Democrats 2020

[untermensche]

Bernie announced he's running at 7AM EST this morning.

Where, Venezuela?

Bernie is not even left of Eisenhower.

But some Americans have become so twisted and exist so far to the right they see Bernie as way out there on the left.

Historical blindness is a common American affliction.

The New Deal was not socialism. It was a desperate attempt to save capitalism that had collapsed.

 

[PyramidHead]

Bernie announced he's running at 7AM EST this morning.

Where, Venezuela?

Bernie is not even left of Eisenhower.

But some Americans have become so twisted and exist so far to the right they see Bernie as way out there on the left.

Historical blindness is a common American affliction.

The New Deal was not socialism. It was a desperate attempt to save capitalism that had collapsed.

This. For leftists, Bernie IS the compromise candidate.

 

[poster]

Bernie is not even left of Eisenhower.

But some Americans have become so twisted and exist so far to the right they see Bernie as way out there on the left.

Historical blindness is a common American affliction.

The New Deal was not socialism. It was a desperate attempt to save capitalism that had collapsed.

This. For leftists, Bernie IS the compromise candidate.

Yup! The only other possibility I see at this point is Warren.

 

[Copernicus]

Bernie will certainly be doted on by the media, but his time has passed. He never really did find enough traction in the Democratic Party, partly because he has always held the party at arms-length. He joined the Democratic Party only so that he could run as a viable candidate. Shortly after the 2016 election, he quit. Now he comes back, hat in hand, asking for a second chance to be a Democrat. He still has enormous influence with some parts of the base, although his support for anti-establishment Democratic candidates has had mixed success. But he will also find a lot more resistance to his candidacy this time around, as former Clinton supporters recall his stubborn attacks long after it was clear that he had lost the nomination. OTOH, Sanders has always loved to run as the outsider, so he isn't going to fade away gracefully.

An immediate impact of Sanders' candidacy is that it will split the Democratic base, as his strongest supporters try to recapture the original excitement that they felt in 2016. It is really bad news for Elizabeth Warren but a morale-booster for Republicans. Let the media circus commence.

 

[PyramidHead]

Bernie is not even left of Eisenhower.

But some Americans have become so twisted and exist so far to the right they see Bernie as way out there on the left.

Historical blindness is a common American affliction.

The New Deal was not socialism. It was a desperate attempt to save capitalism that had collapsed.

This. For leftists, Bernie IS the compromise candidate.

Yup! The only other possibility I see at this point is Warren.

Yeah, and she's a distant second. Their policies really aren't all that similar.

Bernie will certainly be doted on by the media

Hooboy.

but his time has passed. He never really did find enough traction in the Democratic Party, partly because he has always held the party at arms-length. He joined the Democratic Party only so that he could run as a viable candidate. Shortly after the 2016 election, he quit. Now he comes back, hat in hand, asking for a second chance to be a Democrat. He still has enormous influence with some parts of the base, although his support for anti-establishment Democratic candidates has had mixed success. But he will also find a lot more resistance to his candidacy this time around, as former Clinton supporters recall his stubborn attacks long after it was clear that he had lost the nomination. OTOH, Sanders has always loved to run as the outsider, so he isn't going to fade away gracefully.

The above is basically the reason everybody should support Bernie. A political party should exist to deliver policies that its constituents want, and Bernie is the champion of all those policies. Policies should not be tweaked to serve the interests of an established political party. That he is an outsider to the Democratic party, but represents the will of most people who consider themselves Democratic voters, is a sign that the party is in the wrong place, not that Bernie is in the wrong place. Voters who consider themselves far closer to being Democrats than Republicans or even 'independents' overwhelmingly support the ideals and positions that Bernie has unapologetically, uncompromisingly held for decades. Every other candidate, with no exceptions, has drifted to a lukewarm compromise on these topics (thanks in no small part to pressure from voters galvanized by Bernie in 2016), having held contradictory positions on them in the recent past. It's pure political opportunism, which is what the Democratic party has always stood for. And Bernie is the only way to make a dent in that, even though he falls short in many ways of being a perfect candidate.

 

[poster]

Bernie will certainly be doted on by the media, but his time has passed. He never really did find enough traction in the Democratic Party, partly because he has always held the party at arms-length. He joined the Democratic Party only so that he could run as a viable candidate. Shortly after the 2016 election, he quit. Now he comes back, hat in hand, asking for a second chance to be a Democrat. He still has enormous influence with some parts of the base, although his support for anti-establishment Democratic candidates has had mixed success. But he will also find a lot more resistance to his candidacy this time around, as former Clinton supporters recall his stubborn attacks long after it was clear that he had lost the nomination. OTOH, Sanders has always loved to run as the outsider, so he isn't going to fade away gracefully.

An immediate impact of Sanders' candidacy is that it will split the Democratic base, as his strongest supporters try to recapture the original excitement that they felt in 2016. It is really bad news for Elizabeth Warren but a morale-booster for Republicans. Let the media circus commence.

Good. Perhaps this time he'll accept the invite into the green party to run. Any corporate Dem is only a cleaner, less hostile version of Trump who'll submit to the intelligence agencies without hesitation and will offer more bait and switch like Obamacare or nice rhetoric on the environment but still support corporate interests in the background.

 

[Elixir]

Any corporate Dem is only a cleaner, less hostile version of Trump who'll submit to the intelligence agencies without hesitation and will offer more bait and switch like Obamacare or nice rhetoric on the environment but still support corporate interests in the background.

So... Obamacare was "bait and switch" eh? Because he couldn't get it through the Republican Congress without allowing doctors to exempt themselves?
I'll take that kind of "bait and switch" vs the Republican plan: "Let 'em die!" Obamacare helped (and continues to help) a lot of people. Everything Cheato has done helps only the super-rich - and Cheato, who wishes he was super-rich.

 

[PyramidHead]

Any corporate Dem is only a cleaner, less hostile version of Trump who'll submit to the intelligence agencies without hesitation and will offer more bait and switch like Obamacare or nice rhetoric on the environment but still support corporate interests in the background.

So... Obamacare was "bait and switch" eh? Because he couldn't get it through the Republican Congress without allowing doctors to exempt themselves?
I'll take that kind of "bait and switch" vs the Republican plan: "Let 'em die!" Obamacare helped (and continues to help) a lot of people. Everything Cheato has done helps only the super-rich - and Cheato, who wishes he was super-rich.

Republican Congress? Didn't the Dems have a literal supermajority when Obama took office?

Good. Perhaps this time he'll accept the invite into the green party to run.

Oh lord no. That would guarantee a Trump victory by alienating people who aren't familiar with the Green platform and just associate it with losers like Nader. He needs to be the mouthpiece of all the Democratic voters who are supportive of people like AOC. They are the future of the country's politics, why shouldn't they be the future of the closest major party that represents it?

 

[Copernicus]

Bernie will certainly be doted on by the media, but his time has passed. He never really did find enough traction in the Democratic Party, partly because he has always held the party at arms-length. He joined the Democratic Party only so that he could run as a viable candidate. Shortly after the 2016 election, he quit. Now he comes back, hat in hand, asking for a second chance to be a Democrat. He still has enormous influence with some parts of the base, although his support for anti-establishment Democratic candidates has had mixed success. But he will also find a lot more resistance to his candidacy this time around, as former Clinton supporters recall his stubborn attacks long after it was clear that he had lost the nomination. OTOH, Sanders has always loved to run as the outsider, so he isn't going to fade away gracefully.

The above is basically the reason everybody should support Bernie. A political party should exist to deliver policies that its constituents want, and Bernie is the champion of all those policies. Policies should not be tweaked to serve the interests of an established political party. That he is an outsider to the Democratic party, but represents the will of most people who consider themselves Democratic voters, is a sign that the party is in the wrong place, not that Bernie is in the wrong place. Voters who consider themselves far closer to being Democrats than Republicans or even 'independents' overwhelmingly support the ideals and positions that Bernie has unapologetically, uncompromisingly held for decades. Every other candidate, with no exceptions, has drifted to a lukewarm compromise on these topics (thanks in no small part to pressure from voters galvanized by Bernie in 2016), having held contradictory positions on them in the recent past. It's pure political opportunism, which is what the Democratic party has always stood for. And Bernie is the only way to make a dent in that, even though he falls short in many ways of being a perfect candidate.

I think that you, like many Americans, have a problem accepting the nature of our two-party system, which was something that evolved in American politics shortly after the Constitution was ratified. Political parties in a two-party system are necessarily coalitions of special interest groups with largely (but not necessarily) compatible goals. Hence, the Democratic Party includes constituencies that seek to improve minority rights, but Bernie Sanders was never really seen as someone who was deeply invested in those issues. He made speeches and attended rallies in favor of those issues, but he wasn't seen as someone who could inspire the African American or Latino voting base. Sanders had his greatest appeal among young, white, and middle class Democrats. Hence, Hillary Clinton was usually able to beat Sanders in primaries where a more general cross section of Democrats would show up, as opposed to caucuses, which attracted more ideological party members. The most successful Democratic candidate will be that one that is best able to bring together the diverse elements of the Democratic coalition.

Bernie Sanders has great appeal to a base of loyal supporters, but one thing he is not is a coalition builder. His only role these days seems to be in dividing the party. That's why Republicans are so happy to see him jumping into the race. Most people realize that his support isn't going to snowball in the way it did in 2016, when he started out by pledging to conduct an issue-oriented campaign that avoided personal attacks but ended up with supporters vilifying the party nominee long after she was clearly going to be the nominee. He is too old now and far less popular than he used to be.

See How Bernie Sanders Could Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination for an insightful analysis of Bernie Sanders' chances in the 2020 primary season.

 

[PyramidHead]

Bernie will certainly be doted on by the media, but his time has passed. He never really did find enough traction in the Democratic Party, partly because he has always held the party at arms-length. He joined the Democratic Party only so that he could run as a viable candidate. Shortly after the 2016 election, he quit. Now he comes back, hat in hand, asking for a second chance to be a Democrat. He still has enormous influence with some parts of the base, although his support for anti-establishment Democratic candidates has had mixed success. But he will also find a lot more resistance to his candidacy this time around, as former Clinton supporters recall his stubborn attacks long after it was clear that he had lost the nomination. OTOH, Sanders has always loved to run as the outsider, so he isn't going to fade away gracefully.

The above is basically the reason everybody should support Bernie. A political party should exist to deliver policies that its constituents want, and Bernie is the champion of all those policies. Policies should not be tweaked to serve the interests of an established political party. That he is an outsider to the Democratic party, but represents the will of most people who consider themselves Democratic voters, is a sign that the party is in the wrong place, not that Bernie is in the wrong place. Voters who consider themselves far closer to being Democrats than Republicans or even 'independents' overwhelmingly support the ideals and positions that Bernie has unapologetically, uncompromisingly held for decades. Every other candidate, with no exceptions, has drifted to a lukewarm compromise on these topics (thanks in no small part to pressure from voters galvanized by Bernie in 2016), having held contradictory positions on them in the recent past. It's pure political opportunism, which is what the Democratic party has always stood for. And Bernie is the only way to make a dent in that, even though he falls short in many ways of being a perfect candidate.

I think that you, like many Americans, have a problem accepting the nature of our two-party system, which was something that evolved in American politics shortly after the Constitution was ratified. Political parties in a two-party system are necessarily coalitions of special interest groups with largely (but not necessarily) compatible goals. Hence, the Democratic Party includes constituencies that seek to improve minority rights, but Bernie Sanders was never really seen as someone who was deeply invested in those issues. He made speeches and attended rallies in favor of those issues, but he wasn't seen as someone who could inspire the African American or Latino voting base. Sanders had his greatest appeal among young, white, and middle class Democrats. Hence, Hillary Clinton was usually able to beat Sanders in primaries where a more general cross section of Democrats would show up, as opposed to caucuses, which attracted more ideological party members. The most successful Democratic candidate will be that one that is best able to bring together the diverse elements of the Democratic coalition.

Bernie Sanders has great appeal to a base of loyal supporters, but one thing he is not is a coalition builder. His only role these days seems to be in dividing the party. That's why Republicans are so happy to see him jumping into the race. Most people realize that his support isn't going to snowball in the way it did in 2016, when he started out by pledging to conduct an issue-oriented campaign that avoided personal attacks but ended up with supporters vilifying the party nominee long after she was clearly going to be the nominee. He is too old now and far less popular than he used to be.

See How Bernie Sanders Could Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination for an insightful analysis of Bernie Sanders' chances in the 2020 primary season.

What are you even smoking, man, he's the frigging frontrunner in the polls alongside Biden, who will open his mouth once and doom his candidacy. He has the highest support among nonwhite voters compared to the other Dems in the race, and vastly outpaces everybody in terms of crowdsourced funding. He is more popular than ever thanks to a young and vibrant representative from New York who has basically the same policies as him dominating social media and the news cycle. If AOC endorses Bernie, it's over.

 

[lpetrich]

The 10 Dems most likely to win the 2020 presidential nomination | TheHill

1. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) (4)
Harris has had by far the best launch of any candidate.

2. Former Vice President Joe Biden (3)
For all the excitement around Harris, it is the former vice president who still heads every significant nationwide poll of Democratic voters.

3. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) (2)
...
Sanders will clearly be a top-flight contender. Polls generally put him second, behind Biden.

4. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) (1)
Will he or won’t he?

5. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) (5)
It’s been a largely uninspiring start to the campaign for Warren, who had been considered one of the leading candidates in the early running.

6. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) (7)
...
The New Jersey senator divides opinion, especially inside the Beltway. To his supporters, he is a likable, energetic candidate who speaks passionately and has the capacity to fire up young and nonwhite voters with particular vigor

7. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) (8)
Klobuchar certainly had an eye-catching campaign launch — she gave a speech declaring her candidacy in the midst of a heavy snowstorm.
The visuals were memorable and underlined Klobuchar’s core message that she is a down-to-earth contender from the heartlands.

8. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) (6)
...
Brown has been building up some momentum with a tour of early-voting states. But it is not clear he is getting into the race, and the likely entrance of Biden — who has a similar blue-collar appeal — would greatly complicate the Ohioan’s possible path to the nomination.

9. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) (10)
Gillibrand launched her campaign in mid-January with an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” on CBS. Sadly for the New York senator, that’s the most memorable thing she has done so far.

10. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (9)
Bloomberg continues to toy with a bid, but it is enormously difficult to see a credible route for the former New York City mayor, despite his vast fortune.

I still think that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are too old, and Elizabeth Warren is on the borderline. Michael Bloomberg is like Howard Schultz, too much like Donald Trump. But he has had more experience in public office than either of those two. The others seem good, especially Kamala Harris.

 

[Copernicus]

I think that you, like many Americans, have a problem accepting the nature of our two-party system, which was something that evolved in American politics shortly after the Constitution was ratified. Political parties in a two-party system are necessarily coalitions of special interest groups with largely (but not necessarily) compatible goals. Hence, the Democratic Party includes constituencies that seek to improve minority rights, but Bernie Sanders was never really seen as someone who was deeply invested in those issues. He made speeches and attended rallies in favor of those issues, but he wasn't seen as someone who could inspire the African American or Latino voting base. Sanders had his greatest appeal among young, white, and middle class Democrats. Hence, Hillary Clinton was usually able to beat Sanders in primaries where a more general cross section of Democrats would show up, as opposed to caucuses, which attracted more ideological party members. The most successful Democratic candidate will be that one that is best able to bring together the diverse elements of the Democratic coalition.

Bernie Sanders has great appeal to a base of loyal supporters, but one thing he is not is a coalition builder. His only role these days seems to be in dividing the party. That's why Republicans are so happy to see him jumping into the race. Most people realize that his support isn't going to snowball in the way it did in 2016, when he started out by pledging to conduct an issue-oriented campaign that avoided personal attacks but ended up with supporters vilifying the party nominee long after she was clearly going to be the nominee. He is too old now and far less popular than he used to be.

See How Bernie Sanders Could Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination for an insightful analysis of Bernie Sanders' chances in the 2020 primary season.

What are you even smoking, man, he's the frigging frontrunner in the polls alongside Biden, who will open his mouth once and doom his candidacy. He has the highest support among nonwhite voters compared to the other Dems in the race, and vastly outpaces everybody in terms of crowdsourced funding. He is more popular than ever thanks to a young and vibrant representative from New York who has basically the same policies as him dominating social media and the news cycle. If AOC endorses Bernie, it's over.

I'm certainly not smoking what you are smoking. AOC's endorsement would be a non-event, since she brings no new voters to his constituency, but her failure to endorse him (e.g. an endorsement of Warren) would probably hurt him. To get the nomination, Sanders has to expand his base of support, not shore it up. Right now, the front runners are those with the highest name recognition. An interesting correlation, no?

 

[southernhybrid]

So, y'all are happy about a clueless non Democrat as a possible Democratic candidate. Bernie has lots of ideas but never explains how they will come to pass. Go back and look at what he's accomplished over the many years he's been in Congress. It's pretty much nothing. I honestly don't understand why anyone would vote for Bernie. I wouldn't get too excited about him being ahead in polls right now. For one thing, polls aren't very accurate these days. For another thing, it's too early to know how people will react to these various candidates. Most people aren't even paying attention yet. Most people aren't political junkies like we are. I will say this about him. Bernie's not dumb enough to run as a third party candidate. Even Bernie knows that the Dems are much better than the Repubs.


Considering how difficult it was for Obama to even get enough Democrat support to pass the ACA, how in the world do you expect Bernie to get something far more liberal passed? Not one Republican joined in with the Dems.

So, please Bernie supporters, explain to us exactly how Bernie is going to accomplish his unrealistic promises. How is he going to get the two parties to agree with him? He may mean well, but he has never explained how he's going to accomplish his goals. That's mostly why I've come to despise the man.

I want an intelligent, rational, reasonable president, who knows how to work across the isle and actually get some positive things done. Bernie ain't that!

I'm not wealthy and none of Bernie's policy dreams would hurt me negatively, so don't think I oppose him out of my own self interests. I just think he's irrational.

That's all I have to say about Bernie!

 

[Derec]

The others seem good, especially Kamala Harris.

#neverKamala

 

[Toni]

The others seem good, especially Kamala Harris.

#neverKamala

If I ever had any doubts before, this cinches it for me: Kamala2020+2024 All The Way!!!!!!!

 

[Derec]

I think that you, like many Americans, have a problem accepting the nature of our two-party system, which was something that evolved in American politics shortly after the Constitution was ratified.

Yes indeed. US system makes it almost impossible to sustain meaningful parties beyond the big 2. A proportional representation in Congress and a popular vote for president with some sort of runoff mechanism would enable it, but good luck with that!

Political parties in a two-party system are necessarily coalitions of special interest groups with largely (but not necessarily) compatible goals. Hence, the Democratic Party includes constituencies that seek to improve minority rights, but Bernie Sanders was never really seen as someone who was deeply invested in those issues.

Sure, he has the wrong skin color and is not "woke", but to say he did not deeply invested in civil rights is ridiculous.

He made speeches and attended rallies in favor of those issues, but he wasn't seen as someone who could inspire the African American or Latino voting base.

Maybe he should start carrying hot sauce in his purse and work on his blaccent.

The most successful Democratic candidate will be that one that is best able to bring together the diverse elements of the Democratic coalition.

What do you mean by "successful"? Just winning the primary? Then yes. But if success also means winning the presidency, then the candidate must bring together more than just the Democratic coalition. And overemphasis on identity politics will hurt the Democratic candidate with the independents. Is Bernie the man to do that? Probably not. But general election appeal is definitely something primary voters should consider lest they nominate a loser. Again.

Bernie Sanders has great appeal to a base of loyal supporters, but one thing he is not is a coalition builder.

He is one hell of fundraiser though!
Bernie Sanders Bests Kamala Harris’ First-Day Donor Total in Four Hours

His only role these days seems to be in dividing the party.

The same could be said about a lot of the candidates, declared or presumed.

That's why Republicans are so happy to see him jumping into the race.

Most people realize that his support isn't going to snowball in the way it did in 2016, when he started out by pledging to conduct an issue-oriented campaign that avoided personal attacks but ended up with supporters vilifying the party nominee long after she was clearly going to be the nominee. He is too old now and far less popular than he used to be.

He had the advantage in 2016 that he was the only one (save for Martin O'Malley) who stood against Cersei Clinton. 2020 will be a lit more crowded, but that means that one could win with a lot less support, which could help Bernie. He has good name recognition and a distinctive brand which helps when competing against more than a dozen other pretenders. That said, DNC is up to dirty tricks again. They are trying to skew it for Kamala (how did their shenanigans work for their preferred candidate in 2016?) by moving the California primary very early.

See How Bernie Sanders Could Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination for an insightful analysis of Bernie Sanders' chances in the 2020 primary season.

That's a bit misleading headline. The article is pretty much how there is no way he could win.

 

[Derec]

If I ever had any doubts before, this cinches it for me: Kamala2020+2024 All The Way!!!!!!!

Kamala Harris: Because politicians should be telling people what to do with their bodies, except for abortion.

Kamala Harris: She smoked, inhaled and put other people in jail for doing the same!

 

[Derec]

1. She's expressed some homophobic sentiments in the past. I'm not certain that they are 'in the past.'

What exactly? Remember, even Obama and Cersei Hillary were against gay marriage until relatively recently.

2. Her prolife stances. Again: maybe they're in the past. Maybe they are just conveniently no longer important.

Again, it is important to know what exactly. There is a lot of territory between the two insane extremes of "full human from zygote stage" and "should be able to abort a healthy full term fetus".

3. She's been endorsed by David Duke. Sure, she rejected that endorsement and sure, it could be a set up to tarnish her but still...

When did that happen and in what context?

4. Her Islamophobia

What "islamophobia"? Apart from the fact that this is that such allegations are usually bogus, she is anti-Israel. She called the violent riots at Israel-Gaza border where Hamas-inspired rioters are throwing bombs and trying to breach the border "peaceful protesters" and condemned Israel for defending itself.

5. She endorsed Bernie Sanders, resigning her position to do so.

Who is against the Queen (Cersei, aka Hillary) will die!

6. She endorsed Keith Ellison

So much for "islamophobia" I guess ...

7. She's had some run ins with the ethics committee re: her meeting with Assad and also her self-promotion using images while in uniform.

The Assad thing is definitely bad.

8. Her ties with the Hare Krishnas is concerning

Again, need more detail.

9. Her dedication to religious freedom/freedom from religion is.....questionable/transactional.
10. Everything in her career seems calculated and at the same time, to be indicative of sloppy thinking and a great deal of transactional positioning. I see nothing sincere or hard working or thoughtful about her.

I would nominate
9. Her opposition to DAPL. Pipelines are best way to move large quantities of oil and we still need oil, contrary to GND pipe dreams.
10. Her opposition to the Thirty Meter Telescope because it offends some Hawaiian creationists.

I think she's pretty and she's pretty ambitious.

This is the second time you have focused on the attractiveness of a female politician. But I have to agree with you this time. She is good looking.

I honestly don't understand why anyone takes her seriously at all. To me, she's rather the equivalent of a Democratic or 'Democratic' Sarah Palin. Blech.

Perhaps. Far-away state, weird beliefs, attractive.
I do not think she has any chance of going far in the nomination, but I could see Biden (in the unlikely case he wins) could decide to choose her as his running mate.

 

[Derec]

1. Kamala Harris and her defenders could do some hippie-punching, like what Bill Clinton did with Sister Souljah. Like brag about how the Democratic base hates her because she is so tough on crime.

Sista Souljah was not about being tough on crime, but about denouncing a racist who called for race-based violence.

Clinton's "tough on crime" moment in 1992 was Ricky Rey Rector's execution. Unfortunately, Kamala missed that opportunity.

2. Republican trolls could argue that she is dangerously tough on crime, thus denying one of their long-time positions.

The accusations that she is dangerously tough on crime are coming from the other direction. Republicans could accuse her of hypocrisy is she tries to swing too far the other way.

 

[Derec]

The article mentions this as a problem for Harris--the perception that a lackluster endorsement from the voters in her state would tend to reduce her viability for the nomination. That might be true for the Democratic nomination, but it wouldn't matter as much in the general election.

I do think it would be a problem in the general. Sure, the California 55 electoral votes would not be in jeopardy, but if people in her own state are not too excited for her candidacy, how does she expect to win back the Obama states Hillary lost?

That said, I certainly agree with your point about not serving out at least one term as a senator. I think that Obama suffered from the same problem, but he did manage to become a pretty good President.

That's a point. They will have served the same time in Senate before their respective elections.

And there is always the example of Abraham Lincoln, who only served one term in the House of Representatives before becoming one of our best Presidents.

Which was in 1860, so hardly applicable to today. Specifically, Congressmen do not get nominated for president. You have to go for the Senate or governorship. Or be a billionaire game-show host, of course.

I hadn't thought of Harris in terms of her appeal as a mother, but I suppose that some voters have a need to be mothered.

Otherwise known as nanny state. Fits her prohibitionist view on sex work and telling people what to do with their bodies...