nicknamed "MBNA Joe&quot .... he would be 78 in four years. Looking at the biology of aging and physiologic changes occurring in the eight decade of life and projected longevity it would be foolhardy to (in most cases) to put ones hopes in someone that would be 78 at the beginning of a first term.

[marybourg]

42. Bill and Hillary Clinton were BOTH very

much on the radar in the circles in which I moved, in the late 70's.

[etherealtruth]

43. I am willing to stand corrected I was a high school student so am very willing concede ignorance

[JHB]

44. Yup. IIRC, if a different Democrat had won the '92 primaries and then the general...

...Hillary would have been on the A-list for Attorney General.

[mythology]

87. Obama was very on the radar in 2004

He gave a hell of a keynote speech at the Democratic national convention.

[StevieM]

84. Elizabeth Warren is waiting in the wings, and I fully expect her to be the next president. (eom)

[haele]

88. Castro brothers in TX.

Julian Castro was the mayor of San Antonio, currently HUD Secretary; his twin Joaquin Castro is in the House of Representatives (D-TX20). "In-Law" relatives in San Antonio think if Julian runs for mayor again, he'd win easily, and they're Republicans (though they voted for Clinton this time).
Both Castros are good progressive Democrats, pro-LGBT, pro-choice, pro-education, pro-environment and pro-living wages.

And they're from Texas.

Julian might have an issue with his stint in HUD, Congress pitched a fit because he publically endorsed Clinton while HUD secretary, against the Hatch act. Of course, with the amount of Hatch Act violations that the Republican side has enjoyed, I would have thought it wouldn't be a big deal, but IOKIYAR, of course.

Haele

[bullimiami]

7. Disagree.

[Glassunion]

11. Nope.

I love Biden, but nope.

[monmouth4]

12. Please, no...nt

[romana]

13. No

Too old, too prone to gaffes. Surely the Democrats can find and groom a young, dynamic pol.

[andym]

16. Biden might have won this time, but he will likely not run in 2020

Even if he is in good health, being nearly 80 would cause problems with the electorate.

[JudyM]

49. IMO he would've won, hands down. Part of Washington, but a pretty clean and principled guy

with plenty of experience and know-how.

[andym]

54. I think so too.

He is a regular guy who can communicate with all Americans. It would have been a landslide.

[Vinca]

17. We should be looking at 2017 and state and local elections.

We need to win everything from dog catcher to POTUS in the coming years.

[mimi85]

57. Agree 100%

Let's focus on the mid-terms first.

[mtnsnake]

18. I like Joe. He's a funny guy. But if he's our best answer for 2020, then we're up shit creek!

[CrispyQ]

19. It'll be Mark Cuban on the dem ticket in 2020.

I'm joking. Sort of. Cuban was on TV during the campaign, talking about a new class of politician, the billionaire class, who can finance their own campaigns.

[stevenleser]

27. That wouldn't bother me. nt

[CrispyQ]

82. Nothing personal against Cuban,

but the idea of normalizing this kind of privilege does bother me. I'd like publicly funded elections, now. Every institution in this country has been tainted by money. Everything has been turned into a for-profit venture. I don't want to run government like a business & some things should never be done for profit.

The presidency already appears be a competition between millionaires - I guess we just stepped it up some this election. Assuming Don the Con is a billionaire. Personally, I doubt that. Although I don't doubt that he will be one when he leaves office.

It's such a mess.

[0rganism]

20. Joe's a good guy but not who we need now

IMHO we need a slate of younger non-establishment superstars ready to go to the mat for a strong progressive platform

prior political experience is unnecessary and possibly detrimental

We need LeBron James and Beyonce to stop playing gigs for a political class and step up to take the mantle themselves

IMHO

[Zen Democrat]

24. Kanye vs. JayZ? Kim vs. Bey?

[0rganism]

26. looks like it's headed that way

we're not going to win in 2020 without someone real special, someone with instant name recognition and charisma, who's not afraid to go up against insurmountable odds and lose. we need a goddam camera magnet who gets covered for anything they say and do, not someone whose primary source of coverage is for some contrived half-assed scandal that taints the candidate with the smell of insider corruption.

that means an outspoken celebrity with credibility stemming from well outside the political establishment

[Zen Democrat]

22. Put your reality hat on.

Remember that Obama served only 4 years in the Senate. Kamala Harris will have four years in by 2020. Julian Castro would be excellent -- he's in the Hell No Caucus in the House. We need young, fresh and committed to the PEOPLE.

What about Sherrod Brown?

[mimi85]

56. I was thinking of

The same two. I love Joe, but his time has passed. Sherrod Brown is a great guy, but I don't see him being "fresh" enough in 2020.

[stevenleser]

23. Joe is a good fallback if no one else emerges but the poor guy will be 78

I doubt he would want it at that age. That's a lot of work to put yourself through just to win the nomination and GE and then the stress of governing.

I would prefer someone else.

[phleshdef]

25. But my point is, Trump is not that much younger.

[stevenleser]

29. I get it and that might work if it comes to it, but I know a lot of 77-79 year olds.

Very few of them, as in none, want to take on a grueling 16 hour a day, 16 month long project.

He might very well be able to beat Trump, but we should all realize that at that age he probably won't want it.

[BainsBane]

52. That is just too old

He would be 82 by the end of one term, 86 by the second.
We have to get someone younger. Sherrod Brown, perhaps?

[stevenleser]

64. I agree and I love the guy. He was my 2nd choice after Hillary for 2016.

Anyone thinking this should speak to any 10-20 random 78 year old folks and see what their lives are like.

[Island Blue]

30. I love Joe and if he could be our

permanent VP that would be awesome, however the man will be almost 78 years old in 4 years. Joe has been through so much in his adult life, all the while contributing so much to his country. I hope maybe he will take some time and relax, spend time with his grandchildren, etc. Of course I also hope that once in a while he'll show up at Democratic events and get the base fired up!

[JNelson6563]

34. No, he will be too old.

[Chemisse]

36. Nope. We need fresh faces and new ideas.

And Joe will be too old. All the major candidates were quite old this time around, so they cancelled each other out on that issue, but it really is better to get someone who is in the prime of her or his life and career - for multiple reasons.

[Warren DeMontague]

38. Gavin Newsom.

[BainsBane]

51. Is there dirt with his divorce?

Or does Trump nullify all that?

[Warren DeMontague]

58. There may have been. But I think it's been all aired out.

As you say, small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. I mean, look at Newt Gingrich's track record.

But I'd more suspect he may be looking at 2024, if I had to guess. I for sure think both he & Senator Harris are faces to watch in the party, particularly if we want to expand our national bench generationally and geographically.

Interestingly enough I seem to recall that my wife was in Vegas and ran smack dab into his then-fiancee's bachelorette party, years and years ago. She said they were drunk and awful.

[BainsBane]

60. I expect many people are awful in those circumstances. Nt

[Warren DeMontague]

63. Hell, I'm certainly not in any position to talk.

If memory serves, Mr. Newsom and Ms. Guilfoyle's marriage fell victim to a scenario of two ambitious people each committed to high-powered careers that happened to be on opposite coasts, which is a pretty tough one to make work for any couple, I suspect.

Understandable.

I doubt his marital troubles will matter much this long after the fact.

[SticksnStones]

39. Caroline Kennedy, our Ambassador to Japan

[phleshdef]

47. She isn't even remotely ready for prime time though.

[SticksnStones]

68. She wasn't eight years ago...

But perhaps after diplomatic service she's grown more accustomed to the public stage of politics.

Just tossing out names though, spitballing ideas ~

[OnDoutside]

71. Joseph P. Kennedy III has been mentioned a number of times but needs to build his national profile

Interesting bit on his wiki ...

"Kennedy married health policy lawyer Lauren Anne Birchfield (born September 21, 1984) in Corona del Mar, California, on December 1, 2012. The couple met in a Harvard Law School class taught by future senator Elizabeth Warren"

[Crunchy Frog]

40. Elizabeth Warren. n/t

[BainsBane]

50. Age is also an issue for her

Though she doesn't look it, she's nearly 70.

[Crunchy Frog]

53. Doesn't matter to me.

Last edited Mon Nov 21, 2016, 02:10 AM - Edit history (1)

Guessing she'll still be youthful and full of energy in 4 years.

Edit to add: She's 67. Bernie Sanders is 75. Age isn't what it used to be.

[duffyduff]

45. Look at 2018 first. If the GOP does anything at all to Medicare/SS, they are toast.

Time to run some great candidates and oust these shitbags.

[yeoman6987]

59. 2018 must be priority

23 democratic seats many in red states. Only 8 seats repugs.

[Corey_Baker08]

46. I Like NY Governor Andrew Coumo...

Any Thing I Should Know?

[phleshdef]

48. Cuomo has way too much baggage.

[stevenleser]

62. Like? Don't forget he would be up against "Grab em by the p***y" Trump. nt

[MFM008]

55. I love Joe

But he will be to old.
We need younger people.
Both Clinton and Obama were in their forties when they were elected.

[radical noodle]

61. Maybe

Bill de Blasio, Mayor of NYC
Xavier Becarra, Representative
Joaquin Castro, Representative
Luis Gutierrez, Representative

[Chipper Chat]

65. Oprah?

Matt Damon?

[ucrdem]

66. for 2020 Joe would be perfect.

That's when Trump will be getting his first report card and voters will have maximum nostalgia for Obama-Biden years. And the debates would be priceless.

[LenaBaby61]

67. All this talk about who Dems will be running as President in the future ....

IS most definitely very necessary to start talking about NOW.

However, just as pressing of an issue is ARE we going to be in a position to VOTE. A tRump DOJ will have been at work over the next 2 years continuing to chip away at our voting rights even more as they've been for MANY years, meanwhile whose to say that the Russians won't be hacking into another of our elections like they more than likely did this time? Oh we know they know HOW, and it's not like a tRump DOJ would be investigating the Russians even if there was a strong case of them hacking into our elections. SMDH.

I hate being negative, but it's a reality and we better start getting our voting rights in order as much as we can because as I said we don't know if the Russians, the GOP and our OWN DOJ might try to keep as many Dems from voting as possible.

[nolabels]

70. Walter Chronkite, he could bring back real news

or, ah, ..... I must of messed up in my understanding of the 2016 Postmortem

[kebob]

73. So, Just Write Off Hillary? That Stinks!

She'll still be younger than Trump four years from now.

[mtnsnake]

79. Republicans would love her to run again. n/t

[Cobalt Violet]

76. No!

People aren't learning the right lessons from 2016.

[StevieM]

83. Here is a lesson for you to learn:

A lot of Hillary supporters, who wouldn't vote for Bernie (in the primaries), would be more than happy to vote for Elizabeth Warren in 2020. Not because we have "learned our lesson," but because we always liked her.

When that time comes will you think it is cool that we are, ironically enough, on the same team this time around? Or will you offer us forgiveness and redemption and thank us for learning our lesson?

[independentpiney]

81. Kamala Harris

I think she does an Obama, run and wins as a first term Senator, and shatters the glass ceiling.

[StevieM]

85. I expect Elizabeth Warren to be the nominee--and the next president. (eom)

[NCTraveler]

86. Biden isn't on my list.

For many reasons. He is someone I greatly respect and admire.

[Goblinmonger]

89. I love Joe, but this was an election of change.

We need to learn from that.

[renate]

90. if it's not Elizabeth Warren (who is beyond awesome IMO), how about Martin O'Malley?

My son (in his twenties) liked him best.