FILE – In this March 22, 2017, file photo, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks at the Starbucks annual shareholders meeting in Seattle. Schultz has told employees at an employee following the violence at the Aug. 12, 2017, white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that bigotry, hatred and senseless acts of violence against “people who are not white” cannot stand. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
There is a tiny boomlet forming around the potential independent candidacy of Starbuck’s founder Howard Schultz. I’m not particularly sure what he brings to the table but a guy with a lot of money can always get attention if he wants it. Whatever his potential, one thing is for sure, he has the Democrats scared.
None of the explanations coming from Howard Schultz or his advisors answer a very simple question: if he thinks he has a winning message, why can’t he run in the Democratic primary? Why does he get to skip that contest? Just because he’s a billionaire?
Would love an answer.
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) January 29, 2019
Say what you will about Bernie — at least he runs in the Democratic primary to avoid spoiling anything.
Howard Schultz can't even bother to do that for his stupid vanity run. #BoycottStarbucks
— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) January 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/jess_mc/status/1089979042516926470
lol "I must be doing something right to create so much interest and backlash from the Democratic party." … three days in and he's basically at 'Appreciate Congrats for owning the libs.' pic.twitter.com/no2f0icZzX
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 30, 2019
JON FAVREAU (@jonfavs): "None of the explanations coming from Howard Schultz or his advisors answer a very simple question: if he thinks he has a winning message, why can't he run in the Democratic primary? Why does he get to skip that contest? Just because he's a billionaire?”
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) January 29, 2019
Why is that? Schultz is sort of a Mitt Romney/John Kasich figure, a radical moderate:
An analysis of Howard Schultz’s 2020 policies: Reduce the debt, cut entitlements, oppose Medicare for all and taxes on wealthy https://t.co/NfChQRe3a1
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 30, 2019
One would think they would be fluffing Schultz and trying to create a Ross Perot candidate who could peel of GOP voters who are still pissed off that Trump is the candidate in 2020.
This is the problem. Right now the Democrat primary field is shaping up to be the most socialist and anti-American group of candidates the Democrat party has ever fielded.
CREDIT: Gallup Organization, https://news.gallup.com/poll/245462/democrats-favor-moderate-party-gop-conservative.aspx
Among rank and file voters, a clear majority want a candidate who is not on the ballot in the upcoming primary. While you may argue that Republicans don’t have a conservative on the ballot, they do have someone who has delivered more conservative actions in two years than the last two GOP presidents combined.
A socially liberal candidate who sounds not insane running as an independent–no allegiance to “the swamp”–could potentially take a high-single-to-low-double-digit bite out of the Democrat. A Howard Schultz who pulls even 4 points in the general election guarantees a Donald Trump victory.
With Warren on the ballot, found that about 24% of Dems defected to the generic centrist-independent alternative and 20% of Trump Republicans.
Polling found Trump's strong support with Rs around 70%.
2/2— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) January 30, 2019
And, according to this graph, he’s positioned exactly where he needs to be in order to pull Democrat votes but is too liberally on social issues to do much more than knock John Kasich out of the race.
Oh look at that. Look at where your favored candidate is. Alone in that tiny quarter. Enjoy losing. pic.twitter.com/fBtC2bHSDT
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) January 30, 2019
Schultz fits in around the center of the grid, around the 0,0 intersection. There’s probably a metaphor in there somewhere.
For Schultz’s part, he’s smart enough to a) get out of the coffee business while the getting was good and b) to know that the Democrat national machine will destroy him in a primary.
How does this play out?
A guy like Schultz has more options than a Robert Francis O’Rourke or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. If he decides to actually make a run of it he will have the resources and the organizational experience to make a go of it. And that will make things much more interesting.
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