If every candidate had the same chance of winning the GE and the Senate (roughly 100%)

[crazytown]

would you stick with your current preference(s)?

This OP might be seen as a challenge to the supporters of Joe Biden, as many have pointed to his electoral popularity. It is not. So perhaps those who favor Joe, but could support someone else might like to skip this one.

On the other hand, for those who argue the electorate is centrist or moderate, I disagree. I reject both labels. Centrist suggests a cynical move towards the average of public opinion. Moderate suggests a less than passionate commitment to the Democratic Party. Neither is true IMO. If I had to choose a term it would be Mainstream. I would also suggest respondents in polls who label themselves liberal, moderate or conservative in polls are identifying more with rhetoric than actual policies, at least with regard to economics.

Anyway, what do you think? I stick with a Warren / Buttigieg Administration.

[JI7]

1. my list would be the same

i think Biden has a better chance of winning than others. but some of those others are ahead of Biden on my list.

[Sherman A1]

2. Yes

I will continue to stay with Andrew Yang.

[DownriverDem]

3. Yes

I want someone who has the legislative experience of Congress and the White House. That is Joe Biden.

[NYMinute]

4. Sir, the chef recommends that

you exchange that lobster on your plate for a catfish.

[crazytown]

10. LOL

They are both bottom feeders.

[highplainsdem]

5. Yes. Biden/Harris. But it's fantasy that the candidates could have equal chances of

winning the GE.

You might as well posit a Constitutional requirement that the White House be turned over, after a general election, to the candidate of the party opposing the current president.

Or a Constitutional amendment that would allow Obama to run for a third term.

Basically, every "let's not consider electability" argument I've seen, here or on TV or in print media or social media, appears to be an attempt to make Biden look like a less desirable candidate with less support than he actually has.

And FWIW, I don't understand your gripe about the standard terms centrist and moderate. Centrist doesn't suggest a cynical move toward an average opinion. And moderate would only imply "a less than passionate commitment to the Democratic Party" if you believe that only leftwing Democrats and the policies they favor are truly representative of the Democratic Party. Our party has always included moderates and centrists.

[marylandblue]

6. You haven't seen my anti-electability argument then.

Which has nothing to do with poll standing or Biden's actual qualifications. Rather, electability is a shorthand way of saying, "We need a _______, because people won't vote for ________ ." Where the first blank is some implied characteristic (white, male, experienced, moderate, blue collar etc.) that is thought to be desirable to other voters, and the second blank is some undesirable characteristic that another candidate has.

This always plays into the hands of an establishment candidate, who often loses the general election, so it turns out voters weren't really looking for someone like that after all. On the other hand, sometimes "unelectable" candidates win the primaries and then the general.

I'm alright with people wanting Biden because he is experienced, likeable, is a moderate etc. I am not alright with arguing that whatever he has makes him "electable" and all others "unelectable."

[crazytown]

7. "an attempt to make Biden look like a less desirable candidate"

which was also your interpretation of a light hearted post about campaign theme songs. I should have added added you to an ignore list back then.

[highplainsdem]

8. I hope you won't, for the same reason I didn't add you to an ignore list after lots of posts

criticizing Biden.

I never put anyone on Ignore. I like to see what's being posted, and it's also hard to make sense of a thread with some replies cut out.

Now. Please note that my message here referred to lots of things I've seen in the media and social media where an argument was made that electability should NOT be considered. Those are almost invariably arguments against Biden in favor of other candidates, whether or not a specific candidate was named.

And your OP singles out Biden supporters. So you knew what it would look like.

[NurseJackie]

9. Excellent description and analysis...

If I had to choose a term it would be Mainstream.

Excellent description and analysis of the differences.

[crazytown]

11. After 2016 I've had enough of those suggesting that

mainstream Democrats are cynical, soulless people, committed to little more than winning power and paying off donors. There was nothing moderate about my support for Hillary Clinton.

[Skya Rhen]

12. Under your scenario, I would still vote for Biden. He was my first choice in his 2008 presidential

run. Since then, I had looked forward to the day when he would decide to run again. Now, here we are and I hope that my dream of him becoming President Joseph Robinette Biden is fulfilled...

[crazytown]

13. And that's fine

More than fine. My signature is 'Politics, at it's best, is being who you are in the cause of what you believe'.