Too Many Cooks May Spoil The Soup

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No, I haven't mistakenly posted one of my food blogs here. The title refers to the horde of Democrats who have announced their intention to run for President in 2020. To date, these are the candidates running, or threatening to run, for the Democratic nomination.

Table found at MarketWatch.com.

Name	Age	State of candidacy
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts	69	Running for president
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii	37	Running for president
Ex-HUD chief Julian Castro	44	Running for president
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York	52	Running for president
Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland	55	Running for president
Andrew Yang, founder of Venture for America	44	Running for president
Sen. Kamala Harris	54	Running for president
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota	58	Running for president
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey	49	Running for president
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg	37	Running for president
Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio	66	Said he’ll decide in March
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont	77	Expected to announce in February
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg	76	Has said he would decide by end of February
Former Vice President Joe Biden	76	Has said he’s leaning toward running
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas	46	Said he would decide by the end of February
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper	66	Said he’s considering a run
Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado	54	Said he’s seriously thinking about running
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee	67	Considering a bid
Rep. Eric Swalwell of California	38	Said Feb. 11 he expects to make a decision “soon”
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe	61	Said he would decide by March 31
Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon	62	Said he’ll decide by end of March
Former Attorney General Eric Holder	68	Has expressed interest
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock	52	May wait until May before making decision
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio	57	Said he hasn’t ruled out a run and is planning trip to New Hampshire on Feb. 15, fueling speculation that he will run.
Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts	40	Says he’s taking a “serious look” at running

Subject: Democratic Donkey | Artist: TheHoosierState89 at en.wikipedia | This work has been released into the public domain by its author.

Many pundits see this as a windfall of talent looking to oust President Trump from office, as if they're working together for a common goal.  This perception isn't quite accurate.

It’s true that each person on the list wants to replace Donald Trump as resident of the White House.   Yet, people seem to be forgetting the fact they'll initially be opposing each other for the Democratic nomination.  During primaries, things can be said which may hurt a nominee in the general election.

During 2008’s Democratic race, then Congressman Barack Obama said he had been working in the slums of Chicago while Clinton "was a corporate lawyer sitting on the board of Walmart". Clinton retaliated that Obama had represented a slum landlord.

In 2016, billionaire candidate Donald Trump smeared Cruz’s father, Rafael, touting a conspiracy theory that he was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. “His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald's being — you know, shot. I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous,” Trump said.

There are multiple other examples of nasty comments spewed during primary races, which weren’t easily forgotten afterwards.  My point is, with so many competitors entering the Democratic race, the odds of someone saying something which could potentially damage the Democratic ticket in the general election goes way up.

I‘d much rather see the party rally behind one strong candidate, rather than dividing the party.   Otherwise, they may very well trip over each other and hand the White House back to Donald Trump.