You Know Which Candidate for President Makes Me Feel "Uncomfortable?"

[MineralMan]

It's not any of the leaders in the Democratic Primary race. I like some of those better than others, but none make me uncomfortable.

It's Donald J. Trump. He has made me feel "uncomfortable" hundreds of times. That discomfort is all I need to know about our Democratic Presidential candidates. Truly! I want to stop feeling that way, so I'm going to vote for a Democrat, like I have done in every election since I was eligible to vote in 1966.

[Freddie]

1. Republicans cannot grasp what "hypocrisy" means

When they criticize Joe and support the “grab em by the pussy” guy.

[CTyankee]

2. We Dems should welcome the discussion the repugs want to have about Joe Biden.

Maybe Trump doesn't see it, but people around him know that attacking Joe as a woman-handler will open a can of worms. We will play that "grab 'em by the p****" tape over and over again. And sure, his base won't care, but there are a lot of women and men who might be undecided and they will be repulsed by Trump's behavior in that tape. It was so over the top! He was bragging and saying "You can do anything you want...when you're a star they let you do it." And I'm sure the undecided voters will think "I could never get away with anything like that..." and be resentful as hell at the disparity of treatment (and I'm not just talking about grabbing women, but everything that the "entitled" people get).

This time, no more playing "nice guy/woman." Let 'er rip.

[MineralMan]

3. It's not the Republicans who are giving Joe Biden the side eye.

Yet, anyhow. It's coming from our own side. Some people, for some reason, appear to think that such tactics are a good idea and that they will benefit someone who they support. They don't realize that they're just feeding the devil its favorite meal.

This kind of nonsense hurts every Democratic candidate, including whatever one those people support. It's just a bad, bad idea.

Joe Biden is a warm, fuzzy guy who likes "pressing the flesh." That's one of his selling points. Al Franken is the same sort of guy. Both like people and are not afraid to do things like hug them, etc. But, that kind of behavior can make some people "uncomfortable." Most people don't mind, and a lot of people like that sort of touchy-feely candidate.

Right now, Joe Biden is the target. Tomorrow, it will be some other Democratic primary candidate who will get the benefit of some people's support for a different candidate through vague descriptions of some "untoward" behavior. It's a strategy some people use.

The problem is that it puts barriers up and separates people. What if Joe Biden wins the nomination, which isn't at all unlikely if he decides to run? Then, all of this clamor about something that is just about someone feeling "uncomfortable" will be amplified and altered by the Republicans to try to get some people not to vote at all next November, or to vote for a hopeless third-party candidate.

We need, as Democrats, to do better than that. We need to make our primary races about issues, rather than about individual personality quirks. Now, if Joe Biden sexually assaulted people, then that would be fair game. He didn't, though. He made some people feel "uncomfortable."

Issues. Let's talk about issues and positions on those issues. If we focus on that other crap, we'll lose again in 2020, and we cannot afford to do that.

[CTyankee]

4. I totally agree with you, MM. They LOSE on the issues, particularly health care.

I'm just saying that if the repugs bring the subject up, hoping to tar Biden (if he should be our candidate) we shouldn't shy away from the argument. We have the winning hand!

[MineralMan]

6. Sure. We'll do that. Sadly, though, some people on our side will already

have made their minds up that Hillary or Joe are evil incarnate, somehow. We'll lose their votes. That's why it's such a mistake to start up that kind of negative personal battle against primary candidates on our own side. It's just fucking stupid to do that.

As I've said before, at age 73, 2020 could easily be my last Presidential election on this planet. I hope, with all the hope I can muster, that we don't screw this one up the way we did in 2016. I'm not all that optimistic, to tell you the truth. The Republicans are going to go all out in negativity for this election.

We shouldn't help them with that, I think. But, here we go again...

[CTyankee]

9. Totally agree. We get nowhere (and actually LOSE) if we poison our own well.

My biggest worry is "voter fraud" which is actually "de-activating" voters fraud. That practice worries the hell out of me.

I kinda doubt most voters feel H and J are "evil incarnate." Trump's base does, of course, but they are actually a small group of voters. We have to worry about those voters who say they are "undecided." We have to inform them again and again about how Trump's repugs are actually hurting those voters, e.g., taking away the gains they made with Obamacare. They have to fear the return of "pre-existing conditions" that Obamacare fixed. We have to hammer that point always.

I agree with you completely about "eating our own" in the primaries. The words we use will come back to haunt us if we do. Our candidates at this point have to be Dem positive, with a message that tells voters how they will preserve their health care and improve their lives.

I'm older than you and I just don't think about it much. It is what it is. I'm just trying to keep myself as healthy as possible. I am much more concerned about having a crazy man in the White House.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Totally agree-- this is gaslighting at it's worst.

[MineralMan]

7. Yes, and it's coming from our own side.

More "friendly" fire. Terrific...

[TreasonousBastard]

8. I am not so sure our side is all really our side..

Besides the problem of infiltrators, we've always had that wing who, for various reasons, refuses to compromise.

A civilization cannot succeed without compromise.

[CTyankee]

10. I think that some members of the press are going to be looking for infiltrators so they can get

a big story out of their "dogged journalism" and fancy themselves the new Woodward and Bernstein's. They want that kind of fame. Morning Joe has them on all the time. The ones that "broke the story" on such and such. And then they go on Colbert...

That has to happen and then we can talk about how we can work on our issues, while hammering our side of the issues all the time. And that will involve compromise on the part of our leaders...

[MineralMan]

11. Yes, of course. As before, there are folks here

who are not actually on our side at all. The problem is that we can't point that out when we suspect it. Not directly, anyhow.

[CTyankee]

13. DU anarchists!

[MineralMan]

14. Or moles or something...

Who can say?

[CTyankee]

19. A kind of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

Or a "Manchurian Candidate." Both movies kinda freaked me out...

[MineralMan]

20. Sort of like that. Anyhow, I'll say no more about it.

I'll just keep checking profiles and considering the sources.

[CTyankee]

22. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

I forget who said that...maybe Jefferson?

[plimsoll]

21. It seems to be systemic for liberal / leftist

George Orwell spoke about the communists during the Spanish Civil war. Looking at their behavior you could almost assume they would rather the Falangists win than let the "ideologically impure" succeed.

[PatSeg]

18. Yes

Put Joe Biden up against Donald Trump. If that's the fight Trump and the republicans want, then go for it. In the end, it will only make Joe look good and remind everyone was a total sleaze Trump is and always has been.

[Power 2 the People]

12. +1

Well said MM.

[MineralMan]

15. Thank you!

[watoos]

16. The only way we lose in 2020 is if we fight among ourselves.

[MineralMan]

17. Exactly. So, why are people engaged in promoting that fight?

It makes no sense, unless you think about it for a while...

[PatSeg]

23. Yeah

Though I do think that people have honed their troll radar skills considerably since 2016. It doesn't mean they can't do any damage, but they'll have to work a lot harder and smarter this time around.

Now if only we could get the mainstream media to stop falling for all this superficial crap, that would make a huge difference. Like so many stories, they will beat the Biden touchy-feely story into the ground, while ignoring the very clear and present danger in the White House that we live with every day.