Hedging Our Bets (Keep Cory Alive)

I am one of the millions of Americans who - without having much respect for, or trust in, the Democratic Party - will almost certainly vote for the Democratic nominee in next year's presidential election.

As anyone who reads this Gazette regularly will know, I deeply resent being in this predicament.  But that is business for another time.  Right now, my concern is that the deeply flawed Democratic Party should somehow nominate a candidate for President who can do three things:

First, defeat Donald Trump in both the popular and electoral vote - and in a manner sufficiently convincing that there will be no question of the winning candidate assuming power in January, 2021.

Second, have coattails sufficiently long that they will assure the election of a Democratic majority in the US Senate - and the continuation of a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.

Third, offer the sort of unifying leadership which will permit the next Administration - in conjunction with Congress - to repair the damage that has been done to our Republic by four years of Donald Trump and his snivelling collaborators in what are meant to be two separate, co-equal branches of government.  And also, move boldly forward in addressing the real needs of this nation, and the planet of which it has, until recently, been the leading nation.

Since July, I have borne an active part in the effort to choose the best possible Democratic candidate to achieve these three goals - by supporting the candidacy of Elizabeth Warren, a brilliant, persistent, ambitious Senator with a clear vision for a better future.

I continue to have the highest regard for Senator Warren.  But at this point, after serious deliberation, I am no longer convinced that she is the candidate who can do all three of the things that must be done.

I continue to believe that she is capable of defeating Donald Trump for the presidency, but I have growing doubts that she is the candidate to usher in the Senate majority without which no Democratic President will be able to accomplish what is necessary.

And I am increasingly dubious about her ability to offer the kind of broad-based appeal, and inspiring leadership, which could mobilize a majority of the American people in transforming this country.

Now, doubts are not certainties.  And after the months of hard work I have put into Senator Warren's campaigh - efforts which have taken me all over western Oregon (and far more deeply into the councils of the Democratic Party than feels comfortable) - I am extremely reluctant to change horses in mid-stream.  This is especially true because the horse to which I would change continues to poll in the low single digits, and will not participate in the Democratic Party debate on December 19.

That said, the stakes in this campaign are simply too high for me - or for any of us - to get it wrong.  We dare not nominate - even if we can elect - a President who will not be able to muster the congressional and popular support to do what must be done in the next four years.  No matter how remarkable a candidate might be - no matter how brilliant that candidate's ideas - we need to elect someone who will be able to lead us.

And I am increasingly inclined to believe that that candidate is Senator Cory Booker, of New Jersey.

For now, my position is that Elizabeth Warren needs to make significant changes to her campaign, and greatly simplify and focus her message.  If she made those changes - and won the nomination - I would hope she named Senator Booker as her running-mate.

But it is also my view that all of us - regardless of which front-runner we might support or prefer - must take steps to keep Senator Booker in this race, and to bring him back onstage for all future debates.

Senator Booker is not, as of now, the first choice of many - but he is extraordinarily well-liked by supporters of almost every candidate.  If the party remains divided - and Booker remains viable - he offers the best chance by far of being the "dark horse" candidate who can unify a divided party and lead it to victory in November.

And, because he is so likable, so energetic - and so unthreatening - he is absolutely the candidate who can help us elect a Democratic Senate majority.

I hope to return to this theme in future posts.  For now, I urge every reader to send a small contribution to Senator Booker's campaign.  Should you be contacted by a polling group, I encourage you - at least for now - to consider naming him as your choice for President.

And, if you are at all in agreement with the ideas expressed - however imperfectly - in this post, I urge you to share it with your friends and colleagues.

Senator Booker is, at present, the first choice of a small percentage of those who oppose President Trump.  But the time might well come when we need him, as the one candidate who can bring together the increasingly divided and mutually hostile supporters of the four leading candidates - and keep us together through November, and beyond.