Readers express hardly any love for Democratic presidential contenders

The 2016 presidential race is getting interesting. The Democratic primary appears to be opening up. Longtime front-runner former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, facing a burgeoning scandal, is seeing a dip in some polls, while Sen. Bernie Sanders is drawing large crowds of supporters around the nation. In addition to a handful of other candidates, there are rumors that Vice President Joe Biden and even former Vice President Al Gore might throw their hats into the ring. What qualities do you think are most important in a Democratic primary candidate, and which contender best meets those criteria?

Unfortunately, there are no good Democratic presidential candidates.

We need a president who will unify the nation to overcome the class warfare that has been amplified over the past seven-plus years.

Hillary Clinton is too involved in controversy and scandals: Benghazi, her violation of national security laws in regard to classified emails and the Clinton Foundation dealings.

Bernie Sanders wants total socialism, and the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.

Joe Biden would be the same as a third term for Obama, as would John Kerry. Al Gore is a best-forgotten history lesson.

Where are the real Democrats who care about all of the American people, not just themselves and their special-interest groups?

— Walter H. Delashmit, Justin

Three of the Democrats who have either declared or are thinking about running for president — Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb — will be more than 70 years old on Inauguration Day 2017.

Front-runner Hillary Clinton will be nine months short of 70. Every Republican candidate is younger than Clinton and some — Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz — are about 25 years younger.

In general, Democratic voters are satisfied with their liberal government and the related big spending it represents.

Many voters are in fear of change and therefore party leaders have recognized that their best chance to win is to remain status quo, keep the money machine churning out programs and snuff out the young talent that might represent the side of progressive thought and economic growth.

— Patrick Jenkins, Arlington

The most important qualities in a Democratic primary candidate:

1. Hold the Constitution in complete disdain, as nothing more than an outmoded relic of a racist, oppressive America.

2. Be adamant in your conviction that you know better how an individual’s money should be spent than the individual does.

3. Keep an unshakeable belief that all money belongs to the government and your job is to pass it out “fairly” as the government chooses.

4. Insist that all poor people’s problems would be solved if the government could just spend another $5 trillion on welfare programs, despite the complete lack of reduction in the number of poor people with the first $20 trillion that has been spent on welfare since the 1930s.

5. Repeatedly demand that everyone acknowledge that the Affordable Care Act is the greatest thing ever to happen in medical care, while celebrating that you don’t participate in it.

— Stanley Poynor, Mansfield

In the 1970s, Democrats didn’t trust the government, or anyone over 30 for that matter. Big government meant big military and everyone was against the war in Vietnam.

But then Lyndon Johnson turned his back on our commitments, lost the war and opened the money-for-nothing faucet.

Democrats started “evolving” to trust and depend on the federal government for everything, from reduced military spending to food stamps, to birth control, to global cooling (that’s right, cooling).

The qualities most important in a Democratic primary candidate these days are those that support programs expanding the government’s role and control in everyone’s lives.

That makes Bernie Sanders, an avowed socialist, the most intellectually honest of all their candidates. He probably won’t win the nomination, but his entire platform will be firmly, if not openly, embraced by the whole party, or at least by everyone who has “evolved.”

— Ralph M. Gill, Gruene

What qualities are important for a Democratic nominee? The same ones important for a Republican nominee. Honesty, integrity and a genuine desire to unite the country.

— Mike Leinen, Grapevine

Today’s Democrats are not the Democrats of my daddy’s time, as the saying goes.

Hillary Clinton is as slick as Teflon. Can she be trusted? Bernie Sanders is a full-blown socialist. Is that what America needs? Over all, “la-la in the sky” ideologies only work in someone’s daydreams. Reality is another matter.

I’d like to see the Democrats come up with integrity and reality, none of which is apparent at this time.

— Eva Snapka, Arlington

How about one with common sense? That would be a candidate who can be reasonable and not wedded to some ideology to the point of stupidity.

It would be a candidate who can think outside the political box, gather information deeply and widely and doesn’t care a fig what the critics say when he (she) acts for the common good.

This candidate loves America and American people of all color, gender, religion and social class more than they love a political party. Their personal agenda is to serve their country with honor and to advance the democracy that our founders envisioned.

Which candidate most nearly represents this ideal? I’m waiting to see.

— Loveta Eastes, Benbrook

A perfect Democrat candidate would have: A total commitment to big government, a total disregard for the Constitution and a total amorality concerning the public square.

In this regard, Bernie Sanders is the perfect candidate — an honest, open socialist as opposed to a lying dishonest one.

— David R. Calvert, Weatherford

The most important qualities for Democratic candidates makes for a short list. One must be a true progressive, and one must have a track record of beating Republicans. Very simple. All current contenders for the Democratic nomination meet the criteria.

— Rod Longino, Colleyville

This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Readers express hardly any love for Democratic presidential contenders."