JAZZMAN
CHRONICLES: DEFEATING TRUMP.
A LONG & WINDING ROAD TO THE
WHITE HOUSE
ROUND TWO PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
Narrowing the Field
By Jack Random
It is
fascinating to watch the spectacle of talking heads, editorials and columnists
opinionating on the relative success or failure of the candidates based more on
their views and biases going in than on their performances on stage.
It is
admittedly difficult to avoid bias in assessing a debate – especially a debate
among twenty contestants over two nights with as much organization and
structure as a demolition derby.
The event tends to reward the loudest voice though anyone perceived as
rude and obnoxious will suffer the harshest consequences.
Both
nights produced clear winners and losers despite the chaos. Elizabeth Warren won the first night in
a relatively calm event and Cory Booker won the second amidst outbreaks of
anarchy. Beyond that no candidates
distinguished themselves in any positive way.
NIGHT
ONE: TIM RYAN, BETO O’ROURKE, AMY
KLOBUCAR, ELIZABETH WARREN, MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, JOHN HICKENLOOPER, PETE
BUTTIGIEG, BERNIE SANDERS, JOHN DELANEY, STEVE BULLOCK.
NIGHT
TWO: MICHAEL BENNET, KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND,
JULIAN CASTRO, CORY BOOKER, JOE BIDEN, KAMALA HARRIS, ANDREW YANG, TULSI GABBARD,
JAY INSLEE, BILL DE BLASIO.
ABSENT:
ERIC SWALWELL.
It is
tempting to say that Eric Swalwell won by dropping out. Having made a name with his sharp
attacks on the misdeeds of our president, Swalwell should have been the
impeachment candidate. Instead, he
gave his “pass the torch” rant and bowed out like a timid protégé who spoke out
of turn. Sorry, Mr. Biden, someone
had to say it.
In his
place we got Governor Steve Bullock of Montana and the question is: Why? He joins the ranks of Tim Ryan, John
Hickenlooper, John Delaney and Michael Bennet. They’re all here to tell us they too are members of the
Democratic Party and they’re younger than old Joe Biden. They know how to do “folks”
speech.
Michael Bennet gets the award for quote of the night when
he said to Julian Castro: “We
actually agree on this. You just
said it better than I did.” Well,
Gov, that’s the problem. There are
others who say it better. Let me
introduce you to Amy Klobuchar.
Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the year of the moderate. This year we only have room for
one: Old Joe Biden.
On that note it’s time to say goodbye to Congressman Tim
Ryan and former Congressman John Delaney – both of whom managed to make
pragmatic sound bombastic. No one
demands more attention for less than 1% support than Delaney. Goodbye Delaney. You will not be missed.
Goodbye governors Bullock and Hickenlooper. We hardly knew you. Goodbye Marianne Williamson. I for one enjoyed your spiritual
perspective. Goodbye Mayor De Blasio. I understand how hard it is to see a
mayor of South Bend, Indiana, advance while the mayor of the Big Apple does not
but that’s how it played out.
Hopefully, NYC will take you back.
Sadly, we must also say goodbye to Senator Klobuchar. Sadly, because she should have been the
challenger to Joe Biden for the moderate wing of the party. Sadly, because she never got the chance
to be on stage with old Joe. She’s
sharp. She knows what she’s
talking about and she doesn’t stumble over own thoughts. She’s what a moderate should look like
but it looks to me like she’s gone.
According to the Times of New York only seven candidates
have met criteria for the next round of debates: Biden, Booker, Harris, Buttigieg, O’Rourke, Sanders and
Warren. Three more are close: Yang, Castro and Klobuchar. And three have an outside chance: Newcomer Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard and Hickenlooper.
The survivors will face down in September. If there are more than ten they will
take place on two nights.
Here’s hoping the hammer comes down on more candidates
than less. We’ve seen enough to
know that the contest will come down to Old Joe, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker,
Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders.
Five is a good number for a debate. These five represent the whole of the party: Biden is old school. He appeals to those who pine for Obama
and don’t mind that his age is visibly impacting his performance. Warren and Bernie represent the
progressive wing of the party.
They won’t try to moderate their positions. They know what they believe and they hold strong. Booker and Harris are moderate
progressives. They’re willing to
bend but they are capable of wielding great personal power.
Some on the left of the political spectrum may be pleased
that Representative Tulsi Gabbard took on the role of hit-woman to Kamala
Harris. She accused Harris of
deliberately withholding evidence to affect the execution of a death row inmate
– a felony – and keeping prisoners behind bars to exploit slave labor. Never mind the accusation that she
enforced the marijuana laws. We
may disagree with it but that was her job.
I suppose we should thank Gabbard for hurling the kind of
accusations that the Trump machine will but it did not look good. It looked like a hit job. It looked rehearsed and
deliberate. It hurt Harris but it
also hurt Gabbard.
I went into these debates a Gabbard supporter. Now I have to wonder about her
agenda. She was the anti-war
candidate and I cherished every moment of her deliberations on “regime change”
wars. Now she looks like an attack
dog.
Beto O’Rourke has an identity problem. There are others who represent the same
ideas but are more qualified for the presidency. His whole case for being the Democratic nominee comes down
to Texas. But he lost his only
attempt at winning a statewide race in Texas. Moreover, there is a Texas senate seat open in 2020. Drop this ill-advised run and use your
substantial resources to take that seat.
I’ve said before and will again:
Taking the US Senate is equally important if not more so than taking the
presidency.
Pete Buttigieg represented himself admirably but it’s time
to stop. We know he represents an
under-represented minority but he has never won a statewide election. If there were no one else to carry the
banner I would say carry on. But
there are others. He has not
distinguished his policies from the other contenders.
Kirsten Gillibrand provided one of the most bizarre
appeals to the black vote ever recorded.
It is true that she understands white privilege and can speak to those
who exploit white privilege but that is unlikely to persuade a single African
American voter. Gillibrand is
bright and ambitious but this is simply not her year.
Andrew Yang is one of the most impressive neophyte
politicians ever to run for president.
His ideas demand to be heard.
He is right. Technology is
already supplanting job exportation as the leading cause of job loss in this
nation. He alone has a plan to
cope with that daunting future and the other candidates need to begin
addressing the problem. Yang
belongs in the next cabinet and his ideas belong in the debate.
Washington’s Governor Jay Inslee represented his cause
well. It’s a shame that he does
not possess the charisma that would inspire the masses. He’s right of course. Climate change should be the overriding
issue. However, not enough of us
think it’s a winning ticket.
Inslee should be the next head of the Environment Protection
Agency.
Julian Castro also distinguished himself. He thrust the immigration debate into
the spotlight and demanded that the other candidates take a stand. As the only Hispanic candidate there is
a place for him as the number two on the ticket. He simply has not managed to garner the kind of support that
would elevate him to the upper tier.
That brings us to the real contenders.
Can anyone really say that Joe Biden did a good job? Come on. Really. Read a
transcript of his statements. It’s
hard to say but Old Joe just doesn’t have what it takes to be the next
president. He was a good vice
president to the first African American president in history. That should be enough.
I love Bernie as much as most people love Old Joe but it’s
time for Bernie’s supporters to accept that he’s a little too old, too
crotchety and maybe too angry to take the show all the way home. Last time he was great. He was a champion of the people and I
was proud to march in his army.
This time there is an alternative and I believe even Bernie knows
it.
Kamala Harris was knocked down a rung in this debate. It shook her. She tends to let her frustration show when she’s stung. It showed. She got back up and threw some good punches but the air of
invincibility shattered. She’ll
remember Tulsi Gabbard and Biden’s bizarre reference to 1000 prisoners being
freed. Both cases are far more
nuanced.
Cory Booker emerged in this round as the one to
watch. He was the one to look into
Joe Biden’s eyes and take him down.
Where Kamala stumbled – dazed by a sucker punch from the sidelines –
Booker stood strong. He still has
a lot to explain about his policies as mayor of Newark but Biden is not the man
to challenge him.
That leaves Elizabeth Warren. She is the heir apparent to Bernie’s movement. Where Bernie tends to become frazzled
and appears angry, Warren lays it down in plain fact. She has the passion, the knowledge and the energy. She represents the true progressive
wing of the party and she does not compromise. Still, she was not fool enough to label herself a socialist.
It’s going to be a barnburner – a knockdown drag out fight
to the finish. So far Warren has
not found a way to gain significant support of the black community. That poses a problem she must
overcome. But she has gotten the
attention of African Americans with her openness to reparations, her proposals
for rebuilding inner cities and her vibrant defense of voting rights and civil
rights. Already she has made
inroads that Bernie failed to make in his unsuccessful bid to pull the
nomination away from Hillary.
Whatever happens, the field will narrow and one candidate
will emerge to take on Donald Trump.
If you’re a true progressive your primary interest is that it should not
be Joe Biden in some misguided notion of electability. Your next goal is to nominate Warren or
Sanders. If you’re a moderate,
you’re rooting for Old Joe but you’ll be fine with Booker or Harris.
Jazz.
Note: This
article appears on OpEd News.
“Only Seven Candidates Have Qualified for the Next
Democratic Debate” by Maggie Astor.
New York Times, August 1, 2019.
“Fact Check: Did Kamala Harris block evidence that would
have freed inmates?” by Emily Cadei and Bryan Anderson. Sacramento Bee, July 31, 2019.
