Illinois a bellwether state
If the Democratic Party wants to recapture The White House this fall, they should look to the 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election as an example of what works.
Incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, a private-equity/venture capital businessman, was defeated by Democratic nominee J.B. Pritzker, fellow venture capitalist and hotel chain heir.
The state Democratic Party and a plurality of its voters apparently determined it could win the race by pitting one businessman against another. If the national Democratic Party had any strategic business sense their leaders would be wise to follow Illinois' lead. Forget about the current slate of "official" candidates in the debate forums verbally fighting like adolescents.
If the Democrats want to unseat President Trump, a real-estate-businessman-turned-reality-television-celebrity, they need to pit someone of like mind (not personality) and like stature and like status against him. Unfortunately for the Democrats, that's Michael Bloomberg, multimedia businessman and former Mayor of New York City. Besides personality quirks, the main difference between these two individuals is that Mr. Bloomberg has nine years of political experience running the nation's largest city versus Mr. Trump's nearly four years of political experience running the nation. And both have worked and will continue to work for $1 a year.
Please understand that this suggested strategy is just an idea of an armchair political pundit and not one to imply an endorsement or rejection of either candidate.
Seeing two business-oriented minds facing off in political theater on a national stage should be more substantive, entertaining and enlightening - as well as more balanced - to average Americans - than the petulant, pretentious and juvenile displays of so-called leadership we've witnessed so far … both in the debates and in Washington.
At this point, we think we deserve better, but alas more sobering minds wonder if that's true.
R. Dana Barlow
Schaumburg