While I agree generally with your post, that is a little hyperbolic. Few Americans confuse Bernie with any Republican of any stripe . . . not even the most liberal.
I watched Bernie’s performance this morning on two of the Sunday shows. He was heavily challenged by the Democrat moderators and held his own quite well I thought. Bernie is articulate, genuine, and consistent. His views and positions have not changed for years. You know where he stands.
Bernie has better brain to mouth coordination than Biden. When his brain has a thought it wishes to express, the requisite words flow out of his mouth without effort. It will be interesting to see whether or not Bernie can put this advantage effectively to use in his upcoming one-on-one debate.
But I seriously doubt Bernie will challenge Biden where he truly is vulnerable, on Burisma or on Hunter or on both, for example. Bernie does not possess a killer instinct. It’s a key reason he lost to Hillary four years ago.
You want killer instinct? Fetch Senator Warren. She’s got it, and she could teach Bernie a lesson or two. Even Tulsi has a bit of it. But Bernie? Not so much.
I’m just saying that he’s a party outsider, as much as any other outsider. There’s no way he benefits from any party comradery.
I thought the implication was rather clear - if Trump should put a woman on the Republican ticket, the democrat candidate will almost have to do the same. I think there’s pressure to do so anyways, but that move would leave Democrats with virtually no choice.
Word is tomorrow’s Michigan vote will answer that for Bernie. At 538 they are saying 93% chance Biden will be the nominee. Feel sorry for Bernie, whom I watched yesterday on two of the Sunday shows. He is a likable guy with a quick smile and a sense of humor. But it does now appear he is all but finished.
The next debate, the one-on-one between Bernie and Biden, comes too late to help Bernie tomorrow. Also there is a major format shift, to wit:
The two men will be seated, not standing as in all the prior debates. Also, questions will be taken from the audience, a feature completely absent prior. Why such changes?
Can only assume the DNC establishment believes these things will somehow benefit Biden. Frankly I’m surprised they will even allow the debate to proceed, given the clear preference for Biden and a strong desire up top not to allow him in any manner to be roughed up or embarrassed. After all, Biden for all practical purposes has already won the nomination. The upcoming debate cannot really help him, but at least in theory it could harm his candidacy.
Or, the shift is merely to start positioning and selling their candidate to the general public, rather than prolong the in-fighting and pot-shots at each other. Soften the imagery and give “the people” a voice. Make them appear more likeable and in touch than…oops, I’m not allowed to mention that here.
From the albeit brief time I’ve seen Biden, he seems to have fewer mental / verbal issues when he is seated. Thus, this format helps him.
“Taken from the audience” is something Democrats and Republicans have done in the past to make their candidate seem more in-touch and able to respond to questions from “the common man”. In my experience neither are true, as questions or questioners are selected (and probably answered) prior to the microphone being set up.
Well, guys, it has been a long slough. But in a few hours, if things go as forecast, Mr. Biden could be the de facto nominee. Big night tonight for the race.
Warren continues to mystify me. No endorsement of either candidate. What is her angle? What is her game? Or is she so pissed off that she lost that she has taken her marbles and gone home . . . . . where they also did not support her. Maybe she will come around in time.
Her politics are much more closely aligned with Bernie, so endorsing anyone other than Bernie right now would be disingenuous and she could lose the respect of her supporters. But Bernie appears to not be the favorite in the polls, and likely is not the party leadership’s favorite. I would expect her to either endorse Bernie before the convention, which is risky right now, or the nominee at the convention. Maybe she’ll endorse if Bernie gains a lead in the next few rounds. Or if he magically shifts his long-held beliefs (or at the very least his promises) closer to the center as we get closer to the convention (as is tradition).
She is much weaker than I thought. How tough is it to say what you believe, or explain why you’re not? If I had supported her, I would expect some guidance, or a better explanation than I can’t support Sanders because he’s behind in the polls.
Circumstances force me to be respectful of this outcome. Sure, I think the DNC had a hand in things to an extent. But Democrat VOTERS are doing this, NOT the DNC. I strongly believe voters, in this instance Democrat voters, should decide. They have decided. And they have chosen Biden and rejected Bernie and AOC. So be it. This is America and that is how stuff is supposed to work here. Congratulations to Vice President Biden. He will become the Democrat nominee barring something today unforeseeable.
Whom will Biden choose as his VP? Must it be a woman? Must it be a person of color? It’ll be interesting to see what he decides to do. Certainly, given Biden’s age, his VP choice will be pivotal.
I agree Warren would probably welcome the VP slot. So would Hillary, I imagine. A Warren choice would allow Biden to show deference to Bernie’s wing of the party. But would it help Biden in the general?
The general election is likely destined to be very close. Would Biden not be better off choosing a VP from an “on the fence” swing state? After all, at the bottom line it’s all about electoral votes. Biden needs no assistance whatsoever to win CA, OR, WA, NY, or IL. He will win such states as those regardless his VP selection. It’s the close states, at least one of them anyway, he needs to win over and swing his way. And his VP selection can have an impact there.
