2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumA big what if...but - wow! If the front runners hold, this will be historic no matter what
The insane party - a megalomaniacal, unhinged reality show star who should be confined to nothing but bad TV forever - or an apparently alien controlled or perhaps permanently heavily sedated nutcase whose appeal is...what?
vs
The only hopeful, realistic choice for thinking Americans, of course - the first woman president, extremely able - or first socialist/independent president (and yes, I know all of the various commentary about labels, but he espouses true Democratic principles) - extremely able as well. Apologies to our third candidate, also extremely able, but I don't see him cracking into the top two.
No matter what - we are witnessing something unprecedented. To we here at DU, despite our tussles with who should be our candidate, the gulf of ability between the two parties is remarkable - it shouldn't even be remotely close.
But it will be - which says a lot about half of our voting public.
No matter what happens, it will certainly be a first of some kind!
bigtree
(85,915 posts)...two pols who've been members of the D.C. political class for decades.
NRaleighLiberal
(59,940 posts)our current political process, the vast sums it takes, the time it takes - and what has to be done to get through it. If the country's politics were a baseball team, one would have to wonder about the shape of the farm system - who (where?) are the young, emerging stars?
bigtree
(85,915 posts)...I think more governors have made the transition.
Every President of the United States has served as either:
Vice President of the United States
a Member of Congress (either U.S. Senator or Representative)
a Governor of a state
a Cabinet Secretary
a General of the United States Army
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_other_offices_held
Seventeen presidents* (almost 40%) had previously held office as chief executive of a state, providing them with experience in running a government bureaucracy, dealing with a legislature and responding to the judiciary.
http://governors.rutgers.edu/on-governors/us-governors/governors-and-the-white-house/governors-who-became-president
kenfrequed
(7,865 posts)Clinton has to actually do badly. If she can get knocked down to third place in New Hampshire or Iowa then he has a chance.
If Clinton loses in both Iowa and New Hampshire then the race opens up considerably.
Knocking Bernie down to second place to Clinton will not help O'Malley at all unless of course he is angling for a Veep slot. Of course in that case he will have to fight Rahm Emmanuel for it.
global1
(25,166 posts)Presidential candidates aren't required to put their opposition in as Veep. It is done somewhat frequently but it isn't a universal rule. Are you imagining Hillary is going to tap O'Malley or Bernie for veep?
global1
(25,166 posts)so is this his reward for that? It seems to me that Rahm held back Obama from doing the progressive things he wanted to accomplish. Is Rahm the plant in the Hillary administration to pull her back to the center after she has to go hard left because of Bernie?