[Poll] Whom Should Dems Run in 2024?

[Holman]

There's a lot of talk about changing horses. Let's talk horses. At the moment, whom do you think Dems should run for President in 2024?

Possibilities are listed in no particular order and are derived from a handful of recent speculative articles.

I've left out Bernie Sanders since he has appeared to declare himself uninterested.

Some other ambitious governors/reps/etc are unlisted only for lack of space.

[hepcat]

The dems should pull a Hail Mary and run a relative unknown. Almost all of those other names have been demonized for the better part of a decade or more. Run someone new and let the trumpsters try to play catch up.

However, I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn last night, so what do I know.

[dbt1949]

Biden's senile and the Trumpeters won't let Harris have a chance so it's just a coin tossup.

[Kraken]

I'd like to see Biden withdraw from reelection after the midterms and a competitive primary season shape up amongst all the others, and hopefully some fresh faces as well. If Biden loses Congress his presidency is over anyway.

Me, I'm still on Team Warren. I know she's too old and female and rational to beat the deplorables, but I just can't quit her.

[hepcat]

Biden's senile and the Trumpeters won't let Harris have a chance so it's just a coin tossup.

I don’t think Biden’s senile. That’s just a Trumper thing. He can still run rings around fattie McOrange when it comes to intellect.

[dbt1949]

I disagree. I'm senile and I recognize a fellow seniler.

[hepcat]

We”ll talk about it later, after you’ve forgotten what you wrote.

[Holman]

The dems should pull a Hail Mary and run a relative unknown. Almost all of those other names have been demonized for the better part of a decade or more. Run someone new and let the trumpsters try to play catch up.

However, I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn last night, so what do I know.

ANY Democrat will be demonized as an anti-American Freedom-Hating Communist. It should be hilarious (if it weren't so absurd) that Joe Biden has been getting that treatment all along. No more hard-core moderate would experience anything less.

[hepcat]

Of course they’ll be demonized. But it takes time to get it to the levels the others on that list are at.

[Freyland]

Even if I like Booker, I think a black man is likely to energizer Repugnican voters in these times.

[Blackhawk]

Like, schmike. Policy, schmolicy.

The question I want to know is: Who can rouse the masses and inspire the voters? Who can fight the personality battle toe-to-toe with the populists? Who can counter absurd claims during a debate? Right now, winning is the first and third priority (basic competence is second.) A person with a history of brilliant policy and leadership who won't win is irrelevant.

[Jaymann]

They should run AOC. You can't get any further from DeSantis.

[Kraken]

I wonder what Deval Patrick is doing these days. Making lots of money and living the high life, probably. IDK if Dems would swoon to an Obama vibe, but Deval can project that.

[Kurth]

Could we possibly have a slate of more underwhelming options? We are so hosed.

[hitbyambulance]

Marianne Williamson should have been a frontrunner on that poll

[LordMortis]

From that list? Booker. I still like Jeff Merkley, though it's been a while since I've kept up with him. I'd have to do my diligence on the last 3 years from him, cause things change over time.

[Unagi]

They should run AOC. You can't get any further from DeSantis.

I actually like this idea.

I thought she would still be too young, but she turns 35 in October 2024.

A young woman really is the hero we need right now. But I do fear that misogyny will keep her down.

[YellowKing]

I'm still a Buttigieg fan, but I don't know how electable he is. He comes across as a bit wimpy and soft-spoken, and it seems America prefers tyrants right now.

And as much as I like ol' Roy Cooper, he has all the charisma of a Cracker Barrel menu.

[Unagi]

I think Buttigieg is absolutely great. But yeah, a gay man for president is not the likely answer to the GOP party at this turn.

Even though it should be exactly the right answer.


Here is the real question though: do we think Biden will help usher in a new candidate and announce he’s one and done after the midterms?

I feel like that’s a critical first step here. And I’m about 50/50

[YellowKing]

I don't think he will, due to the optics. Right or wrong, I feel like it would signal that the Democrats are giving up, or at the very least scrambling.

[Drazzil]

They should run AOC. You can't get any further from DeSantis.

I actually like this idea.

I thought she would still be too young, but she turns 35 in October 2024.

A young woman really is the hero we need right now. But I do fear that misogyny will keep her down.

And there's the problem. Fear. If the Democrats run from the establishment again, they WILL lose. People won't show up. Most voters know the establishment lied to them, again and again. Dem's really did promise very little this time around, and failed to deliver even that. If the establishment doubles down on their tactics, Americans are just going to look at ROE being repealed and shrug and not show up. Running AOC would be a signal that the Dems are at least willing to change a little bit.

That being said The Dem's would crush AOC any way they could, up to and including running another candidate no matter what the people said.

[Kurth]

They should run AOC. You can't get any further from DeSantis.

I actually like this idea.

I thought she would still be too young, but she turns 35 in October 2024.

A young woman really is the hero we need right now. But I do fear that misogyny will keep her down.

That, along with the fact that she’ll “energize” the Democratic progressive base and alienate just about everyone else.

And I feel like we go in circles on this every election cycle, but young progressives generally don’t vote. It’s sad but true. Young, idealistic progressives do not show up to vote like old, embittered, angry, fearful conservatives. They just don’t.

AOC means certain defeat.

[Drazzil]

They should run AOC. You can't get any further from DeSantis.

I actually like this idea.

I thought she would still be too young, but she turns 35 in October 2024.

A young woman really is the hero we need right now. But I do fear that misogyny will keep her down.

That, along with the fact that she’ll “energize” the Democratic progressive base and alienate just about everyone else.

And I feel like we go in circles on this every election cycle, but young progressives generally don’t vote. It’s sad but true. Young, idealistic progressives do not show up to vote like old, embittered, angry, fearful conservatives. They just don’t.

AOC means certain defeat.

Anyone from the establishment means certain defeat. So if we're going to go out, why not go out fighting?

[Drazzil]

They should run AOC. You can't get any further from DeSantis.

I actually like this idea.

I thought she would still be too young, but she turns 35 in October 2024.

A young woman really is the hero we need right now. But I do fear that misogyny will keep her down.

That, along with the fact that she’ll “energize” the Democratic progressive base and alienate just about everyone else.

And I feel like we go in circles on this every election cycle, but young progressives generally don’t vote. It’s sad but true. Young, idealistic progressives do not show up to vote like old, embittered, angry, fearful conservatives. They just don’t.

AOC means certain defeat.

Anyone from the establishment means certain defeat. So if we're going to go out, why not go out fighting?

We need to not only motivate the under forty's, we need to motivate them to steal the keys from their grandparents cars and lock them in the house on election Tuesday. Tall order, I know, but really the only way forward.

[Drazzil]

I don't think he will, due to the optics. Right or wrong, I feel like it would signal that the Democrats are giving up, or at the very least scrambling.

We've already seen them give up. Repeatedly. We need to see them scrambling. It would be an improvement.

[Carpet_pissr]

They should run AOC. You can't get any further from DeSantis.

I actually like this idea.

I thought she would still be too young, but she turns 35 in October 2024.

A young woman really is the hero we need right now. But I do fear that misogyny will keep her down.

Young, idealistic progressives do not show up to vote like old, embittered, angry, fearful conservatives. They just don’t.

AOC means certain defeat.

I’m not saying AOC is the right choice, but when is the last time young progressives had a young, progressive candidate to motivate them to vote? Old embittered angry conservatives have a buffet of similar, like-minded candidates to choose from on a constant basis.

[Carpet_pissr]

I don't think he will, due to the optics. Right or wrong, I feel like it would signal that the Democrats are giving up, or at the very least scrambling.

Wrong, very wrong imo.

Giving up means running tired old moderate Joe again. He fired up no one last time, and with his current polls in the shitter compared to then…?

New, young, even polarizing candidate would signal: we recognize that shit is serious, so much do we are tanking our incumbent to run a polarizing, Hail Mary candidate.

Also, we (hopefully) ARE scrambling. Showing there’s still a will to survive in the face of dire odds isn’t going to hurt us.

[Drazzil]

I don't think he will, due to the optics. Right or wrong, I feel like it would signal that the Democrats are giving up, or at the very least scrambling.

Wrong, very wrong imo.

Giving up means running tired old moderate Joe again. He fired up no one last time, and with his current polls in the shitter compared to then…?

New, young, even polarizing candidate would signal: we recognize that shit is serious, so much do we are tanking our incumbent to run a polarizing, Hail Mary candidate.

Also, we (hopefully) ARE scrambling. Showing there’s still a will to survive in the face of dire odds isn’t going to hurt us.

If we run Joe Biden again we lose. No one is going to show up to vote for people who do *nothing*. Less then nothing, we lost. The current candidate is doing nothing, will do nothing.

Ask what happens to an establishment candidate who offers nothing, who did nothing. In the face of multiple enormous crisis. Nothing.

Hillary Clinton ran on business as usual. Offering people who were being crushed zero. One of the best quotes I've heard today is that you have to offer people hope or fear to get ahead. Biden ran on fear of what cheeto and his ilk would do if he wasn't elected. We carved out a RAZOR THIN victory. Thhhhhhennnnnnn the people we elected allowed cheeto's group to do it anyway.

If we run the same old thing we lose. If the Dem's run on preserving the establishment we lose. If the Dem's don't govern and run on anti establishment NOW you may, MAY eke out a slim majority, which the Dem's THEN need to do continue to reform things, regardless of what the minority wants. Americans have shown that they're comfortable with this. They allowed the Republicans to do it, chances are the people will let the Democrats do things to improve their lives for the better.

*shrugs* This is all worthless to discuss anyway, it changes nothing, it affects nothing. Its wasted breath, we will see the worst of all worlds regardless of what we decide here. The die has been cast.

[YellowKing]

Since when have you guys seen the Democratic party take a risk on *anything*?

[Drazzil]

Since when have you guys seen the Democratic party take a risk on *anything*?

Not in my lifetime. This is why I think we are past the organize and vote part. Even when we do so we get nothing in return.

[Drazzil]

I'm not sure running Mr. or Ms. middle of the road will work for the Dems. Too much pain and broken promises behind the existing crew. No more bipartisanship. Use whatever legal tools you have right now to ram through whatever you can. Force the reps to vote your way.

Maybe its time to bring back the majority/minority whip. With an actual whip. Biden should promise legal prosecution for stuff that he knows about for people who don't fall in line. Maybe its just a visit in the night from a few "concerned" members of congress or an operative or two. Johnson did that all the time. He got results. No one will care about how Biden and team got it done, only that it got done.

A bent law here, a broken nose there, a legal prosecution for those who don't fall in line. Effective presidents have done such in the past.

Maryland was going to vote to join the confederacy at one point. Lincoln or one of his hands had the building surrounded and promised to shell it with artillery if they voted to secede. We need drastic measures for drastic times.

[Carpet_pissr]

Voted for Buttigieg, but we probably need someone that’s not on that list, or in the ‘Other’ category.

[LawBeefaroni]

If you try to look at it from a GOP perspective, there is no one on that list that is a threat. They undoubtedly have a game plan for every one of them and probably can't wait to be unleashed on whoever the Dems choose.

Choice of candidates isn't going to win this for the Dems. Some sort of non-election event will, if they do win.

[Lagom Lite]

So here's my take, for whatever it's worth.

Trumpianism is a product of anger and cultism. People get together and hate on the elites and those they perceive to have wronged them or are undeserving parasites.

What counters this? What counters someone like Trump or DeSantis?

The answer is: a theatrically strong man (or strong woman). Someone who can tell the opponent to sit down and shut up, and don't be a whiny toddler, on national television and get away with it. Someone who can say: "THIS is how we're going to solve shit", and "THAT is what we need to get done". Someone who can credibly shut down someone like Trump and promote a message of their own.

Don't think too much about candidate identity (gender, sexuality, race). I don't think it matters at all as much as people think. Not if the candidate is otherwise strong and has a message worth listening to. Hillary wouldn't be at all as weak of a candidate, if only she'd shut up about the glass ceiling and instead decide on and communicate what she wants to DO in office.

While my candidate in terms of policy (being a pinko commie) would be Warren (or Sanders), I don't believe Warren has the performative ability to shut down the opponent like I envision. I don't think Klobuchar or Booker can do it either.

Honestly, I think your best bet, as much as I hate it, is the current vice president. She's pretty damn sassy from what I've seen. She needs help finding a message however.

Second choice would be Buttigieg. I can see him shutting down Trump. Maybe.

Shame you let Sanders slip through your fingers, but alas, it's too late now.

[Drazzil]

So here's my take, for whatever it's worth.

Trumpianism is a product of anger and cultism. People get together and hate on the elites and those they perceive to have wronged them or are undeserving parasites.

What counters this? What counters someone like Trump or DeSantis?

The answer is: a theatrically strong man (or strong woman). Someone who can tell the opponent to sit down and shut up, and don't be a whiny toddler, on national television and get away with it. Someone who can say: "THIS is how we're going to solve shit", and "THAT is what we need to get done". Someone who can credibly shut down someone like Trump and promote a message of their own.

Don't think too much about candidate identity (gender, sexuality, race). I don't think it matters at all as much as people think. Not if the candidate is otherwise strong and has a message worth listening to. Hillary wouldn't be at all as weak of a candidate, if only she'd shut up about the glass ceiling and instead decide on and communicate what she wants to DO in office.

While my candidate in terms of policy (being a pinko commie) would be Warren (or Sanders), I don't believe Warren has the performative ability to shut down the opponent like I envision. I don't think Klobuchar or Booker can do it either.

Honestly, I think your best bet, as much as I hate it, is the current vice president. She's pretty damn sassy from what I've seen. She needs help finding a message however.

Second choice would be Buttigieg. I can see him shutting down Trump. Maybe.

Shame you let Sanders slip through your fingers, but alas, it's too late now.

The current vice president is a stuffed suit with a history of a criminal prosecutor. She would go nowhere with the voters. The biggest millstone the Dem's have around their neck is that they are the "do nothing and make excuses" party. No matter what the American public hands them they just fuck it up and make excuses. The only way that people will turn out and vote for ANYONE on the D ticket is if the Dems actually get something ANYTHING done that has a measurable effect on quality of living for people. And they wont do that painting in the lines. So no.

[Holman]

So here's my take, for whatever it's worth.

Trumpianism is a product of anger and cultism. People get together and hate on the elites and those they perceive to have wronged them or are undeserving parasites.

What counters this? What counters someone like Trump or DeSantis?

The answer is: a theatrically strong man (or strong woman). Someone who can tell the opponent to sit down and shut up, and don't be a whiny toddler, on national television and get away with it. Someone who can say: "THIS is how we're going to solve shit", and "THAT is what we need to get done". Someone who can credibly shut down someone like Trump and promote a message of their own.

Don't think too much about candidate identity (gender, sexuality, race). I don't think it matters at all as much as people think. Not if the candidate is otherwise strong and has a message worth listening to. Hillary wouldn't be at all as weak of a candidate, if only she'd shut up about the glass ceiling and instead decide on and communicate what she wants to DO in office.

While my candidate in terms of policy (being a pinko commie) would be Warren (or Sanders), I don't believe Warren has the performative ability to shut down the opponent like I envision. I don't think Klobuchar or Booker can do it either.

Honestly, I think your best bet, as much as I hate it, is the current vice president. She's pretty damn sassy from what I've seen. She needs help finding a message however.

Second choice would be Buttigieg. I can see him shutting down Trump. Maybe.

Shame you let Sanders slip through your fingers, but alas, it's too late now.

Unfortunately, I think you're wrong about gender and race. The American electorate is racist and misogynist, and those factors matter. A strong female candidate comes off negatively. A strong black candidate comes off as scary. In both cases, the "mainstream" media plays along with the tropes.

It took a perfect set of variables to elect Barack Obama: the country was tired of Bush's Iraq War, the economy utterly collapsed on Bush's watch, McCain picked a nutjob as his VP, and (probably most of all) Obama strained every muscle to avoid coming off as an "angry black man."

Obama opened the door to minorities, but just barely, and the Tea Party/MAGA/Jan6 phenomenon shows the strength of Reaction.

I like Pete Buttigieg a lot, but he comes across like the guy who was the head of your high-school class about the time you (a Maga reactionary)* were dropping out. I can see him delivering whole paragraphs of brilliant thinking in a debate while Trump or DeSantis wins the attention of the camera by snorting derisively.

The essential question is, Who would get the votes that Joe Biden couldn't get? That's a hard one.

* (Obviously I don't mean you you.)

[Unagi]

AOC

[Carpet_pissr]

Agree that while old, angry and male, we should have let Bernie have a shot.

I can totally see him telling Trump to “shut the FUCK up you racist, traitorous twat!”

[Lagom Lite]

Well Godspeed, whatever candidate you end up with. I'm not sure the world can survive another fascist leader of the free world. Four more years of Trumpism and you've effectively handed over the reins to China. Which admittedly might be unavoidable anyway at this point.

[Holman]

If John Fetterman wins the PA senate race this year, I could see Fetterman deciding to run for POTUS in 2024.

He embodies the spirit of the "fighting Democrat" we've rarely seen since the New Deal, and his persona might be perfect to turn the GOP's faux-populism against them. I suspect a Fetterman/Trump or Fetterman/DeSantis debate would leave the Republican gasping for air and looking like a stuffed suit.