My Take on Thomas Friedman's View of the 2020 Democratic Primary

Here's my first response to Thomas Friedman's article on the 2020 Democratic Primary: If the Democratic party puts forward Michael Bloomberg as their candidate, then I'll vote for him in the general election.

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Paging Michael Bloomberg
Democrats need to nominate the right person to prevent Trump from winning a second term.
By Thomas L. Friedman
Feb. 11, 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/11/opinion/bloomberg-president-2020.html
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Thomas Friedman generally takes a very confident tone in his articles, and this one is no exception. When I take the time to read something from someone who seems to have (claims to have) this much confidence that his views are the truth, and the issues he's addressing are important to me, then I usually try to look around for other well articulated articles to read that are written by people with opposing points of view. (This is one reason I create my reading lists on my blog.)

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For those of you who do not have access to the NYT, here's a brief summary of the three key arguments that Friedman makes:

First, the argument for an electable candidate:

1. Trump has to be defeated.
2. Therefore, the Democrats have to nominate someone who is electable.

Second, the argument against Sanders:

1. the Democrats have to put forward a candidate who is electable.
2. Sanders is not electable.
3. Therefore, the Democrats should not make Sanders their candidate.

Third, the argument against all the other candidates except Bloomberg:

1. There are other candidates (e.g. Klobuchar, Buttigieg) who have "trended better" in Iowa and New Hampshire [FMB reading between the lines here, he's saying that he's discounting the others who didn't get many votes (e.g. Biden)].
2. But these candidates are not as qualified as Bloomberg for a variety of reasons. [FMB: Friedman creates a laundry list of issues to support this point. I don't have the time here to go through each item on the laundry list.]
3. Therefore, the Democrats should nominate Bloomberg at their convention.

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I'm very sympathetic to Friedman's first argument.

As for his second argument, I'm inclined to read up on what other experts have to say about this. Friedman didn't convince me on this one. Right now, I'm inclined to vote for Sanders in the primary.

(BTW: I think Friedman's targeting his article at those who already agree with arguments 1 and 2.)

Friedman's third argument targets his real audience (i.e. Klobuchar and Buttigieg supporters).

Here he's saying that he supports Bloomberg because he likes his politics and because he think's Bloomberg is the most electable candidate.

So, it sounds like he's saying that he's OK with the politics of these three candidates: Bloomberg, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg.

However, he's advocating for Bloomberg because he thinks he's the most electable of the three.

I'm neutral on his third argument.

So, I'll expand on what I said before: If the Democratic party puts forward Sanders, Warren, Bloomberg, Klobuchar, Buttigieg, or Biden, then I'll vote for that candidate in the general election.

As for whether Sanders can beat Trump, see the section below.

Can Sanders Beat Trump

Here are my notes on this debate:

DemocracyNow
Can Bernie Sanders Defeat Trump?
Jacobin’s Bhaskar Sunkara & The Atlantic’s David Frum Debate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm02XJAAM9M

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Democracy Now remarks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC)

The DNC sides with David Frum's position in this debate. They are more centrist.


The DNC will change rules allow Michael Bloomberg to enter the next Dem primary candidate debate.

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Introducing the Debaters:

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Frum, David

Trumpocracy: the corruption of the American republic
by David Frum

Frum was speech writer for George Bush.

Bernie cannot win: but unless other Democrats take a page from his book - stressing the practical over the theoretical, the universal over the particular - the won't prevail either.
By David Frum
Atlantic
Jan 27, 2020

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/bernie-sanderss-biggest-challenges/605500/

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Sunkara, Bhaska

The Socialist Manifesto:
the case for radical politics in an era of extreme inequality
by Bhaskar Sunkara

Sanders is leading the pack in Iowa - and that's good news for Democrats
The Guardian
by Bhaskar Sunkara

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/13/sanders-iowa-leading-democrats-panic

Bhaskar Sunkara is founding editor and publisher of Jacobin

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Name acronyms:
Amy Goodman (AG)
Bhaska Sunkara (BS)
David Frum (DF)

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The Debate

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BS

Sanders is not an unknown. He has a long track record.

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DF

Democrats are not crazy. Trump is dangerous. This is a moment of danger.

I'm a conservative, but I voted for Hilary Clinton in 2016.

Sanders speaks to the disaffected, but the economy is doing well.

It will be hard to flip the Senate when the economy is doing well.

Other Republicans could cruse to victory today, say if G. Bush was running.

Vermont is not representative of the US.

I won't recommend another Dem candidate. I just want to talk about Sanders.

Democrats don't have strategy for winning the senate.

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BS

Q: if Dems cannot win senate can he push his agenda through?

A: Sanders will be able to do a lot. He will be able to work with others.
He was willing to make compromises with the likes of Joe Biden.

A: 46% of Americans will vote party affiliation. So that's 92%.
The question is how to win the votes of the remaining 8%.
So, to win you need more than 4%.

[FMB Note: to win the general election, one needs to win the electoral college.]

Rural Vermont gun owners like Bernie.

Maybe Sanders won't do well with $100,000+ income people in Florida

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DF

Sanders will fail at mobilizing black voters.
Michigan depends on black turnout.

Sanders can't assure women who delivered house to Dems.
He's not a woman.

Sanders a creature of 60s and 70s

Sanders operation very male dominated.
At dagger's point with Hilary Clinton.

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AW

Displays quote:

"""
Bernie Sanders' followers are more of a concern to me than anybody else. They have a passion and, in a way, they tap into what Donald Trump tapped into, but they do it on the left... So if I had to pick one person I'm most concerned about, it would be Bernie Sanders.
"""
- Rep. Mark Meados (R-North Carolina)

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BS

I agree with Meados.

I would dispute what DF has to say about black voters.

Black turn out dropped in 2016 to normal levels.
Sanders has support with Latinos and women.

Women hate Trump.


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DF

Two theories on Meados:
1. Meados is fooling with you.
2. Meados is fooling himself.

Trump's win in 2016 was a fluke.

Trump has false story about how he won.

Sanders offends people involved with political process.
Times are good, which favors the incumbent.

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AG

Mentions various polls that show support for Sanders among various groups.

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BS

People of color have been voting for bad Dems when the alternative is white nationalism.

How to get the other 5%  (As stated before, 46% of voters support their party. That means 92% will go with their party. So, only 8% are undecided. How do you win the majority of the 8%?)

Sanders is not uniquely un-electable.

Sanders has been able to define Democratic Socialist as FDR.

Trump called ObamaCare a Socialist Plot

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BS

Q: Isn't Sanders a structuralist socialist

A: Sanders is more careful than I am on structural changes. The changes he's calling for are more in line with FDR.

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AG

Q: With the exception of Obama, haven't centrist Dems lost to Republicans in many of the previous elections?

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DF

Most Dems don't see the world the way I do.

Sanders joined the socialist workers party. They denounced hostages as spies.
Sanders didn't but it will look bad.

I would vote for Sanders over Trump.

But for millions the choice is whether to show up or not.

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BS

Sanders was never member of socialist workers party.

Sanders served as an elector for many minor parties in Vermont.

Sanders is not an anti-American.

His opposition to foreign wars is more consistent with mainstream American voters who are mostly opposed to the foreign policy establishment in Washington DC.