We give you the goss on who's hot and who's not in the current race to be the Democratic nominee for the 2020 US Presidential Election. It's a Game of Thrones-esque adventure as the largest and most diverse candidate pool in US election history is whittled down to a still large contender race. What will it take to come out victorious? What is the appeal of each of the main candidates, and why have some, like Kamala Harris, dropped out?
There's quite a few to get through and a lot of names, so we've given each of the main ones a moniker to help you remember which one's which:
- 'Mayor' Pete Buttigieg - because he is one (of South Bend Indiana)
- Joe Biden Mr Dependable with Baggage - seen it, done it, got the T-shirt from the Obama years (and tried to be President a few times previously).
- Elizabeth 'I've Gotta Plan' Warren - got a plan for everything - from selfie line-ups at her Conventions (think Ellen on steroids) to healthcare 'everyone gets a prize' reform
- Bernie Sanders The Guy the Young People Love' aka 'The Democratic Socialist - he's a 40-year veteran of politics who's wants to dismantle capitalist America
- Amy Klobachar - Smart Chick Who Gets Stuff Done But Nobody Sort of Cares - once voted the most likely to be the first female US President, but starting to fade
- Tulsi Gabbard ' The Military Woman'- shaking off some of her controversies (once voting down same-sex marriage, going to meet Syrian 'bad guy' Bashar al-Assad which was almost universally frowned upon). She's polling low but got more than her share of the limelight thanks to Hilary Clinton referring to her as a Russian plant. Isn't everyone these days?
- Andrew Yang - The Tech Guy. Hasn't got a hope in hell but raises some quirky and throught-provoking ideas. May be confusing the Democratic primaries with a TED Talk pitch, but we kinda dig him.
- Corey Booker The Righteous Man/'He's dead to me'. Diana thought he was alright, but then Donald told a story about how he pretty much dissed his chances of running for Congress, so he's Not Worthy.
Links to some of the stuff we talk about:
'Mayor Pete's' book, The Shortest Way Home - Diana hasn't finished it yet, but it's a good read so far.
The controversy (which is swirling through the current Trump Impeachment circus) around Joe Biden's cocaine-sniffing son Hunter getting $50k/month to be on the board of a Ukrainian company, Burisma.
Andrew Yang's book, The War on Normal People, in which he talks about disruptive technology (AI, automation etc) being the biggest threat to our society.
The Jimmy Dore Show - the episode featuring Tulsi Gabbard.
Jimmy Dore has a YouTube and podcast show from American comedian Jimmy Dore. It's funny and thought-provoking. The 'phone calls' (from famous people but impersonated by incredibly good comedians) are often absolutely hilarious and worth the price of admission alone.
