Democrats share 2020 vision
Midterms are officially less than a month away, and potential 2020 candidates are already eyeing up their chances of taking Trump. For the past year, the names of many Democrats have been thrown onto the list of 2020 hopefuls. Many of these potential Democratic candidates have remained tight-lipped about running for president because it would be a poor strategic move to jump the gun before the Midterms. Many Democrats have not announced their bids for President; however, their actions before the Midterm elections have led many to speculate.
Senator Cory Booker’s name tends to be at the top of the list of 2020 Democratic candidates because he has been a prominent figure for the Democrats since he assumed office in 2013. Booker recently made news during the Brett Kavanaugh Senate hearing for threatening to release committee confidential documents related to Kavanaugh’s tenure in the George W. Bush administration. This threat came with a possible ousting from the Senate, since it violated the Senate rules; however, this threat was not as risky as it may have seemed since the documents had already been cleared for release. Despite this fact, Booker referred to the release of the documents as his “Spartacus” moment, when in fact, it was a political move to in preparation to announcing his bid.
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), Booker’s close friend and colleague on the Judiciary Committee, has risen to the top of the Democratic Party since she took office in 2017. Due to the recent events surrounding sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, Senator Harris has been a powerful anti-Kavanaugh voice on the Judiciary Committee, demonstrating her desire to run for president. During Dr. Ford’s testimony against Judge Kavanaugh, Senator Harris praised Dr. Ford and called her a “profile in courage,” causing Dr. Ford to tear up. Senator Harris has been an outspoken feminist supporter, with many women begging her to run for President.
At her Massachusetts town hall, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) declared that she would “take a hard look” at running for President after the Midterm elections. Warren’s name has been tossed around quite frequently after Trump was elected, as Warren has been a strong Trump critic. Warren would be a strong candidate to go head to head against Trump if she can provide a campaign that is optimistic, not one that singularly bashes the current administration.
Whoever wins the Democratic bid for the presidential nominee must not stoop down to Donald Trump’s level. Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels’ attorney, has stated that he is seriously considering a run for President in 2020 as he has been very popular in the news media. Avenatti probably would never win the Democratic bid for President; however, if he decides to run, he could gain attention from the news media for bashing Trump with his unfiltered attitude.
The Democrats should not focus all of their energy on condemning Trump; rather, they should take notice of Beto O’Rourke and his impressive progressive campaign against Ted Cruz in Texas, which has historically been a deeply red state. While chances are slim that O’Rourke will win, his campaign should be the model for Democrats in the 2020 election because he has been able to persuade more moderate and conservative voters.
Donald Trump does well in appealing to his base of voters, but in building that base he has alienated a large group of conservatives. Those conservative voters could be converted to votes for Democrats if the Democrats listen to their concerns instead of talking at them. A big problem within the Democratic Party is that they do not seem to know where they are headed. Some Democrats have become so focused on trolling Trump that they have forgotten what they actually stand for. In order to kick Trump out of office, the Democratic candidate must offer the nation a better option by highlighting policies and hopes for the future.