Even before the 2018 midterm elections are in the bag, several Democrats are jockeying for position in their party’s looming internal struggle to select a 2020 challenger to President Donald Trump. Each of them has strong positives, according to anonymous sources, but most have some flaws and a few skeletons for which they need to find a deep, dark closet, should they ascend to Democratic Party presidential nominee. These days, it is never too early to speculate about the next election – or even the election after next – and, with that in mind, right now is an excellent time to review Trump’s potential electoral opponents.
Before running through the list of expected Democratic primary contenders, it is well worth remembering that 2020 may see the emergence of a dark-horse candidate. This could be almost anybody who opposes Trump, at this point.
The Outsiders
Oprah Winfrey, the stupendously wealthy television personality who likes to talk about income inequality, cannot be entirely ruled out, even though she has made it clear that she does not intend to run.
Investor Marc Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise, may have been seen as a possible, but – for a rich guy – he appears to have little more than a grade-school understanding of economics. “In the event Donald wins,” Cuban told Fox Business Network’s Neil Cavuto in September 2016, “I have no doubt in my mind the market tanks.” That one will come back to haunt him if he dips his toe in the political waters. Also, he is another billionaire; it might be tough for the increasingly socialist Democratic Party to run someone who has far more money – by several orders of magnitude – than 99.99% of the people it claims to represent.
Michael Avenatti
Creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti has suggested he might go for it, but he has two chances of claiming the nomination: slim and none. For the sake of good comedy, however, he should be strongly encouraged.
Don’t forget, though, it is fair to say that most people, Republican or Democrat, shook their heads in amused disbelief when Trump announced his bid for the presidency. While this humble observer is betting that the Democrats will not nominate a celebrity, a creepy porn lawyer, or a wealthy businessperson to take on Trump, the tectonic plates of politics collided mightily in 2016 and the landscape may have changed forever, so one never knows.
The Usual Suspects
The 2020 Democratic Party nominee will be an insider and an ideologue, someone who can appear populist, patriotic, and somewhat moderate on certain issues but who is, in reality, prepared to use the power of the executive branch to impose a progressive agenda more radical than anything seen before.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris (D-CA) would seem a fitting choice: a woman of color with solid name recognition who is fully invested in the radical, social justice, virtue-signaling strategy upon which the left has come to rely. Policy-wise, Harris also fits the mold, as a progressive Democrat who would regulate, tax, and browbeat the private sector into submission to the federal government, while working to strip away the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. The problem with Harris, though, is that she is haughty and abrasive, unable to appear even remotely likable, rational, or sympathetic to any American whose values lie even slightly to the right of center.
Another Democratic senator, Cory Booker of New Jersey, was seen as a leading prospect, but his antics during a string of recent Senate hearings did little to help his cause: altogether too much wild-eyed glaring, jazz hands, and virtual foaming at the mouth. He appears to have serious anger-management issues.
Booker’s presidential chances really fell apart, however, when he declared himself Spartacus for releasing confidential Senate documents without authorization, even though he did, in fact, have authorization. Booker may be the only gladiator in history to have stabbed himself in the foot before the contest even began. The man also seems to have had a less-than-savory history with women and an anonymous accuser – a man – recently alleged that Booker sexually assaulted him. Forget the White House, then; Booker will be lucky to get a speaking gig at the next Democratic Party convention.
Cory Booker
The senior Democratic senator from Ohio, Sherrod Brown, has always flown somewhat under the radar but has, for years, been viewed as a strong potential presidential candidate. He is far enough left to placate the party’s radical wing but has, for the most part, kept well clear of the histrionics and hilarious hyperbole of his better-known colleagues. Like Booker, though, Brown is now dealing with allegations of prior sexual misconduct. The #MeToo movement consumes everything in its path these days, including some of the very people who championed it.
The allegations against Brown are, as yet, unsubstantiated and were revealed by Jim Renacci, the Republican who is after Brown’s Senate seat. It seems today that this is all it takes to bring someone down, however, and Brown’s political career may have already peaked as a result.
Does upstart socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez merit serious consideration among Democrat contenders? Yes and no, but mostly no. Her grasp of history, geography, and economics is so tenuous as to be more of a passing glance than a firm grip. Even the Democrats, surely, realize that nominating her would transform the 2020 presidential contest into one long and painful episode of Saturday Night Live.
Joe, Bernie, and Hillary
That leaves Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, two very old white men. The former would likely be too divisive; anyone who has spent time in the social media world knows that Bernie’s followers harbor nothing short of outright contempt for those they view as “moderate” or “centrist” Democrats. Despite what certain media outlets would have Americans believe, this nation is still overwhelmingly not socialist.
A Trump-Clinton rematch should not be ruled out.
Biden is widely considered one of the front-runners, but he also has some dirty laundry that will be aired for all the world to see should he run; this involves his shady dealings, on behalf of his son, with the Ukrainians and the Chinese, conducted while he was vice president. Speaking of which, the fact that he served as Barack Obama’s number two means he would have to deal with public relitigation of Obama-era scandals. Then, of course, there is his trichophilia issue and his unwholesome habit of being touchy-feely with any woman or child within arm’s length. Video clips abound, demonstrating this pattern of behavior, and it could well become an issue for him; the Republicans should ensure it becomes an issue, in fact.
The reality is that the opposition party desperately wants to produce the first female president. Some would argue that it achieved this in 2008, but, no, the Democrats need to put an actual woman in the White House – not just a man who throws like a girl.
Given the number of Democrats and loyal Democrat voters who believe Hillary Clinton was robbed of her destiny when Trump took office, a Trump-Clinton rematch should not be ruled out. Clinton is egotistical enough to tear the nation apart in the name of her personal ambition. Should she run and capture the nomination, it is hard to imagine her winning, but, considering what such a campaign would look like and how it would pitch us all against each other like never before, we should all be very afraid.
