Thoughts from a middle-aged, female, former Bernie supporter...

[luxpara4]

Nobody’s asking, but I need to vent.
I backed Bernie fully last election- I caucused and gave money - but voted for Hilary because I’m not crazy. I am not doing that again. I will not vote for someone who doesn’t produce their taxes, period. I also think that there are too many unanswered questions about Russia and Ted Devine. And the fact that he isn’t a democrat is icing one the cake. I also distrust some of his surrogates and supporters.

I am not a fan of Biden, but I think he’s being railroaded, and I think Franken was railroaded. Dems seem to embrace the circular firing squad, to the point where we can be counted on to destroy our own. Anybody should be able to beat Trump, but I see us falling over ourselves to re-elect him. Repubs found the perfect weapon with #metoo - because it only seems to hurt dems. Space invaders aren’t the same thing as predators, we need to make that clear.
Unfortunately, I feel the need to reiterate that I’m a woman and I am against non-consensual and predatory behavior from anyone to anyone - but everything I’ve been reading on here just leads me to believe that there are either trolls that are trying to divide us, or the people are so open-minded that they are falling out. And I’m scared, because we haven’t learned anything from the last election.

[Sherman A1]

1. You do realize that it's very

Early in the process.

[luxpara4]

2. Yes, hopefully everybody will wise up.

Yes, hopefully everybody will wise up. They did not last time and see what happened.

[Sherman A1]

5. Bernie is my number two choice

And I fully support his candidacy, I just prefer Andrew Yang at this point.

[Otto Lidenbrock]

13. Andrew Yang is an impressive young man

But I wonder how many people actually have heard of him. He gets little media. Seems like his support is all online and twitter doesn't reflect the general public.

[Sherman A1]

16. I came across him on C-Span last fall

from the Brooklyn Book Festival and was very impressed.

Yes, our corporate mainstream media is ignoring him, but I hope to see that change as time progresses. His website does link to a few media interviews, so he is getting some attention.

[Kurt V.]

3. +1

[UniteFightBack]

4. All this Biden Bullshit is Baked in. nt

[namahage]

6. He wasn't running as a Democrat in 2016, either.

Or at least, he is no less a Democrat now as he was back then. Which, granted, is still not saying much, but to make that a reason not to vote for him when it was not an obstacle to "fully back" him before is curious.

And being "open-minded" is a strength of our party, not a flaw.

Welcome to DU. Hope you're enjoying your stay.

[luxpara4]

10. Been here since 2012

I’m mostly a lurker. I didn’t see him not being a Democrat as a big deal back then, because I obviously did not have the ability to see the future.

[wasupaloopa]

7. I see the touching thing as this, people have private space. It is like an invisible

circle around their body. They can either invite you into their space or not. A person has to be able to sense when they are invited into someone else’s space.

If you are not invited in, you have no permission to enter someone else’s space.

[MaryMagdaline]

8. Well said

I have one slimmer of hope and that is that the double standard is not so double if we have a male candidate. People may cut Biden more slack than they did Hillary (she even had to suffer for her husband’s sins).

[stonecutter357]

9. K&R

[WheelWalker]

11. Thank you for speaking up.

Blessings.

[BlueFlorida]

12. You speak the truth ma'am. nt

[kurtcagle]

14. I am a white, middle aged male

though an ardent Democrat. I remember discussing with my wife when Franken was forced to resign that there was very real danger in the #meToo movement for it to be co-opted for political purposes, and I find that what's happening with Biden is the perfect reason why I was concerned.

We need to start distinguishing between a healthy degree of physical contact and the actions of a sexual predator. It is a matter of intent, and unfortunately intent is not easy to discern at the best of times, so it becomes easier, especially without context, to claim someone is acting in an inappropriate fashion - to the extent of destroying their reputation - for the sin of giving a hug.

This does not only damage male candidates either. Men do vote, and if men feel that women are using #meToo simply as a political tool, it will more likely reduce the likelihood of a man who is on the fence to choose a male candidate because they perceive the women as being manipulative. Given what's at stake, this needs to stop. Credibility needs to be earned, and so far what I've seen with Biden is that he is far more credible than his accusers, especially in light of Gillebrand (who I believe shot herself in the foot when she pushed Al Frankin out).

[Blue_true]

15. I err on the side of NOT touching people unless they initiate first.

I am no prude, but a woman has to extend her hand before I shake it, and I have learned from past experience that women are not into the firm grip bs. I never touch anyone unless I am in an athletic event with them, then I may slap someone on a shoulder to congratulate that person for a good play.

[kurtcagle]

20. Same

I have an introvert's dislike of physical contact, which can be a real handicap as my spouse's family tends to be highly extroverted and very much inclined to hug.

[Mme. Defarge]

17. Merci, ma belle!

If Dems don’t get a clue, eliminating our best, most electable candidates will be as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.

[KT2000]

18. Good post

Every male candidate may find someone coming out of the woodwork to accuse him of something inappropriate. We need to learn how to deal with this because it is a political maneuver that has been proven successful for the repubs. I'll be damned if I will jettison Biden, someone who has a long record of public service and who we all know is a folksy kind of guy. Can't the Dems give him a chance to learn that what is acceptable has changed? What was in his heart and what were his intentions - I doubt he was trying to force himself on anyone.
He views Dems as one of the family, and some are turning on him for that.