Now that the draft Elizabeth Warren movement has petered out, I'd like to propose an alternative. A better alternative. Her name is Judy Sheindlin, and if you like Elizabeth Warren's intelligence, Donald Trump's straight talk and Bernie Sanders's sense of fairness, you're going to love Judy Sheindlin, aka Judge Judy.
Herewith I would like to start the "Draft Judge Judy for President" movement.
Before you consign the suggestion to the realm of satire, let's look at some of the dynamics in the present presidential balagan, after which I think you'll see exactly why this is such a good idea.
Let's start with the Democrats. Many who at one point wanted to try to get Senator Warren into the race have already resigned themselves to the fact that she's not going to run and instead have chosen to feel the Bern. Despite the fact that they are both U.S. senators, many people look at both Senator Warren and Senator Sanders as "anti-politicians." Both Warren's would-be candidacy and Sanders's actual candidacy seem to be informed by a general frustration towards politics-as-usual, and the politicians who serve as willing cogs in this frustrating game.
On the Republican side, it is arguably this frustration with politics and politicians which has given rise to Donald Trump's improbable surge in the polls. No matter what he says, Trump seems to be impervious to the typical decline in favorability ratings which occurs when a traditional politician somehow, some way inevitably puts his foot in his mouth.
"Gotcha" politics simply don't seem to apply when it comes to the Donald. Trump is not a career politician and people seem more than willing to forgive him his faux pas. Whatever he says, it's just the Donald being the Donald.
His supporters seem willing to accept him as a somewhat abrasive New Yorker who spits on political correctness, speaks his mind no matter the consequences, and is willing to fight back. As such, for these people, the Donald is not misogynistic because he makes disparaging comments about women. Women shouldn't take it personally: He makes disparaging comments about everyone and anyone as he sees fit. That's just who he is.
Think what you will of the Donald, but his many supporters clearly view him as authentic; he's not trying to hide who he is, and people think this is a breath of fresh air. Of all the current candidates, he seems to share this quality most of all with the Bern at the other end of the political spectrum.
Not so much with Hillary Clinton.
Trustworthiness could be a serious issue for Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. Her supporters tend to argue, "It's not a problem. Look at Bill (Clinton). People didn't trust him, and he easily got elected twice."
Hillary supporters also argue that her authenticity troubles are not an insurmountable negative either. Again, they say, look at Bill.
One could easily have a longer discussion on whether authenticity is the "coin of the realm" and, indeed, whether Bill Clinton himself suffered from both an authenticity and trustworthiness problem. But even if you were willing to concede that Bill Clinton did have an authenticity problem, you can't get around the fact that Hillary has another problem Bill never had to worry about. However you slice it, Bill Clinton was undeniably likable. Bill Clinton was a good-ole-boy with whom, whether you trusted him or not, you might like to have the proverbial beer.
Whether anybody would even consider having a beer with Hillary Clinton -- or perhaps a glass of rosé or Chardonnay -- the issue of likability is one with which she is inevitably going to struggle. She simply does not have the same likability as Bill -- or the Bern, or Joe Biden or... Even though she was born into modest circumstances, she somehow seems more elitist, more distanced from the Little Guy/Gal than Donald Trump, who was born into wealth, but who nonetheless projects a kind of Fred Flintstone everyman quality.
In reality, despite these issues, Hillary Clinton is likely to take the Democratic nomination.
Enter Judge Judy. Judy Sheindlin has trustworthiness, authenticity and likability in spades. She's not a politician. She shares some of Trump's signature New York-ness and a lot of the qualities which have led to his popularity, but without any of the negatives. Judge Judy is loved for her straight talk, common sense and, yes, compassion. She has practical experience in solving a gamut of everyday problems with outspoken even-handedness and solutions which almost always seem spot on.
Don't we need these qualities on the national level?
Rather than a Bush vs. Clinton scenario (again) or even Trump vs. Clinton, imagine Hillary Clinton vs. Judge Judy. What a contrast. For all the people who feel it's finally time for a strong woman to become president, or for that matter simply a strong person of any gender who is willing to step up with the truth and a no-BS attitude, who is willing to look beyond political correctness to do the right thing, well... it's time for Judge Judy.
Please join me in drafting Judge Judy Sheindlin to run for President of the United States. Email her and let her know how you feel by clicking here.
It's your time, Judge Judy, to make America great again.