Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Who should be the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee?
Position‹6 of 8›: Tom Steyer
Argument1 of 2›: Tom Steyer is a political outsider

Steyer is a political outsider. This resonates with voters.

The argument

Trump's election proved that a political outsider can be appealing to voters. Steyer has never held elected office, and therefore is uncorrupted by years of being in the trenches of Capitol Hill.. He will not have to bow to anyone for fear of upsetting D.C. insiders. His experience as a businessman will enable him to confront Trump head-on. He is not 'all politics' - he is real. He has the resources and funds to run a campaign, despite his outsider status.

Context

Trump's presidency challenged traditional wisdom about the amount that experience, whether political or military, matters to voters in a Presidential candidate.

Premises

[P1]Trump's election demonstrated that political outsiders can appeal to voters and win the presidency. [P2] Tom Steyer has never held elected office, leaving him uncorrupted by D.C. insider politics and free to confront Trump directly. [P3] As a businessman, Steyer has the personal resources and real-world experience needed to mount a viable campaign despite his outsider status. [C] Therefore, Tom Steyer should be the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee.

Counter-arguments

Being an outsider is not necessarily an advantage. Being a billionaire outsider may not be appealing to Democratic voters at a time that many are calling for dramatically increased efforts to fight inequality. Additionally, typically political experience helps candidates, particularly Democratic candidates. He also does not possess the name recognition that has helped Trump.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Political outsiders are not necessarily appealing to voters.