The 2020 Presidential race

[Rewind]

Booker declared, "I believe we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind" -- and I couldn't help thinking of this line in Disney's 2002 Lilo & Stitch animated film: "'Ohana' means 'family' and 'family' means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." And isn't it time to quit referring to certain people as "African-Americans"? The term implies they're in a sub-category and not true Americans.

Booker 2020 campaign: 'Folks are feeling left out...left behind'
The 49-year-old Democratic senator from New Jersey is the second African-American to enter the contest to take on Trump.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...mpaign-n965601

[Rewind]

Well, I daresay nobody saw this coming:

Russia's propaganda machine discovers 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard
NBC News, Feb 2 2019 4:03 AM

The Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 US election is now promoting the Presidential aspirations of Representative Tulsi Gabbard, a controversial Hawaii Democrat who earlier this month declared her intention to run for President in 2020. An NBC News analysis of the main English-language news sites employed by Russia in its 2016 election meddling shows Gabbard has become a favorite. Several experts who track websites and social media linked to the Kremlin have also seen what they believe may be the first stirrings of an upcoming Russian campaign of support for Gabbard.

Since January 11 when Gabbard announced her intention to run, there have been at least 20 Gabbard stories on three major Moscow-based English-language websites affiliated with or supportive of the Russian government: RT, the Russian-owned TV outlet; Sputnik News, a radio outlet; and Russia Insider, a blog that experts say closely follows the Kremlin line. The CIA has called RT and Sputnik part of "Russia's state-run propaganda machine."

All three sites celebrated Gabbard's announcement, defended her positions on Russia and her 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assa, and attacked those who have suggested she is a pawn for Moscow. The coverage devoted to Gabbard, both in news and commentary, exceeds that afforded to any of the declared or rumored Democratic candidates despite Gabbard's lack of voter recognition.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...abbard-n964261

[Rewind]

The vain, pompous, egotistical, narcissistic blowhard who occupies the White House is ignoring, or dismissing, a recent poll showing 56% of Americans will "definitely not" vote for him in 2020. On CBS' Face The Nation, Trump declared the only way Democrats will win in 2020 is if they impeach him. He then bragged -- falsely -- that "you can't impeach somebody for doing the best job of any President in the history of our country for the first two years." I wonder: How is the weather in Trumpworld?

Trump says 'only way' Democrats can win is to 'bring out' impeachment

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...ent/ar-BBT9FPc

[Rewind]

Harris' first campaign stops will be in South Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada. And for all you non-Californians, her first name is pronounced "Komma-lə," not "Kamma-lə."

Senator Kamala Harris plans tour of early-voting states as part of 2020 Presidential campaign

https://ktla.com/2019/02/05/sen-kama...tial-campaign/

[Rewind]

Warren is one-1,024th Native American -- so she probably already has the support of our nation's other one-1,024th Native Americans.

Elizabeth Warren kicks off Presidential bid with a challenge to the super wealthy — and other Democrats

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/02/09/pol...tts/index.html

[Rewind]

Of course de Blasio is considering running in 2020. Who isn't?

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio flirting with a 2020 Presidential bid

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...bid/ar-BBTlJR4

[Rewind]

Klobuchar is a former prosecutor and is serving her third term in the Minnesota Senate. How many Democrats have announced they're running for President now? I've lost count.

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar announces run for President
"We are all tired of the shutdowns and the putdowns, the gridlock and the grandstanding," she said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...sident-n969796

[Rewind]

The Democratic candidates should feel at ease during these debates. Donald Trump won't be on stage following them around while scowling and glaring with his arms crossed like he did during his second debate with Hillary Clinton in 2016. In her book What Happened/, Clinton wrote, "It was incredibly uncomfortable. He was literally breathing down my neck. My skin crawled.”

CNN to host one of the first two 2020 Democratic primary debates
CNN, Feb 24 2019 4:07 PM ET

The Democratic National Committee today announced details for the first two Presidential primary debates of the 2020 cycle, with plans to hold each debate over two consecutive nights in anticipation of a large field of candidates. The first debate will take place in June and the second one in July of 2019. NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo are set to partner on the June debate and CNN is set to host the July event. Each debate will feature randomized lineups drawn from a maximum of 20 qualifying candidates. A total of 12 Presidential primary debates are planned during the 2020 cycle. The exact dates and locations of the debates were not announced.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/polit...uly/index.html

[Rewind]

In his State Of The Union address, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country." A front-page story in today's Los Angeles Times says "the S-word, socialism, is the preferred weapon" of Trump and Republicans as they focus on the 2020 election. Bernie Sanders? Socialist. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Socialist. The "Green New Deal"? Socialist. Political experts say Trump in 2020 will do the same as he did in 2016: demonize his opponent, whoever it may be, and use scare tactics to frighten off undecided voters. The rhetoric and scare tactics will be centered on accusations of socialism.

Trump looks to pin 'socialism' label on Democrats. Will it stick?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...20/2789984002/

Branding 2020 Democrats as socialist could be harder than Republicans think

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...05b_story.html

[Rewind]

Former Vice President Joe Biden is the best known and best liked of all the potential 2020 Democratic candidates but he still hasn't announced his decision on whether he'll run and he may not be as favored as recent polls have indicated. Yeah, as we learned in 2016, polls can be wrong.

Biden's polling lead shaky ahead of 2020 decision

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...ion/ar-BBTKJyV