2020 Democratic Primary

[Cristalle]

Nevertheless, all the recent polls seem to suggest that, while both Sanders and Biden currently enjoy an advantage over Trump in polling for the General Election, Biden consistently appears to enjoy a greater margin of success than does Sanders.

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It's not a huge margin -- generally only a couple of points -- but Biden certainly seems the more popular candidate of the two, though not dramatically.

However, these same polls suggest that Biden enjoys an overwhelming majority of support amongst Democrats as the presidential candidate -- something 51% vs 32% at the moment.

Why on earth, at this point, would an impartial observer consider Sanders a stronger challenger to Trump than is Biden, since the latter seems both somewhat more popular with the electorate at large, and massively more popular in his own party, than is the former?

Biden leads because people are bandwagoning, because they think that that's who other people are going to vote for, not because there is any real enthusiasm for him. Something like only 24% of Democratic voters are enthusiastic to vote for Biden. Of all the Democrats I know, I know of only *one* who is really enthusiastic to vote for Biden. Trump more than doubles that. Bernie is the only one who can compete on the enthusiasm front, to get people to get out and volunteer and work for him.

On the issues, and with this crisis exposing the very real weaknesses in the structure of our economy, Sanders' policies have been winning majority support. Even in the midst of a pandemic when millions of people are losing their jobs and thus also their insurance, Biden still won't get behind a truly universal system, Medicare for All, which is surging in popularity for common sense reasons. Biden has shown zero leadership during this crisis, and it's showing up in the thinning margins at a time when the almost-presumptive nominee should be soaring.

Biden has particular weaknesses that Bernie won't have. The soft corruption issues with Hunter and his brothers, that the Democrats wouldn't even touch... Tara Reade, which Trump will shamelessly exploit despite his own accusations.... and then the issues. Trump ran to Hillary's left (even though he lied) on a number of issues, including healthcare. He will be able to do that again if Biden is the nominee.

 

[bubblesort]

Assuming that's a reference to Biden and that you mean the legislation rather than the TV show, please explain to a Brit what his role was in drafting the Patriot Act (which I'd always associated with George W Bush).

I've looked it up in Wikipedia, and can't find his name anywhere on the page

Patriot Act - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Biden openly brags about writing it.

 

[Salome]

Acting like Sanders has an unburdened electoral advantage in the general is unbelievably disingenuous.

40% of independents say they will not vote for a socialist and 50-60% say they will not vote for an atheist. That’s a staggering handicap in the general which (1) HRC nor Biden have exploited, and (2) buried Bernie in Florida and will lose us Florida in the general. Bernie is getting trounced in the Democratic primary by the people most likely to vote for him.

This upcoming election is going to be a referendum on Trump and largely it’s going to be about healing the nation following a national disaster. Sanders has no empathy and a lifetime of anti-America soundbites.

It’s ludicrous to believe he has any advantage in the general when he’s losing worse in the primary than he did before
all his liabilities have yet to be fully unleashed on the general public.

 

[Salome]

Also, people need to understand how support of M4A varies depending on how the question is asked.

For example:

Seventy-three percent of all voters say they "strongly" or "somewhat" support allowing people under age 65 the option to buy their health care coverage through the Medicare program just like one might buy private insurance.

That includes 81 percent of Democratic primary voters, 81 percent of all Democrats, 76 percent of independents and 63 percent of Republicans.

Notice the use of the word “buy” there, as opposed to free with higher taxes?

By contrast, just 43 percent of all registered voters say they support adopting a Medicare for All single-payer system in which private health insurance would be eliminated and all Americans would get their health care coverage from one government plan.

A combined 67 percent of Democratic primary voters and 68 percent of all Democrats in the poll say they back Medicare for All — similar to the exit poll findings in some of the early Democratic nominating contests.But that's compared to 51 percent of independents and just 8 percent of Republicans who agree.

Having only one choice reduces the popularity immensely. These numbers are current,

I cannot find current numbers on the tax issue, but since 2019, when the question is asked if people still support M4A if it means raising taxes, support drops by 25 percentage points.

If you think the GOP wouldn’t exploit that in the general, I have a bridge to sell you.

 

[Jolene Benoir]

LOL, let it go. That long, crazy argument is over. You didn't convince me to vote for your patriot act authoring molester. Stop trying to argue over what's already been decided. Move on with your life.

What exactly are YOU doing here? Perhaps, no probably, you are here to try and convince people who will be upset when Bernie, in all probability loses the primaries, to join you in voting for the racist, stupid, greedy, corrupt, pathologically lying, immoral, inhumane, demagogic, paranoid, narcissistic, traitor, rapist.

The overwhelming number of people here do not support your position. Stop trying to argue over what has already been decided. Move on with your life.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

If Sanders could turn out people he would be winning in the primaries. That's how they work. If his supposed groundswell isn't turning up now, why should we expect them to show up in November?

 

[Jolene Benoir]

If Sanders could turn out people he would be winning in the primaries. That's how they work. If his supposed groundswell isn't turning up now, why should we expect them to show up in November?

Good luck penetrating the wall of denial. That has been mentioned before and it didn't make so much as a crack in the wall.

 

[danielravennest]

If Sanders could turn out people he would be winning in the primaries. That's how they work. If his supposed groundswell isn't turning up now, why should we expect them to show up in November?

By the way, the Wisconsin primary is Tuesday, although a judge has ordered an extra three weeks for people to get mail-in/absentee ballots in. This is the first chance since the virus took over our lives to see how people are looking at the election now.

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

Hubman told me there's a movement afoot to draft Cuomo?

 

[Cristalle]

Hubman told me there's a movement afoot to draft Cuomo?

Yeah, because everyone can see the elder abuse every time Biden is on screen.

 

[Sovereignty]

Some heavy shit happening when the R's interfere in what's essentially a Democratic party election with court actions that could endanger people's lives. Do you think they are trying to suppress votes for one candidate? Or just kill off a few Democrat voters before November? I guess they'd be happy with both.

RNC and Wisconsin Republicans file emergency petition in voting dispute

 

[Free]

Some top Sanders advisers urge him to consider withdrawing

A small group of Bernie Sanders’s top aides and allies — including his campaign manager and his longtime strategist — have encouraged the independent senator from Vermont to consider withdrawing from the presidential race, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

The group includes campaign manager Faiz Shakir and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a top Sanders surrogate and ally, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive private discussions.

Sanders himself has become more open to the prospect of dropping out, according to one of the people with knowledge of the situation and another close ally, especially if he suffers a significant defeat in Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary, which polls suggest Joe Biden will win handily.

Beyond Shakir and Jayapal, longtime strategist Jeff Weaver has privately made a case that exiting the race more quickly and on good terms with Biden would give Sanders more leverage in the long run, according to one of the people; the other said Weaver has used a light touch in presenting his case. Weaver and Jayapal did not return calls and messages seeking comment. Shakir declined to comment.

Sanders has not a made a final decision, the people said, and other close allies have privately urged him to keep running, such as national campaign co-chair Nina Turner, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is also said to favor him remaining in the race. Larry Cohen, a longtime ally who chairs a nonprofit aligned with Sanders, is waging a public campaign for him to stay in until the Democratic National Convention.

The Sanders campaign declined to comment on internal deliberations.

The split in Sanders’s inner circle to some degree reflects the hybrid nature of his political identity as both a traditional politician and a movement leader. Advisers with stronger ties to the Democratic Party have been more vocal in urging him to contemplate a withdrawal, while independent activists have been pushing for Sanders to remain in the race.

 

[Salome]

 

[danielravennest]

I got my absentee ballot request form in the mail. Georgia is mailing out the form to all registered voters, so they don't have to vote in person. The state house Republican leader complained this will increase turnout. I hope he gets the virus.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

I don't think we've gotten ours yet, but I suppose I should both request one for the primary [our primary for all other races is in the summer] and for november.

 

[Lady Darnk Juniorette]

 

[Salome]

The Courts were on the ballot in 2016. They’re gone for a generation now.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

The Courts were on the ballot in 2016. They’re gone for a generation now.

Yes and no. The size is not fixed, and if by some miracle elections happen in Nov, and dems make a clean sweep, they can change the size of the courts, or impeach the worse justices [I know they can for SCOTUS, at the very least]

 

[Salome]

Yes and no. The size is not fixed, and if by some miracle elections happen in Nov, and dems make a clean sweep, they can change the size of the courts, or impeach the worse justices [I know they can for SCOTUS, at the very least]

That might work for the SC, but there are dozens of judges Mitch has been shoving through. It would take Congress passing a law to recall every single one appointed in the last three years for review. And while I’m fine with that, I doubt it will happen.

 

[Salome]

“The media won’t cover Sanders.”


Ezra made a positive comment about Warren. Sanders’ team is immediately there to attack. But doing. their actual jobs and coordinating press coverage for their candidate? Not so much...