Democrats stop betting on a Biden implosion

[comradebillyboy]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/17/biden-2020-election-100184

DES MOINES — It took more than a year, but the Democratic presidential primary is finally coming to terms with the fact that Joe Biden isn’t going to collapse before the first votes are cast.

If anything, the landscape is tilting more in his favor.

Biden’s fundraising has improved. His polling is steadier, and his opponents barely touched him in the presidential debate on Tuesday — the final debate ahead of the Iowa caucuses.

Two of his top rivals, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have started feuding, raising the prospect of a splintered progressive vote. Pete Buttigieg, a well-funded, well-organized, moderate alternative to Biden, has still not demonstrated that he can appeal to people of color. And three of the five top-polling candidates in Iowa — Sanders, Warren and Sen. Amy Klobuchar — are about to be pulled away from the campaign at the most inopportune time, stuck in Washington for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

Until recently, Democrats had operated on a seemingly universal consensus that Biden — an aging moderate with a record of losing presidential races — would wither in a competitive field. Many of his rivals stitched that thinking into their own plans.

Yet, less than three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the opposite is turning out to be true. Even critics of Biden’s campaign here have been surprised at his resilience.

[getagrip_already]

1. it isn't so much the dems were betting, as much as the media....

as well as his leading opponents. But dems as a whole haven't been predicting this.

It's mostly a media meme. They need a horse race. They need controversy. They need the public to get curious and tune in.

They never get very far with stories of "Street lights came on again with no difficulty - film at 11".

[PatSeg]

3. Good point

The media has pretty much ignored Biden for a long time and yes, from their standpoint he might seem dull in comparison to other candidates.

I think if you went back over the last two decades, that you'd find most pundits were wrong about most elections, but once an election is over, we tend to forget their prognostications. Amazing how people can get paid so much for being so wrong so often!

[honest.abe]

2. Things appear to be all going in Biden's favor at the moment.

Good timing!

[The Mouth]

4. It's his to lose

There is always a non-zero chance for a front runner to meet unexpected difficulties- witness John Edwards and Gary Hart, or tragedy - RFK. But currently Biden has the infrastructure in place , the connections and favors due by the thousand, and I think that will make a huge difference once the voting actually starts.

Pete, Yang, Harris, all good people, who could do a good job, but a run for President takes 10-20 years to prepare for unless one is as incredibly charismatic as Obama.

[oasis]

5. Genuine "Joementum". nt

[The Valley Below]

6. The party should unite behind the obvious choice.

This is no time to dick around.

We must defeat Trump. Joe Biden is the person for the job.

[NYMinute]

7. K&R Go Joe!! nt

[Thekaspervote]

8. The latest delegate predictions by 538 for the first 4 states is double that of sanders

Indeed it his to lose

Go JOE

[Pantagruel]

9. JB's latest endorsement

"After analyzing all the evidence and sitting back and really understanding what's going on, I don't think Vice President Biden did anything wrong. I think he was protecting our country and getting rid of, probably, a crooked attorney general." -Lev Parnas

[Gothmog]

10. Joe is not going to implode

Link to tweet

[Tarheel_Dem]

11. K&R

[Cha]

12. KR!