Why Putin doesn't want Biden to be the nominee.

[Stuart G]

Every time the word "Biden" is spoken to many people voting, we think of Trump trying to get "dirt on Joe and his son."

...The word "Biden" immediately brings up dirt and impeachment of Trump. Even though Trump was not convicted, that word brings up the crookedness and illegal nature of Trump. Trump is evil, a liar and a crook. ..

...That is why Putin doesn't want Biden because of the thought that of aspect of Trump. When you think of that aspect, then you have a tendency to vote against Trump. Only the 30 to 35 percent of "true believers" will stick with Trump if Biden is the nominee. If that number is 40 percent, then 60 percent will be with Biden. Putin knows it, and we know it. Anyone but Joe Biden because of what Joe represents. Joe represents a "crooked Donald Trump" who wanted dirt on Joe's son.

[Qutzupalotl]

1. Also Biden would kick Trump's ass out of office.

That’s why Trump went looking for dirt on Biden, and when he couldn’t find anything, had to pressure an ally to pretend he was investigating Hunter. In other words, they have to make stuff up because they got nothing.

[Stuart G]

2. Of course, you are correct, Biden would overwhelm Trump. Trump would lose and lose big.

[OnDoutside]

3. The bigger point is that he would attract moderate Republicans

disgusted with Trump, like those suburban moms in key swing states, as well as right leaning independent voters. They're the ones who would not only deliver the White House, but probably the Senate too. Sanders would kill all that, as there's no way he can attract that support. It's seriously depressing.

[Stuart G]

4. Yes, Biden would attract moderate Republicans, Bernie would not.

Bernie does NOT appear to be moderate.

[guillaumeb]

5. Are there any moderate Republicans?

The vast majority of GOP voters polled approve of Trump.

[Stuart G]

7. Yes, there are "moderates" who are Republican who don't like Trump.

We don't know how many, but there are many hundreds of thousands if not millions. Trump is a liar and a crook, and those people will not vote for a "socialist" but they will vote for Joe Biden... You don't know, if Bernie is our candidate, we will find out...probably with Trump's reelection.

...If Joe is our candidate, I think we will also find out with Trump's defeat.

[TwilightZone]

8. 20-25% self-ID as moderate or liberal.

Moderates likely constitute the vast majority of the 10% or so of Republicans who disapprove of Trump.

It's not a lot, but in a close race, a couple percent in swing states could certainly matter.

[Garrett78]

12. People who self-identify as moderate or independent or undecided or all of the above are...

...all over the map ideologically-speaking: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-moderate-middle-is-a-myth/.

The upshot of all this is that if you’re a campaign trying to appeal to independents, moderates or undecided voters — or a concerned citizen trying to make sense of these groups in the context of an election — policy and ideology aren’t good frames of reference. There just isn’t much in terms of policy or ideology that unites these groups.

Anybody who claims to have the winning formula for winning moderate, independent or undecided voters is making things up. Perhaps more centrist policies will appeal to some voters in each of these categories — but so will more extreme policies.

And come election day, these potential swing voters may not ultimately care all that much about policy. They don’t tend to identify themselves based on ideology, and they don’t follow politics all that closely.

[OnDoutside]

9. When the Republicans would be finished with him in a General,

Stalin would be seen to be a conservative by comparison !

[Stuart G]

10. Republicans want Bernie, because Bernie is easy to destroy.

Bernie is not the standard usual member of the Democratic Party. He is his own party, and has that history.
If one denies that "history" then that person is denying the truth of who Bernie is/was/ and will always be.
One thing Bernie is, he is a "socialist"... That is his history and defining that history will hurt Bernie and the Democratic Party. That process of defining "socialism" could hurt us, and cost us the election.

I need to add this, it really doesn't matter that much of our society is already "socialistic"..What matters is what Bernie will be depicted as during the election. The definition of socialism as it exists in our current society, would be a waste of time, because the Republicans will send the idea home in a vicious, lying way...(as they always do)'
Educating the electorate that we already have some "socialism" would and is a waste of time. That is a bad word whose definition is not important. Why? A bad word is still a bad word..get the point?

[OnDoutside]

11. 100% correct and true.

I live in the EU, and I have no problems with the democratic bits of socialism, especially in terms of medicine, education and improving society for the betterment of all. Because of decades of Reds under the Beds there isn't a hope in hell that a guy like Sanders would win in a General, in the US.

[uponit7771]

14. Sanders has no swing state appeal outside of MOE, Biden does

[uponit7771]

13. +1, which was the point of "Crooked Joe" but it backfired because dems impeached Trumps dumb azz

[OnDoutside]

15. Exactly. It's out in plain sight. I fear all the browbeating of the DNC has had a terrible effect.

I can only hope the leaders of the party get this addressed. I believe that if the Superdelegates vote for Sanders opponent, the shitstorm caused by the Bros, will be vastly counterbalanced by the increase in suburban moms and independents who want to vote against Trump.

[Cha]

6. KR