When you throw in the Democrats who say they’re “thinking,” we’re way past two dozen. You’re a concerned citizen — when you go to parties, people are going to ask you whom you like for the nomination. How are you supposed to maintain your credibility?
A couple of suggestions.
First, Kamala is pronounced Comma-la.
Second, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is only 29. She cannot be a candidate in 2020. If somebody brings her up, you can make this point clearly but gently, and everyone who’s listening will nod wisely. You’re on your way!
The primary voting doesn’t start until February of 2020, but there’s already a lot going on. People in Iowa have met a bunch of candidates. There’s a certain sense of empowerment that comes with living in the first state, and Iowans will not really respect anybody who hasn’t shown up in their town to shake hands. Or possibly have dinner at their homes.
John Delaney, a former congressman turned presidential candidate, pretty much moved to Iowa in July 2017, and he’s been campaigning there ever since. To be fair, he’s also spent a lot of time in New Hampshire, where The Telegraph of Nashua has already touted him as “somewhat impressive.” The rest of us are not responsible for knowing anything about John Delaney at this point.
When the presidential parade comes up, the smart approach is to start talking about the issues — health care, taxes, immigration, climate change, corruption — and then sagely say that you’re waiting until the candidates are done changing their minds before you pick a favorite.
Or terrify everyone by posing a profound question. If someone asks you about New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, you can just respond: “Do you think he’s too close to the pharmaceutical companies?” In the remote event that there’s a person in the room who has an answer, you will have a chance to nod thoughtfully.
Or try a diverting factoid. If a friend asks you if Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is too centrist, say something like, “Well, anybody who got $17,000 in campaign contributions from her ex-boyfriends can’t be all bad.”
Meanwhile, of course, you’ll be studying up. You don’t have to research 20-plus politicians. Begin by eliminating anybody who’s trying to run for president without having been elected to anything else first, whether it’s “spiritual guru” Marianne Williamson or tech executive Andrew Yang. I’d also throw in former Attorney General Eric (“I’m considering”) Holder. Virtually every president has either been a general in the military or served in some previous elective office. The exceptions were Donald Trump and Herbert Hoover. Enough said.
If you’re feeling energetic, try starting a conversation about whether governors would be better candidates than senators. Then you could point out that John Hickenlooper of Colorado started a very successful brewpub business, which is just as impressive as Howard Schultz and his 30,000 or so coffee shops.
Everybody’s so angry at Schultz they won’t even argue with you.
How about a question we can all relate to, like age? A couple of the younger candidates have been talking about what South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg calls “intergenerational justice.” This would be an elevated version of the millennials’ complaint that the baby boom generation gobbled up all the ... stuff.
The baby boom generation, which is now 55 to 73, has pretty much been the center of attention forever. There are at least seven members currently in the presidential-speculation swarm, including Sens. Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. Kamala Harris is actually a borderline boomer.
Plus there are several big names who are too old to make the cut — Joe Biden, 76, Michael Bloomberg, 76, and Bernie Sanders, 77. We live in a nation where people can now have very full and productive lives long past the point when our predecessors were staggering toward retirement. However, it is absolutely fair to have a discussion about whether you’d worry about electing as president somebody who’d be 80 before the term was up.
See, this is the kind of stuff you can debate right away, while you’re still working on deciphering everybody’s position on “Medicare for all.”
And wait! What about Generation X? Those are the folks in their 40s and early 50s, and they’re always getting ignored because boomers are taking up all the space while the millennials jump up and down and whine outside the door.
Three Gen-Xers have already announced — see, they’re ready for their moment. That would be former housing secretary Julián Castro of Texas, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Booker.
Plus a bunch of maybes, including Beto O’Rourke of Texas, whose great fame comes from losing a Senate race to Ted Cruz. Since then, he’s sort of gone for a walk to think about things. I would suggest you refrain from worrying about him until he comes back.
Although you should definitely check out the Instagram where O’Rourke discusses immigration with his dental hygienist while having his teeth cleaned. Campaign of the future or TMI? Talk among yourselves.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.