What’s YOUR Dream Team matchup for POTUS?

My mention of Matter of Opinion earlier reminds me of a podcast from last month that I meant to post about, and forgot.

So here goes, and this time, I’m giving you a link that MAY let you listen to it, or at least read the transcript, without a subscription. Someone please try it and let me know whether it works.

Here’s the link to “The Presidential Fantasy Draft America Needs.”

If you can’t or won’t go listen, here’s the essence of it: Ross Douthat posed a question to the panel:

Since so many voters seem to be so over a Trump-Biden rematch in advance, I want to ask each of you what your ideal match-up would actually be. Who do you wish was going head to head for president in 2024?

He started it off by offering his own picks:

I’m going to say that I would like to see a race between JD Vance of Ohio and my home state senator, Chris Murphy, Democrat, of Connecticut.

Michelle Cottle responded, “I’m going a different way. I’m going Gretchen Whitmer versus Glenn Youngkin.”

Lydia Polgreen said she was going to cheat, which if I recall correctly caused the others to hoot at her, but she went ahead:

I’m interested in the sort of theoretical exercise of what the future might look like, knowing that these matchups will never happen. So the first one is testing how the various inflections of populism will unfold in this country. So I would love to see the representative from New York City, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez against Ross’s candidate, JD Vance, in Ohio….

The other is Rafael Warnock, the senator from Georgia, and Josh Hawley, the senator from Missouri. The reason I chose those two is that I’m very interested in the role of religion in our country….

The only one who came anywhere near my own choices was Carlos Lozada, whom (as I’ve mentioned before) I have come to respect a lot from listening to these podcasts:

…I finally concluded that my dream matchup is, coming out of nowhere, Biden versus Trump.

This is not the matchup you want. It is the matchup we need. More than any other dream matchup that I can dream up, this matchup forces America to decide on first principles on what it is about. Trump is running as an authoritarian candidate who wants to shred the Constitution.

Biden’s campaign, both 2020 and for 2024, are premised almost entirely on preserving American democracy…

I’m with him on Biden, but definitely not on Trump. Any major-party candidate has almost exactly a 50-50 chance of winning — that’s the way America is now. But there must be ZERO chance of Trump winning again. I refuse to advance a “dream” that offers any chance at all of that.

To do what Lozada is trying to do, but without the distinct chance of driving the final nail into America’s (and the world’s) coffin, we need an actual Republican to oppose Joe’s classic Democratic-liberal views. Then you’re offering the country a real choice, but not playing Russian roulette with the country.

So I’d go with Asa Hutchinson. Yeah, I know he has no chance. But he’s running, and he meets the bill as I’ve set it out, and after all this is a “fantasy draft.”

All that said, what I really want is to see whom y’all would pick. And make a good case for it, please…

21 thoughts on “What’s YOUR Dream Team matchup for POTUS?”

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      Except they aren’t.

      But whether they are or not, the smart thing for a pragmatic person to do is choose the LEAST “low” of the bunch, because somebody’s going to get elected, and have the power to have a big effect on you and everyone you care about…

      1. Barry

        They are the lowest of the low.

        I don’t vote.

        If I did, my dream team would be my neighbor across the street- a good man, honest, married for decades, never divorced, wheelchair bound now but friendly, smart, and responsible.

        and my former supervisor. She was a caring individual. Great mom. Smart as heck. She could think on her feet, and I never saw her lie or even stretch the truth.

      2. Doug Ross

        Never. I vote for the person who represents my views on issues. Since the majority of voters are uninformed, we get Trump and Biden when neither is a good choice.

        Dream matchup: Tulsi Gabbard vs. Steve Forbes from 20 years ago. He’s more on the ball than Biden today even at age 76. Or Rand Paul (whose views on Fauci become more prescient every day).. it would be great to vote for ethical people who are intelligent.

      3. Robert Amundson

        I am so tired of Hobson Choices. Reflecting on December 7th, 1941, and drawing parallels to recent events on October 7th highlights the intricate dance between politics, intelligence, and military strategy. Failures in intelligence, often a consequence of political interference, echo through history.

        Contemplating the dream team for the upcoming presidency, akin to the ideal user-AI partnership, remains a known unknown. Political ideals conflicting with strategic imperatives have been a persistent challenge, exemplified by the historical weight of December 7th.

        The echoes of history extend to October 7th, emphasizing the delicate balance required between political considerations and intelligence imperatives. The horrors of the massacre underscore the urgent need for an unbiased approach to intelligence, free from political manipulation.

        Leaving the Navy on an admiral’s staff (1984) provides a unique perspective, a lens through which the complexities of these issues come into focus. The shared journey with the past underscores the importance of learning from historical mistakes, particularly in navigating the interplay between political ideals and military realities. Today, on December 7th (October 7 another Day in Infamy), we are reminded that history has a tendency to repeat itself when lessons go unlearned.

        So, I supported Mayor Pete in 2020. A real dark horse for VP, as I had the pleasure of meeting her when she ran with James Smith. Mandy Powers Norrell for VP, so go Buttigieg/Powers-Norrell. And Go Navy. Love my brothers until Army/Navy game.

  3. Barry

    Dan Abrams today on Sirius radio played excerpts from Kash Patel on Steve Bannon’s show. Patel is rumored to be on the short list for Trump’s Chief of Staff or possibly National Security Advisor.

    Patel said one of the first orders of business would be to prosecute Trump’s enemies and target journalists for criminal prosecution.

    “We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media. Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections – we’re going to come after you,” Patel said

    Dan Abrams, an attorney, did question how they were going to prosecute people they accuse of lying.

    Paul Dans of the Heritage Foundation, who is working on a list of Trump nominees for his next term as President has said the next Attorney General should follow the orders of the White House.

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      Well, I’m not with you there. He should be out of office, but not in prison.

      That’s why we have elections, and why you should participate in them… 🙂

      1. Robert Amundson

        Lindsey Graham is an embarrassment. Not understanding that IMHO fact indicates some sort of co-opting into South Carolina Society (Culture, i.e. “Southern Charm”???). Tough to avoid. My “Yankee” mother liked chickens, so “Go Cocks!” offended her twice. Which “Bless Your Heart” do you mean?

        Graham is part of the attempted coup. It FAILED! Pay the consequences, even if it is just the test of time. Graham’s name is Mudd! All y’all confuse this Northern Hillbilly (yes, a Yankee).

        SMH …

      2. Doug Ross

        Barry doesn’t vote yet appears to spend most of his waking hours following left wing political radio shows and blogs. Why? Apparently he wants the rest of the country to do his job for him.
        He’s like a guy who says he hates baseball but has three fantasy teams .

        2. Barry

          Sirius radio 124 isn’t left wing. It’s the most middle of the road offering as there is in media anywhere in the United States.

          Left wing shows can’t get a dozen republicans a week on the air for interviews- nor do they even try.

          Mediaite isn’t left wing. They simply cover the cable news stories as they appear- where right wing extremists dominate the industry.

          How did you know I have 3 fantasy teams? But they are NFL teams. I am in 3 different leagues.

          I’m 9-4 in one (1st out of 10 teams in the division) – 1 game lead
          8-5 in one (4th in the 10 team division) – 3 games back
          7-6 in one (Tied for 4th in the 10 team division) – 4 games back

          1. Doug Ross

            My question is why you care so much to share obscure news stories anonymously if you don’t plan to vote? Especially on this blog that has a readership that skews extremely left?Who are you trying to convince that Republicans are evil? What’s the point? If you want to try and influence people, maybe create your own blog and see if you can generate any followers.

            1. Barry

              Well first, I totally reject the premise of the question. I don’t consider them obscure.

              What you should really complain about is Fox News and the right wing media echo chamber taking a local story about someone no one has ever heard of and blowing it up into a national story in 12 hours.

              But, if that’s the playing field, more than right wing echo chambers can play that game.

              However, I don’t consider stories as obscure that involve statewide or national issues, or people closely connected to national movements or national candidates.

              I’m not trying to convince people Republican are evil. People can make up their own mind.

  7. Barry

    Anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?
    Can you tell me where he’s gone?
    He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young
    You know I just looked around and he’s gone

    Anybody here seen my old friend John?
    Can you tell me where he’s gone?
    He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young
    I just looked around and he’s gone

    Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
    Can you tell me where he’s gone?
    He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young
    I just looked around and he’s gone

    Didn’t you love the things that they stood for?
    Didn’t they try to find some good for you and me?
    And we’ll be free
    Some day soon, it’s gonna be one day

    Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
    Can you tell me where he’s gone?
    I thought I saw him walkin’ up over the hill
    With Abraham, Martin, and John

      1. Brad Warthen Post author

        I’ve always loved the song myself — but I can never seem to get over the fact that it’s from Dion. Just doesn’t seem likely, but it’s true…

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