The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. – Vince Lombardi

These topics caught my attention in the last 24 hours:

• The Democratic Debate
• Montana Campaigns
• One More Thing

THE DEMOCRATIC DEBATE:

I watched parts of the Democratic debate last night. I seriously thought it would never end. There were too many people participating. In case you missed it, 12 candidates were debating – often at the same time!

About 45 minutes in, I had this thought: The frontrunners (Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders) are too old to be President.

It seems hard for them to think on their feet. It’s like your grandparents during the holidays – they get confused in a room full of people talking.

Sanders is 78. Biden is 76. Warren is 70.

By the way, I think the same of Trump. He is too old. He is 73. We know that he has problems handling the rigors of the Presidency.

Right after the debate, a poll on Drudge had Tulsi Gabbard winning the debate with Andrew Yang in second. I like Gabbard. I also like Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, and Amy Klobuchar. I doubt they will be President, but they might be a contender for Vice President.

You can read the Associated Press report about the debate HERE.

You can read the Reuters report about the debate HERE.

The New York Times breaks down how much time each candidate spoke HERE.

There’s a fifth debate scheduled for November 20, 2019.

MONTANA CAMPAIGNS:

If you are U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and his team you had to like the headline from MTN news about his fundraising for his 2020 reelection campaign:

GOP Sen. Daines leaving competitors in the fundraising dust

MTN’s secondary headline stated this:

Daines has $4M in the bank — more than 80 times nearest competitor

Ouch.

I am starting to believe that unless Daines shoots someone on Fifth Avenue in New York City, he will be hard to beat. We are a little over a year out from Election Day 2020, so much can happen.

Opponents of Daines will have to say something like money is not everything in a campaign, which is true. But then again money buys a lot of everything from salaried staffers to pizza parties, to food for picnics, to fuel for vehicles and planes, to candy for parades, and lots of ads, etc.

As for the open U.S. House race, that one may be close. MTN News reports:

Republican Matt Rosendale and Democrat Kathleen Williams have solidified their leads in fundraising for Montana’s open 2020 U.S. House contest, as they each posted impressive numbers on Tuesday.

Both candidates lost recently. Rosendale lost a U.S. Senate bid and Williams lost a U.S. House bid.

MTN also says that Rosendale and Williams are two of eight candidates competing for Montana’s sole U.S. House seat, which is open next year because Republican incumbent Greg Gianforte is running for governor in 2020.

That’s too many. The political parties should step in and tell a few of them that it would help the cause if they dropped out.

As for me, I’m looking for a candidate who will stay in the seat (voters willing) long enough to gain some seniority in the U.S. House and not use it as a stepping stone.

ONE MORE THING:

It’s always the Florida man…

Authorities say a Florida man repeatedly called 911 to report that his roommate had stolen his marijuana.
A deputy for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office posted a Twitter response to the man’s calls Saturday night: Stop calling.
Deputy Neal Zalva says in the Twitter video that he called the man back to tell him to quit contacting the sheriff’s office about his stolen marijuana.
Recreational marijuana use remains illegal in Florida. (AP) 

 

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