I remember 1972, when George McGovern was the Democratic candidate. He had good positions, with which I agreed. But he was tagged as supporting "amnesty, abortion, and acid", in other words supporting the far left. His "demogrant" of $1,000 per citizen was also far out, though I think Sen Booker has a similar proposal. Though I voted for him, I would have preferred a more moderate candidate, like Muskie or Humphrey, as more likely to give Nixon a fight.
In general I don't have principled objections to many of the proposals on the left. Put them into legislative form, design good bureaucratic structures to implement them, and see if you can get enough support from the center and right to pass the legislation. Implicit in that sentence is the idea that the plans of Warren and other candidates can't be enacted or implemented.
I'm pleased that Buttigieg last night pointed out the problems of getting proposals through the Senate. Even if we get the four seats we need for majority control, our margin will depend on Sens. Manchin, Sinema, Jones, King, Warner, et. al., none of whom are very liberal. So here's my preferences:
- someone reasonably sure of beating Trump
- someone who will have positive coattails in AZ, CO, AL, KY, KS, NC, etc.
- someone who won't hurt Senate candidates.
It's way too early to know who will meet my preferences.
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