This sounds simplistic, but all I care about it beating Trump.

[redstatebluegirl]

I will choose a candidate from the 3 or 4 that I like right now (that could change and has changed), and then I will vote and work tirelessly for the candidate my party chooses.

I think we have a number of good candidates in the field that will no doubt thin as we near the fall of this year. It takes a lot of money to keep moving forward towards the general.

I am totally against all of these litmus tests of what constitutes a "true democrat". We are all democrats here, at least I hope so, some are progressive, some are moderate, some are even a little to the right of center but are still democrats. Any democrat would be better than what we have.

When the time comes I will knock on doors, make calls, give money when I can, and do everything possible to elect a democrat to the white house, congress and the senate.

I would hope that everyone here would take the same pledge to WORK towards victory in November 2020. Don't just vote, get out the vote, work to educate your neighbors. Of all of the candidates we have running I only have two I would rather not have as our candidate, but if the majority chooses them, I will WORK to get them elected.

I hate seeing my party divided, it does us no good in the long run and is exactly what the GOP wants. Also beware of "false prophets", people who come here who are not democrats, who want us to lose and want to divide us. Report suspicious posts and posters. Not all posters with low counts are trolls, but we need to watch carefully. I have no doubt DU was infiltrated last time.

[True Blue American]

1. Same here!

I am avoiding threads that demean any candidate because I think many are trolls, intending to incite.

I may have my favorites but it is far too early to choose.

[DownriverDem]

43. Me too

I want a Dem candidate that can win independents and voters disgusted with trump. It's not who I like or who you like. It's who can win the Electoral College.

[True Blue American]

51. You said it!

[McKim]

50. Fighting Among Ourselves vs. Being Out Talking about Platform Ideas

I agree!!! Every moment we spend fighting among ourselves or echo clambering their attacks on Democratic Candidates instead of being out in the world talking about and affirming our progressive platform ideas is working for THEM! It’s called: “Let’s you and him fight!”

[mitch96]

53. Works for me!!

I'm all for a electable candidate that will kick rump to the curb. Any other good would be icing on the cake..
m

[mitch96]

76. VOTE HIM OUT!...... nt

[Arkansas Granny]

2. I'm with you. Any of the people who have already announced their candidacy on the Democratic side

would be preferable to Trump. I don't have a definite favorite yet, but when the nominee is announced, he/she will have my full support, regardless who I choose to support during the primary season.

I don't expect any of the candidates will tick every box for being a "true democrat", but we have already seen that Trump is pure evil and he must be defeated for the sake of our country.

[Demsrule86]

3. I agree completely who can beat Trump is what I care about. I don't find any of our candidates

have policy that I disagree with...but who among them can beat Trump. That is the big question. I think Biden and Beto have the best chance.

[dalton99a]

4. We need a winner to evict the monster.

A motivator who can get people to the polls

We don't need a perfect person or a perfect politician with a perfect record

[watoos]

6. I agree, none of our candidates are perfect,

but they are all way better than Trump.

The Republicans have no positive platform that they are running on in 2020. Their platform, their strategy is to divide Democrats.

[watoos]

5. Well said, redstatebluegirl,

I only have one criteria that I am using to pick my candidate, he/she has to be tough as nails. So far I am down to 2 females and one male. I couldn't care less about policy at this stage. Policy does no good if we lose.

I also refuse to speak ill of any of our candidates, they are all way better than Trump.

The only way we lose in 2020 is if we fight among ourselves.

[emulatorloo]

7. Any of my top 4 candidates would do a great job of President as well

They are miles above Trump, and they will do what Democrats do: lift people up, work for economic equality, look out for working people, create jobs in new fields and help retrain people in dying industries, champion the rights of women, protect minorities, seniors etc the list goes on and own.

So I don’t think your post is simplistic at all.

Your paragraph about knocking doors and making calls and so on really resonates with me. You sound like me! I’ll be right there with you walking the neighborhoods in my town.

[RobertDevereaux]

8. This posting is spot on!

Thank you, redstatebluegirl.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. I'm with you!

I'm already tired of seeing OPs claiming somebody isn't really a progressive or sometimes votes for Republican legislation, suggesting we must support only the candidate who checks all the correct boxes. I am already on DU record as stating emphatically that I do not care. I will support the candidate who is most likely to beat Trump, and if that candidate is not the most ideologically pure of the bunch, I do not care.

[pamdb]

10. me too!!!

I have my favorites, I have my don't really like, but, in the long run, ANYONE
who is the democratic nominee I will vote for, I don't care who it is.We just need to get rid of the lying, cheating, con man in the WH.

[Amimnoch]

11. I agree that beating 45 is the #1 directive we need.

I completely disagree that we have ANY center or right of center candidates though. The very notion that you and others here are falling for that bullcrap illustrates to me that hyperbolic propaganda is alive and well. EVERY candidate we have is left of center by a large margin, and true to party ideals. NONE would turn away and bill that a Democatic Party majority Senate or House ever manages to get across their desk.


Kamala Harris


Joe Biden


Bernie Sanders


Elizabeth Warren


Jay Inslee


Beto O’Rourke

I could go on through the rest, but I think this drives home the point?

[True Blue American]

31. That Chart

Puts me much closer to O’Rourke, but I have not,will not choose.

[Amimnoch]

32. Very sensible and respectable.

Large pool of really great candidates. Very early in the process. Everyone has their own given right to decide whom to support or to support at all at this point.

Everyone also has their own reasons for supporting whomever they choose to support for a wide variety of reasons. For some, it’s all about the issues their selected espouses. For others, it’s a sole focus on perceived “electability”. For others, it’s about breaking glass ceilings and advancing our nation socially. None of these are invalid reasons.

Personally, I’m focused on the electability one. Beto is my choice right now. As we get closer to Iowa, my focus will be on whichever candidate appears best poised to first beat Bernie Sanders, then Donald Trump. As we approach Iowa, if Beto is not that candidate, I’ll definitely be switching my support.

[oldsoftie]

57. But the further left someone's beliefs are, the more likely they view one as "moderate"

Just as on the other side, the more "conservative" someone is, the more likely they label one of their GOP candidates as "liberal" or "moderate". They did this with Romney in '12.
Doesnt make either correct, but perception is reality in many things.

[Awsi Dooger]

12. I've got Ron DeSantis as governor instead of Gwen Graham

That's all I need to know about the realities of electability and screwing up the primary thought process.

Every time there's an issue thread here I have to chuckle. It reminds me of sports sites where the most irrelevant stats and criteria are hoisted every day as paramount, while the truly meaningful material baffles and sinks

[radical noodle]

80. Amen!

While I liked Andrew Gillum, I voted in the primary for Gwen because I thought she was more electable. And here we are with DeSantis. Ugh.

[Lordquinton]

94. The realities of electability?

Well, there was a black man named Hussien who was thought unelectable. There was also an Orange reality TV star who was thought to be unelectable. The truth is that there is much more to it than what some declare as electable. In Florida who knows what would have happened if the other candidate won the primary, the republicans still have the voting process twisted up in their favor.

[handmade34]

13. the problem with

only caring about beating Trump... is that there may be a scenario where Trump isn't the candidate and we really need to be able to beat any Republican that we are up against... we really need to look at the bigger picture

[Honeycombe8]

34. Anyone who could beat Trump, could handle Pence.

The only scenario that would be more difficult would be if they select a moderate Republican as their candidate. Which won't happen in a million years. The Party has been changed to rightwingnut.

[peggysue2]

14. Right there with you

And not simplistic at all. Because if we don't beat the Trumpster, this nightmare continues, no Democratic policies will see the light of day, the country will become more tattered and our future ever more bleak.

Like you, I have my favorites at the moment. But as the primary kicks off, I'm waiting to see what happens, who floats to the top and convinces me that he/she has the goods, the grit to knock Trump out and deliver a full repudiation to Trumpism and all its hateful, destructive aspects.

This is not time for purity politics. It's all about winning in 2020. Nothing else matters.

[scheming daemons]

15. Which is why Bernie canNOT be the nominee

Independents... and we need them to win.... will never vote for a Bernie Sanders in a general election.

Just won't.

If we are to defeat Trump, Sanders must not be our nominee.

[TCJ70]

16. I'm not sure why you'd say that...

...I'm not going to link every possible poll but here's one (Link from Sept 2018) that says otherwise. 54% favorable among independents in this particular poll.

But hey, if you have the crystal ball that says they won't vote for him...alright then.

[LiberalLovinLug]

21. Gaining independents would be one of the main advantages if it were Sanders

Just as he had the highest rating with Independents before the last election, and IMO would have won and saved us from this Trumpmare. I don't know where or how you came to your conclusion.

Here is a fairly recent article on the Independent Voter Network. With a poll showing Bernie on top.

https://ivn.us/2019/02/08/ivn-poll-independents-like-bernie-tulsi-and-trump-for-2020/

IVN POLL: Independents Like Bernie, Tulsi, and Trump for 2020

[crazytown]

72. 35% for Tulsi?

There’s something skewed with that poll.

[LiberalLovinLug]

73. Why would you be surprised by that?

She gained a lot of cred with more right leaning hawkish Independents, and lost a lot of cred with Democrat voters, when she was criticizing Obama for being too soft on terrorism. Going along with the R's criticism of him not using the term "radical Islamic Terrorism". Her military experience also went a long way. Also, she did the cardinal sin of backing Sanders last primary which some here will never forgive, but Sanders was the most popular choice for Independents, and, for better or worse, she was respected for at least not backing Hillary.

[IrishEyes]

17. Yes, I'm for whomever can beat the pants off Trump.

Actually, that is a gross image.

[JGug1]

23. Gross Image

Gabbard isn't near that popular. Check out Kos' straw poll. I just checked it myself. Bernie is way ahead. Tulsi isn't on the poll. She has been "relegated" because of not having enough support. That is pretty much what I expect of her run.
The poll was a bit screwed up this week because the host forgot to put in the app that makes it harder for people to cheat. Why do people cheat? We become no better than the wingnuts. "The end justifies the means?" I don't think so. Have we ever heard of integrity? I guess not.

[TCJ70]

18. I'm not sure how to quantify it...

...which is the problem that I have with electability arguments. I'm just going to choose whoever is closest to what I'd like policy-wise and let it shake out from there.

[ancianita]

19. Exactly. Among top Democratic candidates there is none more "true" than another.

My only litmus test (with only rare exceptions) is that a Democrat does not have a record of voting with Republicans on budget matters or existing national social services.

[SallyHemmings]

20. I am with you!

[JGug1]

22. Divided?

Stop with the party being divided. We will pick a candidate and then get that candidate elected.

[Still In Wisconsin]

24. As I have said before, I'll vote for a ham sandwich if the sandwich has a "D" in front of its name.

But, I think we have SEVERAL excellent candidates. We had one last around too, but I think the dynamics are VERY different now than they were two to three years ago.

[Beartracks]

45. You'd vote for a dham sandwich!?

==============

[Still In Wisconsin]

64. Yes. I'm hungry.

Well played Beartracks.

[EricMaundry]

25. Amen

Thank you.

[Doreen]

26. This is going to sound weird but

Last edited Sun Mar 17, 2019, 02:24 AM - Edit history (1)

I think that we should all demand the candidate we are going to vote for that if they do not make it into the final round that they put all of their competing bullshit aside and all endorse, vote for, and encourage their followers right away that they need to vote for the finalist.

No matter who wins we need to demand that there is man/woman woman/man president and vice president. I think at this time we need both.

My other odd thought is if a far left becomes president they should pick a closer to the middle left vice and if a closer to middle left becomes president they should pick a far left vice. They would keep each other in check but be able to move forward well.

[louis c]

42. I'm sure you mean Far Left in your last sentence...

...and not far right


<snip>My other odd thought is if a far left becomes president they should pick a closer to the middle left vice and if a closer to middle left becomes president they should pick a far right vice. They would keep each other in check but be able to move forward well.<snip>

[Doreen]

46. I meant far left.

Sorry.

[louis c]

56. I thought so...

[Gothmog]

27. Electability is my main issue

We have to bear trump. If the Democratic Party nominate a weak candidate, trump could win

[dawg day]

28. Me too--

Any of those who have a chance of winning would get my grateful vote.
My state primary is very late, so I might not even need to make a decision!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

29. I'm with you on that!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Cha]

30. It's the ultimate goal! It's Got To

Happen.

[redstatebluegirl]

37. I feel like sometimes I am beating a dead horse, but I have to keep saying it.

We have to worry about what this country will be like if we let what happened in 2016 happen again.

[UniteFightBack]

48. Keep at it...I repeat it to, folks getting confused like this is some sort of normal election.

EVERYTHING is riding on this and there is only one qualification that needs to be met and that is who can beat this dotard muthafucka.

[Honeycombe8]

33. Me, too. I think we all feel that way.

It doesn't make any difference how any individual candidate is, if he/she doesn't win. Winning is the main thing. WINNING.

I agree...be on the lookout for those who have a different agenda. People whose main goal is their cause, rather than the Democratic Party WINNING the 2020 election. The #1 goal is getting rid of Trump.

I agree about posters with low counts. Just to be cautious. Presidential elections draw new members, and that's good. But it will also draw trouble makers and trolls.

[McCamy Taylor]

35. redstatebluegirl, Will you marry me?

J/k. Already married. But I love the way you think and write! Positivity! Eyes on the Prize! Just say no to kneecapping and divide and conquer!

[redstatebluegirl]

36. Hee hee, thank you McCamy!

[redstatebluegirl]

40. In fairness, I have not been "positive" about Senator Sanders.

I have many issues with him that go back to 2016. I took an oath a couple of months ago to try and take the high road like I used to before I fell in to the dark Trump hole but it is hard with Mr. Sanders.

[Norman Conkedwest]

38. Yup

Even if Gillibrand is the Dem nominee, I'll be voting for her.

[redstatebluegirl]

39. Yes, Gillibrand or Sanders will be hard for me, but I will do it to save us all.

[louis c]

41. I am with you...

...my choice of Biden is as a result of a pragmatic look at the General Election, as it stands now. Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin are of the utmost importance. I fully expect any Democratic nominee to carry the states Hillary carried in 2016.

I know we need to energize our base and add diversity to the ticket. Of course, the person in the Vice-Presidential slot has to be qualified to be President if the need arises. It should be a qualified candidate and either a minority or a woman. If that's the case, why not all three?

This ticket should carry the three states I listed in the first paragraph, secure all the Clinton states and put the Trump 2016 states of Iowa, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona in play. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but this is the strongest ticket I can think of.

My ticket: Biden-Harris.

[joet67]

44. hopefully we can avoid the mistakes this time, and

Russian interference

[UniteFightBack]

47. Can we pin this OP? THIS IS ALL THAT MATTERS. I see posts how this issue or that issue is

a deal breaker. This one didn't say exactly what I wanted about that so gotta throw them out.

Who gives a fuck it is and it will be ...who can beat the dotard?

IT'S ABOUT BEATING RUMP...WTF part of that is everybody not understanding? There are no issues to discuss if we don't get rid of this fucker!!!!!!!!!!

[Auggie]

49. That's my plan too! K&R.

[C_U_L8R]

52. And winning the Senate and local govt

All I care about is resoundly defeating right wing racist republicans. Wherever they are.

[Gothmog]

54. Same here

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Autumn]

59. If you are reaching across the aisle how is that fighting back against Trump?

He is the Republican party. Does she know what "reaching across the aisle means"? We have seen for the last 14 or 15 years just how well those assholes on the other side of the aisle reach out to work with Dems. Now with Biden they will suddenly work with him? That's a joke.

[Gothmog]

60. Joe Biden is electable

Last edited Sat May 4, 2019, 01:28 PM - Edit history (1)

I will support the nominee of the party. Joe Biden is electable. I do not believe that sanders is electable

[Autumn]

61. I believe Bernie is every bit as electable as Biden and IMO more so.

If you are reaching across the aisle how is that fighting back against Trump?

and

Does Joy Reid know what "reaching across the aisle means"?

I think the answer to the first is you can't fight against Trump and the Republicans when you attempt to compromise with them from their point of "we will not compromise" to think you can is just living in a fantasy. As to my second question I would say she obviously has no clue what what "reaching across the aisle means" because when you are reaching out for a compromise that isn't fighting Trump. YMMV

[Gothmog]

62. You cannot get the Democratic nomiantion without the support of African American voters

Link to tweet

[Autumn]

63. Whatever. A focus group in Ohio is not the whole country and they do not speak for all Black women.

Hey! Check out this gem in that twitter feed. Thanks for the link.

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

67. Really?

Link to tweet

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The crowd packed into the gym of a century-old black church here cheered every time Sen. Bernie Sanders attacked inequities that hit disadvantaged African Americans especially hard, applauding his ideas to address “the disparity within the disparity.”

But the problem Sanders faces in appealing to black voters was staring at him as he spoke for an hour recently at the gym of the Royal Missionary Baptist Church: Of the more than 1,600 people who came to see the candidate, fewer than 40 were black.....

Black voters played a critical role in picking the last two Democratic nominees, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and it’s hard to see a path to the Democratic nomination without significant black support.

About 25 percent of Democratic primary voters in 2016 were African American, and in key states, including South Carolina, the figure was much higher.

[Autumn]

85. Bot? You mean Not? bot? You go back almost a month to find a post to respond to

and it has nothing to do with the OP.

[Gothmog]

84. Opinion: If the economy keeps its momentum, 2020 will be Trump's to lose

2020 will be a very close election if the economy is strong. Democrats have to pick a very strong nominee

Link to tweet

One wonders whether, at some point, the economic boom will be so huge that it will drive opinions on its own. Once Democrats settle on a nominee, voters will have to make a choice: Do they stick with the guy they’ve got, warts and all, who has contributed to such good times? Or are they willing to take the risk that the next president, even if he or she is a better person, will screw things up with a new agenda?

One election model from Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University, suggests the economy will be the winning factor. His “time for change” model has a solid track record in predicting the outcome and direction of presidential races, and data he published last month show that, so long as the economy continues to grow at a 2 percent clip, Trump should be a favorite for reelection even if his job approval rating is as poor as it is now.

Indeed, it’s even better than that for Trump. The model calculates an average gain of 2.5 electoral votes for every one-point Trump shaves off of his net job disapproval. According to the model, even if gross domestic product growth slumps to 1 percent, Trump could win the minimum 270 electoral votes he needs for reelection by lowering his net job disapproval rating to 7 percent. Right now, that number is around 10 percent.

Media attention is focused on the Mueller report and other congressional investigations. But if the economy keeps its momentum, even that or Trump’s failure to trumpet his success might not prevent him from winning a second term.

If a sanders is the nominee, trump will win 45+ states

[treestar]

55. Get the Dotard out!!!

I agree.

[Meowmee]

65. This is how I feel

I will vote for whoever wins. Some I don’t care for at all so it will be with disgust but I don’t think any of those will win. I’m really just concerned about winning the ge. I don’t even care about policies that much any more over winning. I am sick of the whole situation and fed up with this country for the most part. I will not be helping campaigns anymore. I will be donating only to candidates who I support, not to the party anymore.

[Gothmog]

66. Economic models point to a Trump blowout in 2020. But a faltering economy or giant scandal could cha

I have seen similar studies. It is not a given that trump is beatable in 2020. If the economy is in good shape, then there are models and studies that show that trump can win. Obama left trump with a great economy and trump may not screw up the Obama economy before 2020 and get re-elected.

Link to tweet

I am not counting on the Obama economy faltering and so I am worried. We have to defeat trump We have to nominate the most electable candidate

[dalton99a]

68. +1

[Gothmog]

69. If the economy is strong, trump can win

We have to nominate an electeable candidate

[tiredtoo]

70. yes, yes, yes EOM

[Gothmog]

71. Donald Trump has a plan to win re-election with just 45 percent of the vote

We have to nominate a strong electable candidate or trump may win

Link to tweet

And that’s why, as Axios reports, they are planning to hold on to the minority of voters who support the president while working overtime to launch a scorched-Earth campaign against the eventual Democratic nominee.

“The GOP]is going to make whoever the nominee is radioactive well before they get the nomination,” one former Trump campaign aide explained. “That’s Trump’s strategy. Stay at 45-46 percent [in the polls] and just make the other guy radioactive.”

Given Trump’s own unpopularity, the campaign reasons, the only way to get him back into the White House will be to convince swing voters that the Democratic nominee will pack the Supreme Court, end the Electoral College, and grant reparations to black Americans.

Throughout his first term, Trump has consistently posted lower approval ratings than any of his predecessors. FiveThirtyEight’s average of public opinion polls at the moment gives Trump an approval rating of just under 42 percent with a disapproval rating of 53 percent.

[Gothmog]

74. Washington Post-'Electability' and 'Bernie' don't belong in the same sentence

Link to tweet

“A combined 58 percent of voters are either uncomfortable (37 percent) or have reservations about (21 percent) Bernie Sanders’ 2020 bid. For Elizabeth Warren, it’s a combined 53 percent. And for Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke, it’s 41 percent of voters expressing either reservations or discomfort.” Given that the overwhelming number of voters know who Sanders is, there is no excuse — as there is for other candidates — that they have insufficient information to decide whether to vote for him. Sanders is about as well known as former vice president Joe Biden, yet the poll shows that Biden’s comfortable/uncomfortable rating (48/48) clearly outpaces Sanders’s (37/58).....

Sanders’s age, the “socialist” moniker he embraces and his 2016 campaign problem with women are not going to change during the race. It’s unlikely his personality or his familiarity with foreign policy will improve, either. (The guy is 77, and if we have learned anything from Trump, it is that septuagenarians don’t change their personalities nor attend to habitual deficits in knowledge.) Oh, and on Sunday he again promised to release his tax returns, which he promised over a month ago would be “soon.”

[Gothmog]

75. If sanders is the nominee, trump wins

Link to tweet

[redstatebluegirl]

77. I agree, it applies to a few of the other candidates as well.

[NCLefty]

78. Agreed. If he wins another 4, it will validate everything he's said and done.

EVERYTHING.

[DesertRat]

79. Absolutely!

[Gothmog]

81. According to this study trump could win

There are posters who believe that we can nominate the most liberal/socialist nominee as possible and that candidate will easily win because everyone hates trump. It is their position that this is a historic opportunity to nominate someone would otherwise not be electable. This theory is wrong in that most POTUS are re-elected if the economy is good. Here is a scary study that shows this

Link to tweet

There are good reasons to doubt this study

Link to tweet

I do not believe that trump is assured of winning. If we want to win, Democrats need to nominate a strong nominee who is NOT too far out of the mainstream

[Gothmog]

82. According to Jim Messina, trump will beat sanders easily

Link to tweet

Political adviser Jim Messina, who managed former President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, answered a question Wednesday that has been on the minds of Democrats looking ahead at the 2020 presidential race.

"Can Bernie Sanders beat Donald Trump?" ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl asked Messina on the Powerhouse Politics podcast on Wednesday.

"No," Messina responded.,,,,

"I think if you look at swing voters in this country they are incredibly focused on the economy," Messina replied. "I think today you look at it and say that Bernie Sanders is unlikely going to be able to stand up to the constant barrage that is Donald Trump on economic issues."

[Gothmog]

83. The choice may be Woke or Win

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

86. Most Believe Socialism Is Not American

Here is some polling that supports the concept that socialism is not in favor with American voters https://politicalwire.com/2019/05/06/most-believe-socialism-is-not-american/

A new Monmouth poll finds 57% of Americans say that socialism is not compatible with American values, while just 29% say it is compatible.

Key finding: 42% have a negative opinion of socialism in general, with another 45% having a neutral opinion and just 10% holding a positive view of socialism.

Meanwhile, 39% of Americans have a positive opinion of capitalism in general, while 40% have a neutral opinion and another 17% hold a negative view of capitalism.

[Gothmog]

87. Gallop-Less Than Half in U.S. Would Vote for a Socialist for President

This polling would make it very difficult to win with a socialist candidate on the ballot https://news.gallup.com/poll/254120/less-half-vote-socialist-president.aspx

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Less than half of Americans (47%) say they would vote for a qualified presidential candidate who is a socialist -- the same percentage Gallup found in 2015. A socialist candidate is the only one among a dozen hypothetical candidates about whom a minority of Americans say they are willing to give their vote....

In spite of the expanded tolerance for diversity, candidates labeling themselves as socialists may struggle to gain traction in a presidential race, as Americans have not become more open to such a candidate. Even as political figures advocating socialist ideas have gained popularity in Democratic circles in recent years, less than half of Americans remain willing to give an avowed socialist candidate their vote. This creates a challenge for the Democratic Party, as it seeks to avoid alienating the Democratic socialists within its rank and file, while still aiming to win a national election.

[redstatebluegirl]

88. Yep if we go far left we lose, bottom line.

I will vote for our candidate whomever that is, but if it is someone on the far left, I'm getting my passport ready and heading out.

[Gothmog]

89. New CNN poll: A majority of Americans say they think President Trump is going to win a second term

Link to tweet

A majority of Americans say they think Donald Trump is going to win a second term, according to a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, even as the President's reviews on issues other than the economy remain largely negative.

The new poll finds 54% say their best guess is that Trump will win the 2020 election, 41% feel he will lose. Americans are slightly more apt to say Trump will win now than they were to say Barack Obama would win a second term in May 2011, in a survey conducted just after the death of Osama bin Laden (50% thought Obama would win in that poll). The new numbers on Trump are a reversal from December, when a narrow majority of 51% said they thought Trump would lose his bid for re-election.

The shift over that time comes mostly among those who disapprove of Trump's handling of the presidency. In December, 81% in that group said they thought the President would lose, and now, that's fallen to 67%. At the same time, the share who approve of the President and think he will win has held mostly steady (88% now vs. 85% in December).

The dislike those disapprovers hold for Trump is palpable in the poll. Asked to explain in their own words why they disapprove of Trump, Trump's behavior is a central reason. The most frequently cited responses are lying (13%), racism (11%), incompetence (11%) and not acting presidential (7%). Immigration, named by 7%, is the only specific issue that merits mention by 5% or more.

[Skya Rhen]

90. I agree. Trump has a very good shot at winning. There are lots of people -including some on the left

that are quite comfortable with Trump. I say this because there are so many that will be happy to stay home and pout instead of voting for a Dem that does not "inspire" them. This translates into votes for Trump.

This is why our strongest candidate must face him in the general - we cannot afford to take any chances...

[Gothmog]

91. I want to defeat trump and we need to nominate our most electable candidate

We have to nominate a candidate who can beat trump.

I fear that if sanders is the nominee, trump could win 45+ states

[Cha]

97. I don't get that.. if his polls are

so down.. why does some CNN majority think he's going to win a 2nd term?

We can't have that monster staying in the WH.

[LanternWaste]

92. Me too. I fully agree. I don't think we have any 'bad' candidates.

And any of them (any) would be a brazillian times better than the mook currently sullying up the office.

I'll accept the division of the party in the here and now during the primaries if it assists us in bringing the strongest candidate to bear against the orange-idiot.

(the low-count trolls have a tell: instead of listening, they'll tell us what "we need to know" and that any minor misstep from any Dem candidate "makes us look bad" )

[Scurrilous]

93. K&R

[Peacetrain]

95. Excellent OP redstatebluegirl..

You reflected my thoughts exactly.. could not have said it better..

[JI7]

96. that's not simplistic, it's common sense