Hickenlooper Won't Call Himself a Capitalist

[Gothmog]

I watched this on Morning Joe this morning https://politicalwire.com/2019/03/08/hickenlooper-wont-call-himself-a-capitalist/

In an interview with MSNBC, former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) refused to call himself a capitalist saying: “I don’t look at myself with a label.”
He added: “All these labels have gotten to the point where they divide us from each other.”

Link to tweet

I think that this candidate hurt himself by trying to be too progressive.

[TwilightZone]

1. He's right about labels.

They've pretty much lost all meaning and are often just thrown around as insults or to isolate or stereotype people.

[MH1]

24. Yes but his handling of the question was not good.

(I'm avoiding expressing the strength of my actual reaction when I first saw the clip.)

A presidential campaign is worthless if you don't win the general election, at least in the current climate.

I don't give a shit about the meaninglessness of labels, if someone can't effectively and positively handle a question like "are you a capitalist?" they are not a competent candidate and need to get out of the way.

Of course this is added to the pile of his pot and fracking positions, for me. I don't really see him getting past the first few primaries, even if that far.

[marylandblue]

2. I think candidates who don't provide their own labels

Will be labeled by the media or their opponents.

[elleng]

3. He's right that "All these labels have gotten to the point where they divide us

from each other.”

[CrossingTheRubicon]

4. Big mistake. Elizabeth "I am a capitalist" Warren has the right idea.

It will be a debate question. Guaranteed.

We should be a strongly progressive capitalist party.

No waffling.

[Gothmog]

5. I agree with governor Granholm

Link to tweet

[CrossingTheRubicon]

10. Correct. And we should inspire our young people to invent, innovate, and create jobs

that will feed our economy, feed our people, and feed the national purse so we can take care of our people.

We need to be "happy warriors" for progressive capitalism.

[WA-03 Democrat]

6. I wish he'd try to call himself

Senator.

[ZeroSomeBrains]

9. +1000000 n/t

[calimary]

26. That'd be good.

He’s starting to strike me as not ready for prime time.

[vlyons]

7. I would have said that I support a mixed economy

where some things are for-profit, privately owned businesses, and some things are funded with tax-payer dollars. People understand that.

[David__77]

16. That makes a lot of sense to me.

While I want more of what I understand as “socialism,” the debate on social systems can get pretty removed from practical matters.

[Blue_true]

17. Until republicans, with their loud mouths, made government funded research and development

a whipping boy, federal research and development had an astounding record of making new ideas economic realities. An enormous amount of how food is made safer was a result of federal government R&D, so was the Internet, food products like Tang, no refrigeration juices, MRE type food products, Global Positioning that allows accurate travel, dental products of a number of varieties. Federal government R&D is responsible for the USA becoming a dominant world power. We need to get back to what helped build the economy, with some adjustments like well thought out regulation and a no tolerance attitude toward job and housing discrimination of any type.

[vlyons]

19. then there's the insterstate highway system

and the post office, FEMA, national, state, and local parks, NASA, FDA, local fire and police depts, local schools, state universities.

[calimary]

27. But shit - you've GOT TO get the messaging right!

And be forceful and solid in your convictions. And be ready for these questions without fumfering around.

I would hope he’d seen enough by now to at least kind of know what to do. I don’t see that in him.

Anybody throwing a hat into the ring better be ready to beat Jay Inslee to the punch. That’s who’s still my Number One choice. Nothing I’m seeing from Hickenlooper is leading to that.

[ZeroSomeBrains]

8. Can he please stop pretending he's going to be President

We need that Colorado Senate seat more than him going on an ego tour that no one will understand. He's running on an I'm not a capitalist and legal weed is ok in Colorado but not the rest of the country. What constituency are you even trying to get at? And if we don't get the Senate no Democratic President will be able to accomplish anything. I ask you to do the honorable thing Mr. Hickenlooper. Stop this campaign and run for Senate in Colorado.

[TwilightZone]

11. So, you get to decide who's pretending and who's legitimately running?

That's pretty convenient.

There are a lot of candidates in the race who aren't going to be president. I doubt any of them, including Hickenlooper, are running just for the hell of it.

[ZeroSomeBrains]

14. We need to get control of the US Senate

Nothing will get done without that becoming a reality. A much more nationally known figure with more support like Senator Brown made the difficult decision to stay in the Senate in part because of that need. Governor Hickenlooper did a good job to run his state and is popular there. He is not that well known outside his state and he doesn't seem to know how to position himself IMHO.

There is no shame in being a member of the US Senate. If he becomes the Democratic nominee for President then I will gladly support him and convince everyone I know to vote for him. That's just my two cents.

[Blue_true]

18. He almost surely knows Colorado better than you or me.

He would know if there are talented state senators, county administrators, mayors there who are younger and can serve in the senate longer are ready to take the seat from the republican.

But who are you or I to say that he should or should not run. I support him, but that is it.

[WeekiWater]

12. That's foolish.

Every candidate we have running is a capitalist.

[CrossingTheRubicon]

20. I'm not sure the "Democratic Socialist" in the race will self-identify as a capitalist.

[WeekiWater]

22. That is for branding purposes.

He is a capitalist.

[CrossingTheRubicon]

23. But that wouldn't be "authentic"

and I'm told that one of the prime attributes of Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt) is his "authenticity."

When he tells us he's a "Democratic Socialist" I'm inclined to believe him.

[crazytown]

13. Not a Capitalist. No legal weed. Fracking is Good.

I’m waiting for another shoe to drop.

[MH1]

25. Yeah, he ought to just pick up his shoes and walk away, IMO. nt

[David__77]

15. I appreciate his position.

And it’s a big tent party of capitalists and non-capitalists.

[Devil Child]

31. +1 n/t

[peggysue2]

21. This is a losing position . . .

for Hickenlooper specifically and the Democratic Party generally if we're put into a position of defending socialism. Americans are not socialists, period. You want to talk about a mixed economy, fine. Because that's what we actually have--a private and public based economy. But not answering the question directly is not going to fly in 2020. And sorry, the "I don't believe in labels" is pathetically lame for anyone running for President of the United States. That might work for an undergraduate classroom but it simply does not cut the mustard at this level. Say what you are, rightly or wrongly. Then let the chips fall as they may.

But this tap dancing routine? That gets you nowhere in this sort of race. Other than placed in the circular file.

[Paladin]

28. Bad move by Hick.

Nobody but a solid capitalist could establish such a nice a beer joint on the trendy side of downtown Denver. Walking away from the "capitalist" label just helps trump and his moronic hordes.

[kcr]

29. I usually don't like wishy-washy No Labels answers, but

I love that this is being spun as Not A Capitalist. Not sure that's what he intended, but I don't care.

[Devil Child]

30. I am supportive of his self-definition as non-capitalist

I see no benefit for a purity test and pledge of allegiance to capitalism.

[TwilightZone]

32. He didn't define himself as a non-capitalist.

He said he doesn't apply labels to himself. That's not even remotely the same thing.