One of my posts said I would never vote for Biden, and I apologize for that...

[iwannaknow]

The post was quickly "juried" and deleted, an action for which I was grateful.

I suppose I let my grief over the possible defeat of M4All, $15 min wage, free public college, student loan forgiveness, etc. get the best of me, as well as the fact I was in a hurry to go someplace and clicked the post button sooner than I normally would have. However, I never advocated not voting for the nominee in a swing state (i.e., a state that is in play). Instead I took the electoral college perspective on the premise that that is what would matter in the end. I was wrong.

That being said I'd like to remind everyone that the primaries are not over. Please have respect for all the candidates, even those that grate on your nerves, or whose supporters may ruffle your feathers. I myself have gotten deeply offended by all the Bernie bashing that goes on here. The primary race may not last much longer, so let's please (myself included) be supportive of all the candidates for a little while longer, even those we may despise.

BTW, if being a "Bernie bro" means being a young, rude, racist, sexist barbarian, I suppose I don't qualify because I happen to be a 71 year old woman who was for Warren before I was for Bernie. I am so disappointed her campaign didn't get the traction I thought it deserved.

Thanks all.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Bernie hogged EW's lane

She never had a chance

[Sloumeau]

5. I agree.

If either Bernie or Warren had run, one of them might have won. I believe that Warren had a much better chance of winning the nomination and the White House as Bernie. If Bernie really wanted to increase the odds of his type of agenda landing in the White House, he would have let Warren run solo and campaigned for her.

[RDavisJ1]

2. Thank you

For what it's worth, thank you. That was a brave post. It's hard when the person you supported isn't/didn't get the traction you had hoped for.

I see the Sanders camp in two distinct groups. 1 group is honest, caring, and deeply committed supporters. 2nd group is full of bullies, harassers, and just down right exclusive and mean.

It's a problem Bernie had last time and could have taken steps to fix the second group, but did not. Unfortunately for Bernie, that representation hurt him as are the viral videos that are manipulated posted by that group.

I can't imagine how much anguish it would have to bring to a Bernie supporter to have to fight with outside groups and the toxic movement within as well.

[frazzled]

3. If it makes you feel better

M4All, free public college, and student loan forgiveness, in the forms that Sanders is proposing, would certainly be defeated even if he became president. $15 minimum wage, on the other hand, might possibly be enacted by Congress no matter which Democrat gets elected.

So you really don't have to feel that you are losing anything by his loss.

[Politicub]

4. I support Warren's approach to many of Bernie's ideas

Not all of them, of course. But now that Warren is out of the race, I don't see Bernie as an alternative.

I had confidence that Warren would be able to get things done in Washington, as she did with the consumer financial protection bureau. I believed she would have made progress on single-payer healthcare, leading to healthcare coverage for more Americans.

She has more in common with Biden in that regard. Biden is a do-er. He's not a complainer. He got things done and he will improve healthcare for millions. He plans and acts. He is pragmatic. Warren was pragmatic. Bernie is a populist.

Bernie has okay ideas, but anyone can throw out an idea. The planning, execution and implementation are the hard parts.

The other aspect of Bernie's campaign that I do not want to support is his hiring of attack dogs that are going after other democrats. Bernie himself rails against democrats. He is not expanding the base; he wants a new base which is bizarre since he's running under the democratic party banner.

[wyldwolf]

6. " I never advocated not voting for the nominee in a swing state" -- It would be wise...

not to advocate not voting for the nominee in ANY state. Fair warning.

[Turin_C3PO]

7. I support Bernie

and Warren’s ideas, for the most part. I just believe Biden has the temperament and experience to trounce Trump this election.

[NurseJackie]

8. Nobody is "bashing" Bernie...

I myself have gotten deeply offended by all the Bernie bashing that goes on here.

Nobody is "bashing" Bernie. But tell me, how do you feel when the Democratic party is falsely accused of being "corrupt". Do you agree when someone says that Democrats are "feeble" and "ideologically bankrupt"? Any reaction when someone declares that the Democrats "are the party of the elite" and "the party of the one-percent"? Was there ever any objection uttered when the Democratic party was smeared by someone who said "there's no difference between the GOP and the Democrats"? Does it bother you when high-profile individuals say things like "Democrats don't care about climate change" or "Democrats care too much about diversity"? Do things like that get on your nerves? Does it ruffle your feathers? I'm still hoping that one person can explain to me what good purpose it serves for anyone to continually try to make the Democratic party look equally unappealing as the GOP? How do we get new voters to support the party (and oppose Republicans) if they continue to hear lies from high-profile individuals? Resentment and distrust within the party does not make us stronger, it only makes us weaker. Those things only increase negativity. Negativity generates apathy. Apathy discourages voter turnout. Low voter turnout gives Republicans a chance to steal the elections.

Why would anyone do or say anything like that if it benefits the GOP and Trump and Russia? Why? Doesn't that make you angry?

[emmaverybo]

15. [phone]

[obamanut2012]

21. Harris to Warren to Biden here

And, you are 100% correct.

[Codeine]

9. I honestly believe Bernie

- and by extension his surrogates and supporters - poisoned those positions. Very sad, because a better, more competent and politic candidate could have carried them over the finish line. Warren could very well had managed that if Bernie hadn’t taken all of the air out of that side of the room.

[dansolo]

14. No, those positions were always crap

Elizabeth Warren sealed her own fate by cosponsoring Bernie's bill instead of coming up with her own plan. She was stuck trying to make his plan work, while he refused to even bother.

[Codeine]

18. I don't mean his specific plans necessarily,

but the broader strokes. Subsidies for secondary education, some form of load forgiveness for student debt, a single-payer healthcare policy, etc. Those aren’t crap positions in my mind, they just had a cheerleader of dubious talent and limited ability.

[Butterflylady]

10. I'm 73 and I would love to see the many reasons you stated.

That being said, I live in the real world, but I know free college, 15.00 min wage and student loan forgiveness is not in the cards and are not going to happen right now. Even if we gain all three branches of government it will be up against opposition and defeated.

Im not saying it won't ever happen one day. What I'm saying is that over time and a lot of really hard work and perseverance it can be accomplished. The idea is out there now and on peoples minds. The seed has been planted.

Right now the the main goal is to get rid of trump and right now we have to have someone who has the most experience to turn ship around and get it going in the right direction. The only candidate that can do that is Joe.

[peggysue2]

11. Here's a thought

I heard Joe Biden say just the other day that he sees himself as a bridge to the future. Strange, too, that I see his candidacy as exactly that, a transition from the madness, a moment where the country stabilizes, resets the clock, and then gets on to the urgent needs of the country. Biden tipped his hat to all the younger candidates and those waiting in the wings, a genuine respect for the energy and ideas that a new generation will bring.

I have no doubt that Biden will work hard and diligently to lay the groundwork, shore up the country's governmental infrastructure and begin to make the changes for which Americans clamor--renewing our efforts on climate change, strengthening and improving the ACA, pushing (and with a favorable Senate) passing sensible gun regulation, etc. There are so many needs, so much to attend to and repair, not the least of which is restoring our alliances abroad and giving our adversaries a what for.

None of this will happen overnight but I have no doubt that Biden will work his heart out for the country and its citizens, so that when he hands off the mantle, the future will look better, brighter.

It's always been Joe Biden's experience and knowledge that tipped the scale for me when choosing a candidate to support. Biden knows where the levers of power are and how to use them. He knows how to twist arms when necessary or when a mixture of honey and persistence is the winning solution. More than that, he's trusted by his colleagues and the American public in a time when 'trust' is in short supply.

I think of Biden as that Bridge Over Troubled Waters. We need to get to the other side and Joe Biden can get us there.

For what it's worth, that's my full endorsement.

[emmaverybo]

16. Biden is for the min. wage, for free two year college, but investing much more in pre-k through

12. Biden’s plans are progressive, but pragmatic.

As to student debt, and I have it, a program that rewards those with lucrative careers college gave them while any number of social programs are at risk and families across the nation losing their homes to foreclosure is wasteful and selective.

Biden will have the forgiveness program up and running, expand it dramatically, allow discharge
through bankruptcy, and expand Pell grants.

Most Bernie supporters have not bothered to listen to Biden’s plans.

[peggysue2]

22. Biden's plans are progressive, but pragmatic

Yes, they are which means he has a far better chance of being successful in actually getting things done, the sort of things that affect people's lives.

Back in the day, the "L" word (liberal) was taboo. Now, the word "pragmatic" has taken on a negative spin. Being pragmatic means being sensible, reasonable, willing to tell the truth about what is possible, as in passing legislation to bring about change. I've cringed every time I've heard people shouting out: Executive Order, Executive Order. Which at best is a temporary fix (the next Administration can undo everything) and just another nod to Executive overreach, something we definitely do not need to replicate after Trump's reign.

Joe Biden can gas the car, hit the highway and go a long way in getting us stabilized then working on the urgent needs of the Nation. He can do that because he knows how to drive, fast and sure, knows the curves of the legislative process and has the ability to generate goodwill and strength of principle.

None of this is going to be easy. But I've believed from the start, Biden can get us where we need to go and help us remember who we're suppose to be--not a crime syndicate but a Democratic Republic where the rule of law still matters.

[emmaverybo]

23. Bravo. That's it.

[honest.abe]

12. I would vote for anyone on our side who is against Trump.

That should be an easy decision for any Democrat but I do understand the frustration and disappointment when your candidate drops out.

BTW, I could have happily switched to Warren if she had kept gaining back a few months ago. She would have made a great President.

[Demsrule86]

13. Imagine if Democrats had protest voted in VA in 2008 because they wanted a different candidate...

you never know when a state is in play until you vote...and such statements encourage others to not vote for our nominee...that being said everyone makes posts they regret from time to time...not a big deal.

[William769]

17. Thanks for your concern. nt

[Happy Hoosier]

19. Yeah, those things were never going to pass...

At least not without a large majority that we will not have.

I understand if you get offended by "Bernie Bashing." But imagine how those of feel who are constantly dismissed as the "establishment" and when it is implied that the money of "billionaires" bought our votes. That's pretty offensive to many of us as well.

I encourage you, instead, to work hard to get Democrats elected at all levels of government so that the policies so important to you have a chance.

And get someone less divisive than Bernie Sanders to advocate for them. I personally support Warren, but the Bros even went after her. And when she brought it up to Bernie, he blew her off. So consider that.

[treestar]

20. Don't see how all that is defeated

until you have a Congress that would pass it.