WHO SHOULD RUN FOR THE DEMOCRATS IN 2020: A CELEBRITY OR A POLITICIAN?

….Alec Baldwin, playing President Trump on “Saturday Night Live”.

Democrats ponder, with a mix of enthusiasm and horror, who should run in 2020?

Everyone, including many Republicans, seemed to think that having Kanye West in the Oval Office with all the network cameras was pretty bizarre.  With the exception of Fox News, who seemed to swoon over the visit, most of the coverage was mixed, especially when Kanye dropped the “f” bomb during his 10 minute Oval Office diatribe.

What really set off the discussion was at the end of the visit when the two discussed the following, asking if Kanye West was going to be a future presidential candidate?

“Could very well be,” Trump said in response to the question from a reporter.

“Only after 2024,” Kanye chimed in, adding: “Let’s stop worrying about the future. All we have is today.”

Trump had come to the presidency, more as a celebrity and only marginally as a business man.  (That being, that this so called businessman was known more for his tabloid coverage & The Apprentice, than he was for his multiple corporate bankruptcies.)  There are now a number of the Democratic leaders that are thinking that if a know-nothing like Trump can beat out seventeen real US politicians, perhaps we Democrats should consider a well known celebrity to run against Trump.

A new cast of movie and TV celebrities and famous-for-politics personalities are taking the stage as the Democrats ponder, with a mixture of enthusiasm and horror, whether they need to put up their own celebrity nominee against Trump. 

Here are just a few of those that are considering to either run for office, or to use their notoriety in support for or against a Republican or Democratic candidate.

·       Last week, country singer Taylor Swift endorsed two Tennessee Democratic candidates for Congress.  One for the Senate, the other for the House, and she urged her millions of followers to register.

·       Alec Baldwin, known for spoofing Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” is headed to New Hampshire to speak at a fundraising dinner for Democrats.

·       Lawyer Michael Avenatti, a potential 2020 candidate, who currently represents adult-film star Stormy Daniels in her civil suit against the president.  Avenatti said Democrats should not necessarily nominate the candidate most qualified to be president, but the one best equipped to take Trump, head on.

·       JPMorgan Chase chief executive, Jamie Dimon, who recently said that he could beat Trump because he is “smarter”, he seemed to fall into the Why Not Me? camp. 

·       Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuba seems to also be in the Why Not Me? Camp.

·       Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate.

·       Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, dismissed by Trump as “what’s-his-name the Starbucks guy,” he has also been mentioned as a potential candidate.

·       There are the perennial players in presidential politics such as former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, whose name always comes up, and this time, he isn’t saying “no”.

·       Country star, Willie Nelson, & Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) performed Willie’s “On the Road Again” during a rally for O’Rourke’s Senate campaign that drew more than 50,000 in Austin.

·       Dwayne Johnson, actor, also known as The Rock, doesn’t plan to run in 2020, but Trump lawyer, Rudy Giuliani said, “Johnson could be formidable if he were to change his mind.” 

·       Talk-show host, Oprah Winfrey, her name always comes up as she continues to deny that she is interested, but Obama did use Oprah’s celebrity to beat Hillary in 2012.

…Willie Nelson with Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex.), singing “On the Road Again” at an Austin concert

So, which challengers might match up well against Trump?

“I’d certainly put myself near the top of the list at this unique point in our history,” Michael Avenatti said when asked this question.

The Democrats, remain torn about what sort of nominee could succeed. Among the many debates going on in the party is who the best choice is as a candidate, celebrity or otherwise.  They must embody and deal with Trump’s combative tactics.  Would it be someone like an aggressive candidate like a Michael Avenatti or a real politician like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) ?

“Oprah is the only person who would make me sit up and take notice,” said David Bossie, a Trump adviser and former Trump deputy campaign manager. 

Ron Brownstein, author of “The Power and the Glitter: The Hollywood-Washington Connection,” said Democrats might be taking the wrong lesson if they think Trump’s celebrity powered him to the presidency, calling that “an understandable but shallow interpretation” of the president’s appeal.

“The key to Trump is much less his celebrity than his racial nationalism,” said Brownstein.  Ron is the senior editor of the Atlantic and senior political analyst at CNN. “He has more in common with a Pat Buchanan than he does with a Alec Baldwin.”

Trump, for his part, is a narcissist and pathological liar, but he does understand how to manipulate the levers of fame.  He has often spoken with aides about how he believes both parties have misunderstood his celebrity in politics.  During the 2008 campaign, when Republican presidential nominee, John McCain attacked Barack Obama, in an ad for being too much of a celebrity, Trump criticized McCain for that ad and that attitude. 

Privately, those closest to Trump say the one Democrat who most worries President Trump and his team is former vice president Joe Biden.  They fear Biden could cut into his real base, being the working-class white support in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

The point here is whoever it is, celebrity or not, they cannot run against Trump on the “Trump is bad, vote for me” approach.  There must be a message that shows what the candidate stands for, what his ideas are for the people, and to show that he can be believed.  They must also be able to go head-to-head against Trump’s always attacking, never backing down, always counter punching, and never apologizing approach.

According to Trump’s lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, “Celebrities these days are usually seen as wacky, left-wing crazies who treat Trump voters as one of the ‘deplorables’.”

Well, since Donald Trump is a “celebrity”, more and more voters are starting to see Trump as one of those ‘deplorables’.

Copyright G. Ater  2018