Will defeat Trump outweigh everything else?

Apart from the biography of their candidates, the voters of the Democratic primary were animated this year and midway through 2018 by calls for progressive purity, rejection of corporate influence on elections and the Adoption of far-left political proposals such as the reparation of slavery, the right to vote for felons and free college. This type of policy could put the prospective Democratic candidate at a disadvantage in the general election.

Some veterans of the party are preparing to argue with Democratic voters that a candidate too left will propose to Trump a second term.

"There will be an important debate on whether an elected official or a generation change figure will be more suitable for Donald Trump," said Ben LaBolt, who worked for President Obama's campaign and who followed him to the White House. At the same time, he said: "We can not organize decisive tests that elude us from the price."

Pressure within the party for presidential candidates to refuse money from lobbyists and groupage companies, for example, will not prevent Trump from willingly accepting those dollars, LaBolt said. and use them against the Democratic candidate.

"If we want to reform the system, we have to win the elections and reform them," he said. "I do not think we should impose any significant additional constraints during the process."

Other Democrat veterans of past elections have announced their intention to convince grassroots voters that if the candidacy is offered to one of the most progressive candidates – such as the Sense. Bernie Sanders, Illinois, Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Kamala Harris, D-Calif. or Cory Booker, D-N.J. – The chances of beating Trump Fizzle.

"If it's Bernie or Elizabeth, we have problems," said former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, who supports Biden in the primary. Harris or Booker, he added, could also provide a "fertile ground" for Trump to effectively define 2020 as a choice between re-electing him and turning America into a socialist country, which could drive some voters away. Key states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio. .

"Let's hope the moderate center of the party understands," he said. "And it's the job of people like me to continue to explain to us."

Other members of the party take on the reverse side of the argument – especially to millennials and those who believe that "moderate" voters' perceptions are the reason for this. which the party lost the last elections.

Waleed Shahid, a former staff member for representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who heads the Justice Democrats group, said Friday on MSNBC that Biden did not have the support of major Democratic constituencies that had failed in 2016, including young voters. , black and union members.

"Subject after stake, Joe Biden chose the wrong side of history to steer the Democratic Party," said Shahid.

So why then, if the party base seems to be thirsty for novelty, does the poll show the beginning of the race, dominated by Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, two white men in the late '70s?

Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster, said the number of Democrats claiming that their top priority was Trump's eligibility or defeat reached "records", between 38% and 41% recently.

"It beats everything else. He beats the values ​​from 3 to 1. He beats the character by 10 points, "said Lake. "We had never had it so high before."

There is another difference this year: Traditionally, voters tend to think that the candidate they like is also the most eligible. In 2016, Clinton's supporters were convinced that she had the best chance, while Sanders's supporters felt the same way for him.

Not this year, said Lake.

"For the first time, it's really an independent assessment this year. People do not necessarily think that the person who intrigues them right now is the most viable, and they are really trying to solve the problem, "she said. "It makes the race a lot smoother."

But in a later interview, Shahid said that there was a critical factor beyond which the Democratic candidate would be most likely to convert voters into general elections that could have supported Trump last time: if the Democratic base does not Is not thrilled for his candidate, stay at home.

"I think Joe Biden thinks eligibility is a matter of moderation," Shahid said. "But the aptitude for the job is also a matter of motivation."

The back and forth between a narrow focus on Trump's fight against a bolder political vision – is also playing out as the Democratic Party tackles other serious short-term issues.

In Congress, while many are keen to launch impeachment proceedings, Democratic leaders strive to keep this in mind, anxious not to alienate Republicans and independents in a move that could be counterproductive for the elections. next year. A similar dynamic is emerging as Democrats try to figure out how much to rely on political issues such as the Green New Deal, an environmental and economic proposition that Trump and the Republicans could easily make fun of. "socialist".

In launching his campaign, Biden bet on his candidacy to prevent Trump from winning a second term which, according to him, "forever and fundamentally change the character of this nation". Still, some Democrats took note of the fact that there was little question of what he would do. affirmatively with his years in the oval office, other than defeating the previous four.

"I think it's going to take more than just telling people that we want to bring things back to the pre-Trump era. Because at this point, we can not really do that, "said David Reid, lobbyist and former fundraiser Hillary Clinton, who supports South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. "It will take a more creative and innovative approach to get us out of this situation and help us repair the damage."