Bernie.
Biden.
Butigeig.
Anyone else.
Adding Val Demnings to your ticket would be the Best Move you could make.
1
If headline writers could just avoid words like "harrowing" and "chaos" for the next few months we'd all be better off. No one thinks well in the midst of a cortisol high.
17
We deserve better than Biden, Buttigieg, or Bloomberg.
Bernie 2020
9
Don't knock the kakistocracy. But for it, by now we might have nuked North Korea, Iran and Germany.
1
Another day another op-ed fear mongering about Bernie. Someone has to walk me through these fears more clearly: his national approval numbers are high, people seem to love him nationwide—what is it about New York Times columnists’ worldview that make them so afraid of his ideas?
Obama said he’d do the same things, so did Hillary—is it scary now because you know he means it?
Please stop publishing these daily. It’s too much. Or my god, publish someone who actually can go to bat for him since it’s apparent his ideas are popular and your readers want to know more.
15
Bernie = bust
For the White house, the Senate, the House andall the state races below
1
The article could be shortened by changing the headline, "The Harrowing Chaos of the Democratic Party."
3
That’s the problem with liberals: no guts
6
will you be writing an anti-Bernie piece every week?
8
Bernie = bust
1
HARROWING? really?
6
Erstwhile novelty candidate? Pete Buttigieg tied for first place in Iowa, and THAT'S all the consideration he gets in your assessment? I'm voting blue no matter who, but come on, NYT--it's time to take Pete seriously. He has something. Pay attention.
3
Take back the Senate!
8
Democrats should watch the new movie in November 2020: He wins again: Godfather IV - "If the president does it it's not a crime". Starring Richard Milhous Nixon & Donald John Trump
1
Buttigieg needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat and put Stacey Abrams on his ticket right now.
Let's roll.
3
“Should that happen, there will be forces in the Democratic Party that try to block Sanders.......denying him the nomination would be not just unfair but potentially suicidal.”
On point again Ms.Goldberg!
Yet there is also another point you’ve mentioned that can destroy The Senate’s Majority if exploited & that is not their votes to acquit Trump. Rather, it was their votes to reject additional evidence into The Trial. And in doing so they publicly claimed that it was The House’s duty to get The Whole Truth in the Trial before them but was not a ‘shared’ Constitutional duty.
That’s a damning admission of malfeasance & perjury that must be exploited by Democrats continually in this campaign season. And I fear, Media also will not keep alive this Hugh story (51 Senators) of Public Scandal by The GOP. They showed contemptuous dishonor & untrustworthiness to sworn obligations as Officeholder’s—The USC Art. I Sec. 3.
3
CNN, FOX, and MSNBC need to be put in a room together with the instructions, “Don’t come out until you all have worked this out amongst yourselves because the havoc you have all created has nothing to do with us.”
5
Fight fire with fire. Mike Bloomberg.
8
Ms. Goldberg was amongst the many at the NYT who did their very best to de-legitimize the Sanders campaign during the 2016 campaign season. How did that work out?
15
It has become really tedious to endure the rhetorical gymnastics columnists like Goldberg use to bemoan the loss of African American candidates Harris and Booker while lambasting Buttigieg for his lack of African American support. Unlike Buttigieg, Booker and Harris have been in the national spotlight for years. Yet,At the time they departed the race they were polling around 2% support among African Americans.
I do agree Biden should not have entered the race - while fundamentally decent he is low energy and prone to gaffes, relative to his generational peers Sanders and Warren, both of whom come across as energetic and engaging. Likewise, the Hunter Biden conflict of interest was an albatross waiting to land, regardless of Trump’s criminality. Biden sucked up much of the African American support. It will be interesting to see who inherits it.
5
You refer to 'Trumps paranoid vendettas'. I suggest that it isn't paranoid to think that the FBI is after you when in fact the FBI is after you.
7
The problem w Bernie is that he’s fundamentally dishonest. Sure, NOW he’s for women’s rights — after saying many times he thinks women’s reproductive rights are negotiable. NOW he’s sympathetic to immigrants - after spending years saying immigrants steal americans’ jobs. He’s totally in favour of campaign finance transparency — but refused to finalise his FEC filings from 2016. He hates PACs — but started one right after the 2016 election, which - surprise! - refuses to disclose its donors. The biggest dishonesty of all, of course, is his railing against the Democratic party, while happily taking its money and resources for his own aggrandisement.
The only good thing about Bernie being in the top tier is that maybe he’ll finally be vetted. Press, do your job. I don’t care whether he’s a socialist, communist, or an alien from mars. I do care that he’s a mendacious hypocrite.
7
I know this sounds nuts, but, take away “the millionaires and billionaires” schtick, and maybe you’ve got:
BLOOMBERG/SANDERS 2020.
6
You're blaming Sanders, whose supporters knocked on over 500,000 doors in Iowa, for a poor turnout? I give up on you Times people...
14
"That’s left the erstwhile novelty candidate Pete Buttigieg as Biden’s strongest competitor for moderate votes," Talk about brushing off the voters! This kind of attitude is what will get Trump elected and is what his Republican/Conservative/Evangelical Axis work for. You as well as other pundits practically cut themselves in two trying to avoid mentioning Buttigieg. Why? In fact, he has proven very adept at handling Trump, Pence and the R/C/E Axis. Michelle, maybe the voters know better than you.
3
It is a daily dose by the NY Times of why the left leaning candidates can not win. NY Times you seem to be working to make sure the Democratic candidate will not win in the general election.
11
I'll vote for Bernie rather than Trump but seriously, he's a jerk. "Thank you Iowa for my strong victory" - he tied tied with a 37-year neophyte! That's not chutzpah, friends.
6
It's only harrowing if you say it's harrowing. Is the NYT going to help the GOP again with these headlines? I'm not saying don't report real issues, but Iowa is only one state out of many.
9
Why does the NY Times always diminish Pete Buttigieg?
"Where voters had a chance to see (Biden) up close," those perspicacious Iowans voted him down, finishing fourth. And that is viewed, apparently, as a correct decision.
But those same Iowans vote Buttigieg first, with Sanders a close second, and Pete doesn't get any boost from that? Why are Iowans credible for Biden but not for Buttigieg?
3
The ticket is going to be Buttigieg/Sanders. You heard it here first.
2
What happened to all that “unity” you were peddling before Bernie started surging??
9
M.G. Columns: First blame Trump - He sunk Titanic, melted poles and extinct polar bears, lit up Amazon and California warmed up climate, put gun into hands deranged... oh yeah, he asked to investigate corruption of son of American VP responsible for Ukraine while in process of sending $millions in aid...
Second - Start panicking on how we can defeat such a profoundly corrupt...
Third - Just don't panic too much so you can go and vote for the party of vote rigging their primary elections for 2nd in a row pres elections... now with help of an app developed by a company chosen solely on ideological basis... no merit or track record... pretty much just like the candidates themselves... :))
The entire thing is written for the first paragraph so that the echo chamber of obedient sycophants can do their hand wringing in unison... And they oblige!
LOL... These people want to beat Trump and govern the country... and they call Trump's WH chaotic... :)))
3
The Democrats are reaping what they sowed.
Bernie is the embodiment of the liberal left that they have preached to for decades. They should be lead by their head cheerleader!
2
'The majority of Americans have never accepted him (DT)'
Blatant lie, one of many here. He won fair and square according to the rules of the game. And even if you count the votes, which for the 'liberals' is fig leaf, he was very, very close.
Hence, DT's win is a victory for democracy having in mind his underdog status and vicious campaign against him by the omnipotent, ever-present, and apparently undemocratic liberal media.
Alas, democracy for the 'liberals' only holds in cases when their candidate wins, everything else is perversion. Really hard to have any communication, let alone discussion, with such intolerant and often times verbally abusive folks.
3
Poor dear.
We can understand how disappointed you are that another quarter-million people got hired in the last few weeks, thus making them free of government assistance and its attendant rules.
People becoming free to make their own decisions totally ruins your dreams of us little people lining up for our orders of who to accept and who to hate to suit your politics. What a bummer, eh?
But your party not only forgot but threw away all its history of looking out for the workers and children - and now you wonder why nobody listens to your Excellent Guidance From Above anymore.
4
Bernie is too far left to be elected
Homophobia is rampant in the general population
Biden still thinks he can "reach across the aisle" ???? Really
That leaves Warren or Amy
Still I'll
Vote Blue no matter WHO
1
How many redundant commentaries like this is the New York Times going to publish? Ms. Goldberg always promotes emotional fears against Sanders. The only new piece of information here is that her husband works for Warren campaign.
She only calls Iowa a "debacle" because Sanders won the popular vote:
Sanders : 43,671
Buttigieg: 37,557
He also defeated Buttigieg by over 2500 votes in the second choice preferences.
He also got 43% of the minority vote in Iowa. This will give him an advantage in Nevada, South Carolina, and on Super Tuesday. But the trashing of the working class people who supported Bernie in Iowa continues.
Nothing in this commentary about the issues. It is all about fear, but as Roosevelt said during the Great Depression:
"There is nothing to fear, but fear itself."
9
I would have thought after all of these years the Dems would have figured out who has been carrying their water. Put Buttigieg in, and you can kiss your party goodbye forever.
2
Change is scary, isn't it?
4
The leading candidate for the democrat nomination is a 78 year old grumpy socialist who wants to eliminate private health insurance, offer free health insurance to illegal aliens, confiscate savings, have taxpayers pay for $1.6 trillion of student debt and have taxpayers pay for the college education of all Americans - Throw in the elimination of oil and gas production and you've got four more years of Donald Trump and speaker of the house, Kevin McCarthy -
1
Anyone who thinks Buttigieg can beat Trump is delusional! Why can’t Buttigieg see what he is doing?
3
After watching interviews with the Trump supporters in Iowa --- breathtakingly stupid, shamelessly illiterate yahoos in funny hats, capering idiotically and chanting Trump's name, I am convinced that they are the true face of the American majority.
They deeply believe in and adore their cult leader, and when you add in the doctrinaire Sanders-or-bust contingent, you will get the America that all of these pinheads collectively deserve. The rest of us will just have to endure.
5
Wow. Another hand wringing columnist losing sleep over the fact an actual liberal, instead of a Wall Street friendly DINO, might win the presidency. Yawn.
I was going to count all the pro-Bernie, or even Bernie-neutral opinion columns and, well, I haven't had a chance to start yet.
7
Bloomberg. Perfect caretaker president. Takes climate change seriously, understands how inequality is at the root of many/most problems in the U.S. Maybe the NYT should give him a little more attention and focus less on why the dems will self-destruct and hand the WH over to Donald Amin Dada for another four (or how ever many he and Putin decide on) years.
4
As I was reading this a headline came up that Sondman had been fired. After the Vindman brothers today,who is next.? We can follow along the scenes when Michael Corleone systematically had his perceived enemies knocked off. I hope Ambassador Yovanovitch is in hiding.
1
Hillary and Biden lost because they promised four more years of the failed Obama policies. For example: I'll take Russian money for my foundation. My low-skill kid deserves 500k per month offering advice. War is good for business: Yemen. Open borders drove down wages for African Americans. This is not a mystery, folks. Voters are sick of elitists that believe rules are for other people.
5
"and his campaign will be carried along by the same sort of ebullient cultural ferment as Barack Obama’s."
I think the word you were looking for is "foment"
English, you're doing it wrong.
3
Well I guess since you have this platform it's better to perpetuate the fear than hop over to the excitement. Your headlines are truly awful and you sould be ashamed to be this deep in the establishment that you think socialism as a word will scare people away. Have pundits learned nothing from Trump?
5
Is this the first time you have disclosed your husband’s employment by Warren?
4
It seems pretty clear that the idiots running the Iowa caucuses were trying to do everything possible to keep Bernie from taking a total win, and he did win the popular vote.
Did the software developed by former Hillary campaign staffers have anything to do with it? Not possible, no way, never.
It all sounds like the 2016 DNC efforts to thwart Bernie, and if that happens in 2020 we are doomed to another term of Trump.
5
Michelle, had you bothered to do just a little research you'd have seen that Sanders LEADS with those suburban women you feel won't come around.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/reports/suburban-women-donors
Just as his top category of donors are teachers.
www.truenorthreports.com/bernie-sanders-raised-more-than-34-5-million-teachers-among-top-q4-donors
This Eeyore act is self fulfilling Michelle. STOP IT~!
Take your thumb off the scale, open your eyes and put your shoulder to the wheel with the rest of us.
WE CAN WIN THIS~! But we need EVERYONE~!
This little dark cloud of doubt and put-downs is just that...a ball 'n chain that will impede and not help.
Lend a hand Michelle, don't hinder.
7
My winning ticket to remove the trumpian coup.....
Klobuchar for president. !!!!!!
Amy choses either Bloomberg or Biden to be her VP or Biden or Bloomberg choose her as VP and they agree to one term and transfer power to her after four years.
Their main goal first term is to undo the trumpian destruction and imprison Barr and trump et al the freedom caucus russophiles too.
I can dream can’t I Michelle?
Bernie is a cheap replica of a true patriot.
His ego betrays him.
Amy has agape love for America.
The others are Ego driven.
It’s a man thing usually and women enable them.
Warren could do the same as could Gabbard. Depends on which lady gets the lead. I see Gabbard fixing the Pompeo and Kushner messes. That’s her forte. Military. Along with young Mayor Pete they could improve our military in many ways.
So strategize and play chess in your minds about the coupling that will take the most votes from the cult of trump.
Their VP decisions should be made early.
Focus on Senate races too. If we continue w majority repubs. then a democrat as president will be Obama Redux.
And send Bernie to Israel as an Ambassador.
Patrick should be Ambassador to a sub Saharan country in flux. Africa needs help. Lots of it to counteract China and Russian investing.
Loads of work ahead. Good work. Light !!! Not darkness!!!! That’s the fight.
1
I don't know who writes the headlines, but this one is completely over the top.
5
We now live in a one party state, just like Russia. Democrats punted on first down.
Good bye Democracy
2
Brexit > Trump; Corbyn > Sanders. The die is already cast!
I shared my thoughts and will not write them over except for this: Bloomberg "I am one of two Jews in the race and I am the one who won't turn the country into a kibbutz."
Bloomberg supporters, please ask yourselves how Mike can possibly undo the damage he did by bankrolling multiple GOP senate campaigns, thereby helping to ensure, not only a GOP senate majority, but the Gorsuch and Kavanaugh appointments to boot?!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-republicans-donations.amp.html
1
We honestly don't know who is electable, per a FiveThirtyEight article published today: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/youll-never-know-which-candidate-is-electable/
Michelle Goldberg's husband works for Warren. Why isn't that disclosed in the article?
3
Hellooo! Amy!!!
Cripes, what is wrong with Democratic voters. If we blow this we deserve what we get.
Amy is the only candidate not dragging a giant albatross into November. She is young - but not 37 young - with a strong and experienced record as a DA in a large metropolitan area and is on her 3rd term as a highly productive US Senator - the most productive in certain terms. Yeah, she's not easy to work for but 60 past staffers SIGNED a letter rebuffing the NYTs hit piece of months ago. Her office may or may not have put the wrong guy in jail, but the 2nd trial - which ended again in his conviction - was after she no longer ran the office. Did I mention she's from the mid-West where she wins conservative and liberal congressional districts.
Vote Amy. It's a no brainer!
3
Michelle, you are young. I am old. You have a lot of influence. I have very little. It's incomprehensible to me that Democrats are giving into despair. Why can't we let the primary process play itself out? No, it's not Joe Biden's fault that Corey, Kamala, Julian and others had to drop out! Yes he is old and so is Bernie. Nor is it Joe or Bernie's fault if Elizabeth Warren does not prove to be an effective vote getter. Joe Biden is still the best qualified to be president, but if another candidate such as Bloomberg emerges, so be it. Let the primary process play itself out! Our system has profound inequities, i.e. the electoral college and the composition of the Senate which make it difficult for a democrat to win. To say the least the majority does not rule. This leads to self-doubt, hand-wringing and despair among democrats. But do we really want a strong-arm Trump like character to take the lead immediately in the democratic party just to relieve our anxieties? Let the process play itself out! The truth is that Trump and his spineless republicans and prejudiced followers are their own worst enemies. It seems that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself!
564
@Anne Overrepresentation of small states in the Senate and the electoral college is the price we pay for our union.
I think it's beautiful to see presidential hopefuls visit really small places like Dubuque, IA to get some early momentum going and it would be a real shame if our nomination process ended up featuring only people who already have national brand recognition and a marketing budget off the bat to spend millions in ads in the big states.
What centrists see as the problem (rural states and the electoral college), progressives see as the solution: getting the worker vote back from Republicans.
If some of the city voters go back to the Republican party as a side effect that wouldn't be a bad thing either. Maybe folks like Romney would have a better chance to expand influence.
14
Anne you are wise and Michelle is not. And I don’t believe she has influence beyond a few thousand of readers.
I am with you. Bless up and may you live a long and healthy life. Same to by dear Bernie.
26
@Anne you are the best influence of all! You have the influence of experience and wisdom. And I take my hat off you for the amazing American woman that you are. Well said! Thank you for being a voice of reason.
22
Your columns are a light in the darkness.
3
Put simply, why would the voters exchange one crazy cranky old man for a non-crazy cranky old man? That's not a choice that motivates anybody to get to the polls.
If Sanders is the Democratic Party nominee, there will be few moderates tacking his way, no purple states breaking his way, and a lot of unmotivated Democrats holding their noses and voting for him. That's a recipe for electoral disaster.
6
I'd vote for Bernie in a heartbeat over Trump. That said, he's got no chance in a general election after Trump sustained attack. The opinion's comments about Biden sucking up the air away from other interesting candidates are spot on. Bernie will get no votes from the swing voters who went with Trump, nor any moderate republicans. Trump's shameless campaign will be one of religious freedom, school choice and the economy. He's expanding his base already with the religious drum beat. Bernie will be effectively painted as an anti religious socialist and it will work. It's the only thing Trump is good at, very good at. The democratic party is crazy if we go down this path. You will hand them at least two more SCOTUS picks and forever change this country, along with a million other potentially devastating effects four more years will have. I'd take my chances with Pete, Amy or Elizabeth.
5
This is a good reflection of the post Mueller, post impeachment malaise engendered by the "resistance." All the Democrats had to do was wait until the 2020 election rolled around and Trump would have damaged himself badly. But the Democrats and their media allies insisted on the scheme to impeach Trump then try to force the Senate to continue to investigate their non stop accusations against Trump until the election. Along the way the country would be regaled with the anti Russia hysteria which has swept the news media and the neo con directed politicians. Now its stop Bernie! This is playing right into the sour pus vanity tour of Hilary Clinton.
4
I too believe in Warren and want her to be President. The candidate that scares me is no -experience Buttigieg. I can hear Trump now. Remember little Marco? Now it will be little Pete. I am not scared of Sanders. It's time the media put these Sanders scare tactics to bed.
5
For the past three years, the Democrats have been pathologically obsessed with ‘ousting Trump’. Now they’re pathologically obsessed with ‘beating Trump’. It’s all about Trump...24/7.
What we’re witnessing here is perhaps the Democratic Party’s last hurrah before the final curtain. A pathetic ending to the party of FDR and JFK.
7
So, Our sorry country is now down to one political party and it ain’t the Democratic Party!
3
Michelle,
This is all nonsense, you are comparing all these individuals to trump, who is one huge, inept, corrupt trainwreck. But truthfully, whoever they nominate will not win.
That said a lot of electorate lack the capability to see beyond the cacophony of the circus to the truth. While the Electoral College is an anomaly to satisfy the remains of slavery, which means that only a few swing States decide an election. We can foolishly continue to ignore the assistance from Russia in the next election. It is unknown if we will require any further elections.
But the bottom line remains the same, this Democratic experiment is done. Our Republic has dissolved into a mass of self-interest and money. The Executive branch has morphed into an ignorant self-serving Autocrat, surrounded by like sycophants. He has successfully neutered both the FBI and Justice. All our laws can be ignored. The law will be whatever the king decides at that moment.
Finally, the Senate has managed to make themselves into the king's jester. Their only function is to pack the Courts guaranteeing lackeys who will follow the Federalist's mandate.
6
Bloomberg?? He's the only candidate that's been an Independent, Republican, and now Democrat. That tell me enough. I thought Democrats were aginst the 1 % having all and yet it's ok for Bloomberg to just play in only the contest he wants?? Steyer has the same qualities and suceess in his background and he's done a ton of work keeping the pressur eon Democrats to remove Trump. If we were to go with a Billionaire it should be Steyer!
3
The disclaimer of partisan affiliation should be at the beginning, not tucked in the middle.
1
All these naysayers who say Bernie can’t win, can they tell me where they purchased their crystal balls? Mine is busted.
2
Two things:
1) 538 also gave Clinton a 90% chance of victory.
2) Young press should remember that age discrimination is the one form of bigotry that will eventually come for its practicers.
3
Goldberg writes an opinion article that searches and questions without becoming another NYT Sanders hit piece, this is good to recognize.. Im not a Sanders devote but I do donate every time the times runs a hit piece, sometimes twice a day. (You guys are making me go broke!) and by the way the economy is not good for most working people or the environment. And the part about fear in this article is murky. Goldberg is afraid soccer moms won’t vote for Bernie? You haven’t you seen the bumper stickers covering minivans and taco trucks alike? Fear can motivate people but usually not in a good way. If you sense your fight or flight instinct kick in, in this case it’s better to fight, or campaign for Wareen. Maybe the progressive rising is just courage finally showing up in the Democratic Party. At last something to celebrate and look forward to.
2
I will not vote for Bernie, that cranky old man pointing his finger and flapping his hands. Never got anything done in Senate. Just tells people what they want to hear, not what he could accomplish. He is not even a Democrat.
If he is the Democratic nominee maybe I won’t vote or maybe I would vote for Trump.
3
I am sad at reading this today. I always look forward to Ms Goldberg’s articles, but today something is amiss. Is it because she has already staked out and declared Warren as her candidate only to find she has imploded, and is now frustrated?
I seem to remember not long ago, that we had a candidate from Illinois that went up against Hilary Clinton, and who had little experience outside of his Senatorial seat, and was derided as an “organizer”. He has no experience! Obama went on to become President, for 8 years, surpassing The Clinton machine handily.
People complain that Buttigieg hasn’t any experience, that minorities don’t like him. It was the same with Obama. What’s his experience? But will white folks vote for him? Can he win?
It’s the same with Sanders. Bernie’s been out on the forefront of our nations fight against climate change, healthcare, wealth inequality for his entire career, and Democrats are freaking out because their staid political machine has no vision and apparently aren’t up to the modern times to realize their own foibles and that they can’t compete. I wanted Bernie last time, but the Dems put up the most divide candidate, because it was Easy.
I don’t know who’s gonna make it, but I’m energized by a Bernie/Buttigieg ticket. I look forward to seeing either of them slap down Trump and his lies. I can’t wait.
I will vote for whichever candidate makes it to the end. Whatever the non-Trump choice is, that will be mine.
1
Do not worry. Bernie is our first choice, but we will vote in 2020.
2
Bernie Sanders is a shameless opportunist who changes his affiliation from Independent to Democrat so he can run for president.
2
You said it yourself. Young people are overwhelmingly for Bernie. Once you blow away the hype, what exactly has America offered a kid borne after 9/11. If Trump gets reelected, so what? Trump is a machine for creating young, politically engaged Socialists. The longer he is in power, the better.
1
People are terrified that Bernie might win the nomination? He needs to be stopped? Trump is the nominee. That terrifies me as much as nuclear war does. For people need to understand that Trump will spend the next four years punishing everyone on the Democratic side. For impeaching him. For not doing exactly as he says. It will be a nightmare times ten. He's not going to move on and get back to his agenda. He is going to kick Pelosi to the ground and then tell all his supporters and the other Republicans to kick and beat her to death. And they will do so. Willingly. Eagerly. But the next Republican nominee won't be a sociopath with the level of hate and brutality Trump exhibits. The 'base' wanted recognition. They wanted to be heard. They didn't want to be ignored. They wanted the left punished. If Trump is re-eelected they will get all that and more. But then Trump will be gone. The Democrats will eventually take over. And then payback will begin. And your fearless leader will not be there to pay any price. You will. At some point you will recognize that Trump is going too far. But it will be too late to turn back. So for all your soul searching and hand wringing and 'he's too far left' angst, Democrats....Remember this. You could do far, far worse that Bernie. Look at the TV and papers every single day. And then hold your nose and go vote.
I'd advise the Democratic National Party to get it stuff together. The last time Democratic National Party was tone death and attempted to shove a Presidential candidate down voters throat. Donald J. Trump became President.
That being said....
Yes, it appears its Bernie or bust. Black people will sit home if Mayor Pete Buttigieg or Michale Bloomberg are Democratic Presidential nominee. My community has a destructive characteristic of not forgetting a favor but yet, can't remember a wrong. The bigoted, brutal, unforgiving and ruthless judicially police state has neither been forgotten or forgiven. The War on Drugs was a war on "Just-Use," has left my community anger, unforgiving, and a long memory. Flipping ones beliefs and words to gain Black people votes or trust isn't going to work, go ask Senator Pamela Harris.
If the Democratic National Party thinks the African community is so desperate we'll vote for anybody, we won't. Same 'ol, same 'ol : Black folks have been there, done that,ss and have been through much worse.
1
As usual, the Times dismisses Mayor Pete in one sentence. But the voters clearly think otherwise.
And the Times promised to do better after their myopic prediction that Hillary would take the White House in 2016.
What if Pete put Cory Booker or Kamala Harris on the ticket as a VP? He might easily capture the black vote that way.
I am not a Bernie Bro for the same reasons you're not. But it's time to quit dismissing Pete in one sentence and give his candidacy serious consideration.
2
Bernie 2020, very exciting times for America!
Those Sanders supporters who say they’ll abstain from voting or vote for Trump if Sanders is not the nominee are as idiotic as die-hard Trump supporters. Of course, most of them are young, when the ideal is the enemy of the good.
2
It's not really chaos. It's just a clown car at a stop light, filled with unelectable candidates, frantically running about with no purpose oth erthan to distract attention from their red noses and slap shoes.
Want a different analogy ?
The same unelectable candidates, re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
The Democrats have shown everyone what they really are, topping off the demonstration with that memorable circular firing squad otherwise know as The Impeachment.
And they have doomed themselves. No one else to blame now.
3
Who is running the DNC leadership? Are they all under the age of 25? Where is the strength, experience and coordination? We are fighting this battle with chop sitx. Many Denver voters ( And Denver has voted solid Blue) are now sporting a bumper sticker: "Fire them all and lets start again"
We are drowning..with a breathing straw above the water .
2
Is it going to be Bernie or Bust for American Democracy?
What does that mean?
And, why is Michelle writing such nonsense after ONE primary/caucus? If memory serves me, I believe there are 49 states (and territories) and millions yet to voice their decisions. And...what if Sanders wins? Will Michele vote for Trump; stay home and pout?
Here's a novel idea; let Americans vote first; then offer your crystal ball prediction.
3
Just to watch Bernie debate Trump would be worth it.
3
So many pundits substituting their outdated personal biases for actual evidence. Catch up with the times! It’s 2020. Today “Socialism” is something only beltway types and hardcore Republican voters are scared of. For people who actually have a chance of voting blue, this word is either neutral or mildly positive. It’s capitalism that worries us.
5
It’s so funny how you Leftists talk about the “fate of America” etc. mr. Trump has been fantastic, he will win again in November and the Socialist Democrats will have to retool into a more moderate party. It’s all good.
4
I usually find myself in agreement with Ms. Goldberg, but this is column makes my stomach churn. Ms. Goldberg, you and many of the your colleagues at the NYT are totally out of touch with what is going on in the rest of our country.
I am sure that you do not have student loans, I am sure that you have no worries finding the money to pay for childcare, I am sure that you and your husband are not working two or three jobs make ends meet, I am sure that you children are able to go to very fine schools, I am that when you need medical or dental care you can afford to get that care. The reality, Ms. Goldberg, is that there are millions of people in this country that do NOT live like you do. Bernie Sanders believes that we should have access to a good education( like you did), to have good medical care( like you do), that our children should go to good schools( like yours do). Why are you so afraid of him? Are you and your colleagues afraid that things might just become more equitable in this country? Will your life style suffer if Bernie becomes our president? I believe this is your and your colleagues greatest fear.
4
Bernie can’t beat trump. Period.
1
The Op-Ed page of the NYtimes continues it's anti-Sanders crusade, blind to the evidence that in fact it is ONLY Sanders who can beat Trump. In 2016, the white working class shifted decisively to Trump after voting for Obama twice. The only person with the credibility to win back the white working class, while advancing progressive causes and protecting minorities is Bernie Sanders. That he makes so much of the professional middle class, the readers of publications like the NYtimes uncomfortable, is precisely why he'll be poised to win in 2020.
Get over yourselves people! If you want to have a functioning country again, the only way you'll get it is with a credible and powerful functioning left wing that will represent the interests of the common person, undercutting the rise of a populist, nationalist and racist right.
2
If your husband is campaigning for Warren, you should not be writing articles for the NYT.
You might also want to ask your husband why he is working for a woman who has repeatedly lied. About being Native American. About her dad being a janitor. And the recent absurd moment where she said Bernie "said a woman can't win." At best, it's suspect because she waited years to make the allegation. At worst, it's a smear tactic of the lowest level.
Bernie is striving to give the US what every other first world country has. And even better, he's trying to take corporations out of politics by ending all the donations. Bernie is good for democracy.
Feel the Bern. Vote for Bernie.
4
I like Bernie. Why does the writer think that she knows better than the Democrat voters?
4
A wonderful column and so unexpected from a leftie like you!
The unstated ultimate challenge of your logic is missing, though.
And that is that it will be up to you, and people like you, to determine the outcome of the next election if Bernie wins the nomination. Will you come out for Bernie if he wins the nomination? Will Mayor Pete, or Mike Bloomberg, or Joe Biden, campaign for him as hard as he campaigned for Hillary (10 joint appearances, 37 individual stump speeches)?
And will Elizabeth Warren accept his invitation to be his running mate?
A lot will be at stake and, I fear, if party establishment types sit on their hands, all will be lost. The Democratic establishment will have to choose between the Third Way and Bernie’s Way. He will bring out a lot of new voters with his fresh hopes and dreams, but it will take support from the Democratic establishment to achieve victory. Is the establishment up to the challenge?
And BTW, whether it’s Bernie or Joe or Pete or Mike or Elizabeth, the “S” word will be falling on the nominee like a climate change storm over Houston. Count on it.
2
Ironic isn't it, Ms. Goldberg, that the liberal has spent the past three years mourning that Hillary Clinton lost to Donald trump when you should have been working to develop a message and a messenger that would appeal to the the the middle of the electorate...
You've let your pettiness and anger consume you to the point that you risk throwing away a fine opportunity to forward your policies.
You only have yourselves to blame.
1
If the Bernie affect turns out a few hundred thousand Midwestern and Floridian Phish fans just for the music at inauguration, that could be enough.
Déjà vu all over again. Dark shades of McGovern and Hillary that we're all forced to endure the same train wreck coming down the tracks in slow motion. A country divided, a party divided, its opposition totally united in lockstep and lovin' it. Who will the Democratic candidate be for 2024 is a hypothetical since we'll just be breathing the fumes of a destroyed democracy. Far too late for hindsight and shoulda, coulda, woulda. Iowa was a harbinger while we're still desperately seeking a hero or heroine
who can destroy the despot. Wake up. America!
1
Good gracious. It’s one primary. Can we at least get to Super Tuesday before the self-flagellation starts?
1
If we survived Trump, we'll survive Bernie.
1
All I want Bernie to do is openly condemn (for once, he NEVER has) communism and the failures of socialism world wide. If he would do this and quit bowing to the "woke" left, I would vote for him.
2
How can Trump, elected with Putin’s help, successfully smear Bernie? If Bernie is a socialist, isn’t Trump a commie?
1
If identity politics is at play here, the pendulum’s swing towards women is slightly further supported by tribe. A certain karma is brewing. If I was the President I would start using the gym.
Perhaps the smartest thing to do would be ---Make sure young people are registered to vote, and DO vote when the time comes! ---.
2
It infuriates and terrifies me that some Bernie Bro’s motto is still “my way or the highway.” If ever there was a time to turn out en masse for the eventual Democratic nominee, this is it. If the Candidate you’re backing—whoever that may be—doesn’t make it, please don’t become another Trump enabler. Swallow your pride, stuff your vengefulness, grow the backbone that you so plainly see lacking among Trump facilitators, hold your nose and vote for Trump’s opponent. This is our last chance.
1
The Clintonite deadenders failed to rig the Iowa primary so, yes, you're going to have vote for Trump again, Michelle.
One of the most interesting aspects of all this is how the NYtimes
endorsements seems to have worked against their candidates.
And putting Buttigieg aside for the moment, the possibility that for the first time two Jewish candidates will be in pursuit of the nomination. One a socialist democrat and one a republican democratic capitalist. This is the interesting story and let's face it a hot one. The Democrats are not in a harrowing chaos. The Republicans last time looked awful and no one thought any of them would beat Hillary. So Ms. Goldberg keep your pessimism
to yourself and let's get this done. With all this baggage and corruption we can't beat Trump well.....we will have to face the alternatives.
1
I will support ANY Democrat in the upcoming election and urge everyone to do the same - we must stick together.
1
How could all this be happening when Michelle and the rest of liberal media have told us Democrats are the smart, ethical and saving democracy majority? Gosh, they never saw 2016 coming but surely they haven't got the American voter wrong again? Then again, a party that wants no border enforcement, free healthcare for illegals, an end to private health insurance and somehow ended up siding with Irans Soleimani may be a tad radical for the general public
1
If you say that democracy means your side winning, you inevitably become victim of your own propaganda
1
Just another NYT hysterical smear. It disappoints me that Michelle joins the bandwagon of those that tremble before the idea of a Sanders presidency.
7
Luv your lead-in Freudian synecdoche...
PS
Been a while since seeing a lead-in pic so overtly staged...
And so superbly – kudos...
PPS
The kakistocratic demographic, not to be taken for granted
“End Yale legacies, and bro hierarchies” Ilhan and AOC chanted
She was briefly with Bern – like Al with Kirsten – till the moment that she traitored up
She wanted it all, and if men had to fall – that’s what Hemlock is for, in a cup
But Don doesn’t drink, it helps him not think – so like Budd for Kiddo was waiting
Now she’s down on the earth, salt shot through her girth – with Dons Sr and Jr berating
Yet another anti Sanders piece in the Times.
2
It was one primary of 50, Ms. Goldberg. Get a grip.
2
Man the media hates Bernie.
6
I am so sick of the DNC.
4
Here we go again. Yet another anti-progressive missive my a NYT columnist. When will they realize that the muddled middle of the road is a dead end. We need to fight fire with fire not roses.
2
I am so with you, Michelle—scared to death. I am absolutely confident that if Bernie wins the nomination, Trump wins the election. Seriously, Democrats, you *must* be able to intuit this.
P.S. Perez is an idiot. We have many more people, including POC, who can do a better job while in a coma. Get rid of him before he loses the election for us.
2
Middle class Liberals terrified by Socialism will flee to the man they love to hate, Donald Trump. At least he is not against our American free enterprise system! If American papers had a Marxist commentator, they would have predicted this. But American media don't hire Marxist commentators . . .
2
Could we please discuss the big pink elephant in the room of why, exactly, Pete Buttigieg has so little support among African-Americans? Because trust me, it's not just because of the issues with the police force in South Bend.
4
A major flaw in our election process it covering it like a horse race at every stage, rather than the drier discussion of the issues. This dumbs down the discourse, favoring "reality TV" types of candidates.
2
Shame on you, Michelle. NYT columnists have really become a parody of themselves, tripping over one another to explain to us why Bernie can't win. Because they got it so right in 2016 I guess. Oh, I forgot, that was Bernie's fault too.
3
The solution is obvious
Mike Bloomberg
4
Sanders can't win in November.
If he is the Dem nominee, the GOP's red-baiting will do him in.
2
Hello Michelle,
Firstly,
...the Question is:
What Can We Believe ?
Another is,
...What has been Hacked and Who's bending the Numbers ??
The Democratic Party is Fighting for it's SOUL as is Our Country !!!
The moderates and centrists Have OWNED the dnc for Decades and That Must Change in Order to Make the Necessary CORRECTIONS to the Course that has Brought US Thus Far,
...to the Brink of DESASTER that We Now Face as a Country and in the World Today !
We Either Change by Choice Now,
...or We Suffer a Forced and Violent Mandate that Our Inactions Will Precipitate in the Near Future !!
1
No..It's not "Harrowing Chaos." It's a messed up count that will be rectified rather quickly..as quickly as it will be forgotten. It only has to be "Harrowing Chaos" if your looking for a harrowing headline to get people to read your harrowing article.
1
Bernie should scare democrats. Socialism is the nice way to say communism.
2
Michelle Goldberg, like so many of us, has an extremely narrow view of the World today.
She fails to consider all the changes made in the Modern World by the expanse of electronic communications networks.
the Internent.
In the USA, we continue to live under the spell of hippie nirvana "free internet"......this is absolutely self-delusion.
Much like a free lunch, free trade, free rides.....aint nuthin free about the internet.
There's nothing wrong with the USA, with democracy, with electoral fraud, with terrorism, with drug, with Health Care, with Trump,even,,,,,that practical restraint of the Internet wont solve.
Robber Barons from Silicon Valley have taken selfish advantage of what we made "free".....they mine our personal data/behaviors for ways to exploit it.......tax free.
Politicians use the internet to avoid all those phony "Campaign Reform" laws....tax free.
Offshore Banking serves no purpose to improve our economy.....it simply shelters Pirate Money.....tax free.
What if it cost you 10dollars per Tweet? Do ya think you'd hear fromTrump every five minutes???
"Socialism" as our enemies would call it = health care reform; equitable taxation; immigration reform; support for public education; investment in addressing climate change; investment in infrastructure.
A comfortable "alternative" to "socialism" = a racist thug with a family of parasites who fly around the world on tax-payer money using our foreign policy to enrich their family "empire;" a tax-funded government that serves the interests of a racist thug and his family of parasites.
This is an American "choice" because, until the economic house of cards topples and our national debt comes calling, this racist thug appears to make the "the trains run on time."
I'm old enough to remember images of dogs and fire hoses being turned on black men, women and children marching for their civil rights. That the latter is a comfortable alternative for tens of millions of Americans in 2020 doesn't surprise me all that much.
1
Watching Bloomberg.
1
Sanders is Trump. Anything to both extremes yields the same result. He's an uncompromising egomaniacal buffoon. 4 more years either way. Old men appear to be a big problem for the world at large.
1
I encourage those of you who think Pete is an excellent candidate for people of color to read this illuminating article.
https://newsone.com/3900592/pete-buttigieg-black-hispanic-staffers-say-they-were-hired-as-tokens/
I would vote for anyone over Trump, but I truly dislike “the Bern”. He’s the left’s version of Trump. A narcissistic egomaniac. I actually agree with many of his ideas, but most of what he is proposing will never become legislative reality. It’s pure hard left fantasy, but it won’t matter anyway because If he is our nominee, he will lose. The Democrats don’t seem to understand that you can have every great idea in the world, but you get nothing until you actually get someone elected. And what plays well in Berkeley, CA, doesn’t play as well in MIchigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin which are the only States that will matter come November.
1
amy klobuchar / cory booker
The best ticket, and hardly possible in current democratic party
Sad
The real campaign started yesterday when Bloomberg published his manifesto in this paper. All that went on before was a prologue.
1
Ms. Goldberg: Disclosing that your husband is working for the Warren campaign and that you are a fervent Warren supporter should be cause enough for you to recuse yourself from writing this piece. But stating that Biden is the reason Harris, Booker and Bennet have been unsuccessful is sheer rot. If Boot-egg-egg was able to come out tops in Iowa (well ahead of Biden), how is it that Biden is the demise of the now-defunct Senate trio with far better name recognition and pronunciation than the mayor from wherever?
1
I don't need a 78 year old white man as the hope for tomorrow. And his followers are toxic. As a matter-of-fact, I'm sure someone will say something toxic to this comment. That's what Bernie is all about.
1
So we are all going to cave to Trump's disinformation campaign against Biden, one your dear paper initially contributed to, and just shove Biden aside. Wow. Ok then. If that's what we need to do to win, then I'm going with Bloomberg just simply because he has the money to destroy Trump. And he won't be nice about it.
3
Is Sanders were not in the race Warren would be leading. So the writer of this piece does appear to have a conflict of interest. But then again the NYT very rarely writes anything positive about Sanders. So this author fits right in with her employer.
2
It's exactly what the Democrats brought on themselves.
People...listen up!: Joe Biden is spent and his energy is not there for a strenuous fight with a bully like Trump. Joe has had his time on the national stage and now it is time for him to exit with grace. What will happen is that the nation will not vote for a democratic socialist no matter how much enthusiasm Bernie Sanders generates with young people. E. Warren is doomed due to her Medicare for all plan...that won't fly...people want choice...As for Mayor Pete, southern blacks will not vote for a gay man because of Bible restrictions....so that leaves us with Bloomberg who can box Trump and outspend him.....My advice? Go for Bloomberg and cut the losses with the others.
1
Oh, is this the daily column from the Times Opinion page that cautions us against an actual reformer?
So sick and tired of these pieces by elite insiders who are desperately afraid real change that would affect people it ways that genuinely matter--health care, affordable education, income equality.
1
It’s like high school homecoming.
1
Socialism is as American as apple pie. American workers were marching under the banner of Marx in the 1890s. Before World War One, there were many Socialists elected to local offices. The Socialist Eugene V. Debs got a million votes for President. Though the I.W.W. were destroyed by the 1920s, in the 1930s, the Marxist Left dominated the "Red Decade". Hemingway & O'Neill wrote for The New Masses. Communists organized the basic industries into the CIO's powerful labor unions . . . . By World War Two, the C.P.U.S.A. was practically the left wing of the New Deal. In cities like New York, by the 1940s, labor leaders, many of them Reds, could pressure Democratic Party politicians into enacting pro-worker policies, such as free education from kindergarten to Ph.D., 32 free New York City hospitals and commercial and residential rent control. Any resurgence of Socialism in our country would be all for the good.
1
What's wrong with the Democratic party? Two words: Tom Perez.
1
Bernie can beat Trump. Could have done it last time too. Let me support the man I believe in, who represents my values, and stop blocking. Remember when everyone said the country was incapable of electing a black president? Please Democratic Party save us from your wisdom.
1
ummm.yep, if that's what the people want. this election and 4 years ago the DNC did all it could to stop Bernie, despite that he was the strongest against Trump & wanted the kind of structural changes that so many working class voters (white and of color) want! the NYT should drop it's anti-Bernie bias and embrace democratic process.
2
Trump may be lowest form of life ever to be elected president but one thing's for sure. He's outfoxed not only the Democrats but also the media. None of them, or you, have a clue as to how to deal with him.
it's only scary if you are obsessed with a supposed meritocracy and consider yourself elite which most of the readers and writers within this publication do.
they do not suffer. we do. and now we will force sanders upon them.
Bernie will get pushed out by the same Democrats that have lunched with Trump in the past and now keep their distance to stay in power.
Anyone who "woke up" by Trump getting elected and are now living in constant fear are ignorant at best and idiotic at worst.
If you ever thought America power and politics was truly about American citizens rights and comfort, need to take a hard look at history and stop sugar coating the great taste less filling false democracy that has been going on for decades.
Democrats, please take a deep breath!
During the 2016 Republican Primary Trump claimed Ted Cruz's father was complicit in the JFK assassination and Marco Rubio publicly speculated about the size of Trump's genitals. Even before it appeared Trump would be the Republican nominee “Never Trump” Republicans were telling the rest of us he would be an existential threat to the country. Then came the Access Hollywood tape.
Look at where we are at today. Trump is president. Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul are now among Trump’s most loyal supporters, and the NYT is currently running a piece entitled “How Never Trumpers Fell In Line.”
It’s unfortunate that the Shadow app did not function as it was supposed to in Iowa, but please stop acting like the sky is falling.
1
Telling someone who doesn’t agree with 100 percent of your ideas and program that they aren’t “progressive enough” and represent the “elite” is off putting and not helpful at all
3
Bernie, with a balanced moderate tending person, as vice pres.... like Warren, or even Wyden or someone who really cares about climate change initiatives. Or Kamala Harris would be a darn good plus, given her legal expertise and remarkable smarts.
Just keep the DNC as far removed as possible. And muzzle Hillary. Bernie fought for her and she is a traitor in moderate greenbacks.
1
"Here’s the place for disclosure: My husband is consulting for Elizabeth Warren,"
Whoa! Hold on there! You don't just slip that in at the end. And, in fact, that is such a severe conflict of interest that you can't really be writing on the Democratic nominating race any longer, Ms. Goldberg. Please speak to your editors. (And if you already have, and they allowed you to write on this, then that is a real problem with the NY Times editorial policy.)
3
The Times' anti-Bernie bias was nuanced in 2015-6; nonesuch now.
New Deal type policies, which is all Bernie is actually pushing, are quite popular among all demographics, and I say this as someone who lives in one of the "suburban voter" hotspots that went hard for Hillary in 2016. Hillary won the popular vote in 2016, and the swing state losses in the rust belt were caused by fleeing Bernie voters.
Just stop, NYT, or YOU will be partially responsible for delivering us Trump AGAIN, as you were in 2016, by running a handful of damnation by faint praise hit jobs against Bernie and dozens upon dozens of fluff pieces on Trump leading up to the general election, normalizing him for sales.
Back Bernie and we won't even have to think about losing! Much power is in YOUR hands, New York Times.
Signed, a former subscriber (I quit in 2016 because of your treatment of Bernie).
1
An article that starts with “I am a pessimist by nature” in an era that screams for optimism, is a non-starter. Can we get some sunshine from the Times please?
So Mayor Pete dropped out?
Of all the Democrats, Mike Bloomberg is the only one that has a record of merit. The DNC disaster in Iowa, due to incestuous business relationships with a flunky software company, show just how inept the Biden Clinton circle is. No better then the Republican incestuous circles. I think Mike Bloomberg should start a new party, and recruit Americans with a track record of merit.
Where was your full disclosure when you wrote this?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/opinion/bernie-sanders-iowa-trump.html
1
So much bed wetting! Whoever the Dem nominee eventually is you get out there and vote for him/her. Just do it and get your family/friends to do it! Canvass, make phone calls, etc. You know what the alternative is.
What's it going to take to get people to understand the last 70 years of centrist moderates brought us HERE?
Wake up Michelle Goldberg, you are having a nightmare propagated by the cowardly, fools, and idiots.
I never could have imagined you would be so anxious where you would write something so dangerous to the prospect of defeating Trump.
And that you would help arm the fools who in their delirium tremors think that Sanders adopted Democratic Socialism handle indicates anything more than his commitment to work for a more equitable society, you know, the stuff you say you support. Don't be another comfortably situated liberal who talks out of one side of her mouth but collapse on voting day.
Almost three thousand comments? Nice trick NYTs.
Looks like the Democrats are again well on the way to loosing another win-able election.
Yes
What’s ironic is the Democrats have to have the perfect candidate. Appeals to people of color, says all the right things perfectly, appeals to every group who might vote. The Repiblicans put up a a candidate who offended most, couldn’t speak a coherent sentence, appeals only to white racists . . .and they rule the country. From a minority position to boot.
The only difference I can see? They all rally around their candidate come hell or high water. Lesson to be learned.
1
the times stops at nothing to defame biden. angry white Bernie bros won't be attracting black voters with their attacks on president Obama
1
"Here’s the place for disclosure: My husband is consulting for Elizabeth Warren, the candidate I believe in more than any other."
Oh, Michelle, isn't that nice -- a Times columnist whose spouse is adviser to one of the presidential candidates -- her choice too!
Thank you, Michelle, for underscoring (though you seem blind to it, damning proof in itself) how incestuous and stinking the whole system is. (And by the way, your candidate, last seen -- well actually, it was hard to see her. She was strategically placing herself behind a staffer as she walked away from a private plane that had taken her somewhere. Politics as usual for Warren, and Goldberg. Maybe your husband was on the same plane.)
1
I hope Bernie KO’s Buttigieg. What a selfish little man!
Two comments: first, it is way too early to throw up your hands and say the sky is falling. The nomination is a long way off. Even if Sanders wins NH and makes it close in Nevada he loses big in South Carolina. My intuition says no one has enough delegates come convention time.
Second, if Sanders wins the nomination the Dems will be making the same mistake they did in nominating Eugene McCarthy. It takes a bad beating in an election to remind Dems every 40 years that you have to nominate a center-left candidate to win the election. Maybe a bad beating is necessary for the Dems to pull their heads out of their - - - - -.
1
My gosh, you're a drama queen:
"The Harrowing Chaos of the Democratic Primary"
1
At this time Bloomberg is the hope to defeat the traitor in chief.
1
Democrats need to chill out a bit. The whole thing isn't lost yet. Yes, Iowa was a screw-up (bad app implementation plus some interference with R's - Republicans, Russians, Right-wingers - blocking the phone lines) but it does not mean the whole party is broken. There are many more primaries to go, and some good challengers for the nomination. Stop acting like the effort to defeat tRump is doomed. We haven't even has the first real battle. Just remember that getting out the vote is the most important thing no matter who the Democratic candidate is! And getting out the vote against every Republican Senator up for re-election too!
1
In 2016 it was Hillary's "turn" even if she did not have the ability to excite the voters. In 2020 it seems like it is Biden's "turn" or Warren's "turn" or Bernie's "turn". I'm sorry but flyover states are not ready to accept a smart lady like Warren. Perhaps in another 20 years. But the article is right, these candidates from the past keep sucking out the oxygen from the system so new blood just cannot come in. Horrible as it sounds, it like like another 4 years of Trump.
Everybody is so grumpy and fearful here. We all want the candidate that can beat Trump but part of that criteria is we Democrats must accept the fairness of the process and agree that the winner is the choice of the majority of Democrats. This will help unite us for the slugfest against Trump. I think the solution is ranked choice primaries wherein voters get to pick their first and second choice, maybe third too. No one can argue with that. Unfortunately, we are stuck with the conventional way of voting. If we survive 2020, this is the change we need. Meanwhile, let’s all agree Trump is so much worse than any of our candidates. No sulking and non voting aloud!
Ms Goldberg has convinced me - of the need to make another contribution to Bernie's campaign.
Bernie will win the nomination through the primaries if he plays his cards right. Suggestion #1 - he should definitely put some considerable distance between himself and “The Squad”
This is a process. Stop giving Trump so much power.
One thing that I have learned over the years is that it is impossible to overestimate the incompetence of the Democratic Party.
1
Your article exemplifies the Democrat's problem. You talk about their ages, what generation they belong to and whether they are left, right or center but there's no discussion of the red meat issues that will decide the election. What the heck is their agenda? Other than the exhausting health-care debate I can't get a fix on what these folks want to do. Your article reflects their dilemma perfectly. What will they do about Russia, China, Iran, Putin, North Korea, the economy, immigration - to name a few. I don't see a solid position from any of them on any of these issues. If they keep talking in generalities they will not be trusted and the one who ultimately becomes the Democratic standard-bearer will be defeated. You might not like what Trump stands for but he doesn't leave anything open to interpretation. You know exactly where he stands on every issue. Come on Democrats. You must have some idea what you're going to do if you get elected. Share it with the rest of us. and don't soft-pedal it. Speak up.
1
The worst thing about Iowa is that it drove a few of the best candidates out of the race. The argument for small states is that you can do direct democracy for not a lot of money. But Iowa and New Hampshire turn out to be horribly expensive, and the candidates that make the cut are a joke foisted on the rest of the country. I hope some of the Iowa drop-outs get back into the race.
Just another anti-Sanders article from the corporate wing of the "liberal" establishment.
Frankly, there is no serious difference between an Establishment Democrat and Trump worth getting out of bed to vote for.
Donald Trump has declared total war on anyone who dares to oppose him. In such a war, who is the person you would want to lead your troops into battle with Trump?
I am reaching the conclusion that there is one convincing answer: Mike Bloomberg.
1
OMG, Michelle! Can you really be terrified at the prospect of an FDR-type candidate like Sanders? Really? While not a Democrat in name, at least he's not a DINO like most of the rest, and he promotes an agenda as "radical" as FDR's was. Do you really think Americans aren't hungering for a return to a share in the boom times that the 1% and Corporate America have been hogging to themselves for over four decades?
Of course maybe the real source of your fear is that your favorite candidate, Liz, is being left in the progressive dust? I, too, like Liz, and would be happy if she got the nomination, but I like Bernie more, and among the reasons is that he's authentic and has always delivered the same message: the system is broken and needs to be changed to work for the average American. No one can question his credentials. The worst they can do is call him a "socialist" and that pejorative has lost a lot of its power.
At least you acknowledge what we Sanders supporters have known since 2016: the DNC and the Establishment are willing to do anything - including using a "quality assurance" app that could be manipulated to deny Bernie delegates. Why else would they contract with a former operative from Hilary's campaign two months before the caucus, "coincidentally" as Sanders rose to the top of the polls, to produce this app? Given all the other dirty tricks played by the DNC, it's par for the course.
In the end trhe people will decide, and so far they like Bernie a lot.
If media hadn't hounded Pete Buttigieg for having "no black support" at every mention of his name early on, maybe his accomplishments in South Bend would have piqued more interest by now. As someone from the Rust Belt who also works in Urban Development, I watched in disbelief as stories that went against the basic reality of what we deal with here went viral. E.G. his "1000 Homes in 1000 Days" program was spun not as someone keeping a campaign promise to remove asbestos ridden dangerously rotted homes from neighborhoods suffering over time from massive population loss, but rather as a program he launched to gentrify South Bend and kick marginalized people out of their homes. Using data and technology to upgrade local government and develop SMART streets, services and infrastructure wasn't seen as much of an accomplishment, but our sister city is Flint, MI & all of our services here in Pontiac were outsourced to our County. As an advocate for some of the things he was able to accomplish, I found what he did inspiring. I imagine that members of the majority black city I live in might have found these deeds more interesting as well, if they didn't hear on repeat from mainstream media how black people don't like him....He has 75% non-white support in South Bend & there are a number of his supporters expressing deep upset at the exclusion of their voices to support this narrative - as was expressed by Gladys Muhammed who introduced him before his Iowa speech.
1
It's time to focus on who is funding the candidates. Bernie is funded by $18 contributions. Mayor Pete is funded by 40 billionaires. One of these billionaires has donated $200,000 to Kevin McCarthy (the most powerful Republican in the House). If that doesn't make you think twice about Pete, I don't know what will. We need to get away from useless words such as "centrist." If billionaires are funding you, you're not working for some mythical center. You're working for billionaires. This is why we have Trump in the White House. Tens of millions of Americans have been abandoned by this economy of the mega-rich. Nothing is going to get better until we get money out of politics. This is the issue that the NYTimes always avoids and that makes all the difference in the world. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2019/12/21/here-are-the-billionaires-backing-pete-buttigiegs-presidential-campaign/?fbclid=IwAR0mfQf6xaCWfTtSozdZMkui5k6gbZsYrnoJzdyZbrI6N1BczM2WQ-Ir5sk#7b0e028b5fc6
It's not Bernie you're afraid of, Michelle - it's this atrocity of a president, and worse, the people who will vote for him no matter what he does because, hey, the economy's good and they're doing OK and that's about it.
Bernie's policies are much-needed extensions of FDR's and LBJ's - it's that simple, and the other Democratic candidates' policies differ only in the details, the degrees and the speed of enactment.
There's nothing in those policies that President Chaos can criticize with any substantive argument, and he wouldn't do that even if he could. Policy-schmolicy! He doesn't CARE about policies of any kind - that's why he doesn't even have any of his own. His thing is personal attacks - he will slime any Democrat who runs, and he's already doing it! In this regard, Bernie is no exception - what he stands for is irrelevant to President Sociopath, whose only interest is in lying and cheating.
The real problem is the voters who will support him despite his utter lack of morality. These are the kind of voters who would, figuratively, watch as he shoots someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and still vote for him as long as they're not the ones he shoots. That's what you're really afraid of, Michelle.
You should also be afraid of centrist Democrats, who specialize in losing elections and have dashed so many hopes over the last 30 years that huge numbers of Democrats don't even bother to vote anymore. A centrist has zero chance against President Slimeball.
1
Two things to draw strength and calm from.
We have, despite all the melodrama, survived a Trump Presidency with democracy kept in a coma by the chloroform rag the GOP has slipped over our faces. It is neither pretty nor, just, but we have endured, one way or another. If we are forced to, we can survive another one.
The second thing is, keep in mind it was the failure of the Democratic traditional Party to recognize their own abject failure that led to a host of formerly Democratic voters getting siphoned off into votes for Trump, and Sanders as well.
We can feel sad at all the misogyny and propaganda that smeared Hillary’s campaign, but her loss was not her fault.
It was the fault of a party peopled with “moderates” who are still desperate to not rock the boat and to return to the normalcy they felt safe in, at everyone else’s expense. Biden is their hero, and the Democratic Party’s ultimate downfall.
Remember that when we get a Trump again.
Bernie is far from perfect, but he is popular. The only thing causing fear are some people’s misplaced assumptions about booga booga Socialism. Neither he nor Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez are wearing red berets and moustaches, nor will they. The look would be ludicrous.
I do not understand the typical American voter. I am an educated scientist who urgently fears global warming, and I cannot understand anyone who doesn't. I am an immigrant who has paid taxes all my working life in this country, and I don't understand why my children are not entitled to the universal health care and the affordable education they could have had in my country of origin (a social democracy). And most of all, I don't understand why money is, in so many cases, the one and only motivating factor in the Great American Dream. So much so that the average voter tolerates a moron like Donald Trump as President in order to feel comfortable? None of this makes sense to me. Voting for Bernie makes sense, as does the passion of the younger generation that looks to him for moral inspiration. And voting for Elizabeth Warren makes sense in every way I can think of.
The thing you're missing is that a lot of independents like me don't have any use for the Bush-Obama "self styled experts" who want to bend us to their wishes. If Bernie had been allowed to run in 2016, we'd have picked him. As it was, Trump was the only game in town. If Bernie or, better still, Elizabeth Warren, is permitted to run this time, there's a great chance they'll win. Deep down, nobody wants the self styled experts these days. They have a terrible track record. Even a lunatic like Trump is doing great, making the obvious moves. Bernie's ideas obviously are good. Just get off it. If you don't know what you're doing, don't be a know it all.
If Bloomberg is so great how come he can't be bothered to participate in debates and ask other people for money? I am sick to death of his smarmy advertisements and his whole way of treating the public like children who are so naïve they will believe anything they are told.
I also started experiencing concern a while back when no clear contender was emerging. You've described the problem to a T.
Maybe a team up looks better than the incumbent? Is there a combo that works against the gathering sociopathic storm?
I am not gay but will vote for Buttigieg, not Christian but voted for Hillary, not black but voted for Obama, not male but voted for every previous Democratic nominee. I am also not a socialist but will vote for Bernie.
Enough identity politics. I support whoever will defeat Trump and so should every other person who cares about democracy.
2
Desperate times call for desperate measures and the Democratic Party is flailing around like things are normal. I would suggest the Democratic Senate and House convene and talk about this. I’m sick of these meaningless debates and rigged caucuses. Our party needs a team in place NOW with the sole focus on garnering the most votes from Democrats, Independents and thoroughly disgusted Republicans throughout this nation. We should be in crisis mode, thinking outside the box and proving to the nation and the world we are no longer the “let’s shoot ourselves in the head party.” And yes, I’m talking about Bloomberg. Another Democratic Convention feeding frenzy will be both the party’s and the country’s doom.
1
Republicans paint Democrats as socialists every chance they get, and have done so for decades. In the meantime, even a Koch bros. Study revealed that Bernie’s healthcare plan will save Americans 2 - 3 trillion dollars more than what Republicans propose (or don’t) over ten years. Also, Republicans would love to get rid of Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, and are now working actively through the courts to dismantle the ACA. There is a lot at stake with this election, and fearful, hand-wringing columnists are absolutely no help. Better not to read them.
As many others have pointed out, let the campaigning play out without taking the hot button Republican/Putin words, as socialism, which only plays into their hands. We can either become a third world country with a petty dictator or get back on the rails to being a leading democracy. Anyone with any common sense - and all the Democratic candidates have that in abundance - is better than a bigoted nut like Trump and his sycophants in both houses. None of them possess a whit of common sense or concern for the American people, although they are very good in the “show me the money” arena.
"The way things are going, the fate of American democracy could soon be Bernie or bust. I envy those who find that exhilarating rather than terrifying."
Wow, Michelle really reminded me of why I don't want to pay very much for my subscription to this news site...I might as well subscribe to "Boomer's Digest Unlimited". Somebody please do let me know if any such publication exists! /S
Is it just my imagination but don't these Bloomberg groupies suddenly appearing in the various comments sound so scripted and so alike in their highlighted points?
1
Your dismissal of Buttigieg as "novelty" is condescending, especially given his strong showing. (He's not even my first choice at this point, although I admire him.) You do not know how he will perform in future state primaries. But at this point he deserves to be discussed with the kind of seriousness that you bestow on less well-performing candidates. I realize that you are an opinion writer but if you want others to even be mildly persuaded by your arguments, try to be less biased.
3
Michelle, quit fretting, we have a long ways to go. Even if Bernie wins the nomination or some other candidate wins it, Trump and Co will call him or her a socialist. He's already road testing it.
The Democrats will have to unite behind the nominee and fight fire with fire, none of this going high while he's going low. Bernie and Warren will not put up with Trump's name calling and mangled word games.
If the DNC tweaks the rules to keep Bernie out or play other dirty games it might well give rise to a third political party. Which would not be a bad outcome. We were trying to crossbreed progressive with center righters and the result has been a failure.
The great thing about a dictatorship is that the people can't be blamed for the actions of their government. But in our country, we elect our leaders and therefore the people are fully responsible for their conduct. Given all that we have seen and know, if voters re-elect Trump, then it says something profound about the character of the American people - or at least this generation. It's entirely possible that trouble with America is that its people are as corrupt as their President.
10
I am white, in my 50's, well educated and fairly well off. It is clear to me that Bernie Sanders is not so much a candidate as a movement with an unlikely man as its leader. A man with remarkable moral courage, integrity and decades long consistency. This movement is the future of the Democratic party. If the DNC further undermines and alienates this movement for fear of tepid, uninspired suburbanites, it will result in a formal split and the end of the Democratic party. It will also mean that Trump and his corrupt cronies and religious ideologues will retain power for years to come. Finally, I will say that we should be honest with ourselves. My generation and that of my parents has failed to effectively address the major issues that we confront. Among them are healthcare, immigration, climate change, housing, higher education, endless wars and a political/business class that disregards the well being and interests of the great majority of US citizens. It is long past time for a new perspective.
13
The reason so many people own stock is because they can't make more than a pittance if they put their savings into bonds. And that's because the Fed -- under the prodding of Trump -- keeps interest rates so low. I think a lot of people are terrified that the stock market will take a huge dive, but they can't afford to keep their savings in a bank, either, since the banks will pay no more than the Feds will. I also believe this is a well-known fact in Wall Street, where it is known as TINA -- standing for There Is No Alternative.
1
Simply put neither Sanders nor Buttigieg is going to be elected President of the United States.
Neither of these candidates, nor, for that matter, Elizabeth Warren (remember her?) is going to be able to draw away Trump voters in WI, MI, PA and FL. States which Hillary barely lost so that Trump, with fewer total votes, was able to win via the Electoral College.
It's increasingly questionable whether any Democrat can win in 2020. But certainly, any Democratic candidate with even a chance of prevailing is going to have to appeal to the middle class, Middle (white) American voter in sufficient numbers to carry those "purple" states.
This may sound like a harsh analysis. But it is the truth of the matter.
The General Election is a national election -- not one based on "blue" states. Failure of a Democrat to appeal to moderates will doom her or his candidacy.
We're more and more likely looking at an election debacle for the Democrats come November. And the result will be very, very ugly for progressive minded Americans.
3
The rich own the government, and that is why Democracy is seriously threatened by the Republican Party.
Republicans feel emboldened, and I’m certain that they feel an authoritarian government would benefit them the most.
The Republican Supreme Court has ruled (5-4) that whoever has the most money wins.
Of course that has been a nearly mortal blow to the country by itself.
They have also legitimized voter suppression as an acceptable tactic.
The biggest fight that Americans have is on the money side.
While the rich can win with a few gazillion dollar donations, it is much harder for financially strapped Americans to out raise the “one dollar - one vote” paradigm.
Once the rich own the government, it’s very difficult to get it back.
It’s more important than ever for Americans to unite.
Even that may not be enough since “money is speech”.
5
Why the majority electorate can't support anyone with a pulse who can beat Trump is a paradox for the ages. Ideological purity versus megalomaniacal cult figure with a motley assortment of coattails.
Sen. Bill Bradley once used a pyramid analogy to explain differences between republicans and democrats. Republicans, he said, had all the support of industry, corporate America, the wealthy tax-averse, and religious right (we can add white supremacists now). They formed a stable base for financing elections, and the candidate sitting at the top was less important than the base supporting him (yes, always him). Democrats' pyramid is inverted. The national party is wildly out of touch, they don't march in lockstep like the republicans, who likely admire Trump's ability to weed out diverse voices. And so everything hinges on the candidate, who is at the top of the pyramid, but a pyramid that has been inverted. So the candidate is carrying all the weight of all these groups that can't seem to compromise or agree on some consensus that simply winning the election is better than remaining 'pure' and getting trounced.
We've been seeing this for a long time. Media outlets are so much more corporate and commercially driven than they once were, the financial pressures mean any voices outside of a narrow corporate mainstream ideology, where capitalism is simply the natural order of things, will get frogmarched out of the narrative faster than Lt. Col. Vindman out of the White House.
4
Everyone complains that Iowa isn't representative and should be ignored to some extent. So why all the gnashing of teeth, as if Iowa had decided the race?
Let the process play out before giving in to despair.
9
MJ, gentle reminder of patience and respect from the NorCal tower. Many readers are actually in or from New York.
Biden reminds me greatly of Mondale. The party establishment lined up behind a candidate with baggage (support for an unpopular past war) and who generated no enthusiasm among younger voters. This time, however, the outcome for the Democratic Party may be even worse.
I've read that Biden's candidacy discouraged Sherrod Brown and Terry McAuliffe from entering the race. Brown, especially, had the qualities of a strong moderate candidate.
Now, it's becoming clear that Biden will flame out on Super Tuesday (if not sooner) and there's no credible moderate alternative. Buttigieg's paltry experience is laughable and it's doubtful he'll gain traction with minority voters, who are crucial.
All this increases the chances of a contested convention, at which superdelegates may end up nominating Bloomberg out of desperation. That would tear the party apart and not only ensure its defeat in November, but possibly splinter it permanently.
It does irreparable harm to any institution when a leading member won't acknowledge that his time has passed and step aside. Joe, you'd have served your party best if you stayed home.
4
@Claude R It is interesting that Trump's thoroughly corrupt attempts to hobble the candidate he worries about most have been adopted so enthusiastically by Goldberg and other so-called progressives.
Thanks for the reminder to contribute even more to the Sanders Campiagn. My working class parents would have supported him as they adored Roosevelt!
4
"if Sanders emerges from the primaries with a plurality of votes, denying him the nomination would be not just unfair but potentially suicidal. "
Suicidal not because of what is fair, but because of Bernie's Trumpian "they are out to get us, only I can save you" attitude.
You are right that if Bernie comes into the convention with a plurality, say 26% of the vote, with 74%, the overwhelming majority, favoring other candidates, he will blow up the convention if he isn't handed the nomination,
So, while I haven't decided among a good field of candidates (why isn't Bennet, whom you mentioned, getting more attention ?) I definitely won't vote for Sanders in the primaries (though in the past I donated to his Senate campaigns & t the start of his 2016 run).
I am afraid that the more delegates Sanders has the more likely he is to continue to attack the party that has been fighting for universal health coverage and an increase in the minimum wage for decades, much as he did at the 2016 convention, when he came in 4 million votes behind the winner (the winner whose husband appointed RBG to the Supreme Court; instead, thanks to 75000 Jill Stein voters in 3 key states, we have Kavanaugh and Gorsuch)
In other words, a clear majority may come together favoring someone else, but if Bernie isn't chosen he will again claim it was "rigged" & continue turning people against the Democratic Party, handing the Presidency & the Senate to Trump
5
If Sanders wins the nomination, one of three things will happen:
1) Trump gains a second term.
2) Sanders wins, as voters replace one angry, anti-establishment president with another, after which the Right launches a counterattack that threatens the very foundations of our republic.
3) Sanders wins and, hey!, Americans discover that they love democratic socialism after all.
Anyone betting on Door Number 3?
8
@A mind of my own
I am! But what goes unsaid in your analysis, my fellow Seattleite, and all the others like it is this: we cannot trust the voters to make the right decision
Real Clear Politics which publishes the averages of several credible polls, places Biden, Bloomberg, and Bernie as beating Trump in the general by 5-6 points. Not great, but not bad either, at this point. As far as placing blame for our current mess, all the evidence supports the view that the hubris of DNC neoliberals and radical feminists headed up by Hillary and company blew it. The current establishment DNC are repeating this mistake again by appointing lobbyists and business representatives to the convention rules committees. They will do whatever they can to insure no candidate will get a plurality by the convention so the can just give it to the Senator from HSBC on the second ballot. The fix is in.
4
I am not sure why curmudgeonly Bernie Sanders is the darling of the far left, unless it is because he’s giving everything away for free. And I’m still unsure how he could accomplish that. He already has heart issues and as Hillary Clinton said, no one likes him personally, which I can easily believe. And the fanatics that support him do a bit remind me of the fanaticism of the Trump base. I’m willing to vote for anyone (including old Bernie) against Trump. But I’m not at all convinced that his hard core base will vote for anyone else. In that respect I see Bernie as an enormous hindrance for the Democratic Party. It’s very disheartening to consider that either Bernie or Biden will be the Democratic candidate. Old men, when fresh blood is needed.
11
@R Stiegel
I can't believe that you're silly enough to quote HRC. To call Sanders curmudgeon is laughable when you consider the grudge she's still carrying...
I think if we see NH and other voting states have low turnout, I think Sanders' hypothesis about bringing in new people is likely off. Even though party registration can sometimes be onerous and causing isn't conducive to turnout, and people may just be certain of their "ABT" choices in 2020, I think Sanders has to show increased turnout in situations where it is easy.
2
Yeah, I don't know if we can survive Donald Trump. Markets at record highs, unemployment at record lows, fewest American combat casualties in 3 decades. And, for some reason, his approval rating has hit an all time high. Puzzlement.
1
Nothing wrong with the Iowa caucus other than a naive belief that an untested App will work almost perfectly right off the bat. This lead to "Gee, now we can send in more numbers". This is turn led to a CF when the internet proved too slow in much of Iowa for the App to function. The result showed that the moderates outvoted the progressives and that Bernie and the Boy were tied. Without a Snowwhite like Trump to go with the seven dwarfs, this will continue. Just look at the votes in individual counties. Whatever. We had the same problem a couple years ago in Houston when a new reporting system was used and it did not work. The world did not end. Just impatient folk needed more BP pills.
1
I cannot take either party seriously. They love their individual bubbles more than they care about the interests and concerns of the majority of voters. Hasn't Biden lost enough already? Time to retire, Joe. And thank you.
Most of what I have heard the Dem candidates promote turns off most of the middle.... they are all either too old and/or way too inexperienced... no one is impressive.
In November we will be faced with the usual unsavory choices.
3
I'm disappointed in this column. We have 9 months to go and some seem to have already given up. Let's go through the process, nominate someone, and then get behind him or her. To do otherwise will be 4 more years of Trump. It's not over until November.
7
The U.S. voting system has huge anti-democratic flaws. This primary year the Democratic Party should be pushing for changes by showcasing an every vote counts approach. Instead we get another Electoral College in the form of delegates to a convention.
5
Centrists could have gotten behind Elizabeth Warren when her poll numbers were high. Instead, they targeted her. Now Bernie Sanders is in the lead, and the left wing of the party is uniting behind him.
He is almost certainly going to win the nomination, because the centrist wing of the party can't unite. They are going to keep splitting their votes between Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar.
Michelle Goldberg is absolutely right about one thing: if the Democratic Party denies the nomination to whoever wins a plurality of votes in the primaries, they will be handing Trump a second term.
4
One can only hope that it's going to be Sanders. Not only does he stand for policies that benefit ordinary people and that have been absolutely standard in the rest of the civilized world for half a century at least, he's the only one of the candidates who stands a chance to beat trump and prevent a second term. Ironically, being the oldest candidate in the field, he's the one that the young generation rallies behind. Because he knows what matters. It's their future.
3
I don't agree that it's time to panic, but Goldberg has a good point about the impact on down-ballot races. Any of the current crop of candidates would be good, but without a majority in the Senate and winning key state races to thwart GOP gerrymandering, Democrats impact will be marginalized.
1
Teach your children well. And fight with us for their sakes to increase representative democracy, living wages and action on climate change. Thank you for your consideration. With hope and good will for us all, from a Sanders supporter.
5
Bloomberg is part of the Democrat field, not apart from it as you imply. Dismissing him only helps Trump because Bloomberg believes in the principles of the Democrats and has the financial clout to back it up, unlike every other Democrat in the race.
6
53 percent of supporters say they will def support the democratic candidate. This is the epitome of privilege. Trump hasn’t affected their latte drinking life YET.
7
It's not about Trump & returning to the status quo ante. It's about social, political,... change.
The US political system is antiquated, hampered by the stamp of 18th-century slave-holding landed aristocracy.
Electoral College. Historical state boundaries. 2 senators. Concentration of economic wealth - so also political & social power.
The list goes on - fetters that prevent us from addressing the problems we face. And all in a global context.
Real political evolution is difficult, and it's constrained in contorted directions. How to get there, while preserving & expanding the limited bit of democracy we have?
Move the Democratic party in a progressive direction, so it confronts the important problems, raises the big questions, discusses & debates what needs to be done.
Progressive candidates can do that - whether or not they win (and they can). Dishing up yesterday's soup of "moderate" just-return-to-normalcy politics does NOT advance the debate.
Sure, it's about beating Trump. But it's not only about that.
That's important, to oppose the drive toward fascism. But alone, divorced from a movement for positive change and discussion of the big questions, it will be meaningless & ineffectual in the long run.
Democracy & progress are NOT just about elections. The progress that's been made in the US (& elsewhere) is the result of mass struggle, not just electoral politics.
Elections are important. But they're far from the be-all and end-all of political & social change.
3
I wish the handwringing about Bernie Sanders was not coming from within the party in a nominating process that is just underway. In this election, moderates and left-of-center Democrats need to resolve to unite vigorously behind the nominee, no matter his or her stripe. Heck, Trump won with his base. Sanders can siphon some midwestern voters who went for Trump - I don't understand why that is not getting media attention when it was the talk of the last election. The negativity within the Democrat ranks invites a self-fulfilling prophecy.
7
It’s because Sanders wants to put people before corporations, like the media.
I'm not terrified, I'm ANGRY at Democratic candidates who keep on talking about how they can beat each other, instead of showing us how they can beat Trump. That's all interests me. By targeting each other they do Trump's work for him. By failing to target Trump they have wasted time and money and are letting the snake slither away. That is why I'm backing Michael Bloomberg who understands the need to relentlessly go after all of Trump's despicable flaws and has pledged one billion dollars to that task regardless of who the candidate is.
12
@Paul Revere I’m with you. 100% spot on.
@Paul Revere I’m with you. 100% spot on. And what is wrong with you NYT? This should be NYT pick.
We need more parties to reflect the beliefs of their followers. Sanders should be running as the Socialist Party nominee. Former Ohio governor John Kasich should lead the Republican Party. And all those who support Trump's anti-immigration, anti-free trade, anti-multi country coalition positions should be the the Nationalist Party. In presidential races, the victor will be whomever gets the most votes and can form a majority coalition to govern. Since Congress is obviously broken and will never be able to fixed because there's no tolerance for the opponents of each party, we should change to a parliamentary system in order for our representatives to actually do something and actually represent their constituencies.
6
The frequently sound Ms Goldberg here falls prey to the "suburban moderate" illusion that those running the Dem Party rely on to protect the interests of teh elites they really represent. Over 90% of Republican voters are now Trump-=addicted, and they will no desert him no matter how "moderate" the Dem.
The wine of the "median voter" theory of teh '50s and '60s has long-ago turned to vinegar. The game can now only be won by the Dems by mobilization of core constituencies AND the recapture, not of non-existent "suburban moderates" but of "Obama to Trump" working-class voters. And Bernie and ONLY Bernie can do that!
4
If Bernie wins the nomination the general election will be the largest GOP landslide since, well, forever.
8
Enough of this establishment panic!
Young people are the future (duh)...and young people turned out massively in Iowa...at a higher rate than Obama 2008.
Overall turn out fell because old people (aka Biden's base) stayed home because no one is excited for Joe.
Young people will lift Sanders to victory in the primary and in the general. They are literally fighting for their survival. The least any self-proclaimed Democrat can do is stand with them.
Stand with the future or get out of the way.
10
White, middle aged, white collar suburban dad here: #Bernie2020#
16
"...a candidate foisted on the party over the furious remonstrances of a disempowered base would almost certainly fare worse, while permanently alienating the young people who should be the Democratic Party’s future."
Um, isn't that what happened last time? It alienated me then, and it WILL permanently alienate me if it happens again.
And I'm 58--definitely not a "young person," but young enough to be likely to have quite a few more elections in my future.
3
The main cause of my panic is that we will screw up again and end up with Trump for four more years. I don't care who is nominated, I will work for that candidate harder than I ever have for any candidate because our country is at risk.
11
I'm voting for the Democratic nominee, whoever it is.
But if Bernie is not the nominee, he and his supporters will go full kamikaze to tear down the Democratic nominee. Even worse than 2016. Trump wins.
If Bernie is the nominee, the GOP will open their tightly-held oppo file on Bernie, who is frankly their dream candidate. Maybe the Berners are right, that he will spark a revolution and turn out unheard of numbers of new, previously disengaged voters. But I doubt it. What I don't doubt, however, is that when Trump beats Bernie, he and the Berners will blame the Democratic Party for the loss.
What I am trying to say, gentle reader, is that we are well and truly screwed. Have a good weekend!
10
All the more reason for Sanders to run as a Socialist, not as a Democrat. Barely 50 percent of his followers say they'll vote for the Democrat nominee if Bernie loses. They handed the election to Trump in 2016 and they'll do it again in 2020. Bernie is not a team player, therefore he shouldn't run as a Democrat.
5
It’s a bluff. Trumpeters want you to think they’d love to run against Bernie because they are hoping that expressing that desire will work against him.
Bernie may not be a favorite of pundits and plutocrats. But he sure has the people’s support.
Sanders 2020
10
"How did it come to this? Mostly, I blame Joe Biden and those in the Democratic establishment who pushed his campaign."
Though I have no inside knowledge of what the Democratic establishment might have or not have done to promote the Biden candidacy, if these allegations are true, then the party may already have shot itself in the foot in exactly the same manner it did in 2016--advance a party stalwart with limited appeal to the actual voters who will decide the election.
5
Since your husband has Senator Warren's ear, I hope he will advise her to endorse Sanders should she choose to suspend her campaign. While they are certainly different candidates, they share so many of the same goals that would greatly help America's working class. She would have her pick of cabinet positions in a Sanders administration and be able to use her multiple talents to make a positive impact on this country.
I know this is hard for Warren supporters to hear. I believe she would be a fine president. But her poll numbers are slipping and if they continue to slip the progressive wing of the party needs to coalesce around one candidate. (And yes, if the poll numbers were reversed I would hope that Sanders would endorse Warren.)
6
@AD But she should stay in the race until the end so that she could give Bernie her delegates. If it ends up being a contested convention due to no one candidate having the magic number, then Bloomberg can wiggle in with all his superdelegates, of which I am sure he has many.
4
@duvcu That's an excellent point—I agree.
4
If Warren’s passion for economic justice was real, she would’ve supported a Bernie in the 2016 primaries. Instead, she kept her mouth shut, hoping to snag a cabinet post with Hillary. Embarrassingly transparent.
1
I, as a conservative, read this article with a smile on my face, broadening and broadening as I went on. I agree with all the conclusions, well done Michelle.
2
We don't want your envy, Michelle, but rather your willingness to believe rather than give power to fears.
Such a recurrent comment on these pages is "I love what Bernie stands for but can he win in Michigan?" or equivalent fear-mongered apprehensions that people too often say will lead them to vote for some mythic "electable" as opposed to who they individually hear as resonating with them. Nothing could be more suicidal. Well, except having the entire MSM & Democratic establishment adopt that mode, as have Obama and Kerry and all those whose failed sustenance of Americans' aspirations let the Worst-in-us-in-Chief, a real terrorist, sneak through in 2016.
And we're boomers saying that, not millennials but mercifully the millennial generation is less cynical, more willing to believe. Bobby Kennedy routinely quoted G.B. Shaw "You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
For so many of us, we haven't felt the same ability to believe in someone whose life mission shows he puts his money where his mouth is to that degree ever since. We wanted that to be Obama because of his personal character but he started making sellout compromises especially economic ones before he was inaugurated. Bernie is an FDR Democrat upholding a tradition of hope and belief to an extent no one else has since FDR. And his genuineness is there for any eye to behold. Just remove the filters of cynicism and fear. He's calling us back to our best self.
15
Couldn't agree more.
1
Is it possible that the DNC could be so stupid as to again skew the process to thwart Bernie? I agree with Goldberg that the resulting pique and fury would drive his people to Trump or third party candidates, ensuring reelection of the most vile person ever in government.
I am not a Bernie supporter. Although Warren was pilloried for her plans and how expensive they'd be, any comparison between Warren's and Sanders' plans show that his are FAR more expensive and he's proposed no way to really pay for them. His fans applaud as if there will be no day of reckoning--but there will. His promises are the policy equivalent of Yang's $1k income promise. Also, what legislation has Bernie actually passed? Is he a legislative leader or only someone loud with bile who is known for being a cranky old man? Finally, Bernie's bros et al are the left's equivalent of MAGA Trumpists: my way or die. We've had enough of such extreme division. I want someone who can actually achieve what they propose and has a record of accomplishment.
I won't say anyone-but-Bernie, but I'm not far from that. Frankly, I really like Michael Bennet but he has such little recognition he doesn't have a real chance. I'll canvass for Bernie if I must to defeat Trump but I'd be happier working hard for any of the other democratic candidates.
I don't think Bernie can win. Period.
8
Bernie beats Trump. His legislative style is not so much to co-sponsor legislation, which is easy, but to amend legislation. On that metric he’s one of the most active. If not the most active Senator in Congress. He also worked out a very good veterans Bill with John McCain, demonstrating his ability to work across the aisle,
I am of 2 minds. There is the person I want as president and the person most likely to defeat Trump. I would prefer Warren or Klobusher because it is time for a women president. Sanders and Bloomberg are most likely to win; but I fear that Bernie’s followers would likely punish the Democrats if not nominated and we are being held hostage while Bloomberg would get more done and has the cash to out spend Trump.
The chances of Trump and his cult members cheating in the 2020 election is 100% according to Adam Schiff and certainly we are going to see every dirty trick in the book from a party which wrote the book.
People say we are in danger of becoming a dictatorship. Sorry we are a dictatorship already and we (meaning those loyal to the rule of law and the Constitution) can reverse that with a pro Democratic landslide. Every state government (mostly blue states) must buy voting machines which cannot be hacked with a paper ballot back up. Everyone must see that they are registered.
A
The people who lived during in the 1930's and the 40's saw depression, war, and the holocaust. And now class war. After exporting millions of manufacturing jobs we have a autocratic, kakastocracy, and oligarchy. VOTE BLUE
6
Has the saying "Nobody knows anything" ever been more apt?
2
Americans may not realize how dismayed we Europeans are with the political evolution - better termed involution or regression - in Usa.
The Old Continent belongs in its utmost majority to the “Never Trumpers” and, I would guess, is for sure some sort of “Ever (Tom) Steyers”.
Apart this, it seems that the Democratic establishment – as in 2015, when it was late in discovering the DNC server leak – has been again late in fully endorsing the old “stump and trump” speeches procedure, which, in this “Speedy Gonzales World appears weak.
It could be better to register “face to face”, in some sort of precinct’s reunion, the people, who then will vote on line via a secure platform. In Italy the Five Star Movement – the major political force in the last national election, and still in the Government – sometimes adopts such a method to get opinions from its registered members about important issues to be then discussed in the Parliament.
We should then admit that the rejuvenated (in all senses) Biden does not work, and that Bernie is too far for this burly America. And if we add Bloomberg, we reach a whopping 231 years old! Moreover, the former NY City Mayor, seems not so well versed in foreign politics.
Now the good news: it for certain that the acquainted Potus – as Herod did 2020 years ago - will now send his battle-hardened army to search and undo on the spot any new born (political) messiah.
Well, all we know that he failed.
I think Democrats need to calm down and think through a winning strategy that all the candidates can buy-in to. This means less wonky policy generation and more retail politics that listens to the American people's desire for clarity, decency and a generous focus on human and physical infrastructure which keeps getting left behind in favor of "horse-race" gotcha moments that make everyone look shallow and weak against the twittering bully-in-chief. Trump is a dangerous but trifling buffoon. We need to find ways to laugh him off the dais. It's the one constant in his political career. He cannot stand being humiliated and mocked by calm, superior human beings, who have better things to do than our adversaries by schoolyard insults. This should be easy. No one among the Democratic candidates is lacking in moral fiber or intelligence.
4
So much coverage of "the Bernie problem" is from people who are willing to vote for him in the general, but don't think that some hypothetical "suburban" voters will. Trust that your fellow Americans will vote for a candidate who would be center left in every other developed nation over a racist criminal.
7
The clearest exposition of the Democrats’ current dilemma I’ve seen. Michelle Goldberg’s columns are always worth reading.
2
Let me tell you two things. 1. Bernie is no more radical than the very successful northern European countries with their so called radicalism.
2. Almost HALF the people in this country don't have 400 dollars for an emergency, how is that for social wellbeing? You are clueless at to the reality of rapacious capitalism
13
Let's all wring our hands to the point that we get Donald Trump for life.
4
Bernie Bots are not really democrats or even rational people. They are we want something for nothing people - and are takers and not givers to a productive civilized democracy and society. If it's Bernie or not, then it's not and the Democrats will lose.
2
Is healthcare and a living wage too radical for you, really? Takers? You mean by working three jobs at once?
Michele, I think you are discounting Mayor Pete prematurely. A Mayor Pete-Stacey Abrams ticket could spark an Obama like coalition that could sweep away trumpism. Pete gives us the best contrast to the monster in the White House. Intelligence, well spoken, veteran, sexually and emotionally stable.
Hope is not lost!
Pete & Stacey A all the way!
2
It's not Bernie or bust. It's Bernie and bust. Trump will slaughter him. Trump's second term will be a lot different from his first because his policies will collapse the economy. Hopefully that will happen later rather than sooner so that the next moderate Democrat can possibly put the pieces together again -- so that this nation's dimwit electorate can install the next big spending Republican who yammers on and on about fiscal prudence while lining his white, male pockets and sending us further into debt.
5
@Joe
Trump was supposed to implode the economy upon assuming office, and look how that materialized. Time to stop forecasting economic doom, it's not a winning strategy.
Healthcare, however, is a strong policy the Democrats need to lean into. Not Bernie's model, which puts plans people like at risk, but gradual, strident reform aimed at reducing costs for medicine and preventative care.
Healthcare reform is a surefire way to win vote because even the Republicans are forced to make overtures to that topic now in order to stay relevant. They can't afford to let Democrats monopolize that issue. That's a sign of its strength. I firmly believe a moderate Democrat who promises to make Healthcare better by targeting big pharma and extortionate pricing will have no problems winning against Trump.
1
The famous Ailes' memo -- the daily talking points Roger Ailes wanted discussed by all anchors on a given day -- ensured that Fox News spoke with a unified voice.
Feels like the NY Times has its own Ailes memo, with the message of "anybody but Bernie."
4
This is driving me crazy. Any ONE of these candidates will be a pillar of excellence provided they can beat Donald Trump. Let them have their say, see who can win the nomination, and get behind them with everything you've got - nothing else matters. It's our duty as Americans to get rid of the current administration who are bent on dismantling everything this country is about. Trump, Barr, Mulvaney, Conway...the list of bad actors is wide-ranging. They've all got to go.
3
The Dems are acting like they want to lose. If this is their wish, they are likely to succeed. I will vote for whomever the party nominates, but then I would vote for a cat instead of Trump. Or, preferably, a dog.
Not everyone shares my view, however. And I am completely sick of watching the Dems self-destruct. If they want to give Trump four more years, they could not be doing a better job to make sure that that happens.
2
@Michelle Goldberg: I would posit that until "Super Tuesday" clarity will prove elusive.
2
The stench of US politics and public policy since Nixon to these times is what prompted me to emigrate to my adopted country in 2001. Reading the commentary of supposedly Democratic "centrist" voters who fret that a democratic socialist as the nominee would translate into victory for Trump is mind boggling. Haven't you learned anything in the last 40 years? Meanwhile, me and my family are contributing to and benefiting from universal health care, 35 hour work week, parental leave, maternity leave, paid for higher education (and retraining), up to date infrastructure and more. Keep supporting the oligarchy on both sides of the aisle....your grandchildren will curse you for your obtuseness.
7
It's too bad that smug suburbanites are more concerned about their immediate comfort than the future of our democracy.
5
Ms Goldberg, we love you but hope you read lots of these comments! Your extreme concern about Bernie doesn't align with reality. And are you really saying young people are all too starry-eyed to choose a candidate who will determine their own futures? Why is their enthusiasm always discounted when it comes to Bernie?
Many of us continue to be anxious overall about the upcoming election, but all of the handwringing by the media and the DNC is a big reason for this. Please have faith. Please let the primaries play out. Please stop saying who can't win. And for heaven's sake NYT, please stop already with the wall to wall PR for Trump.
Massive voter suppression, gerrymandering, the stupid Electoral College - these are likely to affect the election more than any Dem candidate will.
1
I hate to break it to you, but Warren would never win against Trump.
2
America can survive Trump, but it can't survive what made Trump president and acquitted him of the most dangerous and genuinely impeachable offenses committed by any president, namely a Republican Party that is pathologically partisan now and nearing half of the population reveling in someone like Donald Trump, a con man, defrauder, crook, pathological and chronic liar, ignorant of all things, the first president to have never read the US Constitution, and whose character is so low, slugs look down at him. If Democrats don't start thinking more clearly, he'll get a second term. Bernie Sanders cannot beat Trump, along with Warren. Democrats don't need to get Democrats or anyone-but-Trump-ers. They have to get those who voted for Trump but now are queasy about him. They will not vote for Sanders or Warren. They are looking for an unthreatening, "white bread" "safe" alternative to Trump, and the only two running who present that are Buttigieg and Bloomberg. I'd include Klobuchar, but Americans will not vote for a woman (I happen to agree with Sanders about that). Buttigieg is a continuation of Obama: calm, mature, adult, extremely smart, and his sturdy self-actualization will look great next to the shrieking, hysterical, insulting toddler Trump. Bloomberg is the only one who can go up against Trump on Trump's playground. They are the only two who can get Trump out. Sanders supporters have to start caring more about that now.
3
so do you consider this column part of the problem or part of the solution? perhaps Warren ought to get behind Bernie (oh, i forgot, hubby ought of a job then) = better to tell people how scared you are of what happens w Bernie, rather than advocate a solution to the issue you see?
Ms. Goldberg, given that your publication in 2016 pegged Clinton’s chances of being elected president at NINETY-FIVE percent as late as 9 p.m. on election night, I am consistently amazed that ANYONE would pay attention to your or Dr. Krugman’s or any other Times’ pundits’ opinions or predictions about, well, anything at all. Btw, I am seriously feeling the Bern!
5
Read "Running Against The Devil" by Rick Wilson.
"Rick Wilson is one of the best political strategists of our times. He knows the calculus of how to with better than a mathematician. This book is going to give some old-school Democrats a little heartburn. But if we want to win in 2020, Wilsons's analysis is a full stop. Period. Read and get to work." by Donna Brazile
"Florida Man Chooses Country Over Party!" It appears that the Democratic Party's 2020 election briefing book has been written by a lifelong Republican strategist." by Brian Williams
"No one understands the nature of Trumpism better than Rick Wilson. He also knows how the Democrats can blow this election. This may be a hard book for some of them to read, but it is a message they absolutely need to hear if they want to beat Donald Trump. In this passionate, witty, insightful, and often hilarious book, Wilson brings tough love and sharp elbows to his urgent warning about the difficulty of defeating a man with no bottom, no shame, and no limits." by Charles Sykes
I sent this information to Hawaii's senators and to one of our DNC members.
Yep, let us place our trust and confidence in the Democratic Party, after all let's look at the top jobs that they accomplished this week.
Oh wait, all they did this week is fail, fail, fail....
Well let's rip that plan up .
Biden has proven to be something of a Titanic for the DNC. A lot of resources went into creating his candidacy and promoting it over many other hopefuls, only for it to crash and sink spectacularly in Iowa.
This is really unfortunate, because Bernie is a bridge too far for moderates. And you need the moderates. The moderates are the only reason the Democrats flipped the House. Spurn them now and you may not win them back in a generation. They wanted a decent, civil alternative to the bilious Trump presidency, if you give them an irascible socialist crank for a candidate they'll not give you the time of day again. They'll hold their nose and vote for Trump.
133
@Joel
Bernie addresses the same working population Trump addressed, however falsely. Buttigieg gives every indication of being another Wall Street darling, like Hillary. We don’t need any more Democrats who are exactly like Republicans - the “center” is way too far to the right. It mouths worshipful phrases in praise of the military, it spews religiosity, it saves large banks like Obama did, and on and on.
26
@Joel
The Democrats sank the Biden candidacy when they decided to impeach Trump over Ukraine. That brought all of Biden's corruption - or appearance of corruption - out into the open. There is no way Biden could survive that. As for Trump, his approval rating has edged up to an all time high since impeachment over the Ukraine caper (49% according to Gallup).
Pelosi knew this was going to happen but was helpless to stop it given the overwhelming pressure from the new socialists in the Democratic Party (aka The Squad). These new socialists want Bernie, but there is no way that American voters will elect an old-time communist like Bernie as president.
23
@Joel Same goes for progressives. Spurn them (as was the case in 2016) and you won't win the Presidency. Both sides have to compromise.
Sanders IS a decent, civil alternative to Trump. I've rarely heard him be mean to others.
16
Sanders supporters need to recognize that they themselves are in an echo chamber. Sanders may be able to run up an overwhelming popular vote tally in overwhelmingly blue states like California, NY and Massachusetts. He may win the popular votes decisively.
But as Clinton recently demonstrated, the popular vote does not necessarily decide the election. You can only win one set of delegates from California, NY and Massachusetts, no matter how you run up the score in those states. In this scenario, the Electoral College would then hand 4 more years to Trump.
2
"Yet with his unmatched biography and name recognition, [Biden] deprived younger center-left candidates like Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Michael Bennet of oxygen even as he failed to consolidate centrists himself. That’s left the erstwhile novelty candidate Pete Buttigieg as Biden’s strongest competitor for moderate votes, but while he’s shooting up the polls in New Hampshire, he has virtually no support among voters of color."
I think it's silly to accuse Biden of oxgen depletion of the two African candidates who were occupying his lane. Sometimes it helps to get out of NY City for a few days.
Cory Booker and Kamala Harris dropped out when they ran out of funds. It's also been reported here and elsewhere that all three African American candidates have seen very little support on HBCU campuses. That's not because of Biden, it's because they're supporting Bernie.
Knowledgeable commentators like Eddie Glause, Jr. and Jason Johnson have already told us not to expect any votes for Buttigieg in S.C. and yet I have to stifle a laugh when I think about how he kicked Warren's senate seat in the last race.
I would ask the people in charge of election processes in every state to Please:
Leave computer systems out of the process.
Save computer systems for the absolutely final historical documentation of the vote tallies.
These voters are writing their votes down with pen and paper and either mailing in their physical document through our federally protected U.S. Postal Service, or handing it to a local elections volunteer.
This is the person-to-person moment that seals our bond to our country. We need to preserve this intimacy with a limited chain of people who are individually responsible for their role the process.
Web-based communication is essentially anonymous, despite the PIN roadblocks and identity puzzles. Personal responsibility is fairly easy to avoid and flaunting this anonymity has given new meaning to the word "troll".
It's entirely subject to the idiosyncrasies of whoever is writing the specific application's code. How things work in the application will make sense to the coder and the "team" - but it won't necessarily make sense to the tens of millions of Americans who don't do their work in this medium.
And once a communication is released into the web, it is in a global public domain for any interested party - quite a boon for all these cottage industries gathering advertising contracts and scraping up salable data.
Web-based communication is offered as a "convenience".
Please keep it out of our American elections process.
It really does not come down to Bernie or bust for American democracy . That distinction, in all probability, will belong to Michael Bloomberg.
The fact that Bloomberg is able to self-fund, has deep connections to wealth and is actually a technocrat makes him more likely to be the best possibility for saving the world from Trump. Since funding is the major determinate in who can become President, it is better to elect a stable technocrat who will get things done, rather than continue to endure the horror show now coming out of the White House on almost a daily basis.
2
Too many candidates.
Too many televised debates.
Over too long a period.
Voter fatigue.
4
My greatest fear is that Trump loses the popular vote by 10,000,000 votes but wins the Electoral College and we have to suffer through another 4 years of his attack on our way of life. In that case, it doesn't matter who the Democratic nominee is, does it.
I question the omniscience of the pundits and the readers commenting here that voters in swings states can be relied upon to hand the Presidency back to Trump rather than Sanders (or any other progressive). They seem blind to the fact that Trump was pronounced unelectable in 2016 by the same reckoning. I don't question Goldberg's sincerity or her commitment to progressive ideas, but she is scared. She feels safer at the center of the herd. Yet giving into that fear has steadily eased the herd to the right. In 2016 the Republican base stampeded, and the GOP intelligentsia had no choice but to yield to democracy within their party. Now some of those same intelligent people, along with Goldberg, fear that democracy will lose the election for Democrats. The irony is complete. We have no moral option but to be faithful and fearless, recalling the words of the hymn playing in Senator Romney's head as he cast his recent vote: "Do what is right, let the consequence follow...God will protect you in doing what's right."
5
Mike Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders would both be good choices.
Elizabeth Warren is the candidate that leaves me most concerned. Her concept of a public health care system began with the idea that private insurance would be banned, which is not how public health care works in any part of the developed world. She strikes me as someone who would launch into sweeping governmental programs that are legalistically plausible but practically unworkable.
1
There is a reason people why Trump desperately wants to run against Sanders or Warren and Michelle hit the nail on the head both those candidates potentially lose a massive amount of suburban voters. These voters cannot be made up by youth voters for Bernie who historically vote in low numbers, unless their is an app for it this scenario is truly frightening.
1
The Democratic candidates are just competing for who gets to lose to Trump. His popularity keeps edging up, and his base is more fired up than ever due to the impeachment caper. No Democratic candidate can beat him. Hillary 2024?
2
Bernie is nothing but a Trump on the other side.
Extreme liberalism sounds much nicer on paper than extreme conservativism, but it is at least as dangerous.
The saddest thing is the number of young people that are so passionate about Bernie. Apparently this generation does not want to work, other than to stick their hand out.
9
The youth of 2020 are dealing with a much more brutal economy than those of the previous generation.
To suggest that their politics is a consequence of laziness, rather than courage and a painful need for change, is an offensively out of touch comment.
12
@Josh
That is an interesting viewpoint. There has never been more opportunity for education and training. Unfortunately people have to work hard and sometimes move in order to get what the jobs they need. And the proposed welfare system under Sanders will only make this laziness worse.
3
@Ny Surgeon What's the point if you have to take on piles of debt to get the education in the first place? There's a reason that only around 1 in 3 adults in this country have a 4 year degree: it's not cheap. If you want to go past undergrad, prepare to saddle up tens or hundreds of thousands.
4
We need to stop this now. Everyone has a past. And things they've done in the past were not always pretty. It will be hard for some (many) to look beyond their non favorite candidate. But hard cannot be impossible when we consider the alternative. And the alternative - 4 more years of the moral failure of the current president and his enablers - is a bridge too far.
Vote blue no matter who.
2
Had Bernie been the Democratic candidate in 2016 we would not be having this conversation. It's not time to panic, it's time to organise and direct energies at shining lights on Trump's "achievements." He has fractured the nation, trashed its reputation around the world, imperilled economies around the world. C'mon Michelle. Get up for the fight!
6
Some say we get the government we deserve. If intransigent young voters shun any candidate but Bernie, they'll easily get Trump again. I shudder to think anyone "deserves" Trump, but the destruction he and his sycophants wreak on our democracy - not to mention the entire world - will be young people's problem going forward.
Let's all hope young voters come to their senses before it's too late for everyone.
2
@SFOYVR and old voters and female voters and black voters and Hispanic voters and ... it’s not just young people who may not have their ideal candidate to select against Trump (I know I won’t) in which case the alternative will be the same all the rest of us have
The only reason Trump is allowed to say and do what he does is because the U.S. Senate allows him to do so. Don't be fooled, they are not afraid of him; they get something out of it and have finally shown who they really are...not cowards but corporate hacks.
Democratic Primary wasn't a chaos, media would like you to think so, but it worked and recounting and making sure everything is right is a good thing, unlike flipping digital votes and allowing voting machines to go down for a hour so it can't be tracked is another which happens all the time in Florida when a Republican thinks they are going to lose...check the stats.
Get Republicans out of the Senate and Trump won't be much of a problem...the focus is on the wrong target. Get rid of the weeds and tangle vines, then you can cure the diseased victim...the American government.
Bernie is the only one who can beat Trump; Democrats need to give up the rants of socialism...we believe in social nets, social justice, social togetherness, social beings and social goodness and public education. It is about us...
Elizabeth and Amy need to go back to fight to keep their seats in the Senate before they too are lost to Republicans and then it really won't matter who is president, because Mitch will remain in control. Motto: Deplete the Co=opted Republican Base
Really miss Al Franken..speaking truth to power is hard to do...few do it and many have suffered because of it...but in the end...the truth will will out.
2
"It’s been obvious for some time now that Biden is not nearly as vigorous as he once was. While he’s always been gaffe-prone, his speech has grown tentative and meandering in a way that engenders sympathy but also profound anxiety."
So, how does that list of supposed weaknesses in Biden compare with what we know about the current president?
1. Not nearly as vigorous as he once was? Check.
2. Gaffe-prone. Check.
3. Meandering speech. Check. (And for Trump we could add not just meandering and garbled but often slurred, as if he's on something (as when he pronounced "United States" as “Shtatesh.”
4. Meandering speech engenerders sympathy. Not so much in Trump's case.
5. Meandering speech engenders profound anxiety. Check.
Since Trump has, to a far greater extent, all the supposed weaknesses Michelle sees in Biden but (as Michelle says) in Biden's case they engender sympathy rather than alarm, maybe that makes Biden the perfect anti-Trump.
3
Actually it’s going to be Donald J Trump. This is based on my unscientific evaluation of the melt rate of a once relevant Democratic Party. The crazy’s have taken over the selection process, the normals will be sorry.
2
Harrowing chaos of the Democratic party has a silver lining. The torch of the centrist Democrats has been snatched out of the hands of Burisma Biden and passed on to mayor Butti. So the Democratic primary is going to be crystal clear from now on, the fight to keep the torch is between socialist Bernie propped up by the squad and his supporters versus the centrist Butti supported by the establishment.
The loss of Biden is simply a Biden blow out that can never resurrect his chance again. He should gracefully drop out. The party that is big on identity politics will already be failing by its inability to nominate an African American, or a Hispanic American or an Asian American or a non white or a woman. The Democratic party is sadly crumbling before our eyes with the battle of extreme ideology versus the moderate one. For the first time I partially agree with Michelle Goldberg. It is going to be Bernie of Bust for the Democratic party. American democracy will be fine the press and media should pick up the slack as it has for the past 3 years and continue to be the opposition but may be fine tune to make it constructive opposition.
3
I think Bernie has the momentum. And as mentioned, any last ditch attempt to sabotage his candidacy will be counter productive.
I just hope he can pivot a bit during the general election and avoid the most incendiary comments (eg. Rapists and murderers in prison should vote, the government will take away your health insurance). He is also will need the big bucks because Trump has more cash than God. Sorry, but he’ll have to accept Bloomberg’s cash.
And if he can get Michelle Obama on the ticket, I think we’re going to win.
Wow. The ageism. At least the Bernie bros can't attack Biden for his age. Bloomberg goes both ways, and Bernie isn't even a democrat.
1
If one stops paying attention to corporatist propaganda, one quickly becomes exhilarated rather than terrified by Sanders.
5
Then work hard for Elizabeth. She would make by far the best president. We've had one small state vote. It's early, but moving quickly. Get to work!
4
@Hannah Agree.
Sanders will not/cannot gain support of moderate rational Dems. Bloomberg/Butiegeig (if nothing else, I hope this election will teach me to spell his name) will not bring Sander/Warren people or African Americans out to vote. Klubacher may gain the nomination in a brokered election. But final decision is a Trump victory. Now if he cancels global entry in every state- then perhaps the Dems will come out in droves and defeat him.
1
Michelle, Iowa showed that Sanders is the top progressive candidate. He has the right energy, agenda, and fervent support to go against Trump. With Warren at his side, they're a winning ticket. If he continues to dominate, I hope they get it together and not split the vote 3-5 ways for a chaotic, brokered convention.
I like Warren, I think she had a chance in 2016 to win it all; I would have preferred her to Sanders then. But she didn't run, so Bernie did. He built an amazing movement and is responsible for 3/4 of the awesome women warrior "squad" running and getting into congress. He deserves the nomination and has the broadened support to win this time, and to win big against Trump. There is a Trump/Bernie overlap of 10-20%, this is something NYT readers and people in coastal city bubbles are not in touch with. The S word is not a bad word to everyone, 70% of Americans support or are open to Medicare for all, something FDR wanted to accomplish.
With Bloomberg as the Democratic nominee, we would have 2 authoritarian billionaires, a Republican and a fascist who bought their way into politics to choose from. Where does that put our 2 party "democratic" system? Center right and far right/scary. And I fear the fascist would win, because yes, the Bernie or bust folks may not vote for any billionaire.
I am a solid Bernie supporter, but would gladly vote for Warren if she were to be the nominee. Just don't think it'll happen so hope they team up soon. Sanders/Warren 2020!
2
What all people should be concerned about is the turnout in 2020 was lower than it was in 2016
4
Look folks, we'd better figure out how to get over the fear of change, and in a hurry.
The perpetual nudge toward centrism has allowed decades of inaction on all fronts of society. And because the U.S. is overtly conservative (that's right, liberals...you're not as liberal as you think you are), centrism here is center-right, like it or not. Which means, the status quo is going nowhere until that political idiosyncrasy shifts. That's exactly what makes Cult TrumPutin the laughing stock of the entire world. While the Fraud-in-Chief fools some of the people all of the time, he has done—and will do—NOTHING to upset said status quo.
While the "middle way" may be a prudent spiritual axiom, it's unflinching as far as tangible change is concerned. Though I supported the last President, this is where he, too, failed to make much of a mark beyond a campaign slogan.
1
Mass public gaslighting is when powerful people warn us that paid sick leave, affordable healthcare, living wages, and a healthy environment are “pipe dreams” when they themselves already have these things.
9
What the Democratic Party establishment and the raft of political pundits don't get is that Trump was elected as the anti-establishment candidate. The stink on Trump - noxious as it was - was more tolerable to swing voters than the stink on other GOP wannabes or ultimately on Hilary Clinton. That anti-establishment electoral block was denied a choice between Trump and the other anti-establishment candidate Sanders by the intervention of the party executive. If once again through insider manipulation the electorate is denied that choice, then of course Trump is guaranteed a second term.
When Biden's campaign collapses for lack of spark, the Clintonites will look to Buttigieg to pick up the banner for the dominant moderate wing. A fresh face minority with underdog appeal, Buttigieg is acceptable to the wealthy and powerful who count themselves as Democrats; and unfortunately that's the rub.
Sanders, who relies on donations from the little guy and rejects all offers from the one-percenters, correctly points out that Buttigieg would be incapable of bringing fundamental reform to a system held hostage by the rich. He is already beholding to them.
Indeed it is rare in the modern political era - given the enormous financial ante required of prospective candidates to compete - that such a direct, honest, humble, determined and yes even inspiring challenger comes along who is not already in someone's pocket. Sanders vs Trump would be the ultimate test of good vs evil.
4
Thoughtful analysis. This election is the most worrisome in my long lifetime. The Republicans are united while the Democrats are “untied” . The R’s have their 4 issues. We are all over the place because we are a loose coalition of diverse issues. We need stronger party leadership? We have/had too many candidates & I agree that pushing Biden to run knocked out good people like Sherrod Brown & Michael Bennett who could have had broad voter support. They are not polarizing figures.
Bernie is for real & has some great ideas but with the economy so strong, democratic socialism is a tough sell. Here’s the thing. I’d vote for a tree stump over Donald Trump, the Pied Piper of Malice. Yes, I have my preferred candidate, but WE MUST WIN or we get nothing we want & more of what we fear & despise. Think of the Judiciary & Congress. We have to vote blue no matter who from the top to the bottom of the ticket. No throwaway votes. Your principles will be no comfort if we get 4 more years of Trump unleashed with his Republican enablers .
2
Every once in a while, we come to a realization that what we were hopeful of just won't happen and the next best alternative is acceptable.
And so it goes with the Dems. Whittling down to Bernie from a cast of bumper car candidates.
No I don't see Buttagieg going the distance. A silver tongue gave us one empty suit (Obama) and a mayor???? reaching for the brass ring? Never happen. So here's Bernie, somewhat of an enigma but truly full of passion, spit and vigor unlike the also rans.
His persistent and consistent ardor is admirable and makes one wonder whether he can pull it off. Stranger things have happened as we already know.
Maybe Bernie has earned that second look, maybe his ideas aren't off the mark as much as was told us. Our leadership has swung from one extreme to the next and we are still alive and kicking and doing well (I guess).
Maybe Bernie will write the next chapter.
5
I agree. Sanders is unelectable; an angry old man shouting at the world. Buttigieg is intelligent but inexperienced. Biden passe. But Warren may still come through the middle lane.
6
I hope not. I am terrified that the choice will be between Bernie and Pete. One or the other may win, but neither will be able to govern. You would have to be a fool to think that Bernie's plans would become reality even if he had a Democratic house and senate. Or that Pete's nonsense plans would happen. I am glad that Biden is shaking up his campaign so he can win. If not, I am going with Bloomberg. What good is a president who can't govern. Another Obama.
Why is voter-turnout in Iowa being compared to 2016 When Bernie ALSO ran?
1
The turn out in Iowa this year was about the same as it was before the last general election of 2016 - around 170,000. It is the comparison to 2008 when Obama and Clinton (and John Edwards) ran that is the measure - 240,000. That was a big turnout and Obama won and went on to win the general with a lot of new voters and crossover voters. The turnout level and the close results do not indicate to me that Sanders is binging in very many new or crossover voters - at least not yet.
Biden, Sanders, and Warren are in their 70's. The presidency is a very stressful job (for those who understand it) and stress is a killer.
I love Warren, but even she is too old.
Butigieg is too young, not in years, but in experience. And there are still people out there who vote for him and don't know he's married to another man. I think that's the media's fault.
Who can win? I bet it's Klobuchar. She's getting my vote so far.
4
@VinnieTheSnake
C cidadidae cricket upvotes muted to vote for whoever gets your vote and probably tends to represent the lack of an enthusiasm elsewhere in USA. Although, a very small statistical sample to derive any conclusions hesitation for the sake of extrapaltion. Anything can happen.
@VinnieTheSnake
C cicadidae cricket upvotes muted to vote for whoever gets your vote and probably tends to represent the lack of an enthusiasm elsewhere in USA. Although, a very small statistical sample to derive any conclusions hesitation for the sake of extrapaltion. Anything can happen.
1
An untold story of our political history is a Democratic Party once the party of Labor was bought, by the moderate and liberal members of the once Grand Old Party, after billionaires teamed up with religious fanatics or hypochristians. Whose hypocrisy was on display yesterday clapping for the Orange Stain.
Corporate Democrats marginalized labor & ignored the policy legacy’s of FDR & LBJ. The party takes Union Volunteers for granted & people of color, particularly African Americans.
The legal corruption of campaign finance ruled. The needs of the actual people of this country, ignored by the neoliberal agenda. Obama bailed out Wall Street while millions lost their homes to predatory bankers pushing dangerous loans.
Bernie Sanders is a New Deal Democrat, remember FDR? To me Bernie is the traditional or real Democrat in the field.
Phony Joe sold out decades ago & has a terrible record. When a corporate criminal opioid drug pusher Purdue can avoid accountability in bankruptcy. While we humans can’t discharge credit card debt or student loan debt because of the Senator from MBNA
A career criminal, TV game show host, whinny, demagogue had tobe stopped.
Bernie explains America has lots of socialism. It’s just focused on the corporations & billionaires, instead of actual people in need. The media lies constantly about Democratic Socialism in USA. What’s scary about government in the public interest not the interests of the wealthy & corporations?
1
@Bob
USA does have a lot of socialism. For example, DOD is exactly that for enlisted staff as well as corporate welfare scheme combination. Medicare, Medicaid, social security, snap aka "food stamps" highways, dilapidated public transit should not be considered welfare though because using it outside of NYC is more of a torture scheme to endure by those who either can't or choose to refrain from driving automobiles for mobility.
Money is the same as water, place excessive obstacles to deploy it or taxation on profit into confiscatory category and then see based on free floating FX market provisions without capital control to transfer wealth abroad except real estate to get people "stuck here". It is the fact. This is a very complicated theme to optimize business climate and simultaneously prevent businesses from fleeing "exceptional" country.
By the way, taxing corporations instead of individuals does enable Inc to transfer cost of business to consumers and Europeans can attest to such facts.
Once again, Michelle speaks for me. I'm so grateful that her clear-headed, sane rational voice has a platform to be widely heard amid all of the blather we're forced to suffer through every day. She expresses my views -- and validates them -- with every column.
1
I share Michelle's worry...especially since very recently, Bernie didn't have the sway to move a single payer health program proposal over the finish line in his beloved Vermont.
2
You get the feeling that Sanders supporters would rather blow things up than compromise.
5
It'll be OK. After Bernie gets elected the first 100 days will be too much excitment for his poor old heart and he will resign for health reasons leaving Vice President Klobacher in charge and all is well.
5
Bernie Sanders, a man in his late seventies, who recently had a heart attack, a man who is a registered Independent with a temporary D in front of his name for convenience, a man who has served in congress for 30+ years with no record of passing any major legislation is now the front runner to beat Trump???
PLEASE, think about this.
6
Bernie and Elizabeth are the only two candidates running who may be able to bring back democracy to the USA. Let's face it. We've got corporate Democrats otherwise or the autocrat.
4
@Terry Garrett May I remind you FDR and John Kennedy would fit into your category of autocrat. I don't have a problem with Mike Bloomberg. Being wealthy shouldn't disqualify you from holding public office. I am more interested in the policies he support than his bank balance.
Bernie Sanders couldn't be elected dog catcher unless it was on the West Coast or New England. And that isn't enough electoral votes to come close to winning the presidency.
Elizabeth Warren is a light weight. Her policies are a mile-wide and an inch deep.
1
@C.G. Oh, that's right! Let's knock true democrats in favor of plutocrats. I suppose you'd like Steyer to run on the ticked as V.P. Thanks, again, for giving me the Corporate America line.
1
There is no safety. Deal with it.
You would be feeling this way no matter who the candidates were. In elections past, you’d root for the Democrat to win, but you could tell yourself that if he lost (it was always a he) life would go on more or less as it always had. Democrats and Republicans weren’t *that* different from one another. America was a middle-of-the-road kind of place and the right lane versus the left didn’t make so much difference.
Trump ended that. Or, more accurately, the Republican Party ended its decades-long centrist charade by nominating Trump. If we Democrats lose in 2020, the result will be disaster. That’s scary. Unfortunately the Democratic candidate who can allay those fears by guaranteeing victory does not exist.
Here’s an idea: If Sanders or whoever the nominee turns out to be makes you nervous, don’t write those feelings down in a newspaper column, channel them into action. Donate money to the candidate’s campaign. Volunteer. Register voters. Knock on doors. And if you have to write something make your message Vote! Vote! Vote!
5
Just take a breath for crying out loud. One primary/caucus does not a nominee make. The hysteria erupting based on the Iowa results worry me almost as much as the Bernie or bust ideologues. We will now see the character of the assumed front runners now that Mayor Pete has shaken up the establishment. Will Bernie, Elizabeth and Joe better sell their plans or will they attack Pete’s character? Want more votes? Sell your position more effectively. Run your campaign smarter.
3
How strange, for a columnist espousing leftist positions for three and a half years, in a political party that has 50% support for the far-left (Sanders + Warren + Castro + Beto + others), to be upset when that party is heading toward nominating a leftist in the person of Sanders.
4
@Snowball
The journalist is looking at this from a general election perspective. Trump IS going to run the socialism trope and it will resonate with people who are happy with their bank accounts.
We are not a well educated population. The tropes will get traction. As will the fake news.
How will Bernie fight that narrative enough to win? Exactly how many people are coming out to make up for suburban moderates turned off to Bernie? We should try to answer those questions given Bernie is going to be the nominee.
1
@Practical Thoughts, Goldberg has been espousing the left for years. To do a utilitarian about-face now is ironic as all get out. Is she just now thinking about how the left would play in a general election? If so, scary.
4
@Practical Thoughts
Yes, they will get traction. Like the recent Axios poll that showed 40% of Americans would prefer to live in a more socialist country, and 55% of women 18-54 would prefer that.
I hate articles like this that foster panic and division when we should be marveling at the fact that we still have a democratic process. Sure it's messy, but we still have a voice. Let the process play out. And for God's sake, keep reminding people that any of the candidates would be a far better president than what we have now.
284
@John
I agree. Michelle should address the rest of the press, if anything, who began to bay like hounds around Elizabeth Warren, the minute she acknowledged there was a cost to Medicare for all, so much so that she seemed to abandon the centrality of her earlier thesis, i.e., that nobody likes their insurance company, or the cost and bureaucracy of the insurance industry, and that the net cost to taxpayers of a Medicare type system would be less. The fact that Elizabeth Warren has been, or might still be, your favorite candidate, doesn’t mean Bernie isn’t winning right now. Acknowledge the reality and stay flexible about who you could support as the nominee. Elizabeth might already have been killed off by the press. Let’s not kill off any more worthy contenders.
21
@John Yes, but only if they can win!
3
Couldn’t agree more.
6
The main problem with Bernie Sanders is not whether he will win or not. The problem is that if he does win, he will be the worst president in modern times. Hillary Clinton's comments about him are barbed, but true. He's not even a Democrat!
Bernie Sanders is running in the Democratic party primaries, but his party affiliation is still Independent. Calling him a democratic socialist means nothing. The fact that he is not a communist socialist (it's communist or democrat, socialist or capitalist) simply reflects the fact that he is running for office in a democratic country. He's still a socialist.
And America is not a socialist country. It never will be. A socialist president will be as quixotic as Don Quixote, tilting at windmills to slay imaginary giants while ignoring the real problems the country faces. Socialism has never, ever worked. Someone like Bernie Sanders will be no exception.
7
@John Smithson It has never worked? Other countries (say, Canada or Britain) don't have healthcare and easier access to education? Finland? Yeah, no way this stuff could ever work.
Sanders brings back memories of McGovern. Who by the way was my first VOTE ever - and I have ONLY voted for DEMS since that humiliating experience.
So now we have a self proclaimed Socialist running a dodgy campaign against his Democratic opponents. But wait its gets better: an Independent Socialist pitting himself vs. a strong economy [with no real attention to the Middle Class.]
Spoiler Alert: all that FREE stuff ain't happening no matter how much he yells about it.
Bloomberg or Bust!
10
Not a single mention of Amy Klobuchar. Progressive strong Med Western woman and the MSM seems to ignore her like she doesn't exist.
Biden's run was a huge huge mistake and most would have said so much earlier but for Trump's attack.
It's not too late to get rational. But to run a Democratic Socialist of any kind at this time will be a great mistake especially down ballot where Bernie will not get any support for our best candidates.
5
Democrats have always been the 2nd best US party of big business. Since Reagan, they haven't even been the party of FDR. Under Clinton, they created the basis for what should be a Centrist Party drawing in drowning Republicans opposed to Tea Party wing nut-ism united behind a policy array that succors the middle class, beats down hard on “crime” (read: young minority males) , and relies on a lightly regulated market to keep capitalism on the rails. But the rise in inequality, mass incarceration, and hopelessness belie the efficacy of this approach. Warren is likely the best and last hope for a left-center reform effort within our current 2 party system. But what is Bernie but a logical alternative to the same old stuff that continues to be ineffective? The Dems days are numbered, though not as much as the post Trump GOP. Both will fall apart under the weight of their competing ideologies, corruption, parasitism, and craving for power. And that might not be a bad thing assuming our institutions and rights can survive the threat posed by the current, weaponized GOP.
No one seems to be discussing Mayor Pete as a serious contender. Didn't he more or less tie Bernie in Iowa?
4
@Carol Kotchek I'd guess it's because he has near zero support among African American voters, a huge part of a Dem coalition. We will see what shakes out in SC.
Hope you're avoiding the snow in Louisville.
Reading a lot of these pro-Bernie comments vis a vis Michelle's analysis is frustrating.
Bernie supporters are conflating politics with position. The fact is, Bernie is the absolute worst vehicle for the progressive message in a general election. He's a socialist. He honeymooned in Russia. He called the Iranian hostages CIA stooges. And so on. The attack ads write themselves.
And young people don't vote. That's why the Iowa caucuses were meh in terms of attendance.
Finally, Bernie will push the suburban coalition built in 2018 to Trump thereby endangering the House and giving state elections to the GOP in a year of redistricting. Bernie will be an epic drag on the ticket, win or no.
So, yes, Michelle is right that Bernie is a huge risk. Unlike his supporters, I'll vote Democratic this fall regardless.
4
I'm Jewish, and I would love to one day see a Jewish person in the White House. Do you really think the American public is ready to elect a Jew? Usually, the winning ticket is just about as Protestant as the voters can possibly make it. Also, this particular Jewish person is a Socialist. Americans, at least in the past, have been kind of squeamish about Socialism. In an economic boom, Socialism is an especially hard sell. If the Democrats put Sanders at the head of the ticket, they will have to live with four more years of President Trump.
3
Bernie and Trump collectively are the revenge of the dispossessed on a system that's failed them.
Trump rose in response to a complacent (and bipartisan) pseudo-meritocratic elite class that showed a mix of disinterest in and contempt for everyone outside their bubble. (Note: I'm in that bubble.) He loved the (white) poorly educated; they loved him back, bigly. He had the good fortune of running against some perfect tribunes of that elite: the tired Jeb!, the oleaginous Cruz, and of course a general election component in H. Clinton who bore the baggage of 25 years of negative attention. Add in misogyny, media that covered him as a spectacle, foreign interference, and the Electoral College, and "we" put into office a man who literally doesn't understand America as the Founders created it, and could not care less.
Now comes Bernie, who in some ways ran a Trump-ish primary campaign against Hillary. If you're under 40, have you seen *anything* in your adult life to suggest this system of sloppy semi-democracy and poorly regulated market/crony capitalism has redeeming qualities? I'm over 40, so I know more than 9/11, the Iraq War, the Great Recession, and the Trump election. But I can't blame the Y and Z cohorts one bit for wanting to burn it all down. And between the hard-left Sandersites and the ethno-state Trump fanatics, it seems like they will.
I read the writing on the wall. I’m voting for Bloomberg. I think he’s the only candidate who can beat Trump.
6
I live in the heart of the liberal Silicon Valley. I just got my Democratic primary mail-in ballot. I am tempted to write in “Anybody but Bernie” and to add a postscript: “Don’t make me vote for Trump”. Because I will if Sanders is the nominee. And you will be surprised how many suburbanites, immigrants (especially from Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia), and techies will do the same. Bernie is not a social democrat or an FDR clone. He is a socialist. If you don’t know what it means, read some books. It’s not about Social Security or better trains. It is about the state’s ownership of the economy. Bernie’s dream is not Norway. It is the USSR. When I talk to people in my community, they understand it and they share Ms. Goldberg’s horror at the situation in which they will have to choose between a con-man and an ideologue. Many will choose the con-man, because they know the damage the ideologue can wreak on this country. I know I will.
4
@Mor
I can’t (or won’t) attempt to rebut many of your arguments (frankly, I share many of your concerns). Nonetheless, I will vote for the eventual Democratic candidate (even Bernie Sanders) over Trump, and I urge you to do the same.
5
@Mor I also find it interesting that you define the left's terms for them. His platform is quite literally better healthcare and free education. It isn't state ownership of the economy. There are many, many strains of left-wing thought. Keep reading and familiarize yourself with what we actually stand for.
2
@Ryan I am on the left. Socialism is not the left; it is totalitarianism. And I don’t have to define anything: Karl Marx, Hanna Arendt and George Orwell have done it for me. How about you read their writings? As for Bernie’s record and his platform: Thomas Edsall in his recent column has done a good job of summarizing both. Check it out.
Establishment Democrats had eight years with Obama, to come up with a worthy successor, and instead mindlessly lined up behind the worst possible successor.
They've had three years to own up to this blunder and have instead built mountains of evasions, excuses and distractions to deny it.
It is not Bernie or Bust.
It is bust, therefore Bernie, to pick up the pieces.
2
I wish Bernie would stop talking about the minute details of a healthcare plan and student loan forgiveness that the courts won't allow, and instead promise to hold the Republicans responsible. Warren wants to create a Justice Dept task force to investigate Trump administration corruption and that's exactly what's needed! Everything else is just whistling past the graveyard
1
I'm tired of the desperation and the dithering of the liberal pundits and anxious centrists in the Democratic party.
Forget the polls and the repetitive so-called insights about who's the best (and worst) candidate to face Trump in November. Most of the "expert" analysis and polling in 2016 were dead wrong.
Each one of the Democratic candidates now seemingly viable in the race is infinitely better than the corrupt, petty, self-serving, unteachable embarrassment we now have in the White House.
Let the process, however laborious and flawed, work itself out.
Don't be so cowed by the immediate disappointing fallout from the failure to remove Trump via impeachment.
2
Health care reform and the wealthy paying their fair share?
Oh the horror of a Sanders Presidency
3
Why aren't Democrats prepared to vote strategically? You know, shelve personal favourites and take a hard look at who can beat Trump. In a future election you can vote for your favourite. It's not going to work right now.
(A few years back Toronto had Rob Ford as its slightly unhinged mayor and people were desperate to get rid of him. In a varied field of candidates one man stood out because nobody really liked him. Somehow everyone came together on voting for him and he won. Everything has been plain sailing ever since.) Please let your head govern your heart.
2
The dire scenario you paint is the result of the Democrats' delusional distractions over the past 3+ years, trying in vain to jettison Trump. Instead of focusing on finding and promoting a candidate who could actually assure that he leaves office in 2021.
Now, as you describe it will likely not happen. Biden was never electable, again delusional DNC leaders.
The only hope is Mike Bloomberg. He is smart, accomplished and tough enough to beat Trump.
2
Elizabeth Warren is little different from Bernie Sanders. You are not going to get swing voters behind her anymore than Bernie. Hate to say it but the best chance to beat Trump is Bloomberg. A real billionaire. Trump is terrified of Bloomberg. He is afraid of Biden. He wants to run against Bernie or Elizabeth. There is a reason.
5
I wholeheartedly agree that the Democrats are a mess this year. I think the best option really is Donald Trump. You may not like his style but he gets the job done and in spectacular fashion I might add. My 401k is fatter, our borders are more secure, our military is stronger, we finally filled a vacancies of judges to the bench. What's not to like?
2
The statement that the majority of the country never got behind the current man in office is suspect. I think if they did not in 2016, they have now, polls notwithstanding. The people love him.
The Democratic mistakes in the Iowa polling are nothing. I don’t think the Dems ever had a chance. The man is a superstar. You can’t defeat a superstar if you are an ordinary politician. Don’t blame the Democrats if he is re-elected. It’s the country. It’s Fox, Limbaugh, ignorance, and disinformation. The left in this country needs to rethink everything. We have to look beyond the coming defeat in 2020. We have to develop a message people want to hear.
The message is jobs. Jobs that pay. That is the key. Forget health care, climate change, immigration, welfare, abortion, racial issues and women’s rights. Make the platform one thing. JOBS THAT PAY. If people vote for Dems, they should know they are voting for jobs that pay, that give you a living. It took the Republicans from the Powell memorandum in 1971 or whenever to now to seize all the power for the wealthy. They have essentially accomplished it. The only way to get it back is by providing JOBS.
How to provide jobs? We have jobs. They don’t pay. Make the plutocrats pay a decent salary. Bezos makes $100,000 a minute. To pay a decent wage to his workers would cost him little. That’s the message. JOBS THAT PAY.
2
@Mr. Little Trump isn't a superstar; he's a brilliant street fighter. Apropos his policies, the growth you're seeing now is an outgrowth of the Obama economy which, according to financial experts, could peter out later this year. (There is little liquidity in the market.) They were saying this before the coronavirus struck and the threat of China's implosion jolted the markets.
Trump only wins because he's surrounded by sycophants and corrupt mob-like others who cover for him. His followers are soured on the world and he gives them voice.Trump's an aberration. Meanwhile, the poor Democrats are practicing democracy in all its wonderful messiness. In the end, it will be Bloomberg who vanquishes Trump.
1
I live in Vermont and I too am terrified of Sanders and the group of young zealots who follow him. He'd be a terrible general election candidate, and he comes in with serious health questions as well as carrying the mantle of socialism which will be widely rejected by those who inhabit the sensible middle of the political spectrum. If you want a leftist candidate, Elizabeth Warren might claim more centrist voters than Sanders although both she and Sanders poll low among black voters. The only good thing about a Sanders loss is that a lot of us will be happily rid of him and the self-righteous ideologues who support him. Still, having watched him, I'm sure he'll be back in 2024 at the age of 82 and still making promises he can't keep.
4
What is it that the Dems dislike about Trump.
Is it that over half of the jobs created during his term went to women, or is it that the unemployment rate of minorities is at an all time low, or is is it that for the over 50% of Americans who own stock that the all time highs of the stock market have increased the worth of their 401KS and IRAS, or is it that we are not fighting a major war, or just what is it?
51
@RD What is it that Democrats dislike about Trump? We dislike that he lies about everything, undermines Democracy on many levels, vilifies good people on a daily basis who disagree with him in good faith, cheats to win and so, so much more. We despise more or less everything about him, including that he exploded the deficit with tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the super-rich. FYI, I think it's 45 percent who have stock, but, again, stock is vastly concentrated in the hands of the rich even if some middle-class people own a little.
148
@Jeffrey Hartman I believe the exact statistic is that the bottom 80% of Americans own only 8% of the stock. The market isn't helping a whole lot of us.
88
@RD I don't like him because he's a liar and a cheat who seems to have no sense of morality or regard for anyone except himself. He has promoted and enforced policies that hurt vulnerable, innocent people and that help people who are wealthy and powerful become more so. He discourages any ideas different from his own, and demeans people different from him. And I don't own stock. I'm a retired Special Ed teacher. There are some things more important to me than money.
131
Why oh why are writing off Pete Buttigieg simply because, to date minorities aren't enthusiastic about him? After all he is the guy who won in Iowa, and came from nowhere to do it. This should tell you something. Perhaps he's the young, charismatic centrist, unifying candidate we've been hoping to find. And support from Blacks etc. will come soon enough, especially if he is wise enough to select a person of color (Cory Booker?) as a running mate. I'm growing more and more convinced every day that Mayor Pete is the real deal and has a genuine chance to beat Trump where none of the others do.
4
Good work, corporatist neoliberals who are responsible for bringing at least half the country to its knees! Look at how effectively your messaging is taking! Well done, you! As the billionaires are falling over themselves to support him, they clearly think he’s the best investment.
1
Don't be afraid. Here's a little secret that the Bernie Bros don't want you to know. Bernie is actually far more practical and pragmatic than you think. His entire record shows that. He voted for the ACA even though he didn't think it went far enough. Read Matthew Yglesias's article in Vox for a better understanding of why Bernie's rhetoric is necessary to allow for the compromises that Bernie knows full well will need to be made in order to progress further.
It's not scary at all. Don't be afraid.
5
What if Bernie loses? Not just 4 more years of Trump, but effectively dismissing all of Bernie's ideas as too extreme to even beat Trump.
It gets worse. The young people who support Bernie, after seeing Turmp elected twice, resolve to never vote again, seeing it as pointless. I voted for McGovern so I know how this can happen.
5
Did you vote for Hillary? Because I did and it taught me that sometimes running a centrist can be a bad idea too. Truth is, we don’t know who will be the best candidate so we have to go with our hearts. For me, that candidate is Sanders.
4
Why NOT consider Bloomberg? I am serious and frankly have just now started thinking about this myself, and I am hearing it from others. His policies are really pretty progressive, once you get over the fact that he is a self-made billionaire (I am over it) and the fact that he can basically self-finance his run for the presidency is a serious plus, given those policies. So the concept is this: Bloomberg pays for his election costs and that frees up hundreds of millions of dollars from all of us donors to fuel Senate and House candidates so that the Republicans become the minority party and we can actually accomplish things that matter.
7
Agree. At least by using his own money Bloomberg is not beholden to other billionaires and fat cat donors. He is actually bought by no no one, no special interests.
And while billionaire bashing is very popular, let’s not forget that he’s one of the ones who is very big into philanthropy.
2
@Stephen "So the concept is this: Bloomberg pays for his election costs and that frees up hundreds of millions of dollars from all of us donors to fuel Senate and House candidates so that the Republicans become the minority party and we can actually accomplish things that matter."
Stop right there. We don't pay a dime toward supporting any candidate that Bloomberg wants in power. HE pays those bills. He can invent some workaround to the campaign funding rules that lets him bankroll everything. He did it with the term limits in NYC, he did it with the DNC's debate qualification rules. He can do it with campaign financing. That way he can select exactly who he wants to execute his agenda on the ground, and we save stress and money. Win-win for everything except democracy.
Sanders is a poor choice, partly because he somehow or other graduated from the University of Chicago without knowing economics. I agree with him that health care and college should be more affordable than they are today. That said, I don't think they should be free. Sanders says everyone covered on everything with no copays. On medicine that means a flood of people, including me, on he most minor of things, and those who are seen are those who have time and inclination to stay in line. Aside from how all of this is paid for, there is the ethical question of making that free thus subsidizing driving of cars with gasoline engines, more flights by more of us in petroleum polluting jets airplanes, and all kinds of other environmentally degrading and health degrading uses of money, now available, as with the Bernie Sanders "plans", medicine and college were fully paid for by others.
John Keohane
like Bernie Sanders a graduate of the University of Chicago.
Unlike Sen. Sanders, one who learned something about economics.
5
Much is made of the " self made man" but the appellation is usually tied to financial wealth, rather than character or good works. Any Democrat will have an uphill battle against this corrupt administration whose leaders more and more resemble Iranian mullahs rather than protectors of democracy. If Bernie wins the nomination, but fails to wear the wreath, a victory of sorts will still have occurred: progressive ideals too long distorted and maligned will gain new legitimacy.
We are now in a situation that would not be that peculiar in Western Europe but which we find unsettling. Instead of having two parties, one broadly of the right and one broadly of the left, we now have (1) one party of the right (Republicans), (2) the center-left Democratic Party, and (3) the further/far-left (with some supporters verging into true command-and-control socialism) not-officially-organized Party of Bernie Sanders. In European parliamentary democracies we would see the Democrats and the Sanders Party haggling over details of policy and the distribution of ministerial seats to determine whether they could run as a coalition. Instead, Sanders has decided to attempt to take over the Democratic Party from within and turn it into a mirror of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Good luck with that.
The unfortunate fact exists that the neither section of the American Left (the Democratic Party or the Sanders Party) has enough numerical clout to win the presidency on its own. Polls suggest that large percentages of Sanders supporters (as many as 45 percent) will not vote for the Democratic nominee if it is not Sanders. So we are now in a three-way fight, with the unified right (Republican Party) out-numbering the left, which is fractured into two camps.
3
@Social Democrat This is one of the best descriptions of the situation I've read lately. Lucky us, we've got a far-left spoiler party too, just like Spain and Italy, oh goody. At this point I'm resigning myself to four more years of Cheetodom.
There are many Americans going bankrupt from medical bills and students debt. Also, many that, in spite of working many hours, can't afford a decent life. They will be very happy if Sanders wins.
3
Bernie is not a Democrat. If he is the candidate, he won't beat Trump. Even I could script the tv spots.
9
Most commenters here ignore Ms. Goldberg’s sentence explaining why the prospect of Sanders as the Democratic nominee terrifies her: “Still, with the survival of American democracy at stake, it seems like a wild gamble for Democrats to turn the fight against Trump into a referendum on Democratic socialism at a time when Americans’ personal economic satisfaction is at a record high.”
Ms. Goldberg isn’t terrified by Sanders’s policy positions, but by the “wild gamble” of nominating him now, given the political predicament we’re in.
5
If you lose the general election, it doesn't matter what your policies are. We'll get four more years of Trump: drilling in national parks, separating children at the border, making big cuts to Social Security and Medicare, passing new tax "cuts" to benefit the wealthy. And the ACA will be destroyed, most likely in the Supreme Court after the election. There won't be any replacement.
As another commenter said, take the castle first. Then redecorate the rooms. Policy only matters if you win.
9
This isn't the first hit-piece Michelle Goldberg has written on Joe Biden. She actually embodies the terrifying thing that Democrats must avoid- the bolstering of trump with these attacks against fellow Democrats. Biden, Sanders, Warren, or any of the candidates would be far better for our country and the world than trump. She is dead right about the carnage he has caused at DOJ and the Stage Department. He must be stopped by the Democrats in November. Any one of them.
5
It’s clear that the political grand coalitions no longer works in either party. There is a need for at least 3 and maybe even 4 parties that compete against each other and collaborate where they have alignment. Here’s what it should look like.
1. Christian Evangelical Party (CEP) - This would be a far right Conservative party with an agenda focused on traditional social issues, working class employment and a somewhat isolationist foreign and trade policy. This party would have white nationalist at its far reaches. Donald Trump, Pat Buchanan and George Wallace would own this space.
2. Democratic Socialist Party (D) - This Party would advocate many of Bernie Sanders and AOC policies. This party will push for radical reform and aggressive climate action. It would be a progressive party with elements of communism at its far reaches. Bernie Sanders, Dennis Kucinich.
3. Unity Party (UP) - This Party would be mostly made up of people who occupy the center right, center and center left. This group would for the most part be pragmatic. Mostly liberal on social issues, pro diversity and capitalist. Maintain institutions. They will continue an outward worldview and seek to cooperate. However, it will still have many of the economic policies that anger the left. Leadership would swing from a John Kasich type to a Barack Obama/ Bill Clinton type depending on the state of the country.
2
And what about a billionaire buying his way into the process. Oligarch or elite, or whatever, but this is just more of the same problem. Shame on the DNC for changing the rules, which by the way- Bloomberg has 1-2 campaign managers now on the Democratic rules committee.
None of the rest of the committee was informed about the rule change.
Perhaps you should use your platform to clarify what 'democratic socialism' is so that it loses its knee jerk reaction to those that don't understand what it means. We already have many programs that could be considered as fitting under that category. Free public schools, free libraries, free firefighting services anyone?
As this is the very same argument that Trump will use against Sanders.
And you are right- it would be disastrous if the Dem Party core acts to subvert the rising of Sanders if he becomes the nominee.
Also- Iowa is just one state. Let's hope the turnout becomes more vigorous in other states.
2
We elect people, not policies. the policy positions espoused by the democratic candidates are flat out irrelevant and don't predict what will happen should the democratic candidate win. We need to discuss the character and the track record of the candidatates. Most people I talk to are very committed to candidates they know virtually nothing about their character or their past actions.
1
Amazingly, nobody is talking about the influence of social media on the Democratic electorate. A few people are talking about Facebook being blanketed with pro-Trump lies.
The real threat to the Democrats is that there are YouTube channels which seem very committed to discouraging young people from voting if Sanders is not the candidate. They are tearing down Mayor Pete (not my preferred candidate at this time) mercilessly through a variety of stories and narratives.
Pod Save America sees this coming and made some stern warnings about the upcoming election on the latest pod with Dan and Jon. I'm struggling to see how we defeat Trump at this point.
2
Mr. Biden proclaimed in one of his town hall meetings. "American people know me". Whoever succumbs to such notion of know any person unless are personally acquainted with them are fooling themselves.
Yes. They do know Mr. Biden or so "presume" based on media cultivated image and perception in terms of attitude toward those high profile among the public known individuals. HRC has been also "known well" and yet on the level as a politician who shall govern saw being repelled during last season.Then she lamented "They would never let me be elected in USA" Who is "they" exactly has not bee answered because is too dark enough of a theme mentioned and blame isn't attributed to RU
Elections are not supposed to be excessively managed processes by 0.1% and yet this is how this scheme has been operating on auto-pilot unabated in USA.Thus, "aberrations" occur whether Trump or Sanders which aren't binary modules during this campaign. Vote for whomever Your wish is my motto.By the way, Bloomberg has an awful meme. "Mike will get it done" is prone to hilarious as well as preposterous besides him being serious about it "interpretation" based on campaign efforts indoctrination to layer upon it public sentiment. Having typed that, "Make America great again" is "quite something" to bestow vast lobotomy in droves to USA electorate because it is whatever people think it is in their subjective "realities" processing to warrant Trump campaign "accolades" during prior season to score presidency.
After initially favoring Amy Klobuchar (until story about how she abused her staff) and then Mayor Pete (calm almost to a fault), I gotta confess I watched Senator Sanders with an open mind on the CNN Town Hall the other night. I was impressed with his energy and his solid answers to some tricky questions. So yes, this 70-something middle-of-the-roader could enthusiastically support Bernie and his compassionate socialism if it comes to that.
Not to mention how much I'd enjoy watching Bernie call Trump a fraud to his face on the debate stage!
The Dem nomination process is not playing out at all as I'd expected, but I do envision that Barack Obama's enthusiastic support of the eventual nominee will go a long way toward undoing the damage.
Dems, do not despair!
4
Maybe we should be terrified of a fossil fuel funded autocracy and the climate crisis instead. Those are the real threats this country faces. I will get behind whoever wins the primary, but I hope it is Bernie or Liz. We've tried moderate, we've tried right and hard right and none of them have solved our gravest issues. Time to go bold and fearless and fight for our kids' futures. FDR: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." We need to find our courage and our fight and get in the ring.
4
Totally incredulousI Our fraying American Democracy, Trump & his flock have shown time and again, is fraying; the deep, deep crevices are evident. So, I'm keeping this simple: Bring on Bernie!
4
I, for one, think we should require a vow of poverty from our next presidential nominee. That way only Mayor Pete would qualify.
1
I had this feeling in 2016 that the primary process was really flawed. The fact that Bloomberg can cut in to the primary so late says how flawed everything is.
1st - A lot of people simply don't participate in the primary so a minority of people end up choosing the party's candidate.
2nd - A handful of states get to pick the candidate before most other states even get a chance. This distorts the choice for voters.
3rd - The entire process is so long and drawn out it really favors big $$$.
For every other type of election we have a primary on one -single- day. But for president we spread it out into over a dozen different primaries over several months? Again, it takes a lot of money to cover that spread.
We can end all the hand wringing if we CONSOLIDATE the process. I sure would like much shorter election seasons.
5
In 2016, I wanted nothing more than to have voted in the first female president. That did not come to pass. Now, my only goal is to turn Trump out of office. while I like many of the Democratic front runners, I do not think they can develop the campaign organization that is needed, right now, to defeat Trump. We need a candidate who has the smarts, experience and unlimited resources to building a top-notch far reaching campaign, once that can ward off Russian trolls through targeted and wide media operations. That person is Michael Bloomberg. I would not have, a few months ago, given him any thought, but I think he is the only one who can building the campaign needed. He doesn't have to spend time running around to fund raisers as do the other candidates. I see this as a positive for this election. I hope others who are against him will give another look at what he brings to the campaign, and not harp on his flaws. They all have flaws, but Trump must be defeated.
7
Nobody will need to rig anything. Between them Sanders and Warren have the "progressive" wing maxed out. Once all the "moderates" coalesce the survivor will have a clear majority, whether at a contested convention or not.
It's still early days. Iowa wasn't even a real election.
Here's the bottom line, no one can predict who will be most competitive in the general election. Trying to do that has been shown again and again to be folly.
I am a Bernie person, but if I really thought Biden could beat Trump, I would probably vote for Biden in the primary. But I truly can't predict that Biden will be more competitive v trump than Bernie, no one can.
Vote for your favorite candidate in the primary. I think for the average chump to try to figure out who will win the general is a mistake.
5
I guess I don't get it. As long as people vote for their own self interest -- and actually think about it, doing the math -- then there should be no reason to vote for tRump. However, if voters rely on hyperbole and name calling to make a decision, Sanders is toast, and Warren, too. Pete may not be able to overcome his lack of connection with Black voters, meaning he'll end up with too many staying home in MI, WI and PA. Same for the emerging southwest democrat voters.
I agree, Biden has lost a step.
But I'll remain hopeful that 2016 tRump voters, the sliver with a heart and soul will abandon him in 2020.
2
The terror that moderate publications like the NYT seem to feel about Bernie Sanders is almost laughable. He's the only candidate who fully embraces the cornerstones of progressivism wholeheartedly.
He is also the only candidate who will advocate on behalf of the Green New Deal, which is currently our best effort to fight climate change. Universal healthcare, government-subsidized education, and equality are all tenets of the progressive movement, but if we do not first address the climate catastrophe, none of the others might be attainable.
9
The NY Times and many throughout the media landscape seem to fear the potential nomination of Bernie Sanders. Readers and opinion columnists who dislike Trump should ask themselves if they believe there will be substantial change 5, 10 years from now if Biden or another true moderate is elected president. Money will still rule all; the disenfranchised will struggle. Only real change in economic policy will capture the attention and hearts of those who aren't avid readers of the Times and Washington Post (AKA Fox students) What Sanders and Warren are arguing for is a dramatic change in the way our government supports society. With our system, a moderate will not effect that kind of change. We truly need to try, just once, supporting a full throated attempt at helping those who are not thriving . Id guess that 1/3rd to 40% of Americans have major struggles due to our economic and healthcare system. We should take the risk of re-electing Trump to elect a true progressive that will change the country. Warren and Sanders are compassionate, honest, thoughtful, energetic , intelligent candidates. If not now, when?
5
No, it is Bernie and bust. The swing voters in the swing states, who will determine the outcome in the electoral college, will note vote for a Socialist. No polls suggest they will, although Sanders is likely to lead in the national popular vote, according to the current polls. Furthermore, a national ticket led by Sanders will hurt Democrats running for seats in the House and Senate.
If Sanders does not get the nomination, then some of those who voted for him in the primaries, are likely to vote for Trump to show how they feel about the mainstream Democratic Party, as they did in 2016. According to David Brooks, “Only 53 percent of Sanders voters say they will certainly support whoever is the Democratic nominee. This is no idle threat. In 2016, in Pennsylvania, 117,000 Sanders primary voters went for Trump in the general, and Trump won the state by 44,292 ballots. In Michigan, 48,000 Sanders voters went for Trump, and Trump won the state by 10,704. In Wisconsin, 51,300 Sanders voters went for Trump, and Trump won the state by 22,748. In short, Sanders voters helped elect Trump.”
3
Doesn't matter since Bloomberg will emerge from Super Tuesday as the candidate with the most delegates. At that point you are probably looking at a brokered convention. Think Bernie will win that?
3
@Renaldo Morocco
Wonderful, if he wins you will just have another Oligarch replacing the existing one. The worse problem is Bloomberg won't win because he is the least likeable of any of the candidates and the only reason why such a situation would exist is because he bribed the DNC with $300 MILLION to change the rules for him.
3
@Deus Since the Supreme court decided Citizens United you are only going to have the choice between Oligarchs and Oligarch funded candidates. 2020 is your welcome to the horror show!
For me, the choice is not Bernie or bust for American democracy, but Bernie and a partial bust for that democracy. This is a candidate whose sensitivity to human rights violations can be measured by his decision to spend his honeymoon in Russia at a time when the Soviet Union was suppressing any opposition parties and press and maintaining a gulag archipelago. His enthusiasm for forcing multiple sectors of the economy, such as health insurance and fossil fuels, to cease operations, ought to trouble anyone whose economic activities might meet with the Democrats' disapproval. So no, I don't like Bernie and I don't like Trump.
5
Sanders went to Russia a few weeks after Ronald Reagan spoke at Red Square on May 31st, where the staunch Republican icon declared that the Soviet Union was no longer an “evil empire” with Michael Gorbachev to his side.
A Republican colleague of Sanders organized the visit, which was in Sander’s official capacity as mayor. It was on the heels detente efforts by the US government, with Republicans controlling the senate. Essentially Sanders was implementing Republican foreign policy. The gulags has closed almost two decades before, in 1960.
He took his new wife along. Busy man.
I think US democracy is bust not because of any politician but because of an electorate susceptible to simpleton lies and intellectual laziness of the typical voter preventing them from hitting the search button on google and reading a couple of Wikipedia pages.
2
If a parent didn't imbue their child with a sense that they could achieve anything they set their heart and mind to, one might , correctly, second guess whether they have done everything they could as parents to help their child succeed. When the Democratic leadership tell us repeatedly to forget a candidate fighting about an agenda which includes universal healthcare, wage fairness, job protections, robust labor unions, affordable higher education, these things probably won't be achieved. To make something probable it has to first be viewed as possible. Bernie has not only doggedly personified a hopeful progressive vision for 40 years, he has been an incredibly effective politician with broad appeal. Let's remember that as congressman in Vermont he carrried conservative Essex County in rural Northeast Vermont handily over his Republican opponent, despite Bush carrying Essex Co by 15 points over Gore in 2000, and by 10 points over Kerry in 2004, because Bernie s message of economic justice resonated with voters. Bernie is not just a great policymaker, he is great politician.
4
I, too, fear a Bernie Sanders candidacy because I believe he would not get the votes needed to beat Trump - he's too far left for the majority of Americans. We need someone who is more center left and less bombastic - Michael Bloomberg would get my vote in a New York minute, no pun intended. He's a brilliant businessman and was a highly successful mayor. I hope he hasn't joined the race too late.
10
@Sheila Dropkin
Highly successful mayor? So you want to replace an Oligarch with another one? Yep, Bloomberg will certainly solve all of the problems that got Trump elected in the first place, yeah right.
1
American democracy has spectacularly triumphed in the face of Deep State and Democrat efforts to subvert it. Donald Trump is the heavyweight champion of American democracy. He will go on to prove it again in November, by a landslide. This may be the end of the Democratic Party, not American democracy. The people have spoken.
@Tony Wicher 10 million people more voted for someone other than Trump. 3 million people more voted for Clinton over Trump. In 2018 more democrats won House seats than in any other time in history, even in deep red Trump country. The people have spoken and we will speak again in 2020 since you have obviously not heard us.
What are you terrified about?
Bernie wants to help the underprivileged people by shrinking inequality and preventing big money from buying political favors. He wants to end the endless wars and shrink the military complex, by doing so creating tens of billions of dollars to help fund healthcare for everyone. He wants to help the racial minorities by fixing the criminal justice system. He can be trusted. He has the track record to prove it.
7
The media are making too much of Democratic "chaos". What's actually happening is that the candidates the media wanted to win are not winning. Biden is way behind, Warren is lackluster and even Sanders is not nearly as strong as the media would have you believe. All of this is hype. Do not listen to the noise. The media establishment actually wants Trump to win (increased profits from a reality TV presidency). They are all beginning to fall in line, attacking Democrats and repeating Trump's lies. Just yesterday on MSNBC (supposedly some kind of left-wing network), I saw one of the hosts smiling and saying that Trump's approval is now higher than ever before (completely untrue), and then she brought in somebody to comment from the Washington Examiner (a totally biased right-wing outlet that now features regularly on MSNBC).
Fortunately, there is a young, articulate and extremely intelligent Democratic candidate who is actually winning and who will wipe the floor with Trump at the debates. He is also likely to give a hard time to those who nowadays call themselves journalists. His name is Pete Buttigieg and, yes, he will win in New Hampshire too. The process of elimination brought me to him months ago and I flatter myself that I have correctly predicted several presidential cycles in the past (including Trump). I'm glad that others are seeing the light now too.
@The Hawk
Yes. Buttigieg's name was on the $40,000 check that was involved in the software debacle in Iowa.
1
@The Hawk
The 'mayor' of a city of 100,000 people. More people live on my block than the city he was the mayor of. But he sure is the darling of foreign lobbies.
@The Hawk you really think Trump will do a debate again? I highly doubt it.
If you look at the results in 2016 - Bernie received 49% of the vote in Iowa. This time about 26%. Yes, there are more viable candidates this time around - but still, he last nearly half his support.
Oddly - this dramatic fall has not been discussed in the media. I suspect that Bernie is far less popular this time - and that a moderate candidate will emerge to win the nomination. There are 4 solid moderates to choose from - including "little Mike" - Mayor Pete - Amy - and "Sleepy" Joe. The winner will come from one of these 4.
1
@Randy
Not an apples-to-apples comparison. His opponent last time was Hillary Clinton, who was widely hated for various reasons. Elizabeth Warren, who has a similar platform to Bernie's, was not in the running. That matters.
1
The hand-wringing by so-called "centrist" Democrats has very little to do with fearing that Bernie may lose. Au contraire, they're terrified he may win. In their (real) eyes, that would be a catastrophe because his agenda, his vision, would put a damper on the wholesale corruption that permeates both parties' establishments.
"Transfers of money" from corporate-controlled thing tanks, PACs, lobbying firms, corporations, Wall Street, the MIC, etc., into the pockets of "consultants" and politicians would be severely curtailed or threatened under a Bernie presidency.
In fact, let me use a great quote by Chris Hedges to illuminate this point:
"The Death of the Liberal Class examines the failure of the liberal class to confront the rise of the corporate state and the consequences of a liberalism that has become profoundly bankrupted. Hedges argues there are five pillars of the liberal establishment – the press, liberal religious institutions, labor unions, universities and the Democratic Party— and that each of these institutions, more concerned with status and privilege than justice and progress, sold out the constituents they represented. In doing so, the liberal class has become irrelevant to society at large and ultimately the corporate power elite they once served."
4
Luis Mendoza,
I completely disagree with you. Most people I know ( including me) are not capitalist pigs or oligarch friendly. In fact, they agree with most of Bernie’s ultimate goals. We just know that, once people realize that Bernie aims to take away their healthcare and replace it with something they haven’t seen work yet, they will not vote for him, period.
Look what happened to Warren’s numbers when people figured out her almost identical healthcare plan. I will vote for any Democrat against Trump, but I don’t want it to be a suicide mission. Plus, Bernie, for all his idealism, is just another angry, very old white man. I am far more concerned with the candidate’s temperament and electability than I am about their wealth.
Some people call it chaos. I call it a very large selection of views, vices and opinions. But we actually do have intelligent well reasoned discussions within the democratic party. They range from conservative to very liberal. American people have a VOICE within the Democratic party. The average republican does not have a voice in just about everything in the republican party. They are like lemmings. And that cliff is rapidly getting closer and closer to them. Discussion is what this country has needed for a VERY long time. Unfortunately the republicans do not believe in the peoples voice. They are central planners and do not care what people think. To save democracy and truth, we need to discuss and respect other people. Hubris is what destroyed the Roman Empire, it lasted maybe 500 yerars. Hubris is how the republican party America is destroying America. And if their goal is to totally changing the face of democracy in America, they are doing a good job. I for one will not permit any of my republican friends forget this.
1
Even if Sanders were to beat Trump because of Never Trumpers voting only against Donald you would never have enough seats in the House or Senate to get anything done. At least with Trump you get results.
@RS With Trump we get results? Yeah, horrendous results that the majority of this country do not want.
1
The chaos that you are bemoaning is simply the "chickens coming home to roost". 50+ years of playing Santa Claus to their supporters, practicing identity politics, tolerating and protecting corrupt politicians, and putting feelings over logic has landed the Democratic Party where they are today.
Add 3+ years of sedition and it appears that justice may finally be delivered upon the Democratic party in November. And if you think Bloomberg is going to save the day, good luck. His most visible accomplishments as mayor of NYC were his banning 32 oz soft drinks and his earning a reputation as being anti-gun.
Bottom line: The Democratic Party's day of reckoning is coming. The only question is whether Pelosi's shenanigans with tearing up trump speech will cost Democrats the House in November.
3
@Stanz Democrats got more votes than Trump in 2016 and even more in 2018 when they won the House. Now they will win the Senate and Presidency because Trump and the GOP have been awful for the country at large. Bottom line: GOP better polish up their resumes. People have had it with them.
Michelle, I also support Warren. And like many others, I will vote for whichever candidate becomes the Democratic nominee.
What worries me most about Bernie as the standard bearer is what the media and the Democratic establishment will do to diminish his candidacy. Talk about riding a wounded horse!
Alas, the wounds will have been inflicted not only by Republicans, but by the candidate's own party and the so-called liberal media.
You're one of my favorite columnists, and I'm asking you now, as nicely as I can, please stop with the hand-wringing. It's not helpful.
4
Bernie can't win on the youth vote alone. We will have McGovern fiasco all over again. Biden should drop out now he he has done enough damage.
2
Buttigieg is a "novelty candidate?" Funny, he reminds me and millions of other Americans of Barack Obama--a gifted, once a generation candidate who is incredibly bright, decent, and gifted. It's no accident he won Iowa, and will continue to do well through the primaries. He will choose Stacy Abrams as his VP candidate, and this young veteran will destroy Donald Trump in the debates and go on to victory.
We have our candidate--and he's no "novelty." So let's stop the hand-wringing and end the circular firing squad!
1
If Trump is re-elected this year, then this is not my country anymore.
3
susan gioia | hudson valley
@JABarry I'm 67, a true believer, (somewhat tarnished) and am wholly committed to Sanders, like last time. And like last time, if he loses the primary I'll vote for the other "Democrat." (The name of the party these days, but not the spirit of the party.) Incidentally, labelling us as uncompromising purists is presumptuous and refutes the fact that only 10% of his supporters didn't vote Democrat last time, so enough! Bernie works for economic reform in the way FDR did, but most importantly he has the strongest environmental platform AND while not an isolationist, he favors smart diplomacy over the stupid, endless wars we've engaged in. He's smart, he'll choose smart people to work with him and they will flock in much the same way people did to JFK. They already are. We're on the brink here and we don't need gradual, we need big! We have heard some terrific Senators speak out this last month, evoking just what it is we stand for and why the world looked up to us despite our contradictions. Time to live up to the American ideals we cherish: Courage, equality, and brotherhood for all.
5
@susan gioia
" the fact that only 10% of his supporters didn't vote Democrat last time, "
Not correct. 10+ percent of Sanders voters voted for Trump (mathematically two votes for him). And another 10+ percent voted for a third party candidate (e.g., Stein) or stayed home (mathematically one vote for he who shall not be named). Credible studies now indicate that roughly one half of present Sanders supporter have not yet decided whether or not they will vote for the nominee if it isn't Sanders. My plan is to vote for the nominee no matter who it is. I'm very glad you will do the same.
3
Sanders is a 78yo with a recent heart attack. If he wins his VP has better than even chance of becoming president.
I’ll vote for Sanders if I have to but I’ll do it enthusiastically if he does a good job of picking President #47.
6
@Martin FC Ike had a massive coronary event in the 50's, when obviously cardiac care was nothing like today...and he was reelected. Give this meme a break.
1
I find myself more and more wondering the validity of the assertion that Bernie Bros are a brainwashed or ignorant lot similar to MAGA disciples that pose a grave danger to the Democratic party winning the general election.
The last election presented the most unappealing choice of candidates in history, and if someone else could not muster the charisma or camaraderie necessary to be leading this early in the primaries after what has transpired these last four years, then even moderate Democrats should be overjoyed to have a candidate that comes with at least a semblance of compassion for the common person as Sanders does. It will be interesting to see if reflexive Bernie haters on the left are able to overcome their dislike of Bernie when the general election comes around and he has (possibly) won the right to challenge Trump.
Bernie Bros did not cost Hillary the election. This is a unique moment in American history and it seems more necessary to fight fire with fire when confronting this challenge with Trump and I find it beneficial to have a leader a little more enlightened to counter the Trump movement's quest for reelection. Regardless of who is wins this sure to be grueling primary battle, let us all hope the rollout and vote count goes a little better than Iowa. Already an ominous start for all Democrats, no matter who your candidate might be.
3
Like the author of this piece, I am conflicted over who is the best candidate to defeat Trump in November. Mike Bloomberg, even though he has not run in a primary yet, is starting to look attractive to me.
Bloomberg, while not perfect, has the experience of running one of the largest cities in the world for more than 10 years with a diverse population larger than 39 states.
Unlike Donald Trump, Bloomberg is a real self-made man. He is also a real businessman and a real billionaire unlike the phony Trump. I also suspect he will show his tax returns to the public. Trump has refused to do so.
I don't think he is a pathological liar, con man and dishonest social misfit like Donald Trump.
I like and admire the other candidates in the Democratic field today, but I think each of them has flaws that will be fatal in the general election: Age, unrealistic plans, lack of name recognition and experience.
Most importantly, I think Bloomberg can beat Trump at the polls in November.
4
Wait - is this Fox News or the NYT? Was not the election of Trump over another former-Republican female you may have supported enough for you to finally realize that compromise is no longer the answer? I voted for Bernie in the 2016 primary but fell in line when he did not become the candidate (how that occurred is still a matter of some contentious debate, as you may know). No more falling in line. At 2 am on 11/10/2016, as I paced my house with my two innocent young daughters asleep, I thought "This is war. This is war. This is war." And if you and the rest of the editorial board do not understand that THIS IS WAR, then please go do something else with your time, because YES it IS Bernie or bust! It is time for the best ideas to win. It is time to back a person with a sweeping policy agenda, the likes of which have not been seen since the New Deal, and which similarly aims to correct the mounting ills that unfettered capitalism has not, will not, and cannot correct. The reason Trump was elected was dissatisfaction with the status quo on both sides: He electrified his base, and the DNC moderate choice failed to electrify her base. The people at the bottom are tired of broken promises. Bernie is the only candidate who has been preaching this gospel for decades. We were just too scared to listen before. Warren is fine. But she is a watered-down, DNC-establishment version of Bernie. Why not go with the real thing? Enough compromising. BERNIE OR BUST!
6
@KJ Having the chance to vote for a Democratic, intelligent, life-long public servant female candidate electrified me.
3
If there should be a deadlocked convention, I hope that the Democrats will turn to the dark horse candidate who has not been running but who stands available for a draft: Sherrod Brown.
In such an event, the worst thing that could happen would be for the Democratic superdelegates to pick one of the already-running candidates, especially if that meant depriving a front-running Bernie Sanders of the nomination.
I agree that Bernie would be a terrible candidate to run against Trump. He will be destroyed by Republican screams about "socialism," a shibboleth that still terrifies Middle America. I say this as a left-leaning liberal. The 2020 election must be a contest to save the nation from trumpery, not a referendum on "socialism."
2
It's really this simple: "My candidate or bust" (whether Bernie or anyone else) is a selfish, uncompromising attitude to have during the primary. Saying "My candidate is the best" is quantitatively different from saying "Everyone else is worthless" -- especially since the latter is demonstrably false.
You may think candidates should ask how to pay for war as readily as they ask how to pay for health care, or you may think that people who accept billionaire donors are compromised -- but assuredly we can agree that "How do I pay for health care?" is a fundamentally different question than "How do I pay for the alligators for my national moat?" Pretending centrists are anywhere near Trumpism on the spectrum is theatre of the absurd.
Once a candidate wins the nomination, THEN it's appropriate to be Dems or bust. But calling other Dems snakes and cheats only helps Republicans.
1
I am worried about Sanders only because every Republican I run across tells me he is the only candidate they would not vote for in the general and these folks hate trump. He is just divisive. Hilary was divisive. I want a candidate who will garner support from a broad segment not just my own party. Also, I have concerns that Sanders has not successfully passed legislation over the many years he has been in office. If he can work with the Republicans that would be better as it is meaningless to say great things if you cannot do great things.
3
The disdain I feel for Sanders is palpable. He’s a big part of the reason Trump is president now and will be the sole reason Trump wins again if he becomes the nominee. Look at how many of his supporters backed Trump in crucial swing states in 2016. It blows my mind the way this is all unfolding. At least Sanders will become the pariah he deserves to be when he goes down in flames in November. Too bad the country eventually will too after 4 more years of our current madman.
6
"I’d be fine with any nominee who could generate enthusiasm without scaring suburbanites."
The sooner Democrats stop worrying about what other voters might think, the sooner Democrats will be able to generate the collective enthusiasm and arguments to move other voters. Anxiety is not persuasive. It, rather, plays into the hand of Trump's brash, unprincipled, lying self-certainty.
3
i've always considered myself a FDR democrat. He was heavily criticized for going against the ruling elite. All the dire warnings Goldberg writes about Bernie were said about FDR. Ms Goldberg is one of the people who are creating the divisiveness in the Democratic party. Her opinion has little sway among readers and I wish the NYT would hire more intelligent and well-informed commentators
2
"Harrowing chaos" is right. I don't blame Biden. Let's put the blame where it belongs. Trump's illegal scheme to extort Ukraine into spreading baseless allegations about him has largely worked. And now the White House and Department of Treasury are giving Republican senators everything they have on the Bidens, presumably including tax returns. Yep, that would be the very same things they have refused to hand over about Trump after altogether legal and legitimate House requests. That should scare the bejeesus out of every American who still values our democracy. To make matters worse, some of the Democratic candidates (principally Sanders) have indecently taken up those untruths. I believe all of the candidates must pledge to protect Biden from that, whether or not it looks like Biden will be the nominee. They should all also join a lawsuit to prevent the White House from continuing to do this. Also: The number of Iowa caucus goers dropped by one third. What explains that? Has everybody in Iowa joined the Trump cult? Are Democrats fatally disheartened? Are the candidates actually not that exciting including Sanders? The caucus format is biased in favor of him. If he can't win Iowa walking away (and he didn't) then the odds aren't good he'll win the nomination. Everybody should read the candidates' endorsement interviews with this paper. Warren does everything that Sanders does backwards and in heels, and does it better and smarter.
3
@Robert I love the comparison to Astaire and Rogers. Why can't Warren be our nominee? Sexism - pure and simple.
2
@Cathy
A month or two ago NPR reported on an important study which showed that a significant number of Democratic party voters were motivated by the gender of the candidate as much as by specific policies. And those people were saying they would vote for Biden or Sanders even though their policy preferences should not have ruled out Warren. As you say, sexism.
2
I'm a lifelong Democrat from generations of liberal Democrats. I'm not moderate, more a little left of left, tending toward Democratic socialism. I despise Bernie Sanders. Blind, outright, mean-red, despise the man. I would never ever ever ever vote for that guy, I think he's an embarrassment. After Trump, to have that guy represent America to the world? NO. No. Way. If that man is the candidate, I will write in Elizabeth Warren or Andrew Yang on the ballot. If Trump wins, so be it. If Sanders is the nominee, Trump will win anyway, so what's the point. I'm not the only person who feels this way. Virtually ALL of my friends will do the same. Be aware, DNC. Sanders will not be elected, if nominated. For all of the mindless Bernie Bros, there are more of us who can't stand the guy and will not vote for him. Period.
3
@HD
No matter who the nominee is, there will be some percentage who will say that. For me that candidate is Bloomberg. I will not vote for him no matter what, even against Trump. Some people might not vote for Buttigieg because he's gay, others won't vote for Biden. On the other hand, each candidate has voters who will be attracted to him/her for the exact reasons that turn off someone else. Vote your own conscience, and let the chips fall where they may.
Bernie Sanders is a decent man. As president, he'll respect the constitution and the separation of powers and the public which means a lot of his proposals might have to be toned down in practice. He's a social democrat, not a communist. He has a strong core following. His candidacy will bring much-needed passion in a contest that will be quite nasty.
4
There’s a lesson to be drawn from the outcome of Trump’s impeachment trial. The impeachment was first pushed by the left wing of the Democratic Party over the resistance of Pelosi and other moderates. In time Pelosi and her moderates gave in and delivered the articles of impeachment. And we all know where those went. Now we have again left wing democrats pushing for the candidacy of Sanders and/or Warren, in spite of moderate misgivings. Who said that the definition of stupidity was doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result? The problem is that Sanders, Warren, and yes, Buttegieg, have liabilities that make them perfect targets for Trump’s aggressive style of insults, innuendo, and lies. And for his uncanny ability to alter the social landscape to suit his interests. Against Buttegieg he will roll back the gains achieved by the gay rights movement, at least in the minds of the electorate, which is where it counts. Against Sanders and Warren he will revive all the negative socialist/communist tropes. And he will win again! I think Bloomberg is the only candidate with a reasonable chance of taking Trump down. And to those who object to his money I would ask, should the rich be excluded from the political process?
1
I really wish that people would stop finding someone to blame. There is no super hero coming to save us. After all, that is the misguided fantasy of the Trump administration. Stop being armchair critics and control freaks! Don't fall for the set up of Trump having absolutely no standards of behavior and qualifications while Democratic candidates' every detail is scrutinized. All the Democratic candidates have superior leadership qualities and any one of them has the potential to be an outstanding president. We must have faith, not waste energy, and get behind whoever becomes the Democratic candidate. At this point, best to focus on congressional races and election security.
3
Thank you for saying this all so well.
3
Yes, I do find the possibility of Sanders as the nominee to be exhilirating!
4
Do you mean the ordinary people who call themselves Democrats, those who hold office who identify as progressive Democrats, or the plutocrats (euphemistically called centrists) who actually run the Democratic Party? Apparently the latest fearless leader of the party has changed the rules for Bloomberg — shocking absolutely no one.
Anyone else smelling the hypocrisy here? The party that's been screaming for three years that Hillary won by three million votes doesn't care that Sanders obviously won the popular vote and is being short of delegates.
3
DNC shenanigans already gave us 4 years of Trump. I’m terrified they are going to give us 4 more.
2
Read Bloomberg's piece on the Op-Ed page of the NYT today . His proposals sound good to me,a lifelong Democrat.
3
There hasn’t been a good D kerfuffle since at least 1980 when Ted K. tried to outflank Jimmy Carter. Prior to that I guess it was the Veep race in1956 when Kefauver and JFK duked it out sending Kefauver to the nomination and JFK towards Sainthood. So although I have some shivers about Bernie I think that Brooklyn beats Queens every time and Bernie can destroy Trump if his health holds up. Biden mayb yet revive and Warren and Klobuchar can also attack Trump and dangle him like a beaten schoolyard bully. No, Michelle, do not fear the Bern and think about Amy as the Veep. Both people to call the voters to arms. And if Joe B sneaks through he can handle the bully too.
1
I don't care who wins the Dem spot as long as it is done fast. And I would focus on trolling Trump and let him give as many media conferences as possible - he will self destroy just as he self impeached.
1
The fact is that we have a criminal, amoral autocrat in the White House who is destroying our democracy bit by bit. In these turbulent and mind-numbing times, I have decided that whoever becomes the Democratic candidate will be my choice for president. And may the Democrats win big across the board in November 2020. Let's get kickin' and not give in to Trump & Co.'s destructive rhetoric and lies. We've got lots of work to do.
3
Thoughts:
I'm an FDR Democrat, and Bernie is the candidate most like FDR.
Bernie is real, and Trump is phony; people can tell the difference. Hillary lost to Trump partly because she was more phony than he was.
In a week in which the Republican Senate majority became the most corrupt political entity in modern United States history, the DNC finished a strong second.
4
If it’s Bernie the those moderate suburbanites will run for the hills because they’ll care more about their 401ks than health care for all. Trump will slip in with Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin again. We should all be scared and not about socialism but fascism.
2
Eyes on the prize Democrats!
Keep truth and Love as a guide:
True Conservatives Conserve the natural Environment
which is where we all dwell now and future generations.
What good are short term economic gains
if we loose:
Clean Air Clean Water Protection of Wild Lands & Animals
Sacred gifts we must be stewards of,
Gifts which sustain life and give meaning to human life?
Eyes on the prize!
2
Bernie is about as radical as FDR.
They have basically the same platform. FDR wanted to do many of the things that Bernie is proposing. Can you imagine the screams of Republicans if anyone proposed Social Security today? They're still trying to kill it by calling it an 'entitlement.'
People are tired of the Democratic Party being the corporate party. No one wants Republican-lite.
3
Wake up Michelle! If Sanders is allowed to be the Democratic nominee we should consider ourselves lucky to have anyone who can actually compete with Trump. The only 2 people who have nothing to offer in this way are Tulsi Gabbard and Joe Biden. All the others would be a breath of fresh air after the stench created by Trump and his supporters. #votebluenomatterwho.
1
Tell Bernie to run as an independent, he’ll win!
3
One thing is for certain. If Bernie gets elected there will be at least one bi-partisan effort... To put Trumps head on Mount Rushmore.
1
The biggest question raised but not answered in this column is: Can moderates & progressives co-exist in the same party? Given what has happened in the past 6 years: No way. Democrats are trying to run local campaigns on a national platform that working-class voters despise. It's time we face a fundamental truth. The voters we need to win back the Presidency, Congress, The Supreme Court, the majority of governorships & state legislatures, these voters have different values. They are NOT Democratic socialists. There’s no way to bridge the gap, between what the left-wing & the moderate wing of the party wants. They're simply too far apart. I've working-class friends who live in the swing states HRC lost in 2016. To them, Progressive means trigger warnings, vile college protests & obnoxious academics who posture as their will on earth. They hate these people to their very core. They always have & always will. The far left has been mocking these folk for decades. You are bad for eating factory-farmed meat, owning a rifle, & driving an SUV. You're bad for speaking the language of micro-aggressions, patriarchy & cultural appropriation. We should be ashamed that we allowed it to get to this point. We need national leaders who can actually campaign with local candidates. Time to clean the house & move to the center where the votes are. If Sanders is the nominee we will lose in an epic landslide. Independent swing voters won't vote for him. We can't afford another four years of Trump.
3
Every single voter - regardless of party - who is concerned about an unchecked Trump second term, needs to go back to preschool and learn a basic skill that Republicans have mastered and deployed with devastating effects: how to get in line. If you are unable to do this for any reason, and Trump wins: You are to blame. Not Sanders or Warren or Clinton or your progressive relatives. Take responsibility for your own vote. If you think Trump is the better choice. Look yourself in the mirror every day and know that was your choice and that’s who you are. I don’t have to accommodate your lack of courage and decency with my vote.
2
Another day ... another "terrified of Bernie" article. Let me reiterate what I said in response to yesterday's "If Bernie wins ..." article. Why do you believe Donald Trump wants to run against Bernie? Because Donald Trump says so? Maybe the reason Donald Trump says so is precisely to trigger articles like this one. Donald Trump would love to run against a tailor made punching bag like in 2016. Donald Trump's own pollster Fabrizio admits that Bernie would have beaten Donald Trump. Donald Trump challenged Bernie to debate and wasted no time backing down. If Democrats make the same mistake again then we deserve whatever we get ... Democracy In Name Only.
2
Sanders and his supporters will energize swing voters and trump voters like no other viable candidate in the race. Thereby insuring a trump win. Which is unacceptable. It's looking like Bloomberg is the only real option. He would certainly destroy trump.
1
Sanders is soaring because the mainstream media doesn’t vet him. The Democrats wanted to feed off his energized base, co-opted his ideas (Warren) couldn’t pull it off because when they tried to explain them in detail, they made no sense (Warren implodes). It’s too late now. If Sanders wins Nevada, this is over. We will be running an octogenarian communist against Trump. Trump will stomp him.
4
Barbarism or Socialism? Rosa Luxemburg posed the question more than a century ago . . . . Now we must answer and choose.
3
"A candidate foisted on the party over the furious remonstrances of a disempowered base would almost certainly fare worse"
Already happened...in 2016.
1
I'm an old New Deal Democrat. This has been a long time coming and long over due. Good luck young people. I'll vote for whoever you want, even if he's a grumpy old "socialist".
3
Ms. Goldberg, you don’t get Sanders’ popularity because you exist in a bubble, as does everybody else who writes for the Times — and many of its readers, it appears.
In most of the country, people are mad and want to throw rocks. Especially the younger people. Us baby boomers have handed them a messed-up world, and they’re angry.
If Bernie Sanders captures the most delegates and the Democratic Party and its paymasters deny him the nomination, four more years of Trump — and even worse people after him — are assured.
1
Bernie cannot beat Trump, nor will Mayor Pete, as a matter of fact
the Dems, do not have anyone who can stand up to Trump, except Bloomberg..Bloomberg is our only hope, but he must gert into the
Town Hall meetings & debate the other Candidates.He must do this now, before it's too late.
2
Remember Calvin Borel coming up along the rail, and vote for Klobuchar, and pray.
Ok, Michelle, to remind you of what you already know:
1. It is impossible, and thus disingenuous, to extrapolate anything from the Iowa caucus fiasco to other states or to the rest of the country.
2. This is especially true for turn-out numbers. 2016 was a Republican affair; and to compare with 2008 or 2012 is simply to say none of the nominees have the charisma of Barack Obama, and who ever did?
3. The one thing we can learn from Iowa is that it is foolish to predict what the race will look like after New Hampshire, South Carolina and Super Tuesday.
4. The reason, so polls say, that a majority of black people support Biden is because they think he can win, and that's what's most important to them, If another candidate picks up momentum, do you think that such voters will stick with Biden?
5. Every presidential election in my adult lifetime, some wags have predicted a hung convention. It has never happened. It's not going to happen in 2020.
1
Where's your sense of optimism? Trumpism won't last forever. They may feel like the nadir of American democracy, but it really is a bump in the road.
1
Bernie Sanders is trouble. Mark my words, we will regret it if he gets the nomination. I don’t care how old and white and male he is, he is a lot like Trump in more ways than I care to admit. Unfortunately, in this atmosphere, his ranting and raving sells because politics has become “News Entertainment”.
I agree with most of Bernie’s policies; I’m a proud democratic socialist. But I dislike his Lenin like, 1900s socialist cartoonish behavior. He half heartedly encouraged his base to vote Democratic after he lost the 2016 primary, a mark of pridefulness that is not presidential. Honestly, I think he’s a big reason why we got Trump because his base refuses to vote for anyone else and chanted “evil Hillary!” along with Trump. His base is extreme in ways that Trump’s base is — sexist (I’ve had very uncomfortable encounter with Bernie bros), white, male and privileged.
I think the real problem is that we’ve had a some great *women* candidates that the media dragged through the mud because trying to elect a woman is *dangerous*. Bernie Sanders even said it himself that a woman can’t be president and that hurt Warren a lot. He had the same attitude towards Hillary Clinton.
I don’t think real change will come until we elect our first woman president. But at 35, I’m skeptical I will see that in my lifetime.
7
@Sarah At 35 you should be more afraid of fascism than FDR democratic socialism.
1
The only saving grace of this ugly competition is that all democratic candidates would be better president than trump. But that's a hollow moral victory. I'm dividing my efforts between prevention and preparation.
And why is it that I never see a closer look at the Bernie supporters. Have they ever suffered hardship? Do they know what struggle against hardship actually is? Have they tried to pass any legislation? Do they know what it takes?
Bernie Sanders's vanity is breathtaking. Hear him bellow, "WE have taken on the fossil-fuel industry, WE have taken on big pharma..." LIAR. "WE" have taken on nothing till you have a policy proposal in front of legislators and can fend off the army of lobbyists. Talk is cheap. In that it energizes a bunch of screaming young-ones who think they are supporting social justice Sanders' talk is dangerous. Elections are not the time to find your identity. It is the time to reflect on how much damage your vote can do to others. The college educated people who thump their liberal chests for Bernie Sanders are not the ones who will lose their food stamps when Trump is re-elected.
4
@reju lavtok
I think many Sanders (and Warren) voters do know hardship -- that's why they're supporting the ones who will fight hardest for a strong safety net for us all.
@Nikki
In 2016 the per capita annual income of Sanders voters was virtually identical to the per capita annual income of Clinton voters. (The per capita annual income of Trump voters was $10 thousand higher.)
2
@reju lavtok They're already loosing their food stamps but I guess you missed that in the last 2 weeks.
1
Unless the democratic establishment start accepting Bernie Sanders and his ideology , they will be victims in the end.
1
One poll, really? Next it will be discussion of the Marlins Orioles world series after each wins its opening day game.
1
I sure hope it will be Bernie, though I sure liked Marianne Williamson.
1
Sanders' supporters just don't get it. You tell them he's embracing a label that Fox News has spent decades indoctrinating their viewers against, and they respond, yeah, I'm so scared of getting free health care. You tell them of his weaknesses with moderates, and they tell you, well, the alternative is 4 more years of Trump because I'm not voting for anyone else. They've drunk the kool-aid so deep, that there is no room for objective conversation. God help us, I'll vote for Bernie if he's the nominee, but this "holding a gun to our heads" moment by his supporters will come back to bite them. Many will be so turned off by this fervor that they won't show up.
3
@Jason
The "Socialist" label really doesn't matter, because FOX news, Breitbart, etc. will label ANY Democratic candidate socialist, even Biden. Those drinking from the FOX well are not going to vote Democrat anyway, so who cares what they think. We need the candidate who will most energize the Democratic base, not the one who will pass muster with right wing media.
I simply can’t comprehend the hand-wringing about Bernie’s electability against Trump. His populist economic message can appeal to citizens who voted for Trump in 2016, but are now disenchanted, in a manner that no other Dem candidate can. Also, as we all know, he has a broad, energized base that will get to the polls for him no matter what. However, if he is not the nominee, many of these same supporters will stay home. How do you suppose that will impact the Dem nominee’s chances against Trump? Can we have an opinion piece about that prospect? The way I see it, Bernie v. Trump is not hopeless. Instead, Bernie is our only hope to beat Trump.
2
If you replace Sanders with Trump and Biden with Jeb, you could believe this article was written in Feb 2016. There was talk of engineering a contested convention, but how it would be suicidal to force someone else on the party if Trump won a plurality of votes. Everyone, on both sides, believed he was a doomed candidate because the Republican moderates would sit out the election rather than vote for Trump. Of course, they didn’t. He energized the base and the supposed moderates rationalized voting for him anyway because they despised the other candidate so much. It was a winning formula. Sound familiar?
Bernie energizes the base and encapsulates the values of the party. We need to stop worrying about whether he pleases the center. Trump proved in 2016 that an election can be won without spending one second campaigning toward the center, which in many ways doesn’t even exist anymore. People have already decided whether they’re voting for a blue or red ticket in November.
This is coming from someone who voted for Hillary in 2016, because I thought she was the “safer” choice. I also had high hopes for Harris last year and donated to her camp. But here we are. Let’s not make the same mistakes we made in 2016. Bernie has what it takes to win and remake the party for the better, and I’m all in!
Now if Michelle or Stacey will run with him, that would be pure magic.
4
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are the only two Democratic Party candidates who excite me because so far they are the only ones articulating a genuine new direction for the nation, and it's one that I've dreamed of for much of my life. I don't want candidates pushing vague feel good slogans like "hope and change." I want real, visionary alternatives to top heavy oligarchy and economic inequality. I want student debt relief. We need leadership who takes environmental protection seriously. Nominating Senator Sanders does not terrify me. Not nominating him does.
6
The big mistake wasn't made by Biden and the Democratic establishment. It was made by Warren. When the race kicked off with the first debate, there was a gaping lane between Biden and Bernie that Warren was perfectly positioned to fill. If she had presented herself as the pragmatic leftist in the room and the unity candidate, I believe Buttigieg's balloon would have never left the ground and she would be running away with the nomination by now. Instead, she tried to out-Bernie Bernie and lost voters who think compulsory conversion to MFA in four years is madness and that a wealth tax is a shiny new object that distracts from necessary reforms like ending preferential rates on capital income. Warren has more lately tried to move over into that unifying space but it may be too late, which saddens me because I think she probably would make the best president.
8
@fbraconi
I stopped supporting Warren as strongly when she back tracked on M4A the way she did. She lost ground because in a time of trust being imperative she appeared disingenuous. That is when her campaign fell in the polls.
The media hat their chance to support her but instead gave air time to Wall Street bankers crying on TV about Warren being the worst thing since the communist revolution.
You guys had your chance to do fair reporting and honestly work with the policy proposals instead of repeat Fox News style propaganda talking points funded by corporate think tanks designed to delegitimize unions, public strength and citizen rights that would infringe upon their wealth and power.
I felt she was a better uniter for the country than Bernie but you kicked her and she made a mistake. This is totally the media’s fault for their disingenuous coverage of M4A being a communist disaster that always fails.
Harrowing is right. The number of Democratic Iowa caucus goers dropped by one third. What explains that? Has everybody in Iowa joined the idolatrous Trump personality cult? Are Democrats fatally disheartened? The caucus format is biased in favor of Sanders. If he can't win Iowa walking away (and he didn't) then the odds aren't good he'll win the nomination. Everybody should read the candidates' endorsement interviews with this paper. Warren is so much more fit to be president than Sanders. She does everything that Sanders does backwards and in heels, and then she does it better and does it so it has a likelihood of actually happening.
3
While Bloomberg is also in his 70s, he is clearly more vital than Biden. Biden unfortunately comes across as unfocused and wandering. Bloomberg does not. Sanders is scary but more importantly to me he has absolutely no track record of being able to accomplish his legislative agenda. In 30 years in the Senate he has essentially no bills passed. He doesn't have any real administrative experience. He leaves the Democratic Party as soon as he isn't elected - why should I support someone who immediate left the Party after the 2016 cycle, but then rejoined when convenient to run in 2020. I would vote for him against Trump because Trump is a threat to our system of government and the environment. but Sanders is not my guy.
3
Bernie, Bernie. I have wanted to ask him this question for decades: Why do you call yourself a democratic socialist while everything you stand for comes out as social democracy. I see no call for nationalizing the means of production. That's socialism. I see you extolling the virtues of the Scandinavian systems- they call themselves social democracies. FDR has been credited, with good reason, for saving capitalism.
I know that in the 1970s you spoke out for actual socialism, and Michelle Goldberg worries about Trump turning the election "Into a referendum of Democratic socialism." But in the 2016 primaries you called for support to small and medium size businesses. Medicare for All is not socialism, unless you think that all economically advanced countries (except ours) are socialist. Supporting unions, the poor and social security doesn't make you a socialist. Your policies don't meaningfully differ from those of Elizabeth Warren.
Either you are just so attached to your old label that you can't let it go, or you still harbor the fantasies of your youth.
I voted for you and probably will again. Your policies and values won't defeat you, but your self-inflicted label might.
4
@Peter Wolf
I follow the policy, not the label. I also follow the people who support him and what they do. The Scandinavian model seems like the goal.
It is imperative that journalists call out republican talking points on terms like socialism. What do they mean? Define it. And no Venezuela isn’t a definition.
Venezuelan is more like what Trump is doing.
2
@Mathias
Yes, but calling yourself something that is inviting attack is not a wise policy. What I find strange is that nobody, in these town hall meetings, ever asks Bernie what he means by socialism.
2
Why believe in and participate in elections or politics when the will of the people is continually and flagrantly thwarted?
If the Democratic Party, in collusion with the media, succeed in stealing the nomination from Bernie Sanders the way they did in 2016, not only will they lose to Trump, they will lose the House, fail to retake the Senate, and more critically, lose a generation of idealistic young people who could assure them pluralities for decades.
Not to mention whatever will be left of American Democracy, tossed on the ash heap of history by the tepid and the corrupt.
2
A problem is the Bernie supporters, many of whom in the last election voted from Trump, are likely to vote for Trump or someone else or no one if they don't have Bernie on the ballot. They are not "progressives," whatever that means, but nihilists. What the country needs is good, effective government, not nihilism. I think most of the Democratic candidates can deliver this, except for Sanders, who has given no indication that he can.
2
@Hornbeam This is defeatist nonsense and frankly insulting. I don't know how many Bernie voters voted for Trump in 2016, but if they did how many of them do you think did so because 1)They disliked Clinton 2)They perceived the game to have been rigged against Sanders and most importantly 3)Practically nobody thought Trump would win? Well, now we have Trump and it's worse than almost anybody expected. How many "Bernie Bros" do you think would sit this one out if someone else is nominated this time, let alone vote for Trump?
You mean to tell me that shoving HRC down our throats in 2016 did anything to preserve the party or our democratic system???
Voted for Bernie in the primary last year, voted for HRC in the general. Hoping out best candidate wins the primary (unlike 2016), and that the best candidate wins in the general (also unlike 2016).
4
There is a lot of Michael Bloomberg hype lately. There was a lot of hype for Michael Avenatti, Kamala Harris, Corey Booker, Beto, Julian Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, DeBlasio and a few others.
Bloomberg can flood the airways and the internet, but, if people don't vote for him, he joins the rest of the former presidential candidates.
1
The Democratic Party is in complete disarray...unrecognizable. They’re doing everything possible to lose my vote. Nancy’s sotu theatrics was the icing on the cake.
2
The DNC's "bend over Bernie" plan did not work. While not a fan of Bernie at least he is honest.
We are at a point where the only question left is which Democrat will lose to President Trump.
The headline on the WSJ editorial stated it very succinctly—James Madison 1, Nancy Pelosi 0.
The irony of what the Democrats did is they helped reelect President Trump.
Vote for America--Vote Republican.
We need a strong American Socialist party. Then we'd have the Socialists on the left, the Democrats in the middle (where they belong), and the Republicans on the right. We've already moved there, don't anyone else see this?
1
@Justanne - Why do we need a new Socialist Party when we already have the Democratic Party now espousing the policies of socialism?
The Democratic Party as we knew it is dead. Just like the Republican Party - it is dead too. But it has been reborn under President Trump as the Neo-Populist Party, and it is working for all Americans very well.
OMG Michelle! How fear and despair have blossomed in the press, and among the democratic elite, since Iowa began to caucus! One might conclude that something scares the DNC and friends more than Trump! But that something isn't Bernie. What scares them more than Trump is whether they'll once again get caught fixing the primaries in favor of their for their chosen Neoliberal. What terrifies them is that, absent their meddling, they might have to do what they've demanded from the rest of us for decades. THEY, not us, might have to suck it up and get behind whoever wins the nomination. And all of us who are sick and tired of business-as-usual are waiting to see if they can.
1
Sometimes I feel like the opinion writers of the Times are trolling us with this relentless Bernie hysteria.
But there is reason to fear, albeit misdirected in this case, Michelle. That old line from Emerson keeps popping into my heard, “When you strike at a king, you must kill him.”
We're witnessing what happens when you fail. And THAT is where the feeling of near panic is coming from in my view. And I am with you in feeling it. Just not about Bernie or Pete or Joe and what feels right now as an entire candidate field incapable of striking the needed blow.
1
They should have Debbie Wasserman-Shultz come out as spokeswoman and calm everyone down.
2
OMG Michelle! How fear and despair have blossomed in the press, and among the democratic elite, since Iowa began to caucus! One might conclude that the something scares the DNC and friends more than Trump! But that something isn't Bernie. What scares them more than Trump is whether they'll once again get caught fixing the primaries in favor of their for their chosen Neoliberal. What terrifies them is that, absent their meddling, they might have to do what they've demanded from the rest of us for decades. THEY, not us, might have to suck it up and get behind whoever wins the nomination. And all of us who are sick and tired of business-as-usual are waiting to see if they can.
1
OMG Michelle! How fear and despair have blossomed in the press, and among the democratic elite, since Iowa began to caucus! One might conclude that something scares the DNC and friends more than Trump! But that something isn't Bernie. What scares them more than Trump is whether they'll once again get caught fixing the primaries in favor of their chosen Neoliberal. What terrifies them is that, absent their meddling, they might have to do what they've demanded from the rest of us for decades. THEY, not us, might have to suck it up and get behind whoever wins the nomination. And all of us who are sick and tired of business-as-usual are waiting to see if they can.
1
Good to see your opinion Goldberg. In regard to the Democratic effort, my opinion is this; 'You don't take a knife to a gun fight.'
Every single day Trump is in the gutter doing what good demagogues do, gut punching and lying, gouging and scratching, biting and elbowing.
The Democrats have no one who is in that gutter making a fool of Trump on a daily basis and believe me, the opportunities are limitless.
The dim witted democrats need to hire some witty writers and prepare a number of attack and rebuttal, extremely hard hitting facts and 'exaggerations for effect' to sucker punch the demagogue over and over again.
Here's how they do it. They address the fact of the 6,000 lies Trump has told thus far in only 3 years, appoint a spokesperson of great charm, recognition and sophistication to attack Trump daily and respond to his attacks with withering counter attack.
The media will be all over it. Every day Trump gets hit back, right in the face, hard. He gets back much more than he spews out, all the way to the election.
You don't bring a knife to a gun fight. You want to take down a demagogue? Make a fool out of him.
5
@HoodooVoodooBlood Get ready for new, hard hitting Bloomberg ads.
I like Mike!
2
So when is Tom Perez going to be replaced? He needs to be fired.
6
@Hortencia well hopefully when he does leave, there won't be an establishment push to change the outcome like last time, when the obama administration recruited perez late in the contest to run, promoted him and shifted many key endorsements as they feared keith ellison and the prospect of loosing their grip on the DNC.
I have come full circle-I am all in for Bernie
5
I suggest that all NYT editorial board will be suspended until after the election. Goldberg and the rest of these pundits are fearing that their privileged Brooklyn fake progressiveness would not fare well under Sander's Presidency.
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@Darwin
I'll remind you that Bernie Sanders is from Brooklyn.
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Why no mention of Amy Klobuchar?
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There is one person who would bring all Democrats together: Michelle Obama.
Why. She won’t bring me anywhere close to Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and their type. And I am a 100 percent Democratic Party voter.
Here's the establishment's mouthpiece getting its knives out for Bernie. So predictable.
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Agree. The oldsters (anybody above 70) need to get out of the way, generously supporting the rise of people in their prime (35-55) like the JFK, WJClinton and BObama who are brilliant, energetic, and ready for the job.
And the too-progressive-for-moderates people who aren't electable in the general election - the RNader, likely the Sanders, maybe the Warren - need to get real and get out of the race.
What Brooks said yesterday about how many Sanders supporters voted for Trump in 2016, swinging the electoral college, and their likelihood of doing it again, was very depressing. What's the matter with them? It is some sort of knee-jerk reaction to the Washington elite, I think, and it is incredibly stupid....just as Nader voters gave us the worst president in US history until Trump - that being W. Bush - by swinging Florida to Bush.
Color me depressed and astonished at how blind people are.
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I think in addition to everything Michelle says the relentless attack on Biden by the Republicans has added to his problems. Hunter Bidens actions whether legal or not was pretty scuzzy. My guess is it was business as usual. Certainly not any worse than what Trump and his family of grifters are doing. The same is true of many if not most of those sanctimonious, shameless, hypocritical, corrupt Republican Senators.
I think when the Democrats spent a chunk of time trying to defend what Hunter Biden did it didn't reflect too well on them. Admittedly they were in a tough place. And Joe Biden was in a tough spot. What do you do when a family member tries to cash in your name. Particularly in the shadow of enormous tragedy. In any case I think it has played a role in the dampening of support for him.
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This article talks about suburban moderates he's going to lose since he's so "radical"?
You really think democrats are going to vote for TRUMP over a democrat who is "a little too far left"? Give me a break.
People are using this bluster now because there are no stakes but just like people held their noses to vote for trump and hillary last election, all trump haters will get behind the candidate who isn't trump, no matter who it is.
You just need a candidate who can turn out as many voters as possible, and that's Bernie Sanders. A great campaigner with a rabid base who wants to beat trump.
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If the candidates want to dethrone Trump as fervently as they say, here’s what should happen.
Take all of them, down to the Yangs and the Klobuchars, and by way of secret ballot ask each who among the *other* candidates would they most support were they not the candidate themselves. It has to be someone other than themselves.
Winner of this vote becomes the presidential nominee, runner up vice president.
For the love of God, let this happen now. I don’t know how much more of this scattershot he’s-up-he’s-down-she’s-coming-on-strong vaguery I can bear.
We need one – ONE – individual we can all get behind immediately. Now. There is not much time left, and if the Democrats hope to build any momentum whatsoever, we need laser focus, we need unity, we put the competitiveness of running for office aside and go on constant attack against that human waste of space Donald Trump.
Watch a Trump rally, watch the Senate chamber during the SotU speech. THAT is the kind of manic zeal we need to build, but we’re getting nowhere.
If it is the case that most of us will get behind any candidate going up against Trump regardless of policy or position, that person needs to be named as quickly as possible, while the others graciously (and patriotically) stand down.
Take matters into our own hands. Neutralize the damage left in the wake of Iowa. And most of all get on with it!
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The reason why Pete has no African American support is largely because they don't know him yet. This can change, and change very quickly. I find this article surprising in that the real winner of the Iowa caucus is almost mentioned in passing here. And, I don't understand why his ideas can't work for the majority. Pete is my man. Go Pete!
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Biden is done and the sooner he gets out of the race the better. Iowa was a gut punch and NH will cripple him. Bernie or Michael Bloomberg represent the Democrats best chance. This is turning into a fiasco and making the path for a second Trump term possible and maybe probable.
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Harrowing? I think it's fine. Though I am actually terrified we end up with Mayor Pete. But I really hope it's Warren or Sanders, because the Democratic establishment really needs to be taken over by true progressives. Imagine affordable health care, higher taxes on the rich and smaller military budgets. What's not to like about that?
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Unfamiliar as it may be, a coalition of voters across parties seems the likeliest, and certain, path to victory against Trump and the incumbent GOP.
The question is: who can best deliver that coalition?
Democrats, wake up!
Vote your heart in the primary,
Vote whoever wins the primary in the general election.
No finger pointing is necessary.
This is not rocket science.
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Oh yeah, the Democrats are doing it again. We cannot defeat the Republicans with the candidates chosen. It's not the media, it's the candidates Democrats nominate because there are no alternatives that really represent the current values of the majority in this country. Hillary was wrong, Bernie now is wrong. The only chance we had in 2016 was Biden. And now Biden is wrong, too. Most Americans are ignorant of what socialism is. They are unaware successful countries in Europe are socialist. We need to find a better alternative because socialism in the United States is a bad word. We need a Democrat with character, intelligence, and charisma. Right now, this candidate does not exist. I will blame the Democrats again for our in 2020. I will also blame the cowardly Republicans who refused to vote because they did not want to vote for Trump and refused to vote for Hillary. I did not like Hillary, either. But at least she was the status quo. Right now, I prefer Buttigieg. Democrats: get real!
A few months ago, polls showed almost all Democratic presidential hopefuls beating Trump. Now, viturally none. What has happened?
@Alan J. Shaw They finally realized after an impeachment acquittal that Trump was actually a good guy and did not wrong on a call to Ukraine. That's what happened.
@RS
A "good guy," or perhaps a "god guy" to Evangelicals and other assorted Trumpsters, but not to the majority of the US or world populace.
It is too soon to be asking this question, after one (1) primary in a small state with an aging, disproportionately white, population.
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In addition to the Democratic Party's counterproductive division, it is proving itself -- again -- to be woefully incompetent, losing or messing up winnable elections that would spell the difference between holding office and being left -- again -- out in the cold against GOP opponents who shouldn't be remotely considered as fit for representing the American public.
I am fourscore years of age and do not recall ever having been so profoundly discouraged by my country's political prospects or the national soul that undergirds them.
There's plenty of accountability to go around, but the lion's share goes to an old guard that failed progressives when they held ascendancy and continues to hurl harmfully self-serving slings long after the expiration of their own sell-by dates.
Yes Hillary, I'm looking at you.
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"Here’s the place for disclosure: My husband is consulting for Elizabeth Warren, the candidate I believe in more than any other"
I stooped reading there since you have vested financial interest and instead anti Bernie article you should wrote pro Elizabeth one.
if you read the whole article, you would see that she describes how the DNC is unfairly undermining Bernie. This is hardly an anti-Bernie article.
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First thing's first: the survival of American democracy is NOT at stake. If Trump either loses or hits his term limit he will leave. No questions about it. Talking like he is going to be some sort of dictator just makes you sound ridiculous and undercuts everything else you say.
Secondly, Goldberg has a good job, is wealthy, and has healthcare. Most Bernie supporters cannot lay claim to any of those things. This, fundamentally, is about class. It is time to stop telling poor people that they can just go ahead and die if they don't have the money for medical treatment. It is not 'pragmatic' to do so, it is grossly immoral (and inefficient and more expensive to boot, if you're not one for moral arguments).
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@KW Awfully optimistic. I think the chances of Trump digging in his heels and refusing to accept a defeat are not insignificant, and I think at this point we can't assume that Republicans won't find some way to justify backing him up. Who's going to save us then?
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Take heart Michelle. Primaries are messy and this one is really messy, but hopefully it will allow us to find the best candidate in the end.
At the very least you don't have to worry about Trump having more than "4 more years" unless of course he and the Republicans change that so he can follow in the footsteps of his friends Xi and Vladimir. Our own "Emperor for life".
That is what should keep you awake at night, not a democratic primary dog fight. At least it is pushing Trump off the front page.
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Thanks for the disclosure. Better late than never, although late is a bit sketch considering your previous anti-Sanders editorial.
Warren is my top choice. But reading various comments I gotta say, the more I see Sander's being subjected to a hit job, the more I like him. Want to know why some of his supporters say they won't vote for any other candidate? My guess would be that all the vicious anti-Sanders rhetoric out there is causing his supporters to have to dig in deeper, they are left with no place to go if their candidate doesn't win.
A message to the anti-Sanders folk, your ridicule and contempt is not going to win over his supporters and it won't build consensus. All it will do is further fracture and divide the Democratic party and hand over victory to Trump. Of course, you'll probably blame it on Bernie.
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Unfortunately for us both, Michelle, the "survival of American democracy" may not be pretty. We both need to swallow hard and admit that if a plurality of American voters (expressed through the Electoral College) prefer a blustering sociopathic ignoramus as their President, that's who wins. Not the guy or gal that every right-thinking well-educated Times reader or writer KNOWS would be a better President. Democracy becomes kakistocracy when the people choose it, and that may be the sad and ironic fate of our Republic.
Some of Michelle's comments are apt, but let's see how things look after Super Tuesday. It's hard to read too much into the Iowa vote, and NH polls, especially after the Iowa fiasco. Bloomberg may jump into the top 3, or better. Like his methodologies, and pocketbook, or not, he's got the money, the brains, and experience to be a very good candidate. He's likely the only billionaire running for President. Both Bernie and Mayor Pete don't come close to matching his executive experience. Plus it will be nice to have a Jewish Presidential candidate who's actually proud of his heritage.
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Let me add that as a lifelong Democrat, I am 88, I don't think Bernie,Pete, Warren or any of the other candidates currently on offer in the debates can win.
Bernie can't win for two reasons. First, he calls himself a social Democrat which is a self inflicted wound. Too many people equate that with Socialism or Communism. It requires too much explaining. Second he is too old with suspect health issues.
Pete is intelligent but with too little experience with big issues.
Warren is also intelligent. but too abrasive for many people.
I think the best candidate is Mike Bloomberg. He is mature, ran New York City well for two terms, has good ideas ( see his Op Ed piece in today's Times ), can finance his candidacy without being beholden to any backers and because he is tough will not take any guff from Trump
He is a very rich man. So what? As Mr Dooley said about a century ago, " Politics ain't bean bag."
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@Gerry G
So what? So he's not the person who will make campaign finance reform a priority. Not the person who will address the corruption rampant among both parties head on, or fight for legislation to overturn Citizens United. I like his stance on climate change, but we need someone who understands and cares about the middle and working classes, not someone else who will tell us to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, because hidden behind that attitude is "and if you can't, tough luck, die."
Correct: If Bernie gets a plurality of votes and the party centrist/leaders dump him, I'm not voting or voting for the Green Party candidate as a "throw-away vote." I'm active and have websites and large communications lists and I know hundreds and hundred of people who will do that. We cannot exist much longer in this country with "moderate, centrist" ideas or policies. Climate change is here and we have an oligarchy. Capitalists and corporations run the country and capitalism needs serious overhaul or elimination. It is dying and it is an abusive and authoritarian system. Millions can see this now.
In this newspaper this AM is a story on the economy:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/business/january-jobs-report.html
Read it to the very end and you will see what I say above confirmed.
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As a poker player and a red blooded American who served this country in the Army all I can say is "I'm all in"
Feel the fear,...do it anyway,..is the essence of courage.
Be of stout heart, like the great Col. Vindman. We got this! All we have to do is come together behind the nominee no matter who.
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C'mon Ms. Goldberg, "The Harrowing Chaos.." might be a tad over the top. Your unwavering support for Elizabeth Warren is admirable, but your disclaimer should be in the first paragraph. And the condescension you and some of your colleagues show to Pete Buttigieg, i.e."novelty candidate" is not worthy of you. For my money, Pete has the right combination of brains and temperament to lead our country, and many others are starting to see that too.
Rachel Maddow mentioned that internet trolls blocked the telephone lines off the Des Moines Democratic Headquarters during the Iowa caucuses. The Hill also carried the story. This is what we are up against.
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We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
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We are at a point where the only question left is which Democrat will lose to President Trump.
The headline on the WSJ editorial stated it very succinctly—James Madison 1, Nancy Pelosi 0.
The irony of what the Democrats did is they helped reelect President Trump.
Vote for America--Vote Republican.
Please Michelle, this isnt chaos, it is a glitch. The same thing happened to the Republicans in 2012 in Iowa, it is the caucus system that is a problem.
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After reading thru the NYT picks for this column, I have to say I think only one came close to the real problem here and the column itself seems sidetracked on minor issues.
The Democrats have such a wide base they feel they have to promise everybody something. The believability of that kind of promise has had its day as Hillary found out. It also comes across in this time of enormous peril as out of touch. Coupled with the above is a lack unity on what common sense ought to tell us should be included in the platform and a bewildering ignorance of how to get that message out.
Trump appeals to people because they are afraid and he alone projects power even though it is misguided. If we ever needed a Teddy or Franklin Roosevelt, or a Lincoln or Kennedy it is now. People need to feel reassured and they'll not find much solace in a pack of sniping candidates who can't even agree on what the major problems are.
So Michelle, your bottom line at least is correct.
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Kakistocacy.
Thank you for using this word. It is perfect for our country today. I first learned the word a few years ago when a member of our small group of Women in Black taught it to us at a weekly lunch.
I thought it a wonderful word then but haven't remembered to use it very much. Your jogging my memory was part of a great read in today's NYT.
Molly Turner
Amherst, (not a kakistocracy) MA
btw google doesn't know the word
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You know what I don't want? The Left's version of Trump, and to me that is Sanders and Warren. I'm done with extremist views from both sides. Pete Buttigieg is the answer in my mind - less crazy and more rational thought is what's going to get my vote, and I don't think I am alone.
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Ms. Goldberg clearly does not like Sanders, yet she dismisses Mr. Buttigieg entirely at an "erstwhile novelty candidate." Is it not possible that Mayor Pete will generate as much enthusiasm among the young (and not-so-young) as Bernie does? In addition to his obvious intelligence, Mayor Pete has shown himself to be hardworking, visiting districts other candidates ignored -- which means he hasn't got one of the problems that doomed Ms. Clinton's campaign. He has a knack for communicating without angering people and not making gaffes. He's not as progressive as some of us might want, but he's definitely more progressive than Trump, and might be the one who can find the compromises necessary to unite the Democratic electorate. I'd like Medicare for All, but I'd settle for Medicare for All Who Want It as a start. I for one would be happy to vote for either Buttigieg or Sanders. Why dismiss Buttigieg when his poll numbers among POC may well rise as Biden fades and they become more familiar with his platform and qualities other than his sexual orientation.
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I am afraid like the author that Sanders will be a disasters against Trump. America and the world we are all in trouble. I just pray to God after this generation, better leaders will emerge but I am afraid it will take a disaster for it to happen.
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The DNC, the Republican-Lite Pelosi Schumer Biden status quo guardian democrats, are being closely watched by tens upon tens of millions of Americans, all of whom will force these charlatans into doing that which "We the People" the majority of the Democratic electorate demand, which is declare Bernie Sanders the nominee, if he is the front runner in a race that is demonstrably not rigged, or otherwise sabotaged.
None of their corrupt machinations will work, and as is becoming more evident daily, in spite of the mainstream media mouthpieces of the Party, all such efforts are swinging millions more decent Americans over to the level-playing field reality that Bernie will soon ressurect here in our Democratic Republic.
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So in order to change the rules, Michael Bloomberg has "donated" $300 MILLION dollars(PLUS) to the DNC and people STILL do not see the inherent insidious nature of this act and how it seriously affects a country that claims to be a democracy? Sanders has stated countless times inequality is at its highest in years in America because of people like Bloomberg and the enormous concentration of wealth that enables them to buy whatever is necessary to serve their interests. even government.
Sorry America, another self serving BILLIONAIRE is the last one would consider in solving your problems. If Trump is to be defeated, he has to be attacked on the same issues on which he claimed he was going to help those( and didn't) that voted for him, not the same identity politics that failed in 2016. In being unencumbered by the leverage of answering to corporate donors, Sanders can attack Trump head on with these ideas, after all, hasn't the press constantly stated that Bernie Sanders is the "mirror image" of Trump?
Trump is an Oligarch like every other Oligarch in his government, otherwise Trump's first order of business wouldn't have been implementing a TRILLION AND A HALF dollar tax cut for those "in the swamp" he claimed he was going to get rid of. "Tinkering around the edges" with policy doesn't deal with the REAL issues of why Trump got elected in the first place.
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...but it’s jake for St. Bernie to brag about how much money he’s raised and is spending.
Ever occur that maybe, just maybe, pandering to people who giveyou money is a problem, no matter who they are?
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44% of fully employed Americans make less than $18,000 a year. Add that to the millions more who are either under or unemployed and its clear to see that there is something fundamentally wrong with this country. That the 9th richest man in America has somehow managed to find his way into even the imagination of some pundits who are terrified of Sanders is a testament to how out of touch most commentators are.
But at the end of the day it's understandable because the Democratic Party has never actually had the interest of the vast working class in this country. Since Clinton, they have systematically defunded social programs and limited the scope of who they help while all the more actually needed it. They have allowed foreign policy to be dictated by the murky legality and general secrecy of the "war on terror."
I am not afraid of a Sanders vs. Trump November. I am much more afraid of what happens when the Democratic party is so systematically against Sanders that they destroy him and leave his supporters dejected and angry.
There are more or less easier ways to deal with this problem of vast inequality and barbaric living conditions for the vast swath of people living in the "richest" country in the world.
Sanders is the easy way. If you are afraid of that, you have no idea what is actually coming when people recognize that the political system will not solve their life or death issues.
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The notion that Bernie is particularly vulnerable because he's a democratic socialist forgets that the Trump campaign managed to drag Clinton down with smears and innuendos.
In other words, even a total centrist will be attacked in a brutal, baseless manner. As another columnist observed in these pages recently, anyone who ends up in the national election will be attacked ruthlessly.
In this context, the socialist label may be helpful because it narrows Trump's focus to a single issue, and givens Bernie a chance to explain that this term means he's going to "drain the swamp" for real...
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Republicans focus on 1 thing and 1 thing only, defeating Democrats. Then once they're in power they do what they want.
If Democrats don't focus on beating Trump, they won't.
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The Republican lie about Biden's role in Ukraine is the equivalent of Clinton's emails. If Biden is the nominee, instead of "But her emails!" it'll be "But Burisma!"
We'll see trump's base at campaign rallies screaming "lock him up!"
If Biden runs, the Democrats' dream of taking the presidency are toast. The best case scenario will be keeping the House and retaking the Senate.
If either Bernie or Warren are nominated, it'll be like McGovern in 72.
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Is it really going to be a Billionaires or bust democracy?
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Trying as hard as possible, I cannot escape seeing the vague yet not so subtle outlines of George McGovern’s candidacy in Bernie Sanders. The issues are very different, as are the candidates’ ages, but other fundamentals of both candidacies are chillingly familiar. The youth vote is at the back of both the historical McGovern and theoretical Sanders candidacies; we even have 2020’s version of Tricky Dick Nixon in The Donald, right down to the core criminality of both candidates and the rapturous indulgences both candidates receive from their surrounding cult of faithful acolytes. All that would be needed to complete this nightmare comparison would be some version of Thomas Eagleton in Bernie’s initial choice of VP running mate.
Bernie will get sliced, diced, and shredded by Trump’s GOP messaging and branding machine in the general election. Though we are too bipolar a society to replicate the 49-1 split in the Electoral College of 1972, a Trump-Sanders general election this year would would show an equivalent margin of difference in favor of the darkness that surrounds Trump’s candidacy. As hard as it would be for to swallow voting for a Democrat-come-lately Republican like Michael Bloomberg, he may be lighting the only path leading out of this evolving tragedy come November.
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Convincing people that Trump is a threat to democracy is like convincing people that climate change is real— that’s not going to happen when the sun is shinning and you’re having a great day. Democrats have two strategies to counter the reality of the Trump economy: they can paint an apocalyptic vision of the future or they can paint an apocalyptic vision of the present. Trump will destroy democracy or Trump has already destroyed democracy. The first requires Democrats to convince the American people that the end is near (in this case, for the booming economy) and that their solution is to scrap capitalism for socialism, an economic system that is more associated with failed states like Venezuela and the Soviet Union. That is a tough sell! The second requires convincing Americans that Trump has already corrupted the institutions of democracy and that we need to stop him at all costs. The problem for Democrats here is that almost half of the American electorate is pro-life, pro-religion, loves America and it’s history, think our borders should be protected, and think Trump has done a good job (49% approval rating). Also, all investigations to prove that Trump is corrupt or has committed an impeachable crime has failed. Here, for them to succeed, they need a candidate that is a paragon of virtue; so far no candidate fits that bill. The only real hope left for Democrats is for Nancy Pelosi to pray for rain!
Whenever I hear from Bernie’s far left supporters how the establishment and media are out too get him I can’t help but see and hear the far right parallel of tRump and his minions. I too am terrified.
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If Bernie is the nominee, Trump's re-election is assured.
Game over.
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So, dear reader, Is Goldberg's The Harrowing Chaos of the Democratic Primary truth or fiction? Is she being honest with you to help you understand with as much evidence and analysis as possible, or is she sowing chaos for the benefit of the DNC and Democratic establishment?
The DNC is running as many candidates as possible to divide and conquer Sanders's support and defeat him. Remember when Trump was running in 2016? The RNC ran 16 candidates against him. Why? To break up his support and to confuse and water down his message and campaign. It's the exact strategy the DNC is applying to Bernie.
Now if weak establishment candidates like Biden and Klobuchar and Warren were not running, Bernie would have consolidated some of their supporters and would be way out front. This is the critical piece of information Goldberg Omits to confuse and mystify her readers.
Goldberg is at least honest in disclosing her husband's consulting for the Warren campaign. But that actually supports the fact that she is deeply invested in the Democratic establishment and that her husband's fortunes are tied to one particular candidate (Warren), who is endorsed by the DNC Times editorial board. An editorial board that runs hit piece after hit piece against Sanders to stop him from winning and becoming the progressive leader of the Democratic Party and establishment.
So to conclude, dear reader, Goldberg is in fact sowing untruths and chaos and confusion amongst her readers against Sanders.
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This is a very negative article, for no reason. Buttigeig is the candidate of hope, embrace it! And i think he is no ordinary person, he is an immensely talented communicator with a vision.
The rest - its true they seem like tired old and bitter political hacks, and its terribly unappealing to watch the decline, like an old athlete who should have retired years ago but just can’t give it up.
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