2020 Candidates Ranked

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I’ve been meaning to share my take on the 2020 candidates for some time now. It would be a waste not to do so before Super Tuesday so I’ve put it off as long as possible already.

At this point in the cycle there are only 6 Democrats and one Republican with even a remote possibility of getting their party’s nomination – those 7 are the only candidates being ranked here. My rankings are not a reflection of who has the best chances of winning the presidency (or even their party nomination) but rather, who I think would prove most beneficial to our nation long term if they were elected.

By way of context, I have been a lifelong Republican but I have always considered that party affiliation is much less important than genuine ability or basic decency so I was dismayed in 2016 when Donald Trump got the nomination for the GOP. Long before either field had narrowed I argued that he was the worst candidate running out of either party. I have to admit that since that time he has grown on me and I have concluded that he wasn’t the worst candidate running that cycle. With that background, on to my candidate ranking.

1. Amy Klobuchar – there are several candidates running as moderate Democrats in this race – which is raising our chances of getting a decent alternative to Trump in November – but Amy is the best option among them. She has plenty of experience in working with people to get things done so while my priorities often don’t align with the priorities of Democrats I believe that what she would accomplish would be tackling those issues where there is the most consensus across the social/political spectrum right now and I think that is what our country needs. She also has the advantage of not being in her seventies. In my opinion, we have to really lack for any decent options before I would want to select a septuagenarian for a first term as president – no matter how healthy they are, that is an age when things can start to go downhill fast with little warning.
2. Pete Buttigieg – while Pete seems to be a pretty relatable guy (which would be good for us) he seems like he would be a little more ideological than Amy. Besides that, I worry about the wisdom of anyone who hasn’t made it to their mid-forties at least (just like I worry about the wisdom of many who have made it to their mid-forties or beyond). I could be okay voting for Pete but he’s not our best option.
3. Michael Bloomberg – being a New York billionaire septuagenarian isn’t a reason to select someone as president but unlike the current New York billionaire septuagenarian we have as president, Mike has a track record of getting things done besides enriching himself at the expense of anyone around him. While I wouldn’t be excited to vote for him I prefer the Republican-turned-Democrat over the Democrat-turned-Republican.
4. Joe Biden – for all his faults, including age, Joe would restore a measure of decency in the White House. That being said he doesn’t have much else to offer the country.
5. Elizabeth Warren – Elizabeth has all the same pluses and minuses as Joe but she is more stridently liberal so that somewhat offsets any upgrade in decency she could bring to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
6. Donald Trump – Donald is too old, too divisive, lacks any real core principles outside of seeking his own benefit and I honestly worry about his mental capacity now as well as the possibility of having it deteriorate in the next few years. That being said, I almost placed him ahead of Elizabeth because a guarantee of four more years of Trump might not be worse for the country than the possibility of eight years of an equally aged Warren.
7. Bernie Sanders – Bernie’s economic policies would be disastrous if he could get them implemented and he wouldn’t even manage to noticeably upgrade the level of decency in the White House. On top of that I am even more concerned about Bernie’s health than I am Donald’s. Four more years under Trump would likely be no worse for the country than four years under Sanders so the possibility of a second term for Bernie makes Donald the better choice in 2020.