One of the funniest things to come out of the current dumpster-fire political situation is the whole “this is why Trump won” meme. Conservatives and dumb progressives throw out “this is why Trump won” about literally everything, from environmental issues to the “civility” discussion to anything. Someone refuses to serve a member of the Trump administration and “that’s why Trump won.” The argument has become so diluted that it’s a parody of itself. But people still use the argument, and they’ll continue to make the argument about dumb sh-t.
I’m prefacing this post with that conversation because I can feel it rising up again. Eric Holder has never been elected to any office, and Holder is a “controversial” figure in some circles, if those circles are white supremacists who blame Holder for literally everything wrong in the world. Holder was President Obama’s Attorney General, and he was very good at his job. He’s one of the greatest legal minds of his generation. And now he’s considering a 2020 presidential run.
Eric Holder is considering a 2020 presidential run. The former attorney general on Monday night told Stephen Colbert, “I’m thinking about it.”
“What I’ve said,” he added, “is that I’d make a determination sometime early next year. My focus, really, now, is on 2018, the midterms and trying to make sure that Democrats take back the Senate, take back the House and do well, importantly, at the state level.”
Holder said with redistricting scheduled for 2021 and “a real problem with partisan gerrymandering” he wants “to make sure we elect as many people as possible at the governor level, at the state legislature level, that when 2021 comes, we have a fair redistricting process.”
This is why Trump won! Because lawyers with no experience serving in elected office think they can just run for president! Or something, whatever. I’ve always loved Holder and I’ve always wanted a chance to vote for him for something. Do I wish he would run for statewide office before considering a national run? Sure. I do take issue with that, because Holder would be an outstanding senator, representative or governor, and then from there, I would be so into his presidential run.
On #LSSC tonight: @StephenAtHome asks @EricHolder if there's any truth to rumors of a presidential run in 2020. pic.twitter.com/yz2esF3lZg
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) July 24, 2018
Here’s the full Holder interview on The Late Show. I like the way he explains FISA warrants, collusion and all of that.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Eric Holder is 67 years old. So, it’s now or never, as far as running for president goes. Do I think a president should hold an elected office? Probably. But did George Washington hold an elected office? Nah, and it worked out okay. Holder has a brilliant legal mind and I think he would make a far better president than many of the other candidates we’ll see in 2021.
George Washington? He hadn’t held elected office but certainly held executive responsibility. Holder has at least worked in government which is a positive. Obama was no where near ready to be President when he was elected in 2008, but he had the intelligence and intellectual curiosity to know what he didn’t know and set out to learn it. He also surrounded himself with good people. I think Holder would do the same.
ITA with everything you said. Just wanted to note: Washington only had executive responsibility in the military, commander-in-chief, regard. The Constitutional Convention was probably the only “political” experience he had. That being said, he was clearly a remarkable man, but I think he also made a point to surround himself with good people – as you mentioned Obama doing.
I don’t know, I feel so dejected when I think of our political situation. Will it even matter if I vote in 2021, if the Russians or Republicans are manipulating the elections? I’ll still vote, but these are thoughts I haven’t had in previous elections.
I love him but he shouldn’t run. The Republicans made up so many bullshit scandals about him, and some are still swallowed as fact. Reminds of the BS IRS scandal that was proven to be false, but the media issued teeny retractations or none at all, and I still see conservative ournalists parroting it:
I really hope we get someone like Gillibrand or Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris or Tammy Duckworth. I’d even be fine with Sherrod Brown, Deval Patrick, or Cory Booker. I really wish that the Sanders and Clinton wings would shut the hell up though and get along. My big fear is that us Democrats will eat our own again.
The GOP will made up rumors and scandals about anyone who runs in 2020 and the MSM wioll lap it up, let it be Warren, Harris or Gillibrand. The latter two are already getting the Hillary treatment by those who claim to be the most progressive among us. I actually would not be surprised if Trump’s DOJ or the House’s Judicial committee went after our candidate.
And given that the Clinton wing is the one comprising the party’s most loyal voters, namely black women, I hope they never shup the h*ll up.
This is my fear about Holder, which is why I haven’t even allowed myself to read any articles about his thoughts on running. I love him, too, but he has been demonized by the right (and probably Russia) for way too long. I actually feel the same about Elizabeth Warren. Trump has doomed her with his Pocahontas garbage.
Warren has absolutely no intention of running for President and she never has. She has said so repeatedly since the early days of her first Senate run. I myself have talked to her about it several times. But she’s happy to let the GOP think she is and that she’s the front runner so they direct their venom at her, she’ll fight back, and it allows others to grow and work without all that glare and vitriol.
I don’t want another man. I admire Eric Holder but I don’t want a man after 45’s toxic bull in the oval office. Tammy Duckworth is the only woman on that list I would stump for. Kamala hasn’t stepped up and there is no way in hell I would vote for Gillibrand. She stabbed HRC in the back last year after she used her for her connections and gravitas. No way. She’s also not that impressive of a Senator.
Now if Eric Holder was on the ticket as a VP then I am supportive.
We are on the same page. I feel as if America decided women can’t be president, and I want a woman in 2020. Now, I will strongly support whoever wins the primary. But in the primary, i am supporting a woman.
And if a man should win the primary, he better have a woman VP, or there is going to be a big problem. As far as I am concerned.
Duckworth was born in Thailand, but as her father is/was a US citizen, she IS considered a natural born citizen and can be Pres/VP.
He’s a big law firm partner who pulls in millions a year defending banks – banks that as Attorney General he declared Too Big to Prosecute for their reckless and criminal behavior during the financial crisis. Before that, when he worked for Clinton, he ignored the advice of White House pardon attorneys and recommended a pardon for Marc Rich, a securities fraudster whose wife pumped a lot of money into the Clinton Presidential Library.
He is not what the Democrats need as a nominee.
Then there is that.
As we can see across the country with the races being won, centrists are not attractive to voters these days.
@Kate
I am a Black woman who supported Hillary Clinton, despite my politics being more left than hers, and I’m often annoyed by the Sanders wing and the brosocialists. For example, it’s not cute that a bunch of white folks (4 out of 5 are white) decided to call themselves Chapo Trap House, make dodgy comments on sexual assault and race, and still get up held up as Rose twitter’s favs and are granted interviews by progressive politicians. I’m really angry that Sanders wing is characterizing support by Emily’s List as corporate support.
That said, I see a refusal on both sides to acknowledge the Democrats belong under a big tent.
When Nancy Pelosi claims that Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a fluke and doesn’t support Maxine Waters publicly then they aren’t creating any room for other voices. The Centrists aren’t winning but they sure are shilling for someone.
I don’t understand why people believe everything on social media anymore. It has already been proved that Russian trolls pretended to be BLM, activists, Bernie supporters, HRC supporters, man hating feminists and antifa in order to create chaos. The numbers don’t add up that these people are real. They played both sides. They help push all of the insanity from the right and fracture the left with their conspiracy theories.
Progressive values are centrist in Europe. The country has been dragged to the right so that the center is basically old school Republican.
The people who spent close to a year harassing black women on social media, especially Twitter, and sometimes in real life are not troll. They are real people and they are still doing it.
They are often the least likely to recognize that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election so I don’t see why they can use this reason to excuse THEIR disgusting behavior.
Progressive values are great and all but it’s their way or the highway. Is it progressive to push for a single payer system -great!) without repealing Hyde? Is it progressive to constantly attack woc because they don’t worship your chosen candidate? Is it progressive to act as if the working class is an entirely white unity. Is it progressive to push for caucuses over primaries?
I am progressive and I am not saying some people aren’t assholes but the numbers aren’t there. I don’t know any progressive who doesn’t believe that Russia is a problem and has been.
Jill Stein supporters are maybe pro Russia but all the people I interact with aren’t like that. I involve with myself with politics so I am not just a sometime watcher and I have never seen what you are saying. Someone can say they are progressive and not be and it isn’t a monolith anyway.
I just don’t believe Nina Turner would align herself with the people you are talking about. I have been following her several years and she isn’t a hothouse flower who would stand for racism.
The real question is who’s challenging on the Republican side. 🙂
Lol. I wonder if 45 even has the stamina for 2020. He looks like a broken down car on the way to the junk pile.
That would be awesome to see, but I think a Republican challenger is a super long shot, unless something radically changes between now and 2019 (when the campaigning would truly start in earnest). Trump is simply too popular with the rabid conservative base – they will tear apart anyone who dares challenge him.
That said – Romney might give it another shot, and Senator Flake and Senator Corker are both not seeking re-election, and have been setting themselves up as the reasonable alternative to Trump, as has Charlie Dent. There’s another guy – a congressman from California, who is rich as Croesus. He could fund his campaign without relying too much on party funds. There might be a few Republican governors, but I haven’t paid too much attention to them.
What about the Mormon guy who ran as an independent last time who no one outside of Utah had heard of?
I have been honored to meet this man and hear him speak several times. I love him! That said, he wouldn’t be my first choice as a candidate because, while he has judicial and agency experience, he doesn’t have legislative experience. But should he survive the primaries to the nomination, I would happily vote for this brilliant, charming man. And would find it fantastic that our First Lady would be the sister of Vivian Malone Jones.