I'm coming around to Bloomberg

[Awsi Dooger]

37. Depth means absolutely nothing in a field of presidential candidates

You either have the ideal nominee or you don't.

Our 2020 field was always troubled because nobody had the ideal blueprint...not even close. I have mentioned that many times. Issues don't matter at all. You need someone who has the correct combination of age and charisma and gender and bio.

If Amy were a male we'd be in great shape. Or we'd be in great shape if Pete were older, more experienced and especially if he were heterosexual. It is ridiculous to dodge that final variable. Once we leave our own primaries we don't want to be startled when our nominee is rejected by a vital few percent we desperately need. Maybe in 2060 a gay man can be elected president. It's not happening in 2020, especially against an incumbent.

Bloomberg indeed owns the best combination to defeat Trump. I have mentioned many times in "Primaries" that among a shuttle bus of older white folks in Naples last November while attending an LPGA golf tournament I heard the other passengers discussing the Democratic field. I was surprised when they were willing to consider a Democrat above Trump. But not any Democrat. Everyone except Biden and Bloomberg was dismissed as, "too far out there," meaning too liberal. They agreed that the only two Democrats they would consider are Biden and Bloomberg. Then the most vocal guy said, "Biden is not too far out there. He has that going for him. But he often sounds confused. Not Bloomberg. He's in his 70s but is still very sharp." To my amazement, others loudly agreed. Immediately agreed.

Granted it's anecdotal but I have learned to pay attention to what I hear at golf tournaments. It's an older white crowd and they vote. I knew throughout 2016 that Donald Trump had far greater opportunity than most were giving him, based on everything I was hearing while attending those golf tournaments during the spring.

The OP's crypt summary of Biden is also unfortunately accurate, in fact more accurate than I preferred to believe at the time. It would be a dominant mocking theme of a fall campaign.