A 2020 Election Brief
By: Thaddeus R. Winker
Tags: 2020 Presidential Race

Originally posted on November 5, 2019

We are less than a year away from the 2020 Presidential Election. Although it is infinitely more important to vote in local and state-level elections than in the federal elections, it is worth looking at who the candidates are.

There is a historically large field in the Democratic Primary, even with the recent dropouts. There is a lot of discussion about whether there is one front runner, two or three front runners, or that it is still anyone’s game. However, I think it is worth looking, at least briefly, at the candidates who are still making waves (or interesting enough for a right of center independent to even pay attention to).

I will attempt to limit each candidate to 100 words and also refrain from too much sarcasm and too many ad hominems. In the interest of parity, I also spend some time on the candidates in the Republican Primary.

Donald J. Trump — Real Estate mogul turned tabloid cover story turned Twitter celebrity turned President of the United States of America. For better or worse, Donald Trump is the incumbent. He would get all of the benefits of incumbency if it weren’t for his demeanor, his bad habit of surrounding himself with corrupt fools, and his penchant for impulsive decision making. Much ink has been spilled enumerating the flaws of the President. The best thing he has done in the White House is delegating judicial nominations to Mitch McConnell and conservative think tanks. The second best was naming Nikki Haley as Ambassador to the United Nations.

Joe Walsh — A former unicorn (I mean Chicagoland Republican Representative) turned syndicated radio host with colorful commentary. Joe Walsh has said he is running against Trump because of the President’s abrasive behavior and divisiveness. I hope you can forgive me for initially confusing him for the lead guitarist of the Eagles. Walsh holds pretty mainstream social and economic conservative views.

Mark Sanford — Mark Sanford is the former South Carolina Governor who famously went “hiking” in the “Appalachians.” He served two separate stints in the House, including after his disgraceful exit from the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia. He lost in the 2018 primary to a candidate endorsed by Donald Trump. Sanford followed his moral failures in the ’00s with a period out of the public eye, where he experienced personal growth. I see no reason to doubt his repentance. He was a member of the Freedom Caucus and was the only governor who tried to reject stimulus money.

Joe Biden — One of four septuagenarians running for President this year. Joe Biden has been in politics longer than many of the other candidates have been alive. But lovable old Uncle Joe has maintained significant leads in the national polls and state polls in South Carolina. He has unnecessarily shifted way over to the Left on many social issues (abortion being a big one). He has made himself unpalatable to many moderates as a result. In case you haven’t heard, he was Barack Obama’s Vice President.

Elizabeth Warren — Former Republican, first woman of color faculty member at Harvard, and current Senator from Massachusetts. Elizabeth Warren is the youngest septuagenarian running for President. She has made it her “brand” to be the policy wonk who is hip and cool. Saturday Night Live has endorsed her ( well not officially, but unofficially officially). She has been steadily rising in the polls. She continues to insist that a multi-trillion-dollar boondoggle called Medicare For All will not raise taxes on the middle class.

Bernie Sanders — The oldest candidate for President. Bernie Sanders was born before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The owner of three mansions, Bernie Sanders stopped attacking millionaires when he realized he was one. But he does continue to assail “the billionaires” who are ruining America. Bernie ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016. He was able to turn his relative success into a movement in the Democratic Party. With his help, the DNC is ready for a “side hug” (not full embrace) of Socialism.

Pete Buttigieg — Mayor Pete is a small-town mayor who has been able to capitalize on some favorable media. You could be forgiven for not knowing anything about South Bend, Indiana, beyond the college football team that plays there. He has, so far, been able to avoid any long-lasting nicknames from Donald Trump (mostly only because he doesn’t know what Mad Magazine is.) When he is not advocating for hard-left social positions, he is disparaging Christians, Muslims, and Jews who hold traditional Judeo-Christian values on life, marriage, or social responsibility.

Kamala Harris — California Senator and former prosecutor, Kamala Harris literally laughed when Joe Biden (of all people!) suggested that executive orders have limits. Her campaign has had some ups and downs, but mostly downs since the debates started.

Andrew Yang — Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur who seems like a nice guy and maybe the only actual human running for President as a Democrat. His main schtick is Universal Basic Income, but he has a couple of less insane ideas also. In all honesty, I think he would be a better local business leader or city council member than President. The first campaign bumper sticker I saw for the 2020 election was an Andrew Yang bumper sticker, so I think people are underestimating his support and the enthusiasm of his supporters.

Amy Klobuchar — Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is perhaps best known for throwing binders at her staff (not binders full of women, that was someone else). I don’t know a whole lot about her. Still, she gained a reputation for her demeanor during the Kavanaugh debacle (and earned an apology from the nominee for his snarky reply to her question). Senator Klobuchar is probably the most successful true moderate candidate in the race right now.

Tulsi Gabbard — Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard is not a Russian asset. Gabbard was a rising star in the DNC until she endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016 and has since been the subject of Clintonite and Party ire. She is the only female military combat veteran running for President. She is the anti-war, big government, progressive candidate. Don’t tell people she reminds you of Barack Obama (young, rising star, anti-war/anti-Clinton candidate), because people are still trying to retcon the Obama campaign and administration. By all accounts, she is a genuinely nice person and actually works to heal the divisions in our country.

Marianne Williamson — A self-help guru and author, Marianne Williamson is America’s Fairy Godmother, something we desperately need right now. She was the first candidate I added to my Twitter feed, and I 100% recommend it. The Party has mostly sidelined her, and she was recently caught with a hot mic saying how much nicer people are at Fox News than at liberal news outlets.