BTRTN 2020 Vision: The Warm Up Act is Over, It's Debate Time

[reggieandlee]

Born To Run The Numbers provides their mid-monthly summary of the current state of the Democratic race for the White House.

http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/06/btrtn-2020-vision-warm-up-act-is-over.html

Excerpts:"The Democratic field is set and the first debates, the first real event of the campaign, are just around the corner. Joe Biden is the front runner but the race is tightening, with five “Tier 1” candidates... and Biden is already displaying his vulnerabilities.
"Biden took the first of many punches he will have to endure, with the initial blow more or less self-inflicted. And this qualifies as the rarely performed 'triple flip flop,' the first known record of this particular political gymnastic feat...
"Of course the polls can change in the blink of a two-minute spiel in the upcoming debates, but as of now, both in Iowa and nationally, there are only five candidates with material support: Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren...
"Warren is coming on strong...performing extremely well on the campaign trail, and with her authentic Oklahoma lower middle class back story and her dazzling array (and command) of policy positions, she is rising in the polls both in Iowa and nationally. She is now challenging Sanders for the lefty wing of the party, and he is declining in Iowa, starting to feel a bit like yesterday’s news...
"Mayor Pete is the darling of 2020 thus far, at 37 less than half the age of Biden and Sanders...Like Warren, he speaks in whole paragraphs, and seems to make perfect sense whenever he opens his mouth, with a sly wit that echoes JFK and Obama. Everyone likes him, and he is getting even better on the trail day by day. He is the only “no name” candidate to have jumped into the first tier...
"Kamala Harris has not hit her stride as a candidate yet, but, to borrow a sports phrase, she has a 'high ceiling' – she is smart, accomplished, well-spoken and telegenic, with a great backstory, and Democrats seem to want her to succeed. If she can find her groove on the campaign trail – or in the debates – she could move up considerably."

[MBS]

1. pretty much how the race feels to me right now, too.

(though - maybe since this piece was written - Beto has had a pretty good week this past week).

[Baclava]

2. yep - everybody got to get their gameface on

there will be no gimmees

[tgards79]

3. kik