We're used to politicians charging full-tilt towards victory. This is probably because 'politicians' has almost always meant men. But what if a woman's slow, steady progress makes more sense?
[Turtles have been seeking out new territory,
what with all the rain we've had recently.]
I continue my focus on a dark-horse Democratic candidate, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who I've argued is the party's best bet (mainly because of how Senate races are configured). In this edition I confine myself to just two points:
1. Somebody Should Probably Say Something. Many voters are shopping for a candidate. But buying what you want, short term, could be what you don't want, long term.
2. Klobuchar Waits. She needn't fight hard right now; instead, ...make a few wisecracks.
1. Seeing candidates raise their hand when asked whether they'd eliminate all private health insurance, or provide health coverage to undocumented migrants, is sobering. If you list 2020 Senate races from most likely for Blue, to least, you have something like: Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina, Maine, Iowa, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Montana, Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee, Alaska, Nebraska. To get to 50 seats, Blue would have to win the first three, plus one to cancel out a likely loss in Alabama, and one or two to cancel out any 'miss' in those top four. Plus, 52 senate seats are probably needed to avoid conservative Democrats holding up progress on specific issues (climate change, for example). So, we're talking about winning 2-out-of-3 in Georgia, Kentucky, and Montana. Voters in those states are, on average, quite conservative. If Democratic voters really want the promised land of possible legislation (tackling income inequality, voting rights, climate change, healthcare, etc.) they should probably reject candidates who say radical things that'll come back to haunt them as negative ads ("Don't let the radical socialists take away your health care and give it to illegals.")
2. I have yet to watch the 4 hours of debate, but have heard that Klobuchar had a few funny lines. This is what she needed as she waits for her moment. With Biden in the race, her numbers won't be very high, no matter what, since his rationale for running is similar to her's: consolidate the party's center, and keep anything radical under wraps. Once he begins to fall in the polls, even a minor bounce on her part will seem like a big deal. So, for June, less is more.
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