Thoughts on production, alienation, and ideology

Category: Iowa (Page 11 of 13)

Ranking the Presidential Candidates

candidate

With Joe Biden in the race, the presidential candidate field is more or less complete. I promise I have something a bit more substantive on the way. For now, let’s get on with ranking the Democratic candidates! Who’s deserving of a vote?

I’ve written previously about how I vote. But it’s easy enough to summarize. I vote for candidates who have a chance to win and won’t leave the world worse off than they found it. In practice, the decision for President is usually pretty easy. Almost all presidential candidates would harm the world. Usually Democrats harm it less, and Republicans harm it more. But both cause harm. Therefore, in presidential elections, I usually face a decision between voting third party or not voting at all.

Local elections are less bleak, as lower ranking officials have less potential to cause harm.

But here we are, ready for yet more voting in 2020. Should the left support Bernie again? Support someone else? Should we support no one at all?

Let’s think about this. Right now, I’m just giving the presidential candidates a quick first look. I’ll have more to say later about the three or four best.

Continue reading

Joe Biden: You’ve Gotta Be Kidding Me

Joe Biden

A brief word on the presidential candidacy of Joe Biden.

  1. No, I’m not considering voting for Joe Biden in the caucuses/primaries.
  2. No, I won’t vote for Joe Biden in the general election if he’s the nominee.
  3. No, I’m not interested in reconsidering this position.
  4. Yes, I’ll think less of you if you vote for Joe Biden.

That’s OK, though. We can still be friends. Carry on with your day.

The Demographics of a Bernie Sanders Victory

Bernie Sanders

Source: Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bernie_Sanders_2015_(1).jpg)

Let’s suppose it’s April 2020, and the New York Times reports that Bernie Sanders has just won enough delegates to clinch the Democratic Party nomination for President. Bernie will face Trump in November for the presidency.

How did he get there? What does a Bernie Sanders victory look like? And who’s a part of a winning Bernie Sanders coalition?

Continue reading

Liberal Bubble: Is It a Thing? Is it a Problem?

We hear a lot of grumbling about the so-called ‘liberal bubble’. The idea seems to be that many Democrats live in a certain state of political and social isolation.

The details vary, but we can sketch out certain features of the liberal bubble. It’s supposed to look like this: major urban area or college town, highly educated population, mixed income but higher class standing (i.e., not proletarian), strong cultural amenities, and strongly Democratic at the ballot box.

What are these places like? If they exist, so what? Are they a problem?

Continue reading

One Tip for Each Presidential Candidate

Each presidential candidate is traveling to Iowa, and each presidential candidate has a problem or two. Today I’ll be their consultant.

I’ve got a few quibbles with 538’s taxonomy, but it’s a good starting point. Arguably there are five corners to the Democratic primary electorate. 538 draws a distinction between ‘party loyalists’ and ‘the left,’ whereas the better distinction is probably between ‘moderate’ Democrats and ‘progressive’ Democrats, but whatever. It’s a start.

I’ll lay out one key thing each candidate needs to do to get in a position to win the nomination.

Continue reading

« Older posts Newer posts »