If Trump Loses in 2020, the Democrats' Dilemma, a Krugman column and the Golden Fish

The Democrats’ Dilemma 

Do they nominate a candidate whom they believe has the best chance of attracting the votes necessary to defeat Donald Trump in the key States (you name them) whose electoral votes are up for grabs … or … do they nominate a candidate who aggressively represents the progressive agenda in which the majority of Democrats believe, and jeopardize their chances of winning in those states? 

The Democratic 'Hopefuls" who Debated in Houston

Right now, after Thursday evening’s Houston ‘debate,’ I would classify the leading Democratic candidates as falling into three camps in regard to the dilemma addressed above.

Those who most aggressively advocate a more progressive agenda:  Sanders, Warren, Booker, O’Rourke, Castro.

Those who advocate a progressive agenda, but who seem amenable to modifying their position: Harris, Buttegeig, Yang.

Those who advocate building on existing programs, while advancing a more progressive agenda with more caution than the others:  Biden, Kolbuchar.

Primary and caucus voters, and ultimately, convention delegates, will have to make this decision.  It is likely that the presidential nominee will choose a running mate from among those in one of the groupings shown above, other than their own.

Jack Lippman

Paul Krugman Worries About Democracy

Krugman

And here’s a New York Times column by Paul Krugman (we got it via the Irish Times since it's difficult to link directly with the Times) which starts with the words “Democracy used to collapse suddenly, with tanks rolling noisily toward the presidential palace.  In the 21^st century, however, the process is usually subtler.” After explaining how “the slide to autocracy” happens, he concludes his column by saying that “If you aren’t worried about the future of American democracy, you aren’t paying attention.”   Pay some attention by CLICKING HERE and read the entire column … and pass it on to others, please!

JL

Thinking the Unthinkable

"I ain't movin' nowhere!"

Have you considered what might happen if Donald Trump loses the 2020 election and claims he was robbed, cheated and refuses to accept defeat?  He might contest the result in the courts and it is not inconceivable that the Supreme Court would agree with him.  The President knows that once out of office, he becomes much more vulnerable to civil and criminal charges from which his is immune while President.  Conceivably, he might end up as Michael Cohen’s cellmate.  This prospect might motivate him to dispute the election.  There’s a lot being written in this vein lately.  Here’s something from a podcast on “BreakthroughRadio” which touches upon it.  Check it out by CLICKING HERE.  Frightening, isn’t it?  Even to think of such a possibility! 

It’s something else to worry about.   More concretely, you should recognize the importance of voter registration.  See directly below!

JL

Online Voter Registration

Know any Floridians one who are NOT registered voters?   Refer them to a web site where they can complete the registration process online!    Every vote counts.  Visit  https://registertovoteflorida.gov/en/Registration/Index   YOU CAN GET THERE BY CLICKING ON THIS LINE.

And if you are not in Florida, do the same thing wherever you live.  It’s all on the Internet somewhere!  One registered voter is worth a hundred social media messages that merely "preach to the choir."

JL

 

Another Bothersome TV Commercial

There’s a GEICO commercial on TV lately which shows a vacationing family out on a lake in a boat sunning themselves and fishing.   To the father’s disbelief, the daughter hooks a ‘goldfish’ which turns out to be solid gold and regurgitates gold coins!  He screams out repeatedly, on seeing all of this gold, “We’re going to be rich, We’re going to be rich,” as if this were an otherwise absolutely unattainable goal for this family.

Let’s get something straight.  It looks to me like this well-dressed American family able to vacation on a lake, on which they go fishing from a not inexpensive boat, when compared to the rest of the families on the planet, is already quite wealthy! From their appearance, they are probably already richer than many American families.  Very loosely, this commercial (it promotes boat insurance) touches upon the question of wealth redistribution in the United States, pessimistically suggesting that addressing the problem requires catching a “golden fish,” an unlikely event.

JL