Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

[Kepler]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

That ranking doesn't necessarily demonstrate it's 'lily white'.

That was my point. Portland is lily white. Very few other cities are even remotely close.

[mookie1995]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

-- or The BU Chick with the Cum in Her Hair about anything, including (especially) how it got there? Just no..

given kepler already knows the answer to that

[Kepler]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

I'd imagine that's a bunch of stiffs sitting around sipping wine, exactly like the party scene in Legally Blonde.

These days it's probably a craft IPA.

With Cambridge, and Ivy towns in general, and college towns in general in general, you have to distinguish between money and smart.

The money parties are boring -- they're the scene in every 80s comedy where the kids wind up running wild and dancing n the table and everybody except the cool hippie grandma wants them dead. Rich people suck and someday there will be a cure. Smart, OTOH, is se-xy AF, and the most fun and creative parties ever thrown. And nobody goes to jail.

[Kepler]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

given kepler already knows the answer to that

To be fair I did not specify hair color, but...

BTW that, that right there, above, is money, not smart, and that's why it's not fun, it's painful and nasty. It thinks it's smart because it's about someone (ostensibly) smart but it's through the filter of Hollywood, which is the worst kind of money since it thinks it's smart and clever but is really only cynical and predictably, predatorially witty in those angry short sharp sentences because it read Dorothy Parker when it was at prep school because... it is money.

[SJHovey]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

But they don't have to be about him. Then frustrating thing is he's running a vanity campaign when he could be using all that money for good. He could back our nominee and in the meantime just destroy Dump. I'm sure his taxes are always on audit too, so release them. Taunt Dump in his insecure ego that he's a real billionaire.

No, they wouldn't have to be about him. However, right now they are primarily an attack on Trump, but done in an effective way. That can't hurt the party as a whole.

Second, I suspect that Bloomberg doesn't have a ton of faith that the current menagerie of Democratic candidates have any chance of beating Trump.

You keep writing that the conventional wisdom is wrong, that the Democrats only win when they swing progressive, not to the center. I don't think it's a progressive versus center question.

I think the Democrats win if they can produce a candidate that has charisma, is a good public speaker, and isn't saddled with any major baggage.

My stapler has more charisma than the entire field of Democratic candidates as assembled. Bernie Sanders is the hapless neighbor in pretty much every sitcom ever written. Klobucher is the little girl in the back of the classroom who always knew the answer and always had her hand raised, but somehow was completely invisible to everyone else in the room. Warren is the third grade teacher that every male in the U.S. remembers, fears and hates (to this day) with a passion. These are the people you think are going to get elected POTUS?

No wonder Bloomberg is worried.

[Kepler]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

I think the Democrats win if they can produce a candidate that has charisma, is a good public speaker, and isn't saddled with any major baggage.

I agree although I don't think baggage matters anymore. Nobody had more baggage than Dump. And whoever we nominate the GOP will immediately invent 24/7 Fox coverage of baggage. Facts don't matter anymore.

So we need charisma, and that means Pete or Bernie or somebody who isn't currently running. Bloomberg, weirdly, is able to reach people one-on-one -- I'd never have thought it -- but on camera he comes across as one of the Mr. Burns' lawyers.

[mookie1995]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

I think the Democrats win if .

lookit.

the last two presidents won (WON) for one reason and one reason only. they got to go against hilly.

whomever it was the D put up in 2008 was winning after the 43 2nd term. america then went and elected a brother because he got the pleasure of running against HER.
same with tD. he isn't beating A N Y B O D Y else except the one person he was lucky enough to have challenge him.

this now is all new territory. nobody has seen what will happen now after 20+ years of screwy elections tainted by HER.

so once again, the only way "if" happens is if the economy tanks. then we fall back to the tried and true "it's the economy, stupid"

[Kepler]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

No, they wouldn't have to be about him. However, right now they are primarily an attack on Trump, but done in an effective way. That can't hurt the party as a whole.

Second, I suspect that Bloomberg doesn't have a ton of faith that the current menagerie of Democratic candidates have any chance of beating Trump.

You keep writing that the conventional wisdom is wrong, that the Democrats only win when they swing progressive, not to the center. I don't think it's a progressive versus center question.

I think the Democrats win if they can produce a candidate that has charisma, is a good public speaker, and isn't saddled with any major baggage.

My stapler has more charisma than the entire field of Democratic candidates as assembled. Bernie Sanders is the hapless neighbor in pretty much every sitcom ever written. Klobucher is the little girl in the back of the classroom who always knew the answer and always had her hand raised, but somehow was completely invisible to everyone else in the room. Warren is the third grade teacher that every male in the U.S. remembers, fears and hates (to this day) with a passion. These are the people you think are going to get elected POTUS?

No wonder Bloomberg is worried.

Bernie has charisma. He's Doc Brown, and remember... Doc Brown was right! Even though everybody said he was a dreamer and wacky.
And also had hidden strengths, and heart, and most importantly he was always honest. After Dump's 3 years and the Republicans' 40 years of non-stop lying, the single greatest character note right now to appeal to people is honesty. That is exactly why Hillary lost. Even when she wasn't lying you just knew it was because she was covering up a bigger lie.

[Rover]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

Bernie has charisma.

He does? He comes off as your weird uncle that nobody talks about anymore because he ran off a joined a commune in the 60's and never left!

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing of course...

"Hey Mom, some old guy is at the door who says he's 'Uncle Bernie'. Who's Uncle Bernie?"

[Kepler]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

He does? He comes off as your weird uncle that nobody talks about anymore because he ran off a joined a commune in the 60's and never left!

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing of course...

"Hey Mom, some old guy is at the door who says he's 'Uncle Bernie'. Who's Uncle Bernie?"

This is inaccurate. Bernie never went to the commune because he has the asthma. Bernie hung out in Washington Square just below NYU handing out mimeographed copies of Workers World with Sam Marcy and sleeping on Al Jaffee's floor with his common law drug addict girlfriend who was banging Ralph Bakshi on the side.

She was from Yonkers and had braces, and once she bought drugs from Lou Reed.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

Bernie definitely has charisma. How much you fall for his shtick depends on your level of Republican indoctrination (you're welcome, trix).

[SJHovey]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

Bernie has charisma. He's Doc Brown, and remember... Doc Brown was right! Even though everybody said he was a dreamer and wacky.
And also had hidden strengths, and heart, and most importantly he was always honest. After Dump's 3 years and the Republicans' 40 years of non-stop lying, the single greatest character note right now to appeal to people is honesty. That is exactly why Hillary lost. Even when she wasn't lying you just knew it was because she was covering up a bigger lie.

I don't recall Doc getting elected President, though, did he?

[trixR4kids]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

bernie definitely has charisma. How much you fall for his shtick depends on your level of republican indoctrination (you're welcome, trix).

:d

[rufus]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

You're not voting for Pete because he's boring and has no real ideas. The idea of voting for a candidate just because you identify with his/her skin color or orientation is stupid, and part of what gave us Dump.

There's a huge bloc of orange-skinned voters in the US?

[rufus]

Re: Democratic Challengers 9: Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

given kepler already knows the answer to that

only if she's a redhead.