Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumDemocrats for Trump's Re-Election
There are plenty. They are the people who plan to stay home if their candidate doesn't get nominated at the Convention. They are the people who can't come to some kind of compromise agreement with their fellow democrats who support a different candidate. They are "my way or the highway" insistent that everything in their agenda get in the party platform or else. They wouldn't think of supporting Trump or casting a ballot for him, but they won't cast a ballot for anyone who doesn't exactly square up with their perspective of how the government should operate.
They're not all Bernie supporters. There are supporters throughout the whole field who don't understand the process and who thought that their guy or girl was the silver bullet. Somehow, part of the Civics lesson got lost here. The primaries aren't the election. That happens in November. You are going to vote one way or another and if you don't vote for the Democratic party nominee, you are voting for Trump, just as sure as if you walked into the voting booth and pushed the button beside his name.
Bernie and his agenda will figure prominently into the Democratic party platform. All the whining about him being shoved to the side and left out is coming from either right wing media sources creating a storm front for the orange headed buffoon or from Russians who are interfering for him. I can guarantee you, Bernie won't be left out. He's brought too much to the table that most Democrats favor and we need him to continue pushing from the progressive side of the party. Do you think there is one tiny iota of a chance that the sitting president would ever consider including one speck of Bernie's progressive plans in any piece of legislation that crossed his desk? On the other hand, if a Democrat wins the election this time around, especially Biden, progressives will be at the table and I'd be willing to bet that Bernie will be a big part of it. And it will set the table for progressive gains down the road.
On the other hand, Progressives won't gain any ground by being mulish and refusing to support the nominee if it's not their guy. If it causes Trump to eke out another electoral victory, then the issues they champion will get kicked in the teeth and it will be next to impossible for another progressive to gather enough of a following to be an influence in the party.
So, do we have a chapter of "Democrats for Trump" among us? Or are we going to use something the Republicans don't have with Trump, our intelligence and reason, and put together a presidential campaign that will give Trump a beating he and the Republicans won't ever forget?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
The Magistrate
(96,043 posts)People, especially well-meaning persons among 'Bernie's' supporters, need to get it through their heads that Sanders campaigns not to gain the Democratic Party's nomination for President, but to weaken if not wreck the 'Democratic Establishment'. For 'Bernie', ousting Trump and ending the Republican majority in the Senate is barely an afterthought to this long-standing purpose. Once Sanders' supporters face this fact squarely, they may be able to decide honestly what their best course in this election is: voting against 'Bernie' in any future primary, and for Mr. Biden and Democrats all down the ticket to the lowest office on the ballot come November.
It is probably true that Sanders sees destroying the 'Democratic Establishment' as an essential precondition to defeating Trump et al, and so by his own lights he means it when he says he will do all he can to defeat Trump. But that belief is so self-serving and delusional it deserves not just scorn but contempt.
As with Trump, the only real cure is to deprive the man of the oxygen of worshipful attention. The effect would be that of a bucket of water on the wicked witch of Oz....
"From Bernies perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they dont want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."
"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
2naSalit
(92,346 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
CrispyQ
(38,131 posts)But I know of two in my private life. They are staunch Sanders supporters and have stated they just can't vote for a status quo candidate like Biden. Hopefully someone closer to them can talk some sense into them by November.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
lees1975
(5,857 posts)or does their conscience allow them to elect a status-quo insane con artist?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
CrispyQ
(38,131 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
lees1975
(5,857 posts)Better off staying home. They're not needed then. I think most Bernie supporters do have an intellect and see where this is headed if they don't get involved.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
gibraltar72
(7,629 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BidenBacker
(1,089 posts)but at this moment in time I am not worried about Democrats voting for Biden. Most polls and surveys I've seen show Dems voting for their candidate in the 90-95% range. Somebody even posted a new one here (Monmouth, perhaps?) that had them at a whopping 96%. Quinnipiac came out with one early this month showing 93% of all Dems will vote for a D with another 3% of others not yet decided...
https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=3657
If things stay roughly as they appear to be (which obviously they may not) Biden's chances look real good to me. What DOES have me much more worried is this...
2020 U.S. Senate election odds: Will Democrats or Republicans get control in November?
https://www.baltimoresun.com/gambling/sns-actnet-2020-senate-election-odds-20200322-b3exzzrj5zd6nmnnt43khllgcy-story.html
Pubbies currently favored to hang onto the Senate by odds of 54.5% to the Dems 45.5%.
IMO, this old turtle-faced SOB is in some ways every bit as dangerous as his master. It would be too freaking cruel if Biden won the White House and the Dems kept the House and perhaps even increased the number of seats they have if the GOP ends up with 51 Senate seats and this rotten MFer was still the Majority Leader.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
lees1975
(5,857 posts)and apparently there are enough voters in Kentucky to beat him.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BidenBacker
(1,089 posts)I'll dump my beloved Steelers next season and root for your Bears! Assuming there IS a season.
My political wet dream would be to have the Dems win 49 seats...and then stay up real late watching former fighter pilot McGrath squeak by in an upset and shoot Moscow Mitch down giving Dems 50 seats and control of the Senate. Hooboy, how effing sweet would THAT be???
McConnell is one of the least popular Senators of all...
https://morningconsult.com/senator-rankings/
4 of the despised Goppers on that list are up for reelection. Another one not shown is that Loeffler gal in Georgia who is up for a special election and is one who has gotten caught up in the recent insider stock trading scandal. Some folks think GA is in play as a swing state for President...I am not as optimistic as they are for Biden to win that state but Dems need to pour money into their Senate election...and I mean POUR.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BidenBacker
(1,089 posts)https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article240884871.html
Seems the Pubbies got a potentially messy situation on their hands.
Dems will likely lose a seat or two themselves elsewhere so they'll need to win 4 or 5 to get control.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Peacetrain
(23,614 posts)That is a made up excuse by the old Dixiecrats who were racist pieces who ran to vote for Republicans because they decided to be not a party of the people with conservative ideas, but a party of whites only need apply..
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BlueMTexpat
(15,486 posts)are NOT Democrats.
Period.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
SLClarke
(48 posts)I can concur with this.
My grandson accused me of betraying him in the primary because I said I preferred Warren to Sanders. Never mind that I voiced my concerns about Sanders and his ability to form effective coalitions (something that Sanders has shown very little interest in). However, he has now cut me off; doesn't want to talk with me; accuses me of supporting big business against the likes the him; jeopardizing his health; putting in peril the LBGT community; compromising the well-being of his generation; and more. This, even when I made it really clear that I liked, and still like and support, much of what Sanders wants to see happen. The verbal abuse was extreme, and yes, he too has no intention of voting for Biden, and intends to make a "protest" vote. My response that you are voting for Trump if you do not vote for Biden, was aggressively countered as, again, betraying the ideals of being a Progressive.
Their ignorance of how the American elections work is appalling!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
beastie boy
(11,052 posts)Not all of them are willing to vote for Biden. But I would suggest that more of them are persuadable than those on the extreme left. It's a balancing act, and Biden is fully aware that he will lose some, both on the left and on the right.
Here on DU, we are forgetting just how big a tent the Democratic Party is. DUers are a fairly isolated community that tends to be substantially left of center.
Considering Biden's impressive success with the Primary voters, I am amazed at the balancing act he had succeeded to pull off. Gives me lots of hope for the General Election.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
MRDAWG
(501 posts)Comey too.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
StevieM
(10,537 posts)the impact he had on that election.
It amazes me how much the media has downplayed his role and its effect on the outcome. In reality, Comey dominated that election from start to finish.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
One percent of the vote in three states cost Hillary the election. If she'd have picked up just that much more in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, she'd be in the White House now and we'd still have a pandemic response team and wouldn't be sheltering in place.
But where would it have come from? 7% of the African American vote stayed home in those three states. Stein got a lot of Bernie voters, way more than a third party should have collected. It was more than one factor, but Bernie's stay at home crowd was part of it. That better not happen again or the progressive movement and all those young congressmen who got swept into office by it will be gone, voted out, done.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TomCADem
(17,723 posts)Nt
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden