Bernie Sanders not ruling out 2020 run

[Terry the Fat Shark]

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/796790661659951104 He figures why not?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

He'll be like 79, right?

I know there are more older candidates nowdays (this particular time, Trump is 70, Hillary 69), but 79 seems just too old.

[Mike88]

Nah... He will be too old.

I think Warren is now the "de facto" leader of the Democratic Party and clear frontrunner for 2020 in the Dem side.

[Maxwell]

if he's in good health, sure.

[swf541]

if he's in good health, sure.

[Downnice]

Age is the main concern but IF he is healthy enough to do it, then he will probably be the nominee and is their best chance of winning back the rust belt

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

I love Bernie and everything he stood for; but he'll not only be too old, but also too tied to Hillary with how hard he campaigned for her. The Democratic party needs new, fresh candidates. Certainly he should continue to be a leader in the party and for Progressive ideas, but I don't see him running again.

[Gass3268]

Age is the main concern but IF he is healthy enough to do it, then he will probably be the nominee and is their best chance of winning back the rust belt

Especially if Trump fails to live up to the more left leaning populism that he ran on.

[Eraserhead]

There's zero reason for him to rule it out completely right now.

I think it's highly unlikely he'll pull the trigger when the time comes though, his age by then being the main reason why he wouldn't.

[White Trash]

Age really is an issue with this.

[GoTfan]

Hey, as Robert Reich said, age isn't the issue. FDR was paralysed, and JFK had Addison's and Crohn's diseases, but they were still good Presidents. Regardless, he seems to be in decent health.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Age is not an issue to us, but it will be to the kind of people you all naïvely think he'd be able to win over.

And also, f-ck anyone who thinks being too tied to Hillary Clinton would be a problem. She's not a toxic waste heap. She just didn't make the right appeals to the right people.

[GoTfan]

Age is not an issue to us, but it will be to the kind of people you all naïvely think he'd be able to win over.

And also, f-ck anyone who thinks being too tied to Hillary Clinton would be a problem. She's not a toxic waste heap. She just didn't make the right appeals to the right people.

Problem is, those tied to Hillary (Kaine especially) will be stuck with a loser image in 2020. It's like Quayle in 2000. He was stuck with the same image and didn't even make it into Iowa.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Campaigning for the nominee of your de-facto party is not a death kiss.

[JA]

I doubt he'll actually run, especially considering his age the time. But it's undeniable he'll play a critical role in the nomination process as candidates vie for his endorsement. At this moment, Sanders and Warren are the unofficial leaders of the Democratic Party and are in the best position to restructure it in the direction it needs to go - which is away from the technocratic, third way politics of Clinton, Obama, Kaine, Booker, et al.

[pppolitics]

There's no time to waste!

He needs to run down to the South and campaign at black churches for the next 4 years starting today!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

And also, f-ck anyone who thinks being too tied to Hillary Clinton would be a problem. She's not a toxic waste heap. She just didn't make the right appeals to the right people.

I certainly can't see "too close to Hillary" as an actual "issue" in 2020. If only it's because she's unlikely to be on frontline politics.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Campaigning for the nominee of your de-facto party is not a death kiss.

He'd be finished with the party if he hadn't endorsed Hillary, much less campaign for her.

That's why I'm convinced Kasich would be finished even if Trump lost.

[BlueSwan]

Nah... He will be too old.

I think Warren is now the "de facto" leader of the Democratic Party and clear frontrunner for 2020 in the Dem side.

Warren will be 71 years old by the 2020 election.

I'm no ageist, but I really think the dems are in dire need of some charismatic young(er) leaders.

[pppolitics]

Warren will be 71 years old by the 2020 election.

I'm no ageist, but I really think the dems are in dire need of some charismatic young(er) leaders.

Our bench is depleted.

We won't be able to rebuild in time for 2020.

[MasterJedi]

If he's healthy enough and picks a good running mate just in case he could easily run. Age shouldn't preclude you from the presidency unless you're literally on death's door or picked an awful VP.

[Blackacre]

I'd say Chris Murphy, but... after the 2016 embarrassment, a New England Senator not named Bernie or Warren whose big thing is gun control isn't going to cut it. Warren/Bernie get a pass because their progressive populist rhetotic is our best chance to win back working-class white voters and inspire young turnout.

We'd have to pull from the Senate because we don't have any Governors to pull from except PA's Tom Wolf. (and he'd have to survive 2018) We'll probably pick up some in 2018 but 2 years into 1 term does not a presidential candidate make. We have a lot of options from our Class 1 who might be able to do it if they survive 2018: Tammy Baldwin, Bob Casey, obviously Sanders and Warren, maaaaybe Murphy if he captures a similar rhetoric, and Sherrod Brown.

If Bernie's in good health 4 years from now, god bless him. He knows how to inspire, and even though I didn't vote for him in 2016, I sure as hell would vote for him in 2020 if he decided to run

[Beet]

Not surprised... once you've run for president, especially with those crowds, that adoration, that he wouldn't rule out going back for another taste.

But it won't necessarily be the same. In 2015/16 he had the perfect foil... a perfect avatar of the "corrupt establishment" to contrast himself with and set up his revolution as against. History never repeats itself exactly the same.

[pppolitics]

I'd say Chris Murphy, but... after the 2016 embarrassment, a New England Senator not named Bernie or Warren whose big thing is gun control isn't going to cut it. Warren/Bernie get a pass because their progressive populist rhetotic is our best chance to win back working-class white voters and inspire young turnout.

We'd have to pull from the Senate because we don't have any Governors to pull from except PA's Tom Wolf. (and he'd have to survive 2018) We'll probably pick up some in 2018 but 2 years into 1 term does not a presidential candidate make. We have a lot of options from our Class 1 who might be able to do it if they survive 2018: Tammy Baldwin, Bob Casey, obviously Sanders and Warren, maaaaybe Murphy if he captures a similar rhetoric, and Sherrod Brown.

If Bernie's in good health 4 years from now, god bless him. He knows how to inspire, and even though I didn't vote for him in 2016, I sure as hell would vote for him in 2020 if he decided to run

What do you think about Maggie Hassan?

She would have 4 years of experience as governor and 4 years of experience as Senator.

She would be 62 in 2020.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The bench doesn't seem too wide right now (especially when we're talking about younger politicians), but we can't rule out somebody rising rapidly like Obama in 2004. I mean, he went in four years from an obscure state Senator and congressional loser to President.

It ought to be noted most of Democratic presidential nominees in recent decades were hardly an obvious choice four years prior.

1976: Jimmy who?
1984: OK, Mondale was pretty likely one as former VP
1988: Dukakis was mentioned before, but never as a frontrunner
1992: Despite his ambitions were known, people expected many other to run and be stronger
2000: Incumbent VP, obvious one
2004: Kerry was lagging behind until Iowa
2008: Obama was just a state legislator 4 years prior

Republicans, due to frequently exhibiting "next-in-line" mentality were more predictable.

1968: Former Vice President
1980: A runner-up for the 1976 nomination
1988: Vice President and runner-up for the 1980 nomination
1996: Senate Majority Leader and a runner up for the 1988 nomination.
2000: Son of former President and Governor of a large state. An early favorite.
2008: A runner-up for the 2000 nomination
2014: A runner-up for the 2008 nomination

The streak was only broke now, with Trump