Thread by @fawfulfan

Here's my current ranking:

1) Harris
2) Warren
3) O'Rourke
4) Castro
5) Booker
6) Gillibrand
7) Buttigieg
8) Klobuchar
9) Biden
10) Swalwell
11) Inslee
12) Hickenlooper
13) Sanders
14) Delaney
15) Williamson
16) Messam
17) Yang
18) Ryan
19) Moulton
20) Gravel
21) Gabbard

https://twitter.com/fairvote/status/1121760110865473541

Hell with it. I have time. I'm going to explain every single entry on this list. Stand by.

1) Kamala Harris: fierce progressive, on the right side of major criminal justice issues long before their time, great platform and record, would tear the head off of Trump in a debate, and Trump doesn't even seem to know what to do about her. That puts her at the top for me.

2) Elizabeth Warren: Firebrand and wonk rolled into one, built a whole consumer rights agency from scratch, most of her policy proposals are brilliant and well crafted. Only ding for her is I worry she's not very diplomatic in intraparty disputes, which could hamper her as POTUS.

3) Beto O'Rourke: As a Texan I saw what he can do as a campaigner. Having met him personally, he's a way more thoughtful and issue-driven person than the media gives him credit for. He's not as callow as people think either...he was in Congress as long as Warren or Booker.

4) Julián Castro: Hard to decide whether to put him or Beto third, I gave the edge to Beto because of campaign experience. But Castro has a well-rounded résumé, and he probably has the best immigration platform of any of the candidates right now.

5) Cory Booker: He used to be my first choice. He's a stirring orator and he's got great ideas to combat intergenerational poverty. I do worry that his campaigning ability isn't where it needs to be though.

6) Kirsten Gillibrand: I'm sick of the sexist comments trashing her *from our own side*. She's also got a great progressive voting record and is laser focused on stopping Trump. She just doesn't seem to know how to set herself apart from the crowd though.

7) Pete Buttigieg: I'm not completely sold on him in terms of experience, and he has yet to convince me he knows how to build a winning coalition. But he's brilliant, speaks compellingly, is rightly focused on reversing right-wing control of the courts.

8) Amy Klobuchar: I do admit the staff stories worried me a little. But she still has plenty of positives going for her. She crushes the vote in a purplish-blue Midwest state, and has an extremely productive Senate record.

9) Joe Biden: I'm very fond of the guy personally. He also has the most experience of any of them, and (for now) polls well. And most of his campaign decisions are solid so far. I do worry he's too set in his ways, speaks dangerously off the cuff and is record is easy to mine.

10) Eric Swalwell: Meh. I like him and I like what he's done in the House. I just can't shake the feeling that his candidacy is more about centering gun control than a bona fide shot at the Oval Office. I applaud that goal, but I can't rank him as high as bigger players.

11) Jay Inslee: Meh. I like him and I like what he's done in Washington State. I just can't shake the feeling that his candidacy is more about centering climate change than a bona fide shot at the Oval Office. I applaud that goal, but I can't rank him as high as bigger players.

12) John Hickenlooper: I have no active dislike for him, and he's qualified on paper as the governor of a mid-size state. I just can't see what purpose he serves in this primary, what his major issues are or his target base. I'm not even sure he knows.

13) Bernie Sanders: I've never wanted to dislike him. He's got a good (if not very fleshed out) platform and he clearly can excite people. I just get turned off when he and his supporters start fights with people and groups they should be building bridges with.

14) John Delaney: See Hickenlooper, but with a shorter and less impressive résumé.

15) Marianne Williamson: See Hickenlooper, but with no résumé whatsoever.

16) Wayne Messam: Until his campaign becomes organized enough to actually pay its staffers, I can't muster myself to even look that far into this one.

17) Andrew Yang: I like that he supports UBI. But he's basically an unqualified weirdo bouncing around looking for attention. Plus he's gathering a base of support from the alt-right for reasons that are not very clear.

18) Tim Ryan: A completely unimpressive, entrenched congressman who is only notable for his perennial, Quixotic attempts to oust Nancy Pelosi. No thanks.

19) Seth Moulton: All the same problems with Tim Ryan, but he's even less experienced and his crusade against Pelosi was even more flamboyantly misogynistic. Double no thanks.

20) Mike Gravel: I'm not even 100% sure this guy is running. I mean, he's making Internet videos of himself doing old man things and reminding us all he was a senator in the 1970s, so I guess he is. He's got all the swagger of Bernie and even less substance.

21) Tulsi Gabbard: Socially conservative voting record, supports nationalists and dictators, tried to join Trump's admin, toxic to the party, no accomplishments, and her campaign is skirting labor law. I don't want her in the House, let alone the White House.

Anyway, it goes without saying, if it was between any of these people and Trump, I would vote for them. Knock doors and phonebank for them too.

I'm glad we have such a diverse list of people and platforms to choose from. We need it if we are to win next year.