Are you better off today than you were 4 years ago? - often asked in reelection contest.
I would add this question: Was this 4 years better than the previous 8? Relevant because, especially with Biden, the ghost of Obama is underlying this year's choice.
Trump is upside down in most approval polls but is certainly a stronger candidate now than he was in 2016 when he won the electoral college handily. Those are all adults polls. Likely voter polls lean more toward even and part of Trump's vote is projected to come from people on the 'disapprove' side. Conditions and events seem to also be falling in his direction in spite of impeachment and continuous msm negativity.
There is only one debate and a few short weeks before voting begins in Iowa. Super Tuesday is only two months out. Yes, a lot can happen, but what? For whom?
The Dem field has really narrowed to 3 at this point, Biden, Bernie and Buttigieg. Think about that. The labels come easy. Biden is a bumbler. Bernie is a socialist, and Buttigieg is young, inexperienced and brings nothing new or special to the table, other than his sexual orientation.
The field is weak because of Obama's flawed governance. Under Obama, Democrats lost the House, lost the Senate, lost the Governorships, lost the State Legislatures and lost his successor. That leaves a weak bench, understatement. There weren't enough Hickenloopers to find a good one.
Candidate Obama picked Biden as a known bumbler but somehow was a safe, known choice that cost him no votes. In his VP debate, Sarah Palin looked awkward repeating the script of her McCain handlers while Biden got away with being wrong on everything of importance. At the top of the ticket, he won't get away with being wrong on everything.
Bernie leads a cult following, a sect, not really a part of the Democrat Party. His (20%?) support is the strongest, most loyal, even through his heart attack, think AOC and the angriest and most pure Left of those coming out of college. He can't get to 51% of Democrats or to 270 of the electoral votes and his support won't just seamlessly transfer over to Biden, or Buttigieg if they beat him by talking a moderate line.
If Buttigieg is the second coming of 2008 candidate Barack Obama at 38, someone like Obama should have picked him as maybe Secretary of State or Treasury at age 32-34. Obama didn't because for one reason he hadn't heard of him and he hadn't heard of him because he hadn't done anything of note. Nice guy, smart they say, but what has he accomplished and what great idea (name one) has he added to the discussion? Nothing.