When the outrage about Obamacare prompted many Republican lawmakers to book trips to Iowa in 2010 and 2011, the field was decent with Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and Newt Gingrich making the most waves early. Following the 2014 midterms, new faces popped up and it appeared the GOP would have an embarrassment of riches with Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul being the stalwart newcomers who would rejuvenate the party before the ultimate newcomer hit the scene.
The Democratic Party is lost. This is apparent when you look at the results of a CNN poll released today:
In their quest to find the next Barack Obama, the best Democrats can do right now is tap his 75-year-old running mate. The former Vice President will be 17 days from his 78th birthday when election day rolls around in 2020. That says a lot and leads our list of five takeaways from this early poll.
Here they are:
1 – A 77-year-old white guy is the top choice for a party that blames “old white guys” for all the nation’s problems
Wouldn’t it be ironic if they did nominate Biden? Every day we hear in mainstream media from leftist pundits how just about every problem can be blamed on an ancient Caucasian patriarchy that needs to be booted from power. Yet, they seem to favor the epitome of the ancient Caucasian patriarchy in Biden.
He seems to be as healthy and mentally sharp as anyone could expect after three quarters of a century. Many have speculated that he would be President today had he thrown his hat in the ring as so many Democrats wanted in 2016.
Despite the enthusiasm behind him, I find it extremely unlikely, nearing the realm of impossibility, that Biden will end up running, let alone becoming the nominee. He’s simply the most recognized name right now among the Democrats. Of course, we could also make the same observations about the second name on the list, Senator Bernie Sanders, who is a year older than Biden.
2 – Spartacus isn’t making an impact yet
Only 1 in 20 Democrats polled want to see Senator Cory “Spartacus” Booker as the nominee. As an eloquent African-American Senator from a left-leaning state, he draws the easiest surface-level comparisons to President Obama.
So far, those surface comparisons haven’t put him on the Democrats’ map. That is likely to change as he seems to be one of the most aggressive early campaigners. He used his time questioning Justice Brett Kavanaugh from the Senate Judiciary Committee to get nomination face time, but so far that hasn’t resulted in much additional name or face recognition. It’s early and he will likely be a frontrunner, but at least for now he’s still nowhere.
3 – 4% want Beto O’Rourke who is about to lose his Senate race
When the next sessions on Capitol Hill start, Representative Beto O’Rourke will likely be sitting on his couch still trying to figure out what went wrong. He had support from celebrities. Leftist magazines pointed to him as the next JFK. He raised more funds than any Senate candidate in history.
Unless something crazy happens, he’s going to lose big to Senator Ted Cruz.
It would seem his national popularity is greater than his Texas popularity. Losing doesn’t eliminate him altogether; Rick Santorum lost a couple of elections before coming in second for the 2012 GOP nomination. Still, it wouldn’t behoove the Democrats to push O’Rourke to run against President Trump if he can’t even beat Senator Cruz.
4 – Some actually take Michael Avennati seriously
The fact that lawyer Michael Avenatti is on the list is ridiculous. The fact that 1% of Democrats want to see him run is hilarious.
If he’s the solution to the Democrats’ woes, they’re in much bigger trouble than anyone knows.
5 – Entertainers on not on the list, but should be
Looking into my crystal ball following President Trump’s victory in 2016, I saw a strange face pop up. The Democrat I thought could beat the President in 2020 is someone nobody is talking about. Actor George Clooney, who has been quietly feeling out donors since late 2016, is a name that will pop out of nowhere in 2019 if indeed he chooses to run for President.
Another name not on the list is Oprah Winfrey. It will all depend on whether she is serious about her ambition to change the world from the top down, but if she chooses to run, she’ll be the contrast to President Trump the Democrats would love to see.
Last but not least on my list of entertainers who could win the nomination is Dwayne Johnson. The Rock is extremely intelligent and outspoken, plus he is universally liked. If he were to win, could you imagine him and Vladimir Putin holding a summit?
With the midterm elections almost upon us, speculating about 2020 is a fun distraction. As backwards as Democrats have been this election cycle, the next one is shaping up to set records in lunacy.
