US politics After Bernie Sanders' landslide Nevada win, it's time for Democrats to unite behind him

[Autumn]

No other Democrats can beat him at this point. Sill, the liberal establishment is still struggling to come to terms with Sanders’ inevitable nomination

Nathan Robinson

It was a landslide. Bernie Sanders had been expected to win the Nevada caucuses, but not like this. With just 4% of the vote in, news organizations called the race for Sanders, since his margin of victory was so large. Sanders has now won the popular vote in all of the first three states, and is currently leading in the polls almost everywhere else in the country. He was already the favorite to take the nomination before the Nevada contest, with Democratic party insiders worrying he was “unstoppable.” His campaign will only grow more powerful now.

Importantly, Sanders’ Nevada victory definitively disproved one of the most enduring myths about his campaign: that it could attract left-leaning young white people, but was incapable of drawing in a diverse coalition. In fact, voters of color were a primary source of Sanders’ strength in Nevada; he received the majority of Latino votes. Entrance polls showed Sanders winning “men and women, whites and Latinos, voters 17-29, 30-44 and 45-65, those with college degrees and those without, liberal Democrats (by a lot) and moderate/conservatives (narrowly), union and non-union households.” The poisonous concept of the white “Bernie Bro” as the “typical” Sanders supporter should be dead.

The other candidates and their supporters did their best to spin a humiliating defeat. Amy Klobuchar said her sixth-place finish “exceeded expectations”—if sixth place is better than you expected, you’re probably not a viable candidate. Biden vowed, implausibly (and for the third time) that he would bounce back. Pete Buttigieg took to the stage to denounce Sanders, who he said “believes in an inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans.” A Warren supporter rather charmingly said that while Sanders had won, Warren had the “momentum,” and the Warren campaign itself said the Nevada “debate” mattered more than the Nevada “result.”

Let’s be clear: the other candidates were crushed, and Nevada was yet more evidence that there is no longer much serious opposition to Sanders. Michael Bloomberg fizzled completely in his big debut, and Democrats would be out of their minds to enrage every Sanders supporter by nominating a Republican billionaire. Joe Biden has lost badly in all of the first three contests, and it’s very clear that he can’t run an effective campaign. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign has nearly gone broke and in desperation she has resorted to relying on the Super PACs that she previously shunned. Pete Buttigieg can’t win voters of color or young people (and has accurately been described as sounding like “a neural network trained on West Wing episodes”). As Matthews says: it’s over. Bernie is dominating the fundraising, dominating the polls, and winning every primary. I am not sure Jacobin is right that “it’s Bernie’s party now”—for one thing, virtually the entire Congressional Democratic party is still opposed to Bernie. But it’s certainly Bernie’s nomination. There is simply no other credible candidate.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/23/after-bernie-sanders-landslide-nevada-win-its-time-for-democrats-to-unite-behind-him?fbclid=IwAR115c8GpUr8rt1cfkH0caQOohhblOR2c_KfeGmK7_bip-ZuWzpzwgEehIk

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Unstoppable - knockin' at the door of 1,991 delegates.

A tsunami of epic proportions.



Isn't this a bit premature?

[Autumn]

7. Perhaps, but I thought it was an interesting perspective from The Guardian.

[GemDigger]

2. I vote in JUNE. I think I will let this play out a little more.

[abqtommy]

43. I'm with ya. I vote on April 2 and that's the day I'll finally be a Decided.

[TexasTowelie]

3. No thanks, not yet. nt

[musette_sf]

4. "I think sometimes this room might intimidate people into not wanting to come vote."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/23/nevada-caucuses-are-corrupt-spectacle/

[Demsrule86]

5. No it is not...only three primaries...and I have hope we can nominate someone who can beat Trump

still.

[PAMod]

30. Even worse - one primary

And two caucuses.

[Demsrule86]

33. That is a very good point.

[Demsrule86]

47. Very true.

[pnwmom]

6. This writer is a huge Bernie supporter. He's written of being afraid Warren will be another Obama!

For example, this September hit piece on Elizabeth Warren.

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/09/the-prospect-of-an-elizabeth-warren-nomination-should-be-very-worrying

THE PROSPECT OF AN ELIZABETH WARREN NOMINATION SHOULD BE VERY WORRYING

. . . .. Personally, I feel that the difference between Sanders and Warren is gigantic, and that it could have substantial consequences for the future of the world.

. . . . For the last few months, I’ve felt very uneasy about Warren’s candidacy, but not quite sure how best to express what was giving me the feeling. I worried that I was just biased by my attraction to Bernie. But I think I know what I’m fearing. I fear this is going to be Obama all over again.

[Autumn]

11. Many journalists and pundits support other candidates and still write and talk about others.

[pnwmom]

17. The context of the article you posted is that the writer has a strong Bernie bias.

And anyone who reads it shouldn't take his opinions seriously.

[Autumn]

18. And no one should take the MSNBC sunday pundits serious yet they do have quite the following.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cable-news-hosts-pundits-freak-001500808.html

MSNBC host Chris Matthews on Saturday compared Sanders' win in Nevada to Nazi Germany gaining control of France during World War II. Matthews described the Vermont lawmaker's expected win — and step towards the party's nomination — as something of a catastrophe for the Democratic Party.

Matthews even argued moderate Democrats may rather see President Donald Trump win a second term than vote for Sanders.

"Do they want Bernie Sanders to take over the Democratic Party in perpetuity?" Matthews asked his panel in Las Vegas. "Maybe they'd rather wait four years and put in the Democrat that they like."

I didn't even bother with Mary Matalin's husband's quotes. Talk about Bias.

[pnwmom]

35. You slam a whole network with the opinion of one pundit. I didn't do that. I addressed the SINGLE

writer who wrote the strongly pro-Bernie piece you posted.

And I wouldn't post anything Chris Matthews said as if it was a unbiased piece about Bernie.

[Autumn]

37. Not just one pundit was mentioned in that anti Bernie piece. But you are slamming just ONE writer.

If you had read the article you would know it talked about more than ONE

[pnwmom]

39. I'm saying the single writer whose article you posted in your OP is strongly pro-Bernie

and his opinions on the advisability for everyone else to drop out of the race now are the product of his pro-Bernie bias.

Everyone else can do the simple math required to tell there are still 48 contests left.

[Autumn]

41. I'm saying ALL the pundits in the article I posted in my response to you are all anti Bernie.

[pnwmom]

44. So what? Claiming that there are other pundits who are biased doesn't remove the bias

of the writer you quoted in your OP.

I agree. Some pundits are biased. The one you posted is in that category.

[Autumn]

45. So what? I never said it did. You claim one writer is biased towards Sanders and I pointed out

many pundits who write Opinion pieces and are on TV are anti Bernie. I didn't say anything would remove bias, his or theirs. If we are just supposed to post unbiased pieces, there won't be anything to post.

[pnwmom]

46. There are plenty of non-opinion pieces to post. You chose to post an opinion piece

without acknowledging that it was by a Bernie supporter.

I identified the writer so no one would be misled by it, not knowing about his bias.

[Cal Carpenter]

40. Opinion writers have opinions

Do you think any of them are unbiased people? They get paid to express their opinions. That's what they do.

For further details, this writer is also the editor of Current Affairs and recently had a book with a major publisher called Why You Should Be a Socialist.

None of this is a secret. Disagree with his opinion, fine. But to do it on the premise that opinion writers should be unbiased? That's ludicrous.

[Happy Hoosier]

8. Funny...

I don’t remember Sanders supporter lining up to support Hillary after her nomination was inevitable.

I hate hypocrites.

[Autumn]

9. So do I.

[Happy Hoosier]

12. Here's the thing...

I have posted in another thread that I hope the party unites behind him quickly if he becomes “inventible” because I am NOT a hypocrite.

Assholes like that writer are hypocrites.

[Autumn]

16. No more so than pundits who suggest that the Dems sit out this election if Bernie wins instead of a

moderate. Asshole like that are hypocrites but they do have a following here.

MSNBC host Chris Matthews on Saturday compared Sanders' win in Nevada to Nazi Germany gaining control of France during World War II. Matthews described the Vermont lawmaker's expected win — and step towards the party's nomination — as something of a catastrophe for the Democratic Party.

Matthews even argued moderate Democrats may rather see President Donald Trump win a second term than vote for Sanders.

"Do they want Bernie Sanders to take over the Democratic Party in perpetuity?" Matthews asked his panel in Las Vegas. "Maybe they'd rather wait four years and put in the Democrat that they like."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cable-news-hosts-pundits-freak-001500808.html

[Happy Hoosier]

32. Am I defending them? I am not. NT

[Autumn]

42. You might not be. But others are. nt

[ehrnst]

24. It's almost like there is one standard for Sanders, and another for all other candidates.

[Codeine]

10. #bendtheknee

[SidDithers]

22. Nice...

Sid

[Arkansas Granny]

13. If you don't mind, I'll wait to see more primary results before I make that decision.

[PatSeg]

14. With 47 more states to go

I don't think so. Meanwhile, Bernie is finally being vetted in a way he wasn't in 2016. I think we have a long way to go before we declare a nominee.

[Skidmore]

15. Nope

let's let everyone vote and count the votes. There are 47 states and an array of territories which deserve to cast votes and be counted.

[ehrnst]

20. So, candidates who are not leading in pledged delegates should drop out and get behind

the one who is - even before Super Tuesday?

The irony of this is breathtaking.

[Squinch]

26. Isn't it funny how things change?

[ehrnst]

27. Yes, isn't it tho...

[SidDithers]

21. Coronate him now!!!...nt

Sid

[ehrnst]

23. Yes!!! Everyone else who is behind needs to just drop out before Super Tuesday...

Oh.... the irony....

[Blue_true]

25. You can't be serious. Other that that, this OP isn't worth responding to. nt

[PAMod]

28. I thought this was The Onion.

Sen Sanders has won one primary, with 26% of the vote. Let’s not get crazy, folks.

[AlexSFCA]

29. I'm not convinced Biden can win SC

Bernie has been rising in the polls there rapidly.

[Demsrule86]

34. If he wins or does better than expected, it will be operation chaos voters.

If Operation chaos ruins Biden's chances ...hello Bloomberg.

[Demsrule86]

36. Well your candidate is finished politically if he doesn't drop out...no one likes a spoiler.

[Moderateguy]

31. No thanks...

I will until he reaches the magic number to secure the nomination

[CanonRay]

38. It ain't over till it's over