He is ruthless. We need ruthless.

Pritzker, Beshear, Moore, Newsom, Whitmer, Walz maybe?

The guy you have in your sig pic?

If Rham is a top dem we are fucked.

you admire most. Which bills he has passed are your favorites.

you are interested in Bernie. My admiration and respect for him is no secret on DU. As you know. Big Bernie fan since 2016 and it's not going to change now.

...to me, the essence of a modern Democrat is Pete Buttigieg.

I loved this post: Ooh.. That's Rich

We'll see what happens, even if there is an election since we have a Supreme Court that hates the US Constitution they swore to protect and have nonetheless no intention of protecting, a cabal of ignorant thugs more or less, but if there is an election, I'd love Pete to run.

One issue with 2024 is that we didn't get our voters to turn out on election day. I think many young voters are feeling disenchanted, like they definitely don't want to vote republican, but like they don't have a lot of hope when they look at our candidates either. I think someone like Pete provides a lot of hope. While some are saying the only path forward is the straight white Christian male route, I actually think that would really harm us. I think the straight white Christian male route is 1) not going to pick us up any votes from the conservative middle (those voters are never going to vote for us anyway) and 2) will harm us with the youth vote and harm us with turnout with OUR voters. We need someone who will speak to the heart of our party and get them to turn out. I feel like Pete has that heart and gives people that sense of hope, just like Obama did leading into 2008.

All the Dems I knew there when he was in office hated him.

here to say that. I don’t live in Chicago or Illinois, but I have read he was not well liked.
We need someone much younger.

he is 65 or 66.

But only if he wants it.

I would donate.

The last thing we need is a centrist / center right running for president.

Fetterman beat Lamb in the senatorial primary, that's true.

I wonder if they speak?

That doesn’t mean it will be successful. In fact, I know it won’t be - he is not likable except maybe to the Tapper/Maher types.

Nothing progressive about him at all. No more corporate Democrats.

I don’t see him with a particularly viable path to the nomination, but he will be a strong voice in the debates, and a huge asset to our next Democratic president.

Who knows?

But then I didn't live in Chicago when he was mayor...but it must have been rather awful for folks to have the reaction they are??

I wouldn't vote for him, I'd just stay home. No wonder the Dems can't win, if they keep heading toward right of center.

Last edited Sun May 25, 2025, 09:47 AM - Edit history (1)

I am pretty close to being a Bernie Bro and definitely an AOC Democrat but I appreciate Rahm’s intelligence, charisma, political acumen, good hair and party insider status. If Democrats need a smart pragmatic centrist who knows how to fight, he could be a good choice. On the down-side he is slightly shorter than Pete Buttigieg, might be less popular with Black voters as a result of his years as mayor of Chicago, and his candidacy might result in increased resistance from the Pro-Palestinian faction, although they may feel better after hearing him speak about it.

That he helps kneecap Obamacare? That he always kept pushing Obama to the right, and acted like he was the puppet master before Obama ever spoke on matters?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-sudden-but-well-deserved-fall-of-rahm-emanuel

The American peope might have tolerated that in the aughts, especially as they knew the alternative was the GOP, and yes people did have investment in the idea of the first black president.

NOW? Sorry, a lot of people took their hoods off, including some of those Pendejo Latinos that fell for the whole "you can be white too" drug that Uncle Sam has been selling. Now many whites do not even pretend they love saying the n word, or acting on it. When some
"karen" get caught on tape, people, some even along the DU audience, will defend her as if she is some damsel in distress.

But this is not about the average white person, this is about the fact that BLACK WOMEN, once the War Machines of the Democrats, are sitting a lot out, because they saw that many look at Harris as if she were some vegetable on the plate, instead of the quadruple bacon cheeseburgers they wanted to for dinner. The youth, frankly, have been hite with propaganda, but also a sense that there is a pace for them, and they will be WANTED and LISTENED TO, meanwhile, people wanted to hang David Bogg because he rightfully pointed out that many of the old hands were not willing or able to fight Trump.. Before you scream ageism, ask them why they ant BERNIE. Ask why they ;ike AoC.

Pete B. might be the ost sellable one, but you know the left better support the first LGBT, no matter how much Bill Maher screams "identity politics", a dog whistle many on DU respond to as much as the GOP des. And please, do tell the Afro american war machines why they should support a guy who, as mayor, fire his chif of police because he CAUGHT his cops saying the N word.

they can beat republicans...and replace them when we are are so close to retaking the House majority, which happens most times with the party out of power in the mid-terms.

Hogg apparently doesn't like the idea that DNC officers are supposed to be neutral to help all Dem candidates, not push out sittig Dems when we are so close to retaking the House majority. That's just dumb.

If he wants to do that, resign and use his PAC money to back whoever he wishes.

I appreciate your strong opinions about Emanuel & Buttigieg. Who would you like to see running, who would have some chance of leading a broad coalition?

i wish Pritzker would run, not far to the right, and someone who can clean trump out, being a real billionaire. As far the as the ladies, a O c, but also how about Stacy Abrams the one who DID turn a red state blue. While I hate his stance is israel, Shapiro could deliver PA.

He's largely undefined at the moment so he has a great opportunity. I want to see how he holds up under fire. I suspect he'll do well.

Rahn Emanuel would be a definite no from the whole younger anti-war generation. I find it weird that Nancy would recommend him as his chances are slim. .

I’m hoping the answer is NO.

Nancy, you were good but we are looking ahead not behind. I don't think there is a heavy pull to go back to the mess that helped get us here?

Does she think it is the younger Dems who are the problem? hhmmmmm

now and people love him. He's just such a neat guy. And he's just getting started.

and I think the country is looking for someone who can give us hope right now.

he doesn't treat anyone in the audience as ignorant... he doesn't put on some sort of folksy bullshit.

Will America vote for him? That part is still up for debate. I hope we can.

Newsome flamed out... Pritzker is another possible... Whitmer flamed out. I like Tim Walz but I don't see him as President. Shapiro is another possible.

No one from the Senate stands out ( we have some very good Senators... but the Senate no longer produces good candidates for the Presidency for whatever reason - Barack Obama was the exception... before that you have to go back to JFK as the last Senator to be elected President directly from the Senate ).

So... yes, my candidates are all white men, one LBTQ+, one billionaire, one Jewish. That is a problem since Democrats are now the party of women and POC. But I am tired of losing to the most hateful and least competent person to ever be elected. The difference between the 2000s and all that came before is the rise of the right wing propaganda and smear machine funded by the richest people to ever disgrace the planet... that is what we have to beat. Yes, Biden won... but he was too old when he won in 2020 and he was too decent to fight back against the propaganda machine bent on destroying him.

Wishing him to be elected doesn't make it happen unless it's only Democrats who turn out to vote.

of voters when there is zero enthusiasm for that outcome, you will see very low voter turnout at the polls on the democratic side, just like what happened in 2024. We have a huge problem right now where young voters don't want to vote republican, but also feel like democrats aren't sticking up for them and making their lives better in a measurable way either. Trying to tell them you have to suck it up and vote for this straight white christian male you don't like and don't connect with because we're letting the republican base choose the democratic candidate from here on out is a surefire way to get them to stay home on election day.

Again.

i will admit i admire him, kinda. but no way i want him in the wh.

i met him once, and pulled this joke on him-
his last run, he was at a small event w barnie frank, who was on a book tour. i went w a friend.
i walked up, shook his hand and said “a pleasure to meet u sir, i’m your only fan.”
the look on his face was priceless.

Last edited Sat May 24, 2025, 09:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Chicago Police Department gunned down an unarmed African American man with mental issue and as mayor Rahm covered up the police body camera footage.

Disqualification!

All the old ways and rules are no longer viable… Dump and MAGA have ripped the fabric of our democracy into shreds…..

has changed dramatically and the traditional candidate choices for the Democratic Party going forward will need to evolve accordingly.

Never ever trust this lizard.

nope nope nope.

And I'm kind of tired of the old guard like Nancy and others thinking they get to put their finger on the scale. How about they let the voters make their own choice, then support whoever emerges as the candidate in the general?

Yet another reason some of these people who have been in their positions for too long need to be removed to make way for new, younger voices.

The voters WILL decide and I can almost guarantee they will not nominate Emanuel, regardless of who does or does not endorse him.

PS - the reason "these people" """have been in their positions for too long""" is because of the voters as well. You can't have it both ways. Don't complain that the voters should get to choose their elected leaders and then also complain when the voters choose elected leaders that you think """have been in their positions for too long."""

Nor should someone like Obama, Hilary Clinton, Biden, or anyone else who is high profile enough in the party to have significant influence.

They may have someone they are rooting for, but they should keep those opinions to themselves until we have a nominee. Otherwise it just looks terrible. What's the outcome? If Obama comes out and says he's rooting for Newsom and then Newsom gets creamed in the primaries by Josh Shapiro, now it's embarrassing going into the general that our nominee looks like his second choice.

Pelosi isn't a nobody in the party. She doesn't have the luxury of acting like she's a nobody in the party. She needs to keep her damn mouth shut and keep her finger off the scale until we have a nominee.

And absolutely, she may have been elected by the voters to serve in her house seat, but there are people (her, Schumer) who have served in their leadership positions for TOO LONG. They are out of touch, and need to step aside to make way for new, younger leadership.

Hmm... seems like that's what David Hogg was saying.

How is saying somebody is probably going to run not letting the voters make their own choice? Is there a vote on people who decide to enter the race and become candidates? How does that work? Is Nancy Pelosi a god with a magic scale? This conspiracy theory is confusing.

need to keep their opinions out of the primaries until we have an actual candidate. Otherwise they have the potential to 1) piss off voters who feel like they are trying to unfairly influence the outcome (and those voters may decide not to vote in the general out of protest if they feel it wasn't a fair race and someone like the DNC, or Pelosi swayed the outcome--see 2016 if you think that can't happen). 2) It looks really bad if Obama comes out saying he's all for Andy Beshear, and then Beshear gets creamed in the primaries by Pritzger. So now Pritzger is our nominee going into the general and looks like Obama's second choice.

Pelosi isn't a nobody in the party. She doesn't have the luxury of acting like she's a nobody in the party. She needs to stay out of the primary process entirely, keep her damn mouth shut and let the voters decide.

unfairly influencing anything. Nobody is going to hear Pelosi say so-and-so is running and years later mindlessly vote for so-and-so if they make it to the primaries. "I ... must ... obey ... Nancy .. " they mumble, staggering glassy-eyed to the polls.

The DNC did not rig the 2016 primaries, why do you think it was? I can't believe we still have to explain this. Voters Voters Voters Voters Voters the Democratic Party base voted.

The gods of the Establishment and Nancy Pelosi don't have time to meddle in everything humans are doing and no oligarch is that into it that he's sending some guys with baseball bats his cousin knows to pay a visit to every voter and make them pinky swear to vote for so-and-so. Really, sometimes voting is just voting.

If anyone believes conspiracy theories that if Nancy Pelosi and the status quo Establishment god-elites say a name, World's Collide, they should leave the party or not vote, let Republicans take over. They can blame Nancy Pelosi and those mean old Democrats and complain and whine forever and be, finally, happy.

He stands zero chance of winning the nomination. Zero. I think the Speaker is choosing not to take sides among serious candidates with this pronouncement.

such a wicked sharp woman. It's got to be the bubble wrap.

needs to rethink.

Horrible horrible man, politician, and choice.

Nancy should fade into the background and keep her mouth shut!

Not an endorsement, nor a prediction.

This is a perfectly anodyne observation.

No and No to the google infinity degree!!!

I thought it was Nancy's husband who got hit in the head with a hammer, not her.

It's not "sarcasm."

And must be fluent in Populism.

And not the kind of politician to be featured on "L*bs of TikTok"

I hate to say it...

But transform yourself into a white 45 year old steel worker in PA...

What DEM are you gonna support?

Needs to be a populist... an old-skool Democrat.

But there are some folks who won't vote for a Jew.

Our next candidate needs to be completely safe... like Bill Clinton in 92.

WHO is the Bill Clinton of 2025?

I'm not sure.

from here on out.

Our big problem in 2024 was that OUR party did not show up and vote. Forcing us to have only straight white christian male candidates is not going to get the democratic party fired up and inspired. It is not going to get young people inspired.

Some people here seem to think that the straight white christian male strategy is the winning one because then we will somehow win all these conservative votes on the right. Newsflash: those voters are never going to vote for us anyway. We would do better to actually pick a candidate our voters are inspired by, and will turn out in HUGE numbers for.

We are not going to get the conservative right vote. That's a fantasy.

We need to think about the democratic vote. Right now young people don't care because they view our party as not doing anything for them either. So what candidate INSPIRES?

AKA corporate neoliberal Dems. We need courage, fearlessness, and FDR-like vision.

But the face of the Party... the guy to win in November 28 needs to be "safe".

Needs to nail the populism speech...

He’s a corporatist DLCer.

Rahm is a rock solid NO from me.

This is further evidence of it. Rahm Emanuel would only seek the nomination due to his long-standing party connections. He doesn't generate enthusiasm among the masses.

"Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is already placing her bets on who will run for president in 2028."

“'I think he’s going to run,' Pelosi told The Free Press..."

That's placing her bets?

It's clear the internet will say whatever the fuck it wants to about anybody, and possibly convince everybody.

Save us from the egomaniacs.

We have MUCH better.

I think he can bring it and help get us Dems back our proper cred level. We need to get back to common sense, brass tacks, all the time. No more of these emoto-sophist, screw-up, smartass, political klutz-attractant "causes" that "wedge issue us" from the working and middle class normies. Those people are the vast majority of our deserving constituents, and they are from every walk of life. Emanuel is tough and charismatic. And he's relatively young. I like the idea.

Because it sounds a lot like a slam on "woke" or "DEI," neither of which is what the pukes say it is.

"Emoto-sophist" " likely refers to someone who uses Masaru Emoto's ideas about water and consciousness in a way that is misleading, deceptive, or poorly reasoned. Masaru Emoto was a Japanese businessman, author, and scientist who claimed that water could be affected by human consciousness, thoughts, and words. He claimed that positive words and thoughts created visually pleasing ice crystals, while negative thoughts created ugly ones.
Some people have criticized Emoto's work for being pseudoscience and lacking scientific rigor. A "Emoto-sophist" would be someone who, like a sophist in ancient Greece, uses persuasive but ultimately flawed arguments to support their claims, often drawing on Emoto's ideas. In essence, they are using Emoto's work in a way that is not supported by scientific evidence and is perhaps intended to mislead or manipulate.

This is The Sophist: which ( IMO would be a better description for Rham if one wanted to use part of "Emoto-sophist&quot
.
In ancient Greece, sophists were known for their skillful use of rhetoric and argumentation, but they often lacked genuine knowledge and were more concerned with winning arguments than with truth.

It's just an ad hoc contrived coinage by me as far as I know. I intend "emoto-sophist" to be a slam against people who use emotional cleverness and blackmail to advance arguments. You can't argue with them, because to do so is to spring a trap. They back their premises with emotion, not logic, so their premises are (to their pseudo-religion) sacrosanct. They're basically fools and scolds and grifters who are the bad kind of sophist intellectually and who are emotionally manipulative, threatening, aggressive, and even tyrannical.

It's easy to drift into this kind of behavior if you let your emotions run amok, by the way. We all do it sometimes. Children do it. The immature do it. People who are lazy and superficial do it. People who are lost do it. It's just a terrible, far from uncommon screw-up if you're trying to be a good person and a terrible offense against society if you're deliberately trying to be a bad person.

He would be yet another septuagenarian POTUS for all but the first 10 months of a possible 8 years in office.

It is high time for Boomers to pass the torch of POTUS power. IF Emanuel were to serve 2 terms that would make 44 STRAIGHT YEARS of Boomer POTUS rule (with the even older Biden tucked inside that run). No one gen should have that duration of peak power in an elective democracy.

Emanuel also would destroy base turnout, especially black voters (Laquan McDonald, etc), progressives, and us younger voters.

He also was extraordinarily unpopular (approval ratings down into the 20s at times) in his last term as Chicago mayor.

He furthermore is a super hawk on Israel, and his father was a member of the murderous terrorist Irgun organisation, so good luck with that.

Disastrous pick.

He's awful.

What happened to Nancy?

She has really been screwing things up for Dems
these days.

However Rahm Emanuel is not my first choice. I'm not even sure if he's my 5th or 6th choice.
He didn't make friends while he worked in the White House (for Obama) I know that for sure.
But Obama trusts him so I guess he can't be that bad.

I worked for him decades ago. Very practical and respected by all in Congress, with political wisdom way beyond his peers.

If he were here today, he would likely suggest we first understand why independent, undecided and other voters who voted Democratic in 2020 (helping cinch the win), voted “the other way” in 2024 (giving us “ma-gag”.)

Then he would gently proffer Dems find both the party platform/planks and a candidate that is acceptable to both them and Democrats to avoid a repeat and win across the board. Probably a new face.

2 cents worth from an old geezer who doesn’t want to see a repeat.

Jesus, I go back to the Jamie Whitten, Silvio Conte, Eddie Boland days. You have me by a decade. A true old school Democrat. That said. I think it may come to a shock to people on this board but we do not lose elections because we move to the center, we lose elections because we say some weird shit trying to nuance answers and keep our left with us and get slaughtered for our efforts in the general elections.

Thanks Bottom.
Don’t have to “move to the center” but Dems should:
Don’t say stupid shit
Don’t do stupid shit
Don’t push or repackage potential candidates who do or have
Listen to swing voters and find enough common ground they respond positively.

Orange hair shouldn’t be that hard to beat.

Wikipedia? I didn’t know that was a gold standard for accuracy and completeness!

If you really want the truth (that will change your premise), you’ll find the relevant documents in the archives of “The Great Society” President Lyndon Johnson, at his library (yes you can get there online, and use the search engine).

When you do, you’ll read actual documents that discuss the specific issues that made ***all the non civil rights provisions of the bill*** a “Sophie’s Choice” / "plata o plomo" gut wrenching decision for most in Congress. Compare all the provisions of those bills to the one passed under President Johnson and you’ll understand the real issues.

Please, go read 1st hand history!!!

Good luck.

defend that racist Mahon with someone else, as I am immune to attempts at exculpation for votes that literally opposed my foundational civil rights.

As a person of colour, I find your attempts to excuse/mitigate his racist stances/actions entirely problematic as well as deeply offensive on a personal level.

'Gut wrenching decision'? Please. Maybe for some white supremecist trying to cling to power.

Mahon voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[1] 1960,[2] 1964,[3] and 1968,[4] which were directed at enforcing constitutional rights for African Americans and other minorities. He also opposed ratification of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution[5] and passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,[6] which gave the federal government oversight and enforcement over state practices that discriminated against minority voters.

I'd like to do it today.

Can someone coherently explain why David Hogg was wrong?

FFS, Rahm Fucking Emanuel!

Good one Nancy. It's a joke right?

If it isn't, then half of the House needs to retire.

What in the absolute F.

My picks are either Pritzker or Beshear.

And I love Pete but there is wAaaaay too much homophobia in the Redlands.

Not a person I would support

FWIW, the horse I like from that side is Pritzker.

He’ll No!

What a god-awful idea. Nancy is out of touch. I sense a schism in the Democratic Party at the exact wrong time. The donor-class, cocktail-party Democrats are ruining the party. Progressive policies are what will win, not going along to get along. Republican lite sucks.

to see this thread turn into a Nancy Pelosi bash-fest.

She's like many older people she's still living in a time 20-30 years ago when things were the way she was most comfortable.

Not that she endorses him or even wants him to run. The article itself doesn't claim he's a top candidate; the headline does that but the meat of the article doesn't say that at all. So let's not assume facts not in evidence.

I've lived in the Chicago area almost all my life, and I remember his mayoralty well. He was not popular by the end of his administration, and he's not popular now. He can't win a stateside seat in Illinois, in my opinion. I think people should also remember Illinois has an open Senate seat next year. I think that's probably what Emanuel is hinting at.

Excuse me if I really don't want an 80+ year old member of Congress deciding who our next candidate will be.

Whichever Democrats throw their hat in the ring will have to go up against each other and a nominee will emerge. No sour grapes, no fodder for the R's to use relentlessly in ads, we (at least I) will support them and will do whatever possible to help them win.
It isn't a popularity contest. It is far more serious.
The others can fill important posts. WE need all of them and all of us with them. Screw ageism, sexism, racism, and classism.
To see comments saying no way and ew are not helpful.
Our attitudes need to change so we can be the sane ones in this country.

I sure hope this isn't true.

Based on his media tours. Not sure if he can win

He'll be nearly 70 when the next elections happens. He doesn't have a great resume of elected position, Mayor and House Rep. No statewide wins.

A pretty good political mind, but not sure he's a great politician. I think he's be helpful on a staff, but don't see him being the 2028 nominee.