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Mirsky’s List: Strongest Candidates For President: It's Joe Biden

Exeter Attorney David Mirsky shares his thoughts on the 2020 Presidential Race, as seen from New Hampshire.

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Mirsky’s List of the Strongest Candidates for President in 2020, as of February 8, 2020
Mirsky’s List of the Strongest Candidates for President in 2020, as of February 8, 2020 (Photo by David H. Mirsky)

EXETER, NH — This is Attorney David Mirsky reporting from the frontlines of the 2020 presidential race with my latest view of the race, coming straight from the proverbial battle field here on the New Hampshire Seacoast. For Democrats, the New Hampshire Seacoast area is a Democratic stronghold, containing the towns of Exeter, Hampton, Rye, Brentwood, East Kingston, Epping, Seabrook, Dover, Kensington, Greenland, New Castle, North Hampton, Kensington, Stratham, and the City of Portsmouth, and stretching up to Dover, Durham and Rochester (I know I have left out a few towns, please bear with me). This is where the action is for New Hampshire primary watchers and participants.

And with the Primary only a few days away (the voting takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 11), everyone is now extremely interested in just who these candidates are. I will do my best to give you an accurate picture, but as you all know, the decision and the responsibility for the decision, is yours.

We have had somewhat of a confusing outcome in the Iowa Caucuses, which occurred on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. But that is all behind us now, and we as voters must look forward and discharge our duties faithfully and honorably. With that in mind, here is my final pre-New Hampshire Primary list of the Strongest Candidates for President in 2020:

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Democrats

1. Joe Biden, former U.S. Vice President and longtime U.S. Senator from Delaware, former Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. You know Joe Biden. He is Number One on this list because I know Joe Biden, you know Joe Biden, former U.S. President Barack Obama knows Joe Biden and he chose Joe Biden to be his Vice President because of the deep and undeniable quality and humanity of this man, as well as his immense wisdom and resilience. As Democrats look toward November, they should do so knowing that they have nominated for the U.S. Presidency that one person who is far beyond and far above the rest of the field. Joe Biden is a man of deep compassion and unmatched experience in the job of running our country. As a candidate for President, Joe Biden is the one person who can attract support and commitment from people all across the political spectrum: Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. And he will not let us down. He will restore stability and decency to our country. He will lead us forward. I have said this before and I will say it again: Joe Biden can run my country anytime.

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2. Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. Harvard Law School Professor and expert on complex economic matters. A brilliant scholar and lawyer, Senator Warren is one of my favorites and I hope she does well on Tuesday. Elizabeth Warren is well known for her brilliance as a legal scholar and policy maker, but here in New Hampshire we have also been privileged to see and learn that Elizabeth Warren is deeply compassionate, a champion of the Middle Class and of those less fortunate than those of us in the Middle Class, and she is dedicated to reworking our government to ensure that our laws and policies and government spending behaviors reflect more clearly our values as Americans. Under a President Elizabeth Warren, you will no longer have an American Government that mistreats or disrespects the individual or members of minority groups, or the poor or disabled among us. In fact, under a President Elizabeth Warren you will see people treated with kindness and grace, because that is what she is all about. And beyond that, Elizabeth is so brilliant that I just do not know what else to say.

3. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont. Leader of the Left Wing of the Democratic Party (though he is officially an Independent). Bernie Sanders is a strong consistent leader with a strong and motivated following. His goal is to revolutionize America by making our health care system work for everyone except the big insurance companies who control it right now. If Bernie Sanders becomes President, you can be assured that he will seek to change America for the benefit of the bottom ninety-nine percent of us, those of us who are not millionaires and billionaires. The millionaires and billionaires may not like this, but if Bernie Sanders wins, the wealthiest among us will no longer dominate the rest of us. Bernie Sanders is not seeking a wild or unworkable revolution, rather, he is seeking a sensible revolution that will make it possible for every American to afford quality health care, for themselves and for their families.

4. Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and futurist, successful businessman and creator of jobs. I spoke with an Andrew Yang volunteer today, a member of the “YangGang”, and she voiced concern to me that the media and the political establishment are not giving Andrew Yang a proper amount of attention or a fair opportunity to be heard. Andrew Yang should be heard! Andrew Yang should be heard because he is a futurist and a genius with a vision of America and the world that accounts for all the destabilizing changes that have been occurring in the new Century. Andrew Yang is focused on helping America transition from this Early Digital Age into the future. He is about making sure people have enough money to pay their bills (he has a guaranteed $1000-a-month income plan), and he is about making sure that people have the opportunity to grow and prosper in their lives in the real world in which we live, which is a world soon to be dominated by Artificial-Intelligence (“AI”) (i.e., robots and self-driving vehicles). Andrew Yang is concerned that with all the change that is going on real people will get lost in the shuffle. Andrew Yang wants to prevent that. I imagine that if Andrew Yang had available to him all of the resources of the U.S. Government, he would achieve something remarkable and great for America.

5. Pete Buttigieg, former Mayor of South Bend Indiana, Veteran of the War in Afghanistan (also known as “Mayor Pete”). Pete Buttigieg is a brilliant politician who has managed to catapult himself from relative obscurity as a Midwestern Mayor into the forefront of the 2020 U.S Presidential race. He has managed to do this by utilizing a magnificent speaking voice, brilliant strategy, and unequaled courage. This is a very courageous man. Pete Buttigieg is the first openly gay man to run for the U.S Presidency, and he is so confident and self-assured that nobody even talks about this. And so, without even winning the Democratic Nomination Pete Buttigieg has already revolutionized America. Think about that for a minute. In terms of his policies, Pete Buttigieg appears to me to be a pragmatist who is reluctant to make unrealistic promises. His supporters like that as well. He is a young man, 38 years old, and because of that Pete Buttigieg would bring a brand new and refreshing perspective to the governance of our country.

6. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator from Minnesota, former county prosecutor for Hennepin County, Minnesota. You have seen Amy Klobuchar in the Presidential Debates, so by now you must be aware that Amy Klobuchar is a brilliant speaker and capable of shredding opponents in the course of an argument. President Donald Trump, if he were to chance it, would find Amy Klobuchar to be a debate stage opponent that he could not defeat. Senator Klobuchar is extremely tough, in my estimation. She is still a prosecutor at heart, and I believe she intends to prosecute Donald Trump, at least figuratively during the campaign. She is a definite centrist in terms of her policy views, but a Centrist Democrat, one who will fight to provide affordable health care, equal justice under the law, and economic prosperity.

7. Tom Steyer, anti-Trump Impeachment Activist, hedge fund manager, and philanthropist. Tom Steyer is a powerful U.S. businessman who has liberal policy views and is vehemently opposed to everything that Donald Trump stands for. (We won’t get into just exactly what that is right now.) Steyer is a billionaire who has all the money he needs to run a strong and effective campaign against Donald Trump. Steyer is also a very energetic speaker with a detailed list of the deficiencies of Donald Trump on his mind at all times. What Tom Steyer has to offer is a deep commitment to reversing the dangers of Climate Change, and a gifted understanding of economic matters which he believes would enable him to expose Donald Trump’s weaknesses in the business realm and as a manager of the U.S. economy.

8. Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Representative from Hawaii; Combat Veteran of the War in Afghanistan and the First Female Combat Veteran to run for President of the United States. Tulsi Gabbard has a strong campaign presence here on the New Hampshire Seacoast. She has visited New Hampshire frequently and has had visibility here in Exeter, in the form of campaign lawn signs, for several months. Tulsi Gabbard is a powerful speaker, with great confidence and eloquence. She is opposed to the overuse of the American military as an instrument of foreign policy. Tulsi Gabbard is also a personally strong individual who has the courage and sense of self to lead this country. Like Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard is 38 years old and, if elected, would be a very young President of the United States.

9. Deval Patrick, former Governor of Massachusetts; U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division under President Bill Clinton. Deval Patrick is a uniquely qualified candidate for President. He was a two-term Governor of Massachusetts, he has worked in the private sector and understands the business world. As President, Deval Patrick would be a champion of social justice, but would also be likely to promote economic growth and development. One would hope that the Democratic National Committee would seek to find a way to allow the important voice of Deval Patrick to participate in future 2020 Democratic Presidential Debates, so that he will have a real opportunity to compete for the Democratic Nomination for President.

10. Mike Bloomberg, former Three-Term Mayor of New York City; billionaire owner of the Bloomberg Media Empire. You know Mike Bloomberg. He ran campaign TV commercials during the Super Bowl. He is a very powerful and brilliant man, but not yet fully engaged in the 2020 Presidential Race as he was not a candidate in the Iowa Caucuses and he has not registered as a candidate for this year’s New Hampshire Primary. I mention Mike Bloomberg in this List because he is formidable.

So that’s my list! Now it’s your turn. Read up on all the candidates, make a decision, and don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020.

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