November 22, 2019--Adam Schiff

Watching the Democratic debate the other night, continuing to be decidedly unimpressed with the 10 candidates still standing (plus the two hovering in the wings--Michael Bloomberg and Duval Patrick) I wondered if these are the best contenders we can come up with. With at least 330 million Americans, can't we do better? Much better?

I continue to have the fantasy that Michelle Obama will enter the race, convinced she could win in a walk. And wouldn't it be sweet revenge to have an Obama defeat Trump.

About this I've taken a lot of grief from readers and friends who think I'm crazy. Maybe I am. 

But I have another thought--Adam Schiff for president!

He's in his 18th year in Congress and we know from how he has been handling the impeachment process that he is brilliant and blessed with eloquence and practical intelligence. In his almost-too-many years in Congress he has played significant roles in issues ranging from press freedom to the Saudi intervention in Yemen. On the other hand he supported the invasion of Iraq.

And he's a marathoner and triathlete.

Think about it. We could do worse. In fact, it looks as if we are.

November 13, 2019--Vice President Nikki

I spoke too soon when I wrote snarkily last week that if Michael Bloomberg wants to enter the Democratic contest and is playing to win, running on a bipartisan ticket with someone like Nikki Haley as his Vice Presidential candidate could be a politically smart move.

But then a couple of things happened--first, I had second thoughts about Haley after a rush of friends' comments inspired me to take a closer look at her resumé. It's not that impressive. She clearly has a lot of personal sizzle but not much substance. 

And, then, in conjunction with the publication of her book, With All Due Respect, she appears to be signaling that she is available right now to run for vice president--not on a Bloomberg ticket but on Trump's, after he dumps Mike Pence.

I can only imagine her pitching Trump that if he taps her that will solve his problem with suburban women. And as a woman of color, that too would be helpful. Win, win, win.

Gossipy books such as this, for which she received at least a $2.0 million advance from Simon & Schuster, need to have enough juicy stories to generate prepublication buzz and advanced orders on Amazon. As of this morning it is 4th on Amazon'a best seller list.

In the case of Haley, the juicy stuff is her claim that in the early days of the Trump administration she was approached by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chief of Staff John Kelly to join them in "saving the country" by "undermining Trump." 

If true, one might call this treason.

But is her revelation true?

She was asked point blank Monday night on Fox News by Sean Hannity if she told the president about this plot. She said, "absolutely."

He failed to follow up. He did not ask her why, then, she did not mention it in her book. If it happened, wouldn't she have written about alerting Trump and wouldn't he, if she brought this treasonous allegation to his attention, have had Tillerson and Kelly escorted by federal marshals to the Oval Office and fired them on the spot?

So I doubt her story and see it as fabricated for an audience of one, Trump, to maneuver him to put her on his ticket. And to sell books.

On the other hand, candidate Bloomberg with a moderate Republican as his vice president may still be a good idea.

November 8, 2019--Run, Mike, Run

I was in the middle of preparing a blog for Friday morning about how progressives shouldn't get complacent when thinking about the results of this week's elections in Virginia and Kentucky.

Yes, Democrats now control all branches of the Virginia government and the Bluegrass State again has a Democratic governor, but in Kentucky all other statewide contests were won by Republicans and Virginia has been turning blue for a number of years. 

In the middle of writing a blog about political paranoia there was dramatic Breaking News--it appears that the sixth richest American and former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, on Friday will enter the race for the Democratic nomination for president.

I have a lot to say about Mayor Mike, including a number of positive and negative things I learned about him when I worked with him on a variety of projects when I was at the Ford Foundation--speaking about this will be for another day--but, in spite of very mixed feelings about him, my first reaction was excitement.

Why excitement? Isn't he a plutocrat who at the advanced age of 77 is looking to buy his way to the White House? Yes, but why was I, in spite of this, feeling so good about his potential candidacy?

Largely because like so many other liberals I am dissatisfied with our current choices. In fact, distraught.

Biden feels over the hill, Warren just unveiled a non-starter of a multi-trillion dollar healthcare plan that will if implemented finish the job of bankrupting America. The only good thing I've thus far heard about the plan is that it has no chance of being enacted by whatever Congress emerges after the 2020 election. And, as Biden and Sanders are too old to be president, Mayor Pete, who I like, is much too young and inexperienced. 

Bloomberg could write a check for $2.0 billion and in that way fully self-finance his campaign and still have more than $50 billion. With the exception of his own big money (largely amassed by the incredible Bloomberg company he built from scratch) that would eliminate the need to raise money from the wealthy and thereby free him from their influence and control. Like Franklin Roosevelt, he could be "a traitor to his class."

And as a genuine billionaire who not only has his own fleet of planes but also pilots them, he is just the type to get under Trump's jealous skin and take him down in the debates.

Also, as a former Republican, Independent, and Democrat, he knows everyone and where all the bodies are buried. And just think about the kind of talented and experienced people he could draw into public service.

But above all, he could win next November. More than anything, that's what I'm not proud to crave--someone, anyone who can beat Trump.

Think also about a bipartisan ticket with Bloomberg running with Nikki Haley or, think about this one, Condoleezza Rice.

This adds up to exciting to me. You?