Hail, Hail, The Gang’s All Here
Democrats just set a record.
There are, as I write this, 18 of them officially running for the presidency.
That exceeds the number of Republicans (17) who threw their hats into the ring for president before the 2016 presidential election.
Joe Biden appears to be standing in the wings.
He’s considered to be a front-runner even though he’s not even officially announcing he’s a candidate.
There’s no rush.
The current occupant of the White House didn’t famously descend that Trump Tower escalator until 511 days before the 2016 election.
Biden has a lot of time to make up his mind, since, as of today, there are still 568 days until Election Day 2020.
That’s what a healthy dose of name recognition can do for you.
He can sit back and watch the pack get full, and then (in true Joe Biden style) pounce!
There are, however, those accusations that he’d been overzealous in his interpersonal dealings with some of the women he’s met over the years.
I’m predicting that won’t prevent him from running.
After all, the fellow he’d be running against has been accused of far worse things – and he’s even bragged about them.
What happens if Biden doesn’t leave the sidelines?
There are lots of Democrats who’d love to lead the pack.
There’s Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, and Beto, and Kamala and Corey, and there’s that Buttigieg guy.
There are, though, about a half dozen Democrats I’d never even heard of before. And by the time we vote in the 2020 election – we’ll have forgotten them anyway.
It’s just that way in the 2000s with these presidential races.
Whatever happened to Bobby Jindal?
Have you seen Jim Gilmore lately?
Both of them ran in 2016; then they faded into the political background.
Former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker was thought to have been a strong favorite to win the Republican nomination in 2016.
The New York Times wrote that Walker had “quickly vaulted into the top tier of likely candidates in the Republican presidential race.”
He decided to announce his candidacy in July 2015.
He dropped out of the race on Sept. 21, 2015 – without winning a single primary, and after only getting a grand total of one vote.
Running for president does allow you to gain a higher public profile.
If that sort of thing appeals to you, of course.
But so far, when I hear the names Tulsi Gabbard, or John Hickenlooper I’ll admit they sound familiar. I’m forced to remind myself that those two folks are in the running for the White House.
So far, neither of them prevent me from switching channels when I see them.
There’s a guy calling himself “a different kind of kind of Democrat.”
Former Maryland governor John Delaney announced his intention to run for the presidency back in July 2017.
He’s still polling at 1% among the other Democratic presidential candidates.
If I ran into Mr. Delaney on the street, I’d have no idea who he is.
He’s gone from the near obscurity of an ex-governor’s seat to even greater obscurity.
I’m not complaining about the existing field of Democratic aspirants.
The more, as they say, the merrier.
As I look at the list of them, I’m quite sure any one of a half dozen of the potential Democratic candidates, could whip the pants off Mr. Trump.
It even looks like he can’t figure out who to insult next.
That’s the sign that even as the incumbent, he’s going to have his hands full.
There’s Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who know a lot more about policy than he does.
Then there are the charismatic younger Democrats, like Sen. Corey Booker, Sen. Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke and the (yet to be announced) South Bend, Indiana mayor – Pete Buttigieg.
But the one candidate who could give Trump the most trouble is Joe Biden.
Folks on both sides of the political spectrum both like, and respect Biden.
That’s because he’s a smart and decent man.
Trump probably fears that.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight and 20-year TV news veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.