Bernie Sanders not ruling out 2020 run

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He'll be like 79, right?

I know there are more older candidates nowdays (this particular time, Trump is 70, Hillary 69), but 79 seems just too old.

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And also, f-ck anyone who thinks being too tied to Hillary Clinton would be a problem. She's not a toxic waste heap. She just didn't make the right appeals to the right people.

I certainly can't see "too close to Hillary" as an actual "issue" in 2020. If only it's because she's unlikely to be on frontline politics.

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Campaigning for the nominee of your de-facto party is not a death kiss.

He'd be finished with the party if he hadn't endorsed Hillary, much less campaign for her.

That's why I'm convinced Kasich would be finished even if Trump lost.

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The bench doesn't seem too wide right now (especially when we're talking about younger politicians), but we can't rule out somebody rising rapidly like Obama in 2004. I mean, he went in four years from an obscure state Senator and congressional loser to President.

It ought to be noted most of Democratic presidential nominees in recent decades were hardly an obvious choice four years prior.

1976: Jimmy who?
1984: OK, Mondale was pretty likely one as former VP
1988: Dukakis was mentioned before, but never as a frontrunner
1992: Despite his ambitions were known, people expected many other to run and be stronger
2000: Incumbent VP, obvious one
2004: Kerry was lagging behind until Iowa
2008: Obama was just a state legislator 4 years prior

Republicans, due to frequently exhibiting "next-in-line" mentality were more predictable.

1968: Former Vice President
1980: A runner-up for the 1976 nomination
1988: Vice President and runner-up for the 1980 nomination
1996: Senate Majority Leader and a runner up for the 1988 nomination.
2000: Son of former President and Governor of a large state. An early favorite.
2008: A runner-up for the 2000 nomination
2014: A runner-up for the 2008 nomination

The streak was only broke now, with Trump

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Age is not an issue to us, but it will be to the kind of people you all naïvely think he'd be able to win over.

And also, f-ck anyone who thinks being too tied to Hillary Clinton would be a problem. She's not a toxic waste heap. She just didn't make the right appeals to the right people.

Problem is, those tied to Hillary (Kaine especially) will be stuck with a loser image in 2020. It's like Quayle in 2000. He was stuck with the same image and didn't even make it into Iowa.

the comparison doesn't make sense because Quayle was actually a huge god damn loser. Quayle was never going to win the Republican nomination ever because he's such a moron.

Yet I'm convinced Kaine's only chance of becoming presidential candidate in future was being Vice President first, either under Obama (as, I confess, I was hoping back in 2008) or under Hillary.