The Race to End America's Long Nightmare Begins Today in Miami

The first of many Democratic presidential debates will be held tonight in Miami. The top 20 candidates have been divided into two groups that will debate tonight or tomorrow.

Joe Biden has been leading in the polling so far based on name recognition and his prominent role in the still very popular Obama administration. His closest competitors have been Sen. Bernie Sanders, the surprising Mayor Pete Buttigieg [whose name we may all learn to pronounce tomorrow], and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. But early leads often fade quickly once the debates start [think Jeb Bush or Scott Walker], and expect at least one or two dark horses to over-perform and emerge from the pack over the next two nights.

Here is what we will be looking for during the debates, these in Miami and the ones to follow:

Debates and elections aren't won on experience and position papers. Yes, policy positions matter, but there are three other characteristics that matter more. Democrats will win in 2020 if they nominate a candidate who is genuine [authentic], has integrity [you trust their word], and is a leader that inspires us to be better than Trump believes us to be.

So, as you are watching the debates, ask yourself these three questions:

a. Which of these candidates would you make calls or knock on doors for?

b. Which of these candidates really seems to care about the issues that are most important to you and the nation?

c. Which of these candidates is a fighter, with a thick skin, willing to wrestle America out of the grip of the white nationalists, neo-isolationists, climate change deniers, extreme evangelicals and social safety-net opponents that make up Trump's base. And this last characteristic is perhaps the most important, because the President will use every lever of power he has to destroy his opponent and expects [welcomes] some Russian help again.

In the early debates, with so many candidates, it's going to hard for anyone to connect with the audience, but it may provide us with an initial impression of who these folks are at a gut level; is their candidacy about them or about improving the lives of ordinary Americans. With Barack Obama, that was clear and voters recognized it almost immediately. Will one of the dark horse candidates this year click with Democratic voters like that? We would love to hear your opinions on this. You can comment on Facebook.

#news #2020election #politics

By: Don Lam & curated content