Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed

I'm sorry that Mike Gravel is now gone from the Presidential campaign.  I'm also sorry that he never got to stand on a debate stage with the other Democratic candidates. He would have added something distinctive. But of course he is getting on in years, and many people understandably think the Dem party needs a younger candidate this year. Tulsi Gabbard agrees with him on some of his distinctive positions, and is a good deal younger. 

I think if the Democratic Party nominates Biden, they are looking at a loss. This election would end up looking like 1984. Biden has a lot in common with Walter Mondale, who of course defeated a large field of other primary candidates in the period 1983–84 and then lost in the fall as Reagan cruised to re-election. The Democratic Party’s best chance is for this cycle to end up looking NOT so much like ‘84, but more like ‘76. Remember, the Dems also had a large field in ’75 - ‘76. The candidate who emerged from that field was NOT an old familiar figure (not Muskie or Humphrey), but someone who had been utterly unknown to most of the country until the campaigning had gotten underway — Jimmy Carter. Who then defeated Gerald Ford in the general election. The Democrats need a fresh face to emerge from their large field, and then they need to come together behind that fresh face. Tulsi Gabbard (portrayed above) might pull off the Carter role.