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| Amy Klobuchar |
"I don't want to be President for half of America. I want to be president for all of America."
Amy Klobuchar
If only Joe Biden realized he was fatally flawed, and had the sense to drop out.
If only Democratic voters hurried to soundly reject Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as too extreme and too disruptive.
If only Pete Buttigieg realized this wasn't yet his time.
Amy Klobuchar is the Goldilocks candidate. She is stuck in the shadow of Biden and Buttiigieg, among the candidates who promote national unity as the fix to the drama and divisiveness of Trump. She has a message of realism and moderation, the alternative to people who find Sanders and Warren too extreme.
She is neither too old, like Biden, nor too young, like Buttigieg. She isn't too shopworn and burdened by old votes, nor too green with nothing but a small town on a resume. She doesn't need to explain away Hunter nor have to explain why being gay won't matter to voters.
Moreover, she is a safe compromise from Sanders and Warren, liberal, but not a socialist. Klobuchar talks about what his possible and realistic. Affordable college is realistic; free college isn't. A public option is possible; Medicare for everyone is not. Taxing the wealthy more is possible; a "wealth tax" is not. If Sanders and Warren are a bridge too far, then there is Amy Klobuchar, waiting.
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| First Ad: 30 seconds |
Her big message is electability and moderation. Her first ad lays out her case:
"If you feel stuck in the middle of the extremes of our politics and are tired of the noise and the nonsense, you've got a home with me."
She concludes the ad with a tight lipped nod of firmness and completion. She is no nonsense.
As this blog has noted a month ago, she has picked up her game, become sharper, more charismatic. But not shrill.
Notice the change between the first ad and this current one. Amy Klobuchar is clearly attempting to navigate the strong-woman-problem confounding Elizabeth Warren. Her voice still sounds decisive, with declarative sentences, but she now comes across as friendly at the same time.
Strong but nice
How? Watch: She says her lines while essentially smiling throughout.
There is presumably a political market for a female candidate, and currently Elizabeth Warren dominates that position. Klobuchar is ready to take her place, if and when people decide they don't actually think Warren can win.
Warren has a strong woman scold vibe problem.
Warren has a strong woman scold vibe problem.
Klobuchar is attempting with her voice to sound decisive and strong while simultaneously seeming friendly. I personally don't get the scolding-first-wife or shrill schoolmarm vibe attributed to Elizabeth Warren. I consider Warren an enthusiastic and high-drama political actor--an overall positive. But others tell me they get that the scold vibe loud and clear, as they did with Hillary, or perhaps worse, and they strongly object to it.
Klobuchar adjusted.
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Notice the change between the first ad and this current one. Amy Klobuchar is clearly attempting to navigate the strong-woman-problem confounding Elizabeth Warren. Her voice still sounds decisive, with declarative sentences, but she now comes across as friendly at the same time.
Strong but nice
A male candidate would not need to do this. Indeed, his smiling throughout would make him seem weak and defensive. He would be smiling to appear harmless. (Trump rarely smiles. His default look is firm and cruel. It works for him.) Apparently there are different rules and needs for a woman. In any case, Klobuchar is trying it.
Iowa is the test. Electable candidates win elections. So far she is stuck at 7% of the vote.
3 comments:
Today I will simply reiterate my concern for the cavalier attitude that has infected the Democratic Party.
It's hard to maintain a heightened state of urgency when MSNBC runs "Dateline" reruns right after Bernie waving his arms in distress. In the same way all these candidates are sending the message of "politics as usual". Bloomberg and Steyer are attempting to purchase votes, Mayor Pete is running for student body president, and all the other candidates, including Sen. Klobuchar, are simply confusing the issues.
This is the kind of disarray Regressives can take advantage of does not bode well.
On another issue. Is no one going to raise the issue of the Trump administration's culpability in the downing of an airliner and the loss of 127 innocent people?
Looking at the RealClearPolitics polls, she just doesn't have the votes. It is not clear that people want middle of the road. I do not see the increased charisma, but I do see the increased steadiness and confidence in the last debate. Maybe next week's debate will clarify all of this, as she doesn't get the press coverage that the top three get. I don't like some of her foreign policy choices,like her support of a bill to stop the Israel boycott.
I am annoyed that Steyer got on the debate stage again. His ads are on TV all the time, so it just shows that money matters. I wish the bunch of those old guys would drop off. I am afraid of Tulsi dropping off, as she might go third party and be a real spoiler.
Some of the polls still have Warren doing fairly well. If she could update her image to motherly instead of schoolteachery she might do even better. I am glad that Julian Castro got on board with her, tho I feel less inclined to think he should be her VP pick than I felt before the debates. I would prefer Yang or Buttigieg for that position. I am still for Warren all the way!
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has taken the lead in Iowa less than a month ahead of the February 3 caucus, a CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released Friday revealed.
The poll, taken January 2-8, 2020, among 701 Democrat caucus-goers, found the socialist senator taking the lead in the Hawkeye State with 20 percent support, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who followed closely behind with 17 percent support.
Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), who was previously leading in Iowa, came in one percentage point behind Warren with 16 percent support. Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) fell to fourth place with 15 percent support. The margin of error of +/- 3.7 percent indicates an extremely tight race among the top tier of candidates.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) came in fifth place with six percent support, followed by Andrew Yang (D) with five percent support. The remaining candidates saw three percent support or less.
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