The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Here are my rankings from after the eighth Democratic debate ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2020/02/democratic-candidate-rankings-post_20.html ). Here now are my rankings post-debate #9, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 8) Tom Steyer (-1) 7) Bernie Sanders (-3) 6) Tulsi Gabbard (+/-0) 5) Michael Bloomberg (+3) 4) Joe Biden (+1) 3) Elizabeth Warren (-2) 1-tie) Pete Buttigieg (+1) 1-tie) Amy Klobuchar (+2)

Here are my rankings from after the seventh Democratic debate ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2020/02/democratic-candidate-rankings-post.html ). Here now are my rankings post-debate #8, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 8) Michael Bloomberg (-1) 7) Tom Steyer (+1) 6) Tulsi Gabbard (+/-0) 5) Joe Biden (-1) 4) Bernie Sanders (+1) 3) Amy Klobuchar (-2) 2) Pete Buttigieg (+/-0) 1) Elizabeth Warren (+2) Who should stay in? 1) Elizabeth Warren 2) Pete Buttigieg 3) Amy Klobuchar 4) Bernie Sanders 5) Joe Biden Who should get out? 1) Michael Bloomberg 2) Tom Steyer 3) Tulsi Gabbard

Here are my rankings from after the sixth Democratic debate (https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2020/01/democratic-candidate-rankings-post.html). Here now are my rankings post-debate #7, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 8) Tom Steyer (+2) 7) Michael Bloomberg (+4) 6) Tulsi Gabbard (+2) 5) Bernie Sanders (-2) 4) Joe Biden (+3) 3) Elizabeth Warren (-2) 2) Pete Buttigieg (-1) 1) Amy Klobuchar (+3) Who should stay in? 1) Amy Klobuchar 2) Pete Buttigieg 3) Elizabeth Warren 4) Joe Biden 5) Bernie Sanders 6) Michael Bloomberg Who should get out? 1) Tom Steyer 2) Tulsi Gabbard

Here's how I rank the Democratic candidates' debate performances from debate 7: 7) Joe Biden : I really wish the former Vice President would up his game on the debate stage. He just often comes across as angry, disinterested, and like he missed an afternoon nap at some point during the past month. Instead of telling others to get off his lawn, Biden has actually been shouting that he wants to get off the debate stage! 6) Andrew Yang : A man of few words, with some good ideas, who appears to stiffen up when on the debate stage. I had high hopes for Yang after I heard a couple of interviews with him on cable news channels. He came across as sharp, witty, personable, and due to these attractive traits and others, he was my sleeper to make a splash on the debate stage and in the race. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, as the person I saw in the interviews was not the person I saw on the debate stage. Even though he's since dropped out, psst, if you want to provide me w...

Here are my rankings from after the fifth Democratic debate ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2019/11/democratic-candidate-rankings-post.html ). Here now are my rankings post-debate #6, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 12) John Delaney (+6) 11) Michael Bloomberg (N/A) 10) Tom Steyer (+3) 9) Michael Bennet (+6) 8) Tulsi Gabbard (+4) 7) Joe Biden (+3) 6) Andrew Yang (+3) 5) Deval Patrick (N/A) 4) Amy Klobuchar (+2) 3) Bernie Sanders (+4) 2) Elizabeth Warren (+1) 1) Pete Buttigieg (+/-0) Who should stay in? 1) Pete Buttigieg 2) Elizabeth Warren 3) Bernie Sanders 4) Amy Klobuchar 5) Deval Patrick 6) Andrew Yang 7) Joe Biden Who should get out? 1) John Delaney 2) Michael Bloomberg 3) Tom Steyer 4) Michael Bennet 5) Tulsi Gabbard

Here are my rankings from after the fourth Democratic debate ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2019/10/democratic-candidate-rankings-post.html ). Here now are my rankings post-debate #5, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 18) John Delaney (+/-0) 17) Steve Bullock (-1) 16) Marianne Williamson (-1) 15) Michael Bennet (-1) 14) Michael Bloomberg (N/A) 13) Tom Steyer (+/-0) 12) Tulsi Gabbard (+/-0) 11) Joe Sestak (N/A) 10) Joe Biden (-2) 9) Andrew Yang (+/-0) 8) Deval Patrick (N/A) 7) Bernie Sanders (+/-0) 6) Amy Klobuchar (-1) 5) Julian Castro (+1) 4) Cory Booker (+/-0) 3) Elizabeth Warren (+/-0) 2) Kamala Harris (+/-0) 1) Pete Buttigieg (+/-0) Who should stay in? 1) Pete Buttigieg 2) Kamala Harris 3) Elizabeth Warren 4) Cory Booker 5) Julian Castro 6) Amy Klobuchar 7) Bernie Sanders 8) Deval Patrick 9) Andrew Yang 10) Joe Biden Who should get out? 1) John Delaney 2) Steve Bullock 3) Mar...

Here's how I rank the Democratic candidates' debate performances from debate 5: 10) Tulsi Gabbard : Her attack-fellow-Democrats shtick is getting a little old. At first she went after Kamala Harris. Then she went after Elizabeth Warren. This time around, she went after Pete Buttigieg. Give it a rest and come up with some ideas of your own. ...besides looking good in front of a camera. 9) Tom Steyer : I have nothing against this guy, but he's simply not a good debater. I suggest we start a petition, where we mandate that if Steyer qualifies for any future debates, Will Ferrell will have to take his place. 8) Bernie Sanders : Sanders didn't give a poor performance, but as I've long stated, when you've seen one Bernie Sanders debate, you've seen them all. Having said that, though, I don't think I'll ever get tired of him saying, "I wrote the damn bill!" 7) Joe Biden : The first half of the debate was arguably Biden's strongest show...

Here are my rankings from after the third Democratic debate (https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2019/09/democratic-candidate-rankings-post.html). Here now are my rankings post-debate #4, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 18) John Delaney (+/-0) 17) Wayne Messam (+/-0) 16) Steve Bullock (+/-0) 15) Marianne Williamson (+/-0) 14) Michael Bennet (+/-0) 13) Tom Steyer (+/-0) 12) Tulsi Gabbard (+/-0) 11) Tim Ryan (+/-0) 10) Beto O'Rourke (+/-0) 9) Andrew Yang (-1) 8) Joe Biden (-2) 7) Bernie Sanders (-2) 6) Julian Castro (+3) 5) Amy Klobuchar (+2) 4) Cory Booker (+/-0) 3) Elizabeth Warren (-1) 2) Kamala Harris (-1) 1) Pete Buttigieg (+2) Who should stay in? 1) Pete Buttigieg 2) Kamala Harris 3) Elizabeth Warren 4) Cory Booker 5) Amy Klobuchar 6) Julian Castro 7) Bernie Sanders 8) Joe Biden 9 ) Andrew Yang 10) Beto O'Rourke Who should get out? 1) John Delaney 2) Wayne Messam 3) Steve ...

Here are my rankings from after the second round of Democratic debates ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2019/08/democratic-candidate-rankings-post.html ). Here now are my rankings post-debate #3, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 18) John Delaney (+6) 17) Wayne Messam (+5) 16) Steve Bullock (+4) 15) Marianne Williamson (+4) 14) Michael Bennet (+4) 13) Tom Steyer (+4) 12) Tulsi Gabbard (+1) 11) Tim Ryan (+/-0) 10) Beto O'Rourke (+4) 9) Julian Castro (-4) 8) Andrew Yang (+2) 7) Amy Klobuchar (+2) 6) Joe Biden (+2) 5) Bernie Sanders (+2) 4) Cory Booker (+/-0) 3) Pete Buttigieg (+/-0) 2) Elizabeth Warren (+/-0) 1) Kamala Harris (+/-0) Who should stay in? 1) Kamala Harris 2) Elizabeth Warren 3) Pete Buttigieg 4) Cory Booker 5) Bernie Sanders 6) Joe Biden 7) Amy Klobuchar 8) Andrew Yang 9) Julian Castro 10) Beto O'Rourke Who should get out? 1) John Delaney 2) Wayne Messam 3) Stev...

Here are my rankings from after the first round of Democratic debates ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2019/06/democratic-candidate-rankings-post.html ). Here now are my rankings post-debate #2, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 24) John Delaney (+/-0) 23) Mike Gravel (+/-0) 22) Wayne Messam (+/-0) 21) John Hickenlooper (+/-0) 20) Steve Bullock (-6) 19) Marianne Williamson (+1) 18) Michael Bennet (-1) 17) Tom Steyer (N/A) 16) Jay Inslee (+3) 15) Bill de Blasio (-4) 14) Beto O'Rourke (+1) 13) Tulsi Gabbard (-4) 12) Seth Moulton (+/-0) 11) Tim Ryan (+2) 10) Andrew Yang (+6) 9) Amy Klobuchar (+1) 8) Joe Biden (+/-0) 7) Bernie Sanders (+/-0) 6) Kirsten Gillibrand (+/-0) 5) Julian Castro (+/-0) 4) Cory Booker (+/-0) 3) Pete Buttigieg (+/-0) 2) Elizabeth Warren (+/-0) 1) Kamala Harris (+/-0) Who should stay in? 1) Kamala Harris 2) Elizabeth Warren 3) Pete Buttigieg 4) Cory Booker 5) Julian ...

Here's how I rank the Democratic candidates' debate performances from debate 2, night 1: 10) Steve Bullock : I've heard some praise for the Montana governor's first debate performance. I'm not sure which debate they were watching, for I saw something completely different. The guy spoke like Keanu Reeves' Ted Theodore Logan character from the Bill & Ted  movies. He seemed to constantly argue with fellow candidates without disagreeing, so in the end, it felt like he was merely arguing for the sake of arguing. I'm glad Bullock got his chance in the debate ring, but would much rather see him as Bill or Ted's sidekick in their upcoming film than in another debate. 9) John Hickenlooper : Why is this guy still in the race? He reminded me of a World Civilizations college professor of mine, who used to go on these long-winded tangents which appeared to have nothing to do with her opening statement, but after 45 minutes, she found a way to come around full...

I released my pre-debate rankings a couple of days ago ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2019/06/democratic-candidate-rankings-pre.html) . As I vowed, here now are my post-debate rankings, with the change in their rankings noted in parentheses: 24) John Delaney (-7) 23) Mike Gravel (+/-0) 22) Wayne Messam (+/-0) 21) John Hickenlooper (+/-0) 20) Marianne Williamson (+4) 19) Jay Inslee (+/-0) 18) Eric Swalwell (+/-0) 17) Michael Bennet (+3) 16) Andrew Yang (-5) 15) Beto O'Rourke (-8) 14) Steve Bullock (-1) 13) Tim Ryan (+3) 12) Seth Moulton (+3) 11) Bill de Blasio (+3) 10) Amy Klobuchar (-1) 9) Tulsi Gabbard (+1) 8) Joe Biden (+/-0) 7) Bernie Sanders (-2) 6) Kirsten Gillibrand (+/-0) 5) Julian Castro (+7) 4) Cory Booker (+/-0) 3) Pete Buttigieg (+/-0) 2) Elizabeth Warren (+/-0) 1) Kamala Harris (+/-0) Who should stay in? 1) Kamala Harris 2) Elizabeth Warren 3) Pete Buttigieg 4) Cory Booker 5) Julian Castro ...

Here's how I rank the Democratic candidates' debate performances from debate 1, night 1: 10) John Delaney : Some commentators thought he did a good job at making the most of his time and getting his name out there. I completely disagree. All night long, Delaney reminded me of a whack-a-mole game. No matter who was called on to answer a question, Delaney popped his head up, made a shrieking sound, and moderators attempted to quash him time and time again. Whenever I heard the guy speak, all I heard was, "Hey, hey! What about me?!? What about me?!? I'm over here! Call on me! Me! Me! Me!" 9) Beto O'Rourke : Okay, so debating is not the Texas Congressman's strong suit and once again, as I had been saying all along, I'm wondering what all the hype's about concerning this guy. He appeared nervous. There were times it looked as though he was unprepared to answer a particular question. He got shown up by Julian Castro during the discussion on immigrati...

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 n...

In the first installment of an inevitably never-ending series, here's my Democratic Candidate Countdown. 23) (tie) Mike Gravel : Never heard of him? There's a reason why. Not only does the guy have less of a chance winning the Democratic nomination than Rip Torn has of winning a sexiest-man-alive competition, the guy will be turning 89 next month. He was born just a half-year after the Great Depression started! Now, having said all that, I wouldn't be against him playing the role of a heckler at Democratic debates, where he waltzed up to candidates whom were speaking and hit them with a walker in order to speed up their answers, but I digress... 23) (tie) Marianne Williamson : Ever want to see a 66-year-old hippie win the presidency? If so, Marianne Williamson is your guy! Well, person... If The Dude were a female politician, he'd be Marianne Williamson. Just saying'... 22) Tim Ryan : To think Sherrod Brown was going to be the big name coming out of Ohio. Not ...

We're over two years removed from the 2016 presidential election and I still witness regular bickering between die-hard Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters. Not only that, I hear seemingly constant scapegoating on who's to blame for Donald Trump's election victory. First off, no matter how oddly cathartic it might be to vilify one party as the sole reason for Donald Trump's election victory, it's simply not true and it does us no service to go this scapegoating-route when looking ahead to the future. Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein, James Comey, the media, and Russia may have all played a part in Donald Trump being named president, but no single entity can realistically be fully blamed for it, and what good does it do us to obsess over what/whom we perceive to be said scapegoat? How will this clinging-onto-negative-history mentality help us defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election? Simple answer - it won't. Like it or not, we have to finally accept what...

Word has it that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is about to announce his run for the 2020 presidential election. Former Vice President Joe Biden has yet to decide on whether or not he's going to run. Last I heard, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hadn't even completely ruled out a potential 2020 run. I voted for Sanders in the 2016 Ohio Democratic primary. I voted for the Obama/Biden ticket in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. I voted for Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. These are all politicians I respect, admire, and proudly voted for when I had the opportunity. For as much as I respect and admire them, however, I think it's time for the Democratic Party to flip the page, start a new chapter, and bring something new, fresh, unexpected, diverse, and progressive heading into 2020 and beyond. Donald Trump, at 70, became the oldest person to start his presidency in U.S. history. He's 72 now and emblematic of the aging Republican Party. Bernie ...

While there are such things as accurate and misleading headlines, there are also occasions when a headline may be accurate but doesn't tell the whole story. Such is the case with the recent Pew Research headline, "Most Americans say more women running for Congress is a good thing, as hope for a female president grows." Generally speaking, the headline is accurate, as the polls shows, among all adults, 61% believe more women running for Congress is a good thing, compared to 5% who feel it's a bad thing, which is a net of +56% (33% said it's neither good nor bad). Let's take a closer look at those numbers, though. Among Democrats, 80% feel more women running for Congress is a good thing, compared to 1% who don't, which is a net of +79%. Among Republicans, only 39% feel more women running for Congress is a good thing, while 10% do not, which is a net of just +29%. That's a 50-point gap between the two parties. While 4 in every 5 Democrats feel more wom...

We're about 24 hours away from election day (12 if you want to get technical), so I thought I'd share the presidential and vice presidential nominees' Politifact scorecards going into the big day. Republican Ticket Donald Trump True: 4% (14 out of 328) Mostly True: 11% (36 out of 328) Half True/Half False: 15% (48 out of 328) Mostly False: 19% (63 out of 328) False: 34% (110 out of 328) Pants on Fire: 17% (57 out of 328) True/Mostly True: 15% False/Mostly False/Pants on Fire: 70% Net: -55% http://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/ Mike Pence True: 11% (4 out of 38) Mostly True: 11% (4 out of 38) Half True/Half False: 32% (12 out of 38) Mostly False: 21% (8 out of 38) False: 26% (10 out of 38) Pants on Fire: 0% (0 out of 38) True/Mostly True: 22% False/Mostly False/Pants on Fire: 47% Net: -25% http://www.politifact.com/personalities/mike-pence/ Democratic Ticket Hillary Clinton True: 25% (72 out ...

With just 37 primaries and caucuses left on the slate (21 for Democrats and 16 for Republicans), I thought I'd take a deeper look at our current numbers and the road ahead for the two parties and their presidential hopefuls. Current Numbers Republican Party 1) Donald Trump: 755 delegates (61.0% of the way to 1,237) 2) Ted Cruz: 517 delegates (41.8% of the way to 1,237) (335 delegates between: Marco Rubio (171), John Kasich (143), Uncommitted (9), Ben Carson (8), and Jeb Bush (4) Democratic Party 1) Hillary Clinton: 1,279 delegates (469 superdelegates) (53.6% of the way to 2,383 without superdelegates, 73.4% of the way to 2,383 with superdelegates) 2) Bernie Sanders: 1,027 delegates (31 superdelegates)  (43.1% of the way to 2,383 without superdelegates, 44.4% of the way to 2,383 without superdelegates) The Road Ahead April 9: Wyoming Caucus (D), 18 delegates - Sanders has been outperforming Clinton in nearly every Caucus state, so I'll predict he wins 12 of the 18 d...