Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumIt's time for Sanders to bow out gracefully - San Diego Union Tribune
Two years before the 2016 election, pundits sneered when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said he might run for president because he thought the Democratic Party had lost touch with millions of disaffected Americans. Fast-forward to February 2016, and Sanders stunned the Democratic establishment by almost beating front-runner Hillary Clinton in Iowa and trouncing her in New Hampshire.
Yes, Sanders eventually lost to Clinton. But he gained a place in history books by showing that millions of voters, especially younger ones, were fed up with what they saw as the caution of Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Yes, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also fueled the rise of Democratic progressives. But Sanders did the most to reveal many Americans appetite for a more generous government one that offered free college and health care, wiped out student loan debt and required the wealthy to pay far more in taxes.
The 2020 campaign has not gone so well for him. He narrowly lost in Iowa and won in New Hampshire again but since the Feb. 29 primary in South Carolina, he has fallen farther and farther behind former Vice President Joe Biden, whose sweep last week in Florida, Illinois and Arizona all but clinched the Democratic nomination. A Sanders aide said he would assess his options.
It shouldnt be a long assessment. Sanders can burnish his name in history by gracefully conceding the nomination and doing as much as he can to ensure his deeply loyal supporters vote for Biden in November. In 2016, an estimated 12% of Sanders supporters many believing the Democratic Party acted to get Hillary Clinton nominated voted for Republican Donald Trump. Some didnt vote at all.
That cant happen again because as disturbing as Trumps presidency has been, the last two months may go down as disastrous. While he has accepted the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and sought to safeguard Americans by shutting the nation down, each day brings fresh evidence of what his delay has cost.
(snip)
Sanders and his supporters hoped hed prevail, but fate has something else in store. If he helps Biden win over his followers and defeat Trump, Sanders will have changed history for the better.
http://www.startribune.com/it-s-time-for-sanders-to-bow-out-gracefully/569041502/
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Laf.La.Dem.
(2,962 posts)We have 49% "undecided"!!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TwilightZone
(28,833 posts)When candidates drop out, posters are reverted back to undecided. Unless they change it to Biden or Sanders, they remain undecided. Many are inactive; some probably don't know they have to switch.
There are also a lot of Sanders supporters who switched to undecided in an attempt to hide their preference, though it's rather obvious when there are only two candidates left in the race, and often additionally made obvious by their chosen topics.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Laf.La.Dem.
(2,962 posts)Twilight Zone - we are now all in that ZONE!!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TwilightZone
(28,833 posts)Ain't that the truth.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)I haven't decide for whom I will vote and won't until right before my states primary.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
progressoid
(50,748 posts)In 2016, an estimated 12% of Sanders supporters...blah blah blah.
As has been pointed out numerous times on DU, many Sanders voters aren't Democrats to begin with so we weren't going to get their votes anyway. People don't vote for the nominee; it happens in every fucking election.
As the Post noted on Wednesday, though, Obamas support among Clinton primary supporters rose from 64 percent in May to 73 percent in mid-September, 79 percent in mid-October and 83 percent by Election Day, according to [a CNN] exit poll.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/06/obama-says-democrats-will-unite-like-in-2008-will-they.html
Our energies would be better spent getting those who didn't vote at all in 2016 to the polls in 2020.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
7horses
(163 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Cha
(305,440 posts)Biden did to WIN.
Like the San Diego Union Says in the OP.. Time for BS to Bow OUT.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Cha
(305,440 posts)Your tweet is Edited & Desperate.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Captain Stern
(2,215 posts)But it's too late for him to do it gracefully.
That ship has sailed.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BlueIdaho
(13,582 posts)Id like to see him change that - for the sake of his legacy...
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden