Party leaders shouldn't be using words like "Shut down this primary"

[tman]

I was with Biden from the start but these words by Clyburn just play into the narrative the "the party" is in control.

You can make the same point without gifting your opponents fresh talking points and thereby showing a little humility and respect to the voters we'll need to defeat the sack of shit currently in the white house.

Just sayin'

[blm]

1. Agree

[SCantiGOP]

2. I thought the same thing

I understand what Rep Clyburn was saying, but if my state hasn’t voted yet, don’t tell me you are going to shut the process down. That is up to the candidates and the voters.

[TomSlick]

5. Agreed.

[PatrickforO]

3. You know, we're all hoping that, though. Or at least I am -

that Biden will win so decisively that he can start campaigning against Trump.

We've got to get rid of Trump.

[RhodeIslandOne]

4. It's a bad look, especially when you should be aware the candidate losing is ready to pack it in

Bad politics.

[squirecam]

6. Clyburn was just following Bluewater's lead.

[onetexan]

7. Rep Clyburn isn't the only one. James Carville just said it again earlier on MSNBC, and many others

This is about party unity to defeat the Idiot. If the math is insurmountable what good is it to continue, making it unnecessarily more difficult for Biden to have to fight both fronts - primarying and strategizing to win the GE. It costs time, money and resources to run campaigns. Let Biden focus solely on the endgame now that he's the prohibitive nominee.

[totodeinhere]

13. I think the idea is that people in states who haven't voted yet should have the right to cast their

vote regardless of the fact that the ultimate result is a foregone conclusion.

[onetexan]

14. When its this obvious theres really no need

[totodeinhere]

15. No, there is a need. Everyone should have a chance to vote.

That is what our representative democracy should be about.

[ehrnst]

29. No one is preventing anyone from voting. No one is guaranteed their candidate will

be on the ticket by the time your primary comes.

[stopdiggin]

16. they can vote for whomever they want

"regardless of the fact that the ultimate result ..."
Primaries will still take place.

[Meadowoak]

8. I didn't like that the party leaders said it it looked like Biden was losing steam,

(paraphrasing) that they would steer it back to him. I think that should be left up to the voters, no wonder half of our country doesn't bother to vote.

[sheshe2]

9. It was and they did. nt

[stopdiggin]

17. just so. (nt)

[Scurrilous]

21. The major factors in determining voter turnout levels are age, income, and level of education.

Not words spoken by politicians.

[ehrnst]

33. So you don't think that the voters actually chose Biden, but that the party leaders "steered" them

to vote for Biden, as if they didn't have free will?

[boston bean]

10. I might agree if there was no prior history.

We don’t have time to screw around this year.

[TDale313]

11. I just hope in our desire to wrap things up

We’ve made a wise choice. It’s been a bit of whiplash from “this thing’s wide open” to “this things over” I think it essentially is... but Joe was pretty under the radar until, like, a week and a half ago? And yeah, people know him (mostly for being Obama’s VP) but he’s about to go under the microscope big time.

[Scurrilous]

22. Joe was the frontrunner for long time before voting began.

He suffered the slings and arrows inherent to that position. I doubt there's anything new to throw at him. Just more, a lot more, of the same.

[Blue_true]

12. He might have said it out of concern about the impact of

COVID-19 and it's dangers in large gatherings. But he should have made that clear.

[ibegurpard]

18. Agreed

It just feeds into the persecution and grievance narrative so many Sanders supporters claim

[Cha]

19. I read BS was going to suspend his campaign.. so

if that's true.. there would be no need for a debate for one thing.

[herding cats]

20. I think this is when the campaign's should focus on uniting and winning in November.

Which doesn't mean ending anything just yet. It's about being adults and focusing on the ultimate end goal.

Seriously, next Tuesday is more than soon enough for these final decisions. It's important to let people accept where things are with dignity. We're all human beings here.

Right now there needs to be a pivot in messaging. No more attacks, there's zero to be gained by such and much to be lost by damaging our candidate. That's all that needs to change.

Joe showed how that's done tonight. Let's all follow his lead. Also, ignore the bots on social media. Being vile is literally what they get paid to do.

Let's focus on our blue wave in November!

[ibegurpard]

23. Yep

Biden's got momentum and it's happening organically. Anyone who continues with now pointless attacks (both on Biden and Sanders and their supporters) has an agenda that isn't focused on the goal of winning in November. People like that can and should be shut down and it can be done without tarrring entire groups of people for what they say and do.

[Squinch]

27. Yes it is time, but you know that as long as the primary goes on the attacks will continue.

That's why Clyburn is right.

[comradebillyboy]

24. I sure have mixed feelings about this. But you

might be right.

[Sunsky]

25. I agree with Clyburn

Time to unite and focus on beating Trump.
My primary (FL) is next week and even though I've early voted, I have no issue with the primary coming to an end. TrumPutin is banking on division within our party. Bernie will earn my respect and will show that he has learned from the 2016 primary debacle, if he unites early behind the Democratic electorate's clear choice. However I don't think he will.

[Squinch]

26. We have one job to do in this election. All of us. Together. We all

need to get over our feelings and get that job done.

Bernie's followers are no different from any of the rest of us who backed other candidates. We have all had heartbreaks.

But so what? We all quickly pivoted in order to get our one job done. It's time for the Bernie people to do the same.

No one wrung their hands over our feelings, and we really don't have time to wring our hands over the feelings of the Bernie people.

We need to all grow up, pull together and get Filthy Donnie out of office.

I agree with Clyburn. Time to pivot to the general election.

[Indykatie]

28. Carville Needs to Shut the F up.

Why call for Bernie to drop out when there's another primary next Tuesday where he is also expected to do poorly? He needs to have that opportunity or his supporters will claim he could have caught Biden if he hadn't drop out so fast. Next Tuesday Florida and AZ will put it away definitely for Biden so why rush to call for Bernie to drop out before then.

[pinkstarburst]

30. I think that sort of messaging

is really going to harm us in the general by alienating voters who are not Biden supporters. Look, I know everyone wants to pressure people to "vote blue no matter who" but the reality is there are voters out there who are frustrated that the issues they care about are being addressed by certain candidates and not by others. The last thing we need is to have the primaries shut down before half the country even gets a chance to cast their vote (silencing their voices--you think that will increase the chances they will fall in line and turn out in November--dream on), and especially after Bernie's chances were soaring and Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and the other endorsements almost overnight seemed like everyone in the establishment teaming up together to work against Bernie. I get that you win some you lose some. I get why they made the choices they did, but all I'm saying is, if you are that Bernie supporter... I can see where you might be feeling like the last few weeks were really rigged against him. And I don't think more calls from the establishment to shut down the primaries are going to help.

[pampango]

31. Give Sanders a little time. Heck, he was the 'frontrunner' just 11 days ago and

Biden was relying on his 'firewall' in SC to rebound - which he has done spectacularly.

If the debate on Sunday and the primaries next Tuesday go Biden's way, which they show every indication of doing - I think Sanders will do the right thing.

I don't know how the party could 'shut down this primary' unilaterally. I suppose they could cancel all future debates but the primary elections are still going to happen.

[LanternWaste]

32. At it's worst, it's merely irrelevant for the fundamental reason it won't happen.

I get people wanting to pick up this particular ball, run with and pretend a touchdown is imminent, but it's little different in tone, tenor and sentiment than someone saying, "it really should stop raining..."