Quo Vadis, Democrats?

[Zoupa]

I have to say Scaramucci has pretty much done a 180 on MAGA world and is a a joy to listen to.

[DGuller]

I've listened to a WW2 podcast episode featuring Scaramucci as a guest.  I didn't know much about him, I just assumed he was a MAGA hack who got his comeuppance quicker than usual, so I was very surprised to find him to be educated and thoughtful.

[The Minsky Moment]

Scaramucci was a Goldman boy turned PE manager, with all the virtues and vices of that type. 

Also one in a line of failed Trump whisperers, but smart enough to figure out faster than most of the others (yes including you Elon) what a fool's errand that is.

[viper37]

Newsom is a horrible human hiding behind a Hollywood mask. I have a lot of issues with some of his policies, and not just his seeming eagerness to throw trans folks under the bus.

Don't take it too personal, I think he would throw anyone under the bus to get closer to power.

But he's better than Trump or Vance.

Walz is much better, but I don't see the Dems giving him the primaries.  I could be wrong, obviously.  But he's way too quiet, way too nice a guy.

AOC, or anyone else from the House would need to be governor first (or VP, duh!).  They need to know how to hold cabinet meetings, how politics really work, how to launch a financing campaign for real, how to make real tough decisions, etc.

[Razgovory]

There is also Josh Shapiro, but that ain't happening.  Very fine people literally tried to kill him.

[Valmy]

There is also Josh Shapiro, but that ain't happening.  Very fine people literally tried to kill him.

We'll see. I don't think he is done just because of that.

[Razgovory]

There is also Josh Shapiro, but that ain't happening.  Very fine people literally tried to kill him.

We'll see. I don't think he is done just because of that.

I have very little faith in people anymore.

[Solmyr]

I don't understand how GOP primary voters can compare the winsome Nikki Haley vs. the disgusting human train wreck that is Trump, and overwhelmingly opt for Trump.

It's easy to understand when you remember that they hate women.

[Sophie Scholl]

Don't take it too personal, I think he would throw anyone under the bus to get closer to power.

But he's better than Trump or Vance.

Walz is much better, but I don't see the Dems giving him the primaries.  I could be wrong, obviously.  But he's way too quiet, way too nice a guy.

AOC, or anyone else from the House would need to be governor first (or VP, duh!).  They need to know how to hold cabinet meetings, how politics really work, how to launch a financing campaign for real, how to make real tough decisions, etc.

I mean, the "better than Trump and Vance" bar is so low it is underground.

I think Walz has more fight in him than was let on as the campaign went on and reined him in. He was the guy who first started the "weird" attack that had Republicans all frothy. I think he could have been and could be more effective if he gets to be himself without the horrible handlers that ran the latter stages of the Harris/Walz campaign.

I liked Whitmer's chances for a while, but her star seems to be on the decline these days, or at least fallen out of discussions. Add in that she is a woman and how much the voters of the US seem absolutely unable to come to terms with  such a wild and scary concept like a Woman President, and I'm not sure of her viability. Or any woman's for that matter. Sadly, I think there might be a better shot of a woman winning on the Republican ticket before the Democratic.

AOC actually has been pretty solid with raising funding for not just herself, but other Progressive Democrats, too. As to Governor/VP experience, Obama and Hills out of the recent options haven't been either. We'll see how things shake out in 2027/28 as things continue to develop and if we're still doing the whole "free and (relatively) fair elections" thing by then. 

[Admiral Yi]

No mainly the phoniness and shallowness.

It seems like such an arbitrary accusation.  He cares about his physical appearance.  So does AOC.  But he's phony and she's not.  He has ambitions for higher office.  Bernie Sanders ran for president.  But Gavin is phony and Bernie is not.

[The Minsky Moment]

It's the Clinton/Dick Morris thing. No one thinks that AOC and Bernie Sanders carefully poll test all their ideas before going public.  Their principles appear genuine.  Newsome gives off the vibe that he is always willing to tack to political winds of the hour.

[Sheilbh]

It seems like such an arbitrary accusation.  He cares about his physical appearance.  So does AOC.  But he's phony and she's not.  He has ambitions for higher office.  Bernie Sanders ran for president.  But Gavin is phony and Bernie is not.

I don't think it's arbitrary necessarily so much as subjective. And I don't think either of those factors are what appears phony.

Of course the reality all politicians are to some extent playing a role. They are all projecting an image. The key is to make what they're trying to project aligned with how they're perceived. I think we've actually seen the problem a lot on the right where so many of the most dorky people imaginable try to do Trump's style and it does not work because it's inauthentic.

As Minsky says I think one short cut to that (challenging as this may be for certain parts of the Democratic Party) is to say what you believe and believe what you say. This incidentally is an area where I think "woke" caused problems for the left. But I think more centrist candidates can do that - I think Buttigieg probably falls in this camp.

The other is perhaps to know what performance works and believe in it.

[Admiral Yi]

It's the Clinton/Dick Morris thing. No one thinks that AOC and Bernie Sanders carefully poll test all their ideas before going public.  Their principles appear genuine.  Newsome gives off the vibe that he is always willing to tack to political winds of the hour.

He would have to claim to be something else to fairly be called a phony.

[Tonitrus]

I've listened to a WW2 podcast episode featuring Scaramucci as a guest.  I didn't know much about him, I just assumed he was a MAGA hack who got his comeuppance quicker than usual, so I was very surprised to find him to be educated and thoughtful.

He tends to blow hot and cold.  He very much called the Trump/Musk falling out...but even today still thinks the Dems should embrace/rehabilitate Musk and try to pull him back...which I think is absolute folly.

And he's a crytpo-bro.  (though, he has made some of the most intelligent arguments in favor of it...but I still think he is wrong)

[grumbler]

If we are tolerating a fair bit of sleeze in Democratic national leaders, Josh Shapiro is a million times better than Gavin Newsome.