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Democratic Primaries

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2_heal_my_country

(34 posts)
Mon Oct 7, 2019, 09:59 AM Oct 2019

Is Elizabeth Warren is our strongest and best candidate? [View all]

First, a little about me, so you know where I am coming from. I am a 72-year-old white male who was an elected officer in a private sector labor union. I am also, like Elizabeth Warren, a former Republican.

The presidential campaign has just begun. Yet, we can already see the outline of the strategies the candidates will use. Trump has nothing positive to run on, so he will base his campaign on attacking his opponents.

We already see the false accusation of the “Ukraine scandal” against Joe Biden. It may be false, but so were the eMail and Benghazi scandals directed against Hillary Clinton. We must always remember that in politics, what is true is not as important as what people perceive to be true. During the Second World War, the United States Office of Strategic Services did a report on Hitler’s psychological approach to politics. This report also sheds some light on Trump’s style of politics. “Hitler’s primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.” All Trump needs is a sliver of fact he can hang his story (lie) from and you will never hear the end.

Joe Biden is basing his campaign on being the most electable candidate. He says he can persuade Independents, disillusioned Republicans, and Trump Democrats to vote for him. Polls show some of these non-ideological voters will believe there is something to Trump’s story about Biden and his son. Biden will lose these voters. These are moderates who only desire a return to normalcy. They are the core of Biden’s strength which enables him to claim he is the most electable candidate. Trump will not stop focusing on the so-called “Ukraine scandal.” He will “repeat it frequently enough so that people will believe it.” The voters will become confused, they will not know who to believe, and give up. They have no taste for more scandal. They may not vote for Trump, but they will stay home and not vote.

This will reduce Biden to relying on the anti-Trump vote and the Democratic base. Trump’s scandal based attack will reduce the number of people voting for nice-guy Joe Biden as a person. The perception of honesty and integrity is one of Biden’s great strengths. Biden may still get enough votes to win based on the anti-Trump vote and the Democratic base. But these same voters would be available to any of our other candidates who do not scare voters away. Biden is no longer a strong candidate who can easily beat Trump since Biden is a weak campaigner. This is shown by his previous losing presidential campaigns. The people elected Joe Biden as VP, but not because of his own campaign. The people elected Obama as President and Joe was part of his team. Even now Biden’s greatest strength in the primary is his connection to Obama.

Against our other two major candidates, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Trump will use the accusation they are Socialist. He will claim they will destroy the American economic system. This is the old “Devil you know is better than the Devil you don’t know” trick used to scare voters. There are many middle-class and lower-class voters who will fall for it. This includes the members of my union who are not deplorable, but are open to fear. Like most people, their primary concern is for their families and themselves. “It’s the economy, stupid” is something Trump used successfully once. He will try to use again as he sells his “we never had it better” story (lie).

This accusation of being a socialist is easy to make against Bernie Sanders. When asked, Bernie will always self-identify as a Democratic Socialist. Bernie should call himself a “Social Security Democrat” since he is not really a Socialist. He does not advocate that the workers will own the means of production. A lot of voters still associate the word Socialist with Soviet-style communism. Bernie is not a Soviet-style communist; he’s an FDR-style Social Democrat. He wants to upend existing power structures and change them so they benefit the many over the few. His goal is to make America more like Scandinavia. Yet, Bernie keeps shooting himself in the foot by stressing he is a Democratic Socialist.

Words are labels which are shortcuts to thoughts and emotions. It is based on these labels that many Americans think and react to. Trump knows this and is a master in labeling people. So Bernie would be a weak candidate because of the Socialist label. Many voters, especially older ones, will be scared away from him. Socialism as a concept may be popular with a lot of young Americans. They have grown up seeing the failure and inequality of modern American capitalism. But they do not know of the repression associated with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). But their parents do. Advocating for Socialism is a very risky way to try to win a general election. After Bernie’s heart attack, we will now also have the questions raised about Bernie’s health. Bernie Sanders would be a very weak candidate against Donald Trump.

Trump and the Republicans will label any of our candidate as a socialist. But some of our candidates will be more difficult to label this way. Elizabeth Warren is one of them. Warren has always said she believes in capitalism, and for most of her adult life, she was a Republican. She taught commercial law at Harvard Law School. She knows both the strength and the weakness of modern-day capitalism. We can make the case, Warren knows better than any other candidate (including Trump) what we need to repair our economy. She has many plans on how to fix it. The central theme of Warren’s campaign is fixing broken capitalism that has become corrupt and no longer works for everyone. These are not just words to her, the “Consumer Financial Protection Bureau” (CFPB) is her baby. Like FDR, she wants to save capitalism, not destroy it.

Her commitment to the average person is shown by her life and what she has fought for. She grew up in a lower-middle-class home and attended the school of hard knocks. The lessons this school taught her included her father becoming disabled by a heart attack when she was 12. The bank repossessed the family’s car, and her family almost lost their home to foreclosure. Warren knows what it is like to live on the edge and feel the pain of not knowing what tomorrow will bring. When she was 13, Warren started waiting tables at a restaurant to help her family. With a little luck, and a lot of hard work, she became one of the nation’s most influential professors of commercial law. Unlike Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren never had a silver spoon in her mouth. She knows what it is like to be a regular average person. This will help to make her a strong candidate.

In 1996, at 47 years of age, Warren left the Republican party and became a Democrat. She entered the public arena because she saw the shortcomings in the law and how it hurt ordinary people. Elizabeth Warren explained the reason for her change of heart and party this way. She had been non-political and believed you should not live beyond what you can afford. One day, as a professor, they tasked her with writing a book on bankruptcy. When she began her research, she was a typical Republican. She believed that most people filing for bankruptcy were working the system or had been irresponsible in incurring debts. But after her research, she concluded that such abuse was rare and that the legal framework for bankruptcy was poorly designed. She saw that most people filing for bankruptcy closely resembled her own family, who struggled financially. They were not the irresponsible deadbeats, she had expected. The only deadbeats were people like Donald Trump who filed serial bankruptcies and walked away enriched. She described the way the research challenged her fundamental beliefs as “worse than disillusionment.” It was “like being shocked at a deep-down level.” She realized the Republican Party was no longer “principled in its conservative approach to economics and to markets. It is instead tilting the playing field in favor of big financial institutions and against middle-class American families.” Warren corrected her beliefs and changed her party. These are traits of a good President. She will always have an open mind and will learn and admit when she is mistaken.

Elizabeth Warren then became an activist. She lead the fight against a bank-sponsored bill that restricted access to bankruptcy for average people. Later Elizabeth was respected for her stances in favor of more stringent banking regulations after the 2007–08 financial crisis. She took the lead in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in 2010. Since 2011, the CFPB has received over 1.2 million consumer complaints about dealings with financial firms. The CFPB has returned more than $12 billion to 29 million people wronged by financial institutions. These include credit card companies and banks.

Warren worked for years as an advocate for the common person from outside the political world. But in 2012 she decided she could have a greater impact by becoming a part of the legislative process. Warren entered and won the U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts. She became the state’s first female Senator. Elizabeth Warren is not a career politician. After only eight years of impacting government from the legislature, she is ready to have a greater impact for the people. Therefore she is running for President. Her administrative experience in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau along with her legislative experience will serve her and we, the people, well.

There is nothing in Elizabeth Warren’s history that opens her up to the charge of being a socialist. She is a moderate who wants to end the Corporatism which has corrupted and distorted Capitalism. There is a great deal that shows she will end the corruption and act as a real reformer for American Capitalism so that once again it works for everyone. Only this will make America great. So Elizabeth Warren is our strongest and best candidate.

As you can see I like Warren, but before I commit I want to hear the counter-arguments, both for and against. Thank you

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
177 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Possibly Sherman A1 Oct 2019 #1
Your first choice is an interesting candidate 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #10
He is indeed an interesting choice Sherman A1 Oct 2019 #23
This message was self-deleted by its author pinkstarburst Oct 2019 #49
It sounds like you missed item 4 in the post you were replying to, on how it is paid for. thesquanderer Oct 2019 #70
This message was self-deleted by its author pinkstarburst Oct 2019 #76
A UBI Sherman A1 Oct 2019 #80
All Citizens 18 and above would receive the Freedom Dividend. Sherman A1 Oct 2019 #79
She is for people that understand what really needs to be fixed. Wall Street being scared of her brewens Oct 2019 #2
I don't want the economy destroyed...I have a 401 K and a bank...my hubs works for Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #7
If stopping all the high frequency trading and insider trading scams will "destroy the economy", brewens Oct 2019 #8
If we are not careful...Wall street moves to China...China is working on it. Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #13
Evolution works much better than revolution. LanternWaste Oct 2019 #21
Warren has never called for a revolution 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #54
In fact her plan will create more jobs 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #20
Startups pay for shit and many fail in the first year...it will destabilize the economy. Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #69
What are the reasons she is not the best 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #118
She is not flexbile about this... and will cause great damage to the economy with some of her Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #141
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #148
Do you feel your own personal situation is more important than breaking up? Doodley Oct 2019 #27
It is not my own personal situation...I do not believe it is a good idea for the economy to Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #68
Wall Street is not a manufacturer 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #119
It could go to China actually...China is working on it right now. China will most likely Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #140
Amen. The Mouth Oct 2019 #149
Without support from African American voters, Warren will not be the nominee Gothmog Oct 2019 #3
This! Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #6
Blacks are 12% of the population, Women are 50%, young women voters numbers are rising Baclava Oct 2019 #14
African American women voters are key to victory in 2020 Gothmog Oct 2019 #39
This.... history tells us NO dem has won the GE without the support of AA voters Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #84
I don't understand why KAMALA HARRIS 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #121
Just anecdotal, but the president of my local NAACP branch turned on her when she attacked Biden. femmedem Oct 2019 #134
But what percent of Democrats? treestar Oct 2019 #77
and if she wins NH and Iowa qazplm135 Oct 2019 #35
Poll: Biden holds 24-point lead over Democratic field among black voters Gothmog Oct 2019 #42
and where was Hillary at with AA voters in October 2007? 57 percent qazplm135 Oct 2019 #46
Warren is not President Obama Gothmog Oct 2019 #48
Neither was Hillary qazplm135 Oct 2019 #55
That was early on when it looked like Hillary would coast to the nomination Polybius Oct 2019 #127
yes qazplm135 Oct 2019 #156
By April, there were actually AA members of Congress that pulled their endorsement of Hillary Polybius Oct 2019 #159
2008 Iowa caucuses made the difference for AA's, it seems. SleeplessinSoCal Oct 2019 #168
Nobody Cha Oct 2019 #163
including qazplm135 Oct 2019 #170
Which Nobody Ever said he was. Cha Oct 2019 #171
great qazplm135 Oct 2019 #172
This article might help give you some answers to your question Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #87
ummm I only had one question qazplm135 Oct 2019 #89
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #174
Why Black Voters Prefer Establishment Candidates Over Liberal Alternatives Gothmog Oct 2019 #101
establishment types usually win the nomination qazplm135 Oct 2019 #104
Warren is not an establishment type Gothmog Oct 2019 #105
she already went from zero to 12 percent in SC qazplm135 Oct 2019 #106
Warren is at 3% in South Carolina Gothmog Oct 2019 #175
Black voters are always a debating point here. BlueWI Oct 2019 #177
Since EW holds a 2 pt lead in NH and IA there will be no big gains for her there Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #86
holding a lead isn't winning qazplm135 Oct 2019 #88
Didn't say it was Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #90
just like Obama's was... qazplm135 Oct 2019 #92
It still doesn't change the fact that EW does not have the support of the AA voters!! Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #96
lol it's like a circle qazplm135 Oct 2019 #103
You have NO clue what she was "doing in Oct 2007". Cha Oct 2019 #128
I supported Obama from the beginning...bu I wouldn't have if I thought he wasn't the best candidate Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #155
the twenty or so Biden fans on here qazplm135 Oct 2019 #157
At this point I really don't care about the horse race 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #51
I'd like to see this polling done. Funtatlaguy Oct 2019 #53
Why do you believe that BlueMTexpat Oct 2019 #95
Thanks for the reality check, Goth.. Retweeted! Cha Oct 2019 #113
Yes, this is a great advantage for Biden 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #120
If EW kills it in the next few debates AND starts to appear electable, ecstatic Oct 2019 #123
No, she is East Coast-not attractive to the Rust belt - particularly WI and does not have the Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #4
Texas will be a battleground state unless the party nominates Warren or sanders Gothmog Oct 2019 #44
I agree...Arizona, Georgia and Colorado Senate seats also. Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #66
In Texas we are defending two flipped seats and seeking to flip 6 more Gothmog Oct 2019 #117
I know. We could lose the House and forcing red district Democrats to vote for impeachment is Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #142
Realize Biden has 100% voter recognition, while 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #67
EW has very good name recognition ... that is no longer an arguement Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #93
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #136
Sadly thanks to Trump she is not unknown...and I do not believe she will win the states we need. Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #167
Indeed! Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #91
Is she is or is she ain't ? eppur_se_muova Oct 2019 #5
tRump trying to bring Biden down with lies Bayard Oct 2019 #9
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #137
She's our best campaigner BeyondGeography Oct 2019 #11
IMO Not our best candidate, though she is a great candidate UncleNoel Oct 2019 #12
Head-to-Head polls suggest no - no she's not. Drunken Irishman Oct 2019 #15
I support Biden Turin_C3PO Oct 2019 #26
idk - after 2016, I am not sold on anything. Drunken Irishman Oct 2019 #36
My belief is also based on my gut feeling. Turin_C3PO Oct 2019 #41
I knew Hillary was going to lose 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #72
How could you have posted this revmclaren Oct 2019 #112
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #131
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #132
The OP seems to have Cha Oct 2019 #162
Yup... revmclaren Oct 2019 #165
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #161
Oh... a voice of sanity...thank you!! Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #97
Joe Biden bests Trump by 9 points Gothmog Oct 2019 #111
Is Elizabeth Warren our strongest and best candidate? DCofVA Oct 2019 #16
Thank you 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #73
It's your opinion Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #99
You're naive if you don't think Trump won't make up shit about Warren DrToast Oct 2019 #17
Sure, Trump will try to make up stuff about Warren 2_heal_my_country Oct 2019 #78
The Biden/Ukraine attacks aren't sticking either DrToast Oct 2019 #82
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #139
Biden does considerably better with independents compared to Warren DrToast Oct 2019 #143
What is going to harm Warren in the general is a big positive for her in the primary. TidalWave46 Oct 2019 #18
excellent post not_the_one Oct 2019 #19
... FirstLight Oct 2019 #22
Nope. I can see Mitt Romney launching a viable third party run.. Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #24
Moderate Democrats will vote for the nominee. Turin_C3PO Oct 2019 #25
I don't agree. Romney may present very well Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #28
I believe Turin_C3PO Oct 2019 #33
Romney would lay claim to the original ObamaCare and run as a moderate. nt Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #37
You sound hopeful BeyondGeography Oct 2019 #107
I'll be back to tell you, I told you so... Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #108
Don't worry, I'll write an OP in praise of your uncanny foresight BeyondGeography Oct 2019 #109
Great. You'll owe me one. I updated my post. See the article Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #110
Warren does not have the broad support that Biden does. Doodley Oct 2019 #29
And when all her plans are examined for what they would cost the taxpayers... Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #30
Indeed not, and she keeps that very close..not informing perspective voters how it will be Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #100
Agreed Doodley Oct 2019 #154
RCP polling averages qazplm135 Oct 2019 #32
Just like with Bernie, she hasn't been vetted. The media is all agog because Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #34
welp got news for ya qazplm135 Oct 2019 #38
I'm not talking about as nominee. I'm talking about the general... Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #40
no it's not qazplm135 Oct 2019 #43
You know what, I'm a 65 year old black woman who has been voting Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #52
I don't care who you are qazplm135 Oct 2019 #56
Obviously, you don't care. You are a very disrespectful individual. Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #58
I give respect qazplm135 Oct 2019 #60
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #144
It's in Turin_C3PO Oct 2019 #45
I've been with DU for over 15 years, and know the TOS, which I did not break... Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #47
and you STILL haven't said qazplm135 Oct 2019 #59
You did tell me to STFU and get in line. Don't try to clean it up now... Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #61
lol no, I didn't, here let me quote it for you again... qazplm135 Oct 2019 #62
Go play with someone else who might be entertained by your antics. Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #63
I have no care about entertainment qazplm135 Oct 2019 #64
Fear-mongering about these ambitious, investment-intensive plans is already afoot in RW circles. emmaverybo Oct 2019 #71
I don't know about right wing circles, but Amy Klobuchar. states... Kahuna7 Oct 2019 #74
I have outstanding student debt so that freebie would really help me. But I am against it. Get emmaverybo Oct 2019 #83
this fascination with picking the "strongest and best" qazplm135 Oct 2019 #31
Trump will lie about Warren as well. Then he will lie about the next front runner. emulatorloo Oct 2019 #50
"This will reduce Biden to relying on the anti-Trump vote and the Democratic base." lapfog_1 Oct 2019 #57
Not likely, as her message doesn't resonate with centrists beachbumbob Oct 2019 #65
No, she isn't. Not according to the polls. highplainsdem Oct 2019 #75
I prefer Biden's stance on nuclear power tirebiter Oct 2019 #81
Warren: Nuke Power Completely Phased Out By 2035 DrFunkenstein Oct 2019 #133
I believe Warren is the best candidate to address the massive economic problems in this country. LonePirate Oct 2019 #85
You articulated very well the BlueMTexpat Oct 2019 #94
For a short time in my life marlakay Oct 2019 #122
Glad that you too are BlueMTexpat Oct 2019 #125
Yes. She has my vote. Nazipuncher Oct 2019 #98
Biden continues to perform better than Warren in head-to-head match-ups against Trump Gothmog Oct 2019 #102
Retweeted! This is what I'm talking about! Cha Oct 2019 #114
You still haven't answered my question on how you could have posted revmclaren Oct 2019 #115
Warren is the best candidate imho I_UndergroundPanther Oct 2019 #116
She's hands down our best candidate for president jcgoldie Oct 2019 #124
Super Delegates anyone? Talk amongst yourselves. YOHABLO Oct 2019 #126
She's the best candidate, but not the strongest head-to-head against Trump Polybius Oct 2019 #129
I can't believe you said this...do you understand that no matter how great she is...if Trump wins, Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #145
I think the only difference between me and the other is that I admit it Polybius Oct 2019 #150
The GOP cheat like hell...we only win when we have strong numbers...but thanks. It blows my Demsrule86 Oct 2019 #153
If I thought that she would lose I wouldn't vote for her in the primary Polybius Oct 2019 #158
Yes Layzeebeaver Oct 2019 #130
Imagine Warren Debating Trump DrFunkenstein Oct 2019 #135
Possibly MoMof6 Oct 2019 #138
Does She Have a Problem? DrFunkenstein Oct 2019 #151
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2019 #146
Probably not, but she is one of the top. Joe941 Oct 2019 #147
This message was self-deleted by its author Mosby Oct 2019 #152
I wouldn't pay attention to the race at all if we nominated her Awsi Dooger Oct 2019 #160
You sound like the BlueMTexpat Oct 2019 #164
These are not the only major candidates to consider! MBS Oct 2019 #166
I think she is great, but.... Happy Hoosier Oct 2019 #169
I think she's strongest physically and mentally (in the top 3). NCLefty Oct 2019 #173
Without support from African American voters, I doubt that Warren will be the nominee Gothmog Oct 2019 #176
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