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Democratic Primaries
Showing Original Post only (View all)Is Sanders past his sell-by date? [View all]
Washington PostThe conventional wisdom has finally caught up to what moderate Democrats have known for years: There are a lot of Democratic voters nowhere near as extreme as Sanders, and these voters are going to be content with simply finding a winner.
As former North Dakota senator Heidi Heitkamp (D) said on ABCs This Week: "One of the things that I know from talking to the most liberal of Democrats is they want someone who can win. She observed that when they see the polling numbers out of Michigan and Pennsylvania, and they see that this president already has got double-digit lead over this candidate, Biden has a double-digit lead over the president, theyre like okay, lets get on board, lets make sure we do the one thing we all want to do, which is defeat Donald Trump as the next president of the United States.
If the primary contest were about ideological rigidity, Sanders might win. That, however, doesnt look like what is motivating Democrats. When you look at what Democrats want, they want someone who can beat this president, and theyre willing to look at any range of issues as long as theyre in change from what we have whether its on health care, whether its on climate, we dont need to be, you know, arguing the extremes, Heitkamp says. We just need to say what were seeing right now, ignoring climate, ignoring the immigration problem, ignoring wealth in disparity in this country. Those are not a path forward.
Biden may have a tougher time with more moderate contenders or with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her filing cabinet filled with policy ideas. (Compared to Sanders, shes much more willing, for example, to look at intermediary steps before we reach the nirvana of Medicare-for-all.) Moreover, standing next to Sanders on the debate stage, Biden may look a whole lot younger than his 76 years. He sure is going to sound a lot more reasonable and informed.
As former North Dakota senator Heidi Heitkamp (D) said on ABCs This Week: "One of the things that I know from talking to the most liberal of Democrats is they want someone who can win. She observed that when they see the polling numbers out of Michigan and Pennsylvania, and they see that this president already has got double-digit lead over this candidate, Biden has a double-digit lead over the president, theyre like okay, lets get on board, lets make sure we do the one thing we all want to do, which is defeat Donald Trump as the next president of the United States.
If the primary contest were about ideological rigidity, Sanders might win. That, however, doesnt look like what is motivating Democrats. When you look at what Democrats want, they want someone who can beat this president, and theyre willing to look at any range of issues as long as theyre in change from what we have whether its on health care, whether its on climate, we dont need to be, you know, arguing the extremes, Heitkamp says. We just need to say what were seeing right now, ignoring climate, ignoring the immigration problem, ignoring wealth in disparity in this country. Those are not a path forward.
Biden may have a tougher time with more moderate contenders or with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her filing cabinet filled with policy ideas. (Compared to Sanders, shes much more willing, for example, to look at intermediary steps before we reach the nirvana of Medicare-for-all.) Moreover, standing next to Sanders on the debate stage, Biden may look a whole lot younger than his 76 years. He sure is going to sound a lot more reasonable and informed.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
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I prefer a candidate who doesn't stumble over EASY questions about abortion...
NurseJackie
May 2019
#25
You forgot to say "In my opinion..." since you don't know how prepared he was.
George Eliot
May 2019
#105
It's already painfully obvious to any impartial observer how UN-prepared he was.
NurseJackie
May 2019
#124
Even to the casual observer, the fact that he was unable to answer a question regarding.....
George II
May 2019
#146
Washington Post-Analysis: How the Democrats' shift to the left indirectly aids Joe Biden
Gothmog
May 2019
#62
Right wing parties have recently gained votes and seats in many European countries.
Nitram
May 2019
#27
Unfortunately those three have had more of a negative "influence" on mainstream Democrats.....
George II
May 2019
#31
Bernie likes to think that decades old dem policy is something he did... no it isn't
Thekaspervote
May 2019
#43
The "green new deal" hasn't been written, much less passed. It's just a resolution....
George II
May 2019
#130
You made clear you thought I was calling Truman socialist as you made a point to point out he wasn't
Tiggeroshii
May 2019
#139
That seems like a contradiction of your last post, but centrists are not the future of the party.
Tiggeroshii
May 2019
#143
The so-called "Sanders Wing" (a misnomer at that) of the Democratic Party represents....
George II
May 2019
#46
Those that comprise the "Sanders wing" of the Democratic Party were there before 2016.....
George II
May 2019
#147
Yes "fangirl" It was so one-sided, over the top, and disengenuous that the word fits
LiberalLovinLug
May 2019
#51
Uhhh ...there's a lot of substance to her words. And a lot of facts to back it up.
Thekaspervote
May 2019
#44
You summed it up pretty well... it's getting tiresome, but, take comfort...
InAbLuEsTaTe
May 2019
#107
Simply not true in the case of Biden. A recent Daily Beast Op-Ed claimed he "railroaded Anita Hill,"
emmaverybo
May 2019
#88
Yes go back to the Senate, Bernie and do your job the people of Vermont elected you to do!
kimbutgar
May 2019
#48
so he's extreme then she goes on to say ideological rigidity he could win. It's easy to see she
Kurt V.
May 2019
#52
who cares? Pushing the party to the left is a service even if he's not viable ultimately.
Grasswire2
May 2019
#54
In the process of "pushing" he is also damaging the party and helping the Republicans.
honest.abe
May 2019
#63
Washington Post-Analysis: How the Democrats' shift to the left indirectly aids Joe Biden
Gothmog
May 2019
#71
Much better to have insisted on Sanders' version and passed nothing I guess?
brooklynite
May 2019
#104
What do you expect from Jennifer Rubin of the Wapo's "Right Turn" column?
Hassin Bin Sober
May 2019
#142