Could Sherrod Brown be the Bernie Sanders of 2020

[Medal506]

Could Sherrod Brown be the Bernie Sanders of 2020 and unlike Bernie Sanders does he have cross over appeal? Me I'm a Republican but I actually like Sherrod Brown and I'd probably be a swing voter

[LLR]

He'd be a fantastic candidate and a fantastic nominee. I have my doubts that the incompetent Democratic leadership will warm up to him and allow his nomination to happen, however. He'd win the general in a heartbeat

[Lief 🗽]

Nah, he lacks Bernie's demagogic narcissism. I don't think he can build up a cult of brainwashed sycophants around him the same way Bernie could.

[Shadows]

No. He won't win a single state bar Ohio forget GE. He should look to retain his Senate seat which looks difficult now!

[Oppo]

He isn't as charismatic as Sanders, and he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the primaries. The Sanders movement will largely go to Gabbard.

[MLM]

Step one for Sherrod Brown is to get re-elected which could be difficult. I don't think he would have the Bernie type appeal and if someone like Gabbard runs almost all of the Bernie support will go there.

[Mr. Morden]

if someone like Gabbard runs almost all of the Bernie support will go there.

"Almost all of the Bernie support"?  I really think you're underestimating the number of Sanders voters out there who don't follow things like who endorses whom and will simply vote for whoever appeals to them most.

[PJ]

He isn't as charismatic as Sanders, and he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the primaries. The Sanders movement will largely go to Gabbard.

This fundamentally misunderstands the support base Sanders had in the 2016 primaries. The vast majority of working class whites and younger voters that voted for Sanders aren't interested in factional disputes (i.e. Bernie Bros are scarce in number). They voted for Sanders because of the rhetoric he used in attacking income inequality, money in politics, etc. Just because Gabbard used a Sanders endorsement to give a middle finger to the establishment does not mean she uses the same kind of appeals or believes in the same kind of ideas. And given how unpopular Putin is in the Democratic Party right now, her foreign policy makes her unelectable for any kind of national campaign. Sherrod Brown is not exactly the same kind of democrat, but with some tailoring, he could easily win over the vast majority of Bernie supporters without getting caught in factional bs, make inroads with some Clinton demographics, and improve margins in the Midwest based on his position on trade.

No. He won't win a single state bar Ohio forget GE. He should look to retain his Senate seat which looks difficult now!

... Under what possible circumstances in the 21st century is a democrat winning Ohio in a presidential election but no where else?

[MLM]

No. He won't win a single state bar Ohio forget GE. He should look to retain his Senate seat which looks difficult now!

... Under what possible circumstances in the 21st century is a democrat winning Ohio in a presidential election but no where else?
[/quote]

I think they meant in the primaries.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Nah, he lacks Bernie's demagogic narcissism. I don't think he can build up a cult of brainwashed sycophants around him the same way Bernie could.

What an idiotic comment.

[SCNCmod]

I think many of Bernie's Supporters would also support Brown.  I agree with the previous statement someone made... that most Bernie supporters will migrate to the candidate who's message they like best ... regardless of whether or not that person supported Bernie or Hillary in the Primary.

Regarding Hillary vs Bernie... I think there is a good chance that the two could be unified in 2020... if someone like Sherrod Brown gets the Bernie Crowd & someone like Cory Booker gets the Hillary crowd... because that would be an easy decision for both of them to run together in the general.  (I think its likely the #1 & #2 in the primary in 2020 will both be on the ticket.)

[Blackacre]

It's possible. Brown is one of the most liberal senators and has the same populist progressivism that Bernie Sanders has, plus he's a talented campaigner.

Having said that, I can see trade being a liability for him if Trump's trade policies prove unpopular. But aside from that, if he wins re-election he has a pretty good shot.

...I wouldn't have him in my TL otherwise

[LLR]

He isn't as charismatic as Sanders, and he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the primaries. The Sanders movement will largely go to Gabbard.

HAHAHAAHAHAA

Oh, wait that was serious. Stop with the Gabbard stuff, guys. She's not going to run, and even if she does, she'll do awfully. There's a weird obsession with her here - nobody knows who she is and she has no credentials. Forgetting that she's a Russia stooge, she's still going to struggle to find a message or anything. It's not gonna happen.

[Shadows]

He isn't as charismatic as Sanders, and he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the primaries. The Sanders movement will largely go to Gabbard.

This fundamentally misunderstands the support base Sanders had in the 2016 primaries. The vast majority of working class whites and younger voters that voted for Sanders aren't interested in factional disputes (i.e. Bernie Bros are scarce in number). They voted for Sanders because of the rhetoric he used in attacking income inequality, money in politics, etc. Just because Gabbard used a Sanders endorsement to give a middle finger to the establishment does not mean she uses the same kind of appeals or believes in the same kind of ideas. And given how unpopular Putin is in the Democratic Party right now, her foreign policy makes her unelectable for any kind of national campaign. Sherrod Brown is not exactly the same kind of democrat, but with some tailoring, he could easily win over the vast majority of Bernie supporters without getting caught in factional bs, make inroads with some Clinton demographics, and improve margins in the Midwest based on his position on trade.

No. He won't win a single state bar Ohio forget GE. He should look to retain his Senate seat which looks difficult now!

... Under what possible circumstances in the 21st century is a democrat winning Ohio in a presidential election but no where else?

Dem Primary, surely you are smart enough to understand that!

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

He's not as inspiring as Bernie, and he did endorse Hillary in the primary, but obviously I'd vote him for over 3rd wayers.

[ApatheticAustrian]

if gabbard becomes the face of the dem party, i would vote for bloomberg 2020.

[JA]

Brown would be my pick in 2020, even over Warren. He can actually appeal to all core Democratic demographics, while also making serious inroads into the WWC. He doesn't have the aura of liberal elitism that so often plagues Democratic candidates, which would really help as well.

[Senator-elect Spark]

Could Sherrod Brown be the Bernie Sanders of 2020 and unlike Bernie Sanders does he have cross over appeal? Me I'm a Republican but I actually like Sherrod Brown and I'd probably be a swing voter

[Mr. Smith]

He'd have my vote-unless Al Franken's the other choice, or Jason Kander somehow returns to prominence.

[Xing]

I've been wondering if he's the best candidate to unite various factions of the Democratic Party. Time will tell. He has to get re-elected in 2018, though, which isn't a given.

[Crumpets]

He could be the "progressive" wing's choice, and if it coalesces around him, he could end up with a similar level of influence as Sanders. But, I do agree with Lief to some extent - not that Bernie was a demagogic narcissist, but that Brown won't play the same "game" as Bernie, trying to suck every delegate in the face of inevitable failure and burning (or perhaps Berning) all bridges between the establishment and the grassroots.

[Blackacre]

He could be the "progressive" wing's choice, and if it coalesces around him, he could end up with a similar level of influence as Sanders. But, I do agree with Lief to some extent - not that Bernie was a demagogic narcissist, but that Brown won't play the same "game" as Bernie, trying to suck every delegate in the face of inevitable failure and burning (or perhaps Berning) all bridges between the establishment and the grassroots.

That's a good thing, though. Someone as progressive as Bernie who's willing to be a team player would get a lot of establishment support. The grassroots don't hate the establishment for the sake of it, they just wanted a liberal champion