I'm having real difficulty with that.

But love you anyway!

It's always good to "see" you, whomever you currently favor.

Because I know that you want to see Trump OUT, no matter what.

running an excellent campaign so far.

I was originally for Biden, and I like Buttigieg too.

Warren won me over.

This is my first post (thought I'm a long time lurker) However, I've been following politics most of my life. One thing I've noticed over the decades is the media's (or some factions thereof) disturbing tendency to hype our arguably less competitive or less charismatic New England candidates (think Dukakis, Paul Tsongas, Howard Dean, and now, I argue, Warren) and ignore or denigrate what I think (and what the polls often show) are more competitive candidates from southern, middle-American, or swing states.

Remember the rocky road Bill Clinton had to the nomination? He was portrayed as a scandal-plagued, sleazy, immoral politician; meantime, Tsongas was treated respectfully, as an intellectual, thoughtful, wholesome candidate, and as an economics expert.

Hope this doesn't sound too paranoid, but I think there are factions in the media that have a partisan agenda, certainly; the remainder of media people may simply be lazy, and follow the partisans' memes.

At any rate, I want to note that if a New England candidate wins or does well in Iowa, that candidate is generally a cinch to win the first primary state: New Hampshire. After a New Hampshire victory, and a decent showing in Iowa, this hypothetical candidate is well on their way to cruising to an easy victory. (Other primary state voters don't want an ugly and protracted battle). That's how we got stuck with Dukakis, when there were several other, more palatable candidates in 1988.

So I'm alarmed at the idea of people "warming" to Warren, who is frankly a poor communicator, not from a swing state, and a little too far to the left for swing/independent voters. I feel like we are being played for suckers by following a harmful/dishonest media narrative. There are several candidates who I strongly believe are much more appealing--and more desirable geographically. Please, people--let's not "warm" too much to Warren--let's think before we act like lemmings running off a cliff! I've seen that cliff before--and it's not good.

Thank you for your analysis and personal opinion. Which candidate do you like so far?

Thanks, Princetonian.

I have come to the realization that I can't go with my heart on a candidate choice (if I did, I'd probably pick Cory Booker--he's the only candidate who vocally supports animal rights--an issue very important to me personally). I try to think strategically. Right now I want the most competitive, most likable/relatable, most effective communicator, and overall strongest candidate in the field. This is no time to play around.

Judging from all polling data, and my informal questioning of friends, family, and other local voters (I'm in a swing state that went red last time), that candidate right now seems to be Biden. And I agree that he matches up well with Trump. He may be gaffe-prone, but other presidents were too, and it didn't hurt them. There's more to communication skills than painstaking avoidance of "gaffes." A candidate's affect and demeanor, relatable-ness (is that a word?) and general "aura", are more crucial. Sometimes Dems don't see the importance of this.

Joe's affability, warmth, stature, and gravitas are in stark contrast to Trump. I think he would beat Trump fairly easily.

I'm open to a couple of other candidates: Beto O'Rourke (love the Texas connection) and Michael Bennett (very appealing, for many of the same reasons as Biden.) But for now, I'm sticking with Joe.

... then you have not being paying attention. Of all the negative commentaries you may find on Warren's campaign, that is not one of them.

Shouldn’t all candidates be thoroughly vetted?

Your opinion of Warren as a “poor communicator” is not borne out by the evidence, especially in comparison to Biden. Non-charismatic is not the same as poor communication.

If you’re worried about dishonest media narratives, perhaps you should pay more attention to the “invincible inevitability” narrative currently crafted by the media about Biden.

You should also be concerned about the negative impact on youth voter turnout that nominating a Status Quo candidate will have.

If the youth turnout increases significantly, WE WILL WIN.

The analogy of "lemmings off a cliff" was one I have used in other posts, on other boards. Maybe it's not factual--I don't know. But we Dems have acted like the (maybe fictional) lemmings in the past.

Again--how did Dukakis pass so many other credible candidates to win the nomination? Why did the media barely cover potential problems with his candidacy, such as the furlough program (I know that did not originate with Dukakis, but a terrible tragedy involving this program happened on his watch); pollution in Boston Harbor--etc.. Why were Howard Dean and John Kerry touted so highly, when other, potentially stronger candidates like Wes Clark were either ignored or denigrated?

Why did the annoying Mr. Kornake (sp?) placed Warren in second place in his candidate listing, during a time when she was actually third (Bernie was in second place at the time). I'm not a fan of this guy, but I'm sure he knows his stuff. Odd that he made this "error"...

I have seen few negative media stories regarding Warren--she has been treated with kid gloves compared to Biden, Sanders, and Beto. Most of the media reports are glowing. Her odd exploits regarding the Native American issue are ignored (for now). Other potentially viable and appealing candidates, such as (again arguably) Michael Bennett, are off the media radar. Why? Joe Biden's coverage is mainly comprised of a media "gaffe-watch." He has been all but written off following the first debate.

And yes, Warren is a poor communicator--her voice is shrill and screechy. Her facial tics and mannerisms are a distraction.

Trust me on this-- If she gets the nod, the bloom will be off, media scrutiny will begin in earnest, the clock will strike midnight, the Native American issue will be back. Liz will cease being Cinderella, and once again become goofy ol' "Pocahontas."

Biden atm, appears to be by far our best hope to run the fucker out on a rail. If he collapses, the future is bleak.

Biden, in a perfect world, is FAR from my favourite potential president, but we do not live in a perfect world. We have to roll with the best chance for removing Rump and his legions of hate and systemic destruction.

For one, she is not afraid to return a punch. Dukakis and Tsongas thought the best way to respond to an insult was to ignore it, Warren has not shown that tendency, instead parrying back.

Plus, instead of relying on Washington or Boston insiders, Warren is building a distributed network of advisors across the country, similar to what President Obama did in 2007. That gives her an immediate insight into local issues that are bothering people.

I think she is different from Kerry and Dukakis is that she is originally from Oklahoma, grew up there and lived in Texas where she graduated from college. Some of this sunnier Southern background shines through her policy wonkiness and that will see her through.

That said I really do like Joe Biden's warmth as well and he could very well be our nominee and may beat Trump by the largest margin.

I think Warren very much wants to be like her hero Teddy Roosevelt when it comes to reigning in corporate excess and re-igniting a modern Progressive Era like that which existed 110-120 years ago. She might be the one to de-Reaganize the country and remove his malevolent anti-government influence, which could make a big difference going forward.

and donations were somewhat dissapointing, her campaign ground game was expanding at a lightning pace. (Nevertheless she persisted).

Now (Iowa)

Warren is so disciplined that when Polk County Democratic officials made a recent call to all 2020 campaigns for help in filling 40 stubbornly empty caucus-night volunteer slots, Warren’s campaign stepped up and filled more than half of them in 48 hours.

“They are so organized, they have not just people but extra people in the hardest precincts even for us to organize,” said Polk County Democratic Party Chairman Sean Bagniewski. “All of us want to read the book of how they’re doing what they’re doing after the caucuses. It’s a level of organization like we’ve never seen before.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/09/iowa-2020-grassroots-harris-biden-1454499

"Campaign discipline" is not a strong factor in folks' voting preferences. Voters like a candidate who has a common touch, affability, gravitas--and someone who they find easy to warm up to. Think Reagan, Clinton, Obama--three of our most successful presidents (yes, Reagan was a disaster, but I always envied his communication skills and likeability, often wished he was on our side).

And if we can't beat Trump, no policy debates matter.

I just don't warm anymore.

Nothing against Vegans, I am crafting Vegan bread recipes (of my own) and my own homemade Vegan ice cream.