I personally like Warren, and in the last debate, which is the first one I watched because the other two debates were a circus, she’s the only candidate I could take seriously. With that said, I get why older Black Americans are voting for Biden.
As a 40-something Black American myself, I’ve seen the history of voting in America, while we talk a lot of game, Democrats don’t vote but Republicans do. If you want to hinge your bets on the candidate that’ll speak to the other side, you go for the centrist. Black Americans don’t have the luxury of making risky political bets and let’s be honest, this election is Trump’s to lose.
Progressive ideals pale beside the imperative to defeat trump. Winning the primary with the most “progressive” candidate but losing the general election because the general electorate won’t go for that agenda, gets us nowhere.
3
Young blacks are definitely more influenced by their white counterparts and social media than us older black folks. They can't help it, it's just the culture they know. It's really about what we have seen Joe accomplish, and to them, it's just what they are being told about him from the hateful left media. It's becoming eerily like the Republican talking points--clearly not any original thought. It's driving some crazy that all the smear jobs don't make a dent in his support--but it doesn't surprise me one bit. There's just nothing like experience for yourself, and they are too young to know him, that's the difference. It's sad because they way they feel about Joe is how we feel about Elizabeth or most of the rest--just INCREDIBLY weak, and of course, I want to get rid of Trump, but I absolutely don't want them as my president--period.
I wonder if this is a genuine movement or another Russian interference ?
Biden was valuable this week in getting Trump to call the head of the Ukraine to make a terrible error in going after Biden's son.
3
Black voters need to understand that Obama didn't choose Biden because Biden was some Champion of black causes.
Obama choose Biden to alleviate the fear among Whites that he was some Muslim Manchurian candidate.
Black America has no business voting for Biden, especially after his racist remarks about blacks not knowing "how to raise their children."
7
@Roger
Yes, of course--that's why Obama refers to Biden as his "big brother" and why he often says Biden was one of the best decisions he ever made.
By the way--if just one person would stop underestimating Biden's support in the African American community as simply some hold over loyalty for Obama--it would be amazing and appreciated.
The man has been phenomenal public servant with likely more legislative accomplishments than all of the other candidates combined on ALL of the major Democratic issues. Jobs, Gun reform, Environment, Healthcare, Civil, LGBTQ+, Women's Rights, and Education.--and yes best of all he made sure Mitch McConnell did not get his wish to make President Obama a failure. I am so thankful he decided to run.
2
Joe Biden is status quo. Business as usual! No thanks!
7
The Congressional Black Caucus, as well as black community leaders, all supported the bill. Why all the anger at Biden? And for something from 40 years ago? That's immature, but they are young with no life experience and historical perspective.
3
Ugh. It's not about you or me or her or him. Do you want to win the Battle or the War? If you haggle over the parties ticket, welcome to 4 more years of Trump. Seasoned black folks tend to go with the person who's heart is in the right place. Joe Biden has shown LOYALTY to Obama and the beliefs that he held...and that's a huge word. Will Joe step in it? yes. But will he try to make the right decision? yes. Just surround him with the right advisers.
Elizabeth Warren, seems like a nice lady but here's the truth: As wonderful as she is, she will not win over misogyny. That time will come, but it's not now.
#Biden2020
5
@Tiffaney And she's just NOT inspiring. I have no vision of her America.
This Black Mom is concerned about the state of the world if we have a second term of Trump. I have no great love of Biden, but like a number of the readers I have no confidence that the white electorate will vote Trump out. Similarly to what happened in California when Reagan was in office, no one admits to voting for this guy. I'm open to other Democratic candidates but I can't with good conscience do something that would support another Trump term.
4
Kids, I appreciate the effort and the initiative, but you have your whole lives ahead of you. Learn this lesson now: Winning ugly is better than losing pretty. Don't like Biden? Let me know how you will like 4 more years of Trump.
6
Whoever the nominee is, I hope all black people will support that person. Whoever it is will be light years better than what we have now.
2
Thank you for speaking up Millennials! Joe Biden is not going to help us beat Trump and I sincerely believe our country needs a candidate with integrity who can commit to a formal apology and reparations. When generations of slave owners profited from generations of slaves and their children’s children and corporations continue to wreck havoc in communities of color we must demand real representation and ACTION. Joe is too darn nice/stuck in the past to get anything done and frankly won’t have the stamina we need for the big fight. I’m old, I know I’m not the same as I was, and I’m an athlete.
3
For African Americans to support Biden and stay home if he’s not the nominee would be absurd and self destructive.
2
I may be dating myself, but I remember a fellow student who was campaigning for Bill Clinton during his first presidential election. She, too, expected great change. The best presidents are those who go for incremental change and achieve something. Obama did it with healthcare. Those who go for “pie in the sky” policies end up with nothing.
3
Too many folks were not excited and couldn’t be bothered to vote is what gave us the racist in the Whitehouse and his complicit senate.
Had enough? Get out and vote and pull the blue lever- this is a binary choice. Our republic is at risk - complacency is not an option. Not voting is now a risk.
5
By putting Biden up as the safe play as candidate for the Presidency the Democrats will repeat the same mistake they did when they picked Hillary in 2016.
4
The seriousness of the “right now” is really unlike anything we have seen in our history. A Nationalist in the White House is a first; by winning the Civil War, President Lincoln made sure it remained a failed Nationalist dream. While politicians have always been fluid with the truth and promises, we’ve never seen anything like Trump and the people who support him; not only working class Americans, but opportunists like Sheldon Adelson.
We have to defeat Trump, but hopefully with someone much better, not just anyone but him. Regrettably, that’s what Mr. Biden is: status quo Democrat, supported by the “Democratic establishment” - none very good. The most innovative ideas are coming from Senator Warren, who, because - at least for now- is bypassing professional donors for small donors, is being painted as “radical”. If “FDR’s capitalism with rules” is radical, then let’s give it a go.
1
"“But the things we endure are not the things they endured.” Definitely not. What have the Zs or young black endured compared to what their parents have endured? Radioactive cellphones?
1
As a 70 year old voter - but not black - I welcome sentiments and opinions of young folks.
Because I know at one time I had opinions definitely different from my mother.
This quotation caught my eye:
“Black people are strategic voters, particularly older black people,” Mr. Robinson said. “They’re thinking harm reduction. They’re doing a deep analysis about what they think white people will accept and won’t accept.”
This is is so way over the top in self serving from a guy in politics.
How can you call black voters strategic when these older folks are going with Biden only because of Obama. It is not strategic but more sentimental.
And how can he say about harm reduction - when for many years in the past they voted for Reverend's Jackson and Sharpton.
These two candidates were hardly about harm reduction.
I think and I wish - these younger folks would look even slightly beyond - as to Republicans.
As POTUS has famously framed that point by saying "what's there to lose?"
Nothing in Obama terms indicates that his community particularly benefited.
May be not his fault all - but poverty rates on his watch actually went up.
And he spent his first term ensuring that he does not do anything overtly for his community to endanger his reelection.
In that regard, he perversely proves this man's quotation - do no harm to your election.
I wish some of these young folks would say - "really, let's vote Republicans so that twe may not be taken for granted."
Everyone has a right to their opinion. That said, when a candidate if finally chose to represent the party it is important that there is united support for that candidate.
5
It is not only young black voters who are done with Biden - I am neither young nor black. Bidend shows with every public appearance that he is not the man to carry the mantle. He stumbles in his responses, he gives rambling answers to questions with analogies that are ridiculously archaic and he undermines members of his own party who have solid well thought out ideas about bringing change.
Our next president cannot just bring us back to normal. With a Democratic majority and a Democratic president we will need to be very bold and take advantage of that majority, just as the Republican party has, to not only undo what has been done in just 4 years but to reverse the trends that have been set with the Republican led congress when President Obama was still in office. To that end we need a leader who is energetic and who has big plans for the future.
Sit down Joe. Thank you for your service to the country but it is time to sit down and let others lead.
My advice to young black voters; With all due respect to your parents, convince as many of your young friends as possible to vote.
6
It's always puzzling to me when some younger people wrongly claim to be experiencing new issues that in fact clearly existed before they were born, like in the part of the article quoting two as saying “But the things we endure are not the things they endured... And I’m looking for someone who can change the things that affect me,” and “But the younger generation, we've seen mass shootings, we’re seeing more police brutality — we’re looking at different things.” Those were said by a 19 year old and a 22 year old, too young to remember mass shootings like the Stockton schoolyard shooting in 1989, the 101 California Street shooting in 1993, or the Columbine shooting in 1999, too young to remember firehoses and dogs turned on civil rights marchers.
4
Well, Jacob, I’m 71 and I kind of understand where they’re coming from on that perspective. Yes, it’s easy to generalize about those kinds of things you mention and say it’s all the same, but when I see the struggles my 29 year old daughter is going through to find an affordable place to live and a job that pays something other than a laughably low salary while trying to pay off more than $100,000 in student loans, I know she’s in a struggle I didn’t endure. I had very little money through most of my twenties as I went through college and grad school on the GI Bill, but I didn’t endure what she has and I was able to pay off student without mortgaging my future.
3
That’s great.
I was 18 and idealistic once.
It’s ok to channel that energy towards getting the vote out, for someone who can beat Trump.
But what they’re doing is fracturing the opposition vote to Trump.
Warren, Beto, and Bernie may have progressive ideas, but they are NOT going to defeat Trump.
This country showed its true colors after it elected him.
This country isn’t ready,yet, for a woman or a minority to lead, as much as I would like to think otherwise.
Vote for Biden, and hopefully he will be smart enough to pick a Veep who will carry on a progressive mantle after his four years,
I.e Cory Booker
3
@Dan "This country isn’t ready,yet, for a woman or a minority to lead" This is a joke, right? First of all, who calls a person "minority" anymore? I believe that you mean of person of color. And more importantly, have you already forgotten President Obama?
4
I'm a Black voter and I'll just say this.
The problem with this article and every other article that tries to consolidate and categorize the African-Americans into some kind of monolithic mass defined by age, location or income, is that it just doesn't work.
The composition of the community is far too vast and complicated for it to ever be a simple matter of generational differences whenever it comes down to voting, or not voting for any one particular candidate -- because at this point, the most important and pressing issue at hand is to vote Donald Trump out of the White House.
Want to solve the problem?
Start there.
6
@N. Smith.....You forgot about black people like myself that vote for President Trump. Deal with immigration first then maybe vote for Bernie.
I like these anecdotal stories, even though Mr. Herndon has trouble concealing his wish--that the youth of whom he speaks will be successful, and that Biden will not get the nomination.
Biden's campaign is making moves in this direction, but needs to do a bit more. I would recommend sending Jill Biden on a tour of community colleges in the swing states. After all, Joe Biden supports free community college. That will essentially cut in half college costs four a 4 year degree for so many. . . . and it's easily doable.
The larger point, of course, is that we should celebrate whoever wins the Democratic nomination.
2
So proud of this younger generation and I'm so sorry the mess my generation has left to you. I'd be delighted to walk with you, going door-to-door to reach out to voters.
2
Let's face it - and it may be true with whites as well - CHANGE ALWAYS COMES from the young. (Think today, when young people all over the world are trying to get their parents, grandparents, etc. to REALLY do the right thing about the world they'll be leaving ... to those young people.)
Maybe, the old folks - and I'll admit to being one of those - have gotten complacent. More likely - with people of color - they've just gotten frustrated and cynical. It's something like 1 step forward and 1 step back - certainly, for the last 50 years - and after a while, most people make the best of what they have.
The idea that 2016's primaries sent a message - "Hillary and Bill have - largely - talked a good game for 25+ years. Let's give Bernie a thumbs down and see what happens." Of course, once the OLDER primary voters had their way, not enough young people could be bothered to turn out, hence we have the President that we do!
To think that we might have a rerun - swapping out Bernie and Hillary, swapping in Ms. Warren & Mr. Biden - is enough to make a caring person cry!
Glad to hear that it's not (yet) a done deal, but I remember seeing Cornel West and some (to my eyes) high visibility African-Americans try to remind S. Carolina (black) voters that Bill had "triangulated" in ways that led to mass incarceration, aided and abetted, it should be noted, by "border state" Joe Biden, working hand in hand with the then still powerful Dixiecrats.
They were as successful as Bill diBlasio!
Thank you! Astead Herndon for this article. It's definitely my experience. Especially the “Black people are strategic voters, particularly older black people... They’re thinking harm reduction. They’re doing a deep analysis about what they think white people will accept and won’t accept.” What I’ve found helps with my older relatives, especially the ones living in the deep South, is show them polls about the issues (not candidates); when they see that the majority of Americans are in favor of the same things Warren or Sanders are proposing, it gets them to think: first, it means what the media keeps calling “far left” is actually the norm so those proposals represent the middle if the majority of Americans are for them; second, they see if all that stuff is acceptable, then it’s ok to take a risk on a candidate they actually do agree with, but were afraid to admit it for fear others would shut them down. About Biden, it’s almost a reflex, my older relatives just feel like they have to say they support him, but they always follow that up with, “but I’m still deciding…” I think older Black folk are definitely mulling things over and us younger folk can help them see it’s ok to think outside the “safe” box, you know, like remind them they have to right to do that.
1
Young people — the name of the game is to get Trump out of office. You go with who gives the best chance for that, then press on with your platform. Really examine past elections and consider the results. Passion is nothing without wisdom.
5
"“Older people have that conservative outlook on things,” even older black Democrats."
Older democrats are not conservative. They are realistic which is very different. Many of us like Warren and Beto and Sanders and Harris a lot. But we also have lived through a lot of elections and know that sometimes we vote for the greater good instead of our strictly our own concerns. We understand that you can be right or you can be effective, but rarely can you be both. Maintaining ideological purity means nothing if you can't win the general election.
The reason that older Democrats care about "electability" is because history teaches us extreme candidates rarely win general elections in American politics. Presidents who win win because they capture the center. Obama did it, Clinton did it, Carter did it, JFK did it (and even though we might not like to admit it Trump, Bush, Bush, and Reagan did it too).
Young Democrats who lament "well we tried going for the center with Hillary and it didn't work so we need to trash that approach" are-short sighted and not paying very close attention to history. They also need to keep in mind that even though they make a lot of noise on social media, the youth vote just doesn't turn out like it should on election day. But the center does..
3
Here we go again with an XYZ twist. This time it is we can't see ouselves vaping with Biden. So we'll take our ball and go home. They would certainly deserve another 4 years of Trump while sulking at home. In the meantime the country suffers.
It is ironic that it was also older black voters in southern states that were instrumental in giving Hillary the edge over Bernie. The irony lies in the fact that these are states that Republicans normally win no matter who the candidates are. So the Democratic nominee is in effect being chosen by voters in states that Republicans are expected to win.
The alarming thing about Biden people seem not to grasp: yes, he is popular with older voters. But he is HATED by younger voters. Biden polls at SIX percent among voters 18-49. A primary election is different from a general election. There are many people, most of them young, who only vote every four years, in the general election--if they show up at all. Those voters will NOT turn out for Biden in the general election--just like they stayed home for Hillary in 2016. All this focus on winning older voters completely forgets that they are NOT why we lost 2016.
1
@Cyntha Well now, the reason Republicans always win is that they satisfy their base first. Check Elizabeth Warren's popularity with older black voters-the actual base. She's lucky if she breaks 5%. Kamala, Cory, and Pete are the same.
Bravo. I hope the parents listen to their kids.
2
Where is the beef in this article? It seems to be a totally anecdotal story of kids trying to change the way their parents vote - something that has happened since the dawn of politics.
There aren't a whole lot of numbers in the article supporting the premise of young black voters trying to change the thinking of their elders; just a few personal reflections.
In fact the article reminds me a bit of "if you build it they will come," hoping that by telling story after story of Biden's impending collapse, you can cause the collapse itself. On the surface, the piece seems biased against Biden and in favor of the more "woke" candidates, without much to back it up.
4
I can't wait for another 4 years of trump because all these young Bernie/Warren supporters just can't bring themselves to vote for Joe Biden.
2
@AACNY I think it's unfortunate--but Trump is our Hillary--we will vote against him come heck or high water.
This article is merely another part of the paper's move from-anyone-but-Biden to advocating for Warren.
Precisely who in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and, maybe, Florida who did not vote for Clinton in 2016 will vote for Warren in 2020? The degree of victory in the rest of the states is entirely irrelevant to the electoral college outcome.
As well, as much as most Blacks appear to detest Trump, they've heard "plans" and "promises" forever, and unless the Democrats nominate someone (Biden/Klobuchar ticket?), who they believe can actually accomplish something moderate in the Washington of 2020, rather than not accomplish utopia, many are likely to just sit home.
As well, the Democrats are busily neutralizing support from young, white, (primarily but not exclusively) male voters. What 20-year old guy making minimum wage (if he has a job), hoping for some sex and eventual marriage, is going to bother voting for candidates that tell him he is worthless, that everyone else should get preferential treatment over him?
Meanwhile, the "appeal" of Trump has not changed. He has essentially acted as expected since Day One. Thus there is not likely to be a diminution of those who voted for him in 2016.
The large majority of voters, especially those whose minds are actually open, vote on an evaluation of what the candidate will do for his or her priorities, not what the candidate says should be their priorities. Warren and many others fail on this latter point.
5
The energies and time needed in order to influence another,
a family member, neighbor, friend or
even a stranger, is limited. A truism!?
Will and can the candidate,
if and when elected,
carry out their campaign promises; written and voiced?
Uncertain?
Unpredictable?
As younger citizens choose their political battles,
they might give consideration, in addition to WHO, to
WHAT.
Personal accountability by ALL elected and
selected policymakers.
At all levels.
Everywhere: Urban. Suburban. Inner cities. Rural. Reservations.
A willingness to embrace failure’s unique opportunities; Fail better.
Each time.
An ability to partner with many,
questing and questioning,
rather than seeking the faux-safety of
too-early-closure-based answers.
Ageism? Biden’s.
Menschlichkeit; rare and scarce BUT
been around for awhile!
Ummenschlichkeit; alive, empowered and doing well.
as a young black female it's been infuriating to hear that Biden has "the black vote" as if younger black voters don't factor into the equation. polls have been pretty inaccurate in this way, of late (ahem, 2016). have we learned no lessons? this time around let's try to educate ourselves before the primary as to who the people really want (looking at you, dnc)
4
Firstly, forget about Sanders, Warren or O'Rourke - they are just too far left and will accomplish nothing, even if they were somehow to get elected. The current American demographic falls far short of having a progressive majority. Secondly, a woman is not going to get elected to the presidency directly - misogynistic America won't accept that quite yet. Let's face that fact and realize that a woman's inroad to the top will need to come by "inheriting" the position and prove the capability from there. And lastly, another black president while Obama-hatred is still being spewed by the Trumpster/Fox News crowd - that is unlikely too. So what is the ideal? Patience and logical planning.
Therefore:
A Biden - Harris ticket is the logical Democrat choice and offers the best prognosis for victory. The Democratic Party needs to get Biden & Harris to play nice together and form that alliance. That ticket would be the ideal for now, and for the future Think about it...
@Tony Um. No. Not Harris. Her ethics are a huge cause for concern and I know he can do better.
Ahhh yes, another report suggesting that the youth are more wise than their elders... good luck with that narrative.
4
Old white lady throwing in my 2 cents: I agree with young black voters. Biden is too old in his thinking, inept or complicit in past injustices (Anita Hill, anyone?), and comes off as paternalistic. I think he is naive about his ability to work with Republicans. He's trying to look like a statesman, a tactic that might have worked 20 years ago. But what good is that approach with congressional Republicans in the Trump era? They don't blow their nose without Trump's permission and are doing their utmost to destroy democratic norms and processes. My biggest concern is his lackluster approach to the climate disaster we are already experiencing. Finally, there is going to be a huge ugly bar-fight between the Democratic nominee and Trump aided by his posse of amoral and/or subservient congressional Republicans. The Ukrainian whistle-blower kerfuffle is a case in point. Biden is just not the guy for it. Don't get me started on the gaffes and goofs.
4
Very well put — couldn’t agree more on every point you made. Another point: It’s lazy thinking to lump Warren in as part of the “too far left” crowd and therefore avoid carefully considering her detailed and well-considered policy positions. The average American voter just doesn’t like to think too hard about the candidates’ actual positions. ‘Twas ever thus.
1
15% of these kids will vote. Big deal.
1
Hey, guess what America? This trend was happening in the last election as well, among young African-American voters.
Do you recall Hilary saying “all lives matter,” as if she wanted to dilute the import of the Black Lives Matter movement?
Do you recall Bill going to Philly and getting into an argument with a young Black woman over what he and Hilary had and he not done vis-a-vis the community?
What happened was that the Democratic Party retained a ridiculous belief that the only place to influence folks was in church on Sunday, even as generations grew up unchurched or differently churched.
My friends and I have talked about this phenomenon for years, and yet is still plays out at the local and state level.
Young Black folks see the school-to-prison pipeline and a real thing. The understand “The New Nim Crow, “ even those whose families are solidly middle-class and well-educated.
The Democratic Party has ignored them at its own peril.
Obama knew how to tap into that chord of passion among these often marginalized folks.
Bernie does as well.
And Black women? Just as Nigerians are the proverbial model minority, Bkack women are the brains of so much of America, racism notwithstanding.
3
I too worry about the age of Mr. Biden. The same with Mr. Sanders who I still think if he became President he would die in Office. I believe that Ms. Warren would be a better choice contrary to the "new generation" choices of Beto, Castro, etc because the young still must learn and understand that change isn't immediate. This is where education and open discussion with reputable sources steps in. It takes critical thinking and planning to be effective at making needed changes to our society and global reputation. Ms. Warren understands that and is also capable of making immediate changes in critical areas if need be.
2
Biden leads polls now but the current polls are more interesting than meaningful; a new leader could emerge in a few months. What these young people are doing with their elders is what young people did, as I recall, nearly 3 generations ago. This isn't new. Older voters would say that they will vote for the Democratic candidate even though not their favorite. None of these young people said that, rejecting anyone who doesn't align with their favorite issue. Young voters tend to take an all or none position. Among them, this is also a frequent theme, "rejected his campaign’s central premise, that the primary goal of Democrats in the 2020 election should be defeating President Trump."
Primary doesn't mean the only goal but in a political battle defeating your opponent is the essential goal. Without that, there's no power to accomplish the other goals.
This kind of conversation should be taking place in every American household, no matter the race or races who live there. That said, Biden has a point: older voters are much more likely to actually vote than younger voters. Work on that!
3
Two words: Electoral College.
Not entirely sure how the young black vote delivers Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan (maybe),and Ohio. The Democrat's candidate can win the popular vote by 6,000,000 votes, maybe more. If the College isn't carried, it's 4 more years of madness.
4
@Madeline Hayes
Yes, and all the progressives seem to be ignorant of this fact. They also don't seem to understand that a Republican senate, or even a narrow democratic majority senate, will never pass their progressive agenda even if a progressive candidate is elected. Maybe they don't understand how the government functions.
2
@Madeline Hayes Actually, it won't deliver Pennsylvania. That I know for certain.
1
In a way, this is some of the most encouraging news lately: Americans are increasingly dividing along lines that have some actual political meaning instead of increasingly outdated concepts like “race”. Voters who have a real stake in the future together have more in common with each other than they do with those who just want to hold onto what shreds they have until the grim reaper comes knocking. If there is no food, no water, and the very climate is out to get you, your religious beliefs, your cultural background, your past political affiliations, and the width of your lapels have less meaning than generational survival.Let’s at least try to leave the past in the past because will are going to have our hands full in the future, starting right now.
Older black voters aren't blind to Biden's votes, nor are they passively following the old guard. They likely feel that with Biden in the White House, there is an opening for all the progressive policies their kids talk about. A trump re-election provides zero chance for these policies. In fact, you'd have a president who would go out of his way to erase the possibility of any of those policies to be birthed, plus a second Administration is an existential threat to the remain progressive policies that survived the first Administration. Show them that there is a likelihood for a Sanders or Warren or anyone else to get elected and they would probably reconsider.
2
@cfarris5 What "progressive" policies are their kids talking about that we need?
I’ll back whoever voters under 30 pick if 45% of them show up to the primaries.
4
@Ian Leary. Is there an app for that???
I am an old lady and I say " please please please break up with Joe, he is just too old in his thinking, he is not hip to a lot of stuff he should be hip too, he has not looked into how all these people feel about our future. He sticks to the past.
When it comes down to it, everyone needs to vote for our candidate, but now is a chance during the primaries to vote for who you would like to run as president." I am white and 70.
7
If Biden and Warren would work together, be running mates in either order, they'd have a good chance of dislodging the current squatter in the White House.
2
Aren't younger blacks far far better educated and aware of current issues than their grand parents?
I hope they choose for themselves, articulate it to others, and lead the nation forward.
4
Since black kids are even telling their parents to not vote for Biden can you finally stop covering his campaign like he’s the Second Coming? He won’t beat Trump, you know he won’t beat Trump, and he’ll probably forget to beat Trump because he might have left his record player on.
5
Amen !!!!please listen to your kids.
Biden did not help Obama succeed.
The ACA was a mess because Biden stopped Obamas progressive agenda in its tracks w his repub. Cronies.
2
I love how the author of this article consulted both sides of the debate—both the young man and his grandmother. Excellent report!
4
Young college educated black members in my family are not satisfied with any of the democrats. I am tired of this being about Biden only, all the ones I know are angry with democrats as a whole. They have seen local democratic leaders fail to deliver to their parents and grandparents who have voted democratic for decades.
Harris, Sanders and all the rest have failed to do anything about police brutality and the stark differences in services between black and white areas in urban communities. Ask any professional and working class Black American about how they are treated by police and other disparities in Democratic strongholds.
Keep telling yourselves the deluded tale that anger is just directed at Biden. The reality is that using scary Trump isn't enough to get black votes from any segment.
8
What you are telling me is that you and those you believe you represent are extremely happy with Trump because none of the the Democrat candidates are good enough.
That is how we wound up with Trump.
1
@AACNY What has he done specifically "on minority jobs and unemployment" and what "retraining initiatives" has he enacted?
1
Has Trump delivered on health care? Infrastructure? Immigration reform? Living wage jobs? Has he delivered for farmers? The environment? Education? Safety net programs? Equality for all citizens? Has he protected our standing and reputation on the world stage? Has he been a source of reconciliation and unity? Has he stood for compassion and humanity? No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
The only thing more horrifically astounding than Trump is the totally divorced from reality delusions of his supporters.
3
all well and good, but it Biden is the nominee, will they come out and vote or will they sell our democracy down the tubes? This election is most and.ofremost about the courts. Every other item, healthcare, the environment, the economy are all secondary in comparison.
2
@scott The court fight is already over, and it shouldn't even be about the courts. Judges are supposed to read the constitution and interpret it appropriately. No activism and no legislation. That is not their job. Any judge who thinks it is their job should not be a judge in the first place. They must interpret the law as it stands. Nothing more. Its up to our legislators to create and change laws.
YEAH! I remember them getting Entertained and Excited about Ralph NADER and we got GW BUSH.
YEAH! I remember them getting Entertained and Excited about Bernie SANDERS & Jill STEIN and we got Donald J. twump and the GOP.
YEAH! I remember them NOT getting Entertained and Excited about Mid Terms and we got Republican CONGRESS and Conservatives.
BORED. Yeah they are far TOO BORED to Learn History or to VOTE in every Election.
6
Well stated! I told those who refused to vote for anyone but Bernie last election that they were voting Republican by not voting at all. They felt “others” would keep Trump out of office since he obviously was not qualified. That strategy did not work.
Republicans get candidates in power by being loyal to the party and voting for whoever has an R next their name.
There are Democrats running who I would prefer not to be president...but they are still far preferable to Trump!
@Ray Gross If they learned history do you think are big cities that have been run by dems for decades would stay that way. You know the definition of insanity right? I guess the ones that do learn are moving out.
Biden really is as out of touch and clueless about race, gender and class as he sounds. He isn't just making gaffes. He's very old and he thinks about the world using the conventional prejudice which was considered the conventional wisdom fifty years ago. He's the man of the Bicentennial. His views are not only now archaic, they are political suicide. He intends to throw himself on the good will of the Republican Party if elected — think about that. He trusts them. That makes him not simply an old white man who doesn't get it _ it makes him a fool. It would be political suicide for the Democrats to nominate him.
11
I like how the media continues to harp on Biden for quasi-racism as if that is the worst thing about him or as if it's not a somewhat natural product of his cultural upbringing.
The question is do we want someone to whom past American culture is more real to him than the present?
I agree with many of the past decisions Biden made on racial issues and other issues. They were reasonable for THAT era.
That Biden is clinging to the past indicates that he will not make good decisions for our current situations and that will affect our future.
Third headline change in a couple of hours: this one is the most fitting.
1
Warren for President
VP Booker
AG Harris
S. of Education Buttigieg
S. of Ag Klobuchar
S. of Commerce Yang
Senator for Change: Sanders
Biden: Retirement
8
The views of Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are the norm in all other industrialized countries (even in the United Kingdom which is grappling with the Brexit disaster) and are even implemented as wise investments in some economically developing countries (ex: Rwanda’s universal healthcare is a global best practice). My friends and family living in these countries are much less stressed out than we are in the US and have the energy to fight to keep their healthcare, education, worker rights etc. These friends and family in other countries are afraid to travel to the United States and definitely look to go to other countries like Canada if they want to send their children to universities, want to work abroad or vacation. Biden, other so-called moderate Democrats and Republicans are not only holding our country back, but their positions on the climate crisis are endangering the planet. Let’s all stop the self-destructive impulse of accommodating the most fearful and uninformed segments of our population. I commit to joining these young people cited in this article by voting for the most progressive candidates who will lead our country into the 21st century and beyond. My first choice is Bernie Sanders.
5
Warren has not been forthright about how she plans to pay for Medicare for All. There is no doubt that it will entail a middle class tax increase. While it may or may not be true that the overall cost goes down, she will have a very tough time fighting back against Republican attacks that she wants to raise taxes on the middle class. Also, a lot of her agenda hinges on the 2% wealth tax. It is very unclear that this is constitutional. Regardless, Republicans will fight tooth and nail against it in the courts just as they did with Obamacare. While it's held up in courts, she won't be able to get anything in her agenda through. It is crucial not to be swayed by emotion, but think carefully about the positions the candidates are taking and how they plan to see them through. It's not enough to keep saying, "we'll fight for it" as Warren loves to do. There has to be a plan to get the agenda through a very divided Congress. It's also irresponsible for her to simply say that she'll eliminate the filibuster. We have to think about what happens if the shoe goes on the other foot and Republicans simply undo everything that Democrats implement.
1
The young have no historical perspective, life experience and maturity to understand that America is a centrist country with center-left moments. And there is this pesky thing called the electoral college. Sure, the blue coastal states with urban centers will vote for Warren or Sanders, but that will not ensure the 270 electoral votes necessary to win.
The only states that matter are Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Florida, where independents and moderates will decide the election. Trump has been losing independents, and those states are not Bastions of progressives. At this juncture, none of the progressive candidates can win those swing States. The debates have already provided the republicans with their ad campaign: the Democratic agenda of decriminalizing the illegal border crossing, free health care for illegals, elimination of student debt, elimination of private health insurance, taking away guns, and, of course, reparations, all of which require tax increases which the wealthy always manage to avoid. The swing States will hold their nose and reelect Trump. Furthermore, all the arguing about these progressive plans is futile because none of them will see the light of day with a Republican Senate. And this agenda is not likely to help flip red Senate seats. It's doubtful narrow democratic Senate could enact them. But Biden is trusted and liked by the swing voters and independents warts and all. First you have to get elected before you can enact bold change.
7
@dba
Every civilized country has a form of medicare for all. Universal health care is paid for everywhere in exactly the same way —taxes upon the rich. It is always some balance of taxes upon big corporations, financial transactions, inheritance tax, windfall profits tax. The exact balance of revenue has to be tweaked as the economy and the population's needs evolve in each country. As populations age, healthcare is more expensive because more people need it, so the percentage of tax upon the wealthy has to go up too. Warren or any other democrat doesn't have to reinvent the wheel here. Hillary suggested copying Canada in 1993, a perfectly rational and reasonable thing to do, it still is. Now the middle class pays for healthcare through employer withholdings and it costs twice as much as the canadian system does. but more importantly the poor simply die without care and that's immoral. If you want the status quo - you simply are not a moral person. you may be supporting the status quo out of fear, but your fear is irrational. Citizens have to examine their own conscience and overcome their fear for democracy to work. Universal healthcare works everywhere else. it will work here too.
2
Sure they do but they don’t generally can private insurance. In the uk we have the NHS and that’s great. But everybody can access private too if they want. To ban that, even in the Uk, would be to advocate a form of radical socialism we’ve never had and by polling measures nobody wants. That’s what Warren and Sanders are advocating. To be clear, I’d love to see the back of DT but you’ll lose m/c voters even in the coastal cities if you pursue this I’ll thought out policy.
1
@Arthur
I agree that we should have universal health care, but a republican senate will not pass it. Why is that concept so difficult to understand? Europeans don't mind paying taxes for these program, but Americans do. How do you change that? I don't know. The democrats barely passed Obamacare, and then lost the congress.
2
With the exception of Sanders I will support the Democratic nominee. I am still bitter about the 2016 behavior of some of the Bernie crowd who voted for Stein or Trump. I prefer Buttigeig but will happily support Warren. It’s time move on from the past and Biden is part of that past and I doubt he has the stamina unlike Trump who seems to have made some kind of Dorian Grey deal.
3
@Christian
if your beef is with people who voted for Stein or Trump, it's not with Sanders. I hated Hillary but i voted for her for the public good as the lesser of two evils. i hold no malice against people who actually liked her, but i do think she lost because she ran a very arrogant and poorly vetted campaign. She was responsible for her loss. Senator Sanders endorsed ad supported her fully in the general election as he will Warren or Biden or anyone who might beat him this time. I understand that the last election may have been stolen, if only by the electoral college which must be done away wth, but your anger is with irresponsible voters and that is not Senator Sanders. I can assure you he voted for Hillary and not Stein or Trump.
I find that the depth of support for candidates is based upon a kind of Andy Warhol standard where everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. And although many cheer the accomplishments of FDR’s New Deal, would FDR have been elected by today’s standards? After all, he head white, wealthy, 60 years old and ill. I even wonder whether Barack Obama would be acceptable to young voters today. He was not a far left progressive.
1
@Michael Yeah compared to today Obama was a centrist and much further to the right of the current candidates. Those on the right would probably be warmer to an Obama like candidate today then they were a few years ago.
I am Gen X and I personally HATE articles like this. The kids here sound like so ahistorical. The Democrats won't do anything about income inequality, climate change, etc.? Furthermore, even though we talk like it, policies do not exist in a furlough. Energy can be as much economics as it is environmental as it is national security. Same with trade. It is not seamless. Sweeping changes happened at the Revolution and during Reconstruction when the Republicans had a veto-proof advantage. The violence we experienced in our neighborhoods was worse in the 90s than it was now.
I appreciate younger people telling their parents and grandparents about candidates they like. But it really should be a conversation. At 19 and 20, I felt I knew everything. At 22, I wasn't so sure, and by 26, I understood why my parents and grandparents did what they did and why they told me the things I told them. I have to admit, more times than not, they were right.
There is a lot at stake and no group has a monopoly on the best approach.
1
right now it is all about the courts, Supreme and Federal
Some of us whites who voted for Obama did NOT do so because he "embraced Biden". Some of us had long memories and recalled the college cheating, his treatment of Anita Hill, and his tendency to endorse awful legislation and then pat himself on the back for "cooperating" with Republicans.
We voted for Obama because he was one of the rare candidates who seemed to view the presidency as an opportunity for public service rather than a power grab. The only current candidate who gives me that impression is Warren. Why aren't we scared that if Biden is elected, he'll continue to "cooperate" with Republicans?
9
@Linda I must say.. that was enlightening. I must agree.
People of any age need to get real about the fact that Trump is systematically dismantling our democracy. Beating him is all that matters - and if young Dems think that it will be difficult to deal with climate change and gun control under whichever Democrat gets the nomination, they should think hard about just how it will trying to deal with those issues during a second Trump administration. Wise up, everybody. We've got to rid ourselves of Trump, first and foremost!
4
I would have cheered had Julian Castro tried to get his 'moment' by attacking Joe Biden on his response to the racism question. No, he attacked him because of his age. Not the way to win the support of older voters.
1
I wish I could make some headway with my white family. I can't even convince them to vote for anyone other than Trump. I don't understand how we can see the world so differently.
1
I’ve heard this before. College kids sporting t-shirts saying “vote or die” and not voting. glitterati and luminaries from popular culture from both coasts exhorting the youth to get out there and vote while steering clear of voting booths themselves. The connotation that democrats are leading the way to the “promised land” is laughable especially when they embrace identity politics.
2
@Clyde Greiten
Trump drove the identity politics train to the WH but no one wants to admit that.
and i wish he would stop saying "The fact of the matter is"
I do fear this is why dems are going to lose. There is a HUGE dem gap. I saw Biden speak in PA and I was the youngest person there- at age 34!!!!
1
I am ecstatic that young black people are thinking for themselves. Biden is a mirror image of the sanctimonious white man of decades ago who is patronizing and condescending toward black people. I am not a kid and Biden turned me off when he described President Obama as “clean and articulate,” euphemisms popular during that era by white people as though that was the best compliment he could garner for a black man. “Boring” is an understatement.
205
Ardyth, every young generation has thought for themselves, they just never show up to vote in primaries (in fact less than 25% of those posting on this comment section are going to show up to vote.).
Sure hope those that do show up, not only think for themselves but think about their futures under Trump or a someone who can carry the blue-collar vote in Michigan, Wisconsin, and PA, which will carry this election.
7
@DoctorRPP I have voted in every presidential election since Nixon. I always voted for the Democrat, even when I was less than enthusiastic about his chances.
I voted because it's our civic duty to do so, and also, I voted to cancel out my father's vote. Now that he's gone, my own vote finally counts!
21
Trump is dirty and manipulative.
Civil Rights Laws ending Jim Crow and segregation in our laws and institutions were passed when the proportion of white voters was eighty percent. Most of those people were raised in a society that had presumed race did make a difference and it was part of their perspective, even those who were inclined to think that all were the same under their skins had a hard time convincing a lot of other people.
Judging Biden for who he is today is important but a lot of the views being expressed about his conduct then just ignores reality as it was.
5
Listen to young people. They are the ones whose futures are on the line with the complete devastation of our planet. Most adults are so undereducated about the extinction rates of animals on Earth and in our seas. We are headed for mass extinction and it takes someone with their lives ahead of them to say "NO! I want to live! I want a future!" People on their way out won't do that. Warren/Sanders/O'Rourke/Booker. Those are our solid 4!
7
@RCJCHC They're are also the ones with very little experience. That's coming from me a recent college graduate in his 20s. Young people can bring new ideas to the table, but they still have a lot to learn.
Old people, generally speaking, are a collective stick in the mud when it comes to societal progression.
Why have kids, who you know will be idealists and hopeful for the future, only to consistently write them off as overly-idealist and overly-hopeful?
2
@Jason
Speak for yourself, and perhaps the rest of your family.
I am 84+ and will never vote for Biden or anybody like him, and I am not an exception. Actually, I intend to vote for Warren or for Sanders.
P.S. How old are you; I would say well under 40, otherwise you would not think that "old people, generally speaking, are a collective stick in the mud".
That comment confirms what most of us already knew: you cannot trust anybody under 40.
I urge readers on this forum to pay careful attention to the polls, especially the "head to head" polls of the Democratic contenders vis-a-vis Trump. I often hear the incorrect claim that polls don't say anything at all a year before the election. This is a Bayesian learning process and every poll contains some information. It is especially informative to examine Biden-Trump vs Sanders-Trump vs Warren-Trump matchups. While an individual poll no. may be noisy, the relative poll numbers say a great deal because they tell us how actual voters perceive Biden, Warren and Sanders vis-a-vis Trump. In every single poll that's been released thus far, Biden is the only Democratic candidate who comfortable beats Trump. We cannot afford to take a risk in the 2020 election. If we get another 4 years of Trump, then it's "game over" for any liberal/progressive policy goals for at least a generation. Sanders and Warren are both adopting policy positions that are very unpopular with the general electorate. Unless they moderate their positions to some extent, I fear that they are both very risky candidates.
4
@Ajay Aiyer If Biden is not the Democrats candidate and Trump wins, what will those young voters who talked their elders out of voting Biden say? Whoops? Sorry? These young voters need to educate themselves on what happened in the 1960’s before making the same mistakes those young “progressives “ did...
2
@Ajay Aiyer
No the right wing is capable of smearing them with the assistance of moderates more affectively. Biden can barely stand on the stage with liberals what do you believe will happen when he walks into a populist movement as a corporate democrat with his history against the republican machine? Trump has a cult following. People who will vote for Trump are not moderates.
Progressive policy is popular. That is why Warren is rising. People who care about politics are choosing Warren because of the policy. Bernie for the same reasons plus his consistent values as a leader.
Trump won on progressive promises and delivered tax cuts instead to the wealthy. He dropped his progressive aspects of medical because Moscow Mitch told him to and focuses on the one thing republicans love that divide us and that is racism.
Everything republicans offer is a bogey man, fear, tearing down people with bully politics and ignoring policy.
Ignore progressive policy at your own risk. Ignoring progressive policy will give you 4 more years of corruption far faster. Biden’s soft power is worthless when the rubber hits the road and the fight starts for real in the general election.
Bernie would have won. Hillary was the wrong candidate in populist times. Ignore at your own peril moderates.
The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over but expecting different results. That's what Biden is, trying the exact same type of uninspiring lackluster centrist as we did in 2016 in hopes of a 'safe' vote. Remember that when Obama ran for election the first time most people thought he was going to instill a full single payer system in the style of Canada. I remember arguing vigorously with people over Canada's healthcare system (I was on the conservative side of the debate at the time). Yet despite being tied to a widely unpopular idea he still won in a landslide, twice. Then there's the fact that HRC polled more favorably than him in all potential matchups right up until the very first primary which is when people start really tuning into the race.
Dems already tried an uninspiring centrist in 2016. How’d that work out for them?
5
@Hmmm
Centrism wasn't the problem. Hillary was the problem.
1
@Hmmm Hilary won, the dirty tricks,voter suppression allowed the electoral college to give it to Trump.
2
Parents and grandparents, please listen to the young. They are our future. Go Elizabeth Warren!
7
To paraphrase Mark Train: "When I was a teenager, my parents were so ignorant I could hardly stand it. But by the time I got to be a full grown man, I was astonished at how much they had both learned in the intervening years."
9
@Abraham
Yet that generation gave us Trump through all their wisdom.
1
@Mathias and Obama for two terms apparently. Maybe you should look into why so many voted for Trump in the first place. All dems need to do is not be insane with far left policy and its an easy win. So far free everything is their go to.
1
While I hope to have many more years before shuffling off, I want the country's future decided by young people who have a greater stake. Choose then VOTE!
3
Ah, to be young and idealistic. It's great, but maybe their parents and grandparents have one goal - to defeat Trump. Perhaps they have gained some wisdom over the years, like not to make perfect the enemy of good or that they learned to compromise.
Perhaps, they just want to save the world for themselves, children and grandchildren. Perhaps they shouldn't listen as well.
3
Good for these young people! My generation, that of Biden, has ruined so many things like the national debt, the environment, incessant wars that these young people will inherit. I try to encourage my older women friends not to be fearful of progressive ideas that so many other countries enjoy like universal healthcare and free quality education. We cannot afford to play it safe and choose someone that will please Republicans that are disgusted with Trump. We need to elect energetic people with policies that will deal with income inequality, corruption, the environment, the incessant war mongering. Biden had his chance. Nothing changed. Time for news leaders that have policies to deal with those issues and who are not naive or fearful when dealing with Republicans. My ideal candidate is Elizabeth Warren!
5
If younger Black voters—and younger voters in general—want to stop Biden, first they must show up in the primaries to vote, and second, they must settle on a candidate like older Black voters have. I like Beto, I like Warren, I like Sanders is splitting your vote, which only guarantees a Biden win, which then reinforces to older voters that Biden is their best bet. Flip that script, and watch support for Biden start to erode.
1
“They pointed to systemic problems they said the country must address, such as inequality, climate change and gun violence. The Democratic nominee, they said, should embrace progressive proposals like canceling student loan debt, the Green New Deal and gun buyback programs.”
And will any of these happen when they hand Trump a second term?
3
As one of those elderly Biden supporters, I think it’s more important to elect a progressive congress. If they pass progressive legislation, I believe he will sign it. The challenge has been just getting the legislation through the Senate. Obama would never have gotten Obamacare without Nancy and Chuck. We need to get young people and all Democratic constituents focused on solidifying our control of the House and taking back the Senate.
4
Thank you. Biden is not my first choice but he will go along with a more progressive Congress.
1
During the presidential primaries, it is understood that the focus of all viewers and the goal of most candidates is to magnify all their differences. Moreover, the news media both covers and drives such stories because it appears that conflict sells newspapers and airtime. A wise person once described election season as crazy time, and that seems accurate. In truth, nearly all of these Democrats running for president have much more in common than differences, and they often operate as political allies.
We need to be careful not to allow the primaries to drive a permanent wedge between supporters of differing Democratic candidates lest we jeopardize defeating ourselves and further empowering Trump and the GOP. We have an abundance of riches in our many good choices for president, and we must remember that for any policies to prevail, the Senate is a must.
We are all correct. There is value in an experienced candidate who served as VP to President Obama. There is value in energetic candidates who offer an array of new policy ideas and plans. We will all decide which seems best for this time, and then we should all support the Democrat who wins. However, sour grapes could easily ferment into the wine that Trump and his ilk use to celebrate a victory in 2020. We are smarter than that.
Warren is my candidate right now. However, I plan to support the winner of the Democratic primary, and then, as Obama said, we will still need to make the victor do the right thing.
Young people today are myopic and understand very little of the structural challenges that we are facing in enacting policies that will benefit them. Intellectually, they do not bother to understand the electoral college and the issue of the senate juggernaut. Shielded by their ahistorical digital world, they are disconnected from the cultural and economic realities of rural and ex-industrial America. In the general, Biden handily defeats Trump in both PA and OH and hence- because, you know, math - evicts the current occupant out of the White House. Biden installs expert cabinet and agency heads and the world begins to right itself. I find that it is hard to explain to young people today that the goal is not their own personal emotional gratification.
5
"But the things we endure are not the things they endured,” Ms. Lee said. “And I’m looking for someone who can change the things that affect me.”
You've got to be kidding me. These children are lecturing older African Americans about how bad things are now? In 2019?? No wonder these kids aren't being taken seriously. Maybe the older generation prefers an incremental approach because they've seen and lived through more, and understand not only the real progress that we've made, but how flashy promises and quick-fix solutions can go terribly wrong.
6
Biden is imperfect but Biden is the only one who can defeat Trump - and we must defeat Trump at all costs. That is the ONLY goal for now. Do not waste your vote on independent candidates, Green Party or any of that nonsense. Whoever the candidate is - Biden, Warren, Yang, or Donald Duck - vote for them. We don't have the luxury of looking for the perfect candidate this time.
1
Young people are fickle, besides lacking a realistic world view they are idealistic. That's why they need their parents to help them and tell them right from wrong. I would rather listen to the parents over the kids any day.
2
“Black people are strategic voters, particularly older black people,” Mr. Robinson said. “They’re thinking harm reduction. They’re doing a deep analysis about what they think white people will accept and won’t accept.”
And therein lies one of the major problems. We have to do away with worrying about what white people will accept and vote according to our needs and concerns. That goes for all Americans of all races and age.
@Curious One
Sorry, but there are more whites than blacks, especially in the states we need to win 270 electoral votes: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, without which we lose.
1
You people of color don't need to lecture their elders - they need to convince their peers to simply vote.
And from the latest Pew research: in 2020, Gen Z eligible voters are expected to be 55% white and 45% nonwhite, including 21% Hispanic, 14% black, and 4% Asian or Pacific Islander. An important note - young latino voter turnout held steady during the 2018 elections while young black vote cratered.
So - on that basis - explain to me slowly why the Grey Lady is budgeting such modest amounts of ink towards the Hispanic Gen Z [considering their 50% greater share of the votes].
And black "grandmas" vote at rates approaching 80% - so they proby don't need a lecture from their young-uns.
Black African Americans particularly black African American Protestant women are the most loyal and long suffering base of the Democratic Party
While Hillary Clinton won 92% of the black voting minority vote in 2016 including 88% of black men and 95 % of black voters, black voter turnout was down 11% from peak 2008 and 2012 Barack Obama. Particularly in big cities like Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
Black people hadn't forgotten nor forgiven the roles of Mr. and Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton in black mass incarceration and black mass welfare deformation.
Joe Biden has the same Clinton era crime and welfare liability plus his mistreatment of Anita Hill and playing the busing game card.
Why would the most loyal and long suffering base of the Democratic Party be excited by the prospect of which 70 + year old white man or woman is going to be the Democratic Party Presidential nominee in 2020?
Neither condescending paternalistic liberal white pity nor condescending paternalistic conservative white contempt accepts the diverse individual accountable humanity of black African Americans.
6
No white person was going to get the Black vote the way Obama did. Also, the fact that the Voting Rights Act was gutted in 2013, right before the 2016 election, may have played a role. Nixon was the progenitor of mass incarceration and those bills do not explain the incarceration amongst the States. The States had instituted more draconian sentences before 1994. The Congress at that time was to the right of Congress now and the way Dems were losing in the Electoral College, if Clinton did not do the things he did, he would have lost in 1996 and Republicans would have done a crime bill and welfare bill and it would have been exponentially worse. I would love things to have been different but, except for deregulating the derivatives so savagely, I believe that the Dems did the best with what they had to work with at the time.
Those are the same kids who didn't vote for Hillary, because they thought it was uncool..We ended up with Trump..
NO, thanks!
5
Warren and Buttageig . All there and ready to go.
1
It's important for voters to remember that Joe Biden delivered a eulogy for Strom Thurmond, ex-Dixiecrat and arch-racist Senator from South Carolina as "one of my closest friends."
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/06/21/will_joe_repudiate_his_segregationist_friends_140612.html
1
@Jim Holstun Joe Biden came from an era where politicians actually cooperated and respected each other despite major political differences. Who Knew!?!?
5
@David
We knew; Joe knew. Strom Thurmond was a vicious racist. When you cooperate with him on a racist crime bill, the result is exactly what you might expect. We do not need a president who respected Joe Biden.
I agree with other commenters here. This is a non-story about a fictional notion written with an agenda that goes nowhere.
11
At this point, the New York Times needs to just go ahead with endorsing their candidate. Constant coverage on the ills of Biden and why he is unfit for president shows inherent bias. Are we really supposed to listen to the opinion on one journalist for why all of black Americans should be doing something? Seems ridiculous. Clearly, the lesson wasn't learned from 2016. You cant tell people how they should vote.
7
I am a 75 year old white man. Yesterday, I did it ! Thanks to Farhad Mangoo’s article in this newspaper. I made my decision I am supporting a Warren/Harris Democrat ticket for November 3, 2020.
Don’t get me wrong. Anyone would be better than the existing person. I like Pete alot.
He will be appointed Education Secretary, or maybe even Secretary of State. I know he would never sit across from a murderer like the current dude just did !
Just my two cents.
1
To young black voters, either you stay home and give the country to Trump again or you vote for a winner and do not waste your vote which is the same as giving the country to Trump again! Few of you voted last time and see what we got!!!
2
White women gave us trump.
3
What an uninformed and insulting opinion piece disguised under a news heading. A tiny-tiny virtually negligible sliver of 19-23 year old college students voice an opinion and here comes a sweeping pronouncement about what millions of "Younger" black voters think?
For the NYT to publish this without any reasonable data is unconscionable. Mr. Smith admonishes his grandma and 22 year old Darren Black's all-encompassing assessment that "older generations were [always] “going to ride” for Mr. Biden, because “Joe was there with Obama.” Of course no one has experienced what they have.
Why was this published without the most rudimentary effort required to make it credible? (Short answer; it isn't credible) By-the-way. this age group is the most unreliable voting demographic in the U.S. next to convicted felons- who can't.
14
Listen up young people! Unleash the Obama Coalition in 2020. Best antidote to the Trumpranos virus that has infested the American democracy. Climate Change, Student Debt, Living Wage, Universal Health Care, Immigration Policy, Reparations et al... you can do it!
Historically young people young voters don't actually show up on election day to vote even if they have participated in the election year campaign process.
My feeling is perhaps it might be a better use of their time if the "youth" got themselves and their same age friends to the polls. Then they wouldn't have to worry about how we "old folk" vote.
And wouldn't that be a more productive pursuit than complaining that we aren't voting the way they'd like?
As a grandparent, nobody needs to convince me. I do not want my age-peer as my incoming president. And that's just for starters as a reason.
1
It almost doesn’t matter what they think, want or feel IF they don’t get to the polls and vote. Vote as if your life depends on it because it does.
3
I am starting to change my opinion on Mr. Biden. He seems to lack the chutzpah to take on Trump. As an older person myself I am starting to move toward Elizabeth Warren. She is a class act and is able to get under Trumps skin. At first I didn’t think she was capable of winning due to her far left campaign but now I am starting to think she has the best shot.
Having recently spent a lovely weekend with two Millenials, it is clear that they don’t care for Biden. He is “boring “ according to the millennials. Mr.Sanders is “too angry”. Their concerns are school debt, health care, environment, and jobs. They don’t complain and appreciate the lives they lead. Both have good jobs but are saddled with student loans. That will set them back years in savings. I think we are underestimating our future generations angst.
Many of Ms. Warren’s ideas are too far left for my taste but she is inspiring and truly seems concerned about our less fortunate citizens.
What these 'young' ones must keep in mind is that it was EXACTLY the same thinking in the last presidential election that gave us tRump: too many stayed out because they could not vote Hillary. Do not make the same mistake again.
I would be cautious about over generalizing that:
1. black millennial voters are mostly anti-Biden and/or progressive; and,
2. older black Biden supporters are predominantly so because he was Obama's VP.
I've been privileged to work for decades with black leaders nationally and locally addressing systemic racial, economic, and inter-faith injustice, beginning with SCLC leaders in 60s and 70s through current work with a black led national initiative as well as numerous black led,community based organizations on the ground in localities with the least opportunities and resources. Along the way I've been asked to teach, train, coach, mentor, and/or advise a lot of these leaders in the nonprofit and civic/community space, always co-creating together and supporting them, not "directing," our work.
Most of these folks, including many millennial leaders and community members, are resilient, stone cold wise and sober about what's possible, how and at what pace real "progressive change" can occur. They embrace the energy and creativity of activist youth, but blend it with savvy about social change as a marathon. Many appreciate and trust Joe Biden as a long time ally.
Similarly, many of the older leaders have an appreciation for him that has grown over decades, strengthened by his Obama years. There's a deep trust in him, and leadership is "trusted influence." They deeply trust the person, not just policies. Pundits and polls often don't capture this.
2
A NYT op-ed piece appearing in yesterday's edition highlighted Warren's lack of appeal to blue collar workers and moderates in her own state. Yes, she's exciting, but totally unelectable in the electoral college states the Dems need to take in 2020.
Gen Zs are too young to remember what happened to Gore in 2000. And many millenials, especially those who adored Bernie above all others, helped elect Trump by refusing to vote for Hillary and voting for Johnson or Stein instead. That subset always blames Hillary for the loss and steadfastly refuses to take any reponsibility for her defeat.
I hope the older black voter doesn't fall for the naiveté which unlies their children's and grandchildren's arguments.
1
To these young people: keep at it! My mother and aunt were planning to vote for Hillary Clinton, until I pointed out that Barack Obama's positions were more in line with their values. They just wanted a woman as president -- totally sexist.
By the time the elections came around, my aunt was spending all her waking hours on the phone, campaigning for Obama.
YOU can make a difference!
1
I trust my children , it is their future. The most disappointing aspect of Brexit is that the older generation did not consider their children's future. America must & will do better.
1
If Biden gets the nomination it’s a 2016 redo. We all know how that story ends.
Time to wake up and listen to young people.
We do not need a regressive politician like Joe Biden now. People are more than ready for the new and positive. Warren, Buttigieg, Harris as Secretary of State. The USA is in its death throes, seriously. Biden will not get it.
I get it that young Black people are wanting a fresh, new face in politics and are ticked at Biden for his taking the Black vote for granted. But, I live in Oakland where the progressives have not delivered to Black voters and have made a literal mess of our once fair city. I also fear that centrist voters will not come out for a progressive, therefore, I think in order to rid ourselves of a great evil (trump), Biden seems the best choice for the Democrats right now. Better safe than sorry.
1
Irrespective of pigmentation, this 2020 Presidential election is about priorities. The priority is to have a new President and move forward.
@AACNY
To move forward with integrity in government and policies that are fair and equitable to the people of the United States.
And as we face an economic down turn: moving away from an idea that sacrificing principles is ok if the economy "looks" good.
3
I’m not black, I’m not young, but I’m with them! I love Joe Biden, but his time has passed because we need REAL change in America. Elizabeth Warren is the candidate who is not beholden to corporate interests and importantly, has the courage, vision and plans to take America to a better future. Warren is laser focused and doesn’t have a confused attitude, memory or history. She has the intelligence to learn and grow as she goes. She inspires rather than spreads fear. She has the smarts to be a great leader and pick a talented team. She has the debating skills to wipe the floor with Trump. Trump is terrified of Warren and that alone is a great recommendation to the rest of us.
65
Warren is determined to have things done right. Presidents cannot do that. Carter tried to do that. FDR never tried to do that. Look at the job as well as the candidates’ aspirations.
5
@TEB I don’t understand your logic here. I think Warren is better than Trump but the reason Bernie supporters didn’t support HRC will translate to Warren, she is beholden to corporate interests. Just look at her campaign finances where only 47 percent are individuals, and a fourth of her fundraising comes from those big donors (https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00033492). Whereas Bernie has a whopping 97 percent of individual contributions, and as of yesterday one million individual donors, who are quite politically active.
I guarantee there is a lot of people who hold leftist views but don’t vote because of the hypocrisy of Democrats putting corporate interests over their constituents, e.g Big Pharma. We once again have a silent majority but it’s leftists this time, disillusioned their leaders are actually putting money/effort into programs rather than their enriching their own and crony’s pockets (Mayor Quimby of the Simpsons is an excellent example of this).
Bernie’s message has been consistent, whereas Warren raised dark money before her pledge. Not endorsing Bernie in the last election really shows her true political leanings, putting identity politics over policy, which is how we ended up with Trump in the first place.
(Also Bernie got arrested in the 60s protesting Chicago segregation, something no other candidate can say)
@Jack I looked at the link you sent, I'm confused about where you see big corporate donors. Would you mind explaining?
1
Congratulations to these young folk. I could never get why so many Black voters my age continued to support him?
Biden was chosen by Obama because of his experience in the senate. He was supposed to smooth the way for Obama's initiatives and his "deal making" with GOP senators was supposed to be exceptionally valuable to the young president.
But if that was the goal, Biden was a dud. Obama was blinded sided by the GOP time and time again. Some of this was his own naiveté. But Biden's presence proved to be worth little.
Add to this Biden's record with Anita Hill (who he still hasn't apologized to) his support for mass incarceration, his opposition to bussing and his love affair with banks and credit card companies and old smiling Joe doesn't have anything to offer the black community.
Let's vote our interests, not our sympathies. The only way forward for us is with a candidate that offers progressive policies.
For me that's Bernie. Medicare for all, end student debt, support unions and make climate change a priority. Add this to your next text to grandma!
21
I'm with but my vote will be Warren.
8
@Drspock
Pay for it.
The national debt is $22 trillion now. Those freebies add, at least, $34 trillion more.
1
To the parents and grandparents reading these words: listen to your kids.
Millennials (who are now in their thirties) grew up through 9/11, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, the stock market crash, and the wageless recovery under Obama. Zoomers (now in high school and college) have experienced nothing but the disaster that is Trump.
We will indeed vote blue no matter who. But remember: in 2016, we nominated a well-prepared, well-qualified expert candidate with a lot of plans. She had no qualms about taking money from PACs and billionaires. And she lost. You can blame the magical Russians and James Comey for her defeat, but even Nate Silver said that Bernie would have beaten Trump.
Young people love Bernie because he tells the truth and has always fought for what was right. When Warren was voting for Republicans, Bernie was organizing the first Congressional Progressive Caucus and voting against the FIRST Iraq War. His anger resonates with people everywhere: if you aren't angry about the state of the world, there's something wrong with you.
His message is ultimately democratic: not me, us. He trusts the working class to be in charge. And Warren's supporters don't seem to understand that people hate undemocratic experts with plans. These are the same experts who shipped half our jobs to China and who force our kids to suffer through endless standardized tests.
Parents and grandparents: look at the situation you're in. You blew it. Please listen to us.
8
@A.T. Schwartz Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat. He allies himself with Democrats and runs in Democratic primaries and caucuses because he's a canny politician and doesn't have the guts to run as a Socialist, who still have a recognized party in the United States.
Bernie Sanders is not going to be the Democratic candidate for president in 2020/
1
@A.T. Schwartz
I agree wholeheartedly with your choice of Bernie for president.
I would like to add what is, I think, a very important consideration. trump is schooled in vilification and scorn to disrupt his opponent in debate, and Biden has shown an inability to maintain his composure and avoid gaffs even while merely stating his case. Imagine how badly he will fare with someone dedicated to disrupt. .
Berne Sanders is a trove of important knowledge, greater than any other candidate, is always coherent and would effectively display in debate trump's ignorance and extreme prejudice.
@A.T. Schwartz I did blow it when I was 18 by supporting Eugene McCarthy in 1968 I did blow it when I was 22 by Supporting George McGovern in 1972. After that I stopped blowing it, but the tide of American racism and conservatism has been rising strongly ever since 1980. People decry Bill Clinton as a neoliberal, but his election was a miracle. People whine about not having Medicare-for-all, forgetting what a miraculous and signature achievement the ACA has been. I helped elect the people who have staged off the Republican onslaught, and I will continue to fight for my children and grandchildren for as long as I draw breath. Whoever is nominated, I will support the Democratic ticket enthusiastically. But that’s a year from now. Right now I’m am listening to candidates and working on making a choice. But one thing I am NOT doing is tearing down other democratic candidates. Those who do that are blowing it right now.
1
There's hope in our young black voters thought processes. They get it.
Buying another Merry-Go-Round ticket from Washington's Wall Street establishment is how Democrats nominated the party's MOST unfavorable presidential candidate in history. That's the decision that produced Donald Trump.
“Gotta Vote to Beat Trump” is a chump call made by an entrench Democratic Party establishment that will NEVER change. The road to necessary progressive change runs through defeating the status quo running the Democratic Party and then taking on the Republicans.
If a Trump second term is required to get that job done … then so be it.
6
No matter who the nominee is, can we please just all agree to vote Blue? Yes we can!
205
@JoTheGirl
Why in the world is that a good idea? He is not the best candidate by any measure. People should vote for who they think is best. This is a free country (or at least it was meant to me).
10
@JoTheGirl Voting blue doesn't help if we split the vote and walk away from the final tally if our choice is not the candidate.
2
@JoTheGirl This!!!
Fantastic .. step one accomplished .. now young Nubians
get ma and pa to vote back in the President .. if not.. you and their future is doomed
This old white man is scared more than bored of Biden and really worried if he wins. I have worked side by side with black men all my life. I trust them to make good choices.
We all need to listen to our young, hopefully we taught them well.
I will vote Blue, and ready to swim with the tide of freedom.
All our youth, black, white, brown are our only hope to have a future.
43
Alice Varnado, 69, said she still preferred Mr. Biden, but that she had grown concerned about his age in recent months. She said she would vote for whichever Democrat earned the nomination, but she now considers Ms. Warren her second choice.
Her family members — Mr. Smith and his uncle — had convinced her.
“You know, since talking with my grandson and my son, I think I can go with her,” said Ms. Varnado. “I’m starting to like her. There’s been a turning point.”
-------------
This evolution will occur many millions of times over the next four months as people listen to Elizabeth Warren speak, articulate and express ideas about fixing the 39-year-old right-wing, Randian, Republican hijacking of America.
Biden is just a comfortable pair of old slippers; he's not going to produce any sort of 2020 Blue Wave that's necessary capture the Senate and the Presidency.
Warren generates real enthusiasm with good ideas and incredible passion; she's also as ethical and straight shooting as they come, where Biden has more political baggage from his son's Ukraine-based wealth, not to mention Biden's irrational dreams of Republican bipartisanship.
Biden will sink like a stone.
Warren will soar to 2020 victory against the reviled and corrupt Trump.
And there will be plenty of African-American voters pulling the lever for Warren once they get more familiar with the good Senator from Massachusetts.
November 3 2020.
58
Although I applaud the energy and passion that these young citizens bring to our system, I am concerned that some do not realize that beating Trump is truly the only thing that matters. None of their legitimate concerns regarding inequality, climate change or guns will be addressed if he wins. I would urge everyone concerned about the next election to review the impact of third party candidates (Nader and Stein) or a candidate like McGovern. Like it or not, we have to have a candidate who can win in places like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Ending global warming, universal health care with a single payer system, no fee higher public education, forgiving student debts, drastically reducing inequities of wealth and power, diminishing gun violence, assuring an equitable sharing of the country’s productivity with labor, and assuring all with the basics of living are aspirations, not policies which can be implemented right away nor within one Administration or maybe for a long time. An awesome amount of new wealth must be created to achieve and to maintain all of this.
Only a young person with not a lot of experience can seriously expect any candidate to promise such things and actually have any idea of how to do it. If one thinks seriously, just addressing the most critical need, ending global warming, will require a total commitment. The other priorities just may not be addressed with the remaining resources. These political proposals are not being presented as they will have to be addressed realistically.
4
I myself like Buttigieg, and I am a person with no party, because my views are not supported by either party.
Although due to other comments people assume I am Republican, but no.
This election is tough because it really is just getting a Democrat in office, as opposed to another 4 years of Trump.
Many young and old will have to vote for a President with a candidate on the top of the ticket that they may not like, and focus on the VP position.
Biden is running basically because he did not run 4 years ago when he could have won and there would have not been a Trump presidency, he is not looking to run a second term if elected.
If he had run instead of Hilary 4 years ago with a vital diverse VP candidate, we would be looking at a transition from Biden to a women or minority candidate in this election.
I think he would have easily won the midwest states that Hilary lost, and the electoral college does run the show
The radical idea that is that young people get involved with trying to get voting done online or by phone, which would get rid of voter suppression, gerrymandering, etc.
There could still be some done the old fashion way for older voters that will be dying off, but most people now have access to computer or phone and the technology is around to make it much more secure than voter registration. There are many minority voters or those working multiple jobs that do not vote due to polling being such an outdated notion, I think this would really change elections.
@marie
The Obama campaign did an excellent job of letting people know the details about early voting, where to go and when, the best times to go, numbers to call if people needed a ride, etc. They did the same thing for people voting on Election Day. I think that granular advice made the difference in getting max turnout and getting him elected. I don't recall the Hillary campaign doing anything like that.
I completely agree!!!!
Sincerely,
Donald J. Trump
4
It seems amazing to me the number of anti-Biden articles in the Times. I can understand an editorial point of view favoring or disparaging certain candidates, but it seems from a news reporting perspective -- that should be objective -- the Times is working to defeat the Biden candidacy.
7
Older, wiser relatives to Gen Z'ers: Grow up, get some experience before we listen to you on something so consequential.
Life isn't the internet's noise.
7
@Mtnman1963
Right, just like y'all have listened to Gen X and Millenials and heeded our needs...
Time for the old horse to retire and for a new one to own the pasture.
This is the third article I’ve read in the Times recently regarding the perceived or contrived weaknesses of Joe Biden. Charles Blow gave a crack at it a mere 2-3 days ago followed up by an article on Mr Biden’s age and now this. I stand by my original assertion that based on the facts you cite we would never have elected Lincoln or Lyndon Johnson both of whom became larger than life leaders but had spotty records on the issues you cite. It’s almost as if your real motivation is a type of reverse election psychology. It’s not Biden you’re after. If it was there would be more objective reporting on his peers, many of whom struggle mightily. Journalistically we need more balance on the see-saw here. Give your readers the facts and your unbiased/unvarnished analysis and let the chips fall where they may. Should this kind of subjective reporting continue it will result in nothing but a status quo election which the incumbent always wins.
6
Thanks to President Trump we now have the lowest unemployment rate for African Americans in US history although you won't read that anywhere in the NYTs. This president has done more for African Americans that President Obama ever could or ever did.
2
If there were any doubts about why to not support Biden, simply listen to this clip contains his response to a question about whether his views on race have changed in the last forty years and whether American owes a debt to Black Americans to address the lingering effects of slavery?
https://consortiumnews.com/2019/09/20/bidens-brain-is-swiss-cheese-and-its-creepy-were-not-talking-about-it/
It was a softball question. All he had to say was "of course my views have changed." I had the honor of serving with America's first Black president...blah blah blah.
But instead you got this incoherent gibberish stringing together a bunch on totally unrelated stuff about education.
The question isn't whether you agree or disagree with him. The issue is that you can't figure out what he's talking about.
3
@Drspock
Thank you for posting that link ! This should be a NYT pick. I found reading the word-by-word transcription helpfully included in the article to be really telling, it shows just how often -- in only 80 seconds -- Biden lost his train of thought ...
Spoiled brats that you are you really don't grasp how important it is to get Trump out of the White House, and to do that, you need a candidate that appeals to a vast number of Americans.
2
@Don Juan
Us young voters actually understand that Trump needs to be defeated, no matter what. But we also understand that Biden does not get the current political situation. He seems to believe that the current batch of Republicans are fine individuals, when in reality they have given up on democracy. Us young voters have lived through nothing but the biggest failures of the GOP, so you might see why we don't trust them one bit, and why we think Biden is far too naive in his dealings with them.
Yet another article on Biden might lose- or should I say yet another piece of wishful thinking?
Really, it is getting laughable. I mean that. It is literally getting laughable.
You quote a few young people, all of whom basically say that they are getting nowhere in their efforts to change minds abut supporting Biden.
last week you quoted the President of something called "...She the People..." on the subject-alleged subject- of black women moving toward a woman candidate. How many members does She the People have? 100? Fewer?
I mean, the NAACP, it's not.
Even when you write about Biden's lead staying styrong, your "....reporters... throw in thiungs like "...But, it's still early...". etc etc etc.
How about just reporting the news? And right now thew news is that Joe Biden continues to lead; that Liz Warren is gaining ground and that everybody else is either standing still or losing support.
6
If you stay home again, republicans will be elected and racism get worse, the Obamacare gets the ax, and no breaks for educational debt.
Get out and vote and stop this nonsense
5
Thank you, young people!!!
No one wants an 80 year old leader - case closed!
I don’t care how “sharp” you think you are, in 3 months, it can go down hill, fast!
Please allow someone younger to lead our land!
Why is the N YTimes stereotyping Black youth and make them believe they must vote as a block as opposed to individually voting their own conscious ?
Is this a racial bias ?
Could this then be construed as racism ? Pure and simple to assume people of color will follow a Pied Piper candidate blindly is blatant racisim.
7
Yep
You want Beto or Bernie and you will get Trump
Just reality
1
What astonishing and revelatory disrespect this headline shows for the issues the article brings up. It's amazing how arrogant and myopic this paper has become. When it finds itself without a generation of ditto-heads to repeat its editorials on TV and in our homes, they will not need to wonder how the lost and infuriated the generation that can't trust them ever again. Shocking.
3
Hey. I got an idea for a book: a collections of essays by Times writers: "Why You Shouldn't Vote for Joe Biden: An Elitist Compendium"
A couple of sample chapters:
"Patronizing Pensees: Why Black Voters are Wrong to Back Biden"
"Joe Is Older Than You Are: So There's That"
"Why Blue Collar Voters are So Wrong About Joe."
6
Like many young voters, they seem to be drawn to the populism and idealism of Bernie and Warren rather than the pragmatism of Biden.
I don’t see this being a racial thing, but the Times needs its clicks!
3
Message from the Baby Boomers to the kids and grandkids: Either you vote at an 80% clip every single election, federal, local and state, or you shut your mouths and know that you are the reason mean old white men are in charge of most of American government today. Crazy talk from people who do not vote is what put Trump in. Black youth? Mr. Astead, what was their voting percentage in the last election (18-30)? The only thing worst than off the deep end kids who don't vote are the older people who know better, edging them on with this off-the-deep-end foolishness that will never see the light of day.
3
The ultimate "sin" for any element of the media is to be boring. Sadly, this paper with its "Anybody-But-Biden" agenda has become just that. It's not merely that it has become narrowly partisan, but that its lame efforts in this regard have become predictable, not even clickbait. I believe this article is #1437 in this supremely sad saga.
3
This old white man prays old black people listen to their children. I was born in a Sundown Minnesota town, but never knew it until recently.
I worked with black men most of my life. Blindly. Side by side.
I have voted Blue since I could vote and will vote for any Dem.
We need to come together and stop the Devil.
2
Some day I will see a pro Biden article in The Times - but I'm not holding my breath. Maybe I'll walk away from biased reporting first.
3
This concocted story is misleadingly portrayed as a “news” item when it’s actually just anti-Biden advocacy. This and other like “news” pieces make it clear that the Times, including the news side, is trying to thwart a Biden nomination without overtly saying so (thus far). I suppose old Joe is not “progressive” enough and actually doesn’t hate all Republicans, which puts him at odds with the direction the Times news desk wants to take (and make no mistake, the NYT is indeed a key Democratic Party interest group.)
3
Ah yes, remember when Andrew Young called BLM activists a bunch of "ungrateful brats" when talking to the Atlanta Police Department?
Bored is an understatement.
1
White guy in my 50s. Lifelong Democrat. I will vote for a dog before I’ll vote for Biden - the former Senator from MasterCard and an author of the poison bankruptcy “reform”, BAPCPA.
2
If Joe Biden had the same ideological views as those favored by the left, he would be trumpeted now as the next coming of Che Guevarra or some other leftist hero. When it suits them they are willing to overlook any deficiency and even celebrate the person's "good' qualities no matter how insignificant they are. When Biden was VP under Obama he was made "cool" by leftists who were quite willing to use him as a cudgel against the Republicans they disliked. He was Uncle Joe because he could help them to win Pennsylvania. Now, he is a dim witted fool who should move out of the way and allow their choices to take front stage. Americans are not so silly that we are not able to discern what is going on here. Hopefully we will act accordingly.
2
I'm a Black man, approaching 50. There is absolutely no way I'm voting for Biden in the primaries. I don't know anybody in my family who is going to vote for him (yet...I haven't spoken with all of them...big family). I like Biden. But he represents the easy comfortable path that leads us right back to where we started: back to the status quo in 2015/2016 that resulted in Trump's America. In 2016, voters asked for real, widespread systemic change in our country. They thought they'd get it with Bernie, but instead they got it with Trump. That change has been catastrophic. Returning to the good ole days of "I'm with Barack" is not enough, and it's not going to KO Trumpism once and for all. I'm with Warren, and as far as I can tell, so is all of my extended family whom I have had conversations with so far.
2
Democrats turned off young voters in 2016 with Hillary Clinton as their nominee.
Older Democrats have more sway in the party than younger Democrats. But they would do well to be open to a more progressive nominee like Warren, who hopefully would choose another liberal or progressive candidate like Kamala Harris or Cory Booker as her running mate.
Democrats desperately need a large turnout of young voters in 2020 to defeat Trump, who will motivate elderly conservative white voters.
Hillary Clinton did poorly with younger voters in 2016, who did not turn out for her in the needed numbers.
Warren could stimulate a large turnout of people under 40, including young African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Joe Biden would struggle to turn out younger voters. Biden would be trying to appeal to an elderly demographic - just like Trump. Biden has no appeal to younger voters, who view him as another old conservative machine politician.
Trump is widely despised among young voters. The Democrats should work to motivate these young people to vote with a progressive nominee like Ms. Warren.
As a 52 year old, I sure hope the youth prevail, and we nominate a progressive rather than a centrist. We need big structural changes in our country.
1
My young white voting kids are making the same plea to their white parents.
103
As an older voter of color I find myself agreeing with today’s black youth on Biden. He may have been Obama’s second for eight years, but I find that is not enough. Mr Biden has given me a veritable cornucopia of cringe worthy moments via his comments. When he stated how he was able to cross the aisle and work with segregationists I thought I would have a baby, and I’m male. His response to the criticism of that comment was also chilling. As most I know, I find myself desperate to see the current president voted out of office, but am not confident that Biden is the one. The bottom line for me is that the man cannot keep his foot out of his mouth, and just may cross the aisle quite often to work with today’s segregationists, which I find totally offensive. Could you imagine what would happen if you replace segregationists with antisemite?
3
You may also find that being picky is what led us to where we are at now with Trump in the White House. You may also find that Biden polls the best.
Trump v Biden, vote or stay home?
@Jon
What led us to where we are is moneyed elitist Democrats foisting a very unpopular candidate upon us, with the DNC fracturing the party vote when they let the Clinton campaign hijack the entire process because they held the purse strings. Those that I know in my community were less than thrilled due to the fact that the Clinton policies were napalm for minorities, with high rates of incarceration and almost no minorities in positions of power in their administrations. Contrast that with the alleged racist Bush who not only gave us our first, but second Secretary of State, plus the first Latino Attorney General.
African American GenXer here. Thanks for this article. Biden is not the candidate for now and most definitely not the candidate for our collective future, regardless of ethnicity. Better to determine this now than later. Biden should get out of the race and let the country move forward. It’s not enough to just fear Trump. We should also fear letting the Trump era become an excuse to only moderately rectify the errors of his term (which I suspect would be Biden’s approach) and to avoid significantly forward-looking policy-making (which also seems to be Biden’s “safe” middle of the road approach). Let’s look to the other Democratic candidates and please get over Biden, a longtime public servant, beloved by some, who should not be president.
5
At this point, the only reasonable and least selfish thing a Democratic voter can do is vote for the candidate who they think has the best chance to beat Trump. The rest can wait because there won't be a "rest" if Trump wins.
It's like trying to win the World Series - one game at a time.
1
A repeat of 2016. Weaken the candidate that can win the general election by elements of the party that espouse policies that, however ultimately laudable, are much, much further left of the "silent" majority of voters and look, at the moment, incapable of carrying the general election. No more years of the the current mess is the ONLY thing that matters right now. Enthusiasm is wonderful, but it has to be enthusiasm that will carry through the general election, not just the party primaries.
2
Fine. But will these young black voters, and all young voters, for that matter:
1) make plans to go vote no matter which candidate wins the primary, now matter how long it takes. This would include skipping classes, work, parties, and other distractions. No matter what, show up, be analog for a day, and vote, with zero complaints about how difficult or odious or disappointing it is.
2) before all that, though, will all these young voters personally participate in at least three non-social media political actions, including marches and registering people to vote or agreeing to take people who aren't very mobile to the polls.
3) promise that if Trump wins another term, to take to the streets and tear the sucker down. I will join you, even though I am old enough to be your Granny.
Because it will take no less than these things to restore the USA to its domestic promises, and as leader of the free world. You live in a time of national crisis, kids, and I SO wish it were different.
2
When that generation and Millennials stop being the most politically apathetic (in terms of VOTING) in a century, I'll start listening to their ideas.
4
I hope the 2020 presidential election in USA is an election free of bondage from the herd and race baiting mentality. America is a diverse country and individuals should not be told who to vote for or made to feel guilty for voting a certain way. A vote is very precious possession of a US citizen which should be given with careful consideration. A friend who orders you to vote for a candidate he or she wants you to vote for is no friend of yours and you should feel free to ditch such a friend. No one else owns your vote but you.
The 2016 election was intense with after effects and an eye opener to who your real friends were and who were just friends waiting to be manipulative bullies. One such friend who is no longer a friend demanded that I vote a certain way and when he got the impression that I may be voting independently of his orders he started hurling abusive language. It surprised me because he works at a high position for the Department of Defense and I would expect that he would understand our democracy and respect the right of every individual to cast their vote for whoever they choose to vote for. I don't tell my family members or friends who they should vote for why would I listen to this person who I thought was my friend.
I am independent and Biden would not have been my first choice for the democratic nomination but no one should listen to anyone else not to vote for Biden. Lobbying, campaigning , canvasing is fine but bullying to vote a certain way. Not OK.
1
Well, you know, we older people are just plain more experienced than younger people in knowing how to get important things done.
And the important thing to get done in this election is to get rid of Trump.
1
"Mr. Smith, a member of the school’s College Democrats, said he liked Mr. Biden, but preferred his more left-wing rivals, such as Mr. O’Rourke, Mr. Castro, Ms. Harris or Ms. Warren."
Ms. Harris? So Kamala Harris is more left-wing that Joe Biden?
Kamala Harris is the consummate neoliberal corporatist Democrat, all wrapped in a nice, cynical veneer of identity politics to distract us from any attempt to martial political capital to the common good. While I feel that we can do better than Joe Biden, at least Joe Biden is real, and has more of a real and sincere connection to the African-American community than Kamala Harris could ever dream of, as much as people might want to make fun of his CornPop story from Wilmington in 1962.
Of course, the whole premise of Kamala Harris's campaign has been that African-American voters were superficial enough that she could convince them that just because she was a woman of color she was looking out for their best interests. Let's at least give older African-American voters credit for apparently being able to suss out a fake.
5
Biden has always been a sop - elected as part of a 'youth' movement in 1972 (when the Establishment, as people called it then, genuinely feared revolt), then as an anti-busing 'liberal' to soothe Joe Sixpack, then as Obama's VP making middle (white) America feel safer electing a black president, now as supposed savior of our nation's values from Trump. Lot of work, holding your finger in the dike for 47 years. Must be why he looks so stretched and tired. He's there to make sure this hopey-changey thing doesn't get out of hand. But his services are no longer needed (never were, except by those whose #1 goal is just holding on to what they've got).
I bet that young and old black voters alike are also asking themselves and each other why the black candidates (Harris, Booker) are already being relegated by the NYT and other media to the dust bin of also-rans.
On the other hand, if the Democratic Presidential nominee is Biden or Sanders, there will probably be a push for a minority female VP candidate—hello Harris, maybe even Gabbard (about 1/4 Samoan).
If the Democratic Presidential nominee is Elizabeth Warren, then there will probably be a push for a minority male VP candidate, which may open the door to Booker, Yang or Castro.
Whoever the Presidential nominee turns out to be, it is highly likely that the VP nominee will be of the opposite gender and a different race.
To put it another way, the Democratic ticket in 2020 will almost certainly not be two whites nor two minorities nor two people of the same gender.
1
Readers may be interested in the latest Sept. BWR/Essence Survey.
https://www.scribd.com/document/424943958/2019-BWR-Essence-5th-Annual-Power-of-the-Sister-Vote-Survey
Overall,
Other/Prefer not to answer received 26%
Biden 25%
Harris 15%
Warren 12%
Sanders 10%
However,
Black women Millennials & Gen Z (18-34) lean more towards Sanders (1st), Harris (2nd), Warren (3rd), Biden (4th).
Other/Prefer not to answer received 26.9%
Sanders 18.9%
Harris 17.1%
Warren 13.7%
Biden 10.3%
Last Dem. Primary Sanders won more young voters (18-30) than Clinton and Trump...COMBINED~!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/20/more-young-people-voted-for-bernie-sanders-than-trump-and-clinton-combined-by-a-lot/
Sanders possibly also won more youth minority votes also.
An analysis of exit polls in 25 primary states conducted by NBC News shows that Sanders received a combined 52% of the votes of AA's under 30, compared with 47% for Clinton.
Based on CNN exit polls from 27 states, 52% of black women under 30 voted for Sanders while 47% voted for Clinton. Among black men of the same age, 50% voted for Sanders and 48% for Clinton.
The CNN data also shows Latino voters under 30 voted 69% for Sanders while 30% went to Clinton.
The youths are the future.
Take into consideration whom they are backing voters.
4
I mostly agree with Sanders. But if you look at his record in Congress, he might even have trouble getting his agenda enacted with Democrats in control of both houses.
Why aren’t we talking about Booker? He’s progressive, passionate, incredibly powerful on the debate stage. His platform is as evolved as Sanders, Warren, and yet his message is more centrist. He has Obama charisma, the best senate voting record on climate, gun control, criminal justice reform. And he’s 50 y’all not 70+. Did you see how he finessed the Biden question, meanwhile Castro appropriated his talking points?
PLEASE give him a good look. He could twist Trump on his little finger.
@Lauren He's fake and has zero momentum. That said, he could make a good VP candidate for Biden.
Biden is too old at this point to consider taking on this job. He'd be a push-over to the Republicans, too, as they consolidate their absolute power and violations of the US Constitution.
Bernie is even more obviously too old. Cruel, but true.
People who identify "black" must reconsider a racist orientation to the Democratic race, and vote for someone more like Barack Obama, who was not racist (although, Obama did support the BLM movement when he had no reasonable political choice).
Warren is good. Buttigieg is even better.
1
Be careful what you hope for, kids.
Hi Kids. Congrats on trying to get Trump re-elected.
1
I would like to elect my cat. It's obvious from Trump's run you don't have to do much or know much to be POTUS. Said cat is unusual in that he does love and purrs whenever anybody approaches. Just like Biden.
A Biden voter.
“Me and my dad...” Yup, the young, educated people have it all figured out!
Be careful what you wish for. If black voters abandoning Biden leads to the nomination of Warren, you’ll have created four more years of Trump.
I think the New York Times should rank the Democrats. It will give us a better perspective on their activism. Clearly they do not like Biden at all
1
Message from mom and dad and grandma to young black voters. Biden is our “safety net” candidate for now. But we’re watching closely and keeping an open mind. Be patient. It’s still early....Let’s see how things shake out over the next few months. Our motto is “anybody but Trump”.
65
@GCAustin as a fellow Black dad, I'd just suggest that that same "safety net" mentality got us Trump. We have to take the risk and make this one count.
17
@GCAustin Not good enough. We need change, not more of the same. Biden is more of the same.
We cannot think "just any old Dem in the Oval Office" ... We need a forward-thinking person, we need change and vision.
We need courage.
We need new.
For me that is Warren.
I'm an old white woman. I cannot stomach the notion of Biden as our candidate.
15
@GCAustin
For far too long the Democratic machine has taken for granted that we Black Americans could be relied upon to support their candidate regardless of whether he(/she?) actually represented our best interests, (e.g. The crime and welfare reform bills of the Clinton administration etc.) because we found the Republican alternative so much more distasteful. As a 70 y.o. progressive black man I feel it is time to hold our nominees feet to the fire and demand true progressive change. I don't believe in giving Biden a free pass because his main objective is to beat Trump. We survived Reagan, whom Thurgood Marshall called the worst president for black people since Wilson, therefore we can survive 4 more years of Trump. Mr. Biden must give us more than just being against Trump. He must tell us what he really is for.
2
Older black voters like myself don't trust what white voters will do once they are in the voting booth. 53% of white women voted for Trump. This is why older black voters are placing their support behind Biden....the other Democratic candidates, while all way more qualified than Trump, are a riskier bet to gain the support of white voters.
73
@Native Brooklynite, nor should you. As a white woman I can assure you my parents will be voting for Trump. I wish I had some influence against this...
8
@Native Brooklynite
I haven't walked a mile in your shoes, but I think you're absolutely right.
I haven't seen it elsewhere on The Times yet, but I believe Biden's strongest support comes from voters with the strongest record of supporting Democrats: blacks and Jews.
3
@Native Brooklynite
I can't blame you for distrusting us. I voted for Hillary and dragged everyone I could with me. I would never vote for Trump. But I have many family members that will vote for him no matter what he does. I grew up with these people. They raised me. And I don't understand them at all.
17
By the time election day rolls around, people will know that Bernie/Warren are for all people, including Blacks. Obama/Biden did not cater to Blacks or the poor. Especially Biden, with his view on crime. We really cannot take a chance on returning to Black neighborhoods where so many lost their homes but the banks were saved. The rich flourished.
Black families, what did you gain when Biden was in the White House?
42
@s.whether How about what did people gain when Trump was in the WH.
5
@s.whether Great points! And Biden did not apologize for his racism 40 years ago and say he made a mistake and give his current opinion. He worked with Strom Thurmond, come on. He gave a pale apology to Anita Hill but did not own his part in her torture, and only apologized because he was going to run for president. Do I think he is a bad guy, no, but he is stuck in the old white patriarch, good fellow mold. He does not get it about the racism today.. I am white also and I had my eyes really opened to the crushing racism today by TYT network on line.
7
@s.whether Um, Biden wasn't in the White House, Obama was. Biden was Vice President, a largely ceremonial position without policy-making power.
3
If these students do not believe the central goal of 2020 should be defeating Trump, how on earth do they propose to solve economic inequality, climate change, and gun violence? Failure to defeat Trump means that those issues only grow worse.
I like progressive ideas, but one thing that is never explained is how those ideas will be enacted. We need the Senate back in our column, and unless progressives have long been voting Republican in states like Indiana, the Dakotas, and North Carolina, I don't see how the Senate flips without moderate Democrats winning.
69
@David They don't agree, fundamentally, the Biden can do anything other than keep these problems going.
8
@David I think you underestimate the kind of momentum that a left middle democrat being elected could create. Biden is right middle and out of touch. He puts his foot in his mouth often enough to have flunked out of two previous presidential runs and he's got dozens of photos and videos creepily rubbing women. If history is any indication, Democrats invading people's personal space doesn't play down as well as Republicans. That's going to be plastered all over the internet once/if he takes the primary.
10
@David...Trump is enforcing immigration laws; and thus, not allowing a permanent under class, illegal aliens, to tax resources. Immigration is the real issue in 2020. Common sense says you can't offer free health care, college, and loan forgiveness to everyone - if at all. Enforce immigration laws. This is what this black man is concerned about and thus Biden nor the Democrats will be getting my vote. Trump 2020.
5
The young see no obstacles to perfect solutions and no bad consequences from rectifying egregious wrongs. It’s the blessing and the curse of ignorance, not knowing and not knowing what is not known. All explanations seem to them excuses for not having addressed the obvious reasonably. It usually takes a few experiences of suddenly seeing things from differing perspectives to learn that what seemed simple really is not.
The least thoughtful people among the top Democratic candidates are the most certain, O’Rourke and Castro, they are people who rely upon appealing to feelings and aspirations rather than proposed policies. The less certain are Biden, Klobuchar, Harris, Sanders, and Warren (in that order) who try to appeal to needs with policies but are liable to compromise or revise their proposals (in descending order).
9
My 92 year old African American stepfather loves Warren. He supported Hillary in the last primary, mainly because he felt she was safe and that Bernie couldn't win, NOT because he loved her.
He learned his lesson.
11
You know....we really shouldn't be allowing 'popular' opinions, or whatever happens to be the currently 'trending' talk, to muddy up the Dems overall tactics to win. More than anything else...more than who any of us may like or dislike out of all the Dem candidates, the real question is 'who is the most likely to beat Trump'? Nothing else should matter.
Like most people, I have my own mental list of which Dem candidates I'd like to SEE as president. The order of that list is completely different from whom I think needs to WIN the Dem candidacy, in order to beat Trump. Who are the 1-3 candidates most likely to win votes from Moderates and Republicans in the swing states?
4
The mistake failed politicians make is to make statements that appeal to minorities alone and not the broad electorate.
Biden knows and understands this, but unfortunately political parties are always broken up by those elements within that don’t understand that.
I’m afraid that this kid, like so many within the Democrat party, are going to ensure another Trump presidency with this kind of attitude.
Broad appeal seems wishy-washy. But it works. No political stance is of any value without power, and power is what you need first.
4
This is good news.
Joe Biden was a formidable Democratic politician (with flaws, but who doesn't have them...) twenty years ago.
Today, despite the hair transplant and other cosmetic upgrades, he hardly comes off as the old lion of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees that I remember him being.
This is no time for figurehead President whose best days are behind him - and African Americans deserve a bubble-up economy as much as any group in this country.
3
I was a youth of the sixties, we were young, energetic and we were going to change the world. Well the bad part is we changed, the world stayed the same.
This time the stakes are larger, it's possible good vs four more years of real evil.
To defeat the current president we must amass as many rational souls as possible. Rational souls live in reality, the youth are able to dream. While the green new deal and medicare for all are both lofty goals, how they will be paid for is at question. Winning the swing states must always remain the prize. People in the swing states want to keep roofs over their heads, pay for their children's educations and take care of their parents.
The progressives while well meaning, have no idea what the man in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave will do to the world with four more years, he and his cohorts are removing human and wildlife protections every day. Defeating him must be the first step, not lofty goals.
So, if we follow the progressives, we will lose and as the Joker would say " Wait till they get a load of four more years of me."
3
[[Mr. Biden seems aware of this dynamic. In interviews, he has both acknowledged the generational gap among his black supporters and downplayed its importance, arguing that the support of older, more moderate black voters would be enough to give him an electoral advantage.]]
Hillary Clinton played the same game, cozying up to old black voters in churches and ignoring the protests and the passion of young voters. Overly confident. Playing not to lose in stead of playing to win. Isolated. Narrow thinking. Not inclusive.
And the DNC is rigged to blunt the voices of younger voters.
3
First of all I am a senior citizen. A vote for Biden will be Hillary Clinton all over again. He just has too much negative baggage and has little appeal for the younger generations.
We need someone like Warren with intelligence, financial experience and the vision of what this country needs to advance the lives of the lower & middle class and give everyone an equal opportunity to succeed in life.
8
@uras
Hillary won. By 3 million votes. The problem spots were Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan - all 70% Catholic and evangelical, majority white and all easy pickin' for the misogynist racist tripe of Trump. And then there were the Bernie Bros who remained home on election day muttering to themselves and posting on Reddit or 4Chan about the need to commit violence against women to put them in their place. Just as they did in 2008 against Clinton as Obama Bros.
Required reading for everyone in America prior to 2020, especially Democrats, is Rebecca Traister's "Big Girls Don't Cry", a very well researched book on America and the press in the 2008 election and its treatment of not just Clinton but Palin and other women.
2
I’m old, not yet quite a geezer. I hear and fully empathize with youth of all stripes about their concern for the future of our planet and cannot bring myself to even think about Biden being nominated. He’s been wrong on so many issues it boggles the mind how he gets to be Democratic supposed (corporate sponsored no doubt) front runner while people with real Democratic Party vision are marginalized. I am confident if Biden is nominated, Trump will be elected. Remember ‘16, can we? No one wanted a Republican in Democrat’s clothing and more of the same expanding, defending, and preserving corporate kleptocracy. Biden is Corporate Politician personified and sadly way beyond his “best by” date.
9
Gen Z and Millennials and Boomers and Silent Gen ought focus on **math** and the candidate who will do what Bill Clinton did: erase the suicidally high national debt.
Bush inherited a national debt at $0 and with Obama skyrocketed it to $20 trillion. Trump is adding $1 trillion per year.
Warren and Bernie and all the candidates whose platform is "free" are really just promising perpetual misery and debt for successive generations. Rinse, repeat since 1965. We never learn.
Only the 2020 candidate who addresses this will get my vote.
3
If Republicans are elected, debt has no bearing on us whatsoever! The more the merrier. However if Democrats are elected, debt will become an existential threat, even as it is shrinking.
@Maggie do you realize that the national debt is really not such a big thing1 (unintended pun?)
Biden is NOT for you! He's too old, not just of body, but of mind. There are old-old people, and there are young-old people. I'm 71, and I am young-old. Biden is old-old. VOTE for someone else. You won't be sorry.
7
It’s good to think for yourself but . . . When your on a sinking ship it’s not the time to discuss the history of seamanship!
1
Here’s a message to all Democrats. Stop the self-destruction.
1
That's funny. Joe Biden scares Trump the most-- because polling shows he's the one candidate who can beat him. Black voters who don't vote in their own self interest will have a lot of time to regret it!
2
Obama surrounded himself with establishment mediocrities like Emanuel, Geithner, Summers and Biden. Why would Black voters be “loyal” to them?
3
Yes - this is a great idea.
Now these young black voters should be convincing there parents just to vote in 2020.
Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 because a lot of the Black Obama supporters didn’t vote plus a lot of the Bernie supporters didn’t vote.
Get out and vote.
2
I’m appalled by the premise of this piece. Young people know better. Who says? Joe Biden carried water for the first BLACK president and stood loyally behind him for eight plus years - through thick and thin. How dare anyone say he doesn’t have a right to be president? Folks, this writer, sadly, has an agenda: get Joe Biden. These young voters and Rudy Giuliani could form a sub-group: We loathe Biden.
—-GOTV.
1
@Mike
Despite the Boomer mantra, it is NOT anyone's turn or right to be president. It is the voters' right to choose the best candidate for the world in which they live and that to which they aspire.
Joe is charming, but he's old, 40+ years older than the population of this country who have to endure the wrecked future bestowed upon them by Joe's cohort. Give it up already.
My mother is thankfully too busy to follow politics and I blocked CNN on her TV after she started quoting anti-Muslim rhetoric she was hearing from their Oppo-pundits, so we just tell her how to vote. Yay, Black Parents!
2
Black baby boomer here with 1 child who is a college senior and 1 child who is a high school senior - both extremely politically active and aware - both able to vote in next presidential election. They and their friends plan to vote for either Sanders, Warren, Yang or Buttigieg in the primary. Our family arguments are mild because my kids understand what is at stake, and they will definitely vote Dem in the general. To quote my college student, "I’ll get a custom made clothes pin to wear on my nose to the polls if it’s Joe." My husband is a bit dismissive because he doesn't believe most young people will actually go to the polls. For older people, support for Joe is all about electability - even after the supposed "un-electability" of Pres Obama, who obviously overcame this characterization, older black people still don't trust the white electorate to do the right thing.
87
@CrissieP I’m white and I don’t trust the white electorate to do the right thing either. Just look what we’re dealing with currently...
21
@CrissieP
Older Black people don’t trust the white electorate to do the right thing? So why didn’t they vote for Clinton in 2016 with as much turnout as they did for Obama? That was apparent in the Midwest. Was that the right thing to do?
14
@CrissieP
The white electorate votes its self interest which is the Republican Party. There is nothing in the Republican Party for black people. What is the black electorate’s self interest? Open border policies are a threat to black people. The “black agendas” proposed by the Democratic candidates upon review benefit other groups.
3
Last year my son lived in a multicultural dorm. On Election Day he tried to rally his dorm to vote but they weren’t excited for any of the candidates. After two years of Trump that was shocking to me- so my son went alone to the hub and he voted. If you want change you must participate.
6
@Deirdre
Youth by nature (no criticism, just reality) are pretty self absorbed.
How to get them motivated to vote-not easy.
Old white woman here with two things to say: 1. I am in love with Gen X and Millennials they are less materialistic, more engaged with the world, and more open-minded than my generation ever was (tail end of Boomer.)
2. Where are these polls who say Biden is the front runner coming from? No one in my family - ages 82 to 18 - is interested in him and his racism, misogyny, and “corporate” version of a Democratic platform.
122
@Elizabeth Molinaro
Are you seriously saying that your *purely* anecdotal evidence of "nobody in my family is interested in Biden" outweighs scientific polls with much larger sample sizes?
Well I don't personally know anybody interested in Bernie Sanders, so the polls must be exaggerating his support!
13
@David Sanders had his chance but media like the NYT sabotaged his campaign in favor of Hillary Clinton who did win the popular vote. Biden is by no means the equal of Hillary. It is time for Elizabeth Warren and a great cabinet and VP out of the other progressives.
6
@Elizabeth Molinaro
No one in my family either, women ages 90- 22. We support Warren, Harris or Buttigieg.
No one cares about Biden.
15
I knew everything when I was 18. I’m a lot older now, but I don’t know so much.
I campaigned for George McGovern when I was 18. Richard Nixon crushed him.
Now I think Joe Biden is—by far—the strongest candidate against Trump. Joe has plenty of flaws, but he has the broadest appeal with voters.
More importantly, Joe will crush Trump.
171
@Brian
You are wrong in so many ways that I wont bother enumerating them. The center of the party is the cancer everyone must fight. In fact, it is a bigger, badder cancer afflicting this country than the GOP, which is the obvious cancer.
The center is the silent killer of the middle class. The wolf in sheep's clothing. And utterly unworthy of neither praise nor consideration.
61
@Brian I pray you are right. The Biden I see appears to be in cognitive decline and has trouble holding his own with his Dem counterparts
45
@Bob Dass
Biden's speech pattern has always been a bit messy. He'll start three different sentences then finally say "look" and then go on to what he really want to say. What you're seeing is nothing new and doesn't seem to be a cognitive decline to me.
9
Every once in a while, history presents itself with an opportunity to elect a monumental candidate. Bernie could've been that candidate in 2016- he isnt in 2020. Trump is a monumentally terrible, terrible president and will be remembered as such. Elizabeth Warren is uniquely positioned to be both the first women to run this country since its inception, and a 21st century FDR. She's the one inspiring real enthusiasm from the ground, and she will be the nominee, and honestly is the only one of the top 3 who would decimate trump in a debate on just about any topic. Bernie would do fine too obviously, but his enthusiasm is waning, while Warren's is surging. Biden....I mean is there really anything to be said about this guy that hasn't been already? he is basically jeb bush. and we know what happens in that story
289
@cory
Safe to guess you don't/haven't attend any of the Bernie House Parties?!
https://nypost.com/2019/04/27/bernie-sanders-campaign-hosting-5000-house-parties-for-supporters/
I'd guess you aren't one of the million volunteers that are the grassroots army for Sanders?
Nor one of the million donors milestone announced today. Which no other campaign has come close to.
Lol...Have you attend any of his rallies?~!
To think he isn't "inspiring real enthusiasm from the ground" is to be limited to corp. media influence I'd guess. Yes?!
We are a huge, diverse cohort, animated and activated. Waning enthusiasm...Lol...only if you listen to the media.
Lets see whom garners the votes shall we? Polls 'n TV aren't the arbitrators of what is really happening in the booth.
21
@cory
"Bernie could've been that candidate in 2016- he isnt in 2020. "
Based on what? Have health care, education funding, housing, and income inequality all been taken care of? Seems to me like the issues Sanders wants to tackle are even more pressing now than ever.
23
@cory
I bet that young and old black voters alike are also asking themselves and each other why the black candidates (Harris, Booker) are already being relegated by the NYT and other media to the dust bin of also-rans.
On the other hand, if the Democratic Presidential nominee is Biden or Sanders, there will probably be a push for a minority female VP candidate—hello Harris, maybe even Gabbard (about 1/4 Samoan).
If the Democratic Presidential nominee is Elizabeth Warren, then there will probably be a push for a minority male VP candidate, which may open the door to Booker, Yang or Castro.
Whoever the Presidential nominee turns out to be, it is highly likely that the VP nominee will be of the opposite gender and a different race.
To put it another way, the Democratic ticket in 2020 will almost certainly not be two whites nor two minorities nor two people of the same gender.
12
If a candidate supports Medicare for all, then that candidate will not be president.
Next case.
8
@vbering
There’s a difference between supporting it and prioritizing it. Do you really not understand the difference? A candidate, such as Warren, who will not prioritize it will not be discussing the issue repeatedly during the lead up to the general election.
2
@vbering I disagree! People want some form of universal healthcare! We're tired of being at the bottom of the barrel compared to other industrialized countries and paying high preimiums so the insurance companies and their CEOs can make lots of money.
@BK
There's a difference between not wanting to discuss the issue repeatedly during the lead up to the general election and having to discuss it anyway because the Republicans force the issue on you at every turn. Do you really not understand that?
I wish one party would have a candidate I want to vote for, not vote against. I want to vote for Mayor Pete or Biden.
5
Biden is tested. I known Biden. We have the quagmire of the electoral college and several simulations run have Republicans winning with a small state mix. I really do not want to hear Bernie lecture me for four years. He likes the sound of his own voice and he is simplistic. Elizabeth has the money people scared. I think that what came out last night could lead to impeachment and the Republicans may change horses. Maybe they will change to Mark Sanford. But they will continue to play dirty. The Dems have three candidates in their seventies.
2
@Anon
Biden has been tested, and there are good reasons he failed when he was tested in previous campaigns for the Presidency.
4
@Anon Warren is scaring the money bags? Good, then she is my candidate. The laws of the country are so tilted towards money bags that we forget the are people living in this country.
Time to focus on people. All the institutions we built are meant to serve people. Let's get back to improving the quality of life for people.
Angry young people are the reason why we are in the mess that we have today. They suffer from the "childish" notion that if they don't get everything their way, they will "pick up their marbles and go home." This is the reason why we have Trump.
What they are doing is asking their parents and grandparents to vote against their own interests.
They do not realize that there are not enough of them to successfully vote in a presidential candidate that is to the left of Biden. They also don't realize that some of their positions don't play well with older folks and their parents. For example, "free college for all" and "Loan Forgiveness" for students does not play well with older people who successfully paid off their own loans without help, and it does not play well with parents who are saddled with PLUS loans in our retirement (like me), because this proposed policy will not help us.
6
@Elizabeth Moore
Young people did not vote for Obama in 2012 and then fail to show up for Clinton in 2016. Young people did not overwhelmingly vote for Reagan and the Bushes. People in your generation need to take responsibility for your political failures.
4
My guess is that the baby boomers are locked in with their blinders. They just cannot see past their own fear. They were burdened with church burnings, hangings, and ‘colored’ restrictions of earlier times. They are still struggling with interracial marriages and inclusion.
Generation X here. I have read over and over again that Bernie cannot win in the Midwest. Phooey. Minnesota and Wisconsin are now up for grabs and Trump knows it.
Bernie did win against Mrs. Clinton and it is that very reason that Mrs. Clinton went on to lose these states that had repeatedly chosen liberal presidents. We are doomed if we cannot get the baby boomers to pull their heads out of the 50’s and 60’s.
10
@Dr. Girl
As a life-long liberal-voting Baby Boomer - I could not agree with you more --
Forty years ago we were able to throw Nixon out of office for crimes much less heinous than the current President Twitter --
For some reason - we seem unable to do anything more than attend rallys and post comments reflecting our indignation --
As someone who came of age during the civil rights movement of the sixties - I can tell you these young black voters - with their own visions for the future - are exactly what we need right now -- more than ever -
Thank you for your excellent comment...
1
Well if some people had not equated Clinton’s flaws with Trump’s, they might have voted, and then Clinton would have been President instead of Trump.
1
@Howard G
Nixon was elected twice. It was the Bernstein & Woodward (neither Boomers but Silent Generation) + legal eagles in Congress that exposed and forced Nixon to resign, one of them was Baby Boomer Hillary Rodham, fresh out of Yale law and serving on the senate committee investigating the president.
Tyler Smith would do well to listen to his grandmother! If he wants to get rid of Trump, Joe is his best bet! Save the politics for another day, run an electable candidate and save America from Trump. People who ignore their grandmother's advice do so at their own peril!
4
I like Joe but he's too old (same age as me) I believe to be president. I agree with the younger voters who want the democratic candidate to address issues such as economic inequality, climate change, health care reform and gun violence. That said I will vote for anyone who looks like they are the best candidate to defeat Trump - I would endorse a Biden/Harris ticket but I like Elizabeth Warren who I think can appeal to the young and the old because of her economic platform, but I'm skeptical about her beating Trump. But a Warren/Booker or Warren/Buttigieg ticket would be worth contemplating. This election should be about sending Trump back to where he came from, period. And the Democrats should forget about a too progressive platform and just hone in on soundly defeating Trump. If it look like Biden then let him be the person - he would, because he knows the turf, surround himself with capable people unlike the present individual who aspires to run a Banana Republic and surrounds himself with incompetent sycophants.
3
@Horseshoe Crab Please don't send trump back here! Rather, send him to Allentown or Leavenworth, which is where, at the very least, he belongs.
1) Why does the opinion of black voters mean a zillion times more than everybody else? I never hear this much attention given to smaller more powerless minorities. it's interestinglwe are told we should center our attention around the powerless but for some reason the most powerful and large minority gets the most attention and doesn't seem interested in sharing.
6
@Lisa R
Blacks are the only group that consistently votes Democratic and in numbers that create wins for Democrats . The majority of whites (the dominant population) vote Republican. Hispanics who have surpassed blacks in population do not have the same support for Democrats. Nearly a third of Hispanics voted for Trump. Asians, at six percent of the population, don’t have the numbers to sway elections.
I think blacks should be more strategic with the Democratic Party and use our voting advantage as a means to get what we want in exchange for our vote instead of the status quo where we barely get a thank you from a winning candidate and absolutely no policies that benefit us.
A good recommendation on here for the younger crowd. Use their how they are going to pay for it against this do nothing generation that gave us Trump.
When they ask how are you going to pay for it throw it back at them? How are we going to pay for your medical? Your SSI? I don’t think we can afford it? Any time corporate thugs talks about war ask how we are going to pay for it? Do you ever here them ask that even in these comments?
We have plans to pay for it. These people didn’t. As soon as republicans are in power deficits don’t matter to republicans and remember that.
That term how you are going to pay for it is a republican talking point they ignore every single time they are in office. How are we going to pay for those trillion dollar tax cuts?
But yes feel free to tell this generation reality is that Trump who can’t pay for it will get re-elected because you are all being realists about affordability.
4
I wonder how much 19 year old Tyler actually knows about Biden's record AND if he's intellectually prepared to put it all into historical context. For any living person on the planet to imply that Joe Biden isn't 100% in support of the rights of African-Americans would be a total lie because his record and yes, his time serving with Obama, clearly show that he has nothing to prove on that account. People THINK they know what they're talking about but never take the time to do the research in order to have a complete picture about a person or issue. That's all I'm gonna say about this.
6
I hope they do. Biden is so stale. Don’t settle for a yesterday that never existed, vote for our future.
7
This is the best news I've read all day. I hope they are successful convincing their family members that having two successive dotards occupying the WH is not a good idea.
5
I'm a 61 yr old retired ADOS/ Black man, I remember Joe Biden and his history of creating policy, laws and bragging about it that targeted ,destroyed many ADOS/ Black men, women and families very well , I saw the damage those law did to my peopel and many communities . He has made horrible, untrue, racist statements in today's climate about ADOS/ Black people. I understand he was President Obama VP for 8 yrs and did not learn anything from him about ADOS/Black people.
He still has those racist attitudes which will bear our in policy. Just as I can never vote for Trump, I can never vote for Biden.
5
@hojo58
It’s unfortunate that Black people in South Carolina are not also aware of these things you discussed.
1
I am tired of the media failing to differentiate between the question of whether Joe Biden is too old to be President and whether Joe Biden individually, for reasons of age or otherwise, no longer appears competent to be President.
I don't know if the young people in this article have specifically thought about this dichotomy, but they are clearly thinking that what they have seen of this man suggests he should not be, is no longer competent to be President. The issue is not whether 76 is too old. You may disagree with positions he took in the past, but that is separate from believing that Joe Biden is missing something, a sharpness, a focus, something, that he may once have had, but no longer has, that is a necessary qualification for being president. There is nothing ageist about this question.
Press: Please note, these things are different and should be distinguished in your coverage!
21
@DW107
Biden rambled 30 years ago. Next question, to quote another commenter.
2
Biden represents progressive politics in a liberal democracy. To work everyone must agree that they have mutual interests that are more important than how they are satisfied and are willing to abide by policies and ways of satisfying those needs determined by a majority. He has sought justice and remedying inequities by working with people who resist such efforts wherever they contradict with their efforts to benefit from injustices. He did so because in a liberal democracy it is necessary.
Winner takes all is illiberal, it breaks the compact upon which the system relies. It is the way some gain authority over all, and use it despite the will of al others. Insisting that all agree to the right view of all things is also illiberal. It may see better than the imperfection of diverse views and ways of doing things but it is actually misguided because what is true is not what mortals can every know with certainty.
Biden is imperfect and not everything he’s done has been as he intended or promised. He’s no charismatic leader who will bring the perfect answers to all of our problems. Look at experience and see who has been trusted to do so, and what they have produced. Seriously, who transforms whole nations from imperfect to perfect ones who has intended to do so?
10
I have a suggestion for younger voters:
Say it to your elders. Say it once. Don’t argue. Then vote your way.
Actions speak louder than words, as my elders used to tell me.
I have a suggestion for older voters:
Listen to your youth. Really listen. Don’t argue.
Your respect and trust will convince them to turn out and vote. And turnout is the only thing that matters in 2020.
24
@Terro O’Brien
Turn out for which candidate and their stated policies is what matters. Most valuable things are not 1 dimensional.
1
Election season in the US, when we once again indulge in the fetishization of the “youth vote”, where enthusiasm is more than enough to outdo actual life experience, knowledge, grasp of nuance, and, even if only occasionally, wisdom. Why can’t 16-year olds vote? Heck why not 12-year old? They’re “woke” and can guide us all.
Sorry, but while young people certainly do bring forth a prospective we should hear and consider, they do not have all the answers to everything simply by virtue of youth. Who among us can honestly look back at some of the views we held as teenagers and not shame our heads at what we didn’t really grasp about a lot of thing? We do need enthusiasm and eagerness but that needs to be tempered with reality, history and thought beyond emotion.
17
@George S SO TRUE! I think these young voters should listen to their older generations, they have heard the talk from politicians promising the moon before, the young kids with no life experience would do themselves a great service to open their ears to their grandparents a bit. Not saying they have to change their vote, but don't disregard that life experience - especially with the older black generation (they've heard all the smoke before)
5
Am I the only one that thought it was extremely problematic that Biden responded to a question about segregation with something about improving schools because these people (paraphrasing) ‘don’t know how to raise their children’. I don’t blame these children for not supporting Biden one bit.
69
@Anna
The media gave little to no scrutiny to his answer. It was really odd, his answer and the lack of coverage.
8
@Anna kk His answer made perfect sense because I don't think he wanted to answer the question. The black vote is important, you don't want to offend, but they only make up 12% of the US population. The white vote, think Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, etc, is perhaps more important in the general election. Reparations is a very controversial issue and any kind of real answer is likely to offend or turn off one group or another and there is no good answer. Only a moderate Democrat has a chance to beat Trump. The young are looking for the next George McGovern. Older voters have the benefit of experience and wisdom. Hopefully we can overcome this nightmare soon.
1
At some point it would be useful to arrive at a consensus on whether, in Coatesian terms, "Other People's Pathologies" can ever be discussed by those of a different skin tone without the worst possible interpretation being immediately pinned on them.
People work two and three jobs to keep their heads above water and support their kids. Such people tend to have less wealth, or they wouldn't be doing that. Due to systemic injustices and continued racism, that poverty burdens a black demographic disproportionately. That makes raising children harder, because time is value both for raising kids and for working.
Biden knows this. It underpins his entire answer. He cited the recent statistic, not the original. Warren is running on subsidized child care and parental support, for god's sake.
Turning Biden's remark into something amounting to "Black people don't know how to raise their kids!!!" is, if I may be blunt, insane. It's neither what he said nor what he meant.
2
The diversity of the Democratic candidates is encouraging and should be embraced by all voters. Less than 12 months from now one candidate will have the parties nomination. All voters will either get on board and work to elect the nominee or not. If the former occurs then Donald Trump may be defeated in his bid for reelection. With that outcome comes the ability to change the coarse of the country by addressing our nations ills and the more mundane tasks like rebuilding infrastructures, finding new solutions to the nations health care crisis, find a way to further open the door to post secondary education, addressing affordable housing and some of the issues that resonate with most voters. HOWEVER failing to get onboard and working to get the parties nominees elected only guarantees more of the obscene Trump administration and solidifies the strength of future Trump like candidates. What happens during this election cycle not only impacts who wins in 2020 but whether the Democratic Party and its voters continue to be relevant or perish as a political entity. This is another opportunity to write the future course of America and this may be the last opportunity for progressives to impact America's direction on social policy for years to come. Someone wiser than me put it this way, you are either a part of the solution or you are the problem.
3
As the article states, these voters want things in a hurry...like yesterday..as opposed to incremental change. This was evident in the last election, when a two or three paragraph explanation of what a primary is was followed by a two or three sentence TLDR version..THEN, when so many of them didn't understand the basic workings of our political process, or requirements for voter registration, or, God forbid, some of the more arcane things, they called foul. Many of them also missed the disconnect they indulged in so passionately, engaging in egregious levels of misogyny all while calling themselves "progressive." I'm all for more direct, progressive action. I'm also for actual reading and research and autodidactism , not just protest and railing against "the norm". Anyone who voted for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson because they thought they were making a statement should take a long look at the 100 federal judgeships that have been filled, just as one example. Uneducated voters will not save our democracy, and passionate rallies and marches accomplish nothing by themselves.
22
@Adele Great comment. Reality is pragmatic no matter how much that hurts ones feelings. Sadly the voting population is more and more influenced by dolts on twitter.
2
All good in these early stagers; I just hope that these younger voters vote for whomever is the democratic candidate--Biden, Warren, Sanders, ANYONE--come Election Day. At a certain point practicality and compromise do matter.
12
These young people reflect their generation’s illiberal views about liberty and democracy.
They want purity when it comes to taking care of people, dealing with inequities by eliminating them and reversing all the effects of them, eliminating all risks to people’s well being, and not allowing behavior that makes people feel unwelcome because of differences which they cannot help. They have no tolerance for those who don’t. They seek justice for the wrongs done to non-whites going back through to the first Europeans migrating to the Western Hemisphere by any means that finally satisfies their hurt and ire about it. They want global warming reversed in a decade. They want a system that makes everything right, just like every generation before has demanded.
Unfortunately, liberty and liberal democracy, and government by law all impede the perfect. They require tolerating things with which one disagrees and thinks to be wrong. It requires working with people who may not be likable to achieve effective cooperation. It requires trusting people who say and do things which we think are not right will act so as not to harm others or prevent others from doing what is considered right by all. It means working with racists when there is a common need to be satisfied. It means accepting an imperfect world while continually striving for a better one. Too uncertain, too many left behind, not the ideal system that they were told it was when they were children.
12
@Casual Observer
Your answer applies to only a small percentage of young people who you’ve read about online. The media has given attention to those people and you’ve drawn conclusions about an entire generation based on that coverage. It’s strange that you presume to know how so many other people think whom you’ve never met.
7
It’s the students not the professors who object to discussing issues which can hurt feelings. The anti-bulling efforts with kids have had the side effect of discouraging free speech when it’s about sensitive subjects by those grown up kids.
1
I just hope they realize that the general election is a whole different ball game from the nomination.
4
@Lindah
And from the state primaries that don't even begin for 4 months.
"Young people don’t want Biden. We want Beto. We want Bernie."
Young people will likely get Trump if either of these people is the nominee. The wave election of 2018 was led by moderate democrats in swing states. If the Democratic candidate does not retake Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and hold all of the other states Clinton won, they will lose.
NYT and WaPo continues to run articles like this taking shots at someone who might well be the eventual nominee. Do they want another 4 years of Trump? Maybe, I am sure they will sell more papers.
How about more articles on how Trump is injecting politics into weather forecasting, and how Trump has no respect for the federal reserve, which is in charge of making sure our economy does not go off the rails.
15
@Robert That's funny, I was wondering the same about these papers actually wanting Trump to win re-election. I'm sure their bottom lines went up with the outrage articles they print everyday on the digital front page. This said, I do hope these young people stay engaged in the political process.
2
@Robert
So the media is supposed to be Joe Biden’s advocate? He can’t be criticized? Will his campaign pay the media for its support?
5
It is good news that young black voters are actively engaged in politics. Politicians exploit loyalty for personal gains similar to brand loyalty in commercial products. The brand products may be inferior to new products, still people buy brand products as evidenced in Biden support.
4
Interesting, and maybe the most hopeful thing I've heard lately. Speaking as a Grandpa, I say go ahead and talk to your Grandmother young man. She'll probably welcome your engaging with her rationally. You guys can't start taking over fast enough to suit me.
14
Thank you! I never quite understood the affection of older blacks for the Clintons before and now Biden. It just did not seem make sense to vote people with a dubious track record, especially when there were better alternatives.
5
Fortunately, California's primary changes everything this time. In 2016 and again this time around, Wall St. has done its best to buy older black voters to win the primaries for the neoliberal candidate of the rich, Hillary and Biden. Bernie, as we know, won the white primary vote. Hillary was only disastrously nominated as the most hated nominee in party history (above all in the crucial Rust Belt, decimated by neoliberal NAFTA and globalization) by Wall St.'s hammerlock on the Congressional Black Caucus, black preachers, and older blacks--just like the Republican rich's hammerlock on Evangelicals. So Wall St. has taken it for granted that al it had to do to block any economic progressive was to lock up the black "SEC primaries," and it would al be over. But this time, alas, Warren will take Iowa and NH, Biden may take the SEC, but then Warren will put him away in California. And it will be a good thing, too.
5
As if the parents would listen to a first time voter.
2
@Ryan Bingham
Well, I'm listening to my now 17-year-old who will vote for the first time in 2020. She watched the debates and read on Politico all the positions and policies of each candidate, which is more than most adults have done and seems to be more than most other Gen Zers, judging from this article.
So far, she not backing any of these blowhard flavor of the months.
1
I get the sinking feeling that 2020 will be a 2016 Redux. Let’s not let “great” kill the good.
4
18 to 25 year olds don't vote. Once again they are asking their parents to make the change for them. I have voted in every election since I was 18. If these snowflakes want to make a change then they need to get out and vote otherwise they should just shut up and learn to live with the results of their inaction.
6
My parents are conservatives and have voted Republican in every election. They do not necessarily like Trump, but will not vote for Biden because he represents the Democratic establishment - the same reason they didn't vote for Hilary. They are willing however to vote for Sanders & Warren because of their ability to fight the system and highlight crucial problems that need a different approach.
11
@Rivers I don't believe that for a second.
4
@Rivers
Then, your parents are nouveau Republican.
No older fiscal conservative Republican would get near spendthrift Sanders and Warren with a 10-foot pole.
Yet you do not know them. What your suspicion is based on are internalized media talking points. No one belongs to a nuance-less monolith.
The one thing that often comes with aging is that sometimes
one has to make the practical choice. The Democrats need to win and the country needs a President who can lead effectively and wisely. It is true that Biden is not who he used to be. But, I believe he is the only Democratic contender who can win the Presidency. He will and should be a one term president, making the VP pick all the more important.
1
I’m a Gen Xer and I’ve found the younger people to be more informed than Boomers. They appear to have a better understanding of candidates’ records and are not so easily swayed by candidates who don’t give direct and honest answers to questions. They don’t treat politics like a team sport and aren’t afraid to criticize politicians with whom they may agree on many issues.
30
@BK
The biggest difference between the generations is their main sources of information. Older voters who blindly believe CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. are inherently less informed due to the extreme propaganda.
4
@BK They also more than likely haven’t experienced the real world (talking college students). Your politics change when you see 35-40% of your paycheck go to taxes.
7
@J
I’m referring to people in their 20s and 30s. They’ve been in the real world, after the financial crash, and their wages are not as strong as those of the Boomers from 30 years ago.
11
That effort will only result in Trumps being re-elected. The country outside the coasts and pockets like Vermont are not going to elect Warren or Sander.
15
The millions of people that represent half the population have a right to vote for who best represents them. We shouldn’t be forced to vote for your choice.
There is no such thing as a moderate that votes for an extremist like Trump.
5
@Bruce
Sanders won the 2016 primary contests in Michigan and Wisconsin, which included independents voting for him. Those voters would take him or Warren. Biden is another Clinton; they know they can’t trust him. It’s amazing how many people are uninformed of how Midwest voters think, yet they insist they know the Midwest so well.
16
@Bruce That's what they said about Obama.
2
Arrogance of some young voters - older black voters vote for Biden because "they are comfortable with him", "concerned about what they think white people will or will not accept", versus young people vote based on good ideas and principle.
RE: Biden comments on slavery - he was talking about ways to level the playing field. Every idea he talked about is evidence based accepted practice, particulalry with respect to education, literacy. And, there is no evidence that there is "more police brutality" and regardless of what the level of it is - is the implication that Biden is for police brutality?
And, I hate to say this but there is a concern that if these milenials guy or gal does not get the nomination - they will sit home and not vote, something older people of color would never do.
6
None of the Democratic candidates for president have the ability to foster enthusiasm across a wide range of supporters. I fear that none of them have a chance to unseat the current president. The worse thing is that they are shooting themselves in the foot with crazy plans to appeal to the minority of people that vote in the primary that will be a lead weights around their necks in the general
1
This is insanity. They want 4 more years of Donald Trump? A Biden presidency would be infinitely preferable to 4 more years of Trump. The adults need to tell these naïve young people the way it really works, and take their idealism with a side of reality
7
@Linda The reality is, Bernie beats Trump in the general.
6
Biden will beat Trump. Universal health care, free tuition for all will lose in the rust belt. You will have Trump back in the WH.
2
Bernie beats Trump in the general. He has the most individual donors in almost all 50 states across the country and an army of volunteers.
4
@Elliotif If Sanders makes it to the general, he might indeed beat Trump, but I worry about his primary base of support. His demographic seems limited, which is why I often hear on 538 that he has a base but also a ceiling. If he becomes the nominee, we will all have to work hard to overcome that.
After that flap with the hateful, violent, and racist threats that have been leveled by self-identified Bernie supporters against black leaders in the wake of the Working Families Party’s endorsement of Elizabeth Warren for president, its understandable that the older generation of black voters who grew up and lived through the turblent 1940s-1990s are reluctant to support Bernie. What's worse (and was not covered by this article) is that some of these kids are resorting to using slurs like “Uncle Tom” “Slave” while Bernie has done little to nothing to corral and control such behavior.
Any wonder or surprise why anyone over the age of 30, especially older Black and Latin folks are turned off by Bernie. And while not all Bernie supporters are bad, he, like many liberals, have a blind spot when it comes to issues like this and he needs to address it.
6
You’re comment about anyone over 30 being turned off is mere projection. Please have real conversations with real Millennials and Gen X’ers. The reality is different.
@Max Agreed. I might have the temerity to add that Bernie and his supporters would do well to realize that the behavior of a candidate’s base often defines the candidate as much or more than policy decisions and personality. There is a lot about Sanders one could support, but his supporters tearing down other candidates and groups, such as the working families party, is going to make him look bad. And if he does nothing about it, he will look worse.
Wouldn't a more accurate title be Least Likely to Vote in a Primary Generation Fails to Convince Parents on Their Choices.
12
@DoctorRPP The younger portion of the voting-age electorate has ALWAYS had low turnout- it has nothing to do with generational differences, it's just harder to get young people to vote reliably. It's hard to compete with retirees who have nothing to do but vote, browse facebook and watch cable news.
2
The problem with these young voters is just that- they are young. They have not read or absorbed sufficient history to realize the futility of trying to get ahead of the crowd by supporting candidates who advocate policies with which people are not yet comfortable.
These candidates are invariably defeated by candidates who reflect the comfort level of the voters. Unfortunately, the candidate who wins in these situations expresses views and puts forth policies that these young voters would find abhorrent. Whatever happened to President Nader?
6
@Desmo
And yet here we are with Trump and science denial. And the reality crowd excuses to vote for someone out of touch with reality.
2
@Desmo History has plenty of precedents for Medicare for All and a living wage. Let's continue the legacy of FDR and guarantee economic rights. After all, these policies with which some are uncomfortable actually have majority support.
2
@Desmo Nader? Wasn’t he the guy who got more votes in Florida than the difference between Bush and Gore? I wonder what would have happened if he had thrown his support and his considerable persuasive abilities behind Gore?
My young millennials convinced me to vote for Bernie in the last primary.
The future is theirs...they should decide.
Let’s not be like the older Brexit voters who feared change and sabotaged their children’s and grandchildren’s opportunities.
33
@Platter puss
The future and present belongs to all of us. We all should decide. That's democracy and common sense, not an MTV award or prom king/queen.
2
Too bad that most young "voters" don't actually make it to the polling stations on Election Day.
The low turnout of young voters has been a constant, regardless of the candidates.
No democratic candidate can rely on young (non)voters.
20
What’s interesting to me in this article is that none of these younger voters mentioned Booker. When the race started; I thought without a doubt that young, black voters would stand with Booker. Interesting that Color of Change hasn’t backed Booker either.
His campaign failed somewhere.
2
His alignment with DNC kingmakers was the right thing to do career-wise yet through the 2016 election this became a liability. The same holds for Sen. Harris. They should have distinguished themselves early, to engender trust of the growing number of the electorate who view the DNC leadership as fossils out of touch with their realities.
1
@denise
Booker's and Harris' failed the very moment they played the Jussie Smollett race card on Twitter and then just kept digging themselves deeper by not honesty admitting they were really, really wrong and racist, then apologizing.
1
I live in New Jersey. He could barely run Newark. He stands for charter schools. He takes donations from the pharmaceutical industry. A no -starter for me.
1
Remember, Joe Biden said:
"I have no empathy for millennials...:
...when asked about student loans, the gig economy and the possibility that this generation might face more difficult economic circumstances than their parents...
14
I just find this effort at self immolation by Democrats- and championed by NYT - quite disappointing. Going so negative on Biden as though this election is going to be decided solely by Democrats. The choice (if Democrats want to win) isn’t: who’s the best Democrat that ticks all our ideological boxes; rather: who can bring in the other voters that are needed to win the election. This is about winning. And another point: the way the primary is decided will also have an impact in the general election. If the left tear down Biden to get their favourite liberal, then be sure there’ll be many folks annoyed enough not to turn out.
8
Who do these young black people want their parents to vote for another identity obsessed, social engineer like Hillary in 2016?
We tried that and she helped deliver the ego maniac demagogue Trump to us on a silver platter.
Nominate a moderate progressive who can address issues of importance to middle America including blacks in states like Mich., Pa., Wisc. who elect our presidents thru the electoral college.
The number one goal is to get rid of Trump and not to obsess on identity/social engineering.
Learn from Obama, he ran as an American and not a black man and served two terms. Hillary ran as a woman and not as an American and was cast to the dust heap of history.
Right now the leader is Biden, but it could be anybody black, white, male, female, young old just not an identity obsessed/social engineer candidate on social issues and a neo con or the opposite socialist on most other issues.
4
I didn't see any evidence (like polls, for example) in this article that young black people really oppose Biden. It's just a few anecdotes, cherry-picked to support the author's opinion.
5
I have some advice for these youngsters. First, right on--I am so proud right now to be an American. Because of you!
But beware the serious sounding older person who asks you "but how is he going to pay for it?" That is their way of sounding serious. The same people gave a free pass to their local and federal government in disastrous foreign policy maneuvers, hopelessly racist drug policies and schooling, terrible budgets that treat the DoD as a giant vacuum cleaner of federal dollars, treat Wall Street as sacrosanct and further corporateerism. You thought that was the GOP. Just take a look at the clowns that the centrists furthered. With politicians like that, who needs the GOP to wreck the country? These people who support politicians like Biden really, actually have no reason on their side. On issue after issue, they are dead wrong--on the climate issue, on the racial justice issue, on the economy issue and the foreign policy issue.
So, my advice, is--know that--know that the older folks do not know. And treat them like the students.
Speak to them and hear them, and be well read on the issues and talk to them. And support people who actually care for racial justice. People who actually will make your life materially better. People who will make your planet significantly more just and cleaner. Go and vote for those people and take your parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents with you. Show them you will vote.
11
Here here for suggesting dialogue instead of drawing lines in the sand!
Mr. Biden's record as a senator and vice-president speaks a greater truth than he would like Black people of all ages to remember:
His treated dismissively the testimony of Anita Hill, a black woman, in the Senate hearings in 1991, of which he was chairman, on the confirmation of Clarence Hill as supreme court justice, allowing fellow members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to strongly attack her.
He supported 51 new categories on the death penalty in support of Clinton, and also wrote the 1994 Crimes Control Act, responsible for the incarceration of hundreds of thousands of black people for possession of cocaine.
He supported credit card companies in their successful effort to not allow bankruptcy in credit-card debt for students, and said not a word about the bank's significant role in the 'o8 crash, even allowing bank executives huge bonuses in that year.
In 2002 Voted for the Iraq War.
2005 He voted to end bankruptcy protection for students.
Now that the atmosphere among Democrats has turned liberal and progressive, he speaks civil rights to get votes.
14
@JFP
+ Biden's been openly anti-female and anti-abortion, if not also anti-birth control in all his senate races since 1973.
He ran in 1973 on the platform of that a woman shouldn’t have the “sole right to say what should happen to her body.” And then over the decades, staunch Roman Catholic Biden voted to take away women's rights, adding the Biden Amendment to the horrific Hyde Amendment, trying to help the GOP repeal Roe v. Wade.
1
To me Biden was always a "finger in the Wind" type of politician...always taking the path of least resistance. In these time we need someone with courage and a vision of what can be...not what was. The earth will not wait for us to catch up.
2
This is sensible and strategic. Biden represents the past and Obama's 2016 tepid response to then non endorsement is telling. Anyone who thinks this is their fathers GOP is delusional antiquated and dangerous. We need a Street fighter like Elizabeth Warren, not a Senate cloak room kibutzer.
17
@Dr. Pangloss, What response to anything after he left office has not been tepid by Obama? I'll hang up and listen.
Great. The young people made sure Trump got in because they wanted Bernie Sanders and didn’t vote or voted for someone who would never win instead of Clinton. (Jill Stein)
Now they’re going to buck Joe Biden?
Grow up, people. Another four years with Donald Trump will decimate this country and your needs will never, ever be fulfilled.
Instead of trying to persuade your elders against a win for Democrats, vow to vote anti Trump, even if it comes down to a Biden/Trump election!
82
Your last point does not really apply yet. If Biden wins the nomination, I’m pretty sure most of the voters in this article (old and young) will vote for him over trump.
But now is the time to at least make him earn the nomination, rather than just defaulting into him.
Even more, it’s ok important to convince hardcore Biden supporters to still vote it Warren or someone else win the nomination, which is what these students are doing
24
@SMPH Spot on. Warren and Sanders can't win against Trump and that is the only issue for this election cycle.
5
@Bruce Pretty much all available polling disagrees with you, so I'm not sure where you're getting this from. Trump is in a historically weak position right now, the only thing he has going for him is the electoral college.
12
Soooo you believe the wisdom of a nineteen year old is greater then that if a sixty year old? That the teenagers view of the world, even though their brains are still developing, is more worldly then a person who had lived through good times and bad times and actually made a living and paid their way? Perhaps this is why some are so big on reparations, free money for nothing. No I think you got it upside down and totally backwards. These young people regardless of race need to listen to the voice of experience. The young black people seem to want to divide the races even more then they already are. And they are achieving it. I used to be democrat but not so much these days. And yes 2020 is already lost to Trump due to the dems failure to produce a decent candidate.
19
@ J Clark
You say the Democrats have failed to produce a decent candidate. Have you been asleep for the last few months? The Democrats have come up with several dozen decent candidates. You might not like any of them, but the worst of them is better than Trump by a long shot, in my opinion.
35
@J Clark "I used to be democrat but not so much these days."
You know, it's one thing to say that when republicans are in favor of environmental protection and birth control, but when republicans are in favor of refusing to abide by subpoenas,and in favor of separating children from their families, that allegiance becomes something else entirely.
Of course, you might consider yourself to be a libertarian, aka republicans who like drugs and sex, but not minorities and poor people.
9
@J Clark
If age guarantees wisdom we can ignore young people; then again progress is the future we desire and the young people are the engineers of the future.
4
Vote for whomever in the primary as long as you vote again in the presidential race for whomever is the nominee. Biden might need t be the best candidate in a lot of people’s minds but he’s a way better human being than what we have now!
36
I have to chime in with other commenters. It's great that young people are recognizing their issues and are pressing for them. Still, whoever ends up with the nomination we need the young people to follow through, and show up when it counts - at the polls!
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@Tim Look, don't worry about the young people. Worry about the white boomers who swung to Trump in the first place. And worry not by pandering to them, but by exciting young voters.
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@Tim
If you want young people to show up at the polls, vote for someone that young people want to vote for. Older Democrats will show up no matter what. Give young people a reason to turn out, and they will - and Democrats will win big. Biden is not the answer.
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I appreciate their enthusiasm, my own children all have strong political opinions and while it leads to good dinner table debate it does not usually result in a change in voting. After the last election most older people I know are avoiding all the drama and propaganda on Facebook and Twitter and are keeping their own counsel on the matter. It’s why Biden’s numbers remain steady. I would be interested to read about young Republicans trying to get their elders to vote against Trump in the GOP primary.
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Great article and fun to see young people getting engaged in the process - so I guess I will thank Trump for that one thing.
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That is a great plan as long as millennials in the industrial swing states convince their parents to support the more progressive alternatives. And vote for Warren or Beto over Trump.
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@Zaquill
It turns out that the candidate who young voters most prefer - who you do not list - does extremely well in those industrial swing states.
When Biden finishes third in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada many of his core supporters in South Carolina will switch to their second preference.
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It’s great that young people are becoming involved in the political process. In this case, however, I think they are misguided. We have to keep focused. The goal is to get Trump out of office. Elizabeth Warren‘s positions are, unfortunately, not embraced by most middle class Americans. Most people do not want their private insurance taken away from them. Also, she has proposed huge programs that will require middle-class tax into increases which will also be unpopular. Joe Biden is the most likely candidate to win, with all his faults. Young blacks may call for Cory Booker or Kamala Harris because of identity politics. However, Kamala Harris is an aggressive prosecutor was put many blacks in jail and has for the innocence Project when they have shown people to be innocent. Also, Cory Booker, though he started out great, has become a self aggrandizing politician who has lost his way. Unfortunately, Joe Binko is our best candidate right now. We have to stick with them. I wish Amy Klobuchar could get more traction Because I think she has the best candidate, but that seems unlikely to happen.
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@LAM That's the electability argument, and it has its own flaw: that Biden--if he's just the guy we settled for--might not be inspiring enough to draw people to the voting booths on election day.
I realize Warren probably won't do that either. It's just a bad group of candidates.
The important thing will be to persuade the older black voters to come out in large numbers to defeat Trump, no matter who the candidate is. It's a matter of their childrens' survival.
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@arvay You have it backwards. Older black voters are more likely to vote for whoever the democratic candidate is. It's some of the younger voters who have talked about sitting it out absent a "woke" candidate.
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Simply untrue and sensational.
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@arvay What good is it to vote someone who is only marginally better than Trump on climate change? Is it really so much better that we fry to death in 2049 instead of 2050? We need someone who proposes the bold policies that we actually need to appropriately address climate change.
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I would listen to my Grandma! There’s something to be said for experience. Perhaps her message to you is that you need to think and avoid the intoxication of lofty false promises.
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Unfortunately they have to join those of us who choose the least bad.
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"An organic effort by black millennials and Gen Z-ers to influence older family members against Mr. Biden may be important in the Democratic primary"
I love headlines (or in this case, a sub-headline) with the word "may," because in every instance, the editors could have just as defensibly written "may not."
In other words, NYT is willing to go on record saying that millennial African-Americans either may, or MAY NOT (implied), influence their parents' votes.
I'm not a Biden voter, but I think it no more likely that African-American mature adults are going to vote the way their teenaged children tell them to than are any other ethnic group.
The NYT cannot resist any pretext to keep trying to convince themselves, and the rest of us, that the standard American voter is dying to join the Democratic Socialists of America. I would love to see a full-on commitment to social democracy and ecology (not the same thing as "socialism"), but fantasizing that teens and college students are going to lead the way is not going to get us there.
We Dems ought to ditch Biden (not necessarily because he's not woke enough, but because he can't speak coherently) and put our unified effort behind a solid Democrat like Amy Klobuchar who has a plausible chance of winning a national election.
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Forget the 4 Bs: Beto, Biden, Bernie, and Buttigieg (possible VP candidate).
The nominee won’t be one of them.
The question is who black voters like instead.
They just can’t be anti-Biden if they want to win. But who to rally around? Can they go with a wonky white lady?
It’s not who you don’t want that’s important but who you’re willing to rally for — the way you rallied in ‘08 for that other B: Barack.
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@DD
Barack/Biden did not deliver for Blacks. We are not as separated in our voting as the polls want us to be. As the day to vote approaches,
the decision will be clear.
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DD. There are still 5 “B’s”; Booker is still in the race.
@denise Booker has not run a good race. He has some solid executive experience but does not talk about it enough.
In addition to lobbying older relatives, I hope these kids are also appealing to their peers and trying to get them to the polls. Think of the difference we'd see if the youth vote really turned out.
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@Andorbutfornoryetso
In a normal year, Biden wouldn’t be my ideal choice for a candidate. But this isn’t a normal year. And there doesn’t seem to be any particularly exciting alternative to Joe right now.
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Cass! I wish you would explain or provide some context why yo feel that way? You know give a reason....
How can you not be excited by any other nominee? Beto, Kamala, Andrew, Amy and Elizabeth are so much more dynamic and "exciting than VP Biden.
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@Andorbutfornoryetso
I bet that young and old black voters alike are also asking themselves and each other why the black candidates (Harris, Booker) are already being relegated by the NYT and other media to the dust bin of also-rans.
On the other hand, if the Democratic Presidential nominee is Biden or Sanders, there will probably be a push for a minority female VP candidate—hello Harris, maybe even Gabbard (about 1/4 Samoan).
If the Democratic Presidential nominee is Elizabeth Warren, then there will probably be a push for a minority male VP candidate, which may open the door to Booker, Yang or Castro.
Whoever the Presidential nominee turns out to be, it is highly likely that the VP nominee will be of the opposite gender and a different race.
To put it another way, the Democratic ticket in 2020 will almost certainly not be two whites nor two minorities nor two people of the same gender.
“Young people are constantly signaling what’s next and what’s possible,” Mr. Robinson said.”
Yes! Yes! Yes! I love the fact that my teenaged kids and I have robust political discussions. Sometimes they listen to my wisdom Andy experience, whereas sometimes I listen to their fresh perspective and clear-eyed energy.
Older Black voters, especially Black men, are in for a surprise when they see how much prescience and influence their kids and grandkids will have on this election.
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I just turned 58 a few weeks ago. I’m exactly three weeks younger than Obama, and if my own progression is any gauge, he was president at his ideal age. Though I’m perhaps a little wiser now than I was twelve years ago, I was a little quicker both mentally and physically in a way that a president who actually bothers to do his job should ideally be.
That’s not to say that age is my only criteria or that I think everyone ages the same way. The candidate closest to my ideal age is Beto O’Rourke, and while he has risen in my rankings a bit he still hasn’t cracked my top 5. Someone who has is Cory Booker. While I have concerns about his corporate ties and how he would fare in the flyover states his debate performance shows that he still has the sharpness and mental agility and communication skills that a president needs. I have much more serious reservations about Amy Klobuchar, but if we must have a safe-for-the-heartland candidate who thinks it’s still possible to work with Republicans then I’d rather have Amy than Joe.
Sorry, Joe. Your record-player answer was a dealbreaker. Go take Jill on a tour of the national parks or something.
On the other hand, both Sanders and Warren seem to have gotten better and sharper with age. Right now Warren is my top pick. She’s got energy and mental acuity to spare.
The issue isn’t age; it’s the ability to clearly speak truth to power, and having a record of service that backs up your words. We can - and need to - do better than Biden.
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@James Jacobs RE: concern about corporate ties - how else are was he going to address the employment problems in Newark?
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@James Jacobs As Obama well understood, but seemingly no-one else does, the job of the president categorically is not to "speak truth to power." It's to wield power on behalf of all Americans with the goal of promoting their interests and well-being.
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@James Jacobs
Warren/Booker - a great ticket.
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If Joe Biden's view of the election is that the most important thing in this election is to defeat Trump, that means voters should not pay any attention to the proposals of the Democratic nominee. Young people are too smart to follow that argument.
The current low employment rate is floating all ships, including employment for minority youth, always lagging every other demographic group in our economy. I think a lot of minority youth enjoying their first opportunity of employment aren't convinced that getting rid of Trump is the primary issue of this election.
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@RM -- and herein lies the problem!
@RM, so you think the voters should award the democratic party that got us from 8% unemployment to today's levels. Trump has barely moved the unemployment figure since he came in to office.
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@DoctorRPP
You missed my point. Being someone other than Trump is not enough. You have to propose an agenda which is definitive, and better. As Elizabeth Warren has done.
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Keep it up, young people. Think logically, not emotionally about politics. Look where "emotionally" got us in 2016. If you've never respected your elders much, well, they're not going to take much advice from you now. However, if you have engaged with them on other matters, taken their opinions seriously, even while disagreeing, and you educate yourself about politics, they may very well trust you over a politician they happen to like. You can affect their choices. In 1968, my father was in the hospital, having suffered a heart attack a few days before Election Day. My mother was taking care of him, going to work herself and taking care of the apartment we lived in. I was 17. In NY, you can vote until 9pm. After we finished visiting my father in the hospital at 8pm, I insisted that my exhausted mother stop off and vote. I begged her to help Humphrey win NY. It was not a foregone conclusion that the Dem. would win the state back then. She voted. In 1972 I was able to vote for the first time. I didn't think McGovern would be a good president, but I was sure he would end the war honestly and as swiftly as possible. Then, the Congress could do its legislating bit and I figured McG would go along with the Congress from which he came. My parents would never have voted for Nixon, but they didn't want McG either. I argued and argued about how every vote against Nixon was important and we all went to the polling place to vote for McG. Don't give up working for what you believe in.
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I do not care which candidates these kids are supporting, Warren, Sanders (hope not), Buttigieg. I am just proud that they are engaged and ready to vote. I was strongly for Biden for the past months. Now I am torn between Biden and Warren and Buttigieg. I am leaning more and more toward Warren. Having said that I will vote for any nominated Democrat.
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@John Living and working abroad its alot clearer the immense problems faced by the US by reactionary systems like no universal health insurance/care and ridiculous system of student loans combined with outsized U prices. Its past time to deal with these issues. No, the US middle class does not compete adequately with the Mexican middle class in 2019 - because grads in the US are in debt and the country is too dangerous with guns - the US that is, here they are illegal, 50 years of corrupt War on Drugs and huge military spending killing a nation. We need progress in the form that Elizabeth Warren explains very well with clear policies. The fellow progressive candidates can serve us very well in Vice Presidential/Secretary of State and other cabinet positions, I would like to see one of the Castro twins as ambassador to Mexico our huge trading partner. Kamala Harris is key and would make an awesome Secretary of State, we may be able to have some great allies again. Please quit the fear based vote for Biden, it will not work, it is way too little too late. The USA as a democracy can be saved but half measures will not work.
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I applaud the efforts of these young people but it must be coupled with a get out the vote campaign to their own generation. There are enough potential young voters to override my generation. Please, many of us are counting on you.
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I love this, 19 year olds watching the debate and having an opinion. Gives me hope that they understand how important this election is to them.
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as Jimmy Carter spoke about the other day - the challenges of the president may be beyond a 75 year old. let's let another generation that role over and move to "advice and consent "
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Young people are idealists. They tend to flock to idealists. When certain realities of life, financial and otherwise, begin to dawn on them, opinions often change.
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I am young. I am not an idealist. I am a realist. And if you think Joe Biden, with his frail stuttering talking points, is going to crush Trump then I’m afraid your an idealist. Trump will just smile and say “slow joe” until he’s blue in the face.
I am so tired of moderate Democrats who are ready to vote for Biden in the primary with this expectation that he’ll hand them the election. It’s the most dangerous idea in the race right now. Biden evokes nostalgia. And will invoke complacency.
It’s not going to be easy for who ever we nominate. And people are already lining up to volunteer with Warren. We need energy.
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@RS
A realist would recognize a few realities:
1) Democrats win big when young voters turn out, and lose big when they don't;
2) Older voters turn out regardless of the candidate;
3) Young voters turn out when they feel like the candidate is speaking for them and addressing their needs;
4) Young voters do not turn to vote for what they view as the lesser of two evils;
5) Therefore, older voters should hold their noses if necessary to support a candidate who young voters are excited about.
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The same reality that has driven our civilization to the brink? Maybe it's time for some idealism.
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These kids don't reason with the calculus to know that the only thing that matters is that Trump is defeated. Biden will endorse everything that the progressive wing calls for, once he is President. That's why your "elders' must know something.
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good luck asking a person in their 60s to change.
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I applaud these students' activism, even within their own families, where they can often have great impact. Let's hope that all of their parents and grandparents are paying attention. These young people are our future.
And I thank Alice Varnado for listening. Elizabeth Warren would be a great president for all of us.
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