Also, do not discount South Bend was identified as one of the top 10 dying cities in America the same year he began his first term as mayor. This was no ordinary job he took on and it's not fair to compare him to mayors of cities in MUCH better positions than was South Bend.
This is the answer, painful as it is for some to hear. He isn’t even one of the Top 3 Dems running. He needs to otherwise prove it to me.
Hide and watch. Attacks on him now are meaningless and 100% fear-based. Because. He's. Relevant. Also, last I checked no one has cast any votes in the 2020 Democratic primary yet.
For the record I believe Biden and Harris have the best chance at nomination, but Pete will be in it for the long haul.
Biden is a gaffe waiting to happen. The Creepy Joe stuff will be hard to get past. He announced today and is already lying to the people saying he asked Barack not to endorse him. Can't make this shit up.
I strongly disagree. You don’t sip your poison, you shoot it, in one gigantic gulp. Warren is doing it right in releasing her policies, now. It shows she’s serious, capable, has real ideas (and many of which are truly terrible) beyond “not Trump” and “being gay”, and is now setting both the conversation and pace. If Crazy Joe thinks he’s going to aw’shucks his way to the nomination, he’s even crazier than I now think he is. And his ability to successfully do so, infinitesimal as they are, are infinitely better / stronger than Pete’s to do the same. Pete should be telling everyone who he is, what he believes, why he believes it and what he intends to do - and right now. Yesterday.
I don't see anything wrong with looking towards 2024 or 2028. He and others like him can forget about 2020.
90% of voters will not bother to know or even look at his record as Mayor of South Bend. That he will include “Mayor of South Bend” on the first bullet of his resume of political experience will be telling enough. GCB seems to think that being smart and (moderately) charismatic is going to be enough to win the day. It won’t be. He has to start getting his ideas out there - and they’d better be damned good ones.
It doesn’t automatically disqualify him - but it sure doesn’t help, either. And he needs as much help / momentum as he can muster, going into Iowa and beyond. When the Dems look at his numbers, they’re going to try and destroy him, and he needs to be in the mix - or most preferably, leading the pack - well before the statisticians get involved.
He's already done the bold. What's missing is 'what he intends to do', and it's coming. This is only the second week into his official campaign. He HAD to spend a ton of time in the exploration phase to introduce himself widely and just get his name out there. He did it beautifully, but now it's time for phase 2.
Then I’d argue that for a politician with national aspirations should have been smart enough to have avoided that office, altogether. It’s why JFK started in the House, and not City Council.
Let’s ride. I’m legit happy to see your sincere enthusiasm for him, and I sincerely wish him luck in the race ahead.
There is not a more favorable matchup for Trump than Heels Up Harris, save Corey Booker and “Blank Entry”.
I believe he has a lot more substance than you guys believe. He and Warren are the smartest on the Dem side and if you don't think he'll have solid policies I think you're in for a surprise. He's run an incredible campaign to this point; his meteoric rise proves it. He has an ability better than anyone on the Dem side other than Biden perhaps to connect with people. He's authentic, answers questions honestly and willing to admit his faults. That goes far with folks and should not be discounted. If his policies shape up as I believe they will then look out.
