Almost exactly 2 months ago I released my initial rankings of the 24 (yes, 24) Democratic candidates running for president in the 2020 election. With the first two Democratic debates taking place Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I thought I'd update my rankings, and then do so again following the debates. Here are my updated rankings (my initial rankings can be viewed at this link - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-democratic-candidate-countdown.html), with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses:
24) Marianne Williamson (-1): Her recent comments regarding vaccinations will need some clarification and alteration if she wants to climb out of the cellar. Even then, she'll likely only peak around 22 or 23, so... :: gives her two thumbs up and a sarcastic facial expression ::
23) Mike Gravel (+/-0): Didn't even know this guy was running for president? You're not alone. The guy is pushing 90 and is more likely to be seen at a nursing home in 2020 than the Oval Office.
22) Wayne Messam (-2): Like Gravel, Messam won't be on the debate stage in the coming days. Unlike Gravel, I guess he doesn't need to go in for weekly colonoscopies yet, so that's nice.
21) John Hickenlooper (+/-0): Mr. Moderate is really only good for one thing - jerseys. Imagine the name "Hickenlooper" on the back of an Avalanche jersey.
20) Michael Bennet (-5): Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, you are boring me.
19) Jay Inslee (-3): Ditto for Inslee. I do like how he's focusing his attention on climate-change and educating the public on how large of an impact it has on the world around us. However, the guy has zero personality; an advisor of his obviously told him this; and he's been trying to kick things up a notch in that arena, only with comical results. It's one thing for a boring guy to be himself. It's quite another for this same boring guy to try and give a stand-up performance.
18) Eric Swalwell (-9): I don't know who all is advising this guy, but yeah, he needs to call in the president to point at them and say, "You're fired." If Swalwell were an actor, I'd tell him to start making like Jackie Chan and do his own stunts, because he's a smarter, better candidate than he's presented himself to be thus far.
17) John Delaney (-3): Call it a hunch, but Delaney's initial position at #14 will likely be his highest. Congratulations.
16) Tim Ryan (+6): Here we have a moderate with a personality. Ryan's the type of guy someone might swipe left to on Tinder, but message on eHarmony. So yeah, I could go either way with this one.
15) Seth Moulton (+3): A veteran without much political experience, it'd be nice to see him be eligible for at least one debate. It won't happen this week, but maybe next time. I can just picture Donald Trump live-tweeting a Democratic debate where he writes, "No political experience? I'm kinda like Moulton. The only real difference is the bone spurs."
14) Bill de Blasio (-1): I didn't realize de Blasio was so disliked. Even amongst Democrats, his approval rating is around 50%. Perhaps it's because I don't live in New York, but I don't hold anything against the guy. If nothing else, he could serve as a perfect fill-in for Andre the Giant in a remake of The Princess Bride.
13) Steve Bullock (-1): Of the four Democratic candidates who didn't qualify for this week's debates, Bullock is probably the most surprising, to me at least. He comes across as reasonable, able to win over more conservative minds, and isn't as boring as some candidates. Regardless, it appears as though Sandra has a better chance of winning the party's nomination than he does.
12) Julian Castro (-2): Here's a guy who needs to click on a restart button, and what better time to do that than in the coming debate? I also think he and his twin brother need to start wearing name-tags when they go on television, for I can't count how many times one of them has made an appearance on a program and someone has asked me, "Is that the one running for president or his brother?" I admit to cheating and waiting for the interviewer to say the name of the individual, or for it to appear below him, but if that doesn't occur, I'm right only about 50% of the time. Hey, at least he's just a twin. Can you imagine if there were octuplets all involved in politics and half of them were simultaneously running for president? Hmm, that may be an idea for a sitcom...
11) Andrew Yang (+8): If I have a sleeper for making a splash on the debate stage, it's this guy. He's intelligent, modern, witty, and will likely have at least one catchy line for which to remember him by following Thursday night's debate. I may not be a member of the "Yang Gang" as they're called, but I am Yang-curious. Take that in any which way you so choose.
10) Tulsi Gabbard (+7): Like Julian Castro, Tulsi Gabbard needs to jumpstart her campaign. She's a veteran, Miss America contestant, and lacking in "very liberal" circles. We'll see what she has to say in the debates this week, besides wanting world peace.
9) Amy Klobuchar (-2): Snow was coming down on Klobuchar when she announced her run a while back, and unfortunately for her, it hasn't stopped. She's been in a repeat loop and will need to break out of that before long if she wants to have a chance at the party's nomination. Then again, she does represent Minnesota, so maybe she has a weird snow-repeat-loop fetish.
8) Joe Biden (-3): I'm like a lot of people in that I like Joe Biden; think he's a good guy; and while I would gladly vote for him if he becomes the Democratic nominee, kind of wish the party would go a different direction. Just because he claims Obama is his BFF doesn't make him Obama. It doesn't, right? Trump's BFF is Putin and he basically is Putin. Hmm, I may have to think this over a bit more...
7) Beto O'Rourke (+4): While I'm warming up to Beto some, I still don't think he's nominee-material just yet. I do think he's the perfect model for the next wave of bobblehead dolls, however, "bigly."
6) Kirsten Gillibrand (+2): I have a difficult time seeing Gillibrand winning the party's nomination, largely due to distrust from the far-left, yet she's always struck me as a genuine, almost motherly-like figure, where she actually cares about the welfare of this country and its inhabitants, wants to make a positive difference, and is willing to do whatever it takes in order to do so. She also has a fiery side as well, though, which makes me curious how she'd interact with Donald Trump on a debate stage.
Gillibrand: "Thank you for that thoughtful question. First, I'd just like to say..."
Trump: "That you're a liar?"
Gillibrand: "SHUT THE F*CK UP! Okay, as I was saying, I really think we need to focus on being more kind, understanding, patient, and empathetic to and with one another."
5) Bernie Sanders (+1): Never did I think a speaker with such a dull tone and boring rhetoric could be so entertaining when speaking. Thank you, Bernie! Bucket list? Check!
4) Cory Booker (-2): Booker had seemingly almost vanished from the scene after announcing his run, until just recent. If he continues this recent change in strategy and takes full advantage of his strong rhetorical skills during tomorrow's debate, he could see a surge in the polls. If he falls back into his old habits, though, he'll have to go back to spending his time playing Superman of New Jersey.
3) Pete Buttigieg (+1): The more I see, hear, and read about this guy, the more I like him. Even if he doesn't win the party's nomination for 2020, I hope he does at some point. Hey, he's got time. The guy is younger than I am! That's not saying much anymore, but I can pretend.
2) Elizabeth Warren (+1): Warren is steadily moving up my leaderboard and is very close to taking over the top spot. She's Ms. Ideas, making her the polar opposite of Donald Trump.
1) Kamala Harris (+/-0): Harris's numbers have been rather stagnant in recent weeks. She seems to be too liberal for moderates, who lean toward Biden, and too moderate for liberals, who have opted for Sanders and Warren. She'll need to better to distinguish herself at the debate and post-debate if she wants to see an escalation in her numbers. Come on, people! I wanna see prosecutor Kamala kick Trump's arse on the debate stage!
24) Marianne Williamson (-1): Her recent comments regarding vaccinations will need some clarification and alteration if she wants to climb out of the cellar. Even then, she'll likely only peak around 22 or 23, so... :: gives her two thumbs up and a sarcastic facial expression ::
23) Mike Gravel (+/-0): Didn't even know this guy was running for president? You're not alone. The guy is pushing 90 and is more likely to be seen at a nursing home in 2020 than the Oval Office.
22) Wayne Messam (-2): Like Gravel, Messam won't be on the debate stage in the coming days. Unlike Gravel, I guess he doesn't need to go in for weekly colonoscopies yet, so that's nice.
21) John Hickenlooper (+/-0): Mr. Moderate is really only good for one thing - jerseys. Imagine the name "Hickenlooper" on the back of an Avalanche jersey.
20) Michael Bennet (-5): Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, you are boring me.
19) Jay Inslee (-3): Ditto for Inslee. I do like how he's focusing his attention on climate-change and educating the public on how large of an impact it has on the world around us. However, the guy has zero personality; an advisor of his obviously told him this; and he's been trying to kick things up a notch in that arena, only with comical results. It's one thing for a boring guy to be himself. It's quite another for this same boring guy to try and give a stand-up performance.
18) Eric Swalwell (-9): I don't know who all is advising this guy, but yeah, he needs to call in the president to point at them and say, "You're fired." If Swalwell were an actor, I'd tell him to start making like Jackie Chan and do his own stunts, because he's a smarter, better candidate than he's presented himself to be thus far.
17) John Delaney (-3): Call it a hunch, but Delaney's initial position at #14 will likely be his highest. Congratulations.
16) Tim Ryan (+6): Here we have a moderate with a personality. Ryan's the type of guy someone might swipe left to on Tinder, but message on eHarmony. So yeah, I could go either way with this one.
15) Seth Moulton (+3): A veteran without much political experience, it'd be nice to see him be eligible for at least one debate. It won't happen this week, but maybe next time. I can just picture Donald Trump live-tweeting a Democratic debate where he writes, "No political experience? I'm kinda like Moulton. The only real difference is the bone spurs."
14) Bill de Blasio (-1): I didn't realize de Blasio was so disliked. Even amongst Democrats, his approval rating is around 50%. Perhaps it's because I don't live in New York, but I don't hold anything against the guy. If nothing else, he could serve as a perfect fill-in for Andre the Giant in a remake of The Princess Bride.
13) Steve Bullock (-1): Of the four Democratic candidates who didn't qualify for this week's debates, Bullock is probably the most surprising, to me at least. He comes across as reasonable, able to win over more conservative minds, and isn't as boring as some candidates. Regardless, it appears as though Sandra has a better chance of winning the party's nomination than he does.
12) Julian Castro (-2): Here's a guy who needs to click on a restart button, and what better time to do that than in the coming debate? I also think he and his twin brother need to start wearing name-tags when they go on television, for I can't count how many times one of them has made an appearance on a program and someone has asked me, "Is that the one running for president or his brother?" I admit to cheating and waiting for the interviewer to say the name of the individual, or for it to appear below him, but if that doesn't occur, I'm right only about 50% of the time. Hey, at least he's just a twin. Can you imagine if there were octuplets all involved in politics and half of them were simultaneously running for president? Hmm, that may be an idea for a sitcom...
11) Andrew Yang (+8): If I have a sleeper for making a splash on the debate stage, it's this guy. He's intelligent, modern, witty, and will likely have at least one catchy line for which to remember him by following Thursday night's debate. I may not be a member of the "Yang Gang" as they're called, but I am Yang-curious. Take that in any which way you so choose.
10) Tulsi Gabbard (+7): Like Julian Castro, Tulsi Gabbard needs to jumpstart her campaign. She's a veteran, Miss America contestant, and lacking in "very liberal" circles. We'll see what she has to say in the debates this week, besides wanting world peace.
9) Amy Klobuchar (-2): Snow was coming down on Klobuchar when she announced her run a while back, and unfortunately for her, it hasn't stopped. She's been in a repeat loop and will need to break out of that before long if she wants to have a chance at the party's nomination. Then again, she does represent Minnesota, so maybe she has a weird snow-repeat-loop fetish.
8) Joe Biden (-3): I'm like a lot of people in that I like Joe Biden; think he's a good guy; and while I would gladly vote for him if he becomes the Democratic nominee, kind of wish the party would go a different direction. Just because he claims Obama is his BFF doesn't make him Obama. It doesn't, right? Trump's BFF is Putin and he basically is Putin. Hmm, I may have to think this over a bit more...
7) Beto O'Rourke (+4): While I'm warming up to Beto some, I still don't think he's nominee-material just yet. I do think he's the perfect model for the next wave of bobblehead dolls, however, "bigly."
6) Kirsten Gillibrand (+2): I have a difficult time seeing Gillibrand winning the party's nomination, largely due to distrust from the far-left, yet she's always struck me as a genuine, almost motherly-like figure, where she actually cares about the welfare of this country and its inhabitants, wants to make a positive difference, and is willing to do whatever it takes in order to do so. She also has a fiery side as well, though, which makes me curious how she'd interact with Donald Trump on a debate stage.
Gillibrand: "Thank you for that thoughtful question. First, I'd just like to say..."
Trump: "That you're a liar?"
Gillibrand: "SHUT THE F*CK UP! Okay, as I was saying, I really think we need to focus on being more kind, understanding, patient, and empathetic to and with one another."
5) Bernie Sanders (+1): Never did I think a speaker with such a dull tone and boring rhetoric could be so entertaining when speaking. Thank you, Bernie! Bucket list? Check!
4) Cory Booker (-2): Booker had seemingly almost vanished from the scene after announcing his run, until just recent. If he continues this recent change in strategy and takes full advantage of his strong rhetorical skills during tomorrow's debate, he could see a surge in the polls. If he falls back into his old habits, though, he'll have to go back to spending his time playing Superman of New Jersey.
3) Pete Buttigieg (+1): The more I see, hear, and read about this guy, the more I like him. Even if he doesn't win the party's nomination for 2020, I hope he does at some point. Hey, he's got time. The guy is younger than I am! That's not saying much anymore, but I can pretend.
2) Elizabeth Warren (+1): Warren is steadily moving up my leaderboard and is very close to taking over the top spot. She's Ms. Ideas, making her the polar opposite of Donald Trump.
1) Kamala Harris (+/-0): Harris's numbers have been rather stagnant in recent weeks. She seems to be too liberal for moderates, who lean toward Biden, and too moderate for liberals, who have opted for Sanders and Warren. She'll need to better to distinguish herself at the debate and post-debate if she wants to see an escalation in her numbers. Come on, people! I wanna see prosecutor Kamala kick Trump's arse on the debate stage!
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