I Am Not a Fan of Any Primary Candidate

[MineralMan]

I don't do fandom. When it comes to choosing a Democratic nominee for President, I have only one goal in 2020. I want to defeat Donald J. Trump. The person whose face appears at the bottom of my post is the candidate I currently feel would have the best chance to do that.

I do, on the other hand, reject some candidates in the current race, because I feel they would have little to no chance of winning. I will, of course, vote for whoever wins the nomination, because I am a lifelong Democrat. However, I hope very much that the nominee who is selected is up to the job of defeating Trump. It will not be an easy job for many reasons. It will be easy to lose in November, and difficult to win.

There are genuine fans in this forum of one candidate or another. They cannot bear the thought of their favorite not becoming the nominee. I am not one of those people with regard to the candidate I am supporting. I'm not a fan of any politician. None will live up to my goals completely, and all will disappoint me from time to time.

There is no perfect presidential candidate. We live in a country with regional and many other differences, and the President and VP are the only elected officials who are elected by people in every region and state. Because of that, it's impossible for anyone who is too far off center, politically, to win. Candidates like Goldwater, Stevenson, Mondale, and Dukakis could not win the presidency. They simply did not have the proper characteristics to win a national office.

So, I'm not a fan. I'm a supporter of Democrats who run for office. That is what I have always been. I will not sing the praises of any candidate. I will only say why I think a candidate can or cannot win that office. I am aware of the positive and negative facets of all of our candidates, but I do not dwell on any of those things. What concerns me is winning, and that alone.

I reject fandom. I reject empty populism. I reject cults of personality. I want a President who will govern with a keen sense of what is possible and what is not possible. I want leadership that has the flexibility to know the difference and to act in a general direction that leads to progressive change. I do not demand instant results, because those are impossible.

I support a candidate who can win in November. All others need to step aside, their fans notwithstanding. Our system for selecting nominees for that high office is clumsy and flawed, but it is the system that has been put in place by the only party that has a chance to be progressive. So, I deal with the clumsiness and flaws. I cannot change those things, so I support a candidate who can win both the nomination and the general election.

At this time, I believe there are two or perhaps three of our current candidates who might achieve that second goal. The rest, I simply reject. Right now, I support the candidate whose face appears at the bottom of this post. That could change, depending on upcoming primary results.

I will never be a fan, though, of any individual running for office. I am just a supporter of the person I think can win.

[ancianita]

1. Same here.

[MineralMan]

2. It's the only practical way to approach elections as an individual voter.

Or so it seems to me.

[ancianita]

3. Agreed. I'll make "sell" points now and then, or debunk hyped claims, but yes. No fanaticism.

[TwilightZone]

4. Fan is, of course, short for fanatic.

We could use a little less fanaticism and a little more realism and pragmatism in politics, as far as I'm concerned.

The height of fanaticism in politics is sitting in the White House. I'm having difficulty thinking of any presidential candidate in memory (or politician, for that matter) who has embraced and harnessed it more.

[MineralMan]

7. Yes. Thanks.

And you're right about Donald J. Trump. He is a perfect example of what fanaticism brings to us.

We need to focus on the real needs of the nation at this time. This is not a rock concert. It is a government.

[cbdo2007]

5. I rarely am a fan...I was of Obama...but yes especially this year, I think there are only...

two candidates that have a realistic chance of pulling either non-voters or Repube votes, and that is Biden or Bloomberg.

I actually like some of the candidates more than either of them, but my one and only goal this year is removing Trump.

[MineralMan]

9. I agree with the two you named.

I think either could beat Trump. Biden because he was Obama's VP and is a sober, thoughtful man. Bloomberg because he knows how to approach the electorate with a message. In the end, one or the other could win. I can't really think of anyone else who could, except perhaps Amy Klobuchar, but she's not winning enough primary votes.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. You are absolutely right. Being a "fan" of a politician is a recipe for disaster.

It's a slippery slope, at the bottom of which is a cult, and cults in politics are always dangerous. Trump's supporters have become members of a cult because they are no longer able to recognize any imperfection or error on the part of Dear Leader. Some supporters of certain Democratic candidates are approaching cultic worship as well, to the point where any criticism of that candidate, however mild, provokes outrage and defensive fury. That's no way to pick a candidate in a democracy.

ALL OF THE CANDIDATES ARE FLAWED. ALL OF THEM.

Every last one has, at one time or another, said or done or voted for something that many of us might disagree with or that the candidate him/herself might now regret. All of them have made mistakes, misstatements and poorly-considered decisions. They have sometimes changed their minds and their politics. They are human beings. The sun does not shine out of any of their asses. And for you "fans," please be advised that people who prefer candidates other than yours are not stupid or evil or revanchist tools of the oligarchy.

[MineralMan]

10. Exactly.

This election will only be won rationally. We have to attract rational voters from whatever direction they come. Two populists, for example, will result only in the current populist winning, due to the head start.

[Moderateguy]

8. Excellent Post..

Everyone has to realize that the President does not have a magic wand to make things happen. If he (this pronoun because there has not been a she yet) had then we would already have a border wall, all non-Caucasians would have been banned from immigrating to this country and there would be no unemployment benefits.

[MineralMan]

11. Thanks. No magic wand.

Exactly.

[Wiseman32218]

12. Mineral Man - Once Again You Nailed It!!!

You again posted a very well thought out position that is in the best interest of the majority of voters. I have my preference for our nominee but will support our party's choice no matter who that is. We all still share the same goal in November!!!!

[MineralMan]

14. Once again, you are very kind to say that.

[irisblue]

13. Pragmatism for me.

I loathe the apricothellbeast.

My first 2choices have dropped out because of money.

Bloomberg has a lot of money and potentially could buy the White House with the very well done ads, that greatly concerns me.

To quote Senator Harris, #DudeGottaGo

[SharonClark]

15. My favorite candidates don't walk on water and I don't cling to their every word with adoration.

I vote for people who have a plan to get the job done and not for what they promise over and over and over.