The Democratic candidate

The coronavirus has erased the Democratic party’s primaries from the news. Who remembers that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders had a debate just yesterday? Even those who know about it can’t tell what the meat of such debate was. 

As such, it would be advisable to bring the primaries to an end. That would mean Sanders departing the race. Then, the Democrats could focus on promoting Biden as an alternative to the erratic and incompetent President we have today. 

Biden is an experienced politician but not a very good orator. His tone of voice doesn’t help either. It is not pleasant to hear. He must add to his presidential ticket not only a woman, as he promised he would do, but above all a woman that can speak better than he does.

Bernie must accept the facts

Bernie Sanders is on the losing side of the Democratic primaries. He wants to stay on and debate Joe Biden this coming Sunday. I think it is a divisive move, but I respect his decision. But my opinion about his campaign is very clear. Soon after the next round and if there is no miracle, he should acknowledge Biden’s victory and move out of the race. His continuation in the primaries can become a distraction. A serious one, when the objective is to gain enough leverage to beat President Trump.

Bloomberg's poor beginning

Michael Bloomberg might have learned a key lesson last night, when assessing his performance during the Nevada Democratic Debate: a presidential race in the United States is a complex matter. It is not enough to have money, plenty of it. One also needs to convince the voters and, above all, to be perceived as presidential material. To be an extremely successful businessperson is not enough. The race is about representativeness and political banners. It is also about emotions and the capacity to create a few great ideals.

Bloomberg came out of the debate weaker. He must find a flame within himself to be able to recover the ground he lost. Unfortunately, money cannot buy that inner fire he seems to lack.

The US presidential election

On this side of the Atlantic Ocean, we can’t say much about the US presidential campaign that has started to roll on. But we watch with studious interest some of the key candidates on the Democratic side. On the Republican side there is nothing to see. Donald Trump is the candidate and he will fight with his usual bravado, and contempt, to keep the presidency. Concerning the Democrats, there is a lot to keep us interested during the coming weeks. Including, of course, Michael Bloomberg. The question he raises is very simple: how much support can a billionaire buy? At this stage, there is no real answer. But he will attract a good deal of attention and lots of fire, from all sides.  

Trump and the others: what´s happening?

The challenge I have been confronted with today is very clear: how can we explain the wave of popularity on which Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Jeremy Corbyn are riding?

Not long ago, people like them and others similar would be looked at as oddities at the margins of the political spectrum. Their support would have been peanuts. Now, they are mainstream leaders and, at least in the case of Trump, not too far from getting to a position of real power. And they have caught us by surprise. 

What does it say of the social environment in our Western societies?

This is a critical question. It calls for a very serious debate. It´s not enough to say they are mere populists. That is a very incomplete explanation.