Mirsky: Strongest Candidates for President 2020 -Year End Roundup

So, the year 2017 has been quite an interesting year, full of many surprises and disappointments. I’m sure you have all had your share of both. But this article is not about those things, I’m only here to give you a brief snapshot of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Campaign from here in New Hampshire, Exeter, New Hampshire to be precise, which is a place where we think about these things perhaps too much, perhaps not enough.

A lot has happened in 2017 from a national standpoint, many, many things. And the effects of these things remain uncertain. There is that Republican tax bill, which might bring wealth and riches to some or all of us, or maybe not. We don’t know for sure, because, just like everything else hammered out behind closed doors in Washington, DC, the proof will be in the details.

President Donald Trump has succeeded in dominating the national news, but not necessarily in a good way. You can dominate everyone’s psyche for just so long before everyone gets tired of you and trades you in for the Next Big Thing.

Trump is the oldest and least careful President in my memory, and I’m not sure how that will work out. Let’s hope for the best.

But at this point, with strong support from the leadership in Congress, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Trump is in good hands as far as maintaining control of the Republican Party is concerned.

All the above aside, I will now give you the lowdown on the prospective candidates for President of the United States in 2020. I am doing this without looking anything up on Wikipedia or elsewhere, this is straight from beautiful downtown Exeter, New Hampshire:

REPUBLICANS

1. Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator from Florida, and previous combatant against Donald Trump in 2016.

Although Donald Trump remains the conventional choice as the Republican favorite for 2020, since he is the President, and since he signed the big tax cut bill, I’m still choosing Marco Rubio as the Number One Republican choice for President in 2020, because Senator Rubio showed himself to be adept at affecting the tax bill legislation in a way that was beneficial for people other than the top one percent of the wealthiest in the U.S., something that other Republicans apparently have not considered: there are more people numerically in 99 percent than in 1 percent. So I think that might benefit Senator Rubio in 2020.

2. Donald Trump, President of the United States. As noted above, Trump is really probably the most likely nominee of the Republican Party in 2020, but there are enough concerns regarding prosecutorial investigations and difficulties overseas that should raise concerns.

[Please note: I am being upbeat here, but you all really should be very very concerned.]

DEMOCRATS

1. Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator from New York. Senator Gillibrand is the strongest Democrat right now, having defeated her fellow Democrat, U.S. Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, who appears to be in the process of resigning from the U.S. Senate. Senator Franken had been the strongest contender, but now appears to have been vanquished. I’m not exactly sure what happened. I do believe that Senator Franken had a good chance to win the New Hampshire Primary, but you can’t win the Presidency if you quit before the race gets started. Senator Gillibrand is a strong Democrat at the moment because she has been forceful in drawing clear lines between herself and others in her Party. We haven’t yet seen a campaign office or anything like that here in New Hampshire, but we have definitely seen the power of Senator Gillibrand. Just ask Al Franken.

2. Joe Biden, former U.S. Vice President and U.S. Senator from Delaware. It appears that the insiders favor Joe Biden for President in 2020. Joe Biden has broad appeal to all Americans, and has a place in the hearts of working people and Americans all across the country.

3. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont. Bernie Sanders still has a strong following. If he decides to run as a Democrat he would likely still have strong support in New Hampshire. (Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump, are these guys too old to be President?)

I have also heard that Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator from California, is a strong contender for the Democratic Nomination for President in 2020, but I don’t know enough about Senator Harris at this point.

My one solid prediction for 2018 is that President Vladimir Putin of Russia will face some kind of significant opposition in his own country, having overplayed his hand in many respects.

And with that I wish you all a

Happy New Year!!!