I accept Biden any time over Communist/Socialist Sanders.
Any time.
Communism/Socialism should have no place in our part of the world. It is a cursed system.
1
Biden says the dumbest things. We will lose for sure.
7
Why do Democrats allow Red States, states they never win in the general election, dictate the candidate? Does that sound stupid? If Biden wins all the southern states in the Democratic primaries, he'll still loose them in November. Crazy system they have.
9
uncle joe wins one. with the support of the african american vote. does biden really represent the black community when and where it counts, or is he just an opportunist for votes ? tuesday is a big day, hope uncle joe enjoys this glow today, super tuesday will not be a good day for him.
6
Good win for Biden’s base.
Corporations.
6
Biden is the only candidate who can America into the 1970s.
2
Bernie lost my support when he defended Castro and his literacy program while Castro was killing all of his opponents!!! There is more than democracy on the line in November! How about you and your family’s lives? The Spanish flu came in two waves and killed my great grandparents. Do you want Joe in charge for the second wave or the incompetent Trump?
2
Biden's base is old and tired, and he would lose for the third time. Biden is a proven loser. We need a radical change in our country, and Sandes or Warren are the only ones who can do that.
5
Enjoy it Joe, it won't last.
4
Dismiss the votes of African Americans as a nostalgic vote for Obama and continue to watch the Democratic Party swirl the drain. We are not uninformed zombies.
3
Okay, that’s enough, now I’m fixing to start praying for the Rapture to happen ASAP and take away Trump and all those immoral Republicans, so that we can finally work together and make our own Heaven on Earth!
1
The Republicans stuck a finger in the eye of the DNC political machine......they called the SC primary accurately......and made Pres Obama put on an act of feigned outrage and embarrassment.
They used an audio recording of Obama explaining how the DNC Political Machine does in fact herd the "black vote" into a corral and get the DNC hand picked candidate elected.
And.....Voila!
Exactly that happened in SC.
3
he cashed in all his chips. but he's still a dead man walking.
5
Enjoy it Mr. Vice President, it's your only one.
4
South Carolina, the state that gave us the Civil War, now gives us Joe Biden.
2
Joe Biden has run 3 times for POTUS and this is the first time he has EVER won a State Primary. OMG!
4
Dear Amy Klobuchar,
You are way past your expiration date and it's high time you terminate your campaign. Please do the right thing and drop out before you embarrass yourself
any further.
Tom Steyer did the right thing tonight and you need to follow his lead.
3
No one is going to beat Trump in November.
Trump 2020
4
Well, it seems it's Biden or Saunders, 2 impressive ladies (twice as impressive as the men) now gone. Still, Nov 2020 is immensely perilous, Bernie with plans that will get the support (at best) of maybe 1 senator and Trump will only have to say: do you want this Maduro Venezuelan fanatic socialist who will take away healthcare for 150 million Americans.
Or, Joe Biden, who cannot manage to construct a single sentence of even modest complexity. Words do matter Joe and even if Trump's words are full of vile and filth, he's messaging. Have you no advisers who might give some guidance to say something concisely, in plain English? Have you a speechwriter because your spontaneous utterances are often worrisome? It seems only a few corrections are needed but unfortunately you seem to be unable to manage that modest task. Tonight, SC, you were fine in places and spontaneous. You would have been better if you had prepared remarks because once again you stumbled. Anyway, good luck, you decent man.
Sanders for President
Biden for Vice President
Recommend if you agree
Black voters don't want socialism. That should tell everyone something. They know a lot about being slaves to the system.
2
Sorry Bernie haters. This is just a hiccup.
6
Oh, look!
A dead cat bounced.
3
Sanders legislation series continuation.
« As home heating bills skyrocketed in 2008, Sanders led the effort to double the funding of an energy assistance program. On Sep. 27, 2008, the Senate passed legislation by a vote of 78-12 that included a Sanders’ provision to double funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. This program makes sure that millions of Americans won’t go cold in the winter by providing them with financial assistance to pay their heating bills. During an earlier spike in home heating prices, Sanders led the effort to establish a Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve to mitigate price spikes and supply disruptions.«
« The House passed the Defense of Marriage Act (H.R. 3396) by a vote of 342-67 on July 12, 1996. Sanders voted against the law which denied federal benefits to same-sex couples legally married in Vermont and other states. Sanders signed a friend-of-the-court brief urging justices to throw out the law, which the Supreme Court did in a landmark ruling in 2013.«
« Farmers were being forced off land that had been in their families for generations during the depths of a crisis in the late 1990s, when huge dairy conglomerates drove down prices they paid farmers. The Senate voted 60-37 on Aug. 4, 2009, for a Sanders amendment (S.Amdt. 2276 to S.Amdt. 1908 to H.R. 2997) to an appropriations bill (H.R. 2997) that was signed into law. It provided $350 million to help struggling dairy farmers survive.«
5
Remember that the progress of the US was greather under youth president jfk Obama what are you waiting to elect a young person. Biden and all the ones over 60 should retire to old to see the future they suffer from old age
Biden voted for a war that killed almost a million people. I'd like to hear him acknowledge that.
6
Biden was the only one who praised Old South segregationists during the past year. How the heck did you think South Carolina was going to go?
3
I don’t care how many Clyburns there are directing black voters w facile, meaningless phrases like “I know Joe. Joe knows us. Joe knows Joe.” I will not vote for Biden. Do any of the SC voters know that Biden voted with W and the banks to make it all but impossible to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy? I doubt it. Maybe when they get in trouble they’ll realize that their “Uncle Joe” is NOT a man of the people. He’s a shill for his corporate sponsors.
8
South Carolina sounds like a great place for Joe to retire to after Tuesday.
8
Apparently South Carolina fell for Biden's, "I was arrested and went to prison with Nelson Mandela in South Africa" line.
The super Tuesday states will feel the Bern!
I doubt that any of them will believe Biden's lies.
7
I am SO HAPPY! Joe deserved this victory and we need his steady hand at the tiller in a turbulent and possibly desperate time.
If the coronavirus makes the same autumn surge that it did with Spanish flu, we don't need the amateurish and paranoid Trump or anti-science Pence in command of our vital resources.
Sanders has no experience whatsoever administering a complex, potentially global challenge; we need Biden's good heart and national experience, his ability to work collaboratively, and his non-doctrinaire humane leadership to get us through this.
I think moderates of both parties would be relieved to vote for Biden against the idiot Trump who is in way over his illiterate head. Trump thinks he can tweet and rant us through a pandemic, that big phony! GO JOE!
2
South Carolina ain't California or Texas. Small potatoes....
8
Banner headline reminds me of old Saturday Night Live line when Generalissimo Franco was on life support: "I'm not dead yet."
5
Thank you South Carolina. I needed this ray of light.
Biden should be pressing the case against Trump, but since he is no real alternative and does not have much to offer, he concentrates on Bernie Sanders, the people the establishment Democrats and all reactionaries truly hate/fear. Pathetic!
5
It is very disappointing that 2 red (Iowa and S.Carolina and 2 purple/swing states New Hampshire and Nevada determine initial outcome of democratic election. It is time for national democratic primary and it is time to get rid off archaic and stupid Electoral College.
2
Oh Goodness- 3 old White men running against each other - yelling and shouting at each other - hopefully someone new will emerge!
Congrats Joe Biden a true blue Democrat !
Now go and beat socialist Bernie Sanders and be on your way to make trump a one term president.
1
Biden owes Clyburn big time. Clyburn is the man, lol.
1
Hooray~!!
Anyone not named Biden was soundly rejected in South Carolina. The Bernie Bro crowd will have none of that. For them, the Biden win was an anomaly no doubt due entirely to media conspiracy, Saturday voting, Russian trolls, Mercury Retrograde, Debbie wasserman-Schulz and Hillary. March till November is starting to feel like 2016 Bernie or Bust all over again. At least the Corona virus narrative makes logical sense.
2
Clown billionaire Styer has dropped out. The 2 women candidates endorsed by the NY times Warren and Klobuchar got clobbered. I think after super Tuesday, there will be 3 B list candidates standing Bernie, Biden and Bloomberg.
4
The New York Times is reporting 155 delegates so far, including the unfinished count in South Carolina. In fact, right now there are 930, because the Democrats have 775 undemocratic, un-elected, appointed delegates, not all of whom are not Democrats.
3
Joe is back, thank God.
2
I just don't understand how the Black voting majority thinks Biden is a good reflection of their values. Just because he was BHO's VP? Really? I guess what it really says that SC is a truly REPUBLICAN state, regardless of the color of your skin. BHO talked the progressive talk to convince us all that he was the antidote to BUSH 2 - I, like a fool, fell for it, not just once but twice. He ruled like a true Republican, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
5
Time for Warren to drop out.
3
It baffles me how black Americans continue to vote for Democrats, who have proven decade after decade, they have made little progress in elevating that community in education, wealth, and self sufficiency.
3
OK, I get it.
Biden is the Saviour.
Biden is the One.
Biden is the Second Coming of Christ.
Please, stop already.
6
Go Joe Go!!!
Biden's win margin was approximately 2X predicted by polls. SC finally showed some quality control at ejecting, chewing up and spitting out the left wing. African American's had a big positive role in this. Hopefully it continues. A Sander's presidency would be a disaster, and is being supported by the feeble brained.
1
Only Biden can defeat Putin/Trump.
The two lowest finishers were the two New York Times endorsed candidates. What does that tell you?
6
The headline is "Biden, 77, wins first presidential primary in career, ....ever." Color me unimpressed.
4
Why is Bernie Sanders allowed to run as a Democrat? To us here in Canada, Bernie is about as left as our NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. No one here would let Mr Singh run as a Liberal when he is obviously an NDPer. The Liberals here steal the NDP's best ideas, once the public has gotten used to them, and present them as their own. And then they win power. Bernie is just too soon with free college, etc. Healthcare for all, obviously...join the rest of the world. But he is still too far left to save the world from Trump right now. Please friend and cousins in the U.S....vote for a pragmatic alternative to Trump.
1
Topic: Elections
"Trump, Trump, Trump"
The Cameleon
1
And so the AARP convention takes a turn. Ho-Hum.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
4
Biden is still a dead man walking. Can’t wait to see the Super Tuesday voting tallies.
Go Bernie!
6
Two old white guys battle it out against another old white guy. Nothing against old white guys because I am one, but why does this keep happening? Why can't people look outside of the old white guy box?
2
Joe and Donald are at the First televised National Debate. Donald starts dissing Joe: mocks Joe’s gaffes, “Really Slow Joe”, “Corrupt Biden’s”: Hunter and Joe at Burisma. Joe is personally offended, hurt, and starts running off his mouth spewing gaffes galore and threatening the President. The Secret Service appears on stage.
Joe is really good at the teleprompter, but emotionally charged ad lib?
Joe will just need some serious coaching.
2016 redux?
It’s the economy (and the Electoral College), stupid! - Bill (and Hillary) Clinton
Vote Blue!
2
So the folks who chose Hillary for us think Uncle Joe's gonna take it?
6
What a bummer. When are we going to be rid of this bougie-boomer patriarchy. Sure, Bernie is part of that same generation, however, he doesn’t play with these incredibly entitled white-boys. As many point out in other comments, the irony of these voters choosing a man like this and it being heralded as some kind of great victory turns the stomach. The perfect storm continues to gather itself: dying earth, a piece of flab in the White House, the markets tanking, the upcoming election— sadly, the only conclusion to a thousand years plus of humans trying to outrun our poor decisions is this out of control, tail wags dog tail-spin. I wish I didn’t have a child. It breaks my heart.
2
The older African American population has spoken. Good for him and good for Bernie. Let Bloomberg, Biden, Kobuchar and Pete fight over the turkey carcass on Super Tuesday
1
Five words not much heard by SC voters: Anita Hill, Iraq, Madela arrest
3
OMG! Biden won a primary! Anything is possible 2020!
4
And all this rhetoric after 7% of the vote is in. Calling a winner is fine; this kind of blather means you wrote this version before ANY results were in, and editors were chomping at the bit to print this version as soon as humanly possible to advance an agenda. I know the Times is corporate, but I generally trust it to be even-handed. Not going to ever be as trusting again. This is laughable; how dare you.
2
Sanders is a death wish for the democrats. He is literally Trump’s only hope.
stopped watching tv 50 years ago. who really cares? it's more of the same. we like being blind here in amerika.
1
Sanders, Biden and Bloomberg.... Versus Trump. When will this old white man club cease to exsist.
Sounds like a strange place, this South Carolina
Do white people live there too ?
3
Bernie is an idiot. With his pro-Castro stance he just handed Florida to the GOP. Cuban literacy? Yeah, and Benito made Italy's trains run on time and Hitler gave Germany the autobahn and VW Beetle--but at what price? And Sen. Warren has accomplished more in her first term than Bernie has in his entire career under The Dome. Warren is the best candidate but her chances are slim. And if Biden prevails, the Dems--and I--will lose in November. And I'm renewing my passport as I write.
I'm sorry the black vote isn't going to Buttigieg. In my opinion (only of importance to me) there were only 3 things in Buttigieg's background the Media could focus on or dig up: 1) his young age 2) his work at McKenzie 3) the black shooting in South Bend.
Buttigieg has outstanding qualities for the Presidency and when comparing his age to the most loved Founding Fathers he isn't too young.
I'm still voting for him in the Primary and just sent him $10 more.
However.....Vote Blue No Matter Who.
Biden needs to get his mnessage out Bernie Sanders defining himself as a Socialist Democrat will be low hanging fruit for President Trump to degrade and taunt him with. From the podium at rallies, Trump will relish warning his audience "Sanders's socialist give-aways of state level college education and 'the absolutiion of millions of dollars of Student Loan Debt'........
...."Will cause the 'market to crash and take away the retirement-dream-savings of your cherished retirement savings plan 401 K's".
3
Now is the time for Joe to capitalize on the energy. Anoint, or announce proposals for, a VP running mate. Biden-Oboma (Mrs. or Mr.) would electrify. Abrams I would like. Too early, but I would be on board with Klobachar or Warren. Biden is a good and decent person. Expirienced if not revolutionary. I am a firm believer in pendulum swings, but truly worry about swinging so hard we are destroyed in the path. Let's command a respectable, responsible, drift left, not a leap of... Faith can ill serve when it ignores facts.
2
Topic: Elections
"Do not change horses in mid stream"
The Cameleon
2
It was SC that swung things around for Hillary Too.
3
The two candidates the New York Times endorsed -- Warren and Klobacher -- have become also-rans, running at or very near the bottom in four races thus far. When the Times made its endorsement (with embarrassing ballyhoo in an attempt to turn it into an "event"), I thought, "Too soon." Turns out I was right, the editorial board was wrong.
6
Joe Bioden is just as awful as Trump -- who gave us Clareance Thomas ? Obamacare-- Romneycare-- a sop for insurance companies (should anyone have Medicare if all don't ?)
Warren, Sanders define are what is good for Americans.. Biden is just more Republican lite... and no thank you. Glad to know his kids a gifter just like Trump's.
6
The anti-Sanders messaging from the “mainstream media” is astounding.
Is Sanders the second coming of Stalin? You’d think so by the slanted headlines and articles in both the Times and the Washington Post.
“Sanders is pro-Castro” is fodder for the Cuban community in Florida. No word about what preceded Castro or how Cuban-Americans felt about the juntas in Latin America who didn’t just imprison their political opponents, they made them “disappear.”
And not a word about CIA efforts to overthrow so-called “leftists governments“ or the U.S. embargo on Castro’s Cuba. Talk about “interference” in foreign elections. If the CIA didn’t write the book, they certainly exercised the lessons.
And that’s just the tip of the anti-Sanders media onslaught. It’s so overwhelming that I’m considering terminating my subscriptions to the Times, Post and Time magazine and just tuning-in to Fox News.
7
South Carolina like several other states up next Tueaday, is stone Trumpist country. That political culture infects all residents, regardless of....
3
A reasonably good heart and a once reasonable mind is not enough to win the presidency in 2020 against a street brawler like Trump. Imagine, if you dare, tossing a piece of meat into a cage with pit bulls.
1
I just want the media to spare us the tea-leaf reading and let votes speak for themselves.
5
We need to stop constantly lowering the bar for Biden. There is a reason Sanders does better. He's loud and authentic. Biden has been coddled. Now he wins one state and he's suddenly the 2nd coming? Trump is soulless and shameless. He will destroy Biden, even going so far as to trash his deceased son.
6
They cling to their Obama. Well, guess what folks? Biden is no Obama.
Anita Hill, bringing the US Clarence Thomas, George Bush and the accompanying Iraq vote (that makes him not Obama).
Also guess what else? Obama never wrote his own speeches. Pete does. And Pete can speak without a teleprompter, which is something Obama and Biden cannot do. I wish Pete could win this, but...........
Get real. Bloomberg and Booker can win this. Biden is OLD!
1
Supporters of Bernie Sanders, beware! You are being manipulated into supporting Joe Biden.
3
Frankly, I find it stunning that black voters have "loyalty" to Biden.
The recent embarrassment about Biden's lie about his arrest while visiting Mandela is the tip of a huge iceberg: Biden is a disturbed fabulist, who fabricates numerous false histories about his alleged civl rights activism. Do the Google.
There's also his record on everything from playing with white racist opposition to busing, to embracing Strom Thurmond, to supporting unjust drug and criminal laws Michele Alexander has aptly called "The New Jim Crow".
How could black voters not see through this Biden Gaslighting?
6
Jim Clyburn holds a very large chit tonite. By having such a decisive victory, Biden takes some of the wind out of the Bloomberg sails as well as the other moderates. Although Sanders and Warren still have a significant left following, it is likely to dwindle as Democrats realize the Biden can win.
With Bloomberg holding to his promise to support the Democratic candidate and the likely support Biden will get from Obama it sure looks promising for a Democratic rout of the republican cult with significant down ballot destruction as well.
A sigh of relief from the nation. A stake in the heart of the evil that has driven us to the brink of the abyss.
Anything can happen, but the self-destructive, greedy republican cult seems headed the way of the Whigs.
2
Joe Biden would get destroyed by Trump. Barisma, Hunter and another establishment Dem would be party suicide. Young people WILL NOT show up to the polls for Biden. Fact.
7
I have predicted Biden/Harris as the eventual pair over six months ago. Sanders is not a "democrat" and never gives a reason why he is not!!
Now is the time for the by standers to support Joe. Are you listening Kamala ? You have just today to make the decision since California is just 2 days away. Otherwise Stacey Abrams looks equally attractive as a VP.
Joe Biden is going to find out who his true supporters are this weekend !!!
3
Please somebody tell the N.Y. Times to stop trying to push Amy Klobuchar over on us. By this time her primary results should show that despite the record she likes to boast about of never losing an election, it is just not true.
5
Elizabeth Warren needs to get out of the race ASAP. If Biden wins, the Dems will probably lose the general election, but even if not, we will have 4 more years of Obama, who got absolutely nothing important done. Nothing.
5
Biden went so low last night to say he's a true democrat, NOT NICE at all! Biden lost the image of a nice guy presidential image of gentleman. Bernie Sanders is a true gentleman and the real Democrat since Bernie Sanders is the VOICE of the people, working for the people ALL His Life. The era of masters and servants MUST END! We will chip in and vote Bernie Sanders 2020
6
That wasn’t a win, that was a beat-down. Time for Klobs and the Kid to hit the trails... home, that is. And it is obviously way too soon to be making any assumptions about Bernie’s inevitability.
4
The DNC does not do maths well. 80% of Americans are white. Biden is trying to rely on only about 10% of the voting population, maybe less who actually will vote for an old white guy. It works in states like SC only. Don't get too excited establishment DNC, your era is history. Lets see how much smart money flows to Biden now--my guess is not very much.
5
The female candidates getting single digit results in this backward conservative state? I wouldn't be proud of winning South Carolina at all.
1
Where is the black vote in South Carolina for the general election? No democrat has won that state since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
3
Some here are referencing videos from the internet - do you really take those without a grain of salt these days?
Remember all the doctored videos when Obama was running and then when he was in office - all later debunked - like the ACORN one and the Shirley from Agriculture one - but they all caused damage - then there was that new one where they tried to make Nancy P. look drunk and then the doctored commercial in SC.
Please use some common sense!
3
Have the Bernie Bros learned yet that they actually have to get out of their dorms and vote...not just spout and share memes on social media???
2
Biden may win this state but it seems that Buttigieg he doesn't have wider momentum reflective of the polls in states coming to vote in Super Tuesday. The earlier the candidates establish and galvanize behind their legitimate candidate the better.
1
When your enemy digs his own hole, its an easy path Joe. Just stand there Joe, don't say or do a thing.
1
As a Democrat, I stand with and for Joe Biden.
The sooner the better the field narrows to Joe.
The best shot we have down ticket on all levels.
Front Senator to stare representatives.
—————-
Enough of this hullabaloo, it’s time to stick together like glue.
2
How did African Americans in the South vote for an Establishment dude? Because Clyburn insisted on it, because Biden worked for Obama, because Biden is familiar over decades....? Strange. If Iowa and NH primary results didn't count for many African Americans because these States are very White, South Carolina doesn't matter much as it goes Republican in the national elections. If Majority of Americans are swayed by politics as usual, so too many minority voters. Biden won SC! Biden is going to finish third or fourth on Super Tuesday. His campaign is not going to last. SC Democrats just threw Biden a thin short rope. Very nice of them. I have been to SC a few times, and love their warmth and hospitality.
3
Disappointing- not the Brightest Bulbs - they set Trump up to Win - not good for the rest of us
3
Biden has won South Carolina; but South Carolina as well as
Joe Biden is ...old hat/passe...and we need a President who
is as good as Joe Biden...but more in tune with the times in
the USA....We probably do need a new age/21st century FDR
who is progressive and idealistic ; Joe would be good at being
Secretary of State; Kamala Harris would make a great Attorney
General: Michael Bloomberg would make a great Secretary of Treasury: Elizabeth Warren would make a great Secretary of Commerce: and the whole team of contenders should act
as a "TEAM" for the entire Executive Branch as a TEAM FOR
2020 ..and use the talents of the best and the brightest...
and perhaps include some who are running as Republicans.
and why because we need to save our nation from crumbling
under the ruin that has existed under the current disaster
that is the Trump regime...and the lobby ruled GOP in the
House and the Senate....Let it be Sanders the progressive
like FDR ; with Amy Klobuchar as his very experienced and
practical VP....and make the TEAM the best and brightest
we have ever have the good fortune to have...Include
all those in other political parties who want a change in DC
...think TEAM not adversaries....Promote a ...team to beat
down the so called Trumpists ...we need to cleam up this
swamp in DC for good this time around.
1
Joe is not the person to solve our severe problems. He just isn't. On top of that, he can't beat Trump. I hope that this win is a complete anomaly. Please let it be just that, a momentary win for a loser.
3
Wonderful. The soon to be octogenerian 'Mr Status Quo' staggers a few more painful steps.
Watching him talk of 'reaching across the aisle, making deals' with the implacable McConnell and big oil funded GOP is almost comical.
Merrick Garland Jo. While you're talking deals they're stuffing the courts and stealing the elections.
Let's hope Super Tuesday finally puts him out to pasture. He already had a great run. Make way now Jo.
5
I doubt that California and Texas will give Biden much breathing room but I expect the stock market may take a little breather from Bernie’s race to the top of the DNC ticket.
2
Counting down: 5 . . 4 . . 3 . . 2 . . and . . Go ahead Bernie Bros., tell us how evil all the other Democratic candidates are in this race.
That will work wonders in removing the Pride of Putin from our Oval Office.
4
Tonight, checking the SC primary results made me feel a bit like checking the 2016 general results. I’m learning that the one sure thing you can always count on in these elections is for Americans to be stupid and choose wrong. Always. Make no mistake—I would give anything for a President Biden RIGHT NOW. But he is Not going to win in the general against Trump—enough people are just not going to be excited enough to come out.
2
Listen for the dog that did not bark. Joe Biden may be the recipient of the Bloomberg delegates, come the convention. Mike has enough cash to get votes in every primary from here on out. Sorry Bernie, utopia will have to wait. Democrats will nominate Bloomberg or Biden, ( likely Joe),...... because the adult supervision knows that all progress happens in the middle,..... only after you win.
3
Way to go Joe, let's get it done. All blue in 2020
2
Topic: Words of worth
"The less said, more worth" I close my case
The Cameleon
What a crazy primary. Democrats are acting like there's a Warren. In this race, Steyers are leavers, Sanders need more polish, and for the love of Mike, for Pete's sake, moderates might consolidate after Tuesday, but Biden it may be too late. Which candidate can beat Trump? I have no idea; you Buttigieg. But right now, only one candidate's last name has been truly tested by the pun-making media, and only one candidate has made them trip over their own tongues with desperate, idiotic attempts like "Klobumentum."
Amy Klobuchar, I don't like your politics, but I love your last name.
Forgot Biden was in the race. Well good on him.
3
So, Biden won in a former slave state that has a lot of black people who voted for him because he was the vice president of a black president. So what? South Carolina is one of fifty states. I doubt that his victory in South Carolina means anything. He is a flawed corporate candidate whose only accomplishment is that he was Obama's vice president. His entire career has been devoted to the interests of corporations. His state of Delaware is home to nearly all incorporations because that state has virtually no regulations regarding what a corporation should be held account to. In other words, he is a buyed and paid for corporate hack, like Hillary Clinton. If the DNC again attempts to sabotage the will of a majority of the electorate by installing another corporate hack, the result will be four more years of Trump. Democrats, get your act together. Reject buisness-as-usual and embrace a true Democrat, Sanders.
4
Biden-Klobuchar. That’s the ticket.
Has a Democrat carried South Carolina since the civil rights act was passed (and the south flipped to Republicans)? I didn't think so. Biden tied himself to Obama and got the black vote in a state where most of the whites vote Republican.
4
I miss Andrew Yang. Could he unsuspend his campaign and Bloomberg drop out and fund it?
Heard a rumour that Corey Booker was in line for VP under Mayor Pete - now that would bae a pairing to stir the heart and get the US away from a next leader who is an octogeneration
“South Carolina was the first state where Mr. Sanders did not finish at the top...”
Not true. Sanders came in second in Iowa. Buttigieg won the Iowa caucuses.
1
Sanders supporter here. As long as its not the other racist, misogynist billionaire plutocrat from New York City, I’ll be happy.
Biden would certainly mollify these pearl clutching boomers and the skittish suburbanites—my, are they fragile. There’s something to be said for that.
3
Why isn't the headline that Biden now has a substantial lead in the popular vote when you combine the four states?
1
It was Biden who brought us Clarence Thomas. That alone is unforgivable. Look at how history has been altered, because of Thomas and his GOP rubber stamp.
5
is the Black votes enough for win the primaries or general elections? Biden campaign is a racial ones not an ideological or a clear cut programmatic based one.
1
When I see photos of Biden’s rallies, I see a true democratic diverse coalition of blacks, whites, young, old, working, and retired folk looking to improve their lives.
When I see photos of sanders’ rallies, I see nothing but young white folk with their hands out looking for a socialist society.
2
Congrats South Carolina residents for somewhat rejecting the “I’ll give you free stuff and worry about paying for it later” approach.
2
The Bernie Sanders Internet army has been out in full force attacking Bloomberg on Reddit. Oops. Guess they were shooting at the wrong target.
2
What's wrong with a Biden-Warren ticket? Sounds better than good enough to me.
3
If you Democrats for one moment would Remember ...That We are All on the Same Team....that being Team America/ and if you can think as a Independent Voter like I am and Truly LOOK at the Big Picture of What is Best for this Nation....then you would KNOW this is No Time to switch Quarterbacks...A.K.A. Presidents!
1
"Victory Could Revive Campaign Ahead of Super Tuesday" reminds me of an old Truther friend who was so insistent that preplaced charges "could" have brought down the World Trade Towers. Could, but they didn't. Yes, Biden's
"Victory Could Revive Campaign Ahead of Super Tuesday." But it won't.
Sorry to say, but time for Amy and Liz to go. Moderates need to coalesce. Super Tuesday will weed out more folks I imagine.
2
Why do we have all this foolishness. Primaries here & there. Delegates - Superdeligates! Why not just have a national primary. and the winner gets the nomination.
3
I'm voting for Uncle Joe on Super Tuesday. Of course he is old. But he knows the job of U.S. President well enough that he'll be able to steer the ship of state with a steady hand on Day 1.
Biden also ranks high on Michael Harriot's rankings of Democratic candidates' black agendas: https://www.theroot.com/every-democratic-candidates-black-agenda-ranked-1841959166.
Like others, I'm sick and tired of the Bernie fanatics and purists in the NYT comments. Only Biden and other moderates can credibly win the majority of swing states on the path to 270.
2
So Biden won because he is Obama's vice president. Shouldn't he be winning as his own man?
7
To the Democratic Party:
Send teams to coordinate registering voters in swing states, esp. women.
Get out the vote in swing states.
Use all the primary candidates AND former presidents Carter, Clinton and Obama to get out the vote.
Repeat.
PS The candidate doesn't not matter.
Keep your eyes on the prize.
2
As Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of UK asserted, the problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money.
2
Is Biden the only force in the Democratic Party that stands between us and the Bernie bro street thugs? It seems so. And make no mistake: half of Sanders supporters are ruthless revolutionaries who will trample your rights if they gain any form of power.
2
Biden must ask Stacey Abrams if she will be his running mate, and join him on the campaign trail. And he must ask her now.
1
The Times never lets Biden have his victory. Each article manages to praise him when it must, yet there is always lack of enthusiasm either obviously stated or to be read between the lines. It's like watching a boy wanting to please, but he is not the favoured child; it's never enough.
4
Congratulations Joe!...Wishing you the very best. You are our best hope to defeat the worst, most corrupt president to have ever served in U.S. history!
4
I will never vote for Bernie Sanders under any circumstance because he is not a Democrat. He and his nasty band of Bros continue to attack and diminish lifelong liberal Democrats like myself to make himself look like he has something special to offer. He is a big mouth who makes himself feels superior by talking like he is a savior of "the people". I hope Biden can rack up some more wins. It's either him or Bloomberg if Biden fizzles out.
3
I am beginning to believe that some Dems would prefer to whine about Trump more than to win and oust him from office. I infer that when I read commentary that begins with complaints about one Democratic candidate or another and ends by saying that if that candidate wins the nomination, then they won't vote for him/her. I infer that when I read a comment that says if my preferred candidate doesn't win the nomination, then I'm not going to vote or I'm going to vote for a third party candidate.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Any of the top Democratic candidates would be a better president than Trump. Unlike Trump and the Republicans, they all support universal health care, protecting the environment, affordable higher education, social equality, social justice, voting rights, reproductive rights, egalitarianism, tax reform, etc. to one extent or another. Some candidates propose policies that might get us there more slowly than others would want, but all would get us back on the right road faster than Trump.
No matter who, vote BLUE is the only way to remove Trump from office! If your preferred candidate is not the nominee, then you may be able to rationalize staying home or voting third party or even voting for Trump, but if Trump wins, the rest of us will pay for your obstinance. Don't let your heart make you stupid. Don't let your preference for "perfection," make you blind to the good. And the good is any Democrat but Trump, because any Democrat would be better for our country.
5
I liked the kids voting.
The south, always in the rut.
Biden reportedly received a congratulatory phone call from Nelson Mandela after the results were announced last night.
1
The continuing comparison of Bernie and his policies as some form of Bolshevism is propaganda dependent upon people’s ignorance of history. He’s promoting a program that is a return to FDR style of government and is popular with a majority of Americans because the policies that started with Reagan and have continued since have not been benefiting most people.
2
Remember how you felt the night trump won the election? Strike 1. You probably felt the same way when the GOP Senate voted not to remove him from office. Strike 2.
Strike 3, the final strike, would be to select Sanders to save our democracy, talking about some revolution, oblivious to this clear and present danger to America.
3
Why is it that two private corporations own the political system in USA ?
DNC inc.
RNC inc.
They are private businesses financed by private corporations. Our tax dollars fund there elections. Is there anything democratic about that, it’s no different than the elections held in authoritarian countries.
It gives the illusion of choice without providing real choice. Our democracy has been destroyed by greed vs need. It’s a silent coup that we condone by participating in.
3
I posted a comment a few months ago about Joe Biden being the choice of my “head” - a different candidate was the choice of my “heart”. After seeing Joe’s speech in South Carolina last night, I’m relieved to say he is now the choice of my head AND my heart.
We are better than this!
Go Joe!
3
The lesson of 2016 is simple. The status quo is a loser. Joe Biden is the status quo.
How did Obama win in 2008? "Fight the status quo. End the war." How did Obama fail? He didn't end the war. At least in Afghanistan. And new wars kept popping up (Syria, Libya, Yemen). Obama switched to drone strikes and allowed himself to be co-opted by a rightwing agenda.
Biden's claim to fame is wrapping himself in the legacy of Obama. That may have won him South Carolina but it won't work at the national level. However historic the first African-American president may have been, Obama proved to be a disappointment for many, including many African-Americans.
The result? Voter abstention in Detroit and other key battlegrounds in 2016 at a time when Hillary Clinton believed her own PR and thought she could do no wrong. Yet Clinton carried with her the dirty laundry of Bill Cinton's savaging of social welfare, his end-of-term repeal of Glass–Steagall, and the Democratic Party's embrace of TARP and "too big to fail" Wall Street bailouts.
The rich got richer. The poor got poorer. Donald Trump's 2016 election was the backlash.
Yet Biden (and the DNC) have the nerve to assert that the only serious change agent in the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders, will be the candidate who will fail. Truth is, he would have probably beaten Trump in 2016.
Some people never learn (on purpose) and position themselves to take the rest of us right into an open, waiting grave. Don't believe them.
10
The presidential election in 2020 will be a choice between democracy and dictatorship.
Republicans have sold out the country, the Constitution, and the rule of law.
Any Democrat will do.
3
Imagine…cultish whims gone the way of ‘deep state’ gnomes orchestrating a putsch, or fabricating whimsical tales of woe to assure their notions of a ghoulish hold on political power. Talk about Camelot gone the way of a caste system where political wastrels and bureaucratic elitist use sad entitlement worshipers to fulfill their macabre dreams.
Imagine… magical fantasylands, where neo-nonsensical mumbo-jumbo presides over any and all notions of reality. Talk about elitist fabulist or politically correct coconspirators orchestrating the whimsical sounds of calliopes, gaily-colored balloons and confetti to entice woebegone entitlement lovers with slight of hand deceit.
Imagine… fatuous mumbo-jumbo morphing into gnomic riddles fraught with slight of hand deceit. Watching the mainstream news medias Wagnerian antics reminds me of the old satirical film ‘Network’ written by Paddy Chayefsky. The deceitful lengths news propagandist, politically correct wastrels and their politically appointed gnomes will go to protect those pesky salary’s, ratings and tax-shelters aka ‘Campaign Chest’ is astounding.
Biden believes that Americans can work together to achieve our goals of improving our quality of life while protecting our planet for future generations. We don't need to go to war against ourselves. The other candidates believe that the only way to bring about change is to tear everything down and start from scratch. This is only true if Americans are incapable of acting for the common good. I don't believe that Americans have lost the capacity to do the right thing. We just need leaders who can bring us together and help us remember what it means to be an American.
1
Thanks to the"left" wing media America can be given the last rites. South Carolina will return Lindsey Graham and it will like every election vote Republican.
Meanwhile millions of loyal Americans are so disgusted that the DNC is as toxic as the tyrant currently in charge they will not vote.
I like Joe Biden but he is not the leader America needs now. I applaud Clyburn lifelong service but when the nation is desperate for hope and change South Carolina is everything that has destroyed the America that we foreigners used to believe in.
The Obama/Biden years were a wasted opportunity because as much as change was needed its signature victory Obamacare was a pyrrhic victory because of men like Biden are so risk adverse and looked to compromise with the likes of McConnell.
Biden's basic assumption that the GOP prefers Democracy to Stalinism is what destroyed America and trying to placate the angry voices on the right has now demoralized too many of those that knew America needed to be put back on the right track.
It is called the bully pulpit because it was meant to be used when someone needs to make the changes needed in a world that always changes.
Sometimes looking for compromise with those seeking to destroy you is not only self destructive but it also deprives those who need you of your leadership.
I love South Carolina but just as Trump is America Lindsey Graham is South Carolina and that is not the needed leadership.
If I am not for myself who am I for? Hillel
2
Suffice it to say, if Bernie had won South Carolina we would never had heard the end of how small it is, how Republican it is, how single minority-based it is, etc..
I don't think the media should be denigrating Biden's success here. I think they should treat Bernie Sanders like they do Eizabeth Warren and any other candidate here. (Tulsi Gabbard is also maligned by the press.)
3
For many Democrats the most important thing is to dethrone Trump ( yes I said dethrone because right now he is acting like a king). But for young Sanders supporters the most important thing is the revolution. Please tell me I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong about that.
1
If Biden was a little younger and a little less faltering at times, he’s got my vote. His compassion and integrity are such a welcome needed change for this country. But I worry. Sanders is easy to fall in love with but perhaps clouds my judgement. Warren seems more willing to compromise when needed, but please can this country finally really except a woman as president!!
1
Anyone but Sanders. I can't believe that our choices are coming down to a handful of male dinosaurs, none of whom will likely last 4 years, never mind 8. Old men who want to take us back to some nostalgic idea of the early 1960's. If it has to be Biden, I would like to see Warren as his running mate, please not another. old. man.
1
What a choice for the Dems! A radical liberal demagogue promising things he won't be able to deliver after an election he won't be able to win, and a nostalgia candidate with an apparently very narrow appeal who says he will revive an administration that ended four years ago, which in the current context might as well be 40 years. Looks like I'm voting third party again this year!
Biden winning big is exactly what the establishment Democrats want, but South Carolina is going to vote for Trump in the election! The Blue States realize that big change is needed and Bernie is winning big in those states! If the establishment gets their way with a divided electorate and move to put Joe in as the nominee with super delegates..most Progressives will stay home..enough of the same old same old the country needs HUGE change, big money needs to take a back seat to all of our futures!
3
Cannot vote for Sanders due to his vote on Sandy
Hook bill. The photo of tears on President Obama's
face will be with me forever. The anguish and pain
of the parents and teachers lost that day should
not be forgotten.
1
In 2016, Democratic voters chose a centrist establishment Democrat with Obama ties and a long political experience over Bernie Sanders and "lost big" to Trump.
In 2020, the mainstream talking point is: Only a centrist establishment Democrat with Obama ties and a long political experience can beat Trump, not Bernie.
I haven't seen one compelling argument why the 2016 strategy that failed 4 years ago will somehow magically work this year. (Not to mention Trump has already decided "Ukraine" is the 2020 version of "her emails.")
Establishment Democrats hate progressives so much, they'd rather ignore history (and head-to-head polls) and nominate a centrist who will lose to Trump than nominate a progressive who could win.
2
Joe ran in 1988 and 2008 as well. This is the very first primary he has won in three attempts. He offers voters no real policy prescriptions for some of their biggest concerns: healthcare and climate change. This is a man that was captured by corporations and Wall Street a long time ago. This is why his nickname was the "Senator from MNBA". Which is great if you're a large credit card issuer. I'm looking forward to people who do not take this corporate money and who only want to represent the people in their districts or states. That's not Joe!
Putting aside Biden’s votes when he was in the Senate, what is unclear is how he intends to govern if elected. He states that he can work with Republicans and unite the country. The same Republicans who obstructed Obama for six years? Does he believe they will work with him because they prefer to work with an old white guy? If not, then what is his belief based on?
I don’t doubt that he can restore stability at the State Department, Justice Department, and other government agencies. However, that’s a very low bar that anyone can reach if elected. If he’s going to achieve any new legislation, it will be based on the preferences of Republicans. They rarely compromise.
2
I wish the media didn't hype every count. SC does not have the diversity of many larger states. We must keep our eyes on the prize: a candidate who can beat Donald Trump. WE MUST WIN. Each candidate so far has strengths which should be used in a Democratic administration. But only one has the proven record of powerful administrative experience, buoyed by proven progressive values (he's already helped finance the campaigns of several who have won seats in the Senate and supported multiple organizations that exist to support the common good). Who? Bet you guessed..Mike Bloomberg will defeat Donald Trump with one hand tied behind his back.
Too much hangs in the balance to choose a minor player.
WE MUST WIN,
2
As we all know there is a rift in the Democratic party between the corporate wing i.e. Big Money donors and the people i.e. voters. Let the people decide
who they want as president and not big money!
Big money is afraid of Sanders and thats a good thing.
1
I agree with those who say Biden has a weak spot on the Hunter Biden issue. It could become Hillary Clinton’s emails if he is the nominee.
2
Sanders raises $46 million in February
Sanders neutralizes Citizens United.
Now there’s something no one else can do.
3
Galvanizing moderates against Bernie and his supporters is guaranteed to backfire. 46% of Democrats are liberal - Progressive, whereas only 35% are moderates.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/246806/understanding-shifts-democratic-party-ideology.aspx
Only 28% of the electorate are Democrats, while 41% are Independents. The progressives are the majority in the Democratic party and they also have the Independent party (Bernie is the leader of the Independents).
Furthermore, the Progressives have an alternative anti status quo candidate in Trump, whereas the moderates are stuck.
Moderate Democrats only represent 10% of the entire electorate. For the past 20 years their numbers have declined precipitously whereas the progressives have gone up sharply. That means the progressives own the future.
80% of progressives voted for Hillary in 2016 - that will not ever happen again.
Biden is the death rattle of the moderates. The only reason the moderates are so full of themselves is because they have the mainstream media.
3
"Socialism isn't bad. It's getting what you paid for with your taxes rather than giving it away to corporate subsidies"
19
“The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money”
2
I am one who is all for Biden and I hope he gets the nomination. Of all of the candidates he is the one with the most experience and the one who can decisively beat traitor trump.
And if Biden is the nominee I hope that Sanders will not be the sore loser that he was in 2016 and give his support to Biden to defeat traitor trump in November.
If we don't all get out and vote in November to toss agent orange out of the white house our once great country will be done.
8
@Pataman
Factual check regarding the "sore loser" comment: Sanders in fact campaigned harder for Clinton after losing the nomination than Clinton did for Obama when she lost the election.
I urge all Americans to check facts and do research on each of the candidates rather than surrendering themselves to innuendo and misinformation. We have far more tools to do that now than we did when I first started voting (1971). PLEASE do the factual research. Do not give in to spin.
4
@Pataman
I don’t think referring to Sanders as a sore loser is going to inspire his supporters to vote someone else. Do you want to unite the party or not?
2
Biden can barely string together a sentence. That works for a Republican nominee. Not so sure about that for the Democrats....
14
@J I know you are joking. It is trump that speak word salad. Biden is a man of decency, integrity, compassion, has a wealth of experience and skills. trump does not have anything what Biden has. trump only excels at lies and cruelty, only knows how to cheat, whine, bully, and steal elections.
2
I'm disappointed the headline is: "Biden wins SC, is it enough to revive his campaign? How about: "Biden wins Big - Takes Lead in Delegate Count Going into Super Tuesday." This is a huge development in the race, and shows that Biden will very likely sweep the South. I'm sorry your picks - Warren and Klobuchar - aren't doing well and it's time for them to bow out gracefully, but please give credit where credit is due. When your opinions begin to evade your news reporting, it doesn't benefit anyone (and I'm a big fan of Amy K.)
11
@John "How about: '"Biden wins Big - Takes Lead in Delegate Count Going into Super Tuesday?'"
Um, because he's still 10 delegates behind Sanders, despite the SC win.
The headline should read something to the effect that Mike "Kill It" Bloomberg is no longer needed to be the Electable One.
1
@John
Sorry to pop your bubble but Bernie is far ahead in the delegate account.
Bernie Sanders: 48
Joe Biden: 34
Also it doesn't matter if Biden sweeps the south, in the national election the South will go to Trump.
Furthermore, Bloomberg's advertising will destroy Biden, and won't even touch Bernie.
2
Congratulations Mr. Biden. Savor your victory for the next few days. Super Tuesday will be a nightmare.
8
This is another silly presidential campaign season--again. The only game we play in the media is horserace--he's up, she's down; she's down and out; he's down, no he's up again, folks.
We have had 4 Democratic primary/caucuses out of 50 states. Biden won one--that he was expected to win. And oh the giddy elation and sighs of relief among the DNC establishment.
Maybe talk about winners and losers after Super Tuesday. I am 1 of the 17% registered Democrats in our new state of Utah (we moved from NY in 2017), and it is gorgeous in mountainous northern Utah.
However, within the context of a possible coronavirus epidemic/pandemic, I voted by mail for practical, politically experienced Amy Klobuchar, because partisan ideology is killing this country.
B.R. (Before Reagan), we were a more pragmatic country and got things down with compromise. Now it is a betrayal for any Republican to vote with Democrats. Why? To prop up the most incompetent, self-absorbed, deranged president in American history. Why? So big GOP donors and lobbyists can have their way, work their will, and turn us into a banana republic quicker than a wink.
Forget ideology and party. Just vote for the person who you think would be best at handling epidemics and crises and actually cares about the well being of the middle class and the future--instead of using us as pawns in the Trump-GOP bamboozle to enrich the already rich.
3
We don't elect the president by popular vote. Therefore, all those matching polls (Sanders_vs_Trump) means basically nothing. Even if 100% of voters of such progressive states as NY, CA, MA voted for Dems, it doesn't matter in our system!
5
@Marat K plus Republicans' shameless gerrymandering.
The Dem nightmare scenario will be a Biden nomination. He has shown tremendous volatility on the Hunter issue. And shows clear evidence of confusion under pressure.
He will be a hot mess debating against Trump and lose in the general election.
8
If Biden wants to win he better pick Elizabeth Warren as his VP and sooner rather than later. That would unite the progressives and the moderates, and give us progressives some hope for the future which we do not have right now with a Biden nomination.
5
There is no way South Carolina or Alabama or any other Deep South state will be be turning blue in 2020!
So why is so much emphasis placed on their importance in a democratic primary. It’s misleading the Democratic electorate that a southern solidly republican state matters in the final vote for a democratic president. It’s political theater not political reality.
8
Of course Joe Biden won South Carolina, he'd have to have fallen off the face of the Earth if he didn't. But Biden has two big problems: Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, who are still competing for the same minded voters. And neither look like they're going to loosen their death grip on the race. For all the talk about putting forth the "best" candidate likely to beat Trump, no moderate is willing to pull out. Further, I don't share the view that this win means Biden is back; Super Tuesday is more indicative Plus, Bernie Sanders has thus far been the only one who has excited the younger voters, a group that notoriously doesn't turn out. Like they say, it's not over til it's over. Biden put too many eggs in the S. Carolina basket, but we'll see....
3
All Dem candidates have baggage or deficiencies (maybe excepting Klobuchar). My first criterion is the ability to defeat Trump. The second criterion is to get the country moving forward. I love all that Bernie advocates. I doubt his presidency will be effective. I am not at all excited by Biden but he may be effective but not advance any liberal agenda. I am impressed with Warren’s intellect and progressive advocacy. But can she win? Klobuchar and Buttigieg policies are too moderate and Pete’s election results are shallow. That leaves Mike who carries misogyny baggage and racial profiling. He can win, move the country forward effectively and would advance key policies (gun control, environmental protection, healthcare, women’s reproductive rights). But he can’t win the nomination.
Maybe I’ll follow my heart and vote for Bernie.
5
@Zev I believe Biden will advance some of the progressive agenda. He is compassionate and want to help all the people. Sanders won't be able to defeat trump because he scares away independents like me. Even he is elected, he won't be effective because his inability to negotiate and compromise and will end up nothing done. Go with Sanders on his big promises, you will get nothing in reality. Go with Biden, he will unite and work hard to push some of the progressive ideas in a more realistic approach.
Great win for Biden - no doubt.
Once again, like 4 years ago, how much does it matter what Dem has the most support in states they have 0 chance of winning though?
4
And so, Biden is once again "a viable candidate." This isn't a criticism, only and observation: It's only South Carolina.
We will see what the headlines are this coming Wednesday. If he gets a chunk of votes this large over the entire spectrum of "super" Tuesday, then expect the radical regressive reactionaries to start chanting hysterically "Hunter" all over again.
2
Can we please stop the daily punditocratizing of the process.
As a 100% Warren supporter, I'm disappointed by the neglect this horserace nonsense supports. We all should vote our consciences.
Though I like Bernie's ideas, I think he's too fond of demagoguery when he's in charge (I'm sickened by crowds chanting, whether it's Trump or Sanders, that's mob stuff, though I'll vote for Bernie if he's the candidate and I believe he is a thoughtful decent guy with great ideas, despite his inability to acknowledge that there is legitimate disagreement about ways and means and he will have to learn to find middle ground.) A significant portion of his followers are all too often nasty with it. And I don't think it's healthy to indulge in conspiracy theories.
But:
Vote Democratic, no matter what. We will not survive another 4 years of Trump. And get us a Democratic Senate, for heaven and the future's sake. Trumpism is not good for children and other living things, and the purge is dangerous.
10
We need one strong candidate that can inspire voters and tell us the truth. We also need the Democrats to out-stratagize Trump and his Russian cohorts.
The next eight months may be the most important months in our history. America deserves better than our current White House occupant and his GOP lackeys.
Vote them out of office and prosecute them.
6
@Pamela L. I still cannot believe the biggest liar god has ever created is the president of the united states. See all the lower cases I wrote? because trump makes america low and small. No longer a great nation that I once admired.
Why does a state which was the first state in the Confederacy and has treason in it very DNA have such significance in the Democratic primary? This state will not vote for a Democrat no matter how centrist.
3
What is Joe Biden offering the black voters in South Carolina and in other states around the country for their support?
And what are the black voters in South Carolina and around the country expecting from Joe Biden for their support?
2
Oh goodie...Biden wins to fight another day; well, literally three days. Then Super Tuesday will scramble the field once again and dear old Joe will return to being an also-ran. Is Bloomberg the next one up? Stay tuned.
3
Indeed...a much less decisive victory for Biden over Sanders than Clinton did in 2016 [see: https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/primaries/south-carolina].
It remains to be seen how much can the press and the Democratic establishment spin this result and paint a come back for Biden....Come back from what? --- It has all been a press driven make-believe from the start. South Carolina has always been Clinton country [read Democratic old hands].
Sanders's campaign has prepared for the coming contests, and if on the 2016 primary he left S.C with 14 delegates, being 'trounced 3 to 1, this time around he should live with at least 24, as the 'trouncing' shrank by a third.. Onto Super-Tuesday...
Biden is one of the accomplices of the Syrian tragedy with his boss Obama. He is the perfect epitome of business as usual and establishment. An old shoe we need to throw away. His body language and awful grimaces proves that he is not a person to be trusted, just a comedian who could be a worse president than Trump. Americans beware!
3
I awoke at 5 AM here in Sweden to BBC World Radio's report that Biden with the help of BLACK voters had taken 50% of the vote to victory.
The following may seem off topic or even troubling to some. If so you can find me for direct reply at my blog below.
In August 2013 the former Director of the US Census Bureau (USCB), Kenneth Prewitt, was invited by a Times Editor to submit a column about his new book:
"What Is Your Race - The Census and Our Flawed Efforts to Classify Americans"
In his August 2013 column, Prewitt presented a guide to the most important part of that book, Ch. 11, in which he argued that the USCB must end assigning us to fictional "races" and begin to see us more and more in terms of Socio-Economic (I add also health) data.
He thought maybe a small step might be taken in the 2020 Census. Not a chance.
Instead, week after week, we see that in my America, the ideal would be to have a candidate from each ethnic group.
In other words, in contrast with what Martin Luther King wanted of all us, Americans are notable for their preservation of the racist view that "race" defines you, not what you know, how you yourself have shaped your being, who you really are.
I had hoped for change. Now at 88 I am afraid I have to accept, not in my lifetime.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
4
so many experts amongst the commenters! we all seem to have figured out an angle..... it will all sound reasonable until the votes are counted in November..... until then? we don't know anything.
Out of touch Joe Biden's last (and only, in three presidential bids) hurrah, and a fitting way for him to exit after next Tuesday.
4
So now it is down to Biden and Bernie. Either one of those two gentlemen would be a massive improvement over the insane pathological liar in the White House right now. Obviously they are 2 very different men with vast differences on where they would lead the U.S.; and Americans have a clear choice to make. The paranoid fear of Bernie Sanders and his "socialist" views are at times both amusing and frustrating to Canadians who have long enjoyed "Medicare for All" ; and watch many of your seniors cross our border just to buy insulin and drugs they can`t. afford in your capitalist paradise. Either way; we have been saddened and disgusted with what we have seen in the U.S. these last 3 years. Trump is universally despised around the world; for good reason. Yet so many continue to drink his kool-aid. I just pray on Nov. 4; 2020 the world will wake up to President elect Biden or Sanders.Otherwise the U.S. will truly be in the swamp...FOR GOOD.
7
Can we consider for a moment how illogical and stupid the entire primary process is?: Many months and millions are spent on an inexact, incompetently run 'caucus' in Iowa. Similar attention then is lavished on a small, white state in New England. Then we focus on the heartland of the old Confederacy, a state that never votes Democratic in national elections. THEN we have 16 primaries scattered all over the country in "super Tuesday." And it goes on for months, for years! Why is this system tolerated? No wonder we end up with leaders like Trump.
7
@Overton Window Campaigns and elections are in the blood of this country. I cut my teeth listening to the adults talk politics, seeing the balloons and bunting at the conventions and voting the minute I turned 18. It is what we do in this country and I am so grateful we can! Yes. The whole process is sometimes over hyped, warped and risky but its the wacky USA elections.
Campaign, contribute and vote.
I will not be voting for Joe Biden, but I am glad for his win. He seems like a nice guy and he represents 'a safe choice' for many voters. We cannot blame them for fearing that we will lose for being too ambitious with our goals. We all have some of these fears, because there is so much opposition against change.
When this is all over democrats will have chosen their candidate. It would be good for candidates, leaders and voters to remember that at some point we have to pull together behind the person with the MAJORITY of delegates. To do this the fighting has to stop and respect needs to happen. Whether the clear winner is Bernie Sanders or Buttigieg we need to put all of our might behind them. That is how we insure a win.
3
i guess I'd vote for Biden if i had to... but with zero enthusiasm. He seems so out of touch, rambling and uninspired.
I find his work across the aisle rhetoric ridiculous... the idea that there are ethical Republicans waiting to work for the american people makes him look dangerously naive to me.
11
Yes Obama thought he could make deals and friends. How naive. Trust me Joe thinks the same. Joe let me explain it to you. All of your queries will be met by the the word no. Then what.....
1
Hmm.... Biden vs Sanders, two old white me both with huge holes in their character.
Biden is the Democratic Party's institutional horse. He tends to be foolish, a poor judge of character, oblivious to the political pulse of his own base. Can singlehandedly shot himself in both feet with one bullet? As president, he would give Ukraine back to Putin to score some points, "heck they have Crimea, what's the diff?"
Sanders, incapable of evolving political ideology over 60 years of monumental changes, has the giant ego that acts as blinders for this old tired pony, he is completely void of any detailed plans for his presidency. Despises the Democratic Party who are giving him the forum to run nationally. Will not be known as a compromiser if elected.
I say Bloomberg at the convention, not a Democrat,but tough, savvy, doesn't suffer fools, has a track record of success in and out of government. He also where the bodies Trump buried the last 40 years are.
4
Obama caused Trump by causing immense frustration, for example, a bail out plan that only helped the big banks and a healthcare plan with high premiums.
We, therefore, need Bernie.
Bernie needs to do a couple of things. He has to announce that he swears off his previous affection for left wing authoritarian regimes. And he has to indicate, strongly, that he does not mean to destroy the federal budget.
We need Bernie to win, and to win, Bernie must explain those things.
Bernie all the way. Down with the Republican Times op ed columnists like Ross Douthat who want to turn the Democratic Party into a Republican Party without the anti-abortion plank.
We do not need too plutocratic political parties in the United States. We have had too much of Republican Party Rule. It was disastrous in Iran Contra, it was disastrous in the 2008-9 Financial Crisis, and it beyond disastrous in the case of Trump traitor trash.
10
Minor technical details include: TARP got passed by George Bush, not by Obama, and Obamacare plans offer a very wide range of premiums and deductibles. Not to mention heavy subsidies and tax credits.
Sorry, but I refuse to take anybody who can’t get the simplest things right seriously. Especially when they’re haranguing me about St. Bernie or Trump the Magnificent.
2
@Iced Tea-party
We do not want Bernie and his socialist street thugs ("bros") anywhere near the reins of power.
2
Biden is just Hillary all over again.
Compromised, damaged by his son’s optically unwise career choices in Ukraine. Trump will devour him and the rest of his moderate ilk.
If the cowardly centrists throw this primary process under the bus like Hillary and Wasserman-Schultz did in 2016 and Biden gets the nominations, it’s certain the Trump will win and the US will go down.
Such a pain-ridden pity for the Democratic Party if it happens, but it might be the only way to drive a stake through the heart of Clintonism once and for all!
10
I hope everyone will get in behind Biden and help take the White House and Senate blue. He isn't a perfect candidate, but America has had enough of a angry yelling man making promises he can never keep. Vote Biden.
5
Good for Joe Biden. I was debating between him and Mike Bloomberg, but this settles it for me. I'll vote for Biden. I don't like Mike Bloomberg trying to buy the election. A 3-minute ad where he tries to look like the president addressing the corona virus crisis? Silly.
8
Who would Doug Jones most want to appear on a stage beside him?
Or the 40 Democratic reps who got their seats in 2018?
4
The democrat establishment is going to push this Biden win as the biggest thing since sliced white bread.
But Biden was expected to win big in South Carolina because he has senator Jim Clyburn in his pocket, and with Clyburn's endorsement, Biden got essentially all of the black vote.
Bernie got 20% . I think that says more than Biden's win, especially in a conservative state like SC.
5
Yeah, keep telling black folks that Jim Clyburne’s a sellout fool, and they’re just dupes. After all, it worked great for St. Bernie in 2016.
1
Sanders and Warren for 2020. That's the ticket! For now and in the future
2
Black or white, SC is a very conservative state. No big surprise that Biden got a victory here. He will be crushed in TX and CA, come Tues. Now Joe needs to find something constructive to do with his ample, new free time.
1
Super Tuesday is Reality Check Tuesday for Democratic voters.
Count me in if Joe Biden is the nominee.
5
Biden's speech last night was a throwback to when America was actually great. 3 years ago.
4
Wow, you gotta give Joe credit though. He's not my first pick but man, that's a massive win. Love to see something like that happened against Trump in November. Bigly even.
2
So much comment about who between Biden and Sander can beat Trump. I think Sanders can do better in the Midwest (WI, MI, PA), Biden can do better in the sunbelt (FL, AZ), but who will actually do enough better to beat Trump, nobody knows...
2
@Bob trump knows and that's why he tried to get his supporters to vote for Sanders.
I don’t trust anyone who one minute says they were arrested in South Africa and then wasn’t. What a convenient memory.
2
Biden wins South Carolina, polls well in North Carolina and Virginia.
Great news if we were in 1860; for 2020, not so much.
5
When Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Warren pull out, most, by a large measure, of their voters will turn to Biden. For the good of the Democratic Party, and the country, I hope they withdraw soon. All have fought hard and run honorable campaigns.
Joe is a good man. And good people remember their friends.
7
Buttigieg, Klobuchar and (as much as it pains me to say) Warren need to drop out. Now.
7
@JJ Michael Bloomberg, please also drop out immediately -- use your money to help!
Do the SC primary voters think they too will be installed on the board of Burisma? Biden is a corporatist, with a long voting history to prove it. If he is the nominee Trump will drag in Burisma, Biden’s creepy son who had an affair with his dead brother’s wife, and more. Go with Bernie, he’s the only one who can beat Trump.
1
@Matt It is awful that you brought up Hunter's relationship, approved by Biden and Jill. Nothing wrong with it. This is an example why people are turned off Bernie supporters.
Vote Democratic. Defeat Sanders then defeat Trump.
5
We are not going to win South Carolina anyway, so what voters think there is irrelevant.
3
It’s getting complicated for the Democrats.
Their strength: they rally all the anti-trumpers behind them.
Their weakness: the anti-trumpers only agree on one thing: no Trump anymore. Otherwise they are as different and diverse as the culinary scene of New York City.
Even though it sounds - for now - for everyone boring: but in the end to satisfy everyone (a bit at least) the Democrats need pizza candidate. Something everyone can agree on.
No sea urchin chickpea pasta, no century eggs Benedict, no wakame seaweed pesto... - just pizza.
Please serve.
1
It ain’t over until it’s over.
3
I bet Joe is hauling tons of money now. I am sending him my $50.
2
Biden seems to be on the border of dementia like Reagan was at the end of his reign. I’m not a neurologist, but he seems to wander off subject and increasingly makes gaffes. I hope that he’s fine. Maybe this is just some inconsequential side effects from his brain surgery 20 years ago (2 brain aneurism removals)?
I’m sure that that respectful and empathetic Donald Trump won’t call attention to any odd verbal meandering as long as Joe’s people will make sure he keeps religiously reading his teleprompter. Wait, wasn’t Donald the guy that made fun of that photographer?! If Biden’s the nominee, I’ll fully support him against Trump, but most electable??? Trump and his Republicans are bullies. Can we, at least, get copies of Joe Biden’s medical records for public review? I mean he’s been properly vetted, right? Oh yeah, we’ve got the 25th Amendment, so just make sure that his VP choice has truly got the right stuff and not just a political team. I would want the same considerations for Bernie Sanders, too.
4
I started off saying I'd vote 3rd party if Biden was selected... now I'm going to vote for Biden over my ideal choice Warren or ideal moderate Buttigieg or Klobuchar. Why people are voting for these old men that probably can't even do a 2nd term is beyond me but looks like that's what we're left with. I'm voting Biden because I think it's the most likely candidate to beat Trump for VIRGINIA.
4
The real threat to the Biden candidacy is Bloomberg staying in the race. Bloomberg didn’t have the stamina to enter in the beginning with all the other candidates. He should exit the race now...
3
I can imagine a Biden-Warren ticket being a seriously formidable ticket uniting most Democrats.
3
The more i think About it the more I realize what a disaster sanders would be
2
Hey, let's give the banks "free" money through socialism. Socialism for the wealthy.
Biden is business as usual.
5
So after all the scare and hype of the cross-over voters, the Republicans voted for Biden?!
Guess, that makes sense.
2
I am sorry to tell you that the Latino vote will decide the Democratic primary winner this year and whomever has an edge in that demographic especially in the sun belt and the working class white and people of colour in the Midwest should be the nominee which are all the voting bloc that Hillary Clinton couldn’t bring out last election
And joe Biden lost the non collage educated whites in South Carolina and the more north the primary goes the more of them it is especially in the Midwest which has Obama to trump voters or Obama to none voters
Joe Biden won today 18 % of under 45 and 82 over 45 which means his hardest to win demographic of voters are under 45 and non collage educated whites which was the best demographic of voters for Obama and worst for Hillary Clinton and we know how both of those elections ended
The sun belt and Midwest are the battleground
2
So Biden wins a Confederate Red State. Big whoop. In California polls he is fourth or fifth, behind Bernie in first. In Texas he trails Bernie. All the corporate do nothing Democrats are asking us to nominate a guy who cannot win blue states, like California? Yes, Bernie has a ceiling. But Biden does nothing for the heartbeat of the activists of the party. Bidens campaign infrastructure and money are fourth rate. And he stands for nothing. He is less exciting than wall paste. If he loses Texas and California on Super Tuesday, he should drop out and make room for anyone else.
6
Democrats have lost South Carolina by no less than 172,000 votes in the presidential elections starting in 2004.
Biden has shown that he can win a primary in a state where the Democrats will lose badly as usual. Only Democrats and journalists could find that meaningful news.
What happened to all so important WI, PA, and MI? What happened to the importance of Black voters in metro-Milwaukee, Detroit, and Philadelphia?
Stranger still, the Democratic team spent time and money on the loser state, not just the darlings of the funeral industry.
The smart money belongs on the red.
4
How can anyone say Joe Biden won South Carolina? He earned 26% LESS vote than Hillary Clinton did in 2016.
Hilary beat Bernie by FORTY-EIGHT POINTS. Biden only managed twenty eight. Embarrassing, is his campaign in trouble? /s
1
Cue the "This Is The End Of Sanders" stories.
Here's the thing about Sanders:
Senator Bernard Sanders is a Demagogue.
We need Demagogues.
They play a vital part in getting things done.
Without Demagogue Francis Townsend: no Social Security.
Without Demagogue Father Coughlin: FDR would have ignored working people (at first he rejected the Bonus Marchers) while rushing America into the European war.
Demagogues push the needle on the national meter. They start movements, good or bad.
Norman Thomas forced FDR into socialist-like positions.
Joe McCarthy forced Pres. Truman to start the Cold War, which is, clearly, still with us to this day.
Demagogues bring change. But history shows that Demagogues make lousy executive officials because they believe they are always right.
Beware of anyone – in or out of politics – who is driven by a sense of their own certitude.
That's Senator Sanders.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
4
2 70 year old white guys fighting for the chance to run against another 70 year old white guy for President. It's not as if there aren't qualified women or men of color, or others who wouldn't be even better candidates. We have 2 parties stuck in their stereotypical and racist ways, unable to let go of the controls of power and influence. This has got to change.
2
There were plenty of women and people of color running but they didnt enough win votes. Why should we feel bad about not nominating someone who can’t win votes?
1
It is not about this election.
Many people feel like they have lost big, due to the poilcies over the past 40 years plus. Coincidentally, the time Biden has been in the congress and white house, cutting taxes on the rich, not standing up for labor unions, getting in bed with the credit card companies, voting for obvious endless war profiteering, just to name a few ways the american middle class has been robbed. Now of course there is not enough money for healthcare, college loan relief, minimum wage. Biden will not change things for the billionaires so they can keep giving to his campaign.
Boo
4
Charles Blow wrote an excellent essay suggesting the first four states vote on the same day. We have reached the decision point where there is little distinction between the current sequence and his suggestion - other than that polls and polling averages are out of date.
There was no better outcomes possible for Biden - a huge win with Bernie a strong second and everyone else an afterthought. Moderate voters will not want to roll the dice on indirectly nominating Bernie on Tuesday, and it would, bluntly, not be rational to do so. It should be a three person race at this point with Warren hanging in, but Bloomberg will be Bloomberg so we will probably have four.
The voters of South Carolina showed us, or perhaps replayed for us, a clear picture of the race. It is up to the rest of the country to listen.
1
@Emily S
You say every single moderate you know hates Bernie and would never vote for him. You say that these people “want calm” and would vote Trump if Bernie is the nominee. That makes absolutely no sense. Have these people you speak of been paying attention at all during these excruciatingly long, exhausting three-and-a-half Trump years? Trump has no intention of providing calm. It’s not his style. He thrives on chaos and divisiveness. He’s petty, childish, and cruel and will destroy our country if given another four years. Sanders is not my first choice, but between Trump and Sanders, it’s no contest.
7
The "Vote Blue" mantra is not about assessing ones debate performance. That's academic.
What's even more clear now is why trump tried to investigate Biden's son and why Putin supports Sanders or Trump.
2
Thank you South Carolina! It is wonderful to see Democrats over the moon with Biden's win. Keep it up Dems! We must defeat Trump!
2
Scary to me that one man - Clyburn - apparently swung the African American vote. I rather hoped that people in this day and age did their own thinking.
7
@JJ An informed decision is based on a number of factors, a persons own knowledge and on the opinions of other people in whom we have confidence and respect. Factoring in that element is what people are supposed to do, with strong weight given to those for whom we have that confidence and respect. Are you suggesting that if you had an important decision to make you wouldn't give weight to that person's opinion? I think you would.
1
@JJ
The blind leading the blind.
Pitiful
What a sorry state of affairs if the media has enabled the fear-mongering over Sanders by the status-quo elites. Go Bernie and Liz. Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar: GO HOME.
7
Swell! I can't wait for November! South Carolina voters want to saddle the country with the inspiring choice between Whacko Republican and Republican Light. I'm so excited! Just the change this country needs! More of the same solutions that got us into this mess in the first place! A big thank you to the fine, bold thinkers of South Carolina!
6
I’m not all in for any candidate yet. I do wonder what the prejudice is against the women running.
I can imagine Warren debating Trump and she would destroy him. Yes, he’d call her Pocahontas, but she could turn that around in a heartbeat... as the guy who has had countless businesses go under, including the bankruptcy of 3 or 4 gambling casinos, she could simply call him Broke-ahontas, and that would end it.
Just gotta wonder about these old men, including trump. Why do we think 70+ year-olds are the answer? (How old is Putin, by the way.)
I also think that Bernie’s Medicare fir All would put hospitals out of business, but no one is saying much about this. I know a little something about this topic. While it’s a nice Utopian idea, why not start first by lowering the age of eligibility a few years, fixing the ACA, and reigning in the excesses of the insurance industry?
And Bernie, please please stop saying stupid things, like how Castro did some good stuff. You just give the enemy (trump and his cult) ammunition.
3
It‘s disappointing that older black voters again want to hand it to a candidate that really has not done much for them in past. Just because he stood on the side of Obama who btw has not done much either except making the rich richer. Same happened in 2016 with Hillary.
7
The elites of both parties are 'he who has the gold rule' Hillary and those elitist "on the political dole'(ie; invested social capital) lost to the 'deplorable other 47%rs' who would vote for Bernie "s eglitarian society plan. We were never an Oligarchy until money ran politics. Bernie or bust!
4
The time has come for the former Presidents -Obama, Clinton and Carter to provide the electorate with their thoughts. They are doing a disservice to the country by being quiet. PAUL FEINER
3
@PAUL FEINER
No, they are letting democrats voters make their own decisions.
Even Bush 43...
My take: Biden can beat Trump. Sanders cannot beat Trump.
Vote Biden.
5
@treabeton
Your take is not supported by any polling. Currently, Sanders beats Trump n head to head national polling. Sanders also currently beats Trump in polling in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two states he democrats must win.
Start doing your own research and thinking.
Wrong on many key decisions, he should retire and make space for a competent Bloomberg/yang ticket.
So, is today the day that Democrats changed the tune from We Shall Overcome to We Shall Not?
2
Let’s start it now.
Never Biden. The guy can’t put two sentences together. He has no convictions. He is what is wrong with American politics.
Fight the power
9
I know it's not popular to say, but Biden got lucky in SC. Watching Biden on stage stumble and mumble really makes him a sitting duck at an arcade yet to come. Trump will make pulled pork out of this guy. Will be painful to watch if it ever comes down to Biden and Trump eyeball-to-eyeball. Dems need a Teflon candidate or there'll be trouble in River City come November 2020.
7
Biden's colossally bad judgment in voting in 2002 to authorize military intervention in Iraq makes Biden unfit to serve as president. John Kerry, John McCain, and Hillary Clinton also voted for the war resolution and likewise were unfit, as was Barack Obama, who placed Biden twice on his ticket. The failure of voters to hoot Biden, Kerry, McCain, and Clinton off the stage of American politics for helping to lead this nation into a catastrophic war demonstrates that there is little or no accountability in American politics.
3
SC voting was heavily African-Americans. Biden rode Obama's coat tails. Simple to understand. Maybe if O endorses him that would the push he needs. But he is old....and getting older seems to be confuse about things too often. VP key. Many of my Rep friends who voted for Trump are saying Bloomberg and Klobuchar is the ticket to beat Trump and they would vote for it.
3
@Boat52 Of course your Republican Friends want Bloomberg/Klobuchar. Their Policies are 100% Republican, guaranteed to protect the rigged system.
2
So Biden won a Democratic primary in a state that has not elected a Democratic President since 1976.
La De Da....
8
Let’s not forget that Iowa is a deep red state now as well. So, perhaps we should dismiss their voters as well?
2
Keep pushing Factionalism and Trump will win again. Divide and conquer.
4
Settled my Super Tuesday vote.
Of course my approach is anyone, ANYONE, Bozo the Clown, my dog, a fruit fly, but Trump. I was wavering between who could beat Trump with a solid belief Bernie would be Trump's dream come true and, if he were to actually win in November, not be a uniting factor. But again, in November, ANYONE but Trump.
We now have someone to rally around who can win in the South, hugely important, will not put off people in the middle, who is a solid Democrat.
A strong showing for Biden will, if nothing else support the super delegates.
4
If big media weren't so intent on stopping Sanders, Biden's false claim of having been arrested in South Africa would end his campaign.
8
This is a disastrous result for the Democratic Party. If Biden wins, that will be the proof that this party is beyond renewal and the Clintonians will never lose their grip on the party. I am also quite sure Biden wouldn't winn against Trump.
I also think that this result is the doing of the media (including the NYT!) who keep portraying Sanders as some evil communist villain. I am so sick of rich establishment Democrats trying to keep the status quo.
12
I'm sure I will miss the Times' election coverage after the Super Tuesday contests, because the paper does a fine job. My family has relied on the reporting of The New York Times since at least the early 1960's, and my mother would put issues she hadn't been able to get to aside so she could catch up later. I have read the online edition similarly as long as it's been available.
Unfortunately I will have to cancel my subscription early next week when the monthly cost increases from $20. to $28. - a simply a prohibitive monthly amount out of my budget.
It's crazy that not only presidential candidates choose to run "grassroots" campaigns demanding small donations constantly to win, but also candidates for US Senate and House races, governor, legislatures and state offices. In a state with small population and lots of Republicans with big money moving here willing to buy the state government and a sparse population of economically struggling Democrats, there is a lot of fundraising constantly focused on me. I can't afford to fight all these battles and pay for broadband plus almost every single news source I need. The NYTimes was already the most expensive, and I guess I'm just out of my league among its readers.
Thanks for everything, but it's a shame that this paper will become an 'elites-only' medium. Good bye.
8
So Biden wins an enormous percentage of the African American vote - the first time enough of us were able to vote in large numbers in a non-caucus setting - and now Sanders supporters are calling South Carolina an irrelevant backwater swamp that never really mattered anyway. If we are the backbone of the Democratic Party because we voted today in huge numbers like we always do, while Sanders promised hordes of young folks just did not appear, can anyone really honestly question why less than 20% of the Democrats that voted tonight voted for Sanders? Not many of them were African Americans, either. Maybe they stayed home because they didn't like the latest polls? Seems like Sanders supporters think shouting and bullying and massing in big groups at rallies is actually voting. We can't count on Bernie to deliver voters. His policy proposals border on the pragmatically insane. We don't play that. Check your privilege cards. Okay, Milli? Are you other Democrats listening?
Now that Tom has dropped out, Amy & Pete need to as well after Super Tuesday. Then Joe announces a unity ticket, with Amy as VP, Kamala Harris as AG, etc. That's the ticket to end this disasterous flirtation with Bernie. Did you read Bret Stephen's column yesteday? Some really bad things in Bernie's past associations.
2
Republican columnist Bret Stephens said bad things about Bernie Sanders? In other news, water is wet.
1
Blaming the millennials and generation X for wanting else then a planet on the brink, harsh future to where financial security , jobs, health are luxury is deeply, cruelly wrong.
They reclaim a better future and they have the right to it.
Gunning them on smartphones, social medias use etc when it is us having it to them is ridiculous . We should be actually proud of them.
For having humanistic drive, for being idealists, for wanting better not only for themselves, but for the world as well.
Sanders is an old man indeed, but he hasn’t let the cynisme so prevalent in the above 50s rule his heart. And for that and many other things he has my utter admiration.
If these kids, if this youth does not get to fight for their vision of the future, who will?
As for the usual argument of them wanting « free stuff », Goddammit , in a world where progress will soon replace human labor with automatic/digital one, when work as we know it will change entirely its meaning, why shouldn’t they?
Are they supposed to accept the dystopia where 99,99 percent of the population are kept in
the gutter, with no clean air/water and decent food, where education becomes aimless, politics openly and entirely in the hands of the ruling class with no hope of a change? No hope of decent society that nourish , cherish and carry even the weakest of its members?
As Leonard Cohen sung in his last song.. I have seen the future and it is murder..
These kids out there, they are right. And we are wrong.
8
Biden voted for the invasion of Iraq and he was VP when Obama tripled our involvement in Afghanistan. His condoning and expanding the unjust wars that have caused so much suffering are impediments to his electability.
Trump is in many ways despicable but if he succeeds in ending our entanglements in foreign wars, that would weigh strongly in his favor against Biden.
Bernie voted against the foolish, evil wars. Anyone who favors peace will have no problem voting for Sanders on that issue.
11
This is great news! There is "Hope" for the continuation of "neo-liberal" (Reaganomics V2.0) economics which have brought us to the glories of empire. Prepare to pull up your boot-straps America because one job will not be enough to pay the rent. If Biden performs well in the next round Bloomberg can relax and retreat to flying his helicopter to his Bermuda palace. No need to be a buffer against the communist threat from ideological Democrats (extinct). Republican lite or Republican 3X, now this is a democracy worth dying for. I hear there will be a horse running for Senate in 2024.
6
Anyone but Trump, sure, but Biden is so depressing. Being well-liked and invited to deliver eulogies by both sides of the aisle seems to be his life's work and explains his go-along-to-get-along outlook - unless he considers a particular constituency inconsequential, like women and anyone who dares to challenge him. He's too shallow to come up with put-down lines for hecklers and like Donald Trump, he challenges them to IQ matches instead. Even though he's a cog in the Democratic machine he's always been known for being prolix (even as a plagiarist) and for putting his foot in his mouth; and he must rely on other mature party hacks to back him or prop him up. He hasn't changed a bit since the Clarence Thomas hearings. From the safety of my Blue state home, I'd sit this one out. I'm just so sick of men like this. They are a dime a dozen.
5
Now would be a great time for Pete to drop out and endorse Joe.
Pete, you were my first choice as a fellow member of the Oregon Trail Generation, but the writing is on the wall. One of three people will be president in November: Bernie, Joe, or the Pathological Liar. I truly believe that Pete’s time will come.
Not to sound crass or advocate for anyone dying, but reality is that we’ve got to wait around for some of these old school/old south jerks in places like Tennessee to die. We’ll outnumber them eventually. Pete has such momentum in Tennessee among my generation, those of us raised in evangelical churches who are sick of the hypocrisy of our parents’ generation. But Pete, it’s not going to happen for you this year. Please endorse Joe so that we will not have another four years of Hukd-on-Fonix in-Chief. Please.
1
So Bernie's a white thing and Joe's a black thing. And Democrats are a unity party with a wide umbrella? No, they are a Balkanized and fractured political entity. A political party has unity.
2
@Mike
You've things twisted. South Carolina is a politically conservative state. The black voters in the state tend o be politically more conservative. That played in Biden's favor.
Sanders polls better with younger black voters than Biden. Super Tuesday will show Sanders has the better ground game, and broader coalition.
1
Biden is taking a cue from Hillary: Convince Southern blacks to vote for you based on name recognition without stopping to analyze whether policies are helping. As ignorant and dishonest as Trump is, one valid observation he made to minorities was: What do you have to lose? South Carolina blacks have much to gain from a Sanders presidency but skewed towards Biden based on Clyburn's appeal. Same deal in the South as last time but, no matter, a Democrat can't win the South in the general election because of the 1964 revolution. Biden's victory is essentially meaningless.
8
I am sorry to tell you that the Latino vote will decide the Democratic primary winner this year and whomever has an edge in that demographic especially in the sun belt and the working class white and people of colour in the Midwest should be the nominee which are all the voting bloc that Hillary Clinton couldn’t bring out last election in those areas
And joe Biden lost the non collage educated whites in South Carolina and the more north the primary goes the more of them it is especially in the Midwest which has Obama to trump voters or Obama to none voters
Joe Biden won today 18 % of under 45 and 82 over 45 which means his hardest to win demographic of voters are under 45 and non collage educated whites which was the best demographic of voters for Obama and worst for Hillary Clinton and we all know how the respective election ended for both of them
If Biden wants to substitute non collage educated whites for the Latino votes it won’t work because of the policies Obama administration persuade which ended with 3million deportation more than any other administration thus facilitating the harsh policies of the trump administration
The Democratic base looks more like the voters in Nevada than Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina where each of the demographic of the democratic base is overrepresented
The sun belt and Midwest are the battleground
4
Until Biden learns to campaign for the future rather than about the past, he is doomed.
6
Before I express my concern about Joe---let me begin with the strong assumption that Trump is now very beatable--and will become more so as his incompetence continues to race past the ineptness tipping point. So that said, you need more in your formula for winning in November than just an incompetent President and just a moderate democrat---you need an Obama like organization on the ground---which all the candidates, except Biden--have put together. In those late stages of an election cycle it is about the ground game---which by the way plays to a Bloomberg strength. Having one field office in California, which is now padlocked, is a missing link that could turn this slam dunk campaign into a nail biter.
If Biden is the nominee he’s going to get destroyed by Trump. All Trump will have to say is Burisma. Face it fellow Dems, Trump should have been removed from office but the impeachment process stained Biden as well.
5
Does anyone really believe that Trump will leave even if is soundly defeated?
Democrats must unite soon - for me, the leadership and experience that Michael Bloomberg brings to the table 'trumps' all the other mainly legislators running.
The democratic party has made a large mistake in super Tuesday. Too early and too many delegates at stake to allow most citizens an honest assessment of the candidates.
2
The Dems will have a majority no matter who their nominee is, but they will still lose the electoral college. So stay home. Don’t even watch cable news, have a drink, and be happy.
1
I am still concerned that only Elizabeth Warren has the imagination and initiative to lead us out of a genuine, unforeseeable crisis without turning our country into a police state or stalling us in a military quagmire. This is the opposite of "i have a plan for that," because when even your best-laid plans fail you, your initiative and your judgment have to take over. I believe that she, alone among all the remaining presidential candidates, has those qualities.
5
I believe Joe Biden to truly be our best option to defeat Trump this coming November. If Trump were to run against Sanders, he would play up (to a ridiculous degree) that Sanders is a socialist/communist to absurd extremes. Of course his base would swallow that hook, line, and sinker and, in the process, may scare enough moderates to tip the election in his favor. However, with Joe Biden at the top of the ticket we have a history that brings back fond memories from the Obama years. Simply put, Joe is someone we can trust to operate in the best interests of the country.
We can't take another four, long, miserable years of Trump. He's far too dangerous given that he has a fondness for tyrants and dictators. I truly believe that he thinks democracies to be inferior to autocracies. And that is a dangerous mindset to have. We need to put him where he belongs: in our past. And, again, I believe Joe Biden to be our best option to achieve that goal.
5
Remember the “conservative revolution” of the early 80’s, with Reagan in the White House and Gingrich in Congress. It set the stage for conservative gains for decades. Yet, Biden derides talk of a “progressive revolution” to even the scales and aid the middle class and working poor. In typical corporate Democrat fashion, he thinks small and gains little to nothing - for the middle class and working poor at least. What was Obama’s signature “achievement”? Passing an expensive health care plan hatched in a conservative think tank. The corporate Democrats are complicit in the massive income and wealth inequality, and a hollowing out of the middle class, in this country. If a ticket of corporate Democrats is the best the Democratic Party can do, I’ll be writing in a progressive candidate, and I’ll be far from alone. Then, if Trump is reelected, watch the corporate Democrats try to blame Bernie instead of their own ineptitude.
6
Bernie/Warren supporter here. But I'm happy with this news because it means Buttigieg will go away. His annoying behavior at the last "debate" was... well, annoying.
I do wonder if there will be place for these Republican-lite style Democrats going forward. My hope is that the party will continue to run more candidates who embrace a progressive agenda because I believe that this agenda is what most people wish to see instituted.
Fear of Trump is no reason to vote for gradualism. The clock is ticking. Let's move forward.
7
Bloomberg should drop out and ask his delegates to support Biden in California. Biden will beat Trump and give us a chance to win back both houses of Congress. A Biden win will advance Bloomberg’s agenda. Let’s see if Blooming stands up for what he says he believes in and puts “his money where his mouth is.”
Perhaps it's just me, but this is beginning to sound a lot like Hillary (my turn) Clinton's run in 2016. Let's elect someone who can do something for the country rather than someone whose turn it is to run. Bloomberg, baggage and all, makes the most sense among the choices.
1
Thank you, South Carolina! Such a relief to see the primary go to someone who's not only ready to govern, but can actually beat Trump!
3
I am voting for myself in November as a write in vote. At least I am guaranteed one vote
1
glad he won proving talking heads are just that
but if i were a betting person, I;d bet on anyone else
2
Good job by Joe.
Too bad he though he was running for senator.
2
@EGD
Poor Joe.
He needs a rocking chair and a blanket for his lap.
Congrats Joe Biden on winning a state the Democrats have no hope of winning in November.
I'm sure the pundits everywhere will cheer you on as much when you wing Alabama on super tuesday, while you lose both CA and TX to Bernie Sanders.
Nice work.
2
Was it clear to SC voters their Biden votes were for Senate or Prez...?
“I’ll tell you what, the full comeback starts in South Carolina,”...
I’ll tell you what, enjoy the skewed victory, a very bumpy road lies ahead. The traditional democratic AA-voting machine will be tested this cycle as many democratic voters have moved on to the 21st century...
3
Even if Biden wins, he will lose to Trump. The guy is semi-demented and Trump will shred him to pieces.
Bernie was alone against entire party (that includes a traitor Warren) second time in a row.
And that’s almost impossible to navigate successfully. I feel his South Carolina debate hurt him a lot. He was rattled and all over the place. The attack is the best defence but he was rarely able to counterpunch.
America is being held hostage for so long (poor conservative folks in SC are brainwashed in churches and used every four years to secure a nomination for establishment candidates).
But let’s hope that new generations of Americans will break free and create a better place for everyone.
2
I voted today here in Columbia SC and, while I didn’t vote for Biden, I’m “down-ballot happy” that he won BUT... Does it bother anybody else that, out of 45 US Presidents in our history, 32 (71%) have been between the ages of 50-64 when they assumed office? Only 3 have been older (Trump the oldest at 70). Remember what GeorgeW (age 54) and Obama (age 47) looked like before and AFTER their two terms? My theory is if you take the job and responsibility seriously, it ages you about 3 years for every year you serve. Actually Trump hasn’t really aged that much since 2017, so I think that supports my theory!
#8>)
South Carolina is not reflective of the rest of the country. It is an aberration as will be seen in 72 hours.
5
Be prepared. Four more years of Trump. No way Joe can verbally spar with Trump at a debate.
4
Sanders got more votes this primary, with more candidates, and more money being spent in the state ( Tom Steyer 22Million) then Hillary.
So thats something positive
1
@SE Why are you and other Bernie supporters so stuck on Hillary and 2016? This a completely different situation (a lot more candidates). You sound like trump and his constant braying about Hillary and his “win.”
Starting a series on Sanders work on legislation. Many are not aware how effective he was. Clinton remarks were unjust and highly untruthful.
“The Almanac of American Politics called Sen. Bernie Sanders a “practical” and “successful legislator.” In the House, he was dubbed the “amendment king” for passing more roll-call amendments than any other member. “He accomplishes this by being relentlessly active and by using his status as an independent to form left-right coalitions.
As the veterans committee chairman, Sanders was able “to bridge Washington’s toxic partisan divide and cut one of the most significant deals in years.
“Landmark legislation was passed in 2014 to help the Department of Veterans serve aging population of veterans and to meet the needs of men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “
“ In 1998, he worked with Rep. Chris Shays to pass a bill to care for illnesses afflicting Gulf War veterans.”
“ Sanders in 2013 proposed legislation to break up “too-big-to-fail” banks,Wall Street bankers blocked the bill. The bankers lost a battle in when Sanders in 2009 reached across the aisle to Senator Charles Grassley to amend a bill to prevent banks that took taxpayer bailouts from replacing laid-off U.S. workers with lower-paid foreign workers.”
“ The House on November 2, 2003, passed legislation authored by Sanders (original bill) to provide all Americans with one free credit report per year. The bill became law on Dec. 4, 2003.
A lot more to come.
5
Every single contest so far for Bernie is worse than in 2016. No revolution whatsoever.
1
Comparing results running against ~10 candidates in 2020 to running against 1 in 2016 is comparing apples and oranges.
3
Does the fact there are three times as many viable alternatives? The simple math skills lacking in the electorate is froghtening.
Biden's not my favorite candidate but he's not Donald Trump's either.
Mr. Trump is having another "worst week" of his presidency. First, his usual bumbling of an outside catastrophe with the coronavirus response. Second, the market crash. And now, his greatest fear for re-election will leave him sleepless at night.
1
Joe Biden needs to have his medical records - including a cognitive test - made public.
He doesn’t know what office he’s running for. He can’t remember what state he’s in. He can’t articulate a coherent, lucid sentence.
He has largely been given a pass by the media - had Trump or anyone else claimed 150 million a Americans had died from gun violence the press would be whipped into a frenzy.
He is clearly showing signs of some kind of dementia.
8
Why does SC matter? It will never go blue in the general. This result matters not one bit.
2
I have a hatred for this process- more than I realized.
Two political parties; one without an ounce of care for 99% of Americans- doing whatever is expedient to keep its 1% masters happy. The other- so frozen with fear of offending someone - it has become useless to everyone; squandering opportunities to go bold and put in place policies and legislation that (as Joe Biden *accuses*)- is Revolutionary: Universal healthcare is a revolution that most nations- including Israel have won-yet...
If Joe Biden wins the nomination- we will have an affable yet ineffective leader. He'll be called a centrist; desiring to reach across an "aisle" that is more like a moat with alligators. Rather than immediately purging the government with the current monster's spawn, Biden will go slow. We need someone fearless; we won't find it in Joe Biden.
Will I vote for him if nominated? Yes; I'll pretend he's someone else.
5
Dear Bernie Bros and Sisters: as Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the UK in the 80's so succinctly asserted, the problem with socialism is that sooner or later, you run out of other people's money.
1
Good thing absolutely nobody is running as a Socialist.
4
@dba
I must presume then- the current president and GOP are raging Socialists- right? They are spending "our" money with abandon on their own "socialist" pet projects, that neither you or I get to partake.
2
@dba
Funny, thing about that. The money for corporate welfare never seems to stop, now does it? As the UK has shown, all you gotta do is open up your borders to cheap labor and they'll come rushing in, eager to give you their tax dollars.
There is a reason why Putin and his compromised lackey Trump are supporting Sanders while trying to sully Biden with lies and conspiracy theories. And it is not because they think Sanders is the stronger candidate.
1
You'd have to dig deep in the WaPo to find it, and I don't think you'll find it in the NYT, but Sanders raised $46 million dollars in February.
4
And Warren about $26 million. Joe?
@Doug Tarnopol
$100 of it was from me. !!!!
Ok, I'll say it. Trump will chew up Biden and spit out the bones. Trump has already tainted the entire Biden image with the Hunter Biden accusations. Those will only intensify and plant even more seeds of doubt for those on the fence. And I hate to say it, but on the debate stage, Biden does not do well. He is one beat too slow. Trump will use that to his advantage to be the schoolyard bully that he is and pummel him. I've got knots in my stomach about this upcoming election. It's going to get ugly because DJT has no limits and will drag anyone into the mud for a fight. I honestly don't know who can take him on, but I don't think it's Biden.
3
I'm glad Steyer proved money can't buy an election. Hopefully, Bloomberg's campaign will go the same way on Tuesday. I'm tired of billionaires who think money makes them good candidates. If they want to help out the democrats, they should use that money to attack Trump instead. Blanket the nation in ads detailing all of Trump's shortcomings and failures. Wasting cash on their own vanity campaigns is utter hubris.
5
So what did Iowa mean?
What did New Hampshire mean?
After each election the chattering class finds deep meaning and portent and tells us "what this could mean."
Why do we listen to "pundits"?
Do any of them have any real science?
Do any of them know anything of value?
3
Meh, not exactly a resounding victory. Not a...what's the term everyone's saying is so important..oh, right--a majority. Not even close. Super Tuesday will be interesting.
1
Another Gale King question answered.
First the 20 tsps. of sugar question and now the" what if " question.
Dig a little deeper Gale.
You all keep pushing for the awful Biden. The problem now is the climate crisis and Biden is as inadequate as Trump. Stop that. The world needs Bernie Sanders and we need him now. The Third Way set has betrayed us time and again and we don't want them.
5
We've sadly become a nation that no longer believes the great is possible. Mr. Biden says we have only the chance of winning big or losing big. His solution? Instead of working to win big, his solution is to strive for mediocrity...the exact thing that got the Democratic party into the pathetic situation it is today as a dull opposition to a party gone off the rails.
5
Biden won cause of Obama.
He wont win again.
This is still Bernie's to lose and he wont.
Go Bernie.
5
We sent Biden $50 tonight because we believe he can beat trump and Sanders can’t.
1
@On the coast
Too bad you didn't send it sooner. It's too late to help him on Super Tuesday.
@On the coast
Funny, when most people donate to candidates, they claim it's because they believe in his policies.
Not Biden supporters, though.
Mr Biden sounds often confused, whereas all the other candidates seem of sharper mind. I find it personally quite disappointing that the women in the race got so few votes, while they seem at the moment in sounder mind than Mr Biden. At my daughter’s high school, Mr Biden has been described as senile. Would young people vote for him? Would he bring a lot of people to the polls?
2
If anything, this win gave an excuse to the NYTimes to celebrate. They have been supporting Biden even before he entered the race. I don't think it will last, but anyway, have a drink guys. It was a long effort.
Then I'm really surprised about the black voters. I understand they see some sort of continuity from Obama to Biden, but in terms of plans, for example Sanders is more inclusive to all lower and mid classes.
And third, i find it scary that there is still a question who can beat trump. EVERYONE who doesn't like Trump should vote for the top alternative nominee. Regardless if it's Sanders, Biden, or your grandpa (actually both the above could be your grandpa). Otherwise, noone will ever fix the transition to autocracy that happens now in the US. Wake up people.
1
Biden will get the nomination.
Biden will lose to Trump.
The Democrats will blame Bernie somehow.
4
Was Biden's field operation in SC any better than elsewhere, or is he connecting with voters who gave us a Democratic House of Representatives? He won big in a populous, diverse state.
In 2008 Biden set himself out in the context of experience vs change. Obama won on the change ticket and then delivered a patchy level of change while being generally popular. If Biden wins the nomination it will Hillary Clinton part 2. He will be hounded over his son and Ukraine by both Fox and Trump and probably the Russians. Besides being linked to Obama I cannot see why he would carry the election as he has no new policies. Ironically he has become like Giuliani who he mocked in 2008 as constantly referring to 9/11 in his continued mentioning of Obama who people but never put any action into hope and change which in turn helped to led to Trump.
2
What do so many not understand about the social democracies of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the rest of Europe, Japan, Canada, etc that they so fear Bernie?
You may put me among those who see his detractors as mainly among the greedy who want evermore human made stuff.
3
So Pete Buttigieg was supposed to come in at the bottom of the barrel but instead outperformed expectations and came in ahead of Warren and way ahead of Klobuchar. Is the media finally going to start noticing that Warren and Klobuchar have had a Black support problem all along and stop incessantly and unfairly singling out Buttigieg? - who also came in ahead of Warren in Nevada in spite of her supposed organizational prowess there. Klobuchar needs to follow Steyer’s example and bow out. Warren should start thinking about it, specially if she loses her home state.
My biggest concern if Biden is the nominee? What comes next?
Does the GOP controlled senate reopen their Hunter Biden "investigation" to hurt Biden's electoral chances? They unabashedly admitted that the Benghazi "investigation" was done only to hurt HR Clinton's campaign chances. kevin mccarthy even gleefully admitted to this on tv stating her numbers were sinking like a stone.
per TIME-"Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader and a leading candidate to replace John Boehner as Speaker, credited the House Benghazi Committee with lowering Clinton’s poll numbers, a gaffe that undermines Republicans’ claim that the committee is a nonpartisan investigation.
“Everybody though Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right?” McCarthy said in an interview with Fox News. “But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping."
There is no gutter too filthy for the republicans to wrestle in. No bottom too low for them to stoop to. What happens if they endlessly subpoena Joe Biden, effectively crippling his campaign? Biden has already stated he will abide by a subpoena. What then?
So we have "Communist Bernie". Joe with the albatross Hunter "scandal" tied around his neck.
Bloomberg might be the only viable choice. He has his misogyny problem but it pales aside of trumps. Does trump really want to attack Mike on this issue? Although hypocrisy doesn't seem to resonate with trump supporters, it would still be breathtaking.
1
"There are a lot of states in this country, and no one wins them all" says Bernie Sanders, the "un-Democrat". He's right, George McGovern won ONE state: Massachusetts. Remember that, Bernie? I'm sure your "bros" are too young to remember such things, but you're not.
1
Bernie has already won 3. Biden, the establishment’s favorite, 1.
Do the math...
I already voted for Bernie and so have millions of other people out in the west coast. Let Biden enjoy his one moment. He'll be out of the race after super tuesday.
1
Steyer had been blanketing SC airwaves this past year and had paid canvassers knocking on doors for about six months. Over the past few months we could count on at least 3 people a week knocking on our door for Steyer and yet...nodda. I'm glad he finally dropped out and so should Klobuchar and probably Warren and Buttegieg. I'm really not interested in a bloodbath come November and Biden can very likely win.
"Vote for Bernie and lose the House too" should be on the lips of every Democrat until the convention.
1
So happy for Biden!
Gives me hope that
sanity can win in 2020.
2
If the dems scam Bernie the way Hillary and Wasserman-Schultz did in 2016 and Biden gets the nomination, trust me you will be crying big alligator tears when Trump wins re-election in November.
Biden is a disaster. This is not 1992, 1996, not even 2008.
There has been a tectonic shift in the nation after 40 years of Reagan/Clinton/Bush/Obama centrism which has eviscerated the middle class, economically, socially and structurally.
Biden is part of that era. That time and his is past.
We are all so very tired of this big pack. All but Biden and Sanders should drop out now.
1
Joe may have won NC but he lost me. I fully intended to vote for whichever Dem got the nod but Joe's divisive speech upon winning has changed my mind. The truth is: I am not one of HIS true democrats. I am an independent. I have voted straight democratic for the last 35 years but no more. I will never vote for a republican but I can and do choose to sit this election out. In 2016 I held my nose and voted for Hillary. I truly wish the ill-conceived electoral college had done so as well. If Warren or Sanders are at the top of the ticket I will gladly vote for them. If Biden is the choice I will stay home. I want this country to move forward. Biden can not bring the magic that was Obama back any more than LBJ could inherit Kennedy's Camelot. so thanks, Joe, for reminding me that, however friendly you card carrying Dems appear on the outside, we independents are only useful to you when we tow the line. I, and many like me, will never be one of your mindless sheep...and we can choose to stay home.
4
@Rick
oops! I meant SC
What surprises me is the number od commenters here lauding Biden’s win, totally ignoring his obvious mental decline. These same people may be the ones demanding together more medical info about SAnders, although 3 of his doctors released what is usually considered sufficient reports on his health.
Biden’s so-called gaffes seem like more than that. They appear to be the comments of someone with some cognitive impairment. Just the other day he said something like he was Joe Biden and he was running for US Senate. Then he continued with a comment saying if the audience didn’t like this Biden, he had another Biden for them to consider. Then there really the lies like the recent one that he marched with Nelson Mandela in South Africa, which he admitted was ‘t true.
Maybe if Clinton hadn’t been prematurely coronated in 2016 before the primary season even started, Biden would have been more mentally fit to run. But I can’t see how people woukd now see him as a viable candidate, far preferable to Ssnders. I guess the fear and smear campaign against Sanders is working at least for them.
5
SC is an oddity in some respects - Bloomberg not on the ballot, overwhelmingly black electorate that is moderate/conservative, where Biden has ties for decades from vacationing down here and no chance of winning in a general election. Biden will run strong in southern states that democrats can't win but will run poorly in states like CA and NY that they will.
2
Please don't take this post the wrong way,but SC doesn't indicate a thing - for it hasn't voted Dem since 1976. To win the general election the Dem nominee needs to win the swing states, PA, MI, FL, OH.
That's where the presidency will be won or lost
3
I just dont think Biden is a consensus candidate having won only one state. His policies dont help anyone.
2
A VERY important takeaway from SC primary: TURNOUT
"More people in South Carolina voted in this primary than in any other in its history, breaking the record set in the 2008 nominating contest."
527,728 votes!
370,904 (2016 - SC primary) wikipedia
532,468 (2008 - SC primary) wikipedia
Not sure why some sources claim the 2008 turnout was 505,000, but anyway you look at yesterday's turnout, it's big!
This is the key to winning in 2020 - we're off and running.
3
I am not a partisan of any party, nor am I a Trump-hater like so many here. I am convinced that the Democrat nominee will win the coming election due to public rejection of the sitting government to deal effectively with the China virus (similar rejection of sitting governments will occur in other nations, too).
It is imperative for the good of the nation that an untested, inexperienced amateur not become president essentially by default benefit of the rejection of the sitting government. Therefore, it is imperative that all Democrats AND all independents vote in primaries for a candidate who can guide the nation in a responsible manner and not nominate a dangerous ideologue like Sanders or his copycat competitors. It is also important to nominate someone experienced who is truly capable of handling the life and death international affairs we continually face, and who will focus on such great matters instead of focusing on the special, selfish interests of various social groups (other politicians can focus on such matters).
It is imperative for the good of the nation that Biden or Bloomberg be the Democrat nominee.
2
The South Carolina win may be a morale boosting victory for Joseph R Biden but the main challenge of winning both the popular vote and that of the electoral college still remains a formidable task for him and, it is here his rival Bernie Sanders may have an edge over him.
1
Why is this even relevant? South Carolina is going to vote for Trump. It has been a red state for decades.
Am I the only one seeing that the primary elections are just a media circus? It may be good for commerce, but politically it's as relevant as a dog and pony show.
5
@ Marc, Remember the down ballot. South Carolina has a very competitive senate race, Jamie Harrison running against Lindsey Graham. Democrats need to be competitive in all 50 states, the Howard Dean strategy.
1
Because South Carolina’s Democrats - and there are quite a few - are helping select a national candidate?
1
Almost every commenter across numerous NYT articles that prefers Biden says it because he is the most electable, or some variation thereof. Not a word about his policies or ability to inspire. It is folly to think you know who is electable. Didn’t trump prove that?
6
@Tammy T
Your comment is *my* NYT Pick.
Super Tuesday really needs to be the line in the sand for several candidates. Dems need to decide if they want a moderate or further-left candidate, and splitting the vote eight ways won't do that. Park the egos and do what's right for the party and country - get out of the race if there's no path to victory. The stakes are too high this time - Dems have to retake the WH. If four more years of T's shenanigans, and the likelihood of 1-2 additional SCOTUS judges, doesn't motivate turnout, nothing will. The GOP is already focusing on November, not July, and Dems need to get quickly to that point as well. It's going to be an ugly summer and fall.
1
Congratulations to fmr VP Joe Biden for winning a plurality of votes in SC.
Although he didn't quite make the majority threshold, I still think he absolutely deserves to be called the winner.
I wonder if the DNC's superdelegates agree.
2
Two thoughts. My husband and I were struck by our touching and warm Biden was. We compared this with a Sanders’ grudging, nasty acknowledgement of his loss. He also looked bad physically.
Suddenly, Biden looked like the better choice,
3
@Ann S
Ma'am, my dogs are touching and warm. I love them very much, but I'd never vote for them even in a dog contest that judges skills. My sense of fairness exceeds my attachment to them.
This country is worn-out from years of corrupt and downright mean Trump/Republican antics. But we cannot just go back to the status quo. We need change within the Democratic Party; too many people in this country have been left behind, and only a president who seeks change can alter that.
2
Most of the comments here depend upon the continuation of economic stability for Trump to look strong against the Democratic candidate. But given an economic kick in the teeth by the Corona virus the Trump administration’s response (along with its years of lying and corruption of the rule of law, it’s undermining of the federal court system and cutting funds for fighting disease and feeding poor kids etc.) could look pretty unpleasant to all voters in the Fall.
If the virus’ sickness and death rate impinge on people’s consciousness perhaps even FOX media won’t be able to pull the wool over their eyes about the “Fab Trump.”
2
Makes one wonder how this whole campaign would have progressed had South Carolina held the first primary rather than Iowa.
1
Nice going, Joe! Folks, don't forget Biden's cancer "moonshot" that he was working on when he was VP. That is, to cure cancer before the decade is done. It doesn't get a lot of press anymore, but I'd love to see him get back to heading that task. It is so important. He'd also be great at handling our diabetes epidemic and overall questionable health.
But Biden would have a lot more time to work on the health of the nation and, mankind in general, if he was VP again. My dream ticket for 2020 is Bloomberg-Biden!
1
@Ron A
Biden is not a doctor.
If he actually wanted to help families struck by cancer, he could have modified his draconian bankruptcy bill that doesn't given anyone exceptions, not even students who are struck with cancer.
1
Wait until most of the votes are counted before announcing the winner please. This is doing a disservice to the country to jump the gun declaring the winner way too early.
Couldn't you wait a few hours to get an honest vote count?
We have been told that Biden was going to win South Carolina for a week or more. Saying it does not make it true.
Biden's argument was a pretty narrow one, i.e., a loyalty appeal to African American voters in a mid-size southern state that hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in the general election since 1976. Not much of a clarion call for the future.
5
Even in his victory speech Biden mentioned Omaba thousand times. I voted for Omaba but Biden is no Obama and no match for Trump. Sanders is the only candidate who will shock this corrupt and greedy system even he doesn't win. I don't like how the establishment thinks and I won't vote for Biden as a progressive Democrat.
5
Sanders isn't a Democrat. Why the Democratic Party has allowed him to hijack our primaries is a mystery to me. Let him run as a Democratic Socialist. He can shout at windmills alone all day and night at the Democratic Socialist's debates and use the Democratic Socialist Party's infrastructure to run primaries.
3
With Coronavirus/CORVID, we are moving toward a major global crisis of both health and economics.
Trump is completely incompetent – things will continue to get worse.
But does anyone really believe that Sanders could deal with a crisis of world financial markets?
Biden, as a boring but reliable unifier, is looking better and better.
4
@AKJersey
Yeah, I'm sure a bailout of the hospital conglomerates while people still face the consequences of medical bankruptcy is just the ticket. Thanks Biden.
1
It’s not just that Biden can defeat Trump , which he can, more import as a centrist he can unite the whole country . We need to start addressing our real problems this political us against them which has been going on for 20 years has to end. Biden can end it, he can make the break, he is almost perfect to do this. If Trump or Sanders wins nothing changes ... literally.
2
If Biden wins and is elected, it’ll be business as usual. Healthcare will not be available for millions of Americans. Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies will continue their racket and Wall Street will keep filling its pockets, unfettered. This country needs real change and people know we are heading in the wrong direction with the current political establishment, be it Republican or so called Democrat. Bernie appeals to people for that exact reason.
4
The thing is there is a good chance N.H. and Nevada can deliver electoral college votes for a Dem next November and a slight chance that Iowa can. I think S.C. has a very low chance of providing any electoral votes for the Dem. candidate. Sanders is leading Biden in those states that can deliver the electoral college votes, which as we all know is the only thing that matters.
Electability = Unity
Super Tuesday will give us a better picture of who we need to get behind. Let’s get this done!
PS-S.C. Dems, you set a great example for voter engagement and I hope you do deliver for both the presidency and the Congress next year. Keep the faith and keep fighting for our democratic values.
1
So South Carolina voters, who never manage to turn blue in the general election, defeat Sanders again. Just like in 2016, leading to Clinton’s cataclysmic loss to Trump.
Perhaps purple states should lead the primary season, intermixed with the blue ones. Knowing what the Democrats who can never deliver their state in the general election think is interesting, no doubt, but not terribly useful in choosing a standard bearer for the party.
4
If Buttigieg, because he has not many delegates coming his way from now on, and Klobuchar and Warren, because they will not pick up any,would do what Stayer did today, then maybe we could see a real map toward the nomination... otherwise the pie is still cut in too many pieces. Thanks to Bloomberg, things got even more complicated. Who is the best suited, who can bring voters from all sorts of moderate views and mild conservatives to beat the mad man. Well it not Sanders. Sorry Bernie voters.
2
Biden won big in South Carolina, but I'm not convinced that he can beat Trump. His main message is essentially that we should rewind back to the Obama years, which seems weak to me. Don't think he'd be able to pull more votes than Hillary did. Plus, I think Trump is going to eat him alive on the debate stage.
It's clear that this is a 2-person race though. Bloomberg, Warren, Buttigieg should drop out.
1
It’s so disappointing how the media and the democratic establishment are so primed to crown the front runner when it’s the establishment pick, and so primed to take him down when it’s the outsider pick. They’ve learned nothing from 2016. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy to say someone who runs on big, progressive ideas is unelectable. The McGovern comparison for Sanders — that was almost 50 years ago, have we really not progressed as a society since then? And what about all the milquetoast moderates who’ve lost since then? I keep seeing stories this weekend that cite democratic voters saying they wouldn’t vote for Sanders in the general if he were the nominee. So we’re cool with that now? Oh, only if Sanders is the nominee? Got it.
2
How Biden does in a state that will vote give it's electoral votes to Trump seems pretty meaningless to me. Let's see where we are next Wednesday.
2
If Sanders considers himself an Independent, not a Democrat, then why should he be at the Democratic Convention?
@Carl LaFong
Right, Carl. He should run on the Independent ticket, thus dramatically splitting the Democratic vote and ensuring that Trump will be president for life.
Is that what you want?
1
@Carl LaFong
Because people vote for him without getting paid to do so by the DNC. That's a lot more than you can say for Bloomberg.
Bloomberg's a real Democrat because he pays the salary of 500 DNC staffers, right?
Unfortunately for Dems, it all comes down to one unknowable question:
Would Sanders ignite an unprecedented turnout among the young, bringing a historic blue wave? Or would the young put a Bernie sticker on their cars and then go back to staring at their phones, forgetting to vote?
The course of world events turns on this question. So far we're still waiting for the younger generation to step up and get it done. This SC election again drew low numbers of young voters.
South Carolina is not like any other state. It's black population tends to be older, more conservative, more traditional. Biden's big win here is an outlier. The order that states vote in does not help to winnow out a large field of candidates in a way that reflects the nation's Democrats.
The press gets excited after each state primary/caucus and gives the winner a big boost and ignores those lower down the list. The debates were really not helpful with their moderators' trying to stir up fighting between the candidates, asking mostly the same questions over and over.
It's crazy that we won't nominate a Democrat candidate until mid July. Seriously people, three and a half months to get a candidate over the finish line in Nov. against the nasty Trumpster machine is a very heavy lift. That said, Elizabeth Warren would make a great president. If the Dems have a record turnout, she can win and save our democracy from the authoritarian Trumpeteers.
4
The current administrations unenthusiastic, dishonest and disorganized response to the emerging pubic health threat posed by the corona virus is a good reference point for Dem candidates. If Biden were POTUS, I can see him addressing the threat with a straightforward, science based approach. He would be listening to the epidemiologist, doctors and researchers and deploying the federal response accordingly, complete with men and supplies and funding.
His job, as the leader of the country, would be to come with a coherent plan, communicate with the public, manage their fears, and provide accurate information. This is-how he would reduce panic and make people feel safe. It would need to be an evidence based approach compassionately communicated to the public. So, I see Joe as the only one with the personality and experience to do this. No question he could quickly use his connections with Congress to unify the federal response and simultaneously reach out to businesses and calm the markets. This is what is needed now. Bernie's pie in the sky multi trillion dollar stuff is too big a pill for most practical folks to swallow right now...
2
Biden is going to leak more votes than Hillary did from the far left coalition if he is the nominee. If that is the case, you can kiss MI, WI, and PA goodbye again.
They either sat on their hands or lit their votes on fire with Stein and Johnson in 2016, and it also cost us the election in Florida in 2000.
This isn't 1972, it's 2020. Maybe it's finally our turn to run the GOP playbook and for once let the tail wag the dog.
I'm fine with Joe Biden, I just don't think he can win, and that is what this election is about.
Bernie is our version of Trump, and there wasn't an overwhelming stampede of pundits who believed Trump could win, either.
5
I find it strange that America seems so afraid of a socialist president. The statement that America will never be a socialist country is simply false because it has already been a socialist country. Equating Socialism to weakness is also false. America’s last real decisive victory in war came under the socialist government of FDR. And in those days the country waged war against white supremacists rather than electing them to the White House. America has become weaker and more corrupt as the excesses of unbridled Capitalism has slowly brought endless unwinnable wars and created a second Guilded Age where the interests of the very rich outweigh the average American. America was stronger when it was creating the New Deal and supporting its population rather than relentlessly cutting taxes and hollowing out its institutions. The rise of Bernie Sanders and the misguided support of Donald Trump demonstrates the country’s need and desire for real change. Capitalism is at its best when it is moderated by Socialism. You don’t need to look to Norway or Canada to compare - it’s evident in America’s own history.
7
The Dems say they’re against Sanders because he’d be sure to lose against Trump. The real reason is that, win or lose as the nominee he would take over the party apparatus and kick the establishment out the door. We then could say good by to Hillary and Debbie Wasserman Schultz forever, which in itself would be a reason to vote for Bernie.With the Dems it’s always the same old ghosts from the past keeping their grip on power.
2
Sadly, Super Tuesday will deal a blow to Biden's campaign - Sanders is a huge favorite in the two biggest prizes, California and Texas - Biden has no ground game and not enough money to be a serious contender - Looks like Bernie will have the most delegates heading into the convention, but not enough for a first ballot victory - That presents the dilemma, vote the nomination to Bernie and Trump wins in a landslide or deny Bernie the nomination and his supporters sit out the election and Trump wins in a landslide - Tough position for the democrat kingmakers
2
Will South Carolina vote for democrats in the general election?
No.
Then why nominate someone based on how they did in South Carolina or any of the Southern states for that matter?
Hillary was nominated largel for how we did throughout the south. Then in the general she lost in the South and the Rust belt to Trump.
Biden’s win is neither persuasive nor impressive.
4
Mr. Biden is a totally wonderful human being, despite some very unfortunate decisions in his political past. That said, he is no longer presidential material. I fervently wish his bright, charming wife woud step in and take his car keys. Biden's stumbles are worrisome; he should drop out. Many of us fail to overstay welcomes, at house parties, in the workplace. Fact.
4
@HotGumption
Well my own post has an error in wording, but at least I'm not running for president, only running for breakfast. lol
Joe Biden is such a nice guy and it's his turn, like it was Hillary's turn after Obama. Those loyal foot soldiers for the Democratic Party for decades are entitled to the votes of all Democrats.
1
@abigail49
Really, Abigail? It's "his turn" and he is "entitled"? I see you mention Hillary as well. How well did that entitlement, which she was a bit too well aware of, work out for us in 2016?
I'm a retired professional who was in middle management. I met so many people in my career who touted their "decades of experience" when in fact, I discovered, they had only one year of experience repeated 20 or 30 times.
Both Hillary and Biden are out of touch with a vast number of Democratic voters.
@abigail49
Biden doesn't deserve anything he can't earn on he campaign trail.
Warren and Sanders are my top two choices but I would be okay with having Biden as the nominee over Bloomberg. And I would be fine with Booomberg (or any other Democrat running) over another 4 years of Trump.
Vote blue no matter who
2
Did you know Mr. Biden could ask Michelle Obama or her husband to be his running mate? It’s entirely legal and would certainly constitute a winning ticket against the Modern Science Deniers. I’d also like to see Stacey Abrams on the national ticket, that’s a third winning combination.
@TH Williams
That would be seen as a gimmick, the same way it was when McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate to try and steal votes from Hillary supporters who were still upset that Obama passed over her for his VP.
My ideal ticket for Biden would be Warren as his VP and Harris as his AG. Both are incredibly smart and capable women who would generate a very strong democratic coalition behind Biden.
South Carolina is about as representative of the entire U.S. as is Alaska. It is but one of 50 states. March 3 will give us a better sampling of a larger population with a more representative demographic.
3
This was a one-off blip for the Biden campaign. I believe come Super Tuesday you will see him losing badly to Bernie in big states like California where there is a much more diverse population than in S.C.
3
South Carolina's Democrats have lived up to the expectation I, a New York Democrat have of them: The race is between two old white men and the one who panders to the status quo form of economics that benefits the political party called the Wealthy, is going to the one they'd bet their bottom dollar on. This New Yorker knows a Dixiecrat when he sees them and the promises Biden would be expected to make to South Carolina only empowers them at the expense of the whole.
2
I can’t see Biden, as likable as he is, for the president that we need at this time. He was always a politician, somebody who never managed or created anything on his own. A chief executive lacking managerial abilities is a significant drawback but still a more acute one in challenging times, as is daily demonstrated by the current White House tenant. Biden’s thinking comes out as fuzzy, but worst of all, he lacks overarching strategies for dealing with a world that is getting increasingly complicated by climate and globalization. The best he can do for his country is to quit now, but his ego will prevail until defeat is apparent.
3
trumpies love to sneer at Democratic candidates debating; it's a rich source of insults for them.
How far they have fallen, when their own candidate will not tolerate any competition or debate for himself. There is that one guy running against him; have the republicans scheduled a debate? HA!
I do not believe trump will even agree to debate once a Democrat is nominated. He doesn't think he should have to. Again, it's an indictment of his party that they'll all shield him from having to speak to the public. How sad is that?
So I'll take the weird Democratic party, imperfect as it is, because at least the debate is open and we get to see the warts as well as the polished smiles.
Also, I don't need my president to be infallible; no president has ever claimed that quality until trump. Many presidents have been pretty flawed, no? They just have to have America's interests in front of them, and the constitution as their guide.
Trump cares for neither of those things. So even if I have to sigh when I vote for Biden, at least he doesn't claim to be God's actual hand on earth, or president only for a small portion of loyalists, while the rest of us are his enemies.
1
In 38 years he's run 3x and lost. One victory in one state does not make a president. Only an anti establishment candidate can beat Trump. That's how he won. America doesn't want establishment. America wants a more fair system that Bernie promotes. Similar to Scandinavian countries and Canada. Americans need a clear alternative. Not a watered down republican.
5
Don't forget that Joe Biden stated publicly recently that he would consider picking a Republican as a running mate. Considering what the Republican party is all about let that sink in for a minute. Biden is out of touch.
8
I don't understand how anyone thinks Biden is still capable of serving as president.
Has Trump set the bar that low?
5
Here we go again. Another unpopular machine candidate. 2016 redux, and I will be watching this election from the couch.
7
Millions of dollars from corporate funding flowed into Biden's campaign funds after this win..those playing both sides. This is the problem with our country, when big time spenders want to control the outcomes so they can keep their huge tax breaks, can control healthcare and housing and educate the next worker bees instead of educated, free thinking society. They play upon the fears of diversity and that Sanders somehow is not on the side of "all" the people. Allegiance is Trump's world...its sad that African Americans in South Carolina who deal with a Republican legislature and governor, would feel that the mentality that put them in office would somehow change dramatically for them with Joe Biden.
These same funders control MSNBC and CNN and FOX and spin their opinions..all against the so-called labeled socialist who would be horrible for this country...what they mean is horrible for corporate ownership of the media, of business, of people's well being..owning to them the allegiance for their sacrifices that may them powerful because they work for them or buy their products.
Its a shame that the Democratic Party is so sidelined by their own need to control change by keeping it the same. Theodore Roosevelt knew this when Republicans got their feet stuck in the Mud; Franklin knew this when the country was engrained in their set opinions; John Kennedy knew what Fear could do to a country and set itself against their own people.
Bernie is the only choice.
5
The new Democratic coalition is about to get dragged back into the corporate-loving neo-liberal past by a bunch of conservative voters in a southern state the Democrats will never carry in the general election.
Why?
2
I was a Bloomberg fan. As a New Yorker, I'm confident he'd be a capable president.
Then I saw Rep. James Clyburn's endorsement of Joe Biden. For the first time in my life, an endorsement changed my mind. Everything Rep. Clyburn said rang true; and more importantly, he rang true. His sincerity and depth of emotion were real. And I believe him: Joe Biden is a good man.
An ancient Chinese philosopher said the role of the Emperor was to set the tone in the kingdom.
The tone set by our current would-be emperor is abominable. Like a vandal trashing a temple, he's defaced the soul of this country. He's validated for many their worst impulses and called them virtues. Of course Trump didn't originate those impulses; but with a sociopath's cunning he knows how to inflame and exploit them.
The corrective for that isn't to be found in policy prescriptions, as useful as they might be. It's certainly not to be found in leftist demagoguery warring with crypto-fascist demagoguery: grievance-mongering coupled with litanies of grandiose promises defying reality.
Biden is right and Clyburn is right: this is a battle for the soul of this country.
You know in your heart that a Sanders presidency would only prolong the animosity, widening wounds that Trump has torn open. Sanders isn't and never has been a calming voice.
When a politician promises the moon, he's trying to seduce you. You knew it with Trump; you should know it with Sanders.
America needs Biden's decency, and urgently.
1
Biden ran out of money so no tv adds leading up to Tuesday. Clearly the momentum is with Bernie. When it’s all said & done it will be a nail biter, but Bernie will edge Biden out.
2
It's funny how my perspective on the candidates changes every week or two... and I realize it's tied to who "seems" to be the front-runner. As a candidate, Biden does not excite me, but his win in South Carolina gives me hope. Bernie Sanders does not excite me as a candidate, but when he won Nevada, I was hopeful. None of the Democratic candidates excite me.... and this process of identifying the Democratic candidate for President is hand-wringing. But, I will stand by any Democratic candidate who wins the nomination, and I will not only vote for him/her, but I will campaign for them. Trump must be voted out of office.
4
First time as history, second time farce: NOV 2020 - As Hillary Clinton sneered at Sanders partisans and refused him running mate status 2016, Biden again refuses Bernie Sanders as VP running mate, thus losing heavily to DJT, all aware that the two together would have decisively defeated any GOP slate.
2
@vishmael
Dems will vote blue - Rs will vote red
Bernie will not help Biden pick up the moderates and independents we need in the purple states and could lose us those hard fought House seats we picked up in those areas in 2018.
We will need to win Congress. There is nothing to gain by choosing Bernie as a nominee especially since he constantly trashes Democrats - how is that even helpful? If Bernie won the White House he would need a maj of Dems in congress! So, it makes no sense - sometimes I wonder what his real motivations are.
He uses their platform (without it he would he largely unknown) and then trashes them while is standing on it. He changes the primary rules and now that it may not favor him, he wants to change it again to suit himself. He is simply awful.
2
The Ukranians gave the Bidens $3.1 million. What were the Ukranians expecting and did the Bidens provide it?
3
Thanks comrade. Keep stirring that empty pot and maybe someone will believe there actually is food there. And don’t forget Benghazi!
Biden is running against progressivism. He will lose, but if by chance or DNC subterfuge he would become the Democratic nominee, what he gains from cross-over moderates will be entirely offset by the erosion of his base.
“No Malarkey,” really? Meh.
5
Quite frankly, all Democrats are able and willing albeit, Trump is a street fighter and I do not see or think that any of them can neutralize his attack knock-out power.
The one wild card would be a verifiable copy of his missing 8 years of Tax returns.
Sanders may make a better president than Biden, but Biden is simply more palatable.
Sanders often comes across as a crazy old man. Whether he is or not, perception is everything with most voters.
I hope Biden is the nominee, but I'll vote for any democrat to be rid of this pretend king and president, Trump.
5
Sanders is finding out what the rest of America thinks. Iowa and New Hampshire do not represent the majority of the Democrats.
4
I‘m sure we‘ll all be finding out come tuesday.
1
@Carl But the backward Red State SC represents the majority of Democrats?
Make it a Biden Buttigieg ticket. Close the generational divide. Buttigieg can attract young Bernie voters to the ticket, and position him to be next in line for 2024, for a true cultural shift and hand over to a new generation.
1
Buttigieg couldn‘t be farther away from Bernie‘s content. I sincerely don‘t know what you‘re talking about.
Any comments that point out Joe Biden is against a public healthcare option, while mentioning the $3,000+ bills Corona patients are facing, get filtered out. Why?
Universal healthcare will gain enormous traction by November as the virus hits our cities. We need a candidate who supports it, not one who backs only Obamacare whose affordable plans have huge co-pays.
2
@Audrey
Biden was part of the administration that GAVE the US it's first national healthcare plan, so it's safe to say he knows a little bit about what can and cannot be done.
Fixing the damage that the GOP has been doing to Obamacare, and expanding on this foundation seems like a very reasonable course of action... and all it would take for the government to fix the medical billing problems that CORVID-19 patients are experiencing is a single presidential directive... not the scrapping of our entire national healthcare program.
2
Biden/Bloomberg
Biden can be the figurehead while Bloomberg calls the shots
Bloomberg can finance the whole deal.
The DNC would be overjoyed
Progressive will revolt, and vote for Trump in protest
Trump gets a second term.
3
South Carolina is reliably Trump country. Good for Biden to pull off a win after all the work he’s put in there, but not unexpected nor really relevant for the general.
Let’s see next Tuesday.
2
Biden could and would beat Trump. Trump knows it, and that is why Trump has tried to slime Joe Biden, with foreign interference, again, in our election process. Which is why Trump stands impeached for all time, in case anyone needs reminding.
I believe Biden is the best chance to beat Trump, but have repeatedly said I will vote for any Democratic candidate for POTUS, because Trump is such a danger to our country. That includes Sanders. I wish more people would say the same thing about Joe Biden if he becomes the candidate.
2
I am 62 years old, so I've been around the block a few times. But I admit I do not understand why the passions are running so high with these state primaries.
Voters in other states will have their chance to make their voices heard, and the states that have already voted have done the same. Eventually, a nominee will be selected and in my mind, THAT is when we go to work.
As for my intentions, my vote will go to the Democratic nominee, regardless. Four more years of daily drama, lies, and vague,see-saw foreign policies is unsustainable. Every single one of the Democratic candidates is miles ahead of Trump in terms of intelligence, maturity, dignity, and genuine concern for the people who make up this nation.
Trump is too flawed and mentally weak to lead a nation. He must go.
6
"the clear alternative to Mr. Sanders for establishment-aligned Democrats."
The press continues to use Sanders' framing of the contest.
This is not "progressive Democrats" vs. "establishment Democrats."
Biden never used the words establishment or moderate in his speech. He said "Democrats" and people who are proud to be Democrats, and these lines were cheered by the crowd.
To push aside the idea of Warren dropping out, for those of us who see the primary season as a chance to discuss ideas rather than polls/pundits/personal attacks, I listened to Warren's speech---she has good plans for protecting us against the corona virus including ensuring that people who are sick aren't forced by their financial situation to commute to work, and that all have free access to testing and, for the prevention of further spread, vaccines as soon as they are available. These plans should be discussed, rather than political pundits just talking about the polls.
Her speech is here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/other/watch-elizabeth-warrens-full-south-carolina-primary-speech/vi-BB10zKY4
Biden certainly deserves a victory lap after losing horrendously every time he ever ran for President. It’s like breaking open the piñata for the birthday boy that keeps beating himself up instead.
The bigger story here is that in the most heavily purchased state in this election so far the billionaires lost big, (Steyer dropped out and Bloomberg isn’t even on the map) and Bernie still picked up some delegates.
Goes to show, no matter who you think you purchase voters... if voter suppression doesn’t purge too much... are going to vote for who they want anyway.
But seriously, to Stop the Purge of Democratic votes google the Palast Investigative Fund and help reregister the Democratic last names that stole and will steal again the election for Trump.
1
Yes, South Carolina results may revive Mr. Biden’s campaign, but, like the difference between getting published and getting read, Mr. Biden has insufficient voter support to wind up anywhere other than the remainder table.
3
Bernie Sanders - I hope he wholeheartedly endorses whoever the candidate turns out to be. His egotism is part of the reason that Trump and the GOP are ruining the country.
The Dems need to pull together to face the common enemy.
My favorite is Warren, but whoever is on the ballot as a Dem in November will get my vote, even if it's Sanders. We desperately need to oust the criminals from the WH and Senate.
1
Bernie‘s „egotism“ will gather the most votes.
2
@Oliver
But if it doesn't, will he and his supporters back the Dem, or will they in effect side with Trump?
If Sanders wins the nom, I will vote for him, though I think he is basically as arrogant as Trump. Will the reverse be true, that his supporters can see past this year?
1
He was "expected" to win 93 percent of the votes; that would have been a "big" victory.
2
Biden's impressive victory in South Carolina, the only state thus far in the primaries in which African Americans actually got to vote, ought to tamp down Bernie's allure in all but his most heavily invested supporters. A win for Biden - a win, win for the Democratic Party, and a reason to keep hope alive for the rest of us at a time when that was never more badly needed.
3
The most popular comments here prefer another candidate but will vote for any democrat over Trump.
Then a bunch think Biden is ok - a nice enough guy.
Little excitement for Biden. That’s too bad.
There was a time when we supported political candidates because they offered competence, experience, a steady hand. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, Bush.
Now we need a messiah. Someone to deliver us from evil. An avenging angel!
Sorry to all those who worship Sanders, but I prefer the steady hand. Biden or Bloomberg.
3
A win for the church ladies--but not the youth, as Sanders continues to win all voters--even African-American voters--under 30. I'm not sure why the Democratic "establishment" and older moderates believe they can win the election without the most diverse and liberal generation in US history at the polls for the one candidate they will unquestionably turnout for, because if they think Biden is going to generate massive voter turnout in this demo, they are tragically wrong. For this reason alone, no moderate stands a chance against Trump and it's foolish to say otherwise.
3
The majority of South Carolina voters voted for a candidate other than Joe Biden.
However, Biden is being declared the "winner" by the mainstream media with just a plurality of votes.
Isn't that interesting?
For the last two weeks....all I have heard from the mainstream media is that having a plurality of votes is meaningless.
Evidently, it depends on who the person with the plurality of votes is.
If the candidate is named Bernie Sanders, a plurality is
irrelevant.
If the candidate is Joe Biden, a plurality is a "win".
8
Thank you for pointing this out. Exactly my thoughts.
3
Biden appeals to those who do not want a revolution, but to those who want a return to effective government. The problem of revolutionaries like Sanders is that their deeply held grievances though directed at such things as corporations and social injustice become inflexible and would throw out the whole system of government we cherish. Most people I believe are tired of angry inflexible grievances that sometimes are so broad that they trash the things that are best about our country. Bernie Sanders like Trump sometimes seems like a reactionary and many of us are tired of rants that do not fix everything, but threaten to throw out the baby with the bath water.
1
Bernie Sanders' prospects are now toast, because it has been demonstrated that he can't compete with Biden for voters of African American heritage within the Democratic Party. Biden buried Bernie with nearly a 30 point margin of victory for Biden in South Carolina, which is much more populous than Nevada, etc. No one can be nominated in the Democratic Party without the supports of voters of African American heritage. Bernie coulda shoulda stayed with the "democratic socialists." Bernie will soon enough suspend his campaign along with Biden's other competitors.
Even before the 'perfect' phone call, Trump and his friends were spreading lies about Joe Biden and his son. The media gave heavy coverage to those lies even know they often expressed editorial views that the lies were at best unsubstantiated or outright false. It would appear that most black voters in South Carolina at least never believed the lies.
Perhaps it is time to put the lies behind us just as Trump is trying to put his impeachment and the Muller report behind him. Then we can allow Joe Biden to run on the credentials that made him the leading candidate in the first place and were probably behind Trump's desire to tear him down by lying about him.
2
Congratulations Mr. Biden.
To all of you Bernie Sanders supporters who write about how corrupt Washington is and the left of center Democrats are a big problem try to remind yourself that America was a good country before Trump and can get better for most people under a Democratic government. Trump is a problem for the world. Unite with the best candidate able to defeat the worse president in history and it is not Bernie. The Republican ads would write themselves vs Sanders.
With Democrats in both houses and in the Whitehouse there can be real movement towards universal health in a reasonable way.
But four years of Trump is the total opposite of realistic Democratic values.
One name not on the ballot - Hunter Biden.
If Joe Biden is nominated, the much justified attacks on his son will be front and center. Hunter is a surrogate for the form of elitism and cronyism that voters are sick of in their leaders. Joe’s moral compass will be questioned relentlessly - and regardless of how much worse Trump is. Trump v Biden will turn off more voters than it will energize. And most likely to the detriment of the Democrats down the entire ballot.
2
You’re forgetting something. Nobody really cares about Hunter Biden. trump has his family in senior White House positions, using those WH positions to make millions and millions in trump’s (and their) own businesses.
1
Brian Fitzpatrick beats Scott Wallace by 9000 votes.A moderate Republican beats a progressive in the suburbs of Philadelphia!If Sanders wins the nomination we will lose period.This is where this election will be decided,Bucks,Montgomery and Chester counties Pa.Vote Biden
1
Please, Joe, just win and win big. The world is looking at you with great hope and appreciation. Let's see what Super Tuesday brings, but I wish for a decisive answer so that we can move forward, unified, and start to cleanse our nation of Trump and trumpism. My first choice is out of the running, but I will be very happy if you are our candidate, Joe; you grace America in every way that Trump disgraces us, and last night's victory speech was darn near perfect. Whether it's you or another real Democrat, please win big in November and bring a totally Democratic Congress in with you!
Serious question: is Biden in good enough health to campaign, and then be president? There are too many instances where his behavior has been inappropriate and downright bizarre. I hear him speak and he often rambles or seems shaky. Overall he does not seem well.
2
@Cris
Biden suffers from a life-long stutter that he uses verbal tricks to control. This is widely known... so much so that prominent Trump supporters have already tried mocking him about it (only backing down when the backlash from appalled viewers threatened the revenue from their advertisers).
This is new to you?
And as for "inappropriate and bizarre", I would suggest watching the Coronavirus press conference that Trump gave earlier this week (or for that matter, ANY press conference or interview that Trump has EVER given) for the Gold-Standard of "inappropriate and bizarre".
It's time for Klobuchar to definitely retire and stop throwing money away in a campaign that is going nowhere. Steyer idem. Warren still baffles me. I don't know why she is not performing well since she has more gravitas than Bernie. But unfortunately, it may be the case that in this conservative country it is not time for women to be presidents yet (I don't see why electorates elsewhere do not have so much problem electing women heads of state--Thatcher, Merkel, even Latin America has had female presidents (Chile, Argentina, Brazil). Maybe Pelosi should have run for president.
President Trump is the only candidate who cares about America and Americans more than anyone of these Democratic candidates. He deserves to and will win the second term. The moderates within the Democratic Party need to take the control back from small but aggressive group of radicals like Omar, Cortez and Tliab. With their brand of identity politics, neither Tliab nor Omar would have won if they were not running on the Democratic Party ticket.
People are getting hit with $3,000 Coronavirus bills but by all means, keep amping up the candidacy of a guy who doesn’t want to change any of it.
I guess we’ll have to wait for a wave of personal bankruptcies when the virus goes rampant in the cities. In the meantime, buy healthcare stocks. They’re about to have a record breaking, Champaign uncorking year. For shame.
3
@Anne
Fixing those $3,000 bills would require a single Presidential directive (something that Trump hasn't bothered to do yet... but I'm expecting it to happen soon in order for Trump to create a "good news" story for himself).
Re-vamping the entire healthcare market isn't necessary to fix a problem that is only happening because Trump has no idea what he's doing.
Biden was a member of the Obama administration during the Ebola scare, and actually knows what specifically needs to be done for the Coronavirus epidemic.
What bills, specifically, has Sanders presented to address the immediate needs of the Coronavirus threat... and no, a years-long fight to enact "single-payer" healthcare will do nothing for the immediate threat.
Lest we forget, McGovern and his supporters were entirely correct about the uselessness of the destructive Vietnam War, while the rest of the country was wrong.
3
disappointing -- but not the first time Americans have voted against their own best self-interest...we have a long history of doing just that.
3
The presidency will come down to high school educated men in the Rust Belt. Even Trump knows this. That’s why he tried to dig up dirt on the only person who can appeal to these voters. I really wish the Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar voters could accept that. Warren would be fantastic on SCOTUS or as AG or literally any cabinet position, and Amy would be a fantastic Secretary of the Interior. But no woman has a snowball’s chance of beating Trump in 2020 in this country that is still deeply sexist. It hurts my heart to say it but it’s true. Entrenched sexism is everywhere, especially in states where the average education level is low.
We tried with a woman in 2016, and though she won the popular vote, it wasn’t enough. Yes, Part of the reason is because the Bernie voters wouldn’t vote for her. But an on-the-fence voter with sexist viewpoints is not going to pick the female. It’s just the way it goes. The system is stacked against women as it is, at all levels, so please, just accept that it is what it is. Not what you wish it could be. We’ve got to build that world first.
I keep hearing the same illogical argument that I worry will cause us to lose the White House again and even Congress if Bernie is the nominee.
Too many are still trying to argue that if Bernie had been the nominee in 2016 that he would have won. There is zero evidence for this, none.
In fact, all evidence suggests the opposite, that he would have simply lost by a much larger margin.
First, there is no indication that Hillary lost because she was a moderate. In addition, not only did Hillary win the popular vote by over 3 million in the GE, but she even won the primary over Bernie by about 2 million votes, as well and won many more states (largely Dems voting)
It was not even close. So, the idea that the primary was somehow stolen from Bernie is ridiculous. It was not even close.
The idea that Bernie, who could not even win the Dem vote, would have won in the GE with Independents and R's and moderates voting is absurd. This lack of logic being used by too many could give Trump 4 more years.
Hillary barely lost the electoral college due to Comey and Russia and all indications suggest Bernie would have lost by a much wider margin had he been the nominee, once the attacks on "socialism" began.
Our big wins in the House in 2018 were by moderates in hard won areas. Bernie could lose those seats and give the House back to Trump.
Obama was a moderate and so was Bill Clinton. So, show me the last time someone running as a left-leaning liberal has won on a national scale?
2
It's still very early, and "winning" in states like Iowa, NH, Nevada and SC does not really reflect any significant strength, given the demographics and populations of those states. Tuesday is the real test.
However, the very good news is that level of turnout for these primaries. The bottom line of this election remains unchanged --- it's not the candidate or the policies. It's the turnout. Democrats absolutely must unite behind whoever wins the nomination and swamp the polls in November.
1
@Jim Good assertion for uniting behind whoever wins the democratic primary instead staying home because of anyone’s favorite doesn’t win and not to vote for the one who won. Such stupidity from voters acts equals to favor Republican candidate.
Yes, Biden is a mainstream Democrat. Yes, Sanders is a revolutionary. Yes, it's extremely important to make Trump a one term disgrace, disparaged when remembered at all and forgotten by most. Regardless, Biden remains "more of the same" in a party that has impoverished and disenfranchised Main Street for the sake of Wall Street, if to a lesser degree than the Republicans. I will vote for whoever wins the primary- but a revolution may well be the outcome if the majority of the people in this country remain sidelined instead of represented- and Sanders would be my first choice.
8
According to government statistics, I’m a government statistic. Bernie Sanders will make Donal Trump a government statistic, just like me. We already have socialism, Bernie’s just taking it to the next level. Plus, we can always go back to capitalism, but right now we desperately need to disrupt our government based allocation of corporate supports, both direct and legislative, that serves our corporate socialism in place today.
7
I initially planned to vote for Warren in NC but now it seems Biden is the one. I want him to win NC over Sanders to open the door for Cunningham, who is trying to replace Tillis in Senate. As much as I like Warren and her energy and platform I realize she may not win a single state other than MA.
1
First time as history, second as farce: As HRC rejected Sanders as VP running mate 2016, thus losing to DJT, inquiring minds expect Biden to do the same, rejecting Sanders as VP running mate thus losing again to DJT 2020. What is it with these fully-compromised corporate-purchased DINOs?!
10
@vishmael
There is no evidence that Sanders would have won had he been the nominee or that he would have been a good choice for running mate in 2016.
Hillary even won the primary by over 2 million votes, it was not even close. So, the idea that the primary was some how stolen is bizarre.
One of Sanders many conspiracy theories he likes to promote.
The Socialism attack ads that have already begun by the GOP in swing states like mine would have begun in earnest then as well.
We already know that Russia is trying to help him get the nomination to help Trump. Once he does, the gloves will come off because their objective is to keep Trump in office.
1
@vishmael
There is no proof that Sanders would help as a running mate at all. His standing in 2020 is much weaker then in 2016. Look at how many voters is he getting.
The thing hurting Mr. Biden the most to me is he is an awful debater.
He definitely needs a good debate coach, pronto.
The objectives he puts forward are good and sound, but unfortunately, Mr. Biden is not animated, his voice doesn't carry like the booming voice of God in Exodus.
He is soft-spoken, and he doesn't put on the kind of show that many people have come to expect with being entertained.
I support his mission and will definitely vote for him in the primary and wish him much success.
However, if Mr. Biden doesn't become the eventual nominee, I will vote for whomever that person is during the general election.
2
so far Joe has about 100,000 thousand votes over Bernie. Iowa and New Hampshire are very small states, despite what the media is saying.
3
Biden's comment about winning big or losing big shows he grasps the situation. I wouldn't be suprised if some sane Republicans buy what Biden is selling. It's obvious a lot of Democrats don't buy what Bernie's selling.
Removal, not revolution. Not this year, anyway.
5
@JR
That is the rumor going around; the Republican cross-over voters in the open SC primary, the ones Trump 'n Rush were egging on, went to the weakest candidate Donnie could beat...Joe.
By the by...did you see the $46 million haul for Bern in Feb.? WOW~! Plus 350,000 NEW donors.
Guess a few more are buying what he's selling, aren't they.
1
The victory for Biden in South Carolina proves that he can attract the black vote. Period. That does not prove electability in the general, unless African Americans have suddenly become the majority of the electorate. Working Class Joe in fact lost the non-college educated white vote in that same state tonight. Think about what this means: the more the Democratic party sets itself up as the black-majority party, the more this identification will be made in the minds of white voters, who expressed their sense of alienation in 2016 by voting for Trump. To those suggesting that Biden, apparently already the nominee, should double down and choose Stacy Abrams, Kamela Harris, or another woman of color as his running mate, I ask, how badly do you want to lose to Trump and the Republicans? Biden invoked Barack Obama by name four times in his victory speech tonight, as he does in all his speeches. At some point -- before next Tuesday -- he will have to move beyond that easy formula and start talking, coherently, to other voters.
10
This was a power grab by establishment Democrats. I don't trust it. Everyone, including the media, is so afraid of Bernie Sanders. All the want is to keep the status quo, which is no longer working for millions of people. But heaven forbid anyone should try to fix things. Somebody should do a recount.
8
It’s worth considering that Massachusetts which has the highest ranking in education is the most “liberal”. Education allows one to think critically and therefore independently. It is the state least likely to vote for Trump.
Alabama has the lowest ranking in education and is the most “conservative”. Lack of education makes a person vulnerable to those with the loudest voice in most cases monied interests. This is the state most likely to vote for Trump.
It seems that education should be at the top of everyone’s agenda.
11
@Denis
Precisely. But also on the Times front page is a story about cuts to public education. These will undoubtedly hurt my area of rural Virginia--which regularly votes Republican.
My impression, though, is that the dumbing down of education is an equal-opportunity political pastime in the United States.
The credo seems to be, "Keep 'em ignorant. They're easier to manipulate that way."
3
@Denis
And it is the Democrats that are apparently too stupid to figure out how to get themselves an id if they want to vote.
All Democrats have one enemy in this primary. It's not Sanders, Biden, or Trump.
It's a brokered convention.
Let whoever wins do it decisively, democratically, and fairly. If we go to a brokered convention, I don't see how we emerge from that without a fatally wounded candidate and an irreparably broken Democratic party.
10
@Chris
Hillary Clinton beat Sanders by 289 State delegates, 3.9 million votes, and 550+ superdelegates… and yet because her state delegate totals by themselves weren't enough to win the nomination outright (due to the fact that the total needed assumes that superdelegates were part of the mix) Sanders screamed that the process was "unfair" and "fixed", and his supporters protested the convention and booed ALL of the speakers (all while Sanders pouted and demanded a vocal roll call of all the delegates).
The "new" rules are not a whole lot different than last time... ie- the first count will exclude the superdelegates, but since the total count needed to win the nomination hasn't been changed (and, once again, assumes the SD's are included in the totals... ie the count needed is 50%+1 of the total State+superdelegates) then pretty much by necessity means that according to the rules a second count including the SD's will be called.
This isn't a "brokered" convention... this is the agreed upon rules (which were written in part BY Sanders), and really are not much different from how it's been done for DECADES.
This is an unfortunate result.
.
The voters attracted by the Biden campaign are not the voters that the Democratic party needs to win in the swing states.
.
This result will give false hope to a campaign that is making it less likely the Democrats will win in November.
.
Vice-President Biden is a nice guy, but he is the weakest of the main candidates still standing.
9
The media has a strong interest in promoting "surges". Remember just a few days back Klobuchar "surge", Warren's jump in fundraising after the NV debate, and the rest? Now finally its Biden's turn.
But "Favorite Son" candidates don't win nominations.
Biden needs to step up his message. Wrapping himself in Obama isn't sufficient in most of the country.
Biden needs to step up his fundraising. It's lagging, badly.
Biden needs to vastly improve his campaign. That's insufficient too.
Unless perhaps Bloomberg donates his first rate campaign staff to Biden, and uses his network to finance Biden's campaign, Biden won't be able to compete in November.
A lot to expect.
8
I wonder if many in the media are feasting on crow this morning at Sunday brunch? I hope so, a dose of humility is in order.
The press has been counting Biden out from the beginning when the reality is, no Democratic candidate is more experienced or qualified to serve as President; Biden possesses the experience, expertise, and empathy to guide the country forward.
Biden doesn't conform to the cult of personality that now seems to be required of our presidential candidates; that worship of the cult of personality is what got us President Trump.
Joe Biden...is the real thing. He's not the perfect thing. He's not the thing that lights up the internet, drives the news cycles, or sells newspapers.
He's just...the real thing.
2
Congratulations to Biden for showing it ain't a done deal yet. But remember, what Trump and his Russian helpers will say about the Bidens doesn't have to be true. Swing state fence sitters just have to believe it. They did it to Hillary, they could do it to Joe.
5
He needed this win to get his motor going again! His entire confidence changed overnight! Happy for him!
1
There have only been two candidates from the start of this primary, Bernie and Biden. That's because this election, exactly like 2016, is between the People and the status quo.
It's between the past and the future, the old and the new, and between the courage to face the future with hope, and fear of change that a better future always requires.
9
I might suggest to the MSM, DNC and other moderates, before they start giving themselves "high fives" with Biden's victory in SC, take a long hard at the polls in the Super Tuesday states and unless they live in an alternate reality, Biden is in for a very rude awakening, especially, when he has not campaigned in most of them for weeks indicating a severe shortage of funds.
One thing that came out of this primary was it just confirms the idea that some things never change. EIGHT out of the TEN "poorest" states in the Union are in the South, one of them being South Carolina whereby just like the others, when they vote for a democrat they vote for the "status quo", the rest of the time they vote republican.
8
@Deus
In the national election they won't be voting for Biden, they will go Republican.
I'm not super excited about the campaign strategy of most of the dem yelling "I am the only one who can beat Donald Trump". We need unity in our candidate. If Biden loses the primary will he continue to say that Bernie has no chance against Trump? It's a dangerous strategy to say the least.
6
@Max
It's also dangerous for the moderates to assume unity between the status quo and the People.
There are more Progressives in the Democratic party then there are moderates and Trump will get those votes. Trump got 12% of Bernie's votes in 2016, he will get far more than that now. That's one reason why Biden will lose to Trump, but there are many more.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/246806/understanding-shifts-democratic-party-ideology.aspx
Moderates do not represent the Democratic party, nor do they represent the Independents, but progressives are the majority in both.
Moderates don't realize these facts because they live in the past.
2
I have been worried. With the Coronavirus turning into epidemic, how will these candidates campaign? Won't they be exposed in these crowded events shaking hands and taking selfies with followers? And there are some senior seniors among the candidates who, by demographic age status, are especially vulnerable to the virus.
3
We owe Tom Steyer a debt of gratitude for spending lots of his own money over the past several years on commercials promoting the impeachment and removal of Donald Trump from the Presidency. He opened the door and for that we'll be eternally grateful. Tom, you're a person of integrity and principle, and you are appreciated.
8
A big sigh of relief for the Democratic party. Now there's a chance that Biden could actually win without the fixers having to work to defeat Sanders as they did to get Hillary the nomination.
2
@james
Hillary got the nomination because 3.9 million more voters picked her in the primary than Sanders.
Hillary beat Sanders in all of the Southern states, large states, and diverse states. By a LOT.
Not for a single day did Sanders ever lead Clinton in State delegates (remember, Bernie LOST Iowa, and never once passed Clinton in delegates).
How, exactly, did the DNC "fixers" do this?
It was Bernie who was DEMANDING that the superdelegates, for the first time in their history, support the candidate with the fewest votes and fewest state delegates than their opponent (ie- it was Bernie who wanted the DNC to fix the nomination for him).
The party of FDR and Obama isn’t going to nominate a candidate who (a) isn’t a Democrat and (b) who lost to Joe Biden by 30 points in any state. Not going to happen. Time for Bernie to head back to Vermont.
3
@Richard
The "party of FDR" instituted programs of exactly the same type that are now denounced as "socialist" and with them led the American people out of the Great Depression. And President Truman, following FDR's plans, pushed for universal health care in 1945.
The Democratic establishment is counting on ignorance and innuendo to win the day, and its elite superdelegates will ensure that will be the case.
I will vote for Bernie Sanders. But I suspect that voting for any candidate in this election will have absolutely no effect on the outcome. Party hacks have far more power than "we the people." We've already lost our democracy.
2
@Richard... I guess we’ll just ignore Biden losing in Nevada to Sanders by 25 points... because it’s not 30, right? :)
I definitely can’t see the party of Obama wanting Sanders to win.
But, I also can’t see the party of FDR letting Biden win.
2
This week at a town hall in Charleston, SC with Joe Biden doing a full hour, he convinced me to vote for him in the Florida primary coming on March 17.
Not only did he clearly explain his policies on health care, gun control, education, science research and justice reform to include rehabilitation in jails and prisons, he showed real empathy with a minister whose wife was killed at the AME Baptist Church after the shooting there when he was VP.
He’s clearly the only Democrat able to beat Trump in November.
3
Hooray, there is still hope. Good luck, Mr. Biden.
3
Biden's main support came from the endorsement by Rep. Clyburn and the SC state black voters. Let's wait for Super Tuesday, March 03. Something to watch is Sanders is already gaining momentum.
4
A lot of Sanders Brand Sour Grapes tonight. They really don’t want to accept that there are well meaning liberals and independent thinkers of all races who don’t think exactly the same way they do. Despite Russian support and Trump telling his supporters to cross over to vote for Bernie in the primaries, Bernie still lost. Mostly because of minority voters. Maybe their insistence that “identity politics” means nothing and “class warfare” is everything is a losing message among much of the Democratic base. It did always seem to me like it was a dog whistle for “I don’t care about minority rights as long as wealth gets redistributed my way.”
4
What a rousing speech tonight from Joe Biden! The best he's sounded in this campaign so far after a great debate performance last week!
Don't want Trump?
Don't want Bernie?
Rally, support, and carry Joe Biden to the nomination!
3
Joe Biden is a nice guy in a kind of avuncular way but he isn't the fresh face the Democratic party needs. Too closely associated with Clinton and Obama who were, as we know, defeated by the forces of Trump in the last election.
Political news has become highly entertaining but yesterday's victory was a tempest in a teapot.
Not a big fan of the former NYC mayor because of how badly he treated the unions, but Michael Bloomberg already has his network in place around the country and the money and experience to purchase the nomination and the Presidency. He is the only candidate in position to take on Trump and win.
Bloomberg will take enough delegates after Super Tuesday to capture the nomination in a brokered convention. Everyone knows this. But for the sake of entertainment, let's go on pretending that this is really horse race.
5
Yes, every other advanced nation not only has universal healthcare, free higher education and a much better safety net than the US.
Changing that would take the US decades, and not just one angry old uncle screaming at the dais promising a 'revolution'.
This country does not have a parliamentary system, where legislation becomes law with a simple majority, one usually with a coalition of two parties at the helm.
As a naturalized citizen from 'socialist' Europe, I always considered myself as a progressive. Compared to Sander's pipe dreams though, I am centre left.
In addition, when it comes to global affairs, Sanders has only a fraction of the knowledge of Joe Biden. I would love to see a Biden Pamela Harris ticket, or a Biden Buttigieg one and as a third choice Biden / Warren.
1
Hillary Clinton took most of the southern primaries in 2016 but those states uniformly voted for Trump in the general election. The Democrats simply are not carrying South Carolina no matter who the nominee is. The only southern states in which they are competitive are Florida and, much more marginally, North Carolina and Georgia -- Texas isn't there yet.
As in 2016, the election will be won or lost in the Rust Belt -- Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania have to go back to the Democratic column while Minnesota and Illinois are held -- if that happens, Ohio would probably flip to blue as well. All the talk about how Biden will do well there because he is from Scranton is baloney. Democrats like Biden are exactly why the Rust Belt went for Trump last time. He has done absolutely nothing for working class voters his entire career other than given them the back of his hand -- NAFTA, the pro-bank bankruptcy "reform" bill, anti-union legislation, the list is far too long to even scratch the surface of here.
Bernie is the only candidate who can win back those make-or-break states -- both directly and down-ballot. A centrist nominee would only play into Trump's anti-Washington swamp tropes, just as happened the last time.
12
@Boris Jones
So far in 2020 Bernie is doing much worse than in 2016.
We must ensure that all elections - in very State - can be done via MAIL.
EVERY state legislature needs to rapidly ensure that people can vote without fear of being part of a crowd, where they might catch the virus.
Ballots should be mailed to each registered voter. For primaries. For regular elections.
Failure to do this would permit the novel virus to spread more easily. I would hope that this becomes a bipartisan drive to both protect us from the virus and make sure that every registered voter can participate in elections.
1
This is why we Democrats don't need Sanders or the small number of his voters who will reject any other nominee:
"A revolt by college-educated voters, largely women, in suburbs from Virginia Beach to Oklahoma City, from Houston to Southern California, delivered the House majority to Democrats in 2018. Driven by anxiety over guns, health care and the environment, and recoiling from President Trump’s caustic leadership, suburban voters are widely seen as a critical bloc for any Democratic victory in 2020."
2018 and 2019 proved there are many millions more voters eager for an end to the chaos and realignment along a center left path.
The Bernie Bros can go pound sand.
4
@OrchardWriting
Lol...gee, you seem nice.
I'll just leave this here for you.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/reports/suburban-women-donors
1
The multi-candidate debates, party primaries and national party conventions remind us why delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention established the Electoral College. Alexander Hamilton fretted that somebody unqualified, but with a talent for "low intrigue, and the “little arts of popularity” could attain high office. James Madison feared "an interested and overbearing majority" and the "mischiefs of faction" could put a demagogue in power. So the founders decided an Electoral College made up of delegates chosen by state legislatures should determine who should serve as president, permitting the decision to be made without "tumult and disorder.”
The Constitution gives political parties no role in government, but political parties—not Congress, the Executive Branch or the Judiciary—have become the de facto government. Taking the names of presidential candidates off the ballot would be a good first step toward ending rule by political party hacks.
The Constitution provides that presidents are to be selected by the Electoral College. The Supreme Court should rule that placing the names of presidential candidates on state ballots and requiring electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote is unconstitutional. The clear intent of placing the names of presidential candidates in the November ballots is to subvert the Electoral College.
The future is pretty clear to me. Sanders will have a plurality of delegates and the popular vote but not a majority of either at the Convention. Biden is past his prime but likely could beat Trump without the defection of Sander's supporters who will be angry and stay home in large numbers as they did in 2016 or, worse, vote for Trump again if Sanders is denied the nomination. You might like Warren. You might like Sanders but the division in the party is growing and spells doom. The other thing that is clear is that you can't win without the black vote. Sanders never had it; Sanders doesn't have it; Sanders will never get it.
3
I would just like to note that in any election other than one controlled by establishment politics and elite "superdelegates," Sanders could say the same thing to Biden that Biden said to Sanders: "Win big or lose."
4
The VP pick is what will make the difference. That needs to happen soon.
4
“After months of remaining neutral, Mr. Clyburn offered Mr. Biden a full-throated endorsement on Wednesday before a bank of television cameras and photographers. On Saturday, nearly 50 percent of South Carolina voters said Mr. Clyburn’s support was an important factor in their decision, according to exit polls.”
If Clyburn had endorsed Bernie, he would have won by 50%. All those undecided voters just went with Clyburn, and clearly that is what gave Biden the win. Looking forward to Tuesday!
6
The situation seems clear to me. If you add Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Biden together, you get 77 confirmed delegates. Sanders and Warren? 62. There is no way that Sanders is going to win the nomination, and that's a good thing. Warren isn't going to win it either, and that's an even better thing. It WILL be a MODERATE, and that's the BEST thing. Of course the media doesn't want to really report this definitively because then it cuts down on the endless news cycle, but facts are facts and, in spite of all the hype, Sanders isn't going to emerge victorious. People, there IS still hope of sending the gangster-president packing in November.
5
The Democratic party is up the creek, fractured and with a presidential field dominated by retreads Biden and Sanders and vanity candidate Bloomberg - too big too ignore, too problematic to prevail - who've blocked less well known and potentially better candidates from gaining traction.
In part this results from the baneful Clinton big money rebranding of the party, while voters are looking to the party's progressive roots. And in part from the Clintons' toxic suppression of developing a deep bench of Democratic contenders.
With good reason Obama supporters, and with less evidence Sanders supporters, did not forgive and forget. Having Clinton protege Tom Perez heading up the DNC doesn't help - also because of his ignorance of campaign and election strategy.
Had the DNC been on its toes, it would have urged state committees to hold ranked choice, instant run off primaries. This would have let voters sort out the field for themselves. Voters would have been assured of having their say in producing majority wins. It would have unified the party and better prepared us for the general election.
Electability depends on voter determination. The Democratic party seems determined to lose. Again. Hopefully this time, opposition voters will make Never Trump a priority and a reality.
4
Because of the progressive-moderate divide in the Democratic party, Trump's re-election is pretty much guaranteed.
3
Biden did well in SC and has the advantage of not scaring the older voter (the segment of our population that vote). However, our country does need a revolution. Biden would do well to accept his win magnanimously and welcome Bernie's help on change that is needed in our country.
To continue to war with Sanders is going to show Biden to be intransigent individual he was at the Thomas hearings against Anita Hill. Not a good look.
8
@kirk
We can forget about revolution with Sanders showing much more poorly in 2020 than in 2016.
The Constitution provides that presidents are to be selected by the Electoral College. The Supreme Court should rule that placing the names of presidential candidates on state ballots and requiring electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote is unconstitutional. The intent is clearly to subvert the Electoral College.
The tumult and shooting of the multi-candidate debates, party primaries and national party conventions remind us why delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention established the Electoral College. Alexander Hamilton fretted that somebody unqualified, but with a talent for "low intrigue, and the “little arts of popularity” could attain high office. James Madison feared "an interested and overbearing majority" and the "mischiefs of faction" could put a demagogue in power. So the founders decided an Electoral College made up of delegates chosen by state legislatures should determine who should serve as president, permitting the decision to be made without "tumult and disorder.”
The Constitution gives political parties no role in government, but political parties—not Congress, the Executive Branch or the Judiciary—have become the de facto government. Taking the names of presidential candidates off the ballot would be a good first step toward ending rule by political party hacks.
3
Bloomberg didn't know it, he was the Establishment insurance policy against Sanders if Biden fell through.
Today was a bad day at South Carolina for Bloomberg.
The Establishment will be railroading him back to the Big City.
4
@True Observer
Don’t be so though on Bloomberg. His commercials are owesome!
I am not a Bernie supporter but I have some advice for him.
Make a deal with Warren. She drops out of the race and is immediately named his VP running mate.
6
Id like to see her run the Dept of Education and get that dirty perro devos out of there.
For the first time this primary season, I donated to Biden's campaign. He was never my first choice. But like others, I just can't abide the idea of a Sanders presidency.
10
@dc those deplorable other 47% will bring out their French revolutionary pitch forks against the elites of both parties. Take the money out of politics. BERNIE or bust
So what do black voters in South Carolina understand that progressives like me may have missed? Could it be that with the rising tide of uncertainty in the world (epidemics, stock market corrections, etc.) the wiser choice just might be a centrist of good moral character who is not inclined to take risks on policies of “revolutionary” intent thereby only contributing further to political and social instability?
7
At least the voters claiming to be Democrats are carefully considering all possible presidential candidates. Republican voters in November will be stuck with the choice of voting for the least qualified candidate to ever seek the office of POTUS, voting for the Democrats' candidate or not voting..
6
@RLW
And a GOP candidate who is in the group with the highest risk factors for surviving COVID19: male; elderly; obese (and whatever health disadvantages obesity brings: diabetes, heart and lung conditions).
@TheraP Mother Nature is perverse and she works in mysterious ways. But here's hoping @TheraP meant the candidate with the highest risk factors for 'NOT' surviving. Just maybe Mother Nature will do the right thing with her Covid19 pandemic.
I am so happy for this victory. I am sitting on huge capital gains and would be negatively impacted by Sanders communist redistribution policies. The exit polls in South Carolina make it clear that Sanders has no broad support. This will be good for my stock holdings. You dont make people rich by redistributing their hard earned money. I am sensing a big up day on Wall Street on Monday and I am well into the 1%. Congratulations to the Senator from Delaware and Vice President and future president.....Joe Biden.
6
The majority of americans polled want universal healthcare and the cost benefits of a single payer system. Bernie Sanders is the only delegate who can deliver a single payer system that actually reaps the benefits of reduction of administration costs, by eliminating profit by insurance companies, by reducing the cost of all healthcare products including all drugs through centralized mass purchasing. All the other options offered by delegates other than Bernie, are going to cost more as they do not reduce the admin cost, the profit and centralized purchasing. If you want universal, single payer healthcare, you have to vote for Bernie. All other options are going to cost a fortune as they don't reap the benefits of a centrally managed healthcare system and they will fail. Save money, voter Bernie.
8
No candidate has a better opportunity to dethrone Trump other than Sanders. So rejoice all you want, Biden supporters and anti-Sanders crowd. But get ready for another four years of Trump if Bernie does not become the democratic nominee.
10
@Daniel
Sanders is not electable. I bleed blue & despise him. He’s going to fracture voting & deliver four more nightmare years of trump.
2
@Daniel right!!!!!
Because this is the first primary that Joe Biden has won his three attempts - 1988, 2008 and 2020- to occupy the Oval Office of the White House there are few, if any, election ' victories' of historically lesser significance.
Moreover, the Democrats have little or no chance of winning South Carolina's Electoral College votes in Lindsey Graham's and Tim Scott's South Carolina in November.
8
The events of the last few weeks have convinced me that Biden is the real deal. Integrity, decency, open-mindedness and managerial competency are my guideposts. Go Joe 2020.
6
Hillary won this state too. Biden will win all the conservative states that will never vote for him in the general. He is an establishment centrist democrat tied down by some controversy just like Hillary. Worse, he is prone to gaffs. The general election will play out the same way as the one in 2016.
12
First of all, South Carolina will vote for Trump and so will most of the rest of the Southern states. Everyone seems to have forgotten that Obama’s victory in 2008 redrew the Democratic map. The so-called “Reagan Democrats” who put Bill Clinton over the top turned against him after his impeachment, which is why Al Gore couldn’t win his own state and his margin of victory was small enough that the Republicans on the Supreme Court felt they could get away with selecting Bush. Obama didn’t win in the South and didn’t need to. This particular race taught us nothing.
Secondly, no, the African American vote in SC is not representative of the black vote in places like Milwaukee, Detroit and Philadelphia where minority turnout could actually decide the election. The black vote is not monolithic, and Southerners, I’m sorry to say, will vote against candidates like Sanders, Bloomberg and Buttigieg for reasons that have nothing to do with their political qualities, while their northern brethren are more hungry for systemic change and willing to vote for it.
Everyone hold off on your prognosticating till we get Tuesday’s results. SC was meaningless. (And so were Iowa and New Hampshire by the way.)
9
Biden, as the once-darling and supposed-frontrunner, has no shot as a candidate; he hasn't built a national infrastructure and he fared poorly in the other three primaries/caucuses. This, in spite of his massive name recognition and his lead in the polls out of the gate.
Also, doing well in a state like South Carolina has an almost counterproductive irrelevance because no Democratic candidate is ever going to win the state in a general election.
I am a Sanders supporter, but as long-time Democratic volunteer, I can already tell you that Biden doesn't even have the juice that Hilary had. Come volunteer time during the national election, Hilary headquarters had the energy of a Bingo Parlor. I doubt that a Biden run will even have that.
The Democratic party has a long history of ignoring and defying those that volunteer and this is why they lose.
Obama won in a big way, but he lost the House, The Senate, and then a dozen state houses and governorships by governing from the mythic corporate center.
A Biden candidacy?
A Buttigieg candidacy?
A Bloomberg candidacy?
Please, spare me. These candidates are hated by the right and barely palatable to 2/3 of the party.
Given the disaster on the courts over the past decade, any of the three aformentioned candidates will bring about a fifty-year dark age in and the end of our democratic experiment.
We might already be there.
7
Incredible but sadly true. Biden, a very moderate voted by the people who need a progressive the most. The History repeats himself over and over.
9
As for an overseas' point of view: while for a renewal of the West's coalition of democracy and the international rule of law a Biden presidency would be perfect, I'm getting quite anxious thinking of Joe Biden duelling with Trump's cruel and degrading comments which made him so popular (sad to say).
Sanders on the ihrer hand, aside of his propagandistic problems, makes me fear he will just be a second punsh (although far less devastating than a second Trump term) to NATO, the international multilateral system in general and the West's ability to mount an adequate liberal response to Putin's, Xi's and other strongmens' challenges.
For some time, my hopes were on Bloomberg, particularly with his track record of serious action on pressing international issues, but that has been dashed with his dismal debate performance and subsequent stalling in polls.
Sorry for the gloomy comment (well, maybe that's just famous German pessimism), but from the outside, the election seems to head to the choice between a bad option and four more years of a really, REALLY ugly option.
2
South Carolina is small potatoes. It only carries 9 electoral votes. Aside from that South Carolina has only voted for one Democrat president since the Civil Rights Acts in 1964. They voted for Carter in 1976. Biden ain't Carter. Moderates continue to push lame horses...the truth is there are more people out there who are hurting, and hurting badly and they need real change not the bandaid solutions offered by Biden and Centrists. Climate Change is on the tipping point and we need action now and the threat of a Coronavirus Pandemic illustrates quite clearly how unprepared our health system is to handle such a disaster. There's only one person offering policies to deal with those problems and others and it ain't Biden.
5
Klobuchar needs to drop out, no? It's hard to see her campaign as anything more than a vanity run by now (that's been true for some time, actually).
6
Joe Biden knows he has to repair what Trump destroyed. He's pledging to strengthen the ACA, rejoin the climate change accord, work on the treaty with Iran, get our allies back, reject Putin, and leave Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security alone. As a nurse I want Medicare for all, but this isn't the time to try to start it. I believe Biden's running mate should be Mitt Romney. He provided Massachusetts with "Romneycare" and could help fix the ACA. Undecided Republicans may vote for Biden because of Romney. Being the sole GOP senator to vote for one charge of impeachment shows he's not Trump's stooge like all the rest of Republicans are. As a liberal I don't agree with Romney on a lot of issues, but he will have to work for what Biden approves. Biden said he was open to the idea of a Republican running mate. Other advantages are that the GOP will lose a senator, and the Democrats retain Sanders, Klobuchar, Harris, and Warren. We desperately need a Democrat in the White House. We need the Senate to be blue. I wish he would choose Romney and announce it before Tuesday. Bloomburg can finance Biden's campaign. Maybe having both parties on the ticket will start some kind of unity in our country.
1
As for an overseas' point of view: while for a renewal of the West's coalition of democracy and the international rule of law a Biden presidency would be perfect, I'm getting quite anxious thinking of Joe Biden duelling with Trump's cruel and degrading comments which made him so popular (sad to say).
Sanders on the ihrer hand, aside of his propagandistic problems, makes me fear he will just be a second punsh (although far less devastating than a second Trump term) to NATO, the international multilateral system in general and the West's ability to mount an adequate liberal response to Putin's, Xi's and other strongmens' challenges.
For some time, my hopes were on Bloomberg, particularly with his track record of serious action on pressing international issues, but that has been dashed with his dismal debate performance and subsequent stalling in polls.
Sorry for the gloomy comment (well, maybe that's just famous German pessimism), but from the outside, the election seems to head to the choice between a bad option and four more years of a really, REALLY ugly option.
If Joe Biden is the Democratic candidate, say goodbye to youth support and the presidency. I am not voting if Joe Biden is the democratic nominee. Would gladly vote for anyone else though.
7
I support Mayor Pete, intelligent, moderate, pragmatic, not divisive and young. Biden is my second choice. Even within the democrat party, moderates in 4 states are a solid majority, Bernie's 30% of the democrat party does not equate to victory over Trump.
Trump will rip Bernie the socialist apart. Want to give up your private health care? Want to have Washington bureacrats run the health care system and transition overnight from private health care, want to lose your job if you work in private health care? Who will pay Bernie's $60T health care cost, free college, free everything etc. No America is not a socialist country.
5
Who will pay? The very same people who now pay for never-ending wars, massive corporate tax cuts, and bailing out too-large-to-fail business entities who run their businesses into the ground as a result of untethered greed and incompetence.
I do not think that Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren will be the nominees, but I do predict that neither of them will drop out of the race until the bitter end. They both strike me as egotistical and self-entitled. Talk to reporters who have been covering Sanders in Vermont for years - he's Trump lite in terms of how he deals with the press, and gee, we're still waiting for those medical records, senator.
3
There is nothing like wishful thinking, especially when it's born out of desperation . I feel like I'm watching an old movie which wallows in nostalgia about the good old times, which never really were that good and certainly can't be replicated. Trump is not going to be defeated by an old-timer who looks like one, sounds like one and acts like one. A tough, dynamic, quick thinking, articulate, charismatic candidate or the closest approximation thereof is needed in order to have a decent chance of defeating Trump. I don't have a candidate who possesses all of these characteristics in mind and in the end the Democrats may not be able to identify and nominate such a person. However, I do know that although Biden had some very good accomplishments in his long career, he doesn't come close to having the profile needed to defeat Trump. It wouldn't be a fair fight. The Democrats need to accept the fact that the 2020 campaign is going to be a down and dirty, no holds barred, grudge fight, and nominate somebody who can at least hold their own in that type of contest. Take off the rose colored glasses, look at your opponent in the harsh light of day and then try to imagine the type of person you need in order to beat him. It may not be a pretty picture, but if winning is all that counts, and I believe that's the case, some big compromises may have to be made.
5
Biden won the black vote by 64%. Among white votes his 34% tied with the votes for the "left lane" candidates, Sanders and Warren. Because almost half the voters in the SC primary are black he won handily, but that Democratic electorate is no more reflective of the US electorate than is Iowa or New Hampshire. Wait until Tuesday.
5
Congrats Joe!
I will cast my vote for you in our Arizona Democrat Primary. Let me be very crystal clear, coming out of our Democrat National 2020 Convention, I will support our Presidential nominee whoever it may be, but I hope and pray it is you, Sir.
Onward!
3
I can just see the emerging argument about diversity and representation: There are too many white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, but there are also too many non-white voters in South Carolina.
In the 1972 election, I voted for George McGovern. Well, we know how that ended. My fear is that Sanders will be the George McGovern of 2020. I voted for Biden instead.
3
What's the over/under on how many hours pass before Biden thanks the good people of "South California" for his very first victory in three presidential runs?
I could vote for him against Trump but I hope it does not come to that.
Biden will get steamrolled by Bernie on Super Tuesday. The onus is on Elizabeth Warren at the end of that day, if non-competitive, to quit & offer her support to Bernie. This will be the test of her progressive bonafides.
3
It has got to be bad for Trump that here is a general consensus that the main issue is how to get him out of office.
How about we let the voters determine what we want rather than Joe Biden or the media? Instead of being outraged that so many support Sanders, where is the outrage that so many still support Trump? Why are Trump supporters getting a pass? Joe Biden has high support among black voters, but without the white vote, he won't capture the nomination. SC was an ego boost for him. The real test comes on Super Tuesday.
2
@Kristin 1.) This is about the Democratic primaries, so outrage about Trump supporters is irrelevant. 2.) Trump supporters will never support Bernie Sanders as they deem him a communist, but there’s a chance a significant number would find Joe Biden more palatable.
1
I believe Biden and Sanders have the same chance of beating Trump, but they will both need wide coalitions, severe campaign behavior management, a wide majority willing to vote now and ask for details later. Voters must swear allegiance to the party nominee, no matter who that turns out to be. Anything less will end in another dissembling campaign and totally dysfunctional and broken Democratic Party. Biden needs to embrace the progressive initiatives of Sanders and Warren with plausible plans and goals that can be explained in fairly simple formulae. He needs to demonstrate willingness to be convinced by other candidates' plans to make major changes for health, wealth inequality, environment, etc.
6
I currently support Pete Buggigieg, but when and if he drops out, my support will go to Joe Biden. Sanders is a sure ticket to a Trump fourth term, a further crashing securities market and a total disconnect with a majority of the American people.
A stronger ACA, a return to environmental protection, repeal of Trump's tax giveaways andd so much more is best accomplished with a moderate Democrat.
Also, as much as I am in favor of early voting, you lose the chance to change your mind should conditions warrent. That's why I will vote in the Florida primary on March 17 and not before.
7
@JWMathews
One of my strongest reasons for supporting Buttigieg is his likelihood of surviving the virus, should he become infected. Also his ability to serve for 8 years.
Both Biden and Sanders are in a high risk group, should they get the virus. (Male and elderly, with in Sanders’ case an underlying heath problem)
Also, their ages make them more likely to only serve 4 years.
We need a candidate who can serve 8 and still be energetic, cognitively adept and, of course, alive and well.
1
As much as I wish it were true that increased participation of Republicans and Independents in the SC primary reflected the abandonment by these voters of the Trump party, you can't make that claim without further evidence. The Republican primary was canceled in SC, to rule out opposition to Trump, and right-leaning voters had nothing better to do than meddle in the Democratic primary. Indeed, some pro-Trump groups were calling for just that.
5
This election must be about strategy. Trump would have lost the election were it not for gerrymandering, the influence of social media, and bitter Sanders supporters. Trump was strategic. Are Dems? Can we depend on young Sanders supporters, who can not recall a time when there were unions, pensions, and honest Republicans? They are easily discouraged. Sanders ideas are ideas from the 1960's, good ideas. Where has he been all along? We recall his behavior in the last election. Sanders must admit that HRC would have enacted some form of universal coverage. Does he believe that he and he alone can deliver? If Sanders truly believed in the urgency of his policies he would understand that only a winning Democratic candidate will deliver. South Carolina reminds us of this truth. SC voters know that others may end up passing the Sanders dream and Trump will not. This must be less about ego and all about taking back the WH, the Senate, maintaining the House. Thank SC for reminding us.
12
Many of Bernies ideas are great but they will not become law unless we have an extremely progressive Senate and keep the House. We have no chance of gaining the Senate(let alone an extremely progressive Senate) unless we flip seats in states like NC which is lean R but not by much.
Here in NC we have fought hard to undo a lot of damage from R voter suppression, gerrymandering and out and out cheating and we cannot take one step back. Ads are already running here to tie the most viable Senate D candidate,Cal Cunningham, to Bernie. Cal is spending scarce resources to set the record straight. They do this because they know Bernie will not fly with the business community or voters who are more moderate for other reasons. So whether I am more aligned with Bernie’s ideas or not, my calculus is simple. I am going to vote for the candidate who can help us turn NC blue up and down the ballot and then help the country put itself together after the Trump and Trumpist debacle. We have broken legs. Our legs must heal so that we can walk and then, perhaps, run.
9
Kudos to VP Biden on a huge win. He needed a big, big win and he got just that. Bernie keeps saying he's bringing in everyone, and in many cases he is, but African-Americans don't seem to be moved by his pitch.
That being said, Super Tuesday will certainly provide a much more focused picture on what we can expect over the next few months.
One thing is certain, Amy needs to get out, and probably Warren as well. Their home states not withstanding, if neither of these two wins another state, then they need to do what is best for the party and drop out. Same goes for Bloomberg. These people need to win primaries, not come in fourth, fifth or last.
IMHO - Amy is too stubborn and will stay in, Warren I think it more of a realist and will get out.
5
If once again Biden, like Clinton, gets the nomination owing to the deep South that always and 100% goes Republican in the election, the results of 2010 will be the same. Sanders actually seems capable of turning a few of those states.
11
Well considering Joe Biden just recently made a six figure add buy across 14 states in media markets that are extremely expensive, he hasn’t campaigned in these states for over a month and there is no cardinal endorsement to sway a huge amount of the voting population to vote for him, I think we’ll come to see this as a blip in the radar.
4
I’m glad for Joe Biden. His landslide victory against Bernie Sanders in South Carolina yesterday has pumped new life into his struggling campaign, providing a momentary lift that is needed to boost his morale.
I wish him all the best in the coming days, hoping he will make a good showing in the Super Tuesdsay states. If I were an American, I would make a donation to keep his campaign afloat.
7
Biden didn’t even win a majority. Hardly a ‘landslide’ while Bernie came in second and has not placed lower than 2nd in any contest, while Biden placed 4th and 5th in the first two contests. South Carolina’s electoral votes are not up for grabs in any case, it is a solid Republican state.
1
I think V P Biden would be a fine candidate and could get us back on track. I don't see how Bernie can make any of his promises come true.
13
Politics and our country as a whole is a story of growing division polarization. The two major parties (Dem & GOP) obviously show a great divide. The Trump/GOP is a smaller segment of the overall population but they are united. Within the larger Democratic party we show great division, with Bernie having an extremely loyal base but I venture to say, still majority of Dems spread across a weaker collection of candidates opposing Bernie's "Revolution Now" approach.
If Bernie is indeed the leader he wants to be - he must show a willingness to reach out & unite the larger Democratic party or he/we are running a terrible risk of 4 more years of Trump.
A real leader unites instead of dividing - Bernie has never shown this skill or willingness & sadly he (in some ways like Trump) doesn't now.
7
I too have not been excited by Biden's debate performance, but the last debate showed just how awful the debate structure has been for all of the candidates. In his victory speech last night Biden spoke of things everyone can identify with, his heart and his head are in the place we all wish to be. His policies on important issues - gun control and health care - are in the right place. And he has more international experience than any other candidate. If Clyburn could fund showing Biden's speech last night throughout the states voting this Tuesday I think Biden could establish himself as the candidate we have been waiting for. At any rate, my vote on Tuesday will be for Biden.
10