Some Brief Notes on Where the Primaries Stand
I pulled this together from various posts and comments on social media, but they represent my thoughts on the last week’s political events…
I pulled this together from various posts and comments on social media, but they represent my thoughts on the last week’s political events. Comments are encouraged.
Bernie Sanders remains my choice, based on the policies he advocates.
I’m worried about Joe Biden’s stamina during the campaign. I’m less worried about Sanders, but concerned that both are on the wrong side of 70 should either win in November.
I will vote for Biden if he wins the nomination without qualms, though I have no illusions he’ll do much more than rescue us from the Trumpian abyss. I think more is needed, but escaping the existential threat posed by Donald Trump is the priority.
Sanders and many of his supporters have not acquitted themselves all that well since Super Tuesday.
Blaming black voters because they voted for Biden and not for Bernie, assuming they are not smart enough to understand what their own best interests are, or that Obama is somehow pulling strings in the black community for Biden — these are actual conspiracies and comments I’ve been seeing on Facebook and Twitter — is at best paternalistic and chauvinistic and down-right racist at worst. It treats black voters as a monolith and plays on the worst stereotypes.
Calling for any candidate to quit to help your candidate is condescending. That was the case when Michael Bloomberg made the request, and it is the same with Sanders’ backers turning their anger at Elizabeth Warren for staying in until Thursday.
The last few days leave me even more pessimistic about defeating Donald Trump. The Democrats may. seem like they are unifying behind a candidate, but all that’s happened so far is that the candidate field has winnowed and the anger among supporters is rising. That is not a good sign.
Everyone needs to take a step back, take a breath, and hold off on saying things that will do damage to the needed coalition building.
And whatever direction the rest of the primaries take, neither Sanders nor Biden can afford to dismiss or, worse, chase away the others’ supporters. My sense is that Sanders’ most fervent are likely to bolt, but Sanders needs to press for unity and Biden has to reach out to the left and show he is willing to do more than listen. A fractured party will mean four more years and neither the nation nor the planet can afford that.