Will Democrats Choose Safety or Risk?

Townhall.com ^ | January 17, 2020 | Mona Charen

[Kaslin]

When the economy shows signs of weakness, Wall Street analysts expect to see what they call a "flight to safety." Investors sell stocks and buy bonds or gold. The same phenomenon can sometimes be found in politics. Understanding that George W. Bush was riding high in 2004, after what was perceived as a successful response to the 9/11 attacks, Democrats wagered that Vietnam veteran Sen. John Kerry would stand a better chance of victory than the candidate who most excited them, Vermont's Howard Dean. A popular lapel pin at the time captured the mood, "Dated Dean. Married Kerry."

The strategy -- to neutralize Bush's war advantage with Kerry's war record -- ran into difficulties. There was partisan wrangling over whether Kerry deserved his Purple Hearts and other citations, but most damaging was Kerry's dubious makeover -- transforming himself from prominent Vietnam War critic into Vietnam War hero. The threads didn't mesh, and Kerry found himself tangled in contradictions.

Arguably, one story of the Democratic primary race so far has been the competition between two impulses -- the flight to safety versus the urge to splurge.

The first impulse holds Joe Biden aloft. Despite his age, some gobbledygook in debates and on the trail, and his past heresies (from the Democratic primary voters' perspective) about criminal justice and the Iraq War, Joe Biden has maintained a steady lead. His authorship of the 1994 crime bill, which some believe led to the overincarceration of African Americans, seems not to have dented the enthusiasm of the key constituency in Democratic primaries. He claims a steady 40% of African American support nationally, and a whopping 51% in South Carolina, according to the Monmouth University poll.

Amy Klobuchar is a moderate who tells hard truths to the party's progressives. In the Jan. 14 debate, she reminded Bernie Sanders that two-thirds of Senate Democrats don't support "Medicare for All," let alone Republicans. Perhaps that's one reason she is among the final six. Klobuchar has struggled to make it into double digits in the polls, though she fulfills many of the desiderata for 2020. She's from the Midwest, which is likely to be key to the Electoral College again. She's neither too young nor too old. She is experienced. She is a solid, realistic, gradualist who wouldn't scare away independents or disaffected Republicans in November. Some might say, well, actually some have said, that she's "boring." But in an era when politics has become a juvenile insult-fest, dull sounds soothing. Or it might, if safety is your primary goal.

For at least 30% of the Democratic electorate, those who currently support Warren or Sanders, swinging for the fences is the mood. They seem to have taken Trump's 2016 win as a challenge: If Republicans went wild in 2016, choosing the least reasonable candidate, Democrats deserve their turn in 2020.

Sanders and Warren are "fundamental transformation" Democrats. Consult Bernie's website and you'll find plans, or should I say ambitions, to transform everything. It isn't just "Medicare for All"; it's "housing for all" and "college for all" and "fair banking for all" and "justice and safety for all." Elizabeth Warren has backed away only slightly from her endorsement of "Medicare for All." None of the candidates acknowledges that the medical system they decry, when they cite high deductibles and costly prescription drugs, is the one a Democratic president, Barack Obama, passed to solve those very problems. Their approach reminds me of my husband's solution to any household problem: "Apply force. If that doesn't work, apply more force."

A tiny dose of modesty about vast government solutions to complex problems would go a long way. Perhaps single-payer is, as Sanders and Warren claim, the fairest, cheapest and most efficient way to deliver health care (though policy analysts across the political spectrum spit out their coffee at Sanders' claims about how much the whole scheme would really cost). But let's say he and Warren are right. Apparently, a majority of voters in Oregon agree. Here's a crazy idea: Before adopting such a sweeping overhaul of 18% of our economy, let Oregon experiment with it and let's see in five years how it worked out.

One more safety candidate is waiting in the wings. Mike Bloomberg is skipping the early contests, but hiring and advertising now. Has this been tried before? Yes, another former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, skipped Iowa and New Hampshire in 2008. Of course, Giuliani (to his great regret) didn't sit atop a $58 billion fortune.

All eyes are on Biden, Sanders, Warren, and Buttigieg now, but primaries bring surprises.

[Cowboy Bob]

Amy Klob has a very annoying voice.

[RonnG]

Amy Klob has a very annoying voice.

But she’s a solid 1/4 inch taller than Bloomberg

[grey_whiskers]

She is a solid, realistic, gradualist who wouldn't scare away independents or disaffected Republicans in November.

Spake the RINO mouthpiece.

[stevem]

This is the second time this week I noted a pundit compare this year's Democrats to 2004. Mona Charon should certainly know better unless her plan is to comment on the press. In 2004 the only reason anyone outside of New England ever heard of Howard Dean was the press denizens made huge stories every time he managed an inhale-exhale cycle.

With real voters, his popularity was about 2%. He hated the clintons and the feeling was mutual.

The only real comparison hasn't changed much since George McGovern got the nod. The Democrat field hates the United States and wants to do anything and everything to transform it into Venezuela.

[Texas Eagle]

There was partisan wrangling over whether Kerry deserved his Purple Hearts

Partisan wrangling? His own shipmates said he didn't deserve the medals.

[ought-six]

“The Democrat field hates the United States and wants to do anything and everything to transform it into Venezuela.”

That’s why they nominated and the country elected Czar Barack I in 2008 and 2012. Arguably the worst POTUS ever.

[LittleBillyInfidel]

Amy Klob has a very annoying voice.

"Annoying voice"?? Isn't that the mandatory prerequisite for a female DemoRat candidate? First, you have the volume deaf Shrillary who, when she's not loudly barking, orates her every vocal utterance as though they were golden era Twainisms - and sometimes drawled out for the negro slaves living in her head . Then there's the lazy-nasal toned Kamel-voice Harris, who sounds like a whiney tweenage boy complaining that he's 'twwoooo slweeeeepy to getupncatch the skewel bus'. Oh, and of course we also have Elizardbreath Warren, whose fragile beer-sippy elder intonations could serve as the perfect Disney animation voice-over to the self-absorbed cantankerous Antibellum period Rickety Rocking Chair from Beauty and the Beast - if there were such an annoying character! Ugh. Their husbands must be living in very special auditory hell.

[HighSierra5]

And our side had McCain and Mitt respectively. I don’t see ANYBODY on either side that can go up against Trump one on one. The left is like that checker in the movie “Employee of the Month” that was trying to be like the charismatic guy who was dating the girl whose name slips my mind right now. Trying too hard is obvious.

[SgtHooper]

If the Rats win this next election, they will broadcast world wide that they saved the economy from Trump, world peace, blah, blah, blah (while taking credit for Trump’s economy as it charges ahead). And their idiotic constituents will praise them as saviors of the erf! Many pubes will cower in fear and retire.

[ought-six]

“And our side had McCain and Mitt respectively.”

Yeah, and I voted AGAINST Obama rather than FOR either of them.