If you tune into NBC, MSNBC, (I know, but it’s the price of doing business tonight) or Telemundo at 9 p.m. EST you will see what promises to be a gladiatorial contest with really wussy gladiators. Ten of them.
Tomorrow night: same time, same batchannels, the other ten.
This evening it’s Booker, de Blasio, Castro (Not that one. Though, they think the same), Delaney, Gabbard, Inslee, Klobuchar, Beto, Ryan, and Warren. Non-entities Moulton, Messam, Bullock, Sestak, and Gravel did not make the cut for either night.
Some of the lesser tier candidates will try stunts, absurd promises, surprises, Trump-like insults, or gimmicks to try and break out from the pack. All will take dumb shots at the president.
Here’s what to expect:
Warren— She’s the hot number (there’s a first time for everything) and the others will be gunning for her. Recently a lot of progs have been migrating from Bernie to her. Liz wants that to continue. So the senator has to not stumble, play the female card, and come off as the hard-left standard bearer. Loons like de Blasio and Beto will challenge her for the Bolshie title while relative moderates like Ryan and Delaney may try to get attention by wounding her from the center. Her night to lose. If Bernie does not show well Thursday night and Warren holds her own tonight, expect a major prog swing to her. Though she’ll have to be careful to not let out her inner Sylvia Plath.
Gabbard— Telegenic, a veteran, articulate. A good showing, coming off as left-wing but not crazy PC, could put her in dark horse contention. She is someone to watch.
Booker— Will play the race card against anyone he can. Thinks by going on the serious offensive he can catapult himself into the top five candidates. He’s wrong and he’ll lose a shot at veep if he tries to race hustle too hard on things like reparations.
De Blasio— An idiot, hard far-left, and one of the worst, if not the worst, mayors in NYC history. Here in his role as a corrupt attention whore, thus he doesn’t care about the race. Also thinks he’s black because he married a black woman. Will flail wildly and inaccurately at everyone. Best case scenario for him: he gets HUD in a Dem regime. More likely? Remains Cuomo’s catamite.
Castro— Booker, but Latin. Will try to get mileage by playing to the Miami crowd on the immigration issue. Kind of an embarrassment to the ethnicity.
Inslee— A climate change/global warming kook; he’ll natter on about that.
Klobuchar— With a nasty rep and stalling campaign she has to try a serious move to try and get traction. She’ll play the female card, senator card, and God knows what else. Watch her eyes, she squints when she attacks, for her play.
Beto— Same as Klobuchar, as Buttigieg stole all his support. Must do something outlandish or controversial to get renewed attention and play with the grownups. Will likely fail and soon slink away to a continuing campaign but relative obscurity.
Ryan— Legit moderate, will try and contrast himself with the rest from the center. Will tell the Dems they need to get less lefty to beat Trump. They won’t listen. He could even get booed. Can’t make first tier in a party this socialist. Maybe they’ll eventually throw him a bone to mollify the twelve sane people remaining in the national party.
Delaney— No chance at all. There for the publicity he thinks he can leverage into something later.
Ok, that’s the racing sheet.
Reviews tomorrow.
