Ignatius: Biden is on point that dethroning Trump is Job One

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By David Ignatius

The Washington Post

Joe Biden’s limitations as a presidential candidate are so obvious that they’re almost a litany: He’s too old, too white, too male, too touchy-feely, too loquacious. But he has one huge plus: He may be the person who could move Donald Trump out of the White House.

Biden rightly put the obligation of replacing Trump at the center of his announcement Thursday that he’s running. “The core values of this nation — our standing in the world, our very democracy, everything that has made America, America — is at stake,” he said.

As Democrats assess the dizzying array of 20 candidates, the first question that they should ask is whether a nominee could gain a strong majority in the general election and defeat Trump. If the nominating process produces a candidate who appeals to the party’s base but can’t defeat the incumbent, it will have failed.

Progressive activists within the party are generating ideas and energy that could galvanize a country that wants a fairer economy and a cleaner government. But none of these ideas will matter unless a Democrat wins. The damage Trump would do in a second term might not be undone for decades. In thinking about their party’s nominee, paradoxically, Democrats must put the country first.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/ignatius-biden-is-on-point-that-dethroning-trump-is-job-one/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=f8241425fe-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-f8241425fe-228635337

[Thekaspervote]

1. I hope all of DU will read this post!

[Hekate]

2. Joe is absolutely right on this: if we don't get rid of Trump, nothing else will matter.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. For the candidates insisting on Medicare for All , for example - I want that too, but

if Trump wins again we could wind up with Medicare for Nobody. Beating Trump is the first priority because he's an existential threat to every single principle and policy the Democrats advocate for. So if the candidate most likely to beat Trump is for improving the ACA instead of pushing for Medicare for All, that's fine. With Trump gone we have a fighting chance of getting that eventually; with another four years of Trump we might not even have a functioning democracy.

[elleng]

7. RIGHT

[Thomas Hurt]

4. He is correct. Returning voting rights to those in prison, as a example, is a noble cause...

but that isn't going to happen at all with the fascist pig in office.

[More_Cowbell]

5. I agree that dethroning Trump is job one.

But part of that involves getting people to the polls who don't always vote. That's where, to me, the dichotomy comes between having a candidate who can beat Trump (*if* everyone comes out to vote) and a candidate who can get the most people out to vote.

We're in a bad situation, with I'm sure more Russian interference to come. We need the maximum people to come out to vote. It's hard to believe that there are Democrats who don't see the need to vote *whoever* the Democratic candidate is. But that seems to be true.

[peggysue2]

6. This is exactly right

Nothing gets done and the clock moves backwards if we fail to upend the Trumpster and his band of arsonists. The damage done is real and would only be compounded by another ruinous 4 years. All the issues we consider crucial would be dumped and flushed down the Trump hole.

Losing is not an option in 2020. We either win this thing or kiss the country good-bye.

[elleng]

8. WaPo title: Joe Biden is the best candidate to beat Trump.

[Scurrilous]

9. K&R