Barbara Boxer was on with Matthews this evening bragging about Pete. She was also defending him on the hateful comments made by Franklin Graham.

Please a link to her comments when they send up on Hardball website (it usually takes a day or so for the video clips to turn up)

and I love him. My support could change, though. It is early.

It wasn't his announcement, which was OK. It was the fact that he avoided answering pretty standard questions from the press. He simply ignored them and walked away. I regret having to say this, but that's Trumpian. I was sincerely surprised and disappointed. It's no way to run a Democratic campaign.

My take-away? Joe Biden is not the savior / Messiah that some have been waiting for. I'm sticking with Pete to the very end.

seen so far. The Anita Hill thing really seems to be pissing off the A-A women especially. Many of the POC are ex Obama people too, so it isn't like it is a bunch of Berniecrats.

Also, the list of massive donors and lobbyists who just hosted a huge Biden fundraiser in Philadelphia tonight is loaded with Republicans and organisations who are very anti-progressive. For example, one of his co-hosts was Daniel Hilferty, CEO of Independence Blue Cross, the multi-billion dollar insurance giant. Hilferty is on the executive board of America’s Health Insurance Plans, who spent millions to try and block Obamacare, and now are super anti-Medicare For All and also anti-Medicare for those who want it (what Pete supports).

Biden has no giant supporter lists with millions of people like Sanders or Beto, etc. He is going to have to be backed by huge bundlers and lobbyists and Super Pacs. There is zero chance they are going to cut hundreds of millions in cheques if they had the slightest worry that he was going to rock their boat. I am resigning myself to just being satisfied with hopefully getting rid of Trump. Even if we take back the Senate in 2020, I am not holding my breath for any really seismic positive future-forward changes coming from Joe's presidency. Those types of things are going to have to wait until 2024 or 2028 I guess.

I so hope, if Buttigieg doesn't get the nomination, that Biden picks Pete for some cabinet position. I do not think Pete can win statewide office in Indiana, as it is simply too hateful, too RW, so he needs a way get national outside of elections.

I see all the Biden people saying that it is inevitable that he picks Kamala Harris for VP. How does Biden square her (rightly so IMHO) calls for immediate impeachment, her 'I believe the women accusers of Biden', her full throated support for Medicare For All, and her 'I will give Congress 100 days to do something about guns, and if they fail, I am going to making sweeping gun control Executive Orders' with his 'Mr ultra centrist bi-partisan persona???

That last one (even though I support it) is going to be the kiss of death for a lot of pro-gun Dems and especially Indies and even more so, moderate Rethugs who do not like Trump.

It REALLY (all her positions) matters, because the odds are only 50/50 he makes it the full 8 years. Especially (not even talking about being re-elected, which is only part of why I said 50/50) as he will be 86 in his last year, which is 9 years older than the average American male lives to. The fucking NRA is going to go WILD shit-stirring up the Trumper gun-humper nutcases if he picks Harris.

If he picks Klobuchar (who is more centrist than any other candidate except for maybe Delaney, and who has sorta publicly slagged off anything LW-progressive), the left of the party is going to go bonkers (probably not even just the Berniecrats). She is like the female version of Kaine, but even more centrist.

I wish he would pick Pete, but I just do not think we are going to roll with a 2 white guys only on the ticket, even with a 39 year old gay one making up half of it. That is also why I think Beto has no VP chance. Maybe I am wrong. No wonder the Biden camp floated that trial balloon about pre-picking Stacey Abrams for their VP (and got hammered for it). I think she will run for GA Senate (I want this) unless Biden collapses during the next 3 or 4 months.

This is going to be an interesting primary, that is for damn sure.

You make some good points. The candidates are compatible by degrees and I hadn't considered the Biden/Harris differences that you pointed out.

If any candidate wins the primary other than Buttigieg, she/he would be foolish not to call upon Mayor Pete to serve in cabinet. He should be a shoo-in for a high profile role.