Bernie Sanders was the most impressive person on the stage last night at the Democrat Debate. He believes what he says and communicates at gut level. Conservatives love to call liberals hypocrites. It’s hard to make that charge stick against a guy who gets his suits at Goodwill and haircuts for free at the Barber School. Plus, his wife is Irish. Not that anybody’s keeping track.
Amy Klobuchar came dressed in black. Like she was sitting Shiva. She wasn’t going to compete with Tulsi Gabbard on fashion. Smart. She let us into her life a bit speaking about “being pursued by Grace.” There’s still a few people left in the Country that believe in God. Some live in swing states and vote. Amy’s emotions are right below the surface. She knows how to weaponize them to command attention without appearing manipulative. She was the only candidate of the 12 to mention Israel. That will not be lost on our Jewish brothers and sisters. She wears well. To the people who say they like Amy, I say, as they say in the South, “I’ve been liking liking her.”
Tulsi Gabbard came into the debate a 100 to 1 shot to be the nominee. She left off the boards. No shot. Too bad. I supported her. Even sent her a couple of bucks. Her approach to Foreign Policy is a radical departure from our present Israel Centric view of the world that has been in effect for 50 years. To challenge that world view and the assumptions upon which it is based (Like, Israel is our most important ally. They’re not an ally, they’re a dependency.) you’ve got to know how to demand time. Like, “Wait a Minute! I’m the only female soldier on this stage and I’ve got something to say.” That’s what Kamala Harris does and Amy and Bernie and that’s what Ronald Reagan did when he had to. Tulsi let herself get shut down by Moderator Erin Burnett. You’re not going to make it to Mount Rushmore if you let Erin Burnett tell you when you can speak. Her last remaining sliver of hope is to write a brutally candid essay on her foreign policy, get it in the best publication she can, then move to Iowa and go 100 days 24/7 and get a top three finish. Then go, as she should have done last night, kick some ass.
Beto O’Rourke reminds me of the scene in “The Grifters” when the hard woman who had spent a lifetime grifting and conning people punches the newbie in the stomach doubling him over and says “Get off the grift, Bobby. You haven’t got the stomach for it.” Beto doesn’t have the stomach to be President. He should go over to Oxford, or better yet Trinity in Dublin, study Philosophy and History come back and teach at University of Texas in Austin and twenty years from now, the country might come to him. Who knows?
Pete Buttigieg is a belligerent MFer (Asian poker payer definition Mother Father Mother Father). He looks like he’d be more than happy to take any sort of difference of opinion on issues into the parking lot… for as long as it takes. Hey, its a big job. It’s better to be too hard than too soft.
Elizabeth Warren is smart, energetic, disciplined, and admirable. I’ve heard her stories about growing up and her brothers and all of that. Through it all I have absolutely no idea who she is. She doesn’t let you in. She smiles a lot, but she seems humorless. At least to me. But I’m not the best judge because I think everything is hilarious.
Corey Booker can’t be taken seriously. At least not by me. I view him as all hat and no cattle. He paints beautiful word images and has always had the knack for attracting influential sponsors. Although he’s a Rhodes Scholar, he impresses me as having the attention span of a fruit fly. He has, up until last night, spoken frequently about who he knew at Law School, giving the impression that he is a lawyer. I know, from personal experience, that there’s a big difference between going to law school and being a lawyer. Its called the Bar Exam, which I passed… eventually. Maybe Corey did too and maybe he actually practiced law as a member of the bar, not a student intern. I’m sure he’ll tell us. Sooner or later. It wouldn’t be nice if he misled us.
Kamala Harris is formidable, when she wants to be. She has the eye of the tiger. How bad does she want it? How hard will she work? I have no idea.
CONCLUSION
Looking at the field last night I couldn’t help but conclude that the best governing team would be a Sanders Klobuchar team if they could get elected. “Socialist,” as Bernie describes himself, is such a highly charged word but not fatal. Both Sanders and Klobuchar wear well and both are mainstream in looks and lifestyle… nothing too “out there.” Not like Barack Hussein Obama, for Pete’s sake, how are you ever going to win with a name like that? Ain’t life weird?
I’m up against a deadline and it just occurred to me that I haven’t even mentioned Joe Biden. That’s sad. Literally. I think “sad” is the operative word for the Biden situation. Joe just doesn’t have it anymore. He’s in the same age range as Bernie Sanders but Bernie hasn’t lost anything and Joe has lost a lot.
We can’t give it to Joe for sentimental reasons. Like I say, it’s sad.
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