Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumExcellent Article about Warren. Buttigieg..."Braininess Is Now the Brand"
The Atlantic does such good stuff, IMHO
Among the biggest surprises of the Democratic presidential campaign so far are the rise of Pete Buttigieg and the resurgence of Elizabeth Warren, both of whom, according to a new Des Moines Register poll, have moved into a virtual tie for second place in Iowa with Bernie Sanders. In many ways, the Buttigieg and Warren phenomena are distinct: Buttigieg promises generational change; Warren is almost 70. Buttigieg emphasizes his success in a conservative state; Warren stresses her willingness to challenge corporate power. Buttigieg has become a darling of the big donors whom Warren eschews.
What unites them, and separates them from Sanders and Joe Biden, is their unabashed intellectualism. Both have made braininess central to their political brand. And its workinga fact that offers a window into the changing culture of the Democratic Party.
Warren and Buttigieg dont showcase their smarts in exactly the same way. Warren does it with deep dives into policy: proposal after detailed proposal on subjects such as housing, climate change, child care, college tuition, and antitrust. Her campaign sells Warren has a plan for that T-shirts. She talks gleefully about nerding out on policy, and when asked at a CNN town hall whether she preferred being a politician or a professor, she replied, Oh, teaching, are you kidding?
If Warren plays the brilliant professor, Buttigieg plays the brilliant student. Among the people who introduced him when he announced for president was a former teacher who began her remarks by describing how he had wowed the judges at a high-school economics competition sponsored by the Federal Reserve. Type Pete Buttigieg into Google, and one of the prompts you get is languages. News reports often mention that he speaks seven, and this spring a video of him speaking Norwegian went viral. In April, he filmed a video in French offering his condolences for the fire at Notre-Dame.
(links to the article via a short address)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,308 posts)It's one of their hallmarks.
They are also down-to-earth types and know how to communicate in a manner that draws people in. Buttigieg is especially good at this.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)but one thing trump is good for, is the backlash that is happening.
He is so outrageous stupid and mean and ignorant, that even middle of the road folks are fleeing now.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,308 posts)And it's certainly true. He's been a catalyst for our revolution, and that wouldn't have happened if Hillary had won.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BadgerMom
(2,766 posts)I was reading through Sen. Warrens plans today on her website. It struck me that she has so much substantial information to convey that a debate with Trump-complete with his name-calling and inanities that are untethered from any subject under discussion-would be a waste of the senators time. I think it would be a waste of the time of most of our candidates. I know politics requires examining the optics of all of a candidates decisions, and the infant-in-chief would have a field day with a refusal to debate him. Nonetheless, I think it would be far more informative in the general election campaign to hear from our candidate alone, no matter who it is, than it will be to include Trump with his antics and the general circus side show atmosphere he prefers.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)watch Trump distract by prowling the stage like a circus bear without its handler, or like the kind of predator mall security watches for. Debate audiences seem to be too busy watching the people themselves to see what they think of them and looking for clashes to focus much on policy.
Hillary's a major policy wonk like Elizabeth and had finally learned how to do a good job of telling America all she wanted to accomplish as president, but in the end most viewers didn't remember hardly any of it. Elizabeth would be even better. But in a debate format, like Hillary, she'd have to skip the details and concentrate more on selling herself and dominating a stage shared with Trump.
So, debates AND solo performance? I'd watch.
(Just wondered if his version would be on script or off.)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)Also, she is not someone to be dominated on stage, she moves around and controls the space. If Trump stalks her, she would probably crowd him out or call him on his male privilege and become a feminist hero.
I recall that she started out as a special ed teacher. It's a job that requires extremely high emotional intelligence and she'd be well practiced in dealing with hyperactive five-year olds.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)substantially by Beto, though.
Agree Warren is a far better natural communicator than Hillary, and of course skilled as well, but give Hillary credit for the intense work she did in developing what she had to the most. In 2015-2016 the results were so good that commentators who tried to use the old criticisms of distant, cold, boring, and the other standard ones sounded as dishonest and biased as they were and had to abandon them in favor of other smears.
I didn't remember Elizabeth was a special ed teacher. Funny to realize that should give her certain insights in how to deal with someone emotionally arrested in childhood like Trump. Of course, all the campaigns will have consulted experts in various psychology-related fields and studied in depth both him and the others personally and how to interact with him and them. (It doesn't cost $30-45 million to make it to Iowa for nothing.)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I suspect Warren has the same idea.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
VarryOn
(2,343 posts)I wouldnt mind them being a couple notches less progressive, but I love how they have actually policy ideas, have clearly thought them through, and have a greater degree of tangibility than candidates who are considered more inspirational, but lack specificity and "practicalness."
I hope they both do well in the debates!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,308 posts)They are well-spoken and super intelligent. They also stay calm under pressure.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
VarryOn
(2,343 posts)just hopefully not at each other!! haha
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
DesertRat
(27,995 posts)She also won a debate scholarship to George Washington University at the age of 16. So I have no doubt she'll do well! Buttigieg will too. Can't wait!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)thank you,
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
JI7
(89,182 posts)i guess it still would be among the republicans which is why they support trump
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
ucrdem
(15,512 posts)Still I looked into her college-loan repayment plan and it didn't seem to fully make sense. Mainly because it uses an annual tax hike for a one-time payout. How does that pencil out? Notwithstanding that I fully support the intention behind it, it didn't seem to be built to run.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)of how she came to be where she is.
And of late I have been remembering Geraldine Ferraro, who had no role models for a Pres. candidate.
For that, today, she and Hillary deserve to be honored as pioneers, for all the women candidates this year.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
PatrickforO
(14,516 posts)as president. Look where electing 'morans' has gotten us.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)Thanks for posting.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
LibDemAlways
(15,139 posts)in a President is intelligence to address the many problems that face the nation. Shows how far we've fallen that our current head of state functions at about a 5th grade level and a sizable slice of the populace is ok with it. We desperately need brain power in the White House. Any of the current crop of Dem candidates has infinitely more smarts than Trump, but I think Warren stands out as a person who's given considerable thought to specific policy proposals and how to implement them.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
DesertRat
(27,995 posts)Most of them have law school degrees. I think that Beto, Tulsi and Bernie are the only ones without advanced degrees.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Politicub
(12,163 posts)I cant get enough of hearing Warren and Buttigieg talk.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I had to do that a lot in my career and I really admire how she does that.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden