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Joe BidenCongratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
 

MineralMan

(147,334 posts)
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:33 AM Mar 2020

If Bernie Sanders Had The Same Lead That Biden Now Holds,

along with the same polling in future primaries, I would be calling for Biden to step out of the race and endorse Senator Sanders.

I'm not a supporter of individual candidates as much as I am a supporter of candidates who can win a General Election.

Vote counts matter. A candidate who cannot win the primary race will not win in the General Election. It's that simple. We need a winning candidate as our nominee. That's Joe Biden in 2020.

That's why I'm calling for Bernie Sanders to withdraw and endorse Joe Biden. No other reason.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
If Bernie Sanders Had The Same Lead That Biden Now Holds, (Original Post) MineralMan Mar 2020 OP
As would Bernie mcar Mar 2020 #1
I would too. Demsrule86 Mar 2020 #2
Can you imagine the BS supporters liberal N proud Mar 2020 #3
Yes, of course. MineralMan Mar 2020 #4
They touted him as inevitable for having Codeine Mar 2020 #7
A few did when he won the first 3 states. treestar Mar 2020 #32
You're absolutey right. During the primary debates it seems some of we Democrats forgot ... marble falls Mar 2020 #5
Exactly. Thanks! MineralMan Mar 2020 #6
Am I wrong or have most of the Sanders supporters here NoMoreRepugs Mar 2020 #8
A big portion of them have come over to Biden, too. We need to heal some rifts here, not ... marble falls Mar 2020 #10
Personally, I've given it up as a lost cause TheFarseer Mar 2020 #28
I'm past the point of caring about Sanders anymore. The whole world knows its over. oldsoftie Mar 2020 #9
Sadly, the only impact Bernie can have now is to hurt Biden the same way he hurt Hillary... world wide wally Mar 2020 #11
And that is a very serious concern. It should concern all of us. MineralMan Mar 2020 #12
re:"A candidate who cannot win the primary race will not win in the General...it's that simple" thesquanderer Mar 2020 #13
Polls are not elections, and Hillary Clinton did Beat Trump MineralMan Mar 2020 #15
Point remains, ability to beat candidate X in your own party says *nothing* about... thesquanderer Mar 2020 #18
Possibilities in present do not equal reality in future delisen Mar 2020 #19
Exactly. MineralMan Mar 2020 #21
Of course. Like I said, "things also could change a lot over 6 months." thesquanderer Mar 2020 #23
I think he should do this as well MustLoveBeagles Mar 2020 #14
If my trash guy had the lead I'd ask for the other to step aside.... Bengus81 Mar 2020 #16
Sanders supporters were already calling for him to be declared the winner Dopers_Greed Mar 2020 #17
I remember. Cha Mar 2020 #26
This is war footing now, we need a stable experienced leader to get us through the crisis IronLionZion Mar 2020 #20
KnR. Bernie is looking like a reality TV star, since he just wants to keep the cameras R B Garr Mar 2020 #22
That is a very selfish and destructive strategy. MineralMan Mar 2020 #24
Hell.. all of Sanders surrogates, supporters & Sanders would be calling for Cha Mar 2020 #25
I haven't been convinced Biden can win booley Mar 2020 #27
Perhaps you won't be convinced of that until MineralMan Mar 2020 #29
My view is, Biden would have congratulated Bernie on Super Tuesday and rolled it up ucrdem Mar 2020 #30
Me too. In fact, before SC Happy Hoosier Mar 2020 #31
 

liberal N proud

(60,921 posts)
3. Can you imagine the BS supporters
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:45 AM
Mar 2020

And their calls would be for Biden to quit

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

MineralMan

(147,334 posts)
4. Yes, of course.
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:46 AM
Mar 2020

Tit for Tat.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
7. They touted him as inevitable for having
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:49 AM
Mar 2020

won three states. Imagine if he were actually winning?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

treestar

(82,383 posts)
32. A few did when he won the first 3 states.
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 08:47 PM
Mar 2020
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

marble falls

(61,908 posts)
5. You're absolutey right. During the primary debates it seems some of we Democrats forgot ...
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:48 AM
Mar 2020

this is about beating Trump not each other.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

NoMoreRepugs

(10,462 posts)
8. Am I wrong or have most of the Sanders supporters here
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:51 AM
Mar 2020

gone dark? Or were “they” ever real??

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

marble falls

(61,908 posts)
10. A big portion of them have come over to Biden, too. We need to heal some rifts here, not ...
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:59 AM
Mar 2020

keep poking them with a stick.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

TheFarseer

(9,466 posts)
28. Personally, I've given it up as a lost cause
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 04:28 PM
Mar 2020

Nothing to do but get after it and get Joe elected now.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

oldsoftie

(13,508 posts)
9. I'm past the point of caring about Sanders anymore. The whole world knows its over.
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 11:53 AM
Mar 2020

One day he'll wake up and realize it too.
Its not like the campaign is still going on

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

world wide wally

(21,813 posts)
11. Sadly, the only impact Bernie can have now is to hurt Biden the same way he hurt Hillary...
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 12:09 PM
Mar 2020

By his constant criticism and appealing to his supporters in spite of the fact that he is dead in the water as far as winning the nomination goes.
Man up, Bernie.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

MineralMan

(147,334 posts)
12. And that is a very serious concern. It should concern all of us.
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 12:17 PM
Mar 2020

The sooner Sanders withdraws and enthusiastically endorses Biden, the better our chances will be.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

thesquanderer

(12,300 posts)
13. re:"A candidate who cannot win the primary race will not win in the General...it's that simple"
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 12:32 PM
Mar 2020

I'm not sure what you're saying there.

If you're saying that someone who cannot win the primary cannot win the general, well of course, if someone does not win the nomination, they will never even have the *opportunity* to win the general, so that much is self-evident.

If you're saying that a candidate who cannot win the primary would be incapable of winning the general if he were the nominee, well there's no reason to believe that. For example, Sanders could not beat Hillary in the primaries, but polls at this point in 2016 showed overwhelmingly that he was stronger against Trump than Hillary was. Not being able to beat candidate X in your own party says absolutely nothing about how well you would do against some other candidate from another party, it's two different and unrelated scenarios.

Though either way, I agree, I think Sanders should drop out and endorse Biden.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

MineralMan

(147,334 posts)
15. Polls are not elections, and Hillary Clinton did Beat Trump
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 12:34 PM
Mar 2020

in the popular vote.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

thesquanderer

(12,300 posts)
18. Point remains, ability to beat candidate X in your own party says *nothing* about...
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 01:10 PM
Mar 2020

...someone's ability to beat candidate Y in the other party.

To the other point, since not every election circumstance comes to pass in the real world, polls are our best indication of what would likely happen. And while a single poll with close results gives you very limited ability to extrapolate to what would actually happen, a series of dozens of polls with very large spreads does give you a great likelihood of a proper forecast. Though of course, things also could change a lot over 6 months.

As for popular vote, of course, it came down to a few states. Take a look at RCP history. March through June of 2016:

Michigan:
Sanders over Trump by 19 to 22 points.
Clinton over Trump by 4 to 16 points.

Wisconsin:
Sanders over Trump by 9 to 24 points.
Clinton over Trump by 5 to 14 points.

Pennsylvania:
Sanders over Trump by 6 to 20 points.
Clinton over Trump by 0 to 15 points.

So for example, at this point in 2016, Sanders could not beat Hillary in PA... but if the general had been held at that point, Sanders would have been the stronger candidate against Trump. It's two different races, with different voters voting, and with different pros and cons between the two opponents. There's just no natural correlation between being able to beat a given primary opponent with a particular set of voters, and being able to beat a given general election opponent with a different set of voters. None.

I do believe that Biden has a slightly better chance against Trump than Sanders would have... but not because Bidemn is beating Sanders, which I find irrelevant, but rather because polls show Biden as having slightly better numbers.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

delisen

(6,408 posts)
19. Possibilities in present do not equal reality in future
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 01:17 PM
Mar 2020
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

thesquanderer

(12,300 posts)
23. Of course. Like I said, "things also could change a lot over 6 months."
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 01:57 PM
Mar 2020

All you can do is consider the best info at hand at any given time.

Though also logically, there's no reason to believe that the candidate who does the best job at beating members of his/her own party is necessarily going to be the best candidate to put up against the leading candidate of the OTHER party, especially when it's even a different pool of voters.

Put differently, Trump was the Republican candidate who was best able to beat the other Republican candidates in 2016, so he was the nominee. I doubt too many people think Hillary would have been more successful if only she could have faced Jeb Bush or John Kasich. I think most probably feel they would have been even tougher candidates for the general. But the best candidate for you to put up against the other party's candidate in the general is, again, not always going to be the one who does best in your primaries.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

MustLoveBeagles

(12,414 posts)
14. I think he should do this as well
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 12:34 PM
Mar 2020

Whether he will or not is another story. I don't see a path for him going forward. The time has come for him to drop out. I supported him four years ago, but when it became clear that Hillary was the one with the path to the nomination I switched my support to Hillary and voted for her in the general. I did this with no animosity and a lot of enthusiasm as I'm sure most of his supporters did. I still like Bernie and his message. I don't like his advisors or his extreme supporters, which are a very small, but loud and obnoxious minority. This Biden supporter is extending a hand, not to poke in the eye or slap in the face, but out of friendship and camaraderie. We're all in this together.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Bengus81

(7,333 posts)
16. If my trash guy had the lead I'd ask for the other to step aside....
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 12:36 PM
Mar 2020

To me it's not about who's who,it's about getting OUR candidate to focus solely on beating Trumps ASS and not messing around with Primaries that aren't going to happen anyway.

Because of Bernie we're squandering precious time............

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Dopers_Greed

(2,647 posts)
17. Sanders supporters were already calling for him to be declared the winner
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 12:54 PM
Mar 2020

When only 2 states had voted, and he wasn't even leading in delegates

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

IronLionZion

(46,871 posts)
20. This is war footing now, we need a stable experienced leader to get us through the crisis
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 01:20 PM
Mar 2020

One who actually listens and defers to qualified experts and can get legislation passed through congress while inspiring and calming down the fears of the American people.

We all have to do our part. Bernie can support some good healthcare funding bills in the Senate to make sure no one gets left behind who needs help.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

R B Garr

(17,364 posts)
22. KnR. Bernie is looking like a reality TV star, since he just wants to keep the cameras
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 01:41 PM
Mar 2020

rolling at this point. The voters have spoken. His show is over.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

MineralMan

(147,334 posts)
24. That is a very selfish and destructive strategy.
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 02:05 PM
Mar 2020
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(304,720 posts)
25. Hell.. all of Sanders surrogates, supporters & Sanders would be calling for
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 03:50 PM
Mar 2020

Biden to drop out.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

booley

(3,855 posts)
27. I haven't been convinced Biden can win
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 04:27 PM
Mar 2020

Sorry but history shows just winning in the bubble that is a primary doesn't mean they will win in the general.

In any case there are very good reasons why Sanders should stay in until the end.

Such as the fact that while Biden has been sitting in his house for the last week, Sanders turned his campaign infrastructure to raise money for COVID 19 and provide an alternative to Trump's messaging.

If Biden is really as strong a candidate as many here claim, it won't matter if Sanders stays in until the convention. Biden is not owed the nomination.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

MineralMan

(147,334 posts)
29. Perhaps you won't be convinced of that until
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 07:17 PM
Mar 2020

November. But do, please,vote for him.

Thanks.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

ucrdem

(15,700 posts)
30. My view is, Biden would have congratulated Bernie on Super Tuesday and rolled it up
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 07:23 PM
Mar 2020

at 8:01 pm. Neither Biden nor any other Dem would have waited this long if the roles were reversed. Only Bernie.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Happy Hoosier

(8,302 posts)
31. Me too. In fact, before SC
Mon Mar 23, 2020, 07:26 PM
Mar 2020

I said in Sanders dominated Super T, the party should solidify behind him.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
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