An open letter to both Biden and Bernie Supporters

[jimlup]

Hello all! I'm a Bernie Sanders supporter. With a heavy heart I am changing my signature support to "Undecided".

I support the ideals that Senator Sanders advocates. I know that many Biden supporters are also with me in this. I will support Biden to full extent possible as we move towards the end of the primaries and the Presidency in the fall.

It is time for us to come together as one voice. We share in more ways that we differ. I admit that after Super Tuesday I was quite bitter and still am to some extent. Nevertheless, I can move beyond that to fully endorse the democratic candidate for the Presidency. That will inevitably not be Bernie Sanders and will likely be Joe Biden.

I will continue to strongly advocate for my ideals. Foremost and clearly relevant given the current frightening medical situation is Universal Health Care. Call it "Medicare for all", "Single Payer", or "Socialized Medicine" but it is past time that the United States join the rest of the Industrialized world in this matter. I will push the Biden administration hard on this point. And because he will actually be my President, I have hope that I will be heard.

To Sanders supporters and the Senator himself, it is now past time to suspend your campaign. Yes, we must continue to push the issues that are critically important. It is now time to rally as one and suspend our campaign. It was a good run and had the situation been slightly different, the tables could well be turned in Sanders favor. That is not the reality in which we are living.

Hope and Peace

[The Magistrate]

1. So What Are You Undecided About, Sir?

If not Mr. Biden, then who?





"From Bernie’s 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 don’t 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."

[jimlup]

2. It will likely be Biden but ...

I'm old enough to know that reality contains strange twists. I'm supporting Biden. I'm just saying it isn't 100%. It may be 99.999999999999999% but it isn't 100%. God forbid something unthinkable could happen... (I didn't even want to say it.)

[The Magistrate]

4. Then Say So, Sir

"Make your no a no, and your yes a yes."

"Because you are neither hot nor cold, I spit you from My mouth."

[Lulu KC]

10. Man, this is a tough room

[The Magistrate]

11. It Certainly Is, Ma'am

Other people may supply the carrots. I put a bit of stick about....





"From Bernie’s 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 don’t 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."

[jimlup]

16. Please don't tell me what to do...

that is one of the big differences between us. Don't EVER patronize me.

[The Magistrate]

17. You May Be Sure, Sir, I Will Not Be a Customer For What You Are Selling

"From Bernie’s 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 don’t 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."

[jimlup]

18. I'm not selling anything

again a BIG difference between me and you

[The Magistrate]

19. You Instructed Me Not To Patronize You, Sir

English is a funny old thing....





"From Bernie’s 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 don’t 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."

[jimlup]

20. Actually it is

[George II]

7. You could change to Biden and in that .00000000000001% chance it doesn't happen switch to the winner

[Demsrule86]

14. Really so what could happen? Biden dies? Yeah I hear this online...Sorry, you are a 'likely' Biden

supporter but by god...maybe something could happen...and Sanders triumphs ...he won't. Even if Biden was not the nominee,Sanders does not have enough support to be the nominee; it would be a brokered convention and someone else more politically aligned with Biden would get it and the bottom line is Sanders doesn't have the AA vote thus he will not be the nominee under any circumstances. Sanders has also lost white working class voters.

[LakeArenal]

24. "Sanders doesn't have the AA vote thus he will not be the nominee under any circumstances".

You have that right.

This undecided seems like the folks who say “I like Joe, but......”

That is no endorsement. No endorsement in this time seems completely wrong headed.

If someone wants unity in these times, then unify.

[Demsrule86]

34. As always, I agree with you.

[LizBeth]

32. Then you change it again. Not a biggie.

[NBachers]

3. Thank you for your real-world perspective. I'm glad to know you'll be voting for Biden. Keep up the

good fight!

[Demsrule86]

5. If this is the case than why undecided? This says you don't know the person you will vote for in

the primary.The primary is over...so no point being 'undecided'. I would put more credence in your decision if I saw Biden on your posts...and acknowledgement that the primary is over. An Biden is the presumptive nominee. I think Biden has some great ideas too. And I have heard Sander's ideas for years from Democrats...none of it was new.

And honestly, I am sick of the 'heavy heart' posts. It was a primary. The only thing that matters is getting Trump out. The fact that Sanders continues in the primary that is over thus giving some Sanders supporters false hope or just encouraging Biden hatred in others, makes me dislike Sanders more and more everyday. I am sorry if this offends you but that is how I feel.

I don't want to hear anything from him period...nothing. He is making sure day in and day out that none of his policies will ever become law as many like me want nothing to do with him and now distrust anything that he says. How can you trust him when it seems he has no qualms about helping Trump win reelection? We are in the middle of a national crisis and we can't start fundraising until Sanders bows out not just for Biden for down ballot. It seems he plans to stay in until the end of June which puts us in a dire situation in terms of fundraising. This is an election that we could win, but now I fear Sanders will bern it down.

[Bluepinky]

6. Good post.

Bernie can still work behind the scenes to fight against income inequality and its devastating effects on the middle and working classes. He has helped to shape the Democratic Party platform and will continue to do so.

[Demsrule86]

15. Not in the primary...it interferes with fundraising for Biden and down ballot. Sanders is going to

cost us the General if this continues...Sanders has nothing to do with shaping real policy. Many of us are over Sanders and personally I turn off the any media if he comes on...can't tolerate him.

[LakeArenal]

25. I have trashed "Sanders" threads

I saw this one because you had Bernie.

I’m truly positively done with Bernie Sanders. To me he’s an anchor on our Party, our momentum, and us moving forward.

I have to say. It’s very focusing not to think about what Sanders is putting out. He’s just a distraction now. And not in a good way like Puppy pictures.

[Aquaria]

22. He hasn't shaped anything.

Democrats have advocated for single-payer health care for over 70 years now. They’ve been advocating government as the best means of achieving economic equality for nearly 90 years now.

We didn’t need this cranky old fossil to show us the light, and it’s the height of arrogance and insolence to think we ever did.

[betsuni]

38. +1

[Butterflylady]

8. Most of us here would love to have his ideals implemented.

However, Bernie wants to start from the outside in when he should have been working from the inside as a senator, out. He could have worked with other democratic senators to implement his ideals. But than again he wasn't easy to work with. He made it bad for himself.

If Bernie thinks he can become president and over nite he can have have all his utopian ideas in place he is sadly mistaken. It will take years to get to where we need to be. That is all we're trying to say. I truly believe Biden will be one who work for us and guide us going forward to achieve those utopian ideals.

[jimlup]

9. I disagree

however, it is time for all of us to act as one and support Joe.

[Aquaria]

23. Hm

I guess grudging support will have to do, but it doesn’t give me much hope that tomorrow some shiny will change your mind again.

I seem to recall a rather famous liberal having something to say about such half-hearted “support:”

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

MLK, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

Maybe that’s why I’m not willing to hand out a cookie for it.

[LakeArenal]

26. Great quote. Faint praise is no praise

[William769]

12. I support the Ideas of Vice President Joe Biden. I will continue to strongly advocate for my ideals

[quickesst]

13. What The Magistrate said....

+1

[Algernon Moncrieff]

21. I'll vote for the nominee, but until it's over, it ain't over

Bernie was my 4th choice, Biden was tied for 6th.

If you want to be undecided - be undecided.

At this point, I'd be open to reopening the process to nominate Andrew Cuomo - who has so far proven he can lead in a crisis. Time will tell.

There's another thread here that has survey results showing that, while Biden has support, he doesn't necessarily have enthusiastic support. I'd put myself in that camp. I see some Biden supporters posting about how they are putting Bernie supporters on ignore and endless variations of "it's over." Maybe instead,, Biden supporters might try to cite reasons, aside from "we must defeat Trump" as to why someone on the progressive/left of the party should support Biden. Where is there overlap? What do we have in common? With most of the primary candidates, I can quickly cite 1 - 2 key policy positions (Bernie: M4A; Warren: taxes on $50M + of wealth; Yang: UBI). Many of us still don't have a clear idea of what Biden stands for.

I don't pretend that anything any of us write on DU matters much.We seem to be a group that holds consensus on 80-90% of political issues, but seem to hold one another in varying degrees of scorn and contempt.

I supported Hillary in 2016, and had nothing nice to say about Bernie or his supporters. What's changed my mind is two-fold. 1) I take delight in how AOC got elected against a Dem that was essentially too lazy to campaign. We need more of that. 2) The Republican party has become increasingly successful by moving the view point away from the center, and the further I see members of our party move away from the center, the more enthusiasm I see from younger voters. Biden supporters threatening to put Sanders supporters on ignore, or starting endless threads about how this is over doesn't make me think "Gee! They are right! I should get behind Joe!" To me, it comes off as arrogant. When the primary ends, it ends. Until then, I'll support whom I please. And while I will vote for the party's Presidential nominee, I'll likely be sending checks to campaigns where i feel it can do more good - like to help defeat Joni Ernst and Martha McSally.

[LakeArenal]

27. AOC seems off the Bernie train.

Edit to add:
Bernie supporters were ordering Biden to quit after only VT.

I see nothing wrong with claiming it’s over now.

I blocked Sanders. I’m glad I did. Now I can focus on winning in Nov.

[Walleye]

28. Sanders supporters are lying about and slandering Biden.

Why doesn’t Bernie condemn them and defend Joe agains this reprehensible behavior? Still haven’t seen an answer to that question.

[Aquaria]

31. WTF

How is it possible to go from AOC winning against a lazy Rep to supporting BS?

If it’s laziness you’re against, then why start supporting one of the laziest legislators ever elected? He has nothing to show for thirty years in DC—No significant legislation, and the one time he was given a leadership role, he fucked it up.

[mjvpi]

33. Thanks.I'll vote blue. Period

But don’t we still have the right, as Democrats, to fight for the platform that will come out of the convention? Biden has started to modify his stance on bankruptcy. He understands that bringing the party together means listening to people and rethinking policy. Luckily, he knows better than to tell smart, highly informed idealists, to shut up and get in line. Yes, yes, getting rid of the ratfucker is undeniably job number one, but what we need to do on day two is still pertinent.

[Demsrule86]

37. Sorry...this primary is over and I don't give two shits about what is in the platform which is

ignored in any case. What will get done is what can get through Congress...and everyday Sanders, remains he endangers Biden in the General. but also he endangers down ballot races... see you on the other side the primary is over. Hope we can all unite then. Until then any who offer reasons why Sanders should remain in the primary will be on ignore. I won't listen anymore to something I believe hurts our chances in the general.

[The Magistrate]

39. Exactly, Ma'am

If you are one of the Trotsky-ite faction in the little left group on campus, battling it out with the Mao-ist faction, while perhaps a couple of those types who plaster the lamp-posts with those neat retro Albanian posters look on, then certainly the 'party platform' means a great deal. People who don't take the line laid out may have to leave the group, it sets out what everyone has to say on the chief subjects of the day when speaking within the group, or outside it. There is not a great deal besides factional wrangling that goes on in such groups, and should one chance to grow, it will soon calve off new factions and so keep itself within the stable, several dozens at most size range.

That is not how party platforms in our major parties work. Ages ago they used to represent real factional compromises, and were viewed as somewhat binding on the candidates who stood on the party platform for election. Nowadays they do not mean a thing, they are merely occasion for delegates to congratulate themselves on the superiority of their party, and on their agreement with one another on issues of the day and hopes for the future. No one cares a fig for the platform once in office, it neither binds nor directs. People know that what the party's people do in office will be conditioned by what can actually be achieved.

'Bernie' emerges from the factional far-left milieu in which platforms matter, and matter greatly because there is in fact almost nothing at stake, there is no chance any of it will ever come to fruition in the big world, and no chance whatever of ever being responsible for acts and their consequences. No one outside the room is ever going to care which faction writes the manifesto, though to people inside the room it matters hugely --- not in political terms, but in social terms, defining who is in and who is out, who is on top and who is on the bottom. That 'Bernie' seems seriously to think platform planks are important matters is not only one of the things which betrays his 'new left' Marxist roots, it is something that brands him as a political naif, for all his grey hairs and the lines time has etched into his face....






"From Bernie’s 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 don’t 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."

[Demsrule86]

35. It is over and I honestly hope for the rest of the primaries punish Sanders. He risks lives by

not dropping out and mathematically he can't win. And maybe a couple of humiliating defeats in the primary will make him realize it is over. Beyond time for him to go...and those who support this are missing the point as ...this helps Trump and no one else.

[Demsrule86]

36. See you after the primary...at this point I can't look at pics of Bernie Sanders...

Then perhaps will all unite and it won't be too late for us to beat Trump. Sanders takes a big risk...unless and one wonders if this is true. He doesn't care if Trump wins election? Not saying it is so but why else would he remain in a primary, he has clearly lost.

[tirebiter]

29. Biden remains inclusive.

Bent knees are not how America works.

[Mike Nelson]

30. Cheers to you...

... Biden wasn't my first choice, but I don't have to get my way every time. We need to be united and move health care, etc...