If Democratic Voters Have Any Sense, Any Democratic Nominee Should Beat Trump

[MineralMan]

That said, the reality probably is that it's going to take a solid, trusted, popular person to do the job. Beating Trump in 2020 (assuming he's still President) will require a broad coalition of Democratic voters who go to the polls and vote, in numbers not seen for quite some time. So, we have the largest lineup of Democratic primary candidates in history. That creates a problem, of sorts.

Some Democratic voters consider themselves to be "progressives," "democratic socialists," or even outright proponents of socialism. Others are more moderate in their political philosophies. Still others want a young person above all else, or a woman above all else. It's going to be a tough primary on social media and on political discussion forums like DU.

Consider this: Donald J. Trump.

VOTE HIM OUT!

That should do the trick, I think. So, when duking it out during the primary campaign season, let that goal moderate your conversation, please. Remember who the actual opponent in 2020 will probably be. Remember the past couple of years. Remember the slimy obstruction of justice that has been carried out by that opponent.

Root for your favorite primary candidate, by all means. But please, please, don't demonize the rest of the candidates, thinking that doing that is a good idea. It's not a good idea at all. It worked out poorly in November of 2016. Let's not do that again, please. Build your favorite candidate up, but don't tear other candidates down.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

[fatrick]

1. Moderate is the key word

We should be comfortable questioning, challenging and debating the pros and cons of each candidate (and let’s face it, none of them are perfect), but it shouldn’t descend into mealy mouth remarks or abuse.

[beachbum bob]

2. We had hoped for that in 2016 and many who knew better still let trump win

[MineralMan]

3. Yes. We needn't do that again, if we have any sense at all.

Let's not let foolishness rule. That leads to disasters like Trump. Let's make sense, instead.

[MH1]

4. LOL, sigh. If Dem voters had any sense, Trump would've been sent packing in 2016.

Apparently there is a too-large swath of Dem voters that have absolutely zero fucking sense.

Okay I'm going to get off DU now because I am way too cranky right now to be posting ...

[Hortensis]

5. Btw, did you hear the joke about Social Security and Medicare

both facing insolvency before long?

No joke, of course. It's just as the anti-government billionaires the Republicans represent plan, of course, but desperately need the right especially not to believe while we can still stop them.

And they have another 558 days to appall the nation before we vote.

[MineralMan]

6. Yes. Another excellent reason to band together and throw the

Republican bums out of office. We can do it, if we want to and are willing to vote for Democrats, even if we don't like a particular candidate all that much.

We can do it. We should do it. I think we MUST do it. It's not about me. I'll be dead before those programs run out of money. It's for everyone else who will need those systems to be functional and solvent.

[Awsi Dooger]

7. Negativity is not an attractant

I could post that 1000 times and it would not be sufficient. Vote Him Out is in incomparably inept slogan. That type of thing works in midterms and people somehow don't adjust to presidential cycles, when apolitical types show up.

We are not going to defeat Donald Trump by ranting about how bad and evil he is. An incumbent can sit back and point to one thing after another that supposedly improved during his term. Not all of them will be invention. Often the incumbent simply inherits an economy about to take off. People who are comfortable with their daily lives give credit to the incumbent, even if reluctantly, and you have to really give them a special option to shift them away from that incumbent.

Trump won with 46% of the popular vote. Given our electoral disadvantage we need closer to 50%. That is the devastating difference, and the reason negativity is fools gold. If we run another negative campaign we'll be stuck at 48% again.