No thanks to NYT reporting which had major repeated front-page stories on Biden's problems but not nearly as many on Bernie's problems, that talked about Pete's inability to win black voters many times but not as much for Bernie, that didn't realize Nevada caucuses were unrepresentative BECAUSE they are caucuses. Times political reporters let their bias against Biden show over and over again. They don't look so good now. Editors look even worse. My favorite paper needs to do better. Sanders as a 2020 presidential candidate is done. This was clear form Super Tuesday, but now it's so obvious it's impossible to deny. Only question is if Sanders bows out gracefully, works 110% to bring Sandernistas on board, or do they go guerrilla war. NYT WAY too easy on Bernie! https://realcontextnews.com/the-death-throes-of-the-failed-sandernista-revolution/
1
Not sure whines louder and more often - Putin's errand boy or Sanders' online troll-stooges. I mean read some of these comments . Anyway both bought and paid for by the Kremlin.
At this point you are either all in for Biden or you are all in for the traitor and there ain't no middle ground.
1
Lets get something straight here, Biden walked into this backwards, after our great and wise American press screamed socialist as loud and as often as it could for months. The NYTs being the leader as it was in its coverage in the previous election
I don't remember reading a catalog of Biden's dozens of votes for the 1% even once. But, what else is new, Americans by and large have never had an accurate picture of their candidates. Nor has our press ever played fair with its out size influence. Except when it puts on it blindfold and goes looking for the random piñata.
6
Mr. Biden. You wake up and yawn and you are congratulated. Good for you. If you truly want my vote, you need to stop saying how you'll "beat everyone up" and start addressing your bratty kid. I guess I will vote for you in the end because I despise Trump. But give me something.
- a Republican
7
Watch the video completely with Biden and the AR-14 comments.
The NY Times journalists defended him. Fine.
Now imagine that being Sanders. Shush to his lady staffer? Going take your “rear” outside to voter. Acted like he didn’t work for the voter.
We would have multiple articles without a doubt slamming Sanders.
I haven’t seen any criticize article on Biden in ages. The media is setting us up to be ambushed and is highly biased against progressives.
3
Thorough hold on the party? More like a guy hanging from the railing of a ship in rough seas, if you ask me.
2
Biden is the same corrupt party establishment that thinks it will thrive simply because people hate Trump! They may have another one coming if they think people will vote for them just because they hate Trump!! One mistake they’ve especially done that I think might doom them is the negativity they’ve done towards sanders. It could come back to bite them I am afraid!! And it might not just be Biden, but those congress folks too as the party is swept out!!! Be ware!!! The whole country isn’t black like South Carolina!! They can’t even win in South Carolina itself!!
2
Now that this has happened, I wish for Barack Obama to be Biden’s VP.
2
Can't Wait
Biden Slogan:
Running on Obama Fumes,
Won't Really Matter all the Much,
Just Think--no more tiresome twitter
'Joe Biden Is Poised to Deliver the Biggest Surprise of 2020'
Every one with half a working brain could tell you he was going to be the nominee.
Why act surprised now, if we all knew the DNC wanted him to win all along, and they were going to get him there any way they had to.
Don't act surprised now, just because you shilled for Warren for years.
He's the chosen paragon of the DNC.
And the DNC was not about to run an old socialist and be embarrassed at the voting booth.
Like it was ever going to be some one else, haha!
2
Biden's stuttering is the media's cover for Biden's inability to carry on a coherent conversation.
1
VP Pick: Obama. Thats M. Obama.
2
Two observations worth noting: Sanders comments today as to the questions he will ask Biden at their debate are as disrespectful as Trump's calling Sanders a Socialist or Communist. Sanders has no respect for anyone or anything but his own genius - sound familiar? Sanders is going to burn down the Democrats house rather than allow the voters to decide who should be their candidate. Which is observation #2: if people aren't voting for Sanders to even win in primaries why would they get off their butts and vote for him in the 2020 election? Except for young voters Democrats see Sanders as a danger they do not support. But Sanders, like Trump, will tell you he is the chosen one. But in a democracy where people are free to vote he seems to have not gotten that message across to enough voters to be collecting delegates. And the saddest part is that Sanders will do everything he can to sabotage Biden's efforts and help put Trump back in the White House. If Sanders and his supporters all moved to Denmark than Biden will win in a landslide. So lets chip in and send them ontheir way. Biden will be surrounded by some of the smartest political minds in America and he will fight for healthcare, climate change, real wages for workers, taxes on the rich, and every program that the Democrats need to save this country from Republicans who are tearing it apart day by day under their fearless stable genius who should never have ben elected. The voters are speaking and choosing Biden for 2020.
3
Who you gonna Call ? Trump Busters !!!
Congratulations, Joe.
NOVEMBER.
1
A surprise only to those who live in a bubble - or an echo chamber, such as the comment section of the NYTimes.
3
"Mr. Biden decided against a run four years ago as he mourned his son Beau, who died in May 2015."
Yeah that's why he didn't run. Not because of, I don't know, Hillary maybe?
This paper could really show more respect to the readers' intelligence.
4
The biggest surprise of 2020 may be that the faithful, the drinkers of the kool aid, may finally be figuring out they elected a clown as President of the United States. You know, that guy who ‘knows more than the generals’ and ‘has a natural instinct for science,’ and thinks he can forecast the weather better than those guys at NOAA, dismiss decades of climate change data, and handle a global pandemic — because after all, he had an uncle who taught at MIT? Did he really say that? In public? Are you kidding me?
He’s not just a clown... he’s a clown suffering from delusions and florid hallucinations. Democrats, just quit messing around already. Pick a candidate and get it over with. Pick someone who’ll sell in Erie and Sheboygan. Then make darned sure the clown with the orange toupee and the fake tan doesn’t spend another four years in the Oval Office, with long weekends off playing golf with hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars.
3
Now it's time to turn the focus on getting that draft-dodging criminal Russian traitor out of the White House.
4
I'll take Biden's blunderings rather then Trump's lies & incompetence anytime!
1
Losing to Donald Trump?
1
Watch for Biden's surprise pick for VP---Michelle Obama.
1
The question of why has the Biden campaign for President gained such traction in recent weeks is not that difficult to answer. The fact is, the nation is afraid of Trump and he is afraid of Biden.
Therefore, it is not difficult to surmise that Biden will bring a capacity to the presidency that is obviously lacking in Trump.
Trump , Biden and the nation are all aware of this fact.
1
Most Americans find national affairs too complicated to study or comprehend, so they look for politicians whose names they remember and who they believe they would enjoy having a beer with.
Sec. Clinton had been savaged by Republicans for decades, so she wasn't popular with. Most Republicans probably couldn't tell you why.
Bernie said he was a communist, or something, He was going to take away your health insurance and everyone thinks they know what happened when Obama promised you could keep your doctor.
I suspect the Founders had this kind of dynamic in mind when they shackled us to the Electoral College. And look how that worked out.
1
I respect all who hold to the basic planks of the Democratic Party, but I must admit, I am ruthlessly pragmatist, and so I welcome Uncle Joe into his new found primary sweet spot.
I say, keep that Trans Am in tip top shape and get it ready. Might make for a nice ride for January 20th, who knows?
1
In my view, whether it's Biden or Sanders, either one would be leagues better than trump, and I'll support and volunteer my time for whoever wins this primary.
But Trump's extremism is why my 1st choice leans towards Biden. As much as I like Sanders and his ideas, his revolution may have to wait. The country is too torn up for a hard left swing. We need a return to civility & unity that Biden may be the only one in a position to bring. We need someone with years of experience, who has established relationships with our allies, who knows & respects the Constitution, who has experience working with Congress (not against it), and who'll appoint cabinet members not bent on destroying the agencies they're supposed to lead.
Biden is not corrupt, nor is he corruptible. We need a fundamentally decent person in charge. Trump has no sense of decency. He doesn't even know right from wrong. He stresses everyone out, even his own supporters. Even his so-called "great economy" has a weak foundation.
Biden may not be young. He may not generate as much "energy" as other candidates. He gets tongue tied at times.
But he's steady & reliable.
The country needs to take a breather. For lack of a better word, we need to be "bored" (not complacent) by what happens in Washington.
Finally, we can trust Biden to gently move the country in the progressive direction many of us seem to want.
3
Too bad, Mr. Sanders was probably our last hope. Mr. Biden is a “Republican-lite” placeholder who will do nothing to step on the toes of those behind our insane military spending, wage stagnation, non-existent interest in savings, and for-profit education, health care and prisons. International oil companies will continue to pay no taxes and we will be at war for decades.
The status quo worked for Mr. Biden, and that’s what he offers. If you think about the great social contributions of the Clinton and Obama administrations you’ll realize that there weren’t any despite all the talk. We need more, and we won’t get it from Joe Biden.
2
For a guy that supposedly has such a firm hold he never acted that way in the debates giving lackluster performances and until South Carolina looked and acted like a has been.
1
Now that Biden apparently has the party, he needs to ensure he has the voters. His best move would be to claim the ground on the higher education front, preferably with something more plausible than Sanders's pie in the sky "free college for all/forgive student debt" voter bait.
Bernie’s behavior will be telling.
Will he be stubborn and give his followers the message that they will be required to be stubborn? That he is the only for sure candidate for the Democratic race?
Or will Sanders, really, as he says, want to dismiss Donald Trump and restore this country, and therefore support Joe Biden.
Yes, this will be telltale.
1
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
Will it take the Democratic Party to go from 1/4 of the electorate to 1/10 before it dawns on them that THEY - and their nomination process - need a major overhaul?
1
Biden didn't doing his own winning. The Democratic establishment did the winning for Biden. The patronage system in South Carolina called in all its debts. The Democratic elite orchestrated Buttigieg's and Klobuchar's chorus of capitulation just before super Tuesday. The media has been on full horserace mode to influence public opinion instead of policy and background reporting. Biden's prospects against Trump have not been examined.
The reality is Biden's prospects against Trump on his own merits are very dim. But the establishment from both parties are going to coalesce around Biden to defeat Trump. The financial elite did very well under Trump but Trump's insanity is too destabilizing for the elite to manage. Far better a more predictable and malleable puppet in Biden. It's looking like the financial elite are going to win the primary. If they do they are very likely to replace Trump. But he will make the establishment an issue. He's no stranger to ironic hypocrisy. Biden better have some anti-establishment armaments going against Trump. A very progressive VP would be a very smart choice.
3
Boring would be a great relief after four terrible years of chaos and strife.
However, I would characterize Joe Biden as calm and focused rather than boring.
With a well-chosen VP and cabinet there will be plenty to do digging us out of the snake pit we find ourselves in now.
1
Biden's gaffes continue to pile up. Does he possess the mental acuity required for such a stressful position? Clearly there is concern amongst Democrats, who are urging that he limit his remarks.
1
I don't know that he has any kind of hold on me. It's silly to imagine a mandate. I'm just tired of politics and everyone in it. I don't care who gets the nomination. There is no vision. No agenda. No enthusiasm. No hope. I am just anticipating another dreary 4 years of this perfectly awful status quo.
1
Biden needs a focus, beyond Trump, on the future, or he loses.
Let us not forget that Trump still trumps the media, as president.
I suggest Democrats focus on a new democracy dream in 2020.
"Democracy is coming to the USA" (Leonard Cohen song)
"If you don't have a dream,
how you gonna have a dream come true?" (South Pacific)
I hope Democrats and the Times will focus on a new democracy.
"Democracy is coming to the USA"
1
Sorry, I don't see Biden as authentic or genuine or nice or any of the other positive descriptors that I see in these comment sections. I see him as a slimy politician who will say or do anything to gain power. I don't think he has any true convictions.
1
Will you ever change from your horse race coverage and analysis of political elections? What do any of us learn from this?
1
Last try:
Maybe NOW with the bandwagon effect (for Biden) and reduced "long shot" participation (for Bernie) vote numbers may complete this self-fulfilling prophesy.
But the argument (regarded as truth) that YOUTH voter turnout for Bernie in Super Tuesday primaries was LESS than in 2016 appears to be simply untrue! The youth have been voting in HIGHER numbers, compared to 2016, just not as much as the older age-classes have. Furthermore, the fractions of older age-classes (that make up "baby boomers") are higher than in 2016, also giving the ILLUSION that youth voter turnout is less this time. The shares of the electorate of younger age-classes have gone DOWN. (Beware of misleading articles/data based on GENERATIONAL trends rather than age-class trends, because each generation does NOT correspond to the same length of time, i.e. boomers occur over 18 years, whereas Generation Z involve just 5 years.) Furthermore, since Democratic party affiliation is much lower among the youth compared to older age-classes, data from closed and semi-closed primaries ESPECIALLY under-represent the likely participation from youth in the 2020 general election (which is what's really important here).
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/an-early-look-at-the-2020-electorate/
https://vtdigger.org/2020/03/06/politifact-a-closer-look-at-turnout-young-voters-and-a-key-bernie-sanders-strategy/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l5fpK7ysQhQbZPv9hnZ_-PO1J1zBVPXSSQjNejTXecY/edit#gid=1189109697
1
Bernie,
There is no path to the nomination. Tim, Beto, Jay, Kirsten, Kamala, Cory, Pete, Amy, Mike, Elizabeth and everyone else reached a common sense conclusion.
The voters have spoken. We know Joe will include some of your demands in our platform. It's up to you to inform your supporters a write-in for Bernie Sanders is a vote for Trump.
We are facing a pandemic and voters prefer a Biden administration to reinstate the Obama pandemic teams Trump dismantled.
I will remind everyone I was not Joe Biden's hearty supporter either. But I'm all in now.
1
There’s a clip today showing a doddering Joe Biden saying something about Bernie joining Trump as he’s getting into a vehicle.
What the heck is Joe even talking about?
Dems putting all their eggs in Joe’s rapidly declining cognitive basket are making an enormous mistake.
Again, brokered convention after the party big wigs say ‘enough!’
1
Please don’t let the surprise be Stacey Abrams as his running mate.
I am a progressive democrat and would support Bernie's overall agenda. I like what Bernie is saying, but not the way he is saying it. Bernie needs some coaching to win in our political climate. Hot button words and phrases won't win this election for democrats. Bernie is not electable. I'd vote for Donald Duck before I'd vote for Donald Trump.... However, and to much disagreement here, I do not believe that Bernie can win (!)
5
Joe Biden has already delivered the wrecking ball to The formidable socialist Democrat Bernie Sanders. What else is he going to deliver in 2020 that is predictable today. Bernie has not dropped out and will not as long as he sees hope that he will be close second and at a striking distance. There is a debate on Sunday with only Biden and Bernie, uno to uno (one to one). Lets wait for it and watch the shifting sands. The Biden campaign is doing everything to hide him from interacting with protesters and those asking questions. Corona has provided a cool cover for Biden with his rallies canceled under further notice but just as Bloomberg came under the electron microscope during his first debate, Biden will be coming under close scrutiny at the debate and will have a lot of answering to do.
5
The biggest surprise for me is the belief that actual voters gave him these wins at all. Here's a person who has repeatedly failed to excite voters in his previous presidential runs and even in this one up until a week ago; stands for very little other than continuing to hang out with his friends in the donor class and in a do-nothing, incompetent Congress; and very clearly is in the throes of mild to moderate cognitive decline. It's appalling really. I can only guess that the cynical people at the DNC know he's a sure loser, but are trying to salvage some down-ballot races?
I haven't pinched myself yet because this nightmare is just too weird to miss.
8
@Andrew Thank you, could not have said it better myself.
1
Who is micromanaging Joe Biden? The speech last night was clearly written by someone other than Biden; his delivery was stage-managed and he stuck to a teleprompter. It's pretty scary to anticipate replacing Trump with such an establishment figure beholden to special interests as Biden. Even discussion of a potential black/female/both VP is pandering to an attempt to pacify voters who supported female candidates for POTUS. That is pointless. As in 2016, Democrats are being stuck with a sub-par nominee and told to suck it up. I will vote against Trump even if the nominee is a paper bag, but it won't make me contribute to Democrats or the DNC. This is not progress. Like 2016 it's behind-the-scenes party manipulation and it smells really bad.
1
If the Democrats nominate Joe Biden, a lot of Bernie's supporters will vote for Trump, just as they did in 2016.
They will feel betrayed, again, by party leadership.
Many young voters will, simply, not vote at all.
I think the Democrats are poised to make the same mistake they did in 2016.
3
If VP Biden revisited the Democratic platforms from 1940.1944. and 1948, he could use many of the stirring thoughts therein to preach a vision even more progressive than Sen. Saunders.
All he's got to do is point out that this is what presidents Roosevelt and Truman wanted for the babies born during that decade, such as him, Sen. Sanders and Mr. Trump, and that way too much of it still needs to be done.
4
Yes, Joe Biden's recent success has been an astounding surprise. It confirms the conclusion many had already reached, that Iowa and New Hampshire are irrelevant. And it adds a charge of irrelevancy to all those candidates' debates, in which Biden's performances were far from stellar, and mostly pretty disheartening.
Let's hope that from now to November, confident in the support of a large majority of Democrats of many descriptions, Biden will find a voice that is more clear, calm, and coherent than what we had been hearing.
3
Stop taking the support of young voters for granted in November. Biden will win this primary. But winning in November will require significant concessions to younger voters.
Younger voters who support Bernie want medicare for all and they want student loan relief. Shaming them about staying home because Biden happens to align with them on social issues isn't going to work. Like older voters, young voters vote their pocketbook.
Social interest and economic interests don't always align. A young, homeless or housing insecure man in LA with HIV and drug addiction doesn't share the same class interest as Mayor Pete, who is well off, gets VA healthcare, and has a stellar resume. Both are for gay rights, but disagree on economic issues. The young man in LA needs health care to live, a roof over his head, and a job that pays a living wage. Biden needs to spell out how he will help people like that, convincingly, or he will lose.
Consider this a shake down if you must, but I think Bernie will stay in the race until this is made clear, and his voters will stay with him until he's satisfied that the party has made enough concessions.
7
Now that Biden has Sanders on the ropes, Bernie might being up an issue that has so far been missing from the Democratic debates. For weeks, the Justice Department has been vetting allegations of money laundering, bribery and extortion again Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden on connection with their dealings with Burisma and Ukraine.
Hunter is involved in a paternity suit. He has has been ordered to appear in an Arkansas court today to reveal the sources of his income or face contempt of court charges. “After months of hiding, one has to wonder if the reason Hunter Biden continues to defy the court is because there are financial documents could shed light on his father’s massive conflicts of interest as vice president,” Republican National Committee spokesman said Sunday.
At the Arizona debate on March 15, CNN moderators should being up the issue of whether the Bidens might be under criminal investigation by the time of the Democratic National Convention. If not, Sanders should bring it up. Rudy Giuliani would probably bur happy to furnish CNN or the Sanders campaign copies of the evidence he supplied to the Justice Department.
6
To adapt the title of the 1963 Broadway musical, "Bye, bye, Bernie."
17
@Lifelong Democrat To adapt the political reality that the Goldwater campaign portended for the Right: We're not going away because we've already won.
1
@Lifelong Democrat
I guess you missed the announcement that Sanders is not going anywhere. See you at the debate.
And at the convention. Assuming Biden does not trip over his own tongue before then.
1
I'm white. I struggled to understand why people of color are supporting Joe Biden above everyone else - until one of my friends told me this, "We remember that Biden was a powerful, rich white politician who faithfully served the skinny black newcomer, Barak Obama, never upstaged him, always supported him with respect and dignity."
77
@Cheryl Woodard - I just like the man. What's that word - authentic.
18
@Cheryl Woodard I'm a person of color although I'm not black. I'm a firm supporter of Biden since Day 1. Let me tell you why. Biden has universal respectful traits that go beyond races. They are called decency, integrity, and dignity. He is someone that I can trust and have full confidence in. He is NOT defined by Obama, although I also have my ultimate respect to Obama.
73
@Cheryl Woodard
This skinny, white and black newcomer got crushed on Chicago's South Side - and started playing party "machine" politics, thereafter. (Danny Davis, Axelrod, etc. guided him). If Biden endorsed a candidate that was popular among blacks BEFORE they became empowered by the white establishment, like Bobby Rush, THAT would be something. But southern blacks seem to be OK with being cogs in the Democratic party machinery.
4
Stop calling Biden the “establishment” favorite. He won Super Tuesday and yesterday because a majority of Democratic voters chose him over Sanders. He won with less money, less organization and without a passionate appeal. Biden won because most voters view him as the best choice to beat Trump. Democrats want Trump out!
156
@Garry Why do most voters view Biden as the "best choice"? Head-to-head polling data had long suggested Bernie was just as effective as Biden against Trump, including in key swing states. To suggest this was "just voters" is a major omission of what transpired since Bernie's victory in Nevada.
19
@Garry Biden is the democratic establishment favorite, he is the establishment. It’s just the way it is.
20
@Brian: There has been no criticism of Bernie from the Republican/Russian propaganda machine because they view Bernie are the weaker candidate. According to the intelligence agencies, Russian is even assisting Bernie, and even Trump is promoting the "Bernie is being cheated" meme. On the other side, the machine is working to try to sink Joe Biden. Trump was even impeached over it. The Republicans are promoting it. If Bernie were to become the nominee, that propaganda machine would have buried him, and they are very good at it. They convinced people that Bill and Hillary were running drugs and killing people in Arkansas. They convinced people that Hillary was running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza parlor that had no basement. They made Bush, who didn't complete his daddy arranged National Guard service a war hero of Kerry who volunteered and was awarded 3 Purple Hearts. What would they have done with Bernie's Democratic Socialist (shortened to socialist and then turned to communist) self-described label? What about his speeches praising Castro and the train stations in Moscow?
4
“You best believe Donald J. Trump is going to make this a repeat of 2016. There are so many similarities for him to hit.”
There are also important differences. Hillary Clinton came *thisclose* to winning four years ago. If she had been a man, she wouldn't have faced the sexism that unfortunately exists. She also had a 25-year history of mistrust among a large group of voters. Biden doesn't have any of those obstacles - voters might think he's a little loopy, but they generally like him and think he has a good heart.
92
But Trump was also considered much weaker candidate and he was not incumbent.
18
@Jeff
Does a "good heart" include supporting the Iraq war, Wall Street deregulation, and the bankruptcy bill, choices that generated suffering for millions of people? Does being "loopy" excuse lying about his past and berating voters? Are Biden supporters even interested in his record or his actions? Or do they just regard him as "decent" because that is the current media narrative, regardless of facts?
21
@yulia
Trump is much more loathed and detested in 2020 than he was in 2016.
The anti-Hillary vote has now been transmuted to Trump.
Outside his cult, Trump is largely reviled....and his sycophantic Republican co-conspirators in the Senate are not much more 'popular' than he is.
That will boost Biden's and the Democratic Senate and House candidates' November vote.
21
Most young liberals disavow Biden on the basis of his conservative voting record. Many have told me they won’t vote for him, and may not vote at all if he’s the nominee. I heard the same from older Democrats who were afraid to lose their private insurance if Bernie was nominated. So, pardon me for strongly disagreeing that Biden has been accepted as the torch-bearer for the left. To many voters, he represents a stark rift within the party.
68
@Will As a progressive, I can tell you that he absolutely represents a rift in the party. He's extremely unpopular among the progressive movement and I've heard many people say that they refuse to vote for him. I'm not sure I agree with that decision, but I understand where they're coming from and believe they have the right to make that choice. The gulf between Biden and the progressive movement is so wide, it's hard to believe we're in the same party. He's on a completely different page when it comes to many of the issues that progressives consider essential.
33
Young voters didn’t exactly turn out to vote for Bernie when they professed to support him, so color me unconcerned if they are threatening not to vote for Biden now.
19
@Rudy The rift existed in 2016 and contributed to the election of Trump. I expect the same result for 2020.
13
If Biden wants to pick up a few million votes from younger voters this November, he should promise to support legislation that reverses the Bankruptcy Reform Act and allows bankruptcy against student loan debt. We don't have to eliminate all student loan debt, just treat it the same way we treat other debt.
3
What an incredible turn around for the former VP! I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the 50+ y/o voters who made this possible. They won't live to experience the chaos caused by Trump/Biden treating climate as a minor issue, but they can rest easy knowing they did their duty as stewards of our one and only habitable planet.
4
We need a Democrat like Joe Biden to regain the White House so he can deliver on
1) Medicare for all
2) Tough climate change policy
3) no tuition at public universities
Wait.. I was just old that those platforms and policies belong to Bernie Sanders. Biden is not in favor of any of those policies. Wait. I was just told that big pharma and oil have Biden in their pockets. I was also just told that Biden's climate policy will NOT be anywhere near adequate.
So may be a good enough reason to elect him is that he is the most electable. Wait.... this reminds me of 2016 and Clinton. As Yogi Bera once said, "It's deja vu all over again".
6
@Just Sayin’
If Joe’s the nominee, who gets your vote?
While Biden is not my choice I will vote for him ignoring platitudes like “bridge to the future”. However all that praise for him by commenters seems like whistling past the graveyard. We all know he is a nothing burger. Let’s hope Democrats will come out to vote.
9
More propaganda for the corrupt corporate candidate. It's deja vu all over again.
9
@Observer And your comment could be considered aa more propaganda intended to divide Democrats. Just like in 2016.
2
Biden's lead is hardly a "thorough hold." Neither candidate is even halfway to the finish line.
3
Trump is telling people to just stay calm... He's got this.
I think that people are mistaking Trump's "calm" with what is actually indifference. Trump is incapable of care.
The Ties Between Crime and Malignant Narcissism [PsychCentral]
--Perhaps the most terrifying symptom of malignant narcissism is the lack of empathy and may demonstrate kind facial or body language while simultaneously hurting another person. Because of the contrast in what is being said vs. what is being done, many people can feel as if they are losing their mind.
‘It doesn’t matter.’ ‘We’ll see.’ The Trump Doctrine is sounding more fatalistic every day. [WashingtonPost]
It was Feb. 27, 2004, and Donald Trump was on “Larry King Live” to talk about his new hit TV show “The Apprentice.” Eight episodes had already aired — including one titled “Ethics Shmethics” — and the real estate mogul seemed pleased to gab with King about his return to relevance. Near the end of the segment, a caller from Burlington, N.J., asked Trump how he handles stress. “I try and tell myself it doesn’t matter,” Trump replied. “Nothing matters. If you tell yourself it doesn’t matter — like you do shows, you do this, you do that, and then you have earthquakes in India where 400,000 people get killed. Honestly, it doesn’t matter.”
3
If the party wants continuity and more of the same, so be it. But what should those who see an urgent need for reform and real change do? Should they give up? Should they bargain for their support as any other special group does? Should they wait to pick up the pieces if there is another loss in the presidential election? Is there a way for this to end well?
As Jesse Jackson said, "It takes two wings to fly". In order to attract young voters and more women to the polls and create a Democratic juggernaut, Biden should do all he can to get, yes, Elizabeth Warren, to be vice president. Joe is only going to be president for one term, so his VP will be groomed to be president in 2024. Joe can push progressive policies as much as he can and then let Warren make them reality. (Second choice for VP-Governor of Michigan, because she can deliver that state).
5
@birdiesboy Progressives are motivated by policy, not simply by having a neutered bobble-head to confer "street cred" on an out-of-touch corporatist.
2
The biggest surprise of 2020 is likely to be the re-election of Donald Trump, and that's a shame.
Given an opportunity to choose the best and brightest - Pete Buttigieg, for example - Democratic primary voters have instead settled for the false comfort of homophobia, misogyny and a misplaced reliance on loyalty and the increasingly meaningless metric of experience.
We are left with two old white guys quarreling and getting lost in their quarrels.
6
@Dave T.
Just because someone didn’t vote for Pete does not indicate that they are homophobic, as you imply.
Just because someone didn’t vote for a woman does not indicate that they are misogynistic, as you imply.
Otherwise, using that standard, anyone who voted for Pete would be a misogynist. Anyone who voted for a woman would be a homophobe. I don’t t think that’s true. I hope you don’t actually believe it either.
Such commentary is not helpful. It divides rather than unites. Like Trump .
Let’s not be like Trump.
Any Functioning Adult 2020
@Franco51
Good luck with that.
We'll need it.
Slam-dunk landslide victory: the Joe Biden/Michelle Obama ticket. What a dream team. What could be better after the Obama/Biden team than the Biden/Obama team? Sigh. In my dreams.
8
@squeakalicious I wish. Unfortunately, Michelle Obama has zero interest in diving back into politics again. Given the level of animosity that the obstructionist Republicans and right wing Fox news crowd showed towards her and her husband for 8 years, I can't say I blame her.
2
Kornacki had a funny line this morning on MSN. HJe said:
"...Joe Biden came 4th in Iowa and 5th in new Hampshire. He had them right where he wanted them..."
Just aqn amazing sequence of events.
As I have posted before- on the Sunday after SC and just before Super Tuesday, KCDC had a youngish black woman on her final panel of her show. She went round the table asking for opinions about Tuesday. She gave the black woman the last word. That lady, whose name unfortunately escapes me said :
"...welcome to the black primary, y'all. The South has something to say. Black women are going to do the talking....".
And so it proved, along of cours ewith white moderate suburban women in ring suburbs. Those women have had as much of trump and his loathesome supporters as they intend to take.b
3
Biden will bring a sense of calm and camaraderie with his Republican colleagues which is exactly what is necessary during this coronavirus epidemic.
3
@LAM
Oh. So we can shake hands and pass more if their agenda while they hide their shark teeth and giggle that Biden believed their lies?
Dare I say, Biden the juggernaut. :) It looks like he is going to romp on his way to the White House.
3
The Democratic Party will bring progress back instead of the constant destruction of everything built before. I applaud Biden for recognizing he is a "bridge" to the future, and he will be. We must, and shall, return to a more progressive agenda, but by measured steps, bringing Americans together with us instead of splintering us apart even more. We are going to have to quickly rebuild what has been wrenched apart, while recovering from the financial devastation were in the midst of. Biden can do this. Let's get behind him.
11
Stuttering should not impede someone from becoming a president. Still, in the debates it may become problematic.
2
The biggest surprise will be when Trump is reelected. Mr. Biden was in the right place at the right time, his current success has nothing to do with him. Mr. Biden’s trajectory was changed within three days by the media and largely this paper (that I subscribe to). I was never a Sander’s supporter, but at least he deserved the nomination. He’s not a whitewashed mascot that panders to the superficiality of aligning behind a candidate because he allegedly represents your bland identity politics better. Mr. Sanders had ideas---I could have stomached him being the nominee, but I will not support Mr. Biden nor will I vote for him in the general election. The democrats need to do better---they’ve been consumed with reactionary behaviour for too long. It’s resulted in a party of endless compromises. I’m not supporting this mediocre philosophy of the lesser of two evils anymore. The party should spend more time creating substantive ideas that result in meaningful change and less time appealing to ethnicity and gender, which doesn’t matter to begin with. It’s clear the NYT has been overly consumed about only beating Trump at all costs and has pushed its readers in this direction. It’s done this to both Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg through its reporting. I’m abstaining from the election, I’m not voting for someone I don’t believe in, just to win at all costs over Trump, as this paper wants us to do.
15
@Mr. Kawakubo ...Well said. Having yet another electoral choice between a sharp stick in the eye or a kick in the groin is getting old. It’s becoming clear what Benjamin Franklin meant we announced we were getting “...a Republic, if you can keep it.”
3
@Mr. Kawakubo Your rush to write Biden off seems a bit premature. And your reasons for doing so -- "identity politics", "winning at all costs against trump" -- sound suspiciously similar to what trump followers often say in their attempts to divide and depict Democrats in the worst light possible.
Why don't you at least wait to see who Biden picks as his running mate? Or at least wait to see what he'd say or do as he campaigns as a presidential candidate?
Refusing to vote for the "lesser of two evils" will result in an even more dangerous evil, which is another term for Trump. We simply can't risk 4 more years of trump as he chips away at our national security. It won't be safe for any of us. Same goes for his Republican lackeys in Congress who've chosen to protect and enable trump at all costs to the country.
If you can't see by now why getting trump out of office is a matter of urgency, then you never will. Then again, sounds like you weren't going to vote for a Democrat regardless of who wins the nomination.
Whether it's Biden or Sanders, either one would be leagues better than what's in the oval office now. And I'll support & volunteer my time for whoever wins the Democratic nomination.
1
@Roberta
Democrats spent all the time Trump has been in office by trying to tear him down instead of building themselves up. They did the same thing with Bush. We’ve obsessed, reacted and taken the bait over every miniscule movement he makes. It’s consumed and infected us. And now we’re on the way to nominating a man no one seems to have an interest in, because we think all of a sudden he is our best shot at winning. If democrats wanted to coalesce around someone they should have done so a long time ago with Hillary Clinton, who had the intelligence and skills to be a good president---instead they trashed her again and again. (And that’s why Trump got elected). I’m not now voting for a third rate candidate out of desperation---I’m not desperate, I can wait four more years to have a candidate that deserves my vote.
The democratic candidates squandered the primaries with low, unsophisticated blows of identity politics---trying to get ahead with unfounded claims of racism, misogyny and wealthism. That was the overwhelming and prevailing strategy. And, now, sorry, but no, I’m not willing to identify with the result.
PS You can dismiss me by saying I’m not a democrat, but you’d be wrong. I’ve only ever voted for democrats.
1
Joe Biden was not my first choice but now he is certainly the only choice.
I sometimes think that if I went into the voting booth come this November and the two choices we’re either Donald Trump or Pol Pot I would probably choose Pot.
Vote blue no matter who.
Please to restore dignity to this country.
11
The only choice is not a choice.
Biden not only will be our nominee but with the unlimited technical and financial support of Mike Bloomberg, we will destroy Trump.
Most of us have not forgotten how Bernie and his Bernie Bros tried their best to destroy our party.
We owe them nothing.
This will be a golden opportunity to remind them that Americans in droves rejected their Socialist Revolution snake oil.
The real work will be to defeat Trump and return this land to stability and moderation in every possible way.
Forget the Bernie Bros. Most don't vote anyway, which is part of why Bernie is in the dust.
They make no difference at all in any practical election.
With Independents, Republicans and real Dems we will defeat Trump and be rid of the extreme right and left.
6
You would do yourself a favor if you took the time to understand what socialism already exists in our country. Our roads, bridges, police,military are all socialist institutions and facilities. When tax dollars to help children get a decent breakfast before school are depleted by the meals and entertainment deduction by corporations, that is just plain wrong.
3
@Simon Sez I don't trust you're an American. If you are, you would be welcoming ALL Americans and support the democratic process. It isn't over until it is over. Your strategy will definitely give us four more years of Trump - is that what you want?
By attacking the progressive left who are in no way similar to the right (the extreme moderates, it appears are in greater #s than the extreme left, 8% to 3%)
But go ahead, if you think the Ds can win without like 20-30% of the D voters in MI that did vote for Sanders, given how close HRC's loss was in 2016, you're wrong. That is a recipe for four more years of Trump.
2
@Simon Sez
I am a moderate. But I think you’re completely wrong. Biden reaches out last night to Bernie and his supporters. Thst is exactly what we should all do. We are all brothers and sisters. Biden should continue to reach out. Bernie should stop acting as though anyone who does not completely agree with him is a sellout who doesn’t care about the American people.
I am a Bernie voter. I want Trump out 4 sure though. If Biden gets the nomination fair and square, like it is going now, I am cool with it.
I think Biden would have a cake walk in, if he'd just want to legalize weed.
8
@GladF7 What's Bernie's position on marijuana?
If it is true that Biden has a hold on the Democratic Party it is only true because the Democrats have become so conservative. Biden is not himself progressive and does not represent progressivism in America. I will only vote for him to rid ourselves of the mentally ill Trump.
7
Call me Cassandra. But when the relief and euphoria of having Joe Biden as the frontrunner wears off, and reality sets in, we'll face the full picture of having Joe Biden as our standard bearer. And then the fun begins.
Just be prepared to be making lots of phone calls and knocking on lots of doors to persuade people to vote. It ain't gonna happen by itself.
In 2016, the prospect of a Trump presidency was not enough. Hopefully in 2020, the abuses of the Trump administration will be. You'd think they would, but ... from reading the comments section, we are so not there yet.
29
@pi
Not going to happen. Moderates will need to create the grass roots to fight this battle. They don’t have it. They have Boomers who are swayed by NY Times communist articles and Fox News.
If they want the progressives they have to give us a voice. And it needs to be from Bernies group not the others. He has the largest contingent of progressives. They are the grass roots. Right now there is zero reason for them to fight beyond not Trump.
Good luck with that. I will take my energy and time downstream.
@pi No, it’s not enough. Nor should it be. Offering a substantive, dynamic candidate would be. Mr. Biden is definitely not that. And this manipulation by the media to control the direction of the primary to the candidate they think has the best shot (to simply win) will most likely backfire. And, even if it ends up being successful we will have a president that was not elected by merit, let alone passion---he will be average at best. This is not exactly a good long term strategy.
Lol I am doing non of that for Joe
Maybe the USA should take this opportunity to congratulate MAGA on its victory. Dismantling the USA government has resulted in a higher infection rate, and greater economic damage, than would have resulted from an average administration's response to Covid-19.
I'm not sure what Biden would do about that problem, since he seems to be firmly committed to moderation in all things -- along with the great center of the country.
5
@Sequel
"dismantling the USA government has resulted in a higher infection rate, and greater economic damage, than would have resulted from an average administration's response to Covid-19."
Do you really believe what you are saying? Please explain why more progressive societies (with much smaller populations) like Italy, Spain, France and Germany have more cases and deaths then we currently have in the US? What in your wisdom are they doing wrong?
The voters not the DNC, or the Establishment , have turned this primary around. This is not the race that Bernie Sanders thought he would be running.
People are frankly terrified of what 4 more years of Trump will bring,, AOC said as much last night speaking to Bernie's supporters .
So people are turning to where they feel comfortable, we don't care anymore about the schism in the party between Progressives and Liberals we just care about one single issue which is Not having Trump serve a second term. Nothing else matters:
14
@Alec.
The democrats are throwing away their foot soldiers in fear and now have only the corporate media that is centrist biased.
We won’t cover for Bidens failings. If your soldiers stay home all you have is the times, wapo and the major networks to defend Biden. That’s your army you are choosing.
I think Biden’s VP should be a current or former governor, preferably a women. He and his team have enough “Washington experience”. They don’t need another senator on the team.
I think senators run for president because they can step away from their job for months and no one notices, though they still get paid. (Bernie should advocate that for the working people.)
Governors have to actually make things work. And with more than half our population female, I think he can find ONE to help lead our country. He needs to think about growing his replacement.
11
Whoever becomes Biden’s VP, if by some miracle he beats Trump, will probably be the DNC choice in 2024.
and the next surprise to the liberal echo chambers will be Trump's victory. Unthinkable to the groupthink chat rooms during the last election, and yet again we are likely to be blindsided.
Sadly, so many candidates and gaffe-prone Biden is our best hope? Oh boy.
10
At least Mr Biden's gaffes are honest. Imagine having a president of the United States that speaks the truth when he talks. I really miss that and so doesn't the rest of the American electorate.
5
@Perry, me too
we won’t get that with Joe though
1
As a Warren supporter, I'm disappointed she didn't gain more traction, but I'm coming to the realization that "better safe than sorry" is where voters are right now. It's not surprising that nominating another woman made them nervous, and nominating a "socialist" is likely nerve-wracking.
Let's face it... we could do a lot worse than Biden. Like him or not, gaffes and all, he is for the most part a regular guy who has a big heart and big government experience. He also seems to genuinely care about the little guy. Maybe most important he has the moral character and authenticity that the current Bozo in the White House sorely lacks. Hopefully, all Democrats, as well as independents and disaffected Republicans, will see Biden as far better than four more years of you know who.
16
Once again we see the REAL problem is those who won't vote progressively. Truth is you're all DINOs/Republican-lites. So Joe is marginally less evil than Donald and you people think that's a wonderful compromise. Well we don't. We vote our conscience and we're done voting for evil. Every time a progressive raises their head you demand fealty and obedience from us. Tell us we must vote for your candidate because you won't vote for ours. Vote blue no matter who? Not. Going. To. Happen. And I'd say we're going to see a repeat of 2016 except this time I'll be even worse. Trump will win the popular vote and EC. The GOP will make huge gains and completely control Congress. Where's Joe winning anyway? In solid red states the Dems will lose anyhow. You people just aren't getting it. So no, it won't be our fault when the Dems get destroyed in November, it's all on you. Just like last time. You want real change? Than you come over to our side for once. Otherwise get ready for another Hellish 4 years, and who knows maybe worse. Maybe the end of democracy and the end of the world as we know it. That's all on you DINOs.
9
@Halsy
An avowed socialist who wants to give free everything to everyone cannot win in this country.
At some point you must face reality.
Go ahead and be hard heads and get trump re-elected.
4
@Halsy That's true. Many of us have zero healthcare access for all intents and purposes. Biden won't do a thing to change that. It's four more years of suffering either way. So I'll just vote Green. At least my vote will be directed to my values. I know MANY progressives who feel the same way. The rich Boomer Democrats who pushed Biden through out of personal greed will get another four years of #45.
2
@Observer Rich SC Dems did not offer us Biden. Black voters, heavily female, did. And I am grateful for the opportunity they gave us to rid ourselves of the biggest mistake the American electoral college has ever made. You want healthcare? Vote Democratic on Nov 3. and stop the effort to destroy the ACA.
1
My vote in the primary election doesn’t count, because my state oddly chooses to hold the primary election after other states get to choose the candidates. I’m considering whether to vote for one of the remaining candidates, or write in my actual choice.
In the general election, I’ll just vote for the Democratic candidate. And watch Donald Trump win, perhaps.
2
Biden is now in a position to win over young Progressives from the Sanders and Warren campaigns. He should immediately announce plans to deliver to Congress a plan for taxing millionaires to provide loan-relief benefits to younger Americans purchasing a first home and paying down their student debt. Details can follow, but something like a 5% or 10% millionaire surtax on adjusted gross income >$500K coupled with tax deductions or credits for student loan payments and first-time home mortgage interest, with no requirements to itemize. This is a completely feasible plan, it’s fiscally responsible, and shows good faith to younger voters without penalizing senior citizens or running up a budget deficit.
4
@GCM never gonna happen. Joe will appoint Citibank and Chase to his cabinet
5
@GCM Biden could embrace non-profit universal healthcare, and the financial policy you suggest, but to do so would not be Biden. It would be working against everything he has stood for his entire adult life: (i.e., making Wall Street richer, even if it means invading another country for oil and leaving a million dead).
2
Safety candidates don’t win general elections. I have no confidence in Joe being able to win; I do have confidence that he could lose.
This is going to be a long tough election that is Trump’s to lose.
Those that are voting for safety please truly contemplate how safe a Biden run is. Third time might not be the charm here. It is better to vote for ideals then safety. Just ask Kerry or Romney or even HRC.
16
@Nathan Schneiderman
Der Trumpf LOST the last general election.
There's NO way he's going to win this one.
3
@Nathan Schneiderman
That is how Roosevelt lost the elections of 1940 and 1944.
And that is why we had a president Goldwater.
Why Jimmy got a second term.
I forgot President Jesse Jackson.
They didn't because of safety candidates
“I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else. There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.” That's a remarkable statement from a politician. He realizes his limits. He's not motivated by dangerous ego. Trump and Sanders are too much in the same boat when it comes to exaggerating their own self-importance and power to accomplish what others can't. Biden's success yesterday may indicate that voters wisely want a break from all that grandiosity.
13
Really?????
And what has Joe Biden achieved in these decades in government, apart from being a yes men for the old croaked Democratic leadership?
Not much than showing he is a white male chauvinist who is basically against any program that would improve the lives of many Americans.
He is a corporate sham who will do nothing that would decrease the power of the rich (Democratic donors).
They control the Democratic leadership who feverishly try to deny that, but whose actions in House and Senate has proven the opposite.
You as I understand don’t need any improvement, your wages must have gone up a lot more than the wages of most American voters whose wages have been purposefully stagnant for decades. Your health insurance must be paid for by one of the very few industries left who still co-pay with you or you are on medicare and live from social security, both of whom Biden has wanted to cut before.
Your new “Kaiser” doesn’t wear any clothes, never had.
But keep voting for him as “standing still”, the Democratic party’s favorite policy will only increase the massive inequality in this country.
But you don’t seem to care about working class America.
8
@Johan D. The most compassionate way to care for working class America is 1) return the White House and Congress to the Democrats, and 2) support any and all efforts to abolish dark money from election financing.
4
We’ve been “voting blue no matter who” since 1992. Where did it get us? A Democratic Party that more resembles Rockefeller Republicans than the party of FDR, Truman, Kennedy or Johnson.
Maybe a little *too* “short” and “orderly.” James Carville (on MSNBC) and James Clyburn (on NPR) are both calling for the DNC to end the primaries early -- no more debates, no more votes cast. I'd be interested to know how people who consider themselves Democrats but happen to live in states which haven't yet voted feel about having their membership downgraded to a *non-voting* membership, which, frankly, doesn't seem like much of a *membership* at all....
Not sure how disenfranchising millions of your members is the smart move. Adds to the overwhelming evidence that a lot of the Dem Party leadership is, above all else, interested in ensuring they maintain their grip on power *within* the Party. They know that Bernie would remake the party in ways that wouldn't benefit the current so-called leadership - the Clintons, the Obamas, the Carvilles, the Clyburns, etc. So they're prop up Biden, because they know that, win or lose in November, under Biden, "nothing's gonna change" for the neoliberal elite. And if ensuring that nothing change for them *within* the party means losing the election ... well, they'd rather risk losing the election than lose their grip on power within their little fiefdom!
With any luck, by 2020, they'll be able to dispense with voting altogether and go back to to their roots ... smoke-filled back rooms, etc. Though now instead of cigars and whiskey, it's probably kale chips and kombucha!
https://medium.com/@danielzellman/seems-to-me-8c5ee18ea8c6
21
You are so right, both talking heads are glued to the ancient Democratic leadership who has shown to have zero respect for voters anyway as they don’t trust any of them, for that reason they have installed a feudal electoral voter system in which it’s anointed members can bypass the voted for candidate and replace them with a robot candidate programmed to execute their wishes and demands.
That is why this Democratic leadership has campaigned with all their power and money for Biden and against all that don’t agree with them.
It is their way or the highway and their success rate is quite amazing, first they loose power in House and Senate, caved in on right wing Supreme Court members from Roberts to Cavanaugh,
then loose with Clinton’s arrogance and now we will loose with a man without any plans, but is white and has a loud voice, winning properties which made Trump win, where did the party get that amazing idea?
It is the shrill voices of these two talking heads that are pushed forward again by the same party leaders, the same shrill loud voices we heard so much of everyday in 2016 years that ended with remarkable negative results.
3
@Daniel
I live in Oregon. We vote later than most states, and we
vote by mail which is a very orderly system. However, by the time I vote, any national race seems to be decided, but I still cast my vote. We have a very large percentage of registered voters, as whenever anyone goes to the DMV for a license, they are registered. Eliminating debates with audiences seems to be a smart move in light of the coronavirus. A televised debate without an audience present could still occur and would be meaningful.
3
@Daniel
I want to see the Bernie/Biden one-on-one debate, and I also want a chance to cast my vote in a primary.
Recently Joe Biden did well in the primaries, especially among older African-American voters in the South; in Alabama for instance.
There were suggestions, both here in NYT comments and elsewhere, that these votes were unimportant because Alabama will go Republican in the general election anyway.
This caused a mini-furor. Why disregard older African-Americans just because their state will give its Electoral College votes to the Republican? These are Democrats voting for their preference for their choice to head the ticket in November.
The same argument applies and I should get to vote for Bernie, win or lose. Or even already lost.
That's in the primary. In the general election I will vote for the Democrat, even if he has Alzheimer's.
Lets hope he continues to be relatively gaff free, otherwise all bets are off.
5
@Joseph His endless invocation of Obama is not an encouraging sign.
8
@Joseph I think it's safe to say that all bets are off. He's already been seen reacting aggressively and confrontational numerous times. When doing so, he comes across as angry and disingenuous. He will never win in November trying to beat Trump at his own game.
2
@Joseph I prefer Joe's gaffs to trump's inanities and feckless tweets any day and twice on Sunday .
2
Smiling, smirking, hacking,interfering and meddling Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Israeli Prime Minister henchman Benjamin Netanyahu clearly favor Bernie Sanders as the Democratic Party Presidential nominee over Joe Biden.
What won't Putin and Netanyahu do next in collusion with Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell to cripple Biden and help Sanders?
3
Acting out of fear, panic or just mental and emotional exhaustion rarely results in good decisions and that's what I see many Democratic voters doing now. It is probably too late to change the direction of this primary. The stampede to "safety" is underway. It will be up to the Democratic Party machine and Biden voters to push Joe Biden over the line in November. May they be up to the task.
11
Bernie has lost the Black vote, the suburban vote, women of all races, and young people aren’t coming out in big numbers. He also lost the white working class vote in MI.
The idea that because Bernie can turn things around the way Biden did is wishful thinking. Biden has won or been competitive in MI, TX, CA, WA, SC, etc. and he’ll win FL.
Bernie isn’t going to win the nomination.
5
Biden's VP candidate will be key to see whether he beats Trump or not. Anyone who has their eyes open can see his cognitive decline, and it is pretty obvious his VP will be shouldering a good deal of the workload long before the next election. If he makes a good selection and allows that individual to trade jabs with Trump, while refraining from trying to take Trump on by himself, he might easily win. At this point if he lays low while Trump unravels over watching the coronavirus sink his juiced stock market results of the past couple of years, he could have an easy time of it if he can keep as quiet as possible as the campaign plays out.
12
@Kevin I'd sure love to see Corey Booker on his ticket.
1
A return to normalcy is a chilling thought but it is exactly what Biden offers us. No universal health insurance, so we will be vulnerable to every new viral threat. No action on the climate/carbon crisis. No end to crushing student debt. No end to wars and exorbitant defense spending. No prison and justice reform. No control of plutocrat greed and corporate control of government. Normacy indeed.
11
@Daisuke Daisn - All of those things? Congress! Congress! Congress! The President has a lot of power, but Mitch McConnell is working the levers to make it happen. Take the Congress, take the country.
5
Given COVIS19, this is not a normal year and there may be several unexpected turns ahead.
6
Isn't it amazing that the best that the Dems can offer is a harmless great-uncle, the epitome of politics, incumbent for all seasons, in well-advanced age that is showing, and with some serious and very recent baggage? Just how depressive that is ? If not him, then pseudo-anarchist, hitting all the wrong notes for the 3/4 of the US voters and the very right notes for, at the very best, 1/5 of US voters.
I have to say that Nov is Trump's to lose, and for a very good reason. Only the corona can stop him, and it might.
11
Dont supposed it has to trumps obvious corruption or constant lying?
The Gods in Heaven gave us the Coronavirus and Bernie Sanders the progressive Socialist with Marxist roots. Yet we’re witnessing a highly discomforted Democratic Party coalesce around its traditional core values under former V-P Biden. And against all previous odds prepare for a very serious campaign to capture both the Oval Office and the Senate. Who would have thought that imaginable a month or two ago amidst wide spread speculation Democrats were fighting harder against each other than they were preparing to wrest the White House. Even the Gods in Heaven must be quite astonished.
6
@Peter I Berman
Oh please, the "gods" on this earth selected Biden to win the nomination. It could not be any more scripted. He doesn't look like he wants to be there half the time and the other half he doesn't look like he knows where he is. Good luck.
4
He can lose his temper in heated and colorful ways, a trait that delights some voters who take it as a sign of vigor but strikes others as unseemly for a man pursuing the statesman’s mantle.
you are kidding, right? after what we've heard from 45?
12
@bookophile Point taken, but we don't need 4 years of angry man either.
Well, if Biden will be the candidate to face Trump, we will have to suffer another four years of this horrible president. Why? Because Biden lacks the fire to attack Trump on his many crimes. For instance, up to this minute, Biden has not mentioned the treasonous act that Trump displayed when, in front of the world, chose Putin's view over his own intelligence department. Nor has he mentioned Trump's refusal to publish his taxes., as well as his contempt to Congress , to any law and, infinitely more important, to the Constitution. "Let's take our country back" is the only weapon that Biden has shown against Trump. Totally inadequate!
5
@Dr.. Arturo F. Jasso
"treasonous act that Trump displayed when, in front of the world, chose Putin's view over his own intelligence department."
You mean same intelligence agency that Kennedy intended on splintering into a thousand pieces and scattering to the winds after the bay of pigs disaster? The one that Truman (who had implemented it) later decried as casting a shadow over traditional diplomatic positions and was in urgent need of being reigned in? The one that the Church committee investigations found had committed unbelievable human rights abuses, coups, assassinations, infiltration and subversion at home and abroad? Do you mean that intelligence agency?
1
I think the rank and file are exhausted. Biden represents something of a return to normalcy. I think many people want to end Trumpism but do not want the left-wing version of an angry insurgent and 4 more years of screeds etc. If Sanders is the nominee I will vote for him. If Biden gets the nod, I think he will handily win. The hard right will be pushed back.
67
@LMT I see no evidence that Biden will outperform Hillary. Progressives malign him even more than her. The only thing now working in Biden’s favor is economic collapse (which, admittedly could tip the scales).
14
@Will Progressives were fooled once. Shame on them and heaven help us all if they are fooled again.
1
@Will
For whatever reason, Hillary was very widely despised.
I hope she keeps out of things.
1
May I very humbly suggest you change the headline of this piece: the biggest surprise of 2020 is the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic primary (which I have been following very closely; less so now) and Biden's comeback are not even comparable.
3
Biden is now the man of destiny for tens of millions. May knowing that speed Joe on his way, and aid him mightily in eventually removing any and all ill effects of the shameful legacy of Donald J Trump.
14
More nonsensical punditry - to wit: 'any collapse would probably require a political U-turn as sharp as the one that precipitated his rise'. As far as I can see Biden did nothing different - what changed was demographics as he moved from smaller and mostly lily-white states to larger more diverse states. Nothing complicated . . .
1
I don't want to believe that Susan Sarandon was right. I take back all the nasty stuff I tweeted about her after she essentially told us to back Bernie or burn it all down in 2016.
2
I personally am breathing a sign of relief as this part of the process is coming to a conclusion. Two candidates fighting it out feels more normal and I’m craving that right now.
5
The biggest surprise of 2020 will be Trump being re-elected in November. Well, it will be a surprise to moderate and establishment Democrats. Hopefully they’ve learned something from 2016 besides just blaming Bernie supporters and Russians.
27
@Emma A Exactly. Trump will run ads of Joe Biden saying "...all men and women are created...you know the thing" and Donald will sail back into the WH.
8
@Katy And that's all it takes for you to vote for the disaster sitting in the WH?
3
Since the race for the 2020 Democratic nominee began, we have all had our own favorites.
There were quite a few who impressed me. Including Bullock, Bennet & latecomer Michael Bloomberg.
I was particularly impressed with Cory Booker & Julián Castro. I greatly appreciated De Blasio & I am still immensely fond of Bernie Sanders.
The women candidates got so much support & media coverage, my personal thanks will get lost in the din of the accolades. Two brilliant Senators with lengthy CVs even earned an endorsement from the NYT EdBd.
The moment is here when we must all step into the future and reach for a renewal of the founding principles of the USA, that Trump has ravaged, savaged, slashed & subverted.
Thus far, Trump has used the GOP as a human shield to avoid any accountability.
Joe Biden, from the start of this race, was recognized by millions of Americans as the obvious consensus candidate.
He will not experience any learning curve. He already knows the job; most world leaders already know him. He has credibility & an excellent reputation.
To the entire Democratic lineup from 2019-2020, including Eric Swalwell (1st to drop out) whom I particularly value for his incisive takes on Trump & his prosecutorial chops: You are all Great Americans. I love you all. We love you all. We applaud your courage, your vision, your hard work, your commitment. You feel like my own family to me: people I adore even though we sometimes disagree on details.
Now we Unite for Joe&Jill!
22
Well, this is a disaster. I think too few voters have been paying attention to the debates.
17
Maybe voters aren’t impressed by shouting matches and don’t prefer candidates who wave their arms, clench their fists, and are the loudest.
8
@Josh The only disaster is if Trump gets another 4 years. Get a grip please
@Amy
You know every single detail of Sanders.
Can you mention policy or any negative details about Biden? If not that is because the media is biased especially here at the times.
Biden has some awful views in his pitch that we just need to get rid of Trump to get back to the good old days. But the American people are right that getting rid of Trump is the most important, urgent agenda the US has faced in many years. I have been an ardent supporter of both Warren and Sanders, but I have no compunction in urging all progressives to vote for Biden in November. We are at a crossroads regarding two existential crises. The first is global climate crisis. Anyone who says that Biden would be just as bad as Trump in holding back this fight is out of their heads. It's the difference between facing a sworn enemy of environmentalism/climate change denier and facing someone who acknowledges global climate change but will have to be pressured into taking the serious changes needed now. The second is saving democracy. The Trump-GOP regime has made it clear they have no use for constitutional democracy and multiple parties and a second term would likely cement that. Biden as President would be slow and even vacillating in restoring democratic procedures and civil rights, but with public demand move in the right direction. So I urge all progressives and especially Sanders supporters to do the right thing in November and vote for Biden.
6
I guess the only surprise is that some how everyone in the legacy media and in the party stopped criticizing biden's many flaws as a candidate and quickly fell in line to adulate him even though he stands no chance of winning against trump at all.
13
As you can tell from all the voting thats already taken place biden actually has a very good chance of beating trump
1
@David He has zero chance of defeating Trump and the DNC is well aware of that. That's why I'm not full convinced the Democrats are finished with their wizardry just yet. Watch his VP selection end up as the primary candidate one way or another before the election.
Look closely at the sequence of events and the timeline.
In the race not long ago, Biden was trailing far behind, out of breath, momentum lost. Suddenly a bandwagon appears full of Biden supporters and gives him a ride on super Tuesday to the head of the pack. Sanders is left in the dust.
So where did this bandwagon come from. It appeared in a very timely manner from the Bloomberg racing team. Bloomberg managed to assemble many supporters thanks to the efforts of the media team (including Friedman, Stephens, Brooks, et al). The Bloomberg team then built the band wagon, filled it with their supporters , and gave Biden his needed ride to the front. The Bloomberg team was assembled with the sole purpose of preventing Sanders from being the Democratic winner.
Some would say this was to prevent a Sanders White House with national policies hindering the corporate rape of Americans and foreign policies which would interfere with the rape of the Palestinians.
Some would say that the idea was to put forward a Democratic candidate least likely to beat Trump.
15
He could have delivered a bigger surprise in 2016.
I know what Mr. Sanders would do if he were the US President.
I have no idea what Mr. Biden would do. Does anyone know?
13
@Greg
'I have no idea what Mr. Biden would do. Does anyone know?'
Sure.
He already told you it's a return to normalcy.
You know, DC as usual, logjams, partisan fights, lobbying, corruption, impasse, military spending, special interest above people, environmental disasters ok so long as we profit, wars started for keks.
You know, the DC normalcy we have had for the last 30+ years he has been in DC at the center of this storm.
Oh yea, also nothing will change on immigration, money inequality, the rest.
A return to normalcy. That's what he will do.
5
@Greg
Lol...even he doesn't know.
1
It’s time for Sanders to drop out! He can only harm by his chance of beating Trump.
2
A Vote for Joe Biden
is a Vote for Past Generations
Future Generations--Vote--Just don't think about it--We Don't
5
I like Bernies ideas, political honesty and consistency better than Biden, but I don't think enough of the rest of the country does. Therein lies both his strength and weakness.
Plus Bernie doesn't have a history of getting things done. Biden does.
Bernie has been an asset to the nation in steering democratic ideas, towards where they need to be, but I reluctantly see Biden as both the better candidate to win and enact legislation.
I'll be voting for Biden this Tuesday, but I still love Bernie.
6
@Eric W
What is Biden's history of getting things done?
Why did Obama have to govern by executive order if Joe had so many Republican friends to persuade?
16
@Viv Why don't you ask Mitch McConnell that questions because you know doggone well that his stated first priority was to make President Obama a one term president. Stop being disingenous.
The moderate (at best) corporate-funded candidate favored by the Democratic establishment comes out on top again. I fail to see how this is a surprise.
24
Came to post this. Another thing that will be a surprise to neither you nor me or anyone else who has been paying attention, but probably will to the New York Times: when Trump beats Biden.
7
The future candidate needs over 1900 delegates. We're not anywhere near there yet and lots of states that are more prone to vote for Bernie Sanders are yet to have their voices heard. I hope Bernie Sanders does not bow to this pressure to step out of the primary race, especially because so many voters have demonstrated their faith in him. It's not over by a long shot.
8
I think the only people "surprised" by Biden's "success" are those who were unconscious during the 2016 primaries. Of course, the DNC would never allow a non-Establishment candidate to be their front runner.
The main problem now is that the hegemony of the DNC blinds them to the FACT that Establishment Dems cannot win nor govern without Progressives. It's time to drop the name calling and find a way to build a bridge to the Progressive wing of the party, and form a coalition, otherwise it's 4 more years of Trump.
12
The comments are already rolling in from random accounts trying to create division. Beware of online content that says Biden is the same as Trump, or Biden is not a Democrat etc.
The US intelligence community has already said Russia and other foreign adversaries are creating fake accounts and creating content designed to expand divisions in American society. Russia is creating pro Sanders and pro Trump accounts, sometimes making both of the accounts they created fight with one another just to create the appearance of divisions.
Our elections have shown the Democrats are united in the common goal of electing someone who will bring decency, decorum, and compassion back to the White House. Don’t let foreign actors manipulating puppet accounts on social media deter you.
We are all in this together. Sanders supporters, moderates, we need eachother to defeat Trump. If Trump wins, none of us get anything we want. If Biden wins in 2020, moderates will get a little of what they want, and progressives will get a little of what they want, but Putin will get nothing he wants. Don’t lose sight of what’s at stake in the real world.
23
What does he plan to do if elected? I still don’t know! Does he have any plans, proposals?
12
@Fread
"What does he plan to do if elected? I still don’t know! Does he have any plans, proposals?"
I suppose we are talking about Biden here. You wonder and I wonder.
So does Bernie which is why he wants to go ahead with the scheduled debate.
Whomever was your choice, it appears Biden will be the Nominee, I would give Bernie till next Tuesday, but if he has another night like yesterday, he needs to Suspend and everyone come together. This is not about who our choice is this is. This is about Sending Donald Trump back to
Mar-a-Largo and bringing order back to 1600 Pennslyvania Ave.
5
Every voter needs to keep their eye on the prize - ousting Mr. Trump and his Senate enablers.
8
How is this a big surprise? From the DNC's knee-capping of Sanders, to Pelosi's hectoring of progressives, to hundreds of NYT editorials (literally, over the past three years) warning that the Left could destroy all chances of victory in 2020, this has been a desperate but obsessive hit-job carried about by the well-heeled forces of the status quo. Yes, the voters spoke. But when you've been scared to death by the specter of two opposing ideological "monsters" how else are people expected to respond?
The Democrat middle-of-the road won. Again. Timidity won out over courage. Neurosis beat nerve. The bland trumped the bracing. If one applies the same formula, but expects a different outcome, that's the definition of insanity. 2016.
7
Sure hope they know what they’re doing and not another Hillary 2.0. Biden has a bag of problems and history, and it will be interesting to see how those singing his praises now behave a few months from now when he continues to say weird things (he will)and Republican research dirt starts to come out from under the door. Perhaps I’m being pessimistic, but I don’t think the whole “anyone but Trump” mantra will be as strong then; mix that with the lackadaisical enthusiasm from the younger population or progresses that will most likely wane even more, could just gave Trump another four years.
26
@Jlaw
Biden's baggage rivals Hillary's. Amazing how that happens ! Not to mention the health concerns (legitimate) for both of them. How could we be in the
same exact spot as 2016, all over again ?
10
@Jlaw I agree. Once we're down to Biden being the Democratic nominee, he won't have a competitor to distract us from his weaknesses, of which there are many. He's Hillary, only worse; advanced age, mentally confused, boring, and uninspiring. Being "not Trump" may not be sufficient reason to get people to vote for him.
6
Biden was my fourth choice after Harris, Klobuchar, and Mayor Pete. But he is going to be the nominee and I am 1000% behind getting Trump out of office.
It's time to unify and go on offense against the worst American who has ever lived.
76
@Sparky I agree, but there will be a lack of enthusiasm among the electorate, just as there was in 2016. This is the DNC's election to win or lose.
2
@Sparky Here, here! Let's hope Biden chooses his running mate wisely should he win the nomination.
Now we just need for Biden to avoid catching the virus.
5
Or forgetting his own name!
3
The only reason Sanders ever appeared to be a front runner is the math. The press got it wrong when they said there were weak candidates in the primary. The problem was always too many strong ones who split the vote. Even before Biden's surge, moderate voters outnumbered progressives in almost every state in polls which began to show up in voting. Finally the moderates did the math and came together. There is nothing surprising about Biden's surge.
12
@Deborah
It's about time pundits stop calling moderates "the establishment."
1
@GI How about the reasonable ones!?
It’s heartbreaking because I know the amount of despair the type of lie and propaganda that lead us to think Biden is the best is responsible for. They don’t care if we die. Clinton, Biden, Warren, who proved she doesn’t care by not endorsing any policies when it would have counted, twice, and any of those who have endorsed the most senile candidate who will continue to allow the American Oligarchs an iron grip on our lives. How many of us will continue to die unnecessarily because we don’t have universal healthcare, as a I’ve received in Japan and France? And let’s face it, if we are beyond the tipping point, we are all dead from climate change, by what? One more generation? They have proved with their actions and words, the do not care if we die. What does it matter if we vote at all? They don’t even care if we die.
24
@Lilly
If you don't support the Democratic candidate, there will be no support for the environment, no improvement in health care and Putin will continue to destroy the republic. Is that what you want?
8
@Lilly That is the type of attitude that will give us another 4 years of Trump. Then we are surely facing our doom. Please re-consider Lily
Seems to me Biden is a default candidate. He is a good candidate in the sense he seems more normal, rational and personable than the current occupant of the White House. The Democrats don’t have a strong candidate in him and must pair him with a very strong candidate VP candidate such as Klobuchar or possibly Stacey Abrams or P. Buttigieg. Color and or gender don’t matter. Ultimately voters discern who would do a good job.
Sanders’ and Warren’s give-away ideas do not play well with many. We do need to do much in the field of education thus enabling employment for the many who have lost jobs or who haven’t prepared for college. Health care does need to be reformed in some of its areas. College financing does need reform. But, none of our problems need to be solved by the government offering free solutions; that usually ends badly.
2
It’s a 180 degree turnaround in real time, and long overdue. South Carolina and Pete Buttigieg started it — a chronological fact I don’t see mentioned much, but there it is. Klobuchar and Bloomberg then clambered onto that bandwagon, and off Coronavirus the Driver went. God knows where Elizabeth Warren wandered off to and nobody cares about Tulsi.
The bandwagon means business. All the hand sanitizer in the world isn’t going to stop Donnie’s rendezvous with it. We’ve already seen that familiar drugged-deer-in-the-headlights look on his face to know what’s likely to happen when it does.
4
They don’t care if we die. Clinton, Biden, Warren, who proved she doesn’t care by not endorsing any policies when it would have counted, twice, and any of those who have endorsed the most senile candidate who will continue to allow the American Oligarchs an iron grip on our lives. How many of us will continue to die unnecessarily because we don’t have universal healthcare, as a I’ve received in Japan and France? And let’s face it, if we are beyond the tipping point, we are all dead from climate change, by what? One more generation? They have proved with their actions and words, the do not care if we die. What does it matter if we vote at all? They don’t even care if we die.
10
@Lilly OK Lilly, take a deep breath. Or two or three.
Now let's take a look. Obamacare provides health coverage to millions. And it prevents insurance companies from refusing to cover pre-existing conditions and from charging more to folks with pre-existing conditions.
It was hard to pass Obamacare. Not one Republican voted for it. Yeah, the Republicans, remember them? They constitute a big piece of the electorate.
Now we're going to add a public option to provide serious competition to the insurance companies. Could this lead to a single-payer system? Of course it could.
Do you remember the huge numbers of Americans who died from Ebola? Right, well that didn't happen because we had actual leadership at that time. Turns out that matters.
You know, that fellow with the funny name. Barack Obama. What's your opinion of Obama? Was he a no-good corporate, centrist Democrat? See if you have that opinion then you're part of a tiny slice of Democrats & Democratic leaning independents. Check it out.
If you'd realized that from the git-go then you wouldn't have been so surprised when a majority of Democratic voters decided that Biden was a good choice.
11
@Lilly Did you pay attention to who voted for Biden, Lilly? His voters are not "oligarchs."
2
Trying to reason with people like Lily is no more feasible than trying to reason with Trump’s most ardent supporters. Both camps are like talking to brick walls. But good attempt anyway.
4
What you saw was the opposite of the Republican primary of 2016. Then, the field refused to narrow and coalesce against trump, who never got above 34% but was well ahead of any single rival until it was too late.
What you see this year is was what the kids call “adulting.” Candidates bowing out and throwing their support to a flawed candidate but an honest man to win an election to save the nation.
You’re welcome, America.
24
@Mjxs But don't forget: their candidate won in 2016
4
A “short, orderly primary”? Weren’t there 17 candidates? I think the NYT needs to rethink its lede. The amount of drama just in the last two weeks is enough for me until November.
@Dean Rosenthal Operative word: 'weren't'. Past tense.
If this get wrapped up in the next couple of weeks, then yes, that would be short and, yes, orderly.
1
Turns out the mythical Obama coalition did not die after all, but is back, and not a moment too soon.
7
The surge was not surprising at all. This whole election hinges on one issue only - beating trump.
After SC, it was clear that Pete (a guy I admire) had no chance. Amy and Warren never won anything in the primary. And after the vicious debate, it became clear that Mike had little to no chance.
The choice was between Bernie and Biden. And unfortunately, Bernie was not able to increase turnout or broaden his coalition. I admire Bernie, but it’s better to find out his limits now, and avoid the fate of the UK (Corbin) than find out in November and lose the election.
7
@BR
"The choice was between Bernie and Biden. And unfortunately, Bernie was not able to increase turnout or broaden his coalition. I admire Bernie, but it’s better to find out his limits now, and avoid the fate of the UK (Corbin) than find out in November and lose the election."
I want to see the one-on-one debate between Bernie and Joe, because I want to see Joe's limits too.
Nobody paid him much attention after Kamala Harris unfairly played him about busing.
My impression of him then was that he was a doddering, not very bright guy. There is talk that he in in mental decline, which could be just talk.
I want to see.
We all know no one is particularly excited about voting for Joe Biden, BUT people are really excited to remove Donald Trump and his GOP sycophants from office.
That's the calculus that unfurled itself in the last 12 days.
Voters - and impressively high turnout in key swing states - decided that Joe Biden is the antidote to the Trumpvirus.
I would have preferred Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, but I am a practical person and I not make the childish mistake of making the perfect the enemy of the good.
I will vote for Joe Biden in November and for a Democratic Senator and Democratic Congressman in November.
Biden has a realistic chance at helping flip the Senate blue while keeping the House Democratic.
You can do a lot of progressive things when Democrats control the House, the Senate and the Presidency.....including the appointment of progressive judges to balance out the Trump-GOP overloading of the courts with Federalist Society judges.
Trump, McConnell and the GOP must go; they have done enough damage to this country.
That's plenty reason to be excited about Joe Biden and the blue tsunami he's surfing.
170
@Socrates
From a distance it would appear that the media has been able to brainwash the American Democrats into believing the notion the "Biden is the best choice to beat Trump". You see the same phrase repeated over and over, incessantly. Karl Rove said that if you repeat a lie over and over again, endlessly, it becomes the manufactured truth.
Could it be that Sanders was, in fact, the biggest threat to Trump, and the powerful elite in Trumpworld?
It appears that a large segment of the American voters have be taken for a ride, once again.
20
@Socrates
I don't seek an "exciting" candidate. I want to extirpate Trump and Trumpism from our country before we lose our democracy.
I do seek unity, hope, decency, truth, rule of law, progressive policies, stability, sanity in governing--and a president and cabinet who will turn the tide against demagoguery and fascism.
Even now, a sizable number of Americans embrace Trump. Deafeating Trump will not be easy. We do not have the luxury of bickering amongst ourselves. I hope all of us can unite with Biden to save our democracy. It's step one.
15
@Socrates
There's also plenty of reason not to be excited about Joe Biden. See https://harpers.org/archive/2019/03/joe-biden-record/.
But clearly defeating Trump is THE #1 Priority.
I optimistically look ahead to a WARREN 2024 campaign.
6
I am worried that the conditions that allowed Trump to win in the first place will remain under a Biden presidency... so a much more effective far-right demagogue will take the White House in 2024.
The conditions plaguing us are extreme income and wealth inequality; politics dominated by the 1%; climate change; unequal globalization benefits to certain geographic areas; automation hurting job security.
That's not even touching the other major issues like student loans for people younger than 40 and illegal immigration/path to citizenship.
[Submitted 10:07 a.m. CT]
9
So we’ll stated! Thank you! Hope many who can help alleviate or change the problems read your comment!
1
@John W We shouldn't think of this as Biden winning but as the Democratic party winning. Let the Democrats in Congress put forth ideas to deal with the very serious problems you allude to.
He can put together an extraordinary Cabinet.
This November we also elect the state legislators who will be in charge of re-districting after the census. Yeah, boring political inside stuff. Extremely important!
2
Tens of millions of African American voters have supported Joe Biden since long before the 2020 campaign began. American media, and therefore America, belatedly heard them.
It is time for media outlets to stop calling this a "striking turnaround", because that's not what is happening. The Democratic primary process focused on bastions of white privilege -- Iowa and New Hampshire -- to perform the initial winnowing of the field. The heavy emphasis on nationally televised "debates" and polling further muffled the voices African American voters.
There has been no "turnaround". There has instead been a steadfast and pervasive refusal to admit that African American voters exist. The GOP suppresses their votes explicitly. The Democrats, this year, did the same ensuring that the lights, microphones, and cameras stayed in lily-white states and debate audiences.
African American voters are a huge part of the American electorate. Perhaps we should listen to them.
34
@BrooklineTom
Well said. It is a " striking turnaround" because Joe was a punching bag at the debates, people get distracted by shiny new things, and South Carolina voted 4th.
Baseball fans used to get worked up by Spring Training results but have since realized they mean little. Maybe politics writers will eventually catch up.
@BrooklineTom - Unfortunately those votes are mainly located in states without any chance of turning blue in the general election: Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, etc. It is a sad fact, but true. By electing Biden as the nominee, the Democratic primary voters have put forth someone who, to much of the rest of the country, is uninspiring. We need to beat Trump, not give Biden "his turn".
3
Short and orderly perhaps but we end up with a candidate that no one is especially enthusiastic about, who struggles in debates, who is totally tied in to the establishment that so many independents and progressives feel has ignored their concerns for years, and who, therefore, is among the weakest against Trump. Primary voters are not general election voters. At this point, his electability will rest on who his running mate is. If it isn't a progressive woman, we are likely looking at 4 more devastating years of Trump. And the party establishment will carry a lot of the blame.
4
Where is the current delegate count in this article? It seems that would be an important component to this story.
It boggles the mind that Joe Biden, and his primary voters, believe that he has anything at all to offer the country.
You think you have the capacity to govern like Barack did, Joe? To lead the nation?
We need real leadership. We are in real trouble.
13
@JB
He has the capacity to unite the people against Trump, and that is the most important thing now. NOTHING else will matter if a candidate perceived as too extreme loses to Trump and the country continues its descent.
3
The Primary is over. Sander's biggest problem, he didn't play well with the other kids.
43
@Keith Dow
You mean he didn't kowtow to the clique and fawn over the mean girls.
As a GDI, many of us don't either.
P.S. The primary isn't over.
5
@Keith Dow I can't roll my eyes hard enough at this
They don’t care if we die. Clinton, Biden, Warren, who proved she doesn’t care by not endorsing any policies when it would have counted, twice, and any of those who have endorsed the most senile candidate who will continue to allow the American Oligarchs an iron grip on our lives. How many of us will continue to die unnecessarily because we don’t have universal healthcare, as a I’ve received in Japan and France? And let’s face it, if we are beyond the tipping point, we are all dead from climate change, by what? One more generation? They have proved with their actions and words, the do not care if we die. What does it matter if we vote at all? They don’t even care if we die.
1
My biggest fear was divisions among us. I put my preferences aside and support Biden. How about you?
43
@Tom J He was not one of my top choices either, but if he is going to be the nominee, I will vote, volunteer and donate.
Is there anyone who honestly believes we can survive 4 more years of Trump?
10
re: the Biggest Surprise of 2020
I'm gonna have to go with Covid-19 for politics at the least.
1
Should Biden's ascendancy be characterized as a "turnaround?"
Prior to Biden's takeover of the race, he lost caucuses in Iowa, a state not representative of the country at large, and Nevada, and we know Sanders excels in caucuses because of his formidable grass roots ground game. He also lost a primary in New Hampshire, Vermont's next door neighbor.
No doubt Jim Clyburn's endorsement was a turning point but what if we had held a "Super Tuesday" on Feb. 3rd to kickoff the primary season with states that better represent the entire nation - east coast, midwest, south and west coast - and Clyburn had made his endorsement then.
I think this was less a turnaround than a distortion of voter sentiment caused by an outdated tradition.
9
We need Sanders to stay in the race, just so Democratic debates can continue. Keeping the Democratic Party's agenda in the spotlight with free publicity from debate coverage will hopefully maintain American interest in discussing the issues and positions.
Yes, issue # one is defeating Trump, but either of the two will do that, (Trump is toast, was toast and will continue to be toast, esp. as he intensifies the govt's dismal response to the coronavirus).
Biden's gonna win, but he could use a couple of more months of agenda shaping toward the left that battling on stage with Bernie would afford.
Bernie staying in, if only to debate Biden, will hopefully stave off any slide to the right that might tempt Biden and his handlers.
Nationalized medicine for all? Doesn't seem so crazy at the moment, does it?
5
Unfortunately, I don’t think trump is toast.
4
Sanders certainly will be struggling with explaining his comments on Castro. Maybe he can watch the Star Trek “Patterns of Force” episode for inspiration. Do we want a candidate that tone deaf? It’s hard to win the general election without Florida.
2
The Democratic primary election is over
Joe Biden is the nominee
The big question now is who should he select as his running mate?
The answer has never been so obvious.
Woman?
Check
Minority?
Check
Experienced enough?
Check
Intelligence and charisma and grit?
Check
This one is a no brainer
Kamala Harris
32
@John I was an early supporter of Kamala. That said, I believe she would be so much more effective as Attorney General in a Biden administration, than as V.P.
As Attorney General, Kamala will be able to wreak a scorched earth policy on the corruption and corrupters of the present administration -- a policy that might well make Sherman's March seem like a Sunday-School picnic, by comparison. Mr. Trump and his many sins will no longer have any place to hide. It will be "Dies irae, dies illa..."
14
@John
Harris would be a great choice, but did you really need to use all that space to type it out? :)
5
@John
I would choose Stacey Abrams over Kamala Harris, as she seems more solid in her principles. Biden has hinted about Abrams as VP before.
6
For the good of his county
And for the good of his reputation
Bernie needs to drop out and endorse Joe Biden
94
@John
And allow the corporate democrats to continue to run roughshod over progressives? Ain't happening.
You MAY have won the battle. There is always the rather distinct possibility that Biden embarrasses himself in a debate or at anytime before getting the required 1991 delegates.
One thing is for certain...the war within the democratic party between establishment democrats and progressive democrats is far from over.
We can call a truce and cease hostilities until after the general election. By no means, none whatsoever, does that mean that Sanders should quit now. You might want his voice to be silenced. Many of us do not.
5
One take-away from Biden's surprising burst into a commanding lead, from far back in a crowded field -- take what the pundits say with a rather large grain of salt. What the voters themselves say is the only thing that counts. Everything else is only so many column-inches of speculation.
22
He needs a younger progressive woman on the ticket, someone who can bring the Bernie Bros and take the mantle should his 77-year-old body fail him. It will be all about the running mate.
10
@Martha
Stacey Abrams!
(I'm an Elizabeth Warren superfan, but we need her in the Senate.)
11
@Cousy Abrams has never been elected to a higher office than State Rep. To put her a heartbeat away from the Presidency seems a bit much.
Harris and Klobuchar would both be excellent choices.
4
@Cousy
First she needs to get elected across her own state.
"Mr. Biden’s hold on the party"? Or perhaps its the other way around?
9