Name nine people you want in the Democratic primary debates. I dare you

[MaxRobes]

Or name at least a few. Note this is also posted in the politics forum on the front page.

Hey, it is still only March, 2015. Let’s set aside for the moment the question of who will get our vote the first Tuesday in November, 2016 and let’s even set aside who will get our vote in the Democratic primary elections or caucuses in each state; plenty of time for all that. Instead let’s seriously consider who we would like to see in the Democratic Primary Debates. Now some may say we don’t want any damn debates. If you are one of those, go start your own thread. This is for those of us who think there is a real battle to be had over the very soul of the Democratic Party and we want to see substantive policy issues discussed openly, far and wide. So if this matters to you, please weigh in here. Who would you like to see in those debates? Let me begin.

There are three obvious choices that I believe will make most everyone’s list. I would simply like to see how these possible candidates present themselves in this forum.
Elizabeth Warren. I want her there. She can start off by saying “Don’t vote for me, I’m not running.” She should be there anyway. We all know why.
Bernie Sanders. I want to hear the old Socialist let’em have it with both barrels. That alone would be worth the price of admission.
Martin O’Malley. I don’t know much about him but I would like to. He might actually be electable as our VP nominee. That’s a little odd because most Dems don’t know him from Adam. Let’s fix that.

There are also three other folks who are certainly familiar if not obvious choices. I’ll call them the old guard. Here I am genuinely curious to know how these war horses assess the state of the nation and the state of democracy in America. I would like to see what direction they point and what pennants they fly.
Al Gore. He did win the popular vote in 2000 and he was right as rain about “The Inconvenient Truth.” He needs a chance to say, “I told you so”, and do it on a national stage. We need someone to champion the planet in these debates. Who better?

Howard Dean. Yah I know. “The Scream”. So what? He was right about the war in Iraq. He was right about the fifty state strategy. He is often right and reasonable on a wide range of other issues. His great mistake was to be four years ahead of the country. He knew in 2003 everything that was wrong with George Bush and his presidency. He had the courage to say it when few in the national spotlight dared to say it. It took the nation another four years to figure it all out. They’re slow learners. I’d like to remind folks of that by having Howard Dean on our debate stage.

John Kerry. John is a blow dried fluff ball but he looks like he should be president. I’m okay with him being there just to dress up the proceedings. It is also true that he is really being dragged through a knot hole in the Middle East as Secretary of State; he might surprise us and actually say something interesting.

Now I will go out on a limb and advocate two new names rarely heard that I feel belong on this debate stage. I happen to be from their home state. I am confident they would both hold there own.

Al Franken. Senator Al Franken. Newly re-elected and standing a little taller, he has the potential to bring a fresh outlook to the debate. He would attract younger viewers and happens to be a man of Jewish heritage not walking in lock step with AIPAC, Likud and Netanyahu. In short, he might be able to say things others on that stage dare not say.

Amy Klobuchar. This Minnesota Senator has one of the highest approval ratings in the Senate, is very well like and respected across Party lines, and has a winning communication style in her public appearances. Amy is baggage free. She would do well in these debates and she would wear well in the general election falderal, in my opinion. Full discloser, I am Amy’s local campaign manager though she doesn’t know that. She has never heard of me.

So by now someone is surely yelling, “What about Hillary?” Where is Hillary? Well okay. Yes, Hillary should be in these debates. I am also genuinely interested in learning where she hopes to take the nation and the Democratic Party. (Strange, isn’t it, we don’t know that, sitting here today?) My only suggestion in this case is that Bill also needs to be on that stage, sitting right behind Hillary, tied to his chair, with his mouth duct taped shut. That is, after all, what her presidency would look like on day one, should she win, until Bill pulls the tape off.

So there you have one potential set of debaters, nine in all. Well, nine and a half. So who are your nine? I demand to know. No shirking allowed.

[democrank]

1. My nine:

Jimmy Carter
Elijah Cummings
Howard Dean
Tammy Duckworth
Russ Feingold
John Lewis
Martin O`Malley
Bernie Sanders
Elizabeth Warren


* If they were still with us, I`d especially love to hear from Paul Wellstone and Mario Cuomo.

[F4lconF16]

30. +1 for Feingold

From what I know of him, he seems like one of the few with honesty.

[merrily]

42. Absolutely.

[guillaumeb]

2. another list to consider

I agree about Elizabeth Warren, Howard Dean, Al Gore, and Bernie Sanders.

How about adding Kshama Sawant to the list as another Socialist candidate. The more she speaks the more I like what I hear.

Then add Richard Durbin, and Hillary Clinton. Durbin was more progressive when younger but is still a rational voice, of too moderate for my taste.

Two more, how about Thom Hartmann and Michelle Obama?

[merrily]

43. Too soon for Sawant in my opinion. Let her go for Mayor, Governor.

I would hate to see her flame out too early.

[guillaumeb]

44. agreed.

But it is important that there be more socialist candidates for office to show that there are sane alternatives to the 2 corporate party system.
Sawant is very articulate on the issues. She needs more media attention to counterbalance the idea that the Tea Party is THE alternative to the DEM/GOP choice.

[merrily]

45. Tea Party is not an alternative to diddly. It's a wing of the Republican Party. They vote (R).

IMO, the Koch brothers got the idea for that tactic--a conservative wing of a political party taking on formal existence-- from the DLC, to which the Koch brothers donated and on whose Executive Council they sat in its early days.

A New Yorker article written by Jean Mayer some years back about the Koch brothers states they got the idea for the Tea Party in the 1980s. That coincides with formal incorporation of the DLC in 1985 and the involvement of the Koch brothers with it.

There's only circumstantial evidence for where they got the idea, but the Tea Party definitely is not an alternative to (D) and (R), any more than Third Way is an alternative to (D) and (R). It's all part and parcel of the 1.3 party system. (IMO, i can't accurately describe it either as a one party system or as truly a two-party system. Hence, 1.3, give or take.)

[RiverLover]

3. You demand?

And by the way, I'd be perfectly fine without Hillary in the primary. She's dragging the party down.

[MaxRobes]

6. You're right, I should have put a smiley face on that "demand" Just trying to be funny. Sorry

[RiverLover]

13. Well, in that case..

Last edited Mon Mar 30, 2015, 08:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Warren
Brown (Sherrod)
Gillibrand
O'Malley
Ellison
Franken
Sanders
Hartmann
Whitehouse

[MaxRobes]

16. Good list. I, of course, am happy to see Rep Keith Ellison there, another fine Minnesota politician

[Scuba]

4. Warren, Sanders, O'Malley, Feingold, Franken, Brown.

[MaxRobes]

8. I like your list, but I notice you left Hillary off. Intentional? And may I assume you want debate

[Scuba]

14. Why would I want Hillary in a Democratic Party debate? Republicans have their own.

[MaxRobes]

17. I share your sentiment but look at it this way. Hilly and Billy are not Republicans either but they

are, in fact, their own Third Party. I'd have her in the debates so we could demand she apply for readmission to our Party.

[gwheezie]

5. Hillary, Warren, Gillibrand

Mosley, Barbara Lee, Mccaskill, Klobuchar, Bass, Sherrod Brown, Jim Webb because he says he's running, Sanders, Tim Kaine, Keith Ellison, off the top of my head.

[Cooley Hurd]

7. "You demand to know"?

Guess what... I have 15, but I refuse to tell you. Welcome to DU. If you make it past 50 posts, I'll welcome you again.

[MaxRobes]

10. Sorry about the "demand" thing. Just trying to be funny.

[Cooley Hurd]

11. Comedy is subjective...

[MaxRobes]

19. Yes, and the more I think about it, maybe humor is the wrong characterization. I used the word dare

because a lot of our leading political figures seem not to "dare" to challenge the Clintons and demand robust debate about the future of our Party. So I suppose it was a challenge to DU members to be more bold than our high profile leaders. Now it is also true that a guy with 10 posts should probably not use the word dare in any context. I'll take it back if you want. Is it too late to edit my original post?

[Cooley Hurd]

20. It makes others suspect...

...of motives. I'm not an out-of-the-gate Hillary supporter, by any means. But to come here are start attacking her will makes others suspect to your motives. Friendly advice.

[MaxRobes]

23. Thanks, I appreciate that. To clarify, I am deeply worried about the Clinton candidacy (as are

many other DU members apparently.) Please don't take that to mean I hope to undermine her chances. If she is our nominee I will support her and vote for her. But I am not content to see all our eggs put in that basket at this stage; way too dangerous in my opinion. So if Hillary falters for any reason I am advocating that Klobuchar and Franken from Minnesota be considered. And in the mean time we need a real, substantive debate about the direction of our nation and the nature of our Party. That's my motive. I am a 71 year old, life long Democrat and I'm still working on that humility thing. That's why I am here.

[Cooley Hurd]

25. I'm not a primary supporter, but will vote for her in the gen...

...because she's a bit better than Jeb.

[MaxRobes]

26. That's about where I am. I plan to start a new thread on why not Hillary in the primary

Where can I buy a suit of armor?

[gwheezie]

29. So why shouldn't she be in the primary?

Let her make her case. Many dems support her. It all shakes out as the primary season progresses. people drop out. in 08 my 1st choice didn't make it to my primary.

[MaxRobes]

33. Oh she should be in the primary and in the debates. I simply won't vote for her in the primary

That is depending on the debates. Maybe Hillary will surprise me and be the clear winner of the debates. But for now I am supporting Amy Klobuchar for our candidate. I have started her home town campaign committee. So far I am the only member but I am just getting started. In 2000 I did the same thing for Barrack Obama. Look how that turned out.

[gwheezie]

34. I like klobuchar

Same thing where I live. I voted for hillary in 08 we didn't even have a dem party office in my county. They thought it was a waste of money but after obama got nominated we went over to the next county Got our signs. Started small meetings. Coffee hours in our homes. Did outreach to get dems to the polls. By 12 er had a dem party office.
I plan on voting for hillary again but if another dem makes a better case I will vote for them and no matter who the dem nominee is I will work for that person. I was never a puma. I like hillary but she isn't the only dem capable of running the country.

[MaxRobes]

35. Hallelujah

[CrispyQ]

9. Sheldon Whitehouse.

He's the only one with the same name recognition as HRC.

I'm only kind of joking. The Clinton name is a huge thing to run against. The other big name the dem candidate might have to run against is the Bush name. Sure people don't know who Sheldon Whitehouse is, but just the slogan, "Whitehouse in the Whitehouse" would give his name staying power - keep it in the braincells, at least. Americans have such short attention spans that having a name that is memorable carries some weight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Whitehouse

Whitehouse voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Budget Control Act. He voted against Cut, Cap and Balance and the debt ceiling increase. Earlier in his first term, he voted for the Stimulus package and the TARP. He voted against cap and trade, but sponsored Offshoring Prevention and supported the Global Warming Reduction Act.[10] [11]

In traditionally liberal Rhode Island, both the Democratic Whitehouse and his predecessor, Republican Lincoln Chafee, hold liberal political positions. But Whitehouse has been to the left of Chafee on economic issues, a position that separated him from his opponent in the last election.[12] In 2007, Whitehouse was ranked the second-most liberal senator by the National Journal.[13]

Whitehouse supports stem cell research, abortion rights, LGBT rights and gay marriage, as well as affirmative action. He has publicly supported a reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment. Like Chafee, Whitehouse opposed intervention in Iraq (Chafee was the only Republican senator to vote against it).

He voted to confirm Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, but opposed the nomination of Samuel Alito.

~more at link

Read the entire Tenure section. It's worth it.

[MaxRobes]

12. Yes, Whitehouse is great. Especially on climate change. Wish I had put him on my first list.

[Half-Century Man]

15. People, I think, who would bring a needed perspective to the national debate.

Last edited Sun Mar 29, 2015, 06:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Al Franken
Howard Dean
Elizabeth Warren
Bernie Sanders
Martin O’Malley
Russ Fiengold
Jerry Brown
Julian Castro
Mark Dayton
Special Guest Moderator Jessie Ventura

[MaxRobes]

21. Let' make Jesse the moderator. I'd like where he took the conversation. At least once.

[Half-Century Man]

36. I intended to suggest Jessie as Moderator, typed fast to make dinner......

Reading the other suggestions.

What about a moderator panel made of Jessie Ventura, Kshama Sawant, and Kieth Olbermann?

Debates held every 2 months during the year leading up to the primary.
Debates held on line.
30 mins per moderator

[gwheezie]

18. Whitehouse also

I think it would be great to have several pov's represented in a dem primary.

[rock]

22. The more the merrier

The more in the mix the more ideas we get to compete. I'll not name any candidates as I leave it up to those that want to run. I don't care to urge any to run.

[MaxRobes]

24. Yes, but what is wrong with calling for full robust primary debates?

[rock]

27. None whatsoever.

And in case you thought my post somehow implied differently, I state it: let's have full robust primary debates.

[grasswire]

28. Brian Schweitzer would shake things up

And I also recommend Howard Dean. How about Jimmy Carter's grandson?

[hotrod0808]

31. Haven't read any comments so,

here are my nine: Kucinich, Sherrod Brown, Howard Dean, John Kerry, Al Franken, Elisabeth Warren, Jerry Brown, Harry Reid, Ted Strickland. I have no idea what anyone else wrote, but I know that these people are politicians who care about us little people, and that's enough for me.

[jeepers]

32. nine

Hillary should retire gracefully but she's earned the invite
Warren
Sanders
Jerry Brown
Ralph Nadar It's a debate right. ( Hands down he'll win.)
Sherrod Brown
Malcom X
Al Franken would be a cherry on top

[rhett o rick]

37. I think it would be a mistake to have too many people included in the debates.

Too many people will help H. Clinton by dividing up opposition. I would like to see two strong progressive candidates, preferably Sen Warren and Sen Sanders against H. Clinton and any other from the Conservative Wing.

The League of Women's Voters should run and moderate the debates.

[2banon]

40. In part, I disagree.. but I do see your point.

here's the thing, I think there ought to be multitudes of debates - townhouse style across the nation - of multitudes of candidates EARLY, to be pared down (vis a vis some sort of polling mechanism or other) within a certain time frame that we can agree to.. as a way of replacing the campaign dog and pony shows which is the status quo of our times. Then before the actual primary dates - let it be pared down to two or three.

And yes, the League of Women's Voters should run AND MODERATE these, NOT MEDIA PUNDITS!

(I still can't believe we haven't yet accomplished effecting any serious reforms to our elections engineering joke of a system at this juncture. )

[MaxRobes]

38. I plan to leave this open for one more day and then summarize the DU

suggestions for who we want in the debates. I will make a couple of lists adding up the number of recommendations. Thanks to all for participating.

[2banon]

39. good post.. I'll think about this.. I like how you came to each consideration.. nicely done.

and I think an appropriate way of sussing it out.

too bad it's not done this way officially.. but hey we can play at it and see what comes of it..

i came across a name in an article suggesting we take a look at Sen. Chris Murphy.

I haven't followed him since taking Lieberman's seat so... I'm not advocating.. I have no idea what he's about except that he's a Democrat. (and these days, that's not exactly meaningful anymore).

But in the spirit of your idea, I'd like to see him in the "debates" just to get better acquainted.. so to speak.

[mylye2222]

41. Id sqy..

John Kerry
Russ Feingold
Nancy Pelosi
Tammy Duckworth
Élizabeth Warren
Bernie Sanders.