Wise old adage;
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
Seriously, a bucket of warm spit is superior to the current occupant.
1
For all of my adult life, my voting standard was forced to be: “which candidate will do less harm to me and mine”. This year, for the first time, I was able to vote FOR a candidate, on the basis of admiration for many of his qualities, his humanity, his brilliance, logic, and charity. I voted for Bloomberg, of course. Now I must revert to my standard, and subscribe to Vote Blue No Matter Who. That’s our America, and it’s a late life disappointment.
The problem is not the caliber of candidates. It's the desperation to make the right choice to defeat the current disaster in the WH that's causing anxiety.
1
The perfect candidate to remove the most imperfect president in American history? If Biden is so worrisome and imperfect against trump, then, what must be said of Sanders (and his "message") who sank in Super Tuesday? It is clear the Sanders message scares even Democrats. Sanders is a movement of 30% and that is it. He brings in no one else. Biden will get even more of a surge come November against trump. Stop looking for a reason not to vote - whoever you are. Just vote the cancer out in November. We will all work out the details together later.
I woke up thinking, is Biden the best we can do???
If Trump wins another term, we have nothing left. Nothing. Keep that in mind when you consider your vote in November.
Between the Russians and the voter suppression and the cheating, this is coming down to the survival of this country. Far from perfect, but oh so much better than what the likes of Donald Trump, the Republicans and the Russians have to offer.
We’ve come too far to give it all away to lies and greed and avarice.
1
Not a perfect candidate, perhaps; but so much better and humane and smart, compared to the hateful, ignorant selfish and uninformed narcissistic fool that now sullies the White House.
It’s time to fumigate the people’s house.
I admit to dithering but yesterday, I started thinking about what the world is facing with the spread of Coronavirus, and I asked myself who I would rather have in charge. One name came immediately to mind, and I knew how I should vote: Warren. Sadly, others did not agree with me, either in my state or elsewhere, but I still feel energized in the aftermath of Super Tuesday. If Biden is the party's choice, I'll support him without any hesitation whatsoever. I'm keeping my eye on the prize. Trump must go.
2
@Allison I agreed with you and voted Warren.
I am euphoric. Call me crazy. I think the turnout issue is going to be solved due to the depth of contempt for Trump. How else can you explain Super Tues massive turnout only 2 days after Pete and Amy jumped on board. There is no room, no room, for Dems and centrists to stay home and sulk because their favorite didn't make it. A certain percentage of Bernie voters probably will, but hopefully Trump will be a turnout machine for the Dems. Joe onstage last night looked like a completely different person than the stumble-bum debater. And somehow I think debating Trump will be a lot easier for him than debating his Dem rivals.
1
There were many good candidates, but the only one that really inspired me was Buttigieg. With him out of the race my choice is one of two old septuagenarians, neither one inspiring.
Come March 10 here in Idaho I'll vote for one of them, but not happily.
Fortunately for the winner, he will be facing another old man, but an absolute horror of a man, so there's a good chance of the Democratic old nominee winning.
Vote Blue No Matter Who.
@Pat Boice: I liked Pete, too. Buttigieg's profound decency and personal dignity touched me, and I was sad to see him drop out of the race, but he's a very impressive politician. He'll be back, and I'll still be here to support him when he does.
1
You think the Republicans have a perfect candidate? Trump's job approval is almost as high as it has ever been right now. And it is still 5 points lower than any president who has ever been re-elected. Ever.
The two months between Labor Day and Election Day are an all-out sprint.
On one side you have a guy who sleeps four hours a day, can do several campaign events per day On the other side you have a guy who confuses Super Thursday with Super Tuesday, introduces his wife as his sister, and doesn't know what state he is in.
Democrats should be very nervous about Joe Biden.
So who's perfect? And how does that matter? Winning the election is what matters. I don't see how you can call yourself a Democrat and even consider a third-party vote this year.
@Patrick Donovan: I don't either. Biden does not inspire me, but it's time to take a page out of the Republican play book and fight to win. I'm looking for a strong running mate. I wouldn't be disappointed in someone like Buttigieg, who wouldn't leave an open seat in Congress, but he's going to be a hard sell to Bernie bros, who have taken a severe disliking to him. That said, Pete's decency might draw some exhausted Republican Boomers back from the dark side. No matter what, though, poaching a sitting member of the House or Senate should be off the table.
If one does not have health insurance, who will pay for the bill when test comes back positive for coronavirus?
This should be addressed!
58
If Mike Bloomberg is out , will Barack Obama now
support his former VP ? Was surprised when I first
saw the ads on TV .
If one counts all the votes from all the state together Sanders has the most votes. Yes Biden won the most states but Sanders is going to win California by at least a half million votes. The democrats have been pushing for a nation wide popular vote instead of the electoral college. Why don’t they run their primary this way. Sanders should get all the delegates from yesterday’s vote.
1
The corporate establishment is pushing Biden on us, he is their man and it is the assurance that nothing will change with a President Biden.
4
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Each of the Democratic candidates in this race is, was inestimably superior to the oaf in the Oval Office.
What differentiates Biden and Sanders - aside from their uniquely different styles - is the pace and breadth of the change they would pursue once in office. Biden might be expected to bring America back to where it was pre-Trump - although this will be more difficult than many suppose. Sanders would - to the extent Congress would allow - insist on a non-linear, non-incremental approach to change. He sees fundamental change - not a reversion to the status-quo - as the only remedy for the ills that presage the decline of the American empire.
We can argue the theoretical merit of these respective strategies but, again, either would be immensely preferable to the current degradation of the countries democratic institutions. Nomination races, particularly as presently designed, are inherently bloody, self-destructive affairs. There is significant risk that - in picking a champion to face the Ogre-in-Chief - Democrats will have weakened him/her before the real combat begins.
It's one thing to campaign for your preferred candidate; it's another to so brutally hamstring their competitors as to deprive the winner not only their support but the support of their supporters. Trump is hoping to face an opponent badly hobbled by his own party.
3
@thegreatfulauk: There's a saying in the church that interim pastors don't blow things up. After Trump, I think the electorate is wisely cautious about choosing a disrupter who swings too far in the opposite direction. It's not that I don't understand my children's generation's impatience, but, personally, I am more than ready for less drama.
The republicans don't have the perfect candidate either.....far from it.
5
Congratulations to the mainstream media who convenience the entire country Warren can't win.
Putin is having a big laugh right now.
In Europe they think were nuts, Biden? The guy who forgets what he's saying in the middle of a sentence.
The Democratic leadership guaranteed a Trump victory.
Warren, one of the few that defend the public from being ripped off, we can't have her win! No!
We can control Biden! Push Biden!
He'll do what he's told!
3
@Philly Burbs
Right on point,
The "Democratic" Party is almost as morally and politically bankrupt as the GOP.
1
Story should be Sanders is 11-12% points over Biden in California and all CNN talks about is Texas? C'mon guys--get real. Biden did well with Black and older votes and Texas was pushed desperately yesterday with 3 former candidates backing Biden and Sanders still viable in Texas should be story. Biden overblown.
4
This election has nothing to do with "perfection."
Trump is so bad, and the system is so heavily dominated by concentrations of wealth, that the DNC has no incentive to embrace any progressive positions -- and won't.
If the economy falls into recession, the DNC Democrat will win. If stocks and apparent economic "growth" come roaring back, I'm not convinced he will want to.
[face palm]
For all those joining the sudden stampede for Biden, I sure wish they'd explain how exactly the man is going to manage a debate with Trump. Or three debates, whatever it might be.
Then there's the massive enthusiasm gap among voters who somehow manage to overlook the answer to the previous question. Even Biden supporters have a hard time articulating much about the man other than he has an African-American buddy he once worked for named Obama.
I can think of a dozen ways that provides an opening for an otherwise dull debater like Trump to change the subject from substance to mere bullying, which is exactly what whips his followers up.
Trump has already cornered the market on nostalgia, which will make Boring Joe's stumbling along less a focus than whatever his handlers want him to refer back to. Because Joe isn't the candidate for change, but for more of the same that Trump has already marginalized into one of his lies with legs.Merely being not-Trump isn't enough to win this race. Victory against Trump is about bringing badly needed change, something which sits at the back of the Biden bus, if it's even allowed to ride.
If you don't vote for change, you're very unlikely to get it. That was the harsh lesson of 2016. The Dem leadership seems oblivious to this. Not-change is a comforting place to be when you're trying to get some sleep, but it very rarely wins elections.
Victory in 2020 is not about the safest choice, but the best choice. Biden is a miss.
7
This election has turned into a remake of Humphrey versus RFK/McCarthy, with the henchmen meeting in the basement of the Capitol instead of a smoke-filled room. The cigars have been replaced with bottles of spring water, as the old guard churns ahead to repeat the same mistakes they made in 2016. I wonder whom they think won the 40+ seats in the House 2 years ago, the old guard? People refuse to learn from their mistakes, they spread fear among the ignorant.
5
Get over it. There is no perfect candidate. Vote for who you think can beat Trump and help save this country and the environment.
7
Ooh, ooh, I know: In November let's write in Elizabeth Warren! Then, while Mitch McConnell locks up the judicial system for the next 30 years, we can feel good about ourselves and our ideals. And that's what really matters.
2
Biden is obviously a straw man or red herring, and being put out in the market as chum bait. He'll be eaten alive by either another flanker who brokers a convention deal, or if he somehow comedically survives, by the President. The fascinating question is, who is managing the obvious sacrificial offering? Biden reminds me of Boris Yeltsin, who was inserted by the oligarchs as a degrading and demoralizing public distraction, while they proceeded to ravage the country. It's already working, based on the comments here.
4
It seems a bit dreadful to have all active candidates in their seventies, none born later than the Truman Administration, and only woman.
You never have a perfect candidate. Even those who create high expectations, like Kennedy and Obama, ultimately disappoint in some respects. Conversely those like Trump don't disappoint because expectations of them are abysmally low in the first place.
Biden out-performed tonight and Sanders under-performed. Not surprising really but the explanation for it offered by Biden's deputy campaign manager is not credible. The greatest political comeback, she said, sprung from latent widespread enthusiasm for Biden's campaign stance.
Not really. There was absolute dread among the party establishment that Sanders would win the nomination - less, I suspect, because he might go on to lose the presidency than the fear he would win. The Democratic Party might be less corrupted and co-opted by big money than the GOP but only marginally so.
Party moderates coalesced around Biden at the last minute while progressives (i.e. Warren) refused to accept the reality that Bernie was their only credible shot at the White House. While insiders, outsiders and billionaire donors undoubtedly conspired to shut down the left, Sanders' lacklustre showing was largely one of his own making.
The problem was not so much his aggressive policy stance per se as his insistence on labelling it in a way that was certain to scare off large numbers who might otherwise have voted for him. I trust that, if he does lose to Biden, his move to make it unanimous will not only be swift but enthusiastic.
3
If Biden is only able to carry mostly Republican states, we're doomed. A big disadvantage to a moderate candidate is they are competing with some of the same voters as possible Trump voters.
4
@Kristin Wrong. Democrats are the party of the rich.
Their ideology is globalization (jobs out, foreign junk in, free-unfair trade, open borders, no view of a country, only zero-sum conflicting interest view).
The poor have no other choice than to vote red to avoid further relegation and demotion.
Moderate = rich, anti-establishment = poor.
The good thing for Democrats is that the poor vote less than the rich.
1
Watching the results I cannot help but believe that without Warren, Sanders would have won some of those races that went to Biden.
Thanks Warren, thanks a lot. Now please, get lost.
7
Sanders IS running as a Third Party Candidate because if someone else is nominated instead of him, he will take his voters with him. He knows this is his last chance.
Democrats will be held hostage to his ideology and if they don’t pick him, he will take his toys and followers and go home!
2
There will never be a "perfect" candidate from any party. The "Vote Bernie No Matter Who" crowd is as mind boggling as Trump's fanatical base. Bernie Sander's anti establishment Democrats stance explains his barren 30 year career in the Senate with zero personal accomplishments.
1
@Jeff
And what has Biden done - do nothing in the Senate and hang on to Obama’s coat tails? Is that a reason to vote for him?
1
We had a perfect candidate kamala harris but she is no longer running. The best candidates were 1. Kamala 2. Biden 3. Sanders 4. Warren and 5. Amy. The local papers, who have picked losers before, selected amy. Now it is down to biden and sanders. Sanders took a drubbing toda losing eight states though he won california and maybe he will win texas. California is deep blue and texas deep red. The swing states are less liberal than california and better predictors of who will win. Primaries should have been held there before iowa or california. Biden wrested away massachusetts from liz warren and won minnesota. Warren and bloomberg should drop out. They both have no chance now. Though biden has the momentum now either he or sanders could win in the end. There is only one perfectly imperfect candidate-donald trump
2
something is wrong here. the polls showed that Bernie would win in multiple states by a wide margin. Did the democrat party elites rig the primaries elections today? Connecting the dots appears to prove interference. We can not let the establishment illegally interfere with democracy. If nothing else, Bernie needs to run as a third party candidate.
4
Oh yes! That will guarantee another four years of Trump! Any Bernie supporter who refuses to vote for the democratic nominee in November will OWN that.
The Bernie Bros need to get over your obsession with conspiracy theories. The simple fact is that a majority of Democrats do not like Bernie. His ideas are too far out of the mainstream and he cannot win against Trump.
Personally I do not like Bernie but I will absolutely vote for him if he is the nominee. Bernie supporters should do the same.
5
Nobody's perfect but Elizabeth Warren seems to me to have come the closest to that ideal. She is remarkably energetic both physially and intellectually and carries as little baggage as any candidate since Lincoln. That she has received so little support makes me wonder all the more about politics in America.
Biden gave his best speech tonight avoiding most all the stumbles that have usually escaped his mouth. The idea that he struggles with a stutter seems a half truth meant to cover something more serious.
The most shocking gaff I heard came from Rep. Cliburn who said that black voters didn't want anything for free arguing against the progressive call for free state college education. He forgot that in the past both elementary school and high school had been available only for a fee and that free education had been one of the pillars of modern society. This was the most regressive statement I have heard since George Wallace.
2
We don't need perfect; Obama was a perfect candidate. We need a candidate good enough to get elected, and tough and persuasive enough to then govern effectively.
3
There's never been a perfect candidate and never will be. What is important is unseating Trump and for Dems to get behind one candidate to retain or democracy.
4
This article is spot on.
The democrats are running with a group of unelectable candidates. The two front runners are an avowed socialist and a bumbling former v.p. with more baggage than a fully booked 747.
Trump will have a field day campaigning against either candidate after the democratic convention.
1
It's simple: In November, Vote Blue No Matter Who. We can't afford to repeat the mistake of 2016.
5
Congratulation to Elizabeth Warren, you're crowned The Greatest Progressive Political Saboteur. My shout out to Moveon.org for waiting till Summer 2020 to endorse a progressive candidate in the primaries.
1
Is Biden the new candidate for the billionaire class? How could he then be any better for America? Doesn't his 44 billionaire's backing tarnish his candidacy? (Yes.)
3
I filled out my mail in ballot last night, but listened to The Daily on my way to the office this morning and decided to change my vote from Bloomberg to Joe. California has made it very easy to vote, either early by mail, or on the day of at a voting center, and the process of jettisoning my mail in ballot so I could change my selection was surprisingly painless. I wonder how many Californian Democrats who voted for Bernie mailed in their ballots a week or two ago, and how many voters would have gone for Biden had they waited until today to cast their ballot?
2
@Luke
If you had to wait until the last minute to decide, you haven’t been following the primary race for long and that is a shame.
The Michigan primary next week will probably make clear who will be strongest against Trump where it matters. Who won in the states so far matters much less, as those are not up-for-grab states, though Maine has divided electoral votes and so could provide some useful info.
What also may be more generally indicative are two things:
1/ Did the turnout increase more in districts Biden won or that Sanders won inasmuch as much of Sanders' argument is based on turning out new voters.
2/ Is there a big difference between mailed-in ballots and those who voted today, as that will indicate where Klobuchar, Buttigieg, and undecided Democrats votes went.
And now I'd like to go out on a limb and make a prediction:
If it turns out Bloomberg drops out and backs Biden tomorrow, the first words in his speech will be, "Thank you American Samoa!"
2
Given the results, one would think that Biden is a sure thing. The problem is that he is way past his prime, and I'm don't think he can keep up with Trump, who is the Energizer Bunny.
I can see a day in October where Trump has three rallies each with 5,000 to 10,000 people, while Biden is resting up away from the camera.
And some gaffes are humorous. But calling Super Tuesday Super Thursday is not and totally stumbling over a famous line from the constitution is not.
6
We Democrats have a huge structural problem; the two most important voting blocs, black and Hispanics, have chosen different champions.
It's speculative, but worth thinking about. Older blacks want stability and a return to the familiar leadership of a known friend of their community, Joe Biden. Their kids seem to have followed their lead.
Hispanics, having just been relegated to second class citizens by President Trump are more youthful and, moreover, in the mood for radical change. In addition, this time around Bernie has paid considerably more attention to them than any other Democratic candidate.
The "anglos" among Democrats are divided, particularly along the age fault line. Their part of the party establishment fears change and Sanders (witness MSNBC's breathless Biden leaning coverage) but doesn't consider the consequences of so broad a philosophical divide on the prospects for defeating Trump.
As people I like them both; as a political observer I'm not sure how we can put Humpty together again. If we fail, we probably get another Trump term, more than enough to finish off American democracy.
7
Part of me has a nagging suspicion that the old black/Jewish divide is at work. If so, this might partially explain the split and why Sanders is having trouble with the African-American vote. Coming from Vermont does not help him either.
The biggest issue I have this voting season is choosing a candidate who can defeat the Incumbent based on polls and numbers and endorsements with little regard for vision and progress. It doesn't seem to matter. Democrats have no identity. Fear and loathing is the soothing balm applied to the huddled masses folded into the comforting bosom of status quo and that's why liberal and progressive ideas never reach beyond commercial sound bites. But OK. If Joe Biden is the Democratic challenger, I'm in. I'm not happy, he isn't a candidate that rises to my aspirations and dreams, and I don't see a winning strategy but if I'm fixed on defeating Donald Trump, I guess I don't need vision or inspiration.
6
@DavonaD Agreed. We don't have any really good candidates this time around. But the only thing that matters right now is defeating Trump. We can address the other issues later.
3
Does anyone think anything will be more important than the state of the stock market in October and November in deciding the outcome of the election? I suppose it's possible, but it doesn't look likely at this point.
"Reagan's Question" has been the only question since the 1980s. It will take another catastrophe, exceeding the 2008-09 financial debacle, to stop the juggernaut -- and then we would still run the risk of an even more radical rightwing government coming to power, rather than finally having a progressive one.
1
This struggle to find the right candidate just tells me that for many Democratic voters there is but one overriding issue: Defeat Trump. When we find the final candidate Democrats will unite and show up to vote in November.
2
Depends on what your criteria for perfect is.
All candidates can do is tell voters what they want to hear and/or tell voters what’s in their wish list of pet programs.
Polling indicates people would rather pick a candidate who could retire Trump than someone offering a vision they agree with. Next priority is a candidate who can provide affordable healthcare.
Retiring Trump falls to Biden or Bloomberg.
Healthcare falls to Sanders. And those three are the only ones getting any votes. Combining the two moderates and they beat Sanders and Warren in nearly every state, including Texas, and very competitive in California.
So we don’t need perfect. We need a consensus candidate and a motivated electorate. And by the way, Biden won in several states he neither campaigned in or spent any money in, including Warren’s home state of Massachusetts!
I believe Warren will drop out tomorrow and Bloomberg will realize Biden has legs and it’s pointless to waste money that could be better spent on the more viable candidate and he’ll start throwing money into Senate races which could be even more important.
2
In the end the DNC and vested interests had to engineer the win for Biden on the eve of Super Tuesday in such an obvious and unnatural way. It was incredibly effective though. What promises were made behind the scenes and to whom? So many people who'd have voted for someone else changed when Amy and Pete dropped out including a lot of Warren fans because it appeared to be over. Appeared. Of course he's better than Trump. I would be better than Trump. But the status quo is deeply depressing. Let's see how far the banks, the Bigs and credit card companies let President Biden get with health care, drug prices, and the rest.
5
I was not undecided. I met Mike Bloomberg, read his policies, listened to his pragmatic way of answering questions, thinking problems through, and talking about his methods of actually hiring people smarter than him to be put in positions of management. He spoke intelligently, clearly, and without hesitancy. He can finish a thought and a sentence.
Due to his extensive knowledge of how to reduce climate change particularly in the development of cities, he was asked by the Secretary General of the UN to be the Climate Change Ambassador to help cities around the world implement plans to reduce their carbon footprints.
While Mayor, he actually extending the average life span of a New Yorker by 3 years by making health care available to more people. He has supported women’s rights, the list goes on and on.
He supported 24 Progressive Democratic candidates in 2018, 21 of whom won, and flipped the House making the way for Nancy Pelosi and the Impeachment Hearings.
Unfortunately he started campaigning late, maybe too late for people to get past his “Spock like” exterior to the humanitarian underneath. Shamefully, all the press and many people could talk about was the money he spent. HIS earned money he spent for the AMERICAN PEOPLE. They just couldn’t discern that this man has singlehandedly done more for Progressive causes than the entire rest of the field combined.
Now Republican pundits make cheap, snide jokes. What a loss for the American people.
9
Last time I checked, no one wants to immigrate to Cuba for Cuba dreams. People have American dreams, because this country respect private property and capitalism. Sanders is proposing 16 million starting point (Warren’s 50 million will be more reasonable) for levying wealth tax, including real estate, business holdings - liquid or illiquid, art or any other collections, will even include your kitchen China set if he can turn the IRS employees into ninjas with x-ray eyes. If you are a medium size business owner, I can’t imagine it takes much for your illiquid business assets to get close to that amount while you receives no help from the government, busy creating jobs while keeping the American dreams alive. I believe in universal healthcare and many things Sanders proposed, but we really need to take Trump out, and Sanders just won’t do it like this.
1
I was in LA--took one hour. There were about 20 machines, 10 were working with 7 people in charge. This is LA. They easily could've gotten more volunteers involved and increased machine activity. It took them 5 minutes to explain the new voting online. People stood and took it because they care that much for change--Go Bernie Go!
3
sadly it is the desperate that vote for Bernie ; not so much because they wholly agree with his political stance or because they like him but because he offers them a way out of debt , poverty , illness , he offers the immediate impossible dream and it is exactly that . One good thing he has done , is bring attention to what has gone wrong in our country . I can see why some doubted their choice ; Joe Biden finally showed his heart , it was a moment of sincerity and gratefulness not only towards his supporters but towards Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg and Beto ORourke . Gone was the deer in headlights , the verbal faux pas , he was the true elder statesman . I think Joe Biden can lead the way ; it will not happen overnight as the Bernie followers would like but nothing happens overnight . All democrats need to keep in mind to unite and take back the Senate and keep the House .
3
No. I voted for Bernie because I believe in his dream. I'm not desperate but I do want change and I think it takes a progressive to accomplish it. I still hope we can achieve some of what he aims for. I'm a younger voter, mid 40s woman, bisexual, mixed race, highly educated, not religious, etc. a typical Bernie supporter. I do believe that politicians need to consider the needs and desires of the younger people. We're not all in our 70s and they seem to forget that.
4
@sm
Overnight?
Health care has been an issue for forty years now. I remember it distinctly. I remember medical students in the mid-80s saying that the system we have cannot go on,
But today, greed is the biggest issue. Most people have no problem seeing others suffer because they cannot pay for basic necessities as long as their own needs are met. They can always find some reason to blame the victim, or some lame talking point, or if that doesn't fly, they can simply turn away.
Most people in developed countries don't live like this.
3
@Kristin
I agree with you.
What is most appalling are the people on Medicare who fear a change, to give the young a chance.
People in their early 20s don't even think about getting married, because they have school debt and need to stay on their parents' insurance to cover it.
4
After Trump won, the Left consoled themselves that a 2020 win would be guaranteed, as Trump couldn't possibly be re-elected.
Well....the Left has had four years to re-tool, but squandered that four years with hysteric screaming. The Dem field of candidates is a joke. After Warren drops out the remaining are 77 or older.
No wonder that despite four years to prepare, the Left is terrified that Trump is hard to beat.
5
I won't vote for Biden. He's an empty suit. Guess I'll be staying home in November after all. I just can't bring myself to vote for the man. After hearing my progressive views get repeatedly dismissed as inferior to those with moderate views, I'm extremely disappointed in these results. I would have been happy with any other nominee.
7
@Kristin, I wouldn't say "inferior," as I voted for Warren, knowing she needed a miracle today. But your or my staying home will help nothing. I felt I could have trusted Warren or Bernie more on Social Security, but I'll gamble on Biden knowing what Trump and the Heritage Foundation have in store for my future.
People rightly feel that the electoral college negates their votes. But if we don't like what happens afterward, whether it be war or Obamacare, we can't complain much if we just sit things out. Besides, it would betray those who, unlike my race and gender, had to fight for American suffrage.
3
@Kristin Expand your mind ; moderates are not your enemies and I disagree he's an empty suit ; he has far more experience . An empty suit is someone who does not do their job . A little respect always goes far as my father used to say , have the grace to show your humanity by respecting everyone regardless of class , color , or station in life .
1
Kristin: I’m disappointed too, but to call the Biden an empty suit shows you know nothing about him. And to suggest that the answer is not to vote in November shows you care little about our democracy.
1
Biden wins the Fear Factor. Texas was used to fortify the Hate on Bernie campaign yesterday with Klobuchar, Beto- so Texas win for Biden is no mystery. Biden is doing well--not in California-we demand the best there.
3
I'm ecstatic that the field has finally narrowed down to a reasonable size.
Now let's pick one and get on with it.
3
Fellow Democrats, fellow citizens! Nobody is perfect and no candidate will ever be perfect for every point of view, interest group, or personal preferences.
Don't obsess over finding the perfect candidate. Obsess over getting out the vote! Obsess over supporting down ballot candidates! Obsess over electing people who will protect the judiciary!
The perfect is the enemy of the good -- Voltaire
1
I appreciate all the concern about choosing the “right” candidate because you think it’s who your neighbor would pick..
I just hope it translates to “everyone will vote BLUE no matter who”. I voted for the candidate I’d like but I will be voting for whoever can bring and end to the nightmare that is this administration. That means a vote for [insert Democratic nominee here].
3
In these turbulent times with a crazy man running the White House, who are these democratic voters who are looking for the perfect candidate.
1
What a relief!
Looks like rich white old men establishment may return back soon after a four years interruption which has been difficult to understand.
We may now need to change the constitution to prevent the deplorable poor to vote again the wrong way.
2
Perfection does not exist, people.
3
I've been working on some possible slogans for Biden in the general.
Biden:
Stasis you can believe in.
Together, we can achieve nothing.
Change isn't coming.
Better than the alternative I guess.
4
I hope all democrats have a preferred candidate in November: NOT Trump. Will many of us be disappointed. Sure. Better disappointed than ruined.
4
Joe will do until the perfect candidate comes along.
1
With the political assassination of Bernie to prevent the US from becoming a Social Democracy, I am afraid my children are going to live in a dictatorship! Trump is going to win in a landslide! Clearly, Biden is an inept candidate who is intellectually incoherent and is only running on his having been Obama's token white conservative VP. As for his record, it would easily put him in the Trumpist camp. If you think I am exaggerating, being unfair, do your research; type Biden and busing, Biden and credit card companies, Biden and Iraq, Biden and trade agreements, Biden and Anita Hill! If you want to support the type of status quo/generate no change Dems like Biden that ignored the American middle class for decades and enjoyed Wall Street contributions, I am sorry to confirm that you will deserve a second Trump term!
3
There’s no such thing as a perfect candidate.
But it’s looking more and more like we’re going to end up hamstrung with the same old, sad, business as usual, corporate friendly, Republican Lite, centrist safe play that the DNC was praying for.
In the end, we get what we deserve, and Biden will doom the Democratic Party to “also ran” status for a generation.
3
A blind, one legged pirate is a PERFECT candidate compared to Trump.
5
No perfect candidate, but that’s okay! We are running against Donald John Trump, the Incompetent!!
5
Just reported in The NY Times: Long lines in LA frustrate voters. Is this happening in Latino neighborhoods? Not enough voting machines? Not enough workers? Why????? After 2016 know that people are watching this!!!! The comment is here because there was no place to comment in the story!!!!
5
@Linda McKim-Bell "Why?" is a very good question. California has wonderful and EASY early voting by mail. It's not hard, it's not a secret, and it's better than a line. I worry about the voters who can't figure that out.
3
Blair: Not a great argument for early voting when 3 candidates dropped out of the race in the last few days.
Well, let's see. Voted in California where I waited for a printer slightly smaller than the one we all have at home to cough out the ballot as I waited with 50 other people in small crowded library all-purpose room. Filled in the little circles with a pen used by the hundreds of people who preceded me. No one wanted to use the touch screen because at least you could wrap the pen in tissue. Wondered if should I vote for a socialist who's making promises he'll never be able to keep? Or do I vote for a man who understands how government works, if he still remembers. Or do I vote for smarter billionaire of this cycle but risk splitting the ticket and giving it to one of the other two white men?
Maybe I shouldn't have wrapped the pen up. At the time I hadn't considered that option.
3
and you forgot that Warren is also running!
"Doubts Linger as Democrats Vote: ‘I Don’t Think We Have a Perfect Candidate’"
BREAKING NEWS: You're voting for President, not God !
8
Her name is Elizabeth Warren. The practicality of Biden with the progressivism of Sanders all without Biden’s baggage or Sander’s ideology.
13
Devastating tornadoes in a Tennessee and the people can’t get behind a green new deal candidate? It’s simply amazing.
7
I just don’t get my fellow citizens.
Warren: She is the real deal, a true liberal in all that that word entails: conversation, collaboration, compromise, compassion and the ability to work within the structures in place to deliver on promise.
She has plans that make sense; she understands socialism in terms of universal health care, affordable education, etc as opposed to idolizing post-Stalin wolves and dictators in so-called socialist clothing.
We are idiots for not electing her.
Of course, I’ll vote Blue, but my heart’s just not in it anymore. I’m angry. I am sad. I just don’t get my fellow citizens.
16
Yes, you do have a perfect candidate. Just go ahead and vote for her.
14
The best candidate, Elizabeth Warren, seems to be toast. Now we have two very old white guys with very white hair. And a fearful Democratic party will probably choose the wrong one - Joe Biden, whose best days (if there were any) were 20 years ago. I’m old enough to remember his exchange with Anita Hill, his plagiarism, and support for the Iraq War.
9
Funny , the repubs have the perfect candidate for what their party represents . How’s that working out ?
Yeah, Driven Snow decided not to run. So, four more years of Trump?
1
You cannot cram Biden down throats of the young. Biden is the old vote but why aren't the older voters backing the young is the question. I totally back what the younger voters want, it is their world coming and they demand change. Why would you hold that up. It is selfish and greedy of older voters not to support the young.
12
“I don’t think we have a perfect candidate.” Wow, thanks for that insightful, breaking development.
6
"Perfect Candidate" -- there's no such thing, none of us humans are perfect. However, there are those persons who are lying, corrupt, irrational, dangerous, malicious. And one of those in particular should be defeated in November; he happens to reside in the WH. So, please, voters, get a grip on the reality we face and vote him out. Vote for the Democrat who gets the nomination.
4
Don't have a perfect candidate??
Perspective, please? Look at the current officeholder. He is a disaster in every meaningful sense of the word. He has about three tricks, and he's used up all his chits on the Federal Reserve.
Stop whining about perfection, democrats, and gird your collective loins for a brutal slugfest with the dirtiest tricksters ever allowed to operate freely in a nominal democracy. Trump must lose in a landslide, and he will--barring foreign interference--if his opponents unite under a candidate who, though flawed, can pass a middle school civics, geography, and science test. Think of the possibilities for turning over this cabinet, paid for by industry, and sending McConnell packing his golden parachute.
4
Question: I wonder if there are reasons that Putin and Trump want Bernie Sanders to win the democratic nomination?
Answer: Yes
5
I have a tremendous fear that if Biden is nominated we will just have a repeat of 2016 and Trump will win again.
I see no indication that Biden or those who have declared support for him have any desire to reach out to Sanders supporters and if they're asked to settle again for a candidate whom they don't feel addresses their concerns, they may stay at home or vote for a third party candidate on election day if Biden is the candidate. Just running against the evilness of Trump didn't work for Clinton and I question whether it will work for Biden.
I'm sorry that the Democratic Party has seemed to give up on the future and say that the best we can do is go backwards.
9
Elizabeth Warren ruined it for Bernie.
I wont be voting in November.
Biden doesnt stand for anything.
Obama years were wasted.
6
You're assuming Warren supporters would naturally flow to Sanders and that's not so. I was going to vote for Klobuchar and switched to Warren when Klobuchar dropped out bc I wanted to vote for a woman. I won't be switching my allegiance to Sanders unless i have to and there are others like me out there.
2
@Paul Schejtman Supreme Court will go even more conservative under a second Trump term. RBG will not hang on forever. So you would rather go backwards if you can’t have your candidate run?
1
good for you that you are so privileged that you don't understand the urgency of your vote. signed a female immigrant with a multiracial family!
1
Note to (fellow) Dems: Stop fixating on the "perfect" candidate and find the one who's in the best position to defeat Trump.
Then unite behind him/her like the fate of the nation is at stake. Because it IS!
4
We didn't have a "perfect candidate" in 2016 either. And now we're living the consequences of voter apathy and not voting because your favorite didn't get the nomination. Democrats need some good old fashioned Trumpian cultism. Or to just hold their nose and vote.
5
I am a voter in Texas who waited until this past weekend to decide who to vote for. I considered Amy and Pete. I thought Mike perhaps made the most sense. But the skies began to clear on Saturday and on Monday I watched endorsements being made just miles from my house which I believe will change the course of history. Pete and Amy and Beto all embraced Joe literally and figuratively and I am with them. I am delighted to finally feel good about my choice.
10
I only read the headline, "Dems don't have a perfect candidate". Neither did Republicans in 2016 (far far from perfect) but they showed up and voted for King Trump anyway. I bet even Lying Ted voted for his primary opponent. Will the Democrats show up in 2020 and vote the party? Or will they make excuses and let King Trump win again because their favorite didn't win the nomination? Four years is a long time under Trump - wanna try eight?
9
Going in to Super Tuesday, I knew neither Bloomberg or Warren would have significant scores.
By the early evening, it struck me as funny when I realized that I was going to be disappointed by whatever the outcome of today's primaries--disappointed if Sanders was ahead, disappointed if Biden was ahead.
What the heck does that tell you?
5
I know the perfect candidate very well, thank you.
Would slash overpriced health care and ins (save 500b year of 3.6 T health cost, would pay to cover all, and state colleges. You can pay for overpriced care and colleges.)
Save another 500 B with DoD as Defense only (neutral, Swiss and Swedes don't need NATO nor foreign wars, nor terrorist backlash)
Yes, other candidates are lousy. So I'd be compelled to run. If I had a billion dollars, see why a couple did.
3
I don’t ever want to hear any moderates complain about the cost of healthcare. Ever again.
13
I hope the Democratic establishment knows what they are doing. They threw everything they had behind Biden and so far it looks like it's working. Trump already has an "investigation" in Ukraine on going and Biden seems on the edge of being senile at times. A lot of his previous positions are going to negate lines of attack against Trump and running on nothingness sure isn't gonna get any turn out. I'm probably gonna sit this one if it goes his way. Not sure Biden can win with 5-10% of the base sitting out.
6
@Jordan Slingluff
Then why on earth would you sit it out? Sour grapes?
And BTW, the Dem base that's needed to win is not comprised of embittered Bros, but of African-Americans.
6
And how would you feel if the tables were turned? The life of my family and myself are demonstrably worse under Trump and will only get worse if he is in second term. I will vote in November whether my choice makes it or not. Please, those of us who will be better off if any Dem gets in plead with folks on either extreme - vote like it really matters to others. Because 4 more years of Trump will be worse than what any Dem will do, whether it's your candidate or not.
1
@d
Every major politician and every president since 1981 has caused tangible harm to my family, that I can point to and often quantify. Of course that especially includes Trump, but it also includes Biden.
This is what flawed democracies dominated by money and military power bring. But you're right that Trump is so bad, it is imperative to get him out. The worst people in the DNC benefit from that.
Not only did Warren lose in her home state, she came in THIRD. When she drops out it will then be the field of old white guys. And I mean OLD. Does this surprise anyone? I thought conservatives were the party of old white guys. Guess not. The Dem VP pick will determine the outcome of the '20 election, as the VP will be doing the heavy lifting, working hard to assure the public that he/she is up to the task of taking over, as the likelihood is great.
7
Of all possible candidates I think that Warren would certainly make the best president. I would vote for Biden if he was the nominee (especially if he could get Warren to run as VP) I think Sanders' contribution to the election of trump was just too much for me to forgive this arrogant old man.
6
Very disappointing. I mean, Biden? Do people really expect him to do better than Clinton? Or do they just hate Bernie more than Trump? I just can’t figure it out.
8
@Anne
You've had four years to figure it out, but if all you do is stay in the Sanders echo chamber you'll never figure it out.
Hint: Look at the aggregate number of primary votes for moderates and then the aggregate number for Sanders and Warren. What you'll finally get is that roughly 60% of the Democratic party is comprised of moderate voters. There's no mystery or surprise about that.
5
@Anne
It's not that hard. First, Biden is not a woman. That he has many of the same flaws as Clinton is more likely to be overlooked, and people won't be so motivated to vote against him.
Next, a number of Republican presidents got us used to accepting that someone else will be doing the real work. That started with Reagan.
I found Biden’s speech tonight horrible. All I heard was “LOOK FOLKS” over and over. Ugh, it’s going to be a long 8 months.
12
@Oliver
Better a long 8 months than a really really long 8 years!
2
Now we know. It's got to be Biden. CA, CO and all the western states are in the bag for whoever the democrats put up. Biden has the best shot at contesting trump where it hurts. The south and all the swing states. This day is proof of that.
5
Seems Democrats long for perfection while overlooking any candidate who isn’t an old white male while Republicans require precisely nothing from their candidate beyond that he uses his privilege to spread ignorance fueled hate and makes the wealthy wealthier.
Looks like another contest devoid of the vision and ingenuity required for equality, health care, and a livable environment.
Sure, I’ll vote blue no matter who but with ever increasing fear for the lives of my children and theirs.
9
@MRF
Don't fret. Biden is an old-school Liberal and will support any smart progressive legislation coming out of the House. And with his coat tails he might even be able to deliver the Senate this year.
4
Biden won all the swing states: NC, VA, MN. California is irrelevant. The Democrats could nominate a chimpanzee for president and it would win California in November.
The Sanders crowd has a choice: do they want to inflict 4 more years of Trump on us, or do they want to be part of the solution. Biden is clearly the stronger general election candidate. If they decide to take their toys and go home, God help us all.
9
God cannot help us. This country is cursed because the majority of Americans only seem to care about status, money and power. In other words, the DNC is just as corrupt as the RNC.
3
@Mike
The swing states in the general election are probably Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Florida. Virginia is not likely to be.
@Mike
Correct!
Can't wait to see Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio and Florida down the road. Polls indicate it will be Biden all over again.
1
Super Tuesday makes it super clear that it is going to be a 3-way race with Bernie, Biden and Bloomberg in that order. Bye bye Warren and the rest. Game over.
2
I will never vote for Biden. Corporate Democrats. The Democratic party needs collapse in order to rebuild.
10
I don’t understand. Bernie is not a Democrat.
1
@Cordelia I'm 65 years old and I've watch the Democrats imploded. The party of FDR and his Bill of Rights has become one big sellout. No distinction between corporate America and the Democratic party.
1
@Michael
All they seem to know how to do is chide others, and they consider themselves entitled to hold power.
Does anyone in Washington work anymore, or do they just court the wealthy?
Oh, please. The perfect candidate! Does one exist? Anyone who can beat Trump is the perfect candidate. Any candidate who cares about people over grubbing their money should win. Any candidate who can read would be good.
5
As late as last night, I was still undecided. I had watched every debate, read all that I could. I had even made minor donations to two candidates who had since dropped out. Ultimately I went with Warren today at the poll. There was no perfect candidate.
Tonight as results poured in, I see Bloomberg accomplished only one thing. Coming in third and knocking Warren down to fourth place. A candidate who hadn’t put in the time the others had managed to disrupt quite a bit with his millions.
And where are we? It feels like 2016 to me. This country will probably not elect a woman president in my lifetime but seems content to go with the tired and true; a safe alternative. And Bernie? Well, there’s the wild card just like 2016; Bernie will probably hold on until the 9th hour. It will split the votes three ways and once again, Trump will win. It’s simple math. To think we had three and a half years to end up...here.
6
@Cordelia
One does not oppose name calling by . . . name calling.
But I wonder what you mean. Are you suggesting Sanders supporters use illegal drugs, or that they ressemble the Jim Jones cult?
That won't attract voters. The idea is to step away from Trump-style mudslinging.
1
Don't have the perfect candidate??? If W was running as a Dem, I'd vote for him.
5
There are no perfect candidates.
What tonight shows is that the Dem moderates as a group are crushing it. Time for Bloomberg to bow out, hand off his delegates and campaign infrastructure to Biden, and then spend his next $.5 billion carpet bombing Trump on the airwaves and social media platforms.
Excelsior!
5
Democrats picked the safe, reliable, bumbling Biden over the radical, angry, promise you everything Bernie and, because Democrats think wealth and business success is suspicious and immoral, ignored Bloomberg. Unless Biden, the likely nominee, has an articulate, inspiring running mate, he will limp toward Election Day. Once again, we will deserve who we elect. Sad.
3
We have a perfect candidate but not receiving the credit she deserved. Her candidacy is struggling to come out of noise. People vote for noise, but not for a serious candidate.
14
We don’t. Get over it. We need a candidate who can a) beat Trump and b) run the country and get us back to where we should be in terms of global leadership, environmental policy, health care policy and try to mend the extreme divisions that have been torn into our country over the last 3 years. That is Joe Biden. I don’t think he’s perfect. But he is the person for the job that needs to be done now.
10
It will be incredibly sad if the Biden is the Candidate and he cannot take California in the Primary. California is Progressive and forward not backwards. Hoping Warren backs Sanders because Bloomberg will predictably back Biden.
7
I am still continuing to volunteer for Mike until he tells us to change course.
So far, ain't gonna happen.
It's all about how many delegates we get over the entire campaign.
A lot can and will happen.
What happened with Biden can and will happen for Mike.
We have just gotten started. Not too shabby so far.
2
I've been voting for 40 years and am still waiting to be able to vote for my "perfect" candidate. At what point did people start believing they were entitled to perfect?
10
It looks like the establishment may get the centrist nominee it wanted. I just hope they are right. I don’t think Biden brings young progressives into the party and I’m very skeptical that he can beat Trump in the battleground states. I fear that this is 2016 all over again.
I also fear that young voters will become disconnected from the party and that this reverberates through at least another election cycle. The party had perhaps a once in a generation chance to move to the left and stand for something other than the status quo. It appears that it may reject that option.
I’ll vote for the nominee, like I’ve done in every election since voting for Mondale in my first election. However, I won’t pretend that I’m not despondent tonight. For a few fleeting moments, I thought there was a chance for real change; for Medicare for All and for real action on the climate before the harm becomes irreparable. Instead, it appears likely that we’ve opted for incrementalism in the best case scenario and four more years of Trump in the worst case.
21
@JW
Based on the results so far, if Biden can't Bernie certainly can't.
3
It should be a major worry that Biden won primaries in states that he cannot possibly carry against Trump in the general election. His strengths are in the wrong places.
That was the problem for Hillary too. She won the popular vote, but her strengths were in the wrong places, poorly distributed among them. That matters, see not-President Hillary for proof.
Don't do that again.
22
@Mark Thomason Good point. If Biden can only carry R states, he cannot beat Trump.
1
@Mark Thomason
Well said. The moderate wing will get their way and will again blame everyone else but themselves when they cost us the election. They did it with Kerry and Clinton and Gore and will do it again and again.
2
If what propelled those candidates out of the race and over to Biden was an edict or realpotik or koolaid from the Democratic "party leadership" , it would have looked much less staged if it had happened tomorrow.
As it is, this effectively disenfranchised an unknown number of early voters, which is not the way to strum up enthusiasm for a Biden who does not enthuse.
If the withdrawals resulted from party marching orders, it's somewhat surprising that the Democratic organization js that command efficient.
5
The issue is not about who can beat Trump in November. It never was in 2016. If it is about who is better than Trump, the choice would be easy: all of the democratic candidates are better than Trump.
The issue is that few of them could bring the change that the American people need. Unfortunately real change is not something that democratic establishment could bring. The republicans are even less likely to do that...but at least, if we vote for a republican, we can get another choice for the democratic candidate we want in another 4 years.
This is why it is unlikely Sanders supporters would vote for Biden should Biden win the democratic nomination (though they might vote for Warren if given the choice). If they do vote for Biden, they would not have the change they want for at least another 8 years!
So it is not about Trump at all. It is about whether the democratic party could truly listen to the people. And if they fail, they will lose the general election regardless of who they are competing against, precisely because people still have hope in the democratic party to do the right thing next time.
8
@GXSC
No. It's about whether the Bros and Busters will listen to the other Democratic voters. And if history is any guidepost, they won't. And once again the loss will be theirs, not the moderates.
No. We don't have a perfect candidate. We'll just end up with one that will have to rely on Elizabeth Warren's well thought out plans.
3
There never was and never will be a perfect candidate. Everyone should have realized that before the first person declared their candidacy.
I was an early Warren supporter and was (am) shocked that she is losing, likely ending her candidacy tonight. I imagine everyone else whose candidate bowed out felt the same way.
That said, I will enthusiastically vote for any Democrat to get rid of the WH and Senate GOP infestation, and sincerely all other Democratic voters pledge to do the same.
7
Nearly all the states in which Mr Biden actually has majority Democrat support are in the south, which will all go to Trump. Good call DNC. One thing the DNC is good at is forming strategies for losing in the new era of politics. We have not even seen the attack ads on Biden family corruption yet. That will do serious damage.
9
Media coverage, wall to wall, really leans to Biden.
Sanders may walk with the delegates tonight, or near it, and I’ve barely heard a word about him.
Really, the shock here is his Biden’s lackluster campaign has produced any results at all.
12
“I don’t think we have a perfect candidate”. Really? Welcome to the real world. There isn’t a perfect candidate. No one is perfect so please stop looking for and expecting perfection. Look for someone you can get behind, believe in and help win in November to end our national nightmare called Donald John Trump.
6
Exactly
Who would make a good VP choice, with Biden?
1
@Kara
It has to be a woman. Biden did well today because of urban and suburban women who are vital to swing states, swing congressional districts, and state legislative races. The top of the ticket does affect down ballot. Some say Amy Klobuchar for the Midwest. Some say Kamala Harris for Black and Asian voters. Some say Abrams for the South. There is no dearth of qualified people. Who isn’t the VP nominee will be pushed for senior administration figures. Others may be Supreme Court nominees. It depends on who wants it. Remember how Biden mostly keep in the background and did work for Obama, particularly coordinating with Congress, not all people are willing to check their ego and be the backup person.
How about Hunter Biden?
4
@Zareen
Well said! The nepotism and cronyism and corruption of that man probably compares to trump.
1
Sadly, I think we did have a perfect candidate. Her name is Elizabeth Warren. But honesty and hard work don't play well in the marketplace. Too shrill, too smart. Sad.
One commentator said she lost because she didn't hire a professional pollster. I gagged! Those who let pollsters drive their ideas shift with the wind.
Oh well ...
23
Agreed. I’m now as disappointed with Dems as I am horrified by Reps. The more educated a voter is the more likely they’ll vote for Elizabeth Warren which is precisely why Republicans are comfortable with the likes of Betsy Devos running the DOE. This nation just can’t seem to get behind what is truly good for them nor take the time to read enough about Warren to know what she has proved herself capable of - preferring instead education by tweet. This is truly tragic.
5
Susan, I’m with you. She is the best candidate hands down.
We live in an incredibly sexist country/world.
2
@Susan Anderson - She should have employed a voice and breathing coach. Four years of that would be unbearable.
3
Arguments about policy aside and before final results are in for Texas and California this much is clear: Sanders will not get the nomination. Those who support him will be furious. Hopefully they will get over it. Warren is a dead woman walking but not walking for long. Same for Bloomberg. So it will be Biden versus Trump. No one can predict the outcome. Events that no one dreams of tonight will happen, Debates often are surprises. Illness can strike. One other thing is clear: the American people will decide in November as the Constitution proscribes. The Russians will not. And there will be no violence.
7
@alan brown
Actually, nothing about your last line is clear or even likely to be true. Should trump lose in a close contest, it is very easy to imagine violence. And the russians will definitely play their part, as will the chinese and israelis. And the one thing we should have learned from all this is the Constitution is interpreted however those in power want to interpret it.
@AK Please, outside nations have tried to influence this nation since it's inception. The British got lend lease, Europe got the Marshall plan but we hold our own elections and who ends up the President in January, 2021 will be our choice. The Constitution determined long ago the powers of the President and the Congress and the Supreme Court. We get to choose two of the three and Congress must confirm members of the Supreme Court. This is not breaking news.
First thing Biden does in his victory speech is make a mistake, confusing his wife with his sister. The DNC can pull all the strings it likes; it will not change the basic flaw of its candidate. Bumbling, babbling Biden, who was incoherent not only in the debates but on the stump, who lagged Buttigieg in fundraising every single quarter since the race began, will be propped up with Bloomberg's money. He'll get the endorsement of union leadership but not the votes of the rank and file. He has already promised no change. Terry McAuliffe and David Axelrod will have their status quo man. To those who say they would rather vote for a ham sandwich than vote for Trump: here's your ham sandwich.
50
@PL
So true. Biden is worse than rewarmed left overs.
I find it embarrassing to watch him speak.
I don't think I can take four years of this creature.
But still better than Trump.
If this is the best the Dems can do, we are truly pathetic and maybe deserve to lose.
I will always believe in Pete and Mike, the two best things to come our way.
As usual, we blew it.
4
@Simon Sez -- sorry, Pete let us down. He was well ahead of Biden in every way, but caved before the voters ever had a real chance to be heard. He didnt need to pull out two days before Super Tuesday and endorse our most mediocre candidate. Whoever got to him from the DNC -- Biden as much as announced he was promised a job in his administration -- Buttigieg put his ambition ahead of his supporters and small donors, and allowed himself to be bought off. And in what way is Biden really better than Trump? Neither can complete a sentence; both have had questionable arrangements with foreign actors for shady relatives; Biden has demonstrated his willingness to cut Social Security and Medicare; both give lip service to the working class without actually doing anything for them (Trump arguably negotiated better trade deals than anything Biden supported). Biden shouts and has threatened critics with physical violence. Other than their relationship to Barack Obama, what is the difference between Biden and Trump?
1
Depressing.
Just look at and listen to Biden. He's another throwback from the '90s, seems Breshnev old, has difficulty communicating coherent ideas, avoiding gaffes. I do not look forward to a debate between Trump and Biden, don't imagine he'll manage decisive debate wins. But in this two party establishment-dominated system with a byzantine nomination process, this apparently passes for the best of the best the Democrats could mount in opposition to the worst president in a generation. Embarrassing actually. Depressing. (still voting blue not matter who)
28
Republicans were told by pundits Trump was a disaster and completely unelectable. They ignored them and voted for who they actually wanted instead. He won.
Democrats on the other hand are so petrified they're listening to those same discredited pundits and essentially outsourcing their choice based on who they've been told can beat Trump.
Personally, in case it isn't obvious, I'd have preferred to spend the next 7 months arguing the merits of Medicare for all instead of hearing about nothing but Hunter Biden and Burisma.
29
I'll vote for Sanders if he's the nominee, but a Biden (Michelle) Obama ticket could be a fun choice.
3
When I look at the Dem candidates, I see imperfection.
When I look at Trump, I see a blatant reality TV joke taken too far.
11
The voters appear to have chosen correctly overall. Democracy has been chosen over Marxism.
7
@Mark
Canada is Marxist?
Not even France is Marxist, nevermind Sweden.
True but the left can be muffled by a Biden victory.
2
Yang was the perfect candidate :(
5
It is pretty clear, based upon the results which we have seen so far. This is a 2-man race between Bernie and Biden.
With a third place finish in her home states of Mass., it is time for Warren to bow out.
For Bloomberg, he was counting on winning based solely on ad spends and a few debates. Now that the votes have been counted, it is obvious that neither worked. Yes, he had a few good showings in some states, but the reality is - it is also over. He now needs to bow out as well.
Let Bernie and Biden go at it one-on-one let it play out until the convention.
6
Every single candidate running for the Democratic Party looked good to me. Each had his or her best features, but I could EASILY vote for any one of them! Best wishes to all... :-D
7
Bernie is of the far left. The far left has never won a presidential election. The last Democratic attempt was in 1972. The country was, then as now, highly polarized (over the Vietnam War) and the Dems nominated a far left figure, Sen. George McGovern, and adopted a far left platform including amnesty for war resisters, abolition of the draft, use of the tax system to redistribute wealth, a guaranteed job for all Americans, and a guaranteed family income. In the general election Richard Nixon *destroyed* McGovern, winning by the largest landslide in the history of U.S. presidential elections, 520 electoral votes to 17. McGovern won only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. McGovern was so far left, one in three Democrats voted for Nixon. The best hope for unseating Trump is that no Democratic candidate has sufficient delegates to win the nomination on the first ballot, leading to a brokered convention, and the party functionaries select a centrist.
8
I can't shake the feeling that Democrats, just as they did in 1984 and 2004, are overestimating the weakness of the Republican incumbent and running the safest, most lukewarm opponent they can find. Yes, change is threatening, and after a cataclysm it is always tempting to go back to an imagined past when things were simple and peaceful, but progressing, not regressing, is the only real way. I fear a repeat of those two elections, 1984 especially, if Democrats play it safe yet again.
17
Amen. I agree. We must be anti-Trump and pro-democracy.
Lets have a coalition of Democrats for a democracy wave.
Leonard Cohen sang, "Democracy is coming to the USA."
Perhaps the "Democracy" song can revive Democrats, now.
"Democracy is coming to the USA?
2
Well I guess this will be a repeat of 2016. 4 more years of trump. Way to go DNC. Thousands of people will likely be claiming medical bankruptcy with the Coronavirus.The majority of our younger generation will likely not be able to own their own home.The gig economy will continue to savage worker rights.The environment will become even more polluted.Our beautiful national parks will be savaged by the fossil fuel and mining industries.Who knows what will happen to Social Security and Medicare,but it’s not looking good.Biden and likely Klobuchar as VP will NEVER win the Electoral College. It’s going to be a massacre.I hope I’m wrong.
25
Elizabeth Warren losing her own state of MA is just dispiriting. She needs to respectfully drop out of the race. Looking for a perfect candidate, there will never be.
8
I feel shame on Klobuchar and Buttigieg. They dropped off to against Bernie. Both Bernie and Warren has their beliefs. Warren could drop off to endorse Bernie, but she did not. I like both of them who truly have beliefs, fight for their beliefs and do not give up their beliefs!
17
It seems that all the debates were just"shows"- Biden never "won" any, seemed asleep on his feet at many and here he is leading the pack. How did that happen?
20
If it were any other "president" other than Trump to defeat, my thought is that all of our Democratic candidates would be the ideal fit to take DJT on. But Trump has ironically set a high bar for our future nominee. And this bar has nothing to do with any attributes of this man taking up precious space in the Oval Office. He has no attributes. Rather, Trump is so egregious, so amoral, and so corrupt with a figurative wall of protection built by his abetters in the Cabinet and Congress, that we are tempted to feel that no one is ideal enough to run this guy out of town. My gosh..look at the qualifications of many of our candidates, past and present. Intelligent, ethical, and in most cases experienced. They were/are all qualified to be POTUS, from Kamala to Cory to Elizabeth, Joe, Bernie, Amy et al. It is up to us to make it happen. It is up to us to help our future nominee to help perfect this man or woman who wants to perfect our nation.
3
If lackluster Biden is the nominee, he will surely need a dynamic running mate. And he will need to appease (or encourage) the progressive wing of the party. Any chance he’d offer VP to Elizabeth or that she’d take it???
3
@Neenee
I'm a moderate, but I like Warren. She's smart and flexible and a happy warrior for social and economic justice. I'd really like to see her with Biden, but I'm afraid there will be resistance to selecting her because of her potential to turn off moderates and Independents in the swing electoral districts, which by the way appear to be to the right of Biden these days!
African Americans in southern states clearly have a disproportionate influence on who becomes the democratic nominee. Unfortunately, they cannot deliver the southern states in the national election because most do not vote. This is a problem. At the end of the day Joe Biden is a female version of Hillary Clinton, and we all know how that turned out the last time..
22
Oh, dear me- we don't have a perfect candidate! Whatever shall we do?
Someone needs to tell me the last time we had a PERFECT candidate. My instinct is to tell me that perfection is impossible. But perfection can't be the enemy of the good. The priority is who can beat Trump, not who is "perfect" (whatever that means).
Thomas Friedman's two most recent columns - his idea of an all-inclusive cabinet and his commentary on Super Wednesday - should be required reading.
3
Bloomberg is the only candidate palatable to disgruntled republicans willing to vote democrat for the first time in their lives. He is truly the only candidate here who would beat Trump in the main election. People need to look at the bigger picture.
8
If Biden is nominated, then it is clear that America has two Republican parties: a far right Republican party (R) and a right Republican party (D).
If there is no major candidate advocating for universal, non-profit healthcare in November, I will not only vote Green for the first time in my life instead of Democrat, but I will throw all of my time, efforts, and resources towards the Green party. You will not get "electability" from me by being a Republican in all but name.
23
@Observer
Once again, another voice never to be forgotten by the moderate Dems. Keep it going. See where that gets you in 2020 and beyond.
One word, Nancy Pelosi
3
Perfect, shmerfect. Even Biden won't ruin the Supreme Court, cosy up to dictators, alienate our allies, or do the countless revolting things that disgusting human being in the Oval Office does daily. Our first priority must be to restore a semblance of sanity to the highest office in the land.
9
Like the Republicans do?
2
I understand the last minute second guessing. I spent most of yesterday debating with friends and family whether to stick with the candidate I thought would make the best President or jump to Biden in order to stop Bernie. I decided to stay the course, and tonight I couldn’t be more proud of my vote. Elizabeth Warren was always the best candidate in the field, and I’m grateful to her for staying in the race and giving me the opportunity to choose idealism over pragmatism.
18
Joe Biden’s new motto should be “It’s alive! It’s alive!” Why is he screaming in his speech tonight? Is he hard of hearing? It’s so grating.
Go Bernie!
17
Hardly productive when we need to defeat Donald Trump.
4
We won’t defeat him with Biden that’s for sure.
5
@Zareen , your poor ears. If only pleasant musical tones could always please you. And of course, he's old, so do make some comment about that. At least you're not running for president. I think that would be grating indeed.
3
I'm watching Biden's speech to his followers and it's clear that if he's the Democratic nominee, it's four more years or Trump.
30
@Roget T Biden has been and never was.
4
Stop looking for "Perfect" candidates. There aren't that many.
4
Surely a Biden-Sanders ticket would unite both wings of the party in the general.
5
Hahahaha! It would be a Statler-Waldorf ticket!
2
Bookies might then run a sports-like betting operation on which one serves the longest as President. 25th Amendment, succession, and related health possibilities. Is this in poor taste?
3
@Stuart
Biden-Sanders: So when the 78-year-old with mental decline can no longer handle things, the 78-year-old with a recent heart attack can step in.
2
We're only going to get more "system is rigged!" comments from here until the convention. Oh well! Electability and stability is what matters this year. Try to deal with it.
3
I'm sorry, but when is there ever a perfect candidate?
3
Bernie committed political suicide by mentioning Fidel Castro in a positive way. That chased away all the older voters.
Older folks who remember Castro criminalized being lgbtq and jailed them. And know Raul Castro’s family suddenly, in the last few years, all have billionaire lifestyles (kleptocracy). And, there are still people being thrown into jail, just for blogging. On and on...young people don’t care, older voters still do. So, Bernie shot himself.
And, Biden is same ole, same ole Obama status quo. We remember, they bailed out Wall Street, and sunk Main Street, without even jailing one Wall Street goat (thanks, Bharara and Holder, and Obama).
So, Biden will lose to Trump.
Trump’s people are motivated, Biden’s people will really, really wanna vote....but, oh, had to go buy groceries, or had to work late, or....whatever way lack of vibrant support keeps peole from voting.
Tonight, we just saw Trump getting re-elected. Lord help us.
16
@Lily
And pray tell, what's your excuse for not voting for Biden in November going to be?
You just now found out the Democrats don’t have a good candidate? Have we been watching the same debates? The DNC did it different this time, cheat Bernie before the convention. CA LA Co is experiencing issues. Hmm. Waiting to see how many Biden needs. That’s the Democrat way.
12
No such thing as a perfect candidate, but has anyone heard Biden speak this campaign cycle? The signs of mental decline are abundant. Nominating him would be a massive unforced error for the Democrats.
40
Biden is toast, fatally damaged goods, and so are we.
23
I know little, but wasn’t FDR a socialist?
11
@sebastian
Maybe by post-Reagan lights.
There is no perfect candidate. Never has been. Move on.
4
Today is a sad testament to how much power the Elites have in this country. In just 3 days, democratic party powerbrokers and corporate media mobilized to support Biden and slow Bernie's people powered momentum.
46
@elotrolado The fact is that the majority of votes cast starting in Iowa and up to the present have been for moderate candidates. A significant majority of voters don’t want Sanders’ extreme ideology. You can avoid this fact by as many conspiracy theories as you want, but this is the truth. All that changed is that two moderate candidates who saw no viable path forward decided to stop splitting the moderate lane. Once Bloomberg comes to the same realization, the majority moderate vote will be further consolidated.
9
Yes, very demoralizing. But we can’t give up. We the people must continue to propel Senator Sanders forward even if the entire corporate elite/DNC establishment mobilizes against us. They will not win in the end. We will.
Bernie 2020
12
@elotrolado I would say that quite a few voters around the country had more to do with today's results than did "party powerbrokers" and "corporate media."
3
We have two very old, way past their prime men as the leading candidates if indeed this is going to be a two-way race moving forward. I find Bernie’s message sometimes inspiring, his style a total turn off and his vision too ideologically narrow, and find Biden totally uninspiring and stuck in the past. Mayor Pete inspired and energized me like nobody had since Obama. I will vote “blue no matter who” but feel mostly indifferent and unengaged since Pete dropped out.
10
In the search for the perfect candidate, the Democrats have driven out the good. The debates have succeeded in tearing down one after another of the candidates; the most diverse field in any party's history is down to two very old white guys. It would be almost a joke if it wasn't so sad.
And neither one has the resilience to stand up to Trump. Super Tuesday - the end of the dream.
12
Hopefully the Democrats will wake up and notice that Biden is only able to carry states that will go to Trump anyway in the general election. With Biden the dems are endorsing a candidate that is clearly weaker than Clinton with just as much baggage and is doomed to fail.
20
@Beccaroo True. Nominating Biden is nominating another corrupt everyday politician like Hillary. It means Trump's reelection, and a permanent alienation from the Democrat party of swarms of younger and progressive voters. I wish it were the DemocratIC party, where every person's vote counted.
7
@Beccaroo , Biden may well carry the swing states that are needed for the electoral win. The strong democratic states will in any case go for whoever the democratic candidate is, as should any sane American.
3
Biden should make his vice presidential choice known soon. Klobuchar is from an essential midwestern state. Warren has more than her share of smarts. As far as Trump is concerned, they both have sharp teeth. Neither Biden nor Bernie looks immortal. There needs to be a back-up plan.
9
Dems don’t need the perfect candidate, they need to win the senate and hold the house.
A Democrat-controlled Congress will pass legislation. Trump will sign some, veto some, and some vetoes will be overridden. There’s even a small chance that Trump and Pence could be impeached and convicted.
A Republican Congress with a Democrat in the White House will accomplish nothing, and there might be 8 or 7 Supreme Court justices for four or eight years.
If Bernie becomes president, the Republican governor of VT will appoint a Republican replacement and a senate seat will be lost.
Congress is where the battle is. The candidate doesn’t have to be perfect.
14
@MikeG. An intelligent insightful comment.
1
We're a diverse nation, so of course no one candidate will appeal to everyone. I'm 56 years old. I've voted in a lot of primaries and this is par for the course. 350 million people in our country. How is any one person thinking one candidate is going to thrill all 350 million people? With all due respect, how about a new, more positive take, on this old narrative.
8
There never was, is, or will be a perfect candidate. Perfection does not exist anywhere. We don't want or need a perfect candidate. We just need someone that can beat Donald Trump and try to bring this country back together, and restore the values that made us great. It certainly isn't Bernie, it might be Biden, it could have been Warren as well, but the one that had the best chance of beating Trump was Bloomberg. Too bad he's not very personable or warm or can't tell a joke on TV. But, like he says, he could get the job done. He, of course, won't get the nomination.
3
There ought to be some sort of better weighting of delegate votes by a state's chance of contributing electoral votes to the eventual nominee.
There is not a prayer of a southern sweep like Mr. Biden experienced tonight by the eventual democratic nominee.
It is in a small way reflected by superdelegates awarded I know.
2
After Bernie won Nevada the establishment kicked into high gear to keep him from winning the nomination. The establishment likes things the way that they are, because those who are part of the establishment control power and wealth.
Democrats are walking into the same trap that they have walked into for the last 40 years always putting out a centrist candidate who loses.
Biden is going to lose. While I will vote for him, there will be no movement around him like there would have been for Bernie. Goodbye to all of the new, young voters. God help us with another 4 years of Trump. I hope the Republic survives.
28
Sorry but In the past “40 years” we’ve had 4 dems in office for 24 years.
2
Obama and Clinton were centrists and each governed for eight years. Not exactly losers. Dems only lose when Dems get lazy and don’t vote (or vote for the likes of Stein as a protest).
3
@sunset patty
Then we must not have heard the same speech.
Bernie spoke like a man running to win. He was tremendous. Every word was the truth.
On the other hand, Biden's speech was better than some of the reports I heard, which greatly exaggerated his small gaffes. He was fine tonight, for the most part, even eloquent a few times.
I am with Joe. please pick Warren for VP ( consolidate both wings of the party) and lets shut down this disease currently in the white house.
5
Goodness. Perfect does not exist — tho’ it’s opposite may, Donald Trump ...
2
Good luck getting out an enthusiastic vote for any of these old white guys in the general election. The diverse Democrats choose Bernie or Joe? Sad.
1
Who cares if the Democrats do not have the perfect candidate? If the winner of the nomination is a potted plant, then that is good enough for me. Heck, that plant is already better qualified for POTUS than the current individual!!
7
Jesus isn’t running. Let’s try focused, people!
5
The shouting monotone is unbearable.
2
@Blair Yes, I find Bernie annoying as well.
1
It is 10PM in NYC. I'm watching the returns with fascination. This isn't over until we get to TX and CA, but some surprising results are already emerging.
1. Not that it matters much, but Tulsi (or, as she is known if you have your TV on mute, "Ms. <1%") is gone.
2. Warren is done. You can't come in third in your own home state, and only hit the 15% needed to get delegates in a handful of other states and get the nomination. But it appears as though she badly damaged Bernie.
3. Bloomberg may have gotten the worst ROI of any investment in American history. Spent more money in 3 months than Trump did on his entire 2016 campaign, and managed to win ... American Samoa.
4. Sanders is having a bad night. He may still win TX and CA, but not overwhelmingly. The delegates will be split. His supporters (and even a lot of polls) thought he'd do much better.
5. Biden has officially become the candidate that the "moderate track" has coalesced around. What a shocking change from even a week ago.
The race is now Biden vs. Sanders. Ostensibly good for the Democratic party - another month of 4 or 5 candidates would have been very damaging.
Biggest potential problem is that the chances of a contested convention may have slightly increased. The progressive and moderate tracks are miles apart.
Obama made it easy for centrist moderates to vote for him, but also attracted new left and far left voters to register. Neither of these guys has that magic.
6
Oh, I thought it was just me .... I think I am going to have a drink.
7
"...I don’t think we have a perfect candidate this time..."
The candidates are, what do you call 'em, human beings...
...and therefore imperfect.
When have we ever had...?
3
I really wish some would stop whining & just vote for whoever has the best chance to defeat Donald Trump whether that candidate is "perfect" or not.
9
So depressing to see blacks voting for Biden, whatever good he's dome is far outpaced by the harm.
Overall we are a failed state, we just don't know it yet.
Minds well move into hurricane country, that is the equivalent to how people vote.
15
@The Iconoclast , do you think they need you to educate them? They have their reasons, and you don't know everything, yourself. A little humility would go a long way these days, as would some strength against moans of despair and angst. Please attend. We have a monster to take down.
3
@The Iconoclast
Blexit is stronger than you think.
1
Perfect is the enemy of good.
7
Worried about a perfect candidate?
Anything is better than Donald Trump!
5
How any Democrat could listen to Elizabeth Warren and consider her credentials and not enthusiastically agree that she's the perfect candidate is well beyond me. She's an experienced senator, highly educated, has a proven record of getting things done, is vocal about her belief in capitalism yet advocates much needed assistance for the poor and middle class, is a decent person, and is intelligent.
Oh, but wait: she has one too many x chromosomes, doesn't she. Oops! I was forgetting about that particular imperfection.
Can you imagine the support she would be getting if she had all of her current attributes as described above but was composed of xy chromosomes instead of xx? People would widely agree that in Warren we have everything we could possibly want! But, of course, as things stand, we have had to write her off.
17
@EB You're absolutely right!
There's nothing amazing about this Democratic election.
As a white male, I can pretty much tell you that I see nothing but old, white males having a shot and how disappointing that is.
The Democrats are just a different shade of white man power and that says a whole lot of nothing about how 'progressive' the party is.
8
@DC , can we stop moaning about demographics for now, please? There's a fight for the nation's sanity, and the woe-is-us democrats need to get some maturity and strength to go beyond whining incessantly.
2
It is rather because voters have to weigh the candidates' electability against Trump as well as platforms.
6
"A perfect candidate" What does that even mean?? I will support whoever wins the Democratic nomination - Trump MUST be voted out - this stain on our nation cannot continue. Trump is not qualified to run a PTA, let alone the Nation. He is corrupt, vain, immature, unintelligent and sexist. We are suffering from his horrible decisions and need to restore some dignity and intelligence to the Oval Office. Vote Trump & his cronies out in 2020.
12
I wonder what the numbers would show if the candidates had been listed in reverse alphabetical order? Yang, Warren, etc........
Too many deplorables choose the first candidate on the list because they have no clue what each worthy candidate expects to achieve for the welfare, stability, and respect for this country.
4
No Democrat candidate is perfect but all are vastly superior to Trump. That’s all that matters.
Vote blue no matter who.
12
Bernie is the voice of the future, the children who will have to deal with climate change and changing economies.
Biden is the voice of the past, of segregation, of usurious credit cards and cutting social security.
32
@JDK Well, since you want to look at the past, let's look at Bernie and Cuba and guns. Keep trying. Last time I checked, Biden has no interest in segregating.
8
@JDK , so the black people who support Biden for their reasons need you to educate them? I think not. Try listening and learning for a while. You might be surprised that other people know things you may not.
4
@JDK
No. Bernie has a lot of good ideas, but his rigidity, demagoguery, and the attitude of his Berniebully fans (a minority, but a significant one) is part of the problem, not part of the solution. The conspiracy stuff is dangerous and grotesque. This sums it up well:
"New Left’s temperamental hallmarks: excessive impatience and self-righteous certainty" https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/learning-to-love-bernie-sanders-or-trying-to
1
Bernie’s the only one who can change the menacing course this country has been on in all the years following FDR (with the exception of Medicare brought to you, barely, by Dems with a backbone) The squeeze on working class and middle class folks will continue with any one of the other Republican Lite’s as they continue to try to mollify Monster Mitch. Sadly, without Bernie there will be no decent healthcare for most, nor sick leave, nor livable minimum wage. nor child care, nor parental leave after birth, nor access to higher education, nor measures to address global warming, nor funding for elder care...you name it. Shame.
15
Looks like Warren will not even win her home state of Mass.
Could that be because voters there know her so well?
5
Contrary to what some (who I assume to be Bernie supporters) are saying, much of the base is clearly excited about Biden, and why not? Get us back to the dignity of the Obama administration and let’s forget about the last four years. We’ll go forward from there.
10
@Eric R. And much of the base think that if Biden's mind is in this kind of state now, what is it going to be 2 or 3 years into the presidency.
We already have one president who embarrasses us internationally. Why are we going to give the world yet another?
6
@delores
Because he won't be dismantling environmental regulations, putting kids in cages, building walls, alienating our allies, assuaging strongmen, etc.
Is that enough for you?
Clearly nothing was learned from 2016. Instead of self-reflecting and looking at the party's mistakes, the DNC endlessly and breathlessly blamed the Russians, Russian assets, etc.
The DNC needs a complete overhaul. There is something very wrong with the party. It seems completely unfocused and, frankly, embarrassing at this point.
33
There's no such thing as a perfect candidate. It's a delusion. Dems have to get over that fact and vote for the best available candidate. Quit looking for the "perfect" candidate and look at the one who can really beat Trump this fall. That imo is Joe Biden.
6
What a shame that so many seem to feel they have to vote against the other party's candidate rather than voting for a candidate who truly represents them and who they are actually excited to vote for.
There is something going wrong with this process when so many feel like they have to vote against someone rather than for someone.
87
@Ashley And why do you think this has happened? The blame lies entirely with tRump himself. He has turned off so many people by his hateful rhetoric and decisions that many are appalled at the thought of him remaining in the White House. We see survival of our country linked to Anyone But Trump. Once the nominee is selected, there will be plenty of time to plan the strategy to unseat that despot.
6
@Ashley
Get money out of politics. Otherwise, that's the norm for many in the electorate. The majority of presidential elections in my lifetime--with the exception of Barack Obama--have involved voting against the worst candidate, for the lesser of two mediocre choices.
Trump is just the beginning of the end of reason and decency in electoral politics. The only way to turn things around is serious campaign finance reform, and the only way to achieve that is to make the case to the public, make registration to vote easier, not harder, and take the right to choose voters out of the hands of self-serving politicians, who can return to their swamps.
4
@Ashley
When I heard that the number 1 issue that Democrats care about wasn't healthcare or climate change but beating Trump, I didn't believe it. When I talk to people on the streets about politics, they could care less about Nancy Pelosi ripping up a speech or Trump's tweets. They care about the issues that affect their lives. Democrats have learned absolutely nothing from 2016 if they think they're going to win the election solely by talking about how bad Trump is. You have to give people something to vote for.
7
I’m so angry I cast a mail-in-ballot two weeks ago for Klobuchar. I would have voted for Biden today.
7
Whether we have the perfect candidate isn't the point. The point is take down the embarrassment who currently resides in the WH. Alas, it looks like our choice will come down to two old white men. Not the candidates that many of us hoped for, but in November we have to flood the polls and vote blue no matter who.
11
There's an old saying: never let perfect be the enemy of good.
6
I watched Paul Krugman with Richard Wolff on Democracy Now and I saw my perfect candidate. Paul Krugman, but even if we could find a way I don't think he is crazy enough to accept the job.
4
There's no such thing as perfection. Please get over yourselves. This is the rabbit hole we went down in 2016. If those who wish to divide the dems play this ridiculous perfection card again, then prepare for 4 more years of Trump. What's so hard to understand about that?
7
Politics is all about compromise. There never was, and never will be, a perfect candidate. It always comes down to the lesser of two evils. Anyone who is looking for a perfect candidate may as well wait for Santa Claus to pop down the chimney on Christmas Eve.
7
What we need is confidence and unity. And here we are doubting our candidates, ourselves, our fellow voters, and our future. What a waste. And with 50 state ranked choice primaries, entirely avoidable. Too late now, but let's think ahead.
Ranked choice, instant runoff voting opens the primary to more voices and brings in more voters, in an efficient and fair process. As your first choice might be my second, it emphasizes what we have in common and it results in a guaranteed clear majority winner. It gets us to an excellent position to enter the general election.
OK, this year we didn't have a perfect process. But we don't need a perfect candidate either. What we need is a determined electorate.
In 2016, while Democrats pointed fingers or sat on their hands, Republicans held their nose and rallied around Trump. And all they got was the Supreme Court. For starts.
Why didn't we think of that? Why don't we.
The real question is, if the threat of a Trump presidency was not enough to bring us together, will the appalling actuality be enough to bring us out in force? Why on earth not?
Seriously. Trump. Again. Did I really have to say that?
4
Focus on the big picture. The perfect candidate is Not Trump. Everyone needs to band together and send Trump packing, regardless of which Democrat emerges as the nominee.
Any questions? If you want to sulk and sit home when your favorite doesn't get the nod, you're now a Trump supporter. Think about that.
8
There's no such thing as a perfect candidate. If you accept that as true, it gets a lot easier to choose the best, in your educated opinion, of those available.
One thing for certain this time and the foreseeable future: Riffing on the Leo McGarry character from "The West Wing", this is not an election where we choose the lesser of, "Who cares?".
4
I'm sure we don't have a perfect candidate, I doubt I've ever seen one. Name a past candidate and I'm sure flaws could be seen. But the thing is, whoever we get, they're better than Trump. Four more years of Trump would be a nightmare. So it doesn't matter if they're not perfect, they're a thousand times better than Trump, and they'll have my full support.
4
There is no perfect candidate. There never has been. Why in the world would anyone expect that?? The important thing is that any one of our "imperfect" candidates stands head and shoulders above the most imperfect president imaginable--and his equally imperfect administration.
5
I am beginning to fear that the old-line Democrats, the ones who gave us Hillary, are gearing up to destroy the candidate who has brought the most life to recent elections, Bernie Sanders. Even in 2016, he drew huge, enthusiastic crowds, and has been in the public's mind since then. Issues he has talked about consistently ($15 minimum wage, free college for all) have been adopted at the state level, and truly universal health care no longer sounds outlandish to American ears. He has changed the landscape, even if he didn't win. Hillary changed nothing. The Sanders voters must be respected and factored in. Most will vote for Biden, but a large enough percentage to hand Trump victory will stay home, as they did in the last election. Is Biden strong enough to share the stage with Bernie in the interest of victory in November, or will his party insider supporters seek to humiliate and exclude Bernie, thus disrespecting hundreds of thousands of potential Democratic voters, many of whom were on the fence over whom to vote for? We shall see.
11
@annabellina
We already know the answer to this - the old line democrats will choose to stick it to Sanders and his supporters again. They must have offered something big to petey and Klobuchar to get them to so conveniently drop out for biden. Presumably one gets VP and the other Sec of State.
2
I am a one issue voter. That issue is Anybody But Trump.
I agonized over the choice.
Here are the fears in a nutshell. Some of these bother me. Some are more along the line of concern that essential voters in swing states will be swayed to vote for Trump or stay home - even if the criticism is false.
Biden: Cognitive decline. His debate performances suggested very scattered thought processes.
Bernie: Won't survive the "he's a Stalinist" smear campaign, too NYC, too old, heart attack. Reputation for being difficult.
Warren: she should be doing better than she is, suggesting that something is turning voters off.
Bloomberg: Too late. The nomination may be decided before we hear him speak much. He's reviled by some members of certain groups whose support is important.
And, for completeness.
Buttigieg: smooth speaker (too much so?), but his political experience is really thin for the job of President.
Klobuchar: lots of fine qualities, but doesn't seem to inspire. She was my early favorite, but who wants to waste a vote?
And, for all of them, that the weakness will cause them to lose the swing states and we get four more years of havoc.
5
Bernie should not even be running in a Democratic primary. He's a socialist or democratic socialist, not a Democrat. He cannot win. Independent voters will not support him. Nor will some lifelong Democrats. There is no way that I could possibly persuade my independent voter friends to support him. If he is the Democratic nominee, kiss both the Senate and the House of Representatives goodbye. This is all an ego trip on his part. He needs to leave now.
10
Why is it that many Democrats seem to never express their own preference for a candidate, rather than spend days on end trying to guess who other voters will vote for. This does not seem to be a problem for Republicans.
My guess is that many middle and upper class Democrats are only interested in a defensive posture, and have no real needs from government other than feeling like they “won”.
6
Maybe I'm missing something, but who cares if Biden wins primaries in Alabama, Oklahoma, etc.? That's not going to help in November. They'll never get Electoral College votes in those states.
20
If you are not sure, look into and try to really understand the impact of the wealth tax Sander is proposing. It is not gonna to work to help the economy. Sanders is not the one creating jobs. Business owners do, small to medium businesses owners need support not a wealth tax!
4
Joe Biden may have saved the DNC tonight, but the election is lost if he's the nominee. There's no way I can vote for a man who gave us Clarence Thomas and the Iraq war, who's promised billionaires that there's nothing to fear while playing fast and loose with Social Security. A man who will continue driving the gravy train for the military-industrial complex. A man who's ready to break bread with the Republican Party. And who will, at best, nibble around the edges of a climate crisis that will sink our civilization.
No thanks, even if it means a second term for Trump. There has to be a reason to vote for a candidate beyond the fact that he's not the other guy. I strongly suspect most of Bernie's base will concur. Biden is unlikely to win the popular vote, much less the electoral college.
24
Unfortunately, voters with your view point will leave us with a super majority of right wing jurists for the next two generations. The damage will be so incalculable and irreversible that you will need to elect progressives for 2 generations just to return to the center. I hope that voters will reconsider.
15
I think the Democratic Party needs to feel the loss of the Left in 2020. Our vote is always taken for granted. Tonight, they have said loud and clear that they do not want the Left's votes. I hope all progressives oblige them.
7
@Maya EV I'm guessing that corvid above is of the right ethnicty and socioeconomic status hat s/he will benefit from those right-wing decisions, so, hey, what difference does it make to him/her?
2
The closest thing the Democrats have ever had to a perfect candidate was Kennedy, and even he had to overcome concerns about his Catholicism.
7
Yes we do, Elizabeth Warren! Too bad there's still a lot of misogyny in the US, it will tragically loose us the election. Time to emigrate??
6
Who needs a perfect candidate? There is no such person. Vote for the best candidate and be happy.
5
“We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created by the you know, you know the thing.” — Joe Biden, Houston, TX, March 2, 2020
You really think this guy is qualified to be our next president? If so, then America really is an idiocracy.
42
@Zareen I agree but it seems like its the elephant in the room. It's total political suicide to nominate a failing mind. But I guess they would prefer that to nominating someone who might take their jobs away!
4
This is the only nation where adults speak of perfection. This is not such thing perfect human being, unless you believe in fairy-tales, magic wands, or super heroes. Good grief...
8
IMO as a moderate conservative, there is a lot left to be desired on both sides of the aisle. I found my self wishing Trump might be impeached just to be able to choose a new candidate in November. Bernie is too far left, so I would not vote for him and sadly would probably write in a vote come November. I confess my gut doesn’t trust Biden. Of all the candidates, I found myself leaning toward Mayor Pete - who I know is supporting JB. If JB gets the nod - his VP candidate will be crucial. I absolutely agree with commentary that Americans are having a hard time attaching themselves to a candidate this year...
5
@Eliza Americans have a very hard time making adult choices b/c they refuse to grow up and deal with "good enough".
4
@Eliza
Just to point out the obvious, we don't want who you want. Your kind gave us bush and trump. If a candidate we pick is appealing to you, that really should be the clearest signal that we are making a bad choice.
1
@AK ah the open mind of the left using the words “your kind” in a reply. Isn’t the goal unity? I simply wanted to share my opinion as well. Your reply is noted. Have. A. Great. Day.
But do we have one that does not need a juice box and a dot-to-dot book to get him through a coronavirus presentation by the NIH? Any Functioning Adult 2020.
10
It's disappointing that Democrats haven't produced an obvious consensus choice by this point in the race. And it is beyond ridiculous that the four remaining candidates are all over 70, most of them almost 80. In the normal course of how aging works, all four could be passed away or otherwise incapacitated within four years. I feel the Democratic Party failed our country by not nurturing and producing at least several excellent younger (under 60) candidates. We knew this election was coming for four years, we're up against the most ridiculous, buffoonish president ever, and we still haven't managed to put a strong opposing team in place. It truly is the Keystone Cops.
15
@Bob G. As a conservative I have to agree. I don’t want to vote for Trump or any of the old white guys that are available. Is it too late to rally for a write in? ;(
1
Please, My fellow Democrat's once , just once you can trust your guts, If Biden ,Biden. If Sanders, Sanders. But please do not hesitate to vote for Democrats.
Republicans didn't hesitate a second to hand this nation to Trump's hand.
11
@SU Sure, DNC. Lead democratic voters to believe that they have a say in this, when in actuality, the final result is manipulated behind the scenes.
5
What we're all really voting for is truth and transparency, respect for everyone, belief in the Law, and total support for a Free Press, positive International Alliances, the very urgent need to address Climate Change, good Healthcare for all, and the strong Government Institutions needed to address the complex and pressing issues we are all facing today.
This means tossing Trump - and that's just the start...
6
Nobody is a perfect candidate, or human being for that matter. In my opinion, Mayor Pete came the closest but I can live with the notion that he isn't ready yet.
I hope that America can live with a candidate somewhat south of perfection, remembering that what we have now is nothing short of endlessly chaotic calamity.
As for a whole administration, look at the original line-up of Democratic presidential candidates and compare them to Trump's sorry cabal of charlatans and incompetents.
Then make your own decision.
13
How convenient that all moderate (centrist $$$) candidates all at the same day, including former Pres. Obama all started to support the weakest candidate in the line up.
What an evil Machiavellian achievement by the Democratic leadership, to whip up the level of fear mongering to the extreme against the only real democratic candidates Sanders and Warren.
Why do we need Russian election interference when politicians and corporations are doing the same so much more effective here.
America’s democracy is dead, done in by the party that carries its name, how
much more hypocritical can they be,
Pelosi, Schumer, Perez, Brazil a long list of power hungry individuals who are in fact not that much different from Trump.
America has by machiavellian means become the same as Russia, China, and India. Four powerhouses all ruled by autocratic controlling and greedy leaders.
The majority in all these countries have one thing in common, they will have no one in power vote in their best interest.
Universal healthcare, medicare for all, free (not government controlled) education, increase of their three decades old hourly wages, progressive new infrastructure, aggressive climate control, all these and some more or items that are never governed on in these 4 autocracies but are so important for the average worker.
This primary, these fake elections, are the end of democracy lead by insiders in both parties who will celebrate tonight with all their big donors who will all add some more money.
5
Johan D
The voters decided. Nobody else. Conspiracy theories are for the disingenuous or the hysterical. I did not vote for Biden or Sanders. My candidate will probably drop out. My candidate did not connect with and move enough voters. I can live with that.
4
It's a little troubling to think that the nomination could go to Biden by him winning a bunch of red states.
9
JES
Yes, the thought gas crossed my mind that republicans are voting in the democratic primaries and helping the weakest opponent for trump to win.
2
Fellow Democrats, start feeling better. Down here in mostly blue Houston, my wife and I stood in line for 50 minutes to vote. There were actually 2 lines, one for the Democratic primary and another for the Republican. In the entire wait, there was not one, repeat, not one voter in the Republican line. This shows two things: the first was that there were many Dems who were unclear as who to support and the second was that some Repubs who crossed over to vote for Bernie. So even if Bernie wins Texas, he may have been aided by the GOP. This was to cause consternation to the Democratic party election process but in the end it may just solidify the Dem and moderate effort to unseat 45.
5
@Baboulas
More likely, they crossed over to vote biden. Can you imagine an easier opponent for trump?
Leaving aside my personal issues with the concept of "perfection" . . .
We don't need a perfect candidate to defeat the least perfect president in the history of this country.
What we need is turnout, now, and in November.
We've got to beat the spread.
10
If the economy weathers the Coronavirus, Trump will be re-elected. So, no need to worry about the perfect candidate for the Dems. I will say, though, they are doing a Hillary repeat by pushing Biden out there. It will be a disaster, and then they will wonder why.
8
I'm one of those who wavered on the way to the polls. I've always thought Biden has the best chance of beating Trump but I think Elizabeth Warren actually has the answers and ability to lead the party. I voted for Warren. I'm hoping Bernie will get real at some point and insist on "single payer" for fully backing a Biden/Warren ticket. Even Democrats in the most conservative Southern states are coming out in favor of single payer.
4
I don't care who is perfect and who isn't. I just want a Democratic president in the White House. As a friend told me the other day, a ham sandwich is preferable to Trump. I hope Democrats can look back on the nightmarish years of Trump and recall their horror, then hold their noses and vote for the candidate, no matter who it is.
30
@Susan Why "nightmarish years of Trump" ?
I think is only kind of a liberal trend, based on nothing.
And when was the last time we had a "perfect" candidate? How absurd to make perfection a criterion.
12
@Walt It's called an adolescent culture we live in.
2
This is depressing. If there were ever a perfect representative of a do-nothing-Democrat, it seems to me to be Biden. What kind of campaign has he run, other than riding the coattails of Obama? Of course, this comment doesn’t matter in the least; however, playing it safe, in this politically divided climate leads only to the very thing we are trying to avoid. It is with great sorrow I watch the party turn its back on the one person who could have helped us bring about the changes we need. An example of this change is evident in how much the conversation has changed since Sanders has made his bid for president. Yet the people cling to a mirage. The tail continues to wag the dog. Godspeed!
19
Does anyone find it ironic that Dems are holding their noses and voting for Biden? That is exactly what the Republicans are doing. Policy, policy, policy. This is the driving force for us all. I am a Trump supporter, but not because he is my role model, my spiritual leader, or the "perfect" candidate - certainly not! He has my vote because I align with his stance on most issues that face this nation. It looks like the Dems are doing the same. Plug your nose everyone... here we go!
8
So we don't have a perfect candidate--so what?
The Republicans have Trump. End of message.
17
Very subtly Obama is going to emerge as Obama’s right hand man, and people are going to associate Biden with Obama , but Obama filtered through Biden’s compassion and relatability, and that’s a combination that Trump simply can’t overcome. Trump wanted to face Sanders so bad, but it is not working out for him. Biden is winning States Sanders can’t , Sanders is winning States that Biden will win in the general. The odds on Trump winning are slipping by the minute.
When Bloomberg drops out he will support Biden. JoeMentum is real. Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States and his cabinet will be the best and the brightest.
This is the night everything begins going in the other direction . This is a great night.
5
There will never be a perfect candidate, that is one who will fill all of our stockings. We Americans need a president who leads, listens and takes responsibility.
Our leaders will error mightily. That in itself is unimportant when you add, learn and correct mistakes.
What more can you ask for except "The Buck Stops Here"!.
3
Perfect? They are ALL so much better than the incumbent that it's not even a question.
7
While I respect Sanders' supporters' passion, why does every time he lose something it has to be a conspiracy by the Democratic party? Why can't it maybe just be that more people don't support him than do?
16
Yep, Democrats chose incorrectly again but why would I personally care? I'm in the 1% so whether it is Trump or Biden, it would be BAU for me. It's Sanders or Warren who might've made a slight impact on my personal life (income/wealth) but I support their positions, particularly Warren who even worked out a lot of the math as a first approximation.
Like Trump, I understand how the system works and how levers of power are pushed to advance one's interests and how the world changes as you get richer and we're only nominally in the 1%. This is not a humble view and I hate to have to write it but I hope people see and understand how things really work. Most politicians are happy with the status quo. I even have my doubts about Warren and Sanders but I also think everyone, including Trump, is just happy to coast along insulated by his privileges.
So Democrats and the electorate (this will be yet another close election with Trump/Biden at the top) will choose BAU one way or the other.
I do understand however that in the D party that moderates outnumber the progressives some 60/40 right now. But without appeasing that 40%, Biden won't win (even though the moderates are the ones who're a bigger source of our problems since the world can't take BAU anymore --- all this does is kick the can down the road). It's only when the country truly suffers like 2007 that the progressives will have a mandate for major change (not wishing it at all, but don't see how it can be avoided).
4
When do we ever have (or even expect) 'perfect' choices (2008 and 2012 excepted)? I remember pulling the lever for LBJ (it was my mom's vote) and her saying she wasn't thrilled but it sure beat the alternative.
As a Massachusetts voter my logic today was: don't let Warren get elected, because then Gov Baker will appoint a Republican to the Senate; don't vote for Sanders, because he's certainly not presidential material and can't win; and that left Biden.
8
@Julie Zuckman. Thank you for explaining that: it does make a certain amount of sense. I am just so troubled whenever I watch Biden. I’ve watched two parents age and I am familiar with a certain look in the eyes.
After Trump, does perfection really matter? Presidents are always flawed in some way, and any of the democratic candidates would make a fine president. Let’s just see the current president off to his stat retirement, please.
7
@Meg that should say "his EARLY retirement ..." :)
If you leave the polling place unsure if you voted for the right candidate, it sounds like your commitment to whoever you voted for is pretty weak.
I am pleased that Bloomie's efforts to buy the election for himself is falling way, way short of success. A lot of voters must have televisions that mute the audio when a commercial comes on.
3
The choice for Democrats is coming down to the 2 worst candidates. Democrats have a choice between Bernie Sanders - who will never win the Presidential election - and Joe Biden - who generally has only a passing acquaintance with the truth. I am not sure how it has come to this when they started with so many quality candidates.
8
Who is the perfect candidate? How about one who promotes free healthcare; $15 minimum wage and free public college? That's Bernie's platform. It's not 'commy' it's FDR, it's what we all want but now we're being told it's bad to want these things. We're being played. It's a sick mindgame. Please don't get caught in it. Repeat seven times a day: FDR programs for all; free healthcare, free college tuition for public colleges, $15 minimum wage. Bernie's fighting for the people Ya gotta believe!
20
@Angry Bernie is no FDR.
7
I'm so disappointed in Democratic Party voters tonight. The surge for VP Biden is fueled by fear. I am a 2 time Obama voter and a Hillary voter. If VP Biden gets the nomination, I will accept that the Democratic Party does not want my vote. I'll be staying home in November.
18
We are not fueled by fear. We are just voting for who we want to vote for.
9
I sympathize with your feelings. I am also not a supporter of Biden, but if he gets the nomination, I'll happily vote for him. Staying home is a half vote for Voldemort. I hope you'll reconsider.
5
@Midwesterner
That’s exactly the attitude my son used to take when he was five years old: if they won’t play by my rules, I’ma take my marbles ‘n’ go home!
5
Both major parties remind me of large corporations that have monopolies. They seem more interested in obtaining & keeping power than doing what is best for people. Decisions are often based on preserving power rather than ethics. It costs a lot of money to become president. Maybe the candidates should wear patches on their clothing so we know who supplied the money - both directly & indirectly. The sponsors will expect a return on their investment.
10
You don’t need perfect against the worst president in American history. Good enough counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and the 2020 presidential election. I believe Sanders to be the premier candidate, but if Biden proves strong in the upcoming primaries, perhaps Ms. Warren could join his ticket to unite the dems across ideologies.
2
@John F. Thurn I don't think Ms. Warren would do much on a ticket except get Trump re-elected.
2
Democrats are forever waiting for another Kennedy or Obama to sweep them off their feet and send a thrill up their leg. Meanwhile, Republicans are the Al Davis party; just win, baby, with whoever they wind up with, warts and all. Just remember, it's a government job, an important one, but just that. We're not picking a life partner; we're hiring someone competent to do a job, no more. Heart-fluttering inspiration is a bonus but not required.
14
You guys just love tearing down. Let’s try being constructive and building for a change. And for change. No one is perfect. And the guy in the WH needs to be removed and replaced by anyone so try respect for our institutions and principles. If it’s Biden, so be it.
11
@Collinzes
There are many voters who like and respect Joe Biden's history but feel strongly that he will not be the correct match for Trump. He just won't win, and that's tragic. It's not a matter of "tearing down. " It's a matter of complete pragmatism.
3
Well, the Democrats -- my party -- have predictably lived down to my lowest expectations, ensuring another loss in November.
In the months to come we will, alas, watch Biden stumble over names and facts and history in unimaginably awful ways, the party having already anointed him as the standard-bearer.
No thanks tonight to the dopes who have engineered another four years that will impact my life and my family's life in a thousand negative ways because Trump will again be elected.
53
Very well said. Biden will predictably bumble on the stage across from the Rump, likely attributed to a cross between his childhood stuttering and a Senior Moment. Rump will move in with the kill, a lame one at best, but it’ll do the job and we and the planet will be left with an additional devastating, excruciating 4 years.
18
@HotGumption This is EXACTLY the kind of pessimism Trump supporters and Trump bots hope to instill. Give up on Democracy then plan on four more years of Trump. Waiting for the "system" to save you, then plan on four more years of Trump. It's not hard. You ARE guaranteeing 4 more years of Trump b/c you hope to be saved from your civic duty.
5
This is 2016 all over again. The DNC and moderates push a mediocre weak candidate who will lose to the "dare to be different" Republican Trump with the same disastrous results for the USA, its allies, and the world. I really feel sick about Biden's 4-day surge and the flip flop of Buttigieg (who was excoriating Biden over his age and half-baked ideas) and Klubichar (advocating for a female candidate) until they were not. If there is no quid pro quo going on behind closed doors, it sure looks like there is. Frankly, if Biden is the nominee I will contribute no money and put up no signage and encourage no one to vote. Then I will hold my nose and vote for a Democrat who is sure to lose. How avoidable. I hope I'm wrong.
51
@me I won't even hold my nose. I did that for HRC. Never again.
10
@me, not just 2016, but also 2004 and 2000. Another really bad movie series that keeps getting another chapter despite awful reviews.
7
@me Exactly! I agree. Biden is a loser. The main reason democrats are voting for him is the false claim of "electibility". it is complete nonsense.
10
As a Canadian, I have never been interested in American politics, with the exception of Obama’s historic first election. Then came the train-wreck that is Trump. I could not believe that someone who is constitutionally unable to tell the truth could be responsible for the codes to half the world’s nuclear weapons. Trump is just a symptom of the fractured electorate in the US. Both sides yelling and hating and neither listening.
As an outsider it seems to me that the path may be to get the divider in chief out of office, get a respectable dem nominee in. The next step may to address why so many are so angry. Decent health care and a living wage might be a start? There has to be a better way?
12
@Kevin We can't wait that long. We're broke and desperate and Bernie was our only hope.
4
Is Trump a perfect candidate? Imperfect can definitely win.
2
We don’t need a perfect candidate. We need a genuine change agent. And that person is Senator Sanders. I’m still confident he’s going to win Texas and California tonight.
Tío Bernie 2020
25
Tulsi Gabbard could have been the Democrats perfect candidate, and possibly the only candidate who was capable of beating Trump.
But she has been consistently marginalized and excluded from almost all major media including The Times, and basically shut out by the DNC.
Funny how the Democrats talk so much about supporting women and people of color, but not when it comes to Tulsi, I guess.
9
@Ashley
She has been a very very impressive figure, versed in the nightmares of war, dedicated to her country, measured in her manner of speaking, and mature. I liked her.
3
Warren was similarly marginalized. For people who took the time to read, compare, and analyze (not just watch the squawk box debates) she was clearly the best progressive candidate. Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar should have dropped out and backed her.
3
@Ashley: Rep Gabbard certainly is a great candidate -- except for being friends with Assad, voting "present" on impeachment, carrying water for the Russians...
2
Time is the one thing we do not have, not this year, but, more importantly next. The ability to engineer rapid, effective change and progress through government, through industry, through society, through defense and intelligence gathering, with our allies at home and abroad, is paramount. That is the quality I feel is more important than any one issue or any one personality. Wasting time pursuing pointless legislative battles for programs that have no chance of success is a luxury we cannot afford--that energy is better spent, is needed, elsewhere.
2
I'm not saying that Biden is perfect...
But he is the perfect one to defeat Trump and get Putin, Barr and McConnell out of our White House.
32
That’s hilarious!
12
He is the easiest candidate to beat and to loose the presidency once again having no ideas, having trouble to understand what the democratic leadership and Obama is whispering in his ears and clobbering to another loss.
Thank you Pelosi, Schumer, Perez, Brazil.
8
@DragAzz Hill Hopefully after he's elected, someone will walk him to the mic before he forgets where he is.
5
Billy Wilder said it best in his movie "Some Like It Hot."
Nobody's perfect.
But any Democrat is better than Trump.
And this time around, the imperfect, practical choice is Biden.
9
‘I Don’t Think We Have a Perfect Candidate’
So true. One has memory issues; one is a communist and the remaining don't matter.
5
Just to wake you up and remind your lost in space memory that Sanders is not a communist, but Trump definitely is.
Socialism and communism are opposite sides of the spectrum, but the again why would Americans even want to understand that?
3
@Johan D. Socialism and communism are different, to be sure. But both hold the population totally subservient to, and dependent upon the state for basic needs. Countries under either ideology have stifled individual productivity and prosperity. Authoritarianism is the rule.
Biden will win, or come out far ahead of Sanders ONLY because he is capturing the delegates that would have cast their votes for the 3 dropouts. Not because he could stand alone. Sanders has a sharp mind but the democratic deck is stacked against him just as it was in 2016.
Like me, you are entitled to you view of S/C. I choose to lump both failed ideologies in the same basket.
1
I don’t see a perfect candidate. The VP will be more important than ever in generating excitement and getting out the vote. I like Friedman’s idea of announcing a cabinet as well made up of former rivals.
178
@JF Brady
Agree 100%. A team strategy is the only winning way.
10
@JF Brady
With the age of the front runners, the VP is very important.
15
@JF Brady
"The VP will be more important than ever in generating excitement and getting out the vote."
Absolutely. Amy would be great.
9
Bernie, Biden, and Bloomberg should go home and enjoy their life. It's time to pass the torch to young generation.
7
@Howard
Interestingly, the media is reporting that young people are not getting out to vote in droves. As usual. All talk, no walk.
11
@Howard :
Young people want things given to them. In the real world, one has to earn things, or take them.
6
@Howard If there truly was a functioning young adult to whom they could hand the torch. Bernie Bros don't cut it.
1
When has there ever been a "perfect candidate?"
9
Dems need a perfect candidate to fall in love.
GOP only needs radical authoritarianism to fall in line.
We now live in MAGA America.
5
There never has been a perfect candidate.
But...there is more of the same, and there is something different. We are seeing how that plays out when "something different" is defined as: everything is for sale because money is God.
So perhaps it's time to try "something different" as: let's take a hard look at where we've been, where we are, and make some tough choices about where we hope to go.
And then vote for Sanders.
(And yes, he's extreme, but as we all know, no one gets everything on one's Christmas list, but it will be a huge relief to know that the guy is at least on the same page with For America and For the People instead of For My Ego and For My and My Friends' Pockets.)
12
@DKM We can't (won't) be that brave. Bernie got my vote today, but it didn't matter., since I live in an establishment paradise. Now I must move to Europe.
1
@DKM We can't (won't) be that brave. Bernie got my vote today, but it didn't matter, since I live in an establishment paradise. Now I must move to Europe.
Joe Biden winning is like back to the future. The damage Trump did in four years will look like nothing compared.
5
@John Doe :
How so?
4
Joe Biden is not the enemy. Bernie Sanders is not the enemy. Donald Trump is! How could it be any simpler?
97
When did perfection become a must have for Dems when trump has set the bar so low? A penguin with some good ideas would feel hopeful running against trump at this point. Give up the drama Dems and just get it done already.
36
@NV
That's the reason for the "perfection" talking point. You've got it.
Biden wants to take us back to the good old days when he was VP. His vision is for the past as is par for the course for a white man his age.
Bloomberg is nothing more than a symbol of the most rotten aspects of our supposed great nation - the worship of wealth over the common good and the power of purchased inane sound bites.
Bernie's a fighter but we don't need more fighting. We need composed. dignified diligence.
We need a positive, detailed, sincere, and ambitious vision for change; if we would pay attention rather than allow ourselves to be manipulated we'd notice we have it.
Remember that the "powers that be" got us where we are. They got us Trump. We need to hear from powers that never have been.
Warren.
21
@m.r.f.
No, Dems need a fighter, because that is all the GOP knows how to do. When has the GOP shown more interest in governing than in fighting, i.e., destroying the New Deal, shrinking government so it only works for corporations and white men?
3
@gratis and again, that's Warren. But I fear it's too late. Perhaps Joe will choose her for his VP.
4
@gratis
Well, she is a fighter - just not in the red faced, arms raised, finger pointing way but instead in the legislation way.
1
I went from Biden to Buttigieg to Bloomberg and back to Biden.
He is a kind, empathetic, experienced man who is not afraid to seek the counsel of experts.
I will proudly vote for Joe Biden.
17
@Maggie
Everything he and Klobuchar have said since she dropped out indicates that she will be VP.
1
@Lex . He’ll need to do something more galvanizing than that to turn out the Democratic base.
@Barbara Too bad he is in serious intellectual decline and will make an absolute fool of himself when push comes to shove. His candidacy is political suicide.
1
Warren is my choice, but electability is my primary concern, so I'll go with Biden, and forget about whether he is perfect. So I don't agree with him on everything. So what? He checks off enough boxes on my list that I will vote him in and work from within to get him to veer more leftward.
I really don't understand the "My preferred candidate or bust" mentality at all. It's how we end up with PizzaGate warriors at the helm.
30
@Renee Jones Please watch the debates, watch Biden's posture, look at vids of his non sequiter filled rallies. I have seen many older people decline and Biden is clearly, clearly declining!! His candidacy is political suicide and will end not only in defeat but utter embarrassment to our country.
2
@josh
You can't prove you are an expert on "declining."
But Sanders had a heart attack. No, thanks.
The so called Perfect candidate Obama created the back lash that led Trump into the office. The once perfect Hillary lost out to Trump, too. I don't think Demos need perfect candidate, but a candidate who can energize Demos and Republicans alike with enough issues to get them to vote for him or her. Lukewarm candidates will not cut it.
2
@David: Yes, Obama "created the back lash." Apparently his being smart, dignified, decent, and humble was extremely upsetting to a lot of ignorant and mediocre white people, and they still haven't recovered. Reminds me of domestic abusers who say their spouses drove them to it.
4
No doubts here. Looking forward to Trump losing and it can't come soon enough.
Regarding age Trump is in worse health than any of the Democratic candidates.
7
It discomforts me to see headlines exclaiming Biden is the only choice for Black voters as much as it does seeing the same claiming Trump with only White. I thought we were trying to unify this country but apparently in politics the only way to conquer is to divide.
11
There will never be a "perfect" candidate. Each individual has their pluses and minuses: that's how people are. The problem is that we do our hiring by recruiting from the human species, and man is a flawed creature. Intelligent individuals can do stupid things on occasion, and normally good, decent folks can be mean, petty, and cruel.
In my former job, I often participated in hiring decisions. We would review the applicant's resume, then meet with them in person, and would consult afterwards comparing our impressions and preferences. No job candidate was ever seen as "perfect." We stated our views, fairly confident, but by no means certain, that the person we recommended was the best fit.
5
Not a prefect one but a really great group of talented people. Run them as a group to govern as a team.The vogterswill be getting a great deal.
1
@Richard Head
Uhhh, that’s not how it works.
"Doubts linger..." Of course doubts linger. These are Democrats. They have doubts about many things. Republicans not so much. Republicans don't, for example, have doubts about Donald Trump.
6
No Democrats you don't have a perfect candidate neither do the Republicans but you don't have a choice of a perfect candidate, you just have to choose someone who maintains the best state of the Union as we have observed in the past 3 years while we continue our quest for a perfect union for American.
5
The Dems need to completely rethink the process. It should have been done for 2020 which unfortunately is the most critical election of our lifetime. Do away with the Iowa-first mentality. Group early states so they are demographically diverse. Require ranked-choice voting in all the states. Candidates that drop out after mail-in ballots are mailed, should automatically elevate the ranked choices below them. It’s not hard to make this a more democratic country than it is.
294
@Michael I agree, none of the first 4 states are "representative." But if you group Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina AND Nevada together, it actually is pretty representative. Let's have all 4 of those states go together on day one.
Then have half of the remaining states go together on a Super Tuesday 3 or 4 weeks later, and the other half finish it up on another Super Tuesday a 3 or 4 weeks after that.
It shortens the race, which is important, because the amount of money required to survive through such a long process shuts out a lot of great candidates.
Also, how about ranked voting? If we want a consensus candidate, rather than a situation where we choose someone on the convention floor that only got 25% of the vote, ranked voting fixes that problem.
29
@Revelwoodie Great ideas!
9
@Michael So far, my top 3 candidates are all out (and 2 of the 3 are women.) I like Warren. I don’t know whether “a woman can’t beat Trump” is accurate or just fear, I thought in the past that a woman would win before an African-American. Of course, Obama was exceptional.
In any event, I agree we should either have ranked choice voting or hold all primaries on the same day. This dribbling everlasting primary process is not a good way to choose a nominee.
12
In addition to restoring the rule of law, my biggest concern is the climate crisis. Bernie Sanders has an aggressive plan to head off the worst impacts of climate change. Biden, however, seems only to be fixated on playing kumbaya with Mitch McConnell. Not sure how much he'd really get done, or even try for. I'm voting Bernie.
7
@Dominic Biden looks backwards, always. He always speaks of "when I was in the Obama admin...", he never approaches issues with a forward plan. He's like nostalgic grandpa, living in the past in his head, not accepting the reality of where we are today. Bernie is your grandpa who is present, thinks big, looks forward, who says, "We gotta try to go for it, don't sell yourself short." That's why I support him. And I am not under 45.
1
I didn’t think Obama was the perfect candidate in 2008 and I didn’t vote in that year’s primary either (I was indifferent about Obama and Hillary). But he made a great president.
Just choose someone you that you think would make a decent president. Maybe you won’t get what you want but you might just get what you need.
163
@Lex
Unfortunately we did not get what we needed.. Universal single payer healthcare… and an end to incarceration at Guantanamo. Also added all kinds of strings to IRAs in banks.
4
@Lex Great for Wall Street, great for the 1%, great for Big Pharma, great for the Oil & Gas industry, great for the lobbyists, great for Silicon Valley.
For Americans struggling with student loan debt, medical bills, below-subsistence or stagnant wages, foreclosures or jobs outsourced, soldiers in Afghanistan, the uninsured and underinsured, those concerned about climate change … not so great.
10
@Xoxarle Bernie was in the Senate during all of this - can you please tell us exactly what did he do to help solve these issues?
7
We don't need a 'perfect candidate.' We just need someone who is more competent than trump.
Luckily, that is not a big problem!
8
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
VP Joe Biden has ethics, integrity, morals, government experience, empathy and loyalty to the United States of America and the US Constitution.
Trump has none of those things, and so many negative attributes known to so many it isn't worth repeating.
President Biden will assemble a brilliant team in his cabinet, not empty headed loyalists, and repopulate the State Department, the Justice Department, and US intelligence agencies decimated by the Russian asset occupying the White House.
Trump staffed the White House with fixers, kin, and people of low ethics in exchange for blind loyalty.
Trump has blown up the structural annual fiscal deficit, cash stripping the US Treasury.
Trump has caused so many exemplary career professionals to leave government because they refused to look the other way when crimes were committed by the delusional king.
VP Biden should not debate Trump as he is an illegitimate Russian asset. The people who vote for him will not change their minds in a debate.
VP Biden should simply galvanize the majority of Americans in opposition to Trump, and use every resource available (calling Mayor Bloomberg) to stop the GOP and the Russians from manipulating the Electoral College to win the election.
The Biden team can legally manipulate the Electoral College using artificial intelligence and targeted messaging with domestic resources, to ensure it comports with the popular vote.
28
@David Parsons
Biden was something before electricity.
Now, he mostly seems confused.
15
@EGD
Yes, it's so sad that he did not know enough to "retire" before becoming tiresome.
9
@David Parsons Biden is going to lose to Trump just like Hillary did, and for the same reasons.
3
Face it Biden or Sanders is Old and both have been in Government forever....Do you really think they will do Anything if elected? Trump is the Best to run this country....We are doing Very Well under his leadership.
5
@There for the grace of A.I. goes I And are you young enough to know how old Trump is? Probably not.
@Lillies Old has more to do with how Quick is your Wit and Strong is your Body as well as your drive than the number of of years/ and the Bottom Line is Age is not a Factor with Trump is is as Full of Vigor as one needs to be President....which can not be said for the latter and Yes I am YOUNG ENOUGH to KNOW!
Supporting Moderate Dems will fry the planet. Biden won’t stop fracking. If you want to continue being in denial about the severest, most damaging issue that we’ve ever faced as a species (global warming), then vote moderately. But if you want real change, Bernie is your man. We have very little time to try to turn around the climate disaster unfolding. Vote for Biden and you’re toast, literally. You can kiss your children and future generations goodbye. Sorry to be so blunt, but do you need a verbal 2 by 4 to wake up? We are very close to climate tipping points and once breached, we have little chance of survival. So, what’s your choice? Milquetoast Biden? or warrior Sanders? Go Bernie!
41
@TLUF I think Bernie is way more interested in his very liberal agenda than climate issues. Even the Green New Deal is half New Deal and half Green .. And I am afraid that others, like myself, might not be ready for high taxation and giveaways like college debt total forgiveness. Many people have scrimped and saved tens of thousands or have gone to local colleges or have serviced loans for years and now the big spenders get the biggest rewards ? For profit schools and bad majors ? Seems like you could come up with something more fair .. like much lower interest rates and some percentage forgiveness ..
Bernie is really the other half of the class war that the republicans have been waging on the working class. A moderate could come up with something more sustainable and supportable.
Biden needs to find himself a good running mate .. since he seems to have traction. Someone young and dynamic.
Bernie is also really old and really set in his ways and I don't really need another cranky old man ..
4
@Innovator
Bernie has said that he favors free public college. State colleges are not private for-profit schools.
People like yourself in Maryland are already very generous beneficiaries of government pork via generous government contracts to your many private firms.
Since many people had to suffer and die from smallpox and other diseases that are now addressed with vaccines and medical breakthroughs, I sure hope you respected the suffering of your ancestors and decline to take advantage of medical progress. That would be the most fair thing, right?
5
When has anyone ever had a perfect candidate?
9
Right. Open borders. Normalizing illegal immigration and asylum scams.
The new slavery.
Willing though.
3
I'm a FL voter and a Warren supporter. I have to vote by mail ahead of the 3/17 election in FL, and preferably ASAP to get my vote counted. I'm holding off in case I cast a vote for a candidate who is out of the race.
How did we wind up in this sudden Biden-Barren war? The best candidates are suddenly two white men in their very late 70s?
Bernie presents as an ego-maniac. It's his way or the highway. He has no accomplishments in the Senate and seems to be loathed by his colleagues. I like his health care policy.
If we elect him, it doesn't really matter if he wins (except, of course, that Trump will be out, my immediate goal.) There is no chance that he can change the house or senate, so no chance that he can effectively pass legislation through two houses.
Biden seems like a nice man and unlikely to post tweets while "sitting" on the toilet. He knows a lot of people, in DC and around the world. I think it's safe to say that he wouldn't turn voters off.
I don't think I am alone in thinking he is a bit age-fuddled.
7
We Democrats needn't worry that we might not have a "perfect" candidate for president. (Even Abraham Lincoln wasn't perfect, yet he more than passed the test.)
What is perfectly splendid, though, is our nation's long election process to uncover the best person (2016 aside) for president.
In 2020, the proof that this long distillation process does, indeed, usually produce favorable results is coming to fruition tonight in Joe Biden's emergence as the Democratic frontrunner.
In a phrase, what this process is revealing is that a majority of Americans are now understanding that the best way to defeat one extreme (a right winger like Trump) is not with another (a left winger like Sanders).
Only Moderation can defeat Trump. Moderation: another word for balance and inclusion.
5
Voters picked among five candidates, and many made last-minute decisions — some on the way to the polls — and expressed doubts and anxieties about whether their choice was the right one.
That's what we did...
We need to quit looking for a "perfect" candidate. Who have you ever met in your life who was perfect? Deeds speak louder than words. What have they done in the last 10 years? What do they stand for? If they made a mistake, did they apologize or make amends? By looking for someone with a spotless record we are throwing the baby out with the bath water. We are keeping good people from even trying to participate. I would like Biden right now because he is smart enough to know that he needs a good Cabinet with expertise to guide him in reversing everything that Trump did. He will take the steps to complete the healthcare plan that Obama started. The country needs to mend and unite not be hurled into the financial and political chaos of Medicare for all.
2
For the first time in my life, I’m just not able to get enthusiastic about the current Democratic candidates. Biden could hardly manage his own finances, until he made millions in book-sales; At one point he was talking about selling his home to help his family, while earning a hefty VP salary; and he will be cast by Trump as “sleepy Joe”. Warren is not catching enough fire. Bernie will not attract the crucial swing voters. Bloomberg would, of all the candidates, better hold his own against Trump.
7
@AAA
I don't hear criticisms of Warren other than "electability." Her lack of catching fire seems mostly to be about being overlooked.
That's tragic for this nation.
27
@m.r.f. You can’t win without catching fire.
1
@AAA
You can't catch fire without the false fuel of "electability." And, too, Warren's smart. People don't tend to like a smart lady - they want an idiot guy they fancy drinking beer with even as they know they never will - birds of a feather.
12
We don’t need a perfect candidate, we just need a good candidate. I for one will support whichever Dem wins the nomination. And I will knock on doors and make calls and get out the vote so that we can move forward and make America healthier, kinder, stronger, safer, better, more just: a more perfect union.
4
The surreptitious meetings in the smoke filled rooms have ended and the decision has been made. Sanders has to go.
The progressive elite have always known that Sanders - as a Democrat - is unelectable, and worse, cannot be relied upon to play along with their plans for America.
So they're going to do it to him again. Nothing is going to get in their way.
Biden is their guy, always has been.
3
Corporate Democrat elite are repeating their 2016 trick again. They might again meet the same fate.
4
@Objectivist
"The surreptitious meetings in the smoke filled rooms have ended and the decision has been made. Sanders has to go."
This shows the danger of the Trumpian Bernie Cult
The voters are voting.
If their guy doesn't win (he lost by 4 million votes in the primaries in 2016) they claim the system is "rigged" thus insulting all Democrats who make the choice to vote for a Democrat instead of someone who doesn't merely present alternative policy policy proposals but insults and denigrates Democrats.
4
Biden would never be my first choice until now. With Buttigieg and Klobuchar on the sidelines, he is the best choice over one of the radical progressive agendas of Sanders and Warren. Biden is old school and will reverse much of the damage wrought by Trump. He will protect the Republic, our democracy and the rule of law so twisted by Trump. That is a big improvement over our current nation status. Winning the Senate is very important to Biden’s agenda.
181
@NOTATE REDMOND Radical agenda? Are you some McCarthyite from the 1950s? Progressive social democracy is the way all intelligent and reasonable people choose to live, as that's what's best for the majority.
Biden is just another crony capitalist. You're dreaming if you think he cares one whit more about you than Trump. The man has never been anything other than a shill for the rich/big biz and is probably a crook himself. Things will only continue to get worse for the rest of us under Biden he won't save anyone or anything except his fat cat pals.
69
@Halsy Agreed. It's a very tough night for us progressive folk.
18
@NOTATE REDMOND :Biden is a old time politician where now he says he was against the Iraqi troop surge as VP but he never uttered any such statements at the time. Nothing will change except more taxes to satisfy his supporters and donors. The poor will stay poor and the rich(his main supporters/donors) get richer. Watch him smile.
16
OK, kids, I'll tell you the secret as to who is the perfect Dem candidate.
Ya ready??
OK, the perfect Dem candidate is the one running against Trump in the general election.
Got it??
115
Trump isn’t perfect, either.
1
The republicans are very! far from having a perfect candidate
8
If the party's super-delegates end up choosing the eventual nominee because no candidate reaches the convention with the minimum necessary number of delegates, there will be a lot of angry voters.
It will be much easier for us all to rally around a single nominee (be it Biden or Sanders or anyone in between) if we know it was the voters and the delegates who made the final decision.
It's also now time for all four candidates to declare (1) I will support the ultimate nominee of the party and (2) I will not run as an independent. Any candidate who can't make those two promises shouldn't be running as a Democrat this year.
3
No perfect candidate, no perfect spouse, no perfect golf game. Okay, maybe you can bowl a perfect 300, but even then someone or other will say the alley wasn’t certified or some othe criticism.
So don’t look for the perfect candidate - s/he doesn’t exist. Instead find the one who most or more closely assigns with your beliefs and support them to the hilt. And be prepared to ratchet back when your candidate falters so you can back your second or third choice.
7
“I don’t think we have the perfect candidate”, that’s because there ain’t no such thing. Candidates like Obama and in his own twisted way Trump are a rarity, besides & I’m sorry but Obama wasn’t “the perfect candidate” either. Too many are second guessing themselves and the candidates worried that the one to defeat Trump isn’t one of them. The fact is that any one of them can defeat Trump if we all want them to. Its not the candidate but the people who can defeat Trump. Not one of the aspirational ideals and policies of “any” of these candidates will be enacted as envisioned, not one. So give the worries about “socialist” Bernie, “moderate” Mike or “traditionalist” Joe a break. In the end it’s not who becomes the Democratic nominee that will bring tyranny and autocracy down. Its the people who’ve decide they’ve had enough of the bad deal 2016 brought us. Vote for your choice then unite behind the winner regardless of who that is, make Trump and the corrupt clown car he rode in on history. Let the carnival barker know that the show is over and send him packing, it’s the best thing you could do.
7
I was undecided even after I cast my vote for Elizabeth Warren. She’s not perfect, but she’s sharp, and I think she is the only one left who could truly embarrass Trump in a debate. It does, however, feel like a wasted vote, particularly since I have major doubts about Biden (who just won NC).
I have no idea what’s going on anymore and it’s starting to get to me.
6
@Jen. Getting to me too. And I wonder what’s the resolution.
4
There has never been a "perfect candidate." But pick the best--and save our nation and world.
6
I'm feeling pretty sure that we will be looking at four more years of Donald J Trump. The Democrats don't really care about doing any meaningful changes for the vast majority of our citizens. Warren and Sanders old as they are were the future of the Democratic Party. It's dead now.
36
@Tim Berry How could you have listened to any of the candidates and not think they want to do good for the average citizen? That is exactly what they stand for. Even Bloomberg has spent millions of his own money over the last five or more years to help the people most in need. Name one thing that Donald Trump has done. I can name a big one, and that was a fat tax cut for the rich. He also got rid of most tax benefits and write-offs for the average citizen and small business in order to pay for it.
8
@Tim Berry :
Nonsense. Democrats have sent nearly 200 bills to the Senate, which refuses to hear those bills. They consistently initiate legislation on matters of health care, wages, small business tax cuts, family leave, education credits.
How does anyone not know that? How in the world does all that translate to "The Democrats don't really care about doing any meaningful changes for the vast majority of our citizens"??
Good grief.
10
@Tim Berry The US is a center-right capitalist paradise. I will look at opportunities abroad, so I don't have to even be here, come November. The future is not in the US.
8
I think at this point in time that Joe Biden has the best hope of beating Trump and keeping the house and possibly winning the Senate.
Pete, Amy and Beto showed what it means to do what's right for the Democratic Party. They saw that they don' have a realistic chance so they dropped out and are enthusiastically supporting Biden.
13
As I see it, there will very likely be three choice.
Choice #1 - A GOP candidate (Trump) who represents the Red States
Choice #2 - A Democrat candidate (Biden) who represents the Red States
Choice #3 - Blue State Democrats who stay home
25
@Marston Gould
Biden is winning red states that will vote for Trump in the general election. Just how does that help the Democrats? I'm still for Warren and hope she stays in til the fat lady sings.
1
@Marston Gould
Welp, you guarantee Trump wins. So dangerous. Meanwhile, Biden did win Massachusetts, for example.
1
Some of our candidates have stars in their eyes and can stir our souls. Some of our Candidates have their feet planted firmly on the ground and can make things happen. But ya know - they're all really progressives.
59
@KEF
And one candidate has both: Warren.
34
@KEF
Nope. No they aren't.
Sanders and Warren are progressive.
Biden And Bloomberg are pretty far right by comparison.
They aren't interchangeable.
25
Have you seen the results? She's finished. It's over. There's no coming back.
2
Biden-Buttigieg 2020. (Catchy alliteration at no extra charge.)
15
@Ed
Buttigieg on Biden debate attack: "I'm not Obama and neither is he." True!
Who cares whether or not they’re perfect?!?! Who out there is perfect?!? This headline is part of the problem. Democracy is imperfect. Bring on the imperfect candidates.
74
@Cindy We're not looking for perfection, we're looking for integrity. And someone who serves the interests of the working class. Bernie all the way. Never Tramp, never Wall Street, never Biden and the DNC puppets of Wall Street.
6
@farhorizons Voting isn't some special flower you offer to your dream candidate. It's a civic duty. If the general election is down to Trump and Biden, you have to pick one. If you abstain, please also abstain from offering your opinions about politics.
6
An imperfect candidate was elected in 2016.
1
We don't have a perfect president either.
32
The democratic party's nomination process could use a structural reform. The abundance of candidates was too overwhelming. There were excellent candidates, but in the mayhem the big names drowned out any other talent: look who's left, the people with mainstreamed name recognition before the election season even began. The only entities that have truly profited are the organizations making money off of the media events surrounding each debate/wresting match. Also the opportunists who used the race as a boost to their own personal brand/political career. There was too much opportunism at the heart of this nomination contest. The party must reconfigure this process and not allow the media organizations to organize such unhelpful "food fights" for the American people to consume. This is so unhealthy. And we're in for more.
80
@Luz Not quite the way you describe it. Bernie was little known in 2016 and he worked his way onto the stage.
1
@Luz You are not going too change human nature
@rational In the 2016 democratic race, only 3 candidates remained after the first debate. By February 1, it was just Bernie and Hillary. You misunderstand what I'm arguing, which is that in a field of 20+, even 10+, even 5+... the smaller-names can't find a footing, and all reduces to a clamor for speaking time and soundbites to stand out in a big crowd.
2
Literally, it’s going to be 2016 again. Fine. I don’t care.
40
@Rick , why write this?
7
Figuratively it’s going to be 2016 again.
3
@jb Because if Biden gets the nom, it's going to turn out just like Hillary. Mark it.
7
Just the idea of tired old biden who care barely complete a sentence without a gaff, really makes me sad. But then again there ia trump. If Biden is elected no progressive ideas will move forward. Young people will have to wait another 20 yrs.
86
Couldn’t have said it better myself. My kids are all for Bernie. They are not at all impressed by Biden. To them he’s a relic from the last century.
59
Sure, but Bernie is even a bigger relic loaded with demagoguery from the time of the Russian revolution.
Young people should learn history and Math!
Everything that sounds too good to be true is Not true nor achievable.
25
@Pigenfrafyn
The evidence you present suggests you've done a very poor job of educating your kids on the topic of civics and the origins and principles of the Copnstitution.
7
The results so far indicate that a large group of the Dems are desperate not to get Bernie as their candidate and so are going for Joe Biden. With Bernie, the election will be a Dem disaster. With Joe, it will be a campaign disaster. If the economy bounces back from the Coronavirus impact, Trump wins.
8
All candidates have their flaws.
All have their strengths.
The question for me is where I want our party to go for the next generation. As a white middle class baby-boomer, I'm hopeful that the party - and electorate - recognize that we aren't building this campaign and presidency for the past, but for the future.
That means we need to engage our new, younger, multi-cultural and multi-racial voters with reasons to enlist them for the next few decades. I'm not seeing the corporate and neo-liberal Democrats working hard enough to do that. Stasis, for me, isn't anywhere close to being able to beat Trump and the radical Republicans.
I'm anxious to see us bring out the 20th Century mainline core of the Dems - working class, labor, environmentalists, students, people of color and minorities, urban and climate change voters - dedicated to the commonweal and common good. I don't think that as a nation we can afford to try to 'go back to the good old days.'
I voted for Bernie, flaws and all, as a doorway to the future, and for our future voters and our planet.
22
How is voting for a white baby boomer who has spent most of his life in Washington but pretends otherwise voting for the future? Give me a break.
2
@sab That's one superficial reading of who Bernie is! No wonder we're in the state we're in, tonight.
3
@sab
That's not just a "superficial" reading of Bernie, per Wodehouse. It's flat-out wrong. I am no Bernie supporter, but neither is Bernie a boomer. (Or Biden, or Bloomberg, for that matter.)
What is it with people who can't be bothered to learn the definition of a common term before they toss it around, typically as an epithet?
The perfect candidate doesn’t exist! And perfection is the enemy of the good. Do Democrats have some good candidates? Yes, they do. And Republicans have a deeply flawed candidate.
12
We don't have a perfect candidate... but guess what? Theirs is less perfect!!!
16
Was Trump the perfect candidate? Don't shoot yourself in the foot. Anyone is better than Trump. I want Biden because he has experience. BUT the most important thing is getting rid of Trump. AND Pence, Mr. Holier than Thou.
86
@Sharon Conway Jared, Ivanka, Pompeo, Barr, Kudlow, Mnuchin, Ross and many others will not be missed.
6
@Sharon Conway Good luck with making sure Biden is going to win against Trump, and if he does, it will only be to get rid of Trump (useful) but it will not lead to nearly enough progress or change. I am thoroughly disgusted with probably the vast majority of US citizens. I of course hope the Democrats win, but amoral, criminal, and dangerous Trump has forever colored my view of this Nation --of sheep and worse, with the possible exception of the young people who seem to vote more grounded on our existential threats, the gross inequality, the rising tide of fascism and fragmentation, and the realities we face. Very sad tonight. What a downer. All the distortion, lies, 'magical thinking', amorality, corruption that continues is disgusting.
7
I didn’t have any difficulty picking a candidate! I voted for Elizabeth Warren but any one of the Democratic candidates are better than Trump. I don’t understand why people are tortured.
220
@Peter
She just did win her own state. But Trump didn't win NY, his own state. Your criticism for that?
13
@Pigenfrafyn Elizabeth Warren is my candidate too - BUT... After today, if it doesn't seem she has a viable path forward, I'm switching to Bernie. Our primaries here are on the 24th, so I have the luxury of time; but it's the policy that matters to me most, and I don't want the progressive vote split. Looking at Massachusetts, Warren and Sanders currently make up 52% of the vote, but Joe may take it. Not that I dislike Joe, but I want more progressive policies.
17
@M If both progressives stay in the race, Biden will be pushed a bit toward progressive.
1
“I’m worried about our country, I don’t think we have a perfect candidate this time — we don’t have a Barack Obama,” said Justin Faircloth.
He may have been perfect for you and me, but half the country despised him. I'll settle for a consensus.
20
@CritterDoc Half the country despises Trump and hates Republicans generally. And the other half despises every Democrat individually and hates Democrats generally. That's the state we're in.
12
Perfection is immaterial at this point. Democrats just need someone better than Lucifer, who currently occupiers the Oval Office. I think the Democratic Party can succeed. It’s not brain surgery; it’s more heart surgery. Follow your heart. Vote decency.
163
@H. Clark
Decency.
Right.
Courtesy of the voters who tried to foist the Clintons back on this nation back in 2016...
7
@EGD I'll never vote for Biden. End of story.
2
@H. Clark Biden.......Never
1
We do have a perfect candidate: Elizabeth Warren. What we lack is a perfect electorate.
249
Indeed. But our country is sadly both sexist and misogynistic.
92
@Pigenfrafyn I hope that isn't true, but sometimes I wonder. After three years of a shouty old man in the White House, the Dems are down to two viable choices, and they're both shouty old men? Do some people just like being angry all the time? Do we need a federal program to distribute sedatives so people can calm down long enough to make rational decisions?
I hope Warren stays in long enough for me give her my vote.
49
@Amanda that’s why the Founders established the form of government they did. If men were angels, we’d have no need...
4
I’m positive I voted for the best candidate, Bernie Sanders. He is everything I want in a president. I have never been so excited to vote.
88
@Corey You did the right thing. Don't let others mock you or tell you you were high. Vote your conscience.
9
@Wodehouse - So long as one's conscience tells you that getting Trump out of office is the most important objective we have right now. Nothing else even comes close. Voting blue, no matter who, is exactly what one's conscience should be telling you.
1
@Corey I voted for Bernie, too! I think the Dems need to give him a spin. If the economy stays sound until November, Trump will win, so now is the time to see what the turn out will be come November for a candidate like Bernie. It's now or never, Dems!
6
We DON’T have a perfect candidate. We never do. No one does. But I think our best bet is Biden, with a young, sharp VP who will help him to zero in on great plans to address the big issues: healthcare, student loans, and foreign policy.
If we can do that, we can win. Because Trump has nothing. He’s had four years to address healthcare and student loans and had barely twitched.
23
Or maybe this “young, sharp VP” will help him with senility? Is THAT how Mayor Pete sold his soul? Except that Thais youngster won’t be there during the presidential campaign when Trump and the Reps easily destroy him ...
4
I'm also faced with a sudden choice. Not because I'm confused, or afraid, or indecisive. But because the people I choose keep dropping out.
Kamala Harris was my candidate. When she dropped out, it was down to a tough choice between Warren and Buttigieg. I chose Pete. Now Pete has dropped out. So I'm all in for Elizabeth Warren.
I'm guessing this is the last night of her campaign.
I don't want Bernie OR Biden. Yes, I will vote for whoever gets the nomination, of course. But sometimes I shake my head at the electorate and wonder how they make their decisions. And living in New Jersey, voting literally months from now, none of this is up to me. I just have to sit back, and accept who other people choose. It's frustrating.
71
Dear Senator Warren,
It's over. Withdraw now.
Thanks.
8
@PeteH -
Dear Senator Warren - Please, do not drop out. Please, keep fighting. We need you.
Thanks.
1
@PeteH, give it a rest, Bernie bro. This is a primary, in primaries people get to choose. Your guy doesn't win until he has a majority of delegates, something he did not achieve last time.
2
@ondelette - I'm NOT a Bernie Bro. Joe Biden is clearly the best possible candidate to win-over the middle- and working-class voters of the Electoral College in the swing states; you know, the people who voted for Obama, then voted for Trump, and aren't going to vote for Bernie Sanders in one million years.
2
And we have a perfect president. Lets vote this guy out of office anything is better.
12
Awwww, no perfect candidates this go' round fellow democrats?Wrong answer as usual. When will this party quit the obsessive handwringing and self doubt? We do have the perfect candidate. Anyone running against Trump. Stop the navel gazing and get on with the real work of sending the bloviator in chief packing come January 21st!
294
@Franklin Edwards Yeah, I am truly disappointed by the youth vote. Obviously they get the problem but they don't show up to vote.
4
@RamS Sorry, in case it wasn't clear, I wasn't talking about the choice, but the fact that the young support Sanders in extremely high amounts but then don't bother to go the polls...
4
Hey @Franklin Edwards,
Thanks for putting positivity out there!
1
My fear now is that once we have another debate -- I assume/hope one is planned and not shut down by the Democrats -- and we'll see what a paper tiger Biden really is.
I think the Democratic Party has done a real disservice to its voters by closing this race down early, after only four relatively small states had a chance to vote, and without giving the people themselves a few more days to express their preferences.
I fear it will cost them big time in November. They've certainly lost me as a decades-long volunteer every two years (and I'm not even a Sanders supporter although may become one now).
64
@avrds The Democratic Party is not "shutting down" anything. Biden does not have, and has not had at any point in this process, establishment support. They think he's too old. They think he can't win.
That's why the field stayed as large as it did for as long as it did, even to the point where people like Mike Bloomberg felt emboldened to jump in. Joe Biden has never been a "tiger" in this race, paper or otherwise.
I also think it's pretty disrespectful to dismiss the majority of voters who are voting for Biden in the states that have been called so far tonight. They are voting for Biden because that's who they want, not because anyone "shut anything down." I don't agree with them, and I'm voting for Warren if she's still in the race when my state votes. But it would never even occur to me to quit the party because my candidate didn't win.
Quite the contrary. Warren is actually my third choice. My first two dropped out. But I decided to put on my big girl pants and accept reality.
28
@Revelwoodie You need to explain with a straight face why and how Buttigieg and Klobuchar both QUIT their campaigns ONE day before Super Tuesday and then showed up in TX to support Biden without heavy intervention from the DNC. This reeks of party insider intervention and quid pro quos. Just reeks of it. Joe Biden was calling Super Tuesday "Super Thursday" this week; that's how confused and out of it he is. No way is he the best qualified candidate running; not even third best. We need another debate where he is more than a placeholder for the DNC.
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@me Ok, with a completely straight face. Buttigieg and Klobuchar stood down because they didn't see a path to the nomination, and they endorsed Biden because they think he's the best candidate for November. They are making decisions as rational actors, just as we all do.
No one in the Party dragged them into a back room and said, "Drop out of the race if you want to see you kids again."
Here's the part many seem to missing. The Democratic Party is a TEAM. And like any team, if one player knows he's dragging the rest of the team down, he taps out and cheers for the guy who can get the job done.
And by the way, I'm not a Biden supporter, if that matters. But I am on the team, and if he's the nominee, he gets my vote in November.
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What is a "perfect" candidate? If we Dems are looking for purity, we might as well pack up and go home. And a warning to those who are unhappy with the eventual nominee and decide to stay home or write in "their" person: both of these are actually a vote for - in this case - Trump no matter which state you live in.
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@New Yorker
Clinton's whole 2016 campaign was based on that she wasn't Trump. That didn't work out too well then and I fear that 2020 with a Biden nomination will be the same.
All Biden seems to be offering is a return to the way things were before Trump and nothing forward thinking.
I can relate to this. I myself only decided who to vote for 2 days before the election, and I've been following the primary regularly ever since it started. What matters is that no matter who wins — Bernie or Biden — democrats stand together in November and vote blue no matter who!
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My prediction: Sanders and Biden will knock each other out, and Warren will be the candidate.
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@NotKidding Odd name. You're clearly kidding.
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But any of them are better than Trump!
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