DNP doesn't really have many quality men candidates. Bernie is the only one in my opinion and I think he's battling with:
A) He realizes it will be harder this time because he'd be the most recognizable commodity and open to constant attacks
B) Since he'll be getting constantly attacked it will weaken his strength which is sticking to his ideological underpinnings
C) There are candidates such as Warren that seek some of his aims but he doesn't know if he can trust them to be earnest to M4A and other SocDem type concerns
I think he ends up running but I think he's trying to find any reason not to and allow a younger generation to take his mantle from 2016's election cycle (which has happened to a significant degree, especially in the house of representatives). The problem is that Warren is ultimately just a regulation wonk and I don't really trust her rigor in pursue agendas outside of that scope. I 100% agree with her assessment that financial sector deregulation has been a significant factor in the ills of this country. It is not the only one though and this is where I worry Warren's academia econ prof blinders will hurt her and her constituency.
There is another factor too. A lot of voters make their pick on very banal reasons. I think some of Bernie's appeal with millennials was that he was like grandpa before his brain got rotted out by Fox News. He tells it like it is and he's passionate about what he believes and seems to care about you and others. Frankly, Obama's re-election almost totally hinged on his likability factor because it was clear that his original campaign of CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN was dead and gone. Elizabeth Warren just doesn't feel like a President. When's the last time - if ever - a person packaged basically as an academic win a presidency? I think she's a perfectly fine senator but I have my doubts about her charisma.
It’s going to be interesting to see who the DNC ultimately settles on, and I think it’s Harris.
Makes me wanna puke, but that’s what I see from here.
I think Bernie is looking over the current candidates and muttering profanities to himself. He doesn’t want to run, has serious (legitimate) concerns that the DNC would “allow” him to win if he chose to do so, but doesn’t see anyone (outside of TG and he knows she’s a non starter) he can really get behind.
He might (slim chance at this point) jump on Beto’s bandwagon but it definitely wouldn’t be wholehearted because of policy differences, and we saw via his lackluster endorsement of Clinton that if he ain’t all in, it shows. He can’t halfway support anyone and get away with it.
Harris will get the corporate backing and that’s a requirement for the DNC (no matter what they say). And that’s gonna be a huge problem just like in 2016, one they can’t rely on being overcome by Trump’s lunacy.
I just hope Trump is either under indictment, in jail or has resigned by then.
Gonna be interesting the next few months, but I’ve added antacids to the diet and laying off the popcorn for now (I’ll renege if Trump gets indicted/impeached/resigns).
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