Jonathan Bernstein: “It’s true that two amateurs, Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang, have been treated to some extent as real candidates. That bought them each a spot in the first round of debates. But while the Democrats didn’t rig the rules against them (which I think they should have), the party has barely been tempted by either candidate.”
“There’s no reason to think it’ll be different for Steyer, who unlike Williamson and Yang can’t even claim to bring something to the field that wasn’t already there (Yang has a universal basic income plan, and Williamson has … well, she’s different than the other candidates, anyway). Steyer is part of the very liberal wing of the party? So are several current candidates. He cares about the climate? Even the moderates in this group say the same, and several have put forward well-regarded plans. If he doesn’t think Washington Governor Jay Inslee (who is running specifically on climate policy) is getting enough support, why not set up a pro-Inslee Super PAC?”
“The truth is that it probably doesn’t matter how long the tail of candidates at 2% in the polls is: The entire tail will presumably be cut off after Iowa or New Hampshire, if not sooner.”
