2020 Democratic presidential primary thread, pt 3: life is very long

and yes duh obviously I realize he cratered after Super Tuesday, but ime the anger is more at the Democratic Party and the media circling the wagons in favor of an absolute loser than voters whom I believe have absolutely been cowed by notions of “electability”

eh that's only part of the explanation. You're removing agency from voters, some of whom are besotted with MSNBC notions of electability, others of whom as people of color cast a jaundiced eye on white saviors. But I'm tired of repeating this.

voters weren't brainwashed. if they believed bernie wasn't electable it's not bc someone tricked them into thinking it. idk why they believe biden is more electable but if you're right and they do that's on the voters imo not the "party."

not sure how Biden is any less of a “white savior”, but instead of uni healthcare it’s for showing that Cheeto what’s what by god, but ok

xp voters are untrickable, it's true

the united states electorate has a magnificent bullshit detector and is thankfully impervious to corporate media narratives

imagine where we'd be otherwise?

ILE.

that's kind of a dumb question given that the majority of voters seem to have no clue what Biden's proposals are and seem to actually like all of Bernie's signature policies

It's almost as if lots of voters make decisions based on things other than policies

voters made it clear over and over that their #1 priority is getting rid of tRump cheeto mango Mussolini small hands etc. It's fair given the history of leftist Presidents getting elected (which has happened zero times) to doubt that Bernie could make it happen. it just sucks that people think Biden is really a safer bet.

now there's a post I can agree with

It's almost as if lots of voters make decisions based on things other than policies

You're literally saying people were brainwashed

Yglesias is over-thinking it. Calling Biden 'dead' is just how they are rolling. The guy looks like shit, that's all.

he literally did not say that
xp

i literally shit my pants every time someone makes that mistake

if the left wants to win they need to become the mainstream either by allying/networking with mainstream dem politicians or by beating them in primaries until they control the party. i think that's the only real lesson the left needs to take away. it should try both imo - primary seats to move the party left and do better work allying with more mainstream + moderate dems so that when the time comes you don't only have a handful of junior congresswomen and radical leftie professors endorsing you.

Frederik B is the kindest, bravest, most wonderful poster I've ever known in my human life

i'm sure this has been brought up before, but might make sense for sanders to stay in, just in case one of them dies

Sort of like a "pinch hitter"

That's more like it xp

yeah I mean I get that, I mean I had the same fears b/c I really do think there's a large swath of people who do not like Trump and won't vote for him in 2020 UNLESS a perceived spooky socialist gets the nom, in which case they'll have no choice but to vote Trump for their own financial interests. just sucks that the "safe" choice we ran with is a 77 year old centrist who can barely speak right now and is basically MIA during a major crisis

re Joe dyin — that’s when it’s definitely going to go sideways bc the party will 100% just coronate whomever they want, which, as I understand it, is absolutely their prerogative. but damn, it’s going to get ugly.

Maybe we could make Biden a cyborg and crowdsource his policies and speeches

it would be objectively funny if the Weekend at Bernie's scenario happened to....Joe

To be clear, I think Biden has always sucked as a presidential candidate and Biden '20 really sucks.

I also think rejecting one white male savior for another is horseshit and in a much better world, this would have boiled down to Warren/Harris showdown.

However, I also know what world I live in and have almost 50 years of observing the ways people behave in it, hence here we are.

I also think Fred should take up Wii Bowling or something, get his mind off things

basically MIA during a major crisis

is he though? I know we all get spoonfed Bernie’s speeches via social media, but I thought Biden was giving updates frequently too?

Xpost So he can yell at his opponents and refuse to throw the first ball?

my impression is that started up more recently, quite possibly as a necessary counterpoint to Bernie's visibility xp

biden had a speech the other night. I didn't see it but yeah, I'm not following him on FB where I am following Sanders, AOC, etc, so when Bernie does these things it just launches automatically.

Whatever your inclination -- even if you're the brass-collared for Biden -- if you don't admit that Sanders is doing the right thing in the crisis in the pure political sense -- sitting behind a desk and hammering like hell -- then you're being dishonest.

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) March 23, 2020

That is a good tweet and you should share it with an audience that isn't 100% in agreement with it.

argh I wish we had an edit function

there should be an "also" after "should"

re Joe dyin — that’s when it’s definitely going to go sideways bc the party will 100% just coronate

words that look weird, now

Joe dying and being replaced by Bernie >>>>> Joe dying and being replaced by almost anyone other than Buttigieg > Joe living

this is the more salient followup, djp

I don't mean it's going to make a difference for Sanders. I mean Biden has given Sanders a vacuum, and Sanders has filled it. That's not good politics.

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) March 23, 2020

Joe dying and being replaced by almost anyone other than Buttigieg

Who's your money on for if this happens?

Klobuchar's husband has been hospitalized for Covid

Shit that really sucks

is he though? I know we all get spoonfed Bernie’s speeches via social media, but I thought Biden was giving updates frequently too?

As someone whose friend group is mixed between Sanders & Biden supporters but which was hugely behind Warren when she was in, I can attest that I see a lot about what Warren is saying about COVID and somewhat less of what Sanders and Biden are saying, but I'm aware they're all putting stuff forward (Biden is using Richard Kleon (sp.?) as his Fauci)

I don't mean it's going to make a difference for Sanders. I mean Biden has given Sanders a vacuum, and Sanders has filled it. That's not good politics.
— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) March 23, 2020

totally agree with this - I know a lot of people ITT don't think there's any reason for Biden to be out there right now, but people are scared and current leadership is laughably incompetent - if there was ever a time for a presumptive nominee to go "step aside, I'm the president now", this is it

the problem is, sanders is someone america knows and looks to in these times in a way biden isn't...

My position is less "Biden doesn't need to be visible" and more "Whoever wants to win the Democratic nomination needs to tap into and mobilize angry governor energy; more power to whomever that person is."

the problem is, sanders is someone america knows and looks to in these times in a way biden isn't...

I'm going to ask again, on what evidence are you basing this assertion?

lol

at this point sanders staying in is just a cruel joke on his fans

the problem is, sanders is someone america knows and looks to in these times in a way biden isn't...

For certain definitions of "America"

just sucks that the "safe" choice we ran with is a 77 year old centrist who can barely speak right now

Biden is right-wing.

is he though? I know we all get spoonfed Bernie’s speeches via social media, but I thought Biden was giving updates frequently too?

Biden is not giving frequent updates. His senior adviser used his account to post a single thumbs-up emoji on an Instagram story (by a DJ who 35 years ago was in a band that called for violent revolution in America, and now calls himself a "brand") the other day and then screen-shotted it and posted it to celebrate how engaged and alert and down with the kids her candidate is.

biden had a speech the other night. I didn't see it but yeah, I'm not following him on FB where I am following Sanders, AOC, etc, so when Bernie does these things it just launches automatically.

You also didn't see it because it didn't exist. A week ago he gave a few minutes' livestream in which he mostly asked if people could hear him, frequently spaced out and stopped talking for 5-10 seconds, then got confused and literally wandered off camera for so long that they had to throw a campaign logo up onscreen until someone herded him back into place, pointed him forward, and got out of shot.

His campaign have responded to several days of questions about why he is not addressing the public by saying that he has had two non-public conference calls, one with CEOs of health care companies, and that they are busy setting up livestreaming equipment at his house, but it's hard because it is thirty years old and therefore does not have high ceilings.

Today they released a 90-second video address of him standing at a podium in front of a green-screened bookshelf, in which Biden visibly gestures around the podium for a teleprompter to be rolled further, then gives up on trying to read it and changes the topic. One might conclude that this was the best take they could get after several days of trying, or that Biden can currently only stand and focus and speak for two minutes at a time, or that this is not indicative of anything to do with his fitness and is nbd.

at this point sanders staying in is just a cruel joke on his fans

I don't agree. If nothing else it forces Biden to do the bare minimum when it comes to appearing "presidential".

Biden is right-wing.

This is nonsense, despite his heinous votes.

he has to compete w/ a dude hosting a coronavirus variety show w/ musical guests
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