The latest Democrat to announce she’ll throw her hat into the ring is Hawaiian Representative Tulsi Gabbard. The 37-year-old combat veteran joins a growing list of Democrats with short résumés crowding the field. Of course, among Democrats, such a politician stands some chance of winning the nomination, if only because Democrats seem to seek out electoral phenomena rather than qualified leaders. In some rare cases, like in 2008, they’re able to prevail. Across America, there are dozens of female Democrat politicians who want to be the first female president. It’s not to say there aren’t any in the Republican party, but Republican women generally seek to make their own résumés stronger, knowing that while the media will give popular Democrats a pass on qualifications, there’s no chance a Republican will ever be treated that way. Young and relatively attractive, Gabbard has been cultivating an image as a “moderate” in her party, but it’s all show. In the end, she’s another leftist, and she will advance the interests of the state. Even twenty years ago, I’d have said she’s nuts. Nowadays, given the direction of the Democrat Party, that seeks power at the expense of all else, anything is possible. In a rational civilization, none of these people would have a chance, and that’s a problem for Democrats.
Gabbard is writing a memoir, which is another laughable notion, in my view. I’m sixteen years her senior, and I don’t warrant a memoir. In fact, I don’t want to read a person’s autobiography or memoir until they’re at least sixty years old, and then, they’d better have something compelling to say. At thirty-seven years of age, the last four spent in Congress, what exactly has she done that is so memorable? I don’t wish to belittle her combat experience, as she did her duty and did it honorably by all reports, but it wasn’t exactly like Audie Murphy’s. It’s also useful to note that she was a legislative aid to long-time Hawaiian Senator Daniel Akaka, a mostly useless legislator but reliable vote for the Democrats. I don’t know that this is the source of her qualification. By the time the 2020 campaign begins in earnest later this year, she’ll have roughly five years in the House of Representatives. For the same reason I don’t think Robert Francis “BETO” O’Rourke is qualified on the basis of his congressional service, neither is she.
To report it bluntly, this is a problem that face most of the younger Democrats who plan on running for the Presidency: They’re not really an accomplished lot, all in all. That doesn’t mean they can’t win, but it does mean they have serious credibility problems with a huge proportion of voters. The most likely nominee is probably former Vice President Joe Biden, who despite his age, has plenty of pull within the Democrat Party establishment. If Gabbard and some of the other younger Democrats are shrewd, they know this and will try to hitch themselves to Biden as the Vice Presidential candidate, and that could be Gabbard’s play here. She doesn’t have the name recognition even within her own party yet, but if she plays her cards right, she might elevate herself in this way.
Part of the problem for Democrats is that they have either old tired bulls like Biden and a completely damaged old socialist like Bernie Sanders(I-VT,) or crazy, damaged moon-bats like Elizabeth Warren(D-MA). This leaves the inexperienced youngsters like Gabbard. That’s not a solid path to the presidency, and if President Trump decides to seek a second term, his list of accomplishments to date will make him formidable for re-election. Never forget that the power of incumbency is huge. Few sitting presidents are ever defeated, and it takes a truly terrible performance for the people who elected a President to reverse their previous vote.
What I think candidates like Gabbard indicate is the frailty of the Democrat Party. She would make a formidable candidate if she first spent some time as Governor, or something along those lines, but at present, she’s not ready. This is the case for many Democrats in this rapidly expanding field. There’s almost no chance they’ll be elected, but rank-and-file Democrats under forty tend to vote on emotion, so one can never say “never.” During his two terms, Barack Obama did very little to grow the next generation of Democrat politicians. They have some youngsters with promise, but they need more experience. One might consider the laughable young New York Congressional member, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and it’s easy to see how Democrats can become so enthusiastic about her. She’s raising unholy Hell at the moment, but it’s only a matter of time until leadership in the party reins her in.
Democrats face a serious problem in 2020. Their surplus of viable candidates is mostly illusory, as demonstrated by Gabbard. Strictly, she’s apparently a natural born citizen who has obtained the age of 35 years, but apart from military service and a few terms in Congress, I don’t see any accomplishments in her history that imply a significant or compelling qualification. There is no record of having accomplished anything. Where is the legislative record? It’s pretty thin. All in all, this is what most of the Democrats must confront. Their old bulls have serious weaknesses. If the Democrats run Clinton again, they’ll be beaten even worse than in 2016. If Bernie runs, it will be a catastrophe of competing grievances against him. He’s too damaged now to win the Presidency, and it’s now getting worse daily with the latest revelations about his 2016 campaign. Biden certainly has a chance at winning the nomination, and with a younger, vibrant Vice Presidential running mate, perhaps like Gabbard, he might be able to pull it off. The truth is, however, that despite their apparent electoral advantages, Democrats have a serious problem: They’re mostly not likable, by and large, and in their party, that emotional pull is a prerequisite, but even where they meet it, they’re desperately inexperienced. As they flood in to fill the field, they should take care not to leave their few viable contenders in the position of lifeguards surrounded by a desperate crowd of drowning people. Those who find themselves drowning may drag the stronger swimmers under with them.
