Democratic Primaries

StarfishSaver

(18,486 posts) Fri Mar 27, 2020, 02:12 PM Mar 2020

Jonathan Chait: "Why Can't Bernie Accept That Democratic Voters Didn't Want Him?"

From the moment he announced his candidacy, Joe Biden led in polls of Democratic primary voters. His lead endured through months of bad press and worse debate performances. He lost his national lead very briefly, after crushing defeats in two overwhelmingly white states — one of them a low-turnout caucus — only to regain it after African-Americans voted for the first time in large numbers, at which point he has led by commanding margins.

The Bernie Sanders movement has mostly accepted the finality of Biden’s victory. What it hasn’t come to terms with is its causes. The Sanders campaign and many of its enthusiasts continue to see Biden’s victory as either a fluke or a plot.

Sanders advisers told the New York Times they believed they had been on the precipice of sweeping to victory on Super Tuesday, until Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropped out and endorsed Biden. Ben Tulchin, a Sanders pollster, claimed the candidate was “on the brink of winning until the most unprecedented event in the history of presidential primaries occurred.”

It is hardly unprecedented for the fifth- and sixth-place candidates to drop out of a race after four primaries. Yet Sanders himself has fixated on this decision as evidence of an Establishment conspiracy. Appearing on ABC’s This Week several days later, he described it as “the power of the Establishment to force Amy Klobuchar, who had worked so hard, Pete Buttigieg, who had really worked extremely hard as well, out of the race.”

From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-joe-biden-2020-voters-establishment.html?utm_campaign=nym&utm_source=fb&utm_medium=s1

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

36 replies

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Highlight:

Jonathan Chait: "Why Can't Bernie Accept That Democratic Voters Didn't Want Him?" (Original Post) StarfishSaver Mar 2020 OP

It's a very fine line between being on the brink Harker Mar 2020 #1

Because we must be the "establishment" he keeps talking about Zambero Mar 2020 #2

Rejection hurts RandySF Mar 2020 #3

Mr. Sanders, please drop out and be quiet. nt centrarchus Mar 2020 #4

Delusion showblue22 Mar 2020 #5

And he was so sure.. Cha Mar 2020 #19

Cocky, wasn't he? showblue22 Mar 2020 #22

Exactly.. not into unifying when he was so sure Cha Mar 2020 #23

Old Bolsheviks know bucolic_frolic Mar 2020 #6

Maybe next time, try running as a Republican world wide wally Mar 2020 #7

Winner! LakeArenal Mar 2020 #29

If he can't accept defeat gracefully, then that confirms to me that he... NurseJackie Mar 2020 #8

+1000 Thekaspervote Mar 2020 #10

As I have said before, this is last shot at relevance and history... TreasonousBastard Mar 2020 #9

Bernie's new chant, "One more house! One more house!" n/t zackymilly Mar 2020 #11

maybe he should simply respect democratic voters subana Mar 2020 #12

Kick mcar Mar 2020 #13

Kick & recommended. William769 Mar 2020 #14

Ding! Ding! Ding! Tarheel_Dem Mar 2020 #15

This Is The Head Shot, Sir The Magistrate Mar 2020 #16

Him, not us. MrsCoffee Mar 2020 #17

Exactly! Cha Mar 2020 #20

Goodness... showblue22 Mar 2020 #25

E gods with that Stein Voter Pusher.. I couldn't finish that.. west's Gaslighting Cha Mar 2020 #27

Bernie's 800 lb ego is sitting on his 1/4 pound humility NCProgressive Mar 2020 #18

A powerful graphic in words. Please spread that around online. nt Blue_true Mar 2020 #24

But We Did "Stop" him. Cha Mar 2020 #21

That's what I was thinking. LakeArenal Mar 2020 #30

And, he's mad. Cha Mar 2020 #31

But .. it was not the establishment that stopped him .. you, me and voters did by the millions. NCProgressive Mar 2020 #32

Yes.. you're right it was Millions of Dem Voters who stopped Cha Mar 2020 #33

The primary is over. saidsimplesimon Mar 2020 #26

No worries, saidsimplesimon Mar 2020 #28

He despises Democrats. He tried to overset our sovereignty Hortensis Mar 2020 #34

+1 betsuni Mar 2020 #35

Kick Cha Mar 2020 #36

Harker

(14,953 posts)

1. It's a very fine line between being on the brink