Burke: 11 more Democratic debates? Why, yes I’ll have another

Published 1:30 am Monday, July 1, 2019

By Tom Burke

Herald columnist

Whew; they’re are over. The Dem debates are: D.O.N.E .

Uh, OK, let’s be accurate, round one is done.

Well, yeah, OK, there’s gonna be a bit more candidate chit chat between now and the July 2020 Democratic convention. But this one is done.

Ah, what’s that?

Ya say there’s gonna be eleven more debates? Eleven? Like 11, XI, 12-1, 6+5, 11 more? Nearly one-a-month from July to April 2020?

You’re kidding. Right?

No? Really? Almost a dozen more? A near-dozen more times to hear the candidates talk about themselves and how they would lead the country?

To hear them talk about how they’ll beat Donald Trump?

To hear them talk about Russia and election meddling, China and tariffs, health care, abortion, the opioid crisis, Iran, the War Powers Act, gerrymandering, corporate accountability, disability rights, ending Washington (DC) corruption, the Green New Deal and global warming, gun violence prevention, housing, immigration, infrastructure, jobs, wages and the economy, K-12 education and teacher pay, student loans and college affordability, LGBTQ-equality, legalizing marijuana, Medicare and Medicaid, national security, nuclear non-proliferation, pay equity, prescription drug costs, for-profit prisons, Puerto Rico recovery, racial justice, reproductive rights, Social Security, taxing the wealthy, universal child care, veterans and military families, voting rights, and Wall Street reform. For starters.

Good.

I mean, G.O.O.D!

Because when election time rolls around in November 2020 we gotta know where the candidates stand on these issues.

There can’t be any doubt, this time, about how she or he is going to govern or how they intend to rebuild America’s standing in the world and their commitment to the rule of law.

With a total of twelve debates, plus countless campaign stops, town halls, coffee klatches; then the primaries; then the convention, the Democratic choice for president won’t be a coronation, like the last time; or a con man’s con job, like the last time.

People will have specific, hard facts on the Democratic side (and two years of lies, chaos, and self-interest on the Republican side, as all we hear from Trump is, “No collusion. No obstruction,” or, “She wasn’t my type.”) as they make their choice for president.

I hosted a debate party Wednesday. While I wanted to hear what the candidates had to say, I also wanted to hear what folks thought about what they said and how they said it.

And I did.

I heard how people thought Beto was weak, unsure, and spoke in un-impressive generalities.

How Castro surprised everyone.

And Booker surprised everyone.

And how Warren surprised no one and was the clear winner of the night. (But, they added, she needs to prove she can go toe-to-toe with Der Furor.)

On Thursday night it was just my wife and me.

And like everyone, we caught our breath as Kamala Harris nailed Joe Biden.

And felt bad for ole Uncle Joe when it was clear he’d lost a step or ten over the years and finally said, “My time is up, I’m sorry.”

Mayor Pete didn’t loose any ground and Gillibrand came off shrill.

The others did OK, but it was Harris’s night.

Now juxtapose these two nights against Donald Trump and the G20 in Japan, who, before he left, made clear he doesn’t think we should know what he says to our greatest enemy, Vladimir Putin, because, “What I say to him is none of your business.” (None of our business?)

Now based on what I saw Wednesday and Thursday, I’m looking forward to the Trump/UnTrump debates.

I want to see Mayor Pete make him look small and old and a coward.

I want to see Kamala Harris publicly prosecute his crimes, incompetence and racism.

I want to see Elizabeth Warren showcase his utter ignorance when it comes to policy and his utter failure to keep his promises to working America.

I want to see Donald John Trump try to bully and bulldoze and intimidate someone who simply won’t be bullied, bulldozed or intimidated.

I want to see more Trump endorsements like Vladimir’s, who said, “But do you know what I think? (Not really) I think that he is a talented person. He knows very well what his voters expect from him.” (Who’s next to endorse: Erdogan of Turkey? Duterte from the Philippines? Kim Jung Un, who sends him “beautiful” letters while building nukes and missiles?)

And I want to see more truth ala Jimmy Carter who said, “There’s no doubt that the Russians did interfere in the election …. Trump didn’t actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf.”

But since Trump laughingly told Putin, “Don’t mess with our elections,” and Vlad smilingly replied, “Of course I won’t,” we don’t have to worry about that any more.

Do we.

Tom Burke’s email address is t.burke.column@gmail.com.