The ominous threat of a Bernie nomination seems to have drastically subsided over the last 48 hours

[tritsofme]

It was a scary few weeks, where a Bernie nomination and Trump second term briefly looked inevitable, but the tide has turned.

All of the momentum is on Joe’s side, and the party seems to be deciding...on him!

The race is far from over, but the trajectory has inexorably changed, Advantage: Joe Biden!

[DonaldsRump]

1. Bern's feeling the Burn...the Biden Burn!!! n/t

[griffi94]

5. Are you still feeling the burn?

Is it the Biden burn?
It's looking better for Joe everyday.

[joost5]

60. the "Bidurn"?

[Vivienne235729]

2. It's like someone woke the sleeping giant. A total 180. I am so relieved.

[at140]

3. Don't get so excited yet,

until the results of super Tuesday are out. Bernie is leading by double digits in CA & TX.

[Vivienne235729]

10. Dang it. You're right....

[stopdiggin]

11. yeah. Sanders is going to collect a LOT of delegates in a couple days.

this is hardly over. Where this might make a difference (and I'm qualifying that big time) is in a contested convention .. with a lot of delegates feeling much more secure in moving to what seems more like a consensus candidate. And that would require Biden to continue to perform well (better than?) in the remaining contests.

[pbmus]

71. 538 is saying 1599 for Sanders, 1455 for Biden...

Interesting scenario when delegates from Bloomberg and Warren start negotiating with Sanders and Biden campaigns...

[Demsrule86]

85. Sanders delegate counts have been lowered again since Klobachar left the race.

Anything could happen.

[ehrnst]

86. You mean... respect the will of the voters?

[mcar]

97. Polls from before Saturday

shouldn't count. I haven't seen anything post SC.

[brutus smith]

4. "the party seems to be deciding...on him!"

I'm part of the party and I didn't decide on Joe.

[gilligan]

19. Either did I

[KSNY]

33. Yes that is in the interest of the party establishment

[tirebiter]

66. Bloomberg is aiding Sanders by staying in until after Super Tuesday

How's it feel Bernie? Joe is next to broke.

[Moderateguy]

47. If you constantly attack the Party what do you expect them to do?

[rwsanders]

57. Wake up and change

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/robert-reich-bernie-sanders-is-not-george-mcgovern/

[lapucelle]

76. Truthdig...

[rwsanders]

100. If that makes you laugh, mores the pity.

Reminds me of 2016 all over again.
BTW what's your education level?

[GulfCoast66]

102. 2016? When Bernie lost decisively? Yeah. Reminds me of that as well.

Ask asking about education level? Not cool.

[rwsanders]

104. OK, if you remember it that way. I remember a gamed system with the one campaign controlling the DNC

in exchange for covering their debt or did you miss that?

So how did your candidate fare in the general election?

Not cool? Really? Did you see the previous post? Nothing about an issue, nothing about the writer, just derision about the website that hosted the writer. Do you want a list of the people that contribute there? I haven't seen any "moderate" site that compares. So considering the grade school level response I believe it was quite appropriate, and if you disagree, please just block me.

[LanternWaste]

105. You certainly lecture people on who to vote, how to think, and what to post.

Simply an observation rather than a criticism.

Other than that, 3rd grade must have been a real drag for you, man (as we've devolved into talking about petulant irrelevancies such as education levels, et. al). Cheer up!

[rwsanders]

108. Bizarre that you would get that from what I wrote.

But I'll leave that to you and a qualified therapist.
https://www.betterhelp.com/

[relayerbob]

56. It's called democracy

we need to get votes cast and counted before getting WH parking garage passes. We're 1 million votes in, 30+million to go

[relayerbob]

68. Looks that way, doesn't it

[sheshe2]

81. Interesting.

material_highlighter
65. what I've been thinking,

all the hate against Sanders & Warren has shown me that there are "Democrats" who hate democracy just as much as Republicans do.

they are all for rule of the people, until they don't get what they want.

The only hate I see directed at Warren is from BS supporters.

[Turin_C3PO]

82. In what way do Democrats hate democracy?

We’re in the middle of a primary where people will get to vote for their chosen candidate. Sounds like democracy to me.

[Boomer]

67. Thank you, neither did I

This isn't over yet, by any means.

[handmade34]

6. seems

much of the consternation is because Bernie is not a Democrat...

I am feeling much more hopeful today than I was last week at this time

[SiliconValley_Dem]

7. This is not going to be easy and Biden, his staff, volunteers, you, me

All of us will have to work very hard to make up ground and hopefully pull off a major come from behind delegate victory before the convention.

It would be much better for the country and the party to have an uncontested convention.

I hope after Super Tuesday Biden tags Elizabeth Warren as running mate and she accepts.

[lostnfound]

9. Highly unlikely. Nt

[stopdiggin]

15. Kamala Harris or Stacey Abrams

and I like Klobuchar too ...
(but I think that is just too safe, safe, safe. too white. too midwest.)

[Calculating]

8. Careful what you wish for..

That is all

[LongtimeAZDem]

13. No worries; we're already factoring in Sanders followers sitting out

[Lonestarblue]

48. I hope that Sanders' supporters will not sit out the election if he is not the nominee.

Sanders is having a good race, but if he doesn’t win it will not be because he was somehow cheated of the nomination, as his supporters believed in 2016. It will be because voters believe that a different candidate is better positioned to beat Trump and to help carry House and Senate elections, and that is more important than any policy differences. I am not a Bernie supporter, but if he wins the nomination, I will definitely vote for him. I hope Bernie’s supporters will do the same if someone else wins the nomination.

[LongtimeAZDem]

51. So do I, but we have to proceed as if they will. Claims of "rigging" are already all over the net,

so we cannot count on his supporter's votes; thus, we have to appeal to moderates from across the aisle to defeat Trump.

That is the incredible irony; by not reigning in his followers, Bernie is pulling the party to the right.

[joost5]

62. Anyone sitting out this election is painfully unaware of what's at stake.

OR, the are content with another 4 to ?? years of Trump, because you know he's been hinting at going full fascist dictator to the sickening glee of MAGAts.

[LongtimeAZDem]

89. I know; that's why the election is too important to depend on capricious critics

[pampango]

87. Sanders has said he will support the nominee no matter who it is.

We all know that beating Trump is Job #1. Sanders has said as much also.

... we're already factoring in Sanders followers sitting out

I hope by 'followers' you don't mean everyone who voted for him in the primary. That's a lot of Democrats. The vast majority of them will not 'sit out' the general election, nor should they. If they did, the 'factoring' would not add up.

[LongtimeAZDem]

88. Sanders also said he wouldn't run a divisive campaign, yet his hires and campaign actions

belie that.

So, I don't believe him.

[LanternWaste]

106. Another bumper sticker!

Truly astounding your illustration of both the depth of breadth of your wisdom.

And no... that's really not all.

[William769]

12. Agreed!

[Old Crow]

17. DU is very hostile toward Sanders.

Every time I log on here, I see smears, fear-mongering, aspersions, distortions, and outright disinformation--and in the midst of all this nastiness, a constant drumbeat about how bad Sanders supporters are.

The hypocrisy is remarkable.

[mwooldri]

83. My feeling is that DU will become for a while "Joe Underground"...

At least between about right now and the convention. There are other forums, though the one I had hoped would be reasonably level headed has gone full on Bernie Bros mode and seems to have stayed that way for the past four years. However it is still active.

This Super Tuesday will be quite telling as to how actual general Democrats feel about their candidate choices. DU hasn't been and isn't intended to be a true reflection of the generic Democrat - the people who are active here are certainly more active in the Democratic Party community, some people here are actively running for elected office.

Bernie Sanders is certainly an interesting political figure. He's not a DINO, more like a Democrat In All But Name - based on his actions, voting patterns, political fundraising activities etc. Is a Democratic Farmer-Labor Party member a Democrat? (Trick question, answer is "yes" ). But he isn't "establishment", and is untested. He can be IMO very Trumpian at times. He has a vision, but his plans aren't thought well through... And sometimes I felt he was one-upping Elizabeth - she came out with her plan to cancel a lot of student loan debt... Bernie said he'd cancel all student loan debt, but no clear plan on how to do it.

I worry about Joe being the candidate. He is gaffe prone. If a single gaffe of not attributing his stump speech in 1988 to Neil Kinnock ended Joe's presidential ambitions then, what could end them now? The media will be merciless on him - fortunately Joe stating in SC that he's a candidate for the "US Senate" didn't do him any harm, and maybe we have gotten used to him making mistakes. One thing that does really count in Joe's favour is that his General Election opponent of DJT makes so many gaffes that Joe might not have this as big as a problem as I fear. After all Joe's gaffes are generally inoffensive... DJTs gaffes are usually incendiary.

While I am convinced that Elizabeth Warren would make a better president than either Joe or Bernie, it looks like that one of these two men (barring a Mike miracle) will become the Democratic Party presidential nominee. I can be wrong, but I feel this will run on for a while, if Bernie ends up leading in delegates Joe will stay in to pull Bernie towards the middle a bit, and if Joe leads in delegates Bernie will continue in order to pull Joe left. A good thing? I don't know but this does look to be re-hashing a bit of the 2016 primary, and there will be some butthurt along the way. One thing we do need to ensure is that come this November DJT gets an eviction notice.

[kevink077]

23. Bernie is not a dem..

He and many of his supporters support “burning down the house” and they seem fine with Trump winning if it is not Sanders. The house does not need “burning down” which would set the ideals Sanders supporters actually support- set them back 20 years. All because of purity. That is why I am not a Sanders fan. I will vote blue no matter who but I support the Democrat Joe Biden.

[Old Crow]

31. A couple gentle corrections to what you're saying.

First, I know a lot of Sanders supporters and not one of them would not vote for the Democratic nominee, regardless of who that is. None of them are willing to stay at home on election day and enable the re-election of Donald Trump. In the past six months, I have not seen a single Sanders supporters who is "fine" with Trump winning, your statement notwithstanding.

Second, Bernie Sanders himself has repeatedly stated that the top priority is stopping Donald Trump, regardless of who the Democratic nominee is.

Please stop with the aspersions. If you can direct me to a Bernie Sanders supporter on DU suggesting that he is "fine with Trump winning" (your words), please point me to that post.

[lapucelle]

80. People might simply think that history will repeat itself.

Link to tweet

[Demsrule86]

93. A number of polls have shown only 59% of Sanders supporters will vote for a different nominee.

Those are hard numbers.

[LanternWaste]

107. Anecdotal evidence is not objective data

And regardless of whether we may allege to have never seen a thing does not in fact, imply it as fiction. Indeed, if we remove our biases, we often see much more than we (and our narratives) want to.

But that requires open eyes rather than seeing only that which validates our agenda.

[True Blue American]

34. They scornfully

Post about working with Republicans but there are times when you have to work with moderates to get things done.

Scorched earth means burnout. That is what Republicans have done. That is not Governing.

[LongtimeAZDem]

28. Because he constantly attacks Democrats, and the Democratic party

Because his staff is made up of third-party voters who post vile attacks

Because his followers do stuff like this, all the time:

[Richard D]

45. I wouldn't mind Sanders as a president at all

I think it would be interesting, maybe even really good.

That said, I have a stuck in the gut negative reaction that goes back to "Bernie or Bust".

We busted.

[emmaverybo]

84. Bernie is NOT the most popular candidate. Not across diverse groups, demographics, and the

political spectrum.

[honest.abe]

16. Indeed. America just breathed a collective sigh of relief.

[NewJeffCT]

18. I'm not a Bernie fan

but, I think it's a long ways from over - is Biden going to be able to overcome delegate wins that Sanders seems to be in line for in California and Texas?

[totodeinhere]

25. We might still be headed for a contested convention if Bloomberg stays in.

I hope not however because a nominee coming out of a contested convention might not be as strong as a nominee with a first ballot victory.

[LongtimeAZDem]

30. Bernie cannot win a contested convention, and he knows it, and so he just weakens us in the general

[totodeinhere]

36. Whether he could win a contested convention or not, having a strong nominee who wins on the first

is the best scenario no matter who that nominee may be.

[True Blue American]

37. Bloomberg will stay in

As long as he needs to. Then he will pour money into the Democratic coffers.

[Gravitycollapse]

41. Not picking the candidate with the most votes weakens us in the general.

Whoever gets the most votes, be it Biden or Sanders, should be picked to be the nominee.

I still think our chances of winning after a contested convention are pretty remote.

[LongtimeAZDem]

43. Nevermind; not going there

[Gravitycollapse]

44. And the party will contradict themselves if they don't pick whoever has the most votes.

Since that was their argument last time.

Contradictions all around.

[Moderateguy]

50. It's about delegates not votes..

Every last person in CA can vote for the democratic nominee in the GE and win the popular vote but will lose the EC.

[Gravitycollapse]

55. I'm talking about delegates voting at the convention.

Not the popular vote. Whoever gets the most delegate votes should be the nominee.

[ehrnst]

94. You don't say....

On May 29, 2016, Sanders said superdelegates had the “very grave responsibility to make sure that Trump [is not] elected president of the United States. Vote for the strongest candidate.

And even as Clinton secured the Democratic nomination the following week, Sanders continued to push for superdelegates to vote to override Clinton’s pledged delegate majority.

Told on June 7, 2016, that his superdelegate convention push would defy history and the will of the voters, Sanders said, “Defying history is what this campaign has been about.””

Bernie Sanders pushed for a contested convention in 2016. Now he wants to avoid one. Feb 27, 2020

[ehrnst]

95. "Since that was their argument last time around...."

On May 29, 2016, Sanders said superdelegates had the “very grave responsibility to make sure that Trump [is not] elected president of the United States. Vote for the strongest candidate.

And even as Clinton secured the Democratic nomination the following week, Sanders continued to push for superdelegates to vote to override Clinton’s pledged delegate majority.

Told on June 7, 2016, that his superdelegate convention push would defy history and the will of the voters, Sanders said, “Defying history is what this campaign has been about.””

Bernie Sanders pushed for a contested convention in 2016. Now he wants to avoid one. Feb 27, 2020

[radical noodle]

99. It wasn't their argument at all

It's the delegates, it's always the delegates.

[ehrnst]

96. "Not picking the candidate with the most votes weakens us in the general..."

On May 29, 2016, Sanders said superdelegates had the “very grave responsibility to make sure that Trump [is not] elected president of the United States. Vote for the strongest candidate.

And even as Clinton secured the Democratic nomination the following week, Sanders continued to push for superdelegates to vote to override Clinton’s pledged delegate majority.

Told on June 7, 2016, that his superdelegate convention push would defy history and the will of the voters, Sanders said, “Defying history is what this campaign has been about.””

Bernie Sanders pushed for a contested convention in 2016. Now he wants to avoid one. Feb 27, 2020

[maxsolomon]

21. What do I do when I see either as an ominous threat leading to

an inevitable 2nd Term of an Authoritarian Sociopath?

[lark]

22. I had such a scare Saturday night, I just laid in bed and obsessed for some time.

I fell asleep before more than just a few % of votes were counted and woke up hours later and saw a graphic on the tv of Bernie 59 and Joe 46. The sound was off. I thought in my half asleep state, that Bernie was carrying SC. I turned off the tv, trying to reassure myself that this wasn't as bad as I thought, but mostly worrying about Bernie as the D nominee and what it would mean as well as trying to get myself up for working for his election and how would I answer certain questions about him, etc. etc. I was so damn happy when I woke up Sunday and my husband announced to me that Biden had an epic win. The number I saw was delegates! I was so freaking relieved!

Edit - fixed copy paste error

[rzemanfl]

39. Kind of nasty, don't you think? n/t

[marble falls]

63. Running over and over for name reognition sure worked for Harold Stassen, didn't it?

[Codeine]

59. Wow.

Enjoy your stay.

[Gravitycollapse]

26. DU is not representative. It's still a very competitive race.

And looks increasingly like we will have a contested convention.

[LongtimeAZDem]

29. Which Bernie would lose on the second ballot, so he's just making it harder for us to beat Trump

[Gravitycollapse]

35. You know what they say about assumptions.

[totodeinhere]

40. But Bernie's goal is to win on the first ballot. And according to 538 there is a realistic

chance that he can pull it off. Yes that assessment was pre-South Carolina, but a lot of people had already voted in Super Tuesday states prior to last Saturday. So I doubt if he believes that he is making it harder for us to beat Trump.

[oasis]

38. Rep. Jim Clyburn deserves a ton of credit. nt

Biden's on the rise.

[TrogL]

42. Many votes were cast weeks ago

[world wide wally]

49. I finally exhaled for the first time in two weeks

[PatSeg]

91. Same here

It was such a relief and evidently the same was true for Joe as well. He seemed transformed Saturday night. There's nothing quite like winning to energize a candidate.

[TCJ70]

52. Oh yeah...Bernie's sooooo scary...

...please. “Ominius threat of a Bernie nomination”? “Scary few weeks”? Come on.

[AdamGG]

53. I'm not pro-Bernie, but this post is massively premature

In 30 hours we'll be responding to super Tuesday results and polling indicates that California & Texas and a wide swath of super Tuesday states are about to give Bernie a significant lead in delegates.

[rwsanders]

54. You're only half right, now we may be faced with 4 more years of Trump.

Thanks establishment.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/robert-reich-bernie-sanders-is-not-george-mcgovern/

[CentralMass]

58. It is all speculation until the votes are counted.

[Lordquinton]

61. It really hasn't changed

Like still on the same path, and Bernie is still the frontrunner.

[yuiyoshida]

64. vOTING Blue

no matter who.

[Sloumeau]

69. The winds have definitely shifted. :) nt

[empedocles]

77. The tide has turned [tide is less transient]

[krispos42]

70. "ominous threat", huh?

Wow.

[tritsofme]

98. Yep, it would lead to four more years of Trump.

Thank goodness we seem to have a chance at avoiding that fate.

[krispos42]

103. Whatever you have to tell yourself

It sounds to me like something else.

[Farmer-Rick]

73. So it is obvious all those saying the world will end with a Bernie win

Don't know what they are talking about.

[NurseJackie]

74. He's a "uniter" all right ... so to speak.

All I'm trying to say is that I think the numbers and the coalition that's developing around Biden is proof enough of that.

[empedocles]

78. 'so to speak'

[NJCher]

75. so glad you're confident that you're going to win

he trajectory has inexorably changed, Advantage: Joe Biden!


Now sit back, get comfy, have a drink, and enjoy yourself. I just love it when people get comfortable with their position.

[TwilightZone]

101. Nice selective edit

"The race is far from over"

[demosincebirth]

79. Whew!!

[budkin]

90. It was an absolutely ridiculous freakout

Either one of these guys is going to thump Trump.

[Blue_Tires]

92. Sanders was counting on all the other candidates

leeching votes off each other, but now that the field is smaller we're about to see what's what...