So what's wrong with Steyer? Impressive resume.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Yes, he's rich,. But he and wife pledged to give half earnings to charity.

I like that he is so good against trump.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Steyer

[Voltaire2]

1. Nothing. He's been consistently on target

advocating against the normalization of fascism.

[pnwmom]

2. Why begin at the top? Would it have killed him to start at Senator? We could use more of those.

We seem to have many excellent candidates for President.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. He has no experience in government. Zero.

His heart is in the right place but I don't want another rich businessman who has never even run for a seat on a city park board as president.

[sellitman]

8. +1 N/T

[MBS]

13. + 10,000

Previous government experience is a requirement for the next president. PERIOD.
We are in a national emergency. We cannot afford the luxury of amateurs.

[Zoonart]

26. THIS

thr presidency is not a bucket list item for billionaires.

[MBS]

34. Yes, exactly!n/t

[mtnsnake]

29. In today's bizarre political world, that's probably a plus in getting elected.

It probably won't happen, but if it turns out that he was nominated, then the main thing is that he would need to surround himself with experienced people.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

54. Which he would. Only an idiot wouldnt

[JI7]

4. no govt experience. run for some lower office first

[watoos]

7. You mean like Trump did?

[JI7]

9. i don't want any of my candidates to do like Trump

[TwilightZone]

58. Why would we consider Trump to be a benchmark?

That would be rather misguided.

[watoos]

5. He has been consistently pushing for impeachment,

too bad more Dems aren't.

"I like that he is so good against trump." Honestly IMO, that's almost all that matters to me. We need a candidate who is tough as nails to take on Trump. Steyer is tough as nails but I'm curious how he would do in a debate?

Warren, Harris, mayor Pete, and Biden came out of the gate swinging. Honestly, I understand that Dems need to have a platform but the M$M is complicit with the reich, it will push for a mud slinging blood bath and we need a candidate who can win a cage match.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. It's all about evidence of where the person's heart

Is and do they have to capacity to learn and the savvy and intellect to beat Trump. I think any of us here could have risen to the occasion and learned how government worked and sought out true experts. Trump did not because he is rotten from the git go.

That said, whoever we end up with, must be able to repair our institutions ASAP.

[Autumn]

6. Not a thing is wrong with him. I'm liking him.

[roody]

10. I am confused. I thought he was in Congress.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. No he isn't.

[Princetonian]

11. Nothing. He's a billionaire who walks the walk.

I like him immensely.

[CTyankee]

14. Welcome to DU. I see you live in Princeton, NJ.

Wondering if you went to Princeton. I often post on Ivy League stuff, living in New Haven, but mostly mix it up with those guys in Cambridge.

Glad you're here!

[Princetonian]

21. Yes, I went to Princeton.

Thank you for the kind welcome. Did you go to Yale?

[CTyankee]

23. No, but we root for Yale since we live near the Yale Bowl...

great tailgate parties and we have great friends who are Yalies or related to Yalies.

My ex husband went to the Cambridge place and I used to never hear the end of it....

I don't know any Princetonians but I think it is distinguished to have Michelle Obama as an alum!
Well, then...go Tigers!

[hlthe2b]

12. I'm not about to criticize him--only to point out his efforts & money might best benefit

his cause outside the Presidency and personally that is where I'd like him to focus.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. Know Dipshit HATES his impeachment ads. Why?

Because someone told him it was very bad and only two presidents have been impeached.

[ElementaryPenguin]

18. Nothing! I think he's great - and a welcome addition to the field!

I think he would destroy Trump!!

[Trumpocalypse]

19. Yes, just what we need

another white millionaire with no experience in government.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

20. Yes...just because trump is a rich (well maybe) white

crook... every rich white man is bad. Like Ted Kennedy was.

[virgogal]

27. Ted Kennedy carried a lot of baggage,Steyer doesn't .

[Laura PourMeADrink]

50. True. But he came to work every day fighting for

The little guy when he could have just sailed on a yacht

[Trumpocalypse]

43. Kennedy had decades of experience

Before he ran for president.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

51. Really? Didn't know that. :)

[cwydro]

22. I'm certainly willing to take a look at him.

I applaud his belief that impeachment is needed.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

53. Yes..if anything he will say that on stage!!

[LakeArenal]

56. Good point. Get it out there. Impeach the Mf.

[loyalsister]

24. His resume is blank

He may be technically qualified and have an impressive professional history, but he has zero experience in federal or even city government.
I have hoped that if there were anything good to come out of Trump's presidency it would be to finally disabuse voters of the notion that skills in business naturally translate to a potential to run the country well.
It takes a lot more than having opinions I support for me to see someone as presidential. I am hoping his lack of support indicates that people reject the model of celebrity and wealth as resume bullet points for presidential candidacy.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. I hear ya, but also think the most tremendous factor

Was that we got stuck with someone who doesn't read, listen, or learn. And add in the sheer rottenness. Steyer has the ability to synthesize large amounts of data to boil down to cogent message.

[loyalsister]

28. The presidency is a lot more than message

In fact, good ones hire people to do that while they focus on policies and the potential consequences of the decisions they will make.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

33. Totally agree. But we are in a position now that if

We don't first find someone who can beat him and if Congress can't protect the vote it is ALL moot.

[loyalsister]

45. I don't see it

That's the same argument someone used in favor of Oprah for the nomination. I fail to see the value of winning if it results in solidifying a standard of celebrity/millionaire presidents who have no government experience. I firmly believe that presidents should have a relevant resume.
He and Trump both support term limits which says something about how poorly informed they both are about government.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

46. Don't think we have to worry about it anyway

Steyer won't win. Hopefully he'll add at least some criticism of trump. I don't think it matters who we put up as long as they can beat trump. In a normal time, wouldn't say that. So far, unless things change, Biden is the one who wins the most over Dipshit in matchups. Every slam if him maximizes our chance of losing to trump. Why so many are running instead of rallying to get rid of the devil is very short-sighted.

[marylandblue]

30. The problem here is that billionaires think they are qualified for POTUS

Simply because they are billionaires. I can appreciate Steyer spending his money for worthy causes without believing that a field of 20+ worthy candidates needs a billionaire to round out the field.

[mtnsnake]

35. I think it's more that they can afford to run, rather than they think they are so qualified

If in the end it turns out he is best equipped to beat the Asshole in Office, then I'll be right with him.

[marylandblue]

37. Well, sure they can afford to run, they can afford a lot of things.

I don't approve of $200 million yachts either. There is something deeply wrong with this country where some people have enormous sums of money to blow on vanity projects. Even worse is that large numbers of people have actually voted for one billionaire vanity project, which just seems to be encourage more of them. I was happier when they only competed with each other for the world's biggest yacht.

[mtnsnake]

39. Sure, but let's give him credit for spending huge sums of his own money in lots of the right places,

too.

[marylandblue]

40. I already gave him credit for that, and wish he would continue that,

Rather than spend that money on running for President in an already crowded field.

[mtnsnake]

42. Yup, you did.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

47. Maybe he's running because House didn't take

The ball and run with it on impeachment.

[mtnsnake]

57. That could very well be

Good point.

[NYMinute]

31. I like Steyer

for Secretary of the Treasury under Biden

[JDC]

32. Feels Ross Perot-ish to me

[mtnsnake]

36. I'd love for our nominee to get up to a blackboard with chalk & a pointer in the general election

just like what Perot did when he explained things in clear enough terms so even the most simple minded voters could understand the points he was making. He really did know how to dumb things down, and his method was effective.

[marylandblue]

38. To paraphrase, "that giant sucking sound is your country going down the drain."

[mtnsnake]

41. haha, he'll be forever famous for coining that one.

[StarfishSaver]

44. Lots of people have "impressive"" resumes. It doesn't mean they should be leader of the free world

And giving half their money to charity also doesn't a president make.

I'm pretty sick of the notion that the ability to make lots of money somehow translates into being qualified to be a political leaders, much less president of the United States.

Having we learned by now that having a lot of money is not a qualification for political office?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

48. Who said the ability to make a lot of money

Translates to being worthy of the presidency? Other than some thinking that about trump.

A billionaire who gives 1/2 their earnings to charity is definitely a clue that they are a kind and generous person. I think it's a fantastic quality for a president.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

49. Still undecided?

[gordianot]

52. There are only two Democratic candidates I have doubts.

They are at 1% so I am not too worried. Even at that highly unlikely event they beat Trump.

[Joinfortmill]

55. Vote for the Democratic nominee

I'll say one thing, he's been out there beating the impeachment drum since the beginning. That should count for something.

[Blue_true]

59. My issue with him.

He is big on clean energy and the environment, but when it comes to him using his vast fortune to fund startup companies that can develop solutions in both areas, as far as I know, he has done nothing. His approach has been to try to force change by funding pro-clean energy and environmentalist candidate, that is ok but with the Courts stacked against pro-environment change, I don't see the political solution going far. Courts cannot stop a radical new clean energy invention, if they tried they would get run over.

My belief is that innovation and development of effective and cost efficient new technologies will get us to where we want to be faster than the exclusively political route.