2020 Presidential Candidates

[LDAHL]

Roy Moore is no more; politically at least.

But the cult of Beto grows, driven almost entirely by media. He’s the political equivalent of the Monkees, using the media’s unquestioning adoration the way Trump used their contempt as a route to power.

[catherine]

Roy Moore is no more; politically at least.

But the cult of Beto grows, driven almost entirely by media. He’s the political equivalent of the Monkees, using the media’s unquestioning adoration the way Trump used their contempt as a route to power.

Thanks to the corporate media and social media, people will never vote for the "right" candidate again. Decisions will be made on telegencity, who Fox and Disney executives prefer, tweets, and Facebook memes. No party is immune to it.

Oh, I remember the good old days when a stump speech meant that farmers gathered in the town square and listened for 2 hours to a candidate's positions on the issues from a human being on a real live stump.

[LDAHL]

I wasn’t there for the Lincoln-Douglas debates, but I know what you mean. Ever since, and probably before, the Kennedy media machine demonstrated that the right team of fixers, ghostwriters and tame journalists could reap political benefits, that has been the case.

But only up to a point. If only the anointed media darlings ever won elections, we would be approaching eighty years of Democratic Party dominance about now. Trump won office despite of, or perhaps in reaction to the universal scorn of the mainstream media. I know some will chant “Fox News” over and over and over, but that is but one outlet out of many.

I think it can help to have the media on your side, but it is not, thank God, decisive. Even in this noisy age, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

[jp1]

Roy Moore is no more; politically at least.

I wouldn't count your chickens so quickly.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...-idUSKBN1QQ024

[LDAHL]

I wouldn't count your chickens so quickly.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...-idUSKBN1QQ024

I wouldn’t worry overmuch about a Senator Moore. I’m sure it won’t be that difficult to crank out some more fake websites.

[jp1]

Telegenicity has mattered for 60 years now. I'm not too worried about social media and whatever else ruining politics. I was reading an article the other day where researchers had found that the efforts during the 2016 election to use fake posts on facebook and the like were much more successful with older folks than with people in their 20's. Perhaps people who have grown up online have better-honed online BS detectors.

https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/polit...ate/index.html

[jp1]

Personally I'm not too worried about a potential senator moore. Since I'm not an Alabama resident I'm not at risk of being teased mercilessly if he wins.

[JaneV2.0]

So far, I like Harris, Booker, Buttigieg, and Inslee--subject to change, of course.

[LDAHL]

For someone who seems to rank pretty consistently at third in the polls, Harris seems remarkably quiet. Beto stands on tables, Warren issues her Big Idea of the week and Bernie promises to recreate Sweden circa 1972, but no such tactics from Harris.

Is that a strategy of some sort, or is she being drowned out by a large and gaudy crowd?

[JaneV2.0]

As far as I can tell, Harris is out pressing the flesh, like an old-school campaigner.

We could do way worse than emulating Sweden...