Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is running for president. She’s from the Midwest. She’s a woman. She thinks she has an avenue to the 2020 Democratic nomination. Minnesota almost went for Trump in 2016, losing it to Hillary Clinton by less than two percentage points. It was close. It capped off a night of shocking results, not the least being that Donald J. Trump pulled off the greatest political upset in the history of modern American politics. It showed that the Rust Belt revolted against the Democratic Party. It was the revenge of the white working class voter. And yet, Democrats have debated whether to reach out to these voters, who have increasingly voted Republican, or double-down on their urban strongholds.
For Klobuchar, the white working class is this is one area where she thinks she can siphon off support from Trump. She was asked about this during CNN’s nauseating five-hour town hall event, where she was one of five Democrats who was given their own special event. The network is really atoning for being part of Trump’s $2 billion free media extravaganza in 2016, which most definitely contribute to his election win. Yet, Klobuchar is also one of 19 Democrats running. The clown car is overflowing. And frankly, I don’t think she has what it takes to clinch the nomination. Case in point, she had a very awkward “please clap” moment last night. Remember when Jeb Bush had to do the same during his presidential campaign? Like him or not, and I was not a Jeb fan, but his resume was not disqualifying, he had money, and the name recognition. And yet, Trump aptly attacked the campaign for its soporific style and low energy. Klobuchar is not in league with the Bush’s in terms of the national political game, so count this as a very grim sign of things to come. Just as it was for Jeb, it’s just cringe-worthy (via Free Beacon):
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) on Monday night jokingly instructed the town hall audience to cheer for her after she talked about some of her electoral accomplishments in Minnesota.
Klobuchar participated in a CNN town hall in Manchester, N.H. where she was asked by a college student how she was going to appeal to a discontented middle class and regain their trust like then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
"I am someone that runs in a purple state. It is a state that when I first started running for office the other senator was Republican, the governor was Republican, and three of our four Constitutional officers were Republican," Klobuchbar said. "And then I started running and every single time I have run, I have won every single Congressional district in my state, including Michelle Bachmann's, okay?"
"It's when you guys are supposed to cheer," Klobuchar joked, prompting the audience to clap.
Dear lord. Granted, she's making a case for cross-party appeal with the Bachmann reference, but again 19 Democrats are running. Biden, who is expected to jump in this week, and Sanders are still the cream of the crop. I think this will become the battle of the old white dudes, but hey, we'll see what happens.
Also, remember this? Still brutal.
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