Dem Party Presidential Hopefuls

The clock is ticking down to the Iowa Caucus. Not sure why anyone should give a spit about Iowa's choice for President. I probably have next to nothing in common with those folks. However, the cast of characters that are vying for the Democratic ticket nomination has dwindled (slightly) from 428 candidates to the still less than manageable 12. There were as many as 17 maybe 20. I don't remember. However, the following have dropped out:

• Steve Bullock. I know! Who???
• Kamala Harris. She shot herself in the foot in the debates. She came off like a racist asshat, and she's black. I would have expected something better from her. And she kept picking on Papa Joe.
• Julian Castro. Not yet his time, but I don't count him out for a future election.
• Marianne Williamson. Someone who shouldn't be listening to those mystical voices in her head telling her to spend all that book revenue on a presidential campaign.
• Cory Booker. I think, he, too, has potential. Down the road. I think he needs to run for a New Jersey congressional office first before attempting the Presidency. Get some legislative experience under his belt.
• There may have been more, but none of those could ever have been seriously considered or remembered.

The remaining 12 are:

1. Michael Bennet. He could be the next to drop out. I don't see him having any strong showing anywhere. Not even in his home state of Colorado.
2. Joe Biden. Still one of those contenders, but in my not so humble opinion, is too damn old and keeps stepping on his tongue every time he opens his mouth.
3. Michael Bloomberg. Rich guy. Ran the city of New York quite well for three terms. Late comer to the party. Has support. Not necessarily mine, but is a better choice than Donald J. Trump. However, I can't rule him out.
4. Pete Buttigieg. (Budda-jedge). At least, I think that's how it's pronounced. Seems to be a sharp guy, who constantly reminds us that he's young. Okay. Probably too young to be president. I believe as I do for Booker, Pete needs to get a few years of Congress representation in his portfolio before he runs for President. However, he does have a strong following and may fair very well in the primaries, but without my support and vote. Too damn young and has only been a mayor of a relatively small city.
5. John Delaney. Another candidate that should drop out. Not that he's a bad candidate. He has Congressional experience, but I really don't know much about him or where he stands on a lot of issues because he's only been in one debate.
6. Tulsi Gabbard. Oh, Tulsi. You broke my farking heart. After her first couple of appearances in the debates, I thought, she's young; she has government experience; active military service; she sounds intelligent; was dropping spit all over Kamala Harris. I like that. She could be the one. But then when she had the opportunity to take the high road with Hilary Clinton's comments, she didn't. Pissed me off. Then when the impeachment vote came, she didn't commit one way or the other. She abstained or gave a non-vote. Not what I want to see in a President. Take a stand. Yay or Nay! So, she's out for me.
7. Amy Klobuchar. Amy is close to my age. So, I can relate to her, I think. (Truly, I don't know if I relate to anybody who can afford to run for a government office. That ship is expensive!) I liked what I heard from her up until she sounded unrehearsed and perplexed (sorta!) in the last debate. She's not out for me, but I reserve the right to a write-in vote for Barack Obama.
8. Deval Patrick. Really? Who in the hell is this guy? Seriously. In all fairness, I looked him up, but he has yet to have been in a debate. He's a two-term Governor from Massachusetts. And he's black. One of the last African-American candidates on the ballot. But as he's bolstering no following, he should save his money and drop out.
9. Bernie Sanders. Bernie, Bernie, Bernie. He's a good guy. Very admirable. He's always had the peoples' back. But he too puts his foot in his mouth sometimes. Like Papa Joe. And like Papa Joe, he's too old. Is he out for me? Maybe, but it all depends on who else we have to choose from in April when the primaries roll around to Pennsylvania.
10. Tom Steyer. Another late comer billionaire. I don't find a lot of fault with him. He's around my age. Another plus. Not too old. Not too young. No experience within the snake pit we call Congress. He smacks of a time which some of you might remember when Ross Perot, billionaire, ran for President in 1992 against Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, as a third party Independent candidate. He actually had an impressive turnout but received no Electoral votes. However, he did receive the majority of his votes form Clinton's home state of Arkansas. Makes you wonder. Tom could do some good, but I'm hesitant in giving him my full support yet.
11. Elizabeth Warren. Four years ago I would have supported her fully. Not so much today. Liz has also the same issue of sometimes shoving her size 8s into her mush. Also, she's right up there with Bernie and Papa Joe. They're old. Too old for my liking. My feeling is if you can retire, legitimately not early, then you are too old for public office. She's a strong candidate with much support, but not for me unless the choice is between her and Trump, then she's my girl.
12. Andrew Yang. He's a character. That's for sure. However, no government experience. Tons of money. He's young but not too young. He's very successful. Another billionaire. The only other "minority" running for President. Obama liked him enough in 2012 to give him the Champion of Change Award and in 2015 named him presidential ambassador for global entrepreneurship. Not bad, except Obama has yet to throw his support to any of the candidates. No matter how many times Papa Joe reminds us that he and Barack were best buds for 8 years or so. The jury is still out on whether I would throw my vote to Mr. Yang.

With that said, I have no strong inclination for who I might vote for in April. It'll come down to who is on the ballot. One thing is for certain: In November, I'm voting for the Democrat whoever, he or she, will be. Even if they remove that colossal jackhole from the Presidency, there's another jackhole right behind him, Mike Pence. This guy is living in the wrong century for what his beliefs reflect. He's like Trump-lite. Either way, we can't use either one of these clowns after January 2021. I'm not sure if any of this was helpful to any of you, but that's what I'm here for...to offer no help. Until next time, kiddies, TTFN.