WASHINGTON — Rep. Dean Phillips’ consideration of a White House run has fallen with a thud among Minnesota’s DFLers and other Democrats, some of whom have reacted with by reaffirming their strong loyalty to President Joe Biden.
“It’s a distraction and it gives Republicans ammunition,” said Rich Ginsburg, a lobbyist and supporter of DFL candidates, in reference to Philllips’ political ambitions. “Dean is going to have to explain himself.”
Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham reacted with just one word – “Ugh” – to a Facebook post about Phillips’ ambitions.
“We are 100% for President Biden,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO communications director Chris Shields.
A 54-year-old Democrat who represents the suburbs west of Minneapolis, Phillips has confirmed reports that he is meeting with Democratic donors in New York City this week to explore a run for the White House.
That has perplexed both officials in his party and political analysts who say he would never defeat Biden in next year’s Democratic primaries. And if for any reason Biden doesn’t run for re-election some reason, Phillips would still be considered a long shot.
“Dean Phillips doesn’t have the kind of draw he thinks he has,” Ginsburg said.
Nevertheless, the son of the heir to the Phillips Distilling Company who became a successful businessman in his own right, says he’s an eternal optimist. His Instagram motto is “Optimism is infinitely stronger than fear.”
In his third term in Congress, Phillips is an active member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers caucus and prides himself as a dealmaker.
That moderate stance would not help Phillips in the Democratic presidential primaries, said University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs, who is the director of the school’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.
“The primary voter is not a moderate who supports deal making, the primary voter is an activist who tends to be ideologically motivated,” Jacobs said.
Meanwhile, Ginsburg said the nation is too polarized for a centrist to make much headway in national politics.
“The battle lines are drawn, there is no middle,” he said.
Phillips declined to be interviewed for this story and has also turned down other media requests. But he texted the New York Times that he had “been overwhelmed with outreach and encouragement” to run for the White House and needed to assess his next steps.
A year ago Phillips was the first Democrat to publicly say Biden should not run and allow younger, more “dynamic” Democrats compete to be the party’s frontrunner. Democrats came to the support of Biden then, and after reports last week that Phillips might run for president, those Democrats rallied around the 80-year-old president again.
“With the threat of a second Trump presidency or a (Gov. Ron) DeSantis presidency, we need to be celebrating the accomplishments of Democrats and President Biden, not tearing it down,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-5th District, in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison tweeted that Biden has “delivered one of the largest economic recoveries in history, invested huge in infrastructure and is fighting for working people every day.”
“I’m 100% committed to helping re-elect him so we can continue building the economy from the bottom up and the middle out,” Ellison said.
Biden has already attracted two marginal Democratic primary challengers, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of a Democratic political dynasty, and author Marianne Williamson.
Those candidates have not caused the president’s re-election team much worry.
And Biden campaign co-chair Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told NBCs “Meet the Press” on Sunday that a possible Phillips candidacy “doesn’t make me nervous.”
Like Ellison, Coons credited Biden for the nation’s economic growth.
“Dean Phillips can’t cite anything like that,” he said.
Columbia University political science professor Robert Erikson thinks it’s important to know the identities of the Democratic donors meeting with Phillips this week to help him decide his political future. The congressman has not said who he is meeting with.
Erikson said Phillips could be a threat to Biden if he runs as a third-party candidate, syphoning off Democratic and independent votes from the president. He said Phillips would be a much more serious candidate than Kennedy or Williamson. But Erikson agreed with others who said the odds are long that Phillips would win the 2024 presidential election. Like others, Erikson said Phillips’ presidential ambitions are an enigma.
“The question is does he want to run for president or does he want publicity?” asked Erikson.
I beg to differ with Rich Ginsburg. It’s actually the DNC and Minnesota DFL who need to explain themselves–NOT Dean Phillips. The DFL party has taken a significant leap to the left. So much so that they seem no longer accountable to our party’s moderates.
I–and many other DFL moderates–are uncomfortable with this. Many have expressed concerns about Biden running again. Dean offers up a fair alternative and welcome newer, younger blood into the DNC. I welcome his entry into the race–should he choose to do so.
How has the DFL moved to the left? The biggest change I have seen has been the attention paid to the rights of non-white people, of women, of LGBTQ people, etc. There is also more attention paid to economic inequities, which seems like a logical step for a party founded to advance the interests of working people.
I can never understand what the Holy Moderates are objecting to. As nearly as I can figure out, they got what they wanted from legislation advanced by the DFL, and see no reason that political and economic progress should not stop there. That’s just too bad. As you may have noticed (even if you don’t care to acknowledge it), the country has changed, and society has likewise changed. Minnesota and the US are not what they used to be, back in the days when Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were canvassing for votes at Svenskarnas Dag.
But it’s not “moderate,” a term that has become so overused as to be utterly meaningless. Back in the day, there was nothing “moderate” about the DFL. The lack of “moderation” should be viewed as the logical culmination of what the party is supposed to be standing for.
It’s barely Aug 1, but it seems you, Ginsburg, and Jacobs couldn’t wait to start puffing the magic dragon. (Ah, I couldn’t resist that one, not today.)
Seriously, The centrist candidate handily won the Dem nomination in 2020, sweeping Bernie aside. Sanders never grew beyond his base of 20%.
Or have I missed something? Did Biden push for Medicare for all while I wasn’t looking? (Not that that is all that lefty of a plan. Has Joe been beating the drum for a $15/hr minimum wage? Has he proposed that capital gains be taxed at the same rate as the income I earn by the sweat of my brow? Are Biden’s appointees proposing breaking up the giant monster mega banks? Or have they gotten even bigger? Has Joe been working hard to reform labor law, which heavily favors employers?
Get back to me when Biden proposes raising the estate tax, and maybe I’ll start to think he’s a lefty.
What significant leaps to the left are you referring to? With an assertion like that you should be able to provide examples. President Biden is most certainly not a liberal or remotely progressive; he’s a moderate Democrat, some would say centrist. He’s also managed to accomplish a lot in under three years – the IRA, the Infrastructure package, the CHiPS and Science Act, the Pact Act. Inflation is down, job numbers are high, manufacturing plants are being rebuilt across the country. Are all of these things too far to the left? If Biden were actually a progressive … if the DNC, as an organization, was actually run by real progressives … you would be seeing a push for things like universal health care and bolder climate initiatives.
Other than his age, and the fact that he moves and speaks slower than he used to, what are your concerns about him? You didn’t state any.
One final question? Why should liberal and progressive Dems be “accountable” to the moderates/centrists of our party? We’ve been “accountable” to moderates and centrists for decades; we’re used for our votes and then most of what we ask for is siphoned off so the moderates/centrists can “compromise” with Republicans without much measurable progress. I’ll also take this occasion to remind you it was not moderate or centrist Democrats who held off the predicted “red wave” in the 2022 mid-terms. That honor goes to highly energized GenZ Democrats, who are mobilized and will come out again en masse in 2024.
Are Phillips and David Duchovny the same person?
Phillips is correct in stating that Biden should step aside. Klobuchar would be my choice, but Phillips gets points for saying what we’re all thinking.
We’re not all thinking that way.
Senator Amy tried, and failed. End of story.
Demeaning the woman again, I see.
Why don’t the gals stay in the kitchen where they belong?
No demeaning, just the facts.
Use of the diminutive “Senator Amy” is the demeaning, which I think you understand.
I’d prefer Biden step aside, but Phillips would not be my first choice of replacement. Whitmer & Walz come to mind as better alternatives. A couple terms in the House are inadequate preparation for becoming POTUS.
I hope it’s Walz. Here’s a guy who was a deer in the headlights in his moment of truth as the Twin Cities burned ….: including the surrender and destruction of a police precinct. Then he threw Frey under the bus. Not exactly Commander in Chief material.
Walz biggest accomplishment has been spending a $19 billion taxpayer surplus with a one vote majority in the senate while raising taxes by $10 billion on the citizens of Minnesota …… something never mentioned in his campaign.
He’s the guy who wins the lottery and ends up broke. The DNC doesn’t want a candidate from Minnesota. They already have Minnesota in the bag and Walz is a nobody outside of his own state.
A good chunk of this $10 billion in tax increases that you claim includes 1) Paid Leave funding which is good for workers, 2) Adding another tier for taxation so higher earners pay their fair share, 3) Taxing foreign companies that often escape paying state taxes by using tax havens, and 4) Taxes on legal weed. This all comes from the MN Senate Republican Caucus’s own website. I recognize it also includes a metro sales tax, which is very minimal, and new taxes for vehicles which I admit are substantial, but also these go towards maintaining our state’s infrastructure. Lastly, this all fails to include the various tax cuts and credits directed towards lower- and middle-income Minnesotans.
You do understand that everything you’re talking about was done by Democratic legislators and approved by a Democratic governor, right? That means that Republicans are required to regard all those things as inherently evil, regardless of anything else.
Don’t confuse them with nuance. If it can’t fit on a bumper sticker, it’s too complex for them to grasp.
You do understand that everything mentioned in this comment is a distortion of the facts and that the Democrats misled voters on taxes and spending.
It’s hard to dig into the facts when more taxes and more spending is hidden from the public during an election campaign. It’s easy to overlook when you believe government’s role is to take care of you:
It’s also easy to overlook when you’ve made up your mind that it must be bad, because it comes from Democrats.
All of what you say is true. We will now find out how that benefits the State of Minnesota over the next 5-10 years.
That’s the challenge of being a Democrat ….. it’s hard to keep track of all the tax increases and spending. The $10 billion tax increase does not include an increase for higher earners. This was not passed. The Minnesota tax on foreign business also did not happen. Minnesota would be the only state in the country to do this which shows how tax driven our state government is.The marijuana tax revenue is a moving target but is designed to keep prices low with a lower sales tax than many other states and the expected revenue to be minimal. Apparently encouraging more users and consumption of thc is considered a good thing.The non taxes you mention are not funding the $10 billion increase.
As far as taxes missed there’s increases in the gas tax , vehicle registration tax , housing tax and delivery tax. These hit everyone not just the wealthy.
The “minimal” metro sales taxes add up to about $2.5 billion over 4 years and the majority of the transit tax will go to bail out Hennepin counties SWLR $1.75 billion overspend and the MTC’s annual operating losses where fare revenue only accounts for 10% of operating costs.
Family leave is funded with $670 million from the general fund and then by a .7% payroll tax split by employees and employers ….. most of which are small businesses. This is estimated as an annual tax if $1.5 billion on employees and businesses.
Walz did not run on tax increases. His $2,600 tax rebate was reduced to $520 for married couples and $260 for single. There are no tax cuts and credits are only directed to people with children ….. not all low income earners. There will be many Minnesotans who will not only pay zero state income tax , they will be sent a check from the state in the form of a tax credit. This is funded by people who pay their fare share. His one vote mandate in the senate was achieved by 4 senators running on a full repeal of state social security taxes which didn’t happen.
This may be the biggest bait and switch effort in the history of Minnesota politics.
Walz ran on improving the state and, thankfully, with a majority in the legislature, the DFL is attempting to do that. I personally find it pretty childish to complain about “not running on so-and-so” because that’s politics. Walz runs his campaign, then he works with a bunch of other people who ran campaigns, and then they figure out and try to pass their priorities. If you didn’t think taxing the rich or increasing taxes to pay for infrastructure could be a part of that, I think that’s more on you than Walz or the DFL.
As far as the particulars of taxation go, I already know that you and I will always have a difference of opinion because you see the government as useless and I see the government as a vehicle for investing in the state and its people. For example, tax credits going to people with children is a GOOD thing because there is almost no better investment a government can make then in children. The metro sales tax – which of course will add up to a high amount over 4 years because it’s, y’know, THE METRO – is going to pay for investments in housing, which I guarantee will pay for itself over time. The Social Security tax WAS decreased except for high earners. The vehicle and gas tax go to infrastructure, paid leave is an investment, so on and so forth.
Where did Walz tax the rich ? All of the taxes you fail to acknowledge in your previous comment impact low income earners more than high income earners.
Infrastructure. How does providing the Met Council 83% of a 4 year transit tax of this $1.8 billion tax improve infrastructure ? Unless you think spending everything on failing transit programs such as a bailout for the SWLR or paying for MTC’s annual operating losses …. I fail to see the connection. The revenue from Motor Vehicle Sales Taxes funds 5 times more of MTC’s operating budget than fare revenue does.
Why didn’t the trifecta support meaningful tax reductions for all Minnesotan’s , not just those with children ? Our lowest marginal tax rate of 5.35% is higher than most states highest rate. We know why. The Democrats are addicted to tax revenue (even from low income earners) and spending. They may not want to tell you but with any level of objectivity it is obvious. It is yet to be scene if Walz has improved the state.
I believe part of the package included a tax on investment earnings over a million dollars, so there’s your tax on the rich. Let’s do more of that. Tax benefits for those with children are because their cost of living is higher than those without children, and I am fine with that. Incentivizing population growth and allowing those parents to afford to raise their kids are fine goals, and I say that as someone without children. As far as tax rates go, I don’t really care what other states do. I am all for a progressive tax system where lower income earners pay less and higher incomes earners pay more. And, as you mentioned in your last post, a lot of those lower income earners aren’t going to need to pay a state income tax and might even get a credit. Does the DFL get credit for that? Imagine how much better the tax system could be if we had a trifecta at the federal level and took a similar approach.
I am not going to agree with you about the infrastructure issue, but I am not going to cheerlead for the Met Council either. I think most of us are in agreement that things need to change on that front. But I am almost always going to support the expansion of public transportation, including light rails and metro transit. There are so many benefits to these services – to the environment, for economic growth, for equity and accessibility, etc. These services don’t operate as a business, so it doesn’t matter if they break even or operate at a loss (within reason), but, once again, these are worthwhile investments into Minnesota that generate benefits over time.
Dean’s campaign will be lucky to be as successful as Klobuchar’s. Maybe he is cash poor and needs to raise some spending money from Minnesota’s self styled “moderate” suburban suckers
Excellent article by Ana Radelat.
What would be Philips’s winning platform? Vote for me I’m younger?
Challenging a sitting president who has a record of accomplishment is an act of 1) arrogance, or 2) stupidity or both. Except for RFK Jr who is borderline insane.
Biden is doing a good job. He is steady on public policy and often ahead of things.
U.S. gross domestic product for the second quarter up 2.4%, higher than projected, and inflation rose at a slower pace of 2.6%, down from last quarter and well below projections. Job growth staying strong. Consumer spending and business investment are up in a tough economic environment.
Biden also is reestablishing ground rules for corporate behavior, working multiple diplomatic channels to challenge Israel against discarding democracy, and making inroads into American constituencies Dems have neglected in the past.
Biden’s embrace of the Emmett Till project is heartening. As Heather Cox Richardson notes, it is smart pushback on the whitewashed history taught in Florida and other states–and an effective way to make the country’s ACTUAL history easily accessible.
All of this is a sign of mental/political acuity.
Dems should coalesce behind Biden in solidarity (not splinter a party that can beat Trump) and take opportunists like Phillips to the woodshed.
Vote for me because I’m younger?
At some point this needs to be a good selling point.
America will need to stop nominating boomers.
Biden, Feinstein and McConnell are good ways to sell that idea.
Amen, John. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it to anyone who brings up 2024: Biden has been the best president of my lifetime, and for that, he has my vote. I have been very impressed with his record and can only imagine how much better it could’ve been without Manchin and Sinema getting in the way, or the Supreme Court. His economic record in particular, as you noted, has been incredible and I appreciate how much he has been tinkering policy away from the neoliberal status quo. I watch his speeches pretty regularly, and, yeah, he isn’t the greatest speaker in the world, but it is obvious (to me, at least) that he knows his stuff when it comes to policy and still has a lot to offer in another term.
So, you don’t buy gas ($3.69), food or are trying to buy or sell a home. My mortgage rate is 3.25%. If I wanted to sell my home I’d have to pay twice that on a new one. And now Fitch just lowered the nation’s credit rating from AAA to AA+ which can raise interest rates on Treasury bonds, which in turn will raise rates even further.
People who think we have a good economy are those who have a government job, no debt, and no need to deal with the housing market. Otherwise, you’re swimming upstream.
And as for his foreign policy, we’re closer to World War 3 now than at any time in the past 40 years.
Oh, and he’s a crook … he’s taken between $17-50 million in bribes since he was Obama’s VP.
Gas prices, food prices, and interest rates are not Biden’s fault, and our credit rating got decreased because Republicans prevent our government from functioning properly. Biden has also done an excellent job of weakening Putin and bringing together our allies in that effort, so his foreign policy is actually another reason he gets my vote, especially when compared to the alternative.
Go ahead and share your evidence of these alleged bribes.
Biden doesn’t control oil prices or interest rates. Biden didn’t invade Russia and you have absolutely zero evidence that Biden accepted ANY bribes. None, zip, nada
Even Comer is skipping his own hearings because he’s so depressed at not being able to find anything on Biden.
You should probably lay off the conservative news outlets. There’s no actual proof he’s taken any bribes. If you’re talking about Hunter’s business partner, the Republicans who brought him in to testify couldn’t even stay in the room the whole time. There was nothing there to implicate President Biden in anything.
oh, and by the way. This country’s credit rating was downgraded due to the preponderance of mouth breathing cretins in Congress, specifically the ones that want the US to default on its debts. Want directions on which side of the aisle they’re sitting on?
First of all, if you want to sell your house and buy another, go right ahead. And if you have to pay a higher interest rate, so be it. It’d be a higher rate by comparison, but mortgage rates are still relatively low.
Second, lots of people think we have a good economy. In fact, they KNOW the economy is good. Unemployment is at a 50 year low, the Dow continues to trend upward, and the high inflation of a year ago – when, really, the entire world was still recovering from COVID – has all but disappeared. Here again, food and gas prices are higher by comparison, but is it a fair comparison? Not really.
Third, we’re nowhere near World War III. Even OAN and Newsmax have given up peddling that bit of Trumpish twaddle.
As for your claim that Joe Biden has accepted between $17-50 million in bribes, just the enormous difference alone between those two figures says it all; you get your “facts” from the nuttiest of the wingnuts. These so-called whistleblowers haven’t any proof, any evidence, nor even a credible story to tell. What they’ve got is an ax to grind, and what they are is Republicans in cheap clothing.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, which would be our National Debt. Seriously?
Do you mean the debt that previous Republican administrations racked up? Yet another reason to vote for Biden.
I meant the debt incurred since President Biden took office. Which had something to do with the record high inflation. Which has everything to do with high interest rates.
So the debt incurred before Biden got into office isn’t as important? I am not sure what point you’re trying to make there.
National debt end of January 2021 $21.6 trillion
National debt today (2 1/2 years later) $31.1 trillion
A 44% increase in such a short time is the point I think that everyone should be concerned about.
Since you are seeking to mislead about Biden’s contribution to the national debt, the reality is that a president can’t be held accountable for any spending occurring until the end of the first fiscal year he was in office, which ends Sept 30 of each year.
Thus for Trump, national debt on:
Sept 30, 2o17: $20.245 trillion.
Sept 30, 2021: $28.429 trillion.
You do the math.
Biden takes over from there. The most massive increase occurred in the years the incompetent Trump was president.
Now, that that doesn’t mean the debt hasn’t quickly climbed. It has. This is because of a totally unnecessary Repub tax cut under Trump, and totally necessary Covid Relief bills commencing April 2020.
Taxes on the rich need to be substantially increased. Very substantially. Back to 80% on every dollar earned over, say, $10 million.
It’s extremely doubtful that the various Covid Relief bills, or the Infrastructure Act, had anything meaningful to do with the post-Covid bout of inflation. That appears to have been caused by the collapse of our plutocrats and MBA geniuses’ jury-rigged “supply chain”, which was far too dependent on overseas manufacturing despite Trump’s ballyhooed “trade war” (or because of it!) The inflation was also fueled by the spike in oil prices caused by Czar Putin’s illegal war of aggression.
So blaming Biden for any of this is simply bad economics. But that’s what I expect from “conservatives”…
“Columbia University political science professor Robert Erikson thinks it’s important to know the identities of the Democratic donors meeting with Phillips this week to help him decide his political future.”
That’s the money quote, if you’ll pardon the expression. Are they really Democrats? Are they Republican machers who also make some smaller donations to Democrats to hedge their bets? Are these people who have supported Democrats in the past, or have they just found a convenient catspaw for vote siphoning?
Or is this just more “No Labels” mishegoss?
If I still lived in Plymouth, I’d vote for Phillips to be my representative in Congress. And maybe, some day, for President. But not yet. I assume he’s just trying to make a point.
Personally, I’m fine with Biden. This age crap is overblown. But if not Biden, there are far better choices than Phillips at this point in time (as others have pointed out: Klobuchar, Widmer, Walz).
Dean, talk to Minnesota donors and voters. Our opinion matters more than wealthy New Yorkers who may simply want to back a Democrat is more pro zisrael than Biden – pro-Israel defined as giving Netanyahu and the ultra conservative settlers whatever they want will demonizing the Palestinians and dropping our support of the two state solution. You are 54. If you want to run, laying down some trust inspiring accomplishments.
Sure, why not?
Phillips says he’s a “problem solver.”
What problem does he think he’s solving by running against an incumbent president who has presided over an improved economy, and guided the nation with unmatched experience and wisdom in treacherous times?
The age issue is a manufactured one — because it has not been manifested in any way. While Biden may walk slowly, he maintains a schedule that would exhaust many a younger person. He is mature; his judgment is sound.
Dean: Keep your ego in line. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You will only wind up breaking it.
He works about 6 hours a day and takes long weekends in Delaware constantly ( in spite of global boiling).
Yes indeed, long weekends in Delaware by the president are definitely proof that Globull Warming does not exist. Solid scientific reasoning!
Also, too, more hypocrisy by our Dem elites! At least Repub elites flying all over hell every day deny the existence of the warming…they have intellectual integrity!
Dean, a least, has a firm grasp of the obvious.
He sees a frail, incapacitated, corrupt old man.
Agreed. Trump IS a frail, incapacitated corrupt man.
Yes, we all can assume he would beat Trump, but he has to get the nomination first.
If anything, some of the comments are exactly what is wrong. Stick with the status quo. Some here have said that Biden is doing a good to great job. Well, it’s been since March of 2022 since Biden was under 50% disapproval and since November 2021 that he was at least even in approval to disapproval according to Reuters.
At least Phillips knows what is going on in the real world. He, and many others, know that this presidency has an extremely bad pulse on the nation, is going further and further left, and is so borderline inept that we are seeing evidence of criminal activity.
Oh, so the inflation rate is dropping? When he was the one that caused the massive inflation rates in the first place, he should not get credit for making things better when he hasn’t even got back to a level inflation rate. In the end, we all pay a lot more for everything.
At least Phillips is making some noise instead of sticking his head in the sand hoping people won’t notice. After all, that’s how Biden won his first election. This time, he actually has to work. He just needs to get his facts straight.
Telling me Biden caused inflation is the same as telling me you have no knowledge of how the economy works.
Talk of Biden’s age by Republicans and Phillips’ even teasing about running are direct attacks on Vice President Harris. In any previous situation we would have assumed that an experienced, articulate, VP who has been the consummate team player would be the logical back-up candidate.
Any chance failure to mention her in this situation reflects her race and gender? It is obvious that the Republicans are playing to their base by saying, “If you vote for the old guy, you get the Black woman,” but what is Dean Phillips’ message?
Articulate VP? You can’t be serious. She’s so inept that she had to drop out before getting embarrassed in her home state primary.
This. The claims of incompetence are fabricated. No one who makes the claim can articulate WHAT makes her incompetent. Not a single example. The media and various commenters drum and drum and drum this fabrication to the public and THEN they point to her poll ratings. “See, nobody likes her.” Yeah, perhaps because it really doesn’t take much to convince people who are already biased against her gender and skin tone that she’s “incompetent” just by saying so.
Dean Phillips is, I think, simply trying to make a national name for himself. Maybe he wants to be Governor? Maybe he wants to challenge Klobuchar or Smith for US Senate?
Everyone assumes Phillips is running against Biden to get the nomination, but what if he is actually running against Harris? Against Harris, Phillips may have a chance.
A third-term member of the House of Representatives from a mid-sized state versus a former Vice President and Senator from our most populous state.
Yes, it will be a cakewalk.
Dear Abby,
Since you have known me as a child, you know my fondest wish since then was to run for president. I’m thinking now may be the time, but is it? Even though you are no longer with us I’m sure you are watching from heaven and have the necessary information to make a wise opinion on the matter. What say you, granny?
–Sonny
Dear Sonny,
Yes, by all means run. Run for president like you always dreamed! Don’t mind those naysayers, you have a thick skin, use it. Just remember the important things, Sonny. Remember that you are running with the Democrats, therefore with President Biden when he his renominated. That means mind your manners, respect your elders, brush your teeth twice a day, and remind voters of all the great things the President has done. Remind the voters of the ill winds blowing if he had not beaten Trump. Tell the voters you are not yet standing behind Biden, but rather next to him to hold his arm when he seems unsteady. If they don’t listen to you then your best strategy is preparing to finish Biden’s sentences if he does a Mitch McConnell. To the Democrats who lack patience with you, offer them your best de-caf with a paper straw. For a long time it will appear you have no chance to win. You will be compared unfavorably to Gene McCarthy. It will be Harold Stassen all over again. And I knew Harold Stassen, Harold Stassen was a friend of mine. You, Sonny, are no Harold Stassen. But if you stick it out there is always the chance you will exceed expectations in New Hampshire and Biden must leave the race. (Oops, never mind that New Hampshire part, but I do recommend “Be clean for Dean”)
Then your nice friend Amy can pull you aside and explain what a “stalking horse” is.
In the end only you can decide, not only whether to run for president, but the more important question: “Am I better off with Joe or better off without him?”
–love, Abby
The irony/hypocracy is overwhelming, got articles on we need more than 2 parties, got folks yelling all we get to chose from are a bunch of old whit male farts, one losing his marbles, and the other so corrupt he makes Al Capone look like an alter boy, and then you get a new perspective and folks go off the rails! Why not at least endorse a vigorous discussion, or are we stuck with 100% blue hat or 100% red hat defined by the ultra lefties and righties? America, only 2 political points of view allowed, but 1000 flavors of ice cream and growing!
Dean, at least, has a firm grasp of the obvious.
He sees a frail, incapacitated, corrupt old man shuffling to be reelected POTUS.
President Biden is also running for re-election.
I think there are plenty of people who are apprehensive about Biden being able to survive a second term with his age. A second liability is peoples apprehension about his predecessor in the event Biden doesn’t finish his second term.
The veep does not poll well.
Walz is too connected to the violence in the twin cities and lack of any help, and fumbling on how he spent an 18 billion surplus.
I think Phillips has chosen a good time to enter the race.
Looks like there is basically nobody lobbying for Phillips to be POTUS, though D Wagner makes the reasonable point: why not have the discussion?
I agree it would do the dems well to have an open nominating process. Even then, though, there doesn’t seem to be a natural Phillips constituency.
Exactly. If anything, Phillips is pushing the “problem solver, work across the aisle” shtick. But that’s been Biden’s modus operandi!
So it’s nothing but the age issue.
Rep. Phillips is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Perhaps he can tell us what problems he has solved during his many years in Congress.
The problem of “how does a newcomer to Congress get national attention for himself?”
Phillips’ Dem Congress of 2020-22 addressed many longstanding problems in America with an enormous number of bills passed, including an infrastructure bill and a bill to increase green energy investment, as you are well aware.
But I’m assuming the only problem rightists purport to see now is the size of the national debt, which must be “solved” solely on the spending side, never the revenue side. That it largely came about by literally decades of reckless tax cuts for the wealthy is seen as an example of “lib’rul facts”…
And Rep. Phillips wrote how many of the bills for the Congress that got so much done? Co-sponsorships? Leadership?
Bills passed does not equal success or prove that our infrastructure is now better or that Green Energy has suddenly advanced by leaps and bounds.
I’m just looking for the top ten signature items that Rep. Phillips achieved by himself and his leadership.
This is such lame reasoning that no response is really needed.
A single member of Congress has to prove he “solved” a national problem overnight or you refuse to grant him any credit. Got it.
I was going to ask for a comparison between Phillips’s accomplishments vs. the house repubs under McCarthy. I feel like it’s probably a soccer score. Maybe nil-nil?
Well Democrats have to find someone viable pretty quick. Joe’s facade of being a moderate, incorruptible, perfect family man is basically out the window. And he certainly can’t run on his intellect.
“And he certainly can’t run on his intellect.”
Man, that must sting for all the politicians he’s defeated over the years.
Especially when former government officials knowingly lie for him to help him win. And when former real news organizations like the NYT and Washington Post ignore all evidence of his corruption and print whatever the Biden campaign says.
You do have to remember there is a difference between what is presented 24/7 in Conserva-world and actual reality, Clarence.
I notice you aren’t specifically refuting anything. Must be a hard pill to swallow when all the lies you’ve ingested from MSNBC and The Atlantic turn out to be nonsense. Team Biden has even had to stoop to spoon feeding stories to People magazine while Biden is a yet another vacation.
No one has to “refute” total fiction. And if the case is so strong, where are the Articles of Impeachment? Refute that…
At the end of the day, that’s all you’ve got, isn’t it? One-liners and personal shots. No ideas, no proposals, just some taunts. And, inevitably, the “wuddabouts.”
There is no there there.
I’ve made many specific points you’ve just chosen to ignore. The fact is you will vote for Biden no matter what he does. So you have to minimize his corruption and ignoring a grandchild until he was shamed into having to issue a pathetic press release to People magazine.
Yes indeed, not publicly referencing a grandchild born out of wedlock definitely equates to multiple charges and federal indictments for seriously endangering national security, and organizing a conspiracy to overthrow a national election. With charges for an attempt to alter the results of a state election yet to come.
And you are seriously criticizing Biden for his vacation schedule? After the non-working golfaholic Trump?
Yeah, WE are the ones who will support a candidate no matter what he does. Jesus…
That’s where you lefties fall apart. You think all you have to say is “Yeah, but what about Orange Guy…,” and then Biden can do or say say thing. Just because Trump is bad doesn’t mean Biden is good.
Repubs obviously don’t have the slightest evidence of serious financial “corruption”. And they know they don’t, no matter how strong their disingenuous rhetoric. If they did, nothing would stop them from filing Articles of Impeachment.
And who at Minnpost uses “Orange Guy”? We are much more original than that…
And the national press will “shame” him over an illegitimate grandchild but studiously decline to cover evidence of his supposed “bribery”? You need to read what you write…
Except for one opinion piece the mainstream press has been ignoring it. They’ve let him get away with giving a false answers regarding his grandkids for years. But enough people have seen the truth on Twitter and alternative media his team decided to take the coward route and do a press release.