Tom Miller: I support Steve Bullock

[brooklynite]

Chris,

This week, my friend Governor Bullock announced that he's running for president. I have known Steve for over 10 years. I’m putting all of my support behind him and hope that you will too.

Not since Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have I seen a candidate come through Iowa who relates to people better than Steve.

Steve can win Iowa. I’ve traveled the state with him and he is genuine and authentic. He is ready to share his optimistic vision for our country that starts with giving every American a fair shot by expanding an economy that works for every citizen. For Steve, it starts with getting the dark money that is corroding the national conversation out of our elections.

Steve can bring people together and deliver progressive policies. He has the strongest record to defeat Trump’s toxicity and damaging agenda. In Montana, Steve has expanded Medicaid, increased funding for education, fought to reduce healthcare and drug prices, and expanded protections for the environment. If he can do that in a red state, he can do that all across the country.

With Steve as our candidate, we will win back states that went red in 2016—like Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan—and we will take back the White House.

Please join me in lending your support to this exciting campaign. Early fundraising for Steve is critical—please donate today.

https://go.stevebullock.com/donate

Thank you,

Tom Miller
Attorney General
State of Iowa

[IndyOp]

1. I liked a lot of what I heard in his interview with Rachel Maddow last night.

He responded to a question from Rachel about running for U.S. Senator badly, though - IMHO.

Some people looking at the crowded field have mused aloud that he should run for the Senate. Rachel asked him what he thought about that and he said it didn't "inspire" him, that leadership roles are what he believes he does best.

He could win the Senate race and it is life-and-death essential that we turn the Senate blue.

I think the correct answer to that question from him would have been that he wants to put his all into the race for President -AND- that he will consider the run for Senate depending what happens in the next year.

The Senate position doesn't "inspire" him?!?! WTF

The planet is on fire, does putting out the fire so his children can have children of their own inspire him to take a job that is less exciting for him that the Presidency?

Seriously.

[MineralMan]

2. Who? Who?

I know who both are, because I looked them up when Bullock was talking about running, but countless millions of Americans haven't a clue who either man is. They won't look it up, either, nor will they look up if that name is mentioned on the TV news. That is the biggest challenge facing Bullock. And he has 23 other candidates running against him, each of whom is trying to be recognized as someone by the voters.

Personally, I think it is an insurmountable problem. By the time most people are interested enough to bother finding out, it's likely that someone else will already be pretty well secure in being the nominee.

Montana. Most people could not point to that state on an unlabeled map. Hell, most people couldn't name more than ten states on that map. We are not a nation that is interested in people we don't already know, especially if they'r running for President in a very, very crowded field of primary candidates.

[brooklynite]

3. I think the point is not that millions of people will know who Tom Miller is...

but that voters in Iowa will.

[MineralMan]

4. OK. But, the thing is, does anyone care about Iowa, really?

I think not, actually. Yes, it's the earliest caucus. But, it has few convention delegates and few electoral college votes. And, even in Iowa, most people think they know Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders better than they do Tom Miller, frankly.

So, Bullock will come in 17th or 19th in the Iowa caucuses. Even Amy Klobuchar will do better than that. People in Iowa sort of know who she is.

Up on top, though, will be Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and a couple of others. Here's the Bullock most Iowans know about:

[brooklynite]

5. The press will pay attention to the 2-3 who do well in addition to Biden and Bernie

...and that will give them coverage going into New Hampshire.

[MineralMan]

6. Sure. And they'll ignore the rest.

That's what they always do. Where do you think Bullock will end up after the Iowa caucuses? I don't see him in that top four. Not at all. If he's lucky, he'll get a couple of percent.

This field is so crowded and there are so many attractive candidates who have been in the news already for some time. I can't see Bullock as someone who is likely to get a lot of votes, even in Iowa. I think those on the bottom half of the list of candidates will all remain on the bottom half of that list. They might move around a little down there, but that will just be Brownian motion at work.

What Iowa will probably do, though, is define the top four candidates pretty accurately.

Then, the Super Tuesday crowd of primaries will narrow things down from there. California will probably manage to keep Kamala Harris in the running, maybe. It depends on who else is doing OK by then.

New Hampshire will have already decided who it's voting for. Iowa won't affect that much at all.

The fight, really, is for 15%. Who can get 15%. Everyone else is toast.

[brooklynite]

7. The premise of your argument basically applies to everyone running in the first place...

If you've decided to run and you're not in the top tier, you might as well campaign as if you were.

[MineralMan]

9. The premise of my argument is just a personal opinion.

I doubt any candidate will pay any attention to what I said.

[question everything]

8. Iowa Elected officials do not retire, they stay forever -;)

The former governor, Branstad, was there forever until he went to China.

I remember Tom Miller being the Iowa AG in the 80s. He ran for governor but, as a Catholic, could not support a pro-choice position.

He did say, however, that he would veto a death penalty bill if one would arrive at his desk.

A decent man and probably knows what he is talking about.